Archives November 2018

This week’s tip is all about the power of belly breathing.

I know, I know. When I first heard about it I dismissed it because it was so low tech. I wanted something higher tech than breathing.

But you see, nothing communicates to our body, more eloquently than our breath, that we are safe.

Breathing literally calms us down.

It brings us back to good.

What do I mean by that?

Your body is incredibly wise.

One of her intelligent design features is that when you’re feeling stressed, she wants to run away from the stressful situation.

We’re simply not designed to eat while stressed. And if we do eat while feeling stressed—worried, busy, anxious—our digestive system shuts down, which leads to a poorly digested meal.

But, by breathing deeply 10 times before eating anything, it remedies this stress.

It communicates to your body that you’re safe.

It literally changes the biochemistry of our body by expelling the adrenaline, so we feel calm. It reminds you that the sabre-tooth tiger is extinct. There’s no famine either.

You’re safe. Really, you are.

This feeling of safety is vital, as it allows your body to break down and absorb nutrients and process the food.

So please, before eating anything, I encourage you to take the time to breathe deeply 10 times.

Why not incorporate deep breathing into your eating mindfulness practice?

You can always choose to feel stressed after your 10 breaths, but you probably won’t because you’ll be back to good.

I hope you found that helpful.

Please feel free to join me next week for more weekly tips and ways to make peace with food.

Have a super day!

Hello welcome to your tip of the week on how to make peace with food.

This week’s tip is super simple – so simple you can do it lying on your back. haha

This week we’re talking about sleep deprivation and more importantly the negative impact it has on our weight.

We’ve all been there right?

You’re sitting at your desk mid-afternoon, and you start to feel drowsy. You reach for a cup of coffee and a biscuit for that quick shot of energy. After work, you collect takeaways on your way home and skip your walk. Later, when it’s time for bed, you’re too wound up to sleep.

Arrrgh!!!!!

Not getting enough sleep is super common these days —it’s talked about like a ‘badge of pride’ round the water cooler. Who hasn’t bragged about pulling that all-nighter?

Or sometimes it’s a carryover from breast feeding days and you’ve got into the habit of coping with less sleep.

Here’s the thing – we’re paying a high price by staying up late and getting up early.

How does lack of sleep impact our weight?

Sleep deprivation affects our ability to lose weight because of the two hormones: ghrelin and leptin.

Ghrelin is the hormone that lets you know ‘I’m hungry’, But when you’re sleep-deprived, you have more ghrelin in your body. Hence the need to overeat when you’re tired

Leptin is the second hormone. It’s the tells you when to stop eating—it’s the “I’m satisfied now” signal—and when we’re sleep deprived – you guessed it – we have less leptin.

So in a nutshell, the hormonal imbalance caused by sleep deprivation causes us to eat more, and sadly, typically we reach for the less nourishing food choices… as in the high-calorie, high sugar and salty snacks.

So what can you do?

Sleep needs vary from person to person, but in general, most adults thrive on 7 to 9 hours a night. Some people can do with less, and others require more.

So experiment with yourself and find out how many hours you need per night to feel fully rested and thriving. NOT how many hours you need in order to survive.

For example, just because you can drag yourself through your day on 6 hours of sleep doesn’t mean that is healthy for you.

Here’s how to get more sleep

1. For starters, it’s helpful to avoid caffeine after midday. Caffeine keeps you in the lighter stages of sleep during the night.

2. Move your body – moving your body helps improve sleep quality. So go for your daily stroll, so you can improve your nightly sleep.

3. Also, it’s helpful to avoid eating close to bedtime. Heavy or rich meals before bed increases the risk of heartburn. Who wants to be tossing and turning all night?

Finally, it’s useful to begin a night time routine—and stick to it. Switch off your smartphone, turn off the telly, and allow your body to start to relax at least 30 minutes before you actually want to drop off to sleep.

Sweet dreams!

I hope you found that helpful.

For more weekly tips and ways to make peace with food sign up below and you can always reach out on social media, and I’ll see you next week.

Sleep well and have a super day!

Hi there, welcome to your tip of the week to help you make peace with food.

This week’s tip is super simple and comes from a recent virtual gastric band client.

She was celebrating that she can now fit her wedding rings. Yay, right!

When I asked her what was the mindset tweak that made the difference in her journey. Her response surprised me:

It was….

Tiddler steps.

Really?!

I know right, it seems too simple.

But it makes sense.

We can accomplish anything, no matter how big, how grand, how distant if we break the journey into small enough steps.

Think about that.

She’s proof that by focusing on the next small step—not two months down the path, not next year, not three years from now—creates change.

She explained how by focusing only on the next step she was able to get around that fearful, critical, self-sabotaging voice in her head.

You know the one.

That negative voice that wants everything to be done right now. (like, yesterday!)

The way to outsmart that voice is to take super small steps.

Because even tiddler steps add up to radical change over time.

Ironically, that’s exactly why that fearful voice doesn’t want you to take small steps because it knows you will create change.

So over to you gorgeous.

What’s your next tiddler step?

What one small thing can you do today that would move you closer towards your happy shape and size?

Is it a seven minute walk at lunchtime? Is it drinking more water? Is it adding more veges to your dinner?

Often it’s the smallest tweak that creates flow and momentum.

Get clear on what your next small step is – and go do it now.

I hope you found that useful.

Have a super day!

A common theme with clients this week has been the impact of toxic relationships on their weight.

These clients have recognised that their comfort eating increases in direct response to the amount of time they spend with the ‘challenging’ people.

For some, it’s consistent unnecessary comments from their boss. For others it’s a repetitive nosey question from a family member.

It’s easy for an intrusive question to trigger that fearful part of us (that then wants to seek comfort in the pantry).

Here’s a tool that is a game-changer for handling those awkward moments that are so prevalent in day to day life.

Use this elegant tool so that you can stay calm, feel safe and reduce comfort eating.

It’s called Bean Dipping

Bean dipping is the art of redirecting conversations.

Like “have you tried this delicious bean-dip?”

For example:

Aunt Myrtle: “How’s your thesis coming along? You seem to be taking forever.”
You: “Thanks for asking Aunt Myrtle! It’s coming along great. Have you tried the hummus?”

Dad: “When’s your boyfriend going to make an honest woman of you?”
You: “All in good time, Dad! How’d your doctor appointment go?”

Mother: “Why don’t you hurry up and make me a grandmother?”
You: “Haha, you’re funny! How was your holiday, Mum?”

Sister: “How much did your flash new car set you back?”
You: “Worth every penny, sis! Where are you guys going for the school holidays?”

The idea is to give as little information as possible and immediately change the subject.

Some easy bean dip responses: the weather, sports stuff, or respond back with a question of your own.

Now, it’s totally up to you. You can talk to friends and family about personal stuff.

But if they’re judgy or you find it triggers you into panic (and next minute you’re elbow-deep in a packet of crisps)—stop sharing so openly!

Have fun with it.

Go try the bean dip today. It’s delicious, lol.

If you struggle with toxic people and your weight, the virtual gastric band hypnotherapy can help. Why not drop me a line so you can start to feel safe to become your happy shape and size.

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