Denice Murray Health Coaching

Hard Truths About Changing Your Health and Your Life. Unfortunately, there’s an untold side to changing your nutrition and fitness, losing weight, or improving your health that not very many people talk about. That is the criticism that can and does come with these changes. Most people in your life will be happy for you . They will be excited that you are making healthy changes, and maybe even inspired to start a health journey of their own. But there are some who will not. Most of the random comments - whether from a nosy neighbor or “Sally” in the office who always has something mean to say about her co-workers - are going to bounce right off you. “That’s just how Sally is,” will be the fleeting thought before you move on with your day. However, there will be comments or remarks that are going to catch you off-guard, and those comments are going to come from people you didn’t expect – a family member, a close friend, even your spouse. Something is going to slip out; a snide o...

After my sons went to college, our household food routine changed. We were able to cook a more diverse array of foods at home. We no longer had to go to restaurants that the boys would eat at because they were EXTREMELY picky eaters and would only eat certain things at certain places (pizza, pasta, chicken strips, etc.). Once they started eating chicken strips more often, it actually took a LOT of stress off our family food dynamic. Then in college they started to branch out a bit more and have been willing to try a few more things – seafood, burgers, more types of vegetables, etc. Now we are faced with a new dilemma and that is picky eating for Hubs. Let me preface this by saying that this is not his fault . Due to medications, there are certain foods he can’t eat at all or things he must be really careful about so they don’t interact badly with his meds. But regardless of HOW it happened, we are still in the situation of having a limited set of options for him to eat. Some o...

I'm going on about adjusting your flavor profile to fit your likes and dislikes.  This is a topic I’ve touched on before, but I wanted to go a little more in-depth about it. The conversation got started in our house when Dearest Step-Daughter sent her dad (my husband) a Mediterranean Cookbook to help with his health and weight loss efforts. Hubs is NOT a fan of the Mediterranean flavor profile. I, on the other hand, am a HUGE fan of a lot of the flavors involved in Mediterranean cooking. Some of them I’m still not 100% on board with, but I’m learning little by little. This sparked a debate in our house. I told Hubs that we don’t have to cook exactly like the cookbook says and that we can adjust things to fit his flavor preferences. He asked, “Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of it being Mediterranean ?” Well....he has a valid point. The long and short answer is – Yes and No. Perfectly clear, right? Insert eye-roll here . To make it Mediterranean, it has more to do wi...

I came across an Info-Graphic on Pinterest and it kinda stuck with me. It listed out the reasons a person would only lose 10 pounds versus what it took to lose 50 pounds. And – as usual – I agree with parts of it, and other parts I don’t. So, Part 1 is Losing 10 Pounds. What does that look like? This is what was written on the infographic: Mindlessly follows a diet for 2 months and then gives up because it was too restrictive. Tries Shakes and Supplements to lose the weight. Start exercising at a high intensity doing exercises you don’t really like, but think you SHOULD, for about 2 months before giving up. Stop snacking for 2 months but go back to snacking after giving up on the diet. Using willpower to stop eating when you’re full, despite wanting to keep eating. Focuses on “losing weight” and not thinking about the contributing habits and behaviors. So, my thoughts on this list. Following a Diet for 2 months and Giving up because it’s too Restrictive – I agree...

This is a problem I have struggled with for a LONG time. I would eat pretty well during the week with maybe the occasional slip-up, and head into the weekend feeling good.  So good, in fact, that I would sabotage all my efforts from the week by thinking, “I ate so well with my fruits and veggies, and kept a very close eye on my calorie intake, that it should be NO PROBLEM if I go ahead and eat half a large pizza while out with my family” – on Friday evening. Then Saturday would bring another day of, “Man, I’m SERIOUSLY craving something sweet – like a pan of brownies – but I’ll only have a small portion,” and next thing I know half the pan is gone from walking back and forth through the kitchen and grabbing a chunk here and there.   Sunday would bring more food, with the PROMISE to myself that I would get back on track Monday, and I would but the damage from a weekend of overindulging was already done. I had stalled my progress for that week, and it’s a cycle that I h...

WHAT NUTRITION COACHING IS   Nutrition Coaching is a partnership between the coach and the client to examine the client’s eating patterns, the reasons behind their food choices, and to determine what steps can be taken to improve their overall eating habits and reach their nutrition goals. Yeah…. So, what does all that mean? First, why do you need/want to work with a nutrition coach?  Well, a few reasons.  Each person is unique – and by unique, I mean we all have different things that influence our eating habits. I didn’t try LASAGNA until I was an adult. Why? Because I grew up in a rural farm community, both of my parents did the same, as did THEIR parents, and even though there was limited access to grocery stores, my family for several generations ate off the land, so to speak. Beef, pork, and chicken was butchered from their farms. Eggs gathered every morning. Vegetables grown in the garden. There was not a lot of cultural diversity in the area, either. So…...

“Have Six-Pack Abs in 10 Days!” “Lose 33 Pounds in 15 Days!” “Get The Body Of Your Dreams In 6 Weeks!” Any of this sound familiar? Those are just some of the headlines I’ve seen in magazines or on websites over the years. Heck, probably just in the last month! And while there is nothing wrong with wanting six-pack abs, to lose 33 pounds, or to have a dream beach body, the TRUE cost of getting those things is a lot greater than you think. There are definite benefits to striving for such a goal, but there are also many trade-offs as well. It’s also important to understand that there are also many different levels of fitness, not just Overweight & Pudgy to Totally Ripped . Several key factors when it comes to getting ripped include nutrition, activity level, sleep, stress, work, personal time, and your social life. If you work 12-hour shifts (work), have children who rely on you (personal time), volunteer in your community or church (social life), have a sick family memb...

How many times as a busy mom/spouse have you heard that one? I know. This article is probably going to get me booed by all the busy moms out there (myself included) who are struggling to juggle all the things (kids, job, house, spouse, activities, etc.). I know I could write a book on all the things moms have to take care of on a daily basis. And popping off with “Hey! You should add more stress to your life by cooking more,” is probably the last thing you want to hear. But! If you are truly looking for a way to lose weight, improve your overall health, actually save time , save money, and help prevent chronic diseases, then cooking at home more often is a strategy you should be considering. In fact, according to Harvard Health: “ We already know that the more people cook at home, the healthier their diet, the fewer calories they consume, and the less likely they are to be obese or develop type 2 diabetes. A growing body of scientific evidence supports teaching patients how...

"Title said in my best annoyed teenager voice" When it comes to weight loss, Consistency is BORING . But it’s true , it’s necessary , and it’s the best way to improve your health, lose weight, and get LASTING results. There is always “another” diet. South Beach. Atkins. Keto. Paleo. I’m old enough to remember the Grapefruit Diet! There’s always “another” fitness craze. CrossFit. P90X. V-Shred. TaeBo. I’m also old enough to remember Richard Simmons and Jane Fonda’s workout videos! There are always weight loss programs. Weight Watchers. Jenny Craig. Noom. Nutri-System. But. The only way these things work is if you do them CONSISTENTLY. If you don’t stick with it, not only will you stop losing weight, but most likely you will gain it back. This is why it’s MORE important to develop Healthy HABITS than to jump on another diet, fitness, or weight loss program .  I said what I said. One of the reasons that health coaching is not only growing in popularity, but also...

Had lunch today with some friends after Mini-Me’s cross-country meet. We arrived a little late and we were all joking with each other. “Mr. T” laughed and said, “Yeah, now that the health coach is here, we’re all going to have to eat healthy.” And I just smiled and laughed because I thought it was funny. It sparked a short conversation about following the 80/20 rule – which is to try to eat healthy 80% of the time and give yourself the freedom to enjoy “junk food” 20% of the time. We also talked about moderation and not going to extremes with your food choices. Overall, it was a great lunch and great conversations and we had a great time. The “weird” thing to me is that after I had joked about eating what I wanted because today was part of my 20%, when it came time to order, I didn’t go CRAZY and eat a bunch of junk. I had grilled chicken, baked beans, fried okra, and Texas toast.  I only ate until 80% full. I left food on my plate and didn’t feel “guilty” f...

Why is it so hard to improve our healthy habits? To make better choices? To take the necessary steps to live healthier, happier lives? Maybe it's because you don't know what to do. You've never been taught the true fundamentals of nutrition and physical activity. There's a TON of information out there - some of it accurate and some of it not so much. Maybe you're confused. With the plethora of diets and fitness programs out there, maybe you don't even know where to begin. Is Keto right for you? What about Weight Watchers? Fitness class, yoga, or just walking in your neighborhood? Strength training, or no? If so, how much should you be lifting? Most of us have at least an IDEA of what we should be doing. We know we probably eat too much processed food, too much sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats. We know we're not getting enough fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein with each meal. We also know we're not moving our bodies enough - we are more sed...