Investigators from the Research Centre in Physical Activity, Health & Leisure in Porto, Portugal conducted a study to analyze the association between blood pressure and (1) body mass index (BMI), (2) degree of physical activity and (3) cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF) in young people.

The study included 66 boys and 97 girls (average age around 14). Measures were taken of blood pressure and cardio-respiratory fitness during the school day, and accelerometers were used to determine degree of physical activity, both during and away from school.

Researchers from the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles conducted a 4-week pilot study to determine whether Interactive Guided Imagery could be effective for stress reduction (and therefore reduce the metabolic disease risk associated with obesity and hypercortisolism) in overweight Latino adolescents.

Belleruth,

This is not a question but a thank you. Your Weight Loss affirmations have been powerful for me. Not even especially for weight loss, but for encouraging a positive approach to life and for helping me let go of the negative energy that I know consumes me sometimes. And, as a musician, I appreciate how the music builds and resolves at critical moments, underscoring the message. The first time I heard ‘ . . the time for reinjuring myself by remembering old wounds is over’ I felt like I'd been hit between the eyes. I repeat it to everyone who needs to hear it (giving you credit, of course). While I still struggle, I hope I am improving ‘more and more’ on my emotional journey. Thank you for helping to guide my way.

Joanne

Question:

Hello Ms. Naparstek.  First, thank you for sharing your wonderful imagery CDs with us. I am enjoying them very much. :)

I bought Self Confidence and Weight Loss , but I have only been listening to Self Confidence so far.  I read in your Archives that you suggest people start with one CD so I reluctantly picked Self- Confidence and have been waiting to start the other. :)

I've been listening for about a week now, not a very long time, I would think. But what makes me very happy is that I've noticed it is easier for me to turn down excess food. So I was curious - do people tend to have other positive side effects when listening to the CDs? Or is the food thing somehow related to Self-Confidence then?  Hey - anything that keeps me out of the lasagna is a GOOD thing! lol :)

Thank you very much again. Wishing you all good things and continued success. :)

Anna

For the past 10 years, I have been a closet binge eater.  Instead of dealing with my sadness, anger, disappointment, and stress, I have shoveled in calories by the thousands.  This coping mechanism has done little except to medicate, cause some serious self-loathing, and propagate a pattern of self-destruction.

Oh, and let’s not forget, catapulting me to a high weight of 353 pounds.

After experiencing some kind of hurt, I would go to the store with the intention of self-medicating.  Food was my drug.  My binge of choice was a large bag of mini chocolate bars, a quart of mocha fudge ice cream, tortilla chips, white cheese dip, and a 2-liter of Coke.  Generally, every last bite of it was gone in less than an hour. 
 

We got this from Dinah, back in the days when we sold guided imagery on tape:

I am a large, Goddess-like woman, about 5’9” and maybe 285 pounds. I love to eat and so do my adult boys, who are also of generous proportions.  Let me be clear: I like the way I look, and so does my boyfriend.  But I started listening to guided imagery for Weight Loss for my health. I wanted to lose around 50 pounds for my blood pressure and my knees.

I kept one tape in my car so I could listen as I drove around (even though I know you are not supposed to) and one at home by my bed, to listen to before falling asleep. It was definitely having an effect on me, because I wasn’t as hungry. I was mellow. The fried foods that I normally adore were starting to feel greasy and unpleasant on my tongue.  Even though I was not getting on the scale (I think that is a bad idea), I could tell from my clothes that I was losing weight.  I had more energy too.  But that is not what this tale is about.

Dear Belleruth, Health Journeys and friends,

I am a post-menopausal, 57-year-old woman from Iowa who long ago gave up the battle to achieve slimness.  My husband and I have always liked my healthy, robust, well-larded, corn-fed look, but I recently started having problems with my knees and back.