Listen to Your Body

We are facing so much temptation this time of year.  Friends, family and coworkers like to go "all out" and entertain to impress.  We get a lot of encouragement to indulge and overindulge.  Because of our snacking culture, this can be a dangerous month for the waistline.   That's part of the problem, "holiday time" lasts from Thanksgiving to New Years Day, which means we have to pace ourselves.

We have lots of extra jobs to do during the month of December.  Planning, cleaning, decorating, shopping, wrapping, going to festive events, entertaining house guests and maybe even travel are part of what makes the holiday season special.  It can also make it stressful.  Our regular life needs attention too.  Things like laundry, work and family activities are top priorities too.

The more we have to do, the more stressful our life becomes.  The more pressure we imagine in our minds, the more stress we feel.  The higher our expectations, the more stress we get tangled in trying to meet those expectations.  When we are stressed out, cortisol releases in the adrenal glands.  Cortisol makes us crave junky foods and retain belly fat.  Eventually, if there is enough cortisol in the body, it will suppress the immune system which leads to sickness. This is not what we need when we are trying to enjoy the holiday season in the face of so many extra treats, temptations and holiday foods.

What we can do this time of year, just like during any other high energy time of year, is SLOW DOWN.  It sounds counter intuitive.  Slowing down sounds like we will get less done not more?  However, the benefit of slowing down is that we get out of the overthinking mind (I've got so much to do, I guess I will stay on autopilot and keep going...grrr).  When we slow down, literally take a moment to stop the world and just sit without digital tools, we can take a well deserved and much needed break.  We can take a few deep breaths in and out through the nose and start noticing what is going on in the body.  By doing this, we gain greater awareness about how we feel--how hungry we are--what are cravings are telling us.  We can notice if it has been too long without food (three hours is the limit for most of us).   This can help us enormously when faced with high calorie foods at every turn.  If we are on autopilot because of busyness and stress, we might mindlessly consume treats, snacks and then end up feeling sluggish and even more stressed.

The path to the mind is actually through the body.  This is why exercise is our most effective stress reliever. Meditation is our second most effective stress reliever.  While we may not always be able to get out for a walk or to a fitness class, we always have our breath with us.  We can practice this mindful breathing anywhere and at any time.  It will bring us back to the moment and keep us grounded in what we really want. It will make us feel more in control.  It will help make us feel that we are leading a fulfilling life--one that matters--centered on our values.  That is worth slowing down for.