In today’s society, busy-ness is rewarded, often at the expense of our health. In the process, bad habits sneak in where the norm is to rush around, grabbing food and mindlessly consuming whatever’s handy. The weight gets packed on, the results from yearly physicals show elevated numbers (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, etc.) and the biggest kicker, you have less energy to complete all that those busy days demand.
I know this from experience. As an entrepreneur, I got caught in that trap as I was busily building my business. You may be asking, “But how can that be…you know your stuff?!”
The answer has two distinct components:
1. I wasn’t paying attention
2. It’s rarely about how much you know
In the past, it was an all-or-nothing game for me, and my M.O. would have been this: Panic, followed by shoving a crazy amount of supplements at the problem, over-exercising and eating nothing but chicken, brown rice and broccoli.
The problem with that approach is, it is typically short-lived for most people. It becomes frustrating if the desired results don’t start showing up quickly. In addition to that, there is rather a large social aspect tied to eating, and living on rice cakes with nut butter doesn’t really provide the freedom to kick back with friends over a good meal.
Stepping back and taking stock of the issue, knowing I wanted to drop about 12 pounds, I decided I needed to approach the situation the way I would with a client. That meant no “quick fix” attempts, no super restrictive dieting. Instead I decided it required me to approach eating from a mindful perspective. Here is what I’ve learned from doing this with countless clients, and more importantly, for myself.
1. A food journal is your friend. It’s not about calories, fat, carb or protein grams. It’s about what foods you ate, what you were doing when you were eating, and how you felt afterwards. Did that food increase or decrease your energy?
2. It’s important to unplug. I remember one lecture by Joshua Rosenthal, founder of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where he said, “When you eat, eat. When you read, read.” As a culture, we’re constantly connected to media via our phones, tablets, computers and TV. But being connected outside yourself perpetuates being disconnected with yourself, and in this instance, specifically from your body and what you’re putting in it.
3. Dine and dash doesn’t serve you. Slow down. Seriously. One of the challenges I have with my clients is teaching them how to slow down. It’s really simple…give it a try this week. At one meal each week set aside 1 hour. Hide all devices and distractions. Use the entire hour to consume your meal. It will require you chew more slowly, which aids digestion, gets you tuning into your body, and helps you learn how to do #4.
4. Savor the flavor. An exercise I learned from a fellow health coach was on how to savor what you’re eating. Using your favorite snack, take a bite, but don’t chew it. Roll it around in your mouth. Notice if the flavor shifts. Notice the texture. Then finally, take a bite. What did you experience?
She shared with us that a spoonful of peanut butter had always been her favorite go-to snack. When she did this exercise with peanut butter she discovered she really didn’t like peanut butter. She was eating it out of habit, without actually tasting—or enjoying—it.
Based on that exercise, you will learn what foods you are reaching for that you might not actually like, but are eating out of habit which perhaps aren’t serving you!
I’ll be the first to tell you approaching food in this way didn’t come naturally to me. As a former personal trainer, it’s ingrained in me to approach it from the numbers standpoint. You measure everything, weigh your food, and count those calories. But to go from mindless to mindful isn’t about numbers, it’s about tuning in and increasing awareness.
In his book The Slow Down Diet, Marc David writes: “The power of awareness to catalyze nutrient assimilation, digestion, and calorie-burning ability is best exemplified in something scientists call cephalic phase digestive response (CPDR).” He goes on to note that “researchers have estimated that as much as 30 to 40 percent of the total digestive response to any meal is due to CPDR—our full awareness of what we’re eating.” In other words, paying attention helps your body better use what you’re eating.
An easy way to begin deepening your own awareness every time you eat something (whether it’s a meal, a snack or grabbing a handful of M&Ms from your co-worker’s candy dish) is to ask yourself this: Am I hungry? Is this habit? Or am I eating my emotions?
Coupled with the 4 steps above, those simple questions can be the key to unlocking a deeper understanding of your connection with food and to recognize when you’re mindlessly gnashing. They can help you build a bridge to begin the journey from mindless to mindful so you can create the energy you need for even your busiest of days.