How To Avoid Junk Food During Training

We have our state cross country meet this weekend, so I was happy to a guest blogger in line. It gave me more time to prepare for our state meet, get packed and get R in tow. The cross country season flew by, and filled my schedule for the past few months. Before long Christmas will be here.

I have Shelly as a guest writer today. She is a health enthusiasts and a blogger in the making. She resides in Colorado, kind of jealous of her location. Colorado has always been one of the tops states I would love to live. But less about me!! Let’s welcome Shelly to Wholesomely Fit. She’ll be sharing some great insight on health and running, and avoiding the junk food rut. Two of my favorite subjects.

How to Avoid Junk Food During Training

When you’re training for an upcoming event, it’s easy to be super-committed at the beginning. You likely have laser-like focus as you work your body according to schedule, making sure you feed it nothing but high-quality foods. But then something changes.

Within a few days or weeks, you begin to notice these sometimes-intense cravings for foods you know you shouldn’t eat or they’ll hinder your progress, both during training and on the day of the big event. You might even start to dream about chips, cookies, pies, and cakes, waking up drenched in sweat as you try to figure out whether you did actually gorge on those types of foods or if you are still “okay.”

Here’s some good news: there are a few things you can do to help you avoid junk food during training. This means happier days, more peaceful nights, and the ability to “just say no.”

Don’t Even Bring Them Into Your Home

Having your favorite junk foods in your cupboards and fridge while you’re training and unable to eat them is just unnecessary torture. Keep it out of your cart at the grocery store so you don’t even bring it into your home. That being said, if you live with others who like to eat the not-so-good-for-you foods, then try to buy food items they like but that don’t really tempt you. This way they can enjoy their treats and you’re not constantly eyeing them.

Eat Often

Most junk food cravings appear when it’s been a few hours since you’ve eaten and your body is in need of some energy. Therefore, by eating often, like every 3-4 hours, you have a greater likelihood of stopping the cravings before they even start. The types of foods you want to consume most are natural, unprocessed foods. Why? Mercola reports that “virtually ALL processed foods are to some degree designed to have a high ‘craveability’ factor.” Therefore, avoiding them as often as possible is a great way to go.

Meditate Regularly

Oftentimes, desires for high-calorie or high-fat foods come from emotions. Maybe stress is taking its toll or perhaps you’re just having a rough day and want some comfort. One way to ease these types of negative emotions without reaching for foods is to meditate. Find someplace quiet and take some deep and focused breaths. Even college students use this strategy to help them avoid the Freshman 15. (Note: Make sure to turn off your cellphone and any other electronic devices so that nothing distracts you.)

Keep Your Goals In the Forefront of Your Mind

Constantly thinking about what you’re trying to accomplish during training is another great way to help you overcome your junk food cravings. After all, when the thought of competing in the event takes most of your focus, there’s not much room left to think about other things—like eating unhealthy foods. There are many ways to keep your goals in the forefront of your mind and these include creating a vision board, setting milestones, tracking your results, and having a friend set goals, too, so you can hold each other accountable. With so many options, be sure to find the method that works best for you.

Do these four things and you’ll have an easier time avoiding junk food during training. Physically and mentally.

Author bio: Shelly Stinson is a freelance writer from Denver, Colo. who loves writing about anything related to health, fitness, and food. In her downtime, you can find Shelly exploring downtown Denver’s always-on point restaurant scene.

You can connect with Shelly on Twitter at @shellystins and stay tuned for her new blog (it’s in the making).

Hope you all have a great weekend?

Until Next Time Be Whole and Be Fit

What’s the hardest part of avoiding junk food? Do you find yourself craving junk while in training? How do you ditch the junk while in training?