So you want me to do what??
Every 2 weeks we get a new habit to practice. They are cumulative, so each new habit has to be done in addition to the habits we've learned/added before. Not a big deal, since the habits are supposed to take just 5 minutes each (until you've really learned them, of course, and then they are just a natural part of every day). In order to practice making changes and to prepare for what was to come, we got to choose the first habit we were going to implement. The only rule was that the habit needed to be something simple, positive, and very small. Something that will contribute to improving our life and/or health, and will only take 5 minutes a day. Something we're willing do do every day. EVERY day.
I was actually in tears (more than once) trying to figure out what my first habit was going to be. Seriously. I've never made ANY changes in my life that would only take me 5 minutes a day - it's just not possible that something so small could change anything in a meaningful way (or so I thought). Well, the whole concept of the "Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," and whatever other motivational phrases you've heard popped into my mind at that point. Ian tried to be encouraging and offer suggestions. Yeah, whatever.
It was such a simple thing that it took me 2 days to come up with something I could do. Seriously. I could have chosen anything - floss my teeth more regularly. Say some affirmations. Put away my clothes every night before bedtime (Ian would probably have preferred that one). In the end I chose to start doing the EFT/Tapping exercises that I've wanted to do more consistently for quite some time. There have been a few days already when I wanted to blow it off, but come on - 5 minutes? I don't care how busy you are, you can find 5 minutes in a day to do something. If not, you have an elevated level of self importance, I'm here to tell you. I know everyone has different priorities, but heck - you have to spend at least 5 minutes on the toilet at some point every day, so if you're that important, you can always multi-task. Anyway, I digress. So 5 minutes of tapping, whether I want to or not. Color me skeptical.
As of today I am heading to the middle of the 3rd week of this program, and I have to admit - I am feeling a shift. I can't quite put my finger on it yet, and I can't tell you that my life has miraculously transformed. (Whatever you may think of holistic and alternative health practitioners, I do live in the real world.) But I find that my attitude is just a little bit different. I'm already eating slightly less. I'm saying no to foods that I previously wouldn't have said no to, without requiring some heretofore unbeknownst surge of willpower (hello - we live in Italy - can you say gelato?! I actually turned it down on Sunday night!). The scale has tipped downwards a couple of pounds, and I'm starting to feel like this may be working. Yes, after a couple of weeks it's easy to still feel energized and optimistic. We all can last for a couple of weeks, right? But as Coach Denise reminds us - better is better. Period. Progress, not perfection. I can live with that.
So, for week 3 our first eating habit was introduced. From now on we all do them together. Week 3 - first new eating habit - EAT SLOWLY. Simple, right? Um, yeah.
I'm an intelligent person. I know all about mindfulness, smaller plates, smaller portions, and pretty much any diet trick in the book. So, I thought, no problem - I've already got this nailed! I eat slowly already - I'm always the last one done eating, so there's proof (although Ian says it's because I talk more than anyone else; he might be right). Then I kept reading. Eat slowly - as in put your fork down until your mouth is empty, chew your food - and eat without any other distractions - no computer, reading, phone, email, movies/tv, etc. Ha!
This morning for breakfast I made myself a bowl of plain yogurt with a sliced banana and some gluten-free whole-grain cereal. A bit less protein-based than normal, but a reasonably healthy, properly portioned, easy to eat and go meal. Seriously - I was ready to call someone in to sit on me, because I couldn't manage to sit still long enough to finish 2 bites without fidgeting. I found all these thoughts running through my mind about to-do lists, emails I wanted to write, things I needed to look up online, stuff that needed doing in another room...I think they were 15 of the most difficult minutes I've had in a very long time. I counted how many times I chewed each mouthful. I stared at our shelving unit and reorganized it in my mind. I practiced a couple minutes (or maybe it was seconds) of gratitude. Unfortunately, it didn't "take." I made it through, but only just.
In my lifetime I have trained for 2 full marathons and 2 half marathons, both without using an iPod or other type of music player, because the races didn't allow them. I wanted to learn to get into "the zone" while I was training. Most of my gym-going years were done without any kind of personal music device because, again, I wanted to focus on my workout. When I've lived in places that were surrounded by nature, I cherished all the opportunities to sit quietly and alone in the woods, by the water, hiking, cycling, or whatever, because the solitude offered me so much peace and calm. Fast forward to the present where I have an iPod, smartphone, tablet, Kindle, laptop, and too much free time on my hands, and it's all I can do to spend 5 minutes without being connected to something. This lesson isn't about eating. Not for me. This lesson is about being. Just being. I've managed it for 2 days and feel like it's going to be a bit of an uphill climb. I know I can do it, and I know this will be a very important habit for me to master. I can already feel it changing my meal choices. I can already feel it decreasing my portion sizes. Fantastic, positive change, but geez. Why does it have to be so hard?
So, I challenge you, my dear reader, to try this for a week. Not once, not a couple of days, but a full week. Spend at least one (if not all) of your meals quietly and without any distractions. Take at least 15-20 minutes to eat. Put down your fork. Chew your food. Taste it. Feel what it is doing for your body. Then comment below - how does that feel?
Have a health of a day!
Juli