Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Put Yourself on the Schedule for Weight Loss Success

From personal experience, I know that if I don't schedule when I am going to move my body, it just doesn't happen. Somehow they day has gotten away from me and I crash on my bed one pooped pup.

To assure that doesn't happen, I plan my exercise routine for first thing in the morning. Well, second. First I drink a big glass of water with a squeeze of lemon...then I put in my 15-20 minutes routine. Then I know it is done and I can check that off my list for the day.

It is great to start my day with 2 positives within the first half an hour--really sets the tone for success!

You are as important as any other person, business or task. You schedule in other meetings and commitments...and you can schedule yourself in, too. Maybe you don't want to exercise first thing in the morning like I do (and so does the First Lady, btw)...that's okay, but decide when you will and then put it on your schedule so you don't "forget" or have the day slip away from you!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Weight Loss Success in No Time

Don't have a lot of time to devote to the gym? Well, the good news is you don't have to!

The way to improve your fitness is to move your body regularly, but that doesn't mean you have to sweat it out pumping iron a couple hours a day.

If you are just starting out then start off slow. Don't try to add an hour of exercise to your routine all at once--chances are you won't keep with it. Instead, commit to 15 minutes a day. In the beginning don't worry about working out hard, just get up and move--and have fun with it! The biggest challenge for most people is making the initial change, so make it an easy change to stick with. You will have MUCH better results if you consistently move your body for 15 minutes every day than you will if you exercise for 2 hours once or twice a week.

If you are already exercising but find that you are running short on time, either you don't have more time to add to your workout, or you need to cut back on the time you currently spend moving, then bump it up just a notch for just a few minutes. You can actually get a better cardio workout in by alternating high intensity (faster speed, steeper incline) with lower intensity (slower pace, level terrain.) You can do this walking in your neighborhood or on any number of machines like treadmills or cross-country ski trainers--and even in the pool (well, you can't adjust the incline but you can alternate your speed and you can add fins or hand paddles to work different muscles.) 20 minutes will actually give you a really good work out!

In just 15-20 minutes a day you can actually make a big difference in your health and you will start to see results in your fitness level and your weight loss success! And, as the saying goes, nothing breeds success like success!

Friday, December 24, 2010

Christmas Cookie Update

OK, going to buy Christmas cookies in the late afternoon of the 23rd was not the best option! Or perhaps it was! There was not a large selection and many that were there were so unappealing there was no pull at all. I did find a nice tray of European cookies dipped in chocolate for under $5--I've bought these before for twice that, so maybe waiting until the last minute is a good idea!

There was also a German box of cookies which we settled on because of the "fun factor"...very similar cookies but in a box that is literally a yard long! It just cracked me up! Even better is that the "yard" was made up of 3 sealed packages which helps me with my restraint...it gives me a little time to think, do I REALLY want to open another package?

So I have a little chocolate fix, a little Christmas fun and it won't spoil my weight loss success! Sounds like a Happy Holiday to me!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

I Want Cookies!

I'm finding myself wanting Christmas cookies...even during my meditation I had images of Gingerbread men dancing in my head! And yule logs and Danish sugar cookies and chocolate...lots of chocolate!

I recognize that a lot of this is because I did not go "home" for Christmas...even though these days we rarely have much in the way of treats at the holidays, either here or there, the holidays evoke memories of times when Christmas cookies were plentiful in our house. And maybe because that was about the ONLY time of year that treats were plentiful (my mom was always watching my weight even if I wasn't!)

Thoughts of baking started peculating this morning...do I really want to bake or just to eat cookies? Not sure, but I suspect that since I actually looked at my old recipes and wasn't 100% inspired that if I go to the store and buy myself a couple of treats that will be enough to satisfy the urge. I think it is really an emotional thing more than anything else.

So, I'm taking my "no forbidden foods" motto to heart and I'm going to the store! I've eaten a nice snack so I'm not starving. Then, if nothing screams out at me and I still want cookies I will come back home and do a little baking--and I know I have neighbors who will help me eat any extras!

Happy Holidays!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Weight Loss Success Killer: 1 Little Word

There is one little word that will kill any attempts to successfully lose weight. It probably isn’t the word you are thinking about. It isn’t “fat” or “sugar”…those are real things…this word can’t even claim that space in reality. This word lives completely in our minds.

Any guesses now? “Can’t”…not the word I’m thinking of, but it is another killer. But “can’t” speaks to our belief in our ability while the word I’m referring to speaks to the reason behind our efforts...our mindset about weight loss.

The word that we must eliminate from our vocabulary in order to permanently and healthfully experience weight loss success is “should.”

As Louise Hay tells it, the word “should” is always about making us wrong. We were wrong in the past, as in, “I should have exercised yesterday” or “I should not have eaten that cookie.” Or we are wrong now, as in, “I should lose weight because my doctor says I’m unhealthy” or “I should get out and walk but I don’t feel like it.” Or we make ourselves wrong in the future, as in, “I should set a goal to run that marathon in June” or “I should be at my goal weight by my wedding.”

It seems that we “should” all over ourselves…and it really doesn’t help in the long-run. Oh sometimes we can motivate (or intimidate) ourselves for a while with “should” and “should not” but it rarely sticks.

The reason is that “should” never springs from internal love and desire. Should always comes from an external focus. Even if we are the ones imposing the “should” (and we almost always are) it stems from the idea that we are not good enough, that we must fit someone else’s perception…that we must somehow be different.

In order to achieve weight loss success that lasts beyond the honeymoon we must have the internal desire that comes from loving ourselves. And that includes loving ourselves right now, as we are, fat and all! By loving and accepting ourselves and being appreciative of our current selves we are then opening ourselves up to an even “better”, healthier version in the future.

So as you are thinking about the New Year’s Resolutions you are going to set for yourself, delete any that start with “should” or “should not.” Instead, sit quietly and look at what your real motivation to lose weight is and focus on that. When you have a heart-felt motivation it will prove much stronger than any externally driven “should” and it will see you through challenges that you may face in the future and you will literally lose weight through positive thinking!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Weight Loss Tip: It's a Brand New Day

To really have permanent weight loss it is important to look at each day as a brand new starting point. This shift in your mindset can make a HUGE difference in your success.

The habit that most of us have developed is to condemn ourselves when we go off our eating and exercise plan--when we "fall off the wagon" as it were. We criticize ourselves instead of recognizing that we just don't have to be perfect. And we criticize and criticize until we feel like complete failures...and then what do we do? We eat to feel better! We medicate ourselves with food.

This is the vicious circle we have created for ourselves over the years...and it is one of the reasons that diets don't work!

Diets are temporary...and sadly, the results from dieting are usually also temporary. To create lasting results we have to look at our process in the long-run.

You cannot change what you did in the past. You can't "uneat" the foods you consumed, nor can you exercise now for days you missed last week or month or year. The only thing you have any control over at all is this minute, right now.

Did you blink? Well, then that minute is gone, so you have control over this one...now this one...now this one.

Since you cannot change what was done in the past then berating yourself for it really is pointless. Let's look at what we CAN change--that fleeting moment that is "now."

Every day we wake up to a clean slate. Every day we can strive to make the healthiest choices possible in that moment. Depriving ourselves today because we overate yesterday is not the healthiest choice. Neither is overeating today because we "slipped up" yesterday.

Today is totally independent of what we did yesterday and what we may do tomorrow. Focus only on right now and ANYTHING is possible!

Accept that you overate and recognize that action was in the past. Every action in the past got us to where we are today. If we want to be in a different place next year, a healthier body for example, then we must change our actions right now. If we make small changes and regularly apply those changes until they are habits then we MUST be different in the future!

Notice I said "regularly" and not "perfectly" or "daily." It is NOT necessary to be "perfect"...if is important to be balanced and realistic about what you will eat and do. That is why I encourage you to start with super small steps and get used to those.

Following this logic of every day being a clean slate and that you only have control over the current moment, you may have surmised that every moment is also brand new! How liberating is that! You can choose to have control right NOW even if a minute ago you ate more than you intended! You don't have to wait for the new day for the clean slate--you can erase it right this instant if you choose to.

So instead of saying "I ate 5 Gingerbread men so I might as well eat the entire Yule Log too" remind yourself that you are human and that you can start over, "I ate 5 Gingerbread men but that is in the past and I am choosing in this instant to make healthy choices...honestly, I am so full I would not enjoy eating the Yule Log right now so I am going to pass."

When you can make this mindset adjustment then you WILL have weight loss success!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Holiday Weight Loss Tip: Pick a Treat

This time of year treats are everywhere, so don't even try to tell yourself you are not going to partake in any. That's just not realistic--and like a diet, it doesn't work! And if you do succeed chances are really good that at some point in the New Year something inside you is going to rebel--and she will be pissed off, and rightfully so, that she missed out on some of the year's best goodies!

Rather than risking the wrath of this inner demon, pick a holiday favorite (or two...) and really enjoy them. Savor every morsel. Really taste the flavors, feel the sensation in your mouth and across your tongue. Enjoy it for as long as you can.

It isn't about eating massive quantities...it is about relishing what you do eat. The pleasure is in the mouth, so let it linger there a little bit longer before you swallow.

So if you love candy canes and divinity, then enjoy them and leave the Gingerbread men for the rest of us!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Gratitude Book Project


I am super excited to finally be able to let the cat out of the bag...this project has been so much fun and so fulfilling...and for this next part I need YOUR help TODAY, Wednesday, Dec. 15

I have been honored to be asked to be a co-author of an incredible new book: "The Gratitude Book Project: Celebrating 365 Days of Gratitude" and we are going for an ambitious goal--to become an Amazon best-seller!

So if you are looking for an inspiring book, either for yourself or as a gift for a loved one, please consider this book that will provide that inspiration day after day--all year long!

And, feel good about your purchase for another reason: 100% of the proceeds from the Amazon sales go to 4 worthwhile charities! That's right, 100%--we don't get a dime!

The goal is to get as many sales as possible on Wednesday, Dec. 15 in order to hit that best-seller mark. Why is that so important? Well, best-seller status will get us a lot of traction and help us earn more money for these worthy charities.

So who gets the money?
We have selected four non-profits to receive the proceeds from our sales on Amazon:

* ASPCA for the prevention of animal abuse
* FeedingAmerica
* Make-a-Wish
* Women for Women International

How do I order?
Ordering the book is easy,just go to Amazon and search for "The Gratitude Book Project" or you can click on this link that will take you directly there: http://amzn.to/fbXLpN

This book is special to me because it really helps remind us of all the things that we do have to be grateful for...things we often over look. Some simple things and some really big ones, too--like YOU!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Accept this Gift for Permanent Weight Loss

Most of the people I meet who are trying to lose weight do not have a very high opinion of themselves, and certainly not of their bodies. When asked what is wrong with them, the response is generally first a look that seems to scream, "Are you kidding??? Isn't it obvious?" and then they will recount the many faults they see as a result of not being the "proper" weight...their thighs, double chin, flabby arms, cellulite, muffin top and on and on.

I believe that we must first learn to embrace our beauty--as we are (fat faults and all)--in order to achieve a satisfying, successful and permanent weight loss.

Underneath our criticism of our bodies due to our weight is really a dissatisfaction with our bodies in general that no amount of weight loss will fix.

Somehow, most women have absorbed this idea that beauty looks a specific way. In other cultures, beauty may be marked by attributes that we find odd. As an aside, if you didn't see Jessica Simpson's series on beauty, it is worth watching as she explores this very concept.

As our world becomes more homogenized these concepts of beauty may begin to meld into one accepted definition of beauty, which I find rather sad. Truth is, "beauty" is merely a concept, an idea. Beauty is not a thing and it is not even a specific look...otherwise it would be identical everywhere.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is an idea that has been expressed in writing since at least the 3rd century BC. It is true today, yet somehow we have chosen to allow someone else's vision of what is beautiful obscure our own.

This is the great disservice that beauty pageants do to our young women. We are taught from an early age that if we do not conform to a specific body type we are not beautiful. We are taught if we are too old, or too young, to be eligible for a pageant that we cannot possibly be beautiful. Thus girls and women of all ages and body types struggle to fit this single model.

I recognized at an early age there was no way I would be able to compete in a beauty pageant. My bones and musculature just didn't fit the mold. I was too short and too heavy to be beautiful. Even when I wasn't fat, I couldn't accept that I was not. After all, I weighed more and was shorter than the Miss America crowd, therefore I must be fat. In my young mind that was the only explanation!

Whether you are naturally pear shaped or have a build more suited to shot-putting than running track you do not fit this narrow mold of beauty.

Well, this mold deserves to be shattered, and shattering it is one of the best gifts you can give yourself! By breaking the mold, you free yourself to be the best person YOU can be, not limited by anyone else's preconceptions.

Accept that you are beautiful just as you are right now. Even if you are still overweight or out of shape. Even if you think your nose is too big or you don't like the shape of your butt. You do not have to love every single aspect of yourself...but you don't have to criticize them incessantly, either!

Beauty is the entire package, not just one part or even the sum of those parts. It certainly isn't a balance sheet where you list on one side all the best parts and on the other side all the weaknesses! Beauty starts with a belief in yourself, in your core being, which is much, much more than even our physical bodies--and waaaay more than what our physical body looks like!

Give yourself the gift of looking at yourself, including your body, in a new way. This may be the best holiday present you can possibly give yourself. If you've been well-practiced at judging your body against others then this won't be easy--it won't be a cheap gift...one that you ran to Walgreen's to buy. But then, the best gifts rarely are. It will be a gift that takes time, effort and consideration.

This is a gift that will keep giving to you for years to come. And ironically, as you learn to see the beauty in yourself as you are in this moment, you will find the path to a permanent weight loss--because you will have started the shift in your mindset regarding losing weight.

Happy Holidays!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Weight Loss Tools on Sale for the Holidays

Wanted to share the news--Hay House is having a sale on their Holiday Gift Catalog--items are as low as $1.

Catalog 2010 - 125x125


This sale is ONLY good online and through Dec 11 so don't wait too long to take advantage of awesome products from some of the biggest names of the day.

Some of products I use and highly recommend:

Louise Hay, You Can Heal Your Life--The Movie (2 DVD expanded Edition), normally $29.95, sale price $10

Abraham-Hicks, Law of Attraction series, set of 12 (including 2 brand new DVDs) $125, a savings of more than $100!!!

Brand New Items that I am excited to be ordering at a big savings:

Marianne Williamson's brand new "A Course in Weight Loss", book lists for $24.95, get it here for only $16.22 (CDs also available if you'd rather, list $29.95, only $19)

Louise Hay's "Experience Your Good Now!" $12.56 --that's 30% off for this hardcover with CD

Abraham-Hicks "Getting Into The Vortex" guided meditation (book and CD), list $24.95, here only $17.46

Other teachers that I love with books, CDs, DVDs, music, meditation, fun, personal development...for adults and kids, you or as for gifts (too many to list them all!!!)
Deepak Chopra
Doreen Virtue
Wayne Dyer
Dr. Christiane Northrup
Dr. Brian L. Weiss
Sylvia Browne
Byron Katie
Jorge Cruise
Joan Borysenko

Just click on the banner and you'll be taken directly to the catalog where you can get all these and so much more--but remember, these prices are only good through Dec 11!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Holiday Weight Loss Success: Naughty or Nice?

Are you one of those who is determined to achieve Sainthood by sticking to a strict diet over the holidays? Do you really think this is going to put you on Santa's "Nice" list?

In your martyrdom are you turning into a Grinch, making others uncomfortable with your decision to forgo all treats this season? Sure seems like that would get you a place on the "Naughty" list for sure.

What if you can lose weight over the holidays and not deprive anyone of the special foods of the holidays--yourself included?

Well, there is a way. Life during the holidays, like the rest of the year is about having balance. You have got to have some fun and enjoy the time, but you don't have to eat everything in sight.

The secret to not gaining a Santa-like waistline over the holidays is to be conscious of your eating. You don't have to announce to the world that you are "on a diet." That will be the best way to insure people try to entice you to eat, "just a bite" because they don't want to be the only ones eating it!

Instead, ask yourself, "Am I loving myself by eating this?" If the answer is no when someone offers you a treat, simply reply, "No thank you." No explanation needed.

Loving ourselves can include treats--because they tastes good, even because they are a little indulgent, or because of the fond memories invoked. Loving ourselves does not mean gorging or eating past enjoyment. There's that balance thing again! Loving ourselves also allows us to forgo treats when we truly don't want them, without needing to spoil it for others.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Even Bees Are What They Eat

"Red" an interesting article today about bees...now I'm not much into bees but the headline got me

Bees turn red from cherry juice

Turns out a bunch of bees in New York have been sipping on runoff from a Maraschino Cherry plant and it is having an effect. The bees are turning red although whether the cherry juice is coating the bees or they are actually changing color from the inside out is not clear.

One thing that is for sure is the honey the bees are producing is actually red.

What is actually turning the bees and the honey red is not cherries, per se, but the Red Dye No. 40 that is used in the making of Maraschino Cherries.

Bees don't have very long lives, so the effect of what they drink shows up pretty quickly.

With people it takes longer. That can be the bad news--by the time the effects show up it might be too late to do anything about it. But it can also be the very good news! We have time to correct our behavior and change the outcome!

All it takes is small changes in our behavior to have a huge impact on our lives. Most of us look at the prospect of losing weight as, OMG I have to lose 25 pounds or 50 pounds or 100 pounds, or whatever is the total number of pounds we want to lose and figuring we have got to go on a massive diet--or it is so overwhelming why the heck should I bother? Instead, we deserve to shift our mindset about weight loss and look at the small steps. If we are conscious about our behavior and make small changes then we must achieve our weight loss goals!

For me, I'll pass on the Maraschino Cherries and the diet!