Tap the Power of Mindfulness

By -
"You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf"
~Jon Kabat-Zinn

In the meeting room during the third week of July we discussed mindfulness. Mindfulness is defined as being aware of the here and now. That's it. Awareness. Without judgement, no good or bad labels. "In a way, it's taking yourself off autopilot, which can help you keep your goals top of mind. "

"Being more mindful can boost your well-being, optimism and self esteem. It can help you more easily see the positive changes (off and on the scale) that you've made happen with your healthier food and activity choices."  Mindfulness is also useful to help you manage negative emotions such as stress, sadness, anxiety and so on without turning to food to cope.

An exercise that is given in the Weight Watchers Weekly is "Just Breathe".

1. Sit comfortably with your eyes closed. Inhale deeply and slowly through your nostrils, hold for two seconds, then exhale through your mouth.

2.  Tune into your body. Notice how your body feels in the seat, relax any tension areas and just breathe.

3.  Pay attention to your breath as is flows naturally in and out. Notice your chest rising and falling, the air passing in through your nostrils. The silent whoosh as you exhale.

4. Notice if your mind wanders. It's normal to be distracted by stray thoughts but when you notice them gently refocus onto your breath.

5. Breathe mindfully for a few minutes. Gently returning your focus to your whole body. Relaxing more deeply. Then open your eyes and take a moment to appreciate yourself for doing the exercise.

So if you've got an Apple Watch, you've got a great opportunity that's built right into your watch!  You can set it to remind you every one hour, three hours, five hours or seven hours. You can start off slow by having just a few reminders a day, then as you get better at being mindful bump that all the way up to hourly!  Headspace Guided Meditation is another great Apple or Android App that I've used and like. (It's free!) The link is below for Apple. Practicing these techniques just before bed is a great way to get yourself primed for a good nights sleep. We all know that the better you sleep the more mindful you are in the day that follows. Try is out and let me know what you think. I was guilty of shutting the notifications off on my watch because they were annoying but I've turned them back on to give them another try. We all need a little mindfulness in our day, even if it's for a minute or two at a time.

Headspace: Guided Meditation by Headspace meditation limited
Source:  Weight Watchers Weekly July 16-22 2017

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

10 Ways to Burn 200 Calories (*based on a 135lb woman)

By Anonymous -
Try these out and in case you couldn’t guess after reading….number 6 is my FAVORITE!! 1.        Get into the swing of things .   Take your stress out at the driving range.   Just 62 minutes at the driving range burns those calories away.   Ready to take on 9 or 18 holes…skip the cart and walk.   You’ll burn 50% more calories per minute. 2.        Meet in a dark alley.   Bowling Alley that is.   In 90 minutes of fun with your friends you’ll roll off 200 calories, skip your light beer-you can do it in an hour! 3.        Go Green.   Ride your bike to run your errands.   In just 23 minutes of peddling or 4.6 miles you burn off those 200 calories! 4.        Strike a pose.   Try Vinyasa yoga.   This type of yoga moves you fluidly from pose to pose, burning more than 7 calories per minute.   29 minutes….200 calories GONE!...
Read more

How To Get Started On An Exercise Program

By Anonymous -
So, you ask yourself…How do I get started?  Everyone has good intentions to exercise on a daily basis, but you need a game plan to make it work.  Here are some suggestions for when you’re beginning to think about an exercise program: Consider what you would like to achieve.  What are your goals?  Are you trying to lose weight or maybe train to participate in a 5K for the first time? Make a reasonable exercise plan.  “No pain, No gain” should not be your plan.  Everyone needs to ease into exercise at their own pace.  Whether you are trying weight training or cardio…ease in… you’ll get to that 5K. How will you fit your exercise program into your day?  Pick the time of day that you feel that you have the most energy and you can commit to your workout.  Schedule your workout time like an appointment you can’t break.  Look at it as “me time”. Try a variety of different exercises.  Don’t do the same exercises all the time, if you do, ...
Read more

Speak up for yourself

By -
Image
A simple, effective way to sidestep sabotage (well meaning or not). "Another slice won't hurt, you don't need to lose weight, but you've always looked like this-it's who you are."  Do any of these sound familiar?  If so, you've faced sabotage at some point along the way and it can undermine your weight loss journey. Something to keep in mind, is that most often, sabotage is not intentional.  Often it's the people that love you the most say or do things that could derail your weight loss and maintenance efforts.  These people don't even realize they're doing it.  They think they are helping you.  Many people associate food with love. The bottom line is not to assume that friends and family are trying to harm your weight loss journey.  Take the time to explain to them how you feel sabotaged and let them know how they can better support you and your goals.  after all, they won't be able to change their behaviors unless they know how th...
Read more