Talking Yourself Through Cravings

Today had all the makings of an off-the-rails kind of day.  Instead of going to the gym in the morning, I decided to sleep in.  Took notes at an early morning meeting, and my computer froze up when I got to my desk with no choice but to reboot and lose the work.  “Chocolate, I would love chocolate right now” popped into my head, wondering if I had enough change for Reese’s peanut butter cups.  Shut that thought down by walking away to make a cup of coffee.  Then, cravings for lunch started in during the 1 minute wait as the cup of coffee was brewing. And when I got back to my desk, I started looking at the food delivery menu (even though I had my own healthy lunch in a cooler within arms reach). 

For several minutes, the craving for something gooey and cheesy kept me looking through the menu for what I might order (but let’s face it, I already know that menu by heart).  At that point, I knew it was quite possible that this day would most likely crash and burn if I kept going that way. So I asked myself what would make it better.  Food wasn’t going to do it.  Sugar wasn’t going to do it. I tried a cup of coffee, and that didn’t do it. 

The answer seemed to be a restart.  I thought about what I would have done if I could restart my day, about how I can restart it now.  And it was to get moving - the gym perhaps.  So I looked at my meeting schedule, looked at the clock...I had an hour!  Was that enough?  Maybe not for a full-blown hard workout…but definitely enough to get my body moving and reset.  Done – left a minute later.  Was only able to get 20 mins in, but felt so much better after.

What can you do to reset during cravings?  A quick walk outside. A walk around the office.  Some days it doesn’t have to be anything except to get your body moving.