I began the work in a final attempt to come to peace with food and to learn a new way of coping with life so that I did not turn to bowls of popcorn and tortilla chips, chastise myself for it, and repeat the habit the next time I was overwhelmed. What I gained from devoting myself to learning it over the following two years was profound.

• I became more in touch with what I was feeling and more clear in expressing myself.
• I was able to see the pattern and break it before I engaged in it. When I did engage in it, I recovered more quickly and compassionately than I ever had been capable of before.
• My ability to work within the stresses of day-to-day life skyrocketed-now there is very little panicking, getting frustrated, or feeling trapped! 
• I witnessed others doing the work with me also experience greater calm and joy in their lives as they became well-versed in their internal world and learned to choose different responses.

The numerous small and large ways in which it has affected me cannot be measured. My heart is lighter, I can laugh at myself more, and I have come to peace with how much of life has unfolded.  Last year I began training to become a provider for this Method myself, so that I can share these skills with others who are looking for less stress and greater joy in their lives.
With so much seemingly out of control these days, having an internal safe haven is paramount to getting through the rough patches with our hair and wits intact!

I encourage you to learn a bit more about the Method, and look for more information on telegroups and individual coaching from VIBRANCE to appear in the next few weeks. Wired for Joy, the 6 week introductory course to the Solution Method, will begin in early May.
If you are interested in registering for Wired for Joy or wish to begin individual coaching now, please contact me at aimee@vibrancenutrition.com or by calling 206-227-1231

For more information on Developmental Skills Training and the Solution method, please click here and here.

I also highly recommend the book The Pathway, by Laurel Mellin – developer of the Solution Method.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a very real and common winter phenomenon. Historically we have called it the “winter blues” or “cabin fever”. I don’t doubt that its root is multi-faceted, but lack of sunlight hours in the winter months have a very strong and real impact on our physiology. The farther north one lives, the more likely one is to drive to work or school in the dark, sit in a building all day with artificially lighting, then drive back home afterward in the dark.

I grew up in Alaska and experienced severe seasonal affective disorder from the ages of 14 until I moved away at 22. It is what prompted me to get involved in exercise, as I found it to offer some relief from very debilitating depression. There were months where I saw very little sunlight because it was too cold to be outside or I would be sitting in windowless classrooms all day. Those of you who know me personally know I have a fairly strong response to cold, wintery behavior. This is partially in response to associating winter with such extreme emotional dispondency. At the time, all that was offered as a remedy was the new and exciting SSRI’s that Eli Lilly and other companies were manufacturing. I tried most of them at least once with varying degrees of relief.

Initially, I would like to say that a decrease in energy and vigor in the winter is PERFECTLY NORMAL. The world around us – plants and non-migratory animals – go into a state of dormancy or hibernation. Like them, we are an integral part of this cycle. Winter is a time of rest and reflection so that we have the reserves required for spring and summer’s bustle of activity. In our disconnection from nature’s cycles we have asked our body to continue with high productivity month after month and year after year. Our rest comes in the form of sick days and paid vacations. It is out of rhythm with the greater cycle we live in. This is, I believe, part of the reason why this condition has become so debilitating.

Older and wiser, I have found some non-pharmaceutical solutions to the winter blues. I am eternally grateful for exercise, the accidental discovery that gave me something to work with during my adolescence and has since become an integral part of my life and career. I have also found other tools over the years which are of benefit:

• Light Therapy: Sunlight affects our mood and energy by encouraging production of both melatonin and serotonin through messages sent from the retina to the brain. “Light boxes” simulate the intensity of sunlight on a clear spring day and can help normalize mood and sleep. I’ve also had clients benefit from dawn simulators to help with waking up in the morning.
• Taking Breaks during daylight hours: If you work in an environment which has little access to natural light, be sure to get out for 10-20 minutes a day while the sun is still up. It’s amazing how much of a boost a brisk walk can do mid-day.
• Get thee to thy local gym! If the weather is too crummy to be outside, get into the gym for three hours a week. The time you take for this will be returned in increased productivity, better moods, and decreased illness. Lift weights, watch the news while taking a brisk walk on the treadmill — just get your heart pumping and your blood moving. Hire a quality trainer or get an exercise buddy f you have trouble making it to the gym.
• Omega-3′s: A natural part of many diets in far-northern countries are high-doses of omega-3 fats from marine life. Cultural and laboratory studies demonstrate marked improvement from or absence of depressive symptoms when high doses of omega 3 fatty acids are consumed regularly. Dosage is dependent on symptoms; speak to a health professional knowledgable in nutrition and brain health for your specific needs.
• Expect Less of Yourself: This has been my most recent change and has really made a difference. Knowing that I am not seperate from the natural world around me has given me permission to slow down a bit from November through February. I do not expect as much from myself, I do not push myself and I allow more time for soothing, restorative activities: cooking, reading, having tea with loved ones, sleeping in a little more on weekends, and so on. Traditionally a Type A, this shift has taken some time to embrace but now that I have there is a lot less struggle in the winter months. Keep your appointment book a little more open for downtime, get a massage, sit in a cafe with a friend you’ve been dying to catch up with and re-connect.
• Monitor Yourself: Keep tabs on how you are doing. If you are trying to wean off of medication, make sure you have professional support to ensure a smooth transition. If you find that coming off of medication is not an option, the above suggestions can still be of benefit to you. Implement them as a means of not just surviving SAD, but moving through the season gracefully and pleasantly. You are not alone; upwards of 10% of northern populations experience symptoms.

I’d love to hear about your own persoanl experience with the winter blues and how you have worked with this season to stay happy, whole and healthy. Your ideas and suggestions may offer relief to someone struggling. Please comment below and share your experiences.

More Information:

Exercise and Depression
Omega-3-for-depression
http://www.mcmanweb.com/omega3.html
Light Therapy Products and SAD Information

When I was 17, I sat down and wrote what I wanted my life to turn out like. I envisioned how I would be as an adult. I don’t recall much of what I have written now. I know there was a desire to exercise for the sheer joy of feeling my body move, coming to peace with food and ending my then-daily struggle with overeating. I knew how to garden. I envisioned sunlight, joy, and having a career in nutrition, which was my passion. I put the paper away in my hope chest. It was 1996.

Fast forward to 2004.

I am divorcing my husband and moving to a new apartment because of a mold issue in the basement unit I am in. I have just started my business after graduating from Bastyr University with a  degree in Nutrition and a minor in Exercise Science. While packing, I stumble across a piece of paper I had written when I was 17.  As I read it, I recall my heart swelling with both awe and joy — these ideas I had fantasized for myself so long ago were mostly a reality now! I was about 80% there (but still did not know how to garden). It was absolutely amazing.

That was my first conscious realization of the power of manifestation, or to the power behind making a Magic List. I have since utilized this tool to bring forth more of what I want in my world and do so now with greater intention. I am in a place now where I am devoting time to learning to garden, delving more into herbs and healing plants and spending daily efforts becoming that strong, self-assured woman that seemed so far out of reach when I was a teenager. Having completed many of my goals in this fashion, my lists these days delve into deepening existing accomplishments, tinkering with mastery of new skills (how do I make compost?), and drawing people into my life who embody the kinds of relationships and associations I want to cultivate in my world.

This is an exercise I like to do with my clients as well. It takes many forms, from writing a specific goal list embedded with emotion and intention to free-flow creative writing on how one would choose to live life if there were no limitations and total support.

To make your own magic list, you can refer to the article behind this link (from Oprah Magazine) or sit down in a quiet space and write what you most want from this world. It is especially important when doing this exercise that you hold no limits or judgments on your desires. This is “play” in a sense — all there is is possibility and wild imagination. Your subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between what your eyes see outward and what you tell yourself in your internal world.  So if you tell yourself that you want to learn to garden, take up piano, have a relationship with a partner that is loving, honest, and is wickedly talented in the kitchen your subconscious mind will say — “Okay! Let’s make that work!” Likewise, if you tell yourself you are fat, stupid, and there is never enough money your subconscious brain will find ways to validate that experience for you. You will bring people into your life who are patronizing and do not respect you, weight loss will be non-existent and unexpected financial crises will show up as your subconscious mind says, “Okay! Let’s make that work!”

But that is another post.

As you write your list or tell your story of your life in the future, notice the sensations that crop up in your body. There should be a sensation of excitement, moving forward, reaching for your future. Fear, hesitation and disbelief are counterproductive and will not create what you want. Fluffy, superficial goals will remain unfulfilled, because your soul is not fluffy nor superficial and you were not put on this planet to do superficial things.  When you create a life of intention and live your passion, you create positive energy that emanates from you and attracts more of what feeds you. It is a classic positive feedback loop. We have all met someone with sparkling eyes, a dazzling smile and radiant energy that drew us in and captivated us. This is available to each and every one of us. Write of the things which excite you, pull you forward, and stimulate the small voice within to say, “Yes! This is what I want!”

Then put it away.

It is not your list to agonize over, to diligently check off when a task is accomplished. It is not something for the conscious mind to tinker with. Set the paper aside, bury it in the backyard, put it in an envelope at the back of your underwear drawer. Your subconscious mind will have embedded these instructions and seek to make them so.

If all this seems too far-fetched for you and you are rolling your eyes at me, then please do not do this exercise. You will simply prove your inner skeptic right.  If you have an inkling of hope or inspiration, go for it. You may be surprised!

To the skeptic – write down 2-3 things that you want to get out of the remainder of 2008. An extra $200, a new phone, getting to work on time instead of 5 minutes late or a solution to those nagging skin splints. Put it away and look at it again in January of 2009.  Just to see.

Having just began my third decade on this planet, I have sat down to write some new magic lists. Now that I have the experience of seeing the power behind this exercise, all I have to do now is sit back and watch the magic unfold.

For More Information:

Beck, Marta. The Truth about Magic Lists. Oprah magazine online

Vicente, Mark. Chasse, Becky, dirs. What The Bleep Do We Know!? Perf. Marlee Matlin and Elaine Hendrix 2004. DVD

Wolf, Fred Allen. Mind Into Matter: A New Alchemy of Science and Spirit Moment Point Press, 2000

Eatwild has a comprehensive database of grass-fed food sources in both the US and Canada. I utilize them as a resource when I am traveling, searching for options for clients, or investigating options I find on local menus.

Aside from being a fabulous resource, they also offer educational articles on why grass-fed is a preferable option, have a small store of books on farming, food, food politics, and cooking gadgets. It’s a site worth bookmarking for future reference!

To find local suppliers of grass-fed products in your area, click here:

The National Institute for Health recently released the results of the longest and largest weight loss maintenance study conducted. The results – not terribly astounding in my opinion. The support of personalized counseling outranked web support and self-guidance in sustaining weight loss over a period of two years.

According to the NIH, “At the end of the study, participants receiving personal counseling retained an average weight loss of 9.2 pounds, compared to an average of 7.3 pounds for those using the Web-based intervention and 6.4 pounds for those in the self-directed group. Personal counseling sessions were brief and mainly by telephone. The Web site was developed to provide the same advice as personal counseling. Both interventions were designed to be practical to implement in a variety of settings.”

Why would phone counseling be the most beneficial? All I can offer is my own theories and experience.

Human beings are social creatures. As a species we have learned to rely upon and connect with one another in order to survive. Those who come to me after trying to go solo are frustrated, confused, and de-motivated. Receiving personal support allows the individual to receive what they need, when they need it. This is something the media or a book simply cannot offer. Often there are also struggles with following a healthy food plan when the social circle one is interacting with is not committed to such a lifestyle. The individual then must make the choice of isolating to stay on the diet or socializing and risking falling off the plan. A healthy lifestyle is very difficult to sustain without at least one other individual committed to supporting it. Simply put, our culture is not set up to sustain health without a great deal of support and some savvy, defensive eating skills!

Web support touches on some individual needs, but what is missing is the subtle nuances that enhance communication; rapid exchange of ideas or needs and tonal inflection which can indicate that there are deeper issues to be explored. When on the phone or in person, these subtleties are not hidden behind text. The counselor and counselee can establish a deeper bond through an “I hear you, I see you” type interaction that is much more difficult to obtain via the internet. This multi-sense communication will enhance results through a stronger bond between the two parties, and an ability for the counselor to pick up on subtle cues which may be missed over email.

If you feel frustrated with going it alone, confused about the conflicting messages of the media, or are ready for additional support to meet your health goals, consider reaching out for additional support. It’s only natural, and studies show it’s the most effective way to get the job done!

To read the NIH press release in full, click here:

To schedule an initial consultation to see if personal nutrition coaching is right for you, click here:

With the weather cooling considerably and the days shortening, my bones have been aching for some steel cut oats. Not just any steel cut oats, but my tea-soaked steel cut oats (a genius discovery last winter). Steel cut oats have staying power far superior to oatmeal and provide all the benefits of whole grain oats in a thick, warming porridge with more substance than Quaker will ever have.
The problem with steel cut oats (and why most of you have never had them) is cooking time. I certainly don’t have 45 minutes in the morning to stand over a stove and cook fresh oats! I pondered a plausible solution — if my rice cooker can cook and keep rice warm, can it cook and keep oats warm?
Answer: YES! A resounding yes!

Aside from my Vitamix, the kitchen tool that makes me the happiest is the Sanyo ECJ-D100S 10 cup rice cooker. It will cook and keep rice warm until gone. Period. How ever many days it takes, you will have hot rice. It is the modern kitchen maven’s secret to easy, available whole grains.
I’ve made brown rice, wild rice, and oats in mine. I can use the keep warm function to keep quinoa and other quicker cooking grains hot and ready when I want them. I wake up every morning and have hot whole grains in my bowl in less than 45 seconds. It’s the next best thing to being fed by family.

A million-and-one thank-you’s to Katie O. for informing me of Google’s delectable new online satellite pedometer! Now outdoor athletes can route favorite city runs, determine speed and distance, and download, save or export these routes! There is even an elevation tracker and (inaccurate) calorie counter. Maps are available for all 50 US States and Puerto Rico.

GMaps Pedometer — it just might be better than Christmas!
Try Sanoodi as well to keep all your local routes in one handy spot.