We think about food all the time, but don't really take the time to eat
Last week I was talking with a client I’ll call Jen.Jen wants to get rid of her bloating, which bothers her daily, and has a bigger life’s craving to feel confident and comfortable in her body.I asked her to describe how she eats, and when she eats.Here’s what her meal plan looks like, which is just like so many women I work with:Wake up as late as possible, then eat in 5 minutes or on the way to work.Eat lunch at her desk, then snack throughout the afternoon.Get home starving, then quickly eat in order to get on with other things...“So," I asked, "would I be right in saying that you only spend about 30 minutes actually eating every day?"“Yes," that sounds about right," said Jen.See, we spend so much time worrying and obsessing about food, and our bodies, but we don’t really take time to enjoy eating.When we eat too quickly, on the run, at our desks, in the car, or secretly, with the lights off, we are in a state of panic, stress, and unease.Here’s what I know to be true: you can either be stressed, or you can digest.When you eat slowly, with ease, enjoying your food, taking breaths, chewing completely, savoring, your body can digest. Your body has time to tell you when it’s full. Your stomach can handle the food coming its way.We are in such a state or rush and panic, with almost every single meal,that we neither notice how our body feels, nor do we have a chance to digest.This leads to stomach pain, bloating, poor digestion, leaky gut, and overeating.
I gave Jen an assignment: spend 15-20 minutes eating each meal, and don’t do it alone.
Food should be one of the best things about being alive, and enjoyed with other people. Set the table. Light a candle. Invite a friend to lunch, go to a park or cafe for breakfast, eat outside as often as possible. Take a real lunch break. (It is the law, after all!)
This is the first step in changing your digestion and the impact your digestive health has on your cravings, even before you change what you eat.She’s on it, and looking forward to feeling different with food, and enjoying it with others.Eating real meals, like a person who cares enough about her body and her life to take the time, is the first step in transforming your relationship with food, your energy, and digestion.I told Jen about the positive psychology technique, savoring. It’s the first lesson I teach in the Cravings Cleanse + Mindset Makeover. Savoring is a way of fully feeling, noticing, and loving, food, your body, each moment, and your live.It’s a powerful tool, that allows you to actually be in the moment, appreciate your body, slow down, and enjoy your life...and only one of the mindset tools I’ll share with you in the Cravings Cleanse, which starts 10/7.
Click here to join us: http://alexandrajamieson.com/cravings-cleanse/
Jen is on her way to a new way of eating, and I want that for you.See, it doesn’t matter what you eat, if you’re always eating in a state of stress, your body and relationship with her, and food, won’t change.Registration is now open for the next Cravings Cleanse + Mindset Makeover. We start 10/7, but you’ll get access to the bonus videos, recordings, meditations, and more this week.