As you’re reading this, you’re probably thinking “psht, I can control my diet!”, but have you ever properly thought about how much you really eat a day? Do you snack? Do you sometimes sneak a little muffin or chocolate bar here and there – do you even think about yourself eating when you are? I’ve tried doing this for a week now, and it’s surprising how much I actually eat. I didn’t even realise I would instinctively go to the fridge for a snack to bite on- and I’m not even hungry!!! So instead of figuring out why we do this, why not try and see if we can control it first?
Your body is a temple, and you need to keep it safe and healthy, yes? Yes. Ok. Not only does your spirit rely on your body, but your health is a big factor to take into consideration when you eat you can’t practice Yoga if you can’t even get yourself off the sofa, am I right? So I’ve researched ideas on how to control and master the art of indulgence, and here’s what I found:
- Take your time. This is so important! It takes roughly 20 minutes for your brain to process the food intake and to tell you that you are in fact full. So whilst you’re tucking your pizza away, you won’t realise you’re far beyond being full until you’ve cleaned your plate and maybe even your neighbours’!
- Finishing your plate is an option, you don’t need to lick your plate clean at every meal time.
- Try to cook your meal from scratch. That means staying away from processed foods and ready-made meals. You wouldn’t believe the amount of preservatives are put in food to keep it from looking like it’s gone off.
- Drink, drink, and drink water! On average, men should drink up to 3L and women 2L per day! This will not only detoxify your blood but it will give you the impression of being full – thus limiting your cravings! Pretty nifty, don’t you think?!
- Be active – Let yourself be distracted with whatever is going on around you. Be curious, take a look and keep yourself busy so as not to allow your mind to drift on to food. Comfort Eating can be dangerous when you go too far.
- “A little bit of everything, but not everything of a little bit” – This basically means you can allow yourself to eat small portions of whatever you like, but don’t overdo it. Whether you love doughnuts, or cheese, or wine, or even Cadbury’s delicious chocolate. Have some – just don’t finish 5 packs in a day!
At the end of the day, Yoga does not punish weakness. Sometimes you have to recognise that you can’t always fully control what you ingest, and you will overeat at some stages in the year (I mean, you wouldn’t pass out on another portion of beautifully barbecued chicken, now would you!), but yoga will allow you to start over.
Let us know what you think, we’d love to hear from you!
Yogi Hugs from Yogamasti
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