The Downside of Tying Exercise to Calories–– And What to Do Instead.
Researchers in the UK analyzed a collection of studies to see if people would make healthier choices if food/drink labels also showed how much exercise was required to burn off that particular item. Many People did.
That is seemingly a good thing, right?
At a time when obesity rates are climbing and food seems so pleasurable we can’t say no (side bar, a different group of researchers found a protein that...impulsivity), we should have labels like this...right? So people know how many burpees are in their Slurpee, and will be encouraged to put the cup down...right?
I would argue, it depends, bordering on no.
Rewards & Punishments
Sixty-five percent of U.S. women between the ages of 25 and 45 reported disordered eating behaviors, in a 2008 survey sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and SELF Magazine.
Disordered eating isn't the same thing an eating disorder, though it can escalate to an eating disorder. Think of disordered eating as an unhealthy relationship with food, that causes you to: skip meals, binge eat, restrict food groups, over-exercise to "make up for" eating/drinking, or emotionally eat. (For full signs and symptoms, visit this page from the NEDC.)
So many have some degree of an unhealthy relationship with food, that it is like a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic. There is so much emotion and judgement tied about around food, drink, appearance, dieting...We’ve lost the original relationship with food and drink: to keep us alive.
Food/drink isn’t “good” or “bad” and having taste buds doesn’t make you a bad person. Nor does having a bit of impulsivity around the office donut tray.
PACE (Physical activity calorie equivalent) labeling, as it's called, may only exacerbate this problem by portraying exercise as a punishment for food. Exercise isn’t a punishment for eating. It’s something that was once a way of life (movement to gather food and seek shelter or safety). Exercise is today a way to stay healthy, and boost our mood and energy.
The Benefit of Awareness
What is beneficial about the labeling is that it adds another layer of awareness. And even translates current information shown on labels (calories, fats, serving size, ingredients) into language people can understand.
What I think this study shows is the importance of helping people develop the skill of awareness and mindfulness. People need the ability to stop themselves in a moment of impulse, pull back, and say...."Actually, no. I will choose this healthier option instead."
That awareness campaign doesn’t have to come in the form of a punishment system.
Stop, Breathe, Think, Act
Mindfulness is a skill. Developing that skill, through efforts like meditation, will help individuals manage that impulsive urge. It will help them act on the information they know, by making another choice in the moment of decision.
Remember, you do not have a lack of information problem.
Whether you’re counting slurps by burpees or calories, you know that a Slurpee is less nourishing than water or unsweetened tea.
What you have, is an impulsivity problem and/or a sustainable-action problem. Creating mindfulness will help you strengthen your skills to counter this.
Resolve to Act
As this article on failed resolutions points out, action is where change occurs. It’s only through acting on what we know that we lose weight, get healthier, move more, sleep more, better handle stress, etc.
You have the information. How can you act in a way that encourages a healthy mental relationship to food, drink, and exercise? How can you look at your resolution, your big goal, and break it down into actions you can actually take time and again?
First: Break the outcome goal into small, tiny action goals. Goals that are so simple you almost laugh.
Second: Pick one action to start with, say drinking more water.
Third: Master that. Focus on that for a couple weeks. Create a system of accountability to support you.
Fourth: When that one action goal becomes routine, begin to master the second action goal.
Rinse and repeat; practicing self-compassion for “slips” along the way.