If you resonate with the latter of each question, you're not alone. Far too many people are living and eating under a chronic low level stressed state. When it comes to food, my definition of stress is any of the following: feeling actual stress or worry, anxiety about what to eat, having rigid rules around food, negative self-talk, eating fast, eating while multi-tasking, etc. Even though very different, these self-chosen stressors do the same thing to the body as obvious stressors such as a traumatic event or illness.
When we eat in a stressed state, the body excretes nutrients and releases insulin and the stress hormone cortisol, which decreases muscle building, calorie burning and digestive assimilation, all of which signals the body to store fat.
Therefore, eating healthy food is only half the story of good health. Being in the ideal state of relaxation to digest, assimilate and burn the food is the other half.
Here are 5 secrets for creating a relaxed state of mind while eating...
Breathe. Before you eat, take 5 slow, deep breaths. This calms down the nervous system and helps you become present.
Stop all multi-tasking and eat when eating. Set aside time for eating without any other distractions.
Put your utensil down in between bites. Breathe in some more oxygen and re-evaluate your hunger.
Savor + truly taste your food. No matter what you're eating, whether it's a big kale salad or a chocolate brownie, enjoy every single bite without guilt.
Play the slowest eater game. Secretly challenge yourself to be the last one at the table to finish your meal!
Remember, not every meal will be slow and relaxed and that's okay. Just hitting the breaks a little and finding pleasure in your food will greatly reduce any tendencies to overeat and will help to improve your metabolism. There's so much more to life than restricting and obsessing over food, it's time you enjoy it and reap the benefits of a healthy, happy and hot body.
