Are you practicing mindful eating?

Kara Martin Snyder offers pragmatic health & lifestyle options for frazzled entrepreneurs with all heart and no bullsh*t. Take care of you as much as you take care of business.

Q:

Hey Kara, how can I balance being more present when eating lunch without being totally bored out of my skull? – Angelica

A:

Hey right back atcha, Angelica.

This is a great question. Right now, there’s a glut of information about mindful eating out there, but actually sitting down to do it can feel pretty uncomfortable at times. Seriously, you’re an entrepreneur. If I had to guess, I bet you move lightning-fast. Are you really going to suddenly go from feverishly cranking out work all morning and suddenly drop into this serene, spa-like mode for lunch?

Not saying you don’t have the gumption, but damn, Lady, that switch sounds painful. If you were a client of mine, here are two questions that I’d want to kick the tires on with you:

What’s in it for you? If you’re contemplating this, you must want to see some sort of change happen. What are at least 3 reasons that don’t include the word should?

[Note: I’d be totally remiss as a digestive system nerd if I didn’t mention that digestion actually starts in the brain. Yup, your brain is the on-switch, but it takes a hot minute for all of your southern digestive muscles and chemicals to get their act together. When we fling ourselves into a chair and scarf down half our meal in 3 minutes, it’s pretty much a great start for indigestion, gas and bloating. Just sayin’ in case you were fumbling for Reason No. 3.]

What’s realistic for you right now? You wouldn’t go from a casual meditation practice to a week-long silent retreat in Tibet, right? How about 5 mindful minutes to start the meal and work up as necessary? Would using chopsticks help slow you down mechanically, hormonally and emotionally? Would relaxing music help change the environment without banishing you to a black hole of stimulation? More importantly, is what you’re eating boring to your senses? Delicious, healthy and stimulating need not be difficult and time-consuming.

Those are all ideas. If you have a better one, try it. Hell, if it works, share it!

– Kara

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