A Journey to Health Begins with a Long Look Back

Posted on July 29, 2015 by tcadmin

I am having a food memory. I am remembering every detail of what it was I ate, how it tasted and felt in my mouth and where I was when I ate it. And the memory is almost 15 years old. I’m not remembering a fancy French dish served on a romantic holiday or the first plate of spaghetti I shared with a date. I am remembering a cool, crisp Gala apple eaten after my first grueling hike through the Cascade mountains in Washington State. This particular apple memory stays with me because it was one of the few times in my life that I was aware of eating food as fuel. I could feel it immediately restoring me and I remember being fully satisfied after it was finished. I was more than 30 years old!

I have always had a complicated relationship with food. In my family it was used as a reward for accomplishments and a comfort to difficult times. Mealtimes in our family were stressful and food was quickly consumed so I could be excused from the table. After my parents’ divorce, my mother often included me in late night ‘un-birthday parties’ that involved fancy cakes that only the two of us consumed. I loved the closeness and secrecy of those moments, even while sensing something was not quite right.

It is no mystery to me why I have such trouble losing weight and keeping it off. Like most women ‘of a certain age’ my metabolism is now slowing and it’s even more difficult for me to shed pounds. In my lifetime I have been a size 6 and a size 20 with stops at nearly every size along the way. Somewhere in the middle of that range these days, I am learning to form a new relationship with my body, my size and what kind of fuel I take in.

In order for any change to be successful, we need to take stock of what our current behaviors mean to us, in my case, why is this excess weight I want to lose there in the first place. This is the paradoxical theory of change that is a key piece of gestalt therapy. Previous diet attempts that have included restriction of calories and extreme exercises have worked for a while. In fact, three years ago I was at my lowest adult weight ever but now am back to where I was when I started that journey. I had done the work identifying my motivation to lose and made changes to my exercise and fitness routine but I had neglected to pay attention to how it was I had gained the weight in the first place.

A new course at TeacherCoach.com looks at the psychology of weight loss and breaks the process into three phases: Awareness, Detoxification, and Implementation. I am learning more about the quality of the food I eat and the support I will need on this journey and I am being gentle with myself as I come to understand that food has meant love, protection, safety and joy over my lifetime. Accepting this, rather than feeling guilty about it, is helping me find new ways to meet these needs while taking better care of the body I live in.

You can check out this course yourself and many others on health and wellness at http://teachercoach.psychpro.com/catalog.php

Feed Your Head

Posted on June 13, 2015 by tcadmin

Remember the last time you rode a roller coaster? Or had to speak in front of a large audience? Or found a spider on your arm? Did you just think about your stomach? Gut instinct. I feel it in my belly. I have butterflies in my stomach. These aren’t just expressions.

Scientists have long known that neurons that are embedded in the alimentary canal, or gut, send messages to our brain. So rich is this network that it is sometimes referred to as ‘the second brain’ and it is partially responsible for our mental state.

New research on the bacteria that lives in our guts suggests that unhealthy bacteria plays a key role in behavioral and emotional problems including depression, anxiety, ADHD and even autism. In fact, it is estimated that nearly 95% of the body’s serotonin is manufactured in the gut when it is functioning normally. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter responsible for transferring messages through the brain. Serotonin levels and the brain’s receptivity to it are believed to be associated with mood and depression. Our modern diets of excessive sugar, processed foods, refined grains and genetically engineered foods have compromised our gut health, destroying healthy bacteria and increasing the amount of bad yeast and bacteria.

All is not lost, however. Healthy bacteria can be returned to the gut with some simple changes to diet. Reducing the amount of processed food and increasing your intake of fermented foods such as kefir, some yogurts, tempeh and sauerkraut or kim chee can re-balance your gut flora. People who do not enjoy the taste of fermented foods may wish to take a pro-biotic supplement available in most health food and grocery stores. Before grabbing any heavily promoted ‘pro-biotic’ yogurts or drinks, do be sure to check the sugar content or you may be robbing Peter to pay Paul and not getting the most health benefits.

So before resorting to an anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication, perhaps, in the words of Jefferson Starship, remember what the dormouse said: Feed your head.

How to Succeed in Therapy

Posted on May 3, 2015 by tcadmin

Who seeks therapy?

People make the decision to come to therapy for many different reasons. Often they are experiencing significant challenges in their personal or professional lives. Others come out of a sense that something is missing from their lives and a desire for something greater. Whether the goal is to seek relief or understanding, the process of finding and choosing a therapist can be overwhelming.

Who provides therapy?

Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Therapists, Counselors, Social Workers, oh my! All those letters after a person’s name can make a person want to buy a vowel! But who does what?

A psychiatrist (MD) is a medical doctor with a specialization in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses. Psychiatrists can prescribe medicine in addition to providing therapy.
A psychologist (PsyD. Or Ph.D) also has a doctoral degree. Psychologists can provide therapy and can provide psychological tests and assessments.
Social workers (MSW, LSW, LCSW) are trained in counseling but can serve many other roles as well. Their training addresses the influences around an individual’s life including housing, assistance, education, etc.
Licensed counselors (LHMC, LAC, LPC) are licensed therapists with Master’s degrees in counseling psychology.

There are other designations and certifications that denote specialties in marriage and family therapy, addictions therapy and other modalities. When using insurance to pay for therapy, it is important to verify with your provider which types of professionals they cover and what percentage.

What kind of therapy?

Choosing the type of professional is not the only decision to make. Next, you will likely be faced with decisions about the modality or psychological orientation of the provider. Simply stated, this refers to the professional’s view on how people change. There are hundreds of approaches or philosophies therapists use and combine in their work. Understanding some of the basic approaches can help you know what to expect in a session.

Gestalt Therapy is based on the theory that in order for something to change, we must first fully understand what it already is. This is a strengths-based approach to therapy that uses the client/therapist relationship as a tool to explore how he/she has come to be the way he/she is and accept him/herself before making a decision to change.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy assumes that thoughts, behaviors and beliefs are all linked. CBT focuses on identifying a problem behavior and working to create a solution by changing negative or irrational thoughts. This is a popular choice of therapy for those who are solution-focused and prefer a more directed approach.
Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytical Therapy has in its roots the work of Sigmund Freud. Although many of his original teachings have been abandoned, this approach still focusses on unconscious motives and drives. Therapists in this orientation traditionally adapt the ‘expert’ role, guiding clients through examination of thoughts and feelings with the belief that this insight can help the client make decisions for change.
Client Centered (Rogerian) Therapy is based on the work of Carl Rogers. It is non-directive therapy, meaning that the therapist avoids providing any suggestions, treatment or direction, focusing instead on the creation of an empathetic, non-judgmental environment where the client controls the pace and content of therapy. Rogers believed this type of environment was crucial to therapy and his principles are taught as the cornerstones to most other therapeutic orientations.

Teachers can appreciate the tension between outcome-driven quick-fix approaches to therapy and longer term, sustainable change. Many educators and parents alike bemoan the fact that Socratic teaching and critical thinking skills are often overlooked in standardized education focused on test scores and memorization. The same is true for managed mental health care. When parents are directed to seek CBT for their children by their insurance carriers, pediatricians or others, without understanding how these therapies view the change process, they may be missing the chance to provide a richer, more long-lasting learning experience.

To learn more about how to make the most out of therapy, check out Dr. Scherz’s new book here

Getting Kids to Eat Healthy

Posted on March 26, 2015 by tcadmin

A family came into my office this week excited to share their plan to get their child to eat new foods and increase his intake of fruits and vegetables. They have created J’s Taste Kitchen which stars their youngest son who currently lives mostly on chicken fingers and pancakes. The Taste Kitchen will be a special event weekly during which the child will taste and review one new food. The family plans to make a video of the tasting each week in the spirit of popular cooking and food programs. J’s parents will work with J to choose each week’s tasting. Foods he likes will be added to the family dinner rotation. J will earn points for every food he tastes which he will cash in for a variety of rewards including extra screen time, 10 extra minutes of staying up before bedtime and extra bedtime stories.

What I love about this plan is that it is fun, incorporates technology, involves the whole family and can be kept within the family food budget. It also puts J in charge of some of the decisions about the food he eats which is likely to cut down on family feuds.

Getting children involved in cooking and shopping for food is a wonderful way to expand their interest in healthy eating. There are a number of television shows cropping up that feature young chefs and bakers to inspire your picky eater. Cookbooks with bright pictures and simple to follow instructions can help you involve your child in the weekly meal prep and cooking utensils designed especially for young people can help you feel comfortable turning your child loose in the kitchen. A quick internet search can lead you to many recipes that substitute or add in fruits and vegetables to current family favorites. Planting and growing vegetables can help you and your family feel more involved with the food you put on the table.

The following resources are just a tiny sample of what’s available to help you in your effort to inspire healthy eating. Involving the family in fun and easy options might just end the dinner-time wars. I’m sure hoping that happens for J!

Kid Cookbooks

Chop Chop: The Kids’ Guide to Cooking Real Food with Your Family ; Chop Chop also publishes a magazine and website featuring child cooks and recipes.

My A to Z Recipe Box: An Alphabet of Recipes for Kids: includes brightly colored and easy to follow recipes on cards that can be taken to the grocery to pick out ingredients.

Kid Cooking Supplies

www.GrowingCooks.com offers many kid-friendly utensils and kitchen items made for small hands.

www.CuriousChef.com offers recipes, blogs and utensils including safe cooking knives for small chefs at affordable prices.

Websites and Apps

www.thesneakychef.com includes recipes and products for adding fruits and vegetables in your family’s diet.

Nicolas’ Garden is a mobile app developed by 8 year old Nicholas that can be used by children and adults to find, plan and save healthy recipes and share them with others.

Please add to this list by posting some of your favorite ways to encourage children to eat healthy and check out our two-part course How to Get Children to Eat Healthy

Why is Heart Disease on the Rise?

Posted on February 19, 2015 by tcadmin

I was at my annual exam last week and anxiously reviewing my family’s cancer history with my doctor. My mother and her sister each died from cancers and I knew that put me at a higher risk. My doctor reviewed my history and noted my regular screenings over the past 10 years. She applauded my commitment to regular screenings and exams but then said “You know, what you really should be worrying about is heart disease.” This was her gentle way of reminding me that I’ve been saying I should lose weight for the past 10 years.

According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the number one killer of women, killing half a million American women a year. And yet, according to a study by the Mayo Institute, only 8% of women see heart disease as a serious risk to their health. The news isn’t any rosier for men. The risk of stroke and arterial disease has increased by 24% in the past 10 years and the danger is climbing for young people as well. In another study published by the American Heart Association, researchers found that the risk of hypertension in children and teens rose 27% over a 13 year period. Hypertension can lead to stroke and heart disease.

News about the benefits of exercise and healthy eating are not new. Talk of fitness is as ubiquitous as ever. My gym is packed this month with people making good on their New Year’s resolutions. I have apps on my phone to track exercise, calories, carbohydrates and sugars. My friends with FitBits can print out hourly reports of their health. With all the information and research available to us at our fingertips, how is it that heart disease continues to rise?

We don’t get enough exercise

Fifty years ago jobs were more active, enabling us to move throughout the day. Active jobs now make up less than 20% of our workforce and we’re working longer hours. On average, full-time workers spend about 47 hours a week working, that’s more than 350 extra more sedentary hours worked each year. Since the passage of No Child Left Behind in 2001, schools have struggled to make time for more rigorous instruction and testing and cuts to recess and physical education have become common solutions, meaning that our children are spending more time sitting. The American Heart Association recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate activity at least 5 days a week or 25 minutes of vigorous activity at least 3 days a week for improved cardiovascular strength. There are days I can’t imagine finding five minutes for myself, carving out 30 can feel nearly impossible.

Too much of the bad stuff

Processed and refined sugar, excessive sodium and trans fats are the chief threats to our heart health, and they are in nearly everything we eat. I was shocked to learn that despite carefully cutting snacks and candies from my diet I was still consuming sugars at a dangerous rate. Eighty percent of our food products now contain refined sugar and are hidden under at least 57 different names, my favorite being ‘dehydrated cane juice’ – does that fool anyone?

Processed packaged and restaurant foods are to blame for 80% of our sodium intake. Current dietary guidelines call for no more than one teaspoon of salt a day. By the year 2000, we were eating nearly three times that amount.

The effort to reduce or eliminate trans-fats has been making strides with some cities banning their use. However, despite labels that claim ‘no trans-fat’, in a study of 4.340 top selling packaged foods bearing this claim, researchers found that 9% still contained the main source of trans fat, partially hydrogenated oils.

Not enough of the good stuff

With hidden ingredients, code names for refined sugars and blatant misrepresentation of fat content, what’s a gal supposed to do to eat better?? Well, let’s keep it real. Real food, that is. Fruits and vegetables. Turns out only about 26% of adults in this country eat their veggies three times a day. Vegetables are expensive, inconvenient and not equally available in all communities. I have a weekly ritual right now that involves throwing out half the produce I bought on Sunday while promising to do better next week. The large leaf lettuce that was going to house veggie wraps looks like my son’s science project and who knew a red pepper could completely liquefy??!

There is encouragement. Farmers markets are increasingly allowing shoppers to use food stamps to buy fresh, local produce, many cities support urban gardens in vacant lots and nearly every state now has programs to send fresh vegetables into poorer schools and neighborhoods. Some food companies are trying to market baby carrots, edamame and other small fruits and veggies as snack food. But as a mother who was raised on an old food pyramid that emphasized meats and breads and clearing one’s plate, it’s still hard for me to feel I am feeding my child well when his plate is half-filled with veggies.

We’re still lighting up

“Nobody smokes anymore!” my teenage clients tell me and statistics seem to bear out their claim. Only about 20% of Americans smoke now as compared to 40% 15 years ago. But that’s still about 40 million people lighting up. Smoking decreases good cholesterol, increases blood pressure and accelerates the risks of obesity and other heart health risks.

Research is mixed on whether the advent of e-cigarettes offers smokers a heart-safe way to enjoy nicotine. Inhaling smoke weakens the cardiovascular system. E-cigarettes deliver the nicotine without the tar and smoke of traditional cigarettes but there still may be risks. Nicotine is known to constrict blood vessels which may compromise heart health. And the solvents used in e-cigarettes to break down the nicotine are still being studied and tested to determine their risks.

February is Heart Health Month

So why not take the opportunity to learn a little more about how to protect yours? Here are some ways to start caring for your health and that of your loved ones.

Films to educate: Why not make a movie night to view one of these films as a family or with your friends? Fed Up uncovers the risks of sugar consumption. Super Size Me looks at fast food consumption and Forks over Knives makes the whole food, plant-based diet accessible and compelling.

Try a Smoothie Challenge: Smoothies can be quick, easy and tasty ways to get your servings of vegetables and fruits. The Simple Green Smoothies 30 day challenge offers affordable and easy recipes that can be made in your blender. http://simplegreensmoothies.com/30-day-challenge

Involve your loved ones: This is the month to celebrate love and what could show your valentines you care more than focusing on heart health, yours and theirs? Making change is easier with support. Start a Facebook group to keep yourselves accountable to each other for exercising and eating well. Join an online community focused on healthy living. Ask your spouse or partner to join you in your efforts.

Your heart beats about 100,000 times a day and 35 million times in a year. Isn’t it time to do something good for it in return?

Why Is It So Hard to Lose Weight When You’re a Teacher?

Posted on January 13, 2015 by tcadmin

Ah, January!

The time of renewed gym memberships and firm promises to eat better, exercise more and lose weight. These are tough changes for any of us, but teachers are faced with unique challenges that can make these goals even more challenging.

Focus on Others: The very nature of a teacher’s job is to put the needs of students first. If you are also a parent, spouse or partner, it may be even harder to put your own health on the front burner and those intentions to care for yourself get postponed.

It’s Not That Bad: Teachers, like many other Americans, may not realize the health risks of eating poorly or being overweight, and may underestimate the benefits of a plant-based diet.

Brains not Body: Face it, teachers are excellent and creative thinkers but with such a focus on teaching and learning, it can be difficult to prioritize caring for the body as well.

No Time: A teacher’s day begins early and often goes non-stop well into the night. That leaves little time for thoughtful eating and it isn’t always easy to bring or prepare healthy food.

No Energy: On that same note, there isn’t much time left over for exercising or rejuvenating, which leads to low energy, which can encourage teachers to consume sugar and caffeine and thus continues a cycle of energy spikes and fatigue.

Swallowing More than Food: The demands of high-stakes testing, ever decreasing budgets and the growing needs of children and families can lead to a great deal of stress, frustration and anger, feelings that are not always wise to express. Some teachers resort to emotional eating to swallow or avoid these feelings.

So What to Do?

Take advantage of the New Year to set goals for small, but sustainable changes in diet and fitness. There is strength in numbers, start a fitness challenge with your co-workers. Designate a bulletin board where staff can share recipes and fitness tips. Consider monthly potluck lunches of all those healthy recipes you’ve been pinning to your Pinterest board to try ‘someday’. Pedometers are affordable and fun ways to challenge each other to increase movement, and wouldn’t you like to know how many steps you actually take in a day as you move around your room and back and forth to meetings? Add a fruit bowl to the faculty lounge and encourage co-workers to leave fruits, nuts and seeds to share instead of bagels and doughnuts. Research indicates that dramatic changes in diet and habits do not last more than three or four weeks but small changes to your daily routine and having a friend or group to keep you focused can lead to a new lifestyle of health.

Making Resolutions Work

Posted on January 5, 2015 by tcadmin

Realistic resolutions are ones that we have a plan to achieve, with concrete actionable steps to help us get there. We need to have the right motivation, supports in place to assist us, and a way to sustain the gains. But most importantly we need to attend to resistance.

Resistance is made up of the interplay between the forces for sameness and the forces for change. Here is an example. If you set up a resolution to lose weight, which involves a force for change including a desire to look and feel better, are you also attending to the force for sameness in this case it might be an instinct to eat when bored, stressed, or primal urge to consume chocolate.

Forces for sameness are what keep us doing the same things in spite of knowing they may not be good for us. Often times these forces are made up of very old patterns that were learned in childhood or young adulthood. If you dealt with stress (your parents fighting) by hiding in your room under your covers, you may do something similar as an adult, such as withdrawing from friends and family.

Resistance may also include a driving force for change that is based on external rewards as opposed to internal. Being more creative with our lesson plans, when we really don’t feel inspired or because it seems like the right thing to do, won’t work. We need to find an internal sense of motivation if we want to sustain any type of change.

Remember that you became a teacher because you believe in developing people. You may feel sapped of your enthusiasm by a chaotic or dysfunctional system, which robs you of your energy to do good things. If this is the case, consider how you can either influence your system in a healthier direction or take care of yourself better in spite of what you are up against.

Rebuilding your passion for life includes a healthy dose of good self-care. You are a caretaker who needs to put yourself first more often in order to have any chance of doing for others. Be a good role model this year and treat yourself well, making only one or two resolutions that you know you will stick with.

Practicing Gratitude – Good for Your Relationships and Good for Your Health

Posted on December 8, 2014 by tcadmin

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change

– Wayne Dyer

It is the season of package deliveries at my house again. Thanks to generous friends and extended family, packages start arriving for my son weekly the day I’ve served the last piece of reheated turkey and continue through the end of the year. Because he is still a child, this thrills him (OK, I still get excited when the UPS truck pulls up, even when I know I’ve ordered myself a new spatula), and because he is almost a teen, I still have to coach him in saying thank you. “Mom!,” he invariably groans, “NOBODY writes thank you notes anymore!!”.

I wonder if he may be right. While I remember to thank someone for an invitation or a favor or gift, I don’t always take the time to notice the smaller, everyday things for which I am grateful. And my health could be suffering. Scientists have been studying the effects of gratitude practice, the regular and intentional practice of reflecting on what makes one thankful. Better sleep, increased immunity, greater sense of happiness, and greater ability to handle stress are just a few of the benefits they are finding (Emmons, RA et al., 2003).

It doesn’t appear to matter how often you practice gratitude to see the benefits, just that you practice it regularly. If a daily gratitude journal seems like too much, weekly routines that change where you focus your attention can shift the way you perceive events.

This year my son and I will start a new tradition based on something I saw on Pinterest (www.Pinterest.com), the Gratitude Jar. On New Year’s Day we will place an empty jar in the living room with a stack of papers and pens. Throughout the year we will encourage each other and any visitors to our home to take a moment and jot down something for which we are grateful and place our notes in the jar. Next New Year’s Eve we will be able to look back on all the gifts of the year.

Here are some tips to help you practice gratitude with your family:

Be a model. Let your children see you saying thank you often, thank each other and when you are out and about, notice and comment positively about your surroundings.
Be specific. While it is nice to be thankful for your family, saying this each night isn’t going to stretch your awareness. Let family members know what specific things they do or say to bring you joy. Encourage your children to find small and large things to acknowledge.
Start a new routine. Bedtime or mealtime can be a time for reflecting on the day. Encourage family members to name three things they are grateful for each day.
Keep track. Gratitude journals, jars, posters or message boards are all great ways to capture your reflections. In more difficult times, these collections can be reviewed to help put things in perspective.

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