Thursday, February 19, 2015

Choosing to care . . . about me!

Last week we had an interesting conversation about choosing to care about my own needs.  Choosing NOT to neglect my own needs in order to meet the needs of many others. The most powerful and positive impact we can have on others is accomplished by taking responsibility for ourselves and allowing others to be responsible for themselves.  Wow!  What a concept!  The tool from last week created the most interesting conversation this week. 

Tool:
1. Make a list of your REAL needs and make a list of your MANUFACTURED needs for the week.

This week began by group members talking about the difference between what real and manufactured needs are.  That led us to this week's nugget which was about feelings.  Years into lifestyle change, many of us may still be battling with ourselves about this issue. Of all the prohibitions we've lived with, this one is potentially the most damaging and the most long-lived.  Many of us needed to shut down the emotional part of ourselves in order to survive certain situations.  Others were shamed or reprimanded for expressing feelings.  Times have changed!  We are neither weak nor deficient for feeling our emotions.  It means we are becoming healthy and whole!

Tool:
1. Feel your feelings with a backdrop of truth.  Define your backdrop of truth.
(Ex: You feel shame, like you are a BAD person, for not babysitting your friend's children during your important work meeting.  Your feelings are certainly real because you feel them.  Are they true? No. How do you know? That is the backdrop of truth.  It is what tells you whether or not what you feel is true.)

Christiane Matey, HOPE Lifestyle - Nutrition Leader now has her own blog which will be a wonderful resource for all of us.  It will also be an extremely helpful way for any of you who may miss the meeting to catch up.  Her information is so incredibly interesting and helpful.  Here is the link to Christiane's blog and her class this week.  http://www.hopelifestyle.blogspot.com/

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Fear and love

The last two weeks in HOPE have been extremely powerful and encouraging.  Two weeks ago we began to uncover the root of fear. Very much like soldiers in a war rely on fear to survive, many of us relied on fear in our past to protect ourselves and it served us well.  However, now it is time to recognize how that fear may be driving our behavior in an unhealthy way and to be willing to look past the fear and see what's there. As adult women striving towards health and wellness, we don't need to carry the fears from the past into lifestyle change in the present. It just doesn't work. We can listen to our healthy rational fears and let go of the rest.

Tool:
1. What are your old fears that helped you survive? Survive what? How does it drive your behaviors today? Name the behaviors.

Last week we talked about loving ourself which can be a difficult topic for many reasons.  This is at the core of our journey. Many of us substitute self-esteem for what we wear or drive or the money we have.  And many of us have confused body image with self-esteem.  We can learn to love and accept ourselves, in fact it is just paramount. This is the birthing ground of self care and compassion. If we are not sure of who we are, then it is time to embark on the wonderful discovery.

Tool:
1. How do I discover who I am? How do I decide who I am? Are they the same?

EXTRA: A group member shared this observation in her own journey and it was a profound question that I want to share. Wow! Please take a moment to ponder this is your own life journey:
   "What if I wasn't afraid to love myself?"

HOPE Lifestyle - Nutrition
Today we had a great session all about preparation.  Here are some guidelines we covered:
-          Clean out the cabinets and fridge
-          Identify “kryptonite” foods
-          Make a weekly menu and shopping list with
       everyone in the household
-          Ask family to chime in and help
-          Stick to the grocery list
-          Allow yourself 1 treat a week, as long as it’s not a
       “kryptonite” food
-          Shopping and prep need some time so make sure you allow
       yourself a few hours
Upon returning from the store:
-          Take everything out of the bags
-          Put away items that aren’t needed
-          Cook items for the week
-          Start with long cooking time items first like roasts, meats,
       vegetables and grains
-          Prepare vegetables and fruit, clean, slice, chop or dice
-          Put away in clear easy to see containers for quick access
Here are some suggestions for staple items:
-          Roasted lean protein like chicken, turkey and fish
-          Soups, Stews and Chili's
-          Salads and various sliced diced vegetables
-          Berries (frozen) and low fat yogurts for smoothies or snacks
-          Lots of fruit like apples, citrus, pears and bananas on the
       counter for quick snacking
-          Individual packs of nuts, trail mix and snack items
-          Whole grains as salads or side dishes
-          Whole grain breads
-          Low fat cheeses and dairy
-          Raw veggie options with dips like humus or yogurt
-          Eggs and egg whites
-          Low fat ground meats like turkey, chicken and beef

Next class we will discuss portion sizes and journaling.  We also came up with a new lesson in class called "this or that" that will follow portion sizes and journaling.  We will talk about how we can make healthier choices rather than avoiding certain foods altogether.   

As always, you can reach me anytime with questions at mateychristiane@gmail.com.