Why is it that you, who sets and gets goals at ease, can’t stick to a healthy eating plan for even a week?
Why is it that you, who fervently advocates the virtues of healthy eating, can’t resist digging into greasy, sugary treats that scream clogged arteries and diabetes?
Anyone who has ever tried to stick to a heathy eating plan can vouch for the sheer difficulty of the mission.
The key to success is in your mind. You should be able to control your cravings before they make you reach for the third slice of pizza. You should be able to pass by the pastry shop without being compelled by your mind to rush inside and start digging into the fare.
Meditation helps you control your mind, so you can control your eating habits. Here’s how.
Become a calm and relaxed person
According to research, chronic stress makes many people overeat.
Long-term stress triggers the body to produce more of the hormone cortisol that increases appetite.
Stress also tends to increase our cravings for sugary and fatty foods. And there is a reason that these foods are known as comfort foods. Sugar and fat work on the brain in peculiar ways to counteract stress. Now there is a flipside to this. Your brain remembers the feelings the comfort foods churned in you and makes you reach out for them the next time you are stressed.
It does not matter how resolute you are; stress weakens your mental muscles. Meditating regularly relaxes you and helps you cope with the stressors in your life.
Shift perspectives and change your relationship with food
Sometimes we get caught in the frenzy that life is and make unhealthy choices. At other times, we fail to see reality for what it truly is. Remember the connection between stress and overeating?
It is important for you to not only banish stress from your life but also have a healthy relationship with food.
Enjoy food, but also understand that you must not overeat or gorge on unhealthy foods. Accept that your favorite comfort foods lift your mood just for a little while; they don’t make your problems vanish. Realize that you harm your health when you indulge in unhealthy eating.
The scientific evidence about the dangers of eating junk food or overeating is out there; you now need to make your mind accept what is real. Meditation gives you the clarity of mind to shift your perspectives and perceive the real value of food, which is to provide nutrition.
SEE yourself in your mind’s eye as someone who is able to stick to a healthy eating plan
There is hard science behind the age-old saying: seeing is believing. Visualization is a powerful performance-enhancing technique that achievers have been implementing for years.
According to imaging studies, visualizing an action fools the brain into thinking that you are doing it for real. The brain cells actually swing into action and "perform" all the steps necessary to carry out the act. So the cells transmit signals, retrieve from memory information that is necessary to perform the action, and coordinate the responses of various organs and/or muscles that are involved in the real act. When you visualize yourself doing something, your brain goes through the drills.
Practice makes a man perfect.Swimmer Michael Phelps perfected his strokes in his mind. Golfer Tiger Woods visualized and perfected his swings in his mind’s eye. You can "practice" sticking to a healthy eating plan in your mind. You can imagine.
See yourself saying no to second helpings. See yourself eating a plate full of greens and enjoying the meal. See yourself passing up a sinful dessert platter. The more you feed your mind these images, the quicker your brain unlearns old, harmful habits and responses such as gorging on sugary snacks just because they are laid out in front of you or eating whenever you watch TV. Visualization helps your brain learn healthy habits and make them second nature.
Meditating regularly helps you carve out that space of stillness where you can shut out external distractions and quieten your chattering logical mind that only sees what is real and is in front of you, so you can imagine and dream up the perfect YOU.
Reinforce your why and sharpen your focus
There are distractions all around you. There are temptations. It is easy to lose sight of your goals amidst the clutter in your mind. Even the most determined soul can get waylaid and lose his bearings. It is imperative that you always remember your why. It is imperative that you always remember why you started out on the healthy eating path in the first place.
Your why motivates you to push forward when you want to give up and reach out for that box of sugary cookies. Your why motivates you to gulp down that bitter-tasting green smoothie even when there is a tub of ice cream in the fridge. Your why keeps you grounded and focused.
Meditation gives you the opportunity to slow down, pause, shut off your mind to external noise, and focus on your motivations. During these moments of stillness, reinforce your why to realign priorities and regain focus.
Visualize the positive results of your efforts
Give yourself a mental boost by visualizing the positive outcomes of your efforts.
See a leaner and fitter you. See yourself fitting into that favorite pair of high school jeans. See yourself with a healthy, radiant glow. See yourself feeling full of energy and vitality and probably, running a marathon.
Use our guided weight-loss visualization to reinforce your why. When you visualize the outcome of your efforts, you are motivated to push through obstacles and stay on track.
Gain control over your life and eating habits with a morning meditation ritual
We all want to feel that we are in control of our lives and what happens to us. If we can’t, we stress out and lapse into all kinds of self-destructive behaviours, including seeking comfort in unhealthy foods.
On the other hand, not feeling in control of even one area in our lives dampens our spirits and deadens our resolve. We begin to label ourselves as losers, and in the process, set ourselves up for failure in the other currencies of our lives. We blame ourselves for whatever is not working for us and think of us as no good. We become convinced that we can’t stick to a healthy eating plan, so we stop trying.
You can gain control of your life and all that is happening in it by taking control of how you live each day. Meditable app allows you to create an inspiring morning meditation routine tailored to your weight-loss and health goals. Set the tone and tempo for your day with a morning diet meditation session. Start your day with positive self-talk. Reinforce your intentions and pledge to follow through with your goals.
A morning diet meditation ritual helps you stick to a healthy eating plan by making you feel in control of your life once more. When you make time for yourself and devote it to fulfill your needs, you no longer feel as if you are living somebody else’s life. It feels good to be able to love and honor oneself, and you will want to do it more often. A guided meditation app can strengthen your resolve and motivation each day on this new road.
Sustaining the habit of meditating every morning makes you disciplined in other areas of your life as well. Being able to stick to a daily meditation ritual also gives you the confidence that you can stick to any goal you set for yourself, including munching on greens every day.
It is always tempting to eat out than spend hours shopping for fresh produce and then chopping and preparing it. A burger is so much more appealing than carrot juice. When food tastes good and fills your soul, it is difficult to stop eating. But every meal cannot turn into a fierce tug-of-war between your desires and your reason. Meditation helps you tame your emotions and channel your mind, so you enjoy a healthy relationship with food.
Team Meditable