I'd love to hear from you! For comments, Qs please email me at lunchladycynthia@gmail.com.
I just came home from CT after seeing my long-time childhood friend get married. We both grew up in CT, and while she lives in CT I have not been back in a almost a decade. Needless to say that while I was excited to revisit my past home as well as some of the people that I know and love that grew up with me, I was also a bit terrified. I mean, what if we had all changed so much that we had nothing to talk about? What if we don't recognize each other because we are all getting older, wrinkles and gravity making themselves at home on our faces and bodies? What if we all are succumbing to deteriorating genes, with saddles bags and spare tires setting in (and no, I am not referring to alternate modes of transportation)?
Scary thoughts aside, it hit me - Screw it, I am just really happy to be here and enjoying the company of people that I love and that love me back. I don't want to worry about the past vs how we are now. I just want to enjoy the moment.
Living in the moment (also referred to by my dad as 'being a dog' for dogs' abilities to forget the past and remain present) can help us all become more aware of our bodies, thoughts, and emotions. This can also help us understand why we eat, since many of us use food as a divergence.
But check this out: mindfulness that comes from practicing yoga, meditation, and pilates has actually been shown to help moderate food intake and maintain a healthy weight. Some of the food mantras that make yogis particularly successful at minding their weight include:
- slower eating
- savoring food's flavors
- eating only when your stomach is about to shrivel up and die it's so hungry
- rank your hunger -imagine a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is full and 5 is that you want to eat your fingernails as your next meal. Now, every time that you are hungry and about to eat, rank your hunger, noting your emotions as well. If you are not at least a 4 on the hunger scale - stomach talking, thinking is blurry - then you may be using food as a divergence.
- log your food - seeing on paper how much you ate in a day may be startling, but may also help you become a more conscious eater. You may be surprised at what you find, which can lead to more conscious eating. Log your food intake daily with columns for
- type of food
- portion of food
- time of day
- emotions feeling/events that just occurred
- hunger rating (see above)
- eat more (green) protein - protein is harder for your body to break down so more energy is spent digesting it than other foods, like fats or carbohydrates. Because protein is harder to break down, your body expends 20-30% more energy using protein as energy which not only boosts metabolism but also keeps you fuller, longer. Since animal protein produces a lot of greenhouse gases and may have unnecessary hormones/preservatives, try dabbling in greener protein sources a few times a week or more. Some great non-meat protein sources include: seitan, gardein, tofu, and even fish. Whole foods has some great non-meat proteins so check them out: wholefoodsmarket.com.
- drink before you eat - water, that is...often times, 60% of your hunger is actually thirst but we have lost touch with our bodies thirst and hunger signals. So reach for a glass of water next time you are hungry. If after 30 min you are still hungry then perhaps you truly are...
- exercise vigorously - vigorous, heart-pumping exercise has been shown to help dull appetite, while moderate exercise may stimulate it. A dulled appetite may be able to help us feel true hunger when it hits and divert emotional or external hunger when it arises. Shoot for intervals (1 min heart-pounding exercise, 2 min moderate exercise) for 30 or more minutes for maximum benefit.
Happy spring 2010,
Lunch Lady Cynthia
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