1 Minute Mindfulness- Day 1

So you want to start a mindfulness practice? Well, you have come to the right place!

Practicing mindfulness has so many mental and physical health benefits, like stress reduction, emotional regulation, lowering blood pressure, and so many more.

The best part about practicing mindfulness is that you do not need to be good at it, or even know how to do it in order to start practicing. Here, try this:

Close your eyes. Breathe deeply in through your nose and out through your nose. Pay attention to your breath. Count your breaths. Inhale and exhale is one breath. Count three breaths. On your third exhale, pay attention to the noises around you. What do you hear? There is no need to identify the noise, just listen. Now bring your attention back to your breath. Count two breaths. On your second exhale, open your eyes.

Listen to the guided mindfulness practice here!

https://anchor.fm/conner-erickson/episodes/1-Minute-Mindfulness–Day-1-e1jl4e9

How do you feel? Keep in mind that you may not feel the benefits of mindfulness practice on the first, second or even thirtieth day, and that’s ok! You are doing it and are already more mindful than you were one minute ago.

And come tomorrow for day 2 and you will be even more mindful. And on day 3, you will be even more mindful. And on day 4…I think you see where I’m going with this.

See you tomorrow for day 2. Have a wonderful day.

Stop Trying To Lose Weight

Read time: 2 minutes 30 seconds

So you want to learn how to lose weight? Here’s your first lesson: Stop trying to lose weight!

“But, but, but, how can I lose weight without even trying? The weight is not just going to magically fall off.”

You’re right, it won’t and that’s not what I’m saying. Weight loss is a result of repetitious healthy behavior. Just as weight gain is a result of repetitious unhealthy behavior. You want to lose weight? Then, go get liposuction, and when the weight comes back within five years you can tell everyone that weight loss is impossible.

“Even liposuction didn’t work!” You can tell them.

My apologies if that was too harsh. All I am trying to say is that you should set your goals on practicing healthy behaviors. The weight will come off as a result. Let’s say that your goal is to lose weight. You hire a personal trainer and start a diet. Every day you weigh yourself. Nothing changes until the seventh day. You have lost one pound. Every single day that you weighed yourself, you may have disappointed to see that all your hard work was not producing results. Then, maybe you are ecstatic on day seven when you see your first sign at weight loss. Or maybe, you are still disappointed because you worked so hard all week only to see one pound of weight loss.

Let’s back it up to the beginning of the scenario. You want to start exercising and eating healthier foods because you know it is what your body needs. You know that these behaviors are good for your body. Your goal is to exercise for 15 minutes per day and eat a salad and one whole fruit every day. You accomplish your goals every day. Now, instead failing six times, and succeeding once, like in the first scenario, you have succeeded 21 times. Say you also set a weekly goal of losing 1-2 pounds. You weigh yourself and have lost 1 pound. Enjoy success of a 22nd goal. Say you even added another weekly goal of exercising 90 minutes, eating 7 salads, and seven apples. This goal is a two-for one special. Essentially, it is just another excuse to be proud of yourself since it is just comprised of the cumulative totals from your daily goals. 23 goals achieved in seven days. Let’s go!

I could be wrong here, but I would say that achieving micro-successes multiple times every day beats the daylights out of suffering all week to maybe reach one goal that may or may not make you feel good about yourself. The most beautiful part about this process is that it is just a shift in mindset. Paying attention to practicing healthy behaviors instead of losing weight.

Every day you feel better and better. By the end of the week, you are feeling so good, that you cannot wait to do it again next week, and the week after and the week after. Slowly, you begin adding new challenges. Increasing duration and difficulty of exercises. Introducing more fruits and vegetables to your daily food intake. Decreasing sugary and processed foods and drinks. Pretty soon, it’s been six months and you realize that you have lost the weight that you wanted to lose. Not only did you lose the weight, but the healthy eating and exercise habits that you have been practicing have become so routine that you are not even trying to be healthy. It’s automatic. You have become healthy. Losing weight is not easy. It is even harder if you try. STOP TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT.         

CheapN’Quick Cooking With Conner Episode 2: Banana Oatmeal $.35! *Link to Micro- YouTube Video in Post!

Watch time: 1 minute 41 seconds

https://youtu.be/O8MQd_QH8y8

Hello health enthusiasts and hopefuls! This video details the ingredients, serving size, and methods to making banana oatmeal in less than 2 minutes for 35 cents!

Please see the price breakdown below (based on prices from a supermarket in Massachusetts, USA)

1/2 cup of instant oats (20 servings for $2.99)=$.15

1 banana (6 servings for $1.20)= $.20

Total Cost: $.35

Sustainable weight loss is a locked door beyond 5 years for most that achieve initial weight loss, but the key may not be as elusive as you think…

Mindfulness: The Missing Link to Sustainable Weight Loss

    The typical weight loss process is designed for short-term results without regard to long-term maintenance. According to a study by the Medical Clinics of North America on 29 long-term weight loss studies, Dr. Kevin Hall writes, “more than half of the lost weight was regained within two years, and by five years more than 80% of lost weight was regained” (Hall, 2018). The weight loss process is missing a piece. That piece is mindfulness.   

The process matters to weight loss in both the short and long-term. An incomplete process leads to incomplete results, or in the case of weight loss, temporary results. When an individual experiences weight loss with the help of a health professional, a void can be created when the partnership ends. Without mindfulness, that void may be filled with old habits leading to weight regain. With mindfulness, there is no void, and the weight stays off. 

The results of such a process can be seen from a clinical trial that was conducted at The University of California San Francisco. In this study, over the course of 5.5 months, scientists observed the effects of integrating mindful-eating and stress management practices to one out of two groups of obese individuals participating (Daubenmier, 2016). According to Dr. Jennifer Daubenmier’s report on this study, participants in the mindfulness group experienced greater weight loss than the participants in the non-mindfulness group. At the 18-month assessment, those in the non-mindfulness group had regained 20% of the weight that they had lost at the end of the program, while the mindfulness group had regained less than 5% (Daubenmier, 2016).     

The roots of obesity are the initial, and continuous decisions made to consume an excess of low-nutrient foods and engage in sedentary behavior. Many of these decisions are automatic and are made with one’s unconscious mind. In a nutrition review, cognitive scientist, Caroline Jacquier reports, “People make over 220 food decisions a day; they are frequently unaware of these decisions and how their environment influences them” (Jacquier, 2012). The goal is for people to make mindful and conscious decisions.

    To illustrate this, picture a man who keeps getting cavities. This man has a sweet tooth. Every six months he needs to have a cavity filled. The reason is that he continues to eat the same amount of candy that he had been eating prior to getting the cavity. Even though the man’s problem appeared to be solved with each filling, only part of the problem was solved. The root of the problem was not addressed. The man continued to eat the candy that caused the problem, and by not changing his behavior, the same outcome was always bound to happen. 

Exercise and nutrition are the fillings of a cavity for weight loss. They will fix the problem every time but are not enough to prevent the problem from recurring. By adding mindfulness to nutrition and exercise, a sustainable solution is created. Mindfulness practice pertaining to food and exercise empowers one to be present and conscious of their own thoughts, and emotions; consequently, by being in control of their decisions, those attempting weight loss by practicing mindfulness in addition to nutrition and exercise will experience greater short-term and long-term weight loss than those only practicing nutrition and exercise.

References

  1. Daubenmier, J., Moran, P. J., Kristeller, J., Acree, M., Bacchetti, P., Kemeny, M. E., Dallman, M., Lustig, R. H., Grunfeld, C., Nixon, D. F., Milush, J. M., Goldman, V., Laraia, B., Laugero, K. D., Woodhouse, L., Epel, E. S., & Hecht, F. M. (2016, March 9). Effects of a mindfulness‐based weight loss intervention in adults with obesity: A randomized clinical trial. Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/oby.21396.
  2. Hall, K. D., & Kahan, S. (2018, January 1). Maintenance of lost weight and long-term management of obesity. The Medical clinics of North America. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5764193/.
  3. Jacquier, C., Bonthoux, F., Baciu, M., & Ruffieux, B. (2012, February 1). Improving the effectiveness of nutritional information policies: Assessment of unconscious pleasure mechanisms involved in food-choice decisions. OUP Academic. https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/70/2/118/1896340?login=true.

QuickN’Cheap Cooking With Conner Episode 1- $3.83 Salad for the whole week!

Watch time: 2 min 37 seconds

Hello fellow health enthusiasts and hopefuls! Please enjoy this short video sharing tips on how to prepare lunch for the entire week in less than 20 minutes, spending no more than $3.83 per meal. The ingredients described in this video will serve 5-7 meals. Check out the price breakdown below if it pleases you m’lord or m’lady (If you aren’t familiar with GOT, disregard that last part and excuse my weirdness).

https://youtu.be/c921FPMYW7A

The prices below are based on ingredients bought at a local market in Massachusetts USA.

Tofu: $1.99/5,6,7= $.39, $.33, $.28

3 pk Bell Peppers: $4.99/5,6,7= $.99, $.83, $.71

12 oz Cauliflower Florets: $2.69/5,6,7= $.53, $.44, $.38

16 oz Cherry Tomatoes: $3.99/ 5,6,7= $.79, $.66, $.57

3 pk Romaine Lettuce Hearts: $3.29/5,6,7= $.65, $.54, $.47

6 oz Green Onion: $1.29/5,6,7= $.25, $.21, $.18

1 Cucumber: $1/5,6,7= $.20, $.16, $.14

1 bottle of 11oz dressing: $3.99/5,6,7= $.79, $.66, $.57

Total Cost Per Meal:

5 servings= $4.59

6 Servings= $3.83

7 Servings= $3.30

For more health tips and tricks, stay tuned for more posts…or better yet follow our blog! Have a healthy and wealthy day!

THE KETO DIET IS A GREAT TOOL TO LOSE WEIGHT FAST, BUT DO POSSIBLE HEALTH COMPLICATIONS POSE A THREAT IN THE LONG TERM?

Check out this article, and judge for yourself!

Read Time: 5 mins

https://insidefitnessmag.com/2021/07/23/to-keto-or-not-to-keto/

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