Every day on social media you see people checking in at the gym, posting photos of their workouts, before and after progress, healthy dinner photos and more. Unlike many others, I don't think this is a bad thing nor do I find it annoying. In some ways, I actually find it to be inspirational and motivational.
What I do find annoying, however, is when people decide that telling others what food is healthy and unhealthy to consume is OK. I understand offering advice or sharing knowledge of some delicious, intriguing recipes, but judging what people consume based on their current shape, size, or overall health is simply preposterous.
I have been told many times - by people who frequent the gym - to avoid eating pasta as much as I do, to eat a healthy breakfast and make sure I don't skip it and to substitute unhealthy foods with healthy foods. The thing that annoys me the most is when I'm in the middle of eating something and someone says, "That is so bad for you."
Oh, is it? I had no idea Mac 'n Cheese was bad for me. Let me put this down and eat something with less sodium, less carbs, less fat and less sugar. I'll eat a celery stick. Yes - that is what I will do.
It's like, listen, I am a healthy person overall. One freaking bowl of Mac 'n Cheese isn't going to kill me. Nor is it going to make my thighs grow three sizes bigger by the time I get to the bottom of the bowl. Eating pasta is actually OK believe it or not. Should I eat it every day? No. Do I? No. Thank you.
That brings me to my next point - people who tell you the nutrition facts about food you are either eating or thinking about eating, as if you can't read the package yourself. Thanks for the vocabulary lesson, but could you save it for after dinner? Based on what you are telling me, i'm trying to eat my way to death over here and I might not have to listen to you anymore.
Unwanted nutrition facts aren't cool. Period.
Furthermore, just because I didn't go to the gym this week does not mean I am lazy. It means I am enjoying my time at home and don't feel like going. Or maybe I am blogging.. which is more important anyway.
Lastly, if I want to eat some candy. I'm going to eat some damn candy. I am a grown woman and last I checked it wasn't a crime to to eat a spoonful of sugar - just ask Mary Poppins! So jump down off your high, organic-fed horse and get with reality. Not everyone shops at Whole Foods and has designated leg, arm, back, neck, nose, and toes days at the gym.
Now, before everyone jumps on me for this I will say, I have talked about the fact that I shouldn't eat the donuts at work on donut-Fridays but that is different. First of all, it is MY body so I can decide whether I should or should not eat the glazed goodness. Second, donut-Fridays happen every week so I am bound to tell myself to refrain at some point. Bottom line? You should only be telling yourself what to eat and not eat.
There is another side to this issue though.
I am a relatively in-shape female who would like to continue being relatively in-shape. That being said, sometimes I actually do leave my blog to go to the gym or other times I will trade out the sugary cereal for egg whites in the morning. When this happens I don't need people asking me why I am working out or why I am eating healthy. Did it ever occur to you that I might like the taste of salad when I am eating it? I don't ask you why you are eating pie when you already have an ass, so don't ask me why I am eating egg whites when I don't need to lose weight. To my knowledge, simply eating egg whites won't make me drop ten pounds. If it did, I wouldn't need a gym membership - or my job, because I would have a chicken farm and be rich.
Just because I choose to be healthy 68% of the time doesn't mean I think I am fat or need to lose weight. It's called prevention. I am preventing myself from becoming unhealthy and living an unhealthy lifestyle. I don't want to gain weight and have to work to lose it. I want to maintain my current lifestyle so that doesn't happen. I mean, I don't know about you all but I am trying to work smarter not harder.
Not to mention, I happen to like being semi-healthy. Sometimes.
The overall idea here is this: you shouldn't concern yourself with what other people are doing. If they want to eat pasta, let them eat pasta. If they want to eat a salad, let them eat a salad. Because I can tell you that no matter how many times someone tells me not to eat the extra piece of bread at the Italian restaurant before dinner - I'm going to eat it.
