Another Serving of Gratitude, Please!
I wrote this piece for the Glen Ivy Hot Springs blog last November, and thought that I would repost here as a way to welcome the holiday season on a positive note. The six weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are some of the most challenging in the healthy eating department. Yet, with the right mindset, I feel like you can enjoy this warm and festive season without undue stress or guilt. Why not give it a try this year and let me know how it works!
Go ahead! Eat whatever you want on Thanksgiving Day! Forget sticking to your diet. Pull up to the table and savor the delicious turkey feast with your family and friends.
I know, this is not the typical holiday eating advice you might expect to hear from a certified wellness professional like myself. It may even border on being irresponsible–even reprehensible! But this month’s Glen Ivy Challenge, “Practicing Gratitude,” got me thinking: If people who practice gratitude on a regular basis are happier as studies suggest they are, does that mean they are healthier too? And if that’s the case, maybe the practice of gratitude during the upcoming holiday season is a better wellness strategy than depriving yourself of your favorite foods or counting the calories in a slice of pumpkin pie.
As it turns out, the answer to my question is, “Yes!” According to Dr. Robert Emmonds, a psychology professor at University of California Davis and author of Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, practicing gratitude or “a felt sense of wonder, thankfulness, and appreciation for life,” is not only good for your mental health, but also improves your physical health as well. Participants in his gratitude studies showed improvements in their health status like sleeping longer hours and experiencing a better quality of sleep. They also had fewer symptoms of malaise such as headaches, nausea, and pain. The most exciting aspect of his research though, showed that these individuals also made better lifestyle choices. Emmonds explains, “Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, and regular physical examinations.” In other words, people who recognize and feel appreciation for life’s gifts choose to take better care of themselves.
Finding the motivation to choose healthier behaviors is at the heart of lasting lifestyle change. That’s why the “gratitude approach” to better health makes sense to me. Many people I talk to about beginning an exercise program or eating a healthier diet say, “I know what I need to do, I just don’t do it!” They feel at a loss as to why they repeatedly sabotage their diets or can’t stick to their program. Moreover, their confusion is frequently laced with negative self talk that eventually becomes a barrier to their success.
By its very nature, gratitude practice requires you to perform an about-face away from focusing on what isn’t working, to an appreciation for what is. Feeling bad about not going to the gym because you were held up at work, turns into feeling good about the twenty minute walk you took when you got home. And as Emmonds points out, this mental shift gives you a positive framework for living life where you are able to take control over your happiness levels.
So, with the busy holiday season upon us, and those pesky New Years resolutions following close behind, why not take a different approach this year. Lay the foundation for a year of better choices by trying my gratitude practice with a “healthy twist” during the month ahead:
- Connect with the good in your day. Start a simple gratitude journal today with the tips we provided in our recent blog post, Creating a Gratitude Journal. Try including a few entries that recognize the healthy choices you have made during your day–no matter how small.
- Connect with a sense of appreciation and thankfulness for your health and your ability to move about and do all the things you love to do. Begin to think about the healthy choices you can make in the New Year to improve your health status.
- Connect with your support system. Who are the people around you–family, friends and co-workers–who can become part of your wellness team next year? Just think, if they are on your team, you are on their team. Two healthy people for the price of one!
OK, gratitude practice won’t eliminate all the calories on your Thanksgiving plate. But approaching life with a positive outlook and a spirit of thanksgiving could mean that taking better care of yourself in the New Year comes more naturally to you. So, while I did’t really mean “Eat whatever you want this Thanksgiving,” go ahead and enjoy the turkey dressing and sweet potato pie. Just make sure there is a healthy dose of gratitude served up in between.
Write About It . . .
Does the gratitude approach make sense to you? How do you practice gratitude in your life? Have you ever kept a gratitude journal and felt that it helped with approaching life with a more positive attitude? What Thanksgiving memories or stories do you have that don’t involve food? (Now that is a hard one!)
Lessons in Wellness: 5 Things We Can Learn from Inspiring Survivors
As Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, I realize that I was inspired more than once over the past thirty days, by stories like the one I am about to share with you. People like Jill, the shining star of this blog post, can teach us all a bit about what it means to engage in our own wellness story. Read on and see if you agree.
What does a 50 something woman recovering from breast cancer treatment look like? I can tell you, because I met her a few weeks ago at Glen Ivy Hot Springs.
Jill was a woman who approached me after my aqua class with a story she was eager to share. She told me that she had been taking aqua fitness classes over the past year as part of her recovery from breast cancer surgery, and that the warm, therapeutic aqua environment had been extremely helpful in improving her flexibility and range of motion. It had also helped alleviate a painful condition she had developed called lymphedema. Jill’s voice was strong and confident. Her demeanor was upbeat, empowered, and life affirming.
To be honest, my first thought was, “What’s wrong with this picture?” This perky, fit, youthful woman, in her mid-fifties, did not look like she had just endured the rigors of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. Instead, she looked like a picture of health!
And then it hit me. The question I should be asking is not, “What’s wrong with this picture?” It should be, “What’s right with this picture?” I began to think that maybe there’s a wellness lesson in Jill’s story. Perhaps the strategies she, and others like her, use to vigorously recapture their precious health and quality of life, would also work for the rest of us simply trying to make better choices in our crazy-busy lives.
Like many of you, I have people in my life–family, friends, clients–who have faced the challenge of serious illness. I see them navigating their path with courage and strength, but I also see them making conscious choices that lead to favorable outcomes. Here are my top picks for what I think these wellness warriors are doing right. Maybe you’ll connect with a few to help you along your wellness path:
- Engage in your wellness. Survivors decide to face the problem by being part of the solution. They take specific steps each day to play an active role in their recovery. Rest, eat well, exercise gently, embody positivity. Day to day wellness doesn’t just happen on its own. Embrace healthy choices as if your life depended on it–because it does!
- Gather your tribe. Survivors can’t go it alone and they know it. Any wellness journey requires the help of a supportive team of cheerleaders and people willing to listen. Find two people who will support your journey. Spend more time with them. Think of two people who don’t. You got it . . . Nice knowin’ ya!
- Have a winning attitude. Sure, cancer survivors “fight” for their health. But more importantly, they are in it to win it. Negativity does not serve them, so they move forward with an openness that invites new ways of thinking and being. Practice working with that “mean girl voice.” Send her off on a slow boat to China, and invite more positivity to your wellness path. It really does work.
- When you’re down, get up! Cancer survivors endure an unpredictable path throughout their recovery process. While they may become tired or discouraged at times, they remain focused on their wellness mission and are able to stand up, dust off, and get back to the business of healing. Any wellness journey is like this. One minute you’re peeling and chopping carrots for the week, the next you have your spoon in the Ben and Jerry’s. You’re not a failure. You’re not worthless. You just had a hard day and ice cream seemed like the best way to go. Get over it! Move on!
Cancer–that big, bad, demon of a disease that we really need to find a cure for–often gives people the permission they need to finally put themselves first. When they begin to take care of themselves–I mean really take care of themselves–they often emerge on the other side looking like Jill, the shining star of this story. I say it’s time to let go of the limiting belief that it’s selfish to take care of ourselves until we are sick.
One of my students put it this way. She said, “When I say NO to some of the extra things I am doing for other people, it enables me to say YES to the things I need to do for myself.” Amen sister! Her words so inspired me, that I am stealing them for my new wellness mantra. I’m sure she would not mind one bit if you did too!
Write About It . . .
Think about someone who inspires you by the way they have faced a difficult health challenge–it may even be yourself! What are they doing right? Is it their attitude, their mental or spiritual approach, or a healthy behavior that seems to be helping them along the way? Could you use any of their wisdom for your own journey? Where do you stumble or feel challenged when it comes to making good choices? I’d love to hear what you are writing about.
Fitness Fashionista–What You Wear Might Just Be the Ticket to a Happier Workout!
I bought some snazzy new gloves for my cool weather fitness walks when I was visiting family on the east coast last week. I was actually shopping for yoga pants at my favorite overpriced yoga store, but at $125 dollars a pair, I went for the $29 gloves instead. I also bought them because they had these cool little reflector things on the tips of a couple of the fingers. I thought maybe they would come in handy in case I needed to flag down a ride if I got too far away from home.
Turns out these little finger pads actually make my gloves smart-phone compatible, so I guess I won’t have to take them off to call home if I need a lift!
I love new fitness gear. I think I have from a very young age. I can remember when I was a kid, getting out of the car after buying a new pair of sneakers, and immediately racing up the street to see if I could run any faster. I must admit that I still get that feeling when I have something new to wear for my workouts.
Interestingly, the positive energy and pep in my step that I get from adding to my workout wardrobe is not my imagination. According to an article in this month’s Prevention magazine, psychologist Karen Pine, PhD, found a strong link between what we wear and our mood. She reports, “The women in our study said they felt good in figure-enhancing clothes and bright colors.” She goes on to suggest that we should cultivate a “happy” wardrobe. It makes me wonder if her advice could also apply to the clothes we wear to the gym.
With cooler temperatures in the forecast, a little wardrobe pick me up might just be the bit of inspiration you need to get moving or energize your workout routine. And while it’s important that your workout wear is functional–your shoes should fit well and be comfortable, and it helps if your pants move and breathe so that you can move and breathe–having fun with what’s trending, can make for little extra confidence when you hit the trail or gym.
Here’s what I have hanging in my closet these days along with a few ideas on how to increase the “happiness” quotient in your workout wardrobe:
- My go-to yoga pants. You know that little black dress most women have in their closet ready and waiting for girls night out? Well, mine are black yoga pants in a variety of styles and lengths. The best thing about these? I can grab a 15 minute workout anytime of the day without even changing my clothes! Great for the busy multi-tasking mom.
- Fleece zip top. Fleece tops are my favorite. Soft and warm, but also roomy and breathable. Collect a couple of different weights if temperatures fluctuate in your neck of the woods. This would also be a great place to add that vibrant pop of color that’s so in fashion these days.
- Running sleeves. Well, I don’t actually own these yet, but they’re definitely on my wish list. Just sleeves that you slide up your arm for a bit of added warmth and frivolousness. Here they are in pink for Breast Health Awareness Month! How fun is that!
Experts say the best kind of motivation comes from deep down in the gut, and propels us to move because we want to feel vibrant and healthy. Because we want to do more than just thrive–we want to feel fully alive. But for some of us (me included), we’re not always quite there in that deep place of knowing. Sometimes we need something shallow and slightly self-indulgent to flip the switch. It just might be that your ticket to a positive exercise habit is simply a seasonal shopping accident at Sports Authority!
Write about it . . .
What’s in your workout closet this season? Do you think there is anything to the clothes/mood connection? How do you feel when you are wearing something you feel good about yourself in? Is finding workout clothes that make you feel comfortable and confident a barrier to working out for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Write Your Own Wellness Story 