Climate Control #2

Hot Weather means different body needs.

Winter eating habits are for the winter- our needs change with the seasons.

In summer heat your body works harder to keep you comfortable and so it has less energy to digest food. Sure, you can go into air conditioning and eat a heavy meal. But when you leave, you will feel sluggish. That puts a damper on enjoyment and lowers productivity.

I live in NYC and the heat for the past 3 days has been over 100 degrees setting all kinds of records. Heat affects us in so many ways- besides the obvious sweating and discomfort- really hot weather impacts our appetite. We instinctively eat less or lighter foods in hot weather.

This sounds good for losing weight, but the problem is that a lot of us live with air conditioning. When you’re cooled off, a big hot steak, and a piece of heavy cake looks appetizing. Ouch.

Don't be fulled into eating by climate control!

Sharpen your 6th sense in the summer heat by using  intuitive self-defense, called Foresight.

Foresight is looking ahead of the consequences of what you're about to do.

Ask yourself:

How will I feel if I eat this now?

Do I want it?

What can I eat that will help my body be comfortable in this heat? 

The more you use foresight the more aware you will be of your intuition.  It's intuitive to stay in sync with our body. Tune in to your summer body. 

• It's stressful to fight with your body and it's painful to ignore it. 
  • Be good to your body in the heat.
    

• Eat celery. It's full of minerals and natural salts you lose through perspiring.

• Drink coconut water because it replaces electrolytes.

• When you're eating in air conditioning use a smaller plate to hold your food and smaller utensils. This is a way to achieve portion control without thinking about it.
  

Extreme heat also effects us emotionally. Temperatures can shorten, and moods can dip. Emotions that make you eat destructively or want to give up are not intuitive. Intuitively you want the best for your self. That's your intuitive self-defense.

A good summer habit is to sip water while working or relaxing.

Be careful of fruit drinks because they often are as sugary as soda. 

What our body wants when we are hot, is water. 

If you don’t like the taste of water, then try some of these tricks: 

•  Put about an inch of fruit juice in your glass and fill the rest with water. If it’s available, add ice to help you cool down. Plus, a chilled drink may taste better to you. 
• Keep some herbal/fruity iced tea in the fridge. 
• Many herbal teas have raspberry or other fruits in them. Since it’s hot to make tea, if you have the time, any tea can be made in advance by just placing tea bags in a pitcher of water, and letting it sit in a sunny window for a few hours or overnight. The flavor will automatically seep out of the bag and into the water. Sweeten your tea with fruit juice. 
• A slice of lemon or lime can make a glass of water a drink. Lemon or lime with a few tablespoons of juice mixed with water is very refreshing. 
• Put a half teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water. 
• The vinegar is not as acidic as lemon and it will make your mouth feel clean and refreshed. Plus, may people consider apple cider vinegar to be a health tonic.  Some small studies have hinted that apple cider vinegar could help with several conditions, such as diabetes and obesity.

Use the hot summer months to eat differently and see how your body responds. Trust your instinct to eat light and you will feel lighter.

Notice how you feel and use intuition to protect yourself.  Learn to eat intuitively.

#janebernard

Diet or Eat Intuitively?

Are you ready to let go of the stress of having to think about every thing you eat in terms of calories, portion control or programs?
Are you ready to eat for energy and good health?  

If you answered 'yes' to the above questions, you're ready to eat intuitively. 

Classic dieting doesn't work. It's a fact that 95% of dieters re-gain their weight. Diets create stress that rolls into all aspects of your life. 

Dieting:

• causes emotional dependency on program structure.   
•  creates dependency on calorie counting.
• makes you doubt yourself which sabotages self-esteem.
• claims to know more about your body than you do. 
• sabotages your relationships by creating stress at mealtime.

Intuitive eaters maintain their healthy weight. Eating intuitively is liberating. 
Intuitive eating:

•  is a focus on your how your body feels, what you value, and your personal goals. 
• means you're the expert. 
• brings an open relationship with food and eating that is flexible. 
• has no emotional component so you enjoy eating. 
• can bring new life to your relationships. 

When you make the choice to be an intuitive eater, you begin. Yep, it's that easy.  
Doing what you really believe takes courage. Making the choice is like turning a corner. The fact is: eating intuitively is a choice.
 

Intuition helps control of your eating because it keeps you clear about your priorities and your boundaries. That protects you.

Using intuition means, emotions don't rule, you do! When clarity is the foundation of your efforts to be your healthy weight, it happens. 

Everything you do takes effort, and every effort you make creates results. Be clear about your eating goals, and you will achieve them.  Make the choice.

  

“Life is the sum of all your choices.” Albert Camus

How to be an intuitive eater is made clear when you read Am I Really Hungry? The website has answers and the book tells you exactly how to take control of your choices, intuitively.

What are you craving?

July 4th is Independence Day. 

It's intuitive to crave freedom.

For intuitive eaters, freedom's not just another word. Freedom is self-control.  It's eating what you want, when you're hungry. No rules, no pressure to eat what you don't like. It's positively relaxing.

It's human to have cravings.

We crave love, sex, chocolate, money, happiness, understanding, affection, good health, companionship or a new pair of shoes. The list is personal. When you have a craving and your eyes look at food, ask your self, Am I really hungry? Most cravings are not for food, they're social.

Eating intuitively puts you in control of your choices. It's trusting and listening to your body. Instead of planning what to eat in advance, intuitive eater's look at food options and ask, Am I really hungry?

If you believe you're craving food, eat protein. People who diet are usually hungry for protein. Fruit and salad won't satisfy you if you need protein. Eat a handful of almonds or walnuts if you're on the run, and your body will relax and the craving will be satisfied. Nuts are a dense protein that take time for your body to metabolize.  When you eat what you need, suddenly there's time and freedom for other cravings to be satisfied- even if it's as simple as craving a good nights sleep.

 The 15 Minute Solution is about candy and craving.  It's a method you can trust to know if you're craving is social. Do you want affection or another piece of pie? Take control of your craving and feel some relief from the pressure. Connect with a freedom from cravings.

When you're alone and craving a container of chocolate ice cream, use The 3 Minute Rule, and you'll realize that you know what you want.

When you feel trapped by cravings, it's an uncomfortable gnawing inside. As you practice eating intuitively you'll know yourself better, and free yourself from cravings. When you recognize what's pushing your buttons and use your intuitive tools to keep an open mind, you make choices that bring long-term satisfaction.

When you are in sync with yourself, you always find choices. Ask yourself, Am I really hungry for food? and if you're not sure, give yourself the freedom to say, no. 

Take the plunge. Keep an open mind. Tune into yourself and eat intuitively. Nobody craves a ball and chain and restrictive dieting is a ball and chain. Nobody wants to feel trapped and when you don't feel in control of yourself, you feel trapped. Give yourself a chance.

Happy Independence Day from New York City!

Let the golden lights of the fireworks shine a path of eating freedom for you.