Yesterday’s blog post "Go On, Ask Me Anything" challenged you to ask me anything and I’d answer in the next blog post, which is this one. One question stood out and I imagine would be interesting to many, so thanks dear reader for asking.  The question was  “What are the top 3 tips you would give someone caught on the diet roller coaster and looking to get off?”  Great question.  And here is my answer.

Here are the top 3 tips for getting off the diet roller coaster.

1. Stop Dieting

What?  How can I stop dieting if I still want to lose weight? 

Diets, meaning deprivation and restriction, don’t work for the long term. Sure, you might cut calories and lose some weight, but then what happens?  You never learn how to eat for real life, good health, and self-respect. When you are in deprivation and restriction mode, just think what you are telling yourself.  (“I’m not good enough”)

2. Understand your Emotional and Environmental Triggers (and eat real food)

Noticing and evaluating your triggers, both environmental and emotional will help you better understand why you do what you do - overeat, overdrink, binge, eat sweets, etc.  Emotional eating is real and includes for example eating when sad, upset, worried, feeling stressed, lonely, angry, afraid, hurt, disappointed, and the list goes on. Feelings could also be on the more positive side such as celebratory, anticipatory, feeling happy and excited. Some of us are not even aware of our feelings and how they might be related to our food choices. Start to notice.

Environmental triggers can be a place, a room, an object, a time of day, a situation, or a person or group of people.  Examine your environmental triggers to better understand why you make the choices you do.

As you do the work of noticing (perhaps start a journal), bring in whole foods, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and get rid of processed foods.  Eliminate processed sugar and add real fruit you will rid yourself of sugar cravings.  Get your body into balance with whole seasonal food. But do this inner work too.

3. Love and Respect Yourself

I know this one might sound harsh, but no one who really loves and respects themselves will deprive themselves, cheat on themselves, and binge eat on themselves.  So this one takes a lot of self love work. Many of us don’t want to go here because we don’t know how, or it is too painful, or we don't “have time” or prioritize it.  It’s just easier to go on a diet and cut calories.  But until we can really love and respect ourselves, the diet rollercoaster will continue. 

Of course there's also getting enough sleep, being active, staying hydrated, mindful eating, and taking care of your needs.  But with these 3 tips above, these other pieces will come easily.

If you want help with getting off the diet roller coaster, let me know.  I’ve been there and have counseled hundreds if not thousands of people over the past 15 years about “not dieting” to lose weight.  I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments. 

First of all, thanks for coming to the site and reading about what we are doing. I have a favor to ask of you! Now that you are here, what would you like to know? What question would you like answered? What is causing the most pain for you right now? Go on, Ask Me Anything!

Tomorrow, I will select one or two questions and answer them for you! So, leave a comment below and ask me a question!

Thanks!

Is knowing where your food comes from really important? It’s hard enough deciding what to eat these days for good health with our friends and family telling us about their keto, low-carb, vegan, and paleo plans, or ‘lifestyle’s” as some describe.  Then there is the time it takes to plan, shop for local, fresh, organic foods, and cook healthy meals. 

There are so many convenient time-saving options with take out, Grub-Hub, neighborhood delivery, on-line delivery meal services, restaurant chains on every corner, and even easy pick up meals at grocery stores.  With all of this convenience fewer people are planning and cooking at home now, and most do not know where their food comes from. 

Why Is knowing Where Our Food Comes From important? 

I’m a big advocate of eating with the seasons.  Along with a number of reasons to eat seasonally, it helps me stay in touch with where my food is coming from.

Why should we cook and eat seasonally, and why is it important to stay in touch with where our food comes from?

Here are a few reasons to stay in tune and know what you are eating.

Better Flavor

Ripe fruits naturally encourage us to eat them because they are more colorful, juicier and more fragrant.  They taste better too!

In nature, seeds are spread when the fruit is eaten. This ensures a new crop of plants and fruit.  This benefits both the plant and those who eat them. Just think how good asparagus tastes in the spring and apples in the fall.

Better Nutrition

Plants that ripen on the vine have more time to develop nutrients.  They are at their peak of nutrition and that’s when we want to be eating!  In fact, as soon as plants are harvested, their nutritional content begins to decline.

Out-of-season produce is usually picked before it is ripe and may be shipped from thousands of miles away.  It spends many days in transport, losing some of the key nutrients along the way.

Save Money

Buying in season is the best time to buy. Just think about it.  A lot of watermelons in summer means the cost is low!  It is cost effective for farmers to grow when growing conditions are optimal. They don’t need to buy as much fertilizer and additives because Mother Nature is helping the plants grow. Farmers also don’t need to pay for long transportation or storage costs. These savings are passed down to us.

Save the Planet  

Already mentioned was the cost involved for fertilizer, pesticides, transportation, and refrigeration, but these factors are also detrimental to the health of our environment.

Here are a few statistics to consider...

·      The average distance most produce is shipped in US is almost 1,500 miles.

·      It takes 4 to 7 times more fuel to produce and distribute conventional food compared to local and regional foods.

·      5 to 17 times more CO2 is emitted in the process.

·      If every American ate one meal a week with locally and organically raised meats and produce, the US would reduce oil consumption by more than 1.1 million barrels a week.

Transporting produce over long distances alone decreases its nutritional value, increases their cost, and is bad for the planet.  And that is just transportation, we haven’t even discussed the chemicals used in fertilizers and pesticides which eventually deplete the soil, and contaminate our water and food supply affecting our lakes and oceans which in turn affects the food supply there as well.

Eliminate Toxins from our Food  

These same toxins, pesticides, waxes, chemicals and leave a residue on and in our foods.  And we in turn eat them.

By choosing seasonal when less of these chemicals are used we are getting a cleaner product.  

Local smaller farms may not have organic certification but chances are good that they are using organic practices. Talk to your farmer or grocer at the beginning of the season to learn about these farming practices.  Support them by buying local. 

Connect with your Community

Getting to know where your food is coming from, who is growing your food and how they do it also makes you feel more connected to that whole process. It’s as easy as joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) or food share program, supporting your local farmers’ market, or joining a community garden to grow your own vegetables.

Get Variety in your Diet

Eating with the seasons forces us to eat what is available at that time, which is actually good for us.  It encourages us to try new foods and use them creatively. This in turn can help keep us healthy by rotating foods throughout the year.  And variety in diet prevents us from developing food intolerances.  

Home Cooking

Eating with the seasons encourages us to learn new ways to prepare these foods, which means you may need to learn to cook!  Home cooking is better for our health because we get away from processed foods, and packaging. You know what you are eating and you’ll consume less sugar, chemical additives, salt and unhealthy oils.

Seasonal Balance for our Bodies

This rotation of foods also ensures that we are eating foods that have evolved to support our bodies’ seasonal needs.  For example, in spring, our bodies are waking up from a long winter. We crave the tender, leafy vegetables that represent the fresh new growth and energy of this season. In summer, we stick with light, cooling foods. In winter, we turn even more exclusively toward warming foods.

Meet A Farmer

Many of us don’t know a farmer, or have never even met a farmer, unless of course you are a farmer, have a farm share, or go to a farmers market.  For most Americans we procure our food from large grocery stores, bodegas, restaurants, and on-line meal delivery services.

Recently I visited Apple Ridge Orchard, in Marlboro, NY. If you buy apples from Stop & Shop or Shop Rite in New Jersey, this is where the apples come from. I met the owners’ son who took a few minutes out of his busy workday to tell me about his farming lifestyle.  As a teenager he didn’t always look forward to the constant hard work after school, but now as a 24-year old young man he loves and appreciates what he does and wouldn’t trade it for a cubicle. 

His has great admiration for “the men” who come each year for harvest from Mexico and Jamaica. They leave their families for the entire season to climb each tree carrying 45 pounds of apples up and down ladders 7 days a week, 14 hours a day until all of the fruit is picked. They do this back-breaking physical labor to earn money to help their families back home. 

Gratitude might be another reason to know where your food comes from.

If you’d like to get closer to learning where your food comes from, start by going to meet a farmer, or with any of the suggestions above.

Let me know how you stay close to where your food comes from.

Yesterday I wrote a blog post about looking back to take stock, and then look forward.  Looking forward in both personal and business life and knowing where you want to go is not always easy, but I believe it to be essential to a life well lived.   

In my personal life, I have a general idea of where I want to “go” and that is the key word here.  I want to GO, meaning travel - everywhere and anywhere!  I’m not a sit on the beach at a resort kind of person.  I like an active vacation where I can see sights, learn about the history, art, food, people, and culture of the place. 

I recently returned from a vacation trip to Glacier National Park in Montana where I hiked almost every day and went fly-fishing for the first time ever. Earlier in the year I took a trip to the Netherlands and visited several cities, saw the tulip fields and windmills, and became immersed in the culture of the Dutch.

On a professional level, I also have a general idea of where I want to “go” which is to grow my business in order to help more people. Of everything I do as a health coach, doing talks in the community is especially enjoyable and satisfying. I’ve conducted talks locally at libraries, the YMCA, senior centers, and for corporate employers.

I like meeting new people and seeing their eyes light up when they learn something new. Perhaps I’ve made a difference, and as a result of my talk they might make healthier choices, or change the way they think about their health and happiness.

My new dream for the next few years is to combine both personal and professional desires for the future.  I will make it my future goal to travel out of my community to other areas of the country to conduct health talks.  The next step is creating the plan to make it happen. 

I always like a new adventure.  I’m excited!

What are your dreams personally and professionally?  I'd love to hear about it.  If you liked this post, please share on Facebook or Twitter.  

Do you ever take stock about where you were say, five years ago, compared to where you are now?  I find it’s a good practice to see how far you’ve come, and how developing and implementing goals can make your dreams come true. 

Looking back is beneficial, but planning ahead is also important. Asking what do I want; what have I always wanted but haven’t done or accomplished; what do I still want to learn, or do, or become!? These are all great questions and when we purposefully develop goals and action steps we can create our best life. 

Do your doubts ever hold you back?  Our thoughts are where it all starts. You must dream, and allow it, and state it, and make it come true.  Believe you can and you will, believe you can’t and you won’t.

Just five years ago, I became a certified holistic health coach. That would not have happened without a dream, a desire to learn, and a passion to help others. I thought about enrolling in a coaching program for two years before I finally took the step. I said yes to it when I felt almost ready, and pushed through the fear and doubt because I listened to my heart and trusted my inner voice.  I spent a year focused on learning and growing and a year later I was a certified health coach!

When I first started health coaching I had a new energy I didn’t expect, and it felt a bit unreal.

·      I launched my own business.

·      I was coaching individual clients for my 6-month program. 

·      I was meeting new people and conducting consultations.

·      I had launched a website, and

·      I had a Facebook page and learned how to invite people to engage, and post recipes I was cooking.

In the past five years, my business has grown.

·      I’ve created videos on health topics.

·      I’ve written and run two seasonal cleanse programs.

·      I wrote and made available an elimination diet program.

·      I’ve held multiple talks and workshops in the community and for employers on a variety of health related topics.

·      I facilitate a 25-week diabetes prevention program for my local YMCA.

·      And I’ve continued to coach individual clients.

What’s Next?

Good question!  I love health coaching, but I want to reach more and more people.  My motivation for becoming a health coach was to help people with their pain, health, and happiness, and that desire is still present. I want to see more people living their best life.

Vision for the Future

My newly created vision board contains a few themes such as family and home surroundings, but also for more abundance in my health coaching career.  I’ve got the vision but It’s time again to take what is in my heart and translate that into goals and action steps for the next five years.

In the future, I want serve even more clients and have more people experience my programs to help them feel better.

Do you take stock, look back, and plan forward.  What tools do you use?  SMART goals, vision boards, annual planners, to do lists?  I’d love to hear from you about living your best life!

Since I’ve been writing about me, how I take care of myself in the cold weather, and what I like about the change of seasons and what I focus on in the fall, I thought I’d just keep it going and write about the daily life of a health coach.  I’m sure not every health coach has the same daily routine, but this is a glimpse into my life.

Because I have my own business, and because I love what I do, I really could work 7 days a week, but I have to mindfully put limits on my work time, and plan in the personal family time, volunteering, social, hobbies, and the time it takes to manage the household too with gardening, cleaning, shopping, cooking, maintenance and repairs. 

I have a lot of freedom at this point in my life.  My husband is still working full time in his career, and my son is away at college, so I just have to worry about the cat and myself!

I’m a scheduler, so everything goes in my calendar.  I not only schedule appointments, meetings, and daily physical activity, but I also schedule in time to take care of the garden, grocery shop, clean, etc.  There is no typical week for me, but there are some activities that are repeated in the schedule that I don’t like to miss such as the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning spin class and the Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday morning yoga classes. Having these in the calendar first thing in the morning gets my day going. Once the morning activity is completed, I feel good; I feed myself some healthy nutrition, and start my workday. 

I aim to work for 6 hours a day on my business each weekday from at least 10-4, and then work on personal tasks from 4-6.  Business items always include social media, blog posts, research, meeting with clients, writing up client notes, following up with potential clients both individual and corporate, or community, developing new programs, recording my nutrition series, and networking.

Typically a weekly walk with my friend Mary is figured in around 4:00, as is an hour of tennis one a week. Generally one or two evenings a week are work related meetings such as a networking event or a weekly diabetes prevention program meeting that I run for the local YMCA, and one or two, or three evenings with hobbies (singing) or volunteering (mentoring, political activism, organic coop), or getting together with friends.

Working from home means not having a commute and that is amazing, especially after years of long commutes on subways, trains and by car.  I never felt badly about commuting by public transportation, but I really did not like having to use a car to do my work due to the environmental impact. Now, most of my meetings out of the house are really local, even walkable, and most of my work with clients is virtual, over phone or computer.

Weekends usually involve some work, but I love to start Saturdays with a trip to the local farmers market, and hopefully get a hike in with my neighbors.

I am so fortunate and grateful for every day.  How do you spend your day?  If you are a health coach, I’d especially love to hear from you!

Just yesterday I wrote a blog post about the season of fall “Seasons Change and So Do I” and today I read that we are in for a cold, snowy, and icy winter.  Last week’s news about Montana’s record snow fall in and around Glacier National Park was on my radar as I’d just been vacationing there just a week before the snow storm. Change is certain.

As a health coach, I think, talk, live, breathe, and write about health. There are lots of precautions we can take for our health during the cold season and many of them start now for the best protection.  This news of cold weather coming got me thinking about the top three things I do to stay healthy when the weather turns colder. Maybe you do them too?

1.Wash your hands.

Just like any other time of year, hand washing with mild soap and water is the best prevention in the spread of germs.  But during the winter we are indoors more often and we need to be even more diligent about the spread of germs.

Please say no anti-bacterial soap.  Antibacterial soaps are no more effective than soap and water, can cause antibiotic resistant bacteria, endocrine disruption, allergies, and indeed can be harmful to us, and the planet. Even the FDA says so. If you can’t get to a sink with soap and running water, instead, use a non-antibacterial gel or hand wipes that do not contain triclosan. Personally, I don’t like the feeling of the gel and just use a paper napkin and my stainless steel water bottle when in a pinch.

Every time you come into the house from work, school, or shopping, drop your bags and wash your hands.  Certainly every time you use the bathroom and before meals you’ll want to wash your hands.  But also if you’ve shaken hands with someone, used a door handle, or touched public surfaces like an ATM screen.

To help keep skin moist during the winter, place a bottle of hand lotion next to the sink and use it after you dry your hands to prevent chapping or skin dryness.

Minimize touching of surfaces where germs reside. Avoid touching your face and nose with your hands.  Use your elbow or hip to open or hold a door.

If you must sneeze, use your elbow, not your hand to stifle the germs.  Even better, carry tissues in your car, purse, backpack, and briefcase.

2.Wear a scarf.

A scarf will provide extra warmth and protection for your throat.  I even wear one around the house during the fall and winter. Of course dress warmly when exposed to the elements with a coat, warm boots, socks, gloves and a hat too.

3.Eat a nutritious diet.

Food is medicine, and eating a healthy diet can help boost our immune system.  Start out now before the cold, flu, and stress of the holiday season by avoiding processed food and sugar.  You might want to think twice about dairy intake as this can cause additional dampness and phlegm in the body. Enjoy the recent harvest of fruits and vegetables during this season such as apples, pears, winter squash, broccoli, kale, onions, potatoes, and pumpkins.  Nuts such as walnuts and pecans are especially good for fall and winter. 

Just these three simple tips will go a long way to keeping you healthy during colder weather.  It works for me, and I hope it works for you too!

Stay safe, and stay healthy as we move into colder weather.

Seasons change and so do I. Isn't that a song lyric? Okay, let's not read too much into this, but I love the change of seasons and this song just came to mind.

We’re about two weeks into the season of fall, or autumn, if you prefer.  For me, having four unique seasons is a benefit to where I live. I enjoy each season for what it offers as well as the transitions from one to the next.  How about you?  Some people really enjoy all seasons, while others have a preference and wish it were warm all the time, or snowy every day.  And some suffer from seasonal allergies, or perhaps Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD, a perfect acronym) in winter, which effects how they feel about the seasons.

One of my favorite things to talk about and teach as a health coach is eating with the seasons, and do this especially during the new growth of spring, the abundance of the summer, and the harvest of long growing or second growth plants in the fall.

In fall, along with picking pumpkins, cooking differently, transitioning the garden plants, and doing the fall clean up, my business transitions too.

This time of year is like a second new-year or beginning, an idea that solidified with me after working for a weight loss company and noticing this trend.  It literally was the second busiest time of year.  Summer is over and people get back to their “regular” routines looking to lose those few summer ice cream and vacation pounds.  In general though, business slows down a bit during the summer when people take vacation. In fall, school is back in session, vacation is over, and most of us are back to working hard and getting things done.

It’s not so different for me either.  As a health coach, my talks, workshops, and group programs really gear up again in the fall, as well as more 1:1 coaching because clients are back from vacation and in a regular routine again.  My talks and workshops during this time include topics such as “Harvest Your Natural Energy”, “5 Simple Strategies for Managing the Holidays”, or “Holiday Survival Tips”.

Each Fall I also run a 5-Day whole-food challenge that is very specific to the season.  It’s a program done virtually that anyone can join and comes with a Program Guide, Cookbook, and support from two health coaches, myself and another colleague.  Ah, the benefits of the Internet. It’s based on the principles of eating with the seasons, as well as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) philosophy during fall.  If you are not familiar with TCM, it doesn’t look at the macronutrients of foods as many of us do, but rather the qualities and energy of specific foods and how they help the body during different seasons.  The foods used in this program help transition the body from summer to fall with a change from cooling foods to warming foods, and use specific pungent and fermented foods that help with the flow of energy at this time of the year.  The methods of cooking such as steaming, grilling, and raw during the summer transition now to slower cooking, roasting, and baking for fall. Along with specific foods and cooking methods for good health during the fall, the program also recommends lifestyle tips to help support the lungs and throat such as deep breathing, wearing a scarf, and an inward practice of “letting go” of whatever is not serving you now.

If you typically suffer with the change of seasons this time of year whether that be with allergies, colds, flu, or emotionally, learning some of these program concepts might really help change your relationship with the season!

Thanks for reading and joining me as we move into fall.  If you have any questions about what you read, please let me know.  I’d love to have your comments and I hope you enjoy the season!

Welcome to Day 2 of My 30-Day Blog Challenge.

This is me when I first became a health coach six years ago.  

For today, I though I’d share a small glimpse of my history, what led me to became a health coach, and why I am coaching 1:1 clients, presenting workshops and speaking both in the community and for employers, running whole food programs for those looking to improve their diet and health, and facilitating a diabetes prevention program.

For some reason, I’ve always been intrigued about how we feed ourselves, and what we choose to eat. As the oldest of four children, it probably all started in the kitchen with my mom, helping prepare meals for the family, and for company.  We always had relatives or friends coming to visit and my favorite thing was helping to get ready, and make sure everyone was happy with food and drink.  It’s not surprising that my first job was in an upscale restaurant starting in the kitchen at age 17.  When I developed eczema on my hands as a result of working with the acidic meats and cheeses in the kitchen, I was moved to the floor staff as a server, or waitress as they called us in those days.  This was a fantastic job.  I learned about food, wine, good service, restaurant management, and working hard as part of a team. Through my high school and college years, and even after college as a side job to supplement my full-time salary, I always worked in restaurants.

During this time, I personally struggled with what I should eat in order to be a healthy weight and feel my best.  I started Weight Watchers with my mom when I was only 16, and had a roller coaster ride with dieting for years.  In my quest to eat foods that wouldn’t put weight on, keep hunger pangs away, and still feel satisfied, I read a lot of diet books, and always experimented on myself with what I had read. But my favorite foods were still ice cream, mashed potatoes, meatloaf, spaghetti and meatballs, and high carb casseroles.

Later, In addition to a foods’ nutrition, I also became interested in the energetics of food, the politics of food, how our food system worked, food marketing, and foods of different cultures and societies.

After graduating from college, I worked full time commuting into New York City for 20 years.  Then when my son was four years old, and I couldn’t handle the rat race any longer, I decided to pull back and work part time closer to home.  Since I had lost weight on Weight Watchers and was at my goal weight, I started working as a wellness coach with Weight Watchers!  I was a workshop wellness coach there for the next 14 years, and it was an important education for me in transitioning my own relationship with food.  During this experience as a wellness coach, I noticed those focusing on the food they ate would lose weight, but then were not always able to keep it off.  They struggled for years. Those in the program who changed the way they thought about themselves, put themselves first, and loved themselves made remarkable changes. I wanted to help more people change their thoughts, their habits, and their lives so they could live happier and healthier lives.  I wanted to get away from the food aspect and focus on what I now refer to as primary food; all of the other aspects of life that feed us.

I researched health coaching programs for two years before making a decision and taking the plunge seven years ago to study to become a certified holistic health coach.  The health coaching program was a great experience, and I wish I had found it earlier!  Managing my time while in school was a challenge, but my first priority as a health coach is to walk the talk and take care of myself.  Even though I was busier than ever, I still made time to exercise, practice yoga, get at least seven hours of sleep, and eat healthy, nourishing, home cooked meals and snacks.  If I didn’t do this, I know I would have felt unhappy, overwhelmed, stressed and tired. 

By keeping a healthy routine, I was able to not only keep up with the course work, (lectures, reading, assignments, quizzes, tests, coaching circle calls, peer coach calls, practicing Health Histories, and events) but I also would not have had the clarity or energy to launch my business. In just a year, I created a website, a blog, a Facebook page, a following on twitter, a pay pal account, a newsletter with subscribers, business cards, and referral partners.  But most importantly, I have achieved my intention to use my background and experience to help people with their health concerns through diet and lifestyle changes. 

If you or someone you know is interested in health coaching, let me know.