Today is a rest day/make up day. Come in to work on mobility, do some active recovery, or make up a workout you missed earlier in the week.

Link Love

We are staunch advocates that a good diet is a key component of overall health and wellness, but it is important to realize that restrictiveness just for the sake of restrictiveness is not our aim. Within the last month, a few of the people whose writings on food, exercise, and nutrition I read regularly have written really compelling posts about diet/nutrition, dietary “purity”, and overall health and well-being. Below are some of the quotes that resonated with me; I encourage you to check out the whole post, and the rest of their sites!

Mark Sisson – Mark’s Daily Apple

“[I]f you’re generally healthy – or on your way there – and you’re not acutely intolerant or allergic to any particular food, I’d argue that worrying over a single component of a single meal to the point of physical manifestations of stress (racing heart, sweaty palms, nervous tick, scattered thoughts) is not conducive to weight loss. You’re trying to be so perfect that it becomes the enemy of the good.”

Dallas & Melissa Hartwig – Whole 9 Life

“Real dedication is taking time to rest and recover when you need it. It’s creating a healthy relationship with food, such that you are able to enjoy a night out or a special meal without guilt, remorse, or  punishment. It’s finding a balance between furthering your career, and enjoying the quality of life that your job affords you and your family. Real dedication is knowing when to ask for help, acknowledging when you’re in over your head, and admitting when you need a break.”

Sometimes we get caught up in the idea that more is always better: more workouts, more “dietary purity”, etc. Part of creating a sustainable, healthy lifestyle is identifying when you need to take a break, and taking it!

Melissa Joulwan – The Clothes Make the Girl

“If you have a physical condition that warrants following a restrictive diet, honoring those restrictions is an act of self-respect and self-care. But if you’re just being strict because it makes you feel virtuous or like you’re “doing something,” I want you to stop being mean to yourself. Immediately.”

Excellent words of wisdom about her month on the Paleo autoimmune protocol. The reason that Paleo works for her, is that it is a dietary framework that she notes “doesn’t feel restrictive…it feels expansive, creative, nourishing, and natural.” So, find what works for you. Food is so much more than just fuel, and I love Melissa’s emphasis that feeding yourself well is an act of self-respect.