Is this something you've heard before?
You're sitting at your computer, staring at a wall of e-mails. You hit "send" after finishing your response and reach for the bulging tuna wrap on your desk. You set the wrap down, grab a handful of chips, and open the next message after a few bites, chewing while glancing at the screen. Before you know it, you've finished your meal without even realizing it.
A small but growing body of research suggests that eating more slowly and thoughtfully may help with weight issues and may steer some people away from processed foods and other less-healthy options.
This alternative method is known as "mindful eating." It is based on the Buddhist concept of mindfulness, which entails being fully aware of what is going on inside and outside of you at the time. Mindfulness techniques have been proposed in other areas as a way to relieve stress and alleviate problems such as high blood pressure and chronic gastrointestinal issues.
What is Mindful eating?
Mindful eating (i.e., paying attention to our food intentionally, moment by moment, and without judgment) is an approach to food that emphasizes sensuous awareness of the food and the experience of eating. It is unrelated to calories, carbs, fat, and protein.
Mindfulness in eating entails noticing the colours, smells, flavours, and textures of your food; chewing slowly; eliminating distractions such as TV or reading; and learning to cope with food guilt and anxiety. Some aspects of mindful eating appear to be influenced by the ideas of Horace Fletcher, an early twentieth-century food faddist who believed that chewing food thoroughly would solve a variety of health problems.
The mind-gut relationship
Digestion involves a complex series of hormonal signals between the gut and the nervous system, and it appears that the brain takes about 20 minutes to register satiety (fullness). If someone eats too quickly, satiety may occur after overeating rather than stopping it. There's also evidence that eating while distracted by activities like driving or typing may cause digestion to slow or stop, similar to how the "fight or flight" response works. And if we don't digest well, we may be missing out on the full nutritive value of some of the food we eat.
In her 2010 book Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life, co-written with Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, nutritionist and Harvard School of Public Health lecturer Lilian Cheung lays out the rationale for mindful eating as a way to lose weight. The book, which combines science and Buddhist philosophy, has spawned a thriving Facebook page where people share recipes and other healthy living advice.
Stephanie Meyers, a dietician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, uses mindfulness techniques to assist cancer patients with their diets in a variety of ways. For example, she will encourage head and neck cancer survivors to meditate on food as they make the sometimes difficult transition from a feeding tube back to eating. Patients could practice this meditation by biting into an apple slice, closing their eyes, and focusing on the sensory experience of tasting, chewing, and swallowing.
Recognizing and treating heart failure as soon as possible may help to slow the progression of this serious condition.
If you start feeling tired or winded more than usual, it's easy to blame it on getting older, being out of shape, or being overweight. However, if these symptoms persist, don't dismiss them, especially if you're also experiencing ankle swelling and difficulty breathing when lying down.
These are all classic symptoms of early heart failure, which occurs when the heart is unable to effectively pump blood throughout the body (see "The FACES of heart failure"). Recent advances in both detection and treatment may help to alleviate the burden of heart failure, which is the leading cause of hospitalization in people 65 and older.
Good Morning Quote: Monday, June 13, 2022.
I truly believe that everything that we do and everyone that we meet is put in our path for a purpose. There are no accidents; we’re all teachers – if we’re willing to pay attention to the lessons we learn, trust our positive instincts and not be afraid to take risks or wait for some miracle to come knocking at our door. Marla Gibbs
What you do today can improve all your tomorrow. Today is the best time to plan for your tomorrow.
Ralph Marston
Edwin Percy Whipple
Life is a song – sing it. Life is a game – play it. Life is a challenge – meet it. Life is a dream – realize it. Life is a sacrifice – offer it. Life is love – enjoy it. Sai Baba
A new study suggests that, in addition to many other health benefits, vigorous exercise may help with dry, itchy eyes by increasing tear production and quality.
The study included 52 adults who were classified as "athletes" or "non-athletes" by the researchers. Athletes exercised at least five times per week, while non-athletes exercised no more than once per week.
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| Photo by Dziana Hasanbekava from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/unrecognizable-person-running-on-cold-sandy-beach-5480744/ |
We are all aware that motivation is essential for achieving personal and professional objectives. However, if you wait for motivation to hit like a bolt of lightning, you'll be much less likely to take any action. Even if you've set a lofty goal for yourself, it's all too easy to lose motivation due to feelings of overwhelm, procrastination, or impatience. The actions outlined below can assist you in increasing your motivation to achieve the goals that are important to you.
The significance of your objective
Before you select a goal, you must first determine its significance – that is, why is achieving this goal so important to you? What does this success mean to you? "I want to drop 10 pounds so I can have more energy to play with my grandchildren," for example, is significantly more meaningful than "I want to reduce weight." Perhaps your goal is to paint a room a different color because you believe it would bring you more happiness. This is not the same as establishing a goal of "paint room."
If you create a goal and find yourself procrastinating or failing to achieve it, reconsider the objective's meaning. Is this a goal that you still care about? If that's the case, think about the significance behind your procrastination or the challenges you're having.
Make your goal a reality.
Make a thorough plan to reach your goal. This plan should be guided by the term SMART:
(What specifically do you aim to achieve?)
(How will you know when you've succeeded?) Measurable
Achievable (Can you achieve the aim you've set?)
Realistic (Does it make sense for you to set this objective right now?)
Time-bound (Can you give me an estimate of how long it will take you to achieve this goal?)
A goal of "exercise more" is an example of a goal that is overly broad and will not lead to success. Instead, make a goal for yourself to walk 50 steps in the next hour or a 15-minute stroll on Wednesday morning. This objective is explicit, quantifiable, attainable, reasonable, and time-bound.
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