ISSUE
56
October 2012
Impact.
Insight.
Innovation.
WellToday
this issue
Hazards of Pessimism
Pessimism refers to the mental
state of seeing the worst
aspect of things or believing
that the worst is going to
happen. It signifies lack of hope
or confidence in the future.
Studies show pessimistic
people are prone to get
physical and mental problems
and they are susceptible to
chronic pains and illnesses.
The effects of pessimism are
greater than the development
of negative outlook and lack of
hope. It can contribute to cases
of depression. The feeling that
things will go wrong or nothing
good will ever happen often
triggers depressive thoughts,
and these can lead to more
serious problems like chronic
pain, anger, insomnia, poor
diet, and other mental and
emotional problems.
Aside from depression and
other emotional issues,
pessimism can also result in
physical ailments. This is due
to lack of mindful attention to
their health. Tobacco use, lack
of physical activity, obesity,
high blood pressure and high
cholesterol are some outcomes
often related to a negative
outlook on life.
In contrast, people with an
optimistic viewpoint are usually
in better physical, emotional,
and mental condition, and are
more likely to remain gainfully
employed. This is because they
take care of themselves, they
exercise, they eat to stay
healthy, and they believe in
working for better things in the
future.
P.1: Optimism and Positive Thinking
P.2: Sharing Goals
P.3: Maintain Your Mental Flexibility
P.4: Recipe Corner and Pumpkin Seed Power
Optimism and the Power of Positive Thinking
Optimism comes from the Latin word optimus,
meaning "best," which describes how an optimistic
person is always looking for the best in any situation
and expecting good things to happen. Optimism is the
tendency to believe, expect or hope that things will
turn out well. Even if something bad happens, like the
loss of a job, an optimist sees the silver lining. The
emerging field of positive psychology studies the
positive impact that optimism has on mental health.
Other research shows that optimism may be good for
physical health too—optimists are sick less and live
longer than pessimists. Apparently, a positive outlook
on life strengthens the immune system (and the
body's defenses against illness), cardiovascular
system (optimists have fewer heart attacks), and the
body's ability to handle stress.
Optimists believe that their own actions result in
positive things happening, that they are responsible
for their own happiness, and that they can expect
more good things to happen in the future. Optimists
don’t blame themselves when bad things happen.
They view bad events as results of something outside
of themselves. Optimists tend to share several other
positive characteristics that increase overall
happiness and promote health, while reducing
depression and chronic stress:
They think about, reflect on, and emphasize the
good things in life.
They are grateful and thankful for all their
blessings.
They don’t complain when something bad
happens.
They feel that nothing can hold them back from
achieving success and reaching their goals.
They believe in abundance.
They are confident that the world offers plenty
of opportunities for everyone to succeed.
Luckily, you can change your thinking patterns
over time. Even a pessimist can become an
optimist with enough practice! All you need to do
is to reframe how you define events. Instead of
dwelling on the bad experience, analyze it to figure
out what good can come of it. Even if a project at
work is deemed a failure, think about what you
learned during the process. What strengths did
you discover within yourself, and when can you
use those talents again? Virtually any failure can
be turned into a learning experience, which
increases your potential for success in the future.
Optimism is a skill of emotional intelligence, which
translates to a better career and greater success in
life. Life is too short to be miserable, so start
turning your thinking around! Positive thoughts, an
optimistic outlook, and overall happiness can
advance your prospects for work, relationships,
and other life experiences.
www.sparkpeople.com
De-Stress at Your Desk:
Office Yoga
Downward Facing Dog is one
of the most well known and
widely practiced Yoga poses.
It stretches the entire back of
the body, helping to relieve
tension and fatigue. For the
office, a modified version is
depicted below .
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1) Keep your weight supported
by your feet and then stand
behind your chair with your
hands on the back of the
chair, about shoulder-width
apart.
2) Take a few steps back until
your back and legs are at a
90 degree angle with each
other and you are looking
straight down at the floor.
3) Inhale deeply and as you
exhale, drive your hips and
sitting bones back towards
the wall behind you.
4) Draw your abdominal
muscles in and feel your
spine lengthening.
5) Relax your shoulders and
roll them out and away
from your ears. The base of
the neck will soften and the
head will drop.
6) Stay here for 5 deep
breaths, then slowly walk
your feet forward and stand
up straight.
7) Relax your arms by your
side, standing tall.
Enjoy the newfound freedom
in your body.
Sharing is Achieving
To Succeed, Tell Others About Your Goals
Whether you’re looking to eat healthier, increase
your energy, lose a few pounds, or build up those
“almost there” muscles—it’s good to find a fitness
friend, maybe even several! In fact, experts say
sharing your goals with others is vital to achieving
them. Outside support can give you important
tools—knowledge, insight, moral support, and even
humor—to help you get results.
Don’t be afraid to share your goals with family
and friends. Having those closest to you in on your
plans can mean daily, invaluable support and
assistance. You may even find that they’re willing
to modify their own lives, at least temporarily, to
help out—giving up soft drinks or helping plan
healthy meals, for example. What’s more, just the
fact that you’ve confided in them is a powerful
motivator for helping you remain consistent and
persistent.
Avoid naysayers. For whatever reason, some folks
just have the habit of belittling or ridiculing the
goals of others, whether because they feel
inadequate and threatened, or are simply mean!
You‘re under no obligation to discuss your goals or
action plan with anyone. If you know upfront that
someone will be negative—or even if you discover
it after the fact— steer conversation away from
personal topics.
The simple act of one person saying no to a dessert
can spark someone else to think hard about whether
they really want to indulge.
Don’t expect one fitness buddy to be all things.
Instead, enlist a diverse group of people who can
share your various interests in small ways, whether
swapping healthy recipes, exercising with
enthusiasm, or confiding weight loss secrets. Not only
will that keep you from relying too heavily on one
resource, but it will expand your circle of friends and
keep things fresh as well.
Fit your weight loss needs into your life in small and
varied ways: a healthy pot-luck lunch with
co-workers, an evening walk with your spouse, or a
brief morning chat with your online fitness buddies.
You’ll be helping others while you help yourself.
Remember the old adage that to make a friend you
have to be a friend. Make your fitness friendships
win-win situations by making sure to give something
back.
Sharing your goals with others is a powerful step
towards both clarifying and fulfilling them. Not only
are you more likely to follow though once you’ve
voiced them—you’re more likely to have fun along
the way!
Demonstrate encouragement for the goals your
friends and family want to accomplish. Even
better, come up with some common goals that you
can work on together. There’s strength in numbers.
www.sparkpeople.com
This Month’s Q&A: Ask the Expert
Q:
What time of day should I weigh myself?
When you're trying to lose, maintain, or gain weight, you need to weigh yourself regularly to check your
progress. It doesn't matter what time of day you weigh yourself but it is important to be consistent with
the time. You will often weigh more at night than in the morning because in the morning, after you've
gone to the bathroom, you will have very little undigested or digested food "waiting to leave your body." If
one day you weigh yourself in the morning and the next day you check at night, it'll seem like you gained
weight when you really haven't. The time of day when your weight will be most accurate is in the morning
after you've gone to the bathroom. If you have a scale at home, weigh yourself then. It is also important
to note that since body weight fluctuates daily, it important to keep a long term record of your body
weight. That way, short-term trends can easily be put into perspective. During weight loss attempts, this
can help avoid negative and pessimistic thoughts and unnecessary mental anguish or guilt, which can often
lead to counter-productive behaviors, even in the middle of a successful weight management program!
Maintain Your Mental Flexibility
Learn to Roll with the Punches
When you first start making room for healthy habits in
your busy life, being a stickler can be beneficial—setting
a workout schedule, planning your meals in advance,
saying no to things that get in the way of your goals.
Without giving yourself some rules—and being a little
inflexible—at the beginning, you’ll be likely to fall off
the wagon much more quickly. As you build your habits,
you'll eventually discover that things don't always go
according to your plan. There will undoubtedly be
speed bumps (your favorite exercise class is cancelled),
detours (an unexpectedly long work day), and setbacks
(birthday cake)! If you rigidly follow your plan instead of
being a little flexible once in a while, you could do more
harm than good. If you feel like you’ve become a bit of
a stickler about strict schedules and perfect plans, it
may be time to loosen up and become more flexible.
Here's how:
Accept Your Behavioral History
People often talk about Type-A characteristics as if they
are inherent personality traits. But most people didn’t
become inflexible and a perfectionist overnight. There
have probably been many times in your past when your
perfectionism paid off. The science of behavior holds
that we will continue doing those things that get
recognized, revered, and rewarded. The reason that
you’ve developed so many take-charge tendencies may
be because throughout your life, you’ve received lots of
powerful praise for taking the reins.
Practice Flexible Actions
EXERCISE TIP
Exercise during the work
day improves job performance, research has shown.
Studies show that after
exercising, participants
returned to work more
tolerant of themselves and
more forgiving of their
colleagues. Their work
Set Small Goals For Mental Stretching
Once you’ve spent some time observing and
performance was also
tracking your inflexible behaviors and you’ve
consistently higher, as
started to practice being flexible in certain
shown by better time
situations throughout your day, the next step is to
management and improved
set small goals for mental stretching. Successful
mental sharpness.
dieters set reasonable targets for steady weight
In yoga, if you want to really get a good stretch
and build strength, you’ve got to come to class
regularly and practice your postures, continuously
pushing yourself a little further. Similarly, if you
want to maintain a mellow attitude, you’ve got to
practice stretching beyond the normal limits of
your mental flexibility. Each time you stretch and
try a new way of interacting with your
environment, you become more flexible and it
becomes easier to let go.
loss each week. If you want to keep up your
motivation and see change quickly, choose how
many times you’ll be flexible throughout your day
or week, write down your goal and post it where
you can see it. Be sure to track your practice. As
you see your behaviors moving toward that goal
line each week, you’ll know that you’re moving
toward a lasting change.
If your employer offers
onsite exercise facilities,
start using them as often
as you can. If you don’t
have a gym at your office,
join a local fitness club. At
the very least, bring along
Learn that Failure is Functional
your walking shoes and
Becoming more flexible is a great wellness goal. It take a heart-pumping FREE
Identify Places Where You Can Compromise
takes time to learn to let go and to share some of
walk instead of going out
Perhaps you’re always the first to speak your mind your burdens with others. As you attempt more
for a high-calorie lunch.
in important meetings or you have a habit of
flexible actions each day, notice some of the
jumping to point errors in company
stress being lifted from your life. Sure, there will
After all, taking time to
communications. In order become more flexible, it be days when that pesky perfectionism bug comes exercise could translate
back to sting you. When you fail to be flexible, you
helps to first recognize and record situations
into higher pay if your job
can come to realize your most menacing triggers.
where you most frequently try to steer the ship.
performance improves as a
The next time you’re faced with a similar
Observing your own inflexible behavior lets you
result!
situation, you can try to manipulate the
notice those situations where you could sometimes stand back a bit and let others take the lead.
At this point, you’re not trying to change your
behavior; you're simply becoming aware of the
points in your day where you could opt to be less
rigid. Jot down these situations for future
reference.
circumstances in your favor (e.g., ask for extra
time on big projects or recruit someone to help
make travel plans). Just remember that falling into
inflexible habits for a little while is OK, because
now you’ve got the strategies to go back and
stretch those mental muscles!
www.sparkpeople.com
WEBHEALTH
Use the following resources
to learn more about
October’s topics.
www.sparkpeople.com
www.whfoods.org
Recipe Corner
Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin Seed Power
Subtly sweet and nutty with a
malleable, chewy texture, the
roasted seeds from inside your
Halloween pumpkin are one of the
most nutritious and flavorful seeds
around. While pumpkin seeds are
available year round, they are the
freshest in the fall when pumpkins
are in season.
Pumpkin seeds provide a wide
range of traditional nutrients. They
are a very good source of the
minerals magnesium, manganese,
and phosphorus, and a good
source of iron, copper, protein, and
zinc. Snack on a quarter-cup of
pumpkin seeds and you will receive
over 46% of the daily value for
magnesium, 28% of the DV for
iron, 52% of the DV for manganese,
24% of the DV for copper, 16% of
the DV for protein, and 17% of the
DV for zinc.
The fact that pumpkin seeds serve
as a good source of zinc may
contribute to the role of pumpkin
seeds in support of the prostate
health for men. In addition to
maintaining prostate health,
another reason for older men to
make zinc-rich foods, such as
pumpkin seeds, a regular part of
their healthy way of eating is bone
mineral density. Although
osteoporosis is often thought to be
a disease for which
postmenopausal women are at
highest risk, it is also a potential
problem for older men.
Pumpkin seeds should be stored in
an airtight container in the
refrigerator. While they may stay
edible for several months, they
seem to lose their peak freshness
after about one to two months.
Canned pumpkin puree and whole-wheat flour come together
in this healthy homemade pumpkin bread. The canned
pumpkin helps keep the bread moist and tender. Depending on
your preference, feel free to add a pinch or two of cinnamon,
all spice, and/or nutmeg to season the bread. View more
pumpkin recipes at www.eatingwell.com.
Nutrition Information
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole-wheat flour, preferably white wholewheat
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 cups canned unseasoned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup canola oil
Servings per recipe:
2 loaves, 12 slices each
Amount Per Serving
Calories:
Total Fat:
Saturated Fat:
Protein:
Total Carbs:
Dietary Fiber:
Sodium:
210
5g
1g
4g
38g
2g
377mg
Exchange/Choices:
1 Starch
1 Other Carbohydrate
1 Fat
1/ 2 Vegetable
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray.
2. Stir all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in
a large bowl (add other spices, if desired). Whisk eggs, egg whites, brown sugar,
pumpkin, and oil in another large bowl. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry
ingredients and mix until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans
and smooth the tops.
3. Bake the loaves until the tops are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the
center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Turn
the loaves out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
KYLIE ADAMS THOMAS, MS earned a Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology and is a National
Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist. She has worked as
a wellness coordinator, personal trainer, and currently works as a Corporate Wellness Specialist for Benefit
Controls where she helps create strategic wellness plans for corporate clients across the southeast.
www.whfoods.org
WellToday Issue 56 October 2012