Happy Spring! Right now we are on Spring Break. Everyone needs a break. If you ask my kindergartener, he would tell you how his class works harder than everyone.

He often tells me “kindergarten is so hard, all we do is work. I want to go to college it is so much easier.” His voice is always sad and tired when he shares this with me.

If you have kids in school, you know how much things have changed since we were little. Kindergarten used to be about building with blocks, painting, playing with trucks and dolls, having a snack and taking a nap. Nowadays if you can’t read or write in kindergarten, you are already falling behind.

I know my son really likes school. He tells me all sorts of stories and comes home with letters that he and his friends write to each other during “center time.” I am not worried about his attitude towards school, but I did wonder why he thought his class works harder than everyone else.

Every once in a while he comes home with a big piece of “chart paper” that tells the schedule of the day. This paper goes home with the line leader of the day. The schedule tells them what they will be doing, when they will eat lunch and what specials (art, PE, music) they have that day.

The last line of the paper says “We are working very hard in Kindergarten.” I asked my son if the schedule says this everyday and he said “Yes”.

I found this very interesting. I believe the teacher writes this as a way to make the children feel proud of their work and motivate the students. I am sure that many students feel good when they hear they are working hard, but I am guessing that my son is not alone in the feeling that working hard is not fun.

I absolutely love his teacher and this is not a judgment about her at all. I just can’t help but be curious about words and behavior.

I wonder what would happen if she changed the last sentence from “we are working so hard in kindergarten” to “we are having so much fun in kindergarten.” Would changing this statement have any impact on my son’s perspective? I think so. Words are so powerful.

What does this have to do with “befriending your body”? More than you might realize.

Think of how you talk to your body, Think about how you talk to yourself about food and exercise.

What do you say to yourself? Does it motivate you or turn you off?

What sounds better to you?

“I love eating greens because they taste great and give me energy” or “I have to eat greens because they make me healthy.”

“I reduced my sugar intake because my body feels better without it” or “I have to give up sugar because it is making me fat.”

“I feel so much better when I move my body” or “I have to go workout because I ate too much crap yesterday.”

There is no right or wrong answer to these questions. We are all motivated by different words.

If what you are currently saying to yourself doesn’t feel good, you have the power to change your words. I know this might sounds obvious, but we often overlook this simple shift in perspective.

What could you say to yourself that would make you want to take better care of your amazing body? If your first thought makes you feel bad, change it. Keep playing with your words until you find something that feels good.

Before I went to IIN I suffered from years of restrictive dieting, emotional eating and terribly poor body image. I didn’t trust myself around food and despite years of working out, dieting and trying to “be perfect”, I was ashamed that I could not get past my terrible attitude towards my body.

On the outside, I had finally reached a “good” body weight, but on the inside my body was crying out for help and I didn’t want to listen. I wanted to control my body. I wanted my body to listen to me.

I often wondered, Why did it have to be sooo hard? Would I ever be able to give up the fight? How could I sustain this level of intense exercise, restrictive eating and sleep deprivation as I moved into my 40s and beyond? I wanted to be free of this pain and yet I was terrified of losing control.

One of the greatest lessons I learned at IIN was that being healthy doesn’t have to be so hard. There are simple, basic practices that I could do to feel better immediately.

Today I want to share a few of my favorite lessons. If you have heard them before, please read them again. As the founder of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition often reminds us, “just because something is taught, doesn’t mean it is learned”.

My favorite “Being Healthy Doesn’t have to be so Hard” lessons:

LISTEN to Your Body. Your amazing, smart body already knows what eat to be healthy. Eat real food and pay attention to how your body responds. Do you notice that you have more energy when you eat more greens? Do you feel better when you eat animal protein or does your body prefer plant based protein? Everyone is different. Only by paying attention to your body will you learn what works best for you.

Sleep is a Vital Nutrient. Most Americans are walking around sleep deprived. Not only does this make us grouchy and stressed out but sleep deprivation increases our cravings for sugar and other low quality food products. Give yourself the precious gift of some extra zzz’s. That might mean shutting off the TV or computer early. Try it. I promise your body will thank you.

Your body craves play and movement, not punishment. While exercise can sound like a chore, play evokes a sense of joy. The more you play through movement you love such as dance, hiking, biking, or whatever you find fun, the easier it is to feel better fast. If you currently use exercise as a punishment or means to control your calories, this can be a bit of a challenge at first. Ask yourself, “if all exercise burned the same number of calories, what would I want to do?” There is no “right” answer. Some people love the feeling of an intense P90X style workout while others prefer walking. I love to mix it up. Some days I feel like a hardcore workout, while others I simply want to walk in the woods. Every movement matters so have fun moving your beautiful body.

Slow down. We are often moving around so fast feeling stressed out, busy and overwhelmed. This constant state of stress wreaks havoc on our health, causes weight gain, and sucks the joy out of our lives. By slowing down we boost our metabolic power as well as our ability to appreciate the present moment. A super easy way to start is to simply take three breaths before you eat. This lesson changed my life.

Reach out for support. I had a transformational weekend participating at IIN’s Live Alumni weekend and I am so inspired to support as many people as possible on their path to health and wellness. I have a few spaces available to offer a Complimentary “Befriend Your Body Breakthrough” session. If you are sick and tired of dieting and ready to step into a healthier version of yourself, please respond to this email and I will be happy to set up a time to discuss your personal goals and vision for your health.

Having a coach who is committed to your success will dramatically increase your confidence and ability to reach your goals. It can feel really, really hard to make changes alone. We are living in an environment where we are surrounded by fake food products. We are stressed out and we turn to food for comfort. We are tired and moving our bodies feels like the last thing we want to do.

If you are ready to say YES to you, I am here for you. With my support, you will discover that being healthy does not have to be so hard.

Getting out of the pool was always a bit of struggle. I went from feeling light and free to feeling heavy and unbalanced.

On our way home from the gym, my husband asked me if I wanted to go to Taco Bell. Embarrassing as this is to admit, at the time this was pretty normal for us. Go to the gym and then go out for fast food.

This particular night I had no interest in Taco Bell or anything else. I felt a little nauseous and skipped dinner.

A few hours later I was in bed and my water broke. I wasn’t due for a couple more weeks and so I was incredibly shocked. I was not it any pain but I knew for sure that would be the day I was going to become a mama.

As we drove to the hospital I told my husband how grateful I was that I skipped the Taco Bell. I cannot imagine that being the last thing I ate before going into labor.

After I was admitted to the hospital, I was allowed to walk around since I was still in early labor. My husband and I paced the hallways for a while. We stopped and stared into the nursery.

I looked back and forth from the nursery to my belly. The babies in the nursery were so beautiful all swaddled in their blankets with their cute little hats. I was in awe. Even though I was about to give birth I still could not truly believe a baby was actually going to come out of me. It seemed too incredible.

We kept walking until I was called in by the nurse. The doctor was concerned that there was meconium in the amniotic fluid and it was decided that I needed Pitocin to speed my labor along. I went from feeling peaceful and in awe to feeling terrified, in pain and on a mission. This was really happening. I will spare you the details of everything that came next.

A few hours later, my first baby was born. When I held my baby I was instantly in love. I knew my life was forever changed. I was scared and in pain. I passed out a couple of times. It was the most wild, crazy day of my life.

When I was pregnant, it seemed like every woman wanted to tell me her birth story. I always thought they were trying to scare me. I didn’t want to hear all the gory details. I was already frightened enough.

Now I believe a different story. I think women share their birth stories because it is a day in their life that they know for sure that they are amazing. We know our bodies are incredible. Our body created another living being and now he or she is with us. For many of us, this is the most magical day of our lives. We are grateful for our bodies in a way we never have been.

Unfortunately, we quickly forget how incredible our bodies are as time goes on. We take our bodies for granted even though they are performing miracles on a daily basis. We get focused on losing the baby weight and all the ways our bodies are not good enough.

Pregnancy and birth connect us to the power of our bodies, but you certainly do not have to ever have a baby to know that your body is incredible.

Your body is doing incredible things every single second of every single day! How can you be amazed by your body everyday?

I ask this question because so many people are constantly at war with their bodies. When I ask new clients what they love about their bodies, they find this question extremely difficult to answer.

HERE IS A SMALL SAMPLING OF YOUR AMAZING BODY’S DAILY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

* Waking up to a brand new day

* You breathe (inhale and exhale) 20,000-25,000 a day without having to think about it.

* Your Heart Beats around 100,000 times a day!

* Your digestive system breaks down whatever food you eat in order to nourish and build cells, and provide you with ENERGY.

What can you add to the list?

The more you focus on why your body is so INCREDIBLE and AMAZING, the more and more you want to take care of it.

You know your body is working so hard to keep you healthy and alive, how can you give back?

What is ONE THING you can do today to show more love and appreciation towards your body?

To your amazing body- Michelle

P.S. Thank you for listening to parts of my birth story. I am still in awe of the experience of becoming a mother. Hard to believe it has been a whole decade.

In my old days of dieting and deprivation, I never allowed myself to truly enjoy chocolate. I considered it a “forbidden food” and tried my best to use willpower to stay away from it. I could never hold back for long. When I broke my diet, I would go on a wild bingeing rampage.

I wish I would have learned healthy ways to include chocolate in my life earlier. It would have saved me lots and lots of guilt and self-hatred.

I hope you enjoy this video of my kids sharing the Three S’s for body friendly chocolate eating.

With love and chocolate- Michelle

I always find it tougher to be joyful in the winter months. I miss my long walks in the woods. I miss the feeling of the sun kissing my body. I miss being warm and cozy. I miss wearing flip-flops.

I know I’m hardly alone. Many people are impacted by the changes in the weather and need a little boost to feel better.

When I was a stress/emotional eater, I always turned to food to feel better. It never worked. I felt guilty for overeating while I was eating and even worse afterwards. Feeling guilty and/or giving yourself a food hangover is a sign that you are not giving your body what it really needs.

One of my favorite concepts that I learned at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition was the need for PRIMARY FOODS.

What are primary foods? Anything that nourishes you that does not come on the plate. When you are missing joy from your life no amount of cookies, cakes, brownies, chips, beer or wine will ever fill this void.

That is why I challenge you to create your JOY TOOLBOX. Write a list of things that bring you true, lasting pleasure. Keep off anything that gives you momentary happiness but leaves you feeling bad afterwards.

The more we add into our joy toolbox, the less we will feel drawn to food to fill a non-food function. Everyone will have a different joy toolbox. Whatever brings you joy is unique to you.

I am sharing my JOY TOOLBOX with you in hopes that it will inspire you to create your own.

Here are a few things on my list in random order:

Morning pages- Free writing in the morning

Talking to a friend- really sharing hopes/dreams/desires.

Lighting Candles

Meditation

Keeping a Gratitude Journal

Snuggling

Giving food to people on the street

Dance breaks with my family and by myself

Baking Bread

Going for a walk

Yoga

Zumba (new addition to my joy treasure chest)

Watching the sunset and moonrise

Flowers in the house

Cup of tea

Bubble baths

Green juice or smoothies

Planning a vacation

Watching a funny movie

Sitting in front of my fireplace and pretending I am camping

Sledding

Birdwatching

Spinning

You can always add more and more to your JOY TOOLBOX. Having lots of go to ideas helps when you need that quick infusion of happiness. It also keeps you away from the cookie jar.

Have some fun, joyful ideas you would love to share? Feel free to share your ideas below.

Here we are a day before Thanksgiving.

A time for gratitude and reflection

A time for family

A time for food

So what’s up with the guilt? As a recovered exercise-aholic, I felt a strong urge to write about this topic. I used to be obsessed with spending hours at the gym “kicking my ass.” A less than torturous workout made me feel like a failure.

I know I am not the only one who has felt this way.

Many of us get anxious about the thought of  ”stuffing our faces”…so we “proactively” bust our butts at the gym in attempts to make room for the onslaught of holiday calories.

It seems virtuous. We feel like we are “being good” before we “be bad” at the meal. However, many of us still feel guilty from overindulging and head back to the gym the next morning to “burn more calories.”

Our workout serves as a punishment for eating too much.

We become seduced by the hardcore language around exercise:

Torture

Brutal

Painful

Blast off the calories

Is it supposed to be so hard, painful, tortuous? Are workouts meant to be a punishment for overeating? In case you are unsure, the answer is NO.

How can we start to indulge in guilt-free workouts?

1. Rather than focusing on punishing, calorie blasting workouts, think of exercise as a special gift to yourself. Your body craves movement. Your energy level and mood are naturally elevated when you exercise.

2. Do what you love (or at least like). Some people truly love the feeling of a super intense workout. It feels awesome and uplifting  and not at all like “torture.” Other people enjoy walking, dance parties, yoga, playing tennis, biking, swimming, pole dancing, etc.

3. Think of exercise as play. Doing what makes your feel great is key.

4. Focus on gratitude. While you are working out- thank your legs, arms, and core for allowing you to experience this joyful movement. Remind yourself that you are strong and getting stronger each time you exercise.

5. No worries if you miss your workout. It is OK to skip days and in fact can be healthy. Too much exercise can cause stress and lead you to hold on to extra weight.

Whether you are a hardcore athlete or a budding beginner, do your best to take time for yourself and savor enjoyable, guilt-free movement this holiday season.

Wishing you a fun and fabulous Thanksgiving!

With love and gratitude- Michelle

I have to admit I used to think I had no control around candy corn, Twix bars, Kit Kats, and more.

Learning these tricks and how to make a special treat made all the difference. Check them out below:

As many of you know, my path to becoming a Health Coach was a long, messy road. Like many young girls I thought I was too fat and jumped on the dieting treadmill by the time I was in middle school.

My innocent attempts to lose weight developed into bulimia. I spent months working with the a therapist who always asked me the same seemingly simple question; “how do you feel?”

My answer was always “I feel fat.”

His response would always be- “Michelle, FAT is not a FEELING…how do you feel?”

He would gently push me to answer, and I would mostly shrug or cry. I struggled to verbalize my feelings because I was so out of touch with with myself.

Flash forward many years later…

Now I am a mom with a child who struggles with dealing with his emotions. He gets into cycles of anger and frustration that he cannot control.

This past Spring I realized I needed to reach out and get support. His anger issues were affected the whole family. His younger brother was most often the target of his frustration. I was miserable and could no longer handle the situation.

We started going to an art therapist who helped him start to name his feelings. She gave us a chart with over 20 different feelings such as angry, happy, excited, sad, frustrated, surprised, puzzled, etc.

The whole family joined in and did a daily check-in on how we were feeling. Over time it has become easier for him to identify his feelings and what to do when anger and frustration arise.

The art therapist helped him create Coping Cards for when he is having a “Red Light Moment.”

Here are some of examples of the coping skills:

Take a few deep breaths

Melt a piece of ice in your hands

Flick rubber bands across your room

Read a book

Suck on a sour candy (I was not a fan of this however I was told that the sour flavor can help change mood….and it works for him.)

Build a fort

Bounce a ball

Identifying his feelings and using coping skills has improved his ability to handle his anger and frustration. I would love to say that all is well and we have it figured out…but that would be a lie. We all know that change takes time.

When the art therapist introduced us to these strategies I was almost grateful for the struggle. What a gift it is to learn how to discuss your emotions and know how to deal with frustration without screaming or pounding on your brother.

The whole experience made me wonder what my teenage years would have looked like if I was able to verbalize “I am angry” or “I am frustrated and scared.”

I strongly believe if  had been able to identify my feelings, instead of just saying “I feel FAT”, my recovery process would have been sooner. Perhaps I would have learned how to effectively process my feelings instead of bingeing on ice cream and overdosing on laxatives.

Although I cannot go back, I can and do use coping strategies now. I know when I think I am “feeling fat” there is something going on underneath that statement. It usually means I am scared or upset.

If I am depressed or anxious, I reach for my journal instead of a box of cookies. I let myself cry. I reach out to a friend. I go for long walks in the woods. I take a bath. I focus on what I am grateful for. These are a few of my coping strategies.

We all need a few good coping strategies in our bag of tricks. Take a few minutes to think about what you could do when you are feeling frustrated or anxious and longing to find the nearest doughnut shop. Write your strategies down and keep them with you. You never know when they will come in handy.

My kids come home from school ravenous. They often want something sweet. Staying away from processed foods does not mean you have to give up on cookies and other sweet stuff.

Check out this quick and easy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe by Ani Phyo:

FIVE Reasons why I LOVE this recipe:

1. The cookies are made with only 4 ingredients and they are all REAL

2. No added sugar- they are sweetened by dates and raisins

3. Kids of all ages can help which fosters an appreciation for cooking and eating real food

4. They take less than 5 minutes to make

5. They are DELISH!

Missed the ingredients:

1 cup gluten-free oats

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup medjool dates

1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Place oats and cinnamon in food processor and process

2. Add dates- process again

3. Add raisins- process

4. Roll in small balls and flatten to make cookies