Words carry energy.

Maybe a sibling or a friend called you a name. Maybe a lover spoke a word about you that stuck. Maybe it sat in your stomach and made it ache. Maybe it swelled in your chest and made you cry. Maybe it made your head spin and your inner voices screamed until you lost a weeks worth of sleep. Maybe you felt the harshness of anger in your throat and you lashed out in retaliation. Maybe it put distance between you.

The experience of that can be a constant reminder – you can choose to hold it, or not.

Giving Power to the hurtful words someone else uses toward you has a detrimental affect. It can cause you to constantly live with feeling hurt, making it part of you. Holding onto hurt affects your digestion and assimilation, and your immune system becomes weakened. Your whole of body systems are thrown off a point and the domino affect of symptoms start in motion. Another way holding onto hurt transforms you is in the great potential in developing the unwanted behavior of binge eating (attracting unhealthy choices), or worse, the restriction of pleasurable foods (or pleasure in life). You may become inclined to repeat these hurtful words back to yourself as you struggle to understand them. You can choose to believe them, or not.

Here’s what you need to know – Emotional pain provides valuable information, telling us about the state of our psyche. These feelings are letting us know that we have been affected by someone or something, and that we would do well to focus our awareness inward. It’s natural to want to resist hurt, but in moments when someone says something hurtful toward you – allow yourself to feel it, and take pause to understand that what they made you feel is not what you believe to be truth about yourself. Relax some, and take a moment to listen. With time you will come to learn that the hurt is giving you valuable information. Embrace the moment as the event that will morph you into a stronger, more valuable being than you imagined you could be.

Exploring possible life events to understand your unwanted eating habits, or digestive and other health issues – is just one example of the type of work we can do together.  Undesirable weight, extra lbs., and a negative body image usually have little to do with actual food. It’s the real life struggles, and the pains of being you that influence your shape and size.

If you feel your weight issues or negative body image are relatable, Please call for a complimentary consultation.

April 11 – Mindful Mondays at the Howard County Holistic Center at 8am

Join me, Lisa Karasek, CEPC this Monday for a Holistic discussion around your personal relationship with food.
As we move into warmer weather and shed bulky, protective clothing, and move into our more active lifestyles – Becasue Everyone Deserves A Healthy Relationship with Food.

Full description from Holistic Living: Contemplative Practices provided by host Patti Taylor of Integral Life Solutions …
Mindful Mondays have become even more interesting in April. Arrive: 7:45 am. Meditation: Setting Intention for the Week,
8:00-8:20 am. Meet and Greet: 8:20-9:00 am. Holistic Presentation: In Breath, Out Breath, New topic each week.

Fee: $20.00. RSVP required: ptaylor@IntegralLifeSolutions.com
*Please contact Patti to reserve your spot today, space is limited.
*Located behind the Wendys and Pizza Hut on route 108 in Columbia MD.

April 14 – Class 4 in my Introduction to The Psychology of Eating Workshop at 7:30pm

The Introduction to the Psychology of Eating Workshop is designed to guide you through your own personal exploration of your Relationship with Food. This workshop is inspirational for anyone looking to gain weight, lose weight, maintain their weight, or who deal with the demons or strengths of body perception. This workshop is ideal for anyone who is struggling with balancing lifestyle choices with meals and having a career. This workshop is suited for heads of households and the grocery shopper. This workshop will help people who eat at restaurants but prefer to be in their kitchens. This workshop is designed to lift the stigma of diet and how it affects you.

For more information visit the Announcements page

April 23 – Barefoot walk at Fort McHenry National Monument at 10am

Join us for a Spring walk at Fort McHenry.  We will have coffee to share. Please bring a travel mug to fill with coffee (we may have some extra cups available).

Here are some of the benefits of walking barefoot in the grass: The entire environment in the morning; the fresh air, sunlight and peaceful atmosphere helps you in innumerable ways. Fresh oxygen helps your body work better, sunlight helps you keep warm, replenishes your vitamin D stores and the calm atmosphere helps relax your entire body and mind, allowing you to let go of all your stress. Apart from that the green color of grass, helps stimulate your body to produce calming hormones that help you relax.Regular walking, as little as half an hour a day can improve cardiovascular health, moderate weight. In addition, it improves blood oxygenation, circulation, and immune response, removes toxins, and relieves stress. Our breath starts to synchronize with our motion. Ultimately, walking on grass becomes a form of healing meditation, removing our stress and replacing it with wellbeing on all levels.

Fort McHenry National Monument at 2400 E. Fort Avenue Baltimore, MD

I look forward to seeing you!

March brings with it many exciting things, primarily warmer weather, and that usually makes everyone feel pretty stoked – what with the jackets and bulky sweaters being shed and all. We see more people out – gardening, with children at the playgrounds, running groups, bicyclists, walkers, outdoor seating at the cafe’s. It’s great to be alive!

This brings the realization that we are exposed – in public – our true form – out there for all to see, and judge. E-gads, your running and cycling gear is form fitting. But who is the person judging your body the most?

Most people get caught up in this “must – have – now” mindset. They look for opportunities that bring immediate results, and minimal resistance. People push themselves like they’ve never pushed before. Larger than life personalities guarantee success with minimal effort. Quick fixes are attractive, they are exactly why fad diets are extremely popular with their promise of dramatic results. According to a new, healthcare market research report, Global Weight Loss and Gain Market is worth $586.3 billion dollars annually, growing at 10.9%.

People buy into “lose weight now!”  Effective marketing strategies lure in the unsuspecting prospects that are vulnerable and, often, desperate. The advertising is something with which we can relate to, and the (seemingly overnight) changes the others experience are what we must – have – now. But multiple failed attempts go unrecorded, and the next  “latest and greatest” plan is born.

Sadly, we fall into this vicious cycle time and again, year after year – and once more we are left scratching our heads as to why it didn’t work long-term. Don’t fall prey to the temptation of the quick and easy  path. Instead, create a very deliberate and well thought-out plan. Consult the professionals, and enlist a few close friends and family members to hold you accountable. As a Lifestyle Coach with A Focus on Nutrition I am right there with you, step by step – on that trail to a healthier, sexier, and fit You.

*Healthcare report statistics provided by Aaron Walker of A View from the Top*

Did you know that I am currently offering an Introduction to The Psychology of Eating Workshop!

It’s a series of classes where I help you to identify with, and strengthen your personal Relationship with Food.

This workshop is inspirational for anyone looking to gain weight, lose weight, maintain their weight, or who deal with the demons or strengths of body perception.

This workshop is ideal for anyone who is struggling with balancing lifestyle choices with meals and having a career. This workshop is suited for heads of households and the grocery shopper. This workshop will help people who eat at restaurants but prefer to be in their kitchens. This workshop is designed to lift the stigma of diet and how it affects you.

My first Workshop began in January and is meeting once monthly – we’re half way through! We have some great people coming together and really great discussions are being explored. It’s been very cold and I truly appreciate those who braved the weather to come!  I am excited for my students as they move into the next phase in the workshop. Everyone agrees they are learning a lot, and I am Happy for them as they are on the right path to creating Healthy personal Lifestyle Relationships.

If you missed this first Workshop, have no worries – I am offering more Workshops! Just head over to my Announcements page to learn all about it. And Please, Tell your friends!

Because Everyone Deserves A Healthy Relationship with Food