Josh Bezoni's Blog - Posts Tagged "eating"
Emotional Eating: Change your tune.
Controlling our habits is an uphill battle for supremacy. The mind, torn between what we want and what we need, will do all in its power to keep us happy but not always healthy. One of the largest reasons diets go off the rails is our emotional attachment to food, and when it gets the better of us. Like any addiction, the brain lights up with activity when indulging in its favorite food. What are some of the best ways to combat cravings while keeping yourself together?
Comfort food, the very idea of it conjures up images, smells, and tastes. However, how many of those foods would you consider healthy? What we eat has a direct effect on our brain chemistry, and after long periods of denying the unhealthy options, a return to unhealthy habits can feel euphoric. The need to use ice cream and sugar as a stress management tool is powerful, many food companies unabashedly use this to their advantage. If you can find one commercial with someone enjoying ice cream on a commercial without smiling, you’ve truly struck gold.
Stress makes no indication of ever going away, so it’s our job to cope with it. Emotional eating is often a vicious cycle, wherein we eat to be happy, get upset when we gain weight, and repeat the cycle. So instead of reaching for a sleeve of cookies, grab your car keys and get out of there. A long drive, jog or walk can help clear your mind. Getting space from your addiction can not only help to reset your mental state but give you time to think about the decision you were about to make. Walking and jogging are also excellent alternatives for their physical benefits, able to stimulate those same pleasure centers of the brain without the aid of sugar.
Music also has similar effects on the brain and its pleasure centers. The next time cravings creep up on you, grab the nearest volume knob and turn it up. Your favorite music will not only help save you from yourself but when combined with the above act of jogging or walking, can motivate you past mile marker after mile marker. We don’t have to be victims of ourselves any longer. Armed with these quick tips, you’ll be ready when those nasty habits rear their delicious faces.
Comfort food, the very idea of it conjures up images, smells, and tastes. However, how many of those foods would you consider healthy? What we eat has a direct effect on our brain chemistry, and after long periods of denying the unhealthy options, a return to unhealthy habits can feel euphoric. The need to use ice cream and sugar as a stress management tool is powerful, many food companies unabashedly use this to their advantage. If you can find one commercial with someone enjoying ice cream on a commercial without smiling, you’ve truly struck gold.
Stress makes no indication of ever going away, so it’s our job to cope with it. Emotional eating is often a vicious cycle, wherein we eat to be happy, get upset when we gain weight, and repeat the cycle. So instead of reaching for a sleeve of cookies, grab your car keys and get out of there. A long drive, jog or walk can help clear your mind. Getting space from your addiction can not only help to reset your mental state but give you time to think about the decision you were about to make. Walking and jogging are also excellent alternatives for their physical benefits, able to stimulate those same pleasure centers of the brain without the aid of sugar.
Music also has similar effects on the brain and its pleasure centers. The next time cravings creep up on you, grab the nearest volume knob and turn it up. Your favorite music will not only help save you from yourself but when combined with the above act of jogging or walking, can motivate you past mile marker after mile marker. We don’t have to be victims of ourselves any longer. Armed with these quick tips, you’ll be ready when those nasty habits rear their delicious faces.
