We’ve all been conditioned to want instant gratification.

Our whole society is geared for fast results, and the situation is only intensifying. Fast food. Fast driving. Fast internet. Fast transactions. And let’s not forget all the multi-tasking that adds to this fast living.

The thing is, each time we go for instant gratification, and each time we  hurry from place to place or hop from task to task, we are further conditioning ourselves to continue rushing, live in distraction and miss the finer details of life—including signals from our own bodies that our health is going (or gone!) out of whack.

Imbalance Begets Imbalance

In the context of Ayurveda, the ancient scientific system of living life fully, all this movement in our lives is not only an effect of health being out of balance, it is also a cause of additional imbalance—leading to symptoms such as low energy, poor digestion, irritable bowel symptoms, blood sugar imbalances, disturbed sleep, anxiety, depression, attention deficit, chronic fatigue, body pain, a weakened immune system and even more severe health crises.

Ironically, you can actually get faster, bigger results with Ayurveda when you take a slow and steady approach.

Slow and steady: these are the two simple “S” words!

Start right now. This moment, this article, is your perfect starting point for the slow and steady approach.

Are you reading this quickly? Then slow down! From this point forward, read it slowly and thoughtfully.

S L O W  +  S T E A D Y  =  S U S T A I N A B L E.

When you makes changes to your health in a slow and steady manner, you are making sustainable changes—changes that can be a part of your lifestyle for the rest of your life.

Why? Because when you take it slowly, you won’t overwhelm yourself like you easily can do with a sudden, massive overhaul of your lifestyle. Overwhelm leads to giving up.

And, in accord with the laws of Ayurveda (meaning the laws of nature), this slow and steady approach works naturally, because the natural antidote to all of the fast-moving, multi-tasking, whacked-out energy in and around you is a slow, steady rhythm.

Onboarding a whole load of healthy practices at one time—in other words, indulging in and adding to that fast-moving, multi-tasking, “Go, go, go! Do, do, do!” energy—can easily exacerbate your current health imbalances that are caused by that kind of “Go, go, go! Do, do, do!” imbalance already. (Those kinds of imbalances often manifest as low energy, restless sleep, anxiety, constipation, bloating, slow metabolism, and weight gain.)

A Slow and Steady Experiment for You

Ready to step into a simple Ayurveda practice that creates significant transformation in the health of pretty much everyone who isn’t already doing it?

My colleague and I at Everyday Ayurveda refer to this as the “Metabolic Mastery Method.” It’s simple: eat three meals a day, around the same time every day.

In this practice of Metabolic Mastery Method, your midday meal (lunch) should be the biggest. Dinner should be lighter and eaten early in the evening, allowing for a 12-hour fast between dinner and break-fast.

At your three meals, sit down, relax and really taste your food. In between meals, don’t snack or graze; instead, drink hot or room temperature water.

See the slow and steady in this?

Slow: It is one simple step, potentially the first one of several, taken slowly. It’s not a massive overhaul of what you eat. It’s not an addition of several behavior changes all at one time. And within this practice of Metabolic Mastery Method, there is an emphasis on slowing down while you eat, relaxing at meal time and tasting the food.

Steady: Note the steady rhythm—three meals a day, around the same time each day. Following a natural routine like this allows your body to re-attune and relax into its natural biorhythms, including its natural rate of metabolism.

Sure and Certain Health Improvements

For most of the people who come to me for help with their various health imbalances, this is the first practice I start them on.

I walk them through it, slow and steady.  They step into it, slow and steady.  They focus on the one practice each day, slow and steady, until it is an integrated part of their daily routine.

The results of this slow and steady approach are most often fast results. Within a day or two, maybe several at the outset, of following this Metabolic Mastery Method each day, they feel more energetic, sleep better and have fewer digestive discomforts.

These past several days in the midst of Christmas festivities, I have wobbled in my own personal practice of Metabolic Mastery Method. My sleep has been a little less sound because of it, and my body is asking for coffee to stimulate simulated energy.

But it’s okay. My natural biorhythm, which sends me hunger signals each morning, noon and late afternoon, is supple and has a strong memory. Today I am resetting myself back into the practice, and I know from experience that I’ll feel the difference by this time tomorrow.

This new year, as you resolve to make changes to your health, remember to take it slow and steady. Take it step by step. Remember the “care” part of taking care of yourself.

Be gentle, and don’t overwhelm yourself.

 

Relephant Read: 

It’s More Than What We Eat: 12 Ayurvedic Tips for Healthy Eating.

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Author: Lisa Bailey

Editor: Emily Bartran

Photo: Shanice Garcia/Unsplash