One thing I noticed on my journey to eating a wheat free/gluten-free diet is that consequences matter. For me, the decision to restrict my diet in this way is mostly about health. I do not have celiac disease, and I don’t believe I have a gluten allergy. For some of my mom friends though if their child got ahold of a single Cheerio or Teddy Graham they could have serious health issues as a result. “Cheating” on the gluten-free diet does not even occur to those moms, even if they are away from their children, but the consequences are less severe for me. We see the same thing on the Biggest Loser over and over when someone is motivated to lose weight after a medical professional tells them their weight is killing them. What are the consequences for you for not sticking to your goal?

If you are good at self-talk and rational (REBT) thinking, you can use the consequences to your advantage. Maybe it won’t hurt me to try the famous sugar cream pie, but how will I ever really track the effects of gluten on my body if I don’t eliminate it entirely for at least two to three weeks? If you are tempted to skip a workout, you probably won’t see a reverse in your progress, but you can remind yourself that you could feel guilty or lethargic or even lose the habit entirely since every time we “cheat” we are practicing the opposite of the habit we want to reinforce.
Read Full Post >

I want to thank City Yoga here in Indianapolis for inviting me to the special workshop weekend with Kathryn Budig. Kathryn teaches yoga all around the world and wants to make yoga practice fun for each of her students. She is also scheduled to release The Big Book of Yoga in December.

I attended the Sunday backbends workshop because it was the only one that I could fit into my busy weekend schedule. I was not sure what to expect since I have only attended a few yoga classes, and I have not done backbends much since I was a kid. However, I utilize and love the Authentic Yoga iPhone app when I travel and some days at home, so I feel pretty familiar with yoga in general. I find I am able to complete the intermediate routines, so I went into the class with an open mind.
Read Full Post >

April 30th through May 6th is Screen Free Week, originally known as TV-Turnoff Week starting in 1994. As we have grown more and more dependent on technology for entertainment with the growth of the internet, smart phones, and apps targeting children and even toddlers, TV-Turnoff Week became Digital Detox Week in 2008 and Screen Free Week in 2010.

Screen Free Week is supported by more than 70 organizations including the American Medical Association, the American Heart Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters of American, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the YMCA. Screen Free Week is a great opportunity to save money on electricity, build family relationships, and get a few other projects done around the house. It may be tempting to think that a technology-free week will be impossible and you will run out of things to do, but here are 30 things you can do that do not require technology and may even make you a little fitter.

1. Take a walk
2. Go camping
3. Climb a tree
4. Re-paint your kitchen
5. Catch up on your laundry
6. Get a massage
7. Mow the lawn
8. Try a project (or twenty) you found on Pinterest*
9. Take a yoga class
10. Take a dance class
    Read Full Post >

Childhood obesity has become a major problem in the United States and around the world. It is a problem being taken seriously by public figures like Michelle Obama and Jamie Oliver, athletes, athletes like Shaquille O’Neal and Shawn Johnson, Biggest Loser contestants like Mike Ventrella and Bernie Salazar, Biggest Loser celebrities Jillian Michaels and Alison Sweeney, and even the NFL through their Play 60 campaign. Childhood obesity has been blamed on snacks and even late bedtimes. It has even been called child abuse. Changes in school food, breastfeeding, and even advertising campaigns are being used in an attempt to fight what has been called the childhood obesity epidemic.

Putting children on a diet has been controversial. While Slimkids is technically a program, rather than a diet, it does still deserve critical review. Slimkids appears to primarily utilize the USDA Food Pyramid for the nutritional aspect of the program. The positive aspects of Slimkids include promoting physical activity and decreasing screen time. Slimkids also offers a year of support for those who have purchased the program, although it is unclear what that support entails.
Read Full Post >

Sometimes the best way to analyze how the stages of change work is to look at a real life example. In this example, I will tell you a bit about my journey from using whole wheat flour several times per week to a diet that is mostly wheat and gluten-free.

Pre-contemplation is generally easy to understand. I had never considered giving up wheat or going gluten-free. Like most people I thought that using whole wheat flour was much healthier than using white flour.

Right before the Super Bowl I transitioned into the Contemplation stage as I learned more about wheat and gluten from two respected friends. Michelle had shared an article from which I learned that all wheat in the United States is genetically modified. I paid attention as Hazel ordered and asked questions of my friends about the ins and outs of a wheat-free/gluten-free diet. I slowly started making more wheat-free/gluten-free choices as I transitioned into the next stage. This could also include pinning new wheat-free/gluten-free recipes and maybe even trying a few.

I knew I had reached the Preparation stage, when I made a special trip to a new store. On my first visit, I spent a lot of time comparison shopping and reviewing suggestions from friends, but I primarily only purchased a general baking mix. As I have delved deeper into a wheat-free/gluten-free diet, I have left that store with several ingredients, some of which I had to ask for help finding. Determination is not always a separate stage from Preparation, but in this case Determination was evidenced as I slowly started telling people that I was trying not to ingest wheat products. By speaking it out loud, I was admitting my commitment to this change, as wells increasing my commitment.

Read Full Post >