Do You Have This “Mindless” Habit?
Do you have this “mindless” habit?
Your morning routine may be a mindless activity.
Many of us have our “mindless” habits and activities.
We get up and go through our morning routine.
The routine we follow in the shower.
Mindless is an adjective with several definitions, but in this case, it refers to a repetitive task that is often mechanical, automatic, routine, or robotic. It takes little consciousness to do it.
For example, think about that drive home from work without even thinking about it. It is so routine that if you mean to stop for an errand on the way home, you miss the turn-off entirely since the mind is automatically taking you home.
Doing things mindlessly isn’t a “bad” thing.
Consider how much you would have to concentrate on your day and routine habits.
Here I want to address how this may apply to eating.
How does this apply to eating?
Mindless eating happens a lot more often than people realize.
For example, we may eat fries in the car without registering, eat them until they are gone, eat snack chips while watching television or popcorn at a movie, and eat it all because it is there.
Many things contribute to mindless eating, but the most common reasons are distracted eating and not knowing the amount consumed.
Mindless eating isn’t always a conscious “binge.”
It happens a lot. Some examples include:
Eating in the car,
Eating while watching television or a movie or sporting event,
Eating while socializing,
Eating directly from the package – such as grabbing the bag of chips or the ice cream container and eating directly from there. It is easy to lose track.
Eating when hungry results in eating fast; before you know it, you have eaten more than is comfortable.
Eating just because food is there, such as eating food from your kids’ plate, because there are cookies on the counter, or you are at a social event and want to do something.
Consequences of Mindless Eating
Unsurprisingly, one of the significant consequences of mindless eating is overeating. Eating while distracted or without consciousness portions can easily lead to overeating. And eating when overly hungry can cause overeating because it takes time for the brain to get the message of “enough already.”
And what happens if overeating happens often? Potential weight gain due to excess calories coming in. If there is an imbalance of calories consumed versus calories expended through physical activity, weight gain is likely. Rarely is it that someone sits and eats a whole bag of carrots or grape tomatoes, but it can happen.
Another thing that can happen is a spiral or cycle of emotional eating.
After an occurrence of overeating and not feeling great about doing so can result in another bout of emotional overeating because of the negative feelings associated with overeating in the first place.
While it is easy to say, please don’t do that anymore, it isn’t always so simple. Recognizing it is happening and making behavior and environmental modifications can help.
For example, if eating the whole container of ice cream is just too easy, 1) buy smaller containers of ice cream, single-serve items, or 2) don’t buy it but choose to go out for ice cream or shake.
If there are specific “trigger” foods for overeating (mine used to be Oreos), get them out of the house.
You know what works best for you.
As you go through these next several days or weeks, OBSERVE if you are doing this.
Because we don’t always realize it is happening, we sometimes ACKNOWLEDGE it after it has happened.
Then, no matter when you observe or acknowledge it, consider what could be different next time.
You can still eat the popcorn - maybe order a smaller size.
Not eat while driving?
Not eat out of the whole package/container.
Not order or buy that food?
These are not necessarily “correct” answers, just thoughts.
What could you do to minimize mindless eating?
Next up: MINDFUL habits and mindful eating.
Are you ready to take the next step in addressing your health and wellness goals? Let’s chat and consider joining us for our next Health Not Hype Program.
