Balance

You can’t turn on the TV, drive down the road or go to a party without being confronted with America’s hottest obsession: DIETS!

Dieting is a billion-dollar industry. Many companies spend millions of dollars luring you to try the latest diet (low carbohydrate, high protein, low fat, no fat) with promises that this will be the solution. Advertising efforts also deeply affect our children, who develop distorted body images and are often on a diet as early 10 years of age.

We are an ‘instant coffee’ society; we want instant results for very little effort. Our culture touts diet pills, quick fixes, celebrity workouts, convenience foods and trendy diets to help us achieve our desired weight, but these solutions have backfired. America’s populace has reached its highest weight in history. About half of Americans are overweight; one-third of Americans are obese. Diets steer us away from our common sense and dip deeply into our pocketbooks while eliciting few, if any, lasting results.

Why?

· Diets don’t work because each person is unique, with different needs based on gender, age, ancestry and lifestyle; how could one diet be right for everyone?

· Diets don’t work because they are extreme solutions. As in physics, if a pendulum swings to one extreme, it has to swing equally to the other. A diet might work for a short amount of time, but research shows that almost all diets result in a 10-pound gain once off the diet.

· Diets don’t work because they are too restrictive. People who fail on diet plans are not flawed or weak. Diets by nature require discipline and restriction at levels that are unsustainable by a healthy human body and are unnecessary when eating healthy, whole foods and leading a balanced lifestyle.

· Most people are disconnected from why they gain weight and see diet as the only culprit. For example, ignoring or discounting emotions is often the first thing to cause weight imbalances.

In our fast-paced world, we have lost sight of many aspects of life that truly nourish and balance our bodies, such as slowing down, eating a home-cooked meal and spending quality time with loving people. Eating consciously and making simple lifestyle changes will create positive results and release you from the endless cycle of dieting. Given half a chance, your body will balance out by itself, but this is only possible by getting out of the diet mentality and listening to what you truly need. Imagine taking all of the outward energy you expend on diets, fads and gimmicks and turning it inward, so that you can listen to your heart and inner wisdom. There is no such thing as a quick fix; you already have everything you need within you. With careful thought and loving reflection, you can feed yourself in a nourishing way. Working with your body rather than against it will bring you increased energy, stabilized weight and sustainable health.

Eating healthy, nourishing meals is only ONE part of a healthy lifestyle.  We all need nourishment from our family, friends, work and community.  We need a lifestyle that encompasses a healthy personal life and professional life.  We need time to move, stretch, sleep and reflect.  Taking time to slow down and enjoy all of the gifts we have in our lives, however small they may be adds a wonderful richness to our life.  And, having hobbies and activities that truly excite us, give us enthusiasm and feed our souls is a very healthy way of adding nourishment to our lives.  It doesn’t always come in the form of food.

I love to cook!  And, I love to eat  I love sharing healthy food with people I care about.  Sharing gives me a real sense of connection and pleasure.

What do you like to do for fun?  What other ways can you nourish yourself besides food?

- Bernadette Kathryn, LMT

- www.bkfitness.com

- In association with The Institute for Integrative Nutrition

Manhattan- based Certify Prepare Respond (a division of BK Fitness, LLC) is a new company offering CPR/AED & First Aid training to families, small groups and corporations. What makes this company unique is they will customize the course to your specific needs and bring it to you — in the comfort of your home or office.

On October 18th 2010 new guidelines on how to perform CPR will be released. After the most rigorous scientific review on Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) ever conducted, ILCOR (International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation) will alter the rules on how to save a life. National certification organizations around the world, such as the American Heart Association and American Red Cross, eagerly await the release of the findings of ILCOR’s review.

The previous guidelines were established by ILCOR in 2005 and have formed the basis of every CPR class since then. Everyone trained after 2005, from doctors and paramedics to sports coaches and security staff, has learnt these lifesaving techniques; but now the rules are going to change, for the better.

“It’s a win-win situation every time new [CPR] guidelines are released.” says Marc Fowler, director of training at Certify Prepare Respond.

“Most importantly, the techniques are more effective at saving lives. The new material allows us to incorporate more modern teaching strategies (such as covering much of the material online through an e-learning option) so that when people come into class they are better prepared to focus on more effective streamlined skills, which is always exciting.

“The result is a collection of courses that are accessible to everyone, because classes will be able to fit into an afternoon or a lunch break. This will increase the number of survivors of cardiac emergencies and that has always been the ultimate goal. CPR training will become less about meeting a certification requirement and more about protecting family members, colleagues and the community as a whole.

“We cover the New York Metropolitan area and specifically the Upper East Side. It is our goal to get the new guidelines for CPR into the hands of as many people as possible, which would mean a significant increase in CPR effectiveness across the city and more lives being saved.”

For more information visit our website

www.certifypreparerespond.com

or call Marc directly at

646 867 5196

Set up a class for your family & friends!

Integrative Health Coaching is a partnering between you (the client) and a professionally trained coach to clarify your personal health vision in a way that is consistent with your core values. A professionally trained Integrative Health Coach works with you to develop a personalized health plan (PHP) keeping your agenda at the center of the process.

Once an optimal health vision has been revealed and your core values have been identified, you work to assess your current and desired states of health as it relates to the Wheel of Health. Then a focus can be chosen to work on with S.M.A.R.T. goals to assist in choosing action steps that will facilitate your forward movement toward your optimal health vision.

At Duke Integrative Medicine the Wheel of Health is used as a visual aid and symbol of integrative health. It identifies (9) nine areas for you to consider when assessing your current and desired states of health. Each of the nine areas are an integral part of optimal health.

A well-balanced lifestyle that includes:

• Exercise, movement & quality rest
• Local wholesome food & nutrition
• A rich spiritual & personal life
• Healthy communication with our family & friends
• A satisfying professional life and personal development
• A strong sense of mindful awareness
• Strong mind-body connection
• A healthy home environment
• Professional Care, prevention & intervention

Each of these components is vital to creating a well-balanced healthy life.

EXERCISE, MOVEMENT & QUALITY REST

There is plenty of research and evidence that supports the recommendation to exercise. There are 1,440 minutes in every day, schedule 30 minutes for physical activity and make sure it is something that you enjoy!

Our bodies are designed to move. Regular exercise is a critical part of staying healthy. People who are active live longer and feel better about themselves and their bodies. Exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight & make it easier for you to do all the things you love. It can delay or prevent diabetes, some cancers and heart problems.

As the beautiful unique individuals that we are, it is up to us to choose how to move to suit our health needs and enjoyment. Most adults need at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least five days per week. We have lots of options to choose from; dance, martial arts, running, boxing, swimming, bowling, cycling, yoga, tai chi, Pilates, strength training, brisk walking, mowing the lawn, and stretching – just to name a few.

The key is to find the right exercise for you. If it is fun, you are more likely to stay motivated. You may want to walk with a friend, take tennis lessons, join a class, plan a group bike ride or take an active family vacation.

If you haven’t exercised in a while, consult the expertise of a certified fitness professional to create a plan that is right for you and your needs. Make sure to start out slowly, keep a record or your sessions and be consistent; your efforts will pay off!

Sleep and quality rest is a hot topic these days.

With all of our connections to the Internet, cell phone, iPads, iPods, blackberry’s, email, etc. we are finding it increasingly difficult to disconnect and turn off. Sleep is vital to our overall well-being. We need sleep to think clearly, react quickly and stay alert during our daily activities. Getting adequate quality sleep helps us maintain good health and function at our best. How well rested we are will determine how well we function the next day.

Sleep is important for good health. Skimping on sleep has a price. Not getting enough sleep or getting poor quality sleep on a regular basis has been shown to increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and other medical conditions.

Sleep also affects our mood. Insufficient sleep can make you irritable and is linked to poor behavior and trouble with relationships. People who chronically lack sleep are also more likely to become depressed, make poor decisions and take more risks.

Integrative Health Coaching

is an exciting new field emerging out of

Duke Integrative Medicine.

It is a cutting edge approach to improving physical health by exploring different aspects of the …

and creating a customized health plan with the assistance of a professionally trained Integrative Health Coach.

Health Coaching is a partnership between you (the client) & a coach to clarify your individual health goals in a way that is consistent with your personal values. The coach works with you to develop a customized health plan that keeps your vision and values at the center of the process.

Coaching helps you develop and realize your optimal health vision through a process of inquiry and self discovery. Coaching provides you an opportunity to explore any concerns or barriers that get in the way of you taking care of yourself.

A coach is like a ‘personal trainer’ with the focus on your whole being. They spend time exploring what is most important to you and guide you through a process to maximize your possibility for ultimate success!

You and your coach work together to identify obstacles and barriers to change and develop strategies to overcome those obstacles and move you toward you goals.

The coaching relationship is unique. Any topic that you want to bring up, that you feel will help you realize your health goals, is appropriate for coaching. A concern that gets in the way of you taking care of your health is a perfect place to begin your discussion. Your coach will spend time exploring your your personal health vision, your core values and support you in creating a healthy lifestyle.

Some questions that you might explore with your coach include:

• How would your life be different if you were to achieve your optimal health vision?

• What is the ONE thing that you can do today to make your life healthier?

• Do you need to get more sleep regularly?

• Do you want to establish better communication with those you care about?

• Do you want to change your current exercise strategy?

• Do you want to learn more about healthy eating & cooking?

• Do you want to improve or change your current living environment?

• Do you need to see your physician and get a check up?

• Do you have a nagging pain that is concerning you?

Your coach will support you in tracking your weekly progress and hold you accountable for your commitment to change. Your coach is a resource for helping you make healthy behavior changes and keeping them as a part of your everyday life.

What ever it is that you want to change or explore regarding your optimal health — you can do it with an Integrative Health Coach!

If you are interested in finding out more & changing your life,

please give me a call and we will explore the subject together!

Bernadette Kathryn, LMT

Local food — that is easy, or is it? It seems that the busier we become, the further from local & wholesome food we get. Our world has become ‘global’ and food is an obvious place it shows up. While it is very exciting to experience all the exotic foods and flavors from far away lands, it’s not necessarily good for us. The quality of the food suffers from travel. Which is why we are now in the mist of the ‘Slow Food’ movement and at a time when becoming a ‘locavore’ is fashionable, good for you and good for the earth. It means making an effort to eating only foods harvested within a 100 mile radius of your home. Recognizing that the choices we make about what foods we eat are important politically, environmentally, economically, and healthfully.

We live in America — everything is available to us, we led the movement in industrialized food production. We worked very hard to bring large quantities of food to everyone in the nation at a price they can afford. I believe it started out as a nobel objective, making sure that everyone in American had access to good food, right? Well, that may have been the initial objective — but, somewhere along the line we lost that motivation. In our efforts to make life easy and affordable for everyone, we produced more and more food items in convenience packages which means that we then had to add preservatives to the food to extend it’s shelf life. How is that ‘wholesome’ and healthy?

While we were busy learning how to mass produce foods that were affordable for everyone in America, we had to violate the land it was grown on and compromise the product itself with all of the chemicals that became necessary to produce the food in such an unnatural way. These chemicals looked very exciting at first, allowing us to grow more food, bigger, prettier and faster. Great right? Well, not really. Father time has since told us that all of the chemicals that are necessary for that type of mass production are hurting our land and hurting our health.

Pesticides are toxic by design. They were created specifically to kill living organisms — insects, plants, and fungi that are considered “pests.”

Many pesticides pose health dangers to people. These risks have been established by independent research scientists and physicians across the world.

As acknowledged by U.S. government agencies, different pesticides have been linked to a variety of health problems, including:

nervous system toxicity

cancer

hormone system effects

skin, eye and lung irritation

What can we do about all of this?

We can make an effort to know where our food comes from, shop at your local farmers market. Get to know your farmer and buy organic whenever possible. “Organic” is a designation used by the US Department of Agriculture National Organic Program to certify food that is produced without synthetic chemicals or fertilizers, genetic engineering, radiation or sewage sludge. “EWG recommends buying organic whenever possible. Not only is it smart to reduce your exposure to pesticides, but buying organic sends a message that you support environmentally friendly farming practices that minimize soil erosion, safeguard water quality and protect wildlife.” The more that we purchase healthy organic produce over conventional produce, the louder the message we send. Vote with your dollars!

I realize that organics are not accessible and affordable for everyone, it can add quite a lot to your grocery bill. So, the EWG created the Shopper’s Guide to help consumers make the healthiest choices given their circumstances. It is an excellent reference to help you purchase the best foods that you can afford. It’s a challenge, I know. I buy local and organic whenever I can because I want my food to nourish me, the way it was meant to! I cook as many of my meals as I have time for and I focus on using the best ingredients that I can afford. I would rather spend my money today on preventing disease instead of managing an unwanted disease tomorrow.