The Simplest Way to Grow Your Gratitude!

24 Mar The Simplest Way to Grow Your Gratitude!

Beyond the 5 Life Forces I write about in SuperLife, one of the simplest ways to improve your health is to increase gratitude and thankfulness.

Science shows that gratitude actually has measurable health benefits. In my global travels, I have always seen that grateful people are the ones living a healthy SuperLife I want to emulate!

“Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, regular physical examinations,” University of California Davis psychology professor Robert Emmons (a leading authority on the study of gratitude) told WebMD in the article, “Boost Your Health With a Dose of Gratitude.”

Studies have linked gratitude to increased immunity, a stronger ability to relax, and lower rates of disease. Gratitude increases happiness and lowers depression as well. While science is proving the connection between gratitude and health now, the understanding goes back thousands of years. You see it in ancient cultural literature and traditions around the world. It is important to practice gratitude daily.

One of the easiest ways to consistently express gratefulness is by habitually doing it before you eat! We eat multiple times a day, so that is multiple times you can take a moment to be grateful for your food and more. Cultures around the world honor this practice in many ways:

• The Japanese begin meals with the phrase “itadakimasu.” It literally means, “I humbly receive,” which is an expression of gratitude for everyone and everything that went into preparing the food.
• The French phrase “bon appétit” both encourages those gathered around the table to enjoy their meal and is also a cultural expression of thankfulness.
• Many traditional prayers found in British, Australian, and American cultures are rooted in gratitude, including “God is great. God is good. Let us thank him for our food,” or “For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful. Amen.”

Many other cultures have unique, meaningful ways of expressing gratitude because deep down inside we know that expressing gratitude matters! That’s why I incorporate building gratitude into my 10-Day Nutrition Program. We can always grow in gratitude.

However you choose to do it, create your own personal, daily way of expressing authentic gratitude for your food! You won’t regret it. For more tips like this on creating a SuperLife – the greatest expression of your life possible – visit www.SuperLife.com.