Answers to some of the questions we get asked the most.

What does it mean that you are a non-diet dietitian?

I work from a weight-neutral, non-diet approach. I will not tell you what to eat, nor will I weigh you. I work from the perspective of Health At Every Size®, which focuses on health-enhancing behaviors apart from intentional weight loss. I will not ban foods from your diet, and I do not view food from the lens of a good/bad dichotomy. I instead will help you learn to nourish yourself in attunement with your own internal body cues, nurture your entire being, and help you remove yourself from diet culture and the diet mentality in order to live a life free from the burden of constant food analysis, deprivation, and struggle.

WHAT ARE THE BASICS ABOUT WORKING WITH NICOLE AS A PRIVATE CLIENT?

Where: I can see clients in person and virtually from the Twin Cities area, and virtual clients in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, North Carolina, Colorado, Arizona, and California.

Cost: I do not accept insurance; however, many clients use their HSA to pay, or I can work with you to see about getting individual sessions covered out-of-network on your own using a "superbill." Because I don’t use insurance, I am able to keep my rates lower and flexible (and my life a little simpler).

Please email Nicole@MindfulFoodAndMotion.com for up-to-date information on rates.

Office: Most often I meet in person at my office here in St.Paul, although I can also do virtual appointments if that is more convenient for locals or due to weather. I also work with clients in some other states (depending on professional licensure laws) and countries. Classes, book clubs, and other events will be held virtually via Zoom.

Hours: My primary office hours vary, but are usually noon-6pm Mondays and Wednesdays, and 9 AM-3 PM Tuesdays and Fridays, but will schedule as early as 8 AM and as late as 6 PM on weekdays depending on the day. I see a limited number of clients each day to allow time for all the out-of-session client-related work and details of running a private practice (and, well, life in general). This also gives clients flexibility with scheduling.

Electronic scheduling, billing, and communication: I use a program called "Healthie" that allows for HIPAA-compliant client interaction including automatic email appointment reminders. There is a free app version available for your phone and includes features such as "chat," an optional photo food journal, and the ability to schedule or change appointments.

Next Step: I like to start with an initial 30-minute (or so) meeting for which there is no charge. It's a great way to ask each other questions, determine if we are a good fit to work together, and the best way forward. I'm happy to schedule that if you let me know which days/times work best for you.

WHAT IS MINDFUL MOTION?

Mindful motion is engaging in physical activity that enhances the mind-body connection and coordination and can relieve physical and mental stress. Mindful motion invigorates the body and is genuinely enjoyable.

The term “exercise” can be laden with conscious and subconscious negativity from previous experience, often related to dieting and weight loss attempts. Mindless exercise denotes words like exhaust, should, force, pain, calorie-burning, task, rigid, punitive, deplete, and guilt.

Words associated with mindful motion include exhilarate, energize, replenish, self-care, fun, relaxing, satisfying, empowering, adventure, sensation, explore, rejuvenate, and play.

WHAT IS MINDFUL EATING?

Mindful eating can be both a formal and a casual practice to enjoy your eating experience more fully. It is about savoring the sensual experience of eating. It engages both internal and external senses in choosing, preparing, and eating food. Eating with less distraction, slowing down, and truly tasting your food are key. Appreciating the qualities, source, and sense of connection with your food and bringing more awareness to the eating experience can affect the type and quantity of food you ultimately eat to be more attuned with your body’s needs, whether that be more or less or the same as the amount you typically eat now and your taste preferences.

WHAT IS INTUITIVE EATING?

Intuitive Eating is a specific 10-principle approach as created by dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch and found in the now 4th edition of their book, “Intuitive Eating”. There are four main aspects of intuitive eating: 1) unconditional permission to eat, 2) eating for physical rather than emotional reasons, 3) relying on physical cues of hunger and fullness, and 4) body-food choice congruence. Much research has been done with intuitive eating and can be found on their website, www.intuitiveeating.org, and in the resources here. In general, intuitive eating is a practice of recognizing the various appetites of the body and mind and how to satisfy each hunger in a healthy way. For someone who has long struggled with food or their body, intuitive eating can help heal that relationship. It can help you to relax around food, choose and savor food confidently, appreciate and listen to your body, and discover how to nourish your body, mind, and spirit in a positive and healthy way.

WHAT IS BODY TRUST®?

Nicole is a Certified Body Trust® Provider. Body Trust was co-created by Dana Sturdevant and Hillary Kinavey, of Portland’s Be Nourished. Their description: Body Trust® is...

• Your birthright. You were literally born with it!

• Getting out of your head and into your body.

• Rejecting the diet mentality as a way to solve the "problem" (i.e. your body).

• Turning towards your body with kindness and curiosity.

• Listening to your body and honoring the wisdom that comes from within.

• Exploring weight-neutral self-care practices.

• Allowing pleasure and satisfaction to inform and teach us as much as what we know to be "good" or "healthy."

• Knowing that when you eat past full or don't eat enough, your body's hunger cues will guide you.

• Practicing self-compassion.

• Becoming acquainted with your body's subtle and not-so-subtle cues.

• Acknowledging the amazing ways your body shows up for you every day, regardless of how you treat it.

• Moving your body in ways that connect you to sensation and joy.

• Getting out of the way, allowing your body to sort out the weight question itself.

Learn more about Body Trust here: https://centerforbodytrust.com/about-us/

READY TO IMPROVE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD?

Set up a free, 30-minute consultation with Nicole to learn more about a non-diet approach to nutrition.

WHAT IS HEALTH AT EVERY SIZE® (ALSO KNOWN AS HAES®, pronounced “Haze”)

HAES is a weight-inclusive approach to health as defined by the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH), which states “ASDAH envisions a world that celebrates bodies of all shapes and sizes, in which body weight is no longer a source of discrimination and where oppressed communities have equal access to the resources and practices that support health and well being. Learn about the HAES principles here: https://www.sizediversityandhealth.org/content.asp?id=152

Do you take insurance?

I do not take insurance. I have set rates, which are negotiable on an individual basis. Many people use their HSA/FSA accounts and I can work with you to provide a “superbill” for reimbursement from your insurance company. I don’t want cost to get in the way of someone getting the support they need, so please feel encouraged to discuss rates at any time during our working relationship. 

Is your office accessible?

Our space includes a community room for classes and groups, as well as homey, private office for meeting with clients.

There are 1.5 flights of stairs to the Mindful Food & Motion office, the doors do not have automatic openers, and there are no elevators on the premises. All chairs in our space are armless and we have four high-weight-capacity chairs rated to a weight capacity of 800 pounds. If you have any questions about our space or requests for accessibility, please contact us.

For driving directions: Our office is located on Jefferson Avenue, just east and down the hill from Lexington and Ayd Mill Road and not far from the St.Paul Trader Joe’s.

WHAT’S UP WITH YOUR LOGO?

I love my logo! My dear friend, Debra Doss, designed it for me back in 2012 when I had just finished yoga teacher training. It looks a bit like the “8 limbs” of yoga reaching up overhead. It also looks like grain, or an onion, which is fitting since we pull back the layers in this work. It’s also quite “yonic”, which is the female equivalent to “phallic”. A friend pointed that out to me way back when and since then I can’t not see that and I love it even more for that!

WHAT IF I STILL WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT?

It is common to approach this work with one foot in the dieting world and one wanting to explore this new paradigm. It helps to be honest about that and it will be held with compassion. When working with Nicole, people are always in choice. It is always an option to go back to what you were doing before. Nicole does not help people with intentional weight loss and does not give referrals to providers for that pursuit. She can help you work through the diet mentality and come to a place where you are doing things FOR and WITH the body with tender care, rather than TO and ON it with harshness.

READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP?

Set up a free, 30-minute consultation with Nicole to learn more about a non-diet approach to nutrition.