Newswise — New Year’s Resolutions are in full swing, and a popular one is to lose weight. Some turn to dieting others to exercise, but how far is too far?

Dr. Melinda Green has studied eating disorders for more than a decade. She can discuss tips for pursuing healthy choices related to exercise and nutrition and distinguish healthy choices from unhealthy, extreme behaviors that are often promoted this time of year. Her advice focuses on the pursuit of health and wellness in a balanced, realistic way versus the pursuit of extreme behaviors that can lead to detrimental health outcomes. She provides suggestions for change consistent with health models used to promote realistic and attainable goals for nutrition, exercise, and health management.

Dr. Green examines biological, psychological, and sociocultural correlates of eating disorders and examines the efficacy of dissonance-based eating disorder prevention and treatment paradigms.  Green works closely with student researchers to present and publish regularly on this topic. Within the biological realm, she investigates cardiac risk indices in eating disorder patients.  Within the psychological and sociocultural realms, she focuses on objectification and maladaptive social comparison.Green regularly teaches Abnormal Behavioral Neuroscience, Abnormal Psychology, Health Psychology & Behavioral Medicine, Research Methods, Psychology of Women and Gender, and Counseling and Psychotherapy at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa.  She received the 2017 Psychotherapy with Women Award from Division 35 of the American Psychological Association in acknowledgment of the importance of her scientific work. Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, Iowa State University; B.A., Psychology, University of Iowa.