Mindfulness is a state.
It’s a skill.
It’s an attitude.
Put very simply, it’s awareness: non-judgmental awareness of what’s happening in the present-moment, both internally and externally, with an attitude of curiosity.
It’s BE-ing, sometimes even while DO-ing.
It’s innate within all of us, some more than others—but like any skill, it can be cultivated and strengthened with practice.
Mindful eating involves paying attention to the actual process of eating as well as to all of the internal and external reasons we choose to eat, both consciously and unconsciously.
It involves letting go of rigid food rules and instead using evidence-based nutrition principles in conjunction with information from our body about what to eat and when.
Benefits of mindful eating are based on research that shows that mindfulness decreases stress, anxiety and depression, all of which are linked to being overweight and poor states of health.
Becoming a mindful eater will enable you to experience joy and pleasure with eating, tune in to your hunger and satisfaction cues thus reducing overeating, and give you the ability to cope with negative emotions in healthy ways that don’t involve using food.
You can discover a more satisfying relationship with your body and with food than you ever thought was possible.
You can gain personal power to make wise choices that you lead you to optimum states of being.
Furthermore...
What you eat becomes you.
Literally.
The moment you put food in your mouth and start to chew, your body goes to work taking that substance and creating something out of it: cells and proteins that become your skin, hair, organs…the enzymes, vitamins and minerals extracted from the food aid in a ridiculous number of biochemical processes that make your body function, and they all work together as a team.
In this sense, when we eat, we are consuming and what we consume becomes us.
Here's the deal: We consume with ALL of our senses.
What we expose ourselves to, what we read and watch, the type of gossip and negative talk we engage in —or conversely, the positive and uplifting talk we engage in—it "becomes us" and affects us in the same way food does.
What you may not have considered is the connection between this type of consumption and the other choices you make: food choices, choices about physical activity, self-care, play and stress management.
In this way:
Consumption ---> Thoughts ---> Feelings ---> Actions ---> Results
When we become mindful, we aren’t restricting ourselves from negativity or negative choices because we “shouldn’t”, we are simply aware of everything going on with all of our senses, with our thoughts, with our body sensations and emotions when that happens, without judgment.
When we feel inspired or well because that’s what we’re “feeding” ourselves with by what we expose ourselves to, the activities we engage in, the people we relate to, the thoughts we choose to think, the work that fulfills us, our food and exercise…we are mindful of that.
When we feel anxiety, fear, negativity or cynicism and engage all of our senses and engage in thinking that feeds that..... we’re mindful of THAT.
Non-judgmentally.
With mindfulness comes acceptance. With acceptance comes transformation.
When we cultivate the skill of mindfulness, and live mindfully by PRACTICING mindfulness as part of daily life, we see the connection between our states of mind and being , our emotions, thoughts, and body sensations and our choices....which then EMPOWERS us to achieve vibrant health/wellbeing and our ideal weight...and even more importantly, our ideal LIVES.
Join me in developing or expanding in this skill... and up-level your life.
I offer both group and individual programs.
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