healthy and beautiful

 Via Vo/shutter stock There’s a definite pattern when it comes to adults and Halloween candy. Many adults resist candy on Halloween. Then, the next day if it’s in the house or at the office they start to pick. “Just a couple” pieces here, a couple there. The same thing goes for Thanksgiving. Day of, many clients are on plan. The next day? The leftovers take them down. Why is this? Many people make a decision, ahead of time, not to eat candy on Halloween or not to eat the 5,000 calorie meal on Thanksgiving. It’s clear what the plan is for the holiday itself. The day after? There’s no plan for that and so deliberation begins. “Should I have it?”   and this line of questioning rarely ends well. I read a thought-provoking Vox article, “ the myth of self-control ”. The first portion of the article is a little depressing as the case is made that it’s super tricky to pass things up. “Human beings are terrible at resisting temptation.” Then came the  interesting part. “The people...

Last week a client came in for her first follow-up session. She recapped her week and said, “I feel like I’m thinking about food all the time, should I be?” I have to say I hear this a lot. I dug a little and a lot of this client’s food thoughts were of the planning variety. She also had a little insecurity over whether she was doing all of this right. I reassured this client. “You’re learning a new language and it’s not second nature yet. Of course it’s taking up mind time.” And then the follow up “not to worry, over time I don’t want you thinking about food 24/7 but some degree of forethought is always good.” Not all food thoughts are created equal. I was sent this link about a disorder called Orthorexia . This article questions this diagnosis as being anti healthy, conscious eating. I feel differently. It’s one thing to vet the foods you put into your body. It’s another if situations where you cannot control food choices are completely avoided or if food concerns outweigh food pleas...

I confess that being spontaneous is a difficult one for me.   I am definitely a plan and prep girl when it comes to almost everything about Darla.   I have always done better with structure and a guide to get me from start to finish.   Where this has served me best is in my meal planning and exercise.   I am not one of those who open the door to the refrigerator puzzled by what to eat, looking for something and finding nothing.   I think that would drive me crazy, and talk about wasting energy by leaving the frig open…YIKES. I have dedicated one day out of my weekend and sometimes during the week, to plan and prep my meals.   This not only ensures that I eat healthy, but saves me lots of money, time and stress, especially when time is limited during the busy work week.   I have two crock pots that are in constant use and filled with boneless/skinless chicken breast, brown rice, quinoa, and steel cut oats at any given time.   Having crock pot chic...