Feb
28
Midlife is built on such shifting sands, isn’t it? Full of surprises and calls to reassess old habits. Looking at your growing girth in the mirror is a case in point. It is unsettling, yet viewed through a different lens, you can see your changing body chemistry as a wake-up call for you to build new habits that will promote your health and vitality for the next 40-50 years. But what we eat isn’t about “dieting,” it’s about mindful eating – and weight loss is nice side effect! To bring home the point, we’ve invited Certified Holistic Health Counselor Rachel Venokur Clark at Renew for a New You to remind us that ‘when diet changes, everything changes”. Rachel trained at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition with notables such as Andrew Weil, Deepak Chopra, and Mark Hyman. Here’s her counsel on how to start:
It’s time to put the“one size fits all” myth diet myth to rest. Everyone has unique needs based on gender, age, ancestry and lifestyle. Given half a chance, your body will balance out by itself, but this is only possible by getting out of the diet mentality and listening to what you truly need. Imagine taking all of the outward energy you expend on diets, fads and gimmicks and turning it inward, so that you can listen to what your body really wants. Working with your body rather than against it will bring about increased energy, stabilized weight and sustainable health. Eating consciously and making simple lifestyle changes will create positive results and release you from the endless cycle of dieting. Here are 5 steps that I use to help clients achieve that goal. Start listening to your body today.
1) Many of us never take the time to listen to the signals our bodies are sending. Can you recognize what being “physically” hungry feels like? Do you eat for emotional reasons, out of boredom or even when are already full? On a scale of 1-5, 5 being starving, ask yourself, how hungry am I? Try to recognize when you have gone too long without fuel and are at a 5, or when you are eating “just because” and are only at a 1. The goal is to learn to eat when you are between a 2-3 to ward off over-eating.
2) Keep a Food Journal to connect to how food really makes you feel. Look for signs of imbalance after a meal like: headaches, stomach pain, muscle cramps, coughing, fatigue, insomnia, restlessness, shakiness, muscle weakness, poor concentration, pallor. This will help you figure out which foods may not be working for your body.
3) Do you have cravings? Learn to deconstruct them. Cravings are a message sent to help assist you in creating balance in the body. When you can recognize why you have a craving, it will help you ward it off the next time. Ask yourself, “Is my craving emotional or seasonal; have I been eating too much salt so I am craving sugar; am I lacking in vitamins? What is it my body really wants right now?”
4) Learn to think of food as fuel, and your body as a machine. In my practice I help clients learn which foods will fuel their body most efficiently, make them feel the most satisfied, and help them to create a healthy relationship with food. 90% of the time you should be choosing the foods that you know are healthy and good for your mind and body. Ask yourself, “What will make my machine (your body) run the most efficiently for the longest amount time?”
5) 10% of the time-eat for pure joy. Deprivation does not work. Know what your joy foods are, eat them with pleasure and without guilt. Doing this 10% of the time will help you build a healthy relationship with food.
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