If you’ve ever mentally wandered off in the middle of a conversation, thinking about work or other off topic things, or gobbled down food, not even tasting it, you need to practice being present. It might sound simple, but it’s not. It’s easy to slip back into not being present, so just accept it is going to happen occasionally. Just like any habit, practice makes perfect. Being in the present is all about focus and not allowing your mind to be distracted about the past or future events. It’s all about being in the moment and the here and now.
Being in the present is part of mindful eating.
Mindfulness or mindful eating is all about being in the present. It brings the mindful eater to a point where they focus on the food and savor every bite. Being in the present allows the dieter to truly enjoy a meal without focusing on restrictions. Instead, the dieter focuses on the flavor and each mouthful consumed. Choosing to be in the moment, the dieter eats more slowly and enjoys every bite, which often results in eating healthier food and eating less. Several studies show that this type of eating aided in weight loss and improved satiety.
You’ll reduce stress when you live in the present.
Whether its debt, self-consciousness about potential social blunders or worrying about health or that of family members, it all causes stress and all comes from either living in the past or the future. When you learn to relax and truly be in the moment, much of the stress discontinues. You listen to the other person and that improves understanding. You deal with each situation immediately, rather than mulling it over later, interfering with other parts of your life. It helps reduce anxiety, depression and lack of self-confidence.
Living in the moment can actually save time.
Have you ever left clothing on the bathroom floor, when it would be just as easy to put them in the hamper? Avoiding subtracting balances in your checkbook either immediately or daily can also mean more work later or even failure to identify a shortage of funds. Being in the moment helps you realize the prudent thing to do and gives you the reward immediately with a sense of self-appreciation.
- When you live in the present, you learn to identify the things that really bother you. You notice your mental and physical reaction to specific things, such as that feeling when you hear the word taxes. It helps you identify things that make you uncomfortable and deal with them.
- Being in the present also aided in weight loss because people were more aware of the mindless eating they had previously done. It makes you more aware of whether you’re hungry or simply reaching for food out of habit.
- Living in the present makes you far more comfortable with social interaction. You focus more on conversation and what’s occurring at the time, rather than worry about how you look or what others are thinking.
- Your workout will become easier. You’ll no longer worry about how you’ll feel at the end of 20 repetitions, since your focus will be strictly on the one you’re doing. It keeps your mind focused on simply finishing the repetition you’re doing, not the future repetitions.
For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio