There are going to be birthdays, weddings, BBQs and work dos and

In the warm and grounded words of Chloe Madeley, fitness coach and advocate of balance, we find a truth that shines with quiet wisdom: “There are going to be birthdays, weddings, BBQs, and work dos, and you are entitled to have a few drinks, a slice of cake, a pepperoni pizza, or an Easter egg every now and then.” Though spoken in the language of the everyday, her message carries the timeless weight of moderation — that sacred virtue praised by philosophers and saints alike. Her counsel is not about food or indulgence alone, but about the art of living fully, without the chains of guilt or the tyranny of perfection.

The origin of her words lies in the struggle of our modern age — an age obsessed with control, with the sculpting of the body and the endless pursuit of flawlessness. Chloe, born into both fame and discipline, has seen the trap that catches many: the belief that happiness can only be earned through denial. But she speaks here with the clarity of one who has learned to honor both strength and softness, both the discipline of the body and the joy of the heart. Her quote is a song of balance, an echo of the ancient Greek ideal of metriotes — the golden mean between excess and deprivation.

For the ancients knew, as Chloe reminds us now, that life is not meant to be a fast, but a feast — not of gluttony, but of gratitude. The table of life is spread before us with moments of sweetness and laughter, and to refuse them is to turn from the very gift of existence. Think of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus, who taught that true freedom lies not in abstaining from all pleasures, but in mastering them. To enjoy a simple cup of wine without being enslaved by it — that is wisdom. To savor a meal, a song, a gathering, without guilt — that is grace.

And yet, there is a deeper meaning still. When Chloe Madeley speaks of these small joys — the cake, the pizza, the Easter egg — she is not only defending the body’s pleasures, but the soul’s need for celebration. Birthdays and weddings are the rituals of our shared humanity; they remind us that we do not live alone, nor for ourselves alone. To raise a glass, to break bread, to laugh in the company of others — these are not sins, but sacred acts. For what is the point of perfect health if the heart grows hungry for connection?

Consider the story of Jesus of Nazareth, who, though divine in wisdom, did not live apart from the joys of men. He attended weddings, he shared wine, he broke bread with the humble and the lost. His first miracle was not a sermon but a celebration — the turning of water into wine at Cana, a sign that joy itself is holy. So too does Chloe’s message carry a whisper of the same truth: that the good life is not the life of denial, but of mindful enjoyment — of honoring the feast without being ruled by it.

Let the listener understand, then: discipline is the skeleton, but joy is the flesh. Without the first, we are shapeless; without the second, lifeless. To live well, one must learn the rhythm of both — to train with diligence and to rest with gratitude, to abstain when needed and to partake when called. The wise do not measure virtue by calories or indulgence, but by balance. They understand that the spirit thrives not in constant restraint, but in the harmony between effort and ease.

So let this be your lesson: when you gather at the wedding, when you taste the cake, when you share in the Easter egg with laughter — do so with awareness, not guilt. Remember that joy, too, is nourishment. Treat your body as a temple, yes, but remember that even temples have festivals. Do not let the fear of excess rob you of the warmth of living. For the greatest strength is not found in refusal, but in balance — in knowing when to fast and when to feast, when to work and when to dance beneath the open sky.

And so, children of discipline and delight, carry this wisdom into your days: live with purpose, but live also with pleasure. Honor your health, but honor, too, the small graces that make life sweet. For it is written in the spirit of both the ancients and the modern wise — that the soul who learns to rejoice in moderation shall never hunger in vain.