I have never had an issue with my weight, as I've always been active and healthy, but over the past year, the year before turning 40 my weight constantly fluctuated. Sometimes my clothes were far too tight due to weight gain and there were also times where my jeans had no intention of traveling past my thighs!
Being a Wellness and Life Coach and advocate of the mind/body connection I knew what was going on -- my body was holding onto the challenges life was presenting me with and storing my emotions in my fat cells. I told myself things like: "this type of thing happens around 40" and "It's hormonal." I came up with many "stories," but deep down I knew what was going on.
Thankfully, my awareness allowed me to address what was going on within rather than avoid it or run from it. After a lot of inner-work, I felt the extra weight shedding which confirmed my belief of "feeling is healing." Once the emotions were processed, felt and released I felt myself becoming lighter... breathe, sigh, let go... aahh it felt good!
The mind/body connection contributes to weight gain and weight distribution more than we realize. Our thoughts and emotions become their physical equivalent. The body responds to "issues in the tissues" -- in other words, we store our emotions in our body. We all have issues in our tissues -- where else could they possibly be? Emotions are not stored out there in some cloud, on your computer hard drive or in the cupboard, no they are not, they are within you, bubbling and festering close at hand and ready at a moment's notice to manifest into pain, illness, disease, weight gain, depression, anxiety and physical ailments.
This is the essence of the mind/body connection: our thoughts and emotions influence the shape, structure and functioning of our body. The more you work through and release your emotional issues, the less tension you hold in your body and the more freely you "metabolize" life. When you become 'weighed down' by life, your body responds accordingly! Think about it: when life sucks, how does your body feel?
If you are doing all the rights things; living an active and healthy lifestyle, yet noticing your weight continues to increase, I suggest you take your focus off the symptoms (in this case the extra weight) and focus on the underlying cause. Take a look within: Close your eyes, focus on your breath and scan your body, feeling into parts that don't feel right. What emotions come up? What do you need to feel and process? What are you holding on to that you need to release and let go of?
The thoughts you think are interpreted by your body as good or bad which release negative or positive chemicals. So have a think about how important it is for your thoughts and emotions to be positive, as this may help you to avoid any symptoms that want to start presenting themselves in your physical body.
To be whole and balanced, our mind and body need to work in harmony with one another. Taking care of them equally is a powerful step towards overall wellbeing (fixing one and neglecting another will not lead to happy and healthy and life). Where the mind goes, the body will follow... always!
I now invite you to find some quiet time to connect with your mind and body and get honest with yourself to see what it is you need to address... awareness is always the first step.