What Your Natural Biology Is Saying About Weight Loss
Imagine a relationship with food and your body that leaves you nourished and fulfilled each day. Imagine having the confidence to relax and enjoy the food you choose to eat. If you’ve tried all the diets to strengthen your metabolism but have not achieved success, there’s one basic reason why: You’re moving too fast.
Biologically, Stress Causes Cravings
In a state of stress, the body automatically shifts into the classic flight-or-fight response, also known as the sympathetic nervous system reaction. As a result, your digestive system shuts down to different degrees because your blood moves away from your midsection where digestion occurs. Instead, your blood flows to your legs, arms, and mind, so it can quickly react to a stressful situation.
Your stress hormones also activate, which can lead you to crave more calories. Cortisol, the main stress hormone involved here, plays a key role in this stress response. Cortisol stimulates a flood of hormonal signaling from the hypothalamus to adrenal glands to engage you in pleasure-seeking behavior. This causes you to consume high-energy/fat foods, such as foods filled with sucrose and lard.
So, it’s actually a hormone that sends a signal to your brain to seek these high-fat foods—it has nothing to do with self-control! We are so hard on ourselves when we have a craving, but really it’s your body asking you to relax— take a bath, ask for a hug, go dance! Your body is seeking the food to create a relaxing feeling for you, but what happens to many of us is we play the blame game.
The amount of pressure society and media put on body image and diet may explain why losing weight is notoriously difficult. Losing weight can be stressful, which can make you feel anxious. In this stress response, cortisol comes into full gear and creates high-energy food cravings. Eating high-energy food blunts the feeling of stress and makes you feel better, but this is short-lived. Stress will come around again, especially if you haven’t learned healthy de-stressing techniques, and the viscious cycle begins again.
Relax! Your Metabolism Depends on It
Relaxation begins with building self-awareness and positive thought processes into your life. Once this is established, you can find other ways to relax and organize your pleasure before the stress and cravings are full force.
When you are in a relaxed mode, your parasympathetic nervous system is activated. All the blood flows to your midsection to churn and assimilate the food and absorb all your nutrients. Your metabolism and digestion work in full speed.
Our body’s natural state is relaxation, and we are genetically programmed to seek pleasure and avoid pain. When we eat, we are seeking the pleasure of food and avoiding the pain of hunger. Therefore, adding pleasure to your food will metabolically optimize your meal. The chemical CCK (cholecystokinin) is produced in the body and has a number of functions in your parasympathetic nervous system. It aids in digestion, suppresses appetite, and stimulates a pleasure sensation in the cerebral cortex. This shows us how pleasure, metabolism, and a naturally controlled appetite are interwoven to the core. The same chemical reaction that metabolizes the meal also tells us when to finish the meal and makes us feel good about the entire experience.
The key to pleasure’s powerful effect in balancing your appetite is that it promotes a physiologic relaxation response. We overeat most when we’re anxious, stressed, or unaware. A relaxed, pleasured eater has natural control. A stressed eater produces more circulating cortisol. Because cortisol desensitizes us to pleasure in our day-to-day stressors, we need to eat more food to feel the same amount of pleasure as when we’re relaxed. Therefore, if you’re anxious about gaining weight or frightened to eat a dessert, you’ll generate more cortisol. This chemical will swim through your bloodstream, numb you to pleasure, and ironically create the very self-fulfilling prophecy you feared from the beginning: If you eat something fun, you wont be able to stop.
Take in All Your Senses During Your Next Meal
So how do you begin receiving pleasure with your next meal? Pay attention with your senses. Each time you take a bite, give yourself one mindful moment to check in. Use all your senses to really be in the experience.
Eyes: Chefs go to great lengths to prepare food attractively because they know it can add excitement and satisfaction to the experience. Take in your food’s shape and examine the color. Food’s appearance has a lot to do with how much we enjoy it.
Smell: Your sense of smell is tied to your sense of taste. You get to begin your enjoyment of the food’s flavor without eating it. Breathe in slowly, searching through the scents for a preview of what you’re about to eat.
Sound: Take a moment to listen to the sounds around you to be more in the experience of your environment and food. Listen to the sound of your breathing to assist you in relaxation.
Touch: The sense of touch gives us information on the texture, shape, and temperature of food. Begin to really notice the different textures in one mouthful of food. Describe the texture of the food to yourself in detail and take in the full pleasure of the experience. There are so many fun ways you can describe food—mushy, crunchy, soft, solid, oily, succulent, dry, juicy, sticky. Have fun with it! Temperature is also an important piece of information to the brain. Foods taste different depending on their temperature, and their textures change as well.
Taste: Flavor is perhaps the most powerfully sensual information we get from eating. The variations are endless and intriguing. Our taste buds (actually working with the sense of smell) can bring us great pleasure. When you have taken a bite of food, check in and see what flavors are there.
Waking Up at Your Plate
What I am about to share with you is a new way of approaching your meals. This is not a diet with tons of rules, recipes, and menus. If you have tried every diet under the sun, like I have, then this could be so refreshing! 
The way you eat, just like the way you live your life, says a lot about you. Do you eat when you are full and feel bloated? Do you deprive yourself when you are on a diet? Do you eat mindlessly on junk food just because they are available? Right now, I am less interested in what you eat, than how you eat. If you want to create a healthy substantial diet then you need to begin with your unique relationship with food.
I have been here myself. During final exams in college I was surrounded with more foods than textbooks. The food calmed my nerves and I tuned out to what and how I was eating at that moment. I have changed my way of looking at food and created a new appreciation.
Would you like to start changing the way you eat? Find the enjoyment in all foods and make eating one of the enjoyable parts of your life. Can’t think of any ideas? I’ve given you a great tip below to begin!
Choose one consecutive meal a day to be your Awareness Meal. Most of my clients choose Breakfast as their meal because it allows them to be more mindful during the day. This is the meal that you are going to pay attention to you and your meal. If you usually eat at your desk or in the car, then try eating at a table where you won’t be distracted. If you are a mother that is juggling a baby and yourself, then stepping away for 5 minutes might be the perfect beginning.
This exercise is to be in the present moment of pleasure within yourself when you are eating a meal.
- To begin: take 3 deep breaths to calm yourself and disconnect to what you need to do or what you were doing. This meal is for you to relax and be in pleasure using your five senses.
- Before you eat ask yourself: how does the food smell? What are the colors on the plate?
- While you are eating: How does the food taste? What are the different textures? What do you enjoy? What do you not enjoy? Are you still breathing? Are you full or can you place your fork down?
Saying No To Others. Saying Yes To You.
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“Look at her, she’s doing much better than you. You need to do more.”
“Everyone else in Mother’s Group has it together much more than you. Do better.”
Shrugging Off The “Shoulds”
I hate the word “should” more than I…should.
You would think it’s benign— a suggestion you can take or leave — but it has shaped my life in unhelpful and unhealthy ways. For the last two years I have replaced “should” with “want” — and my life has never been better. Bratty teenagers and young children everywhere know this trick and could teach us something.
For most of my twenties (okay — now you know I’m over 30), I lived by shoulds. I should have an office job. I should pick the nice Jewish boy to marry. I should actually apply one of my two scholastic degrees that my parents paid a lot of money for. I should not complain – I was healthy and had a loving family.
I lived with a guy for many years who was the ‘perfect man’. He treated me really well, he had a good job and a nice family. He was attractive, chivalrous and kind. We had a great life in sunny California, which I did not take for granted after moving there from Canada.
On a trip home, when I contemplated staying together or leaving the relationship, my aunt’s friend remarked, “You shouldn’t be so picky” (um – thanks) “Do you know how many women would love to marry the guy?” “Sure”, I replied, “But getting married is not the challenge. Staying married – happily married – is my goal. That’s what I want.”
It was as if I was channeling a much more confident me, someone who actually articulated her wants without an apology. My brief exchange with my aunt’s friend – who I will probably never see again – crystallized what I wanted and shaped the next phase of my relationship.
I returned to California coming into my wants. I wanted to feel deeply connected. I wanted to feel clarity in my job, my relationship and my life. I knew I would not feel satisfied until I had that. I even changed my email passwords to ‘clarity’ – trying to subliminally signal my brain that feeling clear and grounded in my life was a top priority. I didn’t need the ideal match on a paper, but I knew that some of the clichés about knowing when something is ‘right’ were probably accurate; even if it is not logical.
I was caught between a rock and a heart-breaking place.
I loved this guy and we were great friends, but I left him and moved back to my sister’s basement in Toronto without a clue what to do next. While I didn’t leave my heart in San Francisco, I did leave with more question marks than I anticipated. What now? Where should I go? What do I want? Sure — it’s easy to exclaim what you want when you are fighting against something you don’t want. When you are left with all the freedom to shape your life, it can be the scariest feeling. I think some of us invite in the ’shoulds’ since they require less of us.
I made a conscious decision to take risks. Risk-taking is linked to dream fulfillment and risk-taking is the ultimate rebellion against the ’shoulds’ of our lives. I wrote down a bunch of things I wanted to try and I wrote down who I wanted to be if nobody was looking.
I had to be okay without a sound-byte when people asked what I was doing. I pretended I was excited to explore the unknown. I got some resistance — some people are very uncomfortable with this attitude — but I deduced that it was their sour grapes. Many of them wanted the chutzpah to throw caution to the wind and follow their dreams, too! Even if that wasn’t the truth, it helped me stay away from apologizing for not have something safe to say.
I ended up falling in love with my neighbor in Toronto (I figured ‘the boy next door’ story would make a great sound byte after so many years of American boyfriends); and we moved to my favorite city, New York. Within a month of arriving, I chased opportunities that people told me I shouldn’t expect. Many of them materialized, and I feel I have manifested them by taking a few risks along the way and by being open to all the possibilities in my life.
I may not know exactly what is next for me, but who ever knows – - I would rather not know and feel clear on the fact that I am shaping my life from an authentic place and I am honoring myself by feeding my spirit. If that doesn’t sound new agey enough, I should add this: the deepest clarity in my life has come from pursuing my passions, being okay with not knowing and leaving the shoulds behind.
I have changed my email password from clarity to something else much more exciting.
Andrea Syrtash is a dating and relationship expert, life coach and author. She has contributed to over a dozen relationship-advice books and is the editor of How to Survive the Real World and How to Survive Your In-Laws. Her new book, He’s Just Not Your Type (And That’s a Good Thing). For more information, please visit www.andreasyrtash.com.
Filling Our Baskets ~a journal ritual
In your journal, write these questions and answer them:
~What growth have I been carefully tending this year?
~What have I been giving energy to that I HAVEN’T intended to, or that I don’t feel like I want to give energy to this year?
~What haven’t I tended that I’d like to begin thinking about planting for the next growing season?
Draw a symbol or representation for the last question, and put it somewhere like your altar or dresser or fridge, where you can see it each day.
Your Rejuvenation for Autumn and Winter Begins Now
Warm, soft, nourishing apples will soon be in season and I’m ready to pick, cook and eat them! 
In Ayurveda, the end of summer is the perfect time to begin nourishing the body and preparing for winter. During the junction between summer and fall stands a crucial time to get quiet and go within in order to safeguard your immunity and access your intuition for the upcoming holiday bustle and cold season. Naturally as your lifestyle changes to best suit the season, your cooking habits follow this alteration. It’s a time to begin cooking your apples, instead of eating them raw, in order to keep the doctor away. Raw apples can be cold, drying and might not digest as easily during the autumn season because this season already has drying qualities. On the other hand, Cooked apples are warm, soft and digests smoothly like soup, which adds heat to a drying environment. According to Ayurvedic medicine, apples also help draw heat out of the body that accumulates over the summer. Heat can dry out and cause digestive distress in the winter season. The pectin in apples also helps to clean and heal digestive mucosa.
On my path, as well as those that I help, has confirmed that as feminine beings we must align with the natural cycles- daily, monthly, seasonally and yearly. When we participate skillfully with the seasonal change then we can transition by staying grounded, empowered, and vibrant at every level in our life. Through simple practices, like cooking apples, we can enjoy the abundance of mother earth and feel more prosperous in our daily lives.
As autumn season is beginning to approach us, we are experiening the outdoor temperatures cooling, the air becoming drier, and the winds picking up. You might start feeling aggravated, stressed or fatigued, and experiencing some constipation, dry skin, and lack of sleep. To offset this internal cold and dry restlessness, make sure to establish a steady routine to your days, staying calm, warm and nourished. The main idea for fall and early winter is to keep yourself warm, grounded and moisturized.
ESTABLISH A DAILY ROUTINE
A routine, practiced daily, is stronger medicine than an occasional remedy. Begin by going to bed at the same time every night (preferably around 10pm) and waking up at the same hour every morning. Regulate your meals by not skipping breakfast, having lunch around noon and a light early dinner.
NOURISHING FOODS
Warm, moist and heavy foods will soothe and heat you during those windy autumn days, such as the warm apples mentioned earlier in this article. Try to stay away from dry food like popcorn and raw fruits and vegetables, or light foods like steamed vegetables or crunchy salads.
Foods that are in season such as root vegetables and winter squash will help nourish and balance the body. Try carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, acorn, butternut and buttercup squashes. These have the qualities of sweet, heavy, smooth, dense and moist, which are most balancing for the Autumn season.
Some sweet grains to include this season are basmati rice, wheat berries, brown rice and sushi rice. Also, whole wheat pasta and or buckwheat udon noodles can be especially grounding. Include ghee and other healthful oils such as almond, sesame or sunflower for internal oleation, kindling your digestive fire and increasing absorption. When preparing food, use warming spices such as black pepper, dry ginger, cinnamon and asafoetida to help to stoke the digestive fire. Casseroles, soups and stews are easily digested and can be very nourishing, warming the body from the inside out.
MOISTURIZE YOUR SKIN
If you have extra dry skin then give your body a daily massage with sesame oil before bathing or at-home yoga practice. If your a person that tends to have oily skin then, instead of oil, you would do well with a light non-greasy moisturizer. Using oil and bringing the body to the point of breaking a light sweat is the perfect antidote to the cold, dry influence of Autumn. This simple practice also serves as a natural protection against the typical health challenges of Autumn such as: restlessness, insomnia, constipation, anxiety, arthritis and general aches and pains. When you oil the body before showering, the hot water further opens the pores of your skin and drives the oil deeper into the tissues. If you use a light natural soap you will find that your body remains very lightly oiled after showering. Not enough to stain clothes or feel strange, but enough to give further lubrication and protection throughout the day.
These are simple tools to begin your rejuvenating transition for the fall and winter season. My suggestion is to learn what you do already that’s good for you and make that a more regular part of your routine. I first began incorporating a few changes into my regular routine by just eating oatmeal for breakfast four days a week. Then I started eating a warming meal for lunch– much later did I start using new herbs and cooking techniques. My advice is to take it slow and with commitment to something small, you’ll notice big results.
In the meantime, here is a Warm Apple Ring recipe. One of my favorite Autumn snacks.
Heat oven to 150F (70C) Wash and core the apples. Cut into slices about 1/2 cm thick. Spread in one layer on a large cookie sheet and dry in the oven for about 1.5-2 hours. Halfway through baking time, flip the apples and turn the pan for even heat.
4 apples dried into rings fills a sandwich-sized ziplock bag. Store refrigerated in an closed container, or leave out to continue drying if consumed within a few days.
The women in this community would love to hear: What has been your favorite Autumn rejuvenation activities and recipes? What has been your most difficult or joy-filled experiences transitioning to the fall season? Please share with us in the comment box below. See you there
Pants Party: Celebrating Reusable Menstrual Pads For Your Next Time Of The Month
When I have my period I party in my pants, you? I bet you want to but just don’t have the resources- yet.
As a woman and registered nurse, I have been researching the ins and outs of every angle of a women’s period- as you may have done. When I began balancing my hormones and having a healthier menses cycle I started using cloth pads. Reusable menstrual products are gaining popularity in America and here is why. It allows a women to honor and respect herself, the cycle, and Mama Earth. In turn, I feel that I am consciously making decisions that will create happy and healthy results for myself and all humankind.
What Cloth Pads are Healthy for a Women’s Body?
Cloth pads contain fewer chemicals than disposable pads. It’s a nice alternative for those with sensitivity to chemicals or for those whom chooses to avoid chemicals.
The disposable pads contain plastic and glue backing, which decrease air circulation and creates a stagnant environment that harbors bacteria to thrive. This can cause odor and exacerbate any pre-existing vaginal irritation. Plastic sheeting also causes perspiration, rashes and other irritations, which leaves us susceptible to yeast infections.
Disposables also have bleaching residues, which many women report experiencing an allergic reaction. At times women don’t realize they are undergoing a reaction to disposables until they begin experimenting with cloth pads.
Low levels of dioxin have been also been found in almost every major disposable pad brand. Dioxin is a carcinogen linked to cervical and breast cancer, endometriosis, and immune system suppression. Currently, there is a scientific debate as to whether there is a “safe level” of dioxin exposure.
The Impact on Mama Earth
It is estimated that 20 billion pads and tampons end up in the sewage system each year and it takes 500 years to decompose. My perspective is we are gifting our grandchildren in many future generations our menses garbage. That’s not fun for them.
To make one non-organic pad, it takes one-third pound of chemicals, such as chloride, pesticides, dioxins and heavy metals including chromium to fix colors. Chromium and many other chemicals are dangerous to people, wildlife and the earth.
The organic cotton cloth pads use fewer natural resources than disposables. It doesn’t clog the sewage and we gather less solid waste in the land fields, which makes Earth a happier and more sustainable place to live.
If your interested in cloth pad companies, here are a few. Since each women’s experience with her menstrual cycle is different with a little research you’ll find the perfect fit.
This is the company I’ve chosen to use for myself. I love the creativity they place on their designs and the owner’s authentic spirit. There products makes me feel like a little kid having an Elmo bandage- it creates a fun experience- a party.
2. Luna Pads
Luna Pads has been around supporting women’s health for a very long time. They have a large selection and lots of great information.
Have you had an experiencing using cloth pads? Do you have a company that you love to use? We hope you share your experience with us.
Food for thought: Can Diet Protect Your Memory?
It doesn’t really matter what your doing in life. You could be writing the speech that will change your career, teaching your child the alphabet or creating a new painting- wherever you are at, your brain, the most metabolically active organ in the body, is constantly replenishing and repairing itself. If it’s the most active and transformative organ, how do you care for it? As a society, we put so much time to “fix” our bodies because we believe it will enhance our life. We take care of the body by sacrificing the mind. It’s time to reverse this notion. If you have passion to make lots of good things happen in your life then how do you create and maintain the memory from your brain to get there?
If you want to perform at the highest levels of optimal brain health, one of the most important tools is what you put on your plate. The most central nutrient for your brain is fat. Much of the food we eat not only ends up being used by the brain for energy but also ends up in the brain itself. The brain needs fat more than any other nutrient, because the brain is made of fat. The problem is that if we feed it unhealthy fats, we wind up with an unhealthy brain. A study published last year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Daniele Piomelli, the Louise Turner Arnold Chair in Neurosciences, teamed up with UCI’s James McGaugh, to examine how dietary fats facilitate memory retention.
In this study, rats trained on memory tasks were given a substance called oleoylethanolamide (OEA), which is a monosaturated fat that normally increases in the gut after the ingestion of dietary fat. Several days later, the rats given OEA performed better on the tasks than rats that were not, demonstrating enhanced learning. They discovered that OEA causes memory consolidation, the process by which superficial, short-term memories are transformed into meaningful, long-term ones. It does this, Piomelli said, by activating memory-enhancing signals in the amygdala, part of the brain involved in the consolidation of memories of emotional events.
There are three primary categories of fat that naturally occur in the foods we eat: monosaturated fat, saturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. Healthy fats keep our brains flexible and “smart” while poor-quality fats keep our brain cells sluggish. Below is a short description on what to add and subtract from your diet.
Monosaturated Fat
This is a brain-friendly fat is mostly found in cooking oils, including olive oil, safflower oil, canola oil, nuts and avocados. It is high in antioxidants, therefore, subject to less oxidative damage. This means when they become incorporated into your brain cells, they are less vulnerable to free radical attack, which is less prone to damage.
Saturated fat
This fat can create more of a sluggish brain. Saturated fat is found primarily in animal origins, such as lamb, beef, pork, chicken, whole-fat diary foods and eggs. These fats are more prone to oxidative damage and raises levels of homocysteine, the amino acid that can be toxic to the brain and cause memory problems and mood disorders.
Polyunsaturated fat:
Some of these fats are great for the brain, but the problem is we don’t eat enough of them. Polyunsaturated fats include the important essential fatty acids that cannot be made by the body but must be obtained by food. There are 2 types that are most important for your brain: omega 3 fatty acid and omega 6 fatty acids.
Omega 3 fatty acids are found in cold water fish, leafy green vegetables, pumpkin seeds and some grains. Omega 3 is broken down to two other fatty acids, eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanenoic acid (DHA). The body has no trouble making EPA from food but unable to process an appropriate amount of DHA. When we consume excess amounts of bad fats, such as trans-fats, and alcohol it interferes with the conversion of omega 3s to DHA. Then the low levels of DHA can create decreases cognitive functioning, depression, irritability and slow response time.
Omega 6 fatty acids are found in cooking oils, nuts and most seeds. Many people use cooking oil as their primary source of omega 6 fatty acid in their diet but, unfortunately, this is not the best source of omega 6 fatty acid for the brain. The commercially processed oils are converted into trans-fatty acids, which promote free radical production and inflammation. In conclusion, consuming fats such as saturated and tans-fat, interfere with the proper absorption of polyunsaturated fats.
The brain is an extremely metabolically active organ, making it a very hungry one, and a picky eater at that. Food is a powerful medicine. Simple changes in your diet can protect your body and your brain against poor brain function, mood disorders, and neurological problems.
Womb to Womb
The young me was a force of nature.
Just like you.
As a child, we were constantly flirting with others from our strollers and playing in the sandbox with other kids. Connection is in our genetic coding. When I say our genetic coding, I’m referring to females. Intuition, creativity, emotions and access to pleasure are the inner-tools that make us female creatures and create community. We can hear the meaning behind words that are not spoken and pick up the emotional tones in other people’s voices. These skills allow us to relate, harmonize and support one another.
I remember when the young me would welcome each day, each person, and each experience with the full enthusiasm of my heart. There was no doubt about how I felt, what I desired or how I expressed it. I would feel whole and righteous because I felt divinity.
Once breast began to blossom and the surge of estrogen-progesterone began to vary daily and weekly, the bond for connection and sensitivity to emotional nuances became stronger. During this hormonal change, many girls begin to perceive that their thoughts and feelings did not fit in with the people around them. This is also the time when the body becomes decidedly feminine, departing from the ideal body shape of a boy: flat, slim hips, and toned stomach. To cover up their emotions and femininity, many girls begin to emotionally and compulsively eat, yo-yo diet, and some, like myself, develop disordered eating. As we want to fit in, we dim our feminine lights that were shining so bright.
Pounds were agonized over to cover-up deeper pain. I feared the essence of myself- my feminine creature. My light was replaced with self-doubt and low self-esteem. I forgot how to cry, how to move my body with creativity, feel pleasure from my senses, and how to trust the wisdom within myself.
I believe each woman has a relationship with eating that provides information on her feelings, needs, and desires. We become emotionally and spiritually hungry. The way we eat can guide us on how we feel about our femininity and our life.
Part of awakening the femininity and healing the relationship with food is to become conscious of what’s going on. When you begin to listen to yourself, it’s important to let go of self-judgment, bring compassion to yourself and become a researcher. I had to become my own science experiment. When a mixture of different formulas didn’t get the reaction I desire, I trained myself to think: “How interesting. What makes it react this way?” Each formula is one step closer to the desire you crave and long for. Your food can become your friend and co-researcher, instead of a rival.
I went to a feminine village. And was renewed.
The door is open for you.
I joined a community of women that allowed me to feel safe and supportive in expressing my authenticity, creativity and to explore my pleasures. Being part of a community of women to reflect your light while doing the same for them is not only a great amount of fun but awakens you to something bigger than yourself. This is what I see as a place for healing and celebration for women. When women come together and recognize the intrinsic wisdom in each other and allow the body to be the teacher they begin to regain trust in the wisdom of their deepest longing, emotions, and staying true to their heart.
Living from our truth and healing our eating styles also means being there for other people. As we each allow ourselves to be models then we notice alternative ways and choices about how to be a woman in this world.
By: Nicole Ohebshalom
Cooking for Someone Nourishes You!
Cooking is a step to healing your health, emotionally eating, or finding balance within your femininity. Bring devotion to your next cooking experience by listening to spiritual music, praying, using your senses, and spending time with friends and family. I have discovered a very nice connection within myself through cook and still do. This might be a path for you! Feel free to share your experiences below.
Dear Scale: It’s Not You, It’s Me
Dear Scale:
Two weeks ago I initiated a new start to our relationship. In the past few years, as you know, we have been broken up and separated for my health. I thought now, years into recovery, perhaps our relationship would be different. I thought since I was healthy, going to pilates, I could have a healthy relationship with you. I thought our past didn’t have to define our future. I started the relationship slowly, by initiating in a “safe” place for me – my pilates studio. I stepped on you and at first you refused to engage in the relationship. I perhaps should have taken this as a sign. I walked away disappointed but calm, thinking more deeply about whether I was initiating this relationship too soon.
A few days later I re-engaged you and this time you responded. You are one with few words, and simply gave me a number. There was no discussion, or interaction between us. I walked away almost giddy & high from the number. This reaction concerned me. An instant, gut reaction, to a small moment of interaction. I was not happy about the gut reaction, and had to think about this for a while. I know 1) I am healthy and 2) I have been doing pilates 3 times a week, so it is only normal for my weight to fluctuate from a few months ago when I was at the doctors’ office.
A few days later I again initiated this relationship. Anxiety over took me for a moment after you again had few words, no discussion and just gave a number. This time it had changed again, and I was concerned as I looked in the mirror to analyze if a few days could have led to the change. This moment of self criticism, instantly affected my body image. At this point I should have walked away. But I did not. At a friends’ house this weekend, again a safe place, I engaged our relationship again. The number you gave me hit me in the gut, and freaked me out. I no longer felt safe in the interactions we have had in the last few weeks.
Don’t get me wrong – I was the one who initiated this relationship. I pursued it. But I have to say it is no longer a working relationship, at least at this point in time. This is definitely not about you, but all about me. Sometimes relationships don’t work out; sometimes it’s all about timing, so for now I have to break up with you again. I realize now I am more engaged in this relationship than you. Often we have to weigh the pros and cons of what we give and are given in the relationship. I realize you do not give me what I need in a relationship, you do not give me support, love, dialogue, hugs, you only give me a one word replyies with no further discussion.
I am in a different place in my life, and stronger in recovery, and yet our relationship brings nothing but self doubt, self criticism, obsessive thinking, and constantly questioning if I am doing something right or wrong, and if I need to change for you to give me what I want. This is a place I need to be vigilant on. I have to choose me, my recovery, my health, and find and build relationships that are supportive, kind, loving, real and HONEST. You do not give me anything. You do not tell me I am healthy or not, you do not tell me my worth, you do not define me. I am simply and unequivocally worth MORE than what you give me.
I kept thinking I had to change to make the relationship work; I had to change how I respond to you, and react. Perhaps this is the truth, but I know that for NOW I cannot be in a place where a healthy relationship can exist between us. And I am OK with walking away for my health, piece of mind, and self care.
Goodbye for now.
Me
By Guest Blogger: Voice In Recovery www.voiceinrecovery.wordpress.com/
My fire is on fire. Ever get that?
Today I woke up with an extra dose of fire. Had difficulty slowly walking down the street or listening to a sweet lady patiently on the phone. And, I CRAVED spicy potato chips at lunch time!!!
My self-diagnosis: my fire is on fire!!
Ayurveda terms: Pitta imbalance…and why? the summer heat
In the world of Ayurveda, the summer season will create a stronger relationship with the element of fire. Ayurveda (pronounced eye-yur-vay-dah) is India’s traditional healing science, which views the physical body, along with everything in the Universe, as being composed of the five primary elements; earth, water, fire, air, and ether or empty space. These elements are expressed in the physical body as qualities of stability/support (earth), feeling/fluidity (water), heat and metabolism (fire), respiration and circulation (air), and space and lightness (ether). Therefore, when you learn what to eat and how to act to balance this element, you will feel cooler and more comfortable all season long.
The summer season is pitta, which is made of fire and water, and its qualities are hot, sharp, oily, and light. During summer season you can reduce Pitta heat within your own body through diet and lifestyle.
Summer Foods
- Never miss a meal, especially if you are have a Pitta constitution
- Eat cooling, sweet, bitter and astringent foods (coconut, mint, fennel, cilantro, aloe vera, cucumber, watermelon, all the fresh fruit in season, steamed greens, multicolored salads, watercress, endives, mung beans, basmati rice)
- It’s best to avoid spicy, acidic, and greasy foods during the summer as they will increase the heat in your body and make you feel hotter.
- Drink cumin, coriander, fennel and rose hot tea. Cilantro, cucumber, and mint are great additions to water for a refreshing beverage that will cool you down.
Daily Routine
- Enjoy the rose, sandalwood, jasmine or lavender essential oils to relax the senses.
- Wear light colored clothing, loose cotton, linen and silk
- At bed-time rub the soles of your feet with cooling coconut oil to bring all the heat down.
- Spend time relaxing in nature, swim, and retreat
I hope these Ayurvedic suggestions will help you stay cool over the summer. The key to health resided in harmonizing onesel
Self-Care Game #2
Smell nourishes the soul. When we redefine our sense of smell we experience nourishment in the fragrance of roses, while chopping carrots, or the delicate sandalwood incense.
Challenge: For one day become familiar with the difference in the smell of each fruit and each vegetable you eat. Observe how much smell stimulates you and your emotions. Share your experience in the forum…click below!
CLICK HERE to Join the forum discussion
What Your Natural Biology Is Saying About Weight Loss
Imagine a relationship with food and your body that leaves you nourished and fulfilled each day. Imagine having the confidence to relax and enjoy the food you choose to eat. If you’ve tried all the diets to strengthen your metabolism but have not achieved success, there’s one basic reason why: You’re moving too fast.
Biologically, Stress Causes Cravings
In a state of stress, the body automatically shifts into the classic flight-or-fight response, also known as the sympathetic nervous system reaction. As a result, your digestive system shuts down to different degrees because your blood moves away from your midsection where digestion occurs. Instead, your blood flows to your legs, arms, and mind, so it can quickly react to a stressful situation.
Your stress hormones also activate, which can lead you to crave more calories. Cortisol, the main stress hormone involved here, plays a key role in this stress response. Cortisol stimulates a flood of hormonal signaling from the hypothalamus to adrenal glands to engage you in pleasure-seeking behavior. This causes you to consume high-energy/fat foods, such as foods filled with sucrose and lard.
So, it’s actually a hormone that sends a signal to your brain to seek these high-fat foods—it has nothing to do with self-control! We are so hard on ourselves when we have a craving, but really it’s your body asking you to relax— take a bath, ask for a hug, go dance! Your body is seeking the food to create a relaxing feeling for you, but what happens to many of us is we play the blame game.
The amount of pressure society and media put on body image and diet may explain why losing weight is notoriously difficult. Losing weight can be stressful, which can make you feel anxious. In this stress response, cortisol comes into full gear and creates high-energy food cravings. Eating high-energy food blunts the feeling of stress and makes you feel better, but this is short-lived. Stress will come around again, especially if you haven’t learned healthy de-stressing techniques, and the viscious cycle begins again.
Relax! Your Metabolism Depends on It
Relaxation begins with building self-awareness and positive thought processes into your life. Once this is established, you can find other ways to relax and organize your pleasure before the stress and cravings are full force.
When you are in a relaxed mode, your parasympathetic nervous system is activated. All the blood flows to your midsection to churn and assimilate the food and absorb all your nutrients. Your metabolism and digestion work in full speed.
Our body’s natural state is relaxation, and we are genetically programmed to seek pleasure and avoid pain. When we eat, we are seeking the pleasure of food and avoiding the pain of hunger. Therefore, adding pleasure to your food will metabolically optimize your meal. The chemical CCK (cholecystokinin) is produced in the body and has a number of functions in your parasympathetic nervous system. It aids in digestion, suppresses appetite, and stimulates a pleasure sensation in the cerebral cortex. This shows us how pleasure, metabolism, and a naturally controlled appetite are interwoven to the core. The same chemical reaction that metabolizes the meal also tells us when to finish the meal and makes us feel good about the entire experience.
The key to pleasure’s powerful effect in balancing your appetite is that it promotes a physiologic relaxation response. We overeat most when we’re anxious, stressed, or unaware. A relaxed, pleasured eater has natural control. A stressed eater produces more circulating cortisol. Because cortisol desensitizes us to pleasure in our day-to-day stressors, we need to eat more food to feel the same amount of pleasure as when we’re relaxed. Therefore, if you’re anxious about gaining weight or frightened to eat a dessert, you’ll generate more cortisol. This chemical will swim through your bloodstream, numb you to pleasure, and ironically create the very self-fulfilling prophecy you feared from the beginning: If you eat something fun, you wont be able to stop.
Take in All Your Senses During Your Next Meal
So how do you begin receiving pleasure with your next meal? Pay attention with your senses. Each time you take a bite, give yourself one mindful moment to check in. Use all your senses to really be in the experience.
Eyes: Chefs go to great lengths to prepare food attractively because they know it can add excitement and satisfaction to the experience. Take in your food’s shape and examine the color. Food’s appearance has a lot to do with how much we enjoy it.
Smell: Your sense of smell is tied to your sense of taste. You get to begin your enjoyment of the food’s flavor without eating it. Breathe in slowly, searching through the scents for a preview of what you’re about to eat.
Sound: Take a moment to listen to the sounds around you to be more in the experience of your environment and food. Listen to the sound of your breathing to assist you in relaxation.
Touch: The sense of touch gives us information on the texture, shape, and temperature of food. Begin to really notice the different textures in one mouthful of food. Describe the texture of the food to yourself in detail and take in the full pleasure of the experience. There are so many fun ways you can describe food—mushy, crunchy, soft, solid, oily, succulent, dry, juicy, sticky. Have fun with it! Temperature is also an important piece of information to the brain. Foods taste different depending on their temperature, and their textures change as well.
Taste: Flavor is perhaps the most powerfully sensual information we get from eating. The variations are endless and intriguing. Our taste buds (actually working with the sense of smell) can bring us great pleasure. When you have taken a bite of food, check in and see what flavors are there.
by: Nicole Ohebshalom wwwRadiantLivingWellness.com



