Adjunct Professor, School of Health Sciences


Remember the old story about the "The Little Engine That Could"? His mantra was, "I think I can.", "I think I can."  This story reminded me of a conversation I recently had.   I was talking to one of my students and he told me about how he was able to lose almost 100 pounds by himself in high school.   This was an impressive feat for anyone let alone a high school student.  That was a few years ago and now the student is again overweight.  We talked about losing weight and he looked at me and said, "I know I can lose the weight, because I have done it before."  Although he had gained most of the weight back, I knew he could again lose weight because he had strong "Self-efficacy" in regards to losing weight.

What is self-efficacy?  Besides being one of my favorite concepts to teach in Health and Wellness, it is the belief in oneself that you can accomplish a specific goal or achieve a certain outcome. Despite all the media coverage about the challenges of weight loss and the statistics that say that over 66% of the country is overweight or obese, my student has a belief and confidence in himself that will help him to succeed in his weight loss goals.   Why do I know he has a great chance of being successful? His past mastery of his experience has given him a confidence that will greatly increase his chances of  success.  In a nutshell, he has done it before and he will do it again. But don't take it from just me, research confirms that those individuals with the highest self-efficacy are normally the most successful in achieving their goals.

So how do you gain self-efficacy in something you have never had success in? What if you have never been able to lose weight? You can still gain self-efficacy if you can think of any other change in your life  you have been successful accomplishing. Maybe you have never lost weight, but you have been able reorganize your life. You can use the same steps you used to change that aspect of your life and apply it towards your new goals. The point is success builds success. If that does not help, then modeling people with similar situations who have accomplished the goals you want is another way to build self-efficacy.  Pick someone you relate to and follow the steps they took to help you reach your goals.  My take home message is that everyone has the ability to increase their self-efficacy, so either look to your past or find someone to inspire you - just do something and you could start seeing positive changes now. 

It is Thanksgiving morning and the turkey is stuffed and in the oven, the pies have been made and the smell of homemade cranberry orange bread is wafting through our home. To top it off, we woke up early enough to see the sun rise.  I could not be happier at this moment.  On this day, where many will spend it with their loved ones, I want to elaborate a little more on the power of gratefulness.

Recent research on the psychology of happiness has found that 50% of our happiness is due to genetics, while 40% of our happiness is determined by the way we think.  Surprisingly, only 10% of our happiness is linked to  life circumstances such as socioeconomic status, jobs, living circumstances or our appearance.   Does this surprise you?

Initially it surprised me, but then I thought about all the people I have met, the students, patients, coworkers, friends and family.  I have seen students get "A's" on exams and barely muster a smile, while other students will celebrate triumphantly barely passing an exam with a "C-".   We live in a society, where many believe that money buys happiness, yet glance at any tabloid and see another story of some celebrity's life going down in flames. I once lived in one of the most affluent cities in New England and what I will remember most about this place was that it had some of the most miserable people I have ever met.  

So how do we change our brains?  How do we affect that that 40% that we can change? It all starts with being grateful.  Take a moment today and everyday to be grateful for what you have.  Create a journal and everyday write 5 different things you are grateful for.  Research has found that just spending time every day focusing on things that make you happy can actually change your brain in as little as two weeks. A happier brain is truly something to be thankful for. : ) .

Five things I am grateful for at this moment:

I am fortunate to enough to be a teacher and share my knowledge everyday.
I am grateful to have this special day to spend with those I love.
I am grateful that I am always open to learning new experiences.
I am grateful for my two dogs that lie at my feet.
I am grateful that I love to eat and this is a good day to eat! 

Do you have any fun family activities that gets the family moving ? I would love for you to share !

Mary Oleksowicz , M. S. , L.Ac.

The holidays are inevitably upon us. The candles are barely extinguished in the jack-o-lanterns when Christmas carols are playing in the stores. For me and many others this is frustrating. I have jokingly pondered if global warming has caused us to lose our sense of holiday timing. Is the declining distinction between seasons part of the reason why it has become acceptable to hang snowflakes before the clocks have even had a chance to “fall back" ? Sadly, the truth is that consumerism has become the driving force of the holidays. “Sale it, and they will buy", was a phrase that I often heard as a teenager working retail.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I have mulled over ways to not give into the inevitable grasp of consumerism. Even charitable acts such as creating food baskets for the less fortunate have been preyed upon by major retailers. Bouncy castles and inflated prices for soon to be donated cranberry sauce met me at a local Thanksgiving fundraiser. My stomach was more nauseated by this then an extra slice of pecan pie. For myself, Thanksgiving was inevitably becoming another reason to spend large quantities of money all in the name of a holiday.


That was until the other day. A Facebook friend had posted that she was also sick of the current expectations of Thanksgiving. Over-consumption, Black Friday ads, and inflated gas prices during the biggest travel week of the year had also “cooked her goose" (pun intended)! She was going to take a stand against what Thanksgiving has become, a singular day of the year to pronounce your gratefulness amongst family and friends. Instead, she suggested that we pronounce our thanks, daily in our Facebook status. The rules are simple. Select two things that you are grateful for, big or small, without repeats and state that you are thankful for them.


I found this to be a wonderful exercise. Some friends are grateful for similar experiences and these comments have allowed me to get to know them better. Who would have known that my former first grade teacher was also grateful that her cat greets her in the morning purring despite his recent bout with cancer? Others may be experiencing more difficult times. When things are not as hopeful for them, they have let me know. My cousin had not even told his wife that he had lost his job, when he responded to my post praising my boss. Admittedly, without my post, he would have told no one. While sad, these responses increase my appreciation. Not only for my own blessings but also for the strength and wit of all those I have called friends.


It amazes me that somehow technology has even invaded my indebtedness. I presume as a “techie”, it was unavoidable. However, despite all of the advancements, electronics has brought me back to the roots of this holiday. I think that it is this equilibrium of tradition and innovation, a modern day balance of yin and yang that has allowed me to become socially thankful.

Pumpkins are here! I am most likely in the minority as I have never cared for pumpkin pie, but I do love a nice warm pumpkin muffin on a cool fall morning or a creamy pumpkin smoothie. Pumpkins are a nutritional powerhouse and are high in carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin, all of which are antioxidants that can neutralize free radicals. This fruit, yes it is technically a fruit, is also a very good source of beta carotene/vitamin A, vitamin C, riboflavin, potassium, copper, manganese, dietary fiber, vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus. One cup of mashed pumpkin has just 50 calories, zero fat, 12g of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, and 2 grams of protein. Wow!

Eating pumpkin pie is probably not the best way to include more pumpkin in your diet since it is traditionally made by combing pumpkin with heavy cream and whole eggs. When cooked in a “standard” pie crust, a slice gets ~50% of calories from fat. Healthier ways to add pumpkin into your diet are easy to do by utilizing canned pumpkin and it is actually one of the only canned foods that has no added salt or sugar. If you have the time to cook a whole pumpkin simply peel off the outer skin, cut it into pieces and boil. The seeds can be scooped out and roasted in the oven with a bit of oil for 30 minutes or even eaten raw.

Some easy ways to eat more pumpkin include: adding canned pumpkin to ready-to-eat butternut squash soup, stirring canned pumpkin into oatmeal, spreading pumpkin butter on bread and muffins, and snacking on pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds, also called pepitas, are high in copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc. Pumpkin seeds are also high in phytosterols which are thought to strengthen the immune system. The seeds can be added to salads, hot or cold cereals, cookies, even homemade veggie burgers.

Pumpkin also makes a great, creamy smoothie and nutritious breakfast or post-workout recovery shake. There are endless variations on this smoothie recipe so have fun experimenting with other ingredients like yogurt, frozen bananas, etc. Pair this shake with some whole grain toast with peanut butter and you have a perfectly balanced breakfast/recovery meal chock full of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fiber, and protein.

Pumpkin Recovery Smoothie
6 ice cubes
1 cup light vanilla Silk soymilk (or rice, hemp, almond, cow)
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or substitute nutmeg and cinnamon)
½-1 Tbsp honey (or substitute stevia or splenda)
¼ tsp vanilla extract
1 scoop vanilla soy protein (or whey, rice)

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Makes 1 serving.

Nutrition analysis:
236 calories, 3 g fat, 24 g CHO, 3 g fiber, 30 g protein
The versatility of this fruit makes it a great addition to your diet, adding powerful antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber without a lot of calories.

Jennifer Koslo, PhD, RD, CSSD, CPT
Full time faculty
Health and Wellness