You are how YOU eat.

I have a confession to make; I am a terrible eater.

I wolf down my breakfast whilst standing at the kitchen counter, as I make the kid’s school lunches and coax them into hurrying up to get ready. I have even eaten my breakfast in the car on the way to work, sitting at the lights gulping down my cereal, trying not to spill it on myself as I negotiate the busy morning traffic.

Come lunchtime and I’m either at my computer at work or in front of some riveting television show such as Doctor Phil at home. Barely aware of what I am consuming, let alone how much.

After my busy day I gorge my dinner, concentrating only on satiating my appetite.

Eating is not a race, and really no one will come along and steal it from me if I don’t eat it fast enough. So why the hurry?

I don’t know how or when I picked up such terrible eating habits.

I remember having to speed it up a notch once I started breast feeding my first child- there was no time for dilly-dallying, I only had a small window of opportunity to get some food into my ravenous system!

I have decided to become a Mindful Eater and form an Eating Slowly Plan.

I will start with visualizing. I am going to visualize myself eating slowly for a short time every day, a little like an elite athlete in training before a competition.

I will begin by setting aside time for eating.
Not reading, not on the computer, not in front of the TV, not mindlessly doing something while I consume.
I will try to set up a system where I have 15-20 minutes to enjoy my meal.

Righto, once I get that down I should be all prepared and ready to go!

I will relax, take a few deep breaths, a sip of water, and acknowledge the food I am about to eat. I will be aware of what I am going to eat. Noting the name of the food, the look of the meal, lean forward and smell the different aromas. I may even give a little thank you to the food, that’s kind of sweet!

I will sit down with my plate of food. I will use smaller utensils- I knew there was a reason I held onto the kid’s toddler cutlery! I may even have to employ chopsticks- all the better to not heap up on my shovel, I mean fork. I will place my utensils down between each mouthful.

I am thinking it will be a good idea to cut my food into a tiny piece for each mouthful, making it easier to chew up completely, and much better than my usual very bad habit of “mashing” it all together which is now I think about it- all the better for shovelling! Or another favourite, getting lockjaw, whilst I attempt to get my mouth around another huge mouthful.
With all these new techniques I will be able to stop burning my mouth on a whole dumpling at Yum Cha- I will have to take along my toddler cutlery though!

I will chew slowly, I will taste, and I will deliberately notice textures and flavours. Well hello Coriander, aren’t you delightful!
I will chew till the flavours slowly decrease.
I will swallow completely.
I will sip water.
Before I take the next mouthful.

I will be aware of the people I am sharing my meal with. I will discuss the meal, after I have finished chewing and swallowing of course, not with my half full mouth covered by my hand!

I will enjoy my food.

I will change my relationship with food.

Eating slowly and chewing well will also aid my digestion. Mindful Eating will trigger the sensors that allow me to realize I am satisfied, not as hungry anymore. I will avoid overeating, and therefore maintain a healthy weight.

I am thinking by eating like this, it will give me another opportunity to “de-stress” my day. Taking time out. From the race, the pace, the busyness.
Just a sandwich, peace and quiet and me.

Mindfulness while eating — being fully present with food — can be both enjoyable and relaxing.
Thich Nhat Hanh, the Buddhist monk, encourages eating an orange slowly, being present at every stage from first breaking the peel to the last drop of juice.
The following meditation is an adaptation of Hanh’s exercise that can be used with any favourite fruit. Plan to spend ten minutes or longer on this exercise, and schedule it at a time without interruptions.

1. Breath deeply three times, slowly and carefully, or until one feels connected to the self.
2. Pick up the orange (or other fruit) and hold it in the palm of the hand. Feel its texture. Notice its colour. Spend some time examining and enjoying the orange.
3. Slowly begin to peel the orange. Notice the change that occurs under the orange’s skin. Take time to smell the orange. Gently stroke the exposed flesh.
4. When the orange is peeled, pick up a segment. Bite into it, and close the eyes to concentrate fully on the orange’s flavour. Do not take another bite until all of the previous bite is gone.
5. Pause occasionally to reflect on any new sensations from eating the orange.
6. When the orange is gone, focus again on the self with several deep breaths. When ready, open the eyes.
The orange meditation might offer a welcome afternoon snack break at work or at any time when one desires to combine a healthy food with some time out from life.
If having trouble focusing on the orange, stop and take a few deep breaths to centre the self. Then try, again, to soak in the details of the orange. Take as much time as desired, and be certain to not put too much pressure on the self during the exercise. Indeed, there is no wrong way to eat an orange.

I am really looking forward to bringing this Mindfulness method into my life, to be able to experience and enjoy food in the moment.
Beautiful food, beautiful moment, beautiful life.

suzy x

This Week

This week I am going to eat ONE meal mindfully- I am going to eat slowly, put my knife and fork down between mouthfuls, and not read a magazine, newspaper, watch the TV or sit in front of the computer. I am going to eat my meal mindfully, think about the taste, the ingredients, and the process of making it- even if it’s a tuna sandwich!

This week, I am going to remind myself how easy it is to slip into being judgmental. It does not affect my life how someone else IS. It does not matter to my well being ONE bit, how someone else is, looks, dresses or speaks. It affects my wellbeing when I allow myself to be judgemental. When I feel these slip-ups I need to slap myself on the wrist, and remind myself of my choice to live a beautiful life!

This week I am going to focus on the people who bring happiness, beauty, fun and all things good to my life, I am definitely not going to allow myself to feel upset by what negative people are playing out in their own lives.

This week I will remember that my body is not only a temple, but also you are what you eat…and that throwing a slow cooker together in the morning is as easy as grabbing take away on the way home from swimming squad.

This week I am going to find someone that I can do something for to change his or her circumstances this week. It could be a comment, a deed, a phone call, or an action. We are all surrounded by opportunities to be generous to those we do and do not know. We should seize these opportunities, and thank the universe for allowing us to be generous.

This week I will also do something for me. I’m pretty good at this, and don’t need reminders. I should remind myself though, how cool it is to be able to have a midday nap, buy a magazine, sip a coffee while watching the world go by or just sit somewhere in the sun.

I’m going to look at the sky more, breathe deeply, and listen to people when they are speaking without thinking about what I want to say next. I’m going to walk slowly and take in all that is around me, instead of rushing to where I want to go.

I’m going to buy a bunch of flowers, clean out a cupboard, play with the cat and watch a chick flick.

I’m going to worry and complain less. I’m going to smile, laugh and share more. I will continue to remind myself what I am grateful for every morning. I will try to keep being the best friend I can be. I will really focus on the joy my children bring me, and not what drives me crazy. I will agree with my husband, not because I necessarily do, but because it doesn’t really matter either way most of the time

I am going to embrace problematic situations, as an opportunity to find the solution. I am going to challenge myself to overcome low moments and hurdles, and be grateful to be able to feel my strengths.

I will do these things because I know they change my life for the better.

I know how beautiful my life is.

suzy x

Believe To Receive

It is natural for us to dream about what we want in our lives...happiness, a fulfilling career, love, great friends, a nice home, health and so on.

There is a difference between daydreaming and Positive Visualization. When we daydream, we are usually looking at a blurry movie in our mind, where we are in the third person in the future or the past. When we use Positive Visualization we are in the Present. We use our imagination, emotions and our senses; imagining the sounds, smells, touch and joyful feelings of how it would “feel” to have what we want.

We can all visualize, but we are not all aware of the power of visualization.

Using Visualization will actually move us from negative thinking to positive thinking. When we see ourselves happy and in positive situations we realize that we are happy and in positive situations, the more we visualize positive things the more positive your life will become. If we focus on the negative...well, it has the same affect. We notice all the negative things around us.

If we can’t do something, can’t be something, can’t have something, we project this all around ourselves. If we use Positive Visualization, for anything, say having a great and successful day at work...it will more than likely happen...sometimes it will take longer than others and it is up to you how often you practice Visualization, how much you put into it, to feel it, believe it.

This is nothing new, it has been used by sports coaches when training athletes, doctors when patients are healing, businesses when training employees and students when approaching exams. It has been studied, written about, and there are many techniques.

Avoid at all costs what you don’t want in your life! Avoid playing your greatest fears over and over in your mind. Focus on what you do want, what you do want to be doing, what you do want to enjoy. Feel the joy from the images.

Visualization techniques can be applied to many areas of your life. Visualizing a clear image and combining it with a strong positive emotional response will help you manifest your beautiful life.

suzy x