Diet Extra: Hug Away The Weight!
EDITOR'S NOTE: Did you know that Dr. Anderson has created a variety of powerfully effective weight loss tools? His book, The Prayer Diet, and his tape sets Eating to Kill and Journey to Self-Love, are a click away!
An eDiets Exclusive
by Dr. Matthew Anderson
Question: What does a hug have to do with your weight loss?
Answer: A lot more than you may imagine. In fact, a few hugs a day might just change your life. Am I kidding? No. Read on and become a hug believer.
In the last half of the past century, there was a superstar in the field of family therapy named Virginia Satir. Virginia was a genius at helping and healing dysfunctional families. She had thousands of enthusiastic followers -- both lay and professional. Her theories and techniques have deeply affected the practice of family therapy, and there is hardly a professional in the field that does not know her nameVirginia, as she was called by everyone who loved her, had a special ability to touch her clients. She was said to move among family members with a wonderful sensitivity that included hugging, caressing and back patting. In her hands, the angriest and most destructive family member would become docile and open to learning. In short, Virginia Satir was a master of her art, and she left a legacy that continues to bless therapists and families all over the world.
Now, what does all this have to do with weight loss? Nothing, yet! I have to make one additional comment and we will be there.
Virginia had an amazing thing to say about hugs. She said that the average person needs 8 hugs a day to survive. Yes, you read that correctly. She said 8 hugs a day. She said we all NEED 8 hugs a day. Every day. To survive!
Then she went on to make an even more outrageous statement. Virginia said we need 12 hugs a day to thrive. That is 12 to thrive!
I bet you are counting right now and thinking, Oh no, I dont come close to that. Am I in trouble? Well, you may be, but there is good news coming. So, dont go straight to depression until I have a chance to make my point and suggest some changes.
Virginia has put her finger on a significant American problem. She has indicated that most of us are touch-deprived. We simply dont get touched enough, and that lack of physical connection affects us deeply. It creates a sense of deprivation that often translates itself into another less effective but very popular form of self-nurture: Overeating. ...
Our need for touch combines with our inability to meet that need to produce a significant contributor (in my opinion) to American obesity. If this assumption is accurate, then it would also stand to reason that more physical contact would produce increased nurture and less need for overeating. Simply said: More hugs will equal less fat.
Here is the big question for you. How many hugs do you get per day? Do you come even close to 8? You can get them all from one person. You dont have to become a serial hugger if you dont want to. It can be fun but it is not required.
When I first heard this information, I realized I was in trouble. I was a 2 or 3 hug a day man. The idea of going for 12 seemed almost impossible unless I stood on the corner and begged for hugs. But, that would have only put me in jail, so I had to rule that one out.
Finally, I figured out that my wife and kids would accept and even enjoy more hugging. I also discovered that many of my friends and some of my clients (I only hug clients who indicate they want one) are great huggers. Pretty soon, I was 8 + on a daily basis. And, guess what? It makes a difference.
So, how many hugs do you get and give a day? If you are under 8, I suggest that you try increasing your hug quota to at least 8 or 9 per day for a week and then see how you feel. I think you may be amazed at the result. Hugs are great for helping you feel more at ease, safer, more connected to others and even loved. You may even find that you eat less.
There are many benefits to hugging, but you wont discover them unless you take the risk and reach out. Yes, you may feel a bit awkward at first, but you need it and so do the people you will hug. So, go for it!
Finally, here are some hug tips. A good hug is not sexual. If you go there, you will miss the point of this exercise. Second: a nurturing hug lasts at least 5 to 10 seconds. That is about 5 times the length of the usual hug. Grab your hug-partner and do a full-body-hug, remembering to take a deep breath in the middle of it. You will get the soul-nurturing benefit, and life will suddenly get a lot nicer. Hug away today!
EDITOR'S NOTE: Did you know that Dr. Anderson has created a variety of powerfully effective weight loss tools? His book, The Prayer Diet, and his tape sets Eating to Kill and Journey to Self-Love, are a click away!
An eDiets Exclusive
by Dr. Matthew Anderson
Question: What does a hug have to do with your weight loss?
Answer: A lot more than you may imagine. In fact, a few hugs a day might just change your life. Am I kidding? No. Read on and become a hug believer.
In the last half of the past century, there was a superstar in the field of family therapy named Virginia Satir. Virginia was a genius at helping and healing dysfunctional families. She had thousands of enthusiastic followers -- both lay and professional. Her theories and techniques have deeply affected the practice of family therapy, and there is hardly a professional in the field that does not know her nameVirginia, as she was called by everyone who loved her, had a special ability to touch her clients. She was said to move among family members with a wonderful sensitivity that included hugging, caressing and back patting. In her hands, the angriest and most destructive family member would become docile and open to learning. In short, Virginia Satir was a master of her art, and she left a legacy that continues to bless therapists and families all over the world.
Now, what does all this have to do with weight loss? Nothing, yet! I have to make one additional comment and we will be there.
Virginia had an amazing thing to say about hugs. She said that the average person needs 8 hugs a day to survive. Yes, you read that correctly. She said 8 hugs a day. She said we all NEED 8 hugs a day. Every day. To survive!
Then she went on to make an even more outrageous statement. Virginia said we need 12 hugs a day to thrive. That is 12 to thrive!
I bet you are counting right now and thinking, Oh no, I dont come close to that. Am I in trouble? Well, you may be, but there is good news coming. So, dont go straight to depression until I have a chance to make my point and suggest some changes.
Virginia has put her finger on a significant American problem. She has indicated that most of us are touch-deprived. We simply dont get touched enough, and that lack of physical connection affects us deeply. It creates a sense of deprivation that often translates itself into another less effective but very popular form of self-nurture: Overeating. ...
Our need for touch combines with our inability to meet that need to produce a significant contributor (in my opinion) to American obesity. If this assumption is accurate, then it would also stand to reason that more physical contact would produce increased nurture and less need for overeating. Simply said: More hugs will equal less fat.
Here is the big question for you. How many hugs do you get per day? Do you come even close to 8? You can get them all from one person. You dont have to become a serial hugger if you dont want to. It can be fun but it is not required.
When I first heard this information, I realized I was in trouble. I was a 2 or 3 hug a day man. The idea of going for 12 seemed almost impossible unless I stood on the corner and begged for hugs. But, that would have only put me in jail, so I had to rule that one out.
Finally, I figured out that my wife and kids would accept and even enjoy more hugging. I also discovered that many of my friends and some of my clients (I only hug clients who indicate they want one) are great huggers. Pretty soon, I was 8 + on a daily basis. And, guess what? It makes a difference.
So, how many hugs do you get and give a day? If you are under 8, I suggest that you try increasing your hug quota to at least 8 or 9 per day for a week and then see how you feel. I think you may be amazed at the result. Hugs are great for helping you feel more at ease, safer, more connected to others and even loved. You may even find that you eat less.
There are many benefits to hugging, but you wont discover them unless you take the risk and reach out. Yes, you may feel a bit awkward at first, but you need it and so do the people you will hug. So, go for it!
Finally, here are some hug tips. A good hug is not sexual. If you go there, you will miss the point of this exercise. Second: a nurturing hug lasts at least 5 to 10 seconds. That is about 5 times the length of the usual hug. Grab your hug-partner and do a full-body-hug, remembering to take a deep breath in the middle of it. You will get the soul-nurturing benefit, and life will suddenly get a lot nicer. Hug away today!
