MIND OVER PLATTER

We are a nation of multi-taskers. Sometimes, that’s a good thing. We get a lot done. Other times—during mealtime, say—it’s a recipe for indigestion, weight gain and misery.

How can you bring order to disordered eating? In a word, mindfulness—living fully in the moment so you can appreciate what you are doing, eating, thinking and feeling in an objective and non-judgmental way.

To bring mindfulness to the table, start by sitting calmly away from any distraction (we’re looking at you iPad, iPhone and TV). Take a deep breath and:

 - focus on what you are eating (the color, texture, taste, mouth feel) so you can truly savor (and later remember) the experience.

Why it’s a good thing: Food becomes an aesthetic pleasure (true comfort food), not a drug or the enemy. It fills all your senses.

 - eat more slowly and with greater awareness so you can identify the physical signs of hunger, satiety and satisfaction.

Why it’s a good thing: You get to know what your body needs (and find you may not need to eat as much).

 - remember how the food makes you feel before, during and after eating so you can separate emotional cues from actual physical hunger.

Why it’s a good thing: You can pre-empt negative emotions (shame, panic, anxiety) that you may feel around food and that fuel overeating and guilt.

 - make your own informed decisions about portion size and servings so you can take control of what and how much you eat.

Why it’s a good thing: You see food as nourishment, not a way to fill an emotional void or satisfy others’ expectations.

Just getting started on a mindfulness practice? Check out the Mindfulness Daily app, whose prompts and techniques make it easy to incorporate mindful living every day. 

Tags overeating, mindfulness

WHAT WE CAN ALL “LEARN” FROM LENA DUNHAM

I admit it. I am not a fan of “Girls.” I have a hard time empathizing with the show's characters but I’ve seen enough of their creator, Lena Dunham, and her oeuvre to be both captivated and confused by the persona she presents.

On the one hand, she “hates her body” but celebrates it with a mix of outré fashion and in-your-face styling (that is, when she’s not appearing nude). She is perceptive and self-aware yet clearly does not understand the concepts of over-sharing and boundaries. She’s been called a “creative wonder” by Judy Blume and been mentored by none other than Nora Ephron, but read at face value, the essays in “Not That Kind of Girl” are embarrassingly trite (to me anyway). Is this the real Lena Dunham or is there (in the words of David Sedaris) something more “subversive” at play? Is this all a put on? A satire? Performance art from The Onion? Whatever and whoever she really is in her heart of hearts, here are three lessons women of any age can take from her stories and confessions:

1. Be who you are and own it. In a world of look-alike show biz beauties, Lena makes the most of her distinctive appearance and singular point of view. She doesn’t hide who she is and seems impervious to judgments and shaming. Like her or loathe her, she's authentically herself. That takes guts.

2. Don’t be ashamed of your mistakes. Oy! Some of her experiences were wincingly familiar to me and will be to you. When you're confronted with similar disasters, ask yourself "why is this happening for me and what can I learn?" Then move on and make smarter choices. 

3. Love generously. “There’s a certain grace,” she says, crediting her mother for the statement, “to having your heart broken.” What you learn about yourself and others can be priceless.

What do you think? Are you “that kind of girl” or not? And what does it all mean for you? Share here.

Tags Lena Dunham, girls

WHAT BECOMES A WOMAN MOST? SELF-CONFIDENCE.

Girls’ confidence is trending.  From UnderArmour’s “IwillwhatIwant” and Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty to Sophie Amoruso’s #GirlBoss and even Barbie(!), girl-power advocates and advertisers alike are pushing the empowerment agenda.

Beauty may be skin deep but it is inextricably tied to how we feel about ourselves and how we engage with the world. When weight gets in the way of self-esteem, it can leave scars that last a lifetime. When we don’t know who we are or like what we see, it damages our self-confidence and disempowers us from pursuing our dreams.

One Girl Wellness is committed to helping all women at every age be their best and most authentic selves. This blog will be our forum to explore all the issues—from the sublime to the ridiculous—that influence our self-perceptions, behaviors and actions. We hope you will comment, feel inspired to contribute your own ideas and work towards raising stronger women one girl at a time.

Welcome!