We are so bombarded these days by diet and appearance messages from the media, not to mention those we hang out with, family, pretty much anywhere you go. In fact, Dove recently put out another short film in their “Campaign for Real Beauty” program called “Onslaught” that illustrates this point very well. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend you check it out. It’s great!
With all the focus on weight loss, dieting and messages that tell us our weight determines our worth, it’s great to hear about a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. There is a lot to this study and if you have children it’s really important to read it. One especially important finding was that teasing and/or putting pressure on overweight children to diet led to increased obesity and binge eating five years later. Of course many of us already know this, having been there and done that as children.
While I never was teased or pressured to diet as a child (my binge eating issues were more of a control issue), I have worked with many clients who experienced this. Many members of the Intuitive Eating Support Group have also shared their stories of being overweight as children. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to hear these stories and to see how many years of suffering it has caused.
I hope this study will help us continue to grow the non-diet movement and encourage those who have influence over children to rethink the way we encourage health and balance in our lives.
Please spread the word! Here's the story.
One other quick note - I just found out about what sounds like an incredible cruise where you will join Memory Fitness Consultant Kathryn Kilpatrick for the Busyness and Forgetfulness program. It's a five day western Caribbean cruise in February 2008. Click here for more information.
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A Special Opportunity to Make a Difference and Take Care of Yourself!
You may remember a couple of months ago I was invited to discuss Intuitive Eating on the Donate Your Weight Podcast. This month Sheri from Donate Your Weight has a very special campaign going to benefit world hunger. How many times were you told to eat everything on your plate because of the "starving children in China" (or whatever country it was for you)? Well now you can actually do something to help without eating more than you really want. A perfect combination. Here's more info from Sheri:
If you could eliminate emotional eating, you would also eliminate your weight problem and if you could somehow send all the extra food to starving people in the world, you might also eliminate world hunger. This month, Donate Your Weight is trying to do its part in making both things happen. October is Hunger Awareness Month and Donate Your Weight is commemorating with a series of podcasts and weekly tips to help you overcome habit and emotional hunger as well as a fundraiser for CARE, an organization that not only feeds starving children but also empowers women. Every $10 you donate earns you a raffle ticket. You can win great prizes that will help you overcome your struggles and live a healthier, happier life. Visit DonateYourWeight.org today and make a difference.
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Given the recent study about children and pressure to diet, I decided to reprint this article I ran last year and that you can find in my report from my website.
The following is an excerpt from Healthier Outcomes’ special report, “6 Simple Steps to Guilt-Free Eating” available in its entirety at HealthierOutcomes.com:
Over my years of experience and training in fitness, weight loss, and health, it is no surprise to me that diets have a depressing 5.2% success rate. And I also know through personal and professional experience that it is possible for people to eat their favorite foods without feeling guilty or punishing themselves, and lose and then maintain their weight.
The weight loss industry has led many to believe that they are failures for not being able to lose weight and keep it off, but the fact is if you were successful, the weight loss industry would have no way to squeeze your hard-earned money out of you. Keep this in mind – there are thousands of diets, with more appearing each day. Does it make sense that as the diet and weight loss industry grows, so does the obesity in this country?
The Challenge
The primary reason diets don’t work is what the American Dietetic Association has labeled “Diet deprivation backlash” – this comes from black and white or “good” vs. “bad” thinking surrounding food – we feel shame when eating “bad” or “unhealthy”. When you go on a diet and restrict certain foods, usually your favorite ones, you are much more likely to crave these foods, maybe even dream about them. Does this sound familiar?
Diet deprivation backlash simply means for every diet there is an equal and opposite binge. Let’s say you are on a diet and you get a craving for a cookie. Of course a cookie is forbidden, so you search for something that is allowed on your diet. As you make your way through carrots, rice cakes, pretzels, fruit, diet soda and sugarless gum, the craving does not go away. By the end of the day you give up and eat a cookie. But by this time, you are out of control and eat 6 cookies instead! At this point, you have eaten around 1000 calories (including the cookies) plus regular meals, when if you ate a cookie or two in the first place you may have consumed 200 calories and been able to focus on more important things. This scenario is played out in various ways by everyone who goes on a diet.
The Solution
This backlash is human nature. You are told (even if by yourself) that you can’t have a certain food. Therefore, it is all you can think about. Researchers have studied this phenomenon with interesting results.
In a study of a group of eight-year-old children, researchers put the group in a room with several bowls of candy and one bowl of carrots. They told the kids they could eat as much as they desired from any of the bowls, except the bowl of carrots. The amazing thing was that the kids ate a greater percentage of the carrots than the candy, simply because they were told NOT to eat them!
If you can refrain from labeling foods “good” or “bad”, you are on your way to ending the destructive diet and binge cycle. With every diet you go on, not only will you typically end up gaining more weight, but you lower your metabolism. By ending the dieting, you can maintain your weight and eventually lose it as your metabolism increases back to normal and by following the other guidelines in this report.
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I have had a lot of interest in the Am I Hungry? Teleworkshops that have been offered this year, but some of you that want to attend have not been able to due to scheduling conflicts. If you are interested, I would really appreciate you taking this 1-minute survey to let me know the best days and times for you. I hope to offer another teleworkshop very soon.
Click Here to take survey
To find out more about the Am I Hungry? Program, check out BreakOutofDietPrison.com
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I have the pleasure of being interviewed on Jane Carroll’s Loving Life Radio Show and you will be able to hear it Tuesday October 23rd at 8:00 pm EST or again on Wednesday October 24th at 2:00 pm EST at LovingLifeRadioShow.com. After that it will be archived and will be available for 24/7 download to iPod or mp3 as well as immediate play.
We’ll be discussing many aspects of the Intuitive Eating approach, why and how to overcome dieting and it’s destructive consequences, eating what you love guilt free, and much, much more!
More about the show: Loving Life Radio Show with host Jane Carroll, RN, BSN, Life Coach and Author of Bertha-Size Your Life!, is filled with humor and insight and is dedicated to helping women find happiness wherever they are along life’s journey. Loving Life Radio Show weekly shows feature interviews with nationally recognized experts on a variety of timely topics. The show streams Tuesdays at 8pm EST with repeats on Wednesdays at 2pm EST. 24/7 play on demand archives and downloadable links are also available. LovingLifeRadioShow.com
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October 2007
This month I am excited to introduce Carol Deckert of Referrals Unlimited Network. Carol is a networking expert and also runs her own networking group in her area as well as running the online LinkedIn Power Women networking group. Check out her expert advice on networking and stay tuned for more great information from Carol coming soon.
Build your Business by Building Relationships!
by Carol Deckert
Start with an attitude of gratitude and patience!
Listen to what others are saying. Most people love to talk about themselves and when you provide that opportunity for them to do that, conversation(s) will eventually turn around to what you do. At that point, you don’t want to have an “elevator speech,” 30-60 second commercial/infomercial; instead be prepared to tell others how you can solve a client’s pain! Tell stories of the problem(s) some customers have experienced and how you delivered a solution for them. Help them understand what you do in such a way that they can repeat to others what you do – be clear, concise, and memorable and you will become repeatable and referable! When you can tell others what you do in 30-60 seconds in a way that captures their attention, lets them know whom you do business with and how it helps others and leaves them wanting to know more, you have made an impression. Be memorable in a way that is a genuine reflection of you.
Keep-in-touch with your clients, prospects and suspects!
Maintain a database of your customers and clients and keep in touch with them. Send emails, articles of interest, postcards, or a holiday greeting. As a rule of thumb, keep in touch with your past customers no less than three times a year. Set yourself apart from the crowd by sharing some tidbit of information that your prospect may be interested in! As you read your mail, surf the web, digest your emails, keep your clients, prospects and even your suspects, in mind. Do you know what they like to do for fun and relaxation? Do they have a favorite sports team? How easy is it to send an email – “How about those Cowboys!” Find a reason to stay in touch and do it often.
Ask for Referrals – If you don’t ask, you won’t receive!
Be sure to let your clients and customers know that your really appreciate their business and are building your business by referral. If they are happy with your services or product, ask them if they could think of others who might be able to use you or your services. When they give you a referral (leave a self-addressed envelope for them,) send them a handwritten note along with a small gift such as a gift certificate to Starbucks or maybe some ice cream? Ask your customers if there is some way you can help them build their business as well.
Join a Chamber of Commerce
Join a local Chamber of Commerce and attend mixers, networking events and volunteer on committees. Extend your hand to new members, be a resource for others and get known in your community. New Chamber members are drawn to those smiling volunteers willing to help them meet others.
Commitment and reliability!
Commit to doing only what you know you can achieve. Then make sure you go “over and above” what is expected! When you do more than you promised, you instantly become reliable and credible.
Let others help you!
The truth is that most people don’t know what they need and they certainly “don’t know what they don’t know!” Remember, if you don’t ask, the answer is always “no”. There was once a cartoon that said what we lack in “know how” we make up for in “know who!” Networking is simply allowing ourselves to be a resource for others and allowing others to be a resource for us. It is really about relationships and connections with the people we meet.
Carol has built her business entirely by networking and word-of-mouth offline since 1993 and has been networking online since 2004. Networking is a passion of Carol's and she quickly realized that not everyone knows how to network or build quality business relationships effectively and efficiently. Having participated in many business networking groups, and becoming increasingly frustrated, Carol found that most groups are focusing on the details that are not important to building relationships. Referrals Unlimited Network debuted in January 2007 for the sole purpose of educating business people on building relationships.
© 2007 Carol Deckert, Referrals Unlimited Network. Questions or comments? carol@runlancaster.com or visit our website for more information www.runlancaster.com
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The Bad News
Body Image, or the way you think and feel about your body, exerts a strong influence on your self-confidence and quality of life. In fact, some studies have shown a link between a negative body image and depression, according to Barbara Brehm, Ed. D., professor of exercise and sports studies at Smith College.
Body Image includes not only physical appearance, but also judgment of what we see. We often compare ourselves to the bodies we see in the media, and whether we can meet those standards. Some people place a great deal of importance on their appearance, and if they do not meet their expectations, they develop a negative body image, which may negatively affect self-esteem.
While it is normal to be concerned about your weight and how you look, spending a great deal of time worrying about your appearance can cause stress, anxiety, and depression, and even prevent you from enjoying your life. In extreme cases, this worry can lead to harmful behaviors including eating disorders and drug abuse.
The Good News
Participation in physical activity may improve your body image. This improvement is not limited to enhancing your physical appearance by losing inches or improving muscle tone. Studies show that people who participate in regular exercise may begin to appreciate their bodies in new ways. They may feel stronger, more confident, have better posture, or be proud of themselves for sticking to their exercise programs. In addition, people who exercise regularly may feel less stressed and more energetic, which can reduce feelings of depression and anxiety.
How Can You Improve Your Body Image?
Researchers have found several behaviors associated with body image resilience, or the ability to feel good about your appearance despite falling short of society’s standards of perfection. Consider adopting some of these behaviors:
- Instead of focusing on how much happier you would be if you looked different, focus instead on developing a healthy lifestyle to look and feel your best. Try to appreciate all your body can do.
- Exercise for positive reasons – to reduce stress, anxiety and depression, and to increase energy levels, sleep better and feel stronger. Find activities you enjoy, and relish your body’s strength, power, health and vitality.
- Make peace with your genes. If you need to lose weight to be healthier, set realistic goals – usually no more than 10 percent weight loss, which is achieved in a healthful fashion and stays off.
- Develop your personal style. Carrying yourself with confidence and good posture has a lot to do with your body image and impression of yourself. Wear clothes that you love, that are comfortable, and that make you look and feel good.
- Work on coping strategies. Life is not always easy, but don’t blame your problems on your appearance. Cultivate effective strategies for coping with stress. Develop friendships that make you feel good about yourself! Recognize that health and fitness are means to an end: a life well lived!
Appreciate who you are and what you do everyday, and you will have a healthier outlook on both yourself and your life.
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