Your Body, Your Bodyguard
There’s a certain presence in your life that’s been looking out for you – and it’s something you’d never even suspect!
It’s smart, it’s primal… and it’s a beautiful pleaure-seeking little creature.
Can you guess what it is?
It’s simply your… body!
Your body is an intelligent, health-seeking, living, breathing entity that has been looking out for you, and your health (kinda like a bodyguard) ever since you were born. It’s designed to take exquisite care of your digestion, respiration, circulation and every other one of your life-preserving processes, in every single way.
That said, I want you to consider something.
(It is something very odd.)
Consider that your health-seeking, pleasure-loving body is actually looking out for you, and sending you “Pay attention to me!” messages, in the form of sweet, sweet cravings.
Whoa! Crazy, huh?
I know it sounds nutty, but there’s much more brilliance and wisdom behind these clever cravings, or messages, that your body is innocently sending you.
Your Clever Cravings
Let me take a moment to acknowledge what you might be thinking (because I used to think this too):
“I hate my cravings! They rule my life! It’s like I’m possessed by a midday sugar fairy! My cravings make me out of control. I eat WAY too many Oreos. I know they’re keeping me overweight, but I can’t seem to stop!”
Firstly, I totally honor how your perspective acknowledges that yes!, eating too much sugar is clearly not so helpful for your weight loss desires.
And secondly, I’d like you to grab my hand and take a step back with me, so you can witness yourself from a distance. Once you view yourself, and those sweet cravings, with judgment-free compassion and curiosity, you’ll be able to notice something extraordinary:
The cravings that your body is delivering to you are clever – they’re downright genius!
When they happen, it’s not because your body is dumb, sabotaging your weight loss desires or somehow broken – it’s because your body is brilliant, and it’s seeking your pleasure, honey.
Sweet Stuff is Pleasurable Stuff!
Physiologically speaking, sweet stuff is highly pleasurable for your body. It gets your brain moving, it stimulates thinking, it activates your cells and peps you up, physically and emotionally. In fact, we experience the biggest release of pleasurable chemicals in our bodies when we eat any food that has 50% fat and 50% sugar or sweet.
(Go figure!)
Simply put, sweet food is good-mood-food. When your body is not getting enough pleasure, it demands it gets its dose of pleasure through sweets… hence why after a long day or challenging experience, you might feel like having a “comforting” brownie, cake, soda or sugar cookie.
Food for thought:
If your brilliant body is asking for sweetness, where might you be lacking sweetness in other areas of your life?
Dude, Where’d My Pleasure Go?
When you’ve lost sight of your pleasure, your body will smartly compensate for that lack.
It will send you messages like, “Give me those cookies!” or “Hey! I want to feel happy! Browniiiiies…” or a flat out, “Lady, I am bored. I need Pleasure, my vital nutrient!”
Your clever cravings are a blessed opportunity: a chance to closely consider and delve into the activities that make you happy you exist, and grateful to be here, living life. In other words: the activities that bring you pleasure!
This healthy, physiological pursuit of life-sustaining pleasure is the real reason behind your cravings. Your body is just innocently sending you messages through your cravings – messages of desire for more pleasure and sweetness in your life!
Tell me this in the comments section:
- What non-food sources give you nourishment or satisfaction in your life?
- Can you begin to start viewing your cravings as clever, and finding them right? (Fun Fact: this will likely diminish them!)
Start small, my love – take baby steps. Baby steps amount to HUGE progress – huge slimming progress, that is. Your efforts, just like you, are worthy of celebration!
Thanks as always for reading and I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments.
Love,
xo Jena
P.S. Ok, I’m like a wild little cheetah right now: I’m voraciously craving your attendance at Pleasure Camp NYC!
At this winter event, we will take NYC by storm to debunk all old, restrictive and punishing approaches to weight loss, and learn to use the power of pleasure, enjoyment and fun to slim down, for good.
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New York, New York
Lisa
I love this! It is so true. When I am feeling low for whatever reason – boredom, frustration, anger, exhaustion, etc. – that is when I crave sweets (and cheese)!
Other things that make me feel good – ironically, going for a walk or jog, nursing, spending time in nature, playing with my kids, photography, writing, and probably quite a few other things.
I will start looking at my cravings in this way and see if I can fulfill my needs for pleasure in alternate, more healthy, ways.
Jena
Thanks Lisa! I support you every step of the way!
Love,
Jena xo
Clara
Very interesting Jena.
I love the way you put it.
While I was already familiar with the concept, I like the idea of the ‘craving’ as a messenger.
It happens to me often in my work environment. Many times I feel bored and I have the uncomfortable feeling of wasting my potential. In that space, it is easy to reach out trying to find the comfort of a piece of chocolate, or anything that could distract with from that sense of un-fulfillment. I realize that in those moments I am usually caught in a passive attitude. I feel trapped and immobilized in my reality. Therefore I think that what could be useful to me in those moments, would be taking a break from my desk, having a moment to send love to myself exactly as I am right now, and maybe focusing on a, even small, ‘proactive’ step that I can make towards building a more fulfilling professional life.
Jena
Thank you so much for sharing Clara. I feel you. One thing I try to do is make my eating area pleasurable. I have a lovely pitcher of water and glass in my office, enticing me to drink more water and enjoy it while I do. Perhaps a nice bowl or plate and even a vase of flowers to look at while you eat, bringing you into a more positive state of mind.
I’m here for you!
Love,
Jena xo
Jennifer
Thanks, Jenna! I’ve heard before that you should take a bubble bath
or something else pleasurable when you are craving food but you have
made it make sense. Understanding the connection between the
craving and what it is I really want makes it so much easier to
fulfill the desire and choose an activity that will truly satisfy the need.
I have been battling my weight for years and I think you truly have
a grasp on the key elements for ending the struggle. Thank you!
Jena
Wonderful to hear from you Jennifer! While bubble baths are quite pleasurable, I think I’d spend the whole time in the bath thinking about my craving. I am here for you every step of the way!
Love,
Jena xo
Lisa
The non-food sources I seek out for pleasure, nourishment and satisfaction may range from going bowling, to phoning a friend, to going for a walk, or even shopping. I am a quiet soul living in NYC, which seems to be a paradox, but I was born and raised here, and it is home. Because of my nature, I seek out peace and quiet at lunch time. Today, in fact, I sought a smaller lunch room for possibly a quieter environment.
I liked your idea about the water and flowers! Maybe I’ll bring flowers to put on my desk, too.
Oh, yes, pleasure senses are very clever. I have learned that by increasing the amount of fat I consume with my meals — healthy fats, like avocado, coconut oil or olive oil — really keeps my sweet cravings at bay.
I allow myself to indulge in homemade sweets, which makes the pleasure less of a guilt-ridden monster. Last weekend, I made homemade peach ice cream, and the weekend before that, plum ice cream.
No matter what my psyche is doing, I still must be responsible for not sabotaging my own health and weight goals.
Keep up these great blogs, Jenna, and have a good weekend!
Jena
Thank you Lisa,
You seem to be on the best path for you and I applaud you for that.
Now, how can I sample these yummy ice creams?! 🙂
Thank you for reading and sharing.
Love,
Jena xo
Ysabella
Thanks for sharing! And because of this post, I suddenly have that urge of eating ice cream. Haha! I guess giving in to the sugar cravings is not so bad as long as it’s not often.
Mary Catherine
I really love this post! It’s stirring up lots of thoughts and ah ha moments for me. Thank you Jena xoxo