My Happy Me.com

By: Liliya Vafina

Oh, wow, thank you all very much for your interest in such a serious topic as online nutrition counseling! I was very pleased to receive a great number of responses from YOU and today I am going to share what the majority of you thought and my own view on this subject.  And I promise to keep my posts light for a while after this one

All right, just a reminder that the survey consisted of 7 multiple choice questions and one question requiring a comment.  In response to the first question, 100% of you thought that online nutrition counseling will in fact become common in the future.  83% of you thought that benefits of nutrition consulting can be achieved online with majority of votes allocated to video call, email and chat as the most effective technology. With regards to security of online technology (keeping in mind that nutrition counseling can be a very sensitive and private matter), majority of you said that video call and email were the most secure means of online communication.  Then I went on to learn a bit about you as to how busy you were, what your family was like, and so on.  The majority of you are married without kids who work 40-50 hour work weeks. Then I asked you to imagine that you needed a bit of nutrition advice or, perhaps, encouragement about healthy eating, and you were to tell me you preference, online or face-to-face counseling.  The answers split exactly 50/50. Some of you felt concerned about the possibility of building a working relationship with the counselor online and some of you were really excited about the opportunity to save time by doing counseling sessions online from the comfort and convenience of your own home. Well, thank you very much again for participating in this survey!

Personally, I am a big fan of online technology. I think tremendous progress has been achieved in technology already and it is only going to advance so that it is very easy to create environment that imitates a one-to-one session between a counselor and a patient.  Online counseling offers the benefit of having a wider choice of nutritionists to choose from, not necessarily limited to the area where you live or without a hassle of travelling further away in case a suitable counselor is not available close-by, or to have to skip a session due to a business trip, jeopardizing your progress due to a lack of support. Time is just so valuable nowadays, not everybody can afford regular face-to-face check-ins with their nutrition coach. On the other hand, unhealthy eating habits quickly emerge as the top cause of major medical problems running in our society, putting healthy eating on top of our priority lists. It only makes sense for professionals in the field to adapt and facilitate the process by learning required skills and utilizing new technology to meet these ever evolving demands.  That’s why I was very pleased to see that most of people who answered the survey were very optimistic and open-minded about online technology and nutrition therapy Please leave a comment if you have any other thoughts on this topic. Talk soon!

By: Liliya Vafina, Nutritionist

Those of you who follow me on Facebook probably know that Kathy King has been the source of my current fascination. Kathy King is a dietitian, entrepreneur, author and a great business coach with tremendous experience behind her back.  Today, I’d like to talk about online nutrition counseling, a very controversial topic I recently came across in one of her books .  Apparently, counseling by email is becoming more and more prominent in today’s global world where people travel frequently, work around the clock, juggling careers, families and busy social lives.  With all of that, fitting regular one-to-one nutrition counseling sessions is proving to be difficult. The associated lack of commitment to nutrition therapy results in frustration and loss of motivation as health goals are not being achieved while money is being spent.  It seems inevitable that online technologies will grow in the future to facilitate our increasingly global lifestyles, but is it possible to build trusting working counselor-patient relationships via email or other online technology? Are there techniques that allow a nutrition counselor to influence and motivate beneficial behavioral change in their patients/clients to drive desirable results online?

I’d like to ask your opinion about this approach to nutrition therapy. It doesn’t matter if you have ever used/considered or never used/considered nutrition counseling services in your life, I want to hear your thoughts.  Please take a few minutes to answer (anonymously!) the survey questions (see link below). I will be collecting submissions for the next two weeks after which I will promptly share my thoughts on the survey results. Thanks for your time!

Click here to take survey

Throughout history, a variety of outside influences and internal preferences have motivated people across the globe concerning their choices in clothing. The type of clothing we own and wear every day defines our status, personal style and comfort level. You can tell a lot about a man or a woman by simply looking at what they wear. This is true for both, everyday life clothing choices and their professional and corporate clothing preferences.

So, what exactly motivates our clothing choices?

Personality

It’s not a secret that every person has his/her own personality type, introvert or extravert. Introverts are usually more concerned with the inner world of the mind, they like spending quiet time alone, reading, or playing computer games, anything that does not involve socializing with other people. Individuals of this type of personality do not like being the centre of attention and this is typically expressed through their clothing style as well. Introvert normally wears simple trousers and sweaters, and comfort is definitely a priority when buying new clothes.

Extravert on the other hand is a person who is outgoing, assertive, and very social. Extraverts like to show off their personality and love expressing themselves via their clothing. You can easily spot an extravert wearing the most progressive and fashionable pieces of clothing. Extraverts prefer to stick to their own personal style even in a work place.

Cultural Factors

It is true; our cultural differences define our unique personalities, our views and beliefs, but also our clothing choices. In this multi-cultural society we live in today it is very important to respect other people’s cultural diversity and authenticity. The way we dress in a work place is different for different religious and cultural groups. For instance, some Muslim cultures expect women to cover most of their body while in public.

Naturally, there are a number of other factors that influence our clothing choices and help us express our personality through our attire, wither it is our everyday clothing or professional and corporate clothing choices.

The fall is officially here in full swing and so are the umbrellas on the crowded rainy city streets. So, is there such a thing as umbrella etiquette? Should we follow some umbrella rules while out there, hiding from the rain? The answer is yes. There are some simple courtesy rules you should follow to stay polite and not annoy other pedestrians with your inappropriate umbrella manners. See, a rainy, grey day does add some gloom to our moods, so by merely eliminating a couple of your bad umbrella habits you will successfully avoid those irritated looks, and make your life easier in some way.

1)    Be courteous when passing someone on a sidewalk. Some people love huge umbrellas, but they forget that their umbrellas are as wide as the sidewalk itself. If you see someone approaching you, just lift your umbrella up or sideways to avoid the umbrella collision.

2)    Do not bring your umbrella in a clothing store or an office with you. Most stores and offices have convenient umbrella stands right at the entrance door. Leave your umbrella in a vertical position and you will actually prolong its life by letting it dry before you head out back in the rain.

3)    Do not open your umbrella during sporting events. If you are heading out to a ball game, and you know that it is going to rain, make sure you dress appropriately in a wide-hooded waterproof or water-resistant jacket. There is nothing more annoying than an open umbrella in front of you that is blocking the view.

4)    Keep your umbrella upright; even if it’s windy, you need to see what is going on in front of you. Unless you have a clear, see-though umbrella, it is not ok to pretend that you are a medieval knight and your umbrella is your shield.

5)    Finally, be kind and offer to share your umbrella with someone who does not have one and is walking in the same direction as you are. It might be just a couple of blocks, but it is still a nice gesture and good karma too.

Be courteous and be kind out there and the rainy season will look a little bit brighter for everyone.

The fall is officially here, and so is the rain season. Everyone is getting their dusty umbrellas out only to notice that their umbrellas are not in the best shape and it’s actually embarrassing to go out with this broken parody on something that used to be a nice umbrella. So, what happened? Well, it seems like it broke last season, and you were too lazy to get a new one. You use it only when it rains after all… You thought that it’s not THAT important to have a nice umbrella. Wrong!

Windproof Umbrella

1) Your umbrella is your accessory. It’s like a nice watch or a belt, or freshly polished shoes. You can tell a lot about a person by his/her umbrella.

2) A fine umbrella will not only help you to stay dry, but will also cheer you up (if it’s a bright, multi coloured kind). It’s proven that bright colours improve people’s mood, especially on a grey rainy day.

3) Your umbrella is your fashion statement. You can match your umbrella to your outfit, or your rain boots. Coach provides a wide range of brightly coloured matching boots and umbrellas.

4) Umbrellas are great gifts and an advertising medium. Put your logo or your mission statement on a high quality umbrella and here’s your effective “walking advertising” for you.

So, don’t underestimate your good, old umbrella, or better yet, get a new, high quality umbrella and enjoy using it during this season. Our life is made of those little, simple pleasures, even if it’s only the joy of having a trusted, quality windproof umbrella.