Tip for Motivation To Exercise:
If you need an incentive for regular exercise, plug in. Rent a dvd or audio book. Commit to yourself that you will only watch the dvd or listen to the audio book while you are exercising. It will encourage you to exercise longer and more frequently.
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy
If you haven’t worked out with weights for awhile, get back to it. Strength training is an important part of any exercise program. Building muscle mass is an excellent way to keep your metabolism humming efficiently. Here are a few basics to remember:
*Proper form and technique are important. Doing exercises correctly will get you the results you want and minimize injury. If you are returning to strength training after a period of time, work with a personal trainer for a refresher in proper and correct form.
*Slow and steady wins success in strength training. Make sure all movements are smooth and consistent. If you need to use jerking motions or speed to get through an exercise, reduce the amount of weight you’re lifting.
*Breathe. It is easy to get into the habit of holding your breath during the muscle’s contraction phase in strength training. Be aware of your breathing and as deliberate in breathing as in lifting the weight.
Being fit and strong by strength training can be very rewarding and fun!
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy
I heard a song on the radio last week that played over and over and over in my head the entire day. Thankfully, it was an upbeat, fun song that I like. It helped to create an upbeat, motivating day. Music is such a powerful tool. The songs in your head can affect the way you feel - so, you make the choice. Successful weight loss and maintenance are about discovering tools that are motivating to you, and to create your own toolbox.
I downloaded some songs on a cd that are my favorites yet have the same theme of being motivating and inspiring to me. When I’m feeling low on energy, having a bad day, working out, or want an extra shot of “umpf” for the day, I’ve listened to it. It really sets a tone and pace for the day that I love. Create your own personal cd tool. It is a great one!
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy
I talked with a client last week that has “only” lost 30 pounds. 30 pounds? I told him that was impressive but he was not as impressed as I was. With his permission, I will share with you what we discussed.
Being overweight drains you of energy. We live with an extra amount of weight by carrying it around 24/7 so we don’t recognize how draining it is. I told my client to go to the grocery store and pick up bags of something that equal 30 pounds. Carry that extra 30 pounds around the store as he shopped. He wasn’t even half-way through his shopping before he felt fatigued and had to stop our experiment. He returned the bags of 30 pounds to their shelf and continued shopping. However, he noticed how much lighter he felt - both physically and emotionally - without his extra baggage.
In our next call, I pointed out to him that not only did he feel fatigued, but his internal organs felt it as well. Think how hard his heart had to work to support the extra weight. With your energy drained by carrying around the excess weight, there’s also less available to you to work, play, and other life activities.
As a result, my client felt so much more energized by his “only” 30 pound weight loss. He deeply appreciated and enjoyed the absence of every single one of those 30 pounds. Way to go!
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy
“The body is shaped, disciplined, honored, and in time, trusted. ” - Martha GrahamHow does it feel when someone lies to you? We feel betrayed, angry, sad, and distrustful of that person for the future. It impacts your relationship with that person dramatically.
Is there anyone that you lie to? What about yourself? When we make promises to ourselves to follow a realistic plan of eating healthy, exercise regularly, and live to certain behaviors we value, and we break those promises repeatedly, we learn to distrust ourselves. Over time, it impacts the relationship and belief we have in ourselves. However, we can stop this habit and turn it around.
You can trust yourself again by following some simple steps. To trust yourself, honor your word and commitments that you make to yourself! Keep your word to yourself. You do it one choice at a time, one decision at a time, and one pound at a time. You will regain self-trust and also build a stronger confidence in yourself. I promise - it will be the best thing you’ll ever do for yourself.
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy
What comes to your mind when you hear “self-esteem”? What exactly is self-esteem?
Self-esteem is the reputation that you have with yourself. What do YOU think about yourself? Not with the external trappings and behaviors you’ve adopted that you believe make you likeable. Self-esteem isn’t what family, friends, or acquaintainces think of you. It is what YOU think of the person that you are - complete and whole.
Self-esteem involves many components including emotional and behavioral. It is the confidence in yourself to successfully cope with the basic challenges of life and being worthy of happiness. It is having confidence in our capacity to learn, and to make appropriate choices and decisions in relation to our inner core values. It is knowing what you value and living from those values. Self-esteem develops when we respond appropriately to changes in our life. It is also the inner knowledge that success, achievement, accomplishment, fulfillment, and happiness are ours to possess.
Self-esteem is not the euphoria of extreme moods or behaviors. It is not temporarily induced by food, drugs, alcohol, external situations, circumstances or comments from others. Self-esteem is a rock-solid, grounded feeling and belief in yourself. It is not an illusion or something that wanes by blowing in the wind with external circumstances. Self-esteem is not dependent on another person. Lots of things and people can make us feel good for awhile. True self-esteem is grounded in reality and built over time. Self-esteem is maintained through accountability to yourself, acting responsibly, and with integrity.
Self-esteem is characterized as what you do when no one else is looking. Do you take shortcuts, take the easy way out of an uncomfortable situation, or behave differently than you would if your spouse, children, or other important person in your life were watching you? Self-esteem is keeping your promises both to others and especially those made to yourself. Self-esteem encompasses healthy self-confidence, self-worth, self-respect, and self-love.
One of the elements to weight loss life coaching is about your self-esteem. A healthy self-esteem is the key to weight loss, weight maintenance, and living the way you are meant to live. It is being the best you can be.
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy
The childrens’ book “Little Engine That Could” or the “I Think I Can, I Think I Can” book is all about persistence. Persistence is about keeping a promise or commitment that you’ve made and believe in yourself. In the book, when the little engine was going up a very steep hill, the essence of the message he kept repeating was that he believed in himself. Over and over again, he reinforced that belief through saying ”I Think I can” until he made it to the top. When he had arrived at the top, he reaffirmed that belief by knowing that he could make it.
As we incorporate new habits into our life to lose weight, create your own saying…..use it as a default that you say to yourself when times get tough. Some possibilities could be “I can do it” or “I choose _________” and, my favorite, “I believe in myself” because all of these affirmations are true. How do I know they are true for you? Because you wouldn’t embrace and use them if they weren’t. There is something inside of you that makes the statement the one you say to yourself. Use the story of the little engine to climb and overcome your own hill to the top because you can!
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy
I was cleaning out a drawer today. How can so much junk find itself into a single drawer? Amid the junk and organizing the things to keep, I found a jewel. Not a huge diamond or ruby jewel but a jewel nonetheless. I found a bracelet I’d received as a gift years ago. It was one of those things that I’d put it away in a safe place. I liked it so much and didn’t want it to get scratched, so I tucked it away. I’d looked for it throughout the past months wondering where it was. I took comfort in the fact that I knew it was “somewhere” but still couldn’t find it. Today was the day. I found it!
The bracelet was given to me by someone very special at a time in my life that I needed a boost. It made such a huge difference to me. It was actually a turning point in my life. Today I get to find it and it is meaningful to me how I found it, where I found it, and that I found it when I did. I am wearing it today and will be wearing it regularly. It now occupies it’s own special small jewelry box in the shape of a heart. It simply states “Believe In Yourself.” I share that same statement with you as my friends and clients.
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy
Sometimes I’m in a funk. No particular reason why but just generally funky. I can’t quote any statistics or research study but my own personal experience bears out the best solution for The Funk. Whenever I feel I’m headed for a funk for the agenda in my day, I force myself to put on my workout clothes and shoes. Guess what, I always feel better when I do.
Sounds simple, right? When I’m feeling that way, it is far from simple or easy. I JUST DO IT. No drugs, no Krispy Kremes - just the mere act of lacing up my shoes changes my perspective.
If you ever find yourself in The Funk or a case of “Don’t Wanna Do Anything”, lace up your shoes. Take ACTION, even if only lacing up your shoes. You will feel entirely different. Best way to beat The Funk.
All the best,
Cathy
I LOVE pumpkin pie. One of the things I love about the Fall is the abundance of pumpkin flavors and scents. I found a pumpkin pie decaf coffee that I enjoy so much. I use DaVinci sugar free pumpkin pie gourmet syrup in my coffee. It is wonderful.
If you’d like the aroma of pumpkin pie in your home without the temptation of the pie, try this:
Pour one (1) cup of water and two (2) teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice into a microwave-safe cup or bowl. Cook on high for approximately three minutes.
Enjoy!!
All the best,
Cathy
