by Lisa Cybaniak
How well do you know yourself? That might seem like a very strange question but so many people go through the actions of living, without paying a whole lot of attention to it. They don’t understand themselves.
For instance, what’s your “go-to” when you’re upset, happy, exhausted…? Most of us reach for comfort food, or drinks, when there may be many other comforting rituals that you could adapt that would give you the same feeling of comfort, without the pain of eating an entire bag of crisps.
Today we’re talking about re-framing your comfort zone, to create healthier habits that meet your needs. It’s not about giving up a lot of things you enjoy, but about adding and changing key components in your life
Karen Cummings-Palmer is a certified integrative health and nutrition coach, speaker and founder of 79 Lux. She specialises in age management, weight management and beauty from the inside out. She doesn’t believe in rules, diets or fads. Instead, she introduces attainable, sustainable healthy rituals to live by.
Meet Karen Cummings-Palmer
Karen became interested in all thing’s health and beauty at a young age when she struggled with skin issues like eczema, as well as being unhappy with her weight. Now, she is an expert in her field. She hosts retreats at hotels and spas and creates menus for hotels, restaurants and corporations. She redefines comfort food and delivers delicious nutrition for guests and employees, while they work and play.
She’s a featured expert on GetTheGloss.com and a regular health and beauty commentator. She’s even developed her own award-winning topical “skin food” for the body – 79 Lux, which is currently available at Liberty London, Cult Beauty and the Rosewood Hotel Spa.
In today’s episode, Karen gives you all kinds of tips for wellness, handling the ageing process, and new comfort foods. These are real, tangible suggestions you can add to your life today to start reaching your wellness goals.
So, let’s dive right in!
Karen’s philosophy
Let’s start by talking about Karen’s above-mentioned philosophy: no rules, no diets and no fads. That includes when you’re finding replacements for your comfort foods. It’s about finding things that work for you!
Live consciously – be an active part of your life. Karen firmly believes that new habits are simple to create if you follow three guidelines: Create a ritual, make it non-negotiable, and don’t set yourself up for failure.
What does that mean? Well, if you’re trying to replace one of your comfort foods or habits with something a little healthier that will better serve you, then put some serious thought into it. Plan for what you want to do, insist you will replace the old habit with this new one, no matter what. And while you’re doing that, make sure this replacement is realistic or you’re shooting yourself in the foot.
Comfort Drinks
Karen seriously doesn’t believe in rules. She’s not suggesting you cut out alcohol. Rather, she suggests if you would normally drink 3 glasses of wine at night after a difficult day, try shifting to one glass. Or, if you would normally drink a cocktail, switch to wine instead.
Comfort Foods
Lots of people I know, including me, have very heavy foods as their comfort food, like potatoes (crisps) and bread. Karen suggests mashing pulses instead of crisps. Or, a wonderful idea is to bake thinly sliced sweet potatoes with oil, salt and rosemary. Karen’s other go-to is organic popcorn.
Other Options
I think most of us agree that we find comfort in food and drink, however have you ever taken the time to get to know yourself? What other things make you happy and comfort you?
For me, I love taking a nice hot bubble bath, reading a book in a quiet space that only I’m occupying, and getting a sincere hug from a friend or loved one. I also love getting outside, particularly in the forest.
Is it possible that you too have other things in your life that could provide the comfort you seek in a healthier way than all the starchy bread and potato options out there?
More from this episode
Karen and I talk in depth about her three incredible tips, which I believe are completely attainable: Create the ritual, be non-negotiable, and don’t set yourself up for failure.
She doesn’t believe in rules, fads or diets. Rather, she believes in doing what is best for you. And if that means you reach for your comfort food, then so be it – but perhaps with a little tweaking, you might just come to realise you can get that same comfort in other ways, or with other foods.
We can even use her advice and create the ritual – take a bubble bath instead of reaching for the bag of crisps; be non-negotiable – make this your new habit every single time for a period of time; and don’t set yourself up for failure – make your alternative something you really believe will be comforting, and that you’ll have time for.
Press play on the episode above – you don’t want to miss this!
Follow Karen on Instagram and Twitter. Check out her topical “skin food” body products.
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Voice over credit: Shari Vandermolen. Shari is offering a free download of one of her songs to the fans of the Life Like You Mean It podcast! Just visit www.GiftFromShari.com and tell her where to send it. Shari’s debut album is available for streaming on all the major platforms including Spotify and iTunes.
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