When I see someone post about how “not all fats are created equal”, I don’t just think about dietary fats; I think about BEING fat. There’s this stigma with being overweight that we just can’t seem to shake as a society. It’s all over the place, and I’m wondering, “When will enough be ... Views: 1288
I’ve talked before about the idea that there is no such thing as a “good” or “bad” food. That “good” and “bad” imply moral reasoning, of which inanimate objects such as food have none. That “good” and “bad” is a judgment we impose upon food. That “good” and “bad” are subjective: I may consider ... Views: 1360
Here’s something I found really interesting in my weight-loss journey: the times when I lost the most weight was when I thought of myself as a thin person. I literally found myself jogging or walking and felt like I was this thin person with an extra layer of padding, as if I was wearing a fat ... Views: 1898
It would seem that the hardest time to control ourselves around food is when we’re in the middle of a breakup. Does that sound about right? Your boyfriend dumps you (or maybe you dump him) and you’re wallowing around in your misery. Every song on the radio reminds you of some moment in time that ... Views: 1303
You may or you may not know that I’m in the after-effect processing stage of a breakup right now. And if you’ve seen any chick flick since the history of ever, you know that this is usually a pretty emotional time – one that’s also usually accompanied by enough sugar to make even my sweet tooth ... Views: 1408
What would you do if you spent a year without the support of any beauty products?
I don’t read the news. I stopped reading it when I realized that it was the primary source of incoming negativity in my life. Now I catch headlines at Yahoo when I log out of my email and through my Facebook ... Views: 2041
There is a huge problem in the U.S. and in the world: We are relying on other people to call all the shots for us. We highly regard our freedom, even fight for it, and yet we hand much of our power over to politicians, medical professionals, and gurus.
We are looking to other people to give ... Views: 1177
Fat serves a purpose. I know a lot of women who are overweight think that it is the root of all evil, the bane of their existence, but it truly is serving a higher purpose.
For instance, a young girl is sexually abused as a child.
She puts on weight to make herself less desirable to ... Views: 1224
I got this in an email from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition today:
“CBS News reported that a whopping 40% of all cancers are the result of lifestyle factors including:
• poor diet
• inactivity
• stress
• exposure to carcinogens like pollution and cigarette smoke
That means ... Views: 1212
There are some health advocates I know out there who are extremely passionate about their cause, almost to a fault. Today, I read a post by one such person who said that “normal isn’t healthy” and that “plus-sized models are setting a bad example.” Being someone who has really appreciated the ... Views: 1230
Our bodies speak to us. They tell us when we’re tired, when we’re thirsty, and when we’re full. But did you know that your body also tells you when you’re making a bad choice, in a difficult situation, in love, infatuated, and a litany of other emotional states? I’m serious. When you listen, ... Views: 1163
In mythology it's written that there are thousands of strands of time and which strand becomes the future depends on the choices that you make in each and every moment. I know it sounds crazy, but what happens to you is shaped by the decisions you make right here, right now. When you put off ... Views: 1711
Last night I got on an Amtrak train headed for New York from Atlanta, moving from my home in Georgia to the Omega Institute to start my job there. The train had sleeper cars, but the majority of passengers chose to ride the more economical coach class. As I was boarding the train, the conductor ... Views: 1501
It would seem that we all have dual personalities. We have the person we show the world on a day-to-day basis and the person we are behind closed doors, when we’re alone, in the bedroom, intoxicated, or in any other event where we feel safe and/or significantly lower our inhibitions.
This week ... Views: 2831
Sometimes you gotta take a risk. It’s how you break past your comfort zone and into uncharted territory that has the potential to push you forward towards the result(s) you’ve been wanting. For a long, long time I’ve wanted to be in love with my body. I’ve wanted to be OK with the way that it ... Views: 1352
The other weekend I went to this amazing event called Chantlanta. There was, of course, kirtan, but they also had classes in yoga, 5 rhythms, and meditation. The whole experience was amazing. After only a couple of hours, I left feeling renewed and rejuvenated. I felt like a whole new person. It ... Views: 1106
You've seen the man on Oprah and just about everything other popular talk TV show. Well here's what he has to say about health coaches:
"You're more likely to lose weight with a coach. If you don't deal with working on your relationship with food, nothing that's important in your life is ... Views: 1240
Life is short. It really is. When you think how quickly this past month has flown by (and that we're already halfway through February!), it's shocking. Every day I hear and read about big dreams that people have, life goals, bucket lists. But how many people go on to accomplish all those things? ... Views: 1238
You create your own life. You do it with your thoughts, your words, and your actions. You’re doing it every second of every day.
This is a hard concept for a lot of people to accept. It means accepting full responsibility for everything that happens in your life, including the things that ... Views: 1052
Nourishment isn’t just about what you eat. You can nourish your body in many ways other than with food. This concept is called “primary foods” and is an integral part of the curriculum at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. This theory is so amazing because it exemplifies the domino effect ... Views: 1111
In our culture, it’s typical to keep setting goals for yourself and striving towards those goals. It’s also fairly standard that once you reach a goal, you set a new one. In our efforts to keep going, keep building, and keep improving ourselves, we often neglect the importance of celebrating our ... Views: 1202
Time flies. Regardless of whether it’s 2012 or any other year, time seems to go by way too quickly. This can lead to the feeling that you’ll never get things done, there’s not enough time to do what you need to do, let alone what you WANT to do, and it can really stress you out. There’s a ... Views: 1045
There’s one reason why anything gets done here on this planet we call “Earth,” and that’s motivation. Whether it’s taking the dog for a walk, cooking dinner for your family, going to the gym, or handing in your latest work assignment, you have motivation to thank for it. What motivates you to do ... Views: 672
Have you ever watched someone pull off some kind of incredible feat like juggling or balancing tall stacks of dishes on a stick? It’s incredible to see and mind-blowing to think about how they do it. What it comes down to, though, is something we practice in everyday life: Balance.
In the ... Views: 1071
Thanksgiving is over and yet the food still remains. If you’re like the majority of American families celebrating this holiday, you’ve got leftovers galore. You’re looking at turkey sandwiches for the next week and pumpkin pie for dessert. Date-wise, the holiday has passed, but, according to ... Views: 1470
Last week I was driving one of our volunteers to the airport. His time here on the farm was done and he was flying down to Durham, NC to see some friends before returning home for Thanksgiving. Instead of flying out of Logan Airport in Boston, MA, as is typical for volunteers who didn't drive ... Views: 866
These days shopping at the grocery store can be a huge pain. We're trying to eat healthily and feed our kids the best possible foods, but with all the marketing and advertising for some products, it's hard to know where to start and what aisles we should be shopping in. If you've ever been ... Views: 1514
I'm pretty sure we all know how to eat. If not because of what our body tells us, then at least from the numerous articles about it in newspapers, magazines, and online websites. Here are a few of the tips that I've found helpful in controlling what, when, and how I eat:
1) Practice mindful ... Views: 973
Bio-Individuality. Have you heard that term before? Bio-Individuality is kind of like saying, "There are no two people who are exactly alike on this planet." It means that no body is the same, no mind is the same, and no life is the same from one person to the next. It means taking an ... Views: 847
There's a movement that's been trending for a couple of years now. The people of this movement call themselves "locavores," and they eat only foods grown within 100 miles of their home. The benefits of eating local foods are many: supporting local farmers, boosting the economy of a community, ... Views: 847
The labeling of food is often one of the most confusing parts of maintaining a healthy diet. Everywhere we look there are words like, "Organic," "Non-GMO," "Local," "Fair Trade, "Sustainable," "Gluten-Free," and the list goes on. What do these words mean?
It would seem that most people have ... Views: 927
The warm summer air has people a way of getting people outdoors and opening up tons of opportunities to eat healthily Here are some ways you can shape up this summer:
• Drink more water. All the heat and humidity can cause you to become dehydrated easily. Be sure to fill up on water before ... Views: 884
Let's talk a little bit about that voice in your head. Now I'm not trying to insinuate that you're any kind of crazy or that you're hearing things. I'm talking about the voice that we all hear that just LOVES to degrade us and make us feel rotten. This voice might say things like:
• "You're ... Views: 1068
I have always said that things happen for a reason and, if I wasn't completely convinced of it before, I am now. My move to Overlook Farm began as a chance to get away from my life and volunteer with an organization that I truly believe in. Over the past 2 months, however, it has come to be much ... Views: 937
Thanksgiving, and the entire holiday season, is a really tricky time of year for a lot of people. This is a time of year where we're getting together with our family and it can be quite an emotional time, as families often have dynamics that leave everyone feeling like they need to live up to ... Views: 987
Support and accountability are crucial to reaching any kind of goals you set for yourself, especially health and wellness goals. They're the backbone of your success because they give you want you WANT (the support to make it through when the going gets tough) and what you NEED (the ... Views: 916