Have you ever thought about having meal support to help you in your eating disorder recovery? Learn more about what meal support is and what it looks like at Bamboo Nutrition.
I Practice Self-Care Yet I Don't Feel Any Different.
I practice self-care, yet I don’t feel any different.
This is a HUGE problem and many times we don’t even realize what is going on until we are so completely empty and drained then we decide to do something about it.
Self-care is beginning to be discussed more and more these days, which is AWESOME! The problem however, is are we doing the self-care actions that are right for us? Let me introduce a new concept to you:
Concept 1: Actively Resting
Actively resting is the idea that whatever restful activity you are doing is actually providing you with energy. I don’t mean that you go for a run and therefore are “actively” resting or that you take a nap then feel like you can do 100 jumping jacks. Imagine this— like a gas tank in a car, you have an emotional tank and this tank slowly gets depleted as you go through the day / week. Whether it is work, taking care of others, having to get the chores done, whatever, you are depleting your emotional tank. The idea of self-care is that you take time throughout the day, everyday, to replenish this emotional tank.
When your emotional tank is on “E.”
When your emotional tank is empty, or pretty-darn close to empty, you may be receiving poor sleep. You could be showing signs of this by being irritable, having intense cravings or an appetite that feels like it is never ending. Maybe you don’t feel hunger and instead feel nauseous or lethargic or sick. You could be emotional with moods up and down all day long. It doesn’t sound good at all for that emotional tank to be empty. So we need to replenish it!
This brings me back to the concept of Actively Resting.
Are the forms of self-care you are working on implementing throughout the day actually re-energize you? Do they replenish your emotional tank or are you just sitting in the bath tub turning wrinkly and thinking… “what am I doing right now? I’d rather be watching Greys Anatomy.”
Yeesh. If this is how you’re feeling, then I would like you to decrease the baths and increase the Greys Anatomy watching.
All jokes aside, ask yourself this- when I am performing self-care or going on my weekend getaway, am I actively resting?
What is the opposite of actively resting? Well draining activities is probably the opposite, but let’s talk about Numbing. There are Numbing activities we do that we may think are self-care or restful, but they are not.
Concept 2: Numbing Activities
Numbing activities can be similar to our go-to, destress after work or a long day, activities. Keep in mind, what is numbing for one person can be active rest for another person. A numbing activity is something you do as a distraction from something, but it does not re-energize you. A common example of a numbing activity is playing on your phone- scrolling through social media, playing a game, etc. These activities suck time and provide little to no enjoyment. Sometimes numbing activities can even continue to drain us as we participate in them.
Can you think of your numbing activities?
Let’s Practice.
Consider making a list of all the activities you do for yourself on a daily basis. Example: buy a coffee, take a nap, take a shower, put on makeup (or not put on makeup), cook a meal, play with your fur baby or children, call a friend/family member. Make this list and don’t be afraid of its length.
Next, separate out what is numbing and what is energizing / active rest. Consider on a daily basis, are you participating in more numbing activities than active rest activities? If so, how can you mix this up?
What does this have to do with food?
Right, let’s connect these two things because after all, we are a group practice of registered dietitians!
Remember earlier when I mentioned the emotional tank? Well, you have a physical tank too. The physical tank is solely for food and beverages. When you are attune to what fills your emotional tank and recognize when this tank is depleted, you are less likely to participate in emotional eating or bored eating. Rather, you are more apt to take care of your body as a whole, mentally and physically.
When clients ask how to decrease their emotional eating, I usually ask them to consider two things:
Are you nourishing your body consistently throughout the day? Meals and Snacks.
Are you drained and exhausted? If so, what does your self-care look like (numbing or active rest)?
Looking for more?
If you feel like we are just scraping the tip of the iceberg, reach out to us! We do a lot more than just focus on your intake at Bamboo Nutrition. We work with you as a whole person and help you see how food connects to mental health and physical health. We would love to get to know you and help you feel like your optimal self!
Our registered dietitians specialize in various aspects of nutrition and health. To learn more about our team, click here. Bamboo Nutrition is located in Columbia, MO and sees clients in-person and virtually. Should I Eat, Or Let My Child Eat, In The Bedroom?
How Much Do I Portion For My Toddler?
Toddlers, or "Little People” as I like to call them, have different needs than elementary aged children and infants. We know this of course! But what do their portions look like?
Trust That Your Toddler Knows How Much They Need.
Toddlers, just like infants, have extraordinary hunger and fullness cues. They are more in touch with their bodies and what they need than we do! For this reason, you can trust that your child will ask you when they are hungry and stop when they are full.
There may be medical reasons why this is difficult for your child. Therefore, if you do notice or are concerned that your child is undereating or overeating, consult with your pediatrician and look for a dietitian who can help you better know how to feed your young one. At Bamboo Nutrition, we have dietitians who can help you!
The main thing is that you are offering a variety. (Julia Henry, RD)
As our dietitian, Julia Henry puts it, the main thing is that you offer a variety of foods to your toddler and let them choose what to eat and explore. These are the years that they will expand their palate and curiosity around foods.
As parents, our job is to offer a variety of foods at regular intervals. It is encouraged to offer three meals and 3 snacks at the same (or close to) times every day. This will also help your child regulate their hunger and fullness.
Your child’s job is to choose how much to eat. Your job as a parent is to choose what, when and where. (Ellyn Satter)
Don’t Forget Safety!
Offering variety is great, but keep in mind that their foods will look different in order to be safe.
Some great ways to offer produce that is safe for kids to eat is to thinly slice them, puree them, or shred them. Small amounts are always safest to start with and if they like it and ask for more, then have the jar or plate ready to put more in front of them.
If you’re worried about how much you’re offering vs. how much your toddler is eating, know it is ok to start small. Always have something on the plate that they are familiar with. This way there is at least one thing that they will eat or fill up on.
Offer small portions of new things and if they want more, they will tell you. This way your toddler also will not be overwhelmed. Sometimes if you give them too much of something new, this will feel scary or intimidating and they will choose not to eat any of it.
Sometimes Your Toddler Might Not Eat… This is Okay!
If your toddler chooses not to eat, this is ok. It’s not abnormal for a toddler to choose that they don’t want something. If they sit and play with their food rather than eat it, this is also ok! In fact, its a great sign that your child plays with their food. This is a part of them being curious and learning about food and what they like.
If your child does not eat, encourage them to stay at the table for at least 3-5 minutes to be around the food before you let them down to play. If they don’t eat, then wait until the next meal or snack time before offering again. Giving water in between meals will be just fine!
Need More Guidance?
If you feel more guidance or one-on-one sessions with a dietitian will be helpful for you to feel confident in the way you are feeding your toddler, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our dietitians at Bamboo Nutrition!
What is "Joyful Movement?"
Joyful Movement is a new (ish) term that came to light for many through the Intuitive Eating movement.
In the book, Intuitive Eating, Joyful Movement is the 9th principle out of 10 principles total. To learn more about these principles, visit our page discussing each of these principles!
Joyful movement comes down to connecting and listening to your body and what it needs that day.
It is less about what we think we ‘should’ do and more about what we need or what our body finds enjoyable and comfortable. This may vary day-to-day or week-to-week. It may depend on the weather, your mood, the stage you are at in your menstrual cycle, your stress load at work, etc.
Finding the “Internal Cues”
Listening to your body and what it needs comes with time and practice. Intuitive Eating is about listening to and honoring your body’s internal cues. A cue could look like a headache, soreness, a hollow feeling in your stomach, the need for a good stretch, etc.
There are many health benefits of intuitive movement! Unfortunately our society (cough cough, diet culture) places a lot of focus on the external motivators for activity. i.e. calories, weight, appearance, etc.
What may make the biggest difference between a short-lived behavior and a long-lasting behavior is your motivation. Long-lasting behaviors often follow internal motivation.
Internal motivation simply means moving your body for reasons that make you happy, you feel good about, and prefer to do. When you move your body for internal reasons, you may find forms of movement that feel awesome that you never would have thought were helpful or enjoyable.
Do a Quick Body Scan.
When you wake up, do a quick “body scan” where you ask yourself “how do I feel?” or “what would feel good to do today?”
It is okay to rest.Having 1-2 rest days per week are actually really beneficial! Our body needs rest, in fact, for individuals really wanting to get stronger, rest is one of the best things you can do for your body! A small example of this is taking 1-2min rest in between sets of weights. This time allows your body to rebuild and allows you to take a pause and listen to what your body needs- was that set too heavy, do I need to stop, do I need to begin my cool down? Other ways to rest are after being outside for a long period of time. Does your body need water? Does it need fuel? Do you need to do some self-care such as taking a shower or laying down?
Without rest, our bodies do not get stronger and we do not often listen to what our body needs.
Ask Yourself “Why?”
Ask yourself “why am I doing movement?” Is it to burn calories or for an external reason or is it because I enjoy it or it is to relieve stress.
Let the Clothes Fit You!
We may not often think about this, but clothing has a BIG impact on your movement and your ability to enjoy what you are doing or not. It is important to be wearing the right kind of fabrics for the activity you’re doing so you are comfortable and can do those movements without distraction. In addition, the way clothing touches your body may be the difference between enjoying what you are doing or maybe even avoiding movement all together. While you do activity, you do not want to be feeling pinched or like you are always having to pull your pants up.
Rather than trying to ‘fit into clothes,’ let your clothing fit you!
Find a brand that you can get behind. There are many awesome clothing brands out there that make size-inclusive clothing. Some we love are:
Athleta
SheFit
Just My Size
Primadonna
Dia & Co
Fabletics
Superfit Hero
Good American
As you can see, there is more that goes into joyful movement than we think and there are so many things we can do and change up to help us move for internal reasons rather than external pressures. Let us know how you feel once you move for internal joy!
Our dietitians often talk about intuitive movement in sessions because it does directly impact our nutrition, food needs and body confidence. If you’re looking to talk to a dietitian about any and all things related to nutrition and movement, let us know!