5-Day Mindful Eating Solution: Lesson 3 - RHYTHM

Wouldn’t it feel nice to feel in harmony with your body, rather than fighting it every dang day?

I believe your body actually wants this too.

Our bodies are wondrous marvels of nature. And just like the rest of nature, our human bodies are attuned to be in rhythm with the rising and setting of the sun.

Isn't that wild?!

When the sun rises, the body wakes up. Certain processes turn on ready to take on the day. And then, at the end of the day when the sun starts to set, other processes turn on, ready to rest and repair the body.

I think this is insanely beautiful. I don’t go one day where I’m not amazed by this. And I’m here to tell you from experience that once you step in line with your body’s rhythm, everything gets easier.

Okay, so how can we apply this to mindful eating?

Well, remember yesterday when we talked about hunger, and I said that your cells are really only politely asking you for food because they need some nourishment? Well those same cells are actually poised to take up and use that nourishment even more effectively in the early part of the day.

This makes sense, right?

It makes sense that your cells would be waiting for you to deliver much of the day’s nourishment in the earlier hours. The cells know that the sun has risen, that you have a day ahead of you, and that you’ll need fuel, building blocks, and information.

(Fun fact: your cells don’t know what you have on the agenda when the sun rises. They don’t know if you’re going to crush a crazy workout, pull an all-nighter at work to get a project done, or lie around all day trying to fight off a cold. They only know that the sun rose and you need fuel. Something to think about...)

By contrast it also doesn't make logical sense to deliver the lion's share of cellular nutrition in the evening, when all that's left on the agenda is some TV or reading, and then bedtime.

So it makes a lot of sense, intellectually, to give the cells the nourishment they are asking for in the early part of the day.

Today’s suggested practice is this: when your cells cue up that first hunger of the day, apply what you learned yesterday, and provide them with an incredibly satiating meal that puts protein squarely in the spotlight. Your cells will squeal with delight as they take up this “epic breakfast” and put it to work.

That’s all. Make breakfast epic. Do your body a favour.

For instance, my breakfast this morning was three eggs, and two nice pork sausages. No toast. No OJ. No yogurt. Basically JUST protein. Could you try something like that?

You might be thinking, "Wait, is Erin trying to tell me that breakfast is the most important meal of the day?”

Maybe, maybe not… but I’ll say one thing: your first hunger is the most important HUNGER of the day, and you owe it to your body to answer it appropriately: with a protein forward meal.

It’s actually unfair to answer your body’s first hunger of the day with a banana and a coffee. Or with a latte and a muffin. Or even with a fruit smoothie! It’s simply not epic enough fuel to get the cells primed for a whole freakin’ day of amazing human stuff.

Really simple: apply what you learned yesterday (prioritize protein) to your body’s biological rhythm, and meet your first hunger of the day with an epically protein-forward meal.

Many of my past clients will tell you: this one trick has changed their lives and their relationship with food more than just about anything I teach.