The Benefits of Slowing Down
Many conventional nutritionists will say that good nutrition is as simple as eating the right foods. While it is true that what we eat is key, it’s really only half the equation. Who we are as eaters is the other half of the story, and understanding this gives us some powerful tools to reclaim our health.
Our levels of stress and relaxation have a very real and scientifically-proven effect on our nutritional metabolism and weight. It turns out that recent advances in mind-body science are validating what ancient traditions have known forever; that the mind and body exist on a continuum and powerfully affect one another. We you could be following the best weight loss plan ever, but if we’re living with daily low-level chronic stress, the power of our mind is actually limiting the weight loss of our body.
If people are struggling with excess weight, digestive problems or blood sugar problems, they are almost always a fast eater. Because fast eating often means fast living, they rush through life at a super hectic pace, always feeling like there’s never enough time and consequently scarf food as quickly as possible, leading to overeating, mindless eating and a lack of enjoyment of food.
They create a physiologic stress response which generates more insulin and cortisol, two hormones that have the unwanted effect of telling the body to store weight, eat more food, shut down digestion and slow down calorie burning. They create similar stress chemistry in the body when they carry around a lot of self-imposed stress like negative self-talk, judgment, poor body image or even unexpressed emotion and desires.
Slowing down is a conscious choice, but not always an easy one. We create a relaxation response in the body, which is the optimum state of digestion, assimilation and calorie burning. When we relax into our life, we are able to tune in to our amazing body wisdom and get in touch with naturally regulated hunger and fullness signals. When we get slow, we are more likely to feel connected and in control of our life, receive more pleasure in all we’re doing and have greater appreciation for our blessings, feel more abundant and cultivate the motivation often lacking to prioritize our self-care and personal investment.
Christine Okezie is a natural foods chef and integrative nutrition coach. To schedule a consultation, call 201-889-5001 or visit YourDeliciousBalance.com.
Five Simple Tips to Get Slow and Start to Reclaim Health
Stay Awake at the Plate. Take a few moments to smell, see and chew each bite. Savor the flavors and simply be nourished. Our brains need this key nutritional step to keep us in balance. Eating slowly has the double benefit of making us fuller on less food and making the food taste better.
Breathe. We can change our physiological state from one of stress to that of relaxation instantly just by taking a few deep inhales and exhales. When we find ourselves speeding up, breathe, and really feel the air coming in and the stress going out. Fully focusing on our breath brings us back into your body and feeling more centered.
Trust the Universe. We don’t have to be particularly religious to do this. Just take a moment to notice all the simple beauty and good around us and take inspiration and hope from that. Appreciate that sometimes we cannot control things. When we start to love what is, we relax and allow for a higher consciousness to guide us.
Be Present. It’s not just enough to slow down. We actually need to be mindful of whatever we’re doing at the moment, That means when we find our mind chattering about something you need to do or something that already happened or something that might happen, we gently bring ourselves back to the present. We notice our actions, our environment, the people around us, our breathing and how we are sitting or moving.
Find Joy in Each Day. There is a lot of joy in each day; we just need to look for it. There are simply beautiful things happening every day.
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