This week has been tough for me, unfortunately my mum died in May and Wednesday 9th December was her birthday, so a lot of emotions which are still being felt as I write. She was very much an advocate of mindful eating, probably years before it was called that! So in honor to my mum here is part 3 as we get closer to Christmas and the New Year, when stress is rising and no doubt temptations are coming ever closer.
This week I am going to ask you to pause, as you already know eating in a stressed state is counter productive, you can have the most nutritious meal going but if you're stressed out it will really be a waste of time as your stomach will not be able to take on the nutrients and your food will not be properly digested, which leads to weight gain around your stomach.
So, before you eat ask yourself 'Am I stressed?' Even if your stress is low PAUSE. Breath, close your eyes, breath in through your nose for five seconds, hold it for five seconds and breath out through your nose for seven seconds, repeat this ten times. This should take you around two minutes.
As you breath your body starts to relax and in two minutes your body is in a relaxed state, which then will trigger you mind to think 'hang on' if your body is relaxed, therefore your must be relaxed, genius!
I call this the 5-5-7 breath, its free and you can use it anytime, when going through a stressful time at work, stuck in traffic with the kids screaming, stressing out at Christmas or even when having trouble sleeping.
Most of all use this before you sit to eat and enjoy the peace and calmness this breathing exercise evokes, which over Christmas, I am sure wil
l be a welcome gift.