Intuitive Eating and Joyful Movement
Kalin Herbach, RD
 |
| Photo Credit: Emma Nicole Photography |
We are living in a time in our society where people are becoming hyper focused on their health, so much that it’s resulting in stress and anxiety around eating and exercise. The whole point of making “healthy” choices is so that you can enjoy your life more, but the pursuit of “perfect” health can end up taking all of our time and energy, so there is very little life left to enjoy. We are going to focus on some guiding principles to support you in nourishing your body for movement, in a way that doesn’t add more rules to your routine. I hope this provides you with some helpful strategies, but remember that you know your body best!
First and foremost, my hope is that moving your body:
- Brings you joy
Having a positive relationship with movement is the first step in caring for yourself. Keep this same perspective in mind as we dive into strategies for fuelling your body.
Embrace Permission and Structure
A common concern my clients have about intuitive eating is related to planning and structure. Embracing an intuitive relationship with food doesn’t mean that you can’t plan. In most cases, preparing meals and snacks ahead of time is an essential step to ensure you are feeding your body adequately. Along with this, I support my clients in giving themselves full permission to eat, and let go of all the food rules like “I should eat X food before/after a workout”. This allows you to truly discover what works best for your body!
Before and After Movement
On average, most individuals feel best when the gap between meals and snacks is no longer than 2-4 hours. Whether you include movement in the morning, afternoon, or evening, plan to have a meal or snack a few hours before to help with energy. A common concern with morning movement is that having breakfast before feels like too much. If this applies to you, try having a snack before, followed by breakfast afterwards.
Guiding Principles for Meals and Snacks
Instead of focusing on making sure your plate is perfectly divided, aim to include the following in your meals:
- Carbohydrate
- Fat
- Protein
- Fibre
I love thinking about meals in this way, because it helps broaden the variety and type of meals you can make for you and your family, while still ensuring that all the components are there to help nourish your body.
Through experience with clients, a snack tends to be most nourishing and satisfying when it contains more than one component. Aim to include a carbohydrate source along with a fat, protein or fibre.
Depending on the type of movement, you may find it helpful to have something that is more easily digested before. Here are some ideas:
- Toast or banana with nut butter
- Granola with milk
- Muffin with piece of fruit
After engaging in movement, aim to have your next meal or snack within an hour to provide your body with adequate nourishment. Pay attention to what you naturally gravitate towards and get curious about what feels good. Here are some snack ideas:
- Homemade energy bites
- Smoothie (Greek yogurt, 2 kinds of fruit, milk and some type of fat – hemp hearts, nut butter, ground flaxseed, avocado etc)
- Greek yogurt with fruit and/or granola
“But I Don’t Feel Hungry After”
It can be quite common to feel like you aren’t hungry after movement. Sometimes, honouring what your body needs means that you choose to eat because you know it’s best for your body, even if you don’t feel the physical sensations of hunger. This could be after movement, or another example would be if you know you won’t be able to eat for the next 6 hours, so you choose to have a meal or snack.
Get curious and give yourself permission to find what works for YOUR body!
If you would like support in this process, feel free to connect with Kalin or her colleague Barbara at Pine Integrated Health Centre:
Instagram: @kalinhrd
Comments
Post a Comment