Massachusetts General Hospital has a program where its doctors write prescriptions for outdoor activity as a way to improve health (Outdoor Rx). This is one of those “Wouldn’t it be nice if…” moments that has actually materialized. “Wouldn’t it be nice” if doctors handed out prescriptions for walking the dog, hiking, or playing catch rather… Read More »
When I was working in the Marriage and Family Therapy field, we had a guiding principle when it came to treating children: generally speaking, children’s problems are best addressed at the family level. This doesn’t mean that a family is always to “blame” for the child’s problems. Rather, it means that the solution will be most… Read More »
Some diets promise rapid weight loss. Others aim for a slower pace. Does the rate at which we lose weight have any bearing on whether we keep it off? This is a great question. Conventional wisdom has long held that slow, gradual weight loss is more sustainable. However, a new study questions that wisdom: regardless… Read More »
“If you don’t like your world, change yourself (in a positive way). By virtue of changing yourself, your world will change…” This simple axiom can be very powerful. Research has shown we make over 200 decisions about food every day. Most of these decisions are driven by external factors. In our fast paced, sedentary world… Read More »
The study of mindfulness as it relates to health is an exciting, emerging field. This study discusses how mindfulness affects a variety of health outcomes. I love the way the researchers define mindfulness: “Mindfulness is defined as a person’s awareness of his or her mental and physical states — one’s thoughts, emotions and needs.” Too… Read More »
One popular dieting trick is to quantify how much activity is required to burn off certain foods.Most people underestimate (or don’t even know) the amount of calories in their food, and overestimate their activity level. People assume they expend far more energy than they actually do while exercising. And to top it off, people treat… Read More »
One key component of mindfulness is self-compassion. We tend to be very harsh with ourselves. This is especially true around weight loss. Self-hatred, poor body image, guilt, and shame are common emotions for people struggling with their weight. These emotions often lead to a vicious cycle of emotional eating (due to negative emotions) and then… Read More »
I highly recommend the book Your Brain on Nature by Eva M. Selhub, MD and Alan C. Logan, ND. I used this book as an inspiration for a community psychology project during graduate school. My task was to choose a community issue and come up with a practical community-based intervention to address it. The issue… Read More »
This excellent article from Mindful talks about the neuroscience of “bad habits.” This is worth reading to understand exactly what is going on in your brain with compulsive overeating (or any compulsion or addiction). Basically, it is all about dopamine—the neurotransmitter responsible for motivation and the rush of pleasure. Here’s how it goes, according to… Read More »
What is your weight loss dream? Your vision? Your perfect end point? How does that differ from your weight loss goals? Or do you use the terms interchangeably? Knowing the relationship between dreams and goals is crucial. If you don’t understand this relationship, you risk not being able to achieve either. Goals are small steps… Read More »