10 Interesting Facts About Registered Dietitian Nutritionists [Infographic]

Happy Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day 2014!  In honor of all of the hard-working RDN's out there, please enjoy this infographic of 10 Interesting Facts About Registered Dietitian Nutritionists.

Feel free to copy, distribute, and reprint unaltered versions for non-commercial/educational purposes with proper credit.

Thank you and Enjoy!

10 Interesting Facts About Registered Dietitian Nutritionists [Infographic]

10 Interesting Facts about Registered Dietitian Nutritrionists [Infographic] by Michelle Loy, Go Wellness is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at www.gowellnessco.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at nutritionandwellnessbytes.blogspot.com.

3 reasons to make physical activity a priority during the holidays

Commit to be fit this holiday season.  Photo credit: o5com via Flickr

Congratulations on surviving yet another post-Thanksgiving food coma.  If you are one of those people who finds it hard to get back on track with eating and physical activity after said food coma, then I challenge you to consider moving one thing to the top of your to-do list this holiday season.  That thing is physical activity.  I see physical activity as a gateway health habit.  When people let it slide to the bottom of their list of priorities, other habits tend to slide as well.  However, when people make physical activity a priority, not only do they stay on top of other health behaviors, but they also tend to score some fantastic deals in terms of their health and well-being, too!  Consider these three excellent reasons to commit to regular physical activity during the holidays.

Prevent holiday weight gain.  While holiday weight gain is common for many Americans, it is not necessarily inevitable.  Researchers have found that people who have successfully managed their weight long-term rarely deviate from their regular exercise routine throughout the year, including during the holidays.  Not only does exercise help stoke your body's metabolic furnace to burn more calories, but it also appears to help physically active people curb their food intake.

Manage stress.  Exercise is one of the best prescriptions for stress.  The holidays definitely present the opportunity for more stress from increasingly busy social calendars to additional responsibilities at work and more travel.  While you can't necessarily eliminate every source of stress in your life during the holidays, you certainly can include more ways to better manage it.  When you exercise, the body gets an amazing dose of natural feel-good chemicals, including serotonin and endorphins.  Exercise also allows you the opportunity to take a break from the stress in your life and just let it go. What once mattered before may not be as significant after a good workout.  

Boost energy levels.  With a fuller schedule and more stress, you may find that your energy levels may take a serious beating during the holidays.  While sipping more coffee or Red Bulls may seem like an easy way to to charge up your battery, it's not the ideal way to go to reduce the sluggishness.  I know that exercise may be one of the last things on your mind when it comes to feeling fatigued, but studies have suggested individuals that engage in regular physical activity tend to report higher energy levels and less fatigue than sedentary individuals.  So during those times when you just don't feel like it, do it any way.  Remind yourself of how great you'll feel afterwards.  Most of the time, the only workout you'll ever regret is the one that you don't do.

We're all gifted with 1440 minutes every single day.  Honor your body and honor your health by devoting at least 30 of those minutes to movement.  Believe me, your body WILL thank you for it.  What will you do to ramp up your physical activity during the holidays?     

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3 Strategies for Preventing Holiday Weight Gain

I just returned from my daughter's Halloween celebration at preschool and I am reminded that we are embarking on National Eating Season. This is the parade of food that begins with Halloween and wraps up with Super Bowl Sunday.  Following this season of eating, many Americans find themselves a little bit heavier.   Even with the best of intentions and New Year's resolutions come January, research tells us that the weight gained during this time is often not lost again.

I understand how easy it can be to gain weight during the holidays with the barrage of all the unique food offerings of the season from the pumpkin spice lattes to Grandma's special apple pie to the egg nog.  At the same time, I also know how important maintaining health, well-being, and an optimal quality of life is for so many people.  Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels, right?   This is why I think it's vital to be proactive and make plans right now to prevent holiday weight gain.  So I thought I'd share three solid strategies to help you get started on that today.

Put your goals in writing.
While it's definitely a step in the right direction to make a mental note that you'd like to maintain a healthy weight this holiday season, I believe that writing down your goals will only increase your chances of success.  As you consider your goals for the season, be sure to make them SMART - specfiic, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-sensitive.  If the goal is to maintain or even lose weight, then be sure to consider the behaviors that are needed to do that.  What will you need to change in regards to food intake, physical activity, or stress management to achieve your weight management goal?  

Monitor your food intake and physical activity.
In my professional experience, I've seen what a powerful tool monitoring food intake and physical activity can be for those who want to achieve or maintain a healthy weight.  My clients understand the value of this, too, and almost always identify this as a strategy that helps them stay on track.  The evidence also suggests that those who regularly monitor their health-related behaviors during the holidays are better able to manage their weight during that time, too.

Practice mindful eating.
It is very easy to eat mindlessly during the holidays.  Food is everywhere!  People can also be more distracted while they eat during the holidays whether it's socializing at a party or watching the game on t.v.  If they eat while doing these other activities, they may not be fully engaged in the eating experience.  Practicing mindful eating during the holidays essentially means that you regularly check in with your mind and body throughout the eating experience.  Are you hungry?  Is the food pleasing to you?  Is food really what you want right now? Mindful eating helps create a more peaceful and pleasurable eating experience. It will also help you stay more in tune with your body so that you can naturally attain or maintain a healthier body weight.

So, in addition to planning which parties to attend and what gifts to give, I challenge you to also consider putting successful weight management on your holiday radar this season.  Choose a life of health. You deserve it!

Photo credit:  Mark Surman via Flickr

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How a food journal will help you achieve your weight and health goals

Photo credit: CFleenor (Flickr)

One of the first things that I ask of my clients to do before I even meet with them is to keep a food and activity journal for at least 3 days.  What I love about this is that not only will these records help me in my nutrition assessment, but they also serve as a powerful starting point for a nutrition intervention before I even meet with my client.  It's a great conversation starter because it gives them some insight into their food intake, eating habits, and physical activity behaviors. During these 3 days, my clients almost always admit to changing their food or eating habits because they suddenly became more aware of them.  All of this, and I haven't even met with them yet.  There's definitely power in that!

How will it help you with weight and health management?  First of all, you've got to know what you're eating in order to change it as well as the behaviors around it.  I call a food journal the GPS for weight and health management.  A food journal helps you see where you've been, where you're at, and where you need to go.  By looking at where you've been, you get clues about the patterns of food intake and behaviors that were strengths as well as those that present opportunities for change.  Maybe you've been eating consistently throughout the day, but you haven't been hitting the mark with your vegetable and fruit intake.  You've now identified a great starting line toward your weight and health management goals.  By looking at where you're at, you can assess your progress, reinforce positive behaviors, and identify areas of opportunity.  When a client sees that she has been eating breakfast daily and she feels more energy throughout the day, then that behavior is strengthened since she sees the positive behavior and the benefit that results from it.  On the other hand, a client may notice that every time she misses the afternoon snack, she tends to overeat once she gets home from work.  Because of the awareness of this pattern, the client can then work on strategies to ensure that she includes the afternoon snack.  Finally, a food journal provides direction on where you need to go.  If the foods and behaviors that you're keeping track of in the food journal are leading to the results that you desire, then keep doing what you're doing.  If not, then it's decision time.  It may be time to re-evaluate your goals to decide whether or not they're still the same.  If your goals are still the same, you may need to pinpoint some areas in which you're willing to step it up a notch.  Maybe it's time to practice maintaining those behaviors before ratcheting things up.  Maybe you need some additional professional guidance, such as a therapist, to gain support in other areas of your health or well-being.

So how do you get started?  There are lots of tools for keeping track of food intake and physical activity.  Some people prefer the good ol' pen and paper method.  Others prefer online tools, such as MyPlate or MyFitnessPal.  Others like phone apps, like Lose It! or MyFitnessPal Mobile.  There are lots of options, so check them out and choose what's best for you.  I have my clients use the pen and paper method to start since there is usually additional information that I like to assess, like hunger levels, activities, emotions, or thoughts, that aren't always included in digital programs.  (But if you know of one, please let me know!)  It's best to record everything that passes your lips:  foods, beverages, and condiments.  Amounts and times are also helpful.  Sometimes clients get overwhelmed at the idea of keeping track of everything they eat, so I suggest that they just start writing down the foods they consume.  This still provides helpful information.  Gathering additional details, such as hunger levels, signs or symptoms, and activities, emotions, or thoughts while eating can also provide helpful insights.  Including information about the type, time, intensity, and duration of physical activity is also very useful.

Whether you're just starting out or you've hit a bump in the road, a food journal could definitely be the key to discovering what you need to do in order to best achieve your goals.  Go after a life of health because you deserve it!

Have you kept a food journal before?  What method do you prefer? What's your favorite digital tool?      

 

Plan to fail your New Year's resolutions

Photo credit: EvelynGiggles (Flickr)

Yes, you read that title right. I said plan to fail your New Year's resolutions.  I'm not trying to be a pessimist. I am trying to be a realist here.  First of all, if you have a detailed plan for your New Year's resolutions, then good for you.  I truly believe that the skill of planning is a must when it comes to making lifestyle changes.  When most people plan, they tend to be quite optimistic with their plans.  They enter their plan-making with the best of intentions.  They're going to do P90X workout5 days a week in the evenings.  They're going to eat breakfast and take their lunch to work daily.  As a dietitian, I do hope those plans work out.  At the same time, I know that a lot can happen in a week or even in a day and stumbling blocks will arise.  Neglect to plan for these glitches and getting back on track is much more challenging.

So how do you plan to fail?  Well, you need to have a plan, so start there.  After you finish detailing your best plan, look for holes.  Play devil's advocate with your plan by asking questions, like "Where could my plan go off track?" or "What will be the biggest challenge?".  Cross-examining yourself in this way will help you strengthen your plan as you come up with your own suggestions on how to handle these potential pitfalls.  These pitfalls are often times the very things that end up completely derailing someone from their ultimate goals.  So arming yourself with some alternative strategies or addressing your potential barriers will definitely give you a boost of confidence and help you more effectively accomplish your long-term goals.

Strategize Your New Year's Resolution

Photo credit: kansas_city_royalty (Flickr)

If you're at all a football fan, you may know that we're heading into playoff season.  I won't tell you who I'm rooting for, but their name {might} start with the letter C.  As these teams are heading into the playoffs, we know their goal is to end up winning the ultimate showdown, the Super Bowl, right?  But is that goal enough to really get them there?  No way!  Not only do they have to have a goal (i.e., win the Super Bowl), they've also got to have a strategy or two or fifty that will help them accomplish that goal.

If you made resolutions this year, then hopefully you made SMART ones because those will definitely offer you a strong place to start.  Let's imagine that one of your SMART resolutions is to eat three cups of vegetables each day.  Great. Now what?  Just as the football teams will develop strategies for each game and even for each moment in the game, you need to create your own strategies in order to more effectively accomplish your goals.  While I'd like to say that just because you set your intention on eating three cups of vegetables each day that it will happen, this goal will not be realized without some strategizing.  Think of it as your blueprint to success as it will take a lot of the guess work out of your efforts.

So how do you strategize?  Ask questions.  When will you eat those three cups of vegetables? Will it be 2 cups at lunch and 1 cup at dinner? Maybe it'll be 1 cup at lunch, 1/2 cup at two snacks, and 1 cup at dinner.  What do you need to do to make sure you have three cups of vegetables available to you every day?  Will some of these vegetables be eaten during the work day? If so, what do you need to do to ensure that you have them at work?  The more that you dig into the details, the stronger your plan will be and the more successful you will be at achieving your goals.  

At this point, you might be saying to yourself, "That sounds like a lot of work."  Well, I won't lie. It will take work at first.  That's to be expected with any new behavior.  However, it will definitely get easier with practice.  And guess what? You and your health and well-being are worth it.

Do you need more support in getting off to a strong start this year?  Check out these other posts for more inspiration.

• SMART resolutions      
• How to keep your new year's resolution
• What we want most
• Failing to plan

How to keep your new year's resolutions

Photo credit: Grand Canyon NPS (Flickr)

When I started training for my first marathon several years ago, I learned a very valuable strategy...start slow.  If you've ever competed in any kind of a race like this, you know that this can sometimes be hard to do.  I often enter each race with a lot of energy and excitement just waiting to be unleashed.  Then there are all of those other people around me charging out of the start.  This really makes it a challenge to hold back, but I have to remind myself that starting slow will help me finish stronger.  During my first marathon, I remember seeing people whiz past me as I kept my slowed pace, and I reminded myself, "We still have 26 miles to go."  It wasn't long before I started seeing some of those people falling back one by one.  As that happened, I become more confident in my start slow strategy.  

So, why all this race talk?  We're embarking on a new year, and along with a new year comes, for some, new year's resolutions many of which revolve around diet and exercise.  With popular magazines flaunting special dieting issues, book stores showcasing diet books, gyms offering special programs, and friends sharing dieting strategies, people certainly won't be short of options.  Am I against New Year's resolutions? Not necessarily. I just think they should be SMART.  Am I against people being eager and highly motivated to attain optimal health, fitness, and wellness?  Certainly not.  In fact, I find it exciting to see people energize their health and fitness routines at this time of year.  One of the major problems that I see with new year's resolutions is how people tend to approach them.  People often make more than one resolution, and they often try to perform a complete overhaul in each area. If it's diet-related, people often start a specific diet plan that has them doing a daily 180 on their food intake.  You're really never going to eat sugar again? Ever?  If it's exercise-related, people often dive into their fitness regimen head first going from doing nothing to working out for an hour a day.  Have ya been to a gym in January?  The problem is that when a person tries to change so much so quickly, it can become overwhelming in no time.  Why do you think that 25% of people who make new year's resolutions give up after the first week?  Even more drop off at the six to eight week mark, and more than half of all people completely abandon their resolutions after six months.

One of the driving forces behind successful, long-term behavior change is self-efficacy or a person's belief in his/her ability to accomplish a specific goal.  Do I believe that you can make the changes that you want to make?  I absolutely do but maybe not all at once.  Flooding yourself with numerous changes at the same time may not necessarily bode well for your self-efficacy.  So, what alternative do I suggest?  How about the start slow strategy?  What if you focused on building momentum around only a few SMART resolutions in one specific area (eg, only diet or only exercise)?  For example, if you haven't been exercising at all, maybe you start by aiming for a 15 minute walk three days a week and strength training one day a week.  Or perhaps you zero in on one SMART resolution in only a few areas? Maybe you set a goal to increase your vegetable intake to 3 cups a day and take a walk during your lunch breaks at work.  By honing in on a few very specific goals like these, you will likely build up your confidence, which will help you maintain your motivation for the long haul.  And guess what?  I bet you will feel better, too.          

Will you lose 10 pounds in 10 days? Likely not, but is that really what you want? Really?  What do you {really} hope to accomplish, experience, or feel by eating right, exercising more, or losing weight?  Remember that because that will keep you going.  And remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint!  Start slow, stay strong!

Happy and Healthy New Year to you!

Help! I'm eating healthier foods, but I'm not losing weight.

Photo credit: catsper (Flickr)

First of all, if you're reading this because the post title hits close to home, then kudos to you!  I'm always excited to see people taking charge of their health by eating more nutritious foods.  Regardless of what the number on the scale says, this is one of the most amazing lifestyle changes you can make for yourself.  Your body thanks you for it, too!

I've definitely had clients ask why they're not losing weight even though they're eating healthier foods.  These individuals are often discouraged and frustrated, and I'm not surprised.  They've been working so hard to change their diet by eating more nutritious foods and, in many cases, increasing their physical activity.  However, the scale doesn't seem to be budging...or sometimes not as much as they'd hoped.  Based on my experience, one of the common reasons that individuals who are eating healthier and not losing weight is due to portion sizes or amounts.  

Years ago, I remember having a client who was vegetarian.  He was eating a wide variety of nutritious foods; however, he was frustrated because he was not losing weight.  We started reviewing his diet starting with breakfast. After he'd rattled off about 15 foods, I thought that he was done reporting what he typically eats in a full day. However, it turned out that the list was for breakfast alone.  The list included a variety of nutritious foods; however, there were a lot of them.  That was definitely a breakthrough finding for him.

Another client that I had was also eating more nutritious foods than he had in a long time; however, he wasn't seeing results on the scale.  Upon further investigation, I learned that he was eating at least 3-4 avocados a day.  While avocados are nutritious, they are much higher in calories than other fresh fruits.  The 3-4 avocados a day was the equivalent of about 966-1288 calories each day from avocados alone.  This was a real "Aha!" moment for him!

I have one last story to share.  I had a client who had lost weight, but then she hit a plateau.  As we explored her food intake, I learned that she was eating out several times a week, and we stumbled upon something interesting.  She had been ordering a dish that she believed to be more nutritious -- chicken and vegetables stir-fried in broth with brown rice.  That sounds pretty nutritious, right?  However, it turned out that the dish was around 1200 calories because of the portion size. What a revelation!

So, if you've been doing your best to eat more nutritious foods without seeing the payoff on the scale, it may be wise to take a closer look at your food intake to gain some insight.  You can do this by keeping a detailed record of your food intake for at least three days (two weekdays and one weekend day is a great place to start).  There are numerous websites online with diet analysis tools that you can use to analyze your own intake.  Some examples include MyPlate at Livestrong.com or NutritionData at nutritiondata.self.com.  Remember, the scale is not the ultimate judge of your success.  The fact that you are eating more nutritious foods is a wonderful accomplishment, and it's important to acknowledge that. Keep up your best efforts, and make it a nutritious day!   

Is physical activity 80% mental?

Photo credit: Michelle Loy. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

I wish that I could say physical activity comes easy for me, but I'd be lying.  Because I'm a dietitian, it seems like some people believe that something in my genetic code makes me immune to having challenges with being physically active.  Unfortunately, that's wrong.  I've heard that they (whoever they is) say that physical activity is 80% mental.  I believe it!  In fact, a review of 50 studies involving modifying health-related behaviors, perceived barriers were identified as the most significant predictor of health behaviors.
 
A little over a year ago, I had my second little one.  When I was finally given the go ahead, I was eager to get back into running, something that I've enjoyed for years now.  Even though I wanted to run, I wasn't.  The more I thought about the logistics of running, the more I thought about the barriers to running, mostly physical.  The best time to run was going to be when it was just me and the kids. No husband, no sitter.  So that meant me pushing my 33 lb double-wide jogging stroller two kids weighing in at 40 lb and counting.  Then there was my route. The best route for me to take involved running on sidewalks that are sometimes uneven, curvy, and narrow.  And there is the hill...one big, long hill, and since what goes up must come down, that makes two hills!  Hills and I...we sometimes don't get along.  When I thought about running, these things came to mind, and all I could think was, "How was I going to push this heavy, hard-to-maneuver double jogger with two kids through this obstacle course?"

I continued to think "How?" for quite a while until one day I stopped.  I decided that I wanted to go on a run with the kids, got myself and the kids ready, and I just went.  As I faced each of those barriers that I'd mentioned before, I realized they weren't as bad as I'd made them out to be.  If I had uneven, curvy, or narrow paths, I took it slow.  When I came upon the hills, which basically has all of the above, I took it one step at a time and it was not bad at all!  Was it easy? No, but it definitely wasn't something I couldn't do.  What I realized is that all of those so-called physical barriers weren't physical at all.  They were perceived...psychological.

When facing these types of challenges in the past, one strategy that has often worked for me is the "Just do it!" strategy.  I just don't know what took me so long to do it this time;)  To quote Rick Warren, "Feelings follow action.  It's easier to act your way into a feeling than feel your way into an action."  So many times, when I just go for it, I feel more like going for it.  And I have. In fact, I added a third member to my running crew a little while back...my now 10-month old boxer.  Yep, it's me, the kiddos, and my boxer going on runs together.  I never imagined this!  It makes me wonder what else is possible!

I thought I'd leave you with the following video about an amazing father and son -- Team Hoyt.  It is truly worth the watch.  What an inspiration! 

Spreading some yoga love

 Photo credit: Canon in 2D (Flickr)

It's National Yoga Month, so Happy Yoga Month!  I thought I'd share some yoga love by telling you about my personal yoga experience.  Ever since I can remember, I've always been more of a "cardio" girl.  I've always preferred to "feel the burn" and sweat and raise my heart rate.  While I'd tried out yoga here and there in the past, I usually preferred to focus on doing my cardio thing or training for some event, like a marathon. However, over the last year or so I started to flirt with the idea of yoga more.  Something about it was just calling me.  I finally took the plunge last January when I was presented with an opportunity that this frugalista just couldn't refuse -- 5 weeks of unlimited yoga for half the usual price!  When I attended my first class, I must admit that I was somewhat nervous.  What yoga poses will we do?  Am I going to be able to do all of those funky yoga moves?  What I quickly realized, though, was that I didn't need to worry about any of these things.  What I learned is that yoga is about more than conquering amazing physical feats.  While my yoga practice has pushed me to incredible new places in terms of my flexibility, balance, strength and stamina, it has also motivated my growth in other ways.

Yoga has helped me stretch my mind to create a more flexible way of thinking.  With yoga, I am encouraged to create a space free of expectations, worries, stresses, criticisms, judgments, comparisons, competitions, and tough love.   When we'd get to crow pose, maybe I'd try it and not get it. Maybe I'd try it and sustain it only a few seconds or maybe I did so for longer.  During yoga, I'm invited to practice with intention so that I am more observant and open to the possibilities.  Each possibility is okay.  There is no "right or wrong" or "do or die" or "no pain, no gain".  Yeah!  In the beginning, the more I practiced yoga, the more I also realized that many of the principles of yoga coincide with the philosophies that I've developed around food and eating. Hello -- mindful and intuitive eating!  So yoga has inspired me to expand these principles into more areas of my life.

Yoga has also nourished me spiritually.  While some may shy away from the spiritual aspects of yoga, I embrace the opportunity to welcome God into my yoga practice...and beyond!  When I'm encouraged to open my heart center in various poses, I see it as my way of opening myself up to God...being grateful for all of his blessings and inviting him in to all that I do.  Talk about peace! 

My experience with yoga has been incredibly surprising.  I had no idea what would be in store for me when I got started, but I think that continuing the practice beyond a few drop ins here and there has allowed me to experience more of what yoga has to offer.  I have never once dreaded going to yoga. Never!  And I don't monitor the clock wondering, "When is this going to be over?"  Unfortunately, I can't say the same about running or going to the gym.  I leave feeling refreshed, renewed, invigorated, relaxed...at peace!

Given my experiences, I am not surprised to know that there has been a surge in the number of people practicing yoga over the last decade.  In fact, yoga is now often suggested as a complementary form of therapy for many conditions, including high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, chronic low back pain, heart disease, anxiety, depression, and more!  It also doesn't surprise me that eating disorder treatment programs now incorporate yoga as an adjunct therapy for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating.  Even the Army is now incorporating yoga into their fitness training and rehab programs! 

I know that some people are unsure about yoga because they're concerned that they're not fit or flexible enough, but in my experience, yoga is accessible to most anyone regardless of your level of fitness or age. That is the beauty of yoga.  It is what you allow it to be.  In writing this post, I must admit that I did it in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, it might inspire another to give yoga a try.  So I do hope that one of you lovely readers takes the yoga plunge, too...and please let me know about it!

Interested in trying it out?

• Many yoga centers offer free classes for newbies and while it's National Yoga Month, I know many places that are doing this. So take advantage!  
• If you're looking for deals, like me, then you may want to check out Groupon for deals in your area. I've supported my yoga practice through a string of offerings through their daily deals.
• If you're not sure about attending an actual class, you may want to test drive yoga in the comfort of your own home.  There are plenty of DVDs available for purchase, or you can rent them through Netflix, Blockbuster Online, or even your local library!  I've also explored a variety of yoga programs through the Free On Demand options through my local cable network (eg, Exercise TV On Demand).  And there are plenty of yoga clips and podcasts online that will help you practice some of the poses.  Check out this one from CorePower Yoga.

Are you a fellow yogi?  What do you love about yoga?

Namaste!

What's on your workout playlist?

Photo credit: ~~Tone~~ (flickr)

Have you ever felt like checking out early during a workout?  Or maybe you feel like picking up the pace, but you just can't seem to bring yourself to do so?  One thing that gets me through those workout humps is music.  Music drives my workouts, so one of the best workout-related investments I've ever made was my iPod nano.  The great thing about the iPod or other mp3 players, like Zune, is that you can create special playlists with your favorite workout songs, and you can change them often.  For my runs, I usually like to start out with something a little slower paced, and then a few minutes into it, I really like to kick it into high gear.  I find that I change my pace according to the beat, and I love that.  I'll sometimes find myself mentally starting to drag.  However, a new, high energy song comes on, and it gives me the extra push that I need.  When I'm ready to take it down a notch, then I can cool down to some slower tunes.  It's fantastic.

I was on a run last night when I realized that I need some fresh music to add to my playlist.  Fortunately, I have some extra money leftover from a lovely iTunes gift card that I received (great gift for iPoddies, by the way), so I thought I'd spruce up my playlist with your help.  So, let's do a little playlist share.  Here's what I have on my playlist.  (And yes, I am aware that this list may very well put me in the runners hall of shame with some of the choices.  Forgive me!)

• Black Eyed Peas - I Got a Feeling, Let's Get It Started, Shut Up, Pump It
• Beyonce - Single Ladies, Crazy in Love, Check on It, Baby Boy, Beautiful Liar
• Kelly Clarkson - My Life Would Suck Without You, Since U Been Gone, Miss Independent, Walk Away
• Christina Aguilera - Ain't No Other Man
• Destiny's Child - Survivor
• Fatboy Slim - Rockafeller Skank
• Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
• Goo Goo Dolls - Better Days, Name, Stay With You
• Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc., Dare
• Jack Johnson - Just about anything of his, especially for warm-up, cool-down
• Jars of Clay - Flood, Dead Man (Carry Me)
• Jeremy Camp - Tonight, Enough, Walk By Faith, Restored, This Man, Speaking Louder Than Before
• Jimmy Cliff - I See Clearly Now
• O.A.R. - Love and Memories 
• Ok Go - Here It Goes 
• Shakira - Hips Don't Lie 
• My All Time Favorite -- Cake -The Distance

What's on your playlist? What do I need on mine?

Weight Management: How often should I weigh myself?

 
I am often asked, "How often should I weigh myself?"  Based on the current evidence and my practical experience, here's what I suggest.

• If you are actively working to lose weight, it is best to weigh once a week, same day, same time, same scale, and wearing the same clothes, if possible.  Why?  Our weight fluctuates from day to day and even throughout the day depending on many things, including our hydration status, physical activity, food intake, or elimination.  It can also vary by scale (home vs gym vs doctor's) and the type or amount of clothing you're wearing each time.  I've worked with people who've weighed themselves multiple times daily or weekly, and I've seen how the numbers on the scale can affect an individual's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors -- negatively or positively.  It's kind of like checking on your stocks all day long.  It goes up and down and it could really drive you cRaZy!  I've found that this is not helpful when attempting weight loss as it can trigger possible setbacks.

• If you are practicing weight maintenance, it is best to weigh daily (again same time, same scale, same clothing, if possible).  When I worked at a bank through college, I used to balance my checking account daily.  It was great because I was able to find and fix errors immediately.  It's the same thing with weighing daily. By doing this, you can detect minor changes and implement management strategies more quickly.

Significant weight gain does not occur over night, and one way to keep your weight in check over the long-term is to self-monitor it.  Several studies have found that participants weighing less frequently than once a week experienced greater weight gain than those who weighed at least once a week or more. So if daily weighing seems a bit much, I'd recommend weighing at least once a week for more successful weight gain prevention.

Looking for a trusty scale?  I'd suggest these brands:  

• Health o Meter 
• Tanita
• Escali
  

**I have not been paid to recommend these brands. My suggestions are based on my own personal and professional experience with these brands and/or research into the best brands for my own personal/professional use.**

Mindful Eating: Let go

"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."  Lao Tzu

Let go.  It's as simple as that. Okay, maybe not that simple because so many of us have been in a cold war with food for so long.  The internal conflict and tension around food is so high that some of us are afraid to make a move.  We're so worried that if we make a move, the wrong one, everything will collapse -- our self-esteem, our health, our relationships, our lives.  Well, I say it's time to denounce these potentially paralyzing thoughts and see them for what they really are...exaggerations, untruths, and saboteurs!  When working with clients who have such thoughts, I remind them that there is no need to keep account of their so-called "food crimes".  Food is not the enemy, it is the answer!  That is, if we let it be the answer.  Let go of the past, problems, pressures, expectations, exaggerations, judgments and all-or-nothing attitudes that we so often undermine ourselves with when it comes to eating. These adverse thoughts only serve to perpetuate a vicious cycle of potentially self-destructive behaviors and thoughts that continuously feed off of one another.  Allow some quiet space around your eating experience and surrender yourself to the pleasure and nourishment that eating offers.  The more you do this, the greater the sense of relief that you will feel.  And the greater you will trust your ability to eat intuitively.

Achieving harmony with food is not something that happens overnight. These negative thoughts have been programmed into some of our heads for a very long time, so it takes time, practice, and patience to learn to dial down the activity.  When the negativity enters your head, simply acknowledge the thought as that...just a thought and bring your focus back to the eating experience.  Instead of defend and conquer, let's reconcile and release ourselves from the power of food.  Only then will we truly be able to experience the satisfaction that savoring food offers and attain our best health and well-being.  Go after a life of health and wellness, you deserve it!

Although this ends my series on mindful eating, your growth and discovery need not stop here. For more guidance, I suggest these resources.

Books:

• Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works
• Eating the Moment: 141 Mindful Practices to Overcome Overeating One Meal at a Time
• Eating Mindfully: How to End Mindless Eating and Enjoy a Balanced Relationship with Food
• Eat, Drink and Be Mindful: How to End Your Struggle with Mindless Eating and Start Savoring Food with Intention and Joy
• 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food
• Meal by Meal: 365 Daily Meditations for Finding Balance Through Mindful Eating
• Art of the Inner Meal: The Power of Mindful Practices to Heal Our Food Cravings
  
• Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle
•  Mindful Eating: A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food--includes CD

Websites:

• The Center for Mindful Eating 
• http://www.intuitiveeating.com/ 
  
• http://eatingmindfully.com/
• http://www.mindfulpractices.com/
• Online Mindful Eating classes

What we want most

If you didn't already know, I currently teach college-level nutrition courses. One is an introductory nutrition course, which I love to teach. Last week, I asked my students to respond to a discussion board question I had posted. I asked them what their major barriers to healthful eating were. The most common answers were: time, money, taste, availability. This is not really a surprise to me. These are very common barriers for college students and really for many Americans in general. During class, I had asked my students what the pros of consuming a more nutritious diet were. Most seemed to agree that better health, performance, and quality of life were important. Many of them raised their hands when I posed questions about what they would like out of life...to stay healthy, feel better, look better, perform better, etc. I guarantee that if I posed these same questions to almost any other audience the answers would be the same. However, saying is one thing, doing is another. The culture we live in presents many challenges to living healthfully. At the same time, many people want the best out of life...to live long and prosper as a Spock might say;)

What's the problem? One quote comes to mind...we often give up what we want MOST for what we want in the MOMENT (source unknown). In fact, there is actual research showing that people do just this. I've read of research studies in which people are offered a sum of money, usually a smaller amount immediately (let's say $5) and a larger sum later on down the road (let's say $25). It appears that people have the tendency to choose the smaller amount that they can get NOW vs the larger amount that they can get LATER. What I spend a lot of time encouraging people to do is one of two things. One is to realize that every action we take is based on a choice. For instance, we can make the choice to go overboard at the smorgasboard on Thanksgiving or we can choose to enjoy a few of our Thanksgiving favorites in moderation. Once we realize that the actions we take are based on choices, we then realize that we actually do have some control over our health. We are able to take responsibility for our health. Secondly, I encourage people to focus on what they really want. What is it that they hope to accomplish or achieve by making choices to eat more nutritious foods and move more? Is it that s/he wishes to improve cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugars? Would s/he like to perform better in sports? Would s/he like to live longer in order to see his/her children/grandchildren grow up, get married, have their own children? In order to keep what we want most at the forefront, I often encourage people to physically make a list of what they want most. I even encourage people to take it a step further...put each reason on a post-it note and post it in different spots (i.e., bathroom mirror, car dash, computer screen, checkbook, blackberry, etc.) as gentle reminders. This can be especially helpful when someone is making new changes with his/her food intake or physical activity since getting started and staying focused is sometimes the most challenging part. As I always say, go after a life of health, you deserve it!