So, you got your invitation to join AARP, the organization dedicated to adults over 50? Maybe you’re sighing and wondering where the years went, but really you should be celebrating how far you’ve come and the person you’ve grown into! And you know what? There are actually a lot of perks that come with getting older that go beyond wisdom, experience, and feeling comfortable with who you are.
First of all, you get to tell everyone exactly what you think, right? Ok, that’s not really what we were going to say: one of the more forgotten perks of getting older is that you can actually save a whole lot of money on a whole lot of stuff. So while you might be fretting about the days of “living on a fixed income” coming soon, you should be checking out all of the discounts that seniors in the know are getting on the regular.
How to Start Saving
Before we get into some of the best discounts available to older adults, there are two things you should do to get yourself on track for optimum savings:
Consider joining AARP – While the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) charges a membership fee, it is pretty minimal, considering that you can get a lot of discounts that are only available to its members. You can get a full membership at age 50, which generally costs just $16 a year.
Speak up! – Don’t be afraid to ask everywhere you go whether you might qualify for a senior discount – the worst that can happen is they say no (and they’ll know you’re over a certain age)! Remember that employees won’t always ask you first, whether out of embarrassment or forgetfulness (or because you look so amazing), so you should take the initiative and see what small – or big – discount you might be entitled to.
With those two tips in mind, let’s take a look at some of the best discounts available to older adults (and remember, some of them might require an AARP membership).
A Roundup of Some of the Best Discounts
1. Grocery Stores
This might be one of the more expected items on the list, but we wanted to remind you that your local grocery store might offer a senior discount, so you should look into this possibility. The best way to do this is to ask at your preferred local store: what’s on offer can vary a lot between different chains, and even different stores that are part of the same chain. And you usually won’t be looking at a blanket discount; rather, your store might have one day of the week or month when they offer a small discount on your entire bill. It could be as little as 5%, but it’s still worth checking out, especially if you need to stock up!
2. Chain Retail Stores
We know this is a pretty broad category, but if there are certain shops that you tend to frequent, you should absolutely ask if they offer some sort of senior discount. These, too, are usually offered on a specific day of the week – but get this: chain retail stores don’t always advertise their senior discounts, so again, it’s super important to be bold and ask!
3. Restaurants
Many chain restaurants offer discounts to seniors, usually those over 60 or 65, but be aware that a lot of these discounts are only available to AARP members (although some restaurants simply offer a separate, discounted senior menu). And similarly to chain supermarkets, you’ll have to ask at each individual location, as their policy might vary from location to location.
4. Gym Memberships
Here’s one that you might not have even been aware of! Seniors with eligible Medicare plans can sign up for a program called Silver Sneakers, which will give you free access to certain gyms across the country. It’s definitely worth looking at your Medicare plan to see if you qualify (or talking to an EZ Medicare agent to find a plan that includes this big perk!)
5. Prescriptions
This one’s a bit trickier: some pharmacies, like CVS, used to offer a specific senior discount, but have moved to offering a savings club that anyone can join. But there are still some discounts on prescriptions available to seniors at certain chains, many of which have partnered with AARP, like Walgreens and Rite Aid. It’s worth speaking to your local pharmacy – it might be as easy as signing up for a senior discount card, which could save you up to 20% in some cases. And here’s another tip: since Medicare doesn’t offer help with vision care, you might want to check out your local Lenscrafters, which offer discounts of 10-50% off on certain items with an AARP membership.
6. Travel
Here’s where older adults, especially AARP members, can really cash in! One of the other perks of getting older, other than the discounts, is having the freedom to travel – and you might be able to do it a little bit more cheaply. Many airlines, hotels, cruise lines, and rental car agencies offer anything from small to sizable discounts to AARP members: for example, Avis and Budget rental car agencies offer 30% off, and Best Western hotels offer up to 15% off. It’s always worth checking what each company is offering – if you’re not sure, call their reservation line! And if you prefer to see the country by rail, Amtrak offers a 10% discount.
If part of your itinerary includes seeing our country’s beautiful national parks, make sure you check out the discounts available to seniors: you can get a $20 annual park pass or $80 lifetime park pass, plus pass holders get up to 50% off select amenities costs.
And another tip if you’re just looking to tool around town: Zipcar, the company that allows members to quickly book and grab a short-term car rental in their town, offers seniors a 40% discount off of memberships!
7. Entertainment
If a night on the town is more your thing, and you’re looking for something to do after your discounted dinner out, check out the discounts that some of the major movie theater chains offer, or try for some cheaper tickets to the theater or a show. Major movie theater chains like AMC and Regal Cinemas offer seniors discounts like 10-15% off or up to $4 off certain tickets, and Ticketmaster will sometimes offer up to 50% off tickets to certain shows and events with an AARP membership.
Some phone carriers provide discounts for senior citizens on their plans.
8. Tech
Staying connected is so important as you get older, and the great thing is that you can do it for less money if you’re a senior! Cell phone providers like T-Mobile and Verizon offer discounts on monthly plans for seniors – if you’re willing to go for a pretty bare bones plan, you could even pay less than $30 a month with T-Mobile. You could also check out smaller companies like Consumer Cellular or Mint Mobile ( which offers a discount of up to 40% for seniors).
If it’s safety you’re after, you can also save on things like security software and home security systems. For example, Norton 360 (software that protects against things like computer viruses and identity theft) offers discounts of up to 25% off plans, and SimpliSafe Home Security, the DIY home security service, offers 15% to AARP members.
So you might have aches and pains you didn’t have before now that you’re getting older, but aging is not all doom and gloom! In fact, a new chapter of your life is beginning – you’ve got confidence, a strong sense of self, and freedom to explore what you want to do just for you – and it turns out that a lot of the things you want to do might be a little bit cheaper for you! And next time a younger person scoffs at the way you use your phone? You can laugh it off, knowing that you’re paying a whole lot less than they are for your plan!
Do you ever feel like doctors treat you like a bundle of symptoms, and not like a whole person? That’s a complaint a lot of people have, especially if they’re dealing with a complex or little-understood condition; this approach by some doctors can be especially frustrating if you feel like you’re never really getting any better. Sure, you might get temporary relief from symptoms that are bothering you, but it can start to feel like a game of whack-a-mole if your symptoms return, or if new ones crop up.
So is there a different approach out there? Yes – well, actually there are a few. But some require taking a leap of faith and abandoning many of the principles of Western medicine altogether, and that might not feel right for everyone. But there is an approach that some doctors are now taking, which feels like a less “alternative-y” alternative to traditional medicine, known as functional medicine. So what does this mean, and could it be worth looking into?
What Is Functional Medicine?
Simply put, functional medicine is all about treating your body as a whole, and not just trying to alleviate one or more symptoms that you might be experiencing. Now, that sounds like what all medicine should be trying to accomplish, right? But in many cases, patients feel like doctors have moved away from that way of looking at things.
For example, if you go to your doctor with chronic heartburn, you’re most likely going to come away with a prescription for an antacid. And that might be very helpful for giving you some relief at that moment (and for getting some sleep that night!), but it’s not actually getting to the root of the problem. It’s treating a symptom, most likely temporarily, and not figuring out why you have heartburn – what might be going on in other parts of your body, how your lifestyle is contributing to it, etc – so you can have a chance to get well in a more comprehensive way.
And while heartburn is a pretty simple example, using these principles could possibly make a big difference in the lives of people suffering from more complex conditions, like:
The above conditions are actually some of the most common conditions for which people seek medical attention, and can be some of the toughest to treat. So a functional approach could be worth a shot, especially since these conditions are usually all about how the body’s systems work together.
According to Amanda Malachesky, a functional nutrition coach based in Petrolia, California, “Functional medicine is helpful for anyone, but it is most useful for people who have been to many doctors, tried a lot of possible solutions, and are no closer to solving their health challenges.” That might sound familiar if you’ve struggled with something like chronic fatigue syndrome!
The Principles of Functional Medicine
Functional medicine is patient-centered rather than disease-centered.
So let’s take a closer look at what it actually means to be treated by a functional medicine practitioner. During your first visit, they’ll take a detailed medical and family history, and ask you about your symptoms as well as your overall health before they consider treatment. And those treatments will generally be personalized plans that might seem a little “different” at first, since functional medicine practitioners usually hold off on prescriptions and surgeries until they have tried more holistic approaches. So that might mean, for example, looking at the possibility of a gut imbalance for mental health issues, and suggesting diet and movement changes in your lifestyle.
Again according to Malachesky, “Functional medicine works towards root-cause resolution, works to use tools and frameworks to help us identify these root causes … and honors each client or patient as a truly unique individual, and tailors recommendations and treatments to the individual…And while people often want to go straight to treating the root causes, functional practitioners begin always with the foundations of health: diet, sleep, exercise, stress reduction, and blood sugar management…”
To break it down even further, the Institute of Functional Medicine (IMF) lays out the following 7 defining characteristics of functional medicine:
Patient-centered versus disease-centered
Systems biology approach: web-like interconnections of physiological factors
Dynamic balance of gene-environment interactions
Personalized based on biochemical individuality
Promotion of organ reserve and sustained health span
Health as a positive vitality—not merely the absence of disease.
Function versus pathology focused
If all of that sounds a little intense, the most important things you might want to focus on when considering this type of treatment approach is that it is “patient-centered” as opposed to “disease-centered” and that it considers being actively “healthy” more than just being free of disease. Sounds good – but is it “real” medicine?
Who Practices Functional Medicine?
We can just feel some of you out there getting turned off, thinking that this is one of those fads that’s practiced by people with questionable training. But that’s actually not the case at all. Doctors who practice functional medicine are just that: “real” doctors who have been to medical school, and are fully licensed (but of course, always check to make sure that’s true for your doctor, no matter what their approach). They have simply decided to take a functional approach to their practice.
How do they do that? They need to take additional training that’s not offered in medical schools. To become certified in functional medicine, a healthcare provider must have already received a healthcare degree from an accredited university and hold up-to-date licensure in their area of practice, then they must complete coursework, generally through the IFM, which is currently one of the few training centers for functional medicine. Their coursework will be in six areas: gastrointestinal, detox, immune, hormone, cardiometabolic, and energy. They take exams, and need to retake exams every six years, as well as stay up-to-date with their licensure.
When it comes to choosing a functional medicine provider, you just need to do your homework as you would with any provider – the only difference is you’ll also have to check if their certification in functional medicine comes from a reputable organization, like the IFM.
And, since medical care is so expensive, and this type of practice might sound a little extra expensive, you might be wondering if insurance will cover it. In most cases, yes, because you would be seeing a “real” doctor for treatment. But, it is true that functional medicine practitioners might order a lot more tests than other doctors might, and they might refer you to specialists like nutritionists, so you could end up paying more out-of-pocket if your insurance company doesn’t cover everything.
Could It Be Right for You?
Functional medicine might be a good fit for you if you’re interested in taking a deeper dive into how your body systems work together.
Functional medicine has been a thing since the early 1990s, and it is practiced by licensed professionals, so it is not, as we pointed out above, a new fad or a woo-woo practice meant to part you from your money. It really does seem to be meant to help you get to the root of what’s ailing you, and to treat you as a whole person, which can only be a good thing, especially if you’re suffering from a complex, chronic issue that doctors are struggling to find the correct treatments for. It also might be a good fit for you if you’re interested in taking a deeper dive into how your body systems work together, in conjunction with your genetics, and having questions answered as opposed to just symptoms treated.
On the other hand, though, if you’re looking for a quicker fix for relief of your symptoms, or feel more comfortable starting a course of treatment with prescription medications (or other more traditional treatments), this type of practice might not be for you. Hey, in some cases, heading to the doctor, having them take a look, and sending you on your way with the right medication is the best thing for you at that time!
So, however you choose to get treatment for whatever’s ailing you, make sure you feel comfortable with the care you’re being offered! And let us know: have you considered trying functional medicine, or have you tried it? What was your experience?
So, you’re getting divorced? We feel for you – the breakdown of a marriage can be incredibly painful, even when the split is amicable. And when it isn’t so friendly? Welcome to nightmare city, right? But what about after all the fighting is over, the legal hurdles are cleared, and it’s finally over? Well, then it’s time to move on, and for some, that means taking some time to stew, for others it means working things through in therapy, and for others, it means…party time.
Yup, parties aren’t just reserved for celebrating weddings anymore: they’re also for celebrating what for some is the second best day of their life, the day they are finally divorced. So what do these divorce parties look like, and could throwing one be right for you, to help you move on and celebrate starting a new chapter in your life?
The State of Divorce in the US Today
It’s hard to think of entering into the blissful state of marriage as a risk, but you know what? It is. While divorce rates have been falling for the past few decades (well, until the Covid pandemic hit!), Americans are still more likely to get divorced than people in other parts of the world, with at least 44.2% of married couples calling it quits in 2022.
So who’s statistically most likely to get divorced? People who get married super young are most likely to split up, but surprisingly, those who get married after 35 are more likely than those who get married in their later 20s to get divorced. Your state also seems to matter: according to the US Census Bureau, couples are more likely to get a divorce if they live in Texas, Oklahoma, Nevada, Utah, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, and Mississippi.
And why are we entering Splitsville, population: you? 73% of people said lack of commitment, 56% blamed constant arguing, and 55% cited infidelity as the reason for their marriage failing. And looking at that list – and at other lists that include reasons like abuse, not having shared priorities or a vision of success, or lack of individual identity – can remind us that divorce is not necessarily a bad thing.
Remember, there was a time when divorce carried a huge amount of stigma, and people (especially women) would often remain trapped in marriages that were terrible for them. Now, we have an out, and although it can be costly and time-consuming (as well as painful, especially if there are children involved), divorce can eventually allow us to move on with our lives, if we approach it in the right way.
Why Throw a Divorce Party?
When we say “approach divorce in the right way,” we mean not looking at it like a battle. In fact, you could say that focusing on yourself – your needs, the role you had in the breakdown of the marriage, what you need to move forward – is a far healthier way to deal with divorce than making accusations and getting wrapped up in hating someone you once loved.
And that focus on yourself can include doing something to mark this momentous occasion in your life. In fact, while in our culture we often speak about divorce in hushed terms and tend to feel a bit ashamed about it, in others, they have ceremonies to recognize the transition from married to unmarried. For example, according to The Guardian, “In Judaism, a divorce document called a get is presented from husband to wife, in the presence of rabbis and witnesses, to spiritually dissolve the union. Divorcing couples in Japan smash a wedding ring with a mallet. Members of the North African Beidane ethnic group hold divorce parties to welcome women back into the community and signal to potential suitors that they are available to remarry.”
So why shouldn’t we celebrate the end of an era, too? According to New York-based relationship expert Jane Greer, “It’s a good thing to celebrate your new sense of freedom, autonomy, and identity.” Therapist Ammanda Major agrees that divorce parties can be helpful: “It shows you’re ready to embrace the next stage of your life and talk openly about what happened … [and] celebrate the fact that you took action to end something that wasn’t working for you.”
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
It all sounds very positive and uplifting, right? But, like most things, especially those involving human emotion, there can be an ugly side. For example, it might sound cute and lighthearted to feature, as some people do, pinatas with the ex’s face on them, or melons carved to look like the ex that guests can angrily throw, but using your party to bash your ex is not really the mature way to celebrate moving on. Things can also escalate, with people burning wedding clothes, or even the bed they slept in while married, which is obviously not helpful OR safe.
And some parties get even uglier, and downright hurtful. One woman, for example, told The Guardian that her ex planned a party at her local hangout, invited all their friends – who he was actively trying to turn against her – and even left the guest list and party planning info in plain sight for her to find. He had intended to hurt her by doing all of these things, and that is 100% NOT the way that a divorce should be “celebrated.”
How to Celebrate Your Divorce the Healthy Way
So how can you celebrate your divorce the healthy way? Well, as we pointed out above, you should try to focus on yourself during the divorce process, so you should also make any party you choose to have a time about you and your support network, and a celebration of your life moving forward. So, if you do think a divorce party might be right for you, think about the following tips for making it a healthy and happy one:
Make sure you’re in the right frame of mind
It’s no use celebrating a new beginning if you’re just not feeling it. Again according to Greer, “If you’re feeling awkward… and you’re feeling a disconnect with your identity, then it’s too soon.” With that being said, though, she does suggest that, if you want a divorce party, you throw one within a month of your split becoming official. “If you’re going to make it a rite of passage, that’s when your new identity is still kind of fresh,” she says, “and you want that to be a marker to your friends.”
In addition, if the reasons for ending your marriage included harassment or abuse, a cocktail party to celebrate the end might not feel like it carries the appropriate amount of seriousness, and could just add to the feelings of devastation.
Take other’s feelings into account
While your feelings about the event are the most important things, you still have to be tactful and take into account how throwing a big bash after your breakup might affect others. Greer explained to HuffPost: “So many times, couples share the same people in common, from friends to family. Your friends and family don’t necessarily have that same sense of freedom. They [may] want to maintain contact with your partner. They might feel uncomfortable being there and betraying the other person. You might feel betrayed if you invited them to celebrate with you and they decline the invitation. You have to really have a mindfulness around it in terms of who you’re inviting to the party, and what their choice to show up or not actually means.”
Be sensitive if children are involved
If you and your ex share children, you definitely have to tread lightly when it comes to celebrating your split. You can still enjoy a divorce party, but you don’t have to go into all the gory details. As Greer says, “I would be discreet about the nature of the party, what it’s actually about, and maybe just say, ’I’m having a party with my friends to celebrate this new chapter going forward now that your dad [or mom] and I are officially divorced.”
Choose healthy activities
We’re not telling you what to do, BUT maybe throwing darts at a picture of your ex’s face isn’t the healthiest thing to do at your party. Better alternatives would be, again, to focus on yourself and talk about your future goals and the fun things you’re going to do, like travel. Sound a little too ho-hum? There’s nothing that says you can’t have a witty cake, and a rocking dance party to let off steam. But most importantly, use the time to celebrate not only your new journey, but the people who are there to support and love you.
Instead of a party, consider traveling to a place you’ve always wanted to go to.
Consider alternatives if a party isn’t right for you
There’s also nothing that says your “celebration” of your divorce has to be a party. If that doesn’t feel right to you, consider taking a trip to somewhere you’ve always wanted to go, or joining a club or a group activity that you’ve always thought about. Just make sure it’s something that feels new to you, so you can mark this new chapter in your life.
Ok, divorce sucks, we’re not going to lie. But hey, when it’s done, it’s done. And it’s up to you what route you take and how you start your new journey. If that includes dancing the night away while eating a “Happily Divorced” red velvet cake, more power to you. And if it doesn’t, you’ll find another way to move forward – we know you will.
For parents, fall is all about that back-to-school feeling. And for some, it’s also about getting back on those sidelines and cheering on their kiddos as they get back into whatever organized sport is their main jam. Organized sports are absolutely not every kid’s jam, though, and that’s 100% OK – no child should be forced into sports if they’re not feeling it.
But, on the other hand, if your child isn’t into the whole organized sports thing, you might be worried that they’re not moving enough, especially as they get back to sitting at a desk all day and doing homework in the evening, on top of the other more sedentary activities they might be into. So what can you encourage your sports-averse child to do to get them moving their body, having fun, and building a healthy relationship with exercise?
The Importance of Getting Kids Moving (in a Way They Like)
Like we said, organized sports just aren’t for every kid. There can be any number of reasons why yours doesn’t want to join it: they might feel too much pressure to be perfect for their coach or teammates, they might not enjoy the competitiveness, or they might just be too young to have the physical skills and grasp of the rules, making things not all that fun for them. In some cases, you can encourage them to work on getting better, or find a less competitive league, but sometimes you just know your kid, and know it’s not for them at this time.
But that doesn’t mean that getting them moving isn’t important. They need at least 60 minutes of exercise a day, no matter how they get it, and it’s not just because, well, exercise is good for everyone. Movement has a whole host of benefits for little bodies and minds: according to clinical psychologist Kelly Theis, Ph.D., “Regular physical activity is proven to have tremendous benefits for children and teens. It activates natural endorphins that decrease stress and negative emotions, and it strengthens immunity. It develops persistence, frustration tolerance, and self-esteem.”
And not only that, but exercising now also benefits kids in the long-term. Getting them in the habit of moving today means they’re more likely to keep up that healthy habit when they become adults. According to Ryan Gadow, senior vice president of membership experience for The Y in Central Maryland, “Adults actually learn fitness from their activity base as a youth. If they haven’t engrained a sense of activity at a young age, it becomes harder as they become older to keep up with that fitness level.”
But the truth is, you’re not going to get anywhere with your kiddos if you’re pushing activities that they’re just not that into (ain’t that the truth!), so it’s important to find something they enjoy. That might mean offering them a list of activities to choose from (and once they choose, try to make sure that they follow through by completing a whole season or all of the lessons), or finding nontraditional ways to help them get their bodies moving.
Ideas for Getting Your Kiddos Moving
Make your house a fun house
You can set up hopscotch in the house and have fun together!
For the littlest ones who can’t be tempted to join in on a group activity for the time being, you can find some super fun ways to get their 60 minutes in, right in your house. For example, try:
Setting up a timed scavenger hunt (so they have to move quickly!)
Playing hopscotch in your hallway, or tag
Throwing a “freeze dance” party (or any kind of dance party!)
Creating an indoor obstacle course
Pulling out the ol’ hula hoops and jump ropes
Challenging them to a physical competition with you (How many jumping jacks/pushups/other activity can you do? Can you beat me in a race?)
Expand your idea of “sports”
So maybe your kiddo cringes at the thought of baseball, football, or soccer – but those traditional team sports aren’t the only “sports” out there! Introduce them to other ideas, like rock climbing, skateboarding, yoga, martial arts, horseback riding, or dance classes. Remember to listen to what they’re interested in, and be flexible about finding things outside of what’s offered at school, but also ask that they stick with what they’ve chosen for a reasonable amount of time. According to Gadow, “You should help guide them. Taste a variety of activities, and if a kid says, ‘I don’t like this,’ don’t be afraid to say, ‘OK, we’re done,’ and move on to something else. It shouldn’t feel like punishment.”
Encourage “lifelong” activities
As we’ve already pointed out, getting your kids moving is not just about keeping them healthy in the here and now: it’s about building healthy habits for the future. So why not introduce them to activities that they might want to keep up for their whole lives? These can include things that you do together as a family, like hiking, biking, and swimming.
Meet them where they are
For kids resistant to exercise, you might want to try meeting them where their interests are, and tying more physical activities to the things they love. For example, if you’ve got a teen who loves to be on the phone, try to get them to go for a walk or jog while talking. If you’ve got a real video game fiend, either try looking for video games that incorporate physical movement, or make “active breaks” a part of screen time. And you can even use screens to get in a workout: pick a fun one on YouTube and challenge your child to do it with you!
Find out-of-the-box classes/places to move
Got a quirky kiddo? They can get moving with all sorts of options previous generations didn’t have, like circus school, trampoline parks, and parkour lessons.
Put them to work
You can have your kids do some fun chores like raking leaves!
Older kids/teens might be a little resistant to chores (but it’s important to get them to help out, anyway), but littler ones actually tend to love the idea of helping out – and things like raking leaves, washing walls, windows, and floors, shoveling snow, walking dogs, etc are actually all really good exercise! You might just need to sweeten the pot for your teenagers…
There might come a time when your child starts craving a group activity like an organized sport, and that would be great. After all, there are a lot of positive things about organized sports: they can boost kids’ self-esteem, coordination, and general fitness, and help them learn how to work with other kids and adults. But they’re certainly not a required part of childhood (don’t worry, your kiddos can get these benefits elsewhere!), and your child might never have a desire to join in. Again, that’s absolutely fine, but they still need to get moving, and you can help them to find what works for them – and don’t forget to join in yourself!
Does anyone remember the old commercials for those ready-made weight-loss shakes? All you had to do was replace two meals a day with that chocolatey beverage, eat a “sensible” dinner, and you’d be on your way to a slimmer you, right? Well, probably not. Even if skipping those meals helped you shed a few pounds initially, that type of weight-loss program simply isn’t sustainable; nor are programs that require you to buy special food that you aren’t going to eat forever. Once you are no longer replacing those meals with shakes, or buying that special food, you’re probably just going to put that weight back on – sorry to be weight-loss program party poopers!
But those types of weight-loss programs are certainly not your only choice, especially not nowadays, when weight loss is a booming industry. In fact, maybe there’s so much information and so many options out there, that you just don’t know where to even start if you’re looking to lose weight.
Losing weight based on behavioral psychology seems to work well.
Could the answer be one of the newest things in weight-loss trends: psychologically-based weight loss programs? After all, using methods backed by psychology means making positive, sustainable changes to your everyday life, not just replacing meals that you’ll eventually start eating again, and going to meetings that you’re bound to start skipping. Sounds pretty good – but how do they work, and are they the real future of lasting weight loss?
What Does Psychologically-Based Mean?
So you might or might not remember the commercials for those weight-loss shakes, but how about something newer: have you seen commercials for an app called Noom? This app promises sustainable weight loss based on a psychological approach; their program is reliant on behavioral psychology, which they claim is the key to shedding the pounds for good.
And it looks like they’re on to something. While there haven’t been many studies of psychologically-based weight loss programs yet, one study that focused on diabetics found that Noom specifically helped participants achieve significant weight loss compared to a control group, and that they kept off the weight for at least a year. And another found that 80% of Noom users lost weight when they stuck with the program for an average of close to 300 days.
Pretty promising stuff – and that’s probably because psychologists have been using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which psychologically-based weight-loss programs draw from, to help people overcome challenges in their life for a long, long time. And what greater challenge for some people than losing weight and keeping it off?
So if CBT is one of the major components of weight-loss programs like NOOM, what does that mean? Well, the American Psychological Association (APA) says that CBT is based on three core principles:
Psychological problems are based, in part, on faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking.
Psychological problems are based, in part, on learned patterns of unhelpful behavior.
People suffering from psychological problems can learn better ways of coping with them, thereby relieving their symptoms and becoming more effective in their lives.
In other words, behavioral psychology aims to understand why we behave the way we do and to analyze patterns in our actions and behaviors. And, since a lot of experts believe that the perceived barriers to weight loss are just as important as the actual things keeping us from tackling our weight problems, this approach might be just what a lot of people who are struggling need.
Are Apps the Answer?
So how do behavioral psychology and weight loss meet in the real world? Well, you can seek out a therapist who specializes in behavioral therapy and use it to help those who are struggling to lose weight. But, if that’s not on the cards for you right now, there are now, as we have already pointed out, apps that claim to be the solution.
Let’s take Noom, for example – one of the most well-known and most used (in fact, Noom was the most-searched diet term on Google in 2018) psychologically-based weight loss apps out there. While we haven’t tried it as a weight loss tool ourselves, reviews and descriptions of this app make it sound – how shall we say? – not all that innovative, or different from other tech-based approaches to weight loss.
Here’s how it works: you set up an account, and start your program by answering a series of questions on the app about your current weight, your goals, your health concerns, and your lifestyle (like how sedentary you are, whether you cook or eat out, etc). You’ll then be given a coach (who they claim is a real person) and a personalized eating plan, as well as access to tools that help you track your food, fitness, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure. You will also be given advice as you go, which seems to come mostly in the form of quizzes and short tips.
One of the main complaints about the app seems to be that the coaches don’t actually seem all that available, chatty, or even human (they can often give canned answers that seem a bit bot-like), according to some reviews, and they’re not registered dieticians, or counselors/therapists, as far as we can tell.
So it doesn’t seem that the app is all that centered on getting to the root of your weight loss barriers – but the minimal data out there does point to its effectiveness as we’ve already said. That might be because it’s simply another form of accountability among many to choose, since the app does ask you to log everything you eat and weigh yourself regularly, so tracking every bite you eat could help you to see where you need to make changes and eat healthier, and seeing your weight fluctuate could help you know when you’re off track.
In addition, its system encourages you to eat nutrient-dense foods that are lower in calories (like leafy greens), and often seems to suggest a very low caloric intake for a lot of people. In fact, some more of the complaints about the app seem to focus on how few calories it suggests (some users say they were encouraged to eat less than 1200 calories a day, which is far too few for an adult!), and on the fact that it doesn’t recognize the fact that there are some serious health (and even weight loss) benefits to some foods higher in fat and calories, like nuts, seeds, and avocados.
Not only that, but the focus on food tracking and weighing could be problematic for people who have had issues with disordered eating, so it’s important to know what could be triggering for you.
So, it seems that the bottom line about apps like Noom is that they’re limited in some ways, because, well, they’re apps! They can offer you great tech resources like food and fitness trackers, prompts for weigh-ins, and advice on mindful eating to read, but they can’t really do much more.
How You Can Incorporate Behavioral Psychology in Your Weight Loss Journey
The bottom line is, Noom or another paid app might be helpful for you, but you can probably find many of the same features in free apps. And as for the psychological part? Well, you might want to try incorporating some of your own psychologically-based strategies into whatever other tools you’re using on your weight-loss journey. For example, consider the following tips:
1. Set goals
When it comes to losing weight, it turns out that simply eating better and exercising (the physical stuff) is not the only thing you should be focusing on. One of the most important things you can do is something psychologically-based: setting goals for yourself. In fact, there are actually studies that show that setting goals frequently in your life makes you more likely to implement changes, and so setting goals as you work towards weight loss could help you get where you want to be and stay there.
So how many and what kind of goals should you be setting? There’s no data on how many goals, and the jury is out on how specific they have to be, but studies seem to suggest they should be on the bigger side. More important, though, is that they are challenging and/or set publicly; it also seems to be helpful to set group goals, so you might want to get your friends involved (see below)!
2. Track those goals
So here’s where apps can be helpful in a psychologically-based weight loss program. Science does seem to back up the effectiveness of tracking what you’re eating and weighing yourself regularly. In fact, if it’s not triggering for you, studies suggest that you should be weighing yourself weekly, if not daily. In addition, you need to find a sustainable way to track the food you’re eating (which can be time-consuming and annoying!). One way to do this might be to compromise and track faithfully while you’re first starting out, then ease up when you’ve hit a goal – but go back to tracking if your weight goes back up again.
3. Find social support
Setting goals and tracking your eating are two ways to keep yourself accountable, but you’ll also need a third accountability component: social support. Research has shown that people who talk to people in their lives about their goals, and/or do weight loss programs with a friend or family member, are much more likely to be successful. So get someone else on board!
Losing weight can be incredibly difficult. If it wasn’t, there wouldn’t be so many people struggling to do so, and there wouldn’t be so many “solutions” out there promising to help! But we do know now that using behavioral psychology to aid in your weight loss journey can actually work – you just need to find a way that will work for you. That might be with an app or other program, or simply incorporating some of the strategies above into your life yourself. However you choose to do it, keep at it – we know you can do it!
What keeps you up at night? The stress of your workday, the effects of inflation on your wallet, the fight you had with your partner, or your kid’s problems at school? Or is it something even bigger than all of those things? Bigger – as in, as big as the whole Earth? Maybe, with all of the dire news about the climate that’s constantly popping up in your newsfeed, you’re feeling the weight of the world, and what humans are doing to it, on your shoulders, and it’s doing a number on you. If so, you’ve probably been hit with what’s known as climate anxiety – so, with all of the very real and very serious effects of climate change, how can we even start to wrap our heads around it, and cope with this anxiety?
What Is Climate Anxiety?
Simply put, climate anxiety, also known as solastalgia, eco-anxiety, environmental distress, or ecological grief, is distress or anxiety related to worries about the effects of climate change. Or, to put it less simply, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines it as“the chronic fear of environmental cataclysm that comes from observing the seemingly irrevocable impact of climate change and the associated concern for one’s future and that of next generations.”
The APA does not consider climate anxiety a mental illness – not yet, anyway – but it is very real. And not only that, but it doesn’t even necessarily only affect those who have already come in direct contact with the effects of climate change (the mental health effects they have felt are also a whole other story). In other words, you don’t have to have lost your house to a supercharged hurricane or an intense wildfire to feel like the world is quite literally closing in on you.
In fact, the number of people that are experiencing climate anxiety is huge: a study by the APA suggests that more than two-thirds of Americans experience at least some form of it. And, unfortunately, it’s taking an even greater toll on our young people. A study published in The Lancet found that 84% of children and young adults ages 16 to 25 are at least moderately worried about climate change, and 59% are very or extremely worried. That makes sense, considering that they will most likely inherit some serious problems if we keep going down the path we’re on.
Are You Climate Anxious?
So does all of this sound familiar? Think you’re suffering from climate anxiety? You might be feeling things like:
Guilt or shame surrounding what you view as your effect on the environment
Intense worrying about how your actions will affect future generations
Anger that not more is being done
Grief, which you might experience in the classic stages: according to Phoenix Smith, an ecotherapist, “It can be denial at first, and then you may have some fear and anger and then sadness.”
Chronic stress, which can lead (especially in children) to depression and anxiety, or a feeling of suffocation
Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, or even fatalism
Of course, some of these feelings can be related to other mental health issues, or to other stressors in your life, but if you feel like climate change and its effects are what’s giving you your special brand of anxiety, it’s time to find a way to cope. Unfortunately, we’re in this fight for our planet’s future for the long haul, but in the here and now, you can try to deal with your climate anxiety like other anxiety-related issues, by working on your resilience, recognizing your feelings, sitting with them, and hopefully, taking some action. After all, the source of this anxiety is pretty consequential for all of us, so the action you take to calm yourself can also make a difference for everyone.
How Can You Cope?
Yes, things seem bad, but now’s the time to take a deep breath and get ourselves together so we can work on this. Start with yourself, and try the following ways to cope:
Feel all the feels
Negative feelings are necessarily going to be a part of a crisis, whether you’ve experienced the crisis first-hand or are worried about one hitting you – and this is a crisis. So you’re going to have to allow yourself to feel all the feelings that come to you, so you can learn to deal with them. In fact, according to Oregon-based environmental psychologist Thomas Doherty, those negative emotions aren’t inherently bad, because “we should be able to feel all of our emotions” in a healthy way. And once you feel them, and recognize them, you can then talk through your feelings with other people, which can be immensely helpful.
Then give yourself a break from the feels
It’s good to get charged up about a good cause, but if you’re sinking into hopelessness, it’s ok to give yourself a break from your negative feelings. Doherty tells us to try and take a step back from those feelings of hopelessness, which can mean “pulling off of the media, going outside, doing stress reduction, all of these kinds of things.”
Focus on what you want to do
Psychologists already have a good handle on how to deal with anxiety-based disorders, and they can apply a lot of what they know to climate anxiety, with the twist being that the actions you can take might be more concrete. Penn State psychology Professor Janet Swim, who has authored several publications about psychology and climate change, puts it this way: “Anxiety is something people feel more and more when they get closer to an anti-goal, meaning a negative result, like the destruction of the planet.” The anxiety you feel might begin to make you feel avoidant, or you might feel like simply shutting down and no longer engaging. To ease this feeling of anxiety, turn it around. “Instead of focusing on the fear, you should instead focus on what you want to do,” Swim suggests. “If you get closer and closer to a solution, you can feel more pride and there is hope.”
Join in
So it’s important to take a break from those feelings of hopelessness, talk about things, and also to do something. To get yourself ready to join in the fight, focus on more energizing and motivating emotions, like anger at injustice, which can spur you into action. Then, consider getting involved by:
Getting a group together and persistently writing to your representatives
Attending protests
Joining an urban cleanup
Advocating for more green spaces in your neighborhood
Make changes in your life
They might seem like little things that won’t do much, but making small changes to your lifestyle can help, especially if you encourage others to do the same -and making these changes could also help to relieve some of your feelings of helplessness. Some ideas include:
Signing up for a home energy visit, and performing your own energy audit of your home to see how you can make your home more efficient
Cutting down on carbon emissions by walking, driving, or taking public transport to work
Focusing on reusing as opposed to relying on recycling (but continue to recycle what you can)
Look for positivity
You don’t have to turn a blind eye to climate change, and pretend that everything is hunky-dory, but you also don’t have to constantly wallow in negativity, which will end up taking a big toll on your mental health. Stay informed about what’s really going on (burying your head in the sand won’t help!), but don’t forget to seek out all the news, including the positive stuff! For example, Alaina Wood, a sustainability scientist, has taken to TikTok, delivering positive news about climate developments. Checking out accounts like hers can help with all those hopeless and fatalistic feelings. And the other good thing about finding positive stories: you might just get inspired and find new ways to act!
There’s no sense in sugar coating things: climate change is real, and poses a very real threat to us. And the anxiety surrounding this is very real, too, and can affect our lives and our mental health in some serious ways. But now is not the time to shut down, or retreat into our fears: it’s the time to act, both for our own well-being and that of our planet.
