Mindful Eating

This is a great article on increasing mindfulness when eating. Well, it introduces the idea of being more aware when eating, although it doesn't actually give suggestions on how to do it. We do seem, as a culture, to promote disconnecting our minds and our bodies. Everywhere we see commercials, billboards, and people we know multitasking rather than tuning in to what we're doing. Especially when we are eating. If we enjoy food so much, why don't we pay more attention to it? So rather than focusing on work or the TV during meals, try enjoying and tasting the food. You might notice yourself getting full.

The article also has suggestions for how to make food last longer in our systems, such as eating more fiber, protein, and fat. It is actually possible you could eat more than you think you should; you just have to know what to add to the meal. When reading the article, try to ignore the suggestions for other articles to read that they sneak into the middle of the article you're reading. This tends to take away from the initial message they are sending.

Fatty Food = Cocaine

Interesting article. It would be rather challenging to treat compulsive eating as an addiction, though, since we have to eat to survive. A person can cut out alcohol much more easily than food. I guess it goes back to trying to be responsible in our choices. When you are an alcoholic and go out to eat, you can't order a drink. Perhaps when you go out to eat and you know you cannot stop eating the mac and cheese once you start, you have to order something different.

Improve Self Esteem and Mood in 5 Minutes

I came across an interesting article in Psychology Today: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-science-willpower/201005/stepping-outdoors-boosts-mood-self-esteem. This study finds that people are benefited by just 5 minutes a day of outdoor activity. The study also claims that the benefits decline when increasing the amount of time spent on and intensity level of the activity. Apparently the purpose of the study was not to measure physical health but to focus on mental health instead.

There are some good points to be taken away from this, however. If you are a person who feels like there's little point in exercising if you can't fit in a full hour, it may be time to reconsider your approach. Even 5 minutes will help you feel better about yourself. When I have been talking to people lately about body image, overeating, and exercise, I have been noticing how often the concept of needing to "fix" a "problem" is brought up. We tend to view our weight gain or food issues as a huge imposition on our lives and our happiness. It quickly becomes overwhelming and frustrating to think every day about all the "shoulds" and "should nots" or the "good" and "bad" choices we make.

If you are making changes in your life, start slowly and define small goals. I think we all have experienced how the "all or nothing" approach works in our lives: "I ate that donut this morning, so I might as well just have McDonald's for lunch and start over tomorrow" or "I didn't work out on Monday or Tuesday, so I'll start fresh next week and work out 5 days in a row." Instead, try to think about it as having a new chance every moment to make choices that epitomize what helps you feel good and support who you want to be. So exercise for those 5 minutes and eat that donut, and maybe you will exercise for another 5 minutes later today and have a salad for dinner.

Post Traumatic Body Image Disorder

I have been thinking about the barrage of "perfect" images, ideas of what we "should" look like, eat, drink, do that are constantly shoved in our faces daily. We're all suffering from the impossibility of living an ideal that no one actually embodies. What would we tell our dog or cat if he wanted to look like a wolf or a tiger? "You're perfect the way you are; it's not possible for you to be that." Well, it's not possible for me to look like a model. I will never grow 5 inches and lose 20 pounds (which, by the way, would be really unhealthy). It's not even possible for most models to look like their pictures. It's all airbrushing and makeup.

It is possible, however, for me to be happier, more self confident, and more self satisfied than any model. How do I do this? By accepting myself, as I am, in this moment, and doing things in my life that are true to who I am and want to be. This is not easy, but there is good news. In each new moment, we have another chance to try again.