So many diets and exercise plans out there, so many experts, and so many conflicting theories about how you can lose weight, so which one should you follow? The answer is simple: develop your own intuition so that you know instantly what your own body needs. Below are some suggestions as to how you can get started…
Over the years we can destroy the ability of the body to communicate its needs by eating many unsuitable foods that throw the body out of balance so it craves all the wrong things.
At that stage it’s not really worth listening to the body, because as it craves endless coffee, chocolate or cigarettes, it clearly isn’t making its needs known; it’s just trying to feed all its addictions. There is only so long you can stumble along in this state before the imbalances you are creating develop into something more serious.
Ok, we all know, or at least know of, somebody who had an Uncle Jim who smoked 80 a day, ate anything he wanted to, never gained a pound and lived to be 100, but we can never guarantee that we’re one of the lucky ones with a cast iron physiology that isn’t going to break with all that abuse? And anyway, how much of a better quality of life would Uncle Jim have had if he hadn’t smoked all those cigarettes? Maybe he’d have won ten golds at the Olympics and lived to 120!
It’s all very well saying just listen to your body to find out what’s the right weight loss plan for you, but where to begin educating yourself? Ayurveda could have the answer.
With a simple questionnaire you can determine your Ayurvedic body type from the three body types (or doshas): vata, pitta and kapha, and from there it’s a simple matter to relate those body types to the different foods, which are also covered by the same doshas.
Once you know your Ayurvedic body type and learn which foods aggravate or balance that particular body type or set of imbalances, it’s possible to make choices that bring the body back into balance. Once your body is in balance and running on the ideal fuel, it’s a safe bet that your body will also stabilise to its ideal weight without any uncomfortable calorie restrictions.
The next stage, once you have developed your intuition with help from Ayurveda, is to rely solely on that intuition, and learn to listen to what your newly balanced body is telling you it needs, and by now that information should be accurate. Simple as that!
For more info see my book, Pure Activity.
Originally posted 2014-02-09 13:45:42.