ISSN 1234-5678
March 31, 2009
Published every...

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Welcome! I am Shari Fish, a native Houstonian, a Bellaire Cardinal and a Texas Longhorn. I am a mother of three and a wife of 24 years. After earning a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology/Counseling at the University of Houston in 2008, I became a Certified Wellness Coach. I specialize in working with women, teens and college students on their journeys to create healthier, happier, and more balanced lives.

It is really exciting to be sending you the inaugural issue of my ezine, Shari's WellNews. I hope that you will find it to be a valuable resource. I have a lot of ideas for informative and fun articles, but I also I look forward to your feedback and suggestions!

This Issue Contains:

For many, Thanksgiving Day represents the beginning of the holiday season and often a free-fall into unhealthy habits that culminate with a 5 pound weight gain by New Years Day. By approaching the holiday with a healthful mindset, this year can be different. See Shari Recommends for some strategies as well as a really yummy recipe.

As final exams approach, Teen Talk focuses on tips for increasing students' study efficiency and focus in our increasingly high-tech world.

My Search for Balance will be a recurring feature documenting the wellness journey of one of my very special and talented clients. As you will read, my client shares her story eloquently, honestly and with a great deal of courage. She acknowledges her challenges head-on and without judgment. She allows herself to be vulnerable and, in so doing, enjoys a greater connection to herself, her personal vision and to others. I hope her story inspires you, as she already has inspired me in the weeks that we have been working together.

Thanksgiving is around the corner
Thanksgiving is around the corner. Fall, family, football, traditions, and did I mention food, food and more food?! Instead of feeling like the stuffed turkey at the end of the day, wouldn't it be great to feel satisfied but comfortable?

My suggestion is to treat Thanksgiving morning like any other weekend morning. Really. Begin the day with a healthy breakfast. Go for a walk, take a morning swim, spend time on the elliptical or maybe join your city's Turkey Trot. Then, depending on the time of your celebration, have a healthy lunch or snack before your holiday meal. At mealtime, you will not be starving. Eat slowly and enjoy, remembering that the first three bites of any dish taste the best!

Brown Sugar Glazed Sweet Potato Wedges

1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 (3 inch) cinnamon stick
4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in half crosswise, and dut into 1/2 inch wedges
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, water, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon; bring to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Discard cinnamon stick. Combine sugar mixture and potato wedges in a large bowl, toss well to coat. Arrane potato mixture on a large jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until tender, stirring after 20 minutes.

Calories 182, 19% from fat
Fat 3.9 g
Protein 1.7 g
Fiber 3 g

As you have all discovered, there is much that you cannot control. You cannot control the weather, your science test format, or how long your winter break is. However, there are many things within your control. Studies have shown that by focusing our efforts and thoughts on that which we can control, we will achieve greater happiness. One thing that you can control is how long it takes you to complete two hours worth of homework! Will it take you four hours? Five hours? How about two and a half hours?

When you sit down at 7:30 or 8:00 with your computer, your cell phone and your backpack, how long does it take you to actually unzip your backpack? How many texts do you answer or Facebook messages do you send before you begin your first assignment? All the while you are thinking, "I really need to do my work...I really need to get started...this is really taking too long!" As a result, not only are you not getting your work done, you are not enjoying your "chill time" either! Two hours in, you are thinking, "How did it get so late?!" This may make you feel like you're not in control of your time, but you ARE in control of the situation and it CAN be different!

Try this new approach just one night this week. Make a commitment to yourself that you will not initiate any communication until your work is complete. Before you begin your work, take ten minutes to check FB, Twitter, and your cell messages. Now, turn them off for 30 minutes and get to work. After 30 minutes, allow yourself 10 minutes to check your social networks. Again, you do not initiate any communication but you can quickly respond to any mesages you have received. Repeat the process: 30 more minutes of remaining completely disconnected and then another 10 minute check-in break. At this rate, you will be finished with two hours of homework in approximately two and a half hours and you are free to enjoy the rest of your evening stress-free!

While earning her Masters degree in Educational Psychology/Counseling, Shari was taught that in order to understand clients issues," you must first closely examine their maladaptive behaviors and/or past missteps. However, being a pragmatic and optimistic person, she was searching for a more efficient, effective and positive means to help her clients create healthier, richer and more balanced lives. Thus began her personal and professional journey into wellness coaching. Based on the principles of Positive Psychology, Shari helps clients to clarify their values and motivators, and to celebrate their personal strengths and past successes. It is from this perspective, that clients are able to achieve the lasting change they desire and to create a more balanced life.

It is Shari's desire that each of her clients experience increased life satisfaction, self-efficacy and truly become his/her best self."

Have you ever had a year where life kicked the sh*t out of you? Well, I just did. Since last May, when I graduated from law school, I have been in a down spiral. In the past year alone, I failed the Bar Exam, moved from my beloved adulthood home of Seattle to my childhood hometown of Houston in a vain attempt to run from my problems, broke up with the love of my life, got rejected by said love when I tried to get him back, worked as a glorified maid in a lumber yard in order to pay my rent, had a serious emotional meltdown that lasted a few months, was fired for the first time in my life, and failed the Bar Exam for a second time. All the while, mind you, Im eating my feelings and gained about forty pounds. Some year, huh?

Suffice it to say, Im tired. These last twelve months have sucked the life out of me. I dont feel like the woman I used to be. I dont feel confident or strong or capable. I dont feel smart or witty or academically gifted. I dont feel peaceful or serene or joyful. I feel beaten up by life. And frankly, Im sick to death of feeling this way. And Ive had quite enough of feeling like a victim in my own life. So its time to move forward.

On Thursday, October 14, 2010, I had my first official wellness coaching session with Shari Fish. Honestly, before I met her, my expectations for this process were somewhat low. The whole idea of a wellness coach seemed a little, well, hokey. But I was sold within the first five minutes. Sharis optimistic attitude and super-organized approach soothed me in an unexpected way. She made me feel nurtured and empowered at the same time. I love that her program includes a combination of warmth and compassion with structure and accountability. A perfect fit for me. So we spent the next couple of hours discussing my life and goals. How I got to where I am, but more importantly, where I want to be.

So here I am, folks. A twenty-seven year old woman who is trying to create a successful career, lose weight, get out from under my mountain of student debt, and achieve inner peace somewhere along the way. The road to wellness will be a long one, but I hope you will all come along for the ride.