Category Archives: meditation

meditation, weight loss

My eating hobby: Step 2

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I follow diet and nutrition trends as a hobby. I love learning about it and talking about it. I am NOT an expert and am NOT qualified to professionally chat about diet and nutrition (although for 12 weeks and $600 I could be, so should I crowd source that? LMK 😉 )
All this is is me collecting my current personal thoughts into one place. This is not health or nutritional advice, I am not a medical professional, talk to your doctor before starting anything.
If you have ever felt shame when eating, hidden eating (not including a bag of chips when the kids are about), or feel that your body will never be ‘enough’, or ever used food ((or exercise) as a reward or punishment, SEE A DOCTOR to rule out an eating disorder.

Ok, this is step 2. Step 1 is over here, if you are looking for it.

Step two— and this is the single most important thing Noom apparently teaches— Mindfulness.

No, you do not need to pay the cost of a ‘new pair of shoes’ to learn that. Remember last step we talked about just breathing? Yeah this is linked. Just think.

OK, not like that. The idea is that many of us (hi!) consume mindlessly while doing other things. So, the plan is to pay attention to every thing you grab to consume, all water, candy, junk food, vegetables, whatever. If you are going to have a soda as a pick me up in the afternoon, really pay attention to the soda. Do not link food with any judgements (except if you like it or not) and you do not need to record what you eat. Just for a full week, be aware of what you are eating, Explore it with all your senses, and be mindful of how it also makes you physically feel. You do not need to do more than that- no meditation, no yoga (unless you want to).

Some places to learn about mindfulness that are free:
Mayo Clinic
A Free Course
Activities!

Remember, you do not need to do any extra work or study to just be *aware* of what you are eating and how it makes you feel. Just try doing only that for a week and then come back for Step 3.

health, meditation

Epiphany

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Today is not one of the days in the carol, but it is the final day of the holiday season. Last night was Twelfth Night (which yes, Shakespeare named a play after, and was supposed to be performed on the last night of Christmas)  and we spent it with friends, eating and having a good time.
Today is Epiphany, Three Kings Day, Kings Day, or some other name for it. It’s the day the Kings made it to see Jesus (after following that star). For many people, this is the gift giving holiday. My grandfather used to tell me of leaving straw out for their horses, and they would leave presents in your shoes.

Other children in Italy get presents from La Belfana. She’s basically a witch, and her story is sad, happy and motivational.

As my mother told me, there was an old woman who opened her house to the Magi as they traveled to visit the baby. They invited her to come with them to meet the child as they continued on their journey, but she refused, saying she had too make chores to do. She would catch up to them.
When she had finally caught up, the family had left, and she had missed her chance to give the child presents. As such, she is doomed? blessed? to travel the world giving toys to little children in the hopes of eventually giving them to the child she missed.

This is an adorable story to explain the magical presents to children that also makes them kind to old women, because you never know if this one may be ‘Grandmother Witch’. But there is another lesson, which I could not believe my mother had missed after telling me this tale so often.

It’s don’t spend so much time working you miss the important things in life. I remember how shocked my mother was when I pointed that out to her.

So on this extra day of gifts and food, I will remember Strega Nonna and her eternal quest caused by her inability to simply stop and be in the moment.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. I enjoyed it.

 

 

Back to introduction.

health, meditation

The Twelfth Day of Christmas: Twelve Drummers Drumming

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This last day of Christmas has me thinking about the drummers, and how important it is to follow a rhythm. For many of us, we spend our time chasing emergencies and urgent things that have to be done right now, leaving us little time to breathe let alone get the things we want to get done, done.

It’s easy to go from emergency to emergency, and then be just so exhausted you want to rest until an emergency forces you back into rush mode. It can be very hard 6to break that cycle, especially if your life is running from emergency to emergency. I have been there, and I understand how hard that can be. But if the issues are coming from a lack of pacing, then that can be controlled.

Taking smaller chunks out of a project can seem like a cop out- are you really cleaning your closet if you only do a two foot stretch? Isn’t it better to dump the whole closet on the bed, then get stuck, then have an emergency pop up and at bedtime through it all back in because you need to not sleep on the pile of clothes?
It’s important to listen to your own psyche. Stop a job before you get overwhelmed because then you will burn out. Find your pace, your rhythm and keep moving forward in a way that allows you off time and a chance to recover, without guilt. Remember, that by over extending yourself, doesn’t actually get more done in the long run.

So when I hear this last gift, I will remember to pace myself and listen to my rhythm.

 

Back to introduction.
Forward to Epiphany .