News Flash: the digital “retouching” of images is now the “industry standard” for media publishing. But never fear! This policy does meet with the occasional backlash. Critics say that the digital retouching of images creates an unrealistic standard of beauty and therefore, contributes to body image issues and an increased risk of eating disorders. Much of what those who deal …

I was standing in the grocery store checkout line when my eyes wandered to those dreaded magazines. You know, the ones that claim to reveal the latest celebrity secret for looking good. My eyes finally landed on a stunning picture of Gwyneth Paltrow wearing a bikini top and short shorts with the caption reading “Gwyneth Paltrow’s Healthy Eating Secrets – …

When people learn that I’ve written a book called Happy Calories Don’t Count (neither does unhappy exercise), the first thing I get asked is “What’s a Happy Calorie?” I generally answer this with another question, “what’s an unhappy calorie?” Interestingly, when I pose this question most people seem to “get it.” And then I bring their attention to the subtitle of the book …

I’ve found myself contemplating this passage lately. I’m not sure why. But it seems an appropriate May Day gift to share. This comes from The Inner Game of Tennis, by Timothy Gallwey.  Enjoy! When we plant a rose seed in the earth, we notice that it is small, but we do not criticize it as “rootless and stemless.” We treat it …

I often say that teaching Happy Calories Don’t Count is like pulling you out of the Matrix. Only unlike the movie, the Matrix we’re dealing with can pull you right back in – and often does!! One of the basic tenants of learning theory is to teach by building on frameworks and concepts that people already know. And it is …

In the Happy Calories Don’t Count world, we never exercise to lose weight. Exercise is important, but its purpose is much more profound. We exercise to tune our bodies, to achieve a state of alignment, and to clear the channel. An important consideration of this approach is that we exercise in ways that we enjoy. And we must keep in …

It is often said that “Life is a journey, not a destination.” But when it comes to weight-loss, the journey is the destination. People often embark on a diet and exercise program for the purpose of losing weight. They might restrict their caloric intake, eliminate foods they enjoy, or engage in exercise programs that are not particularly enjoyable simply to get results. …

It’s been said that we are in an “Information Age.” But I ask, is more information necessarily better information? When you consider that our attention spans are getting shorter, and marketers are grabbing every opportunity to catch our attention via ads on Google, YouTube and Facebook, how do we really know what’s important to know? The other night the evening news featured a story …

Many years ago I worked at a place where my co-workers and I had a lot of fun together. We were always laughing and being silly, and our team was still the most productive in the firm. But I’ve never been a practical joker. I don’t know why. Most other people – including my co-workers – seemed to enjoy them, …

Last week I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Daniel Amen speak about brain health, and he made some very interesting points that are quite relevant to the Happy Calories Don’t Count model. He demonstrated how some people’s detrimental thoughts and behaviors could be directly attributed to an unhealthy brain, and then went on to describe changes we could make …