Navigating Nourishment Podcast

Wendy and Debbie share a Thanksgiving Gameplan to help you rethink how you come to the table this Thanksgiving. We cover fasting, detox, post indulging ideas, and finding joy at the table.

Debbie  00:00

Here we are just about a week away from Thanksgiving, and we wanted to give a game plan for Thanksgiving, because people tend to have these ideas about what they're going to do in order to be able to indulge on Thanksgiving, and lots of people end up not feeling so great.

You don't have to indulge.

 

Wendy  00:21

Just the idea that you're going to over indulge is a tradition or a pattern that might be a family pattern or influence just because of the community that you celebrate with. And I think the first idea is that you don't actually have to over indulge. 

 

Debbie  00:44

Exactly. That occurred to me several years ago when I realized this is just another dinner. There just happens to be a lot more people gathered. And then I really enjoyed it, and I ate slowly, and I didn't over indulge, and it was so much more enjoyable. I tasted the food and it was wonderful. And ever since then, I've been enjoying my Thanksgiving dinner so much more in the past several years because of that. 

 

Wendy  01:09

Coming to the table mindful can be a game changer for people. So number one, you don't have to indulge. 

 

Debbie  01:22

Yes, you don't have to fill up your plate. Maybe with small amounts, and if you want to add a little bit more, do that. This year doesn't have to be a huge, over indulgent feast. 

Don’t skimp on eating that morning.

 

So another thing I know people do, and I probably did this years ago, is I would skimp on eating the day before and again earlier part of the day on Thanksgiving to save space for the meal.

 

Wendy  01:57

But what happened when you “saved space?” 

How, how did you feel coming to the table?

 

Debbie  02:02

Well, then you're coming to the table starving, right? And that never works out well. 

 

Wendy  02:10

It's not a recipe for wise decision making when it comes to our choices of food? 

 

Debbie  02:15

Just like it's not a good idea to go to this food market starving. You end up spending a lot more money.

 

Wendy  02:21

We make fun of this word hangry, right? Hungry + angry, but that's the truth. And if you're in a social situation and you're hangry, tensions are high. So just don't skip on your breakfast. Don't skip meals the day before. Just eat normally and feel good going to the event. Feel good and well nourished when you come to the table already.

 

Debbie  02:47

And that will almost guarantee that you won't overeat. If you're mindful the day of, you won't be so starving that you'll just be shoving things in your mouth. You don't want to come to the table super hungry. You want to come to the table ready for a meal, not hangry. That's not a good place, right?

Connect with Nature

Wendy  03:05

This is a quick podcast, but a couple more ideas. Plan on going for a walk after your meal with or without your family. Go out into nature and get super connected with the outdoors, if that's a possibility for you, because that can help with your digestion. 

 

Debbie  03:32

Absolutely good for your digestion. That was sort of a normal thing for humans to do for so many years. So get up and go walking, and maybe you won't feel that coma tired that a lot of people feel after Thanksgiving.

 

Enjoy and savor. Let go of guilt.

Wendy  03:52

I think Thanksgiving can be a time of special foods, and maybe we eat a little bit more rich foods. Maybe we do actually have more dessert and options on the table. So we're not saying don't have fun with all that. We say, go all in and enjoy the cranberry sauce or the extra stuffing, and enjoy every bite. Really savor the time at the table with people, and maybe you could even spark up some interesting conversations and have that feed you at the same ti...

In this Navigating Nourishment Podcast, Wendy and Debbie discuss the poem "Not the End of the World" by Jeff Foster, emphasizing the importance of presence and mindfulness. They reflect on how paying attention to small, everyday moments, like finding a beautiful leaf, can reveal hidden beauty and ground us. They highlight the therapeutic benefits of nature, noting that being present in nature can alleviate anxiety and depression. They stress the value of intentional practice in staying grounded and suggest that fully observing and appreciating nature's details can provide deeper healing than mere outdoor activities. They conclude by encouraging listeners to cherish moments and be more mindful and present in their lives.

Poem

NOT THE END OF THE WORLD

It's not the end of the world. Just the end of a dream.

Let your heart break today. Feel your feelings. Your disappointment, anger, fear. Let all thoughts, pictures in the mind, voices in the head, have their say, and know they are only new dreams trying to take root.

And feel your feet on the ground. Bring attention back to the here and now. To yourself. Feel the morning sun on your face. The breath rising and falling. Hear the sounds all around you. The bird singing. The television blaring. The traffic, the chatter of children.

So much here remains unchanged. So much here is familiar. Life goes on. The sense of being alive. The throb and pulse of being. Your ability to love, to hold yourself in presence. To connect with others, friends and strangers. To embrace difficult sensations.

Don't abandon yourself for a chaotic world. Recommit to your path today with even greater ferocity. Nothing is so bad when you stay close to the place where you are. Nothing is so bad when you touch your own power. Presence itself.

- Jeff Foster

Post recording, Debbie read Gretchen Rubin’s 5 List and it had two references that resonate with this podcast:

The other day, I saw a spider web lit up by the sunlight, and I was struck again by how easy it is to overlook the beauty of the world.

I remind myself: I admire nature, and I am also nature. I resent traffic, and I am also traffic.

The leaf pictures are from Debbie's walks.

The painting of the leaf is by Wendy.

TRANSCRIPTION

edited for readability

Finding Beauty in the Mundane

Wendy  00:00

We found this poem recently, a friend of ours posted this poem, and it landed so beautifully for both of us, we wanted to share it with our listeners. 

 

“Not the End of The World" by Jeff Foster 

It's not the end of the world, just the end of a dream. Let your heart break today. Feel your feelings, your disappointment, anger, fear. Let all thoughts, pictures in the mind, voices in the head, have their say and know they are only new dreams trying to take root and feel your feet on the ground. 

Bring attention back to the here and now, to yourself. Feel the morning sun on your face, the breath rising and falling. Hear the sounds all around you, the birds singing, the television blaring, the traffic, the chatter of children. 

So much here remains unchanged. So much here is familiar. Life goes on. The sense of being alive, the throb and pulse of being your ability to love, to hold yourself in presence, to connect with others, friends and strangers to embrace difficult sensations. 

Don't abandon yourself for a chaotic world. Recommit to your path today with even greater ferocity. Nothing is so bad when you stay close to the place where you are. Nothing is so bad when you touch your own power, presence itself.

 

Debbie  01:48

It's so beautiful. It wraps it all up so beautifully.

 

Wendy  01:55

It really does. It's something to print and read often. This whole idea of presence can only be done with practice, intentional practice, it takes an awareness that really helps us become more grounded. 

 

Just recently, I was on a walk with Dana and a friend of ours.

In this Navigating Nourishment Podcast, Wendy and Debbie discuss the poem "Not the End of the World" by Jeff Foster, emphasizing the importance of presence and mindfulness. They reflect on how paying attention to small, everyday moments, like finding a beautiful leaf, can reveal hidden beauty and ground us. They highlight the therapeutic benefits of nature, noting that being present in nature can alleviate anxiety and depression. They stress the value of intentional practice in staying grounded and suggest that fully observing and appreciating nature's details can provide deeper healing than mere outdoor activities. They conclude by encouraging listeners to cherish moments and be more mindful and present in their lives.

Poem

NOT THE END OF THE WORLD

It's not the end of the world. Just the end of a dream.

Let your heart break today. Feel your feelings. Your disappointment, anger, fear. Let all thoughts, pictures in the mind, voices in the head, have their say, and know they are only new dreams trying to take root.

And feel your feet on the ground. Bring attention back to the here and now. To yourself. Feel the morning sun on your face. The breath rising and falling. Hear the sounds all around you. The bird singing. The television blaring. The traffic, the chatter of children.

So much here remains unchanged. So much here is familiar. Life goes on. The sense of being alive. The throb and pulse of being. Your ability to love, to hold yourself in presence. To connect with others, friends and strangers. To embrace difficult sensations.

Don't abandon yourself for a chaotic world. Recommit to your path today with even greater ferocity. Nothing is so bad when you stay close to the place where you are. Nothing is so bad when you touch your own power. Presence itself.

- Jeff Foster

Post recording, Debbie read Gretchen Rubin’s 5 List and it had two references that resonate with this podcast:

The other day, I saw a spider web lit up by the sunlight, and I was struck again by how easy it is to overlook the beauty of the world.

I remind myself: I admire nature, and I am also nature. I resent traffic, and I am also traffic.

The leaf pictures are from Debbie's walks.

The painting of the leaf is by Wendy.

TRANSCRIPTION

edited for readability

Finding Beauty in the Mundane

Wendy  00:00

We found this poem recently, a friend of ours posted this poem, and it landed so beautifully for both of us, we wanted to share it with our listeners. 

 

“Not the End of The World" by Jeff Foster 

It's not the end of the world, just the end of a dream. Let your heart break today. Feel your feelings, your disappointment, anger, fear. Let all thoughts, pictures in the mind, voices in the head, have their say and know they are only new dreams trying to take root and feel your feet on the ground. 

Bring attention back to the here and now, to yourself. Feel the morning sun on your face, the breath rising and falling. Hear the sounds all around you, the birds singing, the television blaring, the traffic, the chatter of children. 

So much here remains unchanged. So much here is familiar. Life goes on. The sense of being alive, the throb and pulse of being your ability to love, to hold yourself in presence, to connect with others, friends and strangers to embrace difficult sensations. 

Don't abandon yourself for a chaotic world. Recommit to your path today with even greater ferocity. Nothing is so bad when you stay close to the place where you are. Nothing is so bad when you touch your own power, presence itself.

 

Debbie  01:48

It's so beautiful. It wraps it all up so beautifully.

 

Wendy  01:55

It really does. It's something to print and read often. This whole idea of presence can only be done with practice, intentional practice, it takes an awareness that really helps us become more grounded. 

 

Just recently, I was on a walk with Dana and a friend of ours.

On this episode of Navigating Nourishment, Wendy and Debbie dive into the pressure many people feel to look great for major life events, like a daughter's wedding. Rather than focusing solely on appearance, they emphasize the value of feeling strong, energized, and confident. Together, they challenge the pitfalls of diet culture, which often prioritizes looks over genuine health. Instead, they advocate for sustainable lifestyle changes—like nourishing the body with whole foods, staying active, and getting quality sleep. Sharing inspiring client stories, Wendy and Debbie showcase the lasting benefits of these habits, reminding listeners that true wellness is about feeling great from the inside out, not just achieving short-term results.

TRANSCRIPT

edited for readability

Wendy  00:05

One of our clients recently came to us and said, Oh my gosh, my daughter's getting married, and I've got to look my best for this wedding. All the family is coming to town. What should I do?

 

Debbie  00:16

She had a year to plan and wanted to look fabulous for her daughter's wedding.

 

Wendy  00:24

And it's so exciting, right? Weddings, and to look our best when all eyes are on you because you're the mother of the bride, and you want to shine.

 

Debbie  00:37

Yeah, of course, you want to shine for your own wedding and then when it's your kids, it's like, your second chance to shine. So that's what we want to talk about today, on Navigating Nourishment. 

 

Wendy  00:49

Welcome. I'm Wendy

 

Debbie  00:50

I'm Debbie, and this motivated us to talk about this, because I think both of us have known people in our families or our friends or clients who have been motivated by an event and decided, oh, this event is coming up, my reunion, this wedding, this vacation, whatever it is, and I really want to look good. I'm going to take off 15 pounds…

 

Wendy  01:16

And this goes to one of our taglines. How do you want to look, feel and perform? And we're talking about the 'look' part in our society. We are really heavily concentrated on how we look, and there's nothing wrong with that. We all want to look good and don't want to take that away from anyone. That's part of the tagline. So, of course, we want to look good too. 

 

We represent health and wellness so we show up to play the part of a health and wellness coach absolutely. But it's leaving out the part about feeling your best and performing your best, and that's the gap we see in the diet culture. 

 

And to unpack that just a little bit - we want to help people question the motivation behind looking good, what it looks like, how you do it, and ultimately: Is this concept a temporary concept or a concept for life? 

People often sacrifice their well-being for temporary weight loss

Debbie  02:18

We are tapping this in the age of those quick weight loss drugs that people are taking that make you lose your appetite, and so people are dropping weight. And I don't want to shame anybody. I don't want anybody to feel that we're saying that's not the right way to go. 

 

However, let's talk about the habits that go along with that, with any kind of weight loss or motivation to look good, it can be an opportunity to have that motivation to do things that really nourish you, as opposed to starving yourself and not nourishing yourself on purpose, so that you can take off the weight and look good and inside not really feel great at all, because you're sacrificing and you're depriving yourself of nourishment just for the sake of fitting into that dress or that suit.

Aligning goals with personal well-being and feeling good inside

Wendy  03:16

Or you're skipping social events, or you're beating yourself up at the gym and sweating it all off and not nourishing yourself while you're sweating, right? 

 

There are so many ways that we can look good and do it in a sustainable way that's so nourishing and gives us what do I want t...

In this Navigating Nourishment Podcast, Dr. Kristopher Sparacino, an acupuncturist and owner of Clear River Acupuncture, discusses his holistic approach to health and wellness, emphasizing the importance of proactive care. He explains the foundations of Chinese medicine, including Qigong, nutrition, and acupuncture, and details the benefits of acupuncture for pain, insomnia, fertility and more. Dr. Sparacino highlights the need for regular treatments and the integration of various modalities like cupping and moxibustion. He stresses the importance of self-cultivation and rest, and advocates for wellness routines that include acupuncture, especially during seasonal transitions. We underscore the value of investing in one's health and the potential cost savings of preventive care.

We encourage you to reach out to Dr. Kris and book an appointment for your well-being.

Bio

Dr. Kristopher Sparacino, DACM, L.Ac., is the owner of Clear River Acupuncture, Lincroft, NJ and a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, licensed in the state of New Jersey; nationally board certified in Acupuncture.

His personal experience with acupuncture led him to complete the 5-year Masters and 2-year Doctoral programs at The Eastern School of Acupuncture and Pacific College of Health and Science, respectively. 

Dr. Kris is also formally trained in Cupping, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Reiki, Moxibustion, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Essential Oil Acutherapy, Theta Energy Healing, Medical Qi Gong, Qi Gong & Tai Chi Exercise, Yoga, and Meditation.

Dr. Kris strives for an organic and intuitive approach to guide his treatments. He works with his patients’ not only to treat their symptoms but also to discover the root of their ailment and bring them back into balance. Dr. Kris continues self-cultivation daily by way of Meditation, Yoga, and Qi Gong exercise.

Dr. Kris is an active practitioner with The Wellness Hub of NJ sharing many of his gifts including monthly sound bowl, meditation and Qi Gong.

 

Transcript

Edited for readability

Wendy  00:13

Debbie and I are so curious about exploring different kinds of treatments and modalities around health and wellness. And so we're super excited to have Kris with us today,

 

Debbie  00:25

Welcome to our podcast, Navigating Nourishment. This is Dr Kristopher sparchino. He's an acupuncturist, and he's the owner of Clear River Acupuncture in Lincroft. He's a doctor of Chinese medicine, and he's licensed here in New Jersey. He is a wonderful practitioner. I use him myself. I look forward to my appointments with him, because it's such a zen place, and I feel better when I leave. It's just wonderful. So he has a lot of training. He has a five year master's degree and two year doctoral program, so he knows what he's doing. And you went to the eastern School of acupuncture and the Pacific College of Health and Science for both of those degrees, right? Yes. (Kris)

Besides acupuncture, you do amazing other things too. You're trained in cupping and cranial sacral therapy, Reiki, moxibustion, Chinese herbal medicine and acutherapy with essential oils, Qigong and Tai Chi, and yoga and meditation, and there's probably something I'm missing there, too. 

We love what you do, and we love that you're so holistic in the way that we are, that you don't look at people just for their symptoms. You look at them as a whole person and want to know what's behind the problems that people come to you with and it's not just about treating those symptoms. We have to look at people as a whole. And so I think that's why we feel like we're in sync with you as well.

 

Wendy  02:12

I remember the first time you came to our space and we had the open house to introduce your singing bowls and Crystal bowls and Tibetan bowls, and your Qigong here. Your energy is wonderful. And because you practice all of these things, you're able to show up with the grounded beautiful energy.

 

Kris 02:43

Oh,

Candy is a everywhere -the temptation of candy can even be found when get your car washed. The temptation of candy can highjack our wellness goals in a heartbeat - we get it. It's hard to make the choice EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU LEAVE YOUR HOME. Some of our clients have it super hard - they are teachers, administrators, nurses and health care workers and for some odd reason, candy is always available - for a quick fix.  In this episode of Navigating Nourishment, we talk about the three options we have during the Halloween season - which seems to be stretching into our sacred summer season.

We are very interested in your feedback on this podcast - we talk about cute costumes, the pressure of being the cool house with the best candy, and hiding from it all.  We all have a choice. What will yours be this candy season?

Post Recording: We continued the conversation about things we gave out for Halloween in the past that were flops; the latest elaborate costumes; how Halloween’s commercialization is kinda sick; and how perfectionism steals the joy from events.  We also found this link and this link for tattoos for kids that are ink-safe.

 

TRANSCRIPT

edited for readability

Wendy 00:02

So we have a conundrum we wanted to share with everybody.

 

Debbie 00:07

It's a Halloween conundrum. Today we're sharing the stories of torture, really, for us as health coaches during Halloween. 

 

Wendy: 

There's so much candy everywhere, even at the car wash center. 

 

Debbie:

It's already starting in mid September. I've started to see Halloween decorations out and candy in the stores that don't normally have candy(at least, didn't used to normally have candy). Here's the torture. I had a reminder on my phone to buy Halloween candy because last year we were too late and we didn't have a good selection. So I said, next year I'm going to get a jump on it. And I went to go online to buy some and I couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it! 

 

Wendy: 

And every year for the last 17 years, Debbie and I have talked about this torture that we have with actually spending money on candy to give to children.

 

Debbie: 

Because the candy that you give to children at Halloween is filled with ingredients that we are always talking to our clients about avoiding. 

These ingredients are not nourishing. 

Wendy: 

It's artificial sugars, artificial colors, artificial flavorings piled with trans fats. 

 

Debbie: 

Right - hydrogenated oils and, yes, all kinds of stuff that we're constantly saying to our clients, please try to avoid this.

 

Wendy: 

It's a volume thing at Halloween. Kids indulge in too much sugar, and behavior is poor. And so I think of the poor parents putting up with stomach aches and headaches and withdrawals from sugar, and the poor teachers the next day too …

 

Debbie: 

And the parents that end up eating their kids Halloween candy. Our clients come in and say, I ate all my kids' Halloween candy, or I can't keep it away. If it's in the house, I'm gonna eat it. 

 

It's never a helpful situation to have candy in the house when you feel vulnerable. 

 

Wendy: 

No, it's not.

 

Debbie: 

Well, what are our choices? 

Temptation of Candy Choice #1

Wendy: 

We have three choices. We could skip Halloween and close the windows, close the doors and pretend we're not home OR leave the house - which I've done several times. My husband and I will just leave and not participate, but then we're kind of cheating out of the community event and seeing all these really happy kids in costumes. 

 

Debbie: 

And it's adorable! 

 

Wendy: 

So we miss out when we do that, and we don't want to be the grump house, right? 

Temptation of Candy Choice #2

Debbie: 

Exactly. You don't want to be that house that kids say - oh, don't go there. They're never home. But okay, so that's our first choice. The second choice to get away from the candy is to buy ...

Wendy and Debbie discuss five stress-inducing behaviors to let go of: making comparisons, multitasking (task switching), over-scheduling, procrastination, and perfectionism. They emphasize the importance of recognizing and addressing these habits to improve well-being. Comparisons can lead to dissatisfaction, while multitasking is inefficient and stressful. Over-scheduling often results in rushing and stress, and intentional pauses are beneficial. Procrastination can snowball into stress, so breaking tasks into smaller steps can help. Perfectionism is unrealistic and self-defeating, and embracing imperfection is key. They conclude by encouraging small, consistent steps for lasting change.

 

Transcription 

Edited for readability

 

Wendy  00:05

We're going to talk today about a very hot topic. It's something that has invaded our lives, and it's called stress. In this episode, we talk about some of the things that we can control.

 

Debbie  00:19

We are talking about mindless stress. This is stress that you really have some control over - though we don’t always realize it.

 

Wendy  00:30

Stress is exhausting and it really messes with our well being. Sometimes we just don't realize the stress has this undercurrent in our life. So we'll talk about some obvious things that we can control.

  

Debbie  00:48

We know we can't control a lot of things that are causing stress. But I'd say there's a good amount of things we can control that are stress inducing. So let's throw those away. 

 

Wendy  01:09

Let's jump in. We've got five ideas to share with you. The first one is to: 

1. Let go of Comparing

Recognize when you're making comparisons - because that really gives us agita.

 

Debbie  01:24

It is natural to compare - it is built into our DNA. But we are smarter than that, and we don't need to needlessly compare. We really don't.

 

Wendy  01:37

So first recognize that you're comparing and then notice how you feel about it in your body. You know what happens when you begin comparing yourself and how personally belittling it can be?

 

Debbie  01:53

It can be a never ending cycle of wanting something and not being satisfied with yourself. It's something that is probably unrealistic in a lot of ways or not necessary. So it's a moment of mindfulness, of saying, Oh, there I am comparing myself again - not necessary!

 

Wendy  02:20

The second one we wanted to talk about is this idea 

2. Let go of Multitasking or task-switching

 

Debbie  02:31

An example: if you're talking to someone on the phone and you're also trying to read emails. 

 

Wendy  02:38

Good example. It's like trying to have a conversation with my husband and being on my phone.  It's so rude, and it causes unnecessary stress for the relationship. 

 

Debbie  02:51

And honestly, you're not really paying attention to both things at the same time anyway. You think you're being efficient, but you're really not. 

 

Wendy  03:01

No. There are a lot of studies about how this task-switching idea doesn’t keep you fully present. The thing that was happening before, kind of stays sticky with you for a while, and re-engaging in the work that you're doing and still having this thing niggling in the back of your head. Say you've got a notification in one of your apps or something like that and you interrupt what you are doing to read it. It's a distraction from what you are focusing on. Not effective, and it can stress unnecessary.

 

Debbie  03:28

And the world right now is set up for that. You know, it's like the shiny, sparkly thing all the time. And to be honest, today, we've been working for a while now, and we had to refocus ourselves many times. It's not that we were task-switching as much as we were getting distracted. The mindfulness is staying on course for something you're trying to get done or finish or pay attention to,

Wendy and Debbie are excited to share new 6-week reset groups announcement for September, offering in-person sessions in Red Bank and virtual Zoom options. Their program aims to help participants feel more comfortable in their bodies, create nourishing habits, and find personal wellness formulas. They emphasize that their approach is customized, not one-size-fits-all, and stress the importance of self-care, especially for women going through transitions like leaving the workforce or dealing with perimenopause or postmenopause. The program costs $300 and focuses on nutrition, sleep, movement, mindset, and connection, with unlimited support between sessions. They encourage people to book a free consultation to see if group coaching is right for them.

TRANSCRIPT

(edited for readability)

Wendy  00:01

We are so excited when we create new groups, and we're on the cusp of starting a new group here in September. 

 

Debbie  00:10

September is always the best time to start these things, because it's kind of like the new year. For a lot of people, even if you don't have kids in school, it feels like a fresh start in the fall, right? 

 

Wendy  00:23

We were having a conversation just this week with a group of women, and they were saying, you know, as soon as September hits - I’m ready - the day after Labor Day, right? Everyone is saying, ‘Oh yeah, me too! I've had way too much ice cream this summer’ and that sort of thing.

 

Debbie  00:41

It's because in summer, I think so many of us let go of some habits that are nourishing and maybe splurge a little bit on things that we wouldn't normally splurge on. And so there's kind of this feeling of, okay, I need to stop doing that. It's been three months now. Now let me reset.

 

Wendy  01:02

Our next ‘reset program’ is six weeks, and we're starting two groups, one group meets in person in our Red Bank Office and a second group meets on Zoom. You can be anywhere in the world and join us on Zoom. 

 

Debbie  01:16

And we do have some people who travel anywhere in the world who are in our groups. We're going to have the link in our show notes, so that you can go and see what it's all about and sign up if you'd like to and get going.

 

Wendy  01:41

Who would join our 6 week Reset Groups? People who want to feel more comfortable in their body. And if that's you, you're a prime candidate. If you want to create nourishing habits, you're a prime candidate. And if you want to find your own personal wellness formula, that is what we'll be doing in the six weeks.

 

Debbie  02:01

In our group experiences, the best thing about it is that we are not a one-size-fits-all program at all. That's not how we operate, because we're all unique. And in the groups, you get to see how unique each person is, and it really helps our mindsets because any one program doesn't work for everybody. So we really customize what might be the best path for you.

 

Wendy  02:41

Most of the women in our groups are going through some sort of transition. Either they've transitioned out of the workforce, or they are changing jobs. Many of the women in our groups are in the throes of perimenopause or post menopause, and trying to figure out how to be with this new body that is different hormonally. 

6-week reset group

Debbie  03:07

Women who might simply have a different mind space because their kids have left for college or have left their house, and now they have more space for themselves.

 

Wendy  03:20

Some women come to the group saying, “This feels so indulgent to me.” Why should I have to have someone help me through this?” 

We both are each other's coaches. My husband's my personal trainer. You know, the most famous people in the world have lots of coaches around them. 

We really meet you wherever you are. 

One of the things that I think Debbie and I really are good at is helping people stay curious,

In this episode of Navigating Nourishment Podcast, Wendy and Debbie discuss the importance of doing Just One Habit: small, consistent actions for significant life improvements. They emphasize that people often fail to achieve their goals due to unrealistic expectations and the "say-do gap." They share several real-life examples of their own habits and their clients. These habits, when practiced regularly, can lead to substantial long-term benefits. They stress accountability and the use of tools like apps to help maintain these new habits.

23 minutes

 

Transcription (edited for readability)

Small, Consistent Steps for Lasting Change

Wendy  00:00

So many of our clients come to us and say, I want increased energy, clear thinking, to get back to my ideal body weight. These are some of the things people come to see us for. And one of the questions we always ask people is, how long did it take you to get where you are? Say you're 60 years old and you're 10 pounds different than you were when you were 50, or you can't run a mile at the same pace that you used to 10 years ago. Today, we're going to talk about small, little-mini-wins done consecutive over time, yielding the results that you're really looking for

 

Debbie  00:44

You're going to walk away from this podcast with something that's really going to change your life. That's our goal, at least

The "Say-Do Gap" and the Importance of Small Actions

Wendy  00:53

That's right, and we want to be realistic about expectations and time. I think time gets away from us so quickly, and we have these great intentions for ourselves, and we think about it all the time, but we're not doing anything. There's this say-do gap that we see that we want to shine a light on. We’re here to give you some really easy, doable ideas.

 

Debbie  01:24

It's like, we have these intentions about things, and time flies away from us, and here we are at the very end of summer, just like that! (snap) I know I had many intentions of things I wanted to do this summer that didn't happen and that's just an example of a couple months. But think about the years, the things that you intended to do for years now that you didn't do.

 

Wendy  01:53

There’s a ‘static’ about that - when we want to do something and we still don't do it. Dana and I say this all the time: It's like ‘death by paper cuts,’ which is kind of this morbid idea, but it's these little things that we promise ourselves that then don't happen. That gap of promise causes us suffering. We want to shine a light on that and say you don't have to change everything in your life all at once overnight! We know with 17 plus years of coaching that that does not work.

 

Debbie  02:34

All or nothing doesn't work. 

 

Wendy  02:39

It's proven time and time again. The marketing in this industry is sexy about these ideas of quick change. And we want to bring people back to the basics. 

 

And if this is the first time you're hearing us, my name is Wendy. 

 

Debbie  03:05

and I'm Debbie, and we're Navigating Nourishment. So let's talk about baby steps.

Baby Steps and Compounding Effects

Wendy  03:14

When we think of baby steps, sometimes we think we're not getting anywhere, but the compounding baby steps really takes us on long, long walks - one step at a time. And if we could strap on a little bit of curiosity and patience with ourselves, the baby steps really add up. So we have a bunch of ideas to share with you today,

 

Debbie  03:43

We do. And here's the takeaway, we're going to share a bunch of ideas. We're asking you to choose one, just one, because it's almost impossible to not do one thing. And these one things are not big. We're talking about doing a very small, one thing that'll change your life after compounding it over and over and over and over and over….

 

Wendy  04:12

Here's a visual example that, before we turned on the podcast,

When it comes to your health and wellness, when do you harness grit vs grace? In this episode of Navigating Nourishment, Debbie and Wendy discuss the balance between grit and grace in overcoming adversity, emphasizing the importance of recognizing one's stories, practicing self-compassion, and maintaining resilience while also being gritty when necessary. They explore the need for balance between discipline and grace in various aspects of life, including fitness, and share practical strategies for self-care and personal growth.

Transcript

edited for readability

 

Debbie  00:00

There's so many times, and I'm sure this has probably happened to some of you, where you're going about your business and doing your activities, doing your thing, and something happens, you get hurt, or you get sick, or plans are canceled, and everything just stops, and you're mad, upset or depressed because you can't do what you were going to do, and you just get down on yourself. And so before you know it, a few weeks have gone by, and even though you said, Okay, I'm going to pick myself up after a week, you didn't, because you just kind of went down that drain, and you find yourself a month later feeling terrible about yourself for not doing anything.

 

Wendy  00:46

That sounds like someone who is totally derailed.

 

Debbie  00:50

Yeah, and that happens a lot.

 

Wendy  00:54

It does. It happens a lot with our clients, if they've set out to do something specific, new habit, or if they've committed to a specific way of eating, and then don't do it, they just feel bad about themselves. It's really demoralizing, and it can have a ripple effect on other places and situations in our life. It can affect our work performance, our workout performance, and our relationships with our friends and our family. 

 

Debbie  01:29

We see it happen all the time. I'm thinking of one of our clients in particular, who was really on a great roll of walking and being active regularly for the first time in her life, where she was really getting in shape and feeling good about herself. And she got injured, and she went down a drain fast because she had worked so hard to get there, and then all of a sudden, it had to stop, and she was told she had to stop by certain people as well, and that just made her go in a completely opposite direction. 

 

Wendy  02:05

Today, we're going to be talking about grit and grace and that really fine line between the two of them. We’ll talk about how to pick ourselves up and hold intentions with grace AND where we need to be a little bit more gritty. 

 

Debbie  02:25

Just those two words have helped me tremendously because I've felt myself starting to circle the drain a few times. I’ve had to say, wait a second here, where's my grit? I need to just get a little bit of grit right here, and it puts me into a different state of mind. So those two words are very powerful, and that's what we want to uncover here. Welcome to Navigating Nourishment. This is Debbie.

 Questions to ask yourself when you need to decide on grit vs grace 

Wendy  02:50

And this is Wendy. We're so happy you've joined us. I think this is such a human nature conversation, and we can apply the idea of grit and grace to anything in our life. And it's a matter of saying, All right, here's my situation. Here's my truth right in this moment:

Do I need to: 

muster through this? Or rest?

actually get this out? Or wait till tomorrow? 

put in more energy, more determination? Or relax?

focus on this a little bit more? 

Am I giving myself excuses or being too soft on myself? 

Maybe I'm being lazy? 

Maybe you know the story you're telling yourself and ask. If I put more grit into this specific situation, is it going to move me towards my goal, or is it going to bury me?

 

Debbie  03:43

That's a big thing where you mentioned stories, because it really does come down to the stories that ...