Even Small Healthy Choices Are Positive
We sometimes struggle with the “all or nothing mentality”. Its either carrot sticks and water or a Big Mac meal with ice cream later in the day. But let’s imagine that our dietary and lifestyle choices all equal either a positive number or a negative number on a number line, and we tally them up each day. Viewed that way, you have an infinite number of increasingly healthy choices or increasingly unhealthy choices, with the occasional choice being neutral. So even the smallest healthy choice - like parking a few spaces farther out in the parking lot or drinking green tea in the afternoon - are small positive numbers that get added in to the overall result of the day. And we know this is true, because we clearly see it working in the reverse - lots of little choices over time at the drive thru, or the vending machine, or ice cream at night gradually add up to make a negative difference.
Let’s say a Big Mac meal equals negative 20 as a choice. That same meal, if you skipped the fries might only be a negative 15 - a better choice. And if you drank unsweetened tea instead of the coke, then that meal might only be a negative 5 choice. Later today, you could walk around the block, a positive 10 choice, and have a fruit and yogurt smoothie instead of DQ, another positive 10 choice, and now you’re solidly in positive territory for the day.
I was thinking about all this today, because I was craving pancakes. Now I could have bought buttermilk pancake mix, syrup, etc and had a lot of negative numbers for my day. Or I could have made whole wheat pancakes and topped them with fruit and nuts and had only positive numbers added to my day. Instead, I compromised. I made whole wheat pancakes (positive), spread them with natural peanut butter (positive), sprinkled some chocolate chips (negative), and drizzled them with honey (neutral). So, my overall effect was positive. Not as positive as it could have been, but also not as negative as it could have been. And it was very satisfying.
It is helpful to me to look at each small choice I make as adding positive numbers to my day - and therefore having a positive result in my overall health. I am wanting to live in positive territory, so I look at each choice I make as either helping me get there, or negating some of the good choices I have already made.
Special photo thanks to TheD at Stock.xchng.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Peanut butter on pancakes? Now I’ll do a ham sandwich with pnut butter on it instead of mayo or cheese, but pancakes??
September 29th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
I really like it, especially when sprinkled with chocolate chips - they both kind of melt. And the honey makes it not stick to the roof of your mouth.