by Guest | Feb 12, 2024 | Being Well, Featured, Uncategorized, Work Well
By Guest Author: Emery Edwards
I’m a perfectionist. I always have been, and I probably always will be in some capacity. So, my health improvement journey has been a struggle. Somewhere in the 21 years before I started trying to change my life, I had gotten this idea that if I couldn’t do it perfectly the first time, I couldn’t do it at all. I’m sure some of you have felt similarly, especially when it comes to your health. There have been countless times where I’d stuck to my goals for a week or two, but I am inevitably confronted with a birthday party, a night out, or anything that might challenge your newly formed habits. I’ve always felt it’s a zero-sum game- I default on my healthy habits one time, and my progress is null, and I might as well give up. Many of us who have embarked on the journey of improving holistic health have experienced this, and it’s okay. What will be more damaging than one day, one week, or one month of falling back, is if you believe that the progress you’ve made up until that point means nothing because you weren’t perfect.
This is where progress over perfection comes in. Recognizing that you are making progress, but you’re not perfect, is the way I’ve been able to transform my habits over the last 6 months. Instead of chastising myself for not exercising one day or eating something that does not serve my body, I recognize that overcoming these habits is a longer journey than I had been led to believe. Crash diets, unrealistic societal expectations, ‘lose weight quick’ schemes, and the like have warped my thoughts about health for a decade, and I know I’m not alone in this. If it has been instilled in you for so long, it will inevitably take more than a couple months to fully change your mindset. Giving yourself grace in this journey of feeling better is more important than absolute perfection. But you must want to feel better to make these changes sustainable.
It takes dedication to make that progress and change your lifestyle. I started with upping my fiber and protein intake through whole foods and reduced the simple carbohydrates and sugars in my diet. It took me mere weeks to feel more present in my body, have more energy, and improve my sleep quality. It took me months, however, to make these practices a daily habit. Instead of giving up when I gave in to the residual cravings, I would wake up the next day and continue with the goals I had been working towards. My world does not stop when I eat a chicken strip, and I promise that yours doesn’t either. Maybe pair that chicken strip with some roasted vegetables like brussels sprouts, broccoli, or a simple garden salad to make it more nutritious. It’s all about adding what you need to satisfy the craving in a healthier way, and after you eat it, move on to meeting your goals. The name of the game is progress, not perfection. But when I tell you, I went from needing a nap in the middle of the day to function to having the energy to take me through the entire day without a yawn, I am telling you the truth.
I am only 6 months into my progress over perfection journey, so I’m no expert. But what I will say is I have never in my life felt as good as I do today, and every day gets even better. I started with my eating because I had no energy to introduce exercise into my routine, now I have too much energy to sleep if I don’t exercise. It’s a beautiful problem to have. I would not have gotten this far if I had given up the first time that I ate something I told myself I wouldn’t. Which probably happened within a week of starting the journey if I’m honest. The name of this game is grace- give it to yourself, to others, and remember that it’s all about your overall progress, not being perfect.
For more local health and wellness information, visit www.tillamookcountywellness.org or follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook and Instagram.
by Michelle | Feb 5, 2024 | Being Well, Featured, Work Well
At the start of a new year, many of us think about restarting exercise regimens, meal prepping and other weight-loss oriented goals. While losing weight is good for our self-image and our health, it can often be difficult to achieve. If we aren’t successful, it can cause us to “throw in the towel” – at least until the start of the next new year. What if there are other pathways to become healthier, happier versions of ourselves?
What is often overlooked is that our health goals are usually more about how we feel than how we look. We want to be able to do the things we used to do, be happier, have more energy and a greater sense of meaning in our lives. While running a 5K or eating the recommended daily servings of vegetables will help us achieve those goals, there are other ways we can get there.
Think back to when you were 7, 11, or 20 years old. What brought you joy? Were there hobbies or activities you enjoyed doing, that made you feel good about yourself; where you got to put your unique skills to the test, or share your gifts with others? As a child I loved reading and journaling from a very young age. By the time I graduated from college, I had abandoned both of those pastimes. I simply hadn’t had time between going to school and working full time. Once I began to reintroduce those activities, I felt my old self coming back. And that prompted more awareness of what I needed to feel fulfilled. And what was draining my energy.
Maybe it’s time to get out your golf clubs, tune that instrument or dust off your art supplies. Or, maybe this is the time to make your someday start today. What is the thing you have caught yourself saying multiple times? “Someday I am going to ‘do the 52 hikes challenge,’ or ‘grow a vegetable garden’ or ‘learn how to crochet.’” There are free, local resources to help you get started with all of these activities. Our local library system offers Mango, a free language learning app. They even have a “library of things,” like binoculars to go bird watching or tools to start that woodworking hobby. The possibilities are endless.
I know what you’re thinking. This is all well and good but I do not have time for such frivolities. The truth is that most of us are spending at least some of our disposable time on social media, streaming, or watching television. If we reprioritized 30 minutes a day of time spent doing passive activities and dedicated it to pursuing a hobby, we could experience significantly more joy and meaning in our lives.
Here are a few tips for success:
- Conduct an inventory of your favorite hobbies, past and present
- Consider what you could realistically reintroduce into your current schedule
- Notice activities others do that you admire or find yourself being curious about
- Research what it would take to start a new activity and break down the process into small, manageable chunks (for example, if you want to learn to crochet, reach out to Latimer Quilt Factory and ask about lessons, groups, mentors or other ways to get started)
- Schedule time for your hobby/activity so you are more likely to keep it a priority
- Invite a friend to join you
- Share your favorite hobbies on social media or at info@tillamookcountywellness.org
Written by Michelle Jenck, M.Ed., Certified Behavior Change Coach & Tillamook County Wellness Coordinator
For more local health and wellness information, visit www.tillamookcountywellness.org or follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook and Instagram.
by Michelle | Jan 25, 2024 | Being Well, Featured, Move Well, Uncategorized, Work Well
Intro to Behavior Change, Part 1
Every day we hear the results of another study, telling us what is making us unhealthy. Eat this, don’t eat that. Move like this, not like that. There are, of course, good reasons to become educated about making healthier choices. We are on an unsustainable track both for our own health and for the economic health of our nation. In all reality, our health care crisis – the skyrocketing cost to treat preventable, chronic disease – is a greater threat to our survival than global climate change. As with all things, though, we have made the solution far too complicated for the average person to comprehend.
Let’s get down to the fundamentals. First, we simply have to become more aware of our own habits. How do I feel when I eat this and don’t eat that? How do I feel when I walk up a flight of stairs? How much energy do I have? If the answers to these questions are not the ones you’d like, then it is probably time to start making some changes.
Change is hard. Crazy hard. It’s really inconvenient. That’s how we got into this mess in the first place. It is human nature to take the path of least resistance. It takes time and effort to change the way we live our lives. For most of us, this is where we end up – in a state of knowing we need to do something but not believing that we can really do anything about it. To be successful, we need to make the changes to our habits small, easy-to-adopt, and enjoyable.
Behavior Change 101, Part 2
Awareness. This is where it all starts. We have to stop and look within ourselves to even begin to understand what is and isn’t working. This goes for health and nutrition but also for relationships, self-esteem, work performance, you name it. What is the famous saying? The first step is admitting you have a problem.
You don’t have to become a Yogi (yoga instructor, not the bear) to become aware. You don’t have to take special classes (although that might help). You don’t have to change the kind of person you are (although you probably will in the end). You just need to be open to the idea of changing.
We see things more clearly when we take a step back and give them our undivided attention. Take a few moments each day to breathe. Just be. Relax. In doing so, the busyness of the world, the noise of our self-talk, the daily to do list, they all disappear and we are simply left with ourselves and the truth. Layers of thought, emotion, and even traumatic events are often responsible for the “dis-ease” that causes disease. Without going through this process, it may not matter what changes we make to our nutrition or exercise habits. Our bodies seek balance. This applies to our emotional state as well. When we are out of balance, there are a whole host of physiological processes that go off-line as well.
Unfortunately, the typical American lifestyle does not lend itself to mind-body balance. It can seem overwhelming to understand what is out of balance and what we need to do about it. This is where awareness is key. At some point, most of us have tried to determine how many calories, grams of protein, fats or carbohydrates or how many minutes of high or low intensity exercise we should be getting each day. And, statistics show that this hasn’t worked out so well for most of us . . . at all.
So, how do we identify and make the changes we need to make? Pay attention to your own body and mind. What you think and feel, what you read, and what you hear others say all provide clues if you are tuned in. Listen to that voice in your head, that gut instinct that kicks in and says, “Hey, that’s what I need to do. I can do that.” I call it the When-Harry-Met-Sally-Moment – “I’ll have what she’s having.” Pay attention to what inspires you and follow that thread.
Tips for Successful Behavior Change, Part 3
Why we want to make changes is almost as important as what we want to change. The “why” often determines our chances for success. If we are making a change for our spouse or boss, or as a quick fix (think high school reunion), we might not be as emotionally invested as we need to be successful over the long term. You need to have good reasons to make any lasting change. Maybe it is to be around to see your kids or grandkids grow up or maybe it is about improving your quality of life. Whatever it is, it needs to be meaningful to you.
Setting SMART goals is key to successful behavior change. SMART is an acronym for research-based characteristics that significantly increase the likelihood of reaching one’s goals. They should be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
For example, if I want to walk 2 miles a day but am currently completely sedentary, I need to break down my goal into manageable pieces. I also need to be realistic. How far can I, and more importantly, will I, walk each day. Maybe it is just a daily walk to my mailbox for the first week. Then, I can walk to the end of the block, then 3 blocks, and so on until I have achieved my goal. It is important to set a time frame for each level of goal attainment. This can be daily or weekly. It needs to be short enough to generate immediate success but also long enough to form a new habit as a foundation for the next step and that usually takes about 8-10 weeks.
Work with your strengths and interests when approaching changes. If you like to cook, then it makes sense to find healthy recipes you would enjoy making. If you hate cooking, it will be important to simplify what nutrition changes you are making so that you can still be successful. It can be as simple as choosing the prepared veggie tray and a container of hummus from the grocery store. This principle is especially important when it comes to physical activity. If you enjoy being outdoors, consider walking or hiking. If you like people, music or dancing, you could join a group fitness class. If you want something more mindful, try Tai Chi, Qigong or Yoga. The key is to look for ways to integrate a positive, healthy change with your personality, interests and strengths.
One of the reasons people struggle with behavior change is because they have been unsuccessful in the past. Three common reasons for this are 1) Setting unrealistic goals 2) Giving up after the first setback, or 3) Taking on too many changes at once.
To avoid these, it is important to set a narrow list of ridiculously small goals. This allows us to celebrate mini victories which perpetuate future successes. BJ Fogg, a researcher at Stanford University, calls these “Tiny Habits.” He uses an example for someone who wants to develop the habit of flossing their teeth. He suggests flossing one tooth each night after brushing your teeth. Just one tooth. This is based on the fact that a 3 second action of flossing one tooth is perceived as much more doable than the 30 second action of flossing all of our teeth and, therefore, we are more likely to stick with and succeed at the development of this new habit. As sad as this example is, he is 100% right (and he has the research to back that up.) This says a lot about human nature and explains a lot when it comes to why behavior change is so difficult.
To summarize, there are some tricks to successful behavior change:
- Become aware of what you want to change and why
- Set SMART goals
- Make changes that fit your personality, strengths and values
- Start small (REALLY small) and build on your successes
Written by Michelle Jenck, M.Ed., Certified Behavior Change Coach
For more local health and wellness information, visit www.tillamookcountywellness.org or follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook and Instagram.
by Michelle | Jan 16, 2024 | Eat Well, Featured, Move Well, Work Well
Tillamook County Wellness was launched in 2016 as a “Year of Wellness” with a simple goal – to encourage people to make small changes to become healthier. After a successful kick-off year, the Wellness Advisory Committee decided to ride the wave of community support for this grassroots population health improvement initiative and set a ten-year goal to reduce the percentage of people in Tillamook County who were at risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes. This ambitious goal had one significant challenge. How would we track our efforts to determine if we were having an impact? We can’t measure what doesn’t happen. Or can we?
In 2016, the percentage of adults in Tillamook County living with a diagnosis of diabetes was 12%. In 2023, the same source for this data (County Health Rankings), reported Tillamook County rates at 8%. Another bright spot for comparison is that we began our journey with a health ranking in the bottom third of Oregon counties. Today we boast a #12 county health ranking status out of 35 ranked counties in the state. Anecdotally, we are making progress. More concretely, we have built more trusting relationships, established policies, programs and strengthened partnerships in ways that are making Tillamook County a healthier place to live, work, play, learn and age.
So, who is Tillamook County Wellness and what exactly are we doing to improve health and quality of life in Tillamook County? It’s all of us and it’s everything. This is what collective action looks like. It takes everyone thinking, working and living together intentionally in ways that promote health and well-being.
In 2023, 34 community and government organizations, businesses, schools, healthcare partners and many, many volunteers all worked together to move the dial on health. Grants were written and awarded for building a sustainable healthcare partner network, implementing a health literacy campaign and partnering to hold a bike rodeo where more than 30 bikes were given away to area families. Walking groups, led by volunteers, met weekly throughout the county. Hundreds of vegetable seeds were distributed so our local gardens can “Grow Well.” Free wellness classes were held in English & Spanish for everything from how to prevent and manage chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes to how to manage personal finances.
Upstream efforts to build more housing, increase the availability and affordability of childcare and expand education pathways for higher income-earning potential are just some examples of how partners are working to create the conditions for a healthier community. Changes to the built environment such as community walking paths, segments of the Salmonberry Trail and a bike pump track are other examples of work being done to make it easier for people to get and stay healthy. Area schools work with Food Roots to teach kids where their food comes from and how to cultivate and cook it. Nutritious recipes with easy-to-find, inexpensive ingredients are being shared and devoured based on the social media stats behind those shares.
The point here is that wellness is more than a number on the scale or a medical record. Wellness starts with people’s ability to have a safe place to live, healthy food to eat, an education that leads to a living wage job, a community that has adequate supports for mental health, addiction, and for families with loved ones experiencing disabilities or different abilities.
Often, when we think about the challenges that negatively impact community health, we wonder, “why isn’t someone doing something about this?” Working in community well-being for a decade, it is clear to me that much is being done and a lot of positive changes are resulting from those efforts. The organizations responsible for much of this work are often constrained by lack of funding, staff or volunteers. You can make a difference by making donations to your favorite charities, getting involved as a volunteer, and advocating for the good work within your family and peer circles. After all, giving back is good for your health.
Written By Michelle Jenck, M.Ed.,
To learn more, get involved and donate, visit www.tillamookcountywellness.org or email us at info@tillamookcountywellness.org.
by Guest | Nov 22, 2023 | Being Well, Featured, Uncategorized, Work Well
For many people, the holiday season is filled with opportunities to gather with family and friends. Some gatherings may have alcoholic beverages as a drink option for adults who are the legal age to consume alcohol. If you are the legal age to consume alcohol and are offered an alcoholic beverage, I encourage you to take a moment to ‘Rethink the Drink’. Rethinking the drink will allow you time to reflect on the role alcohol plays in your life, plays in the lives of those around you, and will allow you time to consider if there are any changes that you would like to make concerning alcohol.
Drinking alcohol can be harmful to a person’s health. Alcohol use has both short-term and long-term health risks. Examples of short-term health risk include poisoning, accidents, and unsafe sexual behavior. Examples of long-term health risk include memory problems, increased risk of cancer, weakened immune system, and mental health problems. According to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), “More than 2,000 people in Oregon die from alcohol-related causes every year”. The OHA adds that the number of people who die from alcohol-related causes is three times higher than the number of people who die from other drug overdoses. To address this concern, the OHA created a campaign called ‘Rethink the Drink’. The target audience for this campaign are adults who are at the legal age to consume alcohol. One of the main components of this campaign is a website. People who visit the website can learn about excessive alcohol use, health consequences of excessive alcohol use, and learn where to get support for excessive alcohol use. The campaign’s website is www.rethinkthedrink.com.
My top takeaways from this campaign are:
- Excessive drinking includes underage drinking, drinking while pregnant, binge drinking, and heavy drinking. According to the OHA, 1 in 5 people in Oregon drink excessively. Excessive drinking increases a person’s risk of an alcohol use disorder, certain cancers (colorectal, prostate, breast, cancers of the mouth, etc.), heart disease, and liver disease.
- Excessive drinking includes both binge and heavy drinking. Binge drinking for a male is five or more drinks on one occasion. Binge drinking for females is four or more drinks on one occasion. Heavy drinking for a male is fifteen or more drinks per week. Heavy drinking for a female is, eight or more a drinks per week.
- Not all drinks have equal alcohol content. Alcohol calculators can help a person understand how many standard drinks are in each drink. For more information about standard drinks, review the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at www.niaaa.nih.gov.
- A person can become more aware of their behaviors involving alcohol by utilizing the track, count, and shift method. Step 1, track the number of drinks, step 2, calculate the total alcohol in each drink, and step 3, get advice and/or shift to healthier options.
- Alcohol treatment services are available to help individuals explore how drinking impacts their life. The campaign’s website has an alcohol treatment navigator link. This link will take you to the NIH’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism website. On the website community members identify resources in their area. The resources featured on the website include alcohol treatment programs, counselors, therapists, and doctors. One local provider located on the navigator is the Tillamook Family Counseling Center, to learn more call (503) 842-8201.
I encourage adults to spend time this holiday season having conversations with youth about the dangers of excessive drinking. These conversations can make a big impact in the prevention of underage alcohol use.
Tips for having conversations with youth about alcohol:
- Learn about the harms of underage drinking. To learn about this topic, I recommend the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) website to review ‘Get the Facts About Underage Drinking’. The website can be accessed at www.niaaa.nih.gov.
- Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) website and review the ‘Talk. They Hear You’ campaign. This campaign can be found at www.samhsa.gov.
- Have conversations with youth early and continue the conversations into early adulthood.
- Integrate topics about alcohol into everyday conversations.
- Educate youth on the harms of underage alcohol consumption.
- Help youth feel confident declining alcohol by roleplaying scenarios that they may be offered alcohol.
- Let youth know that they can come to you if they have questions about alcohol.
Author: Janeane Krongos, Tillamook Family Counseling Center
Other wellness questions? Email us at info@tillamookcountywellness.org. For more local health and wellness information, visit www.tillamookcountywellness.org or follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook and Instagram.
by Guest | Nov 16, 2023 | Being Well, Featured, Uncategorized, Work Well
Angelica immigrated from Mexico to America in 2008, seeking a better life. Starting as a seasonal harvester, she soon discovered the many barriers between her and her goals. Realizing she was spending the majority of her wages to cover rent; she became determined to find a path to becoming a homeowner.
Unsure where to start, she went to her local credit union, began asking questions, seeking assistance. She learned that her first step was to build up credit, a process that took her seven months to be in good standing. Another issue arose, however, as her immigration status became another barrier to home ownership. Angelica was persistent with her credit union to provide a home loan, which she received after just weeks of deliberation.
Seeking to reduce her 30-year mortgage, Angelica made a commitment to pay off the house quickly, forcing her to cut expenses, save any funds, take on extra work and continually improve her credit. Through such planning, the house was paid in full in just four years.
Angelica shows that resilience and determination are fundamental traits to using existing systems to one’s benefit. By asking questions, getting advice from people with experience, and careful budgeting, anyone, no matter their financial status, can make their dream of home ownership, or finding financial freedom, a reality.
To watch Angelica’s interview visit https://tillamookcountywellness.org/work-well/financial-wellness
For more information on upcoming classes, visit our website at https://tillamookcountywellness.org/work-well/financial-wellness and follow Tillamook County Wellness on social media.
