Gone are the days of calories in, calories out. Although the equation seems simple, researchers have uncovered far more variables that play a part in that equation. Mark Sisson helps refute some of the calorie misconceptions over on Mark's Daily Apple.
This oversimplified approach often misguides our clients and often leads to an overreliance on the numbers without paying attention to our own bodies. We are too busy worrying about the calories in a handful of nuts (200 calories for a handful?!) that we ignore the fact that we have a hunger-induced headache, which the nuts would resolve.
Many of you have heard us preach this before: eat when hungry, stop when 80% full. This is the basis of intuitive eating. Our goal is to shift your focus away from calorie counting so you can learn to listen to what your body is telling you. Your body has wisdom and it's worth listening.
The best way to listen to your body and learn how your body responds to food is to track how you feel after you eat. Pay attention to what you eat and check in with your body 30-60 minutes later. Do you feel bloated? Do you feel energized? Are you full? Do you have a headache? Are you calm? Are you anxious?
All of these feelings relate to the food you put in your body. You'll find the foods that are healthy for your body are those that make you feel good, energized, satiated. And you'll also realize which foods make you feel crummy, empty, wanting more - often the high sugar and processed foods. Mindful observation of how foods affect energy and mood often leads people to choose better foods for their body!
Intuitive eating is an active form of meditation. It forces you to check in with your body. The goal of meditation is to be in tune with your body and pay attention to what it's telling you, observing how you're feeling. That's why meditation is such an important gear of wellness; it syncs our mind with our body when our body is so often ignored. We have to give credence to our body and trust that it knows more than our mind understands. We need to retrain our brain to see, hear, and feel our body, and believe what it's telling us!
- Coach Karen
QUOTE
“Wellness is the compete integration of body, mind, and spirit – the realization that everything we do, think, feel, and believe has an effect on our state of well-being.” Greg Anderson
RECIPE
As the weather keeps getting warmer, it's time for some cool, refreshing frozen treats. Check out this recipe for Strawberry Cheesecake Popsicles!
Photo courtesy of All Day I Dream About Food
FOOD PRODUCT
We are loving the 5-calorie Bai drinks sweetened with Stevia and packed with antioxidants. Available at Target and most grocery stores, you can get it with or without bubbles.
Photo courtesy of drinkbai.com
BRAIN FUEL
If you are a science nerd and want to learn about the chemical and biological processes going on in our body, check out Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. If that sounds overwhelming, he as an easier to digest version called Why We Get Fat.
