Thought for Thursday 9 May 2013: Happy Calories

My sister shared this link with me recently to a Coca Cola advertisement where they encourage consumers to burn the 140 'happy calories' per Coke can with energy expended during happy activities.While there is absolutely a grounds for arguing that ad campaigns released by Coca Cola have no place in the industry of Health Promotion I do actually strongly agree with the message of this campaign.

In my daily quest for health and fitness I have always refused to give up having some 'happy calories' in my diet. When I discovered a new local coffee shop that creates beautiful mini cheesecakes I silently added to my life's bucket list to try each flavour once. When I walk past a pick and mix lolly shop I cannot deny myself the joy of the selection and consumption of a mixed bag of favourites. When it's date night with my  husband at a new restaurant I'm going to order the tastiest looking thing on the menu, and I will never ask for my salad dressing on the side.

I've learned that if and when I try to tell myself I'm not allowed these small calorific joys in life then I extravagantly rebel against my own oppressiveness and end up consuming an entire tub of Sara lee ice cream while consecutively lamenting my healthy living 'failure.'

I'd much rather eat a handful of lollies every now and then and dance out my sugar high than try to turn them down entirely. Maybe that means that I'm not perfect. But it seems to work just fine for me.

I'll include some more of Coke's controversial "anti-obesity" campaign ads in blog posts in the future. Check out the Happy Calories one by pressing play on the clip below.