Mindfulness and Eating

Mindfulness, Presence, Awareness. Catchy words these stays, all meaning the practice of staying in the moment. It is getting increasingly more attention for its ability to boost physical and mental health. Mindful eating has been shown in research to help people stop binge eating, lose weight and reduce anxious food and body thinking.

Jan Chozen Bays, MD explains that "Mindful eating involves paying attention to the experience of eating and drinking, both inside and outside the body. We pay attention to the colors, smells, textures,flavors, temperatures and even the sounds of our food. We pay attention to the experience of the body. Where in the body do we feel hunger? Where do we feel satisfaction? What does half-full feel like, or three-quarters full?

1. Avoid distractions like phones, tv and the like. Pay attention to your thinking while you eat. 
2. Become one with your meal in the following ways:
3. Breathe a few healthy breaths and focus before your meal.
4. Sit down at the table. Not standing, not in bed, not driving.
5. Create a positive atmosphere with a nicely set table.
6. Turn off your tv or computer, book, newspaper and quit using your phone. Pay full attention to your meal and your body's signals while you eat.
7. Place a forkful of food in your mouth, put the fork down. This is a lot harder than you think. resist the urge to slurp down your meal, especially when you are hungry. Leave the fork on the table until you are ready for your next bite.Chew slowly and enjoy the texture, flavor, aroma. Be conscious of your different sensations. Eating slowly can lead to eating less during meals.
8. Take a 2-minute break in the middle of the meal. Don't beat yourself up if you did overeat. Pay attention to the physical and emotional distress and strategize how you can prevent overeating at the next meal, Sourced from Cathry Keller Fitbiecom

Easy Ways to Lose Weight

1. DON'T SIT STILL!

Take the stairs, park in the far corner of the parking lot, or clean the house. This type of energy expenditure is called by the researchers at the Mayo Clinic "Non-Excercise Activity Thermogenesis", and speculate that it's more important than formal exercise when it comes to losing weight.  The average 140-pound woman expends only 32 caloiries per half-hour of watching TV. Ironing for the same amount of time more than doubles that burn to 73 calories and vacuuming nearly quadruples it to 111 calories.


2. Make Easy Food Swaps

Try lower-cal food substitutions that mimic the original's taste. Instead of a roll with mayo, use whole-wheat bread and mustard to cut at least 130 calories. Snack on baked potato chips instead of fried and you'll shave off 45 calories per ounce. Indulge in a half cup of chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla topped with hot fudge for a 140 less calories.
--Parade Magazine