growth mindset >

enjoying the holiday season is easier with the right mindset

Last week we introduced “Decembering” with intention — we even started a challenge! Check it out, it’s not too late to participate (hint: this challenge is one you can take with you, beyond January 2025). Daily reflection, even if it’s just in your thoughts, or in a journal if you can manage it, is key to awareness and being intentional with your movement, nutrition and behavior. Anne and I realized, as we put together our Noos Challenge, that these are questions we ponder daily. Even when we don’t prioritize whole foods, move our bodies, or get our habits just right (we are all human after all!) — the reflection piece is what helps us stay on track. Being mindful about our choices, and how they make us feel, is how we raise awareness of our habits. Being aware leads to positive behavior change. As you think about the Noos daily challenge, let us know how it goes for you! We are sure it will make a positive impact on your month, and hopefully will be something you can take with you into 2025 and beyond.

Today we explore sensory specific satiety (it’s a great time of year to think about this one!), how many workouts a week it takes to maintain your fitness, and the importance of having a growth mindset. We are here to support you and encourage you to make choices that help you feel good! We hope our Noosletters keep you company while you enjoy the holidays this year.

As always, if you’re enjoying what you’re reading, please click the ❤️ at the top or bottom of the post — more ❤️’s = more readers will find us (hacking the substack algorithm!)

Nutrition

Before Thanksgiving, I was reading with my son who was finishing the book, My Side of the Mountain. Moments spent reading together feel fleeting, as he’s entering the “pre-teen” phase. The last time I read the story was probably when I was Robert’s age. It’s fun getting to re-read novels now with plenty more enjoyment while noticing elements I’d missed at the tender age of ten. In an effort to not lose most of you, the story is about a 12-year-old boy who goes to live alone in the woods of the Catskill mountains.

There was one particular part I came across that I had to re-read a few times: “for the next week I craved liver, and ate all I could get. The tiredness ended, the bones stopped aching and I had no more nosebleeds. Hunger is a funny thing. It has a kind of intelligence all its own.”

Read that last sentence again, it has a kind of intelligence all its own. I thought to myself, yes it does, but we rarely take the time to listen. Isolated in the forest, Sam spent his days in quiet solitude (with the exception of talking to the animals) and deep reflection. He spent most of his time hunting and gathering — eating for survival. I imagine his hunger was crystal clear without any of the noise we experience in today’s society.

While eating is necessary for survival, our eating behaviors are strongly influenced by features independent of energy needs. What sways us/our appetite/eating patterns most these days are the characteristics of available food and the environment we live in.

Over the holidays, there tends to be more food, especially foods that are more decadent and palatable. Remember, flavorful foods can override our body's natural satiety signals, causing us to eat more than necessary. During this time of year, utilizing the tool of Sensory Specific Satiety (SSS) can be helpful. We talked about it in a past Noosletter. Let’s face it, we’re going to be confronted with lots of tasty foods over the next few weeks, so trying to hone in on our hunger cues and SSS is necessary. Neurons respond strongly at the beginning of an eating episode and become less responsive as satiety for a specific food is reached.

Sometimes all you need is a few bites. They are usually the most enjoyable ones after all.

As interest diminishes for one food, neurons remain capable of a reward response to other foods. Having a variety of foods available may lead to increased consumption. Think of all the different options at parties, dinners, and cookie swaps (yes, they still have those!). Be present and cognitive of this — having a variety of foods available (especially highly pleasurable ones!) may lead to increased consumption.

Only you can answer those questions. As humans, it’s natural to crave and seek out highly palatable and pleasurable foods. These joyous, celebratory times filled with decadent foods, drinks and merriment are a very stark contrast to Sam’s Christmas spent wrapped in nature's beauty. But, if you take the time to listen to your body, you can learn to respond to its needs.

Movement

Movement is typically the first thing to go during the holidays. When that slips off the priority list, and lack of exercise is paired with richer foods (and/or more drinks) and upended routines, the climb back to normalcy in January feels even steeper.

Been there, done that — not fun!

Prioritizing yourself and your health is key, especially when things are busier or out of the usual (I’m reminding myself, as I write!). If you don’t have time for a full 45 minute strength class or a run, or whatever your “usual programming” is, do what you can.

Something is better than nothing, and if you are intentional about it, and really think about what your body is doing, you can get a lot accomplished in just a little time.

Two encouraging studies come to mind. The first suggests that by imagining your muscles flexing, you will gain strength. In the study, pinky finger abductors and elbow flexors were measured, and both got stronger when participants engaged in the mind-body connection! Just by thinking about moving their finger and elbow, muscle strength increased. I would suggest doing more than imagining a workout (lol), but if you are intentional with your movements, you will feel the difference!!

The second study shows that when participants just “maintained” their fitness, by only working out once a week for three months, they kept their muscle mass. So, even if you are exercising less, you can still maintain your fitness for a short period of time. This study is great to think about when your week is flying by and you haven’t moved as much as you would have liked.

Instead of giving up on the week (“I’ll start again monday”/”I’ll pick this up in January when things slow down”), keep a foot in the door with a workout. Even once a week will make a difference!

These studies aren’t to discourage you from working out, or let you off the hook by any means 🤣, but rather, I hope you can maintain a fitness routine during a time when it’s easy to go off the rails. Doing something is always better than nothing, and if you are intentional about it, even better. You won’t regret it.

Behavior

While rereading the nutrition piece, I couldn't help but think about my son and his reading journey. At this point, he really doesn’t love it and at times, struggles. We've explored numerous genres and had heart-to-heart talks about the importance of reading, but books still feel like a chore to him, making the whole experience far from enjoyable.

However, there is a central theme that recurs in these discussions — it’s that his effort is what counts the most. Failure is inevitable. Our strengths are all different, but we learn the most when faced with challenges. I try to reframe it with enthusiasm: “how lucky are you to be challenged with such an important life skill — more opportunity to learn and grow!!” Usually with an exaggerated eye roll (and the likelihood of my speech going right over his head), he’ll huff and puff out of the room. To reassure myself I am using “the right approach” (because that’s what we do as parents, is second guess every decision we make!), I find comfort by trying to instill in him a growth mindset.

In my previous work as a teacher, we explored different ways to nurture young minds, which inevitably led me to the work and studies of Carol Dweck. Dweck’s research on growth mindset really resonated – she found that students’ mindsets—how they perceive their abilities—played a key role in their motivation and achievement. Teaching them that failure isn’t permanent, that the brain changes and grows in response to challenge, and encouraging them to persevere when faced with failure, instills a “growth mindset” and resiliency to learn and get better.

As the name suggests, a growth mindset encourages growth when faced with a challenge, rather than shutting down or quitting. The opposite is a fixed mindset, or the belief that one’s skills are innate and cannot be improved with effort. A fixed mindset leads a person to avoid challenges, or give up quickly — typically with an “all or nothing” approach.

Ok great, Anne, that’s a wonderful tool to use when working with kids, but how does this relate to me?!

Stick with me…this time of year there is plenty of encouragement and optimistic sentiments. But, there are just as many (or even more) feelings of defeat, discouragement, and even failure. Time and time again, I hear patients say “what’s the point, I already blew it” or “ it’s too hard (sticking to their plan) this time of year with all the temptations” or “ I can’t get back on track after I mess up.”

Here is where the growth mindset comes into play.

You now know that challenges are good — that your brain will actually grow in response to challenges!

It makes me think of a quote we shared recently: “The place where your greatest discomfort lies is also the spot where your largest opportunity lives.”

failure isn’t a permanent condition

Continue to “December with intention” using a growth mindset. When faced with challenges, rather than throwing in the towel, reflect on what you can do differently next time (tomorrow, next meal, next workout, next opportunity). Focusing on what you can learn, rather than what you have messed up will help keep you on track. A growth mindset will keep you feeling positive as you face the inevitable challenges this holiday season (and beyond!).

This week we will be sending out the December Q&A! We received so many great questions from you all and can’t wait to share our answers. Q&A’s are a paid subscriber feature, so if you are curious about checking it out, consider upgrading to paid.

As always, if you’re enjoying what you’re reading, please click the ❤️ at the top or bottom of the post — more ❤️’s = more readers will find us (hacking the substack algorithm!)

Until next time…