Mindful Eating

Well, so far I have kept up my goal of exercising 3-4 days each week. Poor Blink has got the short end of the stick as I have been working out at the gym on rainy days and taking walks in St. Edwards Park at school between classes. She has only been lucky enough to go for a walk with me once or twice a week. I know I will get better at walking her as my last quarter in school ends and I have more opportunities this summer. When she looks at me with those big brown eyes I just keep saying “Hang in there Blink, summer vacation is coming!”

I have been pretty good about eating a whole foods diet as well. I did have a couple of small brownies and a slice of rhubarb pie at our family’s Mothers Day celebration. In my defense, the brownies were made with whole wheat flour and the rhubarb pie was baked from scratch by my sister in law. But there was still a lot of processed sugar.

Where I have fallen down is in the category of mindful eating. My last career was in Food & Beverage for 20+ years before returning to school. During that time I developed the bad habit of eating fast. For those of you who have worked in restaurants and catering you understand that you eat when you can – usually gulping down whatever is at hand in between setting up, serving or breaking down. I have had a hard time breaking myself of this habit, especially when I am rushing from class to work or to the library to do homework.

For those of you unfamiliar with mindful eating, here is the concept in a nutshell:
Food is much better digested and absorbed when eaten in a relaxed and unstressed environment. One should take the time to set the table and sit down for meals. Eat with your family or friends. Catch up on the events of each other’s lives. Take smaller bites, chew well and enjoy your food. Think about where it came from and what it does for you.

I completely understand and wholeheartedly agree with this concept…the problem lies in executing it! I need to remember mindful eating before I eat and not after. This is my goal this week: I will consciously make the effort to mindfully eat at least 1-2 meals every day. Why only 1-2 meals and not all of them? Hey, I’m not perfect, just trying to improve. Stressing out about mindful eating is defeating the purpose, don’t you think?