March...already?

So has it been a happy 2010 for you so far? Are you still committed to your 2010 New Years’ resolutions almost eight weeks later? In my last blog posting I talked about how a key success strategy in keeping your health commitments is taking the time to understand the underlying causes that prompt you to overeat, abstain from exercise, or worry excessively. If you understand what your triggers are and what your intrinsic motivation to change is, you will have a higher chance of succeeding in your journey towards total well-being. Companies, as well as individuals need to begin thinking about health risks as symptoms and well-being factors as the causes.

People engage more with systems and solutions that treat them like people, rather than a bundle of risk factors. So, health risk assessments and worksite wellness programs cannot simply target physical health factors like BMI, LDL cholesterol, heart health, and nutrition. They must also question job satisfaction, openness to change, resilience and ability to manage stress to name a few. Acknowledging that underlying psychosocial factors are just as important as biometric risk factors, promotes total well-being. Taking a whole-person, whole-population approach to measuring workforce performance improves employee morale, enables companies to build more effective action plans and yields better results.

Currently 65% of America is either overweight or obese and often is a result of overeating and/or lack of physical activity. Humans are social beings and food plays a large role in celebrations and holidays. This is normal and enjoyable. However it becomes important to know if you are eating for emotional reasons rather than physical hunger. Emotional eating becomes problematic when people eat for reasons such as stress, boredom, sadness or loneliness. Triggers for emotional eating are not always negative. Some people eat when they feel happy or excited.
People who eat for emotional reasons often experience feelings of guilt or failure after overeating. Emotional eating can interfere with weight management, setting off a destructive cycle of overeating and dieting. To take control of emotional eating, you’ll need to identify emotional eating patterns and devise strategies to overcome trigger situations.
According to Compsych, a national Employee Assistance Program provider, if you can identify your patterns then you can actually implement a strategy to overcome overeating.

Identifying Patterns The best way to identify eating for emotional reasons is to keep a food journal. Use the "5 W's" method: Who you were with? What did you eat? When did you eat? Where did you eat? Why did you eat?
Note how you were feeling and how much was eaten as well. Identifying emotional eating triggers will help you develop strategies to overcome destructive behaviors.

Tips for Overcoming Emotional Eating
> Identify and recognize times of negative and self-defeating statements such as, "I can't do this" or "I failed." Replace those statements with positive comments such as, "This is hard but it will be worth it" and "I will learn and make a better choice next time."
> Before reaching for food, rate your hunger from 1 to 10, 10 being ravenous. For ratings of 5 or less, eat an apple. If you are not hungry enough to eat an apple, emotions are probably driving the urge to eat. Food will not satisfy a person eating for emotional reasons. Look for other positive and productive ways to address the issues.
> Find alternatives to eating to help you deal with stress. Go for a walk, read a book, listen to music or do deep breathing exercises.
> Try the three-bite rule. The most pleasure comes from the first three bites of food. After that, senses become dulled. Take three bites of your favorite indulgent foods and focus on fully enjoying them.
> Chewing a strong mint gum, breath mint or brushing teeth right after a meal may deter the urge to go for seconds or dessert.

Remember wellness is a journey, not a destination. Aim for progress, not perfection. Expect ups and downs; they are part of the learning process. Remain focused and celebrate your successes. Every small victory is a step closer to obtaining your goal.