Wellness Wednesdays

New Years.  It's a time for fresh starts and new beginnings. For the past few years my list of resolutions included losing weight, reading more, and taking better care of myself. There is a very, very fine line between being at a healthy weight for your body type, and needing to lose a few pounds to look better in a leotard. Ballerinas are notoriously thin. Sadly there are dancers who decide to skip a few meals (or meals all together) to look "better".  Eating disorders are very serious and are to not be taken lightly.

Today is the first in a series called, Wellness Wednesdays. Check back next Wednesday for more!

Disclaimer. I am not a doctor, nor a nutritionist. And I don't pretend to be. This is what I find to be true, after about 5 years of study on food, world culture, "dieting," and my personal experience. Most of this is a generalization, as I don't want to bore with details. 

You should always consult a trusted health professional about weight loss--not your computer.

Introduction

So how do you lose weight without doing dangerous things that harm your body? Actually, the first step is to not skip meals. It's easy to be wrapped up in a project and forget to eat some dinner, or to not give yourself enough time to eat something for breakfast. Now when you do eat, don't eat standing up and directly out of the container. Put food on a plate and sit down. Try not to multitask, too. You should look at your food while you eat. Is it not pleasing to look at? Why are you eating it then? Also, if you're bored by your food, it's time to shake things up! Americans are notorious for eating bland, greasy, "food."  Food is a wonderful thing, there are so many flavors and textures out there to please the palate. There is nothing wrong with loving it and enjoying eating it! Sitting down like a civilized respectable human being and taking the time to eat and enjoy your meal rather then scarfing down a "quick bite to eat" is a gift to yourself and is much better for you! Eating food at a quick rate should be avoided.

When you forget to eat meals your body isn't given any fuel and it goes into starvation mode, meaning that your metabolism comes to a near halt and tries to run on your stored food (fat). The problem comes when you eat again, your body is unsure of when the next meal will be so it starts to store more and goes into survival mode.

So to sum up:  Sit down for meals, don't eat out of the container, and don't miss meals!

-Josie