Physical Fit: Surviving the Holidays without Losing My Mind or All My Willpower

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It is that time again… Well, it is that time for me again. Starting in the first days of air getting crisper, sweaters and hoodies making their appearances all over, and the epidemic of pumpkin everything, I start to feel that budding anxious feeling of pounds creeping back onto my body. My email is full of “The 7 Ways to avoid Holiday Weight Gain…” and “Follow these 17 Simple Rules to Avoid All Happiness this Season but at Least You Won’t Gain 50 Pounds Before New Year’s…” I can feel the panic and guilt sliding into my mind.

It’s true. Many a willpower has fallen before an overflowing display of favorite holiday treats and fountains of celebratory beverage. Even when I am being my most cautious and careful, I’m pretty sure that the increased caloric volume of the actual air is working against me. Every year, I promise myself that I can and will resist the holidays and their overabundance of tasty goodness. I will resist the urge to snuggle up before fire instead of getting out for my run and workout routine. Yet, I hear the fallen angel on my shoulder whispering softly things like, “It’s just once a year…” or “It’s the holidays. That negates calories and fat…” Um… yeah, get thee behind me betrayer! And so goes my struggle, much as the rest of the world. So, at least I know I am not alone. How do I know?

Well, as it happens, I read. A lot. Sometimes I even read for pure enjoyment without any graphs or statistics or comparison studies… Unfortunately, I read a lot of incredibly dry (at least to some opinions) scientific journal type articles and medical journals. Thanks to my (incredibly) pedantic reading choices, I actually came across an article in the New England Journal of Medicine that clearly defined exactly how much of a detriment that the Eat-All-The-Things season is to our health, wellbeing, and bathing suits.

Turns out, instead of setting our resolutions for better fitness and health with the clock restarting at December 31st, we should be thinking about bettering our habits starting at the end of September (Helander, Wnsink, & Chieh, 2016). According to the scientists who made a study of weight gain during the holiday season in three countries in the northern hemisphere, people are at their lowest weight during early October. Starting sometime before All Hallow’s Eve, the weight starts to increase and the average does not appear to get back to the pre-TrickorTreat days until sometime in April. The highest weigh-in on average was New Year’s Day. So, it seems that people above the equator start packing on the pounds (as much as 5 additional pounds on average) when the bulk candy starts hitting the aisles and doesn’t start depleting until Gym-crowding Month (or Gym-tending Season).

Makes you wonder… Is it just the availability of the sugary sweets and sugar plums dancing? Maybe not. There are a number of contributing factors that seem to be in play. Aside from the candy, cookies, and pies, there are multiple opportunities for celebration that surround gorge-fest food extravaganzas. It isn’t just the sweet-teeth out there that are in danger. Turkey and dressing with all the accompanying starchy sides make Thanksgiving a quagmire of dietary ruin. The unending calendar of holiday gatherings with all the favored seasonal treats beckons. Every time you turn around, people are getting together to celebrate the season, and it usually involves munchies… and drinks. Yep, that’s a definite part of the equation, specifically the equation that keeps adding numbers to the scale. Alcohol consumption definitely adds to the caloric intake. Egg nog, holiday punch, mulled wines and meads, and celebratory champagne toasts are everywhere you turn.

Then, there is the weather. It is dark later and gets dark earlier (remember, we are talking about the northern hemisphere). It’s harder to get out in the dark and cold for that early morning workout, and the cool and dark of the evenings make working out at the gym or a run less appealing than being home in front of a fire with snuggly clothes, a book, and some warm mug of your choice. And speaking of temperatures, the fashion options aren’t helping matters. Big fluffy hoodies and slouchy sweaters hide a plethora of inconvenient waistline issues. The beach-ready body that was shown off with form fitting styles and skin-baring swimwear is now safely camouflaged by woolen knits and multiple layers. “I’m not fat… I’m big sweatered.” I’m not body-shaming anyone, and some of those cooler weather styles are just legitimately adorable. However, it does make it that much easier to lose sight of our health goals as well as those waistline goals we’ve been working towards so diligently when they were more visible. (It does make me wonder if a follow up study could be done to see what the trend is for the folks Downunder.)

And now for the feels… Who are my emotional eaters out there? I can sense my people. I know that you are waving at me across the ether… or else hiding under your keyboards with your hoard of stashed Reese’s Cups saying “Nothing to see here! Move along!” The point is, I totally get it. My emotional eating isn’t depression or sadness, it is boredom and stress. Unlike some who soothe the wounds with pints… quarts… ok, gallons of Ben & Jerry’s, I am more likely to go reaching in the larder and fridge for the cure to the stress monkey hanging on my back. I’ve talked about my boredom eating previously, but I shall now propose a different scenario. The hordes of holiday visitors have landed upon the shores of the abode. Is the house ready? Is the food prepared? Is it the right food? Are there sufficient items for all, including the allergies and medical restrictions? Are you preparing that dish that is a family heirloom quite the way the ancestors prescribed…? You get the idea. All the thoughts are currently perking, bubbling, boiling, and smoking inside my cranium making the peace and good cheer… well, not so much. Rampaging around the kitchen and house trying to address all the imagined fires popping up, my hand sneaks out to grab a crisp or a spoonful of some concoction or possibly a chocolate whatnot. I mean, I have to taste it to make sure it is all right… right? Well, the occasional bite and crisp becomes mindless hand to mouth exercise that increases my food intake by an unknown amount because it was precisely that… mindless. I didn’t actually pay attention. Heck, I probably didn’t even taste it. And while we are in the kitchen trying to prepare the feast often with unsolicited advice or critique from helpful others, it might not be so unusual to find a shot, a glass… a second bottle of various liquid remedy being imbibed. It’s the holidays. Just trying to keep the peace here! The point being, aside from the added calories, stress doesn’t help when we are trying to keep the figure and fitness we achieved pre-Labor Day. On top of which, the addition of the happy sauce sometimes clouds us to the amount of food we are washing down with the cocktail(s).

So, those are the struggles. What are the fixes? I’ve read a lot on that as well. Summarizing some of the most helpful tips would be one word: Mindfulness. Mainly, be aware of what you are doing and be present in the moment. That will help a lot of the automatic feeding. Most of the experts say to indulge (not overindulge) in your favorites, but leave off on the holiday dishes that generally are a “Meh” for you. It isn’t necessary to eat everything. One of the no-brainers that I know I am guilty of myself is the “saving myself for” syndrome. Knowing I have a party, get-together, or buffet of treats on the horizon, I find myself skipping meals to save the calories for the goodies. The problem with that would be that I’m so ravenous by the time I get to the feast that I eat way more of everything than I would have otherwise. Better to maintain a nice balanced and healthy feeding schedule.

Watch the cocktails. Seriously, there are way more calories consumed in our celebration shots than we give credit. Remembering to rotate non-alcoholic beverages, water, or seltzer for a happy fizz will help decrease the amount of booze calories without pooping on the party.

The stress eating and drinking… this is my big one, and I have a couple of big allies to help on this one. First of all, keeping a decent sleep schedule despite the parties is a big one. With packed schedules and various obligations hitting at the end of the year, it is sometimes more difficult than usual to catch the Zzzz’s, but I know that I am trying to maintain a healthy circadian rhythm and follow the good sleep hygiene habits I’ve worked on this year. I am hopeful that will help me keep on track. And, of course, my physical fit… While my workout routines and running have been fueled by a desire to be less horrifying when naked, I have found that the physical activity (specifically the aerobic portion) also keeps me sane and less at risk of dissolving into a fanged she-beast ready to bite the heads off unsuspecting family and friends. I know, there are those of you out there saying “If I had to run a mile, something better be about to bite me…” but I promise there is science behind my madness. It turns out that several studies have been done showing that aerobic exercise increases brain activity, specifically of the alpha wave variety (Bergland, 2015; Crabbe & Dischman, 2004; Gutmann, et al., 2015). In fact, during and immediately after aerobic exercise (the kind where you breathe harder and your heart rate goes up) alpha wave activity significantly increases, much like meditation. So what? It turns out that this particular type of brain activity is what happens when we are in idle, drifting, daydreaming, or meditating. The impact on creativity has been shown in studies as well as the use of this type of thought pattern in treating anxiety and depression. Voila! I brought it back to the point without flying off planet. Keeping up with your exercise routine with some aerobic activity involved can help with holiday blues or seasonal angst. Meditation is all well and good, but when you have the house full of people, running (quite literally) away might be more effective than trying to find alone time to get in some “Ohms.”

delicious-how-grinch-stole-christmasI think I have a game plan, now. At least I have a fair assortment of options and strategies to help me get through the season. Actually, if I rope in a few teammates and coaches to remind me when I start wandering off the path, I should get through fairly unscathed. Enjoy your holidays!

 

Bergland, C. (2015). Alpha Brain Waves Boost Creativity and Reduce Depression. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201504/alpha-brain-waves-boost-creativity-and-reduce-depression

Crabbe, J., & Dischman, R. (2004). Brain electrocortical activity during and after exercise: A quantitative synthesis. Psychophysiology, 41(4), 563-574. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8986.2004.00176.x

Gutmann, B., Mierau, A., Hülsdünker, T., Hildebrand, C., Przyklenk, A., Hollmann, W., & Strüder, H. K. (2015). Effects of Physical Exercise on Individual Resting State EEG Alpha Peak Frequency. Neural Plasticity, 2015, 717312. http://doi.org/10.1155/2015/717312

Helander, E., Wansink, B., & Chieh, A. (2016). Weight gain over the holidays in three countries. New England Journal of Medicine, 375(12). Retrieved from http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1602012

The New Cheese: Professional Organizations – A resource or a racket?

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For any profession, there are usually a variety of organizations that have been created over the years that exist as a “club” if you will for people who have chosen a particular career path. Throughout history these various groups have clustered together informally and then formally to let people with like minds and similar studies interact with each other and exchange information. As times moved on and more and more professions splintered off and specialized, these groups and organizations also multiplied in attempts to garner membership and specifically catering to the knowledge base of those who fit their membership profiles.

There has been a debate about the necessity and importance of these particular groups. Some say that anyone of a particular professional identity should join the organization or organizations to which they fulfill the professional criteria and specialties. There are those who believe that we must band together as a professional group to show our solidarity. There are others that believe that it is all a giant waste of time and money, and in fact, that joining is just a way for the leadership of said groups to make money off the flocks of professional sheep that herd together.

proorgsSo, where does that leave us on the question? Here is what professional organizations do for the professionals of their varying flavors:

  • Advocate for professional identity and benefit
  • Provide oversight and require professional conduct guidelines
  • Malpractice insurance
  • Addresses questions and concerns of the profession
  • Provides leadership opportunities
  • Provides a platform for publication of research
  • Professional networking opportunities
  • Marketing opportunities

That is, by no means, a comprehensive list. However, it does cover the most common benefits of membership in professional organizations. I’ll now address each of these points with a brief description or explanation of what it means.

Advocacy. To be recognized as a profession worthy of reimbursement is sometimes not automatic. Especially with healthcare professions, third-party payment has always been a turf war between the varying professional options. Professional organizations can lobby for legislation that defends their ability to get paid and hold that turf. Additionally, with any profession that engages with the public to provide some commodity or service, there can be disputes. While it has been said that the customer is always right, that isn’t always true or the best way to mediate said disputes. We’ve sadly become a very litigious society where there are individuals and groups of individuals who deliberately look for opportunities to bring legal action against entities for some sort of gain, monetary, social, or power. Professional organizations provide advocacy to address action and evaluate the claims of malfeasance or harm. This serves to make the profession the best ethically that it can be. Which brings use to…

Ethical and Professional Oversight. Without some sort of organized understanding of what the scope of practice is for any particular profession, folks identifying themselves as such could go about willy-nilly taking on whatever task or role they wish without any thorough examination of their ability or right to do so. What does that mean? That means that professionals who identify as a particular role would be bound to hold to specific requirements set to protect not only the professional themselves, but also to protect the recipients of their service. It also makes sure that any professional claiming to provide a certain service will maintain their knowledge and skills to the required level to avoid harm to those they serve. This is the area that sets boundaries to make sure that professionals do not violate their customers, clients, or patients and by so doing cause harm. As such, members of the professional organization in good standing can be trusted by potential clients, customers, and patients as vouched for by such to adhere to their ethics and principles.

Malpractice Protection. Really not a lot to be said here. It is fairly self-explanatory, and it goes along with the advocacy piece. Many professional organizations sponsor or provide access to insurance that provides financial support for addressing claims of malpractice. The professional must pay the premiums, of course, but having membership in the professional organization is usually required or at least provides a discount to purchase the coverage.

Address Questions and Concerns. Professional organizations can be a source of information and consultation in situations where information is sought. Often these organizations are available to the public for complaint or question regarding the stance of the profession about varying concerns. Also, clients, customers, and patients of individuals belonging to said group have an agency by which any wrongs, violations, or professional misconduct can be addressed and punitive damages assessed to make sure that the standard of the profession is upheld.

Publication of Research. Many professional organizations have media publications ranging from academic journals to online blogs. These publication opportunities allow for professionals to publish their findings, research, and best practice observations to share with others to broaden the field and expand the breadth of knowledge applicable for the betterment of the customers, clients, and patients who receive their service. Members of the professional organizations often receive the subscriptions as a part of their membership fees. They also have opportunity to see presentations and attend workshops, seminars, and conferences where the information is shared with professionals as an educational opportunity. Many professions require continuing education to stay current with the most up to date practices to benefit clients. Most professional organization sponsor educational opportunities, including free or discounted courses to fulfill those requirements.

Leadership. For those in the profession who might have ambitions to direct the course of their chosen field, belonging to a professional organization and moving into positions of contribution and leadership might be just their style. Individuals who seek to help their profession grow and change can embrace that ambition by belonging to such a group, which can provide the opportunity to direct that growth and change and share their vision.

associationslarge-2Professional Networking Opportunities. Belonging to an organization allows a professional to meet and interact with others of their field that otherwise would not necessarily be within their daily contact. Many professional networks stretch beyond the confines of state or even national borders to allow professionals to communicate and form contacts with varied cultural experiences, broadening and enriching the understanding and conceptualization of the profession.

Marketing. The truth is that most people in any profession are not participating merely for the fun of it or as an avocation. Most are in the profession to earn an income. If we’re lucky, we don’t hate it. However, the bottom line is… well, the bottom line. We want to pay our bills and be successful in our profession in the sense of financial stability. Gone are the days of hanging a shingle and waiting for people to come banging on the door. Most occupations and professions require some sort of advertisement to let potential clientele know that they are there and what service they provide. The clientele available have become more savvy in the modern era. While word of mouth is still a good form of verification, many people also look for external validation of service. Professional organizations frequently keep a list of their membership which also confirms the “good standing” marker for potential clients. Ethical violations or misconduct would result in said professional being removed from the roster. Potential customers can use that as a type of safety check to make sure that they are getting the genuine quality article for their money. Some organizations even have advertisement opportunities or search features on websites to allow for potential clients to search for that type of professional that would be in their geographic territory.

Again, this is not a complete or extensive list of the activities or benefits of membership to any organization. It’s just a brief overview.

partners-professional-logos-revised

I need to make a distinction between certain organizations that pertain to areas of learning and career paths. There are some that are also what I will call credentialing bodies. These professional organizations not only provide all of the aforementioned benefits, but they also are the gatekeepers to the profession by providing certification. I will use a mental health profession as my example since I know it best. There are many different groups and professional societies for mental health professionals. There is the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT), the American Counseling Association (ACA), and the American Psychological Association (APA)… just to name a few. Some of these organizations allow for student, professional, and retired memberships. Some also exist as credentialing organizations. The NBCC, NASW, and AAMFT serve not only as the guiding organizations for their professions but also as the gatekeepers. Individuals entering the professions complete examinations to be certified and qualified. State boards often require those certifications or endorsements in order to grant licensure. Many states have severe legislation against those who practice without licensure or oversight by a licensed professional. Other groups, such as the ACA and APA, are voluntary but require application to be assessed for membership. Yet other levels of organization grant specialty endorsement for roles such as clinical supervision. Yes… I know, it gets complicated, confusing, and costly to decide what all to join and determine benefit vs. expense.

And now… to the detriment? Some professional organizations are remarkably expensive. Many have subsets of the main membership for specialties, as I mentioned previously. This means that you have dues for the main membership and then might have multiple specialization groups that have their own additional dues. Adding all together, some membership dues can cost hundreds of dollars. Most professional organizations require members to qualify (as stated above), meaning they have passed some sort of test or course of study to enter the profession in question. There are some for which the only qualification is paying the dues, but for others, the criteria are a bit more stringent. For those with more rigorous qualification requirements, it is less about elitism and more about making sure that the member they are backing is who they say they are.

With all of that said, there are other types of groups and organizations that can be considered honor societies. These are generally organizations that reflect upon the academic or professional performance level of an individual. Most of these organizations select and invite membership from student bodies based on course of study and academic performance. These types of organizations can also require a fee for membership, but often it is one time and pays for certificates, regalia, and other physical symbols of achievement. While they do not necessarily provide all of the same sort of opportunities as the professional organizations, membership provides endorsement and accreditation for achieving certain levels of quality. In other words, it looks good on a resume.

I have had friends and colleagues tell me that they don’t join because it is all a big racket. They claim that belonging to said groups is completely unnecessary once licensure is achieved, and that there is no need to pour money into their coffers. That is their prerogative, and I won’t say that they are completely wrong. My personal stance is that reputable organizations that support and represent some of the major professions are necessary and beneficial. I personally belong to those that align with my degrees and my practice. Honor societies and diplomate levels do not feel strictly necessary to me at this time because of added expense and the fact that they will provide little to no added benefit to my professional knowledge or identity through continuing education or reputation. Perhaps when I find myself on a lecture circuit or invited to Ted Talks, I might feel need to add more credentials to my collection, but for now, I’m good.

Suffice to say, I consider professional organizations a resource. In some instances, I consider them a requirement. I think that what they offer to members is worth the cost of membership, but each person must make up their own mind on this point. However, I would encourage new professionals, especially, to join their “umbrella” groups for the benefit of continuing education, networking, and support. Subgroup membership can be assessed and joined once special interests have been identified. Remember to balance the cost with the benefits provided, and avoid confusing honor groups and societies with professional organizations. I am not an expert in every field of reference, and so, for some professions, belonging may not be necessary. Evaluate the options, and do your homework, but don’t assume that they are all just a racket.

 

Sunday Morning musings…

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Even the light that is barely oozing into the room through the various miniscule gaps in the venetian blinds gives of the air of … “Meh” today. Nothing so dramatic as a blaring sunrise with high energy, but more like an overcast feeling of a gray, tired blanket… and it’s cold. Technically, since it is Sunday, the one day of the week that is guaranteed to be free of  planned obligations or events (with the exception of one weekend every month), I really do not have anything that I am expected to do. Well, at least not by any entities outside my immediate household.

Because this day of the week has been preserved as the day that I needn’t leave the house, and there are no work related tasks that are on the regular agenda, this has become a day of recovery for me. It becomes a day that is mine. I can lay around in pajamas all day. I can drift in an out of sleep. I can binge on streamed video. I can read books. The day is mine, and I can choose…

Except… Yeah, see there is a problem with only really having one day completely unscripted. All the activities of living that get shifted aside to accommodate those scripted activities on all the other days of the week sit like a waiting bog monster at the edge of my conscience and responsibility awareness to gobble up any sense of peace and relaxation. In other parlance, I am compelled to do the things. What are the things? Generally just the boring and mundane tasks like household chores, projects that have been put off, dealing with bills and budgets (which don’t normally get put off so much, but the reconciliation and evaluation piece often gets a quick brush instead of the full assessment that it deserves), blog posts… yes, I’ve been quiet, but there are a whole hoard of reasons for my lack of verbosity that I won’t really delve into for this particular post.

So, as you see, while I don’t really have any “HAVE TO’s,” on a Sunday, there are roughly a blue billion “REALLY OUGHT TO’s” that are hammering at the doors to the keep even as I type this.

I have been having one of those mornings where I have been awake for a couple of hours already. Going over and over in my mind the list of tasks, chores, and projects that really ought to be done. Some of them have been hovering there expectantly for months (or years) waiting for me to have that so vaunted “time to get to” them. The time has been there on an off periodically as the Sundays do come. However, I always seem to find excuses to ignore them, and so they sit like so many neglected creatures throwing guilt at me.

And yet… Here I am (or rather was) hiding in the blankets. If I get up, I have to face the reality of that list and all those neglected creatures and their guilt. If I leave my warm bed and ignore them to vegetate on a convenient piece of non-bed furniture because I have the collective motivation of a slug colony, I will be filled with self-loathing for my laziness. I sense unspoken judgment while I fritter time away that could be applied to cleaning and yard work and laundry. As long as I remain in the bed, I’ve not yet gotten up. So, technically, I’m not wasting the time because in my warped logic, the clock hasn’t started. Once I set my feet upon the floorboards and leave the questionable fortress of flannel sheets and down comforters, that clock starts counting down the hours until Monday and that time I could have used on the things that must be done dwindles with an alarming speed.

However, a stronger pull than the guilt about the things or the desire to binge on mindless video watching compels me now… Coffee has spoken. It is my master. I acknowledge it. I hear the sounds of the automatic coffee maker in the kitchen and smell the aroma wafting up the stairs. I can no longer resist. And thus, the dreadful stopwatch of Sunday hours has been set. The unending struggle between lethargy and industry begins.