I knew that spending time outside was good for me before reading Florence Williams’s, “The Nature Fix.” To be honest, I wasn’t sure I’d learn anything new from the book. I was wrong. Williams decided to write the book after a move from Boulder, Colorado to Washington D.C. left her depressed and wondering if it had to do with the sudden shift to metropolitan living. Nature, Williams concludes in the book, isn’t just something nice, it is a necessity - and one that is profoundly undervalued. Researchers have found that time in nature can reduce blood pressure, anxiety, depression, stress, rumination and mental fatigue. It can also improve attention, memory, cognition, sleep, self-esteem and happiness. And … [Read more...] about Why Nature Makes Us Healthier, Happier and More Creative
Self Care
Beauty Sick Book Review
I sometimes struggle with reconciling my advocacy of body acceptance with the fact that I help women lose weight. Can you respect your body and want to change it? My answer is a resounding yes. More than ever. If I didn’t believe this to be true, there is no way I could do this work with integrity. Unwinding beauty sickness and appreciating what our bodies do FOR us is an essential component of well-being. In her book, Beauty Sick, Renee Englen, a professor at Northwestern University and head of the Body and Media Lab, very clearly and in a very compelling manner exposes the cultural epidemic of beauty sickness, the obsession with appearance, and how it affects or has affected most women in America. Using scientific … [Read more...] about Beauty Sick Book Review
5 Steps for Unwinding Body Shame
It’s entirely NORMAL to experience negative body image days. It’s NORMAL to not love what you see in the mirror or in a photo sometimes. Welcome to the club my friend. But you don’t have to stay stuck in that place. You don’t have to layer feelings of guilt and shame about feeling bad on top of ALREADY feeling crummy. Today I'm sharing a process to help you unwind a negative body image spiral - so you can get on with living your amazing life. Because the world needs you. This process is based on the work of many brilliant minds in this area. If you practice consistently, it will become easier to flow through and come out the other side more quickly. Which reminds me – you WILL feel bad again. It’s okay. Attaining some … [Read more...] about 5 Steps for Unwinding Body Shame
What Kind of Teacher Are You?
Imagine it’s your first day of Kindergarten. You’re nervous and excited and curious and bouncing with energy. Throughout the day, your teacher cheers you on and praises what you do well… What a beautiful picture.Thank you for putting the crayons away.What excellent manners you have. You’re beaming. On the second day of school, you enthusiastically race through the doors. Now imagine, if on that first day, your teacher cruelly pointed out everything you did WRONG… You’re not very good at coloring are you? That’s terrible.Why can’t you spell your name? What’s wrong with you? Are you stupid?You’re not as pretty as the other girls in this class. It’s an extreme (and improbable) example, but imagine how you would feel at the … [Read more...] about What Kind of Teacher Are You?