Summer Weight Loss Tips
Many people come to me asking for help losing weight. While acupuncture can help you control cravings and portion sizes, losing weight won’t happen over night. But here are a few simple tips you can try to get started:
1. Drink water and herbal tea ONLY. No juice, no soda, no diet soda, no alcohol, no vitamin water, etc.
2. Eat SLOWLY. Force yourself if you have to. Part of this is to breathe, pray, give thanks, stop for a second, whatever works for you, before you start eating to put yourself in the right frame of mind. Then when you eat, thoroughly chew your food. Savor every little bit of it. One trick is to try to eat with chopsticks.
3. Eat smaller portions. Eating slowly will help this because you’ll feel fuller faster, but be mindful of how much food is going into your body and how much is coming out. If one is significantly more than the other, chances are your body isn’t fully processing your food and could be storing a good deal of it.
Another problem people face is WHAT to eat. I think about this all the time myself. One helpful resource I’ve found is Whole Foods recipe finder:
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/
As many problems as I have with Whole Foods the store, I love some of these recipes. And they’re free! Check out the find/browse function and sort by category, special diet, or ingredient.
Losing weight is something we all can do, we just have to decide to put forth the effort to make it happen. It won’t come without change. Decide that you really want to lose those 15, 30, 50 pounds and put a plan in place to make it happen. Stay relaxed, stress free, happy and active, be conscious about your food choices, and you can make those pounds melt away.
Emotional Freedom
Probably the most important factor related to health is the free flowing of emotions into and out of your body. Too often we suppress anger, resentment, bitterness, even joy at the risk of upsetting people or seeming like a “bad person.” It’s important to take time to understand your emotions and what you’re feeling. How do you feel? Where is that feeling coming from? What do you honestly think about that person or situation and why is it making you feel the way you feel?
When you start listening to your heart there’s no telling what you’ll hear. Understanding what you need in life and what will make you happy is the first step to attaining that happiness.
Sometimes people find being creative helps unleash their hidden thoughts and emotions- writing, drawing, singing, dancing, even making scrap books is a way to express what’s going on under the surface. Others find that exercise works, or building something. Still others find talk therapy or hypnosis effective.
Whatever you need to do, find an outlet for your emotions and feel them in a safe place. Learn to be comfortable with them and yourself. Learn to understand what’s really going on so you can learn what you need from life. You’ll be surprised what you get if you just ask for it.
Exercise
Exercise doesn’t mean going to the gym and forcing yourself to use that treadmill, lift those weights, or do just one more push up. Exercise means moving your body in an enjoyable way. It should be fun and rewarding. Find an activity that works for you – dancing, biking, skating, swimming, yoga, martial arts, walking. Whatever exercise speaks to you will be what your body needs.
Don’t over do it. Exercising every day for 3-5 hours a day can be just as damaging as not exercising at all. Ideally you should exercise 3-4 days a week for at least an hour each day. Some exercises require more time, others less. Listen to your body and push yourself just enough so you will feel refreshed and satisfied at the end of your routine, not exhausted.
If you can’t find the time to exercise, try to incorporate 5-10 minutes of deep breathing and/or stretching into your day. When you first wake up or before bed are the easiest times. You’ll find doing this helps you relax and calm your brain as well as your body.
What Do You Need to Stay Healthy?
Health is a relative term composed of many factors, many of which differ depending on the individual. What you need may be completely different than your friends or your family. Some basics, however, always stay the same.
