MindBodyHealth

Food Revolution: Episode 4

2010-04-12T15:05:00.001-07:00

Food Revolution: Episode 4

A heart warming episode that began with a challenge: for Jaime Oliver to teach 1000 members of the Huntington, WV community to cook a simple dish in one week. At the forefront of the challenge lay a bet with local DJ Rod, the self-proclaimed most obstinate opponent of the food revolution. After a visit to a funeral home with Jaime and a meeting with local community members who have been affected by obesity either personally or familially, Rod begins to realize the impact that obesity has on the lives of his fellow citizens. Jaime's cooking classes attract the 1000 necessary individuals to win the bet, including the mayor of Huntington as well as the governor of West Virginia. Rod closes the show by cooking the 1000 dish, and proclaims his alliance with the food revolution.

Compared to the previous 3 episodes, this show was predominantly light-hearted and feel good. It highlights the importance of a community mindset and coming together. The citizens of Huntington have lived in a culture that supported poor dietary choices. A significant shift is happening at all levels of community support for Huntington. Without this strong community support, change was not likely to happen.

Look at your community. What dietary and health lessons are being perpetuated? What needs to change? Do you need to begin with your neighbor, friends or family, or do you need to take larger steps by contacting the local media, community leaders and/or politicians? Ask yourself how you can best help your community with its own Food Revolution.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution: Episode 3

2010-04-05T08:57:00.000-07:00

Food Revolution, Episode 3: The Kids Share Their Stories

Jamie Oliver continued his efforts of connecting the community of Huntington, West Virginia together in a battle against obesity by making healthier dietary decisions.

This episode was largely about incentive. Jamie established a team of teens to work in his kitchen and learn first-hand how to cook healthy dishes. Each of these teens had a unique reason to begin their own food revolution. Marisa's father passed away due to obesity related issues when she was 13; Brittany has battled obesity her entire life and her health issues have led to doctors telling her she may not live past her 20's; and Ryan has dealt with anger management issues and is looking for a way to give back to the community in a positive way. These teens have seen the devastating effects of poor diet contributing to disease and early death for their family members. They are striving to stop the cycle of poor quality of life, and recognize that their incentive is to get healthy by changing their lifestyle and the lifestyle of those around them.

These healthy striving teens are presented with an enormous task: to cook for 80 adults who will potentially contribute financially to making large scale systemic changes to the way food is managed in the school district. With some minor hiccups here and there, they manage to prepare a meal that is a success! Little do the adults know that the teens made the meal in its entirety. When Jamie first informs the room that he did not make their dinner, they are shocked, which provides the most poignant moment of this show yet - a chance for the teens to share their stories with those in the room. Stories are met with tears and applause from the adult audience, and a state senator even pledges his allegiance for making large scale sweeping changes to help the community in change efforts.

Incentive. The big take away from this episode. The teens find motivation to better their health and their lives. Adults find motivation to contribute monetarily to aid the district with providing healthier school lunches. State representatives learn that their constituents are demanding change, and find the incentive to promote that change. Incentive at all levels.

What incentive do you have to follow your own food revolution? It could be something small, such as not being out of breath after climbing a flight of stairs. Or being able to have a better quality of life with your family. Or more energy. Or less likelihood of developing significant health related concerns. Find the incentive to change your lifestyle and take the first step today.

Start by signing Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Petition.

MindBodyHealth
www.mindbodyhealth.us
(303) 831.6248
mail@mindbodyhealth.us

Food Revolution: Episode 2

2010-04-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

Episode 2: Food Revolution

Jamie Oliver's 2nd installment of Food Revolution centered around continued education regarding diet and subsequent health for the community of Huntington, West Virginia. The culture of resistance that he encountered in the first episode was still very much present, however, you start to see small shifts in attitudes, incentives, and behaviors at all levels. Parents begin to recognize the nutritional value of what is being fed to their children at school is not conducive to good health. Teachers begin to recognize the importance of simple tasks, like modeling the appropriate use of forks and knives as well as helping children be able to properly identify fruits and vegetables. Families begin to recognize accountability amongst themselves. Perhaps the most poignant moment of the episode involved a family testing their teenage son for diabetes, which he was not diagnosed. Following the test this father and son converse about the long term health concerns that will affect this young man; diabetes, heart disease, and shorter life expectancy. The father asks his son to not only work on his own behavioral change, but also to help keep his father accountable in losing weight as well.

Accountability. The key lesson learned from this episode. For your own Food Revolution to be successful you need accountability. Families need to support one another with maintaining behavioral changes. As much as parents need to help children, children need to help parents. Parents need to question school lunch menu decisions and verify that what is being served has nutritional value. Partners need to question each other with shopping habits and meal choices, ensuring that what they are providing is conducive to health.

Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution: Episode 1

2010-03-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

Chef Jaime Oliver's new program on ABC, Food Revolution, uncovers one of the most pressing concerns in America today: our relationship with food, and more specifically the culture of food that is being taught to our children. As this program unfolds in America's unhealthiest town, Huntington, West Virgina, a town that the Center for Disease Control reports has an adult obesity rate of roughly 50%, MindBodyHealth will post weekly blogs following each episode.

Episode 1:

For the first time in American history, children today have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. Directly correlated to this shorter life expectancy are lifestyle choices of diet and exercise. Children learn about food and food choices from their immediate experience, most notably from important adults in their life, including their family and what is being provided in the school setting.

From the DJ at the beginning of the show, to the school cooks, to the parents, to the questionable nutritional guidelines being handed down by the school district, it was clear how tightly woven this community is in regards to their idea of nutrition. Also apparent was the high resistant to change at all levels. The important adults in this particular community do not immediately value the need to change. Despite direct evidence of higher rates of disease, poorer quality of life, and shorter life expectancy, there was no immediate incentive to begin making changes, neither for themselves or their children.

Towards the end of the episode, Jamie Oliver attempted a new menu of fresh ingredients that competed with the typical school lunch pizza. It is not surprising that the kids chose pizza, a common meal for them. This highlights the first major take away point from this show: kids eat what is common to them. They will not begin eating fruits and vegetables on their own. Parents need to model healthy choices and teach the value of consuming food that is healthy to our bodies and our overall well-being.

Lesson from Episode 1: as adults, we hold the power in teaching future generations about healthy eating. Children will follow our model of food choices. To begin your own food revolution, start with examining your own food beliefs and current diet. Recognize what you value in regards to food. Think about the choices you are making today. Perhaps a significant portion of what you know about food was taught to you by important adults in your life at one time.

Recovery after a school shooting

2010-02-24T08:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday an adult gunman opened fire at Deer Creek Middle School in suburban Denver, just a few short miles from Columbine High School. Two students were injured, luckily no one was killed.

This traumatic experience can be expected to increase short term stress and fear for those involved. Children, parents and teachers may experience a variety of emotions, thoughts and behavioral changes in the days and weeks following such a harrowing situation. Here are some tips to help.

Keep routines as close to normal as possible. This includes returning to school once it re-opens.
Actively listen to your children. Listen to their fears, concerns and worries.
Be honest with your children about your fears and concerns. Share with them as much information as they are developmentally able to handle.
Adults need an adult outlet. Speak with friends, family and other parents about your concerns.
Limit media exposure.

Experiencing a significant trauma such as school shooting can lead to a variety of behavioral changes, including sleep and appetite disturbance, nightmares, and thoughts about reliving the event. These are normal aspects of the trauma response. Be sure the lines of communication remain open. Seek professional help should concerns intensify or persist.

Please do not hesitate to contact MindBodyHealth for support, counseling and advice in the days to weeks to come.

MindBodyHealth

(303) 831.6248

What Do We Do Now?

2010-02-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

Bringing a Child Into the Relationship

Becoming a parent often brings up the question: What do we do now? With so much time, energy and devotion to being the best parent possible, the relationship with your partner often shifts to becoming a second priority.

This 6 Week group for parents of a newborn offers education, support and skills for adjusting your relationship to meet the needs of being a parent. Learn valuable skills for building your relationship with your partner while at the same time becoming the best parent possible.

Stress Reduction

2010-02-02T14:03:00.001-08:00

Health care professionals are especially prone to high levels of stress, fatigue and burnout. According to a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), health care providers who suffer from significant amounts of stress are prone to producing lower quality direct patient care, as well as a myriad of personal problems (including sleep difficulties, interpersonal/relationship turmoil, increased substance use, and suicidal ideation - particularly in medical residents). JAMA also found that a simple intervention utilizing mindfulness training sustained positive effects in each of these core areas over time.

MindBodyHealth offers in-service stress reduction training for professionals who work in direct patient care. This involves us working directly with your treatment team in your natural setting, whether you work in a hospital, clinic, or outpatient facility. Our 5 week workshop will teach you skills to:

Reduce Stress
Reduce Burnout
Reduce Fatigue
Become More Present with your Work
Improve Quality Patient Care
Improve Daily Life Functioning
Improve Coping Skills
Become Aware of Daily Factors that Compound Stress, along with Simple Daily Interventions

This important training is specific for anyone working in direct patient care. If you want to reduce job related stress, call us NOW to set up a FREE initial session.

MindBodyHealth implores you to keep well!

1115 Grant Street, Suite 103
Denver, CO 80203
www.mindbodyhealth.us

mail@mindbodyhealth.us

Looking Back...

2010-01-22T14:19:00.000-08:00

Imagine this: you are 80-years-old and looking back on your life. What do you say? Are you happy with the choices you made, or do you have regrets about living too many years struggling with depression, anxiety, disorder eating, or pain. Now realize that you have the power to change TODAY. Because your life is complex, you deserve an integrated approach to therapy. At MindBodyHealth we believe in YOUR HEALTH, wellness, and helping you live your life in a valued way.

Getting your life back on track in the direction you want to live is our primary goal. We have a dedicated staff of clinicians (male & female) who focus energies on building a solid therapeutic relationship with YOU, and helping YOU address the concerns that are interfering with your WELL-BEING.

Call now to set up a FREE CONSULTATION. Our clients tell us that we offer a fresh perspective, that we make your goals a priority, and that we make therapy an enjoyable experience.

Mindfulness For Health Providers

2009-12-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

MindBodyHealth recently held a free 2-hour mindfulness seminar for health care professionals, based on a September 2009 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) posting research findings that mindfulness training reduces burnout, fatigue, and stress for these providers. (Article Link). Building on this seminar, we are offering a 5-week mindfulness course for health care professionals, beginning Monday December 14 from 6 - 730 PM. The course will follow a similar pattern to the JAMA article research design, and is of importance to health care providers for the following reasons:

60% of health care providers experience burnout, fatigue, or significant stress.
Burnout is linked to poorer quality patient care, increased patient dissatisfaction, and increased errors in diagnostic and decision making. Burnout is also correlated with substance abuse, family discord, automobile accidents, stress related health problems, and suicidal ideation in physicians (particularly with medical residents).
Health care professionals often struggle with daily self-care management of stress.
Mindfulness training has been demonstrated to decrease fatigue, stress and burnout in health care professionals while at the same time increasing overall mood stability, and ability to monitor and cope with stress.
Increased mindfulness skills and decreased levels of stress led to increased patient directed care, and lower levels of reported patient dissatisfaction.

Space for this group course is limited and filling up quickly. Reserve your space today by calling (303) 831.6248 or emailing (mail@mindbodyhealth.us).

MindBodyHealth, LLC
1115 Grant Street, Suite 103
Denver, CO 80203
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Exercise Addiction

2009-11-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

Do you know someone like this:

Robin wakes up three mornings a week at 5am to run five miles before she takes her children to school and heads to work. Every weekday evening she goes to the gym to attend a yoga or aerobics class. On the weekends she weight trains. All of her family and social activities are scheduled around Robin's exercise regime. Her family, particularly her children, complain that she is rarely home. And despite having a stress fracture, Robin continues to run.

Many individuals, myself included, utilize exercise as a vehicle to promote wellness and overall well-being. For some, however, exercise involves body obsession or is tightly integrated in body image distortions. For others, exercise is a problematic behavioral symptom of larger concern with an eating disorder.

Although the vast majority of people who exercise do so in a healthy, balanced manner, there exists a small percentage of the population, such as Robin, that have an exercise dependency or addiction.

Here are some signs that suggest exercise has become problematic:

Rigid adherence to working out.
Dependency or compulsion to exercise.
Irritability when even 1 work out is missed.
Exercising in addition to planned workout time if one has the opportunity.
Loss of perspective on exercise as a PART (not the central focus) of a balanced life.
Exercise affects family, social and/or career obligations or other important areas of life.
Events with important others are skipped, canceled or lied about in order to exercise.
Exercising despite being injured or ill.
Fixation on calories burned or weight loss achieved.
Obsession with specific body parts, toning specific areas, gaining muscle mass etc.
Exercising in secret or lying about time spent working out.

If you know someone who is struggling with over-exercise, exercise dependency, or exercise addiction, it is important that you approach the individual with your concerns. Describe the impact that their working out has had in your relationship and other important areas of the individuals life. Recommend help knowing that this person will likely deny having a problem. Trained therapist can assist in helping individuals deal with exercise addiction and help determine if exercise is a part of a larger problem.

Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.

MindBodyHealth
1115 Grant Street, Suite 103
Denver, CO 80203

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Free Mindfulness Seminar

2009-11-10T09:38:00.001-08:00

The September 2009 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) presented a research article regarding the increasing problem of physician burnout. Of particular concern are the consequences of physician burnout: poorer quality of life, poorer quality of services, and lowered ability of 'being present' with their patients. Implementing mindfulness training was found to have significant positive effects at increasing mindfulness skills, empathy, and emotional stability while reducing burnout and total mood disturbance. Physicians were thus better able to attend to their patients and engage in a more productive manner.

Health care providers need to find a way to reduce job burnout in order to provide quality patient care. To this end, MindBodyHealth is offering a FREE 2-Hour Mindfulness Seminar for all those working in a health care related field in which they have direct contact with patients (physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, PA's, dietitians, chiropractors, dentists, social workers, massage therapists etc). This class will include a mindfulness tutorial and experiential mindfulness exercises of Body Scan, Sitting Meditation, and Walking Meditation, that reflect skills taught in the JAMA research article.

These skills are crucially important to helping YOU reduce burnout and improve quality direct patient care.

DETAILS

*FREE Mindfulness Seminar
*Saturday December 5th
*10AM - 12Noon
*Healthcare Providers with Direct Patient Care
*MindBodyHealth Offices: 1115 Grant Street, Conference Room
*RSVP Today! (Space is limited)

Article Link (JAMA, September 23/30, 2009-Vol 302, No. 12)

Stress in America

2009-11-06T08:12:00.001-08:00

The American Psychological Association (APA) recently released the 2009 Stress Campaign Results. Aptly titled: "Stress in America. Mind/Body Health: For a healthy mind and body, talk to a psychologist" the study reveals not only national trends, but also highlights results specific to several major metropolitan areas, including Denver (Denver Results Here). Weaknesses in the study include a low number of Denver residents sampled (N = 202) used to generalize results, limited robustness in findings, and a lack of statistical comparison between Denver resident ratings and National results. None-the-less, APA concluded the following:

Overall, Denver residents appear to be more stressed compared to Americans nationally; more Denver residents rate their stress levels in an extreme range and Denver residents are more likely than Americans nationally to consider several factors significant sources of stress.
Employed Denver residents are less satisfied with their current employment than Americans overall and report more difficulty with balancing work and home responsibilities.
Denver residents rate their health relatively high overall. They are less likely than Americans overall to have high cholesterol or Type-2 Diabetes.
Denver residents are more likely to cite work and job stability as significant sources of stress than Americans overall.
Overall, Denver residents appear to be more stressed compared to Americans nationally, with more Denver residents rating their stress levels in an extreme range.
10% of Denver resident's utilize mediation or yoga for stress management. (Compared to 7% Nationally).

Due to a lack of statistical comparison and relatively low percentage differences between Denver and National results that have led APA researches to make the conclusion that Denver is 'America's Most Stressed City', these results do indicate that more is needed to aid in Stress Management.

MindBodyHealth
1115 Grant Street, Suite 103
Denver, CO 80203

(303) 831.6248
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3 Minute Breathing Space

2009-11-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

3-Minute Breathing Space

Having a rough day? Feeling stressed out? The beauty of the 3-minute breathing space exercise is that it quickly helps you step out of autopilot in order to reconnect to the present moment.

1st Minute: Awareness
Adopt an alert yet comfortable posture, close your eyes, bring your attention inward. Ask yourself, “What is my experience right now ...in thoughts...in feelings...and in bodily sensations? Acknowledge your experience in this moment, even if it is unwanted.

2nd Minute: Gathering
Gently direct awareness to breathing, following each inbreath and each outbreath, one after the other. Your breath can function as an anchor to bring you into the present and help you tune into a state of awareness and stillness.

3rd Minute: Expanding

Now, expand the field of your awareness around your breathing, so that it includes a sense of the body as a whole, your posture, and facial expression. The breathing space provides a way to step out of automatic pilot mode and reconnect with the present moment. When you’re ready, open your eyes and return to your day.

MindBodyHealth
1115 Grant Street, Suite 103
Denver, CO 80203

(303) 831.6248
mail@mindbodyhealth.us
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"Mindfulness isn't difficult. What's difficult is to remember to be mindful."

2009-10-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

"Mindfulness isn't difficult. What's difficult is to remember to be mindful."

Stumbled upon this article today. A great piece on The Neuroscience of Mindfulness.

http://bit.ly/1X0acG

Guide To Intuitive Eating

2009-10-02T14:48:00.000-07:00

Intuitive Eating is a concept that is intended to help individuals create healthy relationships between food, mind, body and health. In practice, it may sound simplistic. However, the basic tenets are often overlooked. Significant problems with relationship to food, maladaptive coping with weight fluctuation, eating disorders, shame/guilt about one's appearance, and general dissatisfaction can occur when intuitive eating is not a principle of everyday life.

The basic premise of Intuitive Eating is to pay attention to your body's hunger cues, rather than focusing on caloric intake or to count grams of carbohydrates, fat or protein. In many ways the basic principles of Intuitive Eating are the direct opposite of dieting which. Intuitive Eating involves learning the distinction between true physical hunger cues and emotional cues, the latter of which drive compulsive eating behaviors such as overeating, binge eating, and choosing unhealthy foods. This process involves making amends with your own beliefs about food, including what food you label as "bad" or "fatty."

Some tips for incorporating Intuitive Eating into your life:

1. Rid the notion that you have to eat at set times with set portions.

2. Think of hunger much like a gas tank, with extremes of Empty and Full. Consider Empty to be a score of 0 and Full to be a score of 10. The goal is to keep your level of satiety between a 3 and 7 at all times, to ensure that you are never completely empty nor completely stuffed.

3. Address when you are eating to cope with stress, pain, sadness, anxiety, or any other emotional reason. Examine if there are other coping skills to address these emotions rather than food.

4. Spend some time exploring your own food beliefs, specifically which labels you give to certain foods that lead to rigid eating behaviors.

5. Stop counting calories, carbohydrates, fat grams etc. Pay attention to your own bodily cues for hunger. Do you notice hunger pangs in your stomach, a drop in energy, or increased irritability when you are hungry?

Screen Time Advice

2009-07-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

The transition from spring to summer means increased free time for many of us, especially for families and those with children. Many popular television networks that offer programming for children and families promote 'special summer schedules.' Research indicates that the average American youth between the ages of 8 - 18 spends approximately 4 hours per day watching television or DVDs/videos, 1 hour per day on the computer, and roughly 45 minutes playing video games. That totals roughly 6 hours per day of total screen time for the typical American youth. As little (or much, pending your viewpoint) as 2 hours of total daily screen time has been shown to be problematic. Research indicates connections between 2 or more hours of total screen time and obesity, lowered self-esteem, behavioral problems, academic difficulties, sleep disturbances, and overall health problems.

MindBodyHealth has several guidelines to consider to promote a healthy relationship with screen time.

Monitor Overall Screen Time:
Are you aware of how much time you, your family, and your children are spending in front of television and computer screens? Monitor overall usage for one week. You may be surprised at your findings.

Set Limits:
Be firm with how much time you allow yourself and your family to spend in screen time on a daily basis. Let expectations be known ahead of time. MindBodyHealth recommends no more than 2 hours of screen time per day (which is liberal considering most research recommends no more than 1 hour per day). A good rule of thumb is to break total screen time down into smaller increments, for example, 2 hours could be best used in four 30 minute chunks.

Be A Good Model:
Most of us remember the slogan "Parents who use drugs, have children who use drugs." The same concept applies to screen time. Parents who model excessive television and computer usage tend to have children who learn similar behaviors. Parents who model appropriate exposure to television and computer consumption have children who grow up learning this valuable lesson.

Explore Other Activities:
There are numerous other activities to explore, especially in the summer time. Activities can range for outdoor physical exercise, to reading or drawing on a blanket in the park, to indoor arts and crafts activities. Get creative - you and your family will be appreciate it.

Make Screen Time Family Time:
Screen time should never be used as a distraction or babysitter. One way to promote overall family functioning is to utilize screen time as a family movie or game night. Time spent in front of the television can be promoted as another means of quality family time. MindBodyHealth also recommends active programs, such as Wii sports.

You Only Have Moments to Live

2008-10-13T14:33:00.000-07:00

"Oh I've had my moments, and if I had to do it all over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day" - This excerpt taken from Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. highlights how much energy and time we spend disengaged from the only moment that we can truly live in - the present. Detachment from the present is shown to lead to numerous problems in living, including depression, anxiety, and adjustment issues.

We have created this blog as a means of community outreach. From time to time you will see postings related to topics relevant in the current popular media, issues affecting Colorado, recent advances in health, and of course, all things mindfulness.

For more details regarding our mindfulness-based, health psychology private practice in Denver, visit us at www.mindbodyhealth.us, or feel free to call (303) 831.6248.

Keep well,

Justin Ross and William Clancy