by Gina Ferraro | Jun 4, 2015 | Diet, Disease prevention, Health, Mindset, Nutrition, Wellness
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Orthorexia nervosa is an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. It is a “health food eating disorder”. Yes. You read it correctly. When anyone has an exaggerated focus on something – even something healthy, it can become problematic.
Today more than ever we have cult-like behaviour from people following multitudes of fad diets. As a result, they follow strict regimes of eating, not allowing this or that to the point of the ridiculous. Furthermore, there are extremists who are devoted to cleanses, detoxes, Atkins, paleo, veganism, gluten- free, juicing…….the list goes on and on.
However, don’t mistake my blog….I am NOT telling you that focusing on healthy eating is wrong or that you should throw caution to the wind and eat whatever you like. I am advising you to make educated decisions towards healthier eating behaviour where it doesn’t negatively impact your life. When your healthy eating completely consumes you to the point of obsession, (specifically, where you cannot function without total commitment and are filled with guilt at the very thought of other options), then it is a cause of concern. Clearly it is a problem if it causes a person distress,
Additionally, an unhealthy obsession with food can affect friendships, relationships, and even your own sanity. In particular, it can cause social isolation and mental health problems. It is important to understand that stress causes many physiological complications too. Consequently, stressing over food can manifest itself negatively by causing health problems in the very body you are trying to keep healthy! Ironic isn’t it?
Focusing on health doesn’t need to be a chore. We shouldn’t constantly try and eat like bodybuilders preparing for competition! I have been around these athletes for many years and trust me, they aren’t happy to be on such restricted eating regimes and don’t eat that way once their comp is over. Make healthier food options whenever possible but don’t let your desire for health stop you from living! Find a balance and don’t make food the primary focus of your life.
by Gina Ferraro | Aug 3, 2014 | Health, Mindset, Wellness
I often hear people tell me they feel flat and need someone to help motivate them – but motivation comes from within. When we hear something “motivational” it is because the words resonate deep within us and we relate to what is being said in such a way that it drives us to action. The “trick” to staying driven is to frequently seek out things that push us forward. WE need to do the work on a daily basis. Remind ourselves “why” we chose our goals and if we have sparked within ourselves a strong enough desire….. then we act. Ask yourself, “Is what I am doing right now WORKING for me?” If the answer is “no” then do something that DOES work for you. I know it sounds as though I am over-simplifying things but it is just learning a new habit and this takes a little time and persistence. We need to shift our mindset so that it works for us, whether it be for weight-loss, health, fitness, or just to take that much needed time out and rest our minds.
A work colleague of mine read me an excerpt from “Baron Baptise: 40 Days to Personal Revolution” and I thought it was perfect for today’s post, and I also recommend you visit the website http://www.baronbaptiste.com/40days/. I hope these words find their way with you as they did with me.
“Law 3: Step out of your comfort zone.
The question for anyone on a transformation journey is not “Will I survive if I step out of my comfort zone?” The real question is “Will I survive my comfort zone?” When we choose our comfort zone over growth we get stuck, because ultimately we are either awakening and growing or numbing and soaking downward. Life is never static-we either grow or we die. A comfort zone is a state of mind, body and soul that we reach out to when we find ourselves unable to deal with the pressures of the world. It’s a place we can go to coast in life and not have to face the challenges that arise. The doorway to the comfort zone is anything that affects us emotionally – confusion, anger, fear or the primal need to escape. But by escaping into a comfort zone, we render ourselves vulnerable to all kinds of sabotaging behaviour, addiction and stagnation. Stepping out of our comfort zone means dropping the patterns and stories of the past. Our patterns don’t have to go on forever; we can leave the past behind us if we are truly willing. If we don’t step out of the known – the comfort zone – we bring yesterday’s limited thinking into the present, therefore dooming the present to be just like the past. We will keep repeating and doing the same things again and again, getting the same results and then complain “Nothing ever changes in my life”. We gather evidence to justify all the things that we bring into the present with us. We seek proof of why we can’t change, and all the reasons why we won’t let go of our dramas, stresses, resentments, fears or self-destructive ways of being. So many of us would rather cling to the familiar than risk the unknown. But we must push forward in order to grow. Often stepping out of our comfort zone has more to do with the simplicity of forgiveness and self – honesty than it does with a grandiose breaking out of some box.
Often we veer away from taking the journey inward and therefore out of our comfort zone not realising that the way out is in. Once we’ve gone inward, we can then step out beyond our comfort zone and find the courage to flow from our hearts. Going out on the ledge of our existence we have no choice but to be real and drop the lies and phony stuff. It can be tempting to keep our masks firmly in place, maintain the status quo and hold firmly to the boundaries of our comfort zone. Life is about letting go of everything and anything that blocks wisdom from shining through. We cannot transform without leaving our comfort zone; there’s no secret escape from this basic law.”
Orthorexia nervosa is an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. It is a “health food eating disorder”. Yes. You read it correctly. When anyone has an exaggerated focus on something – even something healthy, it can become problematic.