Going to Try to "Savor" the Moment

Dear Diary...

Tuesday nights, I get on Twitter and keep up with the Twitter chat for Biggest Loser.  This week, while reading everyone's comments - I also moseyed on through my regular feed to see what's going on with everyone.

Twitter is one of those things that I just haven't been able to get in to like a lot of people have.  I get on there occasionally to see what everyone is up to.  But I'll admit, it's mostly become my go-to place to visit only when I want to catch up on what people are saying about the current week's episode of Biggest Loser.  Being that I consider myself pretty "social" when it comes to social networking - Twitter is just one bandwagon I haven't been able to climb aboard.  Although, anyone that is a friend on my personal Facebook account will also see that I haven't gotten on there much lately, either.

Anywho, this week I wasn't just following the BL chat I was also running through other status updates.

This week, I noticed a new chat taking place - a virtual book club.  I'm not sure if it was a new chat - probably not.  It's probably better for me to say that I noticed a chat taking place that I'd never noticed before.  I'd say about 90% of the people I follow on Twitter are people on a weight loss journey of some kind.  I follow them for a reason - to keep up with what they're doing and trying..and if any of it works.  I'm not sure why the virtual book club chat jumped out at me - but once I started reading a few messages, I just had to find out the source of the book and read everyone's comments.  So I did a little search and wala, I had the book club chat filtered.

The book they were discussing was Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Lilian Cheung  The first is a Buddhist Zen Master and the latter a doctor who specializes in nutrition.  At first I thought it was a strange coupling - but after reading some of the comments about the book, I was intrigued.

Some of my long-time followers may remember a spat that took place a little over a year ago when I got very interested in balancing mind and body - after reading Eat, Pray, Love.  That was a time in my life where I rekindled my relationship with yoga and meditation and tried to explore my emotional eating triggers, etc.  For the time that I was focused on this Zen-like way of thinking, I was more aware of my surroundings, more aware how to release stress, and was definitely more aware of my emotional eating behaviors.

Getting back to what I was talking about - the next day, I went and bought Savor.  Just like that.  Without really doing much research or digging deeper into what the book was about.  I just read the comments that praised the messages the book had about connecting mind and body, using meditations, and having the tools to make mindful food choices and BAM I was in Barnes & Noble picking up my copy.

The book chat coincidentally took place the same night after hearing from my therapist that I have a lot of fixing to do with myself.  I figured what better way to start working on fixing myself than having a therapist, a Zen Master, and a doctor of nutrition giving me advice, right?

So, I've decided to take on Savor and give it a go.  I've been told it's a pretty dense read, but full of great information.  I've only made it through the first couple of pages of the introduction, but it's already speaking to me.  I've already read that the book isn't a dieting book or a lose weight fast book.  It's a book that teaches how to make mindful choices when it comes to food, and other aspects of life.

It's funny, but just a couple of days ago, I was on a wonderful blog (Day #1 Again - go check it out, it's fantastic!) and Jenn, the author, was explaining that she was going to be trying Yoga for the first time.  I left her a comment about how I loved yoga, and didn't know why I wasn't do it anymore.  She immediately followed up with a comment telling me I should be doing it if I really loved it that much - and she was right.  Then, practically the same day, I get all involved with finding this book and reading it and getting back in touch with my spiritual aspect to my weight loss journey.  I believe in signs, and I think that was definitely one.

I have always had this belief that weight loss isn't just physical - it's very mental.  When your mind is out of balance, your body will be also.  Yoga, as a practice not just an exercise, and meditation have always been two things I'm pretty good at - and have helped when I've used them.  So, I think it's time I rekindle my relationship with them both.  Again.  I've got to add more to my goals than just logging my food, keeping up with my calorie intake, and working out as often as I can.  I've got to add the part where I work on the struggles that make me mindlessly eat.  The things that stress me out - and cause me to mindlessly eat.  And letting go of failures from my past - that when I think about them, make me mindlessly eat.

I put myself in to a semi-meditative state while at the gym last night.  I got on the elliptical, and about 10 minutes in I was exhausted.  Not surprising.  I've only worked out once on the elliptical this year - and that was over a week ago.  I was pushing for 30 minutes, and I just didn't know if I was going to be able to do it.  So, I put my earplugs in, tuned in to the TV, and completely ignored what I was doing.  I just kept moving my legs and diverting my attention to the TV screen.  Before I knew it, my 30 minutes were up - and I was still alive.  It just goes to show what I can accomplish when I don't focus on the pain - and just push through it by occupying my mind with something else.

I'm not going to the gym tonight because I have to hurry home to get Peanut to my parent's house.  This weekend, though, I'm thinking some running and yoga may make an appearance.  Oh, and some reading - of course.

TGIF!!

Till next time. ;)