Overcoming Emotional Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders

Do you struggle with your weight? Many people who struggle with their weight recognize that much of their excess eating and unhealthy food choices are a response to anxiety and stress. When overcome with disappointment, loneliness, stress, or a sense of failure at work or at home, are you seeking comfort in food?  For some people emotional eating is a constant struggle and often part of an addiction to comfort foods brought on by stress and anxiety disorders.

Help for those with emotional eating disorders is available; without taking pills or the latest fad diet. The audio program “Overcoming Emotional Eating: Breaking the Cycle of Stress and Anxiety Based Eating” provides a wealth of info and effective tools that will help the occasional and constant emotional eater reduce the pattern of eating out of emotion (i.e., stress and anxiety) need rather than actual physical hunger.

The audio recording is very good and it is designed to help you turn off stress reactions and replace them with relaxation. Imagery and self-hypnosis are powerful tools that can help you self-soothe and master emotional eating.

Regular listening to the audio program will reinforce the messages and skills that will help you conquer emotional eating. - Dr. Catherine Herzog

Audio recordings are not a substitute for working with a health professional. But, the program will enhance your success with any other weight-loss programs. Listening to it can produce significant, positive changes in the way you respond to stress, and reduce the probability that you will eat for emotional reasons tied to stress and anxiety.

To learn more about the emotional eating audio file, please visit Anxiety Solutions Online here. It might just be the right solution for you.

NCSF Adds Nutrition Course for Special Dietary Needs

The National Council on Strength and Fitness has added a new course for trainers, Fitness Nutrition for Special Dietary Needs.

According to the NCSF, the Fitness Nutrition for Special Dietary Needs course delivers state-of-the-art nutritional information pertaining to populations with distinctive dietary needs. The program provides scientifically based nutrition guidelines for a wide range of physically active clients—including vegetarians, pregnant and menopausal women, persons with eating disorders and disordered eating, children and adolescents, older adults, persons with diabetes, and participants in weight-restricted sports.

The course teaches professionals how to guide their clients in proper eating for optimal exercise performance, and it recognizes when a client needs to be referred to a registered dietitian for further nutritional consult.

For additional details, visit NCSF here.

In addition, the course will assist trainers with their efforts to provide sound dietary advice to both noncompetitive exercisers who want to stay fit and competitive athletes who want to achieve optimal performance. The program contains practical guidelines for addressing the needs of children who exercise and play sports as well as the needs of overweight athletes and exercisers in weight-dependent sports—an area often overlooked in sport nutrition courses. Furthermore, trainers who work with the geriatric population will also find the course useful as it will bring them up to date on meeting the nutrition and exercise needs of older adults as they progress through the physiological changes associated with the aging process.

Course Contents:

Chapter 1. Childhood and Adolescence
Chapter 2. Aging
Chapter 3. Menopause
Chapter 4. Pregnancy
Chapter 5. Vegetarianism
Chapter 6. Overweight and Obesity
Chapter 7. Diabetes Mellitus
Chapter 8. Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders
Chapter 9. Exercise in Extreme Environments

Natural Products Association Announces New Communications Manager

Natural Products Association - NPA Announces New Communications Manager: "NPA's new communications manager, Mike Keaton will support the NPA’s communications needs, with an emphasis on public relations duties.

NPA Press Release/August 16, 2010: The Natural Products Association (NPA) has announced that Michael L. Keaton joins its staff today. Keaton steps into a new Communications Manager position, under the association’s Membership Services and Education department. Keaton will support the NPA’s communications needs, with an emphasis on public relations duties. He will be responsible for promoting the association and the natural products industry in the media and on Capitol Hill.

“NPA continues to do very valuable work for an industry that is tremendously valuable to the health and well-being of tens of millions of Americans, and Mike will help us tell the story better to our members, to the public, and to those on the Hill who can affect the way we do business in the industry,” said John Gay, NPA executive director and CEO. “We look forward to working with him as he helps us step up our communications efforts.”

Prior to joining NPA, Keaton was director of public relations and communications at the SCORE Association, where he produced newsletters, releases, web content and the annual report, developed public relations materials and strategies, and worked with association supporters to publicize SCORE services and special events. He also was communications manager for the nonprofit organization Equal Justice Works and project manager for the National Association of Private Special Education Centers.

Keaton, a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., received his B.S. in Communications from Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

2010 Ironman Coeur d'Alene Race Preview

Ironman triathlons are one of the most challenging sporting events on the planet. And, they have become big business attracting athletes from around the world. This coming weekend, the 2010 Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene Race takes place in Idaho.

Here's an excerpt from a race preview article on the Ironman.com website:

Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene Race Preview
Shawn Skene previews this weekends Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene:

Every year about 2,400 athletes from around the world make their way to the Northwest state of Idaho to test themselves on this demanding course. The two-loop swim takes place in picturesque Lake Coeur d’Alene, starting and finishing on the sandy beaches of City Park. The double-looped bike course works its way through Coeur d’Alene and the neighboring communities to the north. It is deceivingly challenging and makes participants suffer if they haven’t paced themselves on the first loop. (Read the full article here).

Also, note that registration for the 2011 Ironman Triathlon (Coeur d'Alene) opens on June 28, 2010 at 3PM (EST); registration link here.

The Healthiest Foods For Fitness and Health

Tea
There have been several studies that suggest drinking tea is good for your heart. According to a study from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, people who drink one or more cups of black tea each day were 44 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack than those that didn't drink tea. The apparent reason is the abundance of flavonoids in tea; flavonoids are believed to reduce the risk of heart attack because they help keep the blood from clotting. Some researchers believe it takes several more than 1-2 cups a day to achieve the heart-healthy effect. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants (polyphenols) that may also prevent certain diseases such as arthritis and some cancers.

Wild Salmon
High in omega-3 fats, salmon can help you reduce the risk of sudden-death heart attacks. In general, wild-caught salmon has less contaminants than farmed salmon.

Broccoli
Eat your broccoli no matter what former president George Bush likes. Broccoli is a super food with lots of B vitamin folacin and calcium. Cooked broccoli offers more benefits than raw broccoli.

Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes are well known to be beneficial because of the high levels of carotenoids, vitamin C, fiber and potassium. And, they are touted as, "A nutritional All-Star — one of the best vegetables you can eat." (Center for Science in the Public Interest). But, leave out the butter and sour cream; consider baked sweet potatoes with unsweetened applesauce or crushed pineapple for sweetness.

Tomato
Tomatoes contain the carotenoid known as lycopene; it is believed to help prevent certain cancers (breast, pancreas, prostate, and colon) and cardiovascular diseases. It is now well known that Mediterranean populations generally eat a lot of cooked tomatoes and they have a low incidence of these chronic diseases. Cooking your tomatoes is better than eating them raw because the cooking process releases the lycopene, which makes them easier for your body to absorb.

Soy
Soy is also a good source of protein, calcium, and fiber. Eastern cultures have reaped the benefits of a diet rich in soy protein for centuries. Soy is rich in isoflavones, which are natural compounds that can lower blood cholesterol as well as help prevent hormone-related cancers.

Blueberries
Here's an excerpt from a recent FitClick newsletter article concerning blueberries:

Not since Fats Domino's classic song topped the charts has this vibrant fruit garnered so much attention. In a recent Tufts University study, elderly rats (about 70 in human years) were fed a diet rich in blueberries (approximately one cup a day), which radically improved their declining balance and coordination skills. "I've never seen anything like it," says the study's leader, Jim Joseph, Ph.D., chief of the neuroscience lab at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts. The fruit's polyphenolic compounds (the antioxidants that give blueberries their color) are natural anti-inflammatories, says Joseph. Cooking the berries or freezing them right after picking increases their antioxidant properties.

Additional Reading and Resources:

• The 7 Healthiest Foods - Fitness & Weight Loss Tips at FitClick


• 10 Worst and Best Foods - Center for Science in the Public Interest
  


• Bad Seed: The Truth About Our Food
  


• It's Not About the Food: Preventing Eating Disorders [VHS]
  

A Nap Boosts Brain’s Learning Capacity

Great article about the good old power nap - brain power that is!

BERKELEY — If you see a student dozing in the library or a co-worker catching 40 winks in her cubicle, don't roll your eyes. New research from the University of California, Berkeley, shows that an hour’s nap can dramatically boost and restore your brain power. Indeed, the findings suggest that a biphasic sleep schedule not only refreshes the mind, but can make you smarter.

Full story here at UC Berkeley News: 02.22.2010 - An afternoon nap markedly boosts the brain’s learning capacity.

Fitness and Exercise Tracking Online

Technology is reaching out to help the world get motivated and get fit. And, the tools available now are truly amazing. Did you know you can use an iPhone app to record what you eat online? You can buy a scale that talks to a website and records your weight loss progress?

After working out several times last week, I was wondering how best to track my fitness activities? I want a software solution that is relatively easy to use, quick to update and includes fitness content. I found several online services and "Daily Burn" really got my attention. Here's a few of the features of this impressive website dedicated to tracking your fitness and nutrition info:

FoodScanner iPhone App
FoodScanner app that lets you use your iPhone's camera to scan UPC barcodes and quickly track how many calories you consume throughout the day.

* Find foods by scanning UPC barcodes OR typing in food names
* Works great on any iPhone (2G, 3G, 3GS)
* Growing database of 244,000 foods

DailyBurn iGoogle Gadget
The DailyBurn iGoogle Gadget allows you to keep your fitness stats on your web browser's homepage.

* Dashboard-view of your fitness and nutrition
* Quick entry of weight, food, and workouts
* Seamlessly integrates with your account

Withings™ Body Scale
WiFi scale linked to the Internet that automatically tracks your weight and body fat directly to the DailyBurn website. Recording your stats is as easy as stepping on a scale!

* Compatible with all operating systems
* Auto syncs to all DailyBurn products
* Supports use by multiple users
* You can get FREE shipping by using coupon code "DAILYWITHINGS" (from the DailyBurn website apps section)

I'll include additional fitness tracking site reviews in the coming weeks. Leave a comment if you have any recommendations - thx.

Add Almonds to Your Diet and Benefit from This Power Food

It is well known that almonds provide a wealth of health benefits. And, if you haven't added them to your weekly diet you're missing out. Here's a recipe from WebMD to get you started with a delicious meal (link to the full story below):

Almonds: The New Power Food
Nutrient-dense and delicious, almonds have all sorts of health benefits. Plus, try our savory squash and almond soup recipe.
By Chloe Thompson for WebMD the Magazine

A symbol of hope and prosperity in Eastern cultures, the almond used to be known for its fat content but has now made its way to the top of power-food lists. This nutrient-dense tree nut -- from the same family as peaches and apricots -- has become best known for its many health benefits. Eating a handful of almonds a day may lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease, heart attack, and diabetes. These tasty tidbits are also an excellent source of vitamin E (a powerful antioxidant) and manganese -- 1 ounce (that’s about 24 almonds) has 35% and 32% of the RDA respectively. And with only 1 gram of saturated fat, 13 grams of healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats, 6 grams of protein, and 160 calories per ounce, it's clear that almonds are a friend of any true health nut. Read the full story and get the recipe here: Almonds: The New Power Food