I looked forward eagerly to each of my counseling sessions with Ellen. She has just the right blend of her own agenda and a desire to spend her and my energy on what was correct for me. She has a well-developed ability to listen and be empathetic without judgment, while at the same time guiding the conversation toward practical steps and solutions.

Working with Ellen gave me the opportunity to focus on my short and long-term goals in life, and actualize a few of my dreams. While working with Ellen I took the step to make a shift in my 25-year career, to clean up some challenging relationships, and create more space, calm, and order in my life. I've lowered my stress level by beginning to regularly practice planning to accomplish in my day only the tasks that I can actually fulfill.

Ellen is wise beyond her years. Her approach is gentle and non-confrontational, making the experience of working with her easy, non-challenging and supportive.

Julie, Massachusetts

Upcoming Events

Weigh Less, Live More: A Combined Nutrition and Movement Group Weight Loss Program - Registration in current program closed - Check back in July, 2009 to register for the Fall Weigh Less Live More Program

• See measurable results in weight loss and "waist loss".
• Learn the skills needed to be successful with your weight loss goals on your own in the real world
• Discover how to integrate healthier lifestyle habits into your daily routine and experience a much-improved relationship with food and exercise
• And much, much more...keep reading to see the transformations past participants have experienced!
  

Program Details:

The next Weigh Less Live More Group Program will begin in September 2009. Registration will open in July, 2009. Contact Ellen today to reserve your spot!

Program will include:

• Twenty 1-hour NIA classes with Lauren (approximately two per week for the duration of the program)
• Six 1 1/2 hour nutrition/weight loss seminars with Ellen, which will be informative, inspirational and will help keep you on track
  
• Handouts, reading materials, giveaways, new food samples and other inspirational tools to help you in the weight loss process
• Recipes and cooking tips
• An online yahoo group which will be an opportunity for all members of the program to post questions, provide feedback and get support
• A buddy system: You’ll choose a buddy in the class and use each other for support on a weekly basis
• A potluck “final exam”

Interested in this program? Have more questions? Just contact Ellen today to schedule a FREE 30 minute session to go over the details, get your questions answered and determine if you are right for the program.

Additionally, Lauren has agreed to offer one FREE Nia class to anyone who would like to experience this unique and fun form of movement/exercise prior to joining the program. You can find her contact info at www.niahealth.com

We have made our very best effort to make this program affordable. We are also offering multiple discounts.

Past participants have gotten a lot from this program. Read on for more testimonials!

I am truly changing my relationship to food and my relationship to fitness - for the first time in years I do not feel as though I am depriving myself. Instead, I am nurturing my whole self. The combination of the mindful and fun movement and the Nutrition counseling group is awesome! Both aspects focus on living a Full life in all ways. Oh! And I have lost 6 lbs in just the first 5 weeks without agony! Thank you for creating such a unique program.

- L.K.

Since I started working with Ellen, I have begun to enjoy eating and especially cooking again. Her gentle education and insights about the value of the vegetables and fruits has made me realize I had been minimizing them in my meals, where now I am starting to look at how to have as many of them as I can squeeze in. I was in a rut about cooking, both the types of foods I was choosing and the ways I was preparing them. In the classes with Ellen, I have received a lot of fresh ideas for recipes and especially things that are easy and quick to prepare. The combination of Ellen’s classes and the exercise program has been really effective and again, FUN! I have been surprised at how enjoyable it can be to learn something totally new and different again. For me, the best part of working with Ellen is she is very accepting of "where I'm at", and has helped me move forward in a way that is really comfortable to me, and which has resulted in surprisingly big changes. Honestly, since I am so used to the relatively small results which come with a lot of "teeth gnashing" frustration from typical weight loss programs (of which I have experienced many, many), it has been a very pleasant change to be able to relax, enjoy, and get healthier and happier at the same time as I am eating better and feel better in my body and mind.

I have to admit that when I started working with Ellen and Lauren, I thought I knew EVERYTHING there was to know about dieting (since I have been on so many diets for practically my whole adult life, and just recently have come to terms with the fact that the extra weight is just going to come off when it does, and I just need to be patient and not worry) and exercise (since I have recently converted from the "I hate exercise" to feeling the joy of moving my body and doing it regularly for myself, and have studied and taught yoga/tai chi for 10 years). So in both dimensions (eating and exercising), I was basically moving along in a positive direction, feeling positive, and without worry for the first time in my life, which is a miracle. Plus I am a lot older than both Ellen And Lauren, and I really was pretty sure that they weren't really going to teach me anything. I mostly decided to do the Weigh Less Live More Program as a support for my mother who wanted to do the program.

SO... I wasn't expecting anything, and I have been very surprised!

Ellen has brought a lot of information about eating and food and digestion to help my brain relax into more natural eating habits, and has gotten me focused on trying to eat as many vegetables as I can, rather than focusing on all the other sugar and fat laden things I am no longer eating. It is a really great approach, and somehow my creativity about eating has come back out. I used to love to read cookbooks and then experiment, and that sense of play is coming back.

Lauren and the NIA similarly have surprised me a lot. I went there to help my mother get into some movement exercise. She used to do yoga but for a zillion reasons it isn't inspiring her now. Lauren does not look like your basic fitness guru, which ended up being a really great advantage. She doesn't have that string-bean figure that so many of them have, so it was easy for me to relax and not worry about how I look and whether I am doing it right. The NIA classes keep me so busy moving and noticing how my body is feeling, that I don't have time to be looking at anyone else, and so I feel comfortable that they don't have time to be looking at me. Usually I get myself kinda mixed up in a dance-type setting where there are steps to follow, and I am seeing that a big part of that is because I have been worrying at some level about how I look and whether I am going to do it right rather than just focusing on feeling the rhythm of the music and moving.

Just realizing that, and being able to notice when am I focusing on the natural rhythm inside (when my feet just naturally follow along with what Lauren is doing) or when am I distracted by my thoughts (when my feet go every which way, but not in any kind of rhythm) is a great benefit for me. Lauren is always right there, always gently pushing us to do more, get more results with our bodies. There is this way that she can move her body that is very inspiring. It is as if she were a marionette, each part is light and capable of moving independently, and somehow she also can move everything together in great harmony. It is very inspiring, and makes me want to do more and try again with my body.

Thank you Ellen and Lauren for a great program!

 - Susanne Miller

Ellen guided me to make nutritious choices in my eating habits. She did not focus on low calorie choices but to choose foods rich in nutrition to help me feel better. I travel for business and managed to eat healthier on the road. My cooking and food choices improved and the best part was she was not judgmental and encouraged me to make food choices that were beneficial to my own body.

- Patricia Horn

Past events include:

Workshop:

Weigh Less Live More

This workshop will be the launch of a brand new group weight management program that combines nutrition counseling with Nia, a fun and unique movement/exercise program.

When: November, 13 2008

Where: Ridgely Retreat, 203 Ridgely Ave, Annapolis, MD 21401

Cost: Free

RSVPs are appreciated: Please contact Ellen Kittredge at ellen@ellenkittredge.com or (202) 577-1940 to hold your spot

Suffering from the Sugar Blues?

-> Do you crave sweets and want to understand why?

Please join me for an interactive and information-packed lecture. Past attendees attest: You are guaranteed to walk out with practical tools and tips to start addressing your cravings right away.

When: Monday, June 30, 2008. 7:45 - 9:00pm

Where: Ridgely Retreat, 203 Ridgely Ave, Annapolis, MD 21401

Cost: $15

RSVPs are appreciated: Please contact Ellen Kittredge at ellen@ellenkittredge.com or (202) 577-1940 to hold your spot

Attendees will receive handouts and other takeaways and be eligible for a free follow-up session to discuss specific health concerns in more detail.