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Exciting News!
ms nutrition has expanded and I'm thrilled to announce that Caitlyn (Caitie) Corradino, RDN, CDN, RYT, cPT, has joined my practice as an associate dietitian! You can learn more about Caitie by checking out her bio below and by reading this newsletter which she helped write. We hope you enjoy this new content after our long hiatus and savor these last days of summer!
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Healing Your Relationship with Exercise
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Nurturing a peaceful and pleasurable relationship with movement can be an important part of self-care – whether you are recovering from an eating disorder, working to heal your relationship with food and body, or have negative memories and associations with exercise.
Before getting into our recommendations, we want to state that if you are recovering from an eating disorder, it’s critical to get clearance from your medical provider before engaging in physical activity.
Exercise needs to take its proper place in your hierarchy of needs (e.g., getting enough sleep and adequate nourishment should be prioritized over exercising). Making sure your body is adequately fueled for exercise and that you are able to hear and respond to your body’s cues are essential components of healing your relationship with exercise.
Here are some tips to help you practice “tuning in” before and during exercise:
Before You Exercise
1. Think of activities you genuinely enjoy, even ones that may not be traditionally considered “exercise,” like gardening or dancing in your living room. How might you be able to make these enjoyable activities part of your routine? All movement “counts" as exercise, so you may as well move in a way that makes you feel happy.
2. Remind yourself that you don’t need to carve out a large amount of time for exercise. Even just a few minutes of moving in a way that energizes you is enough. There's no specific amount of exercise time that you are required to do for health (also great practice for challenging “all or nothing” thinking). There will be times when doing something else like working, studying, or spending time with your family will be more aligned with your personal values and the better choice.
3. Get rid of or take a break from trackers. Don’t let the data from trackers (Fitbits, heart rate monitors, etc.) interfere with listening to your body's needs. Movement will feel different to your body from day to day and you can choose how you want to measure progress (e.g., I respected my body's cues vs. I walked x steps today).
During Exercise
1. Practice mindfulness. It’s beneficial to include mindfulness with all forms of exercise, not just mind-body activities like yoga. No matter what kind of movement you are doing, try to let go of what might happen in the future and what happened in the past so you can work with your body as it is in the present moment.
2. Use a rate of perceived exertion to determine whether you need to scale back or if you’re ready to challenge yourself more. This means noticing your heart rate, your breathing, and muscle soreness. Tuning in to these three areas is an intuitive way to begin listening and responding to your body.
3. Give yourself permission to modify movements. Some days, specific exercises might feel more difficult than usual because your energy levels are lower or because your muscles are overworked. Listening to your body’s needs does not mean you are taking the easy way out.
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News and Updates
I've had a great summer and hope you have too! I love every opportunity I get to work on my passion project of improving dancer health, and on August 3rd I had a wonderful time presenting my "Nutrition Essentials for Dance Educators" talk at Dance Teacher Summit in NYC.
And I’m thrilled to be heading to Montreal this October to present at the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS) Annual Conference with psychotherapist, Dawn Smith-Theodore. Our talk, "The Language of Eating Disorders: Are You Helping or Harming?" will provide essential information for medical professionals, dance educators, and dancers on the prevention and treatment of eating disorders & disordered eating in dancers.
You can read more about my workshops for dancers and those involved in their training & care here.
More News:
-I'm so excited to have Caitie as part of the ms nutrition team! She's providing nutrition counseling for eating disorders/disordered eating, food allergies & intolerances, digestive disorders, pediatric/adolescent nutrition, and more! She offers early morning, afternoon, and weekend appointments.
-I'm finally on Instagram and would love to connect with you! |
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