I’m sitting here after my therapy session knowing I want to write out this story but unsure of how exactly to put it into words, so I’ll simply start.
The topic is movement and rest. What has this looked like for me? How does this benefit my life? How has it halted stages in my life? About a year ago, I decided rest was mandatory. I had passed my RD exam (after 5 failed prior attempts) and the addition of this certification opened up more opportunities in terms of my career. I was currently in a management role that was taking a lot from me. I was exhausted mentally & physically. I chose rest. On World Mental Health Day 2019, I quit my management position to pursue a career as a travel clinical Dietitian. First destination? Upstate NY, 5 minutes from the Canadian border. Funny how rest, required me to move physically to another state. This move also allowed me to live somewhat closer to my long-distance partner at the time. We were now six hours apart instead of eight. We made a total of four weekend trips to see each other over the course of two months. Things were good and I felt as if my life was finally on par for what I had imagined. My next contract position was in Maryland. I loved the hospital and the Dietitian’s on the team there. They were friendly and made me feel welcomed from day one. Things continued to be great for me. I recently became a dog-mom. I had variety in my job. Why did something still feel off? I rested and prioritized my career and my new role as a dog-mom. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. It wasn’t until 9am, on a Thursday in February that I realized why I had this upsetting feeling. I had opened my Instagram to find a message from a stranger I had never met with a message that made my heart drop and face redden with anger. Long, story short- I had unknowingly been a victim to infidelity for an estimated five months. I became sick (physically). I left work. I was frantic. I called my Mom and was a blubbering mess. I cuddled with my dog for the next five days. I rested. I rested but I also, eventually, chose to stay. I didn’t move from the relationship. Initially, things were great. I thought I was healing and my boundaries were being abided by. The healing soon became one-sided, so naturally I numbed myself from feeling the pain and feeling stuck, and I jumped into something new to distract myself. I began a new contract role. I also contracted COVID-19 and lost a co-worker. More pain requiring more rest. There was also more moving- I moved home for the next six weeks to rest and figure out my next career move. With rest, came clarity. I realized I wanted a private practice- I acted on it. I realized I wanted a reliable full-time career (with benefits)- I solidified the next opportunity I was presented with and moved. Again (this time to DC). Through this time, I continued to heal and re-generate through rest and joyful movement. I spoke up when things felt off. I learned to stick up for myself. I honed in on what it was I truly wanted. In life and in a partner. I spoke these into the universe. I wrote texts and emails that were disregarded and finally, I stuck up for myself in a way that I didn’t realize I had strength left for. I asked for a break. I asked for rest and fully received it. I moved on. Healing is not linear. And I can say with certainty you never know how you will react to a situation until it happens to you. Although, this was not the first time I had been cheated on, it was the most painful. I still have days where I don’t know how I’ll recover. I will tell you this. It is the last time I will allow anyone to treat me as if I am less. It is the last time I will stay in a situation that does not serve me. I do not write this to be hateful or shame him. I truthfully, still to this day, think he is a great man- I simply wish I would’ve realized sooner that he was not the man for me. I also write this to shed light. Not all people who get cheated on leave and hate their partner; some stay and try to make it work for a variety of reasons. Not all partners who cheat are terrible people. It is, however, a traumatic experience that requires boundaries to be set and strict limitations on those who gain access to our energy. This is the outcome and gift from this experience that I am the most grateful for. The rest I was forced to take this year has allowed me to gain such clarity with my life. Rest allows me to heal, not only in a physical-sense but also to an emotional-degree. I rest so I have the ability to move onto destinations in my life; destinations made for me. I rest so I can fully sense the signals and clarity my body, God and the universe provides. Rest allows you to move.
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Did you know in America 20 million women and 10 million men are projected to have an eating disorder at some point in their life? Or that worse, every 62 minutes someone dies as a direct result from an eating disorder. This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness week.
Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and orthorexia typically stem from mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Additional risk factors include:
Warning signs of eating disorder behaviors include: drastic weight loss, refusal to eat certain foods (carbs, sugar, etc.), frequent comments about feeling "fat", cooks meals for others without eating, dresses in layers to hide weight loss, denies feeling hungry, expresses a need to "burn off" calories, a post-puberty female has lost her natural period (being on birth control does not count as a natural period), and/or develops food rituals such as excess chewing, or rearranging food on their plate. So how can we decrease the adoption of these harmful behaviors? As a society we need to confront our fat phobia. As medical professionals, health coaches, gym teachers, etc., we need to come to the realization that weight loss is not always the answer. Studies have been conducted that show on average, "overweight" people live longer than "normal" weight people. No study has really shown that weight loss correlates with longevity of life. Another important factor? Strict dieting does not work. Sure, initially you might lose a couple of pounds or you might even get down to your "goal weight." But what happens when you stop that diet plan or extensive workout routine? Biology dictates that most individuals are going to regain the weight they lost, plus some. I can testify to this. At the time in my life where I was "eating clean" and working out six days/week because I wanted to desperately change my body, I lost inches and pounds. But what happened when life became busier and I stopped this regimen? I slowly gained back the weight, plus some. Today, I am at my heaviest adult weight and I'm becoming more and more okay with that. Are there days when I miss my muscle definition and wish I didn't have the stomach rolls when I sat down? Uhm, yes. More than I'd like to admit. But I'm trying to adopt a new mindset; one that does not judge based on body size. One that understands someone's BMI does not always depict their health status. I believe in eating a balanced diet but NOT restricting the foods we crave. What's an easy way we can all become more mindful about our body size and assist in decreasing the thoughts and prevalence of eating disorders? Thinking before we post. That hot selfie from Saturday night's party. That progress gym pic. Why are you really wanting to post it? Is it because you're truly proud of your accomplishments? Why are you proud of them? Is it possible you've been succumbed to the societal pressure of thinking your body has to look a certain way? Are you posting for likes? What would one of your followers with eating disorder tendencies think of this picture? I challenge you to be more intentional the next time you click the little plus sign on Instagram. As I sit here writing this post at a local coffee shop, I can't help but hear multiple conversations about diet trends, why they shouldn't have ordered their latte/pie/bagel, and about their current or past weight loss successes. GUYS diet talk is BORING. Talk about the fabulous day you've had, what you're thankful for or what has been weighing on your heart. No one cares about the fact that you should've ordered a skinny latte instead of a full-fat. NO ONE. It is important to become mindful of what is coming out of our mouths and being posted on our timelines; the conversations surrounding diet talk can be doing more harm than good. Think about the influence you might have on the children, adolescents and adults around you. Now, I don't want you to feel guilty if you enjoy discussing food/diet trends, we have been conditioned as a society to focus on these topics. However, I urge you to explore the "non-diet" approach and the benefits this movement has on our mental health and truly accepting ourselves, no matter our shape or size. Interested in joining the "non-diet" trend? Here is a list of resourceful podcasts:
Books to read:
Have you been subject to diet talk and feel that it might have had more of an influence on your life and body image than previously thought? Do you know someone who might have an eating disorder? It's not too late to find help. NEDA Help Line: (800) 931-2237 Find Treatment: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/find-treatment/treatment-and-support-groups How to Help A Loved One: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/help/caregivers Info For Health Providers: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/treatment-providers Find a Dietitian Near You: https://www.eatright.org/find-an-expert Resources: Bacon, L., Durante, E., & Tantor Media. (2016). Health at every size: The surprising truth about your weight. Old Saybrook, CT: Tantor Media. National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. (2018). Eating disorder statistics. Retrieved from www.anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/ National Eating Disorder Association. (2017, February 26). Warning signs and symptoms. Retrieved from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/anorexia/warning-signs-symptoms National Eating Disorder Association. (2018, February 22). Risk factors. Retrieved from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/risk-factors First thing’s, first; I want to commend you for clicking on this article and choosing to do some additional research on building a healthier lifestyle. That is a HUGE step. Congratulations!
Secondly, I do not want you to think this is going to be a post bashing all health-related apps and devices. I believe within the correct circumstances, there are a lot of useful tools out there; you just have to find what will work for you. This post is going to provide some pros and cons of popular apps and wearable devices for smartphones that I have used myself, and some others I know of that are currently popular. App: Lose It! Pros:
App: MyFitnessPal Pros:
SuperTracker Pros:
Fitbit Pros:
I recently read an article from The New York Times that summarized recent research that was conducted on weight-loss devices. Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh found those who did not wear fitness tracking devices (ie. Fitbit or Garmin) lost almost twice the amount of weight than those who did wear fitness trackers. Let me repeat that; those who wore trackers like the Fitbit lost significantly less weight (Carroll, 2017). Marketing promotes many new fitness items and technology to the public without researching the effectiveness prior to the release day. This article basically sums up my point of this blog post: I think it is incredibly important to do your own research before adopting these services and devices into your personal lifestyle. Discover what is going to work best FOR YOU. Thanks for visiting! Please comment with your thoughts & opinions :) Carroll, A. E. (2017, February 20). Wearable Fitness Devices Don't Seem to Make You Fitter - The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/20/upshot/wearable-fitness-devices-dont-seem-to-make-you-more-fit.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=0 |
AuthorRegistered Dietitian Nutritionist. I talk a lot about the goodness of food & motivational tactics to promote health & wellness. Archives
December 2020
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