Hi, Friends!  How was your Monday?  As you know mine was busy but good, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Luckily it was a rest day, so I could just work away without having to fit in a workout.  It’s interesting to my six days split my rest days fall on different days every week.  For instance last week it was Tuesday & Friday, but this week it is Monday and Thursday.  I still took Nala on an hour long walk though!

So how did last week’s challenge of gauging your hunger cues go?  On Wednesday I posted what I ate all day with an example of me gauging my hunger cues.  You guys seem to find that helpful, so I’ll likely try and keep that going.  This week the goal is to keep at it, staying super conscious of how hungry you are every single time you eat. In addition to doing that, let’s add another layer of consciousness.  Do you ever eat in the car, in front of the TV, standing up, or while working? Of course, you do!

I know I’ve been guilty of all of those things before because multi-tasking is a good thing right?  There are many reasons we eat while multi-tasking, but for the most part, it’s for comfort or because of time constraints.   The thing is when your mind is occupied with other tasks your brain may not consciously recognize that you ate, so it will continue to tell you to look for more food.  You may also eat more than you intended because not paying attention to your meal.  Have you ever been watching something on TV only to look down and realize what you were eating is GONE! WTF, how did I eat that entire box of cereal? Don’t lie, it may not have been cereal, but it happens to everyone.

On the flip side, you may not eat enough.  This could lead to binge eating later on which is also not good.  Do you come home and attack the fridge for snacks?  Or do you eat a huge dinner because you haven’t eaten much all day?  This teaches your body to save up for the starvation that will occur the next day, making it want to HOLD ON TO FAT! BOOOOO

The goal this week is to remove as many distractions from eating as possible.  It is common to eat on the morning commute, and if you have a long commute, it might be necessary.  Just try and eat as many meals without multi-tasking as possible.  If you can set your alarm and spend 10 minutes eating breakfast instead of eating on the go, then do it!  The 10 minutes less sleep may be worth the less rushed start to the day.  Avoid working through lunch, checking emails, or even playing on your phone at lunch.  Turn off the TV at dinner and be present in realizing eating is a task of its own.

It will be kind of weird at first.  I remember when I first started doing this and I literally had to fight the urge to grab my cell phone.  It was kind of like when I started meditating; the first few minutes are agonizing, but then you settle in and find the peace.  Personally, I learned to enjoy my food more, I could better gauge what type of meal was the most filling, and I became more productive after the meal because I had taken a mental break. If you are a multi-task for every meal type person, I would suggest starting with one meal a week (like breakfast, lunch or dinner) and slowly add in more meals.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Why you should remove distractions when you eat! #mindfuleating #weightloss #diet” quote=”Why you should remove distractions when you eat! #mindfuleating #weightloss #diet “]

52 HEALTHY HABITS IN 52 WEEKS SERIES:

The 52 Healthy Habits Series is about ditching the diet mindset and making small changes to improve health overall naturally leading to a healthy body composition, increased energy and improved health. Please follow along and check out the past weeks!

• Week 52: Healthy Habits Wrap Up
• Week 51: Nightly Reflection
• Week 50: Limit Harmful Chemicals
• Week 49: Find Your Tribe
• Week 48: Cultivating Positivity
• Week 47: Healthy Thanksgiving Tips
• Week 46: Check In
• Week 45: Mobility – Foam Rolling
• Week 44: HIIT Training
• Week 43: LISS or Steady State Cardio
• Week 42: Limit Alcohol
• Week 41: Eat White, Wait What?
• Week 40: Eat Blue & Purple
• Week 39: Eat Green
• Week 38: Eat Yellow/Orange
• Week 37: Eat Red
• Week 36: Learn Which Foods to Purchase Organic
• Week 35: Read the Ingredient List!
• Week 34: Focus.
• Week 33: Chew Your Food!
• Week 32: Meditation
• Week 31: Gratitude Journaling
• Week 30: Plan & Revamp Dessert- 20 Healthy Ideas
• Week 29: Two fistfuls of veggies per meal
• Week 28: Get In Veggies At Breakfast
• Week 27: Healthy Veggie Snacks
• Week 26: Nourishing Fats for the Gut (Healthy Digestion Part 4)
• Week 25: Keeping Regular – The Other Fiber (Healthy Digestion Part 3)
• Week 24: Feed The Probiotics With Prebiotic Fiber (Healthy Digestion Part 2)
• Week 23: Amazing Health Benefits of Probiotics (Healthy Digestion Part 1)
• Week 22: Check In
• Week 21: What You Will Learn From Recording Your Meals (Intuitive Eating Series Part 4)
• Week 20: Eat Until 80% Full (Hara Hachi Bu) (Intuitive Eating Series Part 3)
• Week 19: Limit Distractions While Eating (Intuitive Eating Series Part 2)
• Week 18: Gaging Your Hunger Cues (Intuitive Eating Series Part 1)
• Week 17: 10,000 Steps Per Day
• Week 16: Assess Your Caffeine Intake
• Week 15: Decrease Sugar Intake
• Week 14: Healthy Coffee Creamers (upgrade yours)
• Week 13: 3 Month Check In
• Week 12: Sleep Enough & Sleep Better
• Week 11: Schedule Your Workouts
• Week 10: Pack A Healthy Lunch (5 Ways to Create Endless Combinations)
• Week 9: Prioritizing Protein
• Week 8: How and What to Meal Prep
• Week 7: Create & Stick To Your Healthy Meal Plan
• Week 6: Get Enough Omega-3’s (Fight Inflammation)
• Week 5: What Is A Healthy Fat & How To Get Enough (Include Healthy Fats)
• Week 4: How to Spot A Healthy Carbohydrate (Upgrade Your Carbs)
• Week 3: Tips to Increase Veggie Intake (Eat Veggies)
• Week 2: 15 Healthy On the Go Breakfast Ideas (Eat BF Challenge)
• Week 1: Tips to Drink More Water