Hello there!

Happy October!!
We are now finally getting into the swing of the new school year after a rather busy summer break. We had the wonderful experience of visiting and spending time with family in India followed by family visiting once we got back home.

Needless to say, it was rather difficult to maintain any level of consistency in workouts and other work towards personal wellness goals. Nevertheless, it was good to not have any major detrimental effects of the inconsistency, except for having to revisit some of the strength gains I had made before the summer. The reason, I believe though, was that I did workout when I could, and having built healthy eating into my lifestyle, I found that I wouldn’t go crazy eating too much of the foods that my body really didn’t need. It was certainly challenging, when traveling and staying in various places, to eat in the proportions that I prefer to when I am at home, which especially incorporates a good variety and quantity of raw and cooked vegetables over the course of the day. I find though, that while I did (do!!) sometimes gorge on some snack foods (hello plantain chips!!) and had (have) to be conscious to reign that it…I did not crave or want too much of any of it. I enjoyed my favorite foods, and indulged in some special treats, did not feel like I had to deprive myself, enjoyed it all in moderation… and that was how I wanted it – not the devil and angel on either shoulder telling me eat/don’t eat- it wasn’t a forced self inflicted torture at all !!!

Practicing a lifestyle of being aware of what we are eating, when we are eating it, is a helpful part of the process. Then we don’t eat, just because food is in front of us, or accessible to us, but because we actually would like to experience the flavors, textures, connections (i.e. if you used to enjoy something as a kid, and getting the smell or taste of it, takes you back to some special memories). If I eat in this very conscious way, I find that I am satisfied and content with experiencing it, in a reasonable quantity, and don’t feel like I need to eat the whole plate, bowl, packet of the item. This way, I also, only ate those things I wanted to, and not just everything that was on the table in front of me. It was freeing. It gave me the opportunity to enjoy those foods that I wanted to, those thing I miss when I am here, away from India. So while this was not the case absolutely all of the time, it was most of it. And the best part- I did not experience negative repercussions of it such as summer weight gain (yes, it’s a real thing!), undesirable habits, cravings, not wanting to get back to workout routines etc.

This is applicable in different places in our life- whether it is on a daily basis in our home, going out to eat with friends, going on vacation, during the holidays.  But it’s a lifestyle habit built through daily practice, so that in those other situations, it’s part of who we are.

Yes, food is fuel and it is very important to give our body the nutrients it needs, but on the other hand- food is tied in with so much of who we are and what we do. The associations we have with  food, meals, certain food items, places and people even, all tie in to our eating patterns.

So, how about you? What are your biggest challenges during these breaks to regular routines? Is this something you want to build into your life?