If you are a smoker who has quit, or an overeater who has gotten her eating under control, you have probably already put this trick to good use. This is not something new, just something that has hit me over the head during the past week as I have been attempting (and succeeding, so far) to refrain from consuming any crap during my TV-watching couch hours. I don't want to starve myself; I only want to eat a relatively small, healthy, and balanced snack. And then STOP.
So I have started working with my hands as I watch television.
I have a very old quilt which originally belonged to my uncle, then was given to my mother, and eventually made its way to me. It is a crazy quilt, put together with patches of every color and pattern. It was once signed and dated in embroidery thread, but most of the original fabric has frayed and fallen apart. I have spent many evenings repairing the torn sections, adding new strips and squares to cover the holes. I imagine that one day, many decades from now, one of my daughters will be doing the same thing, repairing the holes in the fabric that I am adding today.
The quilt keeps my hands and my mind just busy enough to help me forget about my normal habit of chowing down on the junkiest food available. Mind you, we rarely have anything extremely crappy in the house, so these days I am avoiding things like homemade popcorn or a bowl of Cheerios. Would eating these things be a disaster of epic proportion? No, but I am trying to cleanse my system of all sugars and grains during the Whole Foods Challenge.
If you don't possess a ratty, old quilt in need of repair, you might consider taking up knitting or crocheting. Both of these work equally well for keeping the hands busy and the mind somewhat engaged. Cross-stitch, embroidery, or rug hooking are more possibilities.
And of course, you could engage your entire body in some kind of activity, rather than sitting down on the couch at all. It is possible to walk on a treadmill or stair-stepper, march in place, execute a series of squats or lunges, do jumping jacks, or practice yoga in front of the television. You could lie on the floor and work your abs. The possibilities are numerous.
So next time you head into the family room to relax in front of the tube, bring your sewing kit or your yoga mat with you. Enjoy your favorite show, but also stay busy enough to avoid those extra calories. Let me know how it works for you!
So I have started working with my hands as I watch television.
I have a very old quilt which originally belonged to my uncle, then was given to my mother, and eventually made its way to me. It is a crazy quilt, put together with patches of every color and pattern. It was once signed and dated in embroidery thread, but most of the original fabric has frayed and fallen apart. I have spent many evenings repairing the torn sections, adding new strips and squares to cover the holes. I imagine that one day, many decades from now, one of my daughters will be doing the same thing, repairing the holes in the fabric that I am adding today.
The quilt keeps my hands and my mind just busy enough to help me forget about my normal habit of chowing down on the junkiest food available. Mind you, we rarely have anything extremely crappy in the house, so these days I am avoiding things like homemade popcorn or a bowl of Cheerios. Would eating these things be a disaster of epic proportion? No, but I am trying to cleanse my system of all sugars and grains during the Whole Foods Challenge.
If you don't possess a ratty, old quilt in need of repair, you might consider taking up knitting or crocheting. Both of these work equally well for keeping the hands busy and the mind somewhat engaged. Cross-stitch, embroidery, or rug hooking are more possibilities.
And of course, you could engage your entire body in some kind of activity, rather than sitting down on the couch at all. It is possible to walk on a treadmill or stair-stepper, march in place, execute a series of squats or lunges, do jumping jacks, or practice yoga in front of the television. You could lie on the floor and work your abs. The possibilities are numerous.
So next time you head into the family room to relax in front of the tube, bring your sewing kit or your yoga mat with you. Enjoy your favorite show, but also stay busy enough to avoid those extra calories. Let me know how it works for you!
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