Last Thursday, I was working alongside my friend Cécile at a coffee shop when I was suddenly inspired.
“You know what?!,” I nearly shouted. “It’s a new month. A fresh slate. Cool.”
(Cécile is used to my little outbursts; she just laughed. 🙂
Without even trying, we’ve been given a chance to tackle a new project with fresh eyes, fresh energy, fresh ideas. (Did I mention that my family LOVES holidays? I’m prone to making them up on occasion. 😉
In last week’s “conquering cravings” webinar, many of you shared your struggles with craving sugar, salt, cookies, cakes, tortilla chips, Doritos, and lots of other interesting things. (One of you even told me that you craved sugar when you’re tired and salt when you’re stressed out…a bit of a mystery, I must admit.)
If you’re struggling with cravings too, I challenge you to make this month the month you get them under control. (And no, you don’t have to give up anything you love to do it, I promise.)
Do these five things to get started.
- When you have a craving, stop and listen up! Cravings are just your body’s way of telling you what it needs. You’d be amazed what you can discover once you start paying attention to them! Grab a piece of paper or a little notebook to keep in your bag. Jot down what you crave, when you crave it, where you crave it, and how you feel when you crave it. Do this for a few days and see what you come up with.
- Once you’ve got an idea of what’s really causing your cravings, find non-food ways to address it. Do you crave sugar in the afternoon at the office when you’re a little bored? Take a quick walk around the block instead of diving into the candy bowl. Or maybe you’d kill for a bag of chips when you get home from work after an exhausting and stressful day. Grab a glass of water and maybe the phone for a chat with your supportive and always-grounded girl friend (you know the one) and watch your hankering for those greasy chips disappear.
- Make sleep a priority, no matter how busy you are. Lack of sleep wreaks havoc on our hormones and metabolism, causing mad cravings and weight gain. Check out this post from a few weeks back for more on the science + a few tips for getting better (if not more) sleep.
- Pay attention to caffeine and water. I love my coffee, but too much of it sends my sugar cravings – and my heart rate! – through the roof. Reducing or eliminating caffeine often takes the edge off of all kinds of cravings. Replace caffeinated drinks with water – dehydration is another cravings trigger – and get a sustainable energy boost as well. (If you don’t like the taste of water, add a slice of lemon, lime, or orange to give it a flavor boost.)
- When you consider your food choices, think balance. One of my favorite ways to manage cravings is using the Chinese philosophy of yin/yang. Here’s how it works: Foods with a yin quality – like sugar, alcohol, and raw foods – make us feel expansive, light, happy…and maybe a little spacey. 😉 Foods with a yang quality – like eggs, meat, and salt – make us feel contracted, focused, grounded. Your body wants balance; so if you’re craving sugar, maybe you’ve eaten too many “yang foods” lately. Or if you can’t resist salt, maybe you need to dial back the sugar. It’s sounds like a wacky way to look at food, but just try it. It works!
Now it’s your turn. Tell me in the comments:
- What foods do you crave?
- What have you done in the past to successfully conquer your cravings?
- Which of the tips I shared will you try this week?
P.S. If you’re a sugar junkie like me, be sure to check out 10 Days to Sugar Freedom. You could be free of those annoying sugar cravings by next week!
xo,
