As a follow-up to last week's post, "Focus on Fitness, Not Weight Loss", I wanted to share this article about how to incorporate FUN physical activity into your life. Remember your fitness level may be more important to good health, than the size of your body!!
A few weeks back I watched a webinar (sponsored by the Psychotherapy Networker). The presenter was Dr. Linda Bacon, a researcher, professor and author, and she talked about the myths surrounding obesity.
Dr. Bacon emphasized that physical fitness rather than body weight was a more important indicator of health.
What I understood from Dr. Bacon's talk was that people with who are overweight, but are fit have similar death rates of those who are thin and exercise. In other words, if you are overweight and exercise regularly you are no more likely to die than people that are in a "healthy" weight range.
The problem that I see in my practice and Dr. Bacon pointed this out as well, is that more often than not people will exercise to help with weight loss, and when the attempts at weight loss through dieting fail (Remember there is not much scientific evidence that dieting works in the long-term.) the exercise stops as well.
So, my message to people, of all sizes, is if you want to increase your chances of living longer focus on fitness and less on weight loss.
To find out more about Dr. Bacon and her book Health at Every Size visit her website at: http://www.lindabacon.org/
1. Myth: Most people with eating disorders either have Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa.
False. The majority of people with eating disorders are diagnosed with Eating Disorder, NOS (not otherwise specified) and not Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa.
2. Myth: Eating Disorder, NOS is not a serious eating disorder.
False. Eating Disorder, NOS can be life threatening and cause just as much suffering to the individual and their family members as other types of eating disorders.
3. Myth: Treatment Options for Eating Disorder, NOS are not the same as for Anorexia or Bulimia Nervosa.
False. Treatment options are about the same for Eating Disorder, NOS as they are for Anorexia or Bulimia Nervosa. Treatment options include: outpatient, partial hospitalization, hospitalization and/or residential treatment.
I want to pass on this inspiring story about one Austinite's journey with weight loss. Once weighing more than 500 pounds, Hattie Montgomery, in her article "Determined to Live" discusses her triumphant story of weight loss.
What excited me most about Montgomery's article is her sharing with readers the emotional struggles she had with losing weight. So often the emotional component of losing weight is not talked about.
Whether you struggle with controlling your diabetes, emotional eating or with overeating this story is inspiring to all who read it!
The definition of lapse is a temporary decline from the expected outcome. Say for example you are trying to stop overeating and if you have an episode of overeating that is considered a lapse.
It doesn't matter which habit or behavior you are trying to change...arguing with a spouse, quitting smoking, improving body image, recovering from an eating disorder, starting an exercise plan, etc....LAPSES are part of the change process.
I like to introduce the concept of lapses to clients early on in our work, because it sets the expectation that behavior change is a PROCESS and that road bumps are NORMAL when we are trying to make changes in our lives.
The next time you try to change a behavior expect lapses, because they will happen. If you expect them you won't feel so defeated, they will be easier to navigate and most likely you will be more successful at changing the behavior.
I had the privilege of attending two of Anita's workshops and found them both helpful in my clinical practice and in my personal life. Anita is a dynamic speaker she makes use of storytelling, myths and metaphors in much of her work.
I must admit when I first heard Anita talk I thought to myself 'How can the use of storytelling be helpful?'. What I have learned is that storytelling, use of myth and metaphor is a powerful tool--it allows humans to connect to themselves in a different way than conventional talk therapy.
When we watch a touching movie, for example, we often identify with characters, have a strong emotional reactions and have a shared emotional experience.
Because Anita includes non-traditional methods in her work with women I think attending her seminar is
a unique experience for any woman struggling with body image disturbance, disordered eating or obesity.
Here are the details of Anita's upcoming workshop:
Seminar: The Wise Woman's Way into 2012
Date: Saturday, January 21, 2012
Time: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Location: Norris Conference Center, Austin Texas
Cost: $129 in advance, $149 at the door
Register online: http://dranitajohnston.com/
To pay by check call Elissa at (512) 779-3121 or email elissashapiro@yahoo.com
Answer:Our brain gets in the way. If you think it takes mere willpower to keep a New Year's Resolution, you are barking up the wrong tree. Changing a habit is much more complex than just willpower.
Consider the following about our brains:
1. Our brain seeks immediate reward. For example, kicking the habit of smoking: Smoking a cigarette gives your brain an immediate pleasure response. (Your brain secretes a chemical called dopamine that is associated with pleasure.) NOT smoking the cigarette is very unpleasant to your brain in the short term. One of the main functions of your brain is to keep you happy even if there are long-term consequences.
2. Habits are hard wired into our brain. A habit is something we do over and over again. Our brain knows it well. In fact, the neuropathway gets stronger the more we repeat the habit. It goes something like this: Your brain senses that you are feeling uncomfortable, your brain "tells" you to smoke a cigarette and then your brain notices that you feel better after you smoke. The behavior is then repeated thereby making that pleasure pathway in your brain stronger.
There is some GOOD NEWS. There are some things that you can do to improve your chances of changing a habit for good. 1. Repeat the new behavior over and over again, effectively trying to change the wiring in your brain by building a new pathway. 2. Practice stress management on a daily basis. When we are stressed out we are more vulnerable to falling back into old habits. (Remember our brain wants us to feel good.) 3. Practice healthy habits on a daily basis that give you pleasure , such as exercise, hobbies, connecting with others, etc. (Makes the bad habit that we are trying to change a little less appetizing to our brains.) 4. Cut out other practices that are associated with the habit you want to change. For example, if you always take a smoke break outside during your work day, don't go outside on your breaks. Remember changing habits is less about willpower and more about TRAINING YOUR BRAIN!!!!
