Andy D’Addario, LPC

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Healthy Food & Emotional Regulation

Are you an emotional eater? When you’re feeling stressed, do you find yourself ordering in pizza? When something sad happens, do you drown your grief in sugar? If so, you’re not alone. A majority of people deal with the challenges of life by turning to their favorite comfort foods.

The trouble is, these foods are only a temporary fix. They fill a void, and in the case of sugar, give our mood a boost. But then we come crashing down again and may even experience shame and guilt for having binged on food we know is not good for us. This can lead to a vicious cycle of more emotions, more eating, more emotions, more eating. This cycle can ultimately lead to weight gain and even the development of certain chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Your Brain on Comfort Foods

We are what we eat is a very true sentiment, especially when it comes to our brain. When life throws us challenges, we need our brain to work optimally so we can figure out the best way to deal with our circumstances or to process emotions. The trouble with reaching for comfort foods is, they are actually harmful to your brain.

Think of your brain like the engine in a car. You wouldn’t put frozen lattes in your gas tank because you know your car needs the right kind of fuel to run well. Your brain also needs the right kind of fuel. Your brain requires high-quality foods that are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. These nutrients nourish your brain and protect it from oxidative stress.

Did you know that studies have shown a direct link between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function? And even a worsening of symptoms such as depression?

The bottom line is, while your instinct in the moment may be to reach for those processed comfort foods, do your best to make better food choices. It will be hard at first, but good habits can be formed over time. Your brain will thank you.

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Reasons to Start Working with a Nutritionist In 2021

You most likely know that in order to “be healthy” you’ve got to “eat healthy.” But what does that mean exactly? Everyone has different nutritional needs and everyone also has their own idea of what “healthy eating” looks like. To some, that’s eating no meat, to others it’s eating mostly meat. To some it’s eating a lot of fruits and veggies, to others it’s eating diet bars and diet shakes!

How do you know what you really should be eating for your health and to prevent disease? Well, you have a couple of options:

1) Spend a lot of time researching the internet and Youtube videos hoping you find valid and effective information.

Or…

2) Work with a licensed nutritionist who can develop meal plans tailored to your specific health needs and goals.

I don’t know about you, but that second option seems to be the right choice to me.

Still not convinced? Here are just a handful of reasons to start working with a nutritionist in 2021:

Break Through Barriers

When you are so close to your own behaviors, it’s hard for you to see what is standing in your way of reaching a weight loss goal. A nutritionist can monitor and offer a different perspective and point out what’s working and what’s not. Nutritionists work with all kinds of people and have seen all kinds of scenarios, challenges, and setbacks and can help you troubleshoot whatever may be going on.

More Accountability

It’s easy to set some kind of health goal by yourself because then there is no one there to hold you accountable when you don’t stick with the program. When you work with a nutritionist, yes, you have someone in your corner, cheering you on to reach your goals. But you also have an accountability partner.

You Have a Mentor on Call

How many times have you hit up Google for an answer to a health or nutrition question, only to scroll through countless websites trying to determine what the right answer is? Having a nutritionist in your corner means you can contact them with any food/health questions you may have and get a reliable answer.

These are just a handful of the reasons it makes sense for, well… pretty much everyone to work with a nutritionist this year. Get in shape, get healthy and get your best life with a qualified cheerleader in your corner.

 

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How to Say “No” to Feeders

“What are you going to do, eat nothing but salads for the rest of your life?”

“You’ve got to eat more than that!”

“One slice isn’t going to kill you.”

People mean well, but many just don’t understand how unhelpful it is to try and get you to eat unhealthy foods when you are trying to eat well. These people are called “feeders” or “food pushers.” They can be your mom, your aunt, coworker, or best friend.

The problem with feeders is, even if they aren’t intentionally trying to sabotage your health journey, the pressure they put on you can cause you to cave and make poor food choices. After all, you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings and, well… maybe they’re right. Maybe one slice of cake isn’t that big of a deal.

See how easily that happens?

So how do you say NO to feeders?

Be Honest

Tell your loved ones about your weight-loss goals and that you are 100% committed. Assure them that if and when you say NO to them, it is not to offend them. But you must be the one who is in control of what you eat, and they must respect that.

Stall

Even though you have asked everyone to leave you be, there will still be those stubborn people (we’re talking to you mothers) that think they know best. No matter what you say, they will not leave you alone. So how do you deal with them?

Well, you use some strategic stall tactics. As an example, when dessert starts coming out of the kitchen, you simply say you are stuffed right now, maybe later. If they still won’t let up, say you’ll take your dessert home, then give it to someone else.

Practice Being Assertive

Sadly, there may be those people in your circle of friends or family that really ARE trying to sabotage your weight-loss efforts. It may be they are threatened by you losing weight because of their own weight issues.

You are going to have to practice being assertive, which is not the same thing as being aggressive. Get into the habit of saying no and MEANING it. The good news is, the more you say it, the easier it gets!

Losing weight is often challenging. But sometimes we don’t recognize where the biggest challenges will come from. If you find yourself surrounded by feeders, use these tips to manage as best you can.

 

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4 Stay-Fit Tips for People Who Hate Exercise

Hate exercising? You’re definitely not alone.

It seems that each year, millions of people around the country start off with good intentions, committing to an exercise plan, only to quit completely a few weeks later.

Look, we understand, exercising is not easy. It’s hard work, but it’s hard work that’s really important for your health and overall well-being. And we want to make sure the next time you commit to an exercise plan, you STAY committed.

So, with that in mind, here are 4 tips that will help you stay fit, even when you hate exercise:

Tip #1: Have Fun

No one says you have to go to the gym 5 days a week and do circuit training. If you hate going to the gym, then find something you actually enjoy doing. Do you like swimming? Hiking? Kayaking? Dancing? Playing basketball? There are PLENTY of ways you can get your body moving, condition your heart while building some lean muscle. Find something you love to do and you’ll actually do it more.

Tip #2: Give Yourself Some Time

The science is out and it says that it takes roughly 30 days for a human being to form a new habit. So you can expect that days 1-29 are going to be challenging to ensure you work out. That’s okay. Just be sure to give yourself adequate time to allow this new habit to form. If you do, you’ll find it does indeed get easier to incorporate exercise into your life.

Tip #3: Build Exercise into Your Daily Life

Some people will swear until they are blue in the face that “they just don’t have time for exercising.” Well, you can easily make time if you build exercise into your life. For instance, if you try and spend time with the family each day, why not get the family to go on a family bike ride after dinner?

If you need to spend an hour each day reading through student papers, why not read through them while on the stationary bike? There are ways you can kill 2 birds with one proverbial stone, so look for ways to do it in your own life.

Tip #4: Take Baby Steps

Too many people make HUGE goals that are simply unrealistic. For example, someone may make a goal to lose 40 pounds in 3 months. Well, that’s not only unrealistic, but it’s also not even healthy.

Someone else may have a goal of running a marathon in 3 months. Well, if you’ve never run a day in your life, that’s also not very realistic.

When starting out, set small goals that you can easily achieve. As an example, your first goal may be to consistently swim for half an hour, three days a week for one month. That’s very doable. And when you reach a goal, it gives you confidence in your abilities and energy to keep going and reach even more goals.

If you follow these 4 tips, you will be able to stick to an exercise plan and see positive results from your efforts. Who knows? You may even learn to LIKE exercising.

 

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