When we’re chronically stressed, due to either physiological stress, such as overtraining, or psychological stress, such as deadlines at work, it can lead to elevated levels of the hormones insulin and cortisol. These wreak havoc on your blood sugar control and ability to metabolise fat, making stress a potential limiting factor to your fat adaptation journey (we cover this with more detail in Stress 101). Longer term, chronic stress has been shown to determine for compromised immune function, low mood and DNA damage.
Most of us have heard about how important it is to practice mindfulness, but we fail to stick with it because we either don’t fully appreciate it, may not see tangible results quickly or we give up before it becomes habit. Well, today I want to motivate you to do the opposite.
Here are my top 7 signs for why you need Mindfulness Meditation:
- You’ve been feeling highly stressed and easily overwhelmed recently;
- You find it difficult to focus, either at work, in training or in conversation;
- Quality of sleep has hit rock bottom, along with your energy levels;
- You’re not able to shift body fat, especially around your middle;
- Digestion has slowed down, leaving you feeling bloated and sluggish;
- Cravings for carbohydrates are hard to control;
- Your hormones appear to be out of balance.
If any, or all, of the above resonates with you, then just 10 minutes of mindfulness a day may be what you need. This year we’re getting behind Mindful in May because we want you to know how simple it can be to commit to these 10 minutes each day.
What is Mindful in May?
Every year in May, people all over the globe commit to meditating for 10 minutes a day. So far it has inspired over 30,000 people from 35 countries to learn mindfulness! The program brings together the world’s best meditation experts, neuroscientists and wisdom teachers, and inspires participants to raise money to bring clean, safe water to those in need. So far they’ve raised over $600,000, and brought clean water to over 10,000 people!
That means it creates a clear mind for you, and clean water for others.
To kick off the global campaign, Elise Bialylew, doctor, mindfulness expert, and founder of Mindful in May, is offering a complimentary ‘5 Days to Mindfulness’ program to give you a taste of what’s to come.
The ‘5 Days To Mindfulness’ program runs from April 9-13th and will help you get prepared for a full month of practice in May. Included in the program is:
- Daily encouragement emails including guided meditations;
- Two live guided meditations with Dr Elise Bialylew;
- A two part video interview with world leading neuroscientist, Michael Merzenich;
- Access to an online community of like-minded people.
So get started! Find out more and register here before April 9th.