Effective?
I think not.
This list is all about doing "one small thing" - today, right now, tomorrow, whenever.Like tossing a tiny pebble into a lake, watch the ripple effects.
Here are 8 of my favorite suggestions for small things you can do this Spring, for maximum impact. Pick one. (Reading the list is a start, but it's the action that's going to bring the shift!).
1) Buy a water bottle, fill it every morning, slice some lemon, drink. Repeat in the afternoon. Do this every day and watch your health, your weight, your cravings and maybe even your mood improve. Here's one comment from a "Lighten Up" participant:"Water! I had so much less soda yesterday and a LOT more water. (My friend) told me I looked good. Also didn't eat as much...Amazing!"
2) Get outside and move your body. Dance. Play. Walk. Ride. (Whatever you do, make it FUN). If you call it exercise and you "hate" exercise, you are negating any possible health benefits you may have otherwise gotten. Don't do anything you hate. Either find a way to love it or do something you DO love. (Our bodies are designed to move but they don't like to be poked and prodded and pushed too hard).
3)Put your hand on your belly. Not to criticize it or grab the roll that might be there. But to connect with it. You've got a "brain" in there(it's called the Enteric Nervous System). It's got wisdom. They don't call it a "gut feeling" for nothing. LISTEN. What is YOUR gut wisdom telling you?
4) Take 5 deep breaths before you eat or when you're sitting in traffic. This will change how you digest, how you metabolize, and help you transform stress into peace.
5) Make a decision to feel good when you wake up in the morning. One of my closest friends bounces out of bed. She bounces through her day. Her days are filled with joy, possibility, excitement (AND she manages to get more done in a given 24 hours than I do in a month). When I'm cranky in the morning, i think of Kim.
6) Work with your beliefs so they are aligned with what you wantfor yourself. Studies show that beliefs have an incredibly powerful effect on our results.
7) Eat fat. Seriously. Not hydrogenated or trans fat or otherwise mangled and processed fat), but real fat. Butter, coconut oil, olive oil. Fat balances your blood sugar and feeds your brain. Your body will thank you. (And so will your family) (Here's what one of the Lighten Up participants has to say: "...I love not feeling like I shouldn't use too much (fat). That ability not to feel constrained is really key to not feeling deprived."
8) Say thank you.Cliche as it may sound, gratitude has the power to transform mood, outlook, and even experiences. Say thanks to those around you and to yourself. Teach your children to experience gratitude internally and express it externally. It is the perfect antidote to feelings of "not enough."
