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Showing posts from December, 2019

A "Healthy Holiday" Does Not Include Dieting

It's mid-December, so that means we are well into the holiday season by now.  Both Halloween and Thanksgiving have come and gone; now the countdown to Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa (and don't forget New Year's) begins.   Unless you've found the secret to avoid all the diet messaging out there, chances are you've actually been inundated with "holiday dieting tips" instead. Back when I worked in a grocery store setting, the fall and winter months were actually a slow time of year [company wide] for dietitians - the assumed rationale by management being "Well, who wants to be HEALTHY over the holidays anyways!?"  As naïve as this sentence sounds (and very one dimensional of what a nutrition expert actually does), it was the narrative we were told.  So instead, we filled our days with food demos, store tours, or holiday-themed cooking classes.  On the off-chance a customer actually did seek me out during that time, they were usually asking for "

Self-Care is Not Selfish

After coming off the 'high' of my first therapy appointment in almost two years, I figured it was time for yet another {short and sweet} post.  So if you're reading this, you also need to hear this: SELF-CARE IS NOT SELFISH! I know I've written about this topic in other posts, but I truly believe in this statement (though easier said than done). It may sound ridiculous, but even during my therapy appointment, the entire time my brain was spewing off self-criticisms like "You don't need this! You're not 'sick enough' or 'worthy enough' to receive therapy."  My negative self talk was literally trying to tell me I needed to earn  therapy...how ridiculous is that!? But after an hour of both tears and feeling refreshed (those of you who go to therapy will understand the irony), I decided to spend the rest of my PTO day doing exactly what I want.  I'm scheduled to attend a yoga class for this afternoon, I'm going to