June 2005 Newsletter

This Month’s Contents:
• Let It Go
• Father’s Day Specials
• June Workshops
• Diary of a NET Experience
• The New Food Pyramid
• Cuisine Quick Pick: Salad Day Delights
• Send Us Your Ideas for Summer Reading

Let It Go

Thinking about Father’s Day brings to mind that even those who seem the strongest benefit by letting go of stress. Of course, most of us recognize there is a difference between positive stress that motivates us and the bad, counterproductive kind. But just letting stress of any type pile up without releasing it will take a physical and mental toll. So let it go.

Whether you think of yourself as the strong and silent type or not, this month we offer workshops--stress management and stretching/massage--that should help anyone clear away extra stress. Either workshop or our Father’s Day specials would also make a thoughtful way to thank a special dad.

Be Well,

Cheryl

P.S. We’re also looking for your suggestions for favorite books to read this summer. Please see the item at the end of this newsletter for more.

June Workshops

SMR Stretching/Massage to Go

Thursday, June 23

6:30-8:00 p.m. with Cheryl

Do you stretch and stretch yet never seem to gain flexibility? Self myofascial release (SMR) stretching uses a foam roller to help reduce muscle imbalances, increase range of motion, decrease muscle soreness, and improve overall functional ability. It is based on influencing the myofascial components of the kinetic chain by applying deep pressure into areas of myofascial restrictions. Deep, prolonged pressure decreases spindle hyperactivity and improves extensibility of the myofascial components. Some say that knowing SMR is like being able to take a massage to go!

Cost is $25 for workshop and $30 for the foam roller and booklet.

Relaxation & Stress Management

Thursday, June 30

6:30-8p.m. with Cheryl

Join us for a workshop focused on health and the physiological aspects of stress. Selected techniques for self-regulating stress will be demonstrated, practiced and analyzed. You will learn how to control how you relate to situations that produce tension. Techniques that you’ll discover could stave off high blood pressure, stomach problems, back pain, and more.

All workshops are $25 per person (plus materials, if stated). Pre-registration required. Space is limited; no drop-ins permitted. Call the studio at 978.692.1032.

Diary of a NET Experience

Guest columnist (name withheld for privacy)

Jeri Ryan, Ph.D., L.M.F.T. now offers Neuro Emotional Technique™ sessions by appointment (call the studio to schedule). To help us understand more about NET, a client generously agreed to write her account of a treatment that she experienced with Jeri. Click here to read the story.

I am not the kind of person who does things like this. In fact, my wellness experiences are pretty much limited to exercise, yoga, and doctor’s visits. Yet I was intrigued when I heard that Jeri Ryan would offer sessions in NET. Did I have something in my life I’d like to change? Was perhaps something holding me back? Did I have an hour to spare? The answer was “yes” to all three, so I decided to give NET a try.

I met Jeri at the studio at the appointed time. We sat face-to-face in twochairs. She explained that she would guide me through lists of questions, testing the response of my outstretched arm to see whether or not my body and mind agreed with the statement. That’s called “being congruent” in NET terms. And I could stop at any time that I wanted. Fair enough.

Then Jeri asked what I was there to explore. I said that I wanted to feel more comfortable marketing my business. While I enthusiastically marketothers’ products and services as a major part of my business, I don’t like self-promoting at all.

Jeri began by probing various emotional states that I might be harboring, and gauging my extended arm’s muscle response to her questions. She hit the nail on the head in fewer than five minutes. From there, she gently led me through a series of questions about something in my past that I might be holding onto--maybe an experience that was causing meto shy away from self-marketing in the present.

She tested various statements for a bit and I answered. At several points, Jeri had me rest with my head lowered over my knees so that I could process my feelings. Eventually I arrived at a mental picture and an emotional state I did not have words to express.

Getting to the emotional “knot” (my expression) that I needed to release happened in just 55 minutes. (I understand that different people mayneed different numbers of sessions.)

The beauty of the process was that I didn’t have to put the feelings into words, and I didn’t have to disclose details to Jeri unless I wanted to.

In my case, the source of my “knot” defined my childhood years, so I have long accepted the consequences of a negative situation I didn’t control. But I had not known how that emotion could noticeably influence my reactions in my business life today. I felt that a weight was liftedHow am I doing now? Well, twice in the past month I responded to marketing opportunities immediately and with gusto--instead of hesitating as I would have frequently done in the past. That’s the road to progress as I see it, and it was interesting to deal so quickly with deeply rooted emotions in what I believe was a safe, constructive manner.

The New Food Pyramid

The updated food pyramid that the USDA released in April is certainly getting attention. Much of what’s been written in the press focuses on the positive changes. Two of the helpful improvements: The new pyramid advocates exercise, and the revised guidelines can be personalized to fit your age, gender, and activity level. Check out the useful customization feature at: http://www.mypyramid.gov/.

But the new pyramid is also taking its share of criticism for missing an opportunity to declare which foods ought to be avoided. Take a look at the Healthy Eating Pyramid from the Harvard School of Public Health, if you prefer to see the don’ts as well as the do’s of healthful eating spelled out: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/pyramids.html. You may find its directness easier to digest (pardon the pun).

Fitness Q&A: Ask Cheryl

Q. I have participated in a Pilates mat class as a beginner since January. After the first month or so, I noticed a significant reduction in PMS symptoms that I have experienced most of my adult life. Do other women experience the same benefit?

A. Many things increase the symptoms of PMS. Among them are low fitness level, stress, hormones, overall health, back issues, unstable bloodsugar levels, depression, cramps, and fatigue. Exercise in general helps reduce or stabilize these conditions. Exercising by doing a Pilates class, you gently work the whole body, mind, and spirit; many people find it better than other forms of exercise.

What’s your fitness question? Send it to: cheryl@thewholebodystudio.com.

Salad Day Delights

Oxo Good Grips Salad Spinner (large). At $24.99, this salad spinner may not be the cheapest, but it is the easiest way we know of to wash and dry greens quickly. Even greens that have a lot of dirt clinging to them come clean with a few changes of water. This model is widely available at large retail chains and on the Internet.

Simple homemade vinaigrette. Greens stay fresh tasting when tossed quite sparingly with a homemade vinaigrette dressing made of good extra virgin olive oil, vinegar (balsamic is flavorful, and lets you use more vinegar in relation to oil), salt, and freshly ground black pepper. An optional squeeze or two of fresh lemon adds brightness. Chopped shallot or bottled Dijon mustard are other optional additions.

(Hint: One tablespoon of olive oil has about 120 calories, all from fat. We advise going light on the dressing since a classic vinaigrette calls for one part acid to two or three parts oil. We try to even out this ratio--that’s why balsamic is handy.)

Fresh herbs. Add a layer of flavor by tossing a handful or more of fresh, chopped herbs to the greens. Basil or dill work well. Some people like mint or chives.

Chopped fruit (fresh or dried). Dried cherries, dried cranberries, fresh apple slices, or fresh pear slices are among the possibilities. For instance, add dried cherries and toasted nuts to mixed greens and tomatoes you have dressed with balsamic vinaigrette. This sweet combination provides a lively contrast to a spicy main dish.

Toasted nuts or seeds. Adding a judicious handful of freshly toasted, chopped nuts or seeds just before serving a green salad will make it more substantial.

Tender greens with grilled meats. Transfer completely cooked, marinated chicken chunks directly from your hot grill onto a platter of baby spinach or tender mesclun greens. Slide the contents of a couple of skewers of plain grilled cherry or grape tomatoes onto the platter, too. (A few minutes on the heat really concentrates the sugar in the tomatoes.) Punch up the flavor by scattering any or all of these over the top: chopped fresh herbs, chopped scallions, a squeeze of fresh lemon, freshly ground black pepper.