Lifestyle coach: 'Make Social Cues Work for You'

Social cues can be a powerful force as triggers for behavior, including healthy living.

"Social cues are occasions that trigger us to behave in a certain way when we're around other people," stated Miranda Anderson, Essentia Health-St. Joseph's Medical Center marketing and community relations. "For example, watching a football game with friends is a social cue for many people to eat snacks and drink beer or soda. Social cues sometimes make it hard to stay on track with healthy goals.

"Our responses to social cues are usually habits we've formed over a long time. Usually those habits are hard to change."

The best way to overcome social cues may be to stay away from them. But staying away is not always possible. In such a case, people can try changing the cue or responding differently to it.

"Not all social cues are problems, however. Some social cues will help you eat healthier and be more active," Anderson stated.

Social cues are particularly strong at special events such as parties, holidays, or vacations.

"In addition, having guests in our home or being a guest in someone else's home can give us an excuse to overeat," Anderson noted, pulling information from the National Diabetes Prevention Program. One way to counter those social cues is to try to expect the difficulties that may occur, and plan ahead.

"Remember that it takes time to break an old habit or to build a new one," Anderson stated. "Change does not happen overnight. With social cues, at least two people are involved in making a change: you and someone else.

"Having another person involved makes the change more difficult because we cannot expect other people to adjust instantly to our new way of thinking. Stay positive. Think of every social event as a chance to learn what works well for you and what does not.

"Remember, you are building healthy habits for a lifetime."

Tips

• Move to a different room when someone is eating a tempting food.

• Spend time with people in ways that do not involve eating.

• Tell others about your efforts to lose weight and be more active.

• Eat something before the event, so you won't be hungry.

• Keep your hands busy with a glass of water, coffee, tea, or diet soda.

• Clear the table as soon as possible after a meal, and put the food away.

• Watch the alcohol. It lowers your willpower and makes you hungry.

• Spend time with people who are already active and make healthy food choices.

• Bring a low-fat or low-calorie dish to share when you go to a dinner party.

Take part in the Monday health chat for more tips

Jackie Thurlow, lifestyle coach, will talk about the power of social cues during the Monday noon-hour online health chat. Thurlow grew up in the Brainerd lakes area and attend Brainerd Senior High School where she graduated in 2011. From there she attended Minnesota State University-Mankato. In December of 2015, she graduated with her bachelor's of science degree in community health education, and within the next year will be receiving her minor in nonprofit leadership.

During the fall semester of her final year in her program, Thurlow interned for Crow Wing Energized and became certified as a lifestyle coach for the National Diabetes Prevention Program. She is now the coordinator for the NDPP classes within the central region for Essentia Health and works as a community health specialist for Crow Wing Energized.

Thurlow will be the guest lifestyle coach for the Dispatch online social media hour Monday. She will also be the Lunch and Learn presenter Thursday at the Brainerd Public Library.

As part of the Your Energized Year to help people reach health goals to move more, eat more healthy foods and lose weight, the Dispatch is hosting a live social media event from noon to 1 p.m. Mondays through June 6, to give readers an opportunity to send in questions, via email to getfit@brainerddispatch.com , via Twitter to @brd_dispatch or via the Dispatch Facebook page.

Follow the conversation online through Twitter or the Dispatch Facebook page by using the hashtag #getfit. The social media event allows participants to ask questions, present challenges or share successes and get real-time feedback online. The Dispatch is also setting up a library of videos from the health chats to help provide tips to make this a summer of fitness.