Lisa Checking In:

January 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Can you believe it?  Where DID 2011 go?

Hello to my incoming WINTER 2012 OCC Students.    
And to my former students…KEEP IN TOUCH! Many have and I really enjoy it.  

I’m sorry I’ve been behind on my “checking in” and tips.  It’s been a very busy couple months with clients, projects, finals, grading and the death of my dear Aunt Mary.  I know she is in a better place but her storytelling and laughter will be missed.  I’m sure she was greeted by many and is celebrating a body able to move freely. 

I will be adding a new icon to my site just for diabetes.  I have so many handouts I’ve created I’d like to keep them all in one place on my site as I update things.

Thank you to Gina, my intern who just finished her rotation.  SO MUCH HELP! She helped me complete the EXTENSIVE vegetarian list and exchanges for my diabetics AND all my OA and HOW members.  Will have it posted this month!  

My former intern (now assistant) Julie, is an RD now and the “dietitian on a mission”
The vitamin D notes for the nutrition tip DEC 2010 are from a national conference Julie went to in Boston.  You will see other tips from her too.

I also have the link to Michael Prager’s weight release (and other substances) success story chronicled in Fat Boy Thin Man. What an inspiration.  I’ve talked to him on the phone, emailed and am honored to be a resource in his book.   This link is from my Nov 2010 nutrition tip.     

I am teaching a nutrition class at OCC (Oakland Community College- Royal Oak campus) I am teaching from 9:00 -12:00 and 1:00-4:00 every Thursday for the WINTER semester, so this is a day for students and I won’t have as much cell phone or email availability. Thanks for your patience and understanding ahead of time.  It’s a 3 credit required class for all nursing students and allied health fields.  I have a lot of stories and situations I’m able to share with them it is going very well.  I had wanted to teach college for a while now, so it’s a dream come true.  Can’t believe this is my 8th semester already. I hope my students feel the same way.  Thank you for your love notes on the back of the final exams fall classes. 

The HEA 1510 WINTER 2012 ICON on my website is for my students.  I will be posting their study guides and info there.

I did a Podcast interview with Dr Paula M. Scully which is now running on www.ALLtheRAGEradio.com
Her other site is www.DreamBoldLiveBold.com

Topics this month:     

Recipe:  Roquefort Noodles- adapted from southern living
Exercise:  Outdoor exercise safety tips
Nutrition Tip:  A listing of many vegetarian meals and how they will count on the exchange system and for OA members

The questionnaire I use for my new OA and OA/HOW members is under the icon especially for you.  Let me know if you can’t pull it up, l email it to you.   SICK DAY MEAL PLANS ARE AVAILABLE THERE TOO and now COLONOSCOPY PREPARATION PLANS and now TRAVEL TIPS.   How to count vegetarian packaged foods to come…..  I also just added a TOOL KIT with many OA approved links.

I’d like to use my OA and OA/HOW site for sponsors and sponsee’s to potentially hook up or just as a way to link members who have unique or unusual health or life issues.  I’m also looking for recipes from members to post in this section.  If you have good ones, send them on! I try to pick recipes of the month that are safe for most.
My email is: lisa@lisamerrill.com  (note…2 R’s and 2 L’s in merrill)  

Continuous hello’s to all my new Local, Out-Of-State, Canadian, Alaskan, Korean, Puerto Rican, British, French, and now Japan   OA and OA/HOW members!  I’ve worked with over 1500 of you now!!!!!  (I’ve kinda lost count now)  
I’m enjoying all the accents and learning about your interesting “local” foods.
By the way, I’m in the Detroit Area…and on EASTERN Time Zone.  
Your before and after pictures are inspirations too!!!  Keep em coming!

If you want a copy of my notes from the OA convention email me and I will send you them.

Note from Aug 08 Nutrition Tip (just go to the archives)
This is a very powerful letter a recovering anorexic wrote to her eating disorder (ED).  It’s beautifully done and painfully honest.  It will make you understand how this terrible disease gets a grip on people and how hard they have to work to kick it in the butt.  I am also posting it as encouragement for others who are struggling with eating disorders. This letter is used with permission but kept anonymous.   JULY 2010 is another letter from someone else, and this Aug 2010 nutrition tip has more helpful links.

How to access my archived tips:
For each tip of the month, scroll down to the bottom of that page…you’ll see the bold line then the word Nutrition, Exercise or Recipe Archives…Just click on that and the titles of all my topics for that category will show up.  You can then click on the title you’re interested in and my archived tip will come up.   Some months may be missing because I updated topics or redid some handouts and they were re-posted.    For the archives BEFORE June 09 tips scroll to the bottom of the latest tip of the month and there will be PAST ARCHIVE TIPS and you can click on that.

Remember, I’m always looking for ideas for my site!!! 

If you’ve sent me emails and I didn’t respond (I ALWAYS respond), call me/text me and let me know 734-502-8264.

We’re all a work in progress.  Fitness and being healthy is a journey, not just an event.        

Health and Happiness for 2012!!!!!  I feel like I just said this for 2011.  Pray for safe weather and travels and an easy winter!

~ XOXO  Lisa

PS.  Check out my beautiful fuzz faced four legged “boys” in the About Lisa Section.  
I finally got the updated photo thing done.  I hate sitting for photo shoots.  (Yuck!)  Growing the hair out by the way (to donate again)   Children with hair loss – a local charity.