I wish I had the luxury of choosing a 'cheat day' or not. With a 'cheat day' or 'cheat meal' you feel guilty for about an hour after you've inhaled an entire pizza with a side of chocolate. Or to take it one step further, you feel extra guilty (and hungover) on Monday when you've had a 'cheat weekend' of endless wine and half a packet of cigarettes. But, like 'they say', tomorrow's another day. You have THE CHOICE to return to (or start) your 'healthy habits' lifestyle. Matcha, kale, chia, kefir, hemp, coconut everything, protein balls, raw anything, amaranth, acai bowls, longevity bowls, farro, kimchi, cauliflower and just about anything with turmeric in it. On top of this, exercise for at least 30 mins per day, practice mindfulness and write in your gratitude journal before bed. Make sure you budget for your overpriced superfoods and really overpriced activewear.
For some women, this sounds heavenly, for other women - this sounds like pure hell. Regardless of which category you fall into - it's still a choice. By no means is this a 'pity post' or an 'I'm so incredibly bitter that I can't run along a crowded St Kilda sidewalk of a Saturday morning in my activewear only stopping to sip my alkaline water and touch up my makeup". To each their own. But, you have THE CHOICE to be fit, healthy, average, unfit, a slob or a bit of both. Lucky you, really. Because us girls fighting the tiresome, extremely frustrating battle that comes with a chronic illness - we don't have a choice. You have good days and bad days, but no days where the illness (visible or not) isn't there. Almost like ground-hog day where you wake up with the dreaded 'brain fog', take your necessary meds, eat, walk around zombie-like for an hour and finally be ready to start the day at around 10.00am. Some of us have to make appointments with physios simply to ask "If I start walking more (to the shops/beach/local neighbourhood) will it degenerate my legs and hips faster?" Rather than, "If I increase my cardio from 30 to 40 minutes, will I achieve the perfect beach body in time for summer?"