How do you eat when you incorporate physical activity?

In our rushed lives, we do not often think about the following:

• When we eat 
• What we eat
• Why we eat
• How we eat

The idea behind mindful eating:

If we take the time to pay attention to our eating behaviors, we can control our weight more effectively by listening to the signal(s) that our body is sending each of us; commonly the signals of hunger and fullness. 

Understanding these signals can teach each of us to:

• Become more aware of the positive, nurturing opportunities created by food preparation and consumption
• Choose food that pleases you, nourishes your body and uses all your senses to explore, savor and taste
• Acknowledge your responses to food—likes, neutral or dislikes—without judgment.
• Let your awareness of physical hunger and satiety guide your decisions to start and stop eating. (Reproduced with permission from The Center of Mindful Eating© www.tcme.org.)

Engaging in physical activity may make many people feel free to eat as much as they like. I hear this statement quite often: “I know I can burn off the extra calories.” Unfortunately, this mindset turns eating into a mindless activity that encourages overconsumption; this mindset pays little attention to focusing on foods that will fuel the body for physical activity.

Remember to focus on the quality of your diet—foods and nutrients that energize the body and mind—not the quantity of calories they consume.

Practical Tips for Mindful Eating:

Wait Till Your Stomach is Empty or Almost Empty

• The first step to mindful eating is to eat only when your stomach is (almost) empty, or when you have a slight sense of hunger. This tends to be about 2-3 hours after the last time you eat something.

Mind Your Environment

When mealtime arrives, it’s important to dedicate all your attention to the food. So:

• Sit down, preferably at a table with a nice arrangement that appeals to you visually.
• Remove external distractions: no television, phone, tablet or computer.

Remember, it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to realize that your body is being fed. So, slow down. Wait until the food enters your stomach before you take the next bite; this will slow the pace of your eating and can prevent heartburn, acid reflux, stomachaches and some intestinal issues. More tips:

• Really chew “ about 15-30 times per mouthful.
• Stop eating when you feel about two-thirds full. This will help you tune in to your body’s satiety signals. Because you’ve been enjoying your food, you’ll start feeling full more quickly.
• Ask yourself why before you eat that second helping: Is it hunger or habit?

Remember, mindful eating takes practice. Your mind will start to wander so you constantly need to pause and refocus.  The practice of mindful eating will help reinforce and remind us how powerful the mind/body connection really is, and that the practice of mindful eating can improve your physical and mental health and overall well-being.  If you are a client of mine, you have heard me speak of the mind/muscle connection within your exercise; now we are applying it to your nutrition.

Zeke Samples, IFA, CSN, CPR, IDEA

Surreal Body Solutions, LLC

803.322.7649

www.SurrealBodySolutions.com 

& contributing health and exercise author

Personal Training | Nutrition | Supplements | Motivation

6 Various Tips to Get You Healthier Starting Today!

Goals?  I don't like that word..
Goals can be made and then outcomes can be good or bad.
You may not reach your goal, and then find yourself settling on the outcome.
I approve of the word: Achievement

Achievement, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is to accomplish; a result, gained by effort. No matter how small the steps are or how large the project to reach your achievement (not goal) will become, small changes can add up to a huge impact on our health.  To help you take the first step(s) toward improving your health, I have outlined my top 5 steps for improving your health...today.

1) Take the Stairs !
Taking the stairs is (literally) one of the best places to start. They can add up to have a big impact on weight-reduction, cardio health, and energy. 

Did you know that climbing just two flights of stairs a day can lead to 5 pounds of weight loss per year! That's 17,500 calories ! (1 pound of fat equals 3500 calories)

2) Don’t Skip Meals, Especially Breakfast
Ok...So I am beating a dead horse because I blogged on this last week.. but it matters !! 
Skipping meals, especially breakfast, will cause you to forfeit an opportunity to kick start your metabolism and may lead you to consuming more calories on the days you skip meals. Consuming small snacks between meals–instead of simply eating three large meals per day–can increase your metabolism and curb your hunger.

3) Stay Hydrated

A few of the benefits of staying hydrated include:
• Improved weight loss efforts (organs function optimal when given proper hydration)
• Increased Mental and Physical Energy
• Illness Prevention

Making up more than 60% of our total body weight, water is clearly a critical component to our health and immune system.  

4) Breathe!
Many of us forget that oxygen is the most important chemical in our body.  Proper breathing can make the heart stronger, improve weight loss efforts, boost energy levels and stamina, and increase blood-flow and circulation.

5) Skip Dessert…Unless It’s Fruit…or Dark Chocolate
Reducing or eliminating simple sugars from your diet is a good way to lower your risk for excess weight gain, diabetes and heart disease. Many baked confections and desserts contain trans fats; fats that should be avoided. Alternatives can be a bowl of fruit or a piece of dark chocolate. Dark chocolate contains phenols. What are phenols? Phenols have been found to help lower blood pressure, while the flavanols in dark chocolate help keep LDL cholesterol from becoming oxidized, leading to the clogging up of the coronary artery walls.

6) Nap
Do you feel like you are not getting enough sleep? National studies show that Americans are becoming more and more sleep deprived. There are countless negative side effects of sleep deprivation, and in turn, many links to how individual health can be the culprit of sleep deprivation, such as sleep apnea.
Alertness and physical performance can be improved by napping, and so too can our psychological well being. Furthermore, sleep deprivation can also cause your hormones to fluctuate, which can result in unnecessary weight gain.
Remember, no matter how busy you are, sleep is not a luxury, it is a priority. If you can only do it on the weekends, that is better than none. Give it a try when you are able to do so.

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA Personal Trainer

Fitness and Wellness Author

Surrealbody@gmail.com

The Benefits of Learning Proper Breathing

Has your workout been so difficult that you have trouble catching your breath?

Oxygen is the most important chemical in our body. 70% of our bodies ‘waste products’ are removed through breathing.

Think of all the deep breathing classes or reasons; there are so many! ..Prepping for child birth, meditation, lower anxiety, exercise, running, athletics; the list goes on and on..

Breathing can help calm and stimulate the nervous system and release tension from frustration, stress and anger. Because of its ability to help ease tension, breathing exercises can help bring clarity to the mind and body.

Benefits of Proper Breathing

Stronger Heart

Lungs will be more efficent with deeper breathing.  More oxygen and less work on the heart is the result. when it comes to delivering oxygen to the body’s tissue. Enhancing your differential in pressure in the lungs leads to increased elasticity, circulation and enhanced air flow; the heart will not bear such a burden as it had prior to this regimen.

Weight Control (assistance)

When overweight, the extra oxygen taken in via breathing exercises can help burn excess fat more efficiently. If you are underweight, the extra oxygen can help to feed the deprived tissues/glands in the body.

Boosting energy levels and improving stamina, breathing from the diaphragm or 'belly breathing' assists with our energy and stamina.

Enhance your Overall Wellness with a Few of these Exercises

 Natural Breathing

1. Sit or stand while maintaining good posture.
2. Inhale, through your nose, filling first the lower part of your lungs then the middle part, then the upper part.
3. Hold your breath for a few seconds.
4. Slowly exhale! Relax your abdomen and chest.

Deep Breathing

1. Lie flat on your back or sit in a comfortable chair, maintaining good posture. Ensure that your body is as relaxed as possible. Close your eyes.
2. Breathe through your nose.
3. Now place one hand on your abdomen and one on your chest.
4. Deeply inhale and slowly through your nose into your abdomen. You should feel your abdomen rise with this inhalation and your chest should move only a little.
5. Keeping your mouth, tongue, and jaw relaxed, exhale through your mouth
6. Relax as you focus on the sound and feeling of long, slow, deep breaths.

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA

Surrealbody@gmail.com