#130, The Barrier Before the Food Intro Without even realizing it, your feet walk you to the pantry. Like a sleepwalker, you reach out, open the door, and grab the package of oreos. You have a couple but find that they are eaten so fast that before closing the door you sneak a few more. Eek, a little crazy how quickly and without much thought it feels like we start eating food. So, what do we do about this? ***Membership Promotion*** www.loraarmendariz.com/weightloss *** Personal We went back to work this week after our Spring Break finished. I confess to doing a lot of work during my break. Tax season always seems to bring extra work with it but it was a relief to get so many things checked off my list, either way. Concept A lot of emotional eating due to weariness, stress, sadness, frustration, or fear can happen without a lot of thought. You might even feel like it's nearly an out-of-body experience without a lot of mental processes involved. Do you know why? When you're stressed in any way, your lower brain likes to take over, becoming loud and obnoxious. So it is super easy to just do what it says, feeling like you don’t have the energy to say no or stop yourself. When I am first coaching women on emotional eating, they often aren’t ready to simply give it up completely. Instead, we work on adding a single barrier between the urge and the action. For example, if they always pour a glass of wine after a long day, then a barrier might be that they do five minutes of journaling first or go to a quiet room to pray and breathe for a few minutes. Then, they can re-evaluate whether or not they want the wine. It doesn’t mean they are saying no, instead they are slowly teaching their brain a different solution besides food. After a while they learn that the first thing they do when in emotional distress is some quality self-care and eventually the wine loses that feeling of necessity and you can turn it down. Spiritual Application We are so human. I love the part of Romans where Paul says, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” in Romans 7:15.+, NIV. I have to laugh every time I read that verse because it is exactly how I feel sometimes as I am fighting for health and personal growth. We definitely can benefit from some bumper rails in our life because your initial desire will often be based in the flesh. Practical Application This practice will take some planning. In my membership I like to encourage women to make an “If-Then” contract saying that they can have whatever they normally have if they first take good care of themselves. To do this, it is pretty simple. Grab a piece of paper and make a list of situations and food you usually turn to when you are stressed. Then list a few things that you would like to try or that typically make you feel better that are genuine self-care. The next time you feel the urge to emotionally eat, pick 1-2 things from the list and do that before turning to emotional eating. However, don’t view this as a license to eat or drink whatever. Instead, remember that you are using the practice as an opportunity to retrain your brain to care for yourself in a better way. Journal Prompt Now, here is a powerful question I want you to consider journaling. What are you needing this food or beverages to do for you? The answer to this is powerful because it will clue you in to the kind of self care you could use that would help you turn away from the food or soda or alcohol you’re craving. Sign Off You are a rock star, sweet sister! Keep doing all the amazing things you are doing. I’ll talk to you next week. Good bye for now.
0 Comments
Intro Losing weight and getting healthy can feel like a really big job. It is easy to feel swamped by all the things you need to change and do. Then, a few days of a family emergency or an emotional funk can throw us off leaving us with the feeling that we need to start all over. Okay, so there is a better way to do this and we are going to talk about that today. ***Membership Promotion*** www.loraarmendariz.com/weightloss *** Personal I recently got my eldest daughter hooked on audio books. I swear she is listening to them all the time. In fact, she loves it so much that she chooses to listen to audio books and color and play way more than watching TV. I love it. As a mom and a teacher it makes my heart happy. I’m also an audio-book-aholic. No kidding. In fact, one of my favorite things to do on the weekend is listen to a good book while I take care of the chores of laundry, meal prep, and cleaning. A couple months ago a book called “Mini Habits for Weight Loss” by Stephen Guise https://a.co/d/eQFGLBn found its way into my recommended list. As soon as I started listening I immediately regretted that I didn’t have the ability to highlight so many wonderful and startling concepts he introduced. I’m going to place a link to this book in the show notes so that you can look it up yourself. It is wonderful. Since implementing some of these ideas I’m changed some things I coach about health changes and weight loss and my own quality of life has seriously improved. Concept At the end of the day, I firmly believe that the name of the game is habit change. When you change what you do on a regular basis, staying healthy takes a lot less brain power and so many good things you are doing for yourself goes on autopilot. Your entire brain, including the toddler-like lower brain, will be all for doing things like exercise and drinking your water because it is something you always do and it doesn’t like deviating from that path. A mini habit is the bare minimum you could do to say you accomplished that habit for the day. Exercise is a great one to use as an example. My own personal goal is to do 30 minutes of cardio or 15 minutes of strength training every day. But, in the past there were so many days where I just didn't feel like it. However, since installing mini habits I still either go for a five minute walk or lay out my yoga mat for a couple push ups or stretching. It is a huge win. First of all, I’m not skipping it completely like I used to when things were just off for me. Second, I keep the habit going and feel successful. And, lastly, often as soon as I get started I realize that I am totally ready for an entire workout. It is a game changer. Spiritual Application I just want to take a moment and have a heart-to-heart with you before we continue on this subject. What you are doing to take care of your health is huge. The devil has been working on tearing down the health of others for millennia. He’s used drug and alcohol addiction, STDs, Cancer, Diabetes, leprosy, epilepsy…and the list just goes on and on. If he can tear down our health than he can halt and slow down so much of the good work God has planned for you to do. Therefore, don’t belittle this journey. Figuring this out is important. It is physically important and spiritually important. In Ephesians 6:12, NKJV its reads, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” and I want you to remember this. The next time you feel like giving in or giving up just a little, remember that there are influences coming at you that you might not be considering. Keeping these mini habits is a way of taking a stand against that so that you may stand firm. Practical Application Today, I want you to take a moment and put some thoughtful planning into mini habits for you. List out all the healthy habits you are trying to put in place. Then, list two things for each habit: what a five-star completion looks like for you and what is the bare minimum you know you could do if you had the flu or if your kid was in the hospital. Then, lovingly tell yourself that you will always accept that because creating these habits is something you are fighting for therefore you will honor every time that you choose to keep that habit even if it is the bare minimum. Journal Prompt And, here is one more question I want you to consider: Does the thought of creating mini habits feel like not enough, and why? I know for me my perfectionistic tendencies kept me from feeling like doing the bare minimum was enough until I realized that it took so much pressure off of that area of my life AND I was more likely to actually do all my habits. Because, when you allow perfectionism to rule things for you, then it becomes an all-or-nothing attitude and if you can’t do it to 100% then you don’t do it at all. That is a huge loss because if you can only choose between 0 or 100% then you are totally missing out on the days when you would have done 5, 10, 15 or even 50% if it had been acceptable. Sign Off I hope you find this concept as revolutionary as I have. Remember that if you want some direction or support, join the Weight Loss from the Soul membership. It is only $5 a month and you can cancel at any time. All my love to you, sweet sister! Until next week! Good bye for now. Intro You’ve heard the saying, right? That for every “yes” you say in life, you are also saying no to something else. So, what are we saying yes and no to when we comfort ourselves with food? This single concept might have you doing some serious double takes from that box of doughnuts or that extra large fries the next time you are having a hard day. ***42DFC Promotion*** www.loraartmendariz.com/freeresources *** Personal The other night I overate a jar of chocolates. It was still leftover from Christmas. I just kept reaching into the jar while my head boiled over with all the emotional trauma that comes with teaching and loving your students. I was tired. My body still hadn’t caught up to the 3am start on Monday morning and there were dirty dishes and laundry enough to keep me busy through the weekend. My heart hurt, knowing that some of the situations at school were well beyond my influence and God alone could affect the much needed healing and growth of kids and parents. The warm sweetness of the chocolate momentarily made life feel doable, but when the flavor left my tongue, my hands reached for the next chocolate square. I know you’ve been here too. When our brains learn to turn to food or a beverage to help us feel better, it becomes very difficult to turn to something else. So, what helps in this moment when all your defenses are broken down and all you want is that drink or that bite that will bring comfort? Okay, so, my sweet sister, as I did that evening, I recognized that some prayer and an early night to bed would be my best bet and I had to walk away from the jar and wrappers. There is a very big truth that we need to hold on to in these moments, the one that will have our eyes focused back on something that brings us health and peace. The truth is that comfort food holds us back from all our real needs. Concept When you say “yes” to comforting yourself with food you are saying no to 1.Your physical health and needs. Over-eating food that doesn't support your body will affect your energy and digestion in the immediate future and then affect your overall health long term if those eating habits are encouraged. 2.Your saying no to taking care of yourself in a better way. As long as you are shoveling in the comfort food or alcohol, you will find that true healing is harder and harder to find. You’re more likely to stay up late with that bottle of wine or Netflix. It's more likely you’ll grab another handful of jelly beans instead of calling a friend or opening up God’s word. Those comfort food and beverages provide just enough relief that we feel like we can just keep hobbling along emotionally and physically. 3.Lastly, you are saying no to change. Permanent weight loss means we can’t just lose the weight and go back to doing whatever we were doing before. If we keep going back to the habits that don’t serve us, we are not helping ourselves practice the healthy choices and learn the skills to make losing weight and keeping it off part of who we are. Spiritual Application I love in the first chapter of psalm when the psalmist writes “but he whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither-- whatever they do prospers.” (verses 2&3) Every choice we make, sinks our roots deeper. Where are your roots sinking in? Thankfully, our loving Father is there for us in this growing season, ready and willing to strengthen and protect us as we plant ourselves more firmly in Him. Practical Application I want you to take a moment today make a set of “Yes” and “No” phrases. My favorite is, “When I say “no” to sugar I’m saying “yes” to living my best life.” I know that as long as I’m eating that chocolate or cookie, I will feel like I can muddle through. But, when it is off the table, I have to dig deeper and open up to real healing and love and care. Then, I am truly living my best life. Journal Prompt The best way to start on those “Yes” and “No” statements is to simply make a pros and cons list of comfort foods or beverages and then use those truths to create statements that really resonate with what is true for your life. Sign Off Remember, my dear, that real change takes time. Each time you choose to show up and practice better healthy skills, you are developing those muscles and growing your roots in healthy practices. Remember to sign up for the 42 Day Fall Our challenge if you feel you would really like to target an unhealthy habit for six weeks. You are a hero simply by choosing to move in a way that is contrary to our world, trusting God, and caring for yourself. I’ll talk to you next week. Good bye for now. Intro Does the idea of having to drink 8 or more cups of water feel like a daily impossibility? You have good intentions, but when bedtime rolls around you are far short of the recommended number of H2O oz. This shouldn’t feel like a chore and it definitely should not feel so difficult. There are many things you can do to bring success into the hydration equation. *** Quiz Promotion*** www.loraarmendariz.com/quiz *** Personal At school the “passing period” which is the time between classes lasts four minutes. Which means I have that long to use the restroom from hour to hour. When I first started the school year I figured it wasn’t even worth it so I wouldn’t start hydrating until lunch or prep period was coming up. However, I realized that if I could squeeze in more H2O, I felt significantly better, had more energy, slept better, and struggled with less cravings. Funny how something so basic as water can have a huge effect on our lives. Concept According to the Mayo Clinic, water “Regulates body temperature
I’ll take a whole glass now, please, and thank you. But, how can we in our busy and chaotic lives remember to get all the water we need into our bodies? Spiritual Application Our bodies need water desperately, more than once a day, and we can not stockpile hydration sufficiently for our body’s need to do whatever we want without water. I love that God uses the illustration of water as our need for His presence in our lives and the incredible effect His word and His Spirit have on our health when we make Him part of our lives, the more often the better. One of my favorite verses that talks about this is in Isaiah 58:11, NIV, “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Practical Application I know that many of you are working hard to get a little healthier and perhaps shed some pounds. Prioritizing your water is key and I am so proud of you for working on this. In fact, it is our challenge right now in the membership, getting all our water daily for the month of March. When encouraging women to get in enough water, I love to walk them through a simple 3-step process:
Journal Prompt Here is a couple questions to help you get started: How do you feel when you drink enough water vs find yourself dehydrated? What are some tools you could use that would help you reach your hydration goals? Remember, the three steps: 1. Set a daily goal. 2. Set a rhythm. 3. Gamify your water drinking. Sign Off If you haven’t already, don’t forget to take the quiz so that you may get access to some great resources. You’ve got this, sweet sister. May our Heavenly Father fill you with life and truth and joy today. Until next week, I’ll see you then. |
by Lora ArmendarizYou Can Do It!Do you want to fall out of love with a destructive habit? The first 42 episodes of this podcast are a resource for anyone who wants encouragement and information as they take a six week break from a habit in order to fall out of love with it. Archives
April 2024
|