Mindful Eating

Mindful Eating involves really being present while you are eating. It involves using all your senses to appreciate and enjoy your food. I know I am not the only one that is always crunched for time and in a rush to grab something and eat on the go. I have gotten in a habit of eating really fast because I know there are so many other things I need to do.

Taking care of ourselves should be our first priority in our lives. If we don't take care of ourselves, we won't be able to help those around us, we won't be able to spend as much time with our families and loved ones, and our quality of life will decrease if we aren't doing the necessary things to keep our bodies healthy and strong. Yet it is so easy to put ourselves last on our list of things to take care of.

Next time you are getting hungry and go to grab something to eat, think about it for just a minute. Consider what you need to be eating to nourish your body. [Something I am working on is eating a fruit or vegetable with every meal to help me get in the habit of reaching for nutritious food more.] Recognize if you are hungry or thirsty-sometimes those feel similar to us. Maybe think about what your emotions are.

When you have something to eat, sit down to eat it and try to eliminate any distractions that you can, and just enjoy the moment and the flavor of each bite. Mindful eating helps us realize what we are eating and enhances our experience with eating. After all, we have to eat to live, so we might as well make it enjoyable! 

Also for anyone interested**This past week I discovered a great podcast that I am loving and wanted to recommend it to all of you- nutritionmatterspodcast.com. You can find it on iTunes! Hope you enjoy it as much as I am!

It Takes Discipline

Have you ever felt so motivated to eat healthy, to exercise, to take care of yourself...only to have it last a short time before you fall back into your old habits? It can be difficult to change a lifestyle around. Small, measurable goals can help us get to where we want to be in life. It won't be easy, but if we stick with it, it'll be worth it. This can apply to every aspect of our lives and reach far outside healthy eating, but for me, that is what I am working on. 

Step One: Remember why you started.

There was a moment in time when you felt empowered to accomplish your goals, you made plans, you made changes, you may have even gotten to the point where you saw progress. But what happened to inhibit you from fully accomplishing that goal? Often it is because we lose sight of our vision, what we want most gets pushed to the back burner because of other important things that pop up in our lives. 

Place reminders around you to help you maintain sight of what you are working toward and have weekly check-ins with yourself or a partner that you can be accountable to. This helps us in our goal to progression. 

Step Two: Measure your goals 

A lot of times, we lose momentum if we are unable to see our progress. It leaves us feeling like our little attempts to improve aren't even making a difference so why bother... EVERY STEP COUNTS. If you are ever-so-slightly lifting yourself off the floor, only making centimeters of progress-THAT IS HUGE. That is something that you need to notice and congratulate yourself for. It is the small moments that make all the difference. It is those small steps that build into a fierce run toward the finish. 

• If weight loss is your goal- then measure your weight/body measurements every week or every month. 
• If living a healthier life is your goal- then measure how your energy level is after each day based on improving your eating habits, exercise, sleeping, water consumption, etc. [Start with taking on one at a time]
• If you want to get more fit and strong- then set a goal for the number of exercises you will do in a week. 

If you don't reach your goal- Don't give up. Start over the next day and do your best to improve. Don't get discouraged if you are not setting as ambitious goals as your friend or if you aren't making the progress someone else is. This is between you and only you. 

Step Three: Don't cheat yourself

You may have wanted to accomplish __(insert your goal here)__ for a long time. You may have given in after a week. But you have to remember that it isn't about how many times you fall, it is about picking yourself up again and again and again. It is about being determined, tenacious and strong. It takes willpower. No one can force you to do it and it won't affect anyone but you if you give up. 

Keep going. Remember why you started, remember how good it felt to do it for one day and imagine how good it will feel when your goal has become a habit. 

Good. Better. Best.

Today, I want to talk about food. It is something that each living creature needs to survive, so we should have a good relationship with it, don't you think? Now, our food comes in prepackaged, portioned, and prepared varieties. We don't have to hunt for it and we aren't going to starve if we haven't learned to plant a garden. 

Although we have it easier than our predecessors, we should be conscious of what we are putting into our bodies and learn to make healthy substitutions for the unhealthy, oh-so-easy-to-grab snacks.  

This is something I am working on. I have learned a lot the past few years how different foods can impact us in different ways. Have you ever heard of the Glycemic Index level of food? 

The GI measures how carbohydrate-containing foods raise blood glucose in our bodies [American Diabetes Foundation]. Some foods raise our blood sugar more than others, which is good to know if we are trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. 

For example, grapes have a higher GI than an orange. Does that mean you shouldn't eat grapes? NO! 

I have met with multiple personal trainers and nutritionists and each time they told me to avoid carrots, bananas, and other starchy fruits and vegetables... I believe that if your goal is to be healthy and live a fulfilling life than going for grapes is a lot healthier choice than going for a brownie. 

My message today is to choose wisely and start small. It is all about progression toward good, better and best. Today, we may be making pretty good choices in how we eat, but tomorrow we can make better choices and continue learning and improving each day.