Buddha is not a name but a word that means “a person who is awake”. Are you awake? Or are you running on autopilot most of the time? If you’re awake, then that state of “mindfulness” can help you with weight loss and your overall health.
We live in a world that has us more and more distracted by all the information coming at us constantly. Because of that, we hear a lot of talk about being more mindful. And I’ve learned over the years that our health is greatly affected by how mindful we are. So let’s start by defining mindfulness.
What does mindfulness mean?
I like the definition given by the Greater Good Science Center of Berkely:
“Maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment” with acceptance and without judgment.
This means that we’re aware of what’s going on in our brain and body at any given moment but we don’t have to label or judge it. That awareness takes us out of autopilot and allows us to think before we act which helps us to make healthier decisions. I’ve learned firsthand how important this is for my own health.
Without this awareness, weight loss and health are much harder to achieve and maintain. That’s because losing weight and choosing health is mostly a mindset that starts with understanding how we feel and what our triggers are.
We spend a lot of time wrestling with our thoughts and feelings about making healthy choices. Being mindful clues us in to the triggers that tempt us to do unhealthy things. When we understand those, we can learn to deal with them rationally to achieve weight loss and better health.
How mindfulness helps with healthy eating
When it comes to eating there’s a lot more involved than just hunger. Many times we eat simply because we’re bored, stressed out, tired, or having fun with friends. So we’re eating because of our emotions not because we’re actually hungry. In other words, we’re not being mindful of our motivations.
This is a big problem, especially when we’re not aware that it’s happening. If you can develop mindfulness for what you’re feeling, you can start to ask yourself some questions. These questions will help you to sort out the real reason why you’re eating.
Related article: “10 Motivational tools to maintain weight loss and health”.
How to recognize emotional eating
When you’ve had a stressful day at work, what do you feel like doing as soon as you leave the office or get home? I know my answer. First I feel like eating junk food, then maybe having some alcohol and sitting on my butt in front of the tv zoning out!
If you feel the same way, then you’re engaging in emotional eating (and drinking) which will just sabotage your health goals. So before you break open the bag of chips, you need to stop and think, then ask yourself a few questions.
-
- Am I really hungry or just craving salt, sugar, or fat to make me feel better emotionally?
- If I really am hungry, then won’t a healthy snack or meal with actual nutrients in it satisfy me more?
- Do I want to live to eat or eat to live? Living to eat means your life revolves around food for enjoyment and comfort rather than fuel.
If you give yourself that minute to think before giving in to your cravings, you’ll snap out of autopilot and can actually help yourself. Food and drink aren’t the answers to dealing with those feelings.
How to deal with emotions instead
There are plenty of healthy ways to deal with emotions. For example, if you’re feeling stressed out, exercise can help. Studies have shown that 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise can help people feel calmer. And that feeling continues for several hours after the exercise.
And on top of that, getting outside in a natural setting to exercise is an even better way to ease stress. Running on a treadmill indoors is helpful, but running outdoors will make you feel even better.
Experiment to become more mindful of how different activities make you feel and choose what works best for you. Exercise may not be what you “feel” like doing, but do it anyway and pay attention to how you feel afterward.
Getting together with friends is another great way to ease stress and problem-solve. You just need to make sure you’re not engaging in unhealthy activities every time you do this!
Meditation can also be a very helpful way to deal with emotions and there are different types. One is even called mindfulness meditation. But meditation in general has been proven to lower stress for those who practice it consistently.
Over the years I’ve learned that mindfulness is a major key to helping me maintain my weight and stick with my health goals. Being on autopilot is NOT helpful!
How mindfulness can help with mental health
Besides helping us with our eating, mindfulness can help us with our mental health too. Being mindful means being fully present in whatever situation you find yourself in. That means not thinking about the past or the future, or where you think you would rather be instead.
Being mindful also means not judging a situation with any preconceived ideas you may have. Most of the time we’re disappointed in life simply because we had certain expectations that didn’t materialize. Try to accept each situation for what it is and learn what you can from it.
Choosing to be open-minded and accepting will help you make the most out of events you’re not excited about. Try looking at them as opportunities rather than obligations or duties. Take an interest in the people and experiences you’re presented with so you can learn from them and build better relationships.
I don’t always look forward to events we’re invited to. But I’ve learned that when I make up my mind to be fully engaged, I find it more enjoyable. I make it my goal to pick out a few people to interact with and get to know better and I end up feeling like it was all worth it.
So stop checking your phone and be interested in the people and events around you! When you work harder at relationships, you end up feeling much more fulfilled. And it’s a fact that people with better social relationships live longer, healthier lives.
Mindfulness and a healthy lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle generally refers to several different aspects of life. And mindfulness can help you make better choices in all those areas. Exercise, alcohol consumption and food temptations are all areas that could be improved upon with this practice.
How to be mindful about exercise
If I considered only my feelings and not logic or reason, then I would almost never get up and exercise! I would be content to just sit in my chair all day working on the computer, reading, or just watching tv. So I don’t let my feelings control my actions. I do what I need to do for a healthy body, but then I pay attention to how I feel when I’m done.
Since I’ve been practicing mindfulness for years now I know that when I’m done exercising I feel really good about accomplishing it! Mentally I feel proud that I did something that wasn’t easy, and my body feels stronger after exercising. So that reinforces my habit of getting up and working out.
Reminding yourself of why you exercise every day is a good way to be mindful of your intentions and actions. But I would also suggest getting in the habit of writing down how you feel after you’ve finished your workout. Then you can look back on those notes in a month or so and notice any recurring thoughts or emotions.
Like me, you may start to notice that you mostly feel good after working out. That in itself is a reward! Those good feelings will help you keep the faith and keep doing what you know you should be doing.
Related article: Essentials for an inspiring home gym.
Mindfulness about alcohol consumption
When it comes to drinking alcohol you really have to be mindful. It’s easy to start drinking with friends or family and just keep drinking until you’re either not feeling well or too tired to care!
I know from being mindful that if I have one glass of wine I feel good. But if I have two glasses of wine I start to feel pretty crappy! Because of this, I usually stop at one. If I don’t, then I try to drink a glass of water in-between the two glasses of wine. Mindfulness helps you make rules to keep yourself on track!
What is your goal when you start drinking? Is it to drink as much as possible, or to enjoy your friends along with a little alcohol? Think about your goals and be mindful of the calories you’ll be taking in. Do you know what your beverage of choice contains? Do you know how long it will take to work those off?
These are all great mindfulness questions to ask yourself if you want to avoid over-consumption and weight gain!
Related article: What to drink (and not drink) for better health.
Mindfulness about food
This is one of those issues that comes up at every family get-together. The holidays are a perfect example. There’s too much food sitting out for long periods of time. And most of it is NOT healthy. So it’s just too tempting for most people to handle and we tend to overindulge, especially on the junk.
Mindfulness definitely helped me get this problem under control! Now when I go home for the holidays I tell myself that I’m not there for the food but to spend time with family members I don’t see often. I also try to sit in a room without food on display! That helps to remove temptation.
Being mindful takes practice but it does get easier over time!
Related article: Tips for a healthy holiday season.
My final thoughts
Very simply, mindfulness means being aware of what’s going on in your body and mind at any given moment. When you can do that, it’s easier to figure out what’s motivating you. That makes it easier to plan ahead to make healthier decisions and set up your environment to help you rather than sabotage you.
Start paying attention to what you’re feeling when you have cravings or when you’re thinking about exercising. Notice how you respond to being around your friends or family members. Being mindful of your thoughts and actions is the first step to changing your behaviors.
Mindfulness helped me with my own weight loss but even more importantly with my continuing weight maintenance. It also helps me to live a healthier lifestyle in general. If you want more help with understanding and practicing mindfulness, check out mindful.org.
I can also help you with mindfulness and understanding your motivations in my online health coaching program. I designed the program to help others achieve weight loss and better health just like I did. Sometimes it helps to have a mentor for guidance instead of going it alone.
Tell me in the comments below how being more mindful has helped you with your health goals.