Denice Murray Health Coaching

 My sons graduated college on Saturday. I'm still trying to process how I feel about that. On the one hand, I'm incredibly proud of them! Their major is Statistics (both of them), and it was not an easy degree to complete.  On the other hand, my "little" boys are grown up and about to face the world as adults. Everyone jokes about how time flies and don't blink or you'll miss them growing up. I never really cared for those sayings, as during that time I was eyeball deep in activities, work, and stress. I needed them to mature, as I felt I was going insane from the pressure. Now that they are grown, I realize how truly blessed I am. For many parents, this day never comes. They would give anything to see their child graduate from college. I'm beyond fortunate to have that opportunity. And I'm sad, too. I knew I was MOSTLY guaranteed school breaks with them, or at least large chunks of those breaks. That is no longer true. Their jobs and lives will be hea...

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...

Okay, so I think it’s been pretty well established that I’m a HUGE nerd! If I find something fascinating, I will research it to death! You can ask my husband or my daughter (or my sons when they’re visiting from college) that I basically study ALL THE TIME . So when I got on this idea of a capsule wardrobe, I have been studying the heck out of the concept. It is very safe to say that fashion is NOT my forte. At all. I suck. But I still LOVE this concept. I’ve been discussing it with friends (shout out to my friend Annie for listening to me and giving some solid advice!), and spending FAR too much time on Pinterest and YouTube checking out options.  I've been posting about it on social media .  And I’m not going to lie – with the plethora of information out there, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed. That’s a lot of information to take in about a subject that, frankly, I find rather intimidating. But I love it so much for a few reasons. The first one being – I ...

"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...

This is my current phase of Mom Life: The Teenager and College Phase .  It’s very different.  I’ve seen many of the moms whose children are the same age as my oldest boys (twins), and they look….different. They are “Empty Nesters” with their kiddos off to college. They look GOOD (not that they didn’t before), but also an odd combination of happy and sad. There’s a happiness there because they have something they haven’t had in a couple of decades – FREE TIME! No more rushing to this event or that event. No more scrambling to make sure everyone is on time, that ALL the “things” are done. There is a relaxed air about these moms that is beautiful to behold. They have TIME to get ready for their jobs with no teenagers to herd. They can eat what they want. They can spend their free time how they want! But there’s a sadness as well. Usually, if I see them in passing, it’s at an event where they no longer have children participating. They are there to support the school, th...

It’s happened to all of us. We start a new exercise routine. We start making changes to our eating habits. We might even be going to a coach or trainer, joined an exercise group, or signed up for a weight loss program. And then LIFE happens. Work becomes more demanding. The kids’ schedules go into over-drive. Someone in your household gets sick. STRESS. It comes at you like a freight train and knocks you on your butt. When you once had time to plan meals, go shopping and do meal prep, take regular walks and do strength training exercises – you’re now having to run to a fast-food place on your way to a ball game because it’s all you have time for. And forget about walking because you’re not getting home until it’s the kids’ bedtime. Your time and energy are being sucked away by other issues, and your health journey has gone off the rails. BUT! There are ways to get your wellness back on track! The first way to help yourself is to: Identify the Stress Early . When you becom...

There are a lot of questions – and conflicting answers – when it comes to stress. Does it really cause weight gain? Is it actually TOXIC to your body? Could stress be causing your digestive issues? And unfortunately, the correct answer is: It Depends . Take the question of, Is Stress Really BAD for You? Well, yes and no.  Constant, chronic stress can lead to all kinds of health issues. However, in order to push and get your attention that something needs to change/be done, a little bit of stress can be a good thing. Or what about, Is Stress Making Me Gain or Lose Weight? Maybe. Again, it depends .  It can cause you to LOSE weight by releasing extra glucose into your blood stream and you’re not going to feel as hungry. It can also disrupt your digestion in such a way that food feels like it’s just sitting in your stomach, it’s rushing straight through you, and because of these two possibilities food isn’t being adequately absorbed. It can also take the form of weight...

We all do it.  I know I’m guilty.  Go for a 2-mile walk in the evening, come home feeling great, and then see a post on FB of someone training for a 5k Run and think, “Gah! They are so much better than me! I should be running more/exercising more/working harder/etc.” Well, newsflash to me – I have knee problems and I'm not supposed to be doing ANY running (unless being chased by something!). So, why would I do that to myself? Compare myself to a person who DOESN’T have knee issues and actually LIKES to run, whereas I’ve NEVER liked running, even when I was perfectly capable of doing it?! Everyone working on their health and wellness, at some point, has thought other people were doing better than them, that their efforts weren’t enough, or they can’t quite seem to get where they want to be like so-and-so does. So, if comparing ourselves to others is a normal part of human nature, how do we stop doing that and focus on feeling good about ourselves? Here are a few ways to...

You REALLY want to lose 20 pounds. You’re exhausted all the time and pounding Red Bull or coffee to make it through your day. You can’t walk up a flight of stairs without stopping to catch your breath. Any of this sound familiar? You’ve tried to make changes to your health in the past, but nothing seems to stick. The motivation is there. The desire is there. All the logical reasons for WHY working on your health is a GREAT idea are there! But you still can’t make it stick. You’re not getting your 5 servings of fruit and vegetables every day. You’re not getting enough (or ANY) physical activity. You’re not sleeping well at night. Now might be the time to look a little deeper into WHY your efforts are falling short. It could be any of these possible reasons.  T here is something Specific that is a problem behavior.   Ex. Mindless snacking throughout the day or late at night; binge eating on the weekends; dropping onto the couch at night and not getting up again or bi...

If you are trying to lose weight, or even eat healthier, one of the BEST options is cooking at home yourself.  That would be recommendation Number One. You can control the ingredients (and if you’re a picky eater like me, that’s a VERY important key!). For example, I’m not a fan of avocado. I’ll eat it, especially if it’s “hidden” in other foods (think guacamole in a 7-Layer dip), but I’m not going to go out of my way to add avocado to my diet. You get a LOT more bang for your buck (more food for less money). For what ONE meal costs my family in a sit-down restaurant, I can get 3-4 days’ worth of groceries. You don’t have to get fancy and sometimes less really is more (you can throw a bunch of healthy stuff in a crockpot and LET IT GO!). It might be that you and your spouse/partner are having a healthy crockpot meal while the kids are munching on frozen pizza or mac and cheese, and that’s TOTALLY FINE! Everyone is fed, you can feel good about what you ate, and the kids are happy an...

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...