A Mindful Life is one that is lived with a greater sense of awareness and intention. When it comes to weight loss, it is a life that integrates the Five Areas of Weight Loss. The precise inter-relationship of these five areas is unique to our program. The Five Areas of Weight Loss are: 1. The… Read More »
What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is not necessarily meditation, although there is a type of meditation called “mindfulness meditation.” For the purposes of this program, mindfulness is defined as “non-judgmental awareness.” The first part of that definition–non-judgmental—entails creating an attitude of acceptance about circumstances, reactions, feelings, mental states, and relationships. In order to lose weight, you… Read More »
Take a moment and experiment with a mindfulness exercise. Here’s how: Stop what you are doing. Simply breathe. Say to yourself “Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out. In. Out…” Aim for a couple of minutes. Keep it simple.
If you don’t know where you are going, where will you end up? A clear, tangible statement of your weight loss vision is an essential part of this journey. It tells you, in great detail, where you are going, why you want to go there, and how you will get there. A good vision statement… Read More »
Small steps on the path of change take the form of goals. Many of us have mixed experiences with goals. Perhaps we have set a goal of “going to the gym” and watched it quickly lose steam. Perhaps we have had one too many New Year’s resolutions fail before Valentine’s Day. This is likely because… Read More »
The best diet is a whole foods diet, with foods eaten as close to their natural state as possible. Rather than eating out or buying packaged foods, cook your meals from fresh ingredients. Do not obsess over calories, but rather be aware of calories (they are not as important as we have been led to believe).… Read More »
Let’s use the practice of mindfulness to explore the difference between genuine hunger, craving, and desire. Hunger is your body’s signal that it is time to eat. This is natural and good. However, many people experience the physical sensation of hunger and view it as a state of emergency, and respond in an out-of-proportion way.… Read More »
Here are five ways to bring mindfulness into everyday eating: 1. When you eat, eat. An old Zen adage can be loosely paraphrased as follows: When you walk, walk. When you chop wood, chop wood. When you boil rice, boil rice. As much as possible try to avoid eating while doing other tasks. It is… Read More »
Moving more and sitting less will most certainly improve your health, energy, vitality, and aid in your weight loss effort. It is important to define exercise and movement. They each play an important part in a mindful life, and they are not synonymous. Exercise is any activity that requires physical effort that is done to… Read More »
Here are five tips to consider when looking for an enjoyable form of exercise: 1. Choose a “just right” activity. Be selective about which program you choose. When you observe or try a class, how do you feel? Intimidated? Insecure? Made to push beyond what you feel is safe? Bored? Excited? Invigorated? Trust your inner voice.… Read More »