Since arriving last month, I have talked with many participants who call Structure House their ”safe haven” due to the guidance and support they receive when the going gets tough for them at home. I have also talked with others who simply choose to come back to get a ”booster shot” by immersing themselves in our healthy environment. This re-exposure to our program is what they know they need to get back on track or to keep their momentum going with healthy living.
Structure House has been helping people to live healthier lives for almost 40 years and this program has endured for so long because quite simply – it works. And by ”works” I’m not just talking about healthy weight loss. I’m talking about an approach that also helps people to:
- Feel less alone
- Cultivate self-compassion
- Find enjoyable movement that doesn’t hurt
- Begin healing their relationship with food by finding other ways to manage stress
- Connect with others who really get them
Within a week of starting my new role at Structure House, I was keenly aware of how passionate, heart-centered, and knowledgeable the team of experts here are in their respective fields. I’m in awe. Not only have many conducted and published research that supports the basis of the Structure House approach, but all members of the treatment team (nutrition, culinary, fitness and behavior) are also experienced and wise enough to understand that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach; that in the end – the expert is YOU.
At Structure House, participants learn how to take better care of themselves from the inside out and that is what makes all the difference within this process of change.
In our size and weight loss obsessed society, there are endless food diets and exercise programs that promise rapid weight loss. However, when you take a closer look, many of these approaches don’t have health as a top priority as much as weight loss at any cost. Not to mention, these extreme approaches aren’t sustainable because of the psychological and physical deprivation that is experienced with food restriction and the pain and injury that often results from too much exercise too soon.
Our treatment team encourages participants to focus on healthy behaviors and, as a result, healthy weight loss occurs as the by-product of this change in focus. Let’s try it. Which of the following statements do you think sounds better?
Focusing on the behavior and on how the body feels in response to that behavior will ensure weight loss occurs in the presence – not the absence – of health. By adopting a healthier lifestyle, participants learn how to avoid the all-or-nothing teeter totter which can be physiologically and psychologically damaging. That’s why each participant, when they leave, takes with them their own individual wellness plan and the tools they need to be successful at home.
The mission here at Structure House is to provide the framework from which someone can rely on and use, and then when ready, further explore how to customize the wellness plan based on his or her unique needs and preferences. This customization within a structured foundation is what keeps participants coming back for more – because one can never have too much support, too much laughter, too much self-compassion. It’s what helps to keep the cobwebs cleared, the sticky areas unstuck, and to embrace ourselves for being perfectly imperfect.
We hope you come join us.
Related Reading: Five Stages of Lifelong Recovery, Do You Eat on Autopilot?
