What if you could get inside the minds of your students? Wouldn't it be nice to receive a little feedback now and again?
Imagine that you are unpacking your gym bag after class. There is a note sitting on top. It says…
Dear Instructor,
Thank you. I appreciate what you did in class yesterday when those two women would not stop chatting. You tried your best. Please don't feel badly that they left. Those of us who stayed weren't sorry at all. I personally think you gave them more than enough chances to get with the program (maybe even too many). They either didn't realize or didn't care that all of your calls for quiet were directed at them. Short of getting off the bike and going right up to them, I'm not sure how you could have been clearer. I mean really. Four separate requests, each one a little more direct than the previous? They were just rude. Maybe you should have started with the comment that finally got them to leave. I believe you said something like, “This is not the place for conversation. If you must talk to each other, please do it outside the room.” That was great. You should use that first next time so we don't have to endure the pain of watching them disrespect you while we have to listen to their yammering. I know that it threw off your composure when they actually walked out, but please don't feel bad!! We don't.
See you next week!
Happy Helen
Having riders who do not respect the need for conversations to end when class begins is a frustration nearly all of us have faced at one point or another. There are numbers of creative ways that we as instructors can get the quiet we want from our students. There are also tactics that will cause more damage than good. What have your experiences been with talkers and how have you handled them? Did it always turn out well?
You met Dr. Shannon back on Podcast #200 and now she is an official ICI/PRO Team Member! This is the first in a four part series; Be The Instructor (Inspirer) Your Students Can’t Wait To See Again
Your alarm goes off and even the sun is still asleep. It’s time to get to your class and teach the best class of your life. But you don’t feel like it. Now what? It’s time to encourage YOU!
People have always told me that I am an encourager. I would agree. I love to encourage others. Well, actually I don’t think of it as “encouraging others”. Instead, I truly think of it as “seeing the best in others”, as well as almost every situation. (I say, “almost” because we all have those moments when we have a really bad attitude. When all we want to do is swear and think the worst about others or ourselves…. But then, if you’re like me, you realize that this kind of attitude gets you nowhere except into a deeper funk, which just makes everything worse. So my best advise to all of us is “choose to think the best about ourselves and others, and choose happy.” Deal? J) There is nothing quite as brilliant as mastering the art of encouraging others and yourself.
When you see the best in others, they will tend to see the best in you. It’s amazing to me how few people on this planet truly encourage and compliment others. That is, compared to the number of people who focus on the negative and are very vocal in their discouraging opinions about others, as well as themselves. Let’s face it; gossip is usually not the art of telling others how awesome they think someone is! Even total strangers will generously give you their negative comments or ask discouraging questions…I wouldn’t do that if I were you. That will never work. Why would you want to do that in this economy? …blah, blah, blah!
All of us need encouragement. Even on great days a little encouragement goes a long way. The art of encouraging begins with recognizing something unique, new or special in those around you. When you notice something worth noting in one of your students, don’t hesitate to let them know it. The art of building others up with genuine words of praise and recognition will draw others to you. Think about it, the last time you felt discouraged, how valuable was a single word of encouragement to you? Invaluable!
I believe this is why social media has become so popular and almost addictively pleasurable for many. It’s because the human population is desperate to be recognized, valued, and appreciated. Everyone wants to be noticed! That includes, you! The more you recognize and encourage others, the more others will notice you. It really is that simple, as long as your encouraging words are genuine and heart felt.
It goes back to something we all learned in kindergarten. I believe it’s referred to as the Golden Rule (because it is highly valuable), “Treat others the way you would like to be treated”. Am I right? Or am I right?
My Pastor used to say, “Pay attention, or you will have to pay somebody”. I like to think that if we master the art of paying attention, soon others will be paying us…a lot! How does that sound?
But what about those days when you yourself are feeling totally discouraged. First of all, it’s vitally important (especially when you pour into the lives of others) to have those individuals in your life (Your “Inner Circle”) that you can always count on to lift you up and remind you of whom you truly are. I have a dear friend, Noah St. John, who refers to them as “Loving Mirrors”. I like to think of them as my 1 of 11’s. What? 1 plus 1 does not equal 2 in my book, it equals 11. They are the people in your life who add exponential value by simply being there. They are the 1’s who keep us straight, who keep us up…especially on those days when we are not, and quite frankly, don’t really want to be…period! They are the 1’s who care even when we don’t!
The person at the top of your “1 of 11 List” must (and I repeat, must) be Y-O-U! There are going to be plenty of times in your life when you need to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and remind yourself that, “Yes you can! You can do it!” You have got to encourage yourself and be willing to do so, especially if no one else is doing it for you.
The simple act of encouraging yourself will totally encourage (and inspire) YOU and those around you. I guarantee it!
There is infinite power in the words that we think and speak. Seriously, have you ever thought about someone out of the blue and that same day you happen to run into them? Coincidence? Or is it evidence about how powerful our thoughts really can be? I like to think that my thoughts have power, how about you?
When you speak (whether with words or thoughts), let it be the language of creation, not destruction…encouragement, not discouragement. I believe that our lives are a product of the words that we speak and the questions that we ask ourselves. How encouraging are you? Do your words reflect positive expectation (hope) or negative reflection (despair)?
I encourage you to be the biggest encourager you know. However, this comes with one challenge. If you are the biggest encourager you know, people are going to want to know you. And you must be willing to encourage yourself; because no one else can do it as well as you can do it for yourself.
When I opened my own Fitness Studio several years ago, I had one woman that used to come to class, let’s refer to her as “Mary”. Mary was an older woman that was pretty de-conditioned. I remember seeing the look on her face, as we were amping up our intensity. She had this look of “OMG, I cannot do this…I think I’m going to die!” Without even thinking I said, “Yes you can, Mary! You can do hard things!” The look on her face changed and so did everything else.
This quickly became the mantra for the entire class…Yes we can! We can do hard things!
For years I have reminded others and myself (as I am reminding you today) that YES YOU CAN! YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS! When it comes to being the Instructor (Inspirer) that your students can’t wait to see again, YES YOU CAN! IT’S REALLY NOT THAT HARD! Pay attention…it will eventually pay you!
A person who joins the gym in early January because of their New Years Resolution. Resolutionists can be spotted by their pasty white skin, excessive fat, poor form, and blank look on their face as they stand next to any piece of gym equipment. Resolutionists usually migrate back to the couch any time from mid-January to early March.
“This damn Resolutionist has been on the Smith machine for 30 minutes. Maybe if he put more than 30 lbs on the bar and stopped taking 10 minute rests it wouldn't take so long. I can't wait until March”
And they're coming to a club or studio near you soon!
So how can we take advantage of their enthusiasm and create classes the are both appealing to them, while also help them learn the exercise we call Indoor Cycling properly?
Master Instructor Tom Scotto from Cycling Fusion joins me to discuss his ideas for creating special classes for these new students in the latest episode of the Podcast.
With the holidays rapidly approaching, we’ll soon feel the stress they bring.
Did you know one of the top stresses is weight gain? Alcohol can contribute to that in several ways. It’s often a big part of holiday celebrating and socializing, so let’s look at the ways.
– Alcohol has lots of calories.
Alcohol has 7 calories per gram. Protein and carbs yield 4 calories per gram. Only fats have more calories with 9 per gram.
– Alcohol triggers lots of insulin.
High insulin may trigger hypoglycemia in susceptible people. In turn, that may increase appetite, cause mood changes, or bring on cravings. Insulin also inhibits fat oxidation and may promote storage of the fats we eat.
– Alcohol increases appetite.
Drinking alcohol releases endorphins (beta-endorphin). Endorphins inhibit the center of the brain that makes us feel we’ve had enough food and won’t need more for a while. That can lead to more frequent desire for food — and more food at a given meal.
– Alcohol makes us want different foods.
Endorphins again. Endorphins shift food preferences and cravings toward sugars and fats. Eating more of those foods can increase calorie intake and weight gain. It may even lead to insulin resistance!
Insulin resistance isn’t just the result of overweight, as we usually hear. It can cause it — along with a variety of metabolic disorders.
– Alcohol can mess up our moods in several ways.
Alcohol changes brain chemistry and may lead to depression or anxiety, for example. But any negative mood can cause cravings. The cravings won’t be for good foods, but for junk. Between cravings and the junk they make us want, we may eat more.
Serotonin typically drops with alcohol use over time. Low serotonin affects mood, triggers cravings, AND makes us more impulsive. That combination may make it more difficult to resist cravings of any kind — including more alcohol.
– Alcohol disturbs sleep.
Alcohol prevents the deep stages of sleep (theta- and delta-wave) that are most restorative. Poor sleep can trigger the monster hormone ghrelin. Ghrelin increases appetite and food intake while it slows metabolism.
Alcohol may also cause middle-of-the-night insomnia. Insomnia might make it difficult to exercise — or to show up for early morning workouts. Insomnia may lead to depression or other bad moods, and that may decrease your motivation to work out altogether.
As you can tell, alcohol can contribute to weight gain and the stress it brings. The sabotage of alcohol goes beyond calories in/calories out.
Even worse, most of the factors above — with the exception of calorie density — hold true for sugar, as well. Limit alcohol this holiday season for better health, better moods, better sleep, and better weight management.
Yes, holiday time seems like a tough time to work on health. But it can be done — and will make you feel great going into the New Year. For help with cravings of any type, or any “odd” food issues, just contact me at drjoan@LastResortNutrition.com .We can find a simple and effective plan to move you where you’d like to go in a way that’s easy and do-able.
Not every binge eater has binge-eating disorder (BED). But even those who binge less frequently than people with BED, or on less food, may struggle to control their eating.
That can be especially true when holiday treats — and holiday stresses — are all around us.
My PhD research was on women with BED. Before that, I ran a class for women who didn’t have BED but still binged at times. They were longing to change their eating behaviors. The class was called Food & Eating Recovery.
This post is on how binge eaters handle cravings. You may wish to pass this along to any class participants who have told you they have trouble controlling their food.
Binges and Cravings Were Familiar To Me
If you’ve read my book Stronger Than Sugar — or if you read my articles regularly — you already know that I’m a recovered sugar addict. In the bad old days, I did plenty of sugar-triggered bingeing.
I’ve also resisted many cravings. They showed up frequently. I wanted sugar almost all the time back then, but was able to resist most of the cravings for most of the day. (But not all days.) No doubt that helped me limit the number of my binges.
My dissertation included lots of evidence that eating sugar triggers binges. That was certainly true for the group that did not eliminate sugar during the 8 weeks of the study.
What I Learned Was New To Me
When the topic of cravings came up in the F&E Recovery class, we talked about resisting cravings. I figured everyone would relate to that behavior because they’d done it, too.
Was I wrong!
Most of the women in the class looked at me as if I were speaking Klingon. So eating behaviors were different in this group of bingers.
Instead, the notion of ignoring a craving seemed to be foreign to them. When they craved a specific food, they ate it — or as close as they could get to it at the time.
Did That Affect Their Weight and Health?
It did. As you might imagine, the women in the F&E Recovery class who gave in to all their cravings were more likely to be overweight. In many cases, they were obese and had metabolic conditions or other health issues.
As my research showed, sugar has a lot to do with both weight and health.
Regarding weight, the vast majority of cravings were for sugary foods. The sugary foods the women ate when they craved sugar were typically also high in fat.
Why? Studies of “sweetness ratings” show that fat makes sugar taste sweeter. That may be one reason that a craving for sugar will lead to ice cream or brownies, rather than a roll of Lifesavers.
Of course, the fat added extra calories. But that wasn’t all.
Besides the calories, sugar triggers the release of a brain chemical — endorphin — that increases appetite. So giving in to a craving was likely to result in a high-calorie episode for the participants.
Sometimes — and for some of the women, often — it was a full-fledged binge.
Because sugar’s so addictive, many women in the F&E Recovery class were hooked on it. When they tried to go without it, they’d have more cravings. And, not surprisingly, more sugar, more fat, and/or more binges.
What’s the Best Way To Handle Cravings?
If you’re tough enough to resist, you might try doing that — as often and for as much of the day as you can. It can help with weight control and health.
But that may not work for you. I’ve previously posted an effective, short-term solution for cravings: liquid B-complex. (Please check with your doctor before trying this.)
For a long-term solution to cravings — in other words, eliminating your cravings completely — a change in diet is probably the answer. I can help you make that easy. Just visit www.FoodAddictionSolutions.com/Coaching and request your free Eating Empowerment call. Find out how simple it can be — and how great you can feel — once you’re free of cravings and completely in control of your food and eating.
Do you feel completely in touch with your hunger? Do you know exactly when you’re hungry? Or when you stop being hungry? And what to do with that info?
This short post is about an exercise for getting in touch with your hunger.
Why Is That Important?
Let’s cut to the chase. Every client who has completed this exercise ends up feeling absolutely clear about when she’s hungry and when she’s not, feeling completely in control of her appetite and her eating — and feeling great about herself.
Please don’t think hunger is obvious to everyone. I’ve heard clients say, “Well, I ate breakfast at 7:00 am and now it’s 1:00 pm, so I must be hungry.” Obviously, that’s a thought process, not hunger.
One client began to cry when I suggested the exercise because she thought she’d have to starve all day long.
Another client got angry because she thought she’d have to eat “diet foods” all day. I’m not even sure which foods she meant, or how she got that idea. The subject of diet foods had never come up in our nutrition appointments.
Okay, What’s This Amazing Exercise?
I read about this exercise years ago in a book that I simply can’t remember. As a PhD, I like to cite my sources and would be happy to give credit if I could. If anyone knows who created the exercise, please let me know.
That said, here it is:
– Pick a day when you have a light schedule. Your goal is to get hungry as often as possible during the day.
– As soon as you feel hungry, eat. But eat small amounts of food — just enough to take away the hunger. This will ensure many hunger experiences over the course of the day. If you follow these instructions, you might sometimes feel hungry within, say, 15 to 20 minutes after the last time you ate. (That’s the convenience of a lightly scheduled day.)
– Move away from your usual eating habits. Instead of eating first thing in the morning, for example, check in with your stomach to see if you’re hungry. If you’re not, wait until you are. Then eat.
– Avoid “preventative eating.” Don’t eat extra food now to prevent hunger later. As soon as you’re hungry later, you get to eat again.
– Don’t ignore your hunger signals and try to “tough it out” as long as you can. The idea is to cement the relationship between hunger and eating.
The natural hunger cycle is as primal as it gets: Hunger means eat. When hunger ends, stop eating. When hunger returns, eat. Repeat and repeat.
What This Exercise Is Not
Some mistakenly view this exercise as a weight-loss trick. It’s not meant to be. As explained, it’s designed to put you in touch with your hunger so there’s no question about how hunger feels, how much food is necessary to end the hunger, how it feels when it returns, and so on.
Still, eating in tune with your hunger may, over time, help with weight loss. Of course, you may want to increase the size of your portions to reach a point of “gentle fullness” so you don’t have to experience hunger so often throughout the day.
So What’s the Point?
Without a natural starting point for eating, we have no natural stopping point.
I’m convinced this hunger exercise is the most effective way for clients who lack awareness of their hunger and fullness to discover the wholesome, healthy connection between hunger and eating.
Whenever I’ve used this with a client, the result has always been an increase in the client’s confidence — no more confusion about when to start eating, when to stop, or even how much food to have.
Would you like help with normalizing your appetite and your food preferences? That’s what I help clients do — make painless food changes. Why not visit www.FoodAddictionSolutions.com/Coaching and request a Food Freedom session, absolutely free? Find out just how easy it can be to get your eating patterns on track — effectively and without struggle — so you feel fantastic.
