There’s a lovely program I stumbled upon a few years back called The Legacy Project. It began at Cornell University in 2004 when a professor of Gerontology started collecting advice from America’s elders. The research team gathered responses to the question, “what are the most important lessons you have learned over the course of your life?” Many of the interviewees shared a similar piece of wisdom… If I could go back, I would have appreciated the little things more often. So I decided to start noting the delightful + enjoyable + fulfilling things that happen to me each day. In other words, the especially savor worthy moments. My plan was to keep a "savor life" journal for 30 days - in my private Facebook Forum for clients. Today is day … [Read more...] about How the Savor Life Experiment Changed My Life
Simplify
The Purpose of Eating
"The purpose of eating is to eat." ~Thich Naht Hanh When we eat, we're usually distracted by our thoughts. We plan, worry, work, daydream, drive, read, watch, surf. We think about our commute, the weather, what’s for lunch, that new book we want to read, that yoga class we meant to sign up for. We think about everything except the food in front of us. Honestly, when was the last time you ate breakfast and gave it your undivided attention? Eating can be a sacred ritual. A gift to yourself. A chance to take a break and just be. For the past few months, I’ve been devoted to practicing mindful eating - focusing 100% on my food. No surfing, no reading, no thinking about my day. When my mind wanders (which it inevitably does), I gently … [Read more...] about The Purpose of Eating
Creating Rules You Love
Dream it and you can achieve it! Well, not exactly... It’s one thing to fantasize + dream about + pray for the day you’ll arrive at your goal weight. It’s another to actually gather the tools you need to do it, apply them and make it happen. We like to spend a great deal of time imagining ourselves in our ideal body. We visualize how we’ll look, the praise we’ll receive, the sarong free beach vacations, and all the new things we’ll enjoy doing as thinner versions of ourselves. Envisioning feels amazing in the moment – we get a lovely dopamine surges that lights up our brains with anticipation. That’s why planning your next diet feels so good. But - as NYU psychologist Gabriele Oettingen discovered in her research - envisioning doesn’t … [Read more...] about Creating Rules You Love
How to Have Fewer Problems
There’s an ugly old beige car parked on the corner of my block. One of the windows is busted out and covered with plastic. It’s been there for weeks or months - I’m not sure. Sometimes it goes away - but it always comes back - to the same spot. And I don’t care. A few years ago, the car would have driven me nuts. I would have carried on about it to my husband. Complained to the neighbors. Gotten pissed off every time I drove by. But I’ve learned so much in the past few years. I’ve learned that trying to control the world and the people around me is a monumental waste of time and energy. All it does is create suffering in the form of anger, resentment, disappointment, and sadness. And the reason so many of my clients overeat is to escape … [Read more...] about How to Have Fewer Problems