You may spend hours at the gym working out or invest your money in luxury skincare products to keep you looking and feeling younger for longer. Although there’s no denying that these acts are hugely beneficial to being your best self, it could be possible that mindfulness can have just as much of an impact on your body and brain.
Why Keeping Your Brain and Body Younger For Longer is Important
Keeping your brain young for as long as possible is important for everyone. Whether you want to work well over the retirement age and need to keep up with your younger coworkers, or you have a passion for table games that you want to continue into later life, you may not understand the best poker hands and how to implement a strategy if your brain isn’t working as fast as everyone else’s! Cognitive skills decline quickly as we age, which can put us at a disadvantage to younger people whose brains work like brand new ones.
If you want to keep your brain and body functioning correctly and adopt a better relationship with the food you eat, following some important mindfulness habits could make a huge difference.
Think About The Ritual of Eating
Trying to enhance your health regimen naturally should be an important task for everyone, regardless of their age. The ritual of eating has a lot to do with the mind-body connection – it’s the way that our brains and bellies work together at mealtime. Nowadays, a lot of people will find themselves multi-tasking at mealtimes, barely registering the act of eating as they scroll through their smartphones or catch up on work.
Start by approaching meals as a sacred ritual. Create a peaceful environment free from electronic devices, allowing yourself to focus solely on the act of eating. Don’t just sit at the table, not paying any attention to the meal in front of you. Take a moment to think about how your food smells, appreciate the different colors and textures, and give yourself a pat on the back for the effort you put into making the meal.
When people try to switch to a healthier lifestyle, they can start to see their food as fuel rather than something that is nourishing and caring for their bodies. While we don’t want anyone obsessing over every bite, pausing to express gratitude for your food can also bring a positive shift to your mindset. Realizing that food isn’t bad for you, even if it’s labeled as something that’s ‘unhealthy’, is an important mindfulness step that can deepen your connection with the ingredients on your plate and help you adopt healthier food habits.
Consider Your Portion Control
Being mindful of your meals isn’t just all about what you eat; it’s also about how much you eat. Pay attention to portion sizes and avoid the temptation to mindlessly consume large quantities. When you’re distracted watching TV while eating, you’re not paying attention to what you’re putting into your mouth, which can lead to overeating.
Being aware of the quantity of food that you’re putting into your body and being realistic about the size of portions you need to fill you up is important. This awareness of how much you’re eating not only promotes better digestion but also helps you tune in to your body’s hunger and fullness cues.
Cultivating Mindful Habits
Creating a mindful approach to diet and supplementation is a gradual process, so don’t think you’re going to be able to change all of your habits in a day; it takes time.
We recommend starting with small, measurable changes at first. Keep an eye on how these small changes are impacting the way you feel, and if they seem to be changing you for the better, you can start to introduce even more changes.
Some of the mindful habits we like include:
- Keep a food journal to track what you’re eating and how you feel before and after mealtimes. This can help you make better food choices; for example, you may notice that you feel demotivated if you’ve had a high-sugar breakfast, which may encourage you to switch to more savory breakfast recipes.
- Make your dinner table a technology-free zone. By designating certain areas or times as technology-free zones, especially during meals, you can fully engage with your food and the act of eating
- Give gratitude a go before and after your meals. It may sound a bit hippy-ish, but if you take a second to think about where your food is coming from and how it’s going to make you feel, it can really change your relationship with food.
Mindfulness is a journey, and it never looks the same for any two people. Everyone’s diet is like a fingerprint—unique. You might be trying to get into plant-based eating or have a resolution to cut down on the calories you’re consuming; just make food choices that align with your personal needs and goals.
