Non-Food Ways To Lose Weight and Feel Great: Appreciate More

Hope you are feeling great and enjoying the last weeks of the summer!  The end of August is right around the corner, and we are also nearing the end of this seven part series on non-food ways to lose weight and feel your best. If you missed any of the previous five posts, no worries! Just click on the links below to catch up:

1. Sleep More (Click here if you missed it.)
2. Move More (For that one, click here.)
3. Breathe More (Get that one here.)
4. Chew More (Click here if you missed it.)
5. Connect More (Here you go.)

The subject of this week's post is one of my favorites. Doing 'more of' this not only benefits you, but also benefits the people around you. It's easy to do, costs nothing and takes up very little of your precious time. It nourishes you in a way that food does not, because it affects all parts of you: your mind, body and soul. Any guesses?

The next way to feel great in your body, regardless of your eating plan, is to...

#6: APPRECIATE MORE

Appreciation, and its sister quality gratitude, are two of the quickest practices to turn a bad day around. Since way back in history, philosophers and religious leaders have encouraged their followers to "be grateful." In the last few decades, positive psychologists have discovered the many benefits of practicing gratitude. In fact, it is so frequently recommended in pop culture today, that I've noticed some not so well disguised eye rolling when the word is mentioned. But there is good reason for it's widespread endorsement. It is indeed a powerful way to improve a person's general outlook, sense of well-being and health.

According to Psychology Today, being grateful activates two separate regions of the brain: the hypothalamus, which regulates eating, sleeping, and greatly influences stress levels, and two other regions of the brain associated with the neurotransmitter dopamine, which plays a role in the brain's reward system and produces feelings of pleasure. So there is truly a chemical reaction in your body that helps you feel happier by being grateful! Expressing gratitude has been proven to reduce stress, improve sleep quality, reduce blood pressure, increase optimism and decrease depression. And when your appreciation of another is actually communicated to them, it is equally beneficial to both the giver and the receiver.

In my coaching practice, I have seen that being grateful and expressing appreciation dramatically improves clients' attitudes toward themselves, their families and their current life situations.  By continuing to notice the positive things around you, a ripple of positive energy is created. It's been said that where you place your attention "grows". As your attention to the positive continues, you notice more and more things to be grateful for. And as it blossoms, it positively affects the people around you too.

Ways To Cultivate Gratitude In Your Life

There are many ways to begin to cultivate an "attitude of gratitude" in your own life. A great way to get started is by simply noticing positive things around you that perhaps you've taken for granted. A beautiful day, the happiness of a child, experiencing a good deed or an act of kindness; these are everyday occurrences that can easily be "missed" as you rush through your routine. Further, our brains are actually hardwired to immediately recognize any potential danger or problem looming (part of a human survival mechanism), but does not immediately register the smaller, sweet moments and everyday beauty of the world around us. It is, however, possible to override this negativity bias by intentionally recognizing and noting the positive moments in your everyday life.

Here are a few additional simple practices that can help you begin to reap the benefits of gratitude:

• Keep track of what you are grateful for. Keeping a gratitude journal or jotting down a few things you appreciate at the end of everyday are easy ways to do this. Writing things down provides a running record of all the positive things in your life (and it allows you to look back on them), and in general trains your brain to notice the 'goodness' that's all around you.

• Reframe your negative observations to see things in a more positive light. Is your toddler a "cranky brat", or simply a  tired child who needs a nap? Is your co-worker ignoring you, or is she just having an extra busy day? This reframe helps train the mind to see things without the judgemental negativity that can prevent us from appreciating our lives from moment to moment. 
• Discover the positive side of any situation. Try to find the bright spot in what you may consider to be a negative situation. Life does not always play out the way you think it should. But don't miss the possibility of something even better coming from it. By appreciating what you can in any situation, your brain is more likely to discover the 'gem' that is hidden inside that experience. 
• Express your gratitude toward others directly to them. Acknowledging appreciation verbally or in writing provides immediate gratification to the receiver, and an equally strong boost to your own sense of kindness and self-esteem. Interestingly, appreciating others helps you notice more positive things about yourself. Win-Win!!

How Gratitude Benefits Weight Loss and Well-Being

Interestingly, people fostering gratitude were more likely to take better care of themselves overall when compared to people who did not have a gratitude practice in place. Positive psychologists state that gratitude provides benefits to people in five major life categories: emotional, social, personality, career, and health. Focusing on the health-related benefits, you can see that gratitude has a strong positive impact on well-being and even weight loss. Here's why you may want to begin your practice today:

• You'll be more likely to exercise. According a 2003 study cited by positivepsychology.com, people who practiced gratitude regularly for eleven weeks were more likely to exercise than those in the control group. 

• You'll be more likely to stick to your healthy eating plan. According to research conducted at Northeastern University, those who had a regular gratitude practice were more patient and more likely to be able to delay gratification in the short-term.  As such, they were better able to avoid food temptations. As an example, eating psychologist Susan Pierce Thompson actually recommends to people who find themselves feeling out of control at a holiday meal, to excuse themselves from the table to jot down some things they are grateful for.  She believes doing this literally clears the mind and resets the brain.
• You'll be more likely to sleep better. Those with a gratitude practice in place had a better sleep experience (in terms of both quality and amount), possibly as a result of thinking more positive thoughts before bedtime.
• You'll feel better about yourself. Participants who completed a four week gratitude program reported greater life satisfaction and self-esteem than those who did not.
• You'll improve the quality of both your romantic relationships and close friendships. Communicating appreciation to your loved ones improves feelings between you. In addition, people who feel appreciated are more likely to work through problems together when they arise.
• You'll be more optimistic and happier. Noticing and appreciating the good things you already have can make you feel more positive about your life overall.

So take a look around you and notice the people, places and things that light you up! Although your brain may initially lead you to notice what's not going well, you can override that negativity bias by developing a consistent practice of being grateful for what is going well. If you truly appreciate the gifts that your life provides, you will be a happier and healthier person in the long run.

If you want to learn more about food and non-food ways to create healthy habits, and how you can feel great in your body (without losing your mind), send me an email, or call me at (201) 803-3257.

I'm also offering a free Discovery Call to discuss your health needs and how I can help you. Click here to schedule your free half-hour phone session with no obligation.

Let's talk!

In Good Health,