If you’re looking for a new way to get in touch with your body, you might want to try intuitive eating. Intuitive eating is a method that requires real patience and understanding for your body. Here’s what it entails:
Stop thinking you’re on a diet. Dieting suggests a temporary state. What you should be aiming for while practicing intuitive eating is permanent change that compliments your body’s needs.
Listen to your body. Your body will tell you when it’s hungry just as it will tell you when it’s full. It knows what it wants and what it doesn’t. Don’t force a diet or caloric number on your body. Intuitive eating requires intense awareness of what your body is trying to tell you—this does not mean that you should overindulge though.
Eat for your body, not for your mind. Shut down those thoughts that tell you something is “bad” or “good” where diet is concerned. Eat what your body deserves—nutritious, filling foods and small indulgences every now and then.
Honor your emotions. It’s easy to indulge or overeat when you’re stressed, sad, happy or just overwhelmed. Emotional eating can be defeated as long as you take the time to recognize your feelings and take the necessary steps to honor them which does not necessarily mean using food. Find other ways to express yourself and those crazy emotions!
Exercise. Exercise is always great no matter what. Your body was made to move and needs to do so in order to function properly. Get your blood flowing by going for a walk, jog or bicycle ride.
Respect your body. Above all, intuitive eating is about respecting your body. Treat it as a something that has needs and desires, the way your mind does. You only have one body—you can’t trade it in like a used car—so treat it right!
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