Free chocolate!
Well, we are approaching Easter after all, so I thought I’d share a recent experience.
Free Chocolate – yum yum!
I was out shopping with a friend and were delighted to find some nice young gents handing out free bars of Galaxy chocolate. Now I must confess this happens to be one of my favourites, but I was suddenly struck with a sense of conflict! What message am I sending out to clients by accepting a free bar of chocolate when my job is to help people lose weight.
Well to be honest the answer was easy, 1) Personally, I’ve been training twice a week so I know that my body can afford a little indulgence every now and again and 2) the whole principal of what I teach is about changing your lifestyle and habits so if you’re doing it right – its OK and actually recommended to have guilt-free chocolate!! If you think about lack and things you can’t have all the time, the negative attitude will not serve you on your journey to success.
So here’s what happened next. A week later, I’m out with the same friend who asked if I enjoyed the 3 bars we were given (we smiled lots to the promo guys!). My reply was that I hadn’t yet opened them. Her reaction was amusing, ‘”WHAT, NO WAY, I had one soon as I got home, the second the next day and third the day after!” This is where the difference lies, its all in the attitude. I doubt very much that she strongly craved chocolate each time she reached for the bar, nor that she savoured every single square and felt satisfied after it. However, she is quite active, so one bar wasn’t going to hurt but 3 in 3 days is probably not helping either her calorie count or her nutritional levels – but… it was free, easy to hand and advertising tells us chocolate makes us happy.
Now, don’t get me wrong, chocolate makes me smile and that’s because I know I’ve earned it, its a treat and I’m lucky my sweet tooth can’t cope with too much, so a square or two is enough. My motto – everything in moderation.
So, what is your approach to chocolate? Or treats such as crisps, fizzy drinks or Haribo sweets? I’m interested to know how you include these types of foods into your daily diet. I’d like to understand so that I can include in my coaching effective ways to help you perhaps see how you can still enjoy these things, guilt-free, without it affecting your waistline and well-being.
Free Chocolate for my next successful client!
In the meantime, I’m going to save this Hotel Chocolat selection box as a reward for my next successful client.
Happy Easter everyone.
What a great blog Laura, and one very close to my heart! I do enjoy eating chocolate, along with cheese, crisps and the occassional glass of wine. I know that having a little of what you fancy does you good, but a lot of what you fancy can quickly show up on the scales (Easter and Christmas are hideous in this house). I’ve always tried to enjoy a small amount of chocolate a couple of times a week, always after a meal, and definitely avoid over-indulging.
Well, I’ve been a good Mummy and only eaten two pieces of the wonderful Hotel Chocolat egg you gave me for Mothering Sunday!!! However, I have had to keep an eye on Gary though as after one try, he’s hooked on it!! PS great blog BTW