Courtesy Lisa O’Donnell Wolfe
By Maureen Werther
In 2006, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that many diseases that were a direct result of nutritional deficiencies in populations had increasingly given way to chronic diseases related to dietary imbalances and poor nutritional habits.
At the time, the journal pointed to the need to focus on preventive approaches to healthcare that include assessments of nutritional intake on both the individual and the community levels.
Twelve years later, the need for proper nutritional balance and better dietary choices is more urgent than ever. A 2018 article in U.S. News & World Report stated that 39.6 percent of Americans over age 20 are considered to be obese. The figure is up nearly six percent from 2008.
The health implications for people with obesity are wide-ranging and include diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer, to everyday discomforts such as joint pain, foot and leg pain and difficulty standing or sitting for long periods of time.
Lisa O’Donnell Wolfe has been in the fitness industry for 22 years, going from exercise class teacher to master trainer and health and empowerment coach. In her early 50s, she is also a fitness competitor, something she does for her own self-confidence.
“I want to show my daughter that you can have a healthy and positive body image at any age,” said Wolfe.
In her work as a health and empowerment coach, Wolfe talks to clients about making behavioral changes that will positively impact on their health and wellness—not only on a physical level—but on an emotional and mental level as well.
“Many people turn to food as an emotional response. It can be stress-related, during a tragedy, or even when they’re happy or bored. They make bad choices and then they beat themselves up afterwards,” she said.
Her goal is to work with clients to bring awareness to why they resort to food in response to emotional triggers. She then works with them to find ways to change that behavior and find comfort in other things besides food.
“We talk about what they can do to bring other happy things into their world instead of food. For example, one client with whom Wolfe worked for three months told her that she needed a snack at night. When asked why, the client responded that she felt lonely. Although she was happily married, she and her husband had different TV shows they enjoyed watching, which meant that they spent many evenings in different parts of the house, watching television alone.”
Wolfe suggested that the client try hanging out with her husband instead of trying to find comfort in food.
“Bottom line is, it took the urge for food away,” said Wolfe. “When making behavioral changes, the first step is awareness of the habit pattern, and why, and then we try different techniques to replace it with something else.”
The more they do it, the more they are able to change that old habit pattern, according to Wolfe.
Wolfe said everyone’s body is different and responds differently to different food groups. She recommended keeping a journal as an effective way to determine what foods have negative effects on an individual’s digestive system and overall feelings of health and wellness.
Wolfe does not believe in depriving clients of favorite foods, but she does look at ways to reduce the intake of those foods through frequency and quantity management.
She works with her clients to learn how to read labels properly. For example, most people do not realize that if the sugar level in a food item is less than a certain amount, it may not appear on the nutritional label, but it will appear in the ingredient list.
She works with people to learn how to make simple, yet nutritious and satisfying “grab and go” meals. She is also a proponent of spending a few hours once or twice a week, preparing and freezing meals in advance, adding that it can make “a world of difference” in meeting weight loss or wellness goals.
Deborah Rose, a licensed massage therapist at the Meeting Place at Cherry Street in Glens Falls, said that one of the most important things a person can do throughout the day is consume water.
Rose said that most of her senior clients do not consume enough water.
“Water intake is their biggest mistake. By the time you feel thirsty, you’re already beyond,” she said. Rose also said that many people do not like drinking large quantities of water and she suggests taking a “shot” of water every five minutes.
“If you think about it, you’re getting 3-4 ounces of water each hour that way,” which translates to an adequate consumption of water throughout the day.
Rose stressed the importance to her senior clients of consuming lots of “bright colored” fruits and vegetables, as well as maintaining a healthy level of protein intake. As people age, they lose muscle mass and their skin becomes less elastic. Fueling the body with foods rich in anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins and proteins can help minimize inflammation, which precipitates many diseases.
Dr. Jonathan Gerber, owner of Gerber Chiropractic and creator of the Livewell ADK Ideal Protein Diet program, has worked with people throughout the region to address wellness issues and achieve weight loss goals for the last ten years.
His program includes a four-step protocol, which he likens to “coming to bootcamp” for weight loss and education about proper eating. As someone who safely lost 95 pounds in 18 weeks and has kept it off ever since, he focuses on the amount of sugar being consumed by most Americans, adding that the shift in the late 1960s and 1970s away from fats has “screwed up American’s health.” His program is designed to re-educate people in proper nutrition and re-train them to eat healthy foods in balanced amounts.
Gerber’s said high levels of sugar in most of the food being consumed in the United States is backed up by the statistics on diabetes and heart disease.
Gerber said most people are “addicted” to sugar. The relationship between sugar levels and inflammatory diseases is borne out by studies that are readily available through the American Heart Association, the Journal of the American Medical Association and other reputable sources.
The overarching goal of the program is both weight loss and improved health. By “kicking” the sugar habit and developing eating habits that include protein, healthy fats and greens, most of the people in Gerber’s program have reported increased energy levels, a reduction of health issues and less reliance on a medical model that focuses more on treating the symptoms than addressing the root causes of an illness.