Tag Archive for: meditation

5 Morning Routine Tips to Support Your Intuitive Eating Practice

Mornings are generally a hectic time for pretty much everyone. Starting the morning off on the right foot can be tough, especially when you must get your kids ready for school, get everyone’s lunches ready, and still make it to work on time. Sometimes there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything you need to get done.

What is especially frustrating is that the morning can set the tone for the whole day. So, if your morning isn’t going as planned, you likely won’t be in the right mindset to conquer the rest of your day with a positive mindset. And, you’ll rush through breakfast, or skip it altogether, and that’ll set you up for haphazard eating the rest of the day.

That is why starting the morning off in a positive way is so important to continuing your Intuitive Eating practice.

The Importance of a Morning Routine

Incorporating a routine to your mornings isn’t about waking up and “getting things done” early! It’s about beginning your day with peace, confidence, and a positive attitude.

Nourishing your body on all levels from the moment you open your eyes in the morning is key to a healthy mind, body, and soul. It may take some time for you to change your morning routine, so focus on slow changes over time, at your level of comfort. Set the rest of your day up for success by keeping your mornings calm and focused.

Here are 5 ways that I like to start my mornings which sets a positive tone for the rest of my day and allows me to support my Intuitive Eating practice

1. Practice Being Still

When you first wake up, take some time to meditate, even if it’s for just 3-5 minutes. You can do it while lying in bed or sitting up. This will allow you to connect with yourself on a deeper level as you start your day. When your mind is still and calm, set your intention about how your day will be. For example, “Today will be an incredible day. I feel positive and alive”.

2. Get Your Body Moving

You may not have a lot of time in the morning to exercise, and that’s okay. I have found that on mornings when I engage in movement, my days flows more smoothly, and I have more energy. Commit to moving your body in the morning in whatever way feels good for you. It can be as little as 5 minutes or as long as 30 or more minutes, whatever it takes to get your blood flowing and heart pumping.

3. Choose Comfort

When choosing what clothes to wear for the day, consider comfort. Respect your body at whatever size it is now and wear clothes, including undergarments, that fit you well and comfortably. Don’t force your body into uncomfortable garments that you’ll be fixing on throughout the day.

4. Fuel Up with Breakfast

It’s so easy to dash out the door without breakfast, or to grab and go. It’s best if you can plan some time into your morning routine to sit down at the table and enjoy a balanced breakfast of foods you enjoy. By sitting to eat, without any distractions, you will be able to savor each bite and get the utmost pleasure from your meal.

If you skip breakfast, chances are you will be over hungry by lunch and you will decrease your chances of choosing foods that honor your health. In addition, when you begin eating in an over hungry state, you will most likely end the meal at uncomfortable fullness.

5. Practice Gratitude

Finally, before dashing out the door, take a moment to breath and write down (or say quietly to yourself) three things you are grateful for. I find that this centers me and puts everything into perspective, even before I turn my computer on to see what the day will bring.

While this morning routine takes some time and may just mean that you can’t hit the snooze button (okay, maybe once!), you will reap the benefits as you continue to practice Intuitive Eating and mindful living. It’s worth it!

Here’s How to NOT Eat Your Emotions (and a Free Master Class Friday 5/15/2020)

A few years ago, I had oral surgery. I had a tooth extracted, and then an implant placed.

I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced having a tooth pulled or an implant placed, but I’ll tell you this is a very long process. And not very pleasant.

During one of many visits to the oral surgeon, she told me that we had to delay finishing the procedure. I was so upset. I wanted to be done with this already. And here she is telling me we cannot move forward for about 2 months.

I was upset, frustrated, and irritated…and you know what the oral surgeon told me to do as I was leaving her office? She said:

“Bonnie, stop at the bakery and pick up a treat. You’ll feel better!”

Whaaattt?

I swiftly turned around to look at her. For a moment, I was inclined to go into a speech about how I don’t feed my emotions. But I thought the better of it and decided to smile and leave.

The surgeon’s immediate response to my feelings of disappointment is not uncommon for many people. Experiencing an uncomfortable emotion? Feed it. It’s easier to feed the emotion that to feel the emotion.

But is this in your absolute best interest? Is numbing the pain or stuffing it down with food the best way for you to take care of you?

No.

Many times, your eating response to an uncomfortable emotion can feel impulsive.

Let’s examine this further.

The definition of the word impulsive me

ans “actions based on sudden desires rather than careful thought; based on emotional impulses; acting under stress or emotion.”

When acting impulsively, you are acting quickly or acting without fully examining the consequences.

So, for example:

  • when you impulsively grab for the cookie when you walk in from work because it was sitting on the counter

 

  • or you impulsively reach for the ice cream in the freezer after you have an argument with your partner

 

These are examples of you acting without fully examining the consequences. And it’s only after you finish the cookie(s) or the pint of chocolate fudge ice cream that you stop and wonder “why did I do that, again?”

Does this resonate with you?

Do you suddenly find yourself eating without even thinking about it first?

Then you feel guilty and the negative self-talk starts (“there you go again, you just can’t’ control  yourself”) and you start to criticize yourself for “not wanting IT bad enough”? And we know what IT is, right? Weight loss!

Impulsive eating can be an emotional roller coaster with triggers at almost every meal or time of day that can lead you to overindulge.

And more often than not, there is some emotional reason behind that impulsive decision to eat. It’s just that sometimes it’s not so easy for you to figure it out.

But, you have the power within you to identify the WHY behind your impulsive and emotional eating. You must first become aware in order to have change.

I’m going to show you how to start this process in my FREE Master Class called ‘Your 3 Step Plan to End Emotional Eating’. This master class will lay out the exact 3 steps that I take my private clients through to help end emotional eating.

In this class, you will discover:

  • The real reason behind emotional eating (and it has nothing to do with food)
  • What kind of emotional eater you are, and the specific strategies that will work for you
  • The 3 steps to break free from emotional eating

Click HERE to save your spot!

How I’m Dealing with COVID-19 (and Strategies for You)

I pride myself on being open and transparent with my clients and online community. That’s why I’ve decided to share in this week’s blog how I’ve personally been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been tough! The first 5 weeks of the “stay at home” order was really hard for me. But I’m happy to share that I’m feeling much better this week and back to myself.

My 3 biggest stressors were as follows:

1. Worry about the health and safety of my parents: My parents are in Florida and were not able to come home to New York at the beginning of April as was planned. As you can imagine, I didn’t want them to leave their apartment. “Stay put” I told them more than once. They probably got sick of hearing it. But how were they going to get food and groceries was a thought that kept swirling around in my mind. How can I keep them safe and well from so far away?

2. Worry about my husband and kids: At first, my husband still went into the city to go to work. He would travel the Long Island Rail Road every day to and from work. While he said the trains were getting emptier and emptier, it didn’t make me feel any less worried that maybe he’d be exposed to the virus. Thankfully, his firm eventually moved to working virtually, but until they did, I was a bundle of nerves.

My two daughters live at home so I was relieved when their schools decided to go virtual! But my two sons and grandchildren live in New Jersey. I haven’t seen them now in a while and I worry about their health and safety. We do Zoom every now and then and that’s lovely. But it’s not the same as an in-person hug.

3. Worry about my business: I have both an online and offline business and private practice. My online business hasn’t changed much as my clients are used to seeing me virtually. But what about all the clients and patients that would walk through the door of my office here in Long Island. Many of them were comfortable moving to virtual sessions, so no problem there. But there were several patients who either don’t have a computer, weren’t comfortable with the tech or who were just not in the right head space to figure it out.

I know I am not alone in feeling the stress and worry about the health of my family and the future of my business. There are many businesses that unfortunately will not recover. My heart goes out to them, but I believe people are resilient and we will all figure it out!

The Impact of the Stress on My Body and Mind

All this worry impacted me in many ways:

Poor Sleep: I started not sleeping well. It would take a while until I fell asleep, then if I woke up in the night to use the restroom (which I did!), I could not fall back to sleep. My brain was very busy worrying and trying to figure out how to keep my parents and my family safe and healthy.

Less Energy: I found myself dragging and very lethargic. A large part was due to not getting enough sleep. And when I did sleep, it was not a good quality sleep. And, feelings of worry can physically drain the body, and I felt it on many levels.

More Emotional: I cried almost daily. Most of the time, it was when I was alone and not busy which gave me time to think (which wasn’t always so good). And sometimes it was when I was trying to fall asleep and my mind went to my parents and I started praying for them. By the way, it’s okay to cry. I suggest it to my clients all the time. Once you have a good cry, you’ll feel better (I know I do!)

What About Food?

I’ve been making a concerted effort during this time to continue to eat and nourish (and hydrate) my body throughout the day. I have been using the strategies that I teach my clients, so I don’t end up in the peanut butter jar. I’m not “perfect”, and that’s okay because there is no perfection when it comes to food and eating (that’s dieting – a topic for another time).

For many people who have struggled with their relationship with food, this pandemic is not helping. I have been hearing this from clients and others who’ve reached out to me for help. They find themselves eating to soothe the worry, having no structure to meals now that they are home and not working (or not working a full schedule), and late-night snacking is becoming a problem again.

What About You?

I wonder if you’re experiencing the same. Please take a moment and complete this 2-question survey. I am working on creating a free workshop for you so I can offer you more support during this difficult time.

Strategies in Managing the Stress (that I used and that will help you too)

1. Stop watching the news. At the beginning, you couldn’t peel me away from the T.V. But then I realized that watching the death toll climb was causing me more stress and I decided to cut back on the news watching. It helped a great deal!

2. Have a flexible but structured meal schedule. It’s so important to be sure you are eating and not skipping meals. When you are stressed, your hunger signals are blunted and it’s harder to rely on them. Now that my husband is home, we eat all three meals together. It started out feeling weird, after all, I thought that only happens in retirement (and we are far from that!). But it’s actually nice taking time in the morning, mid-day and then after our workday to sit together and chat.

If you live alone, that’s okay. You are your best company. Put on some soft music, set the table with a nice placemat and dishes, and enjoy your meals!

3. Take time to mediate and breath: I have found deep breathing to be one of the best strategies to calm me down. Whenever I feel myself getting worked up, I take a moment and breathe. Within minutes, I am feeling better. There are many meditation apps that you can download to your phone that are also very helpful. The two that I use are Calm and Headspace. Check them out.

4. Seek support and community: There’s no shame in asking for help as you navigate this unprecedented time! Whether it be a confidant, a therapist, your partner or an online support group, it’s important to speak about your feelings. I’m grateful for my husband, good friends and my colleagues who support me while I support them at the same time.  

Reach Out

Please know that I am here for you if you want to talk. I am offering virtual mini weekly sessions and a space for you to vent, work through a challenge and navigate the changes in your relationship with food that have surfaced during the pandemic.

Just email me at Bonnie@DietFreeRadiantMe.com to learn more.

Reminder: Please Take the Survey

Click here to answer 2 questions about your Food Challenges During COVID-19.

Thank you!

Woman suffering from stress grimacing in pain

5 Strategies to Deal with Top Holiday Stressors

The holidays are such a nice time of year but the stress that comes along with it, well, THAT I can do without. Maybe being around all your relatives and the crowds feels overwhelming. Perhaps finding the right gifts for people is anxiety producing. Maybe, just maybe, you get even tense knowing that this time of year is “supposed” to be joyous, yet all you feel is anxiety.

 

Top Holiday Stressors

The first step to truly enjoying your holiday season is identifying your stressors. The two top stressors for many people are money and family!

 

Money Stress:

It may come as no surprise that one of the top stress-inducers identified during the holiday season is worry over money. Since the beginning of November, you have been constantly bombarded with deals, steals and the newest gadgets. You might feel pressure to work overtime to be able to afford all the presents on your family’s wish list. However, it’s important that you take a step back and remind yourself what this time of the year is really about – togetherness. While your loved ones and friends do appreciate your thoughtful gifts, it’s really the thought that counts. Show them you love and appreciate them in other ways, they will cherish that for a lifetime.

 

Family Stress:

Another stressor may be constantly being around your extended family. This time of year, it seems that there are no shortage of family gatherings. Your weekends are probably jam-packed with holiday parties, leaving you very little time to do what you enjoy doing. While this time of year is all about being with family, you cannot forget to take care of yourself as well. Carve out time every day to do something that makes you feel fulfilled and that meets your needs of being taken care of.

 

5 Strategies to Manage Top Stressors Without Food

Unfortunately, some people may turn to food to help deal with these holiday stressors. Do you?

 

If so, please know that while food can be one way you decide to manage uncomfortable emotions, it becomes a problem when food is your only go-to coping mechanism.

 

1) Move Your Body:

Choose a movement that you enjoy doing and find time to do it at least three times a week. Regular movement has been shown to reduce stress levels. If you fall short on time and you cannot make it to that spin or kickboxing class, try going for a walk around your neighborhood or do a yoga video at home.

 

2) Connect and Talk:

Talk to a family member or friend that you trust. If you are feeling overwhelmed, a good venting session can make you feel better. Just talking through your feelings can provide relief.

 

3) Sleep it Off:

Aim to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. You are probably running on empty more frequently this month than you do the rest of the year. Sleep is important for your health, try to go to bed an hour earlier and avoid hitting snooze in the morning. Interrupting your sleep with multiple alarms can interfere with your body’s natural wake mechanisms, leaving you feeling exhausted throughout the day.

 

4) Breathe through It:

When you feel a stressful moment coming on, excuse yourself and take a few minutes to relax and breathe. Search the internet or download an app to your phone that will guide you through stress-reducing breathing techniques. Meditation is also a useful relaxation technique that you can do anywhere!

 

5) Journal Your Thoughts:

Pull out a pen and paper and start to write. Don’t edit. Just let your thoughts come out of your head onto the paper. Let it flow! You will feel an almost immediate relief.

 

Grab these FREE 20 Emotional Eating Journaling Prompts to help you get started!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If even after engaging in a stress-reducing exercise or talking with a friend, you still feel that you want the soothing power of food, that’s okay! Put your desired food choice on a plate and sit down to eat it. Stay fully aware and conscious as you are eating. Savor each bite, stay mindful and present with the food, and your feelings. Once you’ve finished, take a deep breath and move on. The key here is to not move out of your body when you are eating so this doesn’t become a full-on binge.

 

Let me know below which of these strategies will be your go-to!

3 Powerful Strategies to Decrease Food Related Stress

Food is supposed to be enjoyed; yet so people tell me that food is stressful. They report that all aspects of food, whether its deciding what to eat, shopping and preparing food for meals, or even the thought of going out to eat, all leads to stress.

Do you feel the same way?

Does thinking about what you should cook, going to the grocery store and preparing food lead to unwanted stress?

If you have had a difficult relationship with food for some time now, then I’m sure you experience these feelings.

If you do feel the same – how do you manage the stress?  I know you probably want food to be a non-issue in your life, but may think how can it be?

I’m here to tell you it CAN be a non-issue! You CAN develop a healthy, loving relationship with food that can lead to less stress when preparing and shopping for meals…and eating it.

Here are 3 strategies that you can put into place immediately to help you minimize the stress around food:

Strategy #1: Set up your environment for success.

While I’m all about teaching you how to be intuitive in your eating, I am also very practical. It is important to be mindful of your eating and one way to do that is to reduce your external eating cues. That means put all food away after you’ve eaten and don’t leave food on the counters or table. If food is left out, it can very easily lead to mindless munching which then leads to feelings of guilt and frustration for eating when you aren’t hungry.

Strategy #2: Seek assistance from your family members.

Food shopping and meal prep doesn’t have to just be your responsibility. Get everyone involved in the menu planning. Even better, assign everyone a night to prepare the dinner. This way the whole family is involved, the kids will more likely eat what they help to prepare, and you get quality family time too. This will lead to less stress on you to feel like you have to do everything.

Strategy #3: Start to use meditation and visualization.

Meditation can be a powerful tool to help keep your mind clear and stress-free. You can use meditation as a way to visualize yourself being stress-free around food and, by visualizing that, you can start to believe it will happen too.

These strategies are a good place to get started and you can use them as a way to figure out what works best for you.

Want more resources?

Self-Paced Online Program – Stress Less Eat Less™ – see the crazy low-priced deal HERE!

Complimentary Discovery Session – let’s chat to see how I can help you. Go to www.TalkWithBonnie.com and schedule a time.

 

3 tips to manage food stress in your life

44708423 – vector illustration in super mom concept, many hands working with very busy business and housework part, feeding baby, cleaning house, cooking, doing washing, working with laptop. flat design.

I returned to my office yesterday after a 4-day weekend. Wow, the number of emails, messages, Facebook notifications and faxes was truly overwhelming. Then the phone calls started…people somehow know the minute I sit behind my desk.

 

I was overwhelmed. That overwhelm caused me to procrastinate on getting some projects done, like this blog for IE Wednesday which I am writing quite late!

 

What I didn’t do was turn to food. Yet so many people do.

 

Food has become a way for so many women in my community to distract from pain, procrastinate from work, and deal with the stress and overwhelm they experience in their lives. The problem is that food does not fix any of these things!!

 

Food is supposed to be enjoyed. Yet, when speaking with so many clients, and potential clients, they tell me that food is stressful. All aspects of food, whether its deciding what to eat, shopping and preparing food for meals, or even the thought of going out to eat food.

 

And certainly, the guilt they feel after they eat what they think they “shouldn’t eat’!

 

Stress, stress, stress!

 

So today I wanted to share some strategies with you to help you manage food-related stress, without turning to food to cope!

 

If you have had a difficult relationship with food for some time now, then you can probably relate with today’s topic.

 

I know you probably want food to be a non-issue in your life. And you know what? It can be.

 

Let’s first start with 3 strategies that you can put into place immediately to help you minimize the stress around food.

 

Strategy #1: Set up your environment for success.

While I’m all about teaching you how to be intuitive in your eating (of course…I teach intuitive eating!), I am also very practical. It is important to be mindful of your eating and one way to do that is to reduce your external eating cues. That means put all food away after you’ve eaten and don’t leave food on the counters or table. If food is left out, it can very easily lead to mindless munching which then leads to feelings of guilt and frustration for eating when you weren’t hungry.

 

Strategy #2: Seek assistance from your family members.

Food shopping and meal prep doesn’t have to just be your responsibility. Get everyone involved in the menu planning. Even better, assign everyone a night to prepare the dinner. This way the whole family is involved, the kids will more likely eat what they help to prepare, and you get quality family time too.

 

Strategy #3. Start to use meditation and visualization.  Meditation can be a powerful tool to help keep your mind clear and stress-free. You can use meditation as a way to visualize yourself being stress-free around food and, by visualizing that, you can start to believe it will happen too.

 

These strategies are a good place to get started and you can use them as a way to figure out what works best for you.

 

But I have more right inside my online ‘do-it-yourself’ program where you will get my best strategies to decreasing the stress and overwhelm in your daily life!

 

And, because reality has it that there will be times when stress just happens, I teach you the most important questions you need to ask, and practices for you to use to beat that stress without turning to food (because let’s face it, it’s not about the food, it’s about the reasons you are eating!)

 

Save 30% during this Memorial Day Special – 2 days only. Seriously, check out all you get for just $67. You can’t get coaching or a therapy session for that fee anywhere!

 

How Do You Handle Food-Related Stress?

Food is supposed to be enjoyed. Yet, when speaking with so many clients, and potential clients, they tell me that food is stressful. All aspects of food, whether its deciding what to eat, shopping and preparing food for meals, or even the thought of going out to eat food.

 

Stress, stress, stress!

 

Do you feel the same way?

 

If you have had a difficult relationship with food for some time now, then you can probably relate.

 

I know you probably want food to be a non-issue in your life. And you know what? It can be.

 

Let’s first start with 3 strategies that you can put into place immediately to help you minimize the stress around food.

 

Strategy #1: Set up your environment for success.

While I’m all about teaching you how to be intuitive in your eating (of course…I teach intuitive eating!), I am also very practical. It is important to be mindful of your eating and one way to do that is to reduce your external eating cues. That means put all food away after you’ve eaten and don’t leave food on the counters or table. If food is left out, it can very easily lead to mindless munching which then leads to feelings of guilt and frustration for eating when you weren’t hungry.

 

Strategy #2: Seek assistance from your family members.

Food shopping and meal prep doesn’t have to just be your responsibility. Get everyone involved in the menu planning. Even better, assign everyone a night to prepare the dinner. This way the whole family is involved, the kids will more likely eat what they help to prepare, and you get quality family time too.

 

Strategy #3. Start to use meditation and visualization. Meditation can be a powerful tool to help keep your mind clear and stress-free. You can use meditation as a way to visualize yourself being stress-free around food and, by visualizing that, you can start to believe it will happen too.

 

These strategies are a good place to get started and you can use them as a way to figure out what works best for you.

 

But I have more!

 

Come join my 3-Day Challenge – Managing Food-Related Stress.

 

It starts TODAY, August 30th and runs through Friday September 1 and is happening in my Private Facebook Group.

 

Download your free e-Book “How to Manage Food-Related Stress” (which we are using throughout the challenge) as a tool to teach you ways to manage your stress around food.

 

Head over to our Private Facebook Group to see what Day One of the challenge entails!

 

See you there!

 

Are You Feeding Your Stomach or Emotions?

Emotional eating quoteIf you are having one of those days where nothing seems to go right and all you want is something to make you feel better, what do you reach for?  Are you reaching for food?  If so, is that bag of chips really making you feel better?

 

“I had a long day and the only thing that will make me feel better is my favorite junk food!”

 

Does this sound like something you would say?  I have many clients that come to me seeking help in dealing with their emotional eating.  They find themselves eating when they are stressed, upset or bored, and they don’t feel satisfied afterwards. In fact, they feel guilty, ashamed and desperate.

 

I help my clients to realize they will not feel satisfied when they are feeding their emotions.

 

I want to help you understand this too.

 

Emotional eating is eating in response to feelings, not because you are physically hungry.

 

Eating away your emotions may make you feel better for an instant, but when the bag is empty you’re left with the same feelings of guilt, the discomfort of overeating, plus those original emotions you had in the first place.

Whether you are eating as a way to reward yourself for a job well done or trying to make yourself feel better after a rough day, this form of emotional eating can affect your mood and health long after the bag is empty.

 

To identify if you are emotionally eating, you should figure out what is driving your desire to eat.  Are you experiencing physical hunger or psychological hunger?

 

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • “How am I feeling? Am I upset, angry, tired or even happy? Could this be causing me to crave a certain food?”
  • “Do I usually use food for comfort?”
  • “Do I associate rewards with food?” Maybe you just received a promotion, is your first thought “I’ll celebrate with dessert tonight?”
  • “When was the last time I ate?” Natural hunger cues start to occur a couple of hours after you last ate.  If you just ate, you might not be experiencing physical hunger.

 

These habits can be hard to break and you will need to dig deep inside of you to figure out what you are truly feeling.  This isn’t always easy as sometimes it’s uncomfortable to feel your emotions.  I get it.

 

One way to deal with your emotions without food is to distract yourself.

 

Here are some tips you can try today to help you regain control over your emotions:

  • Go for a walk to get endorphins going and help you clear your mind.
  • Do yoga or meditation to clear your mind and help you relax.
  • Call or text a friend to talk about your day or vent, if needed.
  • Watch your favorite show for a good laugh.
  • Read a book to get someone else’s point of view.
  • Take a nap to regain energy.
  • Write how you are feeling in a journal.

 

Distractions may work for a short time.  Ultimately you must dig deeper to understand why you turn to food in hard times.

 

I am here to help you.  I can help you work out your emotions and teach you ways to deal with them that do not involve food.  I can teach you to listen to your body’s hunger cues and eat only when you are experiencing physical hunger.  Take care of yourself by being in tune with your emotions. Dealing with them now instead of letting them build up will benefit you and your overall health.

 

Contact me here if you’d like to chat.

Being Intuitive and Mindful in Your Morning Routine

If you are like most people, your morning is one mega rush! Quick jump out of bed, shower, get dressed and run out the door! You’re lucky if you grab a coffee and muffin to eat in the car as you head out to start your day. Or, you stop at the local convenience store and pick up a bagel with butter and ginormous cup of Joe. Worse yet, you don’t eat any breakfast and your first meal of the day is lunch.

 

Sound familiar?

 

If so, you are probably not stopping long enough to figure out how your body feels when you treat it like this. You are on autopilot, doing the same routine day after day and wonder why you crash by the time you get home from work.

 

Nourishing your body from the moment you open your eyes in the morning is key to a healthy mind, body and soul. I recognize it may take some time for you to change your morning routine, so focus on slow changes over time, at your level of comfort.

 

Here are some suggestions to get you started.

  • When you first wake up, take some time to meditate, even if it’s for just 3-5 minutes. It will allow you to connect with yourself on a deeper level as you start your day.
  • Set your intention about how your day will be, for example “Today will be an incredible day. I feel positive and alive”.
  • Spend 30 minutes to get your blood flowing and heart pumping through an enjoyable exercise routine or body movement activity.
  • Shower and get dressed in clothes that you feel comfortable in. Respect your body at the size it is now, no matter what size that is, and wear clothes (including undergarments!) that fit you well and comfortably.
  • Sit down and enjoy a balanced breakfast that includes wholesome food that you enjoy. Savor each bite, noting the taste, texture, temperature and aroma. Appreciate the food on your plate as you stay fully present in the eating experience without any distractions (avoid reading the morning newspaper or watching the news as you eat).
  • Pack your lunch and get ready to leave.
  • Hug your loved ones (for a boost of “feel good” hormones) and head out the door.

 

True, this morning routine takes some time, which means you will have to wake up a bit earlier than you are used to. And, that likely means that you will have to go to sleep a little earlier too.

 

But let me ask you, aren’t you worth it?

 

Your turn to take action: Practice incorporating this morning routine into your life and let me know how you feel in the comments below.