How Technology Can Help To Start Practicing Mindful Eating - 20 Minute Fitness Episode #089

As we all know, "abs are made in the kitchen", meaning that if you want to see results, you'll always have to pay attention to what you eat. But what if all the tracking and counting drives you crazy? You're definitely not alone, and this is when you should turn to mindfulness.

So if you want to make mindful eating a habit for a beneficial long-term change, press play to learn about the resources you should use!
Three Things You Will Learn
1) How To Build Up Your Mindful Eating Knowledge Base
Before jumping straight on to the mindful eating wagon, you should build a thorough understanding of what mindful eating really is. And to do this, what better resources could we recommend than some other fantastic podcasts out there?
The first addition to your library should be the Brain over Binge podcast by Kathryn Hansen. And the episode you should aim for is #42 The power of mindfulness in binge eating. In this episode, Kathryn interviews someone who used to struggle with binge eating for a long time and managed to finally overcome it with the help of mindfulness.
The next one on your playlist should be the Technology for Mindfulness podcast that introduces a range of topics where mindfulness can help you. The host doesn't just "explore the intersection between mindfulness and technology", but also interviews experts in the field of mindfulness, who all share their tips & tricks.
Finally, to learn more about various cues that can signal hunger and fullness, you should press play on the Just Eat It podcast! In every episode, the host, Laura Thomas, will help you build a more meaningful relationship with food and teach how to stay on top of your intuitive eating game.
2) Guided Through Mindful Eating
Once you feel like you get it all, you can actually move on to practicing mindful eating. While some might argue that technology takes away the whole point of mindfulness, at the first stages of your practice, it won't hurt to use some mindfulness apps for guidance.
Smiling Mind is one of the most popular ones, with a massive database of mindfulness programs designed to deal with challenges in all fields of your life. After creating a profile, go in the "Find 10 minutes for your mind" category and look for the mindful eating session. This will help you take the first steps on your mindful eating journey!
If you're looking for something longer-lasting, you can turn to the famous Headspace app. Headspace has a 30-day long mindful eating course that will explain to you why we eat the way we do and what drives our different choices when it comes to food. During this course, you'll also learn various techniques, such as "body scan" & "noting", which will be helpful in the mindfulness journey ahead of you.
Listen to this week's episode to find out more about the mindfulness apps, their features and decide which one will suit your needs the most!
3) How To Hack Mindful Eating
For those who feel like actively practicing mindfulness is not their thing, there's another way around incorporating mindful eating into your routine. And it's all about getting to know your body and your state of mind.
With the help of Spire Health Tag, a tiny tracker, you will be able to learn everything about your daily activity and how you feel deep inside. After you clip a Spire Health Tag on your clothes, it will start tracking your workouts, HR, and breath/min.
Based on these data, Spire will provide you with insights on things like your sleep quality and stress level throughout the day. Press play and learn how you'll be able to use these insights in becoming more mindful in your everyday life!