Denice Murray Health Coaching

Fats have gotten a bad reputation over the years.  For most of my childhood, teenage years, and even into early adulthood, I was taught that fats are bad for you, they make you gain weight, and it’s best to cut them out as much as possible – hence the rise of “fat-free” products that litter the grocery store shelves. But as nutrition research continues to develop, recent studies have shown that fats, are in fact, very good for you and necessary. Fats ARE essential for a healthy diet! It just depends on what type of fat you’re consuming whether they are helping your body or harming it. They can either cause disease in the body or help prevent it. The 2 main kinds of fats are Saturated Fats and Unsaturated Fats. Saturated Fats usually come from animal sources (meats and dairy products) and are solid at room temperature (think cooled bacon grease). The exception to this is Coconut Oil or Palm Oil, which are also saturated fats. Unsaturated Fats come from vegetables, nuts and...

SO…. Last week I was all up in my feelings about my sons going to college. While I am THRILLED that they have this opportunity to branch out of their comfort zones, grow, and find their way in the world, I am also TERRIFIED of what cruel and vicious surprises may be lurking out there. I’m a mom. It comes with the job description. BUT…. I’m also pleased to say that as the last two weeks have gone by, I am adjusting. It might not be as quick or as easy as I would like for it to be, but I’m getting there. This entire experience got me to thinking about another one of the Six Dimensions of Wellness that I posted about earlier – EMOTIONAL WELLNESS . As described by Dr. Bill Hettler and the National Wellness Institute:   “The emotional dimension recognizes awareness and acceptance of one’s feelings. Emotional wellness includes the degree to which one feels positive and enthusiastic about oneself and life. It includes the capacity to manage one’s feelings and related behavi...

Some days it's just hard. It's hard to stick with a healthy eating plan. It's hard to stick to an exercise routine. It's hard to get enough sleep and manage your stress in healthy ways. This week has been hard. For a multitude of reasons, it's been very difficult to make healthy food choices. It's been hard to get enough movement and exercise with my knee still giving me trouble. My sleep has been off and my stress levels have been high. It's just hard. So.... For anyone reading the post who is struggling, I just wanted to let you know, I see you. I feel you. I may not know EXACTLY what you're going through, but I empathize with what you're dealing with. No matter if it's a small bump in the road, or you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, I am sending all the good thoughts, positive vibes, and prayers for comfort your way. It's not easy to push through when you're making progress and suddenly your progress is halted o...

This week’s blog post is a little more personal than informative. Last week I wasn’t able to post because we were moving my sons into their dorm rooms for their freshman year of college. Yes, I have two sons who have left the nest and are spreading their wings out in the world. And I have been a nervous wreck! On the plus side, the day of move-in was insanely busy. There was a lot of loading, unloading, climbing stairs, walking, unpacking, putting away, and I can honestly say that I’m 100% sure I got a full workout that day with cardio, resistance training, and even stretching involved. On the negative side, my mental health has taken a serious hit over the last eight days since we left them in their dorm rooms. I can say it has gotten better, without question. The first three days all I did was cry. I cried when I did the laundry and found hoodies or t-shirts they left behind. I cried when I walked past their empty rooms at night (not completely cleared out, just empty of ...

I'm gonna try to keep it short and sweet today.  There is so much going on in EVERYONE'S life right now that finding the time to read a blog post (or writing one) can feel like a hassle. So today I'm making it easy. And this is also reiterating a post I wrote a couple of months ago on healthy eating and nutrition, No Such Thing As The Best Diet .  Building on that post, I wanted to add a few things that would be considered Nutrition Fundamentals that are true of ANY eating pattern (diet) you follow, whether it's Paleo, Keto, Vegetarian, Vegan, Mediterranean, etc.  Nutrition Fundamentals: 1. Emphasize Whole Foods - Eat the baked potato instead of the tator tots. 2. Get Enough Quality Protein - Legumes, Poultry, Fish, Lean Beef, Lean Pork and Eggs are good examples of quality (less fatty) proteins. 3. Incorporate LOTS of Vegetables - Eat a rainbow of vegetables and fruits to make sure you're hitting as many vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants, fiber, ...

New Blog. New Adventure. I started the journey of becoming a health and wellness coach over a year ago. My reasons were simple. My husband was diagnosed with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, and I wanted to find a way to help him ease the burdens of not only his disease, but also the side effects of the medications he will now have to take for the rest of his life. And let me assure you, the side effects of these medications are worse than the disease itself. PH is no picnic, but the side effects ravage his body on a daily basis. The good news from all of the bad news we've faced in the last couple of years is that his body weight directly correlates with the amount of medication he has to take. So the more weight he can lose, the less medication he has to take and the less severe the side effects are. And that leads me back to health coaching. I wanted to find a way to help him effectively lose weight, but also help myself get in better shape and have more energy to deal with the ...

Hello. I took this week's post from an article I read from Precision Nutrition . I am a huge nerd and love learning about my topic of choice when it includes graphs, charts, research studies, etc.! So this information was super fun for me to read about. The author of this piece is Brian St. Pierre and compiled by Adam Campbell. I hope you find the information useful on your health and wellness journey.  "Here’s a fun chart, courtesy of some clever scientists in the Netherlands. It tracks changes in people’s average daily energy expenditure from 1900’s to the early 2000’s. But to make it interesting (this is why they’re clever), the researchers also plotted the widespread adoption of both time-saving and time-wasting technology. The finding: there’s been a 60 to 70 percent reduction in total daily energy expenditure over the last century . In a previous study, the same scientists calculated that actors at a historical theme park set 150 years ago were 1.6 to 2.3 times more ac...

Not gonna lie, I've struggled all week deciding what topic to write about. There is so much information out there when it comes to health, wellness, and nutrition. And I want to cover so MANY of them! As I continue to learn, I want to share what I'm learning with others so it can help you all the way I feel like it's helping me and my family.  We're on this journey with my husband because of his medical condition.  My sons are far less interested in anything to do with health or nutrition because they still have the metabolisms of teenage boys.  My daughter is a very active young teenage athlete who needs to properly fuel her body to be able to participate in the numerous sports she's involved in (softball, basketball, track, and she's now considering cross country).  And I am working on my own health and wellness journey for many reasons: longevity, energy levels as I age, being comfortable with how I look and feel, stress and anxiety, and most importantly (for...

I read a really interesting article this week on the concept of Slow Eating , or Mindful Eating . Not gonna lie, at first, I thought the idea was kind of woo-woo. Mostly because I've spent most of my life in a hurry and trying to shove food in my mouth as fast as I can so I could either get to my next "thing" that I needed to be doing, or to get whatever delicious food I was eating scarfed down so I could eat MORE. Not to mention for the past few years I've been dealing with 3 teenagers who stuff their faces as fast as possible, and there was a good chance I might not get to eat at all if I didn't hurry. But the more I've learned as I studied health coaching, as well as working on my own personal wellness journey, the more Mindful Eating kept popping up in my classes and in my research. It almost sounds too simple to be effective. Eat slowly. Ummm....okay? Why? What does eating slowly do for your body? Well, based on research from the University of Rhode Isla...

When it comes to diets, people are always looking for the “perfect” solution. And when health coaches or nutrition coaches are asked “What is the best diet to be on?”, it’s difficult to answer that question correctly. Why?  Because there are too many variables. People thrive on and have had great success with different styles of eating – vegan or vegetarian, Keto, Paleo, Atkins, an Omnivorous approach – the list goes on and on. The fact that so many people have had success on different diets shows that there is no ONE best diet. So why do they all seem to work? Because they are underlined by specific nutrition principles. These principles include: focusing on and being aware/mindful of food intake; emphasizing protein and vegetables, even if there is a disagreement about carbs and fats; and emphasizing food quality and eating more nutritious, whole foods. In addition, generally all diets or eating styles promote regular exercise. According to Precision Nutrition, there are...

In the world of health and wellness coaching, setting goals is an important factor. Everyone has a goal. “I want to lose 20 pounds.” “I want to run a 5K.” “I want to fit into my skinny jeans again.” “I want to play with my kids and not feel like I got the wind knocked out of me.” And while having a goal and figuring out the best way to accomplish that goal is important, one of the most overlooked steps in goal setting is MOTIVATION . WHY do you want to accomplish this goal? What is the reason you want to change? As a health coach, my job is to help clients understand that WHY . We concentrate on tying together the overall vision you have for your future self to the lifestyle changes you are seeking now. And are the reasons you are pursuing this goal STRONG enough to keep you on track? Having strong motivators is important because there are ALWAYS going to be obstacles, challenges and setbacks in your health and wellness journey. Life happens and things are going to c...

This is a question I’ve found myself asking a lot these days. I’ve asked myself, I’ve asked it of my clients, I’ve asked it from family members, and also of friends. I’ve been on my own personal health and wellness journey for the past year and a half. And it frustrates me to say that I am not NEARLY where I want to be…. YET . But on the flip side of that, I’ve also made more progress than I usually acknowledge. I’ve lost 25 pounds. I’ve added resistance training and I can lift 55 more pounds than when I started. I’ve added a daily multi-vitamin and I’m working on adding more fruits and veggies. I’m SLOWLY cutting out fast food and I’m working on adding more lean protein to each meal. These are changes I’m making with only HALF of the effort (or less) than I COULD be doing. Life is hard. Life is complicated. And life gets VERY busy. But I also have to remember that sometimes giving half-effort, or even less , is still MORE than what’s been done in the past. Howeve...

Well, basically EVERYTHING. Fats and Carbohydrates are used primarily for energy in the body. Protein can also be broken down and used as an energy source, but only when there’s not enough carbohydrates to fuel the body and there’s an over-abundance of protein available. Proteins are also used by the body to : ·          Create bodily tissues such as muscles, bones, organs, etc . ·          To form Enzymes (catalysts for chemical reactions in the body, such as your metabolism and digestion) and Cellular Transporters (which maintain the balance of electrolytes in the body, the transportation of oxygen and carbon dioxide through the bloodstream, and the transportation of fats in the body) ·          For Cell Signaling (relaying chemical “messages” into and out of the cells) ·          To maintain Fluid Balance (allo...