Dr. William & Dr. Jim Sears

L.E.A.N. Workshops are the educational work of world renowned author and pediatrician William Sears, MD and exercise physiologist, Sean Foy, MA. Dr. Sears’ work makes up a family of workshops that educate and support parents, caregivers, children and expecting moms in the four pillars of health: Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitude and Nutrition (L.E.A.N.). These four pillars of health work together to support and maintain the health and well-being for individuals of any age and in any stage of life. L.E.A.N. workshops are not your typical wellness programs. You will laugh your way through class, learn simple, time and money saving solutions for improving your family’s health, and leave empowered to lead others toward better health.

Unlike most wellness programs that focus solely on educating the child, L.E.A.N. believes that true education and change begins with parents or caregivers – the individuals who do the shopping, the cooking and, most importantly, model the behavior. L.E.A.N. workshops present simple solutions for families, communities, the workplace, healthcare facilities and schools. Workshops are taught exclusively by Certified L.E.A.N. Coaches in a variety of settings such as, community centers, hospitals, fitness centers, classrooms, one-on-one consultations, corporate wellness programs and more!

A Positive Experience

L.E.A.N. teaches that being healthy is not just about eating healthy food; it is about how lifestyle, exercise, attitude and nutrition positively or negatively affect behavior, learning, attitude, energy levels, attention and much more. Participants attending L.E.A.N. workshops have the opportunity to join others on the same journey in a safe, relaxed and fun environment while sharing, supporting and encouraging one another. Participants will enjoy watching a brief vignette on a professional and comedic DVD, participate in hands-on learning activities, indulge in healthy, simple and delicious snacks and share their successes and challenges of living healthy in today’s busy world. Workshops can also be tailored to fit specific audience needs.

What L.E.A.N. Means:

Lifestyle:
This means healthy living without smoking, excessive alcohol, or other unhealthy substances. The “L” in lifestyle could also stand for “love” and “laughter.” If there are not enough of these two “L’s” in your job, relationships, habits, or activities, some changes are needed. For some people, change is difficult, since the body and the mind often resist change, but remind yourself we’re talking about change for the better, not for the worse.

Exercise:
One of the healthiest ways to stay lean is to exercise. The more muscle you have, the more fat calories you can burn. If you wanna lose it, you gotta move it. The key to getting and staying lean is to set your fat point to fat-burn rather than fat-store. How? By eating right and exercising more. Also, regular, moderate exercise increases the white cell count, improving the body’s ability to fight off infection. Lastly, exercise is not only good for the body; it’s great for the brain. The brain is an oxygen hog, which is why it takes 25 percent of the blood that the heart pumps (more in children). Exercise delivers more oxygen to the brain and helps all tissue, especially brain tissue, use oxygen more efficiently, which translates into better thinking.

Attitude:
Trim the fat in your feelings by keeping your mind off counterproductive stuff. The attitude part of LEAN is about using your mind to help you get a lean body. You can’t just think fat away, but there are fascinating ways your mind can affect your body – for better or for worse. Stress gets in the way of good health. Your body can’t reap all the benefits of nutrition and exercise if it’s overstressed. And stress can get in the way of eating right and getting enough exercise.

Nutrition:
Emphasize a right-fat diet. Instead of a diet, let’s call it a change in eating style, meaning that you are focusing more on eating well rather than on eating less. To stay lean you have to do one of two things: eat more and burn more fat or eat less and exercise less. You can’t have it both ways. You are likely to feel more full after eating a fiber-filled plant food than after a meal featuring meat. Fiber gives you a feeling of fullness sooner for fewer calories, a good nutritional strategy for staying lean. So, if you are trying to lose weight or lower the amount of fat in your diet, first fill up on high-fiber, low-fat salad-bar fixings. You’ll eat less of the main course and dessert.