How to Ditch the “Burn to Earn” Mindset

What is the “Burn to Earn” Mindset? 

Picture this: you’re eating a food you’ve told yourself you’re not “allowed” to have but tell yourself it’s okay because you will “burn it off” later. Or, maybe you are dreading a workout you had planned, but you tell yourself you have to in order to “earn” some fun in going out to eat later that night. And then, if these things don’t happen, if you do not get that workout in, you are flooded with guilt and shame and revert to restriction and over-exercising, coming to view exercise as punishment rather than respect for your body. These thoughts are the fault of diet culture and the idea that energy balance and weight is as simple as calories in vs. calories out, which could not be further from the truth!

How to recognize the “Burn to Earn” mindset:

• Inability to take a period of rest, even if sick or injured

• Feeling guilty for taking a rest day

• Feeling like you “should” or “have to” exercise

• Being afraid of weight gain for not hitting your “calorie burn” goal

• Experiencing signs of overtraining such as: inability to sleep at night, dampened personality, poor mood, inability to concentrate

• Feeling burnt out from movement and viewing it as a chore

• Constantly thinking about your food choices and when your next workout is

If you are experiencing any of the above signs and are struggling with ditching the need to “burn to earn”, you are not alone, and there is hope in finding joy in movement again. The feeling of smiling while breaking a sweat, looking forward to your movement, or building up your self-esteem and confidence instead of tearing it down is hard work - but it is possible and so liberating. 

First, knowledge is power: learning about the science of energy balance and all of the factors that go into it can be a powerful tool in ditching the calorie tracker and turning to internal cues instead. 

1. Your watch is usually wrong. The only accurate way to determine how much you really “burn” during a workout or throughout the day is with a fancy machine called a metabolic cart that directly measures your oxygen consumption. Sure, heart rate levels and other estimation methods can be helpful in some ways, but they are far from 100% accurate. 

2. Your needs are unique to you. Genetics, epigenetics, early life events, environment and lifestyle, cognition, mood, and stress, even hormonal signals all play a huge role in how much energy you need each day. There is no other human being out there like you, and helps put a stop to the comparison game. 

3. Your needs change and fluctuate each day. Even if you did the same workout two days in a row, your needs on those two days could be vastly different depending on all of the factors listed above. 

4. Your body needs a lot of energy aside from physical activity. Think about your heart that never stops beating, your brain needs fuel to function properly, and all of your other organs and systems that rely on food as an energy source such as your liver, kidneys, reproductive system, digestive system, and musculoskeletal system (and more!). 

5. Your body is not a calorie counting machine. Our bodies are smart, dynamic, and adaptive! When we exercise a lot, the body compensates by decreasing other energy-consuming processes and increasing appetite. The same goes for when we eat enough food, we naturally move more throughout the day. This is why severe energy restriction and over-exercising is counterproductive to reaching our goals!

This knowledge about how our bodies truly work can help shift the mindset of focusing on external cues to focusing on internal cues. Now, the next step is to tune into these internal cues to reconnect with your body and find joy in movement again. One of the most important things you can do is to find respect for your “here and now” body, and recognize that this “burn to earn” mindset is not treating your body with respect. This can look like learning to accept your individual genetic blueprint, realizing that the body goals of society and social media are unrealistic and unattainable, and refocusing your goals on all of the other benefits of movement that do not have anything to do with weight or calories (which are not related to health!). 

Reset your intention - benefits of joyful movement: 

• Brain boost: improved cognition such as thinking, learning, memory, and focus

• Improved mood (endorphin release)

• Decreased stress levels (adrenaline and cortisol levels drop after exercise)

• Improved sleep quality

• Reduced risk of depression and anxiety (movement increases the brain’s sensitivity to serotonin and norepinephrine)

• Reduced risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, some cancers, dementia, and Alzheimer’s

• Improved energy (increased heart rate and improved blood flow)

• Stronger bones and muscles

• Increased immune function

• Improved satiety cues and appetite regulation

• Socialization!

Once your intention has been reset, go back to this “why” each time you decide to respect and move your body (or not!). Finding movement you actually enjoy doing, while letting go of all of the external rules you’ve had takes time. If you find yourself lost on where to start, here are some tips:

• Take a break from intense exercise, or a break of exercise altogether. Allow your body time to heal from feeling burnt out. 

• Start slow, without expectations or comparison to others or your past self. This might also mean ditching the calorie tracking watch for a bit to truly focus on yourself and how you are feeling, rather than external devices. 

• Try new things! Just like with food, variety in movement is key to keep having fun and be a sustainable part of your life. Reconnecting with joyful movement is the perfect time to try a new activity you’ve always wanted to. 

• Check in with yourself before engaging in movement. Listen to how your body is feeling and what you need. Are you tired mentally? Physically? Do you feel tense or stressed, calm, or energized? All of these feelings can help dictate what you need most in the moment. 

• Pause during your movement. Check in with yourself - are you having fun? Does your body feel good, or is it yelling at you to stop? Know that you have the choice and power to push yourself harder, let up, keep going, or to decide you’ve reached your limit. 

• Reflect afterwards. Do you feel more energized? Confident? Did you sleep better that night? Remembering how you felt after moving a certain way can help you check in next time beforehand, and brings a new level of respect for your body and what it can do! 

• Change how you talk about movement. Instead of using the word “should” when referring to exercise, try replacing it with “get to” or “can”. 

Finally, it can still be fun and healthy to measure your joyful movement progress, just in different ways! Here’s how you can know if you have made progress in ditching the “Burn to Earn” mindset:

• You stress less about movement and look forward to it

• You can choose with confidence what type of movement, or no movement will make you feel best each day

• You have more energy

• You aren’t thinking about food or what you can have after your workout as much

• You gain more fulfillment from relationships and other activities you enjoy

• You have more confidence and improved mood

Finding freedom and joy in movement again will create a lifetime of respect for your body. Ditch the calories burned vs. eaten as a measure of progress for good to create a simplified and healthy relationship with movement and food, two things that should promote health and well-being, not hinder it! 

References:

https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm

Manore, M. M., Larson-Meyer, D. E., Lindsay, A. R., Hongu, N., & Houtkooper, L. (2017). Dynamic Energy Balance: An Integrated Framework for Discussing Diet and Physical Activity in Obesity Prevention-Is it More than Eating Less and Exercising More?. Nutrients, 9(8), 905. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9080905

Mountjoy, M., Sundgot-Borgen, J., Burke, L., Ackerman, K. E., Blauwet, C., Constantini, N., Lebrun, C., Lundy, B., Melin, A., Meyer, N., Sherman, R., Tenforde, A. S., Torstveit, M. K., & Budgett, R. (2018). International Olympic Committee (IOC) Consensus Statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S): 2018 Update. International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism, 28(4), 316–331. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0136 

Tribole, E., & Resch, E. (2020). Intuitive Eating, 4th edition: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach. St Martin's Press. 

https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/ss/slideshow-exercise

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Written by Tori Rinsem

Hi, I’m Tori! Current NYC-based master’s student, dietetic intern and RD-to-be. I love finding the joy and ditching the stress in two things we do each day - eat and move! I’m SO happy to be sharing this space with you, and continuing to find joy as we learn and grow. 

Learn more about me and the HSH offerings here.