“No matter what the circumstance, remind yourself ‘I have a choice’.” – Deepak Chopra
Recently, during what turned out to be an amazing self-discovery weekend, I had the privilege of attending a couple yoga classes.
In the level 2 yoga class our instructor started by asking us how we felt about the lighting and temperature, which is unusual. The instructor offered us a chance to make a choice and change the environment. Taking that apart, we first paused to consider the options. Then each of us, internally, had to choose if we wanted to change anything.
The rest of the class was supplied with choices to do our asanas (yoga poses) in more challenging ways, or not.
When it comes to life we have choices to make every day. From the choice of what to wear to work, down to the choice of where to do the grocery shopping or what to eat for dinner.
When it comes to making the choice about what to eat, I found a few useful and insightful suggestions modified from Eat. Q. Unlock the Weight-loss Power of Emotional Intelligence by Dr. Susan Albers.
1. Limit your options – With too many foods, restaurants, menu items we may get overwhelmed by choice overload and default to our usual less-healthy options.
2. Make it routine – Many studies find people who eat the same or similar foods week-to-week are more likely to be a healthy weight.
3. Take options off the plate – I often base my choices on the last 2-3 meals/snacks I’ve eaten. For instance, last night was sushi and breakfast included a protein bar and kale/fruit smoothie; therefore, the chicken panini was an easy choice for lunch! Articulating what you don’t want is an acceptable route to deciding what you do want.
4. Become okay with good enough – The fried chicken offered at the board meeting may not be an ideal option for your goals; however, it’s still better than not eating and returning to your office hours later, polishing off the secret candy stash and finding you are still hungry and unsatisfied.
5. Make it convenient – If you keep a pack of tuna and crackers at work you always have a protein-rich option for the crazy days when you ran out of the house without the lunchbox.
Food for thought:
There is an abundance of choices to make everyday. Sometimes food choices are stressful or cumbersome.
Which technique from above will better serve your decisions to eat well?
