Monday Giveaway #4: The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Caren Swanson

We all know that Americans eat too much junk food. But figuring out what to do about it is complicated. Do we ban super-sized sodas? Do we all become vegetarians? Do we eat like the Italians? The Japanese? There are truly thousands of books, articles and websites out there, telling us how to eat more healthfully, but it can be hard to sort through all the conflicting information! Complicating it further: in our information age, much of what we do find seems to assume we either have an unlimited budget, multiple hours available to prepare a meal, or both.

We at the Clergy Health Initiative promote healthy eating choices because we believe that our bodies are gifts from God, which we have been charged with stewarding. We recognize that in our fast-paced culture, making these choices can be difficult, not to mention costly. Many pastors in our Spirited Life wellness program live in remote parts of North Carolina, where there is limited access to sources of fresh food. Despite these challenges, though, we continue to encourage and provide support for healthy eating, because we recognize the connection between mind, body and spirit. When our bodies feel well-nourished and cared for, we have more energy, we are able to think more clearly. Simply put, we feel better.

In this spirit of feeling better, we offer our final May giveaway — The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman. Bittman is best known for his cookbooks, How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. Both are heralded for being full of recipes that are easy to follow, with affordable, down-to-earth ingredients. He also blogs for the New York Times, and his op-eds champion simple, healthful food and the pleasures of cooking — without assuming that you spend two hours making dinner every night.

The Food Matters Cookbook is one of Bittman’s newest offerings, and it draws the connection between the food choices we make and the environment. (He did an entertaining and informative TED talk on the topic, which you can find at the bottom of this post.) Bittman emphasizes that what is best for the environment is often times what is best for human health as well, and he offers 500+ recipes for “better living” that help the reader eat healthfully and sustainably. If you are looking for some inspiration for what to do with all that kale and swiss chard at the farmer’s market, or are looking for some ideas on making healthier desserts, this cookbook is for you!

As we move into the season of bounteous fresh food, let’s remember that God called all of creation GOOD, both the human body and earth that sustains us. Eating well does not have to cost a fortune, or be boring and tasteless! Let’s celebrate God’s provision for us by enjoying the good gifts of the land this season, and by tending with care the bodies in which we travel this life.

–Caren Swanson

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This week we are giving away one copy of The Food Matters Cookbook!

There are 3 ways to be entered in our giveaway – just make sure to tell us what you did so we can count your entry!

Take a moment to look back through the blog and find a post that catches your attention, then leave a comment with what you like about it! ( = 1 entry)
“Like” the Clergy Health Initiative’s facebook page! ( = 1 entry)
Share our blog with 5 friends, and tell them about the giveaway! ( = 1 entry)

You can enter as many times as you’d like, just make sure to leave us a comment ON THIS POST with how many entries are “due” to you! That’s right, if you e-mailed 25 friends (or tagged them in a post on Facebook) about the giveaway, and liked our Facebook page, and left a comment on a previous post, you would be entered 7 times! Thanks for celebrating with us by participating in the giveaway!

And the winner is Caren Bigelow Morgan! Congratulations! Please contact us Caren, and let us know where to mail your copy of this book!

Thanks to all who commented here on the blog or on our facebook page, and for supporting the work of the blog and making our one year “blogiversary” a great month!

Image by flickr user gruntzooki via Creative Commons

Is ‘Just Do It’ Bad Advice?

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Kate Rugani

Clergy generally have very few opportunities to focus on their own health and well-being, to take time away to reflect on how they are doing, or to simply participate in a worship service without leading it. But in each of the past three years, the Duke Clergy Health Initiative has given them that opportunity. From January to March we have hosted a series of three-day workshops across North Carolina for clergy entering our Spirited Life program.

Spirited Life workshops serve a dual purpose: to introduce clergy to the staff and the resources they will have access to over the coming two years of the program, and to give pastors the space to reflect on the current state of their health and the vision they have for it.

We recognize that pastors come to this gathering in different states of readiness for change – some arrive raring to go; others are more reticent. And even those who have identified a facet of their health that they wish to address may encounter challenges along the way. Nike might tell us to “JUST DO IT,” but making changes and sticking to them is much harder. So early on in the program, we share with clergy a model that James O. Prochaska of the University of Rhode Island and his colleagues developed to better understand how the process of change works.

Prochaska concluded that behavior change is something that happens in stages, and that it has an upwardly spiraling effect. The following graphic illustrates the various stages and how movement between those stages takes place.

Pre-contemplation – No intention of changing behavior
Contemplation – Aware that a problem exists, but no commitment to action
Preparation – Intent upon taking action
Action – Active modification of behavior
Maintenance – Sustained change: new behavior replaces old; generally recognized as a habit sustained for six months or more
Relapse – Fall back into old patterns of behavior

What this model tells us is that relapse – falling away from one’s goals – is an expected part of the change cycle. It is not synonymous with failure, provided we use the experience as an opportunity to learn. By examining the situation – What triggered the relapse? What was going well beforehand? What caused me to break from that practice? – we become better prepared to resist the same temptations and distractions the next time we arrive at a place of sustained behavior change. Moreover, we don’t return to point zero after a relapse. The awareness of the goal already exists; therefore, we start further along the change cycle, with the benefit of additional strength and wisdom.

Equally important: it’s not necessary to tackle every goal at once. Someone who is actively engaging in more physical activity (Action Stage) may only be thinking about seeking help for depression (Contemplation Stage). Spirited Life provides clergy with a safe space to air the challenges they face at each stage of the process, and offers staff who are trained to listen and encourage. To learn more, visit our website.

— Kate Rugani

Image by Caren Swanson; stages of change diagram courtesy of Fitnessnewspaper.com

Monday Giveaway #2: Fitbit (plus other fitness gadgets and apps)

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Katie Huffman

In previous posts, we shared several nutrition and fitness apps that help you plan and keep track of your health habits. While most apps on the market today don’t have clinical research to back them up, researchers are starting to look into the technology’s effectiveness, and the initial results look promising!

A recent Northwestern University study found that people who used a mobile food and activity tracking app alongside of another weight loss program lost an average of 15 pounds (and kept the weight off for a year!). Even those participants who used the app alone lost an average of 8 pounds. Below are some new apps and other gadgets that make a healthier lifestyle more attainable and maybe even more fun!

(Be sure to read to the bottom — we’re giving one of these beauties away!)

Fitbit: Wear this small device to track your daily activity (steps, distance, calories burned, sleep cycle); your information is wirelessly synced to your computer and mobile device. Use the companion app to set goals, log your food intake, track your progress, and share/compete with friends. The Fitbit comes in three small and stylish options: One, Zip, and Flex (new!). Price range: $59 to $99

Withings Smart Body Analyzer: This “health tracking scale” instantly gives you your weight, body composition (% body fat) and heart rate; then it automatically transmits this information to a companion smartphone app where you can keep track of your progress, note trends, and get help with your goals. Price: $149.95

Fooducate: Use this website or smartphone app to learn which foods at your local grocery store pack the most nutritious punch. Using a scientific formula, this program gives letter grades (A-F) to thousands of products so that you can pick the more nutritious items. You can take a picture of the product’s barcode with your smartphone to get an instant and easy-to-follow report of the product’s contents, to compare it to other products, and to select a healthier alternative. Price: Free

GymPact: Put your money where your muscles are with this mobile app! Decide how many days a week you want to work out; select a cash amount that you would be willing to pay if you do NOT work out. When you work out, check into your gym using the GymPact app (includes a GPS tracking feature), track log at-home workout with the GymPact Anywhere app, or log your outdoor exercise time in the RunKeeper app. The money paid by those who do NOT exercise is divided up and distributed to all the exercisers. The more you exercise, the more money you earn, but if you miss a day of exercise, you have to pay up! Price: Free

Lift: This app extends beyond physical health. Select good habits that you want to increase the frequency and consistency of in your life. Examples of habits include: getting outside, pleasure reading, flossing, learning a new skill, spending time with friends, exercising, drinking more water, etc. Use the app to set goals, track your progress, and share your success with friends. Price: Free

The key to all of these apps? They encourage you to set goals, track calories and activity, and use social media for social support.

–Katie Huffman

Post adapted from “Better Homes and Gardens” (May 2013), “Fitness 2.0” page 187.

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We are so excited to announce that this week we are giving away a Fitbit ZIP!

There are 3 ways to be entered in our giveaway–just make sure to tell us what you did so we can count your entry!

Take a moment to look back through the blog and find a post that catches your attention, then leave a comment with what you like about it! ( = 1 entry)
“Like” the Clergy Health Initiative’s facebook page! ( = 1 entry)
Share our blog with 5 friends, and tell them about the giveaway! ( = 1 entry)

~~A winner will be drawn at random on Friday morning, May 17, so be sure to get all your entries logged by 10 a.m. EDT Friday.~~

Thanks to ALL who supported the blog this week by leaving comments, “liking” the Duke Clergy Health Initiative Facebook page, and telling your friends! This week’s giveaway is now closed! And now, (drumroll, please!) the winner of the Fitbit is Erica! Congratulations! Please contact us Erica, and let us know where to mail your Fitbit.

Check back next Monday for details on our next giveaway!

Monday Giveaway #1: Richard Foster’s Sanctuary of the Soul!

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Caren Swanson

We are so pleased to bring you the first in our Mondays in May giveaway series, celebrating our one-year “blog-iversary“! We can’t think of a better resource to offer for this first giveaway than the newest book by beloved Christian writer and teacher, Richard Foster, author of the contemporary classic, Celebration of Discipline.

Foster’s newest title, Sanctuary of the Soul, focuses on meditative prayer as a practice that is both ancient and contemporary–rooted in scripture and the writings of some of the oldest voices in the Christian tradition, yet also offering spiritual depth and wisdom to the individual Christian in today’s church.

wellness wheel

Spiritual health lies at the very core of the Duke Clergy Health Initiative’s vision of holistic wellness. Many of the clergy participating in Spirited Life have expressed an interest in learning more about Christian spiritual practices, particularly ones that enable them to refill their own “wells,” as they spend so much time feeding others. One way that our staff has tried to respond to this need is by devoting time in our fall workshops to the practice of centering prayer. We’ve written about centering prayer on the blog here and here. So it is with this enthusiasm for contemplative prayer that we chose this book to be our first giveaway item.

For a glimpse into the book, there is a great review of it by Rev. Jason Byassee, pastor of Boone UMC in Boone, NC, first printed in Books & Culture when the book was published in late 2011. Read the full review here, or enjoy this excerpt:

This was a hard book review to write. You can only read so much elegant prose inviting you to pray before you feel guilty for not actually praying. Richard Foster notes this difficulty, quoting Thomas Merton: “You cannot learn meditation from a book. You just have to meditate.”

True enough, but good books help, and Sanctuary of the Soul is a good one. Not a sentence is misplaced, each drives you to the next with the expectation that good things will be waiting. Like all of Foster’s work since his landmark book The Celebration of Discipline, this one presents the spiritual disciplines to an evangelical audience as disciplines that are (not paradoxically) grace-filled. If Ron Sider and Tony Campolo made it possible for evangelicals to speak of social justice, Richard Foster has done the same for spiritual disciplines.

There are 3 ways to be entered in our giveaway:

Take a moment to look back through the blog and find a post that catches your attention, then leave a comment with what you like about it! ( = 1 entry)
“Like” the Clergy Health Initiative’s facebook page! ( = 1 entry)
Share our blog with 5 friends, and tell them about the giveaway! ( = 1 entry)

You can enter as many times as you’d like, just make sure to leave us a comment ON THIS POST with how many entries are “due” to you! That’s right, if you told 25 friends about the giveaway, and liked our facebook page, and left a comment on a previous post, you would be entered 7 times! We’re excited to spread the word about this gem of a book, and about the resources that this blog represents. Thanks for celebrating with us by participating in the giveaway!

~~A winner will be drawn on Friday morning, May 10, so be sure to get all your entries logged by 10 a.m. EDT Friday.~~

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Thanks to ALL who supported the blog this week by leaving comments, “liking” the Duke Clergy Health Initiative Facebook page, and telling your friends! This week’s giveaway is now closed! And now, (drumroll, please!) the winner of Richard Foster’s Sanctuary of the Soul is Aundrea! Congratulations! Please contact us Aundrea, and let us know where to mail your book.

Check back next Monday for details on our next giveaway!

–Caren Swanson

It’s time to C E L E B R A T E !!!

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Caren Swanson

Yes, it’s true! Come the last week of May, it will be ONE YEAR since we re-launched The Connection – our ongoing effort to provide information and inspiration for clergy pursuing wellness.

Since then we’ve brought you three posts weekly, connecting a variety of health-related topics to life in ministry. Over the past 12 months, we’ve offered book reviews, poems and prayers that inspire us, meditations, and research on the health and wellness of clergy and other professions.

We are passionate about bringing these resources to others who, like us, care about the life of the church and recognize the importance of holistic health. We are proud of all that we’ve accomplished, and we’re excited about the coming year. And we couldn’t have done it without YOU, our faithful readers!

So to celebrate, we’ve put together a month of fun! Every Monday in May, we’ll be offering a giveaway. First up: a copy of Sanctuary of the Soul, an incredible resource on the spiritual practice of meditative prayer by the wise Christian writer and teacher, Richard Foster! Check back on Monday for details on how to be entered to win a copy.

In the meantime, we need your help. Please consider taking a moment to find a post that was meaningful to you and share it with a friend whom you think would be encouraged or challenged by it. Some of our most popular this year include:

Feeling “hungover” after Holy Week
Transforming exercise into something joyful
A poem by Galway Kinnell about the need to “reteach a thing its loveliness”
Recognizing the burden of depression in clergy
The wise words of a pastor in response to the tragedy at the Boston Marathon

THANK YOU for reading, and let us know how you think the next year can be even better!

— Caren Swanson and the staff at the Clergy Health Initiative

Spirited Life video

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Kate Rugani

We’re excited to introduce our new Spirited Life video, featuring pastors Eldrick Davis, Alexis Coleman, and Bob Kretzu.

Each of them was kind enough to let us spend a day with them and learn about their life in ministry and their experience in Spirited Life. Their stories vary widely — they’ve tackled grief, stress, questions of vocational call, and weight loss (as of last July, Eldrick had lost 101 pounds(!), sustained in part by the support of his congregation.) Their stories are both real and representative of many we’ve heard throughout Spirited Life, and we’re thankful they were willing to share them so openly.

Please share the video and help us spread the word about Spirited Life.

— Kate Rugani

Spreading the word

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Kate Rugani

We’re now two years into the Spirited Life program, and indications are good that it is making a difference for many clergy. We still have a long way to go — our third group of pastors is just about to begin the two-year wellness program. But the outcomes are looking good, so we’re stepping up our efforts to spread the word about our holistic approach to the complex issue of clergy health.

This week’s cover story in The Christian Century, “Fit for Ministry: Addressing the Crisis in Clergy Health,” is a big step forward. Kudos to Amy Frykholm for her excellent work in summarizing the many different facets of our program.

I’ve been watching with interest the comments readers have shared…their reactions to our findings and the hypotheses our staff have voiced as to what’s driving them. These readers make it clear that the stresses and strains of ministry extend far beyond the borders of North Carolina, and that there’s a dire need for attention to be paid to the health of pastors.

We hope you’ll take a moment to share the article with other pastors and those who care about them.

— Kate Rugani

Taking a break from Course of Study

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Caren Swanson

This is my first summer living in Durham (my family moved here from New Hampshire last August for my husband to attend Divinity School), and one thing that I’ve noticed is that Duke is never a dull place! In July, the Summer Course of Study is in full swing here, keeping pastors from all over the country quite busy with a full schedule of lectures, discussion and homework.

We at the Clergy Health Initiative thought it would be fun to provide a study break for the Spirited Life participants taking part in Course of Study. And sure enough: hot coffee, healthy snacks and great conversation made for a wonderful time.

As a wellness advocate, I will say that I thoroughly enjoy my phone conversations with the pastors I work with, but nothing replaces the chance to catch up in person. We enjoyed hearing about what the pastors are reading and discussing in their courses and the ups and downs of being away from their families and congregations for a month. (One pastor admitted to me that he thought his lay speakers were thrilled to have the chance to preach, but he didn’t think the congregation was quite as “thrilled”!)

The time also served as a great opportunity for our team to answer questions about the Spirited Life program. A number of Group 3 pastors were there — these are participants who won’t begin our wellness program until 2013, so their contact with Spirited Life has been limited to health screenings and surveys. It was great to talk with them about what they hope to get out of the program, and assure them that yes, their turn was coming!

All in all, it was a pleasant way to spend part of a (hot!) afternoon, and we owe a big thank you to all the pastors who stopped by! My fellow staff members and I are pretty excited about our program, but it is always a blessing to be received with enthusiasm and generosity by the people we seek to serve. The welcome that we have gotten from clergy across the state is truly one of the things that makes me feel lucky to be doing this work!

— Summary and images by Caren Swanson

Hello!

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Kate Rugani

We’re just getting started and are looking forward to sharing some terrific ideas, resources, and stories with you. If there are topics you’d like to see us discuss, let us know!

The Connection

Information and inspiration for clergy pursuing wellness

Category Archives: Program Updates