One small change to your eating can get big results

The Game Changer

There is just a few more days 0f 2017 and then on to a new year with new resolutions and renewed aspirations for a new you.  Gyms are packed with people January 1st but are back to the same by February. Why? Because we just want a quick way to lose lots of weight so we can go back to our old eating habits and our little to no exercise habits, and still keep the weight off, but are reminded quickly that this is an endless path to disappointment with our weight, appearance, and self-esteem. 

So what can we do about it? 

Consistency!  We have to find habits that promote good health that we can and will do consistently for the long haul. This is a proven effective way of reclaiming and keeping long-term health!

So why aren't more people doing this if it is a proven method for helping thousands of people reclaim their health for the long haul? 

Because most the time, these changes, that we can do, and are willing to do are usually small changes that do not bring immediate results, they work over time. And let's be honest, unlike our friend ELF, that's not our favorite:) 

This new year, make it your goal to build healthy habits that are sustainable, and stay clear of all the fad quick loss diets and focus on being mindful of what you eat when you eat, and how you eat. 

I want to give you one of the most important habits that you can practice and it's so simple you won't believe it's so valuable, but it is. And even know it's simple it's not always easy to be consistent, but if you are it with pay big dividends for your health in the long run! 

Eat Slowly. 

Here are some simple ways to eat slowly

• Put your fork down between bites.

• Relax. Breathe. Take a few extra moments before you pick the fork up again.

• Set a timer if needed — start with 15 minutes per meal as a basic goal. Work up to 20 or even 30.

• Chew a few more times than you think you need to.

• Enjoy and savor each bite. If you’re eating something delicious, take pleasure in it. Notice smells, flavors, and textures.

• Eat mindfully without distractions such as TV, smartphones, or the computer. (Pleasant conversation with friends and family is, of course, welcome.) 

Why eating slowly is so awesome!!

1. Slow eating creates mindfulness. Mindfulness creates awareness.

When you get the hang of slow eating and your body cues, you'll become aware of when they’ve over-eaten.

2. Slow eating attunes people with flavors, textures, and smells of food.

People instinctively begin to seek out better choices, simply because of increased awareness. Their emotional-brain elephant is gently guided, rather than wrenched unwillingly.

3. Slow eating provides important information to the GI tract and gives satiety hormones time to kick in.

If we rush, we don’t smell, taste, or texturally experience our food. Our bodies don’t notice stuff getting shoved into the pipeline until it’s too late.

However, when we eat slowly, our satiety hormones have time to work. We stop eating naturally, earlier.

4. Slow eating helps with digestion.

The step-by-step information processing also helps with cueing digestive activity such as peristalsis or enzyme secretion further downstream. Our GI tract doesn’t get caught off guard.

So you feel better after you eat.

If you suffer from heartburn this just might be a magic cure :)

5. Slow eating doesn’t depend on controlling what you eat.

This means you can do it anywhere, anytime, with any kind of food — whether that’s a Mother’s Day brunch, a business lunch, dinner at Grandma’s, a Vegas buffet, or S’Mores around a campfire.

No matter what’s on your plate or who’s around you, you can eat slowly.

6. Slow eating makes the client’s body the boss.

This means eventually you won’t have to rely on calorie counting, weighing and measuring food, or any other means of external control. you’ll feel much less anxious, and much more self-assured.

Paradoxically, relinquishing external control gives you more real control.

Mindfulness is the path to this outcome.

This year make a commitment to building habits that build a healthy you!

And if you would like to know more about this other habits that are proven to help you move toward your health goals, and would like help implementing them I would be happy to discuss more, just head over to my website or email me. 

Website: www.zaofit3.com                                                                                                               Email: zaofit3@gmail.com

Jerry Mullins                                                                                                                                       PN1, DSW, CPT, WMS

Junk-Drawer Syndrome

The other day I was going through and cleaning out some cupboards and drawers in our kitchen and I came across one of our two junk-drawers and thought it was time to take them down to one. So I went through and sorted everything out of one draw, by doing one of three things with everything in it: One: I put the actual junk in the garbage
Two: I put things where they actually went
Three: I put them in the other junk-draw.

Maybe your wondering how we got two junk-draws, maybe not, but let me explain anyway: When we bought our current house nine years ago and we were putting things away in our new kitchen, I said "let's make this drawer our junk drawer" my wife immediately said "no I don't like junk-draws". she decided we were no longer going to have a junk-draw, and this was the perfect time to do away with it. So as the years went by we would slowly add a few things to one of the draws in the kitchen that kind of sorta fit with each other, but not quite, and after a few years two of these draws seem to get more and more stuff that didn't fit and had no real connection with each other, and boom we had two junk-draws. So that's how we got two. But why I'm talking about junk-draws. First of all junk-draw is the wrong name to call such a valuable draw. Second the reason why we have them is because they really do carry valuable stuff, stuff that has been separated from it's purpose, but never the less is valuable. So where am I going with this whole junk-draw thing? Well a junk draw is filled with things that we found and we know they have value, but were not quite sure what their purpose is when we find them. But like I said they are valuable and they do have a purpose even know at the present time we don't know what it is, and we don't want to throw it away because we know it's valuable and when we discover what it actually goes with or is a part of life just seems to be better. We know that if we can put this thing, we found in the drawer, that someday we will find the thing that brings out the value in it! It already has value and we know it does but we just can't see it apart from what it was made to do.
  Have you ever found that perfect nut or bolt, you know the one that you could no longer buy, that could fix that broken chair? I have, it's awesome! This for me is a revelation! People are valuable way more valuable than the things we find in a drawer, but when people don't know and are separated from their purpose, we can't see their value, and even worse they don't see their value! There are people that have been put in the Junk-draw or have put themselves in the draw, and they feel worthless and misplaced, and others see them as a wasted life, when in reality they just need to be where they belong, where their value is evident to everyone including themselves. So I say, for the things that are laying round our house, that we don't know how or where they fit, let's go ahead and put those things in the junk-draw until their time to be discovered happens, but for people that have intrinsic value, let's fight against the urge to do this same thing and strive to help them discover the purpose that couldn't possible make them any more valuable than they already are, but will bring out the value that is already who they are.
  If you are reading this blog and feeling yourself like junk (worthless), I want you to know that nothing could be further from the truth! You were created invaluable and are loved by God and have purpose that brings a joy, adventure and excitement to your life! I would encourage you to stay away from people who would confine you to the junk-draw and surround yourself with people that will help you discover the things that make obvious the value that is already who you are.

It's My Life!

We all know life can be hard, and our own bad decisions can make it
a lot tougher, but the worst is when someone else's bad decisions make our life tougher!  A person's willingness to do something knowing it will cause other great pain is a great indicator of how truly selfish that person is, and when the person causing all the pain is a loved one it increases the pain tenfold. Most, if not all of us have been affected by a loved one that says with their mouth they love us, but their actions say something very different. With the excuse being; "it's my life!" Really? It's my life! I wonder sometimes if people really believe that they have the moral right to make difficult, destroy, dishonor, and just plain make others miserable in the name of "It's my life!"? I think back to my days as a teenager and I have no doubt, that some of my decisions hurt others, but I can say with sincerity that it wasn't with the attitude of it's my life, as a matter of fact, there was a number of times that I choose not to do something for the sake of others and as I got older, I became more aware and intentional about making decisions for the good of others too. I get it we all want to have control of our life, but when we have control of anything including ourselves it's not without responsibility, and part of that responsibility is for the concern and care of others that are connected to us. I know that believing in a creator, and one that is personal and cares about our daily life concerns plays a part, actually is a huge reason why I care about the feelings of others, and why I believe that we're all in this together not for competition, but community.  All too often I have seen people suffer huge, because a child, parent, or spouse decided that their so-called happiness was more important than the rest of the family and they needed to do their thing regardless of what it would cause to everybody else, and unfortunately, there are people that would lead them to believe, that it's not only ok but needed for their happiness.

To make things worse years later the person is still not happy but they have also succeeded in hurting the ones they claim to love because happiness is never obtained through selfishness but rather selflessness.  This is not a letter to shame or condemnation, but of pleading. I plead with you for your future self and for your loved ones that are hurting with and for you, stop attempting to live as though your alone on an island and live as though the island is full of people that love you and are affected by your choices and will do whatever it takes to help you succeed in life because ultimately your life is theirs too.

Letter to that guy

To all the little boys out there who think their men. You know the ones. The ones that think they can treat young ladies like their property, like something they wear, get tired of it and throw away. The ones that take beautiful princesses and make them feel that they are less than. They are the ones that take these precious little girls, those little girls that were created by God, and treat them like an ordinary skipping rock. Yes, these beautiful souls were created to be honored, protected, and loved like a perfectly cut diamond that was made for a special purpose, and created for a perfect setting, to be worn and cherished and protected by one person forever. But you chose to take that beautiful precious diamond and use it for a skipping rock and wonder why everybody seems to hate on you. Let me inform you; people aren't hating on you their loving on the one your hating on.
  One day you may have a precious daughter and hopefully, you will come to a realization how foolish you were, but until then do your community and every other human being a favor and move to an island with all your fellow fools and live there, for let says the rest of your life. Or at least until you grow up and realize that loving someone requires selfless sacrifice, a sacrifice for which you know nothing about.

I know your name and I know your game, telling her; "no one else understands you like I do" only works while she is blinded and then it all comes crashing down, but unfortunately by the time they see you for who you really are they have already been taking down a path of hurt, pain, and regret, that will affect the rest of their life, of course, that doesn't bother you because your intention was to get what you could for as long as you could. I know you want to make her feel like she's broken so she will hold tightly to you, the only one that can fix her, at least that's the lie you tell her, but in all reality, you are the one broken, and unfortunately broken people like to break others. I just want you to understand that you're not fooling anybody else and you will pay for your lying and manipulating ways. Yes, I know you think you have gotten away with something, but believe me, you haven't, you have only temporarily taken down another person with you. Understand when I tell you; love is more about what you do than what you say, so don't be surprised when the people that really do love that precious young lady that you so shamelessly use, end up doing everything in their power to make you a distant memory, and please don't talk about love as if you know what it means because you got as much clue about love as you do about being a decent human being. I will end by saying I really do hope and pray that you actually wake up and see that you too are valuable under all that loserness, but for the sake of us all; leave our nieces, sisters, daughters, and granddaughters alone while you figure out yourself.