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little sugar addicts

Little Sugar Addicts

I think most people believe that our children are eating too much sugars (Just maybe not the people in the food or sugar industry.) 

I suspect even these “sugar pushers” believe their children are eating too much sugar. They are not monsters.

In her book “Little Sugar Addicts,” Kathleen DesMaisons believes (as the title implies) that our children are addicted to sugar. She might have a point. I’m writing a blog that I’ll share later about “sugar addiction,” but for now it might be helpful to keep an open mind.

To the doubters, think about being asked to get off sugar for 30 days. Just the thought of eliminating sugar can be unsettling. We love our sugar.

DesMaisons believes that many of the behavioral issues that children and teens have are caused by the over consumption of sugar. They have something called “sugar sensitivity.” She walks us through the symptoms of childhood mental health disorders, like ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and mood disorders.

“A diet high in sugar and carbohydrates,” she writes, “and low in quality protein, creates behavioral havoc and sets up huge emotional and physical problems in the future.”

Along with this, children and teens are experiencing increasing rates of obesity. All of this is likely due to the over consumption of sugar. As a result, DesMaisons suggests seven steps to avoid the negative consequences of over consuming sugar:

1. Eat breakfast with protein.

I would add, eat fruit and unrefined carbohydrates.

2. Make connections between food and mood.

I recently asked a client why they binged on sugar to the point of becoming ill. She said she liked the way it made her feel. We have these strange, but not so strange sentimental attachments to sugar. DesMaisons suggests that one of the inner demons we fight is the idea that “Sugar is Love.” I remember making cinnamon crisps with my grandmother, it was the way she loved us.

3. Change snack and drinks.

I’ll be sharing a blog on “fruit juice and sugar,” that I’ve written in weeks to come. Recently, a client was drinking a soft drink during a session. I noticed that it contained 40g of sugar. He told me that he drank 4 or 5 a day. Most fruit drinks are no better.

4. Eat protein lunches.

I would include fruit and vegetables.

5. Shift to whole grains.

She calls this “Browning your Family.”

6. Taking out the sugar.

I believe that the blind spot that DesMaisons has in her book is “added sugar.” New nutritional labeling make nutrition more transparent and allows us to determine how much sugar food producers have added to their products. Even if we restrict candy and sweets, kids are still getting too much sugar.

7. Manage holidays.

This is a tough one. I believe this process can be overwhelming to follow. I would simplify this process with two doable steps in the right direction:

  1. Quit buying foods that have “added sugar.” It takes work but it can be done. I do it. It’s the easy way to eliminate sugar.
  2. Treat sweets (sugar) as a luxury item. Have a sweet for special occasions and holidays. Don’t be afraid to splurge now and then. Have a sweet once or twice a a month, but not weekly.
  3. Ok, there’s three steps. Look at cutting down on refined carbohydrates.

I tried my best as a father. We did not have soft drinks or sugar snacks to around the house. We did buy foods with “added sugar” because the labels did not report the amount of added sugar.

If you have a kiddo with behavioral issues, consider going sugar-free. I know we all want the best for our children.

It’s time to step up and help them by eliminating the thing that provides almost no nutritional value and will make their lives difficult for years to come.

NUTRITIONAL AND MEDICAL DISCLAIMER FOR TRUE NORTH COUNSELING, LLC

In viewing this website (and blog), it is assumed that you understand and acknowledge that the services and information, provided by True North Counseling, LLC may involve recommendation to improve your general health, fitness and well-being, including nutrition/diet advice and suggestions for physical activity.  In accepting this information, understand that it is under your best discretion to be respectful to your body when engaging in physical activity and/or changing dietary habits. It is recommended to consult with your primary physician before starting any new/recent exercise or eating routine and to get annual check-ups to assess current health and fitness status. Do not overlook the importance of having a team-approach when health is involved. Regular visits with both your physician and registered dietitian will allow you to create the best possible, balanced approach in meeting health and performance/fitness goals.

insulin sensitivity

How to Increase Your Insulin Sensitivity

Until recently, I had not heard of Insulin Sensitivity. I had heard of Insulin Resistance. Insulin Resistance means your body can’t respond properly to the insulin it makes. Insulin can’t enter the cells and over time this increases blood sugar levels; eventually leading to type 2 Diabetes.

Insulin Sensitivity is the degree to which the body’s cells respond to insulin, allowing the cells to use blood glucose more effectively, reducing blood sugar and therefore, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.

We WANT to improve our insulin sensitivity!

How does one improve their insulin sensitivity? In his blog, “14 Natural Ways to Improve Your Insulin Sensitivity,” Ryan Raman, MS, RD (Healthline) provides some very simple but promising methods for decreasing our risk of type 2 diabetes. Here is his list (with my thoughts):

1. Get More Sleep.

I keep seeing this more and more. Poor sleep is connected to many ailments. Do some things to improve your sleep hygiene. I wrote a blog in January 2019 about sleep.

2. Exercise More.

You are preaching to the choir, Ryan. A friend of mine called me up and wants to join me on a hike tomorrow morning. He gets it. Exercise improves your cardio endurance, muscle strength, muscle endurance, body composition, flexibility, AND it improves your insulin sensitivity.

3. Reduce Stress.

I wrote a blog on stress in August 2018, “Chronic Stress is Bad.” I use Mindfulness Practices with most of my clients. Stress increases cortisol production which increases blood sugars. You get the picture.

4. Lose a Few Pounds.

I am a Certified Health Coach and through the process of getting certified learned a lot of things. I learned that body fat produces hormones that promote insulin resistance. Lose some weight and you can increase your insulin sensitivity.

5. Eat More Soluble Fiber.

Two words: Fruits and Vegetables.

6. Eat More Colorful Fruit and Vegetables.

A study in 2016 demonstrated that eating apples could increase insulin sensitivity.

7. Add Herbs and Spices to Your Cooking.

Raman mentions that ginger has a component that makes sugar receptors on muscle cells more available, increasing sugar uptake.

8. Add a Pinch of Cinnamon.

I like cinnamon and it helps by making muscle cells become more available and efficient at transporting sugar into cells.

9. Drink More Green Tea.

I hear a lot about Green Tea. What’s not to like? I’m always looking forward to a replacement for coffee.

10. Apple Cider Vinegar.

I read a lot about ACV. I keep a bottle of ACV in my kitchen. My cabinet is also full of probiotics and has its own Scoby. You know what I mean if you make your own Kombucha.

11. Cut Down on Refined Carbohydrates.

He’s not taking about sugar. He mentions it later. He’s talking about foods that are high on the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load index. This would include refined flour, and most packaged foods. They trigger an insulin response and increase insulin resistance.

12. Avoid Trans Fats.

Raman points out that they provide no health benefit and increase the risk of many diseases.

13. Stop Eating Added Sugar.

I have written a recent blog about added sugar. It doesn’t take a lot to add up over the course of a few years. I jokingly talk about the “2-3 Pounder a Year Club.” That’s when you slowly, imperceptibly gain 2 or 3 pounds a year. In ten years, you’ve gained 20 or 30 pounds without noticing until it’s too late. That’s what added sugar is doing to us!

14. Try a Supplement.

 

Nutritional and Medical Disclaimer for True North Counseling, LLC

In viewing this website (and blog), it is assumed that you understand and acknowledge that the services and information, provided by True North Counseling, LLC may involve recommendation to improve your general health, fitness and well-being, including nutrition/diet advice and suggestions for physical activity.  In accepting this information, understand that it is under your best discretion to be respectful to your body when engaging in physical activity and/or changing dietary habits. It is recommended to consult with your primary physician before starting any new/recent exercise or eating routine and to get annual check-ups to assess current health and fitness status. Do not overlook the importance of having a team-approach when health is involved. Regular visits with both your physician and registered dietitian will allow you to create the best possible, balanced approach in meeting health and performance/fitness goals.

diet confusion

Diet Confusion and Why We’re Getting Fatter

A few years back I was working on a certification as a Holistic Nutrition Consultant. I read dozens and dozens of books (probably closer to 100) about nutrition. I read a book or two on every diet out there and even practiced being a Vegan for 6 months. After reading more books, I tried Keto. I read books about Paleo, The Zone, the South-Beach Diet, the Aztec Diet, the Whole Food Diet and many more. Currently, I’m reading the Whole30 Diet.

Here is what they all share in common:

1. Stop eating sugar.

This means, stop eating sweets and it means stop eating processed foods that have sugar added to them. We eat way, way, way too much sugar. It’s killing us.

2. Stop eating refined carbohydrates.

Really, all processed food. Of course, this includes sugar, but it also includes the things that we eat that act like sugar, high glycemic and high glycemic load foods. Many starches and grains fit into this category, like breads and pastas. This also includes packaged foods that have a lot of hidden sugars in them.

3. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

Most of us do not eat enough fruits and vegetables, and most of our micronutrients come from them. With the exception of Paleo, not one diet said, “Stay away from Fruits and Vegetables.” Paleo says to restrict the amount of fruit that you eat.

4. Eat animal and plant protein.

With the exception of Vegan and Vegetarian diets, all other diets allow animal protein, and most allow dairy and eggs. Even the Whole Food Plant-Based diet, supported by the founder of Whole Foods, John Mackey, allows for animal protein (10% of your diet). There are numerous new books that advocate not eating animal protein, but none have the evidence to support that restriction.

5. Every book I read supported and encouraged exercise, both aerobic and resistance training.

Some supported a type of fasting. It’s interesting that there is evidence for the idea that exercise and fasting lead to insulin sensitivity (the opposite of insulin resistance -Type II diabetes). So, eating right and exercise protect from chronic disease.

6. All of the diets advocate for a dietary-lifestyle-change and insisted that weight loss was not the goal of their plan.

They argued rather, that their diets were intended as a way of life. After all, we develop patterns and habits that perpetuate our health problems.

7. None of the books provided a plan for sustaining the lifestyle that they were promoting.

“The Beck Diet Solution, by Judith Beck” was the only book that provided a 30-day plan for maintaining your lifestyle changes. Beck utilized Cognitive Behaviors Therapy in her book to address our sabotaging thoughts.

8. If you’re over 40, eat more protein.

I recently listened to a series of lectures on “Improving Body Composition.” The takeaway from these lectures was that as we age, we need to eat plenty of protein, possibly twice the amount previously told. This makes sense! We begin losing muscle around age forty and therefore need to eat plenty of protein to maintain our muscle mass.

9. If you’re eating right, you probably don’t need a supplement.

On a recent podcast by Dr. Rhonda Patrick, she recommended taking one as insurance. I think it’s a good idea.

10. The best books strongly encouraged people to enjoy the food they ate.

I think it’s a tragedy that food has become such a villain. I don’t think they meant that people should enjoy eating junk food and enjoy overeating. We stress out about food all the time. It’s nice to slow down and, in a mindful way, consider the wonder and beauty of food. Relax. Eat. Relax.

Nutritional and Medical Disclaimer for True North Counseling, LLC

In viewing this website (and blog), it is assumed that you understand and acknowledge that the services and information, provided by True North Counseling, LLC may involve recommendation to improve your general health, fitness and well-being, including nutrition/diet advice and suggestions for physical activity.  In accepting this information, understand that it is under your best discretion to be respectful to your body when engaging in physical activity and/or changing dietary habits. It is recommended to consult with your primary physician before starting any new/recent exercise or eating routine and to get annual check-ups to assess current health and fitness status. Do not overlook the importance of having a team-approach when health is involved. Regular visits with both your physician and registered dietitian will allow you to create the best possible, balanced approach in meeting health and performance/fitness goals.

 

frontier diet

The Frontier Diet

Aka The Mark Neese Diet.

I didn’t coin this phase and it’s really not a diet. Rather, it’s a mindset. I seriously doubt that people on the Frontier ate all that well. I’m guessing that they had periods of starvation during times of famine. They ate whatever they grew or killed, depending on its availability. So life was probably very hard, living on the frontier.

It helps to contrast that with the way most modern Americans eat and probably many modern humans. We have plentiful amounts of food today. Rarely, is there a seasonal shortage.

Why would I use the notion of “The Frontier Diet” to describe a diet that I would never promote? I guess it’s because despite the lack of availability, people on the Frontier probably ate better than modern humans. They ate food from their gardens and took game from the fields, not from grocery stores and fast food restaurants. The Frontier Diet is a way of eating that chooses simple and whole foods rather than processed food.  When I speak of The Frontier Diet, I really mean trying to eat the way people ate on the frontier prior to industrial and processed foods, boxed foods, TV dinners, all the food that’s in the center aisles of the grocery store, and probably in the frozen section as well.

The Frontier Diet means eating “simple” foods. Food that is less milled, less processed, with less ingredients, with no salt added, no sugar added, no preservatives added, no colors added, and no growth hormones and antibiotics.

I’ve gotten into the habit of looking at what other people are putting in their grocery carts. I notice lots of processed food. Lots! I understand that people are tired and want to come home and quickly prepare a meal for their families. The price for that convenience is that 66% of Americans are overweight or obese. Nearly 20% of children and adolescents between 2-19 are obese. We have got to do things differently.

I started The Whole30 Diet this month.

My wife started it too. I’m half-way through the 30 days. Basically, I avoid anything with added sugar. I did not realize I was getting as much sugar as I was. It’s been added to everything. I avoid grains, especially refined flour. I do miss bread. Eating white bread is almost like eating sugar. I avoid legumes and dairy. I can give up beans and I had given up cheese 3 months ago. Plus, I never drink milk, so no biggie!

We have a vegetable steamer and we use it almost every day. We use ghee to sauté our meats and vegetables and we have fruit with every meal, including breakfast. When we shop at the grocery store, we look closely at the food labels. They must read: “includes 0g added sugar” and NOT have ‘sugar’ in the list of ingredients.

How has the Whole30 diet been going? Well, it’s still early but my average Systolic BP has dropped 10 points as has my Diastolic BP. I’ve lost weight. I’m getting blood work done soon and I’ll share the results when I get them. That said, you are what you eat. Maybe the Frontier Diet isn’t for you but getting away from all of the processed food can’t hurt.

Nutritional and Medical Disclaimer for True North Counseling, LLC

In viewing this website (and blog), it is assumed that you understand and acknowledge that the services and information, provided by True North Counseling, LLC may involve recommendation to improve your general health, fitness and well-being, including nutrition/diet advice and suggestions for physical activity.  In accepting this information, understand that it is under your best discretion to be respectful to your body when engaging in physical activity and/or changing dietary habits. It is recommended to consult with your primary physician before starting any new/recent exercise or eating routine and to get annual check-ups to assess current health and fitness status. Do not overlook the importance of having a team-approach when health is involved. Regular visits with both your physician and registered dietitian will allow you to create the best possible, balanced approach in meeting health and performance/fitness goals.

added sugar

Added Sugar – It’s in Everything!

If you want to read a life-changing book, read “Pure, White, and Deadly: How Sugar is Killing Us and What We Can Do to Stop It,” by John Yudkin. Actually, the book will change the way that you look at sugar. And what happened to Yudkin during the 1970s, will change the way that you look at the politics of food. Yudkin asserted that sugar was the culprit and cause of Coronary Heart Disease. However, others believed that saturated fats were the leading cause. Yudkin lost the debate, and as H. Lustig, M.D. wrote in the introduction of Yudkin’s new edition,

“The Pharisees of this nutritional holy war declared Keys (proponent of the saturated fats theory) the victor, Yudkin a heretic and a zealot, threw the now discredited Yudkin under the proverbial bus, and relegated his pivotal work to the dustbin of history, as this book went out of print and virtually disappeared from the scene. The propaganda of “low-fat” as the treatment for heart disease was perpetuated for the next thirty years.

I reread this book. I was moved again.

Thankfully, the scientific community has had an epiphany: Sugar is killing us.

Nutritionists and researchers have taken a closer look at sugar. Let’s look at their current findings:

  1. The higher the intake of added sugar, the higher the risk for heart disease. If you’re getting 20% of calories from added sugar, you have almost a 40% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
  2. The higher the intake of added sugar, increases the likelihood of developing a fatty liver. This of course contributes to diabetes.
  3. Consuming too much added sugar can raise blood pressure.
  4. Consuming too much added sugar increases chronic inflammation. Drinking one can of soft drink daily can increase inflammatory markers, insulin resistance, and LDL cholesterol.
  5. Eating too much sugar can cause weight gain, which increases your risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

We can stop there. I think you see the point. Consuming too much added sugar is not good. Read Yudkin’s book. Think about your consumption of sugar. If you include the sugar that is added to your food with your consumption of table sugar, you are most likely eating over 100 lbs. of sugar a year. That’s 20 times what our recent ancestors ate.

No wonder we’re such a mess.

Nutritional and Medical Disclaimer for True North Counseling, LLC

In viewing this website (and blog), it is assumed that you understand and acknowledge that the services and information, provided by True North Counseling, LLC may involve recommendation to improve your general health, fitness and well-being, including nutrition/diet advice and suggestions for physical activity.  In accepting this information, understand that it is under your best discretion to be respectful to your body when engaging in physical activity and/or changing dietary habits. It is recommended to consult with your primary physician before starting any new/recent exercise or eating routine and to get annual check-ups to assess current health and fitness status. Do not overlook the importance of having a team-approach when health is involved. Regular visits with both your physician and registered dietitian will allow you to create the best possible, balanced approach in meeting health and performance/fitness goals.

 

craving

Feed the Craving

That just about sums up the way most of us live. I noticed the sign at the entrance near my office today. It reminded me that I was craving sugar, or really bread.

We are “Craving” or spoiling ourselves to death!

Today was the third day of my attempt to follow the Whole30 Diet. After 3 days, I have a headache.

I’ll finish the 30 days because I want to be healthy, and also because there is something about NOT feeding the crave. There is something about NOT giving into all of our appetites, all of our desires, or all of our passions.

I read a book many years ago when I was taking a religious elective in college. It was, “The Freedom of Simplicity: Finding Harmony in a Complex World,” by Richard Foster. It challenged me to take a look at my life and think about ways to simplify it. Foster encouraged his readers to consider ways to divest themselves of things, events, friends, and ideas that eventually rob them of serenity. We believe that attaining wealth, friends, status, or attending the next concert will bring us happiness. We feed the cravings, but the cravings never go away. They are never satisfied.

So, I’m “Starvin’ the Cravin’” for 30 days. I’m not going to eat any table sugar or anything that has added sugar. I’m not going to eat bread (ouch) and I’m not going to eat any grains, dairy, and cheese. For the next 30 days, I’m going to go without any alcohol (boring!). I’ll do this and maybe, just maybe I’ll drop a few pounds and I’ll lower my risk of heart disease. Hopefully, I’ll get through these next 27 days and I’ll grow stronger, not just physically, but mentally.

Think about a craving that you continue to feed, but one that you’d like to starve to death.

I wrote a Blog titled The Unpopular Notion of Self-Denial in December of 2018. Here is what I wrote:

The Stoics believed that accumulating fame and fortune rarely if ever contributed to the Good Life. They believed that happiness did not come from getting the things that we desire, but rather, from learning to desire the things that we already possess. We learn to desire the things that we possess by periodically denying ourselves of them.

“We accomplish this,” writes Irvine, “by allowing ourselves to become hungry or thirsty, even though water and food are at hand, and we might sleep on a hard bed even though a soft one is available.” When we do this, Irvin asserts that we receive three benefits: 1) It will harden us against any misfortune that might befall us, 2) We will grow confident that we can handle any discomfort that might befall us, and 3) It will help us appreciate what we already have. 

In other words, Self-Denial helps us grow!! It is when we periodically deny ourselves of the things that we desire and possess, that we learn the value of our things and the value of life.

So, I’m purposely going to deprive myself from the cravings that I have with hopes that It will change me. Give it a try!

Nutritional and Medical Disclaimer for True North Counseling, LLC

In viewing this website (and blog), it is assumed that you understand and acknowledge that the services and information, provided by True North Counseling, LLC may involve recommendation to improve your general health, fitness and well-being, including nutrition/diet advice and suggestions for physical activity.  In accepting this information, understand that it is under your best discretion to be respectful to your body when engaging in physical activity and/or changing dietary habits. It is recommended to consult with your primary physician before starting any new/recent exercise or eating routine and to get annual check-ups to assess current health and fitness status. Do not overlook the importance of having a team-approach when health is involved. Regular visits with both your physician and registered dietitian will allow you to create the best possible, balanced approach in meeting health and performance/fitness goals.

sugar

Sugar. Sugar. Sugar.

If you’ve been reading my blogs, you know that I’m a Psychotherapist, and a Personal Trainer with a background in fitness and general nutrition. I am not a Registered Nutritionist (see Disclaimer below). I’ve done a lot of reading over the past 2 or 3 years and recently I have been reading about sugar.

Sugar is killing us. There I said it. I’ve written several Blogs that will be posted during the weeks leading up to Halloween and the Holidays.

Two-Thirds of Americans are overweight or obese and sugar is the primary cause. It’s addictive. Try going off sugar for 30 days. That’s what I did, and I’ll share my journey and the health benefits of getting rid of “Added Sugar.”

Here are some of the titles of the blogs this month:

Sugar – Public Enemy #1

Feed the Craving

Sugar and Acne

The Frontier Diet

Sugar and Inflammation

The Glycemic Index

No Sugar Added

How to Increase Your Insulin Sensitivity

Sugar and Your Children

Sugar and Depression

A Brief History of Sugar

Sugar and Advertising

Sugar and Slavery

Halloween -The Sugar Holiday

I also want to share some of the books I’ve been reading. These include three by Gary Taubes: Why We Get Fat, A Case Against Sugar, and Good Calories, Bad Calories.

I’ll share a book for parents about the effects of sugar on their children by Kathleen DesMaisons entitled, “Little Sugar Addicts: End the Mood Swings, Meltdowns, Tantrums, and Low Self-Esteem.

I will share a diet plan that changed the way I live and hopefully will help me live many years without hypertension, high cholesterol and without inflammation. It’s called the Whole 30 Diet. You eliminate all added sugar in your diet. I lost 20 lbs. in 5 weeks.

So, enjoy the journey. Think about the sugar you’re eating.

Nutritional and Medical Disclaimer for True North Counseling, LLC

In viewing this website (and blog), it is assumed that you understand and acknowledge that the services and information, provided by True North Counseling, LLC may involve recommendation to improve your general health, fitness and well-being, including nutrition/diet advice and suggestions for physical activity.  In accepting this information, understand that it is under your best discretion to be respectful to your body when engaging in physical activity and/or changing dietary habits. It is recommended to consult with your primary physician before starting any new/recent exercise or eating routine and to get annual check-ups to assess current health and fitness status. Do not overlook the importance of having a team-approach when health is involved. Regular visits with both your physician and registered dietitian will allow you to create the best possible, balanced approach in meeting health and performance/fitness goals.

woke

Friday Waypoints- 8/30/19

“Get Woke!”

I’ve been hearing this a lot lately. It means something like, “open your eyes” or “don’t be naïve!” As a Social Worker, I am always mindful of social injustice, inequality, exploitation, and abuse in our world. I’d like to think that I’m “woke.” But of course, I have lots of room to grow. 

I was watching a news report this past week about the impact that sugar had on the lives of millions of African-Americans during the years of enslavement. This past Spring, my wife and I visited two plantations outside New Orleans. We left there thinking that thousands of humans were exploited, abused, and killed on these sites. I got “woke.”

I get “woke” when I see young African-American teens pulled from their cars because of the color of their skin. 

We live in a country that needs to be “woke.” It’s nothing to be ashamed of. We simply need to humbly admit that at times we treat others as a means rather than an end. And then, treat everyone the way that we would want to be treated. That’s what it means to be “woke.” 

It’s Almost September

Speaking of “Getting Woke,” you wake up and its September. 45 years ago I was standing in formation at Lackland Air Force Base in Basic Training. It seems like the other day. I am amazed at how quickly time flies. I’m sure you feel the same way. I remember asking someone what time it was that first morning, thinking that it was close to noon. It was 8:30 am. I remember thinking that the next 4 years were going to be the longest 4 years of my life. Again, that was 45 years ago. 

The lesson: spend your time doing meaningful things. That means, calling (or texting) a family member right now and telling them that you love them. 

That means, forgiving someone, right now, who has wronged you, telling your grandchildren how proud you are of them, and holding your partner just a little bit longer the next time you hug.

Life is to be lived! I’m not sure who said that, maybe Eleanor Roosevelt. To me, living life means more than just exploring and traveling and spending wisely. It means loving the people that you have in your life right now. Don’t let another day pass holding a grudge or resentment. 

Book I’m Reading- The Making of a Therapist, Louis Cozolino

There is nothing easy about training new therapists. True North Counseling has two new therapist coming on board next month: Patrice Elmore and Sharonda Tunstull! They have been MSW students with us and will now be joining us as new Certified Social Workers. I’ve given them both this book. We will spend the next 3-5 years helping them become seasoned Psychotherapists. It’s exciting and humbling! It’s what I love about what I do!

waypoints

Friday Waypoints- 06/21/19

Being a Father

I spent some time this past week reflecting on fatherhood. I look into the mirror and more often than not, I see my father. It scares me sometimes, but not because I don’t like what I see, but because I didn’t expect to see Jerry Neese in the mirror. My father was a very handsome man. I loved seeing him put on his suit every morning to go to work. The summer after I graduated from High School, I worked with him as I waited to enter the Air Force later that Fall. I loved going to lunch with him and his staff and I was so proud to be his son. I remember the morning he drove me to the airport to travel to San Antonio to enlist. He told me that he was a little envious of me because of the the new journey that I was beginning. It’s a wonderful memory. I do not remember ever have a cross word with him. I never remember a feeling of disappointment from him.

We clinicians describe that as having a strong attachment figure. It didn’t stop at 18 years old. It continued until the day he died at 82. I remember those hugs from a 6’ 4” man. I had to step on my tippy toes to hug my father. We said that we loved each other.

John Bowby wrote, “Throughout the adult life the availability of a responsive attachment figure remains the source of a person’s feeling secure. All of us, from cradle to the grave, are happiest when life is organized as a series of excursions, long or short, from the secure base provided by our attachment figures.”

My life has been a series of long and short excursions from the secure base of my father’s (and of course my mother’s) love and acceptance. And they have been happy excursions!

Thank you Dad for being a loving, gentle and strong father for me and my brothers and sisters.

Electronic Nicotine Organization

I’ve been asked to sit on the advisory panel for Electronic Nicotine Organization. Tom Popescu recently started this organization to address the problem with Teenagers using nicotine vape pens. We will look back on these days and see them as pivotal for preventing this young generation from becoming addicted to nicotine and cigarettes. Support this organization!

Tom Popescu, the President of ENO writes, “Our goals are to: educate youth and adults of the consequences of electronic cigarettes, inform policy makers and help shape the debate, utilize social media influencers to expand awareness, counteract the marketing efforts of vaping and tobacco companies, create a support platform and resources for users who are addicted, and develop a mobile app for on demand counselors for users and research.”

Friday Waypoints- 6/14/19

What I’m Reading

“Changing Body Composition through Diet and Exercise” by Michael Ormsbee, Ph.D.

I’m actually listening to this book on Audible. I’m on the road a lot and I spend most of this time listening to books. Ormsbee writes, “Improving body composition by losing body fat and optimizing lean is not about vanity –it’s about health.”

This book is not about losing weight. It’s about decreasing the amount of body fat in your body and it’s about insuring that you do not lose muscle mass. I like this approach because I do not want to lose weight. My BMI puts me in the overweight category, but that’s because I work out and exercise regularly. I realized years ago that you begin losing muscle mass as you age and I have worked very hard to maintain and grow muscle. I “preach” to clients, “You need to work at becoming stronger as you age.” Maintaining your lean muscle mass is one way of do this. Ormsbee does a very good job explaining the basics of nutrition and puts the focus on the right things.

What Are You Listening To?

Apple Music is introducing me to new music and helping me stay in touch with my favorites. Just hit the “For You” tab on the app and you get the option of “New Music Mix,” “Favorites Mix,” and “Chill Mix.”

Don’t underestimate the power of music in your life. Recently, I’ve been utilizing the Mindfulness Meditation that encourages you to “Step in the Feeling.” This could include “stepping into the sadness. Most of us DO NOT like listening to “sad” music, but there can be something therapeutic about purposely sitting during a mindfulness session and “stepping into sadness” while listening to sad music.

Of course, listening to “happy and upbeat” music is important too! I’m listening to some past favorites right now and this music is conjuring up many memories associated with that music. Let music by thy medicine.

Families Want to Get Along

One of the reasons I love what I do is the desire that most families have to get along. They want to end the conflict. They come to me hoping that I can help and many times I can.

Raising teenagers is not easy! Teenagers are under a lot of pressure! Neither Parents not teens want to fight and when I see them years later, they scratch their heads and wonder why there was so much conflict.

This week, I witnessed a wonderful family following the “therapeutic map” that I laid out before them. I saw them all working together. And they left with smiles on their face because they saw something work. It keeps my compass pointed toward “True North.”