Comfort Foods

What is it about salt and sugar that turns me into a binging maniac? Especially during stressful periods, I am constantly craving snack-ables like chips, sweets, chocolates, nuts, cereal, you-name-it. There appears to be a direct correlation between the ease of which a food can be eaten and the likelihood that I will eat all of it in a single go.

I suppose the same is true of my web browsing and reading habits. At this point in time, I am more likely to binge headlines than I am to actually dine on an article. Heaven help me if something business critical or deeply interesting is published in The Atlantic.

When running, I am intentional about finding comfort in discomfort. The entire act of running is mindful, present, intentional, and painful. There are no cheap returns to be had, binge-able workouts, or “easy” runs. Why is it easier for me to go for a run than to tell my brain to stop picking the low-hanging fruit (snacking and reading headlines)? This seems like something that should be easier to control.

With running, my “snack” might be doing the same route over and over again. I suppose that could be considered “low-hanging fruit”. However, running a familiar route allows me to focus on my stride and form, when so inclined, or to shut the brain off and go full auto-pilot. Perhaps snack-able foods are binge-able because I can eat them without any attention paid. Hmm…time to explore some new routes.