When working with our clients, we noticed that how/if someone cooks tells us a lot about how they engage generally with food, eating, and habits. Digging into their "cooking life" can get right to the heart of underlying issues that might be keeping someone from capitalizing on their physical, body or movement, goals, even if they are staying on top of their workouts like a champ.
When it comes to cooking, we find that people fall into 3 camps: foodies who love to cook and eat great food (and fancy themselves the next top chef), agnostics who know how to make the basics but don't feel that inspired or are too busy (or, "too busy" :), and people who simply don't cook. Which one most accurately describes you?
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As I tell each of them, I'd tell you that any of those starting places is just fine--and each can have their own pitfalls, too. The foodies might already be comfortable in the kitchen, but often they need a little re-calibration about how much and how often to indulge in those finer things, and when the more basic food options will be the better ones. The agnostics usually need a little guidance and encouragement to engage with their food on a deeper level, and reap the benefits of being "someone who cooks". And those people who seem allergic to the kitchen might just need a positive experience of cooking simple and delicious food to see how deeply it can improve their quality of life.
The reality is, while you don't need to love to cook, the lessons learned by diving in to the kitchen are invaluable. From more easily regulating how much and what types of food you're consistently eating, to becoming a better observer of how different food effects your body ("Oh man, that In-N-Out Burger Double-Double really did a number on my chakras!"), turning an interested eye on the day-to-day aspect of eating can be the most straight-forward way to improving your diet toward whatever goal you might have. Many clients have also reported feeling much more tied-in to their geography, community, and ethics; becoming a discerning eater matters for the planet and everyone on it.
At the end of the day, what food you put in your body will be the defining factory to achieving anything physical, really. And while there are many paths to excellence, they all involve staying engaged--with your body, your process, your goals: cooking forces you to confront those realities, like nothing else.
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