Mindfulness for body shrinking

It's not fair for me to say in my previous post: "Losing weight is so easy" without going a little further into how we can make it easier on ourselves.

I've got one word for you: mindfulness.

Mindfulness is all about making conscious choices. Being mindful doesn't necessarily thinking more. I found a great excerpt from Wildmind Buddhist Meditation website that discusses the differences between awareness vs. mindfulness.
"We sometimes (me included) talk about “mindfulness” and “awareness” as if they were interchangeable terms, but that’s not a good habit to get into. I may be aware I’m irritable, but that wouldn’t mean I was being mindful of my irritability. In order to be mindful I have to be purposefully aware of myself, not just vaguely and habitually aware. Knowing that you are eating is not the same as eating mindfully."

And to go a little further, here is some more explanation of mindfulness in practice. The below is taken from www.spiritualintelligence.com

"Mindfulness, a powerful tool for spiritual awakening and growth, is used frequently in both psychotherapy and spiritual/religious practice. Mindfulness creates a quiet place where our best qualities can flower. Intuition, insight, gratitude, patience and enthusiasm all take root in the quiet space of mindfulness.

The practice of mindfulness is necessary because many of our behaviors and thoughts are automatic. After we have learned a behavior, such as brushing our teeth or driving a car, we are able to duplicate that behavior without a great deal of conscious effort. For example, it is quite possible to eat a meal mindlessly while engaged in reading a newspaper or an interesting discussion.

In Buddhist tradition mindfulness is a path to liberation from ego and automatic behavior, bringing one closer to a true perception of reality. In Judaism and Christianity mindfulness serves a similar function and also leads to a fuller appreciation for the majesty of God–Source of All, inviting the expression of blessings and prayers of thanksgiving.

In psychotherapy mindfulness is often a first step in the healing process."

It is my firm belief that much of our personal struggles comes from a lack of mindfulness. And losing weight is really about mindfulness in our food choices. We all have areas of our lives where it's easier to be mindful. We all struggle in our own ways and need to shine some light on different areas of our lives. For some it's food related. But the ONLY way to make permanent change in ourselves in by increasing our self awareness.

To lose weight and keep it off, mindfulness has to be an ongoing priority. Not mindfulness in terms of calorie counting, weighing food or rigid diet regimens. Mindfulness as a way of life. Nobody's perfect and being mindful all the time would put us in the same league of the Dalai Lama. The more mindful we are in life, the harder it is to make choices that take us away from what really matters to us. Diets and fads take us into the micro. They aren't going to help us see the big picture cause of our struggles.

Yes sometimes that glass of red wine really matters but maybe not that slice of pie or that half baguette that went with it. Maybe that chocolate bar at 3PM really isn't doing what you thought it was doing for you when you tune into your body.

I'm no spiritual guru so here's a list of a couple resorces that can help improve mindfulness:

The Ultimate Happiness Prescription: Deepak Chopra
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, Eckhart Tolle
Mindful Eating, Jan Chozen Bays
The Artists Way, Julia Cameron
MIndful Awareness Research Centre: Download guided meditations from 3 minutes in length

We all have to discover our own way of becoming more mindful. For some it's regular meditation. For others is psychotherapy and still for others it's solo run. But physical activity that requires REALLY tuning into the body, paying attention to how the body feels and controlling movement patterns to improve body mechanics can also be a super first step.

And any personal trainer worth spending money on should be helping you with the above as well as getting you fit.

Now it's time for to get on with some more mindfulness in my life and some baby steps towards regular meditation. I've got my own stuff to work on too!!