Part 20 (2/2)

The calories in casual, mindless eating add up. I know a woman who drank a gla.s.s of milk every night before bed for years. She didn't need that milk; she had just become used to it. She decided to make herself break the habit and lost twelve pounds.

I changed my mindless eating habits to mindful ones by making the commitment to myself that every piece of food I put in my mouth would be a conscious decision. This is harder than it sounds. The way to begin is by paying attention to how many items you are tempted to put in your mouth only because the food is there.

Few of us can do it by willpower alone. We need to call on G.o.d to help us be mindful at all times. But here are a few tips helpful for breaking the casual, mindless eating habit: * Pay attention to how you feel after you eat junk food.

* Pay attention to how you feel after you eat too much.

* Break the habit of snacking while you work or watch TV.

* Eat slowly.

* Turn off the ”Bargain Detector”: you don't need to buy and eat something because it's a good deal.

* Don't eat something just because someone fixed it for you and they want you to eat it.

* Only eat when you are truly hungry and not just because you happen to see some food.

We must keep our guard up against this constant whisper to eat, eat, eat. Mindful eating is as important to looking and feeling great as eating the right foods.

Mindful eating is as important to looking and feeling great as eating the right foods.

CHAPTER 85.

Steer Clear of Cortisol Stress is simply anything that occurs that requires us to react. Our body responds by sending hormones like adrenaline and cortisol through the blood to improve our performance level. Our breathing and heart rate increase, which means more fuel for the muscles and brain. We think faster, react quicker, and have extra strength. This is great, if the stressor is infrequent and if we have some outlet for reacting: running, delivering a sensational performance on stage, or some other way of being active. However, all too often in the modern world we have no physical outlet for the stress. Our boss yells at us in a meeting, we have a fight with our spouse, and we can do nothing but sit there, hormones surging, arteries taking a beating, blood supercharged with oxygen, all bottled up. Constant stress can hand you a quick ticket to the grave. Stick your car in neutral in your driveway, press the gas pedal to the floor, and see how long it takes for your engine to overheat.

When we experience stress the best thing we can do is what our bodies are screaming at us to do anyway: move!

When we experience stress (and let's face it, most of us deal with it every day) the best thing we can do is what our bodies are screaming at us to do anyway: move! Exercise is the best stress-reducer known to man. It burns up that extra adrenaline and gets our bodies back to a relaxed state, which means you can spend your night sleeping instead of seething. Prayer is the other great stress reliever. Taking your problems to G.o.d and trusting Him for answers, protection, and provision replaces pressure with peace.

CHAPTER 86.

Make It Easy Most human beings want everything fast, but G.o.d is not in a hurry. He is in this with you for the long haul. He will deliver you from all your bondages little by little. It takes a long time to get our lives into a mess, and it will take some time to see things turned around. Don't be too hard on yourself, especially in the beginning. You have a lot to learn and absorb.

The biggest favor you can do yourself is to not have unrealistic expectations or you will probably end up discouraged. People who try to fix everything that is wrong in one week often give up. Remember, these changes are supposed to last a lifetime.

I have found the secret to success in any long-term project is to make it as easy as possible. You don't need to push yourself to the limit every day of your life unless you're training for the Olympics. You will improve simply by doing something regularly. For most of us, the rewards have to clearly outweigh the inconvenience. All you care about is the outcome, and you don't get extra points for toughness or extreme willpower, so don't make things extra hard on yourself.

I am not saying a new program will always be easy, because it won't. Breaking old bad habits and making new good ones usually present challenges. You will definitely have to resist the temptation to give up at times and be willing to press on during those times when your progress isn't going as fast as you would like. Keeping your commitment to yourself to spend time shopping for and preparing right food items to eat and beginning to exercise regularly will take effort. I am saying you can make it as easy on yourself as possible.

You can do a number of things to make your new lifestyle a relatively painless adjustment. In fact, it pays to start thinking early about the context in which you'll be introducing your new habits. If you are going to start walking a mile a day, try to pick a time when you won't feel pressure not to do it. Arranging your life so your new healthy habits fit right in is a key to long-term commitment. Don't tackle so many things at once that you feel overwhelmed and give up after a short period of time.

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