Ep 76 - Declutter Your Home, Declutter Your Plate How Our House Affects Our Eating Habits

Faye Casement Author

Oct 11, 2023 |

Hello hello hello and welcome to the Wellness 4 Women Show Episode Number 76! Declutter Your Home, Declutter Your Plate: How Our House Affects Our Eating Habits

Today, I am going to be talking about the connection between our house environment and our eating habits. In the membership, we work on fitting together the puzzle pieces of life & 'weight loss'. We don't just talk about food and movement like a diet, we look at the whole package the whole you.

A topic that tends to come up is about our house environments. I have also been talking to a couple of decluttering coaches and the similarities in the work are fascinating.

So believe it or not tidying up can actually help with your weight loss!

So let's explore today how decluttering can enhance your well-being and lead on to the potential shedding of a couple of extra pounds.

The role of clutter in our eating habits

It may sound crazy, but it's true a messy living space can be one of the potential saboteurs to your weight loss goals. When our surroundings are cluttered and chaotic, it can cause stress and make it harder for us to stick to healthy eating habits.

How do you feel at the end of a busy day going home to your house environment, does it fill you with joy or dread?

When you go to the kitchen to prepare a meal can you lay your hand on the pots and pans or are last night's dishes still sitting on the side?

Not judging believe me my house is no 'show home' so I am speaking from personal experience here. There have been many a time I have headed to the kitchen and everything felt so much harder than it needed to be a risked a fuck it let's get a take-out moment. A lack of a clear plan. An out-of-date or missing ingredient. Pots and pans not washed.

What ideally would be a peaceful and mindful meal turns into one shovelled down because it has taken me longer to prepare it or I have gone into the meal stressed and annoyed leading to overeating. These everyday life occurrences though can have more of an impact than we realise.

Have you ever noticed this, how you feel going into a meal due to your home environment? Can you think now about the effect your home has on your eating habits? I would encourage you to notice with love this week as you go about your day any subtle triggers that could be impacting your overall well-being and eating habits.

When our environment is overwhelmed with visual distractions, it's can be easy to lose sight of our health goals and succumb to grabbing at food rather than mindful conscious eating in line with our genuine body needs. Our brains are continually clocking our environments processing all they see taking in anything extra in our environment. I know I have stewed over the clutter in a room, a disorganised space triggering feelings of stress, overwhelm, and unease, which has then led to seeking comfort in food. When we're surrounded by clutter, it can become harder to make mindful decisions about what we consume. Our attention gets scattered amidst the chaos, making it easier for us to grab whatever is readily available rather than making intentional choices.

So, if you've been struggling with sticking to a healthy diet or finding yourself reaching for food when you are not hungry it could be worth taking a look around your house. Could working on decluttering be part of the solution?

Could creating an organised and visually appealing space, free of unnecessary distractions set you up for success in making healthier choices without even realising it?

If so you won't be alone, many of us turn to food when life's rollercoaster is spinning us around.

In episode 19 I covered the 5's of eating but I am adding this extra E for Environment whether that be at home, your office or out out. Want the list? Let me know with a #6es. At the end of the day all of these can come into play as we go about life but today I am deep-diving home disharmony as knowing and recognising your own personal triggers that lead you to turn to food, and developing the awareness means you can find healthier ways to address and manage them.

Declutter To Promote Healthy Eating & Overall Well-being

So how do we get on top of our home environments? Just like weight loss if it was simple we would be doing it already so what are the barriers?

Not going to lie, living the dream for me would be to have a chef, gardener, and cleaner or a little magic fairy that could do it all for me. But that is not life it is a wish list so that I can have an easy life but the reality is, the calvery is not coming any time soon.

In my inner circle and sometimes in the member group, we can have a natter about the interplay between our living accommodation and how we feel in general about ourselves. Some of the members are making great progress in this area, some have taken courses and joined memberships to declutter, they have formed accountability pods. We can share ideas and ways we hack our brains to hack our house and thus create a happier less stressful environment.

Each one of us is unique and have our own triggers and issue but yet we come together to support each other and to work on finding that balance in life and weight loss. This is the beauty of The Triple-A-Way™️ method as it can work for decluttering too just as much as it works for weight loss, it really is a one-stop shop to change your life.

As a reminder, the Triple-A-Way™️ is Awareness, Action and Accountability.

Gathering Awareness About How Your House Environment Impacts Your Eating Habits

There is a lot you can do in the awareness phase of the cycle to figure out your triggers and how a cluttered or messy environment may be impacting your well-being and eating habits.

This phase involves taking the time to observe and analyse your surroundings and how they affect your stress levels and overall happiness.

It is easy to start and doesn't have to take a lot of time at all. You are already doing it unconsciously every time you go into a room so it is just a case of bringing it to the surface where you can deal with it rather than it just being a low-level hum of annoyance continually gnawing at your brain or is that just me.

It is about getting lovingly curious. Paying attention to how different areas of your home or workspace make you feel. Do you feel more stressed when there are piles of papers scattered around, or when your kitchen counters are cluttered with dishes?

If you are a member you can capture this in your planner as there is a space to capture things you have noticed impacting your eating. Plus if you want to take a real deep dive I am adding a list of deeper ideas you can try.

As a sneaky peak, it includes:

• Undertaking a home audit,
• Looking at your kitchen layout,
• Assessing how peaceful your dining space is,
• Refrigerator accessibility.

Plus many many more.

Whatever you choose though, the key is to identify and address the factors that contribute to your stress levels and how they impact your eating habits.

By capturing these observations, you will gain a better understanding of the patterns and triggers that influence your eating behaviours. This awareness then allows you to take proactive steps towards creating a more conducive environment for changing your eating habits and potentially tidying habits.

Stepping Into Action In Your House Environment To Improve Your Eating Habits

I'd love to know what comes up for you as you start thinking about your environment and how it is impacting your weight loss and eating journey. Members be sure to pop into the membership a leave a #Ep76 with your aha's and wins. If you are not a member yet come play or leave a comment in the free Facebook Group I'd love to hear from you.

Awareness itself often can be enough for us to start making changes naturally but sometimes we need to give it a little nudge in our chosen direction.

Try to imagine your home as the canvas upon which you can paint a picture of well-being and mindful eating.

Once you've gathered awareness of how your living space impacts your eating habits, it's time to start plotting your course for a journey of transformation.

I talk about super sleuthing your weight loss and now you can also 'super sleuth' your house too, examining every nook and cranny for opportunities to create a nourishing and supportive environment.

The natural first step may be to look at the physical environment, what might you need to change physically?

This may involve reorganising your kitchen, ensuring that fresh and nutritious foods are readily accessible and that pots and pans are in easy reach. Maybe you need to explore the layout of your dining area, perhaps you have a dumping zone, mine is the top and the bottom of the stairs and office. Maybe you need to spend time do a deeper decluttering or organising of your living space. Maybe your need to Marie Kondo the shit out of your wardrobe so that you start your day well with clothes in ease reach rather than living out of the clean washing basket. Been there and done that one too.

Decluttering your home can also be mental and emotional not just about the practical. How does the space feel to you? Does it bring up thoughts, feelings or emotions that need working through with mind ninjary? Maybe you'd benefit from just having one safe space that nurtures your mental and emotional well-being with calming scents, beautiful visuals, and a decluttered sanctuary that you can go to before a meal or after a busy day that helps you to reduce stress. Somewhere you can incorporate daily self-care practices such as meditation, journaling or gratitude about your home environment. Mine is the mini sofa in my bedroom where I take time to nurture my mind and emotions, and work on my overall well-being and a more balanced life.

Maybe you need to up your joy factor and feed your soul by bringing music and laughter to your environment, your cooking and cleaning experience.

As you take these steps, consider how each facet of your environment contributes to your holistic well-being. Remember, these elements are interconnected. Maybe you need a more organised kitchen to reduce grabbing at food, a safe haven to reduce stress, and a clutter-free dining area to enhance the enjoyment of your meals, promoting healthier choices or maybe you just need to clean your fridge.

Let me help you explore this, you can seek support from the community or me as your coach and mentor. The more we share our journeys the more ideas and motivation we get as you witness others going through similar things but yet in their own unique way.

Remember of course to keep it simple and easy. Often we can make cleaning and decluttering a big ass job that we don't want to do but actually, you can do it in small bitesize chunks.

It does not have to be a chore, it can be an act of self-love, self-compassion, and personal empowerment, as you sculpt a living space that aligns with your desires and dreams and in doing so transform your relationship with food, your well-being, and ultimately, your life.

Remember Rome was not built in the day so it will take a little time to sort this through. There is no one-size-fits-all solution it is a marathon not a sprint. I can help with life coaching and Belief Coding®️ as they are damn good and will change your life but you still have to spend a little time figuring things out and applying what you learn.

Need some help on finding those small, intentional steps so you can accumulate and build momentum I got you. Members check your portal as I am going to drop a list of journal prompts about your environment to get you started.

Getting Shit Done, Being Accountable Some Tips and Tricks.

Gathering awareness plotting out your action steps is all fabulous but no good if it stays on paper and never gets done.

Taking action is crucial in turning your dreams into reality. It's easy to get caught up in planning and preparing, but without actually implementing those plans, they remain just ideas. That's where the importance of getting shit done and being accountable comes into play.

To help you navigate this process, I have a few tips and tricks up my sleeve.

Be clear on who you are and where you want to be. Struggling with this look out for my next upcoming future you workshop as you could work on this there.

Evaluate your goals with love and break them down into smaller, manageable chunks that feel good. What is your first tiniest step and go from there.

You could leverage the power of the 'Can I just?' This is a simple and very effective method. If you are feeling overwhelmed and daunted by a big task or something you don't really want to do. Ask yourself "Can I just (and then pick the smallest of small first steps). If you were going to clean the kitchen this could feel like a gigantic task and you sure as hell may not want to do it but if you said, can I just clear that surface or can I just grab a bin bag you'll be able to start. Getting started is sometimes the hardest part the trick is to keep it easy and realistic just like how I advise we do for 'weight loss'

Channel your Mary Poppins...

"In every job that must be done,

There is an element of fun,

You find the fun and snap!,

The job's a game… "

(Credit: Disney)

If we think it is going to be hard and horrible it will be. If we think it is going to be fun and exciting it will be. Because our thoughts lead to our emotions. So how can you make whatever it you have to do more fun. Well you can work on your thoughts of course. The simplest way is to literally swap the thought out and see how you feel and if that gets you going.

You can make the actual task more fun and interesting, maybe put music on, a podcast (wink wink), or dress up in a tutu (yeah I did that once to cheer myself up!)

Work on the principle of Good Enough. You may think you need to be perfect, that you are aiming for a show home and that is not the case you are just chipping away doing your best. Often 80% or B- is more than enough to tip the balance.

You can also do a positivity sandwich where you do something you like doing, then do the thing you are putting off and then something you enjoy again. This way, you create a positive association with the task and make it more enjoyable.

Celebrate small victories along the way, which will boost your motivation and make the whole process more fun.

Additionally, try incorporating some creativity into your tasks. Find ways to add an element of playfulness or imagination. For example, creating a story, and visualising the outcome.

Whatever you choose, don't forget to share with others, whether that is in the membership or the free group, let us know what you are working on. Let us walk alongside you as you gather the wins and let us pick you up if you are struggling.

You have the ability to create a simple and effective roadmap for your life and well-being journey and these little steps can bring you joy, balance, and self-love.

Round Up

Right, that's it, folks. Today, we've explored the fascinating connection between our house environment and our eating habits.

We've discovered that tidying up can actually play a significant role in your weight loss journey! A cluttered environment can affect your eating habits and overall well-being, sometimes leading to unwanted extra pounds. Plus how you can step into action to declutter your home and declutter your eating habits with the Triple-A-Way™️.

Thank you for tuning in, and as always, remember to check out our complimentary resources in the membership where you can turn the content of this podcast into a reality.

If you're not a member yet, you can find the link in the description or comments. Until next week... bye for now.