Mindful Eating is a powerful skill and one of the practices that helped me heal my relationship with food and body; it has been several years and continues to be a practice, which means there is space and grace for me to continue letting the perfectionism go and deepening my connection between my mind, body, heart, and food.

Because it is Mindful Eating month, it has been a high focus with my clients, and I have noticed that my practice improves the more I teach and coach mindful eating. It reinforces my belief that community and support make practice and change much easier.

There are many aspects of learning and embracing a mindful approach to health and wellness; the best part is that all that is required is an open mind to start.

If you are familiar with Mindful Eating and not yet practicing, it means that something is in the way of trying it out. Perhaps you have had the mindset that your only goal is weight loss, and you need to stick to "x" because it has worked before, or you say to yourself, "I will check it out after I reach my "goal" weight. When we focus only on reaching a desired number on the scale, once we reach that number or, for many, are unable to reach that number, we let go of all the restrictions because we haven’t learned a sustainable skill.

There are so many ways to incorporate Mindful Eating into your daily life, and I know doing something different is scary.

Perhaps your story is that you have read about mindful Eating and believe it doesn't work for you because:

1. You don't have the willpower

2. You will give into your cravings and eat everything in sight

3. You're an emotional eater; this won't work for me

4. You can't trust yourself.

5. You believe you will gain weight

6. You know nothing about your hunger and fullness cues

7. Mindful Eating is another plan to fail

What you might not have realized is that:

1. You don't need willpower.

2. Cravings are often a result of restriction and are reduced with Mindful Eating.

3. You can learn to understand your emotions and find additional tools than food.

4. It's a false belief that diets keep you safe.

5. When you learn to listen and trust your body, your body will find its natural set point weight and reduce weight swings and fluctuations.

6. You can learn to honor your hunger and fullness and discover satisfaction.

7. Mindful Eating is a lifelong practice, and no one gets it "right" 100% of the time.

Join me for office hours on Thursday, January 19, from 3:00 - 3:30 EST, and we can talk about how to dip your toes into Mindful Eating.