Cucumbers and Oranges: How Reconnecting with Play Can Transform the Way You Eat and Exercise

Thought For The Week

When we were younger, play wasn’t something we scheduled or justified; it was simply how we lived.

We experimented, imagined, built things, moved. We lost track of time. We tried, failed, adjusted and tried again, rarely questioning what other people thought of us, or whether any of it was “useful.”

But somewhere along the line, that instinct — and that joy — got lost.

Responsibilities grew. Time felt scarcer. Hard work became a measure of self-worth. If what we were doing didn’t achieve, advance or improve us in some way, it started to feel unproductive and overindulgent.

Play disappeared into the past, becoming something we now only associate with childhood, or with those rare moments when we briefly let our guard down.

But research into human development suggests that play isn’t childish at all. It is biological, and as necessary to our wellbeing as sleep or human connection.

By definition, play is purposeless, all-consuming and fun. It exists for its own sake. And yet it shapes the brain, strengthening the neural pathways involved in creativity, problem-solving, emotional regulation and adaptability.

Particularly in uncertain or challenging times, play is how we rehearse for the unexpected, search for new solutions, and remain hopeful.

The truth is, the instinct to play never truly disappears, and in many ways, it may be one of the most important things we choose to keep practising.

Exercise Tip

When we were children, movement was never about “training.” We ran because we could, climbed because it was there, tumbled, jumped, lifted, carried, and threw, simply to explore what our bodies could do and enjoy how it felt.

But for many of us, exercise has become yet another place where we strive for productivity. We track it. Measure it. Optimise it. We chase numbers, personal bests, calories burned.

I’m not saying structure and progression don’t have their place. It’s just that we’re in danger of letting movement become something we perform, push for, and tie our self-worth to, rather than something we experience, learn from and enjoy.

When we allow a little more of that childlike play back into our training, something shifts. We become more curious. We move with less tension. We experiment. We connect more intuitively to our bodies rather than judging them.

Ironically, this often builds the very qualities we’re chasing — resilience, adaptability, strength — but in a way that feels energising rather than draining.

Try this:

Add something to your workout that challenges balance, timing, or coordination. For example, single-leg work, agility patterns, medicine ball throws, box jumps, even throwing a tennis ball against a wall and catching it on the rebound. Let it be imperfect and let it feel exploratory. Skill-based movement gently brings play back into training, because it invites attention rather than just exertion.

Nutrition Tip

The other day, I watched as two children in the fruit and veg aisle grabbed at bagfuls of easy peelers, shouting “I. LOVE. ORANGES!”, before moving on to cause mild chaos over by the cucumbers.

Part of me thought, Where are their parents?

The other part thought, When did we stop doing that?

Not the disruption. Not the waste. But the uninhibited enthusiasm. The willingness to engage with food in such a sensory, joyful way.

When we were younger, food carried a sense of curiosity. We squeezed it. Smelt it. Smooshed it into our mouths and tasted it. Sometimes we loved it, sometimes we didn’t, but we were fully engaged in the experience.

Now, as adults, food has become yet another arena for judgement and optimisation. We measure. We track. We analyse. We label foods as “good” or “bad.”

Structure can be helpful, of course, but it can also drain the joy from something that has so much more to offer than simple nutrition.

I’m not suggesting you start launching oranges across Sainsburys. But what if you allowed a little more play at home?

Play catch with an apple. Cook something new without overthinking it. Try a fruit you haven’t bought in years. Eat with your hands and let the meal be sensory, even messy. Because bringing curiosity back into how we eat builds enjoyment, flexibility, and a calmer relationship with food.

Try this: 

Buy one fruit or vegetable this week that you wouldn’t normally choose. Approach it like an experiment rather than a decision. Taste it. Adjust it. Add something to it. Make it playful. You don’t have to love it, just experience it.

Links & Resources

Quiz: Discover your natural “play personality” and take the short quiz to explore the types of play that energise and engage you most.

Book: Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown offers a science-backed exploration of how play influences our creativity, relationships, happiness, and wellbeing throughout our lives.

Recipe: Try my Chinese Lettuce Cups, which encourage you to build and eat with your hands and experience food in a playful, sensory way.

Inspirational Quote

“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.”

Katharine Hepburn