How To Love Your Body Through the Art of Mindful Eating

By : Jodie Shield | 0 Comments | On : January 27, 2017 | Category : Adults, Seniors, Teens

Three Steps to help you de-stress and lose weight without dieting.

Guest Post By: Taly Kazimirsky, Dominican University Nutrition Student

Do you feel like you’re just going through the motions of life? Are you overwhelmed with deadlines and family responsibilities? Has all of this over commitment led to self-neglect – – not enough exercise, over eating, and weight gain? It’s time to stop living on autopilot and start loving and taking care of your health. Mindfulness is an ancient Buddhist concept that focuses on slowing down, engaging our senses, and being aware of our thoughts and emotions. You can begin to appreciate your unique body and shed extra pounds if you incorporate the following three mindful eating steps into your life.

 

 Step 1: Tune Into The Present

In order to enjoy life and achieve mindfulness, you need to learn to live in the present moment. That means stop multitasking – – devouring your bagel and chugging lattes while you’re driving — and focus on what you’re doing and eating. Mindless munching often leads to overeating eating, unhealthy food choices, and feelings of regret and emptiness. On the contrary, when you are focused on the present, eating becomes more intuitive instead of emotional, which can ultimately lead to smaller portions and healthier choices. Here are some strategies to help you tune into the present.

• Become aware of your emotional and physical wellbeing. Ask yourself: How do I feel right now? What are the emotions that I am experiencing? What are my thoughts?
• Notice your surroundings and allow yourself to experience the present moment.
• Use a hunger scale to gage yourself before eating.

 

Step 2: Don’t Hate — Appreciate

After you accomplish the art of remaining present, you can begin to appreciate the things around you and about yourself, leading to a more positive and holistic approach to life. Your self-appreciation should not be affected by your weight or size—you should not let a number define your beauty! Here are some strategies to help your start appreciating yourself.

• Learn to replace negative talk and thoughts such as “Ugh, I am so fat!” with positive language like “I’m glad my body is strong.”
• Start loving your features and begin to look at the world through rose-colored glasses. Words and thoughts have a powerful impact. Once you start thinking positively, it will slowly transform your overall health.
• Look in the mirror and tell yourself you are beautiful.
• List the things that you love about yourself.
• List the things that you are thankful for.

 

Step 3: Breathe!

The art of slowing down and relaxing can help eliminate stress and thereby encourage intuitive eating and indirectly favor a healthy weight. Stress leads to an increase in cortisol levels and ultimately excessive weight gain. Try some of these tips to help you de-stress and eat less.

• Learn how to deal with life’s stressors, especially ones that involve having the “perfect” body.
• Start mastering the skill of meditation. Slowing down the mind and relaxing your nervous system can actually translate to healthy weight loss.
• Instead of inhaling your food, eat slowly. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to signal your stomach that you’re full. This will also help you reduce your portion sizes.
• Start noticing the texture of your food, the way it tastes and smells.
• Let your body relax and give it some room to feel happy and healthy.

 

Take a Stand!

Letting obligations and deadlines get the better of us is understandable, but it’s important to be aware that your health comes first. Taking control of our lives and making the best of our every moment is life changing, but it takes dedication and time. Incorporating mindfulness into your life can ultimately lead to a healthier body image, improved eating habits, and a greater love for yourself. This blog, Healthy Eating for Families, is also available as a FREE app (Eat Healthy Homemade Meals) and is a great source for tools and tips on how to be healthy while balancing life’s challenges. Delicious, healthy recipes and fun and informative articles can be right at your fingertips! Check it out on iTunes and Google Play.