Best Foot (And Other Parts) Forward: Tips for Presenting Your Authentic Self

1. Best Foot (And Other Parts) Forward:Tips for Presenting Your Authentic Self Meridan Zerner M.S., R.D.,C.S.S.D., L.D. Cooper Clinic

2. Objectives Learn the basics of overall wellness and how that supports your “best self” goals. Discover how sleep and stress play a role in your perspective, energy and presentation Review tips for showcasing your wonderful qualities and interests Develop your personal action plan for achieving a positive rush experience…and remember, you are WORTHY!

3. Definition of Worthy • Having worth or value; honorable; meritorious • Having sufficient worth or importance - worthy to be remembered

4. A Deeper Dive… • How many of us really believe we are worthy? • In our culture, many people believe they are not “enough” so they do more, try to achieve more, and try to acquire more…and that makes them worthy. And if they feel they don’t measure up, then there’s a feeling of shame. THE TRUTH • Each human being is inherently worthy. • Truly take this in: You are inherently worthy. Before you ever do, achieve, or acquire, you are worthy. You are born worthy. And you are loved.

5. An Invitation • The Humanistic belief is if we accept ourselves as we are now, we naturally move towards health and wholeness. • Thus by not fighting against ourselves and accepting who we are in the moment (even if we aren't “perfect”), we can compassionately let go or modify undesired aspects of ourselves and become more authentic. • It is an invitation for an open-hearted acceptance and honest inventory of who we are now, what our strengths are and who we want to become…

7. VIA Signature Strengths Testwww.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu • Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive • Curiosity • Humor • Zest/energy • Capacity to love • Teamwork/and loyalty

10. “There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: What we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it.” ~ Dale Carnegie ~

11. 30 seconds…mark, set, GO!

12. Verbal Vs. Nonverbal • Only 7% of communication is through speech!

13. Posture Tells the Story • The brain is hardwired to equate power with the amount of space people take up. Standing up straight with your shoulders back is a power position • Slouching, on the other hand, is the result of collapsing your form; it appears to take up less space and projects less power • Maintaining good posture commands respect and promotes engagement

14. Power Pose • To boost your confidence, assume a power poseResearch at Harvard and Columbia Business Schools shows that simply holding your body in expansive, “high-power” poses (standing with legs and arms placed wide and open) for as little as two minutes lowers levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. • Try this when you’re feeling tentative but want to appear confident. The study also found that people are more often influenced by how they feel about you than by what you're saying.

15. The “Eyes” Have It • Pretend your eyes are glued to your conversation partner's with sticky warm taffy…even after they've finished speaking, don't break eye contact • When you must look away, do it ever so slowly, as if stretching the gooey taffy until the string finally breaks • In a case study, subjects reported significantly higher feelings of respect and fondness for their colleagues who used this technique

16. Mirroring • Copying body language is a good thing • Mirroring body language is something we do unconsciously when we feel a bond with the other person • It’s a sign that the conversation is going well and that the other party is receptive to your message

17. Control the Communication • Control the session/conversation • Answer the question and then bridge back to your key message points • Know your 3 key message points! (Think elevator speak condensed in to 3 bullets)

18. Things to Reconsider • Don’t rely on reputations • Don’t say that you are only going through rush because your mother made you do it • Don’t talk about drinking, partying or drugs • Don’t gossip or disparage another sorority • Don’t complain

19. Hair and Make-Up • Less is more • Know your best colors • Get a lesson • 3 essentials • Concealer • Powder • Mascara

20. Your Health Shows Through

21. Wellness Strategy Sleep/Stress Management Exercise Nutrition

23. Got Stress?

24. Stress = Fight or Flight • Two reactions to stress: Fight or Flight • Stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol flood the body • 22% increase in ghrelin, the hunger hormone; decrease in leptin, the fullness hormone

25. Stress Hormones and Your Waist • Cortisol directly effects fat storage and weight gain in stressed individuals. Tissue cortisol concentrations are controlled by a specific enzyme that converts inactive cortisone to active cortisol • Additionally, deep abdominal fat has greater blood flow and four times more cortisol receptors compared to subcutaneous fat. This may also increase cortisol’s fat accumulating and fat cell size enlarging effect - Andrews, R.C., O. Herlihy, D.E.W. Livingstone, et al. Abnormal cortisol metabolism and tissue sensitivity to cortisol in patients with glucose intolerance.The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology 87(12): 5587-5593, 2002. - Morris, K.L. & M.B. Zemel, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 modulation of adipocyte glucocorticoid function. Obesity Research 13: 670-677, 2005.

26. What Causes YOU Stress?

28. Strategy – Adapt to the Stressor • If you can’t change the stressor, change yourself. • Reframe problems. Rather than fuming about a traffic jam, look at it as an opportunity to regroup, listen to your favorite radio station, or enjoy some alone time. • Challenge the big picture. Ask yourself how important it will be in the long run. Will it matter in a month? A year? If the answer is no, focus your time and energy elsewhere. • Adjust your standards. Set reasonable standards for yourself and others, and learn to be okay with “good enough.” • Focus on the positive. Take a moment to reflect on all the things you appreciate in your life, including your own positive qualities and gifts. This can help keep things in perspective. LAUGH!

29. Anyone Tired?

30. Teens and Stress(APA Stress In America Survey 2014) Teens report that their stress level during the school year far exceeds what they believe to be healthy 1 in 5 teens exercises less than once a week or not at all 39% of teens skip a meal due to stress/fatigue Teens who report high stress during the past school year say they spend an average of 3.2 hours online a day, compared with 2 hours among those reporting low stress levels 7.4 hours of sleep at night

33. What Helps You Sleep? Turn It Off, Shut It Down • Pilot study; showed evening texting, gaming disturbs sleep = more anxiety and depression • Electronic devices emit blue light = decrease in natural melatonin release • Chronically low melatonin release is associated with breast, colorectal and prostate cancer - December 2014 study, Brighams and Womens Hospital

34. Steps for Better Sleep • Limit screen time before bed • Avoid or cut down on caffeine after 12/1 pm • 65-67 degree bedroom • Hot shower or bath • Try “white noise” or ear plugs • If you nap, keep it to 30 minutes • Front load your liquids • Exercise! - University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter; Vol 30; Issue 2; Fall 2013

35. 5 Ways Meditation Can Help • It makes you resilient. Meditation helps you detach yourself from the negative thoughts that keep you from achieving success. • It reduces stress. Athletes are always under stress. They pride themselves on the ability to be in a high stress environment. Aren’t WE in a high stress environment? • It helps to stabilize emotions. One study indicates that people with more mindful traits are better able to stabilize their emotions and have better control over their moods. • It helps us to see our blind spots. • It helps with sleep. One night of lost sleep could lose a championship; quality sleep is one of the most valuable things every athlete (and person) should have. - Robert Piper, Huffington Post 6/15/2013

36. There’s An App For That?! Calm SleepBot SleepCycleAlarmClock Headspace

37. The Best Strategy Carbohydrates energize Proteins sustain Fats satisfy

38. WholesomeCarbohydrates Volumes of Vegetables Think Buckets! Focus on Fruits Grains/Starches: Get on a Roll with Whole Grains

39. Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Michael Pollan Author, The Omnivores Dilemma

40. Water Log

41. Beverages = Liquid Candy Big Gulp Cal: 364Sugar: 23.5 tsp Super Big Gulp Cal: 512 Sugar: 32 tsp Lemonade (8 oz) Cal: 140Sugar: 7 tsp Lemonade (20 oz) Cal: 260 Sugar: 16.5 tsp

42. What’s Going On? • In a large sample of girls, ages 11-24 years, almost 1/3 reported body image as their top concern. • Over half of girls in high school have tried to lose weight. • In a study of adolescent boys, about 1/3 wanted to be thinner and 1/3 wanted to be larger.

43. Social Factors • Cultural pressures that glorify “thinness” and place value on obtaining the “perfect body” • Cultural norms that value people on the basis of physical appearance and not inner qualities and strengths

44. Normal Eating • Normal eating is going to the table hungry & eating until you are satisfied • Normal eating is being able to give some thought to your food selection so you get nutritious food, but not being so wary & restrictive that you miss out on enjoyable food • Normal eating is leaving some cookies on the plate because you know you can have some again tomorrow, or eating more now because they taste so wonderful. Ellen Satter

47. Consult your friendly dietitian! Thank you for coming! Meridan Zerner, MS,RDN,CSSD,LD,CWC • 972-560-2655 • 214-336-4483 • mzerner@hotmail.com