Motivated to Work Out By…Donuts?
May 5, 2012 by Jenn
Will run for donuts. Credit: D Sharon Pruitt
Inspiration comes in all forms. Case in point, this post from new mom Dara Pierre-Louis, who finds that donuts, yes, donuts, help her to be healthier. A hilarious and honest post that’s a must-read…
Donuts Help Me Lose Weight
No, this is not a crazy fad diet. I have always been a person in need of “tangible” motivators; the sheer “joy of doing” has never been enough for me. I need some sort of reward that I can, well, sink my teeth into.
Sweets have not always been my friend. In college I did a work abroad in Germany and gained 30 pounds in three months, consuming eight to 10 chocolate bars a day (no lie). But unlike Germany, the move to Los Angeles has been very kind. I was soon at my fittest, healthiest and subsequently happiest stage of my fitness life until I embarked on that wondrous journey called motherhood. My beautiful son cost me a whopping 80 pounds. My pregnancy was unplanned and unexpected; I was newly married, working an anxiety ridden, overtime desk job, and I attribute the excessive weight gain to stress and, to be honest, disappointment in my pregnant state.
Once my child was born, I was over the moon but also overweight. So I reinstituted the “donut diet.” When I first moved to Los Angeles, where mom-and-pop donut shops exist on every corner, I feared donuts would become my new German chocolate bar. But with simple discipline, I made the donut my friend and not my enemy. I created the simple rule for myself that I could have a donut on Sundays IF and only IF I met my fitness goals for the week. There was a time in my life where my fitness goals were very extensive and included a highlighted gym schedule of selected spinning, Pilates and yoga classes. But now, with my little son in tow, those goals are much more streamlined—running three times a week for 20 to 30 minutes. Even though the goals are simple, the donut reward is just as sweet.
Rewarding yourself with food? And unhealthy food? Diet and fitness experts would probably scold you for that…but if actually works for you, go for it! It was mentioned that she had to meet her fitness goals, but it only mentioned her exercise routine, not her diet. Diet plays an important role in the strive to loose weight. You can’t exercise away a bad diet, so for this to work, you would have to be very smart about your diet the rest of the week….
a doughnut once a week won’t kill you…at least if you’re not at risk for heart disease