Spring is in the air and the sun is showing its' brilliance a little more often. It is a time for renewal and a perfect time for you to revisit your goals - regarding all aspects of your life. It is common to let things go during the winter months, especially if you are living in a cold and frequently raw climate as I am. It is easier to curl up by the fire with a good book (and a bag of cookies?) than to strap on those snowshoes and venture out. So, now is the time to morph back into your energized, health conscious self. April is a good time to begin. It is also Emotional Overeating Awareness Month. Visit www.emotionalovereatingawareness.com to find out about emotional eating and learn ways to dramatically reduce or eliminate this self defeating behavior once and for all.

At the official emotional overeating awareness site, you will find a lengthy article addressing emotional eating, link to my weekly blog, www.che wtamers.blogspot.com , tips to help you stop overeating and a link to the Bach blog, www.emotionale atinghelp.org where we will be scrolling daily tips to help you stay on track all month long. I encourage you, challenge you, to visit the official site, read the article and tips and follow these valuable links to help you regain control of those behaviors that have been harming you. It is spring. It is a perfect time to renew your commitment to your self care.

We have all been exposed this year to financial and emotional hardships and this has most likely taken a toll on your health as well. As we watch our country suffer economic decline, many of us react by becoming more and more stressed-out. As our stress levels rise, our bodies flood with the hormone cortisol and our appetites start to rage. Powerful emotions surface. As we continue to worry, some of us have trouble sleeping further adding to the problem as two more hormones come into play. We excrete excess ghrelin (which increases hunger) and our production of leptin (the hormone that signals satiation) decreases. So with all this extra stress we are experiencing, we are likely to notice our appetites increasing (and consequently so too will our numbers on the scale).

As human beings we cannot help but react to what is going on. We are all being touched by this crisis in some fashion and are likely to seek food for comfort. So if you have found yourself over indulging lately, you are not alone. It's a natural reaction. Don't beat yourself up over it. We learn very early on that sugars and carbohydrates can help comfort us and take away our pain and many of us have been using food all our lives for exactly that purpose.

Sugars and simple carbohydrates mask themselves as our friends. They urge us to take care of our uncomfortable feelings by stuffing our bellies with creamy pastas, pastries and chocolate. The hard part is that they deliver what they promise. These foods help us in the short term to stuff our feelings deep inside where we don't have to deal with them. However, when the effects of these "anesthetics" wear off, our physical bodies scream for MORE and our emotional selves join the chorus and demand "treats" to continue keeping feelings at bay.

If you have been soothing yourself with food, please don't beat yourself up. Do all you can to take the very best care of yourself during these tough times -- eat the healthiest foods possible, drink plenty of water, build some exercise into your routine, rest, relax and have some fun.

In addition to your lifestyle changes, another strategy is to use the NEW Bach® Emotional Eating Support Kit. This kit contains three Bach Flower Remedies (www.bachreme dies.com) that can help to successfully manage your eating behavior -- Cherry Plum flower remedy helps you remain in control, Crab Apple flower remedy improves body image and self- appreciation and Chestnut Bud flower remedy helps you to stop repeating the same mistakes and sabotaging yourself again and again as your stress levels continue to rise while you watch your waistline expanding. This little kit can help you choose healthier options for yourself during times of emotional distress and weakness.

FYI, April 1st I will be opening QUESTOVER: Center for Holistic Health and Weight Management in Exeter, NH. I will continue to offer individual, group and telephone services. Visit my home page at www.denisela mothe.com to learn more.

I would like to close this month by first thanking all of you who so kindly wrote to Oprah suggesting she read The Taming of the Chew. Your support was really appreciated! No, Oprah hasn't called me yet but I will let you know when she does. I wish each of you the very best springtime ever. Please visit me every week on www.chewtamers.blogspot.com . It is your blog and I would love to see your comments and questions there.

Tomorrow, April 4th, I am holding a workshop on using the Law of Attraction in your daily life. This workshop has been extremely helpful in the past for people wanting to change things -- like their eating behaviors, for example -- and to create life as they truly want it to be. For some, it has been the route to successful weight management at last. The workshop will be held in Exeter, NH from 9 to 3 (If you have no experience with the Law of Attraction, I would ask you to come in at 8) and the cost is $100, all inclusive. I still have three spaces left and would love to have you join me but you'll have to act quickly. If you are interested please call me right away at 603-493-6043 and I will be happy to register you and give you directions. Hope to see some of you there! It is a fun day -- informative and transformational...

Meanwhile, be well. Treat yourself with the respect and love you deserve. Your happiness is your job and there is nothing more important than your joy.

I'll be back this summer. Meanwhile, I send you my very warmest wishes, Enjoy every minute of this wonderful springtime...

Dr. Denise