Hug-ins are the new Weigh-ins

We just finished up the 3-week RESET program, and the amazing New Jersey crew (Will expand more about my New Jersey family & David Fugel in an upcoming blog ) shared their new measurement tool with me. Instead of weighing in, they did daily 20-second heart to heart hugs to assess their progress. This is brilliant for so many reasons.

Physically:
At the center of how our bodies respond to love and affection is a hormone called oxytocin. Most of our oxytocin is made in the area of the brain called the hypothalamus. It makes us feel good by acting through what scientists call the dopamine reward system. Dopamine is a brain chemical that plays a crucial part in how we perceive pleasure.

Oxytocin also lowers the levels of stress hormones in the body, reducing blood pressure, improving mood, increasing tolerance for pain and perhaps even speeding how fast wounds heal. It also seems to play an important role in our relationships. It’s been linked, for example, to how much we trust others.

When we have the sensation of trust and safety, we can feel lighter in our physical and emotional bodies. We don’t need to be emotionally abusive with our relationship to ourselves, others, or food.

Mentally:
The scale doesn’t always help you feel supported. If you have past trauma from weighing yourself as a teen or young adult, all of those memories can flood to your brain recalling shame, humiliation, not being good enough, etc. Using the scale as a tool if you are experimenting throughout the year is great, however waking up everyday using it to define your day is insanity. You are more than a number. Dr. Christine Northrup does an amazing job explaining how stress can put on 3 lbs in the matter of a few hours. This is not the time to worry about the scale, it is the time to focus on nurturing yourself.

It can be more challenging at times to live in this world with a positive and optimistic attitude vs drama and doom. Here is a light video on how a hug can change a Monday.

Happy hugging,
Heather Fleming

P.S. The Jump Start program is here to support you pre-Halloween and pre-Thanksgiving festivities.
Click here for more Jump Info