Are you on a diet or living a lifestyle?

On any given day countless numbers of people are either starting or stopping a diet.

Each time one begins the process of dieting, we are convinced this is it! It doesn't matter how many times we commit to our next form of emotional and often physical torture, the thought is likely, "this is the magic formula."

Each time someone commits and then stops they will likely feel more defeated than the time before. It seems to be a never ending process thus creating more self-defeating behaviors. 

You might be wondering why I am writing about dieting on my Daily Awareness blog. After all, isn't this supposed to be a spiritual blog?

Yes, it is. Truth be told, how we take care of our mind, body and soul all connects to our spiritual awakening. When we are bogged down by toughts of "I need to eat better or I shouldn't be eating these bad foods or someday I'm going to start that next diet" we mess with our spiritual well-being.

Rather than viewing a change in eating as a way to drop some magical number of pounds, what if we ate to honor our body, our mind and spirit. By doing this it is more likely we will get to the optimum weight and health.

I don't expect everyone to agree with me on that last statement. I can only speak from my experience.

The fact is, almost any diet will work to drop weight. But is weight loss alone what we want? Or do we want to be so connected with our mind, body and spirit that our level of consciousness rises beyond our current understanding?

I'll admit it; I'm one of those who has tried various diets or bought magazines with articles that "called to me" by way of a quick solution to losing 10, 20 or even 30 pounds in an unrealistic amount of time.

Although intellectually I have known for years there is no quick fix it took more than a few years for me to "get it" at my core. It was at the point I really "got it" I was ready to make a change in the way I viewed getting in optimum health and shape thus creating a quality of life I otherwise won't experience. A quality I am willing to put the time and effort into achieving.

However, having the willingness and taking action are two different things. The willingness to change has to be greater than the willingness to give into even minor choices that move us away from what we say we want. As the old saying goes,

"Actions speak louder than words."

When the desire is great enough the opportunities to fulfill the desire show up. We need only pay attention.

About a month ago, my good friend Lorraine Cohen and I were talking about our individual desire to get back into optimum health. We both agreed that dieting was not at all the solution. Conscious eating as well as some form exercise a minimum number of days a week was the solution.

So was having a way of being accountable in order to stick to our goals. It was due to this conversation and a deep desire on both our parts to shift certain behaviors that we put in place a process that has been no less than incredible. A process that has given us both more energy, more clarity and more passion in all areas of our life than we were experiencing prior to making a commitment to better health.

On Thursday, June 18th at 3 p.m. PST join Lorraine and I as well as our friend and colleague, Denise Wakeman, for a candid conversation on how to set and achieve Transformational Goals. It will likely be one of the most enlightening hours you will experience for some time to come.

To register visit http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/Fundraiser.htm

Comments

[Lorraine Cohen]

Great point about taking the desire of losing weight and changing the perspective to be about being more loving with your body and committing to a healthier lifestyle. There is so much information stating that diets don't work in the long run. And I have found that when one area of my life is out of balance so is everything else! Taking better care of my body has brought me greater clarity, mobility, increased creativity, more energy, and overall - feeling a heck of a lot better.

[Kathleen Gage]

Absolutely right about feeling better and having more energy. I could tell how energized I was as I went on a very brisk 4 mile power walk today. It was delightful.