Ask Sharon: Treat your body as a friend to lose weight

Following is a copy of the full version of the column featured in The Area News complete with the Ask Your Body For A Message card from the Archangel Raphael Healing Oracle Cards.

Ask Sharon

Treat your body as a friend to lose weight

THIS week Brenda asked:

“After having kids I’ve struggled with my weight. How can I get my body back?”

Self-help literature on weight often suggests focussing on the positives by finding aspects of your body that you do like. That might work for some, but I believe the long-term solution lies in our emotions.

We’ve all heard of ‘emotional eating’, but what does it actually mean? I define it as eating for a purpose other than nutrition.

Examining the ‘why’ we eat to comfort and soothe ourselves is one approach (albeit an expensive solution if you go the therapy route). I personally have found that having an awareness of it and changing my thoughts and behaviours from there has been effective. But I won’t sugarcoat it – it takes practice and consistency to develop good habits.

While I am still exploring the inner and outer aspects of body image, what I know for sure is that food and exercise are only part of the issue – it is as much a spiritual journey as it is a human one.

Thankfully, I stumbled upon a meditation program, Manifesting True Success with Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey. In his reference to the body Deepak suggests, “Any time you make a choice about how to deal with your body, ask a simple question, ‘Is this how I would treat a friend?’ You will immediately know what to do”.

Tips for treating your body as a friend:

• Notice your emotional triggers for over-eating and unhealthy food choices – change begins with awareness.
• Consider how you eat – swap devouring for savouring your food and let it delight the senses.
• Make yourself number one again. When the kids see mum taking care of herself you get the body you desire and they get a positive role model, it’s a win-win.

You may like to cast aside these suggestions and anything else you’ve digested on the subject and heed today’s card from Doreen Virtue’s Archangel Raphael Healing cards. The one that emerged is “Ask Your Body For A Message”.

After Easter’s chocolate overload, now is the perfect time to get in tune with your body and let it guide you back to your true self. If you do that, the number on the scales won’t even matter.

Send your questions for Sharon to editor@areanews.com.au

Sharon along with Vicki Stewart of “Angelzinc” is holding a seminar next Tuesday about upcoming workshops – click here for details and today’s advertisement in The Area News.

Today’s card has been drawn from the Archangel Raphael Healing Oracle Cards. Image and card is copyright to Doreen Virtue, 2010.