Day Three: It's Not About Willpower

You walk by a plate of cookies that are calling your name. You decide not to indulge. The next day, you come home to freshly baked brownies & sidestep them. You start thinking about food, wanting a warm chocolate chip cookie. Instead of eating one, you stay strong. Then, you finally break down. Instead of eating one oreo, you eat the whole package.

Willpower is all about deprivation and deprivation leads to shame. Nobody is strong enough to hold out forever. We try & try to eat all of the right things by having enough willpower to avoid the bad things, then we break down. Then, we beat up ourselves for not being stronger. This does nothing for our bodies & puts our emotional health is a shaming state. Not good.

It's about surrender.

The body is a holy being. It has needs. It has a ph balance and a blood sugar level that it needs to maintain & chemical reactions that need to take place for proper cellular function. The body requires healthy, natural foods to work properly and water to aid in these chemical reactions. If the body is given too much salt, sugar, or fat, it will impede this from happening. If it is given too little salt, sugar, or fat, it can also impede these processes. We must become very in-tune with what our body is asking of us, and this requires us to pay attention to it. We must surrender to the needs of our body and give it what it is asking for.

Hungry for sugar? If so, your body is probably asking for fruit. Eat a piece of sweet, sugary fruit and see if that satisfies your craving. Do you have a headache? If so, your body might be dehydrated, and you may need water. Do you want coffee or a diet coke? If so, chances are that you need a nap or a cup of green tea. If you're experiencing constipation, you need water, fiber, and exercise. Can't sleep? Try rigorous exercise. For every artificial solution out there, there is a more natural one. Does that mean that I never take Ibuprophin? Of course I do...everything has its time, place, season, & purpose.

Try: Miso Soup - You can find packets of this soy-based soup in the asian aisle in your grocery store. I like to pair it with a cup of green tea. This is especially good on a cold day.

Do: Start a food journal. This is not to keep track of what you eat, but for you to journal what you felt & the natural solution that worked. The purpose of this is to start listening & responding to your body's needs. Journal the craving/desire/etc that you had and what your body was asking for.