This comes to you from Tonya Williams, an incredible weight loss coach & expert!
I love this article because in our fast passed world of go-go-go, she's slowing things down a bit. It's a great reminder for all of us to savor the journey, enjoy life & stay connected with what's going on!
Leave a comment below and share what you're thinking! Would love to hear from you!
THE SLOW MOVEMENT
by Tonya Williams
Where you going?
Seriously, where are you going?
What’s the hurry?
This is what I asked myself this morning when I started to experience a little bit of anxiety around several projects that I have on the table.
For no reason at all, I started putting these rigid time limits on myself, which creates this crazy woman madness that usually results in a meltdown, ranging from small to massive.
In Western society, we seem to have two speeds, either all out speeds of lightening or halt.
The “halt” usually occurs when we just can’t go any further and either sickness or brain fog has taken over.
When clients come to me to lose weight, they most often want a fast, quick fix. They want to lose weight yesterday.
“What’s the hurry,” I ask them.
Sometimes I’ll hear things like a high school reunion or bathing suit season, but most often, they don’t know why they want it fast. They are just accustomed to wanting to lose weight fast.
Well, to all of you fast paced, gotta-have-it-yesterday people out there (and hey, I’m a part of that tribe too), let’s join the new movement of living slow.
There’s already people who have chosen to step outside of the mainstream fast society and start things like the slow food movement and live more intentionally and consciously versus running around like scattering rats chasing a piece of cheese that keeps moving.
In fact, while on a sailing trip, I saw a t-shirt that read, “Sail fast, live slow.”
Does it seem impossible to slow down?
Well, there are actually several good reasons why slowing down is a good thing.
1 - When you go slow, you get to savor the journey
Check out these two examples:
The Fast Paced Life
If you want to experience the devastation of the fast paced life, then simply drive through the McDonald’s drive thru window and order the Big Mac special. Now, eat it while also driving, listening to the radio and talking to the kids.
How long does it take? Maybe five minutes.
Did you really enjoy it? I mean really enjoy it?
How does your body feel? Energized? Or like a brick?
What about your emotions? Are you feeling excited and content? Or full of guilt and sadness?
Now, consider a different option:
The Slow Paced Life
Take the time to stop by the grocery store (or better yet, the local farmer’s market) and peruse the fresh, local vegetables. Pick it up and feel it, smell it, and maybe even taste it. Buy your groceries, go home, and with gratitude and excitement, start preparing your dinner.
Put some music on, light a candle and maybe even have a glass of wine.
Take some time out to help the kids with their homework while dinner is cooking. Maybe even do a load of laundry while Frank Sinatra (or Christine Kane) fills the background.
When dinner is ready, take the time to set the table, light some more candles and then sit down and enjoy every bite. No guilt. No deprivation. Just mindful, slow enjoyment of your meal.
So, which life would you prefer?
Check in with your brilliant body and notice which one your body prefers? Does one elicit a stressed, hurried panic feeling? Does another make you feel relaxed, content and joyful?
Living slow allows you to enjoy the process of living.
2 - When you go slow, you make less mistakes
As a nurse, there are times when you do not have the option to go slow. Things are happening, people are dying, and you must act...fast.
Not surprisingly, this is when a lot of medical errors are made.
Most often, when you are living at such a fast pace, your attention becomes scattered and careless mistakes are made.
When you eat fast, you overeat.
When you exercise fast, you injure yourself.
When you live fast, you sometimes lose your way.
Living slow allows you to be more attentive and intentional.
Ironically, living slow actually makes your more productive, allowing you to achieve far more than when you are going a million miles a minute.
3 - When you go slow, you stay connected
“I want to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks,” Lisa told me during our first session.
“Why?”
“Because, I have a big gala event in 2 weeks, and I want to look fabulous,” she replied.
Like Lisa, we’ve all been there, or at least I know I have - whether it be my weight, a man or money. I wanted it...like yesterday.
But here’s what I have discovered about wanting things to happen fast: it most often requires that you disconnect from yourself to achieve it.
The body does not enjoy the deprivation and intensity that is required to lose weight fast.
The mind does not enjoy the stress and worry that goes into wanting things to happen now.
What the deepest part of us wants is for us to slow down long enough to stay connected to our truth before we sprint out of the gate chasing some illusion.
I’ve noticed that when I slow down and live intentionally, while also honoring my body, mind and spirit, things seem to happen almost effortlessly. The weight comes off naturally, the money flows in and the man did appear.
I did not need to sacrifice my own well-being to make it happen. I simply had to slow down long enough to hear my own wisdom.
______________________________
In a society where we come out of the womb going fast, with weekly play dates, Baby Mozart sing-a-longs and at least several other activities to fill the day, it is often difficult to imagine a life that isn’t on speed.
However, slowing down is a choice that we all can make.
It requires that we slow down long enough to consider what is most important to us, and then slow, steadily and intentionally, move in the direction of our purpose.
Surprisingly, most often you’ll discover that the “hurry” is self-inflicted and not necessary.
The journey is much more enjoyable when you slow down long enough to take it all in.
And then, like magic, everything you ever wanted begins to manifest.
So, what’s your hurry?
Tonya Leigh Williams is a coach, speaker, and writer. She is also the founder of Just B Living, a company dedicated to empowering women to create amazing lives and bodies without dieting, deprivation and drama. If you want to learn more about how to lose weight from the inside out, you can sign up for a FRE*E subscription to the Just B E-zine, you can click here: http://www.justbliving.com/signup.html
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