A-Z Fitness - Emotional Eating

Stress and depression target many people. You don't have to be diagnosed with depression to have it. One problem with these feelings is you're more prone to emotional eating. Essentially emotional eating is eating when you're not hungry, primarily comfort foods. It doesn't matter what time of the day it is. Emotional eating can be early morning, if bakery happens to be your thing; mid-afternoons with a handful of candy bars; or evenings and a pint of ice cream. The key is to identify when you are emotionally eating and figure a way to combat it. This can be done simply by going for a walk, keeping away from your trigger foods or finding something to keep yourself busy such as gardening, scrap-booking or even cleaning. It might not sound easy, but you'll feel better and that's the first step in battling emotional eating.

Tips: It's never simple to resist the urge of your favourite foods. Make sure you stock lots of fruits, vegetables or other healthy snack options at home or the office. Keep 'snack' buying to a minimal or none at all if possible. If you need that one piece of chocolate in the house for emergencies, buy a single candy bar and put it away, out of sight. You know the adage, out of sight out of mind (for a little while any way).

Remember: In the long run emotional eating does not make you feel better. More often than not, it makes you feel worse. Whether you binge on your comfort food or not you'll regret eating when you're done. And that will make you feel even worse.

Goal: Take control of your emotional eating. Do your utmost to make sure emotional eating does not take control of you. Do what you can to stop it; keep yourself active, call a friend for support or simply resist the urge to buy comfort foods that make you prone to emotional eating. Feel free to try something different and report back with your success.

Last Weeks Goal: Last week your goal was to find a food alternative. How did you do? Did you find something new and different as a healthier food option? This past week I bought a different kind of cereal, one higher in fiber and lower in calories. I still enjoyed it, maybe not as much as a bowl of Lucky Charms, but I'm doing better for it.

What fitness words starting with the letter "E" inspire you?