Nurture Principles

Allow me a brief introduction, my name is Annie Passanisi, Happiness Advocate, and I’m delighted to be here.

I’ve been asked by Rebecca to talk to y’all about taking care of yourselves mentally and emotionally.  I think it will work perfectly hand in hand with the rest of the Me Movement, except my stuff might occassionally involve ice cream.

I’d like to start our relationship with a very important point. Prioritizing your self care is in no way selfish. Many caregivers (especially women, but guys you aren’t exempt) feel that happiness is a teeter-totter – “if I’m going up, someone else must be on their way down.” That’s been scietifically proven to be untrue, and you can read all about that here .

Yet, the basic principle is a familiar one… you cannot love someone until you love yourself. You cannot care for others until you care for yourself. Just as it’s hard for a sick mother to care for her child, it’s practically impossible to foster positive emotions in those around you when you’re not feeling them yourself.

In my contributions we’ll focus on things like happiness, fulfillment, gratitude, hope, and balance. These aren’t pipe dreams. They aren’t counterculture. No matter what the TV news tells you, they aren’t unrealistic. And above all, they aren’t selfish.
So stop asking yourself who you are to be happy or healthy amid the sickness and stress that may surround you. Acknowledge that you’ll be the one to change it, and congratulate yourself for your use of “amid.”

Be happy, it’s contagious!

Your advocate, Annie P.

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Do you ever rely on food to make you feel better after a rough day?  Do you  make sure to choose nutritionally balanced foods or are you like most other people and pick those high calorie treats?  It’s time to get that emotional eating under control and take charge of your feeling!

Knowing that you’re eating for your feelings rather than for your need will take time.  Most don’t like to give themselves a label.  But what they don’t understand is that putting a name to the problem is the first step to creating a new way to cope.

Identifiable cues of emotional eating:

• Sudden pang for specific food.  General hunger is more gradual and for any food where if you’re compensating for a feeling, most people have specific foods they lean towards, with the majority high in fat and calories
• Eat until your mood is lifted, rather than feelings of fullness.  This doesn’t usually happen quickly, which can result in over-eating.
• Regretting eating amounts or type of food afterwards

Vanderbilt University’s Department of Psychology conducted a study on moods and social context to determine eating behavior among women.  All women were assigned to complete a food diary for a two week period to include foods eaten, meal times, social situations, atmosphere and mood while eating.  Results indicated meals sizes were larger when:  the mood was greatly negative or greatly positive, meals eaten with other people, or when high mood alterations were present.  Calories from protein and fat were higher, while percent of calories from carbohydrates were lower in group settings.  The study indicated a need for coping mechanisms in social eating situations, which can have a great effect on weight loss programs.

Methods to manage emotional eating:

• Use the ABC theory
  • A: antecedent, or the trigger
  • B: behavior, the reliance on food to alter your mood
  • C: consequence, the unhealthy food choices or excessive amounts consumed, often leading to negative feelings
• If altering your pattern for eating during emotional moments, try to find a comfort food that is healthier
• Moderation in eating patterns is key

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Hello and happy Friday, friends!

I did a glorious hour and half of P90X Yoga X this morning before work, and it inspired me to do a different sort of post to tell you all how I came to love yoga. Because at first… I hated it. And I bet a lot of you might be in the same boat.

It took me awhile to get into yoga mostly because I felt like if I wasn’t getting a super intense, heart pumping workout, then it wasn’t worth my time. I just didn’t see it as a “real” workout, like cardio or strength training. I am also the most inflexible person ever, and thought this meant I couldn’t do yoga. As a result, I went to a few yoga classes, got bored, and didn’t really ever give it a chance.

It wasn’t until I was living in Prague last year that I really started to “get” yoga. A new English-speaking yoga instructor came to the gym I belonged to, so I decided to go one day, if only for the fact that I’d actually understand what was going on. (In Prague I used to go to exercise classes conducted entirely in Czech. It was actually kind of cool, because not understanding anything makes you really pay attention visually to what the instructor is doing in ways you normally wouldn’t. It can just get a little awkward if they try to talk to you or correct your form, and then all they get is a totally blank deer-in-headlights stare.) Anyway, the American yoga instructor was great, and he taught a faster paced power vinyasa yoga class, which helped with my (initial) boredom problem. The class was also really small, which meant that the instructor spent the time to come around and correct our form, which gave me a lot more confidence in my yoga abilities. I think I was just so grateful to take a class in English that I gave yoga a chance I might not have at home… and I’m so glad I did.

Practicing yoga has a bit of a snowball effect. Once I felt like I was starting to do the poses right and better understand what was going on, I suddenly saw it as a cool challenge to do it even better. I started seeing results in my strength, flexibility, and ability to do the poses very quickly, which only added to the snowball effect. It made me want to continue to improve the poses, understand why we were doing them, and increase my strength and flexibility even further. Once I gave yoga a chance and opened my mind to it, I was able to stop thinking “This is dumb I should be running” and just be present in the moment, focusing on how good the poses felt on my tight muscles and how I could work to improve my form even more. I began to see yoga as anything but a waste of time – it became an invaluable way to clear my mind and relax after a long day of teaching; a warm oasis in the freezing cold eastern European winter; a way to tone up and strengthen muscles all over my body (so much for yoga “not being a good workout!”). And I realized that just because I wasn’t getting a crazy heart pumping workout (although power yoga totally makes me sweat!), it didn’t mean I wasn’t doing something amazing for my body. Our bodies need the stretching and twisting yoga provides just as much as it needs cardio. It just took me awhile to realize that.
…
Before I started yoga:
…I couldn’t even touch my toes.
—–> Now I can wrap my palms around my feet!
…I couldn’t do a side plank because my wrists were too weak.
—–> Now I can hold an advanced side plank for a full minute!

Yoga makes me feel calmer and stronger; not just during the actual practice, but also in my everyday life. I now view yoga as an opportunity; a time to stop thinking about all the crap I have to do afterwards and just enjoy focusing on strengthening my body, stretching my muscles, and quieting my mind. What more could you ask for?

By: Anne P, guest blogger

Blog: http://www.fannetasticfood.com/

Twitter: @fANNEtasticfood

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By: Heather

This fall I alluded to some health problems I was having because I wanted to share that I was gaining weight from a new medicine and it was really affecting my happiness level. I never went into details because it really is a private matter, but one that I am ready to share.

In one of my first posts I broke the news that I was a lawyer and during that time I was the skinniest version of myself that I have ever been – at least 15 pounds below where I am today. What I thought was a perk of extreme stress and sadness was actually an indicator that I was too stressed and probably depressed; my body was physically rejecting this successful life I’d earned for myself.

I moved to New York at the end of August 2005. September 2005 was the last time I got my period on my own until February 2010.  Interestingly, if I had been on birth control in 2005 I would never have know there was a problem, but that is a post for another day.

When I was still in New York I went to tons of doctors, I had lots of blood tests, an MRI and a sonogram. In the end, no one could really determine what caused my secondary amenorrhea (the absence of a period in someone who has already gotten it).  I learned several of the hormone levels in my body were off – not where they should be for a female my age. Doctors felt it was two things – the stress of my job combined with my weight loss – that prevented me from getting my period.

One doctor broke it down in a way that left me speechless. She explained that women get their period so that that can have children. There is really no medical necessity for it and it didn’t mean I was sick, but it was natures way of taking away my ability to have children. The low or imbalanced hormones were indicating that my body was under extreme stress, too much stress to have or care for a child. I think it’s crazy and wonderful how the body does that.

This was obviously a disturbing thought for a 25-year old female who always planned on having children. At the time (and it had taken about a year for the doctors to come up with what little explanation they had for this), however, I was still unwilling to really do anything about it, to maybe look at myself and think about what I could change and say “this is not healthy or normal.”  Instead I was filled with self-pity and excuses. Other people ran more than me. Other people were skinnier than me. Other people were certainly as stressed out as me. Why me?

I intentionally tried to gain some weight by eating more peanut butter and olive oil. When that didn’t work I had to submit to what my doctors were advising me to do. Interestingly, none of these doctors seemed particularly concerned that I wasn’t getting my period. I just kept hearing that it wasn’t medically necessary. And I am sure I am not really in a place to doubt the medical profession or my well-trained doctors, but I just couldn’t get behind the idea of giving someone birth control pills so that they could get their period. But I knew I wanted to fix this thing.

To make a long, complicated story quite short – it worked at first. But then I left my job and lost my health insurance. I’d hoped that just a few month on the pill would jump start my body, but that didn’t happen. When I was getting my Master’s I started to slowly gain more weight, but I wasn’t happy about it. And even though a voice in the back of my head (and the literal voices of my family) said, “stop running so much,” I ignored it. I mean I wasn’t running that much – 30 – 35 miles a week at most – surely others ran much more than me.  I can admit now that while I loved running and was really proud of myself for being able to do it,  I was scared of what might happen if I stopped. So I just kept doing what I was doing and hoped something would happen. I didn’t have a smart yoga teacher to tell me that doing the same thing and expecting a different result is insanity.

It wasn’t until September 2009 that I had health insurance and could try again. I was prepared for the weight gain and  extreme mood swings, and I was welcoming it. And so, that’s what happened. I gained weight and I got real moody (maybe I am just really sensitive to hormones, but I hate taking the pill), and it “worked” again. I  was in a much better place in my life so I dealt with it all a lot better.

Something still felt off about the whole thing. I really felt like I was treating a symptom of the problem and not the problem. itself. By getting my period this way I wasn’t have a real period at all. So this January I went off the pill again and went to a new doctor. At the end of January, a new batch of blood tests revealed that I should be getting my period. With an appointment for a new MRI in hand I went on my way. At the beginning of February I started my Yoga Month. I didn’t do much other than yoga that month and at the end of the month, I got my period on my own and I’ve been getting it ever since.

I don’t really know why this happened, but I really believe that a lot of it was about my attitude and some interesting coincidences. Well, I actually don’t believe in coincidences …

1. Running: You might recall that this fall I also broke my foot (and then I broke it again). I 100% believe this happened for a reason. I handled it the best way I could, and much better than I  thought I would. I’d previously been scared of what might happen if I stopped running. Now I couldn’t run when I was already gaining weight from the pill. Having a broken foot while I was gaining weight from the pill was like the universe was laughing at me, or at least really testing me. But what could I do? I just adjusted and I was more or less fine. Running was a really important part of my life for the last five years. I still love running, but I know I can’t run as much as I used to and I know I can’t use it like I used to.

2. Weight: When I wasn’t getting my period there were definitely people “skinnier” than me, but I learned that what works for someone else simply does not work for me. I was made to look a certain way. I weigh pretty much exactly what I did as when I graduated from high school.  This is a sign to me that maybe this is my true happy weight.

3. Yoga: I truly believe that yoga helped me get back where I needed to be both physically and mentally accepting that I might not be able to run quite so much anymore.

4. Change the Way You See: Caitlin’s Operation Beautiful came out this week and I can’t wait to find it in a store near me so I can pick up three copies for the little ladies in my life.  On the Today Show Caitlin said she believes we are in a body image crisis and I agree.

I needed to change the way I looked to really be healthy, but first I needed to change the way I thought. I thought I was being super healthy by being really careful about eating certain things and running 6 miles 5 days a week, but I was literally hurting myself.  I thought I was somehow more worthy when I was skinnier because I more closely mirrored what I saw as desirable.  I am a smart logical person, yet figuring out that “thin,” “healthy” and “beautiful” were not synonyms took a lot of work.  When I started this blog in July 2008 I was just starting to realize that, but it took me all of this time to really get there.

Coming to this space to write whatever I want without fear of judgment is something I am really grateful for. It’s allowed me to work things out that I’ve had in my head for so long. I never shared any of this because it is extremely personal, not because I was embarrassed or ashamed. I’ve decided to tell you about it because I am sure there are more people who read my blog and healthy living blogs who might be going through the same thing or something similar. I know it might be hard and scary to change, but I promise it will be okay (and even better) in the end.



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Are you on Twitter? Come join the Me Movement Team, and community while we kick off this project with a Twitter Party! Every Wednesday, starting tomorrow, we will be chatting about an aspect of the Me Movement from 9-10pm. Joining is very easy-all you have to do is log on to twitter and search for “#mefirst” Or you can you handy programs like TweetChat or TweetDeck to follow the conversation more easily. This week Rebecca and Bernie will be moderating and answering all of your questions about the Me Movement and how we can all put ourselves first this holiday season!

Meet the experts!

Rebecca Scritchfield, RD is a nutrition and exercise expert specializing in weight management.  Passionate about the feel-good power of healthy habits, Rebecca now knows her true calling is in helping others reach within to achieve real change, something she is seeking to do with the Me Movement. She blogs at www.rebeccascritchfield.com and can be found on twitter @scritchfieldRD

Bernie Salazar was to be chosen as a contestant for NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”, where he took home the prize for most weight loss at home – in the real world! Bernie shed an amazing 130 pounds. He attributes losing nearly 46% of his body weight to four personal principals: motivation, information, perspiration and most importantly, self-appreciation”. Realizing that his experience on “The Ranch” saved his life, he is now dedicated to sharing his perspectives on wellness with others so  “we can all get healthy together”. You can follow him on twitter @berniesalazar

Have a question you’d love to ask? Leave it below in the comments section and we’ll be sure to include it! Check back in Thursday for the best of the chat! We look forward to tweeting with you!

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To keep myself organized and create a little zen between the ears, I started keeping notebooks (seen in the picture), not diaries. Each notebook pertains to certain areas of my life. The big green one is for a club at my University, while the small pink Moleskine is dedicated to goals. Your notebooks could be for anything from family, to vacations, and the truly wonderful thing is it’s up to you to decide.

Pick a note-book that you enjoy the look of to encourage the outpouring of thoughts! Grab a pen that you love the feel of in your favorite color and get scribbling; Research shows it’s good for you!

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Ever want to eat something so badly you felt overpowered by it? If so, you’ve experienced a food craving. Wanting something is natural, but our “inner voices” sure know how to get in our way of having it. Instead of actually enjoying the taste of a food – be it fresh, cold watermelon or a piece of lovely dark chocolate, we can get caught up in that emotional feeling of satisfying a craving. There’s no freedom in this kind of eating.

Cravings in general do not have to necessarily be “bad” things. It’s all in how you respond to them. In this post, I’ll explain how to healthfully handle cravings.

Identify Your Type of Inner Voice – and Squash It!

Reflect on the last time you had a memorable craving, what “voice” did you hear?

The Seductive Seller

“You know you want me. I’m sooooo good. You deserve it. You worked so hard.” The seductive seller accentuates all the positive aspects of the food and none of the negative. It preys on the food-as-reward mentality (which is a dieter’s trap). The problem is responding mindlessly to the food seduction rarely gives you the satisfaction you are actually looking for. Maybe you don’t even need food. Maybe you need a hug or a kiss – or some sleep! Don’t let the seductive seller sweet-talk you. Make sure when you choose to eat something you take your time and enjoy each and every bite.

The Inner Critic

“You are so weak. You fail at everything you do and you’re going to fail at this, too.” The inner critic is all about demoralizing and sap motivation techniques. The self-hate it perpetuates is toxic to your well-being. Listening to these messages makes you more vulnerable to them. Next time you hear the inner critic come out, confront it. Be aware that these are just words flowing through your mind. You don’t have to follow them.

Respond to Cravings with Awareness and Mindfulness

As I said at the top of this post, cravings don’t have to be a bad thing. You are in control. Recognize a craving when it comes on, squash the voice and choose to take a mindful approach. Ask yourself “am I hungry or do I need something else?”. Maybe you need some rest, a hot bubble bath, or a chat with a close friend.

If you do feel hungry or if you just want to respond to the craving even though you know you’re not, it’s OK. Giving yourself permission to respond to cravings can be very liberating. But make sure you choose a reasonable portion size of your food and really take the time to slow down and enjoy each wonderful bite. Notice the taste and the pleasure it brings you. Experience it with all your senses. You may not even finish it before feeling completely satisfied. So stop early.

Taking the mindful approach to cravings is a healthy way of living a life you deserve. Next time you have a craving, embrace it!

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Whether it’s a late summer BBQ, wedding, or other life milestone, you’re bound to have your calendar booked with a celebration sometime soon. For people working hard to lose weight, it can be stressful and even cause anxiety that can make you want to skip the event altogether. If this sounds like you, you should know that your uneasy feeling is natural and you shouldn’t think negatively toward it. Instead, how about a solution? I’ll explain why you’re having a difficult time and how you can be social without blowing your diet.

It’s All About Control

The reason social engagements may make you feel uncomfortable has to do with control; how much control you think you have over making “the right” choices so you won’t leave feeling stuffed and regretful of your actions. Some people get “nervous energy” and tend to ease the nerves with the comfort of food. So if you’re attending a wedding where you don’t know too many people, eating can give something for your mind and mouth to do rather than (gulp) chat with strangers.

Have a Plan, Have Control

The best way to convince yourself that you do have control of your food choices in social settings is to make a plan that builds confidence. Make sure your plan is realistic and achievable. For example, do not tell yourself to skip breakfast and eat a salad for lunch so you can “bank” your calories for food and drink. You’ll end up feeling tired, starved, and ready to eat the table.

Here are some realistic tips:

• Eat before you go. You don’t want to get really hungry early on at the party. Who knows when food will be served? I recommend having a healthy meal two hours before the occasion begins or a 200-calorie snack within an hour before the event. A healthy snack might be one cup of watermelon and one cup of fresh cut veggies with a glass of water. A healthy meal looks more like a cup of salad greens and three ounces of salmon with a tablespoon of dressing.

• If possible, delay eating. If you can eat “anytime” at the party consider delaying eating until you start to feel hungry. Skip the appetizer round of food and drinks and instead sip on some carbonated water with lemon. Make a pass at the food table and take a look at what looks good. Think about what you would enjoy eating that would also nourish you.

• Make one reasonable sized plate. When it’s time to eat, choose foods that come close to the foods on your eating plan. If there are fresh veggies or salad greens, be sure to grab some of those to balance out other high calorie foods. Enjoy every bite of what you choose. Try to make the meal last 30 minutes and stop when you are full.

• Choose between desserts and drinks. You probably don’t need me to tell you that desserts and alcohol are sources of empty calories. But it’s a party so you should be able to participate. By skipping appetizers and sticking to one plate, you do have a calorie budget to enjoy one or two drinks or a dessert, but try to keep from participating in both. You don’t want to offset all your positive efforts with this slip up.

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Bernie Salazar and Rebecca Scritchfield proudly announce a new beginning. Together, they created The Nurture Principles a one-of-a-kind “edutainment” experience that can help you break down internal barriers to wellness – and make changes that can save your life!

What makes them the experts? Life experiences! (that’s where “nurture” comes from – the nature vs. nurture theory, where nurturists argue people learn behaviors from their environment).

Bernie and Rebecca have had their fair share of ups and downs with health and wellness. At an unhealthy 300 pounds, Bernie’s body-age was years older than his actual birth date. Being chosen as a contestant on NBC’s The Biggest Loser was his lifeline. Losing over 100 pounds on the show, Bernie went through a physical and mental transformation and hasn’t looked back. Rebecca’s health issues are “a family affair” – with most of the women in her family struggling in the high 200′s, smoking, and disengaged with wellness. Although she taught 9 aerobics classes a week, Rebecca weighed nearly 170 pounds, as she ignored the need for “balance and moderation” with her food and alcohol intake herself.

Now, Bernie and Rebecca stay fit and healthy by trying new things (like marathons and triathlons) and choosing nourishing foods - most of the time. The Nurture Principles represent the top mantras that drive their daily wellness decisions.

The duo has “book smarts” too. Becky is a registered dietitian (RD) and ACSM certified health fitness specialist. She has a master’s degree from The Johns Hopkins University. Bernie has a master’s in education and is currently studying to become a personal trainer through American College of Sports Medicine.

About Rebecca

Rebecca Scritchfield, RD is a nutrition and exercise expert specializing in weight management. Plagued with a family history of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity she realized at a young age that she needed to develop her own healthy behaviors or suffer the consequences. Life came along and she ended up gaining 40 pounds between college and her early career. One day while noshing on a muffin and building a website, she realized she was not where she needed to be physically, mentally, and emotionally. She eventually found her wellness through moving more and putting healthy foods first. Today, she regularly competes in marathons, half marathons, and triathlons. Passionate about the feel-good power of healthy habits, Rebecca now knows her true calling is in helping others reach within to achieve real change. A graduate of The Johns Hopkins University, Rebecca is a practicing dietitian and American College of Sports Medicine certified Health Fitness Specialist.

About Bernie

“Bernie” Bernardo Salazar is a loser! After a decade of eating his way to illness while his brother ran marathons, he decided having a cupcake named after him would not go down as his greatest life accomplishment. He was fortunate enough to be chosen as a contestant for NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”, where he took home the prize for most weight loss at home – in the real world! Bernie shed an amazing 130 pounds. He attributes losing nearly 46% of his body weight to four personal principals: motivation, information, perspiration and most importantly, self-appreciation”. Realizing that his experience on “The Ranch” saved his life, he is now dedicated to sharing his perspectives on wellness with others so  “we can all get healthy together”. Now a marathoner, Bernie stays fit by “playing more” and participating in dozens of races a year. He received a Masters degree in Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago and currently resides in Pleasant Hills, California.

www.nurtureprinciples.com

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