Eat 1 Meal A Day Undistracted
NOVEMBER NUTRITION CHALLENGE!
As part of our #fitnessisalifestyle campaign, I am going to create small nutrition challenges that you can work on each month! The goal isn’t perfection here.. it’s just to become a “little bit better” than you were yesterday. This is how we create new habits and lasting change. One small step at a time. Let’s use each other for motivation and new ideas!!
The challenge for NOVEMBER is:
EAT ONE MEAL A DAY – UNDISTRACTED!
Sometimes, the key to managing our diet is less about WHAT we eat and more about HOW we eat it. This day and age, many of us are distracted, most of the time. We try to multi task work, driving, social media, texting and eating… all at the same time ; ) Regardless of how you THINK you perform, you can not give your 100% attention to multiple places. And when it comes to eating… this becomes a place where it’s easy to overconsume.
When is the last time you sat down for a meal with no other distractions?
No cell phones or TVs, not eating in your car, at your desk or while you are getting ready… but sat down at a table, preferably with loved ones, and focused solely on smelling, tasting, chewing and enjoying the meal in front of you? The digestive process actually starts before we ever put food in our mouths. The act of cooking gets our digestive juices flowing and prepares the body to breakdown our foods. Replace this with shoving a bagel in our mouths as we run out the door late to work and it’s no wonder digestive issues are so prevalent today.
Stress hurts.
When the body is under stress, one of its responses is to shut down digestive functions. If you are running for your life, there is no need to digest your last meal. The problem here is that our ‘stress response’ is always activated. From running late to sitting in traffic to checking emails and even social media… our body is perpetually in survival mode. This means we are not optimally digesting our food and it will take more food and more calories to meet our nutritional needs.
Mindless calories count, but aren’t enjoyed.
Have you ever sat down to watch TV with a bag of chips, popcorn or even some ice cream and before you knew it… the entire bag or container was gone?! This is mindless eating. Our attention is somewhere else and so it becomes easy to eat more than we need or even really want. We are never satiated and so we consume until the food is gone. Try turning off the TV and sit down with a small bowl of ice cream, really savoring the taste of each bite, and see how much more satisfying and enjoyable it is!
Raisin gum.
Here is a challenge for you. How slowly can you eat 1 raisin? Can you chew it 30 times?! Hold it between your fingers. What does it feel like? Smell like? Look like? Put it in your mouth and close your eyes. What does the raisin taste like? What is the texture? How does it feel in your mouth? What happens when you bite it? What about bite 20?
Just 1 meal free from distraction.
Your November nutrition challenge is to eat, at least, one meal each day with no other distractions. Bring awareness to your food. How does it look and smell? Take a few slow deep breaths before you eat to relax and be grateful for your meal. When you do start eating, take a bite or two and put down your fork. Chew. Your. Food… a lot! And pay attention to when you start to feel full.. It actually takes about 20 min for your stomach to tell your brain you are full. You get bonus points if you share your meal time with a loved one or friend and have a face to face conversation… a novel idea ; )
This challenge officially starts… today! Make sure to log your results on SugarWod each Monday and don’t forget to use #fitnessisalifestyle and #diablocrossfit when posting your successes or comments on Facebook and Instagram.
Written by: Coach Jennifer Ismar
