Guest Post

Shannon Willardson:


A MUST READ: Intuitive Eating




Ok - it's not very often that i become obsessed with a product or a book enough to publicly endorse the crap out of it... BUT, once in a while, something is so stinking awesome that i'd feel selfish and ungrateful if i didn't share it with the masses... and THIS BOOK is on that level of awesome.














Why do I love this book so much? Why has it literally changed my life? Well, for starters, because this is the book that taught me that 'diets are dumb' and liberated me from the wrath of that roller-coaster ride. This is the book that helped me to stop having fairly regular binge-sessions; it's the book that got me on the path to loving myself regardless of my weight or size or fitness level at that time; it's the book that has freed me from having a constant feeling of 'wanting something that i can't have'. It's the book that reminded me & taught me that our bodies were created with an internal mechanism that tells us how much food we need and what kind of food we need. It also taught me how to tap into that so that I could reach what the authors call my 'natural weight'... not too thin, but not overweight. Here is an overview of what is in the book:



Principle 1: Reject the Diet Mentality

Principle 2: Honor Your Hunger

Principle 3: Make Peace with Food

Principle 4: Challenge the Food Police

Principle 5: Feel Your Fullness

Principle 6: Discover the Satisfaction Factor

Principle 7: Cope with Your Emotions Without Using Food

Principle 8: Respect Your Body

Principle 9: Exercise - Feel the Difference

Principle 10: Honor Your Health - Gentle Nutrition

Now, I will be the first to tell you that I have by no means 'MASTERED' these principles. I still sometimes give into the temptation to adhere to the 'diet mentality', I still overeat sometimes (like, for example, last weekend and the first of this week... I'll tell you what - family in town and business trips don't do ANYTHING to help with a 4-week challenge!), and I still am trying to fully make peace with food. BUT, I'm workin on it. AND, I've come a long, long way, which has made all the difference in the world for my health and fitness level. Remember that little slump I told you about, where I was maintaining a weight about 15-20 lbs. heavier than I am right now? This book was the catalyst for helping me pull of out of that phase. If you're someone who has EVER, even remotely, struggled with the EATING aspect of health & fitness, this book might just help you as much as it helped me.

That being said, how's everyone doing on their 4-week challenge? I for one, had some rocky moments this week, BUT, that's the beauty of this life: every day is a new day and an opportunity to recommit, start over, and drive toward the finish line as if no mistake had ever been made. And THAT is what I have done: RECOMMITTED! Who is with me? Anyone else need a little personal re-commitment to their four week challenge goals? There's still about 2 weeks left - plenty of time to work on adopting some healthy habits and see some very real progress. SO LET'S DO THIS! Go get em' this week!