What does it even mean? The action of indulging. And why do we feel guilty when we give in to it? To each of us, it means something different, depending on how we define normal habits and behavior, but in general, indulgence is associated as being a negative thing.
I'm just gonna say, I think the best way to live your life is to truly indulge. In stead of living with shame and guilt, I believe that it’s important to own your indulgences.
Let me explain some of the wonderful benefits of indulgence and why you should make room for it in your life – starting today!
Indulgence; satisfaction, fulfillment, self-gratification, extravagance, luxury, treat, comfort. Heck, I'm here for all these things.
For most people, indulging can be an instant gratification, a kind of satisfying freedom from the normal expectations and restrictions that we place on ourselves. This can be anything between buying yourself a 65” television, some kind of activity where you completely spoil yourself to what you eat.
As a society, we have become more aware with our diets and while the increase of healthy food regimes and fitness trends are a good thing, there’s a lot of heavy baggage that comes with trying to maintain a certain standard. And whenever we feel expected to act, think or feel a certain way, an unavoidable pressure starts to build and that can be damaging and even become unhealthy.
It's obvious that we all love delicious and tasty foods, we crave them after a long day at work, on the weekends with family and friends or when we are "starving" at the grocery store after a great workout at the gym. Indulgence foods also have a strong psychological, social, and cultural connection that are hard to shake.
The thing is these fatty, fried, sugary goodness' aren't really good for our bodies, and we know that.
Some people try to remove all unhealthy meals, snacks and drinks from their diet and while this is great in theory, what often happens is cravings kick in, amplifying the desire for all the flavors which often ends up resulting in an almighty binge.
And THIS bingeing phase is why I think that indulgence is extremely important. By indulging in a treat ever so often, sprinkling casual indulgences over the week and generally not killing yourself when it comes to sticking to your healthy lifestyle, you'll be able to avoid the vicious cycle of restriction and overindulging that so many fall into.
Bearing in mind that this doesn't mean you have a hall pass for everyday indulgence, but more so the fine line called balance.
As much as I am promoting indulgence, there really is a thing as too much of a good thing, which can have a negative effect on your life. Indulgence should be a way for you to enjoy the things in life you really love and not feel guilty about them. If you are able to enjoy these treats and rewards within reason, you will be much less likely to over-consume on whatever you are particularly trying to avoid in the long run.
Living a healthy and balanced life shouldn’t be a nightmare either way. Allowing yourself to enjoy a small treat more often instead of restricting unhealthy food as much as possible, might just prove more effective overall. Maintaining a healthy weight is all about finding balance and setting realistic goals for yourself to make healthy eating more of a lifestyle choice than a miserable diet. We go through our days not realizing that every moment could be a moment of indulgence.
While I don’t advise eating a big hunk of cheese cake every day, there are great ways to satisfy your sweet tooth during the week. Find balance while enjoying indulgence.
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