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Hello Everyone,
A belated Happy New Year from the Family Practice Centre of Integrative Health and Healing! Our January newsletter is written by our Massage Therapist, Steve Cagalj on the timely subject of new years resolutions. Steve actually shares his won resolution with us in a very engaging way. Cynthia Love, our nutritionist has provided us with a great winter recipe to help support the resolution of obtaining healthy weights. For anyone new to our newsletter, earlier editions can be viewed on our website www.fpcihh.com.
It's a new year and I thought it would be fitting to start the first newsletter of 2008 reflecting on resolutions. We have all tried them, but if you're like me, the failures outweigh the successful ones. Instead of listing the common steps to take and goals of resolution making, I thought I would make this article more personal and take you through the steps I am going to take to resolve the issues I have with my weight. I want to try and stay away from the word DIET, and look at it as more of a lifestyle change. One way to increase your success is to tell someone about your goals (so I am asking you, when you see me here at the clinic to ask me how I am doing, as it will make me want to succeed more). Where did it all begin? Looking back in time, I didn't think there was a problem, I just kept putting food on my plate and eating as much garbage as I desired, whenever I desired it. It felt good to indulge, a sort of high you might say. Quickly a year passed and I found myself getting frustrated with my wardrobe and not to mention my self image. A fifty pound weight gain will do that to you, not mention the decrease in energy and associated health risks. Here is what I plan to do about it. The first step to my resolution success was to write down my goals and begin a health journal. One main point here for everyone, is to make goals realistic and attainable, not too big, or else the feeling of defeat will set in before even getting started. So instead of trying to lose fifty pounds, I will try and lose 5 pounds, at a rate of 1 pound/week. That seems attainable. And the time to start is now! According to Hinda Dubin, M.D., a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and psychiatrist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, the key to achieving even your most lofty goals is to get started immediately. "Action precedes motivation, not the other way around," said Dubin. "People often think that they should wait until they are motivated to start doing something good for themselves. They'll say, 'I'll start that diet or fitness program when I'm really well rested and have a lot of energy'. But it doesn't work that way." In my journal I will also start writing down the foods I eat and at what time during the day in order to get a more accurate idea of where changes could be made, as well as my caloric intake. I also need to be aware of associated risk factors, which is why I will consult with my family doctor and get a full physical, including blood work. It makes sense to receive advice from a professional, so I have made plans to discuss my weight and diet goals with our clinic's Naturopathic Doctor, Tracy Malone. She plans on taking some initial measurements and will educate me on the proper and necessary steps to take to achieve my goals and help me realize what kind of relationship I have with food. (i.e. emotional eating which might require some additional therapy…I wonder if Maralyn is here today...) The next logical step for me, is to make an appointment with our nutritionist, Cynthia Love, who will help me understand the science behind it all - caloric intake, properly reading food labels; I might also drop by Dr. Rankin's office to get some tips on starting a weight training program. While I am writing this down I keep thinking to myself baby steps, baby steps. While searching the net for some helpful hints, I came across a few universal tips, important for anyone to keep in mind:
Some dangers I need to try and avoid are fad diets, emotional eating and negative self talk. Everywhere I turn I see some advertisement or commercial offering me a quick fix; these are usually not rooted in science, but more geared towards someone making money. The key will be to make life changes that I am comfortable with and that I am able to maintain. Looking back I now know that I was eating to cope with my stress. Food doesn't solve the problem, it merely adds to it by creating guilt and a negative self image. I have found some fantastic tips and am looking forward to this healthy journey. I'd like to mention that at a recent wine and cheese party (lots of calories in the wine…darn) we had a round table discussion to making creative resolutions. In 6 months time, we will have another gathering to see how we all did. Mine was to complete a five mile run. It sure will be easier to run with less weight. I will keep you posted on my progress and let you know what has worked for me. Hopefully this article can help or even inspire some of you to make some healthy life style changes yourself. Peace, Love and Light (Dressing that is). Steve Cagalj, RMT.
These are two recipes that are ‘easy' and ‘fast' main course plans that are also wonderful for weight loss. I've had a lot of great feedback from people who have tried these recipes! Enjoy, Seafood salad (Lunch) Caloric Information:
Ingredients:
Directions: Heat 3/4 the amount of oil in a medium non-stick pan. Add clams, scallops, pepper strips, and onion. Sauté until cooked through. Combine remaining vegetables in a bowl. Pour seafood mixture over vegetables. Toss with dressing (remaining olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and dill). Enjoy with fruit for dessert. Mexican turkey and black bean salad (Dinner) Caloric Information:
Ingredients:
Directions: Heat oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Sauté all veggies with garlic, a dash of cayenne pepper, 1/4 tbsp dried basil and garlic. Add turkey and cook until it browns. Drain thoroughly. Add salsa and black beans and warm through. Add salt, pepper and hot sauce, if desired. Serve over mixed green salad. Top with organic shredded cheese. Please feel free to forward our newsletter on to family and friends. They are welcome to subscribe and can request our newsletters at www.fpcihh.com. With our best wishes for a happy and healthy new year, Steve Cagalj, Registered Massage Therapist |
A New Year's Resolution for Healthy Weight
Recipes