Craving Change

In nature, change occurs every four months as we experience different climates during the changing seasons.  It is also noteworthy to consider how much our external environment impacts, or triggers our internal feelings.  Sunshine makes us feel happy!  A compliment or an encouragement from a friend makes us feel valued. Music lifts our spirit and we feel inspired.  Any kind of exercise delivers endorphins which elevate our sense of well being.  A crave for change comes from within and it is wise to discern WHY we desire change.  To feel better about our relationships, our job, our circumstances, and/or our physical and mental state, we need to

pay attention to our cravings and then apply a plan of action or a success strategy. For me, the year 2016 has been a year which included several unexpected changes which resulted in a wild ride of roller coaster emotions.  I live in Mexico and it was necessary to suddenly travel to the USA twice in two months.  In March my mother died, and then in April my son took his last breath.  Death, travel, and meeting up with family are all stressful triggers that cause most people to eat volumes of comfort foods. Today at Lighten Up I learned about the three different triggers that cause us to sabotage our very best

intentions to live a healthy life.  1) Tabu Food Triggers.  When we begin to have an unstoppable craving for a tabu food, we are wise to stop and consider WHY we want to eat that which will not add any benefit to our life.  Am I FEELING: Hungry? Anxious? Bored? Isolated?  Tired?  Make it a HABIT to be conscious of our food intake.  Most people have tabu foods that cause them to eat beyond dietary satisfaction.  Mine happens to be carrot cake.  A slice is okay, but a whole carrot cake in my house is not allowed.  For some it is a bag of chips, and they literally know they cannot just eat one. 2) Enviromental Triggers. There are also certain places that cause us to put more than a healthy portion of food in the tank. For some the trigger to over indulge may be at the movie theater, a family reunion, or a buffet.  3) Feeling/Emotional Triggers.  Is this emotional eating?

Am I feeling sad, depressed, stressed, bored, anxious, or angry due to life not going according to my plan? These are emotions that often cause us to binge on comfort foods. What I learned today is that there are triggers to avoid, and triggers to seek out.  If we crave changing the way we feel about ourselves, or change how much we weigh, we must find meaning in the tragedy’s that will occur in this life, and we must cultivate optimism.  In June of 2016 I was just laying around the house feeling sad and I craved change!  So I felt compelled from within to seek out and find a positive environment that would allow me to spend quality

time with encouraging people.  Serendipitously, in that same week I just happened to bump into Donna Williams who was wearing a colorful “Sit Fit” shirt and I stopped her to ask “what is Sit Fit?”  I met Donna and her 87 year young mother Anita the following Monday and I have been attending three times a week ever since.  The change in my environment, the physical exercise to upbeat music, the positive attendants, and our passionate instructor all contributed to a remarkable increase in my hope for the future and my energy level.  My success strategy also includes attending the "Lighten Up" meetings and a Spanish class weekly. It is a positive remedy to the boredom I was experiencing at home, and the information we get weekly is positively inspiring!   As our leader suggested, to live “IN CONTROL” of our food and emotions, we must organize our battle plan or we will lose the war on food, feelings and environmental triggers!  Also, as a student, I am excited to make my gratitude list and mail out some sincere thanks!