A Weight Lifted

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Who's the Fattest of Them All?

Here at Green Mountain at Fox Run, women who struggle with their weight (and dieting), tell us all the time that they feel disconnected from their bodies. They describe the disconnect as intentional. Imagine walking around all day just living in your head, doing everything possible to ignore the vessel that essentially houses your being. Never looking at their reflection in a window or standing before a full length mirror. Anything to ignore what they perceive to be the bain of their existance - a less than perfect body.

This week in an Australian paper there was yet another study published which speaks to the fact that a very high percentage of women - even those at healthy weights - who feel that their bodies are so outside the acceptable norm. The study surveyed 15,000 Australian women and uncovered that the majority felt bad about their weight to the point where they would actively avoid their own reflection.

Academic Lily O’Hara* is baffled by attempts to shame women into leading healthier lives.

“People tell me all the time they hate looking in the mirror or they don’t have a full-length mirror at home, and it is a symptom of deep dissatisfaction,” she said. “They are afraid it might confirm their innermost fears – that their body does not meet the socially constructed ideal being portrayed by the beauty industry and now, disturbingly, by the health industry.”

What that norm is, I suppose, depends on what magazines you read, television shows you watch or movies you go to...because more than likely you're not coveting the body of the woman next door. And why not?

*Ms. Ohara is a lecturer in public health at the University of the Sunshine Coast.

Tags: size acceptance , body image , healthy lifestyles , perfectionism .

Weighing In: Raven-Symone's New CD Addresses Body Image and Hollywood

Former "That's So Raven" star Raven-Symone hopes her new CD will make people notice that's she's all grown up.

Coming of age in the entertainment industry is no easy task, as the former child star knows. Because Raven-Symone doesn't conform to the Hollywood size 0-2 stereotype, the entertainment media has been critical of her weight.

In a personal song entitled "Hollywood Life," Raven-Symone addresses the pitfalls of becoming famous, including the enormous pressure to lose weight.

"There are so many girls who are trying to be famous, and trying to conform to a style or body type," Raven-Symone said. "But they are fine just the way they are. This is a something that a lot of people need to hear."

Lyrics from the song illustrate the struggle of young would-be starlets in the town of glitz and glamour:

She's been here for a year
Her body losing weight now
Never called back home
She's embarassed to go
She don't eat, she don't sleep
All she's hearing is no

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, except in Hollywood: It's whoever says what is beautiful," she claimed. "So everyone follows. For me, I'm fine with how I am. I'm not trying to be a certain size."

Hmmm, sounds like Raven-Symone is a lot more mature than most of the peeps in Hollywood.

Binge Eating & the College Woman

All binge eaters struggle with their weight, right? Wrong.

Studies show many binge eating college students appear to be at a healthy weight. So how do we know if we – or our college age daughters (and sons) – struggle with binge eating? And why do we care if it doesn’t make us fat? Our FitBriefing this month “Binge Eating & the College Woman” answers that question and more.

A brief excerpt:

Very different from the occasional overeating episode, which is part of normal eating, binge eating has psychological consequences also. People with binge eating disorder may also become depressed; research shows they report more problems with stress, trouble sleeping and more suicidal thoughts than people without eating disorders. Binge eaters often feel badly about themselves and isolate themselves to binge eat, missing work, school and social activities.

If you suspect you are a binge eater, or your daughter (or son) is one, seek help. It's not always about weight loss and it's not a problem to be ignored.

Diets Don't Work!

We've been saying it for over 36 years. Finally, the whole world is getting hip to this message (but not quite there yet). To show solidarity, join us in celebrating International No Diet Day today!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THE ASDAH CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL NO DIET DAY

"Are you putting your life on hold until you lose weight? On May 6, 2008, join the Association for Size Diversity and Health in celebration of International No Diet Day, a one-day moratorium on weight-loss dieting sponsored by an international coalition of health professionals, activists and community groups.

Now celebrated worldwide,  International No Diet Day originated in 1992 by Mary Evans Young, the director of a British activist group called Diet breakers.   INDD was established to challenge the cultural attitudes and values that contribute to chronic dieting, weight preoccupation, eating disorders, and size discrimination.

ASDAH is an international professional organization composed of individual and organizational members who are committed to the principles of Health At Every Size (HAES).   In line with INDD goals, the mission of the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) is to promote education, research, and the provision of services which enhance health and well-being, and which are free from weight-based assumptions and weight discrimination."

“It is important to recognize that health and well-being are multi-dimensional and that they include physical, social, spiritual, occupational, emotional, and intellectual aspects,”  says ASDAH Board President Dana Schuster, “And perhaps most important, we need to recognize that people of all shapes and sizes deserve basic human rights, including the right to not be discriminated against.”

Join ASDAH for International Diet Day on May 6 and eat well, play well and give yourself a break from self-recrimination because of some arbitrary definition of perfection and beauty."

For more information visit the official INDD web site: http://www.largesse.net/INDD/

For more information on ASDAH, visit:  www.sizediversityandhealth.org

ASDAH’s Annual international conference is coming up in July 2008 and will be held at the LAX Marriott.  For more information visit www.sizediversityandhealth.org.

Tags: healthy eating , diets don't work , healthy lifestyles , ASADH .

Disordered Eating: The "New" Epidemic

Several years ago I was on a media tour in New York, visiting various women's magazine editors in an attempt to get them to think about publishing different kinds of stories on eating and weight loss and weight loss programs. My focus: That women (and increasingly men) were suffering from disordered eating -- too much focus on calories, fat grams, weight loss, even 'healthy' choices. The response I remember from one prominent magazine in particular was that the term 'disordered eating' was too 'scary,' that it was even too sensational for magazines (imagine that!).

So imagine my relief that they have finally jumped on board (although I do admit a bit of exasperation that they didn't even talk to me in putting together their story on the issue!). Self magazine recently published the results of survey that showed '65 percent of American women are disordered eaters." MSNBC published this story on the survey:

The disorder next door: Alarming eating habits

SELF poll reveals 65 percent of American women are disordered eaters

By Tula Karras, SELF

SELF's groundbreaking survey reveals that more than six in 10 women are disordered eaters. Another one in 10 has an eating disorder. Find out if you're at risk and how to get healthier, starting today:

Michelle Marsh, 32, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, seems like the perfect dieter. If you ran into the 5-foot-1-inch, 103-pound marketing specialist checking food labels for calories in the supermarket or powering through one of her seven weekly workouts, you'd envy her ability to control her intake and burn off any excess, too. But Marsh, who had her first baby nine months ago and is now below her prepregnancy weight ("I'm the tiniest I've ever been!" she says), could be the poster girl for an unrecognized epidemic among women: disordered eating.

No, she doesn't starve herself to an unnatural weight (like anorexics) or throw up daily (like some bulimics), but she doesn't seem to have a healthy relationship with food or her body, either. "I spend about half my time thinking about food and meal planning," she says, although her meals don't require much planning — she usually restricts herself to the same foods every day (oatmeal, brown rice and two small corn tortillas with chicken and a sweet potato). "I weigh myself every morning, and if the scale goes up a pound, I exercise more. If I gained 5 pounds, I'd be very upset."

To read the rest of the story, go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24295957/. They even have tips at the end of the story for moving away from disordered eating and achieving healthy weight loss, if it's in your cards. The tips echo what we've been saying at Green Mountain at Fox Run for years. It's nice to know they've gone mainstream.

Shapely Bodies -Same Old Story Same Old Hype

This time of year I envision magazine editors all across America temporarily filing away their 'Top 20 Summer Dieting Tips', only to be churned out again next year, with the same old weight loss promise of ‘Miracle Bikini Butts by Memorial Day!’ 

Although their first reaction might be ‘gimme a break!’, too many women read these covers and, against their better judgement, pick one up just in case they too might ‘Lose 20 Pounds In One Month By Eating 10 Fat Burning Foods’, or whatever tempting misinformation is taunting them. 

The Canadian website, Media Awarness Network published this excerpt from an article, ‘Beauty and Body Image in the Media’:

“Researchers report that women’s magazines have ten and one-half times more ads and articles promoting weight loss than men’s magazines do, and over three-quarters of the covers of women’s magazines include at least one message about how to change a woman’s bodily appearance—by diet, exercise or cosmetic surgery.”

Some of the biggest weight loss hype comes from the diet pill industry. Is it my imagination or are diet pills advertised by actors posing as medical authorities on my television almost every 10 minutes?  The FTC does seem to be taking notice, although, nothing much seems to be happening. If anything, advertisments for weight loss drugs seem to be on the rise.

For more interesting reading on the subject of women and advertising, pick up, Deadly Persuasion – Why Women and Girls Must Fight the Addictive Power of Advertising’ by Jean Kilbourne

Tags: body image and the media , positive self image , healthy lifestyles , perfectionism .

Overcome Self-Doubt to Build Self Esteem

My daughter first looked at me strangely when I mentioned to her that her "I feel fat" thoughts really weren't about her body. I explained that fat is not a feeling; instead, when we think we feel fat, we're usually distracting ourselves from something else that's bothering us. For many of us, negative body image often has to do with feelings of insecurity -- we're worrying about how we're falling short in some area.

To the rescue: Tips from one of my favorite e-letters -- that from Annette Colby. She recommends we try the following tips when fears and self-doubt threaten to overwhelm us.

1. Awareness Recognize the fear and doubt within you. The first step to overcoming doubt is to be willing to face the situation. By being honest and admitting that you have doubts can you seek alternatives.

2. Acceptance
Understand that it is all right to have doubt. What matters most is that you love yourself enough to overcome your doubt by taking calculated risks.

3. Explore Your Fears
Take out a piece of paper and write down a list of your fears. Explore your doubt, examine your fear, and look at the areas in your life where they get the upper hand.

4. Examine Your Excuses
Write down your reasons for not pursuing a personal challenge or moving forward on something important to you

5. Say Good Bye
Write a goodbye letter to your doubt, then bury it, burn it, or release it in some other creative way.

6. Mirror Mirror On the Wall
When your doubt pops up, go to the mirror and talk to yourself. Positive talk isn’t the entire answer, but without we haven’t got a chance of success. People are more successful when they talk to themselves in a reassuring, compassionate, and loving way.

7. Build Self-Esteem
Keep reminding yourself that you are valuable, that you have worth, and that your life matters.

8. Take Positive Action
Take positive action in the direction of your dreams. You can put doubt in it’s place when you take action on the activities and goals that are most important to you.

9. What's the Best that Could Happen
Imagine the best possible outcome. Practice allowing yourself to envision yourself being the person you want to be.

10. Take Care of Yourself
Take some action every day that allows you to feel better about yourself.

No matter what self-doubt is blocking our way to -- whether it be successful weight loss or going after our dream job -- these tips can help us move forward. The bottom line is believing in ourselves because our minds are the most powerful tool we have to help us achieve our dreams.

Can Journaling Help Keep Us Healthy?

There seems to be a fair amount of evidence that journaling is an effective tool in healthy weight loss management. I’m not talking about simply putting together charts and graphs about your age, height, weight, what you eat and how far you walked. I believe journaling can provide an outlet for expressing ones thoughts and feelings. Allowing us to express things that we need to get out in the open or at least on the written page. 

Daily journaling engages us to self-monitor, but more importantly check in, which is essentially a conversation we have with ourselves. It also provides an opportunity to repeat the best practices in our new healthy lifestyle choices until they become more intrinsic and natural to us. It is therapeutic, and helps bring a daily level of awareness to the issues you we’re grappling with.

Journaling about the stresses in our lives – recognizing what might be getting in the way of our success helps put perspective around and focus on what we might be doing to sabotage ourselves and some very simple steps we could take to get back on track.

Tags: mindfulness , self reflection , healthy lifestyles , journaling .

Weighing In: Show Menu Calories Next To Prices Federal Judge Tells New York Restaurants

On Wednesday April 16th, a federal judge ruled that some New York City restaurants must list the calories of dishes alongside menu prices.

Opponents of the law, the New York State Restaurant Association had claimed this law infringed upon free speech, but Judge Richard J. Holwell of the United States District Court dismissed that argument.  In his 27 page ruling opinion, the judge decided that displaying calories alongside prices will enable consumers to make healthy eating choices. 

"The judge's ruling means that any restaurant chain with 15 or more nationwide outlets will have to display calorie counts on menus, menu display boards and food tags. The health department told the New York Times this covers about 10 per cent of the City's restaurants, around 2,000 in all.

The ruling is due to take effect [today], but the restaurant association said it would be asking for it to be held back pending an appeal.

A spokesman for the restaurant association told the Times that if the ruling went ahead and then had to be withdrawn after a successful appeal, it would cause "irreparable harm".

The association maintains that restaurants should make their own decision whether to show the calorie count of a dish on the menu, as with any other information about the nutritional value of the food it serves."

(Read full article in Medical News Today)

New York City has a much higher incidence in obesity and type 2 diabetes compared to the rest of the nation. Proponents of the new measure hope that it will lead to a lower incidence of these diseases. Dr Thomas Frieden, New York City's commissioner for health, told the New York Times that Judge Holwell's decision was a "victory for New Yorkers."

Your turn to weigh in

New Yorkers interviewed by the New York Daily News appeared to be in favor of the judge's ruling.  But we'd like to hear from you. 

Do you think this new ruling will help consumers fight obesity?  Let us know what you think!

Healthy Living: It's Cherry Blossom Time!

Two of the most beautiful things in the world involve cherries. One is baked cherry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and the other is the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C.

From March 29th through April 13th you can explore and enjoy one of our nation’s most gorgeous sights. Japanese cherry trees in bloom exploding with clouds of delicate pink and white blossoms. These famous trees were originally a gift from Japan in 1912. For many, they signal the coming of Spring and can be seen in abundance surrounding the Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin.

Turns out there may be three things that make cherries particularly special - especially those of the tart variety. Some of you may have read about a recent study that came out today suggesting tart cherries might help prevent belly fat.

The study, conducted at the University of Michigan Cardio Protection Research Laboratory, discovered that rats which were given whole tart cherry powder mixed into a high-fat diet were less likely to build up fat in their bellies. Another nifty finding is that these same rats gained weight less quickly and their blood had lower levels of inflammation factors which are typically linked to heart disease and diabetes.

Of course, the tart cherry theory hasn't been tested on human beans just yet. However, the results were promising, in that belly fat and favorable effects on blood levels were visible even when diets were comprised of high fat. Who knows, maybe cherries will turn out to be a real fat buster. I was encouraged to learn that the recommended dose wasn't the typical inedible 50 bushels or 500 pounds. In this case, scientists suggested just a cup and ½ of tart cherries a day.

                                                                                                   Someone pass the pie…

Tags: tart cherries , lipids , healthy lifestyles , belly fat .

Celebrating Mom

Good grief, it's April! Before you know it, it will be Mother's Day. At my house, mother's day is celebrated by allowing mom to relax and refrain from her motherly duties for a day, accompanied by breakfast in bed and a fresh flower or two lovingly placed on a tray. Aww...

But what about the rest of the year? Why not spread the love all month long?

Green Mountain at Fox Run invites you to join them for their 5th annual Mother/Daughter/Sister Program beginning May 1st. Think about celebrating your mom, your daughter or sister by celebrating your journey to good health.

• Discover familial, historical and cultural influences that affect how we as women feel about our bodies and, therefore, how we take care of them. The mother-daughter relationship is the earliest and most significant influence.

• Explore more deeply the complex ways in which food and body shape/size impact women of all ages today.

• If you're the mother of a college-age daughter who struggles with eating and eating disorders, you can learn how to be supportive, to make a big difference for your daughter who is under much more pressure to ‘be thin' for today's standards of beauty.

• Enjoy adventures together – just like you used to. Hike forested New England trails, or try Pilates or yoga for the very first time.

• Learn new ways to take care of yourself and each other. At the end of the day, pamper yourself with any assortment of spa treatments.

Enrollment is limited. For more information, call (800) 448-8106 or (802) - M-F, 9am-5pm EST. Or register online to reserve your spot now. Make sure to mention Mother-Daughter Month in the ‘Special Comments’ section.

Tags: Mother's Day , healthy eating , healthy lifestyles , body image .

Triggers for Emotional Eating

Emotional eating is something we all engage in from time to time. For example, it's normal to celebrate with food, and sometimes nothing is more comforting than food. Still, it can get the best of us if we turn to food too often.

Annette Colby, PhD, nutritionist, therapist and author of several helpful books that look at issues such as emotional eating, lists the top 10 emotions we turn to food to help us with:

1. Feeling disempowered to change your life
2. Feeling overwhelmed or trapped and not knowing how to move forward
3. Unresolved stress and anxiety
4. Perfectionist attitudes or fear of making mistakes or failing
5. Loneliness or Boredom
6. Having a sense of insecurity
7. Feeling undeserving of the abundance and pleasure life has to offer
8. Low self-esteem or poor self-image
9. Eating to hide an emptiness inside
10. A sense of feeling deprived caused by dieting or "being good" with food

Lists like these are useful because it can be hard to figure out what's driving emotional eating sometimes. But that's the first step in overcoming emotional eating -- becoming aware of why we're doing it. Only then can we come up with strategies that will truly help us.

Check out Annette's site and her books for more useful information on emotional eating and other issues that get in the way of our being the best we can be. Check out our Green Mountain site, too, for articles we've written on emotional eating that offer specific strategies for a myriad of reasons we emotionally eat.

When Is a Diet Not a Diet?

My colleagues on this blog may have already posted on this -- I know we've personally talked about it a few times before -- but regardless, I feel the need to post now. Everywhere I look it seems I see Weight Watchers' new ad that says they are not a diet! What a disservice! Any program that has you counting points, calories, grams or even watching your weight in relation to what you eat is a diet!!!

Karin Kratina, a consultant for our program at Green Mountain, may have said it best on her great site Nourishing Connections:

...is the diet industry simply promoting a diet in disguise? To decide, ask yourself, “Does this program promote looking outside of my body’s wisdom and signals to determine how much and what I should eat?” If the answer even hints of “yes,” then it is still a diet.

Staying true to yourself and your body's wisdom when the diet industry bombards you with messages about what, how, when and where you should eat, how you should exercise, how you should manage emotional eating, etc., etc., etc....well, it's difficult, to say the least. But notice a theme here? Notice the word 'should'? Change it to 'want' and you're getting somewhere.

We've talked about intrinsic fitness motivation before, and I encourage you to go back and review. Mindful eating is the same; it implies that we are eating according to internally-directed desires. When it comes to whether a diet is a diet or not, that's the bottom line. If we're having to depend on external things like points or whatever it is a diet has you count, instead of following the internal cues that guide us, then we're dieting, no matter what the ads say.

Healthy Eating - Ten Best Tips For Managing Food Cravings

Most women who participate in the healthy weight management program at Green Mountain at Fox Run, confess they struggle with managing food cravings. When you're in the midst of a food craving cycle, the idea of creating a healthy eating plan seems more like someone taking away your emotional blankie than a good idea. "What about my ice cream, potato chips, pasta, chocolate...(fill in the blank)..?"

To help you adopt a healthy eating plan that includes the foods you crave, try these 10 Green Mountain Tips:

1. Think "management" instead of "control." "Control" implies an adversarial relationship with food; it's gnerally a constant struggle to maintain control. "Management" is much easier. When we manage something, we work with it to achieve our desired results.

2. Eat at least three well-balanced meals a day. Don't skip meals! You'll only be hungrier for the next one. It's a normal physiological reaction to crave food if you're hungry.

3. Give up guilt. One brownie never made anyone fat, but your attitude about eating brownies or any foods you consider forbidden can make you fat. Believing you have 'cheated' on your diet, and therefore having ruined your chances of success, will produce feelings of failure and guilt. Allow yourself your favorite foods in moderation, without guilt.

4. Accept food cravings as a normal part of living in a food-oriented society.  Everyone experiences food cravings, regardless of whether they struggle with their weight. The more you understand cravings, the more manageable they become. Food cravings can be caused by physical cues and emotional cues. Although you cannot necessarily emliminate all cravings, you can manage your reation.

5. Look at cravings as suggestions to eat, not commands to onverindulge. Overeating does not have to be an automatic response to craving. Take charge. When a craving begins, determine how you want to deal with it.

6. Believe that cravings will pass. Researchers have found that people believe a craving will continue to intensifiy until they give into it. In truth, a craving is similar to a wave in the ocean. It grows in intensity, peaks and then subsides if you don't give into it. The more you practice riding the wave, the easier it will become.

7. Disarm your cravings with the 5 D's.

Delay - at least 10-15 mintues before you eat.

Distract - yourself by engaging in an activity that requires concentration and is not compatible with eating.

Distance - yourself from food - leave the room, ask the waiter to remove your plate, take steps (literally) to get yourself in a non-food environment

Determine - how important it is to eat the craved food and how much you really want it.

Decide - what amount is reasonable and appropriate to start with. Eat it mindfully and enjoy!

8. Stop labeling foods as 'bad', 'illegal' or 'forbidden. It's not the food. It's the manner i which you may consume it and how often you consume it. You can eat some of anything you want - even if it is high in fat, calories, sugar or salt - but if you want to reach your healthy fitness goals, you may not be able to eat all of what you think you want

9. Aim for moderation instead of abstinence.  Avoiding things you fear only reinforce your fear. If you think you can never eat certain foods again, you may feel driven to eat as much as you can whenever you can. Explore what you really want. Is it really food? Or do you want well-being too.

10. Exercise regularly. Exercise is the key to managing food cravings. Rather than burn calories, one of the most important contributions of regular exercis is a relief from tension and stress. It is also a very healthy way to delay, distract and distance yourself from food.

Tags: managing food cravings , mindful eating , healthy lifestyles , riding the wave .

Weighing In: Spring Break Weight Loss Panic

In researching today's blog post, I've come across some unsettling comments and articles about the intense pressure young women feel when spring break or 'bikini season' comes around. 

For example, there was a disturbing response on Yahoo Answers to the following question: "I want to lose weight over spring break (about 10 days)...What's a daily routine I should do everyday as far as when to eat and when to exercise and which exercises?"  The answer: "Binge, purge, binge, purge." 

There were other healthy and sensible answers, of course, but this cynical response is a scary reminder of how the annual 'spring break' or 'bikini season' pressure on women to lose weight has not only become part of American culture but also the impetus for unhealthy diets and even eating disorders.

"Spring break is one of the most dangerous times of the year for young women struggling with their weight," said Liz Lagasse, a nutritionist specializing in eating disorders at GatorWell Health Promotion Services at the University of Florida.

Marili Rivera, a 2006 Florida State University graduate, described the pre-spring-break ritual scene in her sorority house as an extreme weight-loss competition.

"We all wanted to look hot in our bikinis, and the rush to lose weight was almost contagious," she said.

Unhealthy fad diets like Kimkins, group dieting, and extreme weight loss or pro-ana sites (read Is Your Child Inspired by Thin) may actually promote eating disorders which can result in lifelong mental and physical problems for women. According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) "as many as 10 million females and 1 million males are fighting a life and death battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia" in the United States.

Individuals and Families Make a Difference

NEDA's site stresses that "real people - individuals and families - are the strongest advocates" for increasing public awareness, access to treatment, and funding for research to help change our thin-obsessed culture.

As our previous post 'A Time of Change' points out, "Spring represents change at its best -- a time of growth, a time of awakening, a time to celebrate." With the Easter holiday and upcoming Passover, we are reminded of how important family support is for all of us to either make healthy lifestyle changes or to help others do the same.

Overcoming Exercise Obstacles

Today's a perfect day to post on this subject. We have a torrent of icy rain covering the snow that has been rained on previously, then followed by cold weather, so much so that it's now a nice pile of ice from which I can step onto my roof without much trouble. Needless to say, we're looking forward to Spring around these parts!

Also needless to say, my motivation to step outside for a refreshing walk (or to add to my daily steps)isn't too high at the moment. Still, I'll probably make it to the elliptical at some point today, just because it will help me feel better. After 30 years of pretty regular exercise, I'm very clear that I feel better after I do it, even though I may not want to do it some days.

The title of this post has to do with overcoming some of those motivation killers when it comes to physical activity. In this case, however, I want to talk about fears about exercise -- fears that people are watching us -- and laughing; fears that we're so out of shape we can't keep up in class or when out on a walk with friends; fears that we'll injure ourselves. These are frequent fears that we hear at our women's weight loss retreat Green Mountain at Fox Run, from the women who come to us for help in overcoming exercise obstacles like this. We address them regularly, but recently posted a new FitBriefing on our site that addresses these specific fears. Read this article "Overcoming Exercise Fears: Yes, You Can!" for tips that will help you get past these issues, and get on with taking good care of yourself. And in the coming wonderful outdoors months of summer in North America, you just might find yourself donning those sneakers and getting outside to enjoy. Or if you're facing winter in coming months in another part of the world, consider all the wonderful sports of winter that we've grown just a bit tired of at this point!

Weighing In: Clothes Sizing for Real Women

While putting an outfit back on the rack in a plus-size clothing store, my mother was approached by a saleswoman on the floor.

"That dress hasn't been selling," the woman remarked. "Can you tell me why you put it back?"  My mother replied, "Because it's made for an apple, and I'm a pear." 

"Ahhhh," said the saleswomen, "I never thought of that."

Department Store Disenfranchisement

Most women find it difficult to shop for clothes because the fashion industry is out of step with real women.  The discouragement and frustration women feel while clothes shopping, and the negative impact that can have on women's body image and self-esteem is finally prompting some European countries to step in.

"Buying clothes that fit can be difficult," says Louise Wannier, CEO of the My Shape clothing line, "especially since there's no standardization in women's sizes, and most clothes are designed only according to one particular body shape."

In fact, according to new research conducted by Spain, 41% of women have trouble finding clothes that fit. Now health authorities in Spain are suggesting a major overhaul of clothes sizes for women in the EU.

Discovering the Obvious?

Using results of a laser-mapping study, which analyzed the body shape of over 10,000 women aged 12-70, researchers have 'discovered' women that have three main body types: cylinder (similar measurements for bust, waist and hips), diábolo (or hourglass), and bell (pear-shaped). 

In what also seems like a no-brainer,  Spanish researchers 'found out' that women's body shape generally changes with age. Teens start out with a cylinder shape, morph into an hourglass shape (around age 30-60), then, in later years, to a bell shape.

Forgive me, but did we really need a study to determine that? 

Shaping Up the 'Dummies' in the Clothing Industry

Spain's newly proposed method for clothes sizing will include a three-point measure (bust, waist, and hips). There may also be a height indicator.

"Forget the sizes we use now," Bernat Soria, UK's health minister, said last week, adding, "We are moving toward a new system, which I hope will better reflect women's real measurements." via IHT

Just think about it... Women's clothing made on the basis of actual measurements! Wow. How revolutionary. Forgive my sarcasm, but I just had to return several outfits over the weekend...

Healthy Living - Spring Ahead and Fall Back.

Yippee! Saturday night (well, technically at 2 a.m. on Sunday), we can all set our clocks ahead  - think SPRINGTIME!

In honor of spring I thought it would be a good idea to try and put a little spring in my step by going out to do some shopping this weekend.  It's time for some new workout threads and I was reminded how invigorating it can be tossing out the old and bringing in something brand spanky new. 

Even exchanging your dingy socks with a fresh pair of crispy white ones can put a skip in your step.  Replacing your old tired tees and tennies with ones that are comfortable and well suited to your workout can make a big difference.  Clothes that stretch, breathe and most importantly fit!   

I think it is important to ‘gear up’ for exercise the same way you do for any other event that is important to you.  I’m not implying you go out and buy the most expensive athletic wear you can find just to prove how serious you are.  Or waiting one more minute to go out for a walk because you don’t think you have ‘the right clothes’.  I’m talking about making a commitment to your new active lifestyle by treating your fitness activity and more importantly your body with respect. 

When you start a fitness routine you figure out all kinds of things.  Too many layers, not enough layers, shirts that pull and drag as you sweat… or the dreaded undies that ride up or bras that give way under duress.  It’s important to appreciate the kind of exercise you’ll be doing when putting together exercise apparel that will endure your workout and keep you feeling comfortable.

At ‘A Weight Lifted’ we appreciate that shopping for good athletic wear can be challenging.  In the next few weeks we’ll be adding a shopping link to our blog featuring athletic wear, books and tapes we think you may find useful.  In the mean time, here are a few links that could assist you in gearing up for your next fitness adventure! 

Shop Fitwoman 

A Big Attitude

Danskin

Tags: intrinsic exercise , walking , women's active wear , fitness .

Sleeping Well, Eating Well, Living Well

It's National Sleep Awareness Week! I know -- pretty exciting stuff. Sarcasm aside, getting enough sleep is basic to good health and healthy weights. It's estimated that one-third of people in the US suffer from chronic sleep loss. With so many of us also struggling with healthy weight loss, it makes sense to pay attention to this problem.

The link between adequate sleep and healthy weights has to do with hormones. According to the National Sleep Foundation, if we don't get enough sleep, it may affect our levels of the hormone leptin, which regulates carbohydrate metabolism. Low levels of leptin can cause carbohydrate cravings, "...regardless of the amount of calories consumed."

The Sleep Foundation also points out that adequate sleep may also be part of a type 2 diabetes program. It cites a small study on 11 healthy young adults that showed after several nights of only four hours a night of sleep, "their ability to process blood glucose had declined, in some cases to a pre-diabetic state, prompting their bodies to produce more insulin."

And that's the tip of the iceberg when it comes to negative effects of not enough sleep. Here are a few tips from the National Sleep Foundation to help you get your zzzzz's.

At night:

Establish a regular bedtime routine and a regular sleep-wake schedule. That means getting up at the same time every day of the week, no matter how much you've slept the night before, and going to bed at about the same time.
Don't spend too much time in bed. Your time in bed should be about the same as the amount of time you can actually sleep during the night. You can't force yourself to sleep by spending more time in bed.
Do not eat or drink too much before bedtime.
Create a sleep-promoting environment that is quiet, dark, cool and comfortable.

During the day:

Consume less or no caffeine, particularly late in the day.
Avoid alcohol and nicotine, especially close to bedtime.
Exercise, but not within three hours before bedtime.
Avoid naps, particularly in the late afternoon or evening.
Establish a regular bedtime and get up at the same time every day. Do not stay in bed to make- up for lost sleep or beyond your regular rise time.
Keep a sleep diary to identify your sleep habits and patterns that you can share with your doctor.

Mindful Eating/Intuitive Eating Case Studies

I just have to share this post and comments about mindful eating or intuitive eating from the blog Shapely Prose, which I recently learned about. It's one of the best real-life discussions of mindful eating or intuitive eating that I've seen. I don't want to take away from its thunder by excerpting it because it's really valuable to spend the time reading the whole thing, including all the comments. One note: The person who let me know about it felt compelled to say that it does contain some !@# language, so I guess I should also notify you about it.

Becoming a mindful eater/intuitive eater is a major step in eating well to be healthy. For some of us, it paves the way to healthy weight loss -- that is weight loss that occurs because we've gotten our bodies to higher than healthy weights because of all the unmindful/non-intuitive eating that we've done, largely the result of dieting or the diet mentality. At the very least, mindful eating can lead the way to peaceful eating, which is a huge step forward in achieving the goal of health and happiness.

After you've read the post on mindful eating/intuitive eating, bookmark the blog so you can read other entries, too. It's a great place to spend some time!

Healthy Living - Sometimes All You Can Do Is Laugh

Author Unknown ~ (but not unrecognizable!)

Dear Diary,

For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am still in great shape since being a high school cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try. I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear. My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress

MONDAY:
Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess -- with blonde hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile Woo Hoo!! Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring! Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!

TUESDAY:
I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Belinda's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile I feel GREAT! It's a whole new life for me.

WEDNESDAY:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot. Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for early in the morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life.

THURSDAY:
Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late, it took me that long to tie my shoes. Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. She had to come find me. Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine -- which I sank.

FRIDAY:
I hate Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it. Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the darn barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill flung me off and I landed on the nutritionist. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?

SATURDAY:
Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her made me want to smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.

SUNDAY:
I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank God that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my daughter (the little pischer) will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!

For some authentic information about finding a good trainer - go here.

Tags: intrinsic joy of exercise , how much exercise is enough? , healthy lifestyles , body image .

Love: What My Cat Taught Me About Self Acceptance

Valentine's Day is Thursday, and it's a special time for celebrating our love of friends and family.  For me, that includes my two cats. As this week's Beauty Tip suggests (quote below), giving and receiving love is bliss.

"There is only one happiness in life: to love and be loved."
~ George Sand

It is also a blessing: my cats are one of the single most important sources of love, loyalty and acceptance.

Charles Dickens: "What greater gift than the love of a cat?"

We also accept are pets for who they are, enjoy their uniqueness and are amused by their idiosyncrasies. Our pets don't care if we lose weight or go up a size, wear frumpy clothes or our finery.  They just LOVE us. In return, we usually dote on them more than on most of the humans in our lives because of this wonderful, pure unconditional love. 

And isn't that exactly the kind of love we seek - and often fail - to give ourselves?

Learning to Love Yourself

If you pay attention, your cat can teach you a thing or two.  How to live in the moment, savor a warm patch of sun, relax and unwind. You might even learn to love yourself a little more.  After all, you can't be all that bad if you've won the heart of such a remarkable creature!

So this Valentine's Day, revel in the freedom to be yourself - enjoy YOUR uniqueness. Remove any conditions you may have placed on yourself in order to permit self-acceptance, feel beautiful, or be worthy of love and respect. Accept and love yourself for the fact that you exist rather than for what you do.

That is, see yourself through your cats' adoring eyes.

For more helpful tips, read "Accept Your Wonderful Self." Today's post in loving tribute to Malley, 16, picture above right.

Healthy Cooking vs. Healthy Eating Out

I was sitting in on a cooking class at Green Mountain yesterday where Chef Jon was talking about adding flavor to foods. His lively presentation showed how to make healthy eating fun. And his food proves he knows of what he speaks. Interesting combinations of ingredients that are often jazzed up by clever spicing.

At the end of the class, a participant noted that she just couldn't get up the interest in cooking for herself -- she lives alone and is surrounded by really good restaurants. My first response was that you can eat healthfully when eating out. In a good restaurant, there are generally lots of choices that don't spell trouble for healthy eating. Consider these ideas:

- Go simple. The more complicated a dish, the richer it is likely to be. Likewise, the more items we order, the more we're tempted to eat. So consider whether you really want an appetizer and an entree. If the appetizer really appeals, can you make it your entree?

- Listen to your body. If you really want the richer dish, remember that our bodies are very good at giving us signals when we've had enough...if we listen. Tune into those internal cues. They're likely to tell you that finishing the whole serving of fettucini alfredo isn't something your body wants. In general, restaurant portions are enough for a couple of meals.

- Go well-fed. That doesn't mean to eat right before you go. But you don't want to skip meals or 'save calories' in order to 'eat what you want.' All that does is set you up for overeating out of hunger. The fact is, the more well nourished we are over time -- that means regularly eating well-balanced meals and snacks that provides our bodies with sustenance -- the stronger we will be at making supportive choices when faced with a variety.

- Eat what you want on a regular basis. If you deprive yourself of foods you like, you'll be more vulnerable to food in general, less likely to be able to resist external cues that call to you to eat richer foods and more of them. Design your daily meals and snacks to include the foods you like. That way, when putting together a special meal, whether it be at home or in a restaurant, you'll be better able to balance your choices so that you enjoy the meal and enjoy what you feel like after.

Bon appetit!

Staying on Track with Healthy Eating

Our FitBriefing alert for the month of January alluded to lagging New Year's resolutions. It's pretty predictable. We start out strong the first of the year with our get healthy and lose weight resolutions, but as the month goes on, well, life does get in the way.

One thing that goes first for many food and weight strugglers are healthy eating resolutions. And many of us agree that diets often seem easier to follow than eating mindfully, because all the decisions are taken away. Diets tell us what to eat -- and what not to eat -- so we don't have to spend a lot of time thinking about it.

We can marry the eating structure of diets with the concept of mindful eating. It's all in how we think about it. In truth, eating structure goes a long way towards helping us stay on track with healthy eating and start to feel well and lose weight if we need to. Read our FitBriefing "Healthy Eating for Healthy Weight Loss: It May Look Like a Diet but It's How You Think About It" to understand this idea more, and start to put it in place in your life. This concept can make the difference between staying with our New Year's resolutions to eat well and reverting to old eating habits that don't get us where we want to go.

Btw, if you want notice each time we post a new FitBriefing, sign up here (if you don't want our brochure, just say so in the box for comments).

Food Cravings for Calories, Not Carbs

It wasn't a surprise to read a press release on a recent study conducted at Tufts University on food cravings. Researcher Susan Roberts said, ""The findings [of this study] suggest that cravings are for calories, not carbohydrate, as is widely assumed." Although foods craved do contain carbohydrate, they often contain fat and protein, too.

The study then went on to say that food cravings are normal (91 percent of people report having them), but it appears that dieting increases the frequency. Which makes sense, of course -- when we're hungry, we crave food! No rocket science there.

In this month dubbed National Diet Month, it's useful info to keep in mind as many of us seek healthy weight loss. When we start craving food, it's a good sign that we need it. It's not a sign that we're weak willed.

If you're having trouble managing food cravings, think first whether you really need to eat. Then, if you're not hungry, but still craving, could deprivation be at work? When we cut out foods in the belief that they 'make us fat' or somehow interfere with weight loss, we might set ourselves up for wanting them even more. Think moderation, not elimination if this is the case for you.

Tags:
healthy eating ,
food cravings ,
healthy weight loss ,
diet

When Getting Your ZZZ’s Seems like Mission Impossible

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there is more and more evidence that lack of sleep contributes to a host of health conditions like, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression. We’ve written on this topic on several occasions, and the news just keeps getting worse.

It seems every year the recommended amount of sleep we're supposed to get increases. The standard recommendation by the National Sleep Association is now 7 to 9 hours. Can you imagine getting 9 hours of sleep? I long for that much sleep. The last time I remember sleeping more than 4 or 5 hours in one shot was after a typical 3 day sleep drought - and that just seems more like passing out then restful sleep!

So, today I read that it’s possible I might be losing sleep at night because my cell phone is too close to my head while I slumber. Yes, indeed! A new study* conducted by Bengt Arnetz, a Wayne State University professor and lead author of the study found that radiation from cell phones delayed the onset of sleep and shortened deeper stages of sleep. When the body doesn’t have adequate time to repair itself, there is more chance you’ll suffer long term health problems.

So, for now, I'll sleep with my cell phone in the kitchen - where it belongs - and hope for the best.

Check out more recommendations how to get a more restful night sleep here.

*This study was published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Progress in Electromagnetics Research Symposium and funded by the Mobile Manufacturers Forum, an international association of radio communications equipment manufacturers.

Tags: sleep deprivation , mindful , healthy lifestyles , relaxation .

Weighing In for Healthy Weight Loss?

According to an article in last Sunday’s Parade magazine, the first step in losing weight is to buy a scale. The article cites a Brown University study that showed daily weigh-ins are key to weight loss. I looked up the study and see that it really says daily weigh-ins helped their study participants keep lost weight off. Either way, though, I beg to disagree with the advice.

One of my colleagues said it best when she noted that daily weighing is essentially a way to trigger obsessive thinking about weight. And that it’s a surefire way to give yourself the eating disorder experience. People with eating disorders generally maintain weight loss pretty easily. The discussion then went to the fact that people don’t really understand that disordered eating is more than starving or throwing up. It encompasses a whole realm of chaotic behaviors around food and body that do not support well-being, indeed detract mightily from it.

Another colleague suggested that if you’re thinking about weighing, whether it be daily, weekly, monthly or whenever, ask yourself how it affects you. Does it change your mood? Does it consistently make you feel positive? For most of us, likely not.

I compare weighing to the store window that we walk by, and when we’re not feeling good about our bodies, see our reflection and fall into despair. I’d wager that many of us feel that way when we get on the scale. The last thing that we feel like doing when we don’t like the number on the scale is to feed ourselves well or go have some fun physical activity. Instead, it often triggers a downward spiral of emotional eating that ends with depression.

We don’t really need a number to tell us whether we’re at a healthy weight that feels right for us. Instead of weighing, why not keep track of our healthy behaviors such as healthy eating and physical activity, and if we need to, even keep a journal that tracks our eating and physical activity so we can objectively see how well we are doing (important point: this isn’t in order to judge ourselves if we don’t eat well or be active one day; it’s just to see our overall patterns better). When we establish healthy behaviors that become our pattern over time, our weight will reach a happy, healthy place for each of us. And it will feel great getting there.

Tags: healthy eating , weight loss , weighing in , weight loss scale

Love Your Body and Get Naked!

So, is Carson Kressley’s new show "How To Look Good Naked", a marketing gimmick or fo