Let's keep diving into this month's subject of cravings. If you are a current AXIS client, you may have watched my FaceBook Live video this week about cravings and a book I recommended about nutrition.
Fact check: We ALL get cravings! (Even me, Coach Jake!) It's how we manage them that can make or break your healthy eating choices.
My aim this month is to tackle this subject head on and provide you with the proper ammunition to tackle those cravings when they occur!
I’ve got a quick one for you today that might just change how you look at certain foods!
Especially your craving-trigger foods. Which, if you’re like a lot of people, you try your best to avoid thinking about at all!
Have you ever had someone tell you NOT to think about something?
Like, right now: Don’t think about cute, cuddly kittens.
Chances are, you pictured a kitten, right? (you’re welcome)
The same thing can happen when you suddenly banish foods from your diet because they are “bad.”
Research shows trying to suppress thoughts about certain foods can actually intensify your cravings!
One technique that researchers recommend instead is to focus on the EFFECTS of eating those foods.
For example, how do they make you feel AFTER you eat them?
Do they give you a headache or stomach ache? How is your mood afterward? And your energy level?
AND … if you’re a nighttime snacker, what will eating those foods close to bedtime do to your sleep … and how will you feel tomorrow?
The truth is, most of the foods we crave might taste good in the moment, but they don’t feel so great after.
So instead of trying NOT to think about eating pizza …. what about thinking about how you’re going to feel AFTER you eat the pizza?
Try this strategy, and you may just make a different decision next time.
Need some help achieving those fitness goals? If you are a current client of AXIS, reach out to one of our coaches to chat about nutrition and setting up a goal setting session! We can help you work on some exciting short term and long term goals!
Not a current client of AXIS but looking to jump start your fitness? If you are looking to take your fitness to the next level, check out my 6 Week CHALLENGE!
Make it an amazing day!
Jake Thompson
Owner, AXIS Training Studio
REFERENCES:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4358156/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20434065/