Embrace Your Confessions

About a year ago I came to a frustrating conclusion: Work is designed to make you fat. 

Before you accuse me of making excuses, the concept is actually proven by science. When I was at Men’s Health, we wrote an article about how sitting in a chair is literally killing your body—regardless of your level of activity. Quite simply, your job forces you to move less and oftentimes eat worse.  

Fortunately, you don’t’ need to throw in the towel. I’m here to tell you that accepting the reality of your job is the first step in shifting the battle of the bulge. You see, just because work makes it harder to stay in shape doesn’t mean long hours must sabotage your healthy living goals. That’s the type of excuse that isn’t acceptable. But it’s human. So much so that I have a confession to make: 

I let my job get the best of me.

I’m not sure when or how it happened, but the truth was written all over my body. I was lethargic, lacking energy and not sleeping well—this despite the fact that I was still hitting the gym four days a week. I share my story to remind you that every stumble is another opportunity to pick yourself back up. And that failure and mistakes are only as permanent as you make them.

My problem was my diet, as it is for most people. More specifically, I stopped paying attention to what I ate. I had so much confidence that I knew what it meant to be healthy that I went on autopilot and figured I didn't need a helping hand. I stopped using MyPlate. I starting snacking more at work (even healthy snacks become unhealthy in large amount) and I tricked myself into believe that everything was good.

But good should never be a substitute for great, especially when it comes to your body. It doesn’t matter what your goal is. Your expectation should always be to push the limits of your potential, which is why I’m reaching out and recommitting to my healthy eating goals and continuing to educate myself on healthy foods. It will be more work on my end, but it will help me recapture my body, my energy and create the life I want to live. 

I suggest you do the same. Look in the mirror and ask yourself: Are you eating the way you should? Have you stopped pushing yourself to become better? I don’t have the solutions, and I'm not telling you how to eat. But I know that asking the question is necessary to finding the answer. And the quest to become better will ensure your next step takes you one step closer to the person you want to be.