Restorative Yoga is a fantastic tool to move you into the Parasympathetic Nervous System response. Above all, engaging this system is often considered the antidote to dealing with stress. And, by focusing on slow, gentle, and subtle practices, Restorative Yoga signals to the body-mind it is time for rest. Subsequently, it provides the opportunity for a complete reset.

More specifically, you will learn some relaxing breathing techniques and move through a series of fully supportive postures. Certainly, removing muscular tension within the body and peeling away any layers of stress and tension is the main goal!

Simple Restorative 6-week Series Details:

Start date: Monday, January 18th, 2021
End date: Monday, February 22nd, 2021

Time: 9:30-10:30am
Cost: $72 for the full 6 weeks

Hosted through Zoom, participants will have access to the recording for 48 hours after each class. 

In order to get the most out of your practice, we suggest that you have the following supportive props to help:

1. 1 -2 pillows or bolsters if you have them
2. 2 blocks or a few stacks of books
3. 1 strap or a belt
4. 2 blankets
5. 1 chair
6. Optional eye pillow

To register, email Tara at: [email protected]

The post Simply Restorative Series Returns January 2021 appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

Join Tara Green for a combination class of Pilates and Restorative Yoga.

Pilates is a fantastic way to strengthen your integral core at the deepest layer. It aims to realign the spine while also engaging smaller “twitch” muscles that allow the body as a whole to move optimally and with joy.

We will end our class with a small restorative yoga practice to allow us to connect with our mind and body and leave class feeling content and at ease.

Tara has over 15 years of teaching experience and has a knack for making movement instruction relatable and fun.

6 week series details
Start date : Wednesday January 13th
End date : Wednesday February 17th
Time : 5-6:00pm
Cost : $72 for the full 6 weeks

Email Tara to register
[email protected]

The post *New Class Alert* Pilates-Restore Coming January 2021 appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

What can I say? This is the first post in almost a year and much has occurred since then in the way of my professional and personal development. While I continued working with clients during this time, I was intentional with how much work I took on in relation to prioritizing my self-care, my studies, and my family. Because self-care is important in sustaining us day-to-day, yet it’s especially necessary when moving through a significant life change.

Two years ago, I made a decision to return to school to fulfill a long-time goal of becoming a social worker and therapist. I have been working in the space of body image, embodiment, disordered eating, and joyful movement for nearly a decade. But I recognized I needed to enhance my skills, grow as a professional (and get the credentials) to fully realize my purpose in thoroughly supporting those with eating disorders and other mental health illnesses.

This change brought some challenges… Hello to managing the family schedule, the kids’ extracurricular activities,  and being confronted with the troubling impact of my perfectionism!

Conversely, it brought some wonderful gifts as well. Most notably, my school-aged children got to see their mamma thriving in the school environment and going after her dreams.

But who I am is constant

However, throughout it all, I have realized:

• I am more malleable than I thought I was
• Who I am at my core will never change

In my last field placement at school, my supervisor had me take the VIA survey of character strengths. A tool developed by Positive Psychology researchers, this survey provides respondents with an itemized list of their most to least practiced character strengths. The idea being – if you know your strengths you can intentionally draw on them more regularly in life. And drawing on your strengths can help you better manage life’s inevitable changes and difficulties. For me, I discovered my top 5 are:

1. Industry, diligence, and perseverance
2. Gratitude
3. Modesty and humility
4. Caution, prudence, and discretion
5. Spirituality, sense of purpose, and faith

While my results were not a surprise to me, they were certainly reaffirming. These traits make up who I am. They are assets, not deficits. And I want to move forward in life acting from my strengths. I captured my top 5 in the above image and made it my phone’s screensaver. Anytime I glance at my phone (which is eh-hem, often), I will be reminded of my strengths. And I will need these reminders because…

I am still on the path

I am still on the path of learning, of growing, of changing. Very soon I will accept my Social Services Worker diploma and become a member of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (stay tuned for changes to the Define Me services as a result). But, this September, I will continue my formal education at Trent University in pursuing my Bachelors of Social Work.

Learning, growth, change is a lifelong endeavour for me. It is a lifelong reality for all of us. What will you do to leverage YOUR strengths and embrace change?

The post Leveraging Your Strengths and Embracing Change appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

After 9 months of being at school, I am ready for summer.  And I am also available to take on more private clients. I have four spots left for those looking to bring fun, strengthening, and restorative movement into their daily life. Notice I did not say “exercise”?

Exercise is so passe.

When you think of the word “exercise”, what comes to mind? Most people conjure up images of athletic apparel, sweat-inducing, heart-racing activities, possibly performed in a gym setting, for a set amount of time. For some that kind of activity is enjoyable; for others, it is demoralizing and defeating. As a culture, we have put exercise into a small box with prescriptive ideas of what constitutes good and appropriate physical activity. But, in my world, the #DefineMeWay…

Movement is where it is at!

When you sign up for the Define Me sessions, we do away with the exercise box, and open up a world of movement possibilities! Together we explore the types of movement where there is joyful potential, with an emphasis on function and self-care. I firmly believe you can have it all – movement that:

1. Supports your body
2. Brings you an overall feeling of empowerment and well-being
3. Uplifts you and puts a smile on your face

Joyful Movement Awaits You…

And the summer season provides the perfect backdrop for fun and play while moving your body. Therefore, I am offering an eight-week package at a reduced price of $399. Contact me today to find out more and reserve your spot.

The post *Limited Time Offer* 8-Week Personalized Training Package At A Reduced Summer Rate appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

I know what you’re thinking… OMG, we’ve barely gotten through Halloween yet! But every year, without fail, the hustle and bustle of December sneaks up on us. And what is the first thing to go as we get preppin’ for the festivities? Self-care! You know that it’s true. We’ve all experienced it.  So, now seems like a good time to get an action plan together to pre-empt overwhelm and self-neglect.

Give yourself the gift of SELF CARE

Be specific in the self-care plan you prescribe for yourself by determining what, how often and when you will do something that is entirely devoted to you.

• What things do you currently do to practice self care?
• What might you add, revise or eliminate to optimize your well-being?
• How frequently do you take time out for yourself? Is it enough? Do you need more “me time”?

Review and revise your schedule to find the time for you.  That might mean saying no, or not now, to other people’s requests and any self-assigned tasks that have been standing in the way.  If you are not doing anything (or not enough) for yourself,  you need to schedule it in like you would any other important appointment and stick with it – no matter what!

Try making this plan not just for the December rush. Self-care should be a daily ritual.  And it doesn’t have to be any longer than 2 – 3 minutes to make a difference. Sometimes, the simplest way to do this is to take time out to breathe.

Furthermore, reassess your self-care plan monthly (or at least quarterly) to be sure it’s working for you.  In that way, it will help keep it top of mind and move you to making it a regular habit.

Need Help?

On that note, if you need some guidance implementing self-care and/or movement into your lifestyle, I’m offering a 4-week wellness coaching package at a fraction of the usual cost. For $199, we’ll work together one-on-one where you will:

• Learn practical wellness tips that are easy to apply to your day-to-day life
• Develop new lifestyle practices that help you tune into your body’s natural needs for nourishment and movement
• Reshape your well-being in a way that works for you

Includes:

• Initial consult, complimentary
• 4 – weekly private PT or yoga sessions in the home
• 4 – weekly one-on-one coaching calls
• Program cards with detailed exercise instructions
• Unlimited email support
• And MORE
• Valued at over $500

This Holiday promo only comes around once a year and there are just a handful of spots available. Contact Michelle today to see if the Define Me Way is right for you.

The post It’s That Time of Year Again! appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

Amanda’s Big Dream, written by Judith Matz and illustrated by Elizabeth Patch, tells the story of a young figure skater, Amanda, whose dream is to perform a solo act in her community’s Spring Ice Show.  But Amanda’s well-intentioned, though misguided coach suggests that, if Amanda wants to get the part, she needs to lose weight if she is going to be successful.

Unfortunately, this scenario is all too common for many children – thin or fat, in the athletic arena or elsewhere.  For example, body image related bullying (which includes bullying based on one’s size), is the most predominant form of bullying, as found in a 2006 Census report by the Toronto District School Board.  And, with the help of mainstream media, young children are exposed frequently to stigmatizing messages about weight and size, including the assumption that thinner is better with regards to health and even sports performance.  The familiar message of you can do and be anything you want with “practice, practice, practice” comes with the caveat of needing to fit into a certain aesthetic – the thin ideal.

Amanda’s Big Dream highlights how harmful talk regarding dieting and weight loss can be.  With a short, simple statement like “…if you lost a little weight…” a child’s dreams and sense of accomplishment can be swiftly crushed.

“Follow your dreams, whoever you are.  Follow your dreams and they’ll take you far.”

However, this sweet story also offers a well-guided lesson for us all, parents and children alike.  A compassionate doctor and supportive parents switch the focus to the positive healthy behaviours Amanda already engages in and encourage her to stay with her sport because she loves it so much.

Does Amanda continue anyway in the face of criticism? Does she go on to get the solo performance in the Spring Ice Show? For those answers, you’ll have to read the book

But I will say that it is so refreshing to see a more positive alternative, that touches on the Health At Every Size® principles in a relatable way and guides readers towards a more holistic view on living life and going after your dreams.   Plus, there are great resources shared at the end of the book and on this website.

Having children ages 5 and 7 that participate in sport, I see the critical importance of cultivating a positive body image and detaching the value placed on an ideal size or shape for success in sports and/or overall health.  Amanda’s Big Dream is a great starting point for opening up that dialogue with children and our communities.

The post Amanda’s Big Dream: A Book Review appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

In my last post, I talked about one of the most common New Year’s resolutions…The resolve to lose weight.  After re-reading that post, it got me thinking of an often overlooked part of the goal setting process: defining the goal.  I love the structure and process of using the SMART approach to setting goals.  I frequently turn to it when I am creating intentions for myself or coaching my clients in the goals they are setting for themselves.  I wrote about this concept a couple of years ago, in a bit more detail here.

But before you start creating (or possibly revising) those resolutions I’d like to ask you a couple of questions:

• When it comes to weight loss goals (yours or those that you are helping a family member/client/friend with), have you ever considered you might be focusing on the wrong Result?
• What is it you are looking to gain from losing weight?
• If you achieve that goal, does that mean you are healthier for it?

Through my years working with the Health At Every Size® paradigm, I have come to realize a shortfall within the SMART goal setting process and in the way that success is defined.  Particularly when it comes to weight-loss goals, we are focused so much so on the outcome that the actions we take or the behaviours that we may want to shift become secondary.

Searching for the definition of “outcome” I found the following from 3 online dictionaries:

• the way a thing turns out; a consequence.
• something that follows as a result or consequence
• something that follows from an action, dispute, situation, etc; result; consequence

That is all that weight loss is; a potential result from the steps we have taken, a drawn line in the sand that says our goal is complete and we have made it.  Is that all we are looking for in our measure of success? A criteria of pounds lost or body measurements decreased? I challenge the assumption that weight loss equals success, happiness, improved health or anything else that is promised when someone takes on the soul-sucking task of dieting.  And I caution folks on using pounds lost as a proxy for goal achievement.

What if instead you focused more on the Behaviour, rather than the result? Spending more time and energy on the ways you want to live a healthier lifestyle, while taking things slow and being kind to yourself.  That, to me, is more impactful than any weight loss goal (IMHO).  Ultimately, I think it is the behaviour we are looking to change and it is the outcome that is secondary.

How might you be able to reframe your intentions from an outcome-oriented endpoint to a behaviour-focused journey? Tell us in the comments below.

The post And While We’re On The Topic of Resolutions… appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

The title of this year’s conference – Staying the Health at Every Size Course: Navigating the Weight Debate in the Evolving Healthcare Environment – was very fitting considering the American Medical Association’s recent decision to label obesity a disease.  Now, perhaps more than ever, we need alternative strategies to address health (without it always being about size).

Here were some common themes that resonated for me :

1. There is a wealth of knowledge within the ASDAH community! From mental health professionals, academics and dieticians to activists who want to take their personal experience with size discrimination to advocate for unbiased care.  HAES  (Health at Every Size) Experts have the experience and the research to support their efforts in turning the tides of “weight assumptions and discrimination” within our health care system and culture.

2. Obesity prevention campaigns do more harm than good, especially when those strategies are focused on our children.  The following banner posted at the conference spoke volumes with it’s speech balloon – “When we hear you say you want to get rid of childhood obesity, we feel like you want to get rid of us”.  We need curriculum in our schools that addresses weight stigma alongside strategies for living a balanced approach to healthy eating and joyful movement.  In the words of one of the presenters, Kathy Kater, we need to “teach kids to CARE instead of COMPARE”.

3. The war on obesity has made its way into the  boardroom.  There are workplace wellness programs in the US that use fees and penalties, primarily focused on weight loss and shaming employees into participating; all in an effort to reduce the company’s group benefit spending.  Legally, businesses are allowed to charge higher premiums to associates who do not participate in the program and/or who’s weight is not in a “desirable range”.  Not only is this intrusive and invading of an individual’s privacy but it further perpetuates weight stigma, suggesting an employee is not good enough unless they are at a certain weight.  A corporate wellness program, anywhere in the world, needs to be more than just a return on investment (ROI).  Workplace wellness can and should promote all facets of health, providing a supportive and caring framework from which associates can participate free from bias or criticism.  Only then will companies be able to attract and retain an engaged workforce.

4. There is a lot of evidence that suggests a weight-focused approach to health is more detrimental and can have long-term negative repercussions.  If we are to make this a more positive experience for all, we need to demonstrate how the current medical model (the idea that size and health are inextricably linked), is extremely flawed and counterproductive.  We also need to constantly show to the medical professionals the HAES alternative and it’s proven efficacy to better health .

5. Only you know your body best! Take charge and be the “CEO of your own health.”  I love this phrase! Such a simple but impactful statement.  Everybody is entitled to fair, judgment-free care at the doctors office, in the emergency room, in schools and at the office.  EVERY BODY.

The conference gave me lots to think about and added to my to-do list! I want to take what I learned in those 3 days and bring it to YOU and our community.  Because, couldn’t we all use a new way of defining and finding good health?

The post Top 5 Take-aways: A Health At Every Size Conference Report appeared first on Define Me Wellness.