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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Spring Weight Loss with Bach Flowers


It is spring in my part of the world without question. Early this morning I could see the colors of crocus' peaking out but not yet blooming. A couple of hours of sunshine later, the world is awash with their colors. I think most people see the appearance of crocuses as a sign of spring. Barbara Olive in, "The Flower Healer", reports the purple crocus can be used as a flower essence. She claims the crocus essence helps you overcome grief, loss and despair, creating a more joyful outlook on life. Apparently it can help stress disappear. That in itself, sounds a bit like a description of spring.Spring is meant as a time of "lightness" I think. It's a chance to shed winter coats and for many people, winter pounds. Hmm... now that thought can also bring some grief, despair and stress!

If you have joined the millions that are considering "lightening their load" a bit now that spring is here, there are some Bach Flower essences that might be helpful in your weight loss efforts. Bach Flowers are not meant as magic weight loss drops. They won't cause you to loose 25 pounds of belly fat,or reduce inches from your waist without exercise as some of the sudden weight loss programs claim. Sorry to burst the bubble. They can however, help with some of the emotions behind eating that may be contributing to your weight gain or inability to loose.

For that reason, any of the Bach Flower essences might be helpful for your personal weight loss, depending on the emotions you experience. There are however, three essences in particular that you might want to consider. The essences include Chestnut Bud, Cherry Plum and Crab Apple.

If you have been on the dieting cycle more times that you care to recall, each time loosing some but then returning to old habits and gaining it back, Chestnut Bud might be the Bach Flower for you. Chestnut Bud is helpful when you aren't learning from your past mistakes. If you really know that the only thing that stands between you and last year's outfit is a trip to the gym or a walk in the woods, but there you sit on the couch staring at T.V. re-runs- consider Chestnut Bud. It's not about beating yourself up about your mistakes. Chestnut Bud can help you learn from the past and incorporate that knowledge into your present being so you don't have to keep repeating the same lesson over and over again. Chestnut Bud can help you see your mistakes the same way others do. We are all good at seeing what others do wrong, but the mirror is often foggy when we look at ourselves. Chestnut Bud can also help you be a bit more mentally active and aware so you can learn from observing the errors of those around you as well.

If it's the bag of potato chips, the gallon of ice-cream and the box of cookies, all at the same time, that is causing your weight gain, Cherry Plum might be a good essence for you. If a bad day at work, a fight with your spouse, or the fact that your clothes don't fit, actually drives you to eat consider Cherry Plum. That out of control behavior, is the emotion that Cherry Plum helps balance. People that can benefit from this essence often stick to a very strict diet and count calories religiously, all the while fearing the loss of control of the very eating habits they attempt to maintain. Cherry Plum helps address that fear of loosing control. Cherry Plum can help you act rationally and calmly. It's the "count to ten before you act" essence and therefore can be very helpful for binge eaters.

Finally, there is the essence Crab Apple to consider when embarking on a weight loss effort. Crab Apple is considered the cleansing remedy. It is recommended when you really don't feel good about yourself and may be stuck on a particular imperfection that you have become obsessive (and often depressed) about. If you feel unhappy about your body image, Crab Apple can help you regain your self-esteem. Personally, I think most teen-age girls could use a pretty constant dose of Crab Apple. Crab Apple can help support you in the "now". It can help you relax about how you look and maintain a positive self-image.

The positive nature of Crab Apple feels a bit like spring to me. It's about accepting what is in front of you while you plant the seeds and prepare for new life at the same time. If you look at today's picture a little closer, you'll notice that my crocuses are blooming in horse manure. That's one of the aspects of them that I most appreciate. They don't need a perfectly groomed, sensory pleasing, environment to shine. They bloom in the middle of it all and bring that light to an otherwise dull area. They are the first flowers to stand up and say "You know what- it's pretty darn nice here, lets open up and embrace it". Maybe we could take the lesson from that and embrace ourselves just the way we are and in the environment we find ourselves to be.

If despite that though, you'd like to try some Bach Flowers for weight loss, you can mix all three of those essences together and see if it helps. You can order this remedy, or any others directly from my website at www.pixiedusthealing.com or contact me through the site. In the meantime, enjoy the lightness of spring!

1 comment:

  1. Great tips. I am so glad. This is a good post about spring weight loss. Keep it up.

    ReplyDelete