It was my birthday last weekend, and I left the city and went on an overnight adventure that made such an impact on me, and sent me home so energized, that I’m compelled to share it with you.
You see I haven’t always had this kind of energy.
There was a time when fatigue was among my top health complaints and over-eating was my number one hobby.
Although I ate for fun, I never stopped to take in what that implied—that I was clearly lacking in fun! My lack of fun was the hole that needed to be filled, not my stomach in excess!
Since then I’ve come to understand fun as a nutritional requirement and a weight loss prerequisite. I made this week’s video to demonstrate what the heck I’m talking about.
Most weight loss advice revolves around some variation of simplifications and generalizations like, “eat less, exercise more,” that are so rudimentary, they’re useless.
In this video you’ll learn something different, an unobvious, indirect, and ever-so-surprising angle on shifting your relationship with food and your body, and therefore weight.
And if this sparks your imagination as I imagine it will, leave me a comment with what’s ticking.
Love,
Jena
New York, New York
Sea
I love this video. Playfulness is hardly ever listed as a critical ingredient to weight loss or health!
What was joyous about the video (thank you for sharing and being so daring) is the realization that fun, that the physicality of adventure and fun is a clear channel for knowing and hearing what we she really needs.
xSea
Bill Parravano
Jena,
Today is going to be the beginning of a 2 month road trip…I imagine there will be lots of fun creative experiences that will be coming my way here shortly…
Thanks for the re-enforcing ideas!
Bill
Jaimie Edmunds
Hi Jena! This video really struck a chord with me in a couple of ways. It was very timely as I’ve just enrolled in IIN (thanks in part to your amazing support and encouragement!) and have just started learning about the Primary Foods. What you’re talking about here hits on a 3 of the Primary Foods that I feel need work for me, namely Relationships, Physical Activity, and Spirituality. I find it all fascinating really, and am eager to learn more. What you said just really reinforced the message to me. Especially when you talked about having fun. One thing I don’t do enough is have fun with my family. My kids have even commented on that fact which makes me terribly sad. I plan to correct this and in so doing will be making vast improvements on my Primary Foods. Thanks so much for this very timely video!
Jaimie
Ruth
Great video Jena!!! Looks like an extraordinary place… I could feel myself settle into my body the moment you entered the nest. Thanks for this moment!!
xoRuth
Aarona Pichinson
Yay! Super lovely video!!! So happy to celebrate, imagine, and have fun with you!!!
Paula
Jena,
I tink you are so right. I have been tired all my life. And now i have weight issues. But when I think about it I have always been bored with my life. Sometimes I feel like i’m stuck in a box and I can’t get out. Like there is this wild person buried deep inside who trapped in this boring life. Not sure how to get out or what that wuld look like but i think you have really hit on something. Thank you for this post.
ps what is the name of the print in the video for Alex Grey? I love it!
Have a great and fun day!
Paula
Sara
Wow… yeah. I have been having an “eating for entertainment” weekend. Or at least… I’m feeling the urge to. I take care of my grandmother which means that I spend every thursday through saturday, round the clock, stuck in her condo with no one to talk to (she is almost completely deaf even with her hearing aides on) and nothing interesting to do besides watch movies, and mess around on the computer. While those things can be entertaining to an extent, realistically they are more of a distraction from boredom, and not really full on nourishing fun. I so very much need to have more nourishing fun options for myself while I am here. In the past I’ve done sewing projects here, researched my genealogy, and lost myself in a good book. Lately I’ve been teaching myself how to knit – and that could be an excellent project to work on here.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Jena la Flamme
Thanks everyone. For some reason there was a glitch and the comments didn’t show up for a week, so excuse the lag in responding. I really appreciate your affirmation and I am glad the idea landed well, no pun intended. Go create a feast of fun for yourself, darlings.
And Paula, I don’t know the name of the print, sorry, it didn’t say. And above all Aarona, thanks for inviting me and making it all happen. Let’s do that again.
xo Jena