How To Avoid The Covid 15

Sep 13

The power of stress to pull even the most committed exercisers and healthiest eaters off their fitness tracks should not be underestimated. I’ve experienced these detours and have witnessed them among friends and clients countless times. I think it’s fair to say that most people would describe their current stress level as high and unprecedented, and that a major part of the problem is that relief is nowhere in sight. It’s well known that extended periods of stress cause damaging cortisol and inflammation levels to surge, aging to accelerate, dangerous belly fat to accumulate, and the risk of acquiring a host of health problems to rapidly increase.

People usually do their best to cope and yet coping often includes some form of self medicating. This is to be expected and when kept in check isn’t problematic. Who doesn’t want an extra drink or chocolate bar when life’s vicissitudes are hard to bear?

While a few respond to chronic stress with under eating, the vast majority of us use food to help make it through uncertain and painful periods. Eating tasty food feels good and the human brain is wired to want to feel good. The problem is that food is not an effective long-term solution for meeting emotional needs, and you will get fat and food-dependent by trying to make it into one! Food, like drugs and alcohol, can be powerfully addictive. Repeatedly relying on food as an antidote to stress results in emotional eating becoming a habit that is hard-wired in your brain.

Aside from keeping weight in check, eating well is critical to your well being. After all, you really are what you eat! The functional, structural and storage biochemicals that we physically consist of are made up of the protein, fat and carbohydrates that we eat. To be healthy, you must be able to replace what you use up each day in your life’s activities. If you don’t consistently restore (replace) yourself with quality food and rest, your health and metabolism will eventually decline. Being under an extended period of stress is akin to having your car always on overdrive. Eventually you damage the engine(metabolism) and run out of gas(exhaustion).

Decreasing emotional eating and upping your ability to restore yourself requires the two-pronged approach of mindful awareness and simply eating better. Mindfulness- being non judgmentally self aware in present time- can interrupt automatic programming (habits) and deter emotion-based decisions allowing for greater awareness, self-reflection, and more conscious choices.

In my view Yogic eating is an ideal solution to emotional eating because it’s balanced and accessible, and, most importantly, non punishing by allowing room to include and enjoy all food. Yogic eating is effective because it’s yoga-based. Yoga is a Middle Way teaching, based not on fanaticism or stoicism but balance. The Middle Way is a Buddhist term for the balanced path of life attained by reconciling extremes in thought, attitude and action. Not chaos or dullness, but calmness. Not gorging or starving, but moderation. Yogic eating is part philosophy and part practical guidelines and is all about being aware and intentional.

Of course like many things that are easier said than done, making healthy choices when you feel anxiety, despair, fear, and hopelessness is challenging! The following body-mind-spirit practices and tools can help make what’s daunting possible.

Time tested strategies to help place you more firmly on a wellness track

1. Not expecting it to be easy. If it were you would be doing it already.

2. Practice loving and accepting yourself exactly where you are now!

3. Avoid extremes and make small, doable changes that are sustainable.

3. Support yourself with firm, reasonable discipline and gentle compassion.

Eight ways to manage stress-induced cravings

1. Keep a food diary- know and be responsible for when, what, and how much you’re eating.

2. Eat regularly spaced meals that include protein, healthy fat, and whole, fiber rich carbs.

3. Try crave-reducing supplements- magnesium, fish oil, chromium, glutamine, probiotics.

4. Sleep -poor sleep increases hunger hormones.

5. Wait out the craving with a 5-10 minute food free activity -breathing, walking, meditating etc.

6. Give in and slowly enjoy a guilt free portion of whatever you’re craving.