<!--www.crestaproject.com Social Button in Content Start--><div id="crestashareiconincontent" class="cresta-share-icon fourth_style"><div class="sbutton crestaShadow facebook-cresta-share" id="facebook-cresta-c"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.simplemindfulness.com%2Fmindful-binging%2F&;t=The+Art+of+Mindful+Holiday+Binging" title="Share on Facebook" onclick="window.open(this.href,'targetWindow','toolbars=0,location=0,status=0,menubar=0,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,width=640,height=320,left=200,top=200');return false;"><i class="cs c-icon-cresta-facebook"></i></a></div><div class="sbutton crestaShadow twitter-cresta-share classic-icon" id="twitter-cresta-c"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The+Art+of+Mindful+Holiday+Binging&;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.simplemindfulness.com%2Fmindful-binging%2F&;via=SimpleMindfulns" title="Share on Twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href,'targetWindow','toolbars=0,location=0,status=0,menubar=0,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,width=640,height=320,left=200,top=200');return false;"><i class="cs c-icon-cresta-twitter"></i></a></div><div class="sbutton crestaShadow linkedin-cresta-share" id="linkedin-cresta-c"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.simplemindfulness.com%2Fmindful-binging%2F&;title=The+Art+of+Mindful+Holiday+Binging&;source=https://www.simplemindfulness.com/" title="Share to LinkedIn" onclick="window.open(this.href,'targetWindow','toolbars=0,location=0,status=0,menubar=0,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,width=640,height=320,left=200,top=200');return false;"><i class="cs c-icon-cresta-linkedin"></i></a></div><div class="sbutton crestaShadow pinterest-cresta-share" id="pinterest-cresta-c"><a rel="nofollow" href="javascript:void((function()%7Bvar%20e=document.createElement(&apos;script&apos;);e.setAttribute(&apos;type&apos;,&apos;text/javascript&apos;);e.setAttribute(&apos;charset&apos;,&apos;UTF-8&apos;);e.setAttribute(&apos;src&apos;,&apos;https://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r=&apos;+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)%7D)());" title="Share on Pinterest"><i class="cs c-icon-cresta-pinterest"></i></a></div><div style="clear: both;"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><!--www.crestaproject.com Social Button in Content End--><p>It’s that time of year again: Parties, get-together’s and all kinds of celebrations. More food and drink than at any other time of year.</p>
<p>It’s almost impossible to say no.</p>
<p>Diets go out the window as you’re surrounded with tempting foods and drinks. Exercise programs are forgotten as the weather gets cold or rainy.</p>
<p>More than half of the population will put on two pounds this time of year and 10% will put on five pounds or more. Most people don&#8217;t lose the weight they gain.</p>
<h2>Why Does This Happen?</h2>
<p>There are many reasons for our over-indulgences. Everyone has their own personal rationale and much of it’s emotional.</p>
<p>Frequently, family gatherings are stressful so we dive into the comfort foods and alcohol to ease that stress.</p>
<p>We’ve grown up with traditions that call for an excess of food and drink and, if we don’t participate, we’re somehow judged negatively – something none of us like. If you don’t eat some of Aunt Mary’s apple pie or your grandmother’s casserole, they think you’re rejecting them personally so you eat it all.</p>
<p>In other cases the food is so damn good you don’t want to stop eating.</p>
<p>The reasons are endless.</p>
<h2>A New Approach</h2>
<p>But this year things are going to be different for you.</p>
<p>You’re taking a new approach that goes beyond the usual advice of eating before you go to a party or avoiding the buffet line.</p>
<p>Instead of following your same old patterns of excess, you’re going to approach the whole season more mindfully.</p>
<p>Result? Happier holidays and a happier body.</p>
<p>How do you do this?</p>
<p>By <a title="How To Use a Basic Bodily Function to Reduce Stress and Anxiety" href="https://www.simplemindfulness.com/breathe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taking a deep breath </a>and noticing how you feel before you make each choice. You’re making choices all the time.</p>
<ul>
<li><em>What</em> to put on your plate</li>
<li><em>How much</em> to put on your plate</li>
<li><em>What</em> to drink</li>
<li><em>How much</em> to drink</li>
<li>How you feel about where you are</li>
<li>How you feel about who you’re with</li>
<li>What your next words will be</li>
<li>How you respond or react to people and situations</li>
<li>What you wear</li>
</ul>
<h2>Are You Listening to the Monkey?</h2>
<p>You either let your subconscious monkey mind run the show or you slow down enough to listen to your True Self who knows what’s in your unique best interest.</p>
<p>The monkey mind tells you what you <em>should </em>do and throws all kinds of guilt and fearful emotions at you if you don’t. These should’s are cultural or family norms. Many times you don’t feel very good about them.</p>
<p>Your True Self is looking out for you. She knows what makes you happy from the inside out. Her suggestions always come from love and always feel good.</p>
<p>When you make your choices by listening to your True Self and generally keeping the monkey mind in the sidelines, thanking it for its contributions, you feel relaxed, knowing that you’ve made the best choices for yourself.</p>
<h2>Dueling Voices</h2>
<p><em>Here are some examples of the two voices in your head:</em></p>
<p>You’re at your parents’ house for the big family gathering. You’ve been working hard over the past couple of months to create healthy habits.</p>
<p>Aunt Mary approaches you, urging you (strongly) to have a “nice helping” of her super duper casserole that’s her specialty at these events. It’s full of cheese and bread. Last month you finally discovered that you have milk and gluten intolerances and, since excluding these from your diet, you feel better than you have in decades.</p>
<p><em>Monkey mind: </em>Oh, just take a big spoonful to make her happy. You <em>know</em> what will happen if she thinks you don’t like her cooking.</p>
<p><em>True Self: </em>You can feel the lead weight in your belly, the gas and bloated feeling just looking at that casserole. You know what it will do to you. Aunt Mary won’t understand the concept of food intolerances. Simply say, “No, thank you” as nicely as you can. You’re not responsible for her feelings. How Aunt Mary responds to that is her choice.</p>
<p>Later that evening, Uncle Charlie comes by to top off your glass of wine. You’ve already had two glasses and know that you’ll feel like crap tomorrow if you have any more.</p>
<p><em>Monkey mind:</em> Oh, what the hell. Have one more. You need it to handle being around these people.</p>
<p><em>True Self: </em>Do you really want to feel the way you’ll feel if you have another glass? I didn’t think so. Another very nice “No, thank you.” Let Uncle Charlie feel needed by asking him to get you a glass of water instead.</p>
<p>Your mother serves you a big slice of pumpkin pie. Delicious, yes. But you know you don’t need all those calories.</p>
<p><em>Monkey mind:</em> Just eat the whole thing. You know you love it. You can exercise it off later.</p>
<p><em>True Self:</em> Mmmmmm. So delicious! Those first couple bites are the best. After that you know you stop truly tasting it. Eat slowly and have just enough to fully savor the aromas, tastes and textures. Leave the rest.</p>
<p>Think about how you would feel leaving the gathering after having listened to your True Self instead of the monkey mind. Multiply that by all the parties you’ll attend over the holiday season.</p>
<p>Feel better?</p>
<h2>The Mindful Body Solution</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.simplemindfulness.com/mindful-body-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="alignleft wp-image-2371 size-full" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;" title="Mindful Body Program" src="http://simplemindfulness.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Mindful-Body-graphic-thumbnail.png" alt="Mindful Body Program" width="350" height="236" /></a>If you would like to learn more about how you can use mindfulness to create a happier, healthier body for yourself, I invite you to learn more about my <strong><a title="Purchase The Mindful Body Program" href="https://www.simplemindfulness.com/mindful-body-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mindful Body Program</a></strong>.</p>
<p>It’s a comprehensive program that uses <a title="What Is Mindfulness?" href="https://www.simplemindfulness.com/what-is-mindfulness/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mindfulness principles</a> to transform how you think about diet, exercise and health. It shows you how simple and fun it is to be healthy.</p>
<p>Other programs only help you to lose weight or start exercising (if they work for you). <a title="Buy The Mindful Body Program!" href="https://www.simplemindfulness.com/mindful-body-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This program</a> goes way beyond that and guides you through a simple process that creates an environment where you enjoy eating well, moving your body and maintaining a healthy lifestyle ever day. This program gets to the heart of the matter and gets you past the blocks you’ve experienced in the past.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px;"><em>This is the program that works.</em></span></p>
<p>By following the principles in this program, you’ll break free from the cycle of failure with diet and exercise programs and never experience failure again. You’ll move from guilt, shame or being unhappy about your body to loving every part of you. You’ll go from stressed out and run down to alive and energetic.</p>
<p>And when you make this transformation with your body, you’ll realize other benefits in your life like:</p>
<ul>
<li>Saying good-bye to diets because you maintain your ideal weight with pleasure.</li>
<li>Wearing all those “skinny clothes” you’ve been saving in the back of your closet and feeling radiant about it.</li>
<li>Maintaining a regular exercise routine because it’s something fun that works easily with your lifestyle.</li>
<li>Your relationships grow and thrive. With more self-confidence, it’s easier for you to create new, amazing relationships.</li>
<li>Your self-confidence and self-esteem soar as you see results in your body and higher levels of energy. When you <em>finally</em> make these changes with your body, who knows what else you can accomplish!</li>
</ul>
<p><a title="Buy The Mindful Body Program" href="https://www.simplemindfulness.com/mindful-body-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLICK HERE</a> to learn more about how the Mindful Body Program can benefit you and to purchase your copy. <em>You</em> decide the value. <em>You</em> decide the price! And there&#8217;s a 30 day money back guarantee.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.simplemindfulness.com/mindful-body-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-2403 size-full" title="Buy the Mindful Body Program here!" src="http://simplemindfulness.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/728x90.jpeg" alt="Buy the Mindful Body Program here!" width="728" height="90" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #808080; font-size: 12px;"><em>Image via <a title="Kansas City Home &; Garden" href="http://www.kchandg.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: #808080;">kchandg.com</span></a></em></span></p>
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The Art of Mindful Holiday Binging
