Is laughter really the best medicine?

Experts Take the Benefits of Laughter Seriously

• Laughter decreases the amount of stress hormones in the body and increases the activity of natural killer cells that go after tumour cells.

By finding a way to laugh more, the natural chemicals in your brain that regulate mood will help even out your emotions, thus boosting your resistance to overeating on a physiological level too.

Try organizing a social event that centres on humour. Visit a local comedy club, go see a funny movie, or host a game night featuring fun board games like “Cranium” or “Twister.” Not only will this be good for you, but you can pass on the benefits to the people you care about, strengthening bonds and breaking the usual monotony of dinner and drinks.

Treat the water, not the fish

I came across a quote today in one of the ezines I subscribe to.

“...when you have a pet fish that’s sick, you treat the water—NOT the fish.”

-Artemis Limpert

This really struck a chord with me because so often when there’s a problem, we tend to try to fix ourselves, rather than take a look at what could be changed in our environment.  This is especially true for people to struggle with their weight - “if I’m fat, it must be my fault.” So you try to diet, fix your bad attitude, force yourself to exercise, etc., etc.  And when it doesn’t work, who gets the blame?  You do, of course.

What about trying to see what’s not working in your environment? Maybe your job is really stressful, which leads to to overeat even when you’re not hungry.  Reduce your stress level and watch your cravings diminish.  If you tend to pig out in front of the TV at night, stop buying junk food.  I don’t keep it in the house because if it’s there, I’ll eat it.  How often will you actually leave the house to go and get a bag of chips just because you feel like snacking?

Another part of your environment you might want to think about is the amount of support in your life. Make those around you aware of your efforts to lead a healthier lifestyle, so that they can support you as you make small changes.  And when things don’t go perfectly, they can be there for you to encourage you to keep going.  They’re not always going to know what you need, so you need to ask.  Other forms of support can include fitness groups, online support groups, or professional support in the form of a personal trainer, nutritionist, wellness coach, or therapist.

Also be aware of what your emotional, mental and spiritual environment looks like. If you live with a lot of negativity, whether from those around you or from yourself (those inner critics never stop, do they?), try to include more positive influences in your life.  These can include reading inspirational books or articles, starting a gratitude journal, listening to motivational audio books or music that relaxes you, or meditating.

Remember, if you treat the water, the fish WILL get better.

Hey, where’d my craving go?

Although I wasn’t much impressed by last week’s episode of “I Can Make You Thin,” this week’s episode was much better. Paul McKenna taught a technique that can be used whenever an intense craving hits.  Although I can’t speak for the scientific merit of this technique, nor do whether its effectiveness has been studied, it definitely makes a lot more sense than tapping random spots on your body.

The technique basically consists of “spoiling” the object of your craving (chocolate, chips, pizza, etc.) by imagining it covered in something absolutely disgusting (maggots, worms, insects, mold, vomit, poop, whatever it takes!). Studies have shown that our cravings are powerfully driven by mental images - think of a time you passed by an advertising for one of your favourite foods.  That image probably stayed in your mind all day, creating a craving that wouldn’t go away until you satisfied it.  It seems that it’s actually the image of the food that is the basis for the craving, whether we are aware that we are picturing it or not.  If vividly imagining the food, smells, taste, texture and all, can fuel the urge to eat it, then it stands to reason that “spoiling” it with something equally horrible can create an aversion for that same food.

Here’s how it works: with the thumb and middle finger of your left hand pressed together, take a few minutes to conjure up an image of something you absolutely despise (e.g., liver, anchovies, cow brains).  If there’s nothing you won’t eat, then go into the non-food realm: vomit, diarrhea, mashed up insects, etc.  Imagine it with as much vivid detail as possible, including the way it smells.  You need to be completely and utterly disgusted, to the point of nausea.  Now imagine the food you’re currently craving being mixed in.  Oh, and sprinkle some barbershop hair and spit on top.  Mmmmm.... yummy.  Now go ahead and take a bite… go on, taste it.  Imagine the way it would taste and feel in your mouth.  You might actually start gagging at this point; that’s a good thing.  Keep pressing your left thumb and middle finger together - and hold the thought as long as you can. 

The idea is to create an association between your finger position and the feeling of disgust. Practice this exercise often to maximize the power of the technique.  The next time a craving hits, you can press your fingers together to draw out the feeling of disgust.  Use your imagination if necessary.  The beauty of this technique is that it can be used anywhere, anytime.  I tried it last night as I was watching the show, and good lord, I had no idea I could imagine such horribly disgusting things - I actually felt nauseous at the thought of any food, never mind yummy food, after I was through.  I’m definitely going to be giving it a try this week - I’ll let you know how it goes. 

What about the right hand, you ask? Good question.  The same power of imagery can be used to summon powerfully positive feelings.  Press the middle finger and thumb of the right hand together and think back to a time you felt incredibly good - falling in love, winning an award, being at total peace with the world.  Anything that has a significant meaning for you.  Imagine that time in as much vivid detail as possible.  Continue pressing your fingers together, and practice as much as you can.  You can press the fingers of the right hand together any time you need a mood boost: when you’re tired and cranky, when you need some motivation to go for a workout, or whenever you’re feeling emotional and fighting the urge to eat some comfort food. 

If anybody tries this out, I’d love to hear back from you. You can leave me a comment at the end of this post - I’m curious to see if it works for anyone.  Good luck!

Can TV make you thin?

Last night a new show on TLC premiered called “I Can Make You Thin”. Although the title is a little too sensationalist, and the host, Paul McKenna, a little too showbizzy for my taste, I think this show is a welcome change from your usual weight loss TV programming.  Shows like “The Biggest Loser” and “Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp” are demeaning and mostly counter to what I believe constitutes a healthy lifestyle.  This show, on the other hand, doesn’t focus on militant dieting and exercise, but rather follows some of the basic principles of intuitive eating.

In this first episode, McKenna outlines what he calls the Four Golden Rules:

1) When you’re hungry, EAT: a revolutionary concept, I know.  But so many diets disconnect us from our own hunger signals, saying we should only eat at prescribed times.  This has two unfortunate consequences: either you starve yourself between meals, setting you up for a binge later on, or if you do eat between meals, you feel guilty for it.  In the end, the result is the same: you’re not listening to your body.  But if you start tuning into your own hunger signals, and actually give yourself permission to eat when you’re hungry, you’ll end the cycle of deprivation and guilt.  Check out the Hunger Scale I have posted in my Resources section to help you decide when you should eat.

2) Eat what you want, not what you think you should: another pitfall of dieting is you’re forced to eat certain things, instead of paying attention to what your body is telling you it wants.  I know, if you give yourself permission to eat what you want, you’ll live on nothing but pizza and ice cream.  Well, maybe for a while, but once you implement Rule #3, you might be surprised (do Twinkies really taste as good as a lovely chocolatine?).  By labelling certain foods as “bad” or “wrong” or “forbidden,” all you’re doing is making them seem more attractive.  If everything is permissible, then everything is equally attractive.

3) Eat consciously: this is by far my favourite rule.  When you’re about eat, sit down, take a deep breath and become conscious of the food you’re about to consume.  And as you eat it, take one bite, put your fork down, and chew it slowly and carefully.  Make a meditation out of it.  Turn off the TV, get rid of the newspaper, stay away from the computer and pay attention to your food and only your food.  Savour every bite, and go to almost theatrical extremes to enjoy it.  Don’t pick up your fork again until you’ve swallowed your last bite (this works wonders, believe me).  By doing that, not only are you actually enjoying your food more, it will take less to satisfy you.  Which brings me to the last rule…

4) When you think you’re full, STOP eating: this is a tough one for the clean-your-plate club.  But remember, it’s better to let the food go to waste than go to your waist.  Or you can always eat it later.  When you aren’t used to listening to your body it can be difficult to know when you’re full.  Try closing your eyes every so often and tuning into what your body is telling you.  The Hunger Scale can come in handy here again.  If you’re still not sure, stop anyway.  And if you’re hungry 10 minutes later, eat!

Tune into TLC on Sunday nights at 9:00 to watch the rest of the series.

The next time you feel like skipping a workout, read this…

On my way to the gym today (and for most of the day beforehand), I tried very hard to convince myself that I didn’t really need to go. Because of course, I can always go tomorrow. Because I have approximately 1 million items on my to-do list that are awaiting check marks. Because I’m a little tired. Because Tuesdays are always a long day. Because Oprah’s on. Because I’m hungry. I think you get the picture.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate exercising. I can’t say that it’s the highlight of my day, but nor do I avoid it like the plague. Once I’m there, I’m fine, and I kind of like it too. It’s more that I would rather be doing something else.

I eventually forced myself to go, telling myself I’d feel better if I went. While I was pedalling away on the elliptical, the wheels in my mind were spinning equally quickly. I started thinking about why it is that I can always come up with a million and one reasons for why I can put off my workouts. Why is it that they always feel so optional? As if I’ll only work out if the inspiration hits me, or I force myself, and the second something vaguely more interesting or important comes up, the workout is the first thing to get crossed off my list.

This got me thinking about what kinds of things in my life I consider optional, and which I don’t. Eating is not optional. Neither is going to the bathroom, showering, checking my email, and going to work. But most other things are optional, including watching Oprah. I soon realized that the common thread running through the “non-optional” activities in my life is that they are all necessary in some way or another for survival (except checking my email). If I don’t eat, I’ll die within a few days. I may not die if I don’t work, but if I can’t make ends meet, I won’t be able to buy the food that keeps me alive.

This made me realize that exercise is not really all that optional. The only difference between eating and exercising is that if I don’t exercise for a few days I won’t die. At least not right away. But if I never exercise, I will die a lot younger than if I do. I’m just making up numbers here, but what if working out 3 times a week added 10 healthy years to my life? Wouldn’t I be cursing myself at 60 or 70 when I’m decrepit beyond my years? Wouldn’t it be nice to live longer, and enjoy it too?

The next time I tell myself that I can skip my workout just this once, I’ll remind myself that I’m not really wasting time, I’m buying time. I don’t know if it’ll work, but it’s worth a shot.

Drop the rope

For anyone who works, lives or deals with teenagers on a regular basis, you know how easily a power struggle can creep up on you. When I first started working with teens, this completely baffled me. I thought I was young and hip enough for them to consider me to be on their side (what a delusion!), but I would consistently find myself getting into these struggles that I knew I couldn’t win. I had a conversation with a colleague about this and she gave me a tip that would completely change how I approached my work with them.

When you find yourself in a power struggle, caught in a game of tug of war, just drop the rope. If you drop the rope, nobody wins and nobody loses. Don’t try to reason with them, don’t try to bribe, don’t try to force anything. Just let it go. State your point on move on to more productive things. When I tried this approach, it worked amazingly well. Instead of wasting time arguing a moot point, I focused on what was really going on and how to help the teen move past that.

I later realized this approach works with more than just teenagers. It also works with your relationship with yourself. How often do we get stuck in a tug of war between our emotions and our reason? Our emotions are telling us to do one thing (eat that delicious piece of pie!) and our reason is telling us another (you just finished dinner, you’re full, you don’t really need that piece of pie). The struggle is exhausting. What would happen if you just dropped the rope?

When you let go of the struggle between your emotions and your reason, you begin to live more genuinely and peacefully. You listen to yourself, and what you really want. You free up energy to focus on other, more important things. So you eat a sliver of the pie, you savour and enjoy it, and that part of you that wants to make you feel guilty for giving in takes a backseat. Then you move on to more important things.