Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

Lies you tell yourself:

• “It’s just one day.”
• “I have to be gracious.”
• “We deserve to celebrate our love.”

Don’t lie to yourself this year.

“It’s just one day.”
You’re right. Valentine’s Day is just one day. So is the Super Bowl and Thanksgiving and Christmas and your birthday and St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween and the World Series and New Year’s and Mardi Gras and Independence Day and March Madness and… There are enough holidays, sports events and birthdays in your life to warrant an excuse to indulge every week. So many times indulgences don’t last the one day, either. They last for the week before and the week after. Yes, it’s just one day. It’s another chance to live the best life you can live. Don’t let overeating get in the way of that.

“I have to be gracious.”
Yes, you do. When he (or she) gives you that huge box of candy, they are just trying to tell you that they love you. You don’t need to eat the candy to accept the love. Thank them. Plan to enjoy a piece (remembering that they are at least 50 calories a piece). Freeze the rest to enjoy later. Give them away to friends at work. Eating the candy doesn’t prove that you love them. It only ends up making you less healthy than you were before Valentine’s Day, and I’m sure your loved one wouldn’t want that.

“We deserve to celebrate our love.”
Damn straight. If you are lucky enough to have found someone who loves you enough to brave the restaurants during Valentine’s Day, you certainly have something to celebrate. You don’t need to overeat to celebrate, though. Focus your attention on the celebration. The food is unimportant. The person you’re eating with is what you should be concentrating on. You can still choose wisely even though the two of you are celebrating your love.

The most important gift you can give your loved ones is the gift of health. If you keep yourself healthy, you will live longer and they will get to spend more of their lives with you. Don’t lie to yourself this year. Live your best life you can live, and have a healthy Valentine’s Day.