The Green Mountain Diaries – Day 1

Hey guys!

I’m considering yesterday “Day 0″ in my chronicles of Green Mountain because it was a travel day and it, frankly, sucked a whole lot until about 8 p.m. EST when I arrived safely, though still wiping away tears, in Rutland, VT.

Since a couple people have asked me what my big fancy words mean when I describe Green Mountain as “a retreat for physical and cognitive development towards intuitive eating and intrinsic exercise,” allow me to break down the philosophy to a few simple points [and keep in mind, these are my interpretations of the philosophy based on my limited stay here coupled with my extensive research on intuitive eating/intrinsic exercise]:

• dieting is a completely unsustainable and unhealthy way to approach health. Dieting usually entails body-hate, shame, guilt, and eating as a means to a weight goal, not a health goal. Green Mountain at Fox Run’s philosophy is antithetical to this because it promotes self-acceptance and holistic health.
• intuitive eating brings you back to your body in a non-judgmental way. You learn, and learn to get in the habit of, listening to your biological hunger cues, being present, eating because you’re hungry and also accepting that sometimes we eat just because we love it (& can do so in an organized fashion). Feelings of guilt and deprivation only fuel negative behavioral cycles, so GMAFR teaches its participants to stop negative self-talk and feelings on shame. One of the things that I find so interesting about this approach is that order and structure in meal consumption are encouraged because they create an environment conducive to mindfulness. This is the reason there are no TVs in the bedrooms at GMAFR and the reason there will be two “silent meals” this week (yes, we will literally be eating in silence. Won’t that be a trip?!). Today alone was a bit weird for me to actually sit down and eat a meal. I am a snacker. And even now as I sit in my room, I feel the nagging urge to much and snack. It almost feels like withdrawals.
• the goal is health – not a number on the scale – and people can be healthy at a variety of sizes (this is the basic premise of the Health at Every Size movement)
• you should find a relationship with food and exercise that fills you with health AND pleasure. You are not just a body! Find ways of moving your body that make you feel connected to, and loving towards, your self. This approach is all about sustainability. We can all go to a boot camp and lose 5 pounds in a week because a drill Sargent is kicking our ass around a track field and sprinkling laxatives into our low-calorie protein shakes. The point is – you know when you leave that boot camp your ass going to re-gain those 5 lbs and probably 5 more from emotional eating after a traumatic experience. Green Mountain gives you both the psychological AND physical tools (simple things, too, like teaching you how to do simple exercises if you haven’t exercised in a long time or have limited mobility).

You guys know I have expressed my desire to be an intuitive eater but have also been a bit of a skeptic (based purely on my inability to become one overnight. Gotta love those unreasonable expectations! ) So, I am very excited to see what progress I can make this week.

Today was a very relaxing day. I have met all of the other guests here and feel each one has such a unique story and perspective and a level of empathy that is almost shocking because it’s so pure.There is no one “type” that is here, but there is a common ground – everyone here sees the intuitive eating/intrinsic movement model of self-love and holistic health as the path they want to take.

The program here it at GMAFR is particularly interesting from a theoretical standpoint in that it’s all about choice and empowerment. There is no one measuring your food and making sure you don’t go back for seconds. You are given a suggestion – the plate model, which is pretty much like the Harvard Plate model, pictured below:

…and there are general tips you are given such as asking yourself if you are still hungry. And if so, there is a “Hunger Hutch” where fruit is readily available throughout the day (the kitchen is only open during designated meal times). You are given a schedule with options for fitness classes, but, again, no one is going to knock on your door and force you to the class or take roll when class begins to see who’s missing. And isn’t that true to life? One of the greatest things Barbara said today (I’ll introduce Barbara below) is that “more nutrition info is not what we need.” So while the plate model is encouraged and GMAFR does serve healthful food, they are also not going to assign values of “good” and “bad” to food. Flexibility & choice are what is encouraged.

Tonight, those of us who are starting new this week (there are others who have already been here a week or two), had our orientation and got our schedule for the week.We met Barbara Meyer, PhD, GMAFR’s program director who has an interesting background. She’s has a PhD in health education and spent years teaching health & fitness classes and had a revelation one day that the classes she was teaching were complicit in the sort of negative self-talk that has become fitness industry standard. She is now, clearly, teaching the very opposite practice: one of mind-body-soul connection. In fact, she has taught nia for the past 15 years. I only know about Nia (a sensory-based movement practice) because I love to watch crap reality TV reruns like it’s no one’s business and saw the chicks on America’s Next Top Model take a class. I am hoping to fit a nia class into my schedule this week! One of the things Barbara said in orientation really stuck with me and that was her belief that the majority of us were “care takers” – the type of people who put the needs of other’s first. And boy did that cause a moment of “hmm. shit” aka reflection. Good food for thought. You can “meet” Barbara and also get an intro to nia from here.

I also had a fitness assessment “test” today. It is not part of the program to weigh and measure guests who will only be staying a week and, thankfully, weighing and measuring is 100% optional for all of the participants no matter how long they’re staying. I did manage to get some measurements that are definitely more indicative of health than lbs, such as my blood pressure and  heart rate. My HR was 6.6. And my blood pressure was 98/70. I don’t know exactly what that translates to except that it’s good.

After the orientation and fitness assessment, I watched part of the Golden Globes with a few of my new pals and now I’m officially beat. Sending kisses off to my boyfriend and Kahlua and setting my alarm to make 7 a.m. stretching tomorrow morning.

This is the life.

If you didn’t catch my photos of GMAFR, you can check out my album here or watch my silly, lisp-filled video tour of my room here (complete with audio feedback. I am such a pro blogger! )

<3,

The Cranky One

Tags: dieting, green mountain at fox run, intrinsic exercise, intuitive eating, mindful eating, the harvard plate