Healthy Expat Parent

Now is the time. You have made a decision and this time REALLY you are going to go on a diet and lose some weight. You are going to cut out all of those bad foods, eat only healthy things, and just get.it.done. I can't tell you how many times I have heard these very phrases, and watched people I know go through the motions, and then fall short of their goals. Now is the time, you just said so yourself. So, what's stopping you? Honestly? You are. Excuses, dragging your f

No, not the big BAD C. We're talking Change. Here we are again, the beginning of yet another new year, a fresh start, a new slate, ‘tis the season for self-reflection and contemplation … New Year’s resolutions time. I know, heave big sigh, woe is you, change is hard. I get it. Or, perhaps more favorably, look at this as your opportunity to take steps towards being even more perfect, even more stellar, and even more awesome. You already are all of those things, so no matt

I love multi-tasking expressions; hey, if I can be a multi-tasker, why can’t a phrase, right? I love it when a phrase transcends its original purpose, and can apply to multiple aspects of your life. (as an aside: I also love Jillian Michaels: she’s a hard-ass, yes, but she also gets results. Isn’t that what we are after in a work-out? You are not looking for a best friend; you are looking for someone to get you over that hump, get you motivated, and get you into whatever

I'd like to say it's Facebook's fault. Or maybe Mac Photos, as it cycles through a never-ending stream of our photo collection as a screen saver on the computer. Pic after adorable pic, each one another trip down memory lane. At any rate, it's hard not to ogle the memory pics, at the past uber-cute moments, reminisce, and wonder why your kids aren't like that any longer. They no longer have fat dimples on their elbows, or toddle around the floor in the semi-drunk fashion

As we near the end of the year, ‘tis the season for self-reflection and contemplation … New Year’s resolutions time. We hear it time and time again: people don't change. Change is hard and to illicit REAL change takes the sort of commitment many are not willing to give. At the same time, here we are again peeking at the incoming new year and we’re asked by every friend, relative and email ad what our resolutions for the New Year are going to be. So it begs one to ask: whic

It’s a mad mad mad mad world. I dare say that this might be the perfect opportunity to make a positive difference. For yourself, for the environment, for someone else … a positive change. Questions to ask yourself. Sometimes there is no underlying reason to reach out other than to add a small bit of kindness where it is lacking, or contribute a hand when it is needed. What can I do to make a difference for another person? It might be a little gesture, even just taking the

The quickest way to change your child’s behavior is to first change your own. Fact: If you are playing tic-tac-toe, and you go second, your odds of winning the game are 1/3. If you go first, 2/3. Why? Because as a second player, you are reacting to the game that the first person is playing; you are basically waiting for the first player to make a mistake (or win the game, as the case may be). What, you may ask, does a child’s game have to do with parenting? My suggestion

It’s the New Year’s resolution time. What to do, what to do. What to change, what to change. Whether you vow to give up your vices (oh, 5 o’clock cocktail how I love thee) or really focus on taking on healthier habits (oh yes, I will work out 5 times a week), you are trying to make a change. So good for you for vowing to make a change. Good for you for wanting to improve yourself. A couple of things to remember: 1. There are no bad foods. There are just inappropriate am

I am a parent coach, rather than a life coach. Translation: my training is more geared toward helping with situations -- difficult and otherwise -- that pertain to parenting. That said, I believe some big decisions and making a change of any sort all fall into one category: hard things to do. I have a great sympathy for those in the face of big decisions or behavior change. This kind of thing is a hard thing to surmount. You have factors to weigh, attitudes to sway, perha

You know, Michael Jackson was on to something with his song, encouraging us to ‘make that change’, but I think he forgot to mention just how hard that can be. Did you know that it generally takes only 3 to 5 days to master a new skill (depending, of course, on the complexity of the skill). Yet it can take from 18 days to a full year to change a habit or behavior. So it’s obviously a lot harder to unlearn a behavior than it is to learn one in the first place. What’s my poi

The quickest way to change your child’s behavior is to first change your own. If you are playing tic-tac-toe, and you go second, your odds of winning the game are 1/3. If you go first, 2/3. Why? Because as a second player, you are reacting to the game that the first person is playing; you are basically waiting for the first player to make a mistake. What, you may ask, does this have to do with parenting? Stop being the one to react; be the one to make the first move. Pla