Eat with Your Whole Body
Doesn’t this sound FUN! When I hear the words whole body eating, I envision my whole body enveloping food….quite comical. Whole body eating…what does it mean? How can it help you to reach you goal? How can it help you improve your relationship with food?
As you know, food is a convoluted topic. There are many facets to our relationship to food. It provides nourishment, connection, satisfaction, comfort, and healing. Food is ever-present and is a big part of our life. This makes it imperative that your relationship with food is settled, comfortable, non-judgmental, and satisfactory.
When the body is looked at in an investigative fashion, you see that it gives us signals and is a great source for nutritional information. Do not underestimate the power of the signals. The body tells you when you are hurt…right? Then why wouldn’t the body tell you when a food doesn’t sit right, or when a food makes you feel lethargic, or maybe that it needs more iron rich foods, protein, no grains…etc… The body sends information of what it needs.
Listen closely.
The human tendency is to ignore it, to be stubborn…but then guess what happens? The body will begin to break down. Instead of waiting for a health crisis, take control now. Pay close attention to the body and its signals, it never lies and will not mislead you. Learn to work WITH the body as it’s needs change from day to day.
Nourishing Wisdom, a fantastic book by Marc David, describes that there are 5 steps to Whole Body Eating. I highly recommend this book. It brings a fresh perspective on the body and how to truly nourish it. It’s not just the food…it is so much more! Here are Marc’s 5 Steps:
-
Make a conscious choice to eat.
Ask yourself these questions before you eat:
- AM I hungry?
- Will food satisfy my hunger?
- What would truly nourish me in this moment?
- Do I choose to eat?
When you choose to eat, eat without resistance and punishment.
The tendency is to eat on autopilot, when driving, while watching TV, reading a book…you fix a plate of food, take the first bite, then all of a sudden you look down and it’s all gone. Where did it go? Do you remember eating any of it? Do you remember the taste, the feel, the smell? Pay attention to the food and the nourishment it provides; the nutrients, the connection to the earth, the enjoyment and satisfaction of the taste and scent, the decision to choose life, the love that prepared the food, the source of the food, grateful for the provision of food, etc…
2. Ask your body what it wants.
Consciously choose what to eat. Allow yourself to tune into your body and see what it needs. Listen closely and be willing to experiment. Remember that “it isn’t a matter of choosing the “right” food as it is enjoying the food you choose wholeheartedly.”
3. Eat with awareness.
If you don’t quite understand what eating with awareness is, go back and read my blog post on eating with awareness. Engage all your senses into the experience; the ambiance, the conversation, the aromas, the people you chose to eat with. Take it all in!
4. Listen for Feedback.
Take 5-10 minutes at the end of your meal to reflect upon what you have eaten and how you have eaten it. Breathe deeply 5-10 times. Learn from the meal; how is it sitting in the tummy, did it satisfy you, would you eat differently next time…Slower, faster, did you overeat, what would make your meal more complete? Relax and don’t punish yourself if the answer isn’t to your liking, just make note of it.
5. Release the Meal.
Be Free. Engage wholeheartedly in the next activity. Take time to assimilate it by taking deep breaths, listen to music. Have you ever finished a meal and found you self thinking about food and wanting more? You feel food obsessed. Know that you can release food and not think about it anymore.
These steps will help you receive the most from the food you eat. Your relationship with food will begin to repair and once again you will be friends not enemies. Remember, each time you eat, you are choosing to live. So engage yourself in the food choices you make; how you prepare the food and how you eat it. And simply ENJOY!
Choose to Embrace Your Body Now to make lasting changes.
What I want for Christmas
- At December 14, 2017
- By admin
- In awareness, Energy, Holiday, Power, Soulful Time, stress
0
How do we stay healthy for Christmas?
What does good health mean to you? What does that entail? Eating “right”? Exercising? Taking supplements? Drinking plenty of water? Getting the right amount of sleep? Stress Management?
These are super important for the CONTINUED health of our body. But one that is talked about and rarely practiced is …..
Stress Management…in other words…PEACE.
Those words alone do not feel intriguing….do they?
AND what exactly does that mean? Stress Management?
Plus, how do you manage something that is as elusive as stress?
I am sure if I gave you a list of items, every day happenings or people’s names…you would be able to circle many of them that cause a degree of stress in your life.
But how many times do you write that off to “LIFE”. This is what makes stress so elusive. We are told to manage those items….but how exactly do we do that?
Here are the average stress management steps:
Take note of the item that stresses you.
Can this be eliminated or changed?
If it can be eliminated…then steps are taken to do that….success happens for several weeks….then it is added back in….partly due to behaviors that are embedded in the psyche and partly due to that fact that we feel we deserve it, the stress, pain, anxiety, discomfort…etc.
That sounds harsh…I know. But it is true.
In my desire to release stress from my life. To live free in a body I love. One thing I know for sure is…..old patterns that cause stress are present for a reason. We can’t or don’t let them go because we (humans) don’t feel deserving of that freedom, of FEELING that good.
And that makes the stress hard to eliminate from our life.
The second thing I know for sure is….the old patterns that cause stress, or anything else in your life that causes stress, can SHIFT….shift in a way that releases the burden of stress on the emotional and physical body.
How, especially this time of year….how do we let this go? How can we begin to create a SHIFT in our life that releases this stressful burden?
Well, my loves…. That is my Christmas gift to you this year.
Soulful Time rescued me. Soulful Time has come in different forms throughout my life in practicing to live free from anxiety, fear and stress. And this Christmas, I want to share them with you.
My hope is that you can learn from these different styles and then create the Soulful Time that works best for you.
Stay tuned for the next several emails where I will share my practices with you.
Merry Christmas beautiful soul,
Get a glimpse of what Soulful Time can look like for you here.
Soulful Time Process
- At December 14, 2017
- By admin
- In awareness, Energy, Holiday, Soulful Time, stress
- 2
The way to annihilate fear is to be aware of it, accept it, face it, then…do the task anyway.
This can be hard to do without a foundation to support you while you are in the midst of it all. Soulful Time saved me. It became the foundation of my journey and then I realized the heartbeat of the method I created for my food and body clients; E – Embrace, N – Nourish, D – Digest.
Soulful time is spent in silence, being aware of what you want to happen in your life, being aware that there is a greater power living inside you, and then listening to that divine power within.
That is where the answers you are seeking reside. Right within your heart. Waiting to be heard.
Spend 5-10 minutes each morning in soulful time; breathe, be silent, check in to what you want to happen today (ask important questions), be silent again and let the inner wisdom unfold. Finish with gratitude for enlightenment and guidance.
Here is an example of what soulful time could look like:
Breathe
Breathing is so important during soulful time. Breathing keeps you focused and relaxed so that you can tap into your inner wisdom and guidance.
Gratitude
I am grateful for……
Expound on that by reciting why you are grateful for it……
Gratitude is cemented into the soul when we dive in to the reason that one thing brings gratefulness to us.
Affirmation – create your own or borrow mine 😊
I AM…….(state your name)
I love and approve of myself
I come from greatness, I attract greatness, I AM greatness
I am at peace with all of life, I breathe in the abundant gift of life with gratitude.
I ebb and flow with life’s movement and energy.
I AM RESILIENT!
I am always safe and secure for my Heavenly Father watches over and guides me on my path of enlightenment.
I love and am loved.
I trust that life supports me.
All is well within my soul.
Next: ask important questions
Examples:
What do I want to have happen today? How important is it, to me, that it happens today?
What is the focus for my life? How important is that focus to me? Does it take priority over my selfishness? Self-sabotage?
Be silent and wait for the answers to unfold.
End with Gratitude
I am grateful for……
Expound on that by reciting why you are grateful for it……
May this time you spend in quiet be a blessing to you and all you do.
E.N.D your Struggle and begin Level 1 coaching with Ashly.
Join here
Food Quality and Results
- At July 27, 2017
- By admin
- In awareness, Energy, fat vs muscle, Power, Quality of Food
- 0
The Metabolic Power Of Quality
Finding your metabolic power is a process and it doesn’t happen overnight. However, once you find it…you will reach and maintain your body’s natural weight.
I’ve got GREAT NEWS….YOU have the power within you to find it!
NOW GO and CLAIM IT!
The key to finding your metabolic power resides with in you. Last week you learned the first step, Breathing, also referred to as Relaxation…have you been practicing? You will notice that when the breathing technique is applied before, during and after meals that you are not as “stuffed”, the body digests the food more efficiently, and you have increased energy. In a nut shell…you burned more calories!
The next step is Quality
The quality of food you put in your body is so important. The body metabolizes food best when it is wholesome food, food that comes from the ground, flies above the earth, roams the earth or swims in the sea. So, here it is, quick and easy:
Elevate the Quality of your food. Poor food quality INCREASES food QUANTITY. We tend to eat too much food because the food you are eating is nutrient deficient.
Quality Means:
- Real
- Fresh
- Organic
- Gourmet
- Lovingly crafted
- Homemade
- Locally produced
- Heirloom varieties
- Nutrient dense
- Low in human – made toxins
- Grown and marketed with honesty and integrity
- Tasteful
- Filled with true flavor
- Care and consciousness permeate a food and the food itself has a good story to tell
Reduce or Eliminate:
Poor quality fats, sugar, white flour, processed or packaged foods, dairy and meats(these foods SUPPRESS metabolic potential) Please note that I said POOR quality. When including dairy and meat in your eating protocol, go for organic, fresh varieties.
So, what about the “healthy” packaged foods we find at health food stores and markets?
This is a great question.
Here are the best guidelines for those instances:
- Check the ingredient list first
- Check for knowledge of those ingredients – do you know what they are?
- 5 ingredients or less UNLESS all “10” are foods like nuts, seeds, fruits etc…
- Corn products are usually GMO – go for organic varieties.
- Now check out the nutritional label
- Sugar grams – less than 5
- Fiber – up!
- NOTE that saturated fat may be listed high if the item contains nuts and seeds or other essential fats. THAT IS OK! Fat is not the enemy that food companies have touted it to be, as you will see below.
Health Giving Fats:
- Avocado
- Olives – emphasize variety
- Fresh Fish – Ocean or stream caught – not farm raised – variety
- Nuts and seeds – organic
- Nut Butter – peanut butter, almond butter, sesame butter
- Free Range Eggs
- Organic Dairy products
One thing I find interesting is the health issues that are centered around poor nutrition or NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY. For example, look at the list below, do you complain of any of these?
irritability, fatigue, dull and brittle hair, dry skin, redness around the eyes, digestive complaints, constipation, inability to lose weight and mood disorders
Guess what, those are all symptoms of Clinical Fat deficiency! This can be offset by changing your diet to the Health Giving Fats listed above. This is only one example of the effects of poor nutrition, i.e. eating low-end mass processed foods.
It all comes Naturally
Are you one to worry about the percentages of how much protein, fats, carbohydrates, and sugar…etc you need in your daily diet. Wouldn’t it be easy if it came naturally?
Well, put away the calculator….there is not a “perfect” balance of these macro-nutrients known to man. It is just a guesstimate. You know your body better than anyone in the world. So why give those decisions to someone who doesn’t know your body?
The easiest way to start is to include a protein, an essential fat and a carbohydrate (vegetable or fruit form) at every meal or snack.
Your body is speaking to you right now…. letting you know if the position you are in is comfortable. Are you having to move around to find that comfy spot? Are you feeling stiffness creep in to your spine? That is your body telling you to get up and move. It is sending a message. It does the same thing with FOOD. If you eat low quality food….several hours later, you are going to know about it. Watch for the symptoms and the signals your body gives you.
One way to begin “hearing” your body talk is by keeping a journal. Journal the food you eat, the time, your internal rhythm (are you feeling relaxed…or up tight and on the run?), and how you feel after. Make note of physical signs after eating. Learn what foods have a GREAT effect on your body and what foods have a “not” so great effect.
“By getting rid of poor quality foods in your diet, you will curb carbohydrate cravings and discover your body’s natural intelligence in determining portions, percentages, and amounts.”
Do this if you haven’t yet😊
Clean out the low-end mass produced unenlightened food products from your home and replace them with high quality counterparts. Focus on foods from the list above. Hit the target at least 80% if the time. The overall direction of your diet is QUALITY. Need a little help getting started? Download Real Food Meal Planning Guide and Shopping List for guidance to get started eating HIGH quality foods.
If you tend to eat out, then educate yourself on the quality restaurants located in your area.
Make the best choice for your body. It is the only one you’ve got :o) …so, feed it good quality fresh foods and you will be richly rewarded with a body that has energy for all the events and activities you love, one that has staying power in this life.
During this next week continue to relax, practice breathing and slowing down your internal rhythm, PLUS focus on the quality of your food. Kick out the low quality foods and BRING IN THE HIGH QUALITY FOODS!
Enjoy your journey to CLAIMING your Metabolic Power!
Ashly
Holistic Eating & Body Love Coach
References: Marc David, Nutritionist, founder of Institute for the Psychology of Eating, author of the Slow Down Diet
Check out this video for more on Quality
Bunnies are Everywhere! Getting Side-Tracked
Bunnies seem to be in abundance this year. I do believe we have 3 times more bunnies this year than last year. Star is in “Dog heaven”! She can’t wait to go for a walk every day. Once she spots a bunny, she attempts to dislocate my shoulder just so she can go on an all-out chase with the bunny.
Thank goodness, the mama tone “uh-uh” works on her. She will freeze in mid-air once that is uttered from my lips. And my shoulder is saved!
Today, we went out for a walk and saw the bunny you see below hoppin’ across the lawn. Star attempts to rip my arm out of its socket when she hears “Uh-Uh” and she stops in mid stride to do my bidding. What a sweet obedient puppy.
Don’t get distracted!
Well…. Maybe not. For the entire walk, she keeps trying to turn me around and go back looking for that bunny. This girl is truly side-tracked. She can’t take 2 steps without digging in her strong legs, stiffening up her neck to slip out of the collar and giving me a look of “I am not going a step further until I can get that rabbit!”
I know how she feels.
I get side-tracked like that too.
Don’t you?
Here is an example:
You have the all-out intention to workout in the mornings…but sleep, beautiful, perfect, extra sleep is calling your name.
You have the all-out intention to meditate first thing in the morning…but rushing out the door takes precedence.
You have the all-out intention to stick to that meal plan…but gosh, its hot and you are tired and going through the drive-thru is so much easier.
We look at these and think that it’s sleep, lack of organization or fatigue that keeps us side-tracked…but is it ?.?.
Yes, sleep is a major component to being healthy. In fact, if you want to read my thoughts on that, read this sleep article I wrote a while back.
Lack of Organization causes undue levels of stress. And as you know, stress is the #1 cause of dis-ease in our world. Anything we can do to reduce or eliminate stress is another major component to being healthy.
Fatigue is so common that it is becoming the norm. If you aren’t fatigued, then you must not be working, trying or striving enough. Or the prognosis is chronic fatigue and the best excuse ever is at your fingertips.
I’d prefer to take a deeper look and ask a very important question:
If my intention is to give myself the greatest care that I am capable of then why am I allowing myself to become sidetracked by small things that can be easily rectified?
Star can be pulled off course so easily with a bunny hoppin’ across the trail. And if she gets loose and runs on her own, she could wind up nose to nose with a snake down in one of those gulley’s that we have around here.
Star is adamant!
When we allow forces to side-track us, we find ourselves nose to nose with something that will continue to hold us back from living the life we desire in a body we love.
Ask yourself the question, what outside force am I allowing to sidetrack me away from the intention I have for my life? It’s not the small things. It is something bigger and holds a deeper meaning in your life. It is not about fatigue, lack of organization or even sleep…those are the symptoms.
The question is…What are those the symptoms of?
After some deep soul searching, please leave a comment below. I would love to know how this lands for you.
Love & hugs,
Ashly
I’ve Got Things to Do, Have Time to Rest
- At June 06, 2017
- By admin
- In awareness, Energy, fat vs muscle, Power, sleep, stress
- 0
I am sure that all of us have thought that at one time or another, especially coming up on this Celebratory time of year. Before the desire to cut out sleep over takes you, I want to share with you WHY you want to sleep. This is a blog post I wrote several years ago that I thought will be perfect for this Holiday season coming up.
We are given the impression early on in life that you can do all and be all. We have a job that we must be responsible to; a family to care for, child’s activities, and church activities…the list goes on. What about Rest? There is a saying…”I’ll sleep when I’m 6 feet under” that is very morbid, I know…and we always laugh it off. However, we really do need REST. In order for our bodies to heal, replenish, grow, build, repair, etc…we must have SLEEP.
There are 2 kinds of rest: One is SLEEP the other is RECOVERY
SLEEP
This here will motivate you to get some sleep….Research shows that those who only get a few hours of sleep a night are more likely to become obese. Your body needs to shutdown and repair itself…The only time to do that is at night.
There is also a correlation between sleep and the hormones that influence our eating behaviors. Ghrelin is responsible for feelings of hunger, while Leptin is responsible for letting you know when you are full. When you are sleep deprived production of ghrelin is increased and the production of leptin is decreased. This will make you feel hungry and never feel full. In conjunction with that, poor food choices are made when feeling tired. It is easy to see how these changes can lead to weight gain.
What should you do?? In addition to eating right, breathing deep and exercising….make sure you get 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Don’t short change yourself. This is important for your health!
Remember, when you don’t feel tired, you won’t feel hungry!
Recovery
This is taking time between workouts to rest, or taking time after a BIG weekend to rest. Allow the body to get back in sync with one of these activities:
- deep breathing
- yoga
- meditation
- stretching
- low impact activity that you enjoy and that brings out the “child-like” zest for living
- Tai Chi/ Qi Gong/ Shi Bashi
Recovery is important for muscle development; diminish symptoms of over training, mental and emotional balance. When taken on a regular basis, all you need is 24-48 hours of recovery time.
How can you tell when to take recovery time?? Listen to your body, tune into it. Here are some signs:
- sleep deprivation
- nagging joint pain
- lack of focus during workout
- over eating
- emotional eating
- snappy/irritable
- frequent minor injuries…etc.
If you have any of these symptoms, give yourself 24 hours to recoup and get back to it. You will find that your workouts are more effective when you give your body the proper recovery time.
To sum it up….Get your sleep, allow your body to recover often and the body in turn will work like a fine tuned machine for you!
sources:
2008 IDEA Fitness Journal,
Flier, J. Annals of Internal Medicine, Dec. 7, 2004; vol 141: pp 885-886
Van Cauter, E. Annals of Internal Medicine, Dec. 7, 2004; vol 141: pp 846-850
What’s Keeping You Stuck?
- At May 12, 2017
- By admin
- In awareness, cravings, Energy, fat vs muscle, Power, stress, Uncategorized, water
- 0
This is Star. You have probably seen her around my FaceBook page. Love my Star!
Comfortable Fear
Before you freak out and get all concerned…she is fine! This picture was taken last summer. She had an anxiety attack out in the heat and had to hole up in an oxygen tank for a little while.
It was REALLY scary!
But all is well.
Isn’t that how life happens. We have experiences that make us hole up in safety, in fear for our life. Then we get stuck there. It feels safe, so, we don’t want to leave. But we can’t deny the fact that it is fear that is keeping us there.
Fear gets you stuck …. AND …. Fear keeps you there.
Sometimes I wish I could be more like Star. Once this past…she was great. She got right out of her “stuck-ness” and continued on, as if nothing happened.
What is keeping you stuck?
Stuck-ness happens when we don’t know what step to take next. Whether it is diet related, health related, relationships, business, finances, it all boils down to fear.
I let fear RULE my life for many years…. It is hard to live IN JOY when fear is a part of every fiber of your being.
What is fear?
False Evidence Appearing Real? We make up stories and then live as if they are true. We bring them to life…. for some reason…(human flaw)… this makes us more comfortable. BECAUSE then we know the outcome. No fault can be fall us when we are “right”.
Comfortable. That is a strange word when it is in correlation with FEAR. How can we continue to live in Comfortable Fear? They are opposites and yet we live them together, day in and day out.
I want AND desire to live Comfortable Peace; with food, my body relationship, the relationship I have with myself, my familial relations, my friends, my business, my finances.
How do we make this change? This shift? I think that is the most important question.
AWARENESS is the answer.
Fear is living in a future that doesn’t exist. Awareness is living in the present.
Let’s apply this to over-eating. That is a very common struggle among the women and men that I work with.
Over-eating evolves from tight control or lack of control, it is really a fear that I won’t be able to stop eating. “I’ve got to have the whole thing…it tastes so good and I may not have the opportunity to eat it again any time soon.”
It is also the fear of being present…not wanting to acknowledge that you are eating so you don’t have to “count” it as eating.
You are exactly right…. The physical body or more specifically the digestive system doesn’t know food is being eaten when you are CHECKED OUT. Food isn’t registered by the head brain OR the gut brain. Overeating, a belly ache, and increased body weight are the results.
The typical response to this is a sense of failure and “why even try” attitude (Comfortable Fear)
That is a lie. We tell ourselves a lie because we are IN fear. Fear that “what if we are right” “What if I can NEVER stop eating too much, what if I go on a diet to only gain it back, What if, What if, What if.” We could “what if” ourselves to death. We might as well go ahead and admit it, right?
What if we applied this same line of thinking with relationships. What is keeping you stuck in your relationships? Fear of being accepted for who you really are? For standing in confidence on an important issue when others look at you like you are crazy? So you withdraw and turn inward for self-preservation? Which keeps you alone. And proves you right (Comfortable Fear).
So why get out there and pursue a healthy relationship with food or people? Comfortable Fear is …. comfortable…. safe…. easy…. and sad to say but USEFUL.
It provides the excuse of WHY maintaining a healthy body weight is unsuccessful, or WHY nourishing friendships or business or finances are stunted in growth.
Comfortable Fear is something we CREATE and utilize to keep us from living the life we were intended to live in a body we love…. because Comfortable Peace is too hard…it requires too much.
So, let me ask the question again:
What is keeping you stuck?
I’m going to be honest and in “in your face” for a moment.
It is…..
Y-O-U
You and the Comfortable Fear YOU CREATE. DO you LIKE it? Do you like living this way?
Is it giving you EXACTLY what you have dreamed of?
So, what is it going to be?
Do you want to CREATE a lovely life living in a lovely body?
Then CHOOSE Comfortable Peace.
Comfortable Peace is:
Standing firm in your own footprint
Operating with ease and grace – with the choices you make around food, your body and your life.
Appreciating your OWN uniqueness
Believing in WHO you are and what you provide to this world
Living in a state of gratitude…with EVERYTHING – even the challenges – There is a valuable message in all experiences.
Living in AWARENESS – being present in the here and now.
BE-ing in alignment with your Truth
You know what to do next. You simply take the next step into Comfortable Peace.
Because Comfortable Fear hasn’t brought life’s desires to you. Why not try something new?
Comfortable Peace
Ashly Torian is an expert in the fields of eating psychology, mind body nutrition and fitness. She serves women and men that struggle with food and body issues. She holds the key that unlocks the cage and opens the doorway to freedom from these struggles so they never have to experience them again.
If you want to know more about living in Comfortable Peace, visit my website or contact me directly.
Living in Comfortable Peace
Where have I Been? ENGAGED!
- At April 23, 2017
- By admin
- In awareness, Energy, fat vs muscle, stress
- 0
BMI vs BCI is a serious conversation. Body Mass Index (height to weight ratio) and Body Composition Index (Muscle to Fat ratio). BMI is not an accurate tool to measure health. When Robert and I graduated and got married, we applied for life insurance. My handsome hubby had 3% body-fat BUT his BMI labeled him as obese.
So getting a good rate on life insurance took some doing on the part of our agent. You see, 3% body-fat shows that his muscle to fat ratio was on the extremely healthy side. Whereas the body mass index reflected a person who was unhealthy. Robert was a power-lifter/bodybuilder, he created this ratio all on his own with ALOT of hard work in the weight room.
NOW, for the past year, I have been working with an eating protocol with supplementation that aids the body in the ability to decrease fat while
INCREASING lean tissue (that’s muscle mass) without the hardcore weight training that Robert had to do back in the day.
The beautiful thing about this program is that is helps both men and women!
With sensible eating protocol, supplementation that actually benefits the body, with absolutely NO artificial stimulation, you CAN reach your natural desired weight.
But wait…aren’t I the one that is so against dieting in a punishing way to lose weight. YES I AM!
I had to meet you in the middle. Maybe you have considered coaching with me BUT you NEEDED to lose the fat faster so you went to something else. OR you just were not ready to do the work on your food behaviors.
No matter what the reason is…..RIGHT NOW is your time.
All these reasons and more is why I love this so much. You get to eat real live clean food in the way the body enJOYs! Plus find a movement program that works well for you, INCREASE lean tissue so your body will burn MORE fat at rest than it does right now, PLUS coaching with me.
Let’s face it….with this program the fat is easy to lose...it’s the keeping it off that is tough. It is the food behaviors that have been around for decades that will bring you to the place where you are now. So coaching is an essential part of this protocol.
If you are curious then sign up for this free webinar Tuesday, May 9th at 4:00 pm and 7:30 pm CST. I will send you the link to join the webinar. Just let me know which one you want to attend and I will do the rest! Join up here for 4:00 pm CST. Join up here for 7:30 pm CST.
A NewYouin90? oh yes!
If you can’t wait till May 9th for the goodies, just contact me now…I’ll help ya! info@ashlytorian.com
Help! My hand is stuck in the cookie jar
Sometimes we just need permission!
Women come to me for the answer of how to stop eating “bad” foods. How to stay on course and not get swept off track with the next round of emotional eating.
The big question is “Why do I give in? What gave these foods this much power over me?” “Why can’t I eat ‘perfectly’?”
That is what it feels like, isn’t? The food is lording over you and telling you to eat or else….!!!
Think back to when you were a young child and you would ask your mama if you could have a cookie from the cookie jar and she said “no, not right now” what happens with your desire for that cookie? It increases doesn’t it. The desire and the need are so great that you think you might die if you don’t get it right now.
So what do you do as that young child. You find every possible way and reason to pass through the kitchen without mom hearing you, lifting the lid off the cookie jar as quietly as possible and then eat that cookie as fast as you can so no one sees; but then you want another and another because you didn’t enjoy it like you thought you would. You need more to fulfill that desire you had for the cookie.
The same is true as we age into adult-hood. When we are told, we can’t have something, or better yet, when a diet restricts or you hear repeatedly how “bad” a food is for you, YOU WANT MORE OF IT, don’t you?
I have a solution for you that is so easy to say but difficult to do. But first I want to clarify something that is extremely important, especially if you will receive the suggestion I have regarding the power of the cookie jar.
Here it is: there is not a food on planet earth that is “bad”, or a diet that is “perfect”, food has no moral value, right? The food you are eating is not bad…it is just less nutrient dense than what you prefer or what the eating protocol you are on is asking for. Let that sink in for a moment. No food is bad. Food is Food.
Secondly, food has no power except the power we give it. This power comes from lack of awareness for the body, for digestion and really a lack of consideration, compassion and care for one self.
Once you can wrap your brain around those two, now you are ready for the cookie jar solution.
Here it is: Give yourself permission.
Sounds too easy?
Hang with me for a minute….
If someone gave you permission to eat a whole jar of cookies, would you do it? NO, you wouldn’t. Why? The resistance is taken away. When resistance is present, it creates a desire for the forbidden.
This resistance goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve didn’t think about not being able to eat from the tree of knowledge, they were perfectly happy eating from the other trees that provided nourishment until it was pointed out, evilly I might add, that this tree was forbidden. It was like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey. That is when resistance kicked in and they wanted more.
When told that getting a cookie from the cookie jar is forbidden…the desire for it becomes that much stronger.
Instead, give yourself permission to eat the “forbidden” food occasionally. The time frame is strictly up to you, based on your health needs and the needs of your body.
Next, use my favorite food permission quote, “I can have it anytime I want, I just don’t want it right now.”
This frees you to make a nourishing choice for mealtime or snack time instead of reacting to an emotional need in the moment. That sidesteps you away from your good intentions; the reaction to the emotional need in the moment. Whereas, when you give yourself permission to have it anytime you want, self-love and compassion included, the reaction to the emotion won’t lead to food. In fact, if you allow that need to roll through you…just sit with the emotion for a moment, be present filled, the desire for the food has a better chance of passing you right by.
Now, wouldn’t that be wonderful?
It is only a shift in your perception and belief about food. One, it isn’t ‘bad’, it is just food. Two, simply give yourself permission AND/OR feel the emotion. Both will allow the moment to pass without partaking in an emotional binge or unaware eating.
If this philosophy resonates with you..check out my other blogs AND join us for Engage and Experience Freedom Group Coaching Program.
The 1 Thing You Can Do to Get Your Energy Back
- At January 17, 2017
- By admin
- In awareness, Energy, Power, Uncategorized
- 0
Would you LOVE to have all the energy you need to get EVERYTHING done that you want to get done? YES! Me Too! Today’s blog is on this topic of eating and dieting and what we do that comes natural and steals our energy from the important things in our life. What comes natural to us is to attack weight loss in the form of restriction, going on a diet that requires weighing or measuring food, logging details of what you eat so you get an instant read on if you are doing “good” or “bad”.
How are you doing so far, this year?
This process is crazy, really.
When you think about it,
Every waking moment is centered around food
How much
What kind
Ooh that’s too much…
Ohh I’m still so hungry!
When is the next time I get to eat?
I wonder if it will really make a difference if I eat this cookie…
…or 3 or …….
I will just have to run (bike or drill myself to death) to burn them off
I will be ok
I still have 6 weeks…
I’ve got plenty of time.
YIKES!
Does this sound familiar?
Why do we spend so much energy around what, when, how much and so on?
Total WASTE of energy.
And to take this to the next level…
Why do you think most people “cheat” on a “diet”?
ENERGY…the lack of it.
Really, it truly does.
There is a ton of evidence out there that tells us the decisions that we make are directly affected by our level of stress and exhaustion.
The human brain expends so much energy trying to help you logically deal with this issue of food, the brain gets tired, you get emotionally drained from all the toxic thought backwash and this sends you packing for “other” food that will help you to feel better or give you much needed energy to finish out your day.
So, you can begin anew tomorrow.
Do you see the cycle?
One of the health models I coach my clients is the Energy Gainer and Drainer activity.
From this activity, you will get a clear picture of what excites you and what is pulling much needed energy from you.
The relationship, or rather, HOW a person does food, is typically at the top of the list. One of the top reasons women come to work with me is because they want to stop thinking about food all the time.
Once you commit to a diet, there are 2 things you can bet on, 1) you will think about food ALL the time, 2) if you lose the weight you want…it is going to come back.
You may be thinking… “that is an awful thing to say.”
Yes…. but a true one.
Studies show that only 2% of those that go on a diet to lose weight keep the weight off after 2 years. AFTER 2 years.
Take a deep breath and recall the reason you want to lose weight.
Is it because you want to experience this same process again and again?
I don’t think so.
There are several ways to ensure success with weight loss or loving your body. ENERGY, and your management of it, is one of those keys. The human body is given a certain amount of energy each day. Since, energy cannot be created…we can only manage it. Good management leads to much energy to fulfill your goals and dreams.
There are certain foods that will give you energy and some that will take it away. Same goes with every other aspect of your life. Everyone is different, so your list will not be the same as your friends. We are unique and incredibly intelligent beings. Our body knows exactly what will fill us up with energy…we have only to observe and listen.
Here is step #1 for you. Go through this process of Energy Gainer and Drainer Activity and see what comes up for you.
Once you complete this exercise, fill your life with what brings you energy and do what you can to eliminate as much of the energy drainers from your life as possible. These energy drainers are one of the things that is keeping you from your success. AND the bonus is….this activity is easy to implement.
You will feel lighter just by getting it all on a piece of paper.
I would love to know how it turns out. Please leave your comment below.
love & hugs, Ashly
ENGAGE 2017 LIVE Group Coaching begins January 24th. Don’t delay in signing up. I will help you reach your desire for 2017! Join us here!
Follow Us!