Do the rules around what you can and cannot eat make your head spin?
Is your happiness tied into the numbers on your scale?
Do you beat yourself up if you don’t get your daily exercise or run in?
I think we all know that trying to live up to the weight loss industry propaganda is simply not creating sustainably healthy humans.
The multi-billion dollar business covers everything from commercial weight loss chains, meal replacements products, prescription obesity drugs, and weight loss surgeries to name a few.
Do you find this EXTREME-ness sad, frustrating, depressing?
Society promotes the idea that being thin equals being attractive and successful. This in turn creates patterns of body dissatisfaction which results in eating disorders, unnecessary use of pharmaceuticals and even the drastic options of elective surgery….
Really? These are the choices? These are the choices to SUCCESSFUL weight management?
These fads do not create or support a healthy, balanced life-style. And the reality is, for most of us these so-called solutions result in us relapsing into old habits with weight creeping back on and the emotional outfall of disappointment and shame. This yo-yo pattern between thin and not so thin has certainly been my struggle and I’ve tried lots of different diets and exercise programs to lose the weight over the years. I’ve suffered with shame, apparent failure and the guilt, anxiety and frustration of always TRYING to balance my weight.
And then something changed!
Through my studies of Ayurveda, I learned what I need to be HEALTHY not THIN and this realization has been my most recent SUCCESS.
The highly profitable weight-loss industry defines the problem as ‘too much weight’ while Ayurveda defines the problem as ‘too much heavy’. This subtle, yet profound distinction makes all the difference. In the simplest terms, too much heavy is static, bulky and dense as we see in excess body tissue.
The wisdom of Ayurveda tells us opposite qualities bring balance. Therefore, light and mobile qualities will offset the heavy and static qualities bringing equilibrium.
So how does that work? What does this look like?
Light and mobile looks like CHANGING THINGS UP! Being SPONTANEOUS! Expanding our comfort zone……. NO AUTO-PILOT.
Light and mobile is being loose, agile, adaptable, easy, and moving. Fun movement and simple steps to support digestion keep things interesting and the uplifting energy and vitality of spontaneity keeps me inspired.
Here are a few easy, everyday tips to keeping your life-style choices light, fresh and fun!
Action gets you Traction
- go for it and change things up for more fun….
- go for a brisk walk,
- join a running group,
- clean your house while grooving to your favourite music,
- park at the far edge of the parking lot,
- skip the elevator and take the stairs,
- give piggy back rides,
- shovel the snow or cut the grass,
- how long since you’ve tobogganed, ice-skated, played hopscotch or skipped double dutch?
- Remember that sweat = melted fat! Just add some consistent movement and get sweating.
Digestion Suggestions
- decrease your food intake…… even just a little, small changes add up over time to big changes,
- chew your food well,
- add some spicy herbs to your favourite dish — ginger, hot peppers, cayenne, cinnamon, mustard, or horse radish to name a few,
- eat your largest meal at noon when the sun is the strongest. As without, so within!
- and try to decrease eating when the sun goes down. Digestion is strongest during the daylight hours!
An interesting study shows that eating exactly the same food during the daylight hours increases the ability to burn fat and reduces appetite levels and hunger hormones.
Being SPONTANEOUS really is the key for me as I often fell off the “weight-loss” wagon because the journey to ‘thin’ was a huge slog and really not that much fun. Seriously, running marathons and eating salads is not always a barrel of laughs!
The Blessings of Heavy
When in balance, those more naturally ‘heavy’ are usually more naturally strong, grounded, stable, and compassionate. They will always be a little curvier because that is their nature – they just need a break-out dance party every so often.
Life-style changes take time, but we all know that small changes add up to create new habits. And it’s the new habits that create the sustainable results.
Sometimes we need a coach who has been there to support the journey. Contact me if you would like to learn more about ‘too much heavy’ and how Ayurveda can help!
P.S., here is the link to that Mealtime Study I mentioned above, super interesting!
