How good is your self-control?
Yesterday evening, I attended an event on mindful eating given by the very inspiring health coach Rebecca Friedman, at The Urban Canning Company’s fabulous location on 4th St. (If you live in St Pete and haven’t been there already, you seriously need to check them out)
Rebecca spoke about the difference between emotional and mindful eating. She also spoke about the importance of listening to your body. This really got me thinking about why so many people feel that they have so little control.
It requires effort and discipline to follow a diet. There is a lot of self-control that is needed. When you become stressed or start to feel overwhelmed, it can be very easy to fall back into old habits. How often have you found yourself in front of the TV mindlessly eating after a long day? So, how can you break this cycle and have better self-control?
Research suggests that shifting your thoughts to a very broad or abstract goal or idea can be very helpful in improving your self-control. A study at Ohio State University found that people were more likely to choose a healthy apple if they had been set up to work on a task that involved abstract thinking, such as ‘What is society?’ Those set up with tasks that involved more concrete thinking such as ‘What creates a good society?’ were more likely to choose an unhealthy candy bar.
What does this mean for you?
After a long day, when you feel like giving in and stuffing your face, or you’re upset and all you can think is ice cream, take just one moment to think about the big picture. Allow yourself to think about all the reasons why you want to succeed, and the consequences of your actions. This process allows you to move away from that emotional response, taking back your self-control. The more you practice this, the more your subconscious mind will begin to regard self-control as your natural way of being.
You can book a session to learn how to use this knowledge to be successful in the long run. If you would like to see that bigger picture and make better decisions about what to eat or when to exercise, give me a call today at 727.488.8546