Guide to high quality living - Prep: Mindful Eating
These are some hacks to a high quality healthy life.
Extracts from the fantastic book called Why we eat (too much) by Dr Andrew Jenkinson
Stop eating processed food!
Cook fresh natural ingredients
Sleep more
Reduce Stress in life, by lowering Cortosol. (Raised Cortisol in body, leads to a raised weight set point). Lower cortisol with sleep, meditation exercise , music, massage, dancing & laughter.
Plan your time to shop, cook, rest and being active
Build a new body.
Take stock of life.
How are you spending your time….is time spent on Netflix and social media feeds helping you to reach your goals?
Proposed goal is to lower your weight set point.
This is not a short term approach, but a long term lifestyle approach.
Prepare your mind.
Focus on normalising insulin in blood - no more sugar surges.
Sugar is highly addictive since it causes a surge in dopamine hormone which makes us feel good.
This rush is naturally produced after consuming sugar and is as addictive as taking drugs
Short term side effects, leads to a Leptin deficiency- which encourages binge eating
Approach: to Mindful eating
1. Develop your Mindful meditation practice.
One of the best ways to manage stress and affect stress hormones is developing a practice of meditation.
There are many sources of mindful music and meditation, here are 2 examples:
2. Mindful eating.
Be aware of your time spent eating.
Are you eating mindlessly or in front of TV or on the run?
Focus on eating without distraction.
Try this experiment: mindful eating of Chocolate or perhaps drinking wine
Look at a piece of chocolate/ glass of wine.
Smell it both nostrils
Be mindful of how much do you want it
Take a small bite slowly or sip.
What sensations do you feel?
How satisfying is it?
How much do you want more of it ?
Put down chocolate whilst eating and glass or wine
Listen to body.
How much do you want more of chocolate/wine (from 1-10)
how satisfying is eating/drinking it?
Reflect on how you feel.
Did you really enjoy chocolate / wine ?
Some people find it smells funny.
Repeat 2 more times taking small bites/ sips. Eating/ drinking in a slow mindful manner
Be aware of how eating chocolate/ drinking wine feels and reflect on whether you actually enjoy eating/ drinking it.
Many find by eating/ drinking mindfully they reduce their consumption subjstantially
Mindfulness is the best seasoning
* please note the wine has been an addition for this blog……
3. Surf your cravings.
Be aware of the Biscuits calling you to “come and get me !“
Chocolate saying “one won't hurt!”
Cravings make us feel restless.
Get moving .... burn up extra energy ….dance to music or go for a walk
Surf the urge … it will pass.
Don't panic this will pass.
And breath.
How to breathing mindfully:
Awareness
Respond thoughtfully with awareness.
Sit comfortably notice you are being held by your chair
What am I experiencing / feeling ?
pause
Register now.
Gathering
Focus on your breath and point of anxiety
Count and continue breathing
Expand
Expanding awareness to notice your whole body.
Try to introduce 5 minutes of mindful breathing every morning to build the habit and get used to pausing to assess your awareness.
