I was training a client this week and I noticed some energy dips that were not her normal, so as a 3M Method Coach, I started to ask her some questions. Initially she felt her energy was low from having a full week of physical activity and yes, I agreed. But I knew there was more. In the 20+ years of clinical experience I have had as Honolulu Personal Trainer, I knew something else was amiss and so I dug deeper. I asked about sleep, her hormonal cycle, her eating pattern.
And as quick as I was asking questions, she replied, “I’m ignoring my hunger because I’ve just been so busy with work.”
Folks, this is where the MAGIC SHIT HAPPENS! When she was in it, she didn’t realize that ignoring hunger was a big deal. In fact, most of us are brain washed by diet culture to believe that ignoring our hunger and denying ourselves calories is a badge of honor. But, I digress…
She wasn’t doing that at all, she just was BUSY. And that is totally fine, but now let’s break it down.
We have one energy gas tank to spend all of our energy on all of the things we want to do in a day and sorry to break it you, but exercise energy is a very small user of your energy tank. Work, kids, chores, stress, hobbies, exercise, food planning, brain power, all of THIS requires use of your FINITE energy gas tank.
And you know what is even more F’d up? Your energy gas tank does NOT automatically refill to a full tank at the start of the day. NOPE! How you ate, slept, moved, what stress you dealt with the day prior, even days before, will affect the levels in your energy gas tank today. Not a believer yet?
Let me give you this example…. ALCOHOL.
You spend a night drinking with some friends, a few more glasses than you had planned on and you know you will suffer in the morning. Why is that? Well, the night before drinking will create a less than full tank of energy for you the morning, so you will already start the “new day” with less gas (energy).
Let’s mess with that theory even more. You drink more wine than planned the night before, thus your sleep is all messed up. So now, your energy gas tank the next day is now depleted x 2 (more alcohol + less sleep).
Your body is an amazing machine, but it certainly does not operate like one where you can just roll into the SPA GAS STATION and fill er’ up! Don’t we wish it were that easy?
Explaining it to my client this way gave her a clearer picture of why ignoring hunger is kinda a big deal. She had a full week of exercise (energy depletion) and she was ignoring her hunger (further energy depletion), so here, her energy was taking at the very least, a double whammy.
Because you see, it’s all a cycle: ignore hunger + exercise more = sleep issues = hormonal imbalance = cravings = ignore hunger + exercise more = sleep issues = hormonal imbalance….
Does this formula sound familiar to you? THINK about IT.
When is it common to deprive yourself = ignore hunger = restrict calories AND exercise more???
DIETS
And you know what is even scarier, we can break down DIETS like this:
D: Deprive
I: Indulge
E: Extreme Exercise
T: Torture
