Eating Mindlessly

Dear Friends

I had a tearful evening watching the tear-jerker, My Sister’s Keeper. I suppose it’s never easy watching your loved one die. It creates the eternal debate: Is it better to know when you are going to depart from this life, or simply go without knowing? Those who have watched the movie Bucket List (my favourite!) would probably say, “yes” to knowing; at least we can make our bucket list and do all the things we have always wanted to do before the final goodbye.

Anyway, what such movies do is to reinforce in me the passion to get more people to take full responsibility for their health. There is so much we can do to keep and stay healthy – all simple disciplines that we will even enjoy, once we make a decision to follow them. It’s just that most people are just too lazy to even think about them. They would rather remain ignorant, and as we know, if we had ever seen a sick person dying, or watched the movies I mentioned, ignorance is certainly not bliss.

Take good nutrition for example. As you see in my last two articles, the foods I listed as Top 5 Beauty Foods and Top 5 Energy Foods are all so delicious. Why not focus on taking more delicious foods that are good for us, and less (not total deprivation) foods that we know are not good for us?

The trouble is most of us are indulging in mindless eating and lifestyle habits; often we don’t even enjoy what we put into our mouths or know why we like to stuff ourselves with potato chips whenever we turn on the television. Or why we just automatically light up that cigarette that we know is poisoning our lungs? Or must drink that cup of coffee in the morning? If you really think about it, you will realize it was probably not about how you enjoyed the taste.

The first time you smoked, you probably choked. Similarly the first time you drank coffee, you probably didn’t really like it. This is our body reacting to what is really not good for it.

THIS WEEK'S LESSON:
Take time to reflect on lifestyle habits that you know are bad for your health: Describe in detail why it makes you feel good following them, and then explore if there are healthier alternatives.

But the road to success is not ruthlessly cutting out all your habits, although that has worked for many, once they found their motivation. My mother quit smoking “cold turkey” after she was hospitalized for a stomach ulcer. My husband also quit immediately after a speaker at a seminar pointed out how distasteful it was for non-smoking business associates to breathe in the foul breath of a smoker.

You don’t have to go that road where food is concerned. As Dr Brian Wansink suggested in his book Mindless Eating, the key to change lies in middle. You can turn the food in your life from being a temptation or a regret to something you guiltlessly enjoy. You can move from mindless overeating to mindless better eating, says Dr Wansink.

“It's so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to.”  ~Annie Gottlier

THIS WEEK'S ACTION STEP

Better eating means different things to different people. It can mean eating less, eating without guilt, eating more nutritiously or eating with greater enjoyment.
As we often emphasise at Health Coach International, there is simply no one-size-fits-all solutions. Over the next few days, think of three (yes, only three!) food trade-offs or food policies that are specifically relevant and motivating for you.
Food trade-offs are statements which goes like this: “I can eat x if I do y.” Example of a food trade-offs is: “I can eat dessert if I have done my 20-minute morning exercise.”

Meanwhile a food policy is a personal rule that you stick to, without exception. Examples are: “I serve myself 80% of what I normally would.” “Eat only at the dining table.” “Only order dessert after I have finished my main course and if I still feel hungry.”

As Dr Wansink says, “We don’t have to commit to big sacrifices, we only have to pick the habits we can easily forego.
If you need help to work out a healthy diet plan that is suitable for you specifically, drop us an email at coach@health-coach-interntional.com or visit Health Coach, giving us your name, age, race and any health conditions.  

Talk to you soon!

Jessica See




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