I am embracing the idea that summer fun IS self-care.
This week is the week of the Summer Solstice (longest day of the year) and I performed my annual ritual of filling out my summer bucket list. I started this years ago and have talked about it previously on my podcast Feed Your Soul with Kim and in my blog.
It all started when my daughter was in preschool. She can home with a colorful paper suggesting 100 items for a “Summer Bucket List.” The list stated it had 100 fun things to do before summer kicked the bucket.
This list had items that were typically associated with summer like:
Have a picnic.
Walk on the beach.
Make breakfast for dinner.
Generally, we think of a bucket list as morbid and a reference to what you want to do before you die (kick the bucket). I was secretly excited to be given the opportunity to have a plan for enjoying the summer.
As I looked at the list, I decided to make my own Summer Bucket List for me and my family. We discussed the options for the summer and what each of us wants to do and what we would like to do as a family.
I take it a step further and put it on the calendar. The calendar is the place to put the information, because what is in the calendar gets done.
This year is a little different for me because I am embracing more of my Summer Bucket List as MY opportunity for fun.
A Summer Bucket List is not:
A list of have to’s.
A list of expectations.
A way to micromanage time and get on a schedule.
Having to spend a lot of money.
A Summer Bucket List is:
A place to embrace intentional fun.
A place to own more self-care.
A time to put yourself on the schedule.
What do you REALLY want to do this summer for fun?
I find I have been spending more time thinking about what my family will do over the summer and their enjoyment, rather than what will I do. We women often place others needs over our own and tend to go with the flow.
I am consciously stepping into my own needs and self-care this summer.
Planning summer fun is self-care! It is a way to determine your own needs.
Sometimes it is hard to determine what our own needs are.
Put yourself on the list this summer.
Let’s get you some strategies to start your Summer Bucket List this year. I encourage you to spend 15-30 minutes contemplating the below questions.
First, what do you like to do AND you have not done in a while?
Second, what do others do that you feel jealous of?
Third, what have never done, but really want to do.
Fourth, what have you been afraid to do but really want to do?
Fifth, what would give you pleasure?
You can get your copy of the Summer Bucket Listhere or you can just write out what you want to do on a piece of paper.
Here is the way to create your own Summer Bucket List:
After you have done some contemplation (see above), write down all your ideas of what YOU plan to do over the summer.
Put those ideas on the calendar.
Celebrate and cross them off when you accomplished them.
Remember to keep extra spaces on your list to add through the summer.
Enjoying the summer season is just good for you and an excellent form of self-care.
Join me this summer and create your own Summer Bucket List. Get access here.
Join me in the Feed Your Soul Community Facebook Group where we will support each other to make AND use our Summer Bucket List. Being in community can be the best way to get inspiration and accountability to get your self-care moving forward.
Do you find yourself overeating (aka emotional eating) snacks and sweets in the evening?
Does stress or anxiety make you crave comfort food at night?
Well, you’re not alone. Many people struggle with nighttime emotional eating, and it can sabotage how you feel about yourself AND how your body feels.
Why do we overeat at nighttime?
Nighttime emotional eating is a common issue for many people, and it’s often linked to stress, boredom, loneliness, fatigue, or anxiety. When you feel overwhelmed or depleted, or you have unresolved emotions from the day, you can tend to seek comfort in food. This might provide temporary relief, but it can also lead to guilt, shame, digestive issues, and weight concerns.
Moreover, emotional eating can disrupt your sleep patterns and affect your energy, mood, and mental clarity. So, it’s important to understand the underlying reasons behind your nighttime emotional eating and address them effectively.
How do we stop the nighttime emotional eating cycle?
One of the ways to stop nighttime emotional eating is to identify the feelings that trigger it. For example, keeping a food/mood log can help you track your emotions before and after you eat. This can reveal patterns and associations between your mood, behaviors, and environment, and help you make other choices.
You can also try to cultivate increasing coping mechanisms for stress and emotions, such as:
Deep breathing
Mindfulness
Yoga
Talking to a friend or a therapist.
These habits can help you release tension, increase self-awareness, and reduce the need for nighttime overeating.
A second way to stop nighttime emotional eating is to notice your eating throughout the day. For example, using the Food/Mood Log you can identify your pattern of eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This can help you determine what is YOUR way of eating that makes you feel more satiated and less prone to binge at night.
A third way to break nighttime eating is to engage in a regular bedtime and routine in the evening. You then know what to expect and it regulates your emotions and body. This can signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down, and not associate bedtime with snacking.
Lastly, a way to stop nighttime emotional eating is to address any underlying medical issues that might be causing it. For example, sleep apnea, depression, or hormonal imbalances can affect your appetite, metabolism, and mood, and make you more prone to binge eating at night. Therefore, it is important to consult with a healthcare provider and get proper diagnosis and treatment if needed. This can help you improve your overall health and quality of life.
In the end, nighttime emotional eating can be challenging and frustrating, but it is not impossible to overcome. By understanding your triggers, managing your stress and emotions, modifying your eating habits and environment, and addressing any medical issues, you can prevent or curb your cravings, and improve your physical and mental well-being.
Remember, it is not about willpower or self-control, but about self-compassion, self-care, and self-awareness. You deserve to feel good about yourself, inside and out, as well as nurture your body and mind.
So, start a new plan today. Be patient and try some of the ideas mentioned above.
Do you know that you unknowingly sabotage yourself with food? You engage in behaviors that lead you to overeat!
Emotional eating can be challenging to stop, but there are several things you can do to lessen it.
The first step is to become aware of your emotional triggers for eating. Ask yourself if you’re eating because you’re hungry or if you’re using food to cope with emotions such as loneliness, stress, boredom, anxiety, or sadness.
The second step is to learn AND use healthier coping mechanisms. Identify strategic ways to deal with emotions, such as exercise, meditation, reading, or talking to a friend or therapist.
The third step is to practice mindful eating by paying attention to the taste, texture, and smell of food, and eating slowly and without distractions. Eating mindfully helps you be connected to your body and all the physical triggers to eat.
You can unknowingly sabotage yourself with food, by not recognizing and stopping the root of the problem:
Eating to deal with emotions can lead to dissatisfaction with your body and yourself. When you eat emotionally, you are not dealing with the emotional problem, you are making the problem worse.
Restrictive dieting and depriving yourself of certain foods can lead to intense cravings and binge eating. Limiting ourselves makes the rebel side come out and what to eat what it wants.
Skipping meals and limiting food can lead to overeating later in the day, especially if you’re hungry and tired.
Judging yourself and your behavior creates a negative mindset. This negative mindset starts a cascade of negative reactions that include overeating.
What can you do to create more food freedom?
First, practice Intuitive Eating. Learn to listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues. Give yourself permission to eat all types of foods starting when you are hungry and ending when you are satiated or full.
Second, surround yourself with people who support your goals and create a positive and supportive environment at home and work. Hang out with people who are listening to their bodies and do not engage in diet talk.
Third, practice Self-Care. Take care of your physical, emotional, and mental health by getting enough sleep, eating good food, managing stress, and engaging in activities that bring you joy.
Fourth, seek help if you are struggling. Join a program where the focus is on Intuitive eating. If you’re struggling with emotional eating, consider seeking help from a therapist or registered dietitian who specializes in this area.
Having an Anti-Diet Revolution is a pretty bold statement and desire. I have been on a mission to help people make peace with food and their bodies for years. I use intuitive eating as the framework to guide my clients to success.
There is this societal norm that we are supposed to want to be “healthy” and thin and the only way to get there is to go on a diet. We have agreed that the only way to get to thinness and “health” is through dieting.
Why have we all bought into the idea that “health” and thinness is our goal? We have been sold to by the LARGE corporations that make a lot of money (hello 60+Billion-dollar industry) off us failing.
I have many examples of going on the same diet over and over expecting a different result. I look back and wonder why in the world I did that. I am not stupid. I now see that I bought into the idea of what my body should look like, and I needed eat differently to make it right.
I bought into the idea that something was wrong with me, because of my size. The problem is the way I tried to fix my weight was by dieting.
Dieting does not accomplish what they say it will. It does not equal health.
There is an inherent harm in dieting, because it is focused on the external: what you eat and how much you weigh. Diets do not address why you overeat, why you binge, why you are obsess with food and can’t stop eating. Dieting leads to deprivation which leads you back to binging and the cycle starts up again.
If dieting is not the answer to overeating, what is?
Intuitive Eating is the way to move out of dieting and into a place of peace with food.
Imaging being able to notice when you are hungry and make decisions about what you shall eat easily. Your decision is not based on some system where you must track how much you eat. Eating the food and enjoying it. Noticing when you are satisfied and stop eating. Feeling energized with the food you eat. Getting a rhythm with food where you have a sense of what foods you like, what you do not like. Feeling empowered to eat what you want and not overanalyze it. Being able to determine what are your right foods that fit well with your body. There is no obsession with food. You can enjoy what you eat and if you eat beyond fullness you are able to course correct.
What does it take to be an intuitive eater?
Notice when you are hungry.
Notice what are the foods that satisfy you and give you the energy you need.
Eat when you are hungry and before you are overly hungry.
Stop when you are satisfied or gently full.
Allow yourself to eat the foods you really want.
Notice feelings that are causing you concern and take care of them.
Engage in self-care and self-love.
Notice thoughts that are negative and have ways to deal with them.
Have a mindfulness practice that is soothing.
Engage in movement that is right for you.
It takes time and energy to embrace intuitive eating and it will be the best thing you can do for yourself.
To move towards Intuitive eating, we are going to have the Anti-Diet Revolution. What is the Anti-Diet Revolution? We look at diet, diet culture and how YOU have been led astray.
We cannot end at ending dieting. What will you do instead?
Have a way to measure hunger and fullness. This is a simple and profound practice that takes guess work out of eating.
Determine what leads you to overeat.
Have action plan for your self-care that REALLY work.
Be in a place where others understand what you are experiencing, and you feel in community.
Join us for the Anti-Diet Revolution starting soon. Sign up now to get access to this free series to help you move out of dieting and into a plan of action that works.
It is time to end dieting as a New Year’s Resolution. I know that contradicts what you normally hear this time of year.
We have bought into the idea that we need to diet (restrict) come the first of the year. Start dieting and exercise are the top 2 resolutions AND the top 2 failed resolutions.
When we look at New Year’s resolutions, consider that there is this cultural norm, this really kind of shared idea, at least in the United States.
I have noticed every January the gym becomes packed with people starting their dieting. I also remember the diet facilities I attended would be packed with people come January 1.
Come March 1 it would be back to normal. I have read statistics that only 9% of people keep their New Year’s Resolution.
Why don’t New Year’s Resolutions work?
First, they’re based on what you think you should do. There is this socially accepted idea that at the beginning of the year you should have a resolution.
Second is they make you want what you don’t have. Focusing on what we don’t have (thinner body) and what we lack, then that’s what shows up is things that we don’t have and the things that we lack.
Third, New Year’s Resolutions are poorly worded and unattainable.
Lastly, resolutions look for an easy answer. It looks for just kind of what’s the simple thing or what’s the kind of “easy.” There is no easy way to make changes. Going on a diet is not easy and it is not long-term successful.
It is not surprising that dieting at the new year is the most common New Year’s Resolution. We overeat and indulge over the holidays and then “pay the price for it” by dieting come January 1. It is a process of feast and famine.
We were “bad” over the holidays and need to be “good” at the start of the year. This process engages us in the cycle of diet/restrict- binge/overeat- shame/feel bad about ourselves. We are setting ourselves up to eventually overeat.
A part of the problem is the diet industry itself.
The diet industry is a multibillion-dollar industry. I have read different statistics of the money they make, and it is $58 Billion and above and the money they make increases ever year.
The diet industry is a failed industry. They make money because we do not lose weight and keep it off. We have all bought into the idea that if we just found the right diet or did it correctly, we would be thin.
We think that we are not ok. We need to be “healthy” and that is only be being thinner. If we were thinner, we would be healthy, attractive, in partnership, and I could go on and on.
Over the long term 80 to 95% of diets fail whereby the person gains back the weight and then some. I and people I know have experienced exactly this.
We have learned that if we gain back the weight, which is a product of dieting (diet/binge/shame cycle) we need to find the next diet. We are told and tell ourselves it is our fault. We have taken on this shame message that we are at fault. Remember the diet industry makes money off us feeling bad and unworthy.
Here are some ideas for a different plan rather than dieting.
Listen to your body’s needs.
What is it your body wants? Using Intuitive Eating we focus on getting back in touch with your body and what it needs.
What is your body asking for? Is it asking for sleep? Is asking for water? Or is it time to take a walk, get some movement in? Is it time to have conversations and get some kind of camaraderie going on? Give your body what it needs.
Listen to your body’s physical hunger. Notice what it feels like to be physically hungry and satisfied. You might not know, yet, what it feels like to be gently hungry and satisfied.
The ideas about food, dieting and New Year’s Resolutions might be new for you. Just take them in. It might be hard to consider some or try all of the ideas presented here. Take a deep breath and see which idea you might like to look at first. You are worthy of being supported in this process and allow yourself to look at your relationship to dieting.
