Manage Your Equipment--Feeding and Fueling

We all know that our bodies need oxygen and fuel in the form of calories to sustain life. For most of us, we journey through life accessing the abundant oxygen in our atmosphere without giving it much thought. The more loaded question is, are we aware of how we approach the ingestion of calories in our feeding practices? Feeding is defined as the act or process of eating or being fed (Meriam Webster), but has it become something else for many adults?   

The literature tells us that people feed for many reasons, some of which include loneliness, boredom, stress, for soothing, for pleasure, as a habit, and as a social activity. Recognizing that our feeding practices may or may not be correlated with our caloric needs, can provide a much-needed perspective shift. Understanding what we do and why, powerfully contributes to our ability to transform our behaviors.  The physical machinery—i.e., the body—runs like other brilliantly made equipment, it has a fuel requirement to maintain optimal functioning; however, anything above that can, overtime, become an operational challenge that may eventually be detrimental to the equipment, cause disease, and shorten life.

Becoming aware of our body’s fuel needs, both quantity and quality, is an act of loving, self-management, and the mark of someone who is learning to self-advocate. The required calories can be viewed like any well-developed accounting sheet—money in money out, calories in calories out. Performing daily physical activity and movement will have an affect on how many additional fuel sources we need, if the goal is to maintain the current body mass. The best types of fuel sources are well-established and publicized through the CDC and FDA, basically supporting a plant based, whole grain, lean protein health enhancing collection of foods—we can call this optimal fuel. Learning to best care for ourselves, to allow for a high-functioning, productive, love filled life is the goal. If you want to keep your car, you do all the things a good car owner would, to insure you can drive that car for years.  We live in our equipment, and our feeding practices and fuel sources are critical components of keeping us operational—we are worth the effort, there is no doubt!