I think improving your lifestyle is similar to learning a new language. You start out not knowing a lot about what it will take for success, and then you gradually learn and practice the concepts.
If you don't practice, you will not get better at it!
I'm learning American Sign Language, and I don't think its hard, but it sure does require a different way of thinking! I don't practice as much as I should, but I'm in class four days a week, so that's practice in itself. What about wellness----eating better and exercising more? Can you really expect yourself to just decide what the outcome should be (i.e. being proficient and having it be a part of everyday life), and then just do it? Not really.
You need reinforcements! A plan. A positive outlook. Support. New ideas. Flexibility. Willingness to try new things and learn new ways of doing things. Exposing yourself to the concepts and ideas is important---read articles and books about it, talk to people about your ideas and things you've tried.
Then use your wellness coach to help you navigate the process on a long-term basis. It is about getting yourself to go to the gym once and eat more vegetables today. But it's also about strategizing for how to continue in the future and improve.
Practice.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Community Acupuncture
I saw an article in the D&C about this a couple months ago, and over the past month I've talked to a couple people who have been using the service and having excellent results.
Check out this link:
www.rochestercommunityacupuncture.com
If you are interested in learning more about it, check out the FAQs page on the website. It talks about how you can experience acupuncture in more of a traditional (non-westernized) way in this community setting....and you also pay much less to do it!
The thing about acupuncture is that it is cumulative and even though one session might make you feel pretty good, you probably need to go several times to experience a benefit.
Have you tried it? What did you think?
Check out this link:
www.rochestercommunityacupuncture.com
If you are interested in learning more about it, check out the FAQs page on the website. It talks about how you can experience acupuncture in more of a traditional (non-westernized) way in this community setting....and you also pay much less to do it!
The thing about acupuncture is that it is cumulative and even though one session might make you feel pretty good, you probably need to go several times to experience a benefit.
Have you tried it? What did you think?
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Real Age
Check out this website www.realage.com to figure out if you're biologically older, younger, or the same as your calendar age.
There is a lot of other good info on this site too!
There is a lot of other good info on this site too!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Doomed?
So I'm sitting here watching college students each their lunches. I have to say, I'm pretty freaked out by it---not by their manners, but by what they're eating. There's this thing, this chicken tender sub (I think)---on a white roll with some kind of sauce and a lot of melted cheese. It doesn't even look good...but they're eating it. With fries and/or chips, gatorade and/or mt dew, and a cookie the size of my 5 year-old nephew's head. That is most definitely more than a day's worth of calories in one sleepy greasy meal.
Overall, I wouldn't say the population is noticeably overweight, but they are probably ranging in ages from 18-21. I just want to let them know that if they keep this up, they will be sorry!
When you're 19, and developing (or cementing) these habits, you don't think about how it will affect you later. But, they will find out, it does and it will.
Is there no hope? I'd like to think there is, but based on the food selections here... I'm not sure how this could change. Maybe we're in too deep. What do you think?
Overall, I wouldn't say the population is noticeably overweight, but they are probably ranging in ages from 18-21. I just want to let them know that if they keep this up, they will be sorry!
When you're 19, and developing (or cementing) these habits, you don't think about how it will affect you later. But, they will find out, it does and it will.
Is there no hope? I'd like to think there is, but based on the food selections here... I'm not sure how this could change. Maybe we're in too deep. What do you think?
Monday, March 23, 2009
Mourning
It occurred to me this weekend that sometimes the "thing" holding us back from our wellness goals (or maybe it's just one of the "things") is that we don't really acknowledge that we are giving up or changing something we like (or something we are just super comfortable with).
I want to work on this for myself, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on it with you. If you're trying to eat more veggies and fewer fries, don't just hammer home the "EAT VEGGIES" message over and over again---that part is important to focus on, but give yourself the opportunity to acknowledge and let go of giving up the fries.
Step 1. Make a plan
Sub-step 1. Identify what you're adding to your life and what you're taking away.
Sub-step 2. Think about (and write down) what it is about the thing you're giving up that you'll miss. Remind yourself why you'll be better off without it. Then just miss it for a little while.
Step 2. Try your plan
Step 3. Evaluate and re-plan
(repeat steps as needed)
So, it's not quite so black and white, but you get the idea. Sometimes I really miss things like grilled cheese on white bread and oreos (and I'm not saying I would never have those things), but they're not a part of my lifestyle anymore. I didn't have a hard time giving up coffee in a caffeine-addiction sense, but I miss the ritual of coffee. I'm slowly getting used to my new rituals and habits, and I can see myself liking them more in the long-run. I think I had to really acknowledge missing the old stuff and then let it go.
What about you?
I want to work on this for myself, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on it with you. If you're trying to eat more veggies and fewer fries, don't just hammer home the "EAT VEGGIES" message over and over again---that part is important to focus on, but give yourself the opportunity to acknowledge and let go of giving up the fries.
Step 1. Make a plan
Sub-step 1. Identify what you're adding to your life and what you're taking away.
Sub-step 2. Think about (and write down) what it is about the thing you're giving up that you'll miss. Remind yourself why you'll be better off without it. Then just miss it for a little while.
Step 2. Try your plan
Step 3. Evaluate and re-plan
(repeat steps as needed)
So, it's not quite so black and white, but you get the idea. Sometimes I really miss things like grilled cheese on white bread and oreos (and I'm not saying I would never have those things), but they're not a part of my lifestyle anymore. I didn't have a hard time giving up coffee in a caffeine-addiction sense, but I miss the ritual of coffee. I'm slowly getting used to my new rituals and habits, and I can see myself liking them more in the long-run. I think I had to really acknowledge missing the old stuff and then let it go.
What about you?
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Another Day in Paradise
It's Thursday. Which means it's almost Friday, and Friday is almost the weekend.
What did you do differently today than you did yesterday? How about compared to last week?
It's another day, just another routine day... do something different! Just for one day. See how it feels to go outside your comfort zone just a little. Maybe you could buy a vegetable you've never had, look up a recipe for it, and try it out. When you get out of your car after work, walk around the block once before going inside. Turn the TV off for a half hour and read something for pleasure. Do crunches and push-ups during commercials.....
Come up with your own!
p.s.
I think one of my most important roles is to remind people to notice when they do something good for themselves. This morning I talked to a woman who immediately told me she did not make any progress on her eating habits....then I found out she switched her breakfast from bagels with cream cheese to cheerios....and her lunch from dinner leftovers to sandwiches on whole grain bread! She hadn't noticed or given herself credit for that because her ultimate goal was to eat healthier dinners. In my estimation, she's having at least one less stick of butter in calories per day! (you know how calorie-dense bagels are, right?)
What did you do differently today than you did yesterday? How about compared to last week?
It's another day, just another routine day... do something different! Just for one day. See how it feels to go outside your comfort zone just a little. Maybe you could buy a vegetable you've never had, look up a recipe for it, and try it out. When you get out of your car after work, walk around the block once before going inside. Turn the TV off for a half hour and read something for pleasure. Do crunches and push-ups during commercials.....
Come up with your own!
p.s.
I think one of my most important roles is to remind people to notice when they do something good for themselves. This morning I talked to a woman who immediately told me she did not make any progress on her eating habits....then I found out she switched her breakfast from bagels with cream cheese to cheerios....and her lunch from dinner leftovers to sandwiches on whole grain bread! She hadn't noticed or given herself credit for that because her ultimate goal was to eat healthier dinners. In my estimation, she's having at least one less stick of butter in calories per day! (you know how calorie-dense bagels are, right?)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Sticks of Butter
This week I am toting my very useful (and very heavy) body composition scale around to various locations so people can see their progress (or lack thereof). It makes me think about how people measure progress---the traditional way would be in pounds lost. The 80's-90's way would be via Body Mass Index (BMI) improvements... Today's way is more focused on body fat percent. The problem is that even with this measurement, there is no way to be 100% accurate. I have a pretty good scale, but drink a bottle of water and eat a snack beforehand and your reading will be thrown off.
I wish I could help people to not focus on pounds, but rather, on actions. Pounds (and similarly, cholesterol readings, BP, blood sugar, etc.) are a side effect of what you DO. So, if you have planned a strategic way to improve your actions over time---that my friend, is a recipe for success in my book. Unfortunately, wellness coaching costs money and I have to prove my worth by showing results in numbers.... but I have faith the actions' effects will trickle down to the level of the numbers.
This morning, I was speaking with someone who has lost 22 pounds since our January weigh-in. Her numbers showed a significant difference... and that was important, but the real impact came when she figured out how many calories she had dropped by working out more and eating less-----77,ooo
77,000 is not chump change---she is serious about this (and doing it in a very healthy way).
Not everyone can blow themselves away with the numbers---but think of a way to represent your progress that makes you feel good.
...someone else said weight watchers told her how much weight she had lost in Sticks of Butter (1 stick=810 calories)
How would you measure your progress?
I wish I could help people to not focus on pounds, but rather, on actions. Pounds (and similarly, cholesterol readings, BP, blood sugar, etc.) are a side effect of what you DO. So, if you have planned a strategic way to improve your actions over time---that my friend, is a recipe for success in my book. Unfortunately, wellness coaching costs money and I have to prove my worth by showing results in numbers.... but I have faith the actions' effects will trickle down to the level of the numbers.
This morning, I was speaking with someone who has lost 22 pounds since our January weigh-in. Her numbers showed a significant difference... and that was important, but the real impact came when she figured out how many calories she had dropped by working out more and eating less-----77,ooo
77,000 is not chump change---she is serious about this (and doing it in a very healthy way).
Not everyone can blow themselves away with the numbers---but think of a way to represent your progress that makes you feel good.
...someone else said weight watchers told her how much weight she had lost in Sticks of Butter (1 stick=810 calories)
How would you measure your progress?
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