Lose Weight Find Life

“We are what we repeatedly do.” -Aristotle

Are you happy with your food choices that you make repeatedly?  Are you happy with your plan for health and fitness?  If we are what we repeatedly do, make the choices that enhance your life and do them, do them again, do them again, again, again….repeatedly.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

10 pounds doesn’t seem like a big weight loss, right?  I have a client that was disappointed she’s only lost 10 pounds in a very short period of time.  Do you know what “just” 10 pounds can do for you?  Lots!  Actually, I’ve got 10 reasons to lose 10 pounds.

10.  Your blood pressure will improve.
9.    You will have a decreased risk for diabetes.
8.    Your heart health will improve.
7.     Lower cholesterol levels.
6.     You’ll enjoy a better night’s sleep including those with sleep apnea.
5.     Your breathing will be easier, better, and less labored.
4.     Less pain from lower back issues, arthritis, and joint discomfort.
3.     Decreased risk for colon, breast, and other cancers.
2.     A healthier gallbladder with a decreased risk for stones.
1.     Healther self-esteem, more energy, and overall sense of well-being.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

If you are where you want to be in your life, good for you!  Keep going!  However, if you want something different or more for your life, go for it.  Remember that YOU are in charge.  You do not “have to” repeat yesterday’s habits.  Make new choices today.  Take charge.  You are the COO (Chief Operating Officer) of your life.  Make small, repeated changes in your thoughts, your habits, your actions, and ultimately, your destiny.  You can do it! 

In talking with clients and members, I hear people tell me they “have to” go to work, run errands, answer the phone, or do some other task.  What they usually mean is that some responsibility they’ve agreed to fulfill “must” be taken care of.  I understand that. I have those myself.  There are things we choose to do to avoid consequences and have certain things in our lives.  Paying taxes, washing clothes, grocery shopping, are all choices and compromises we make in our lives.  We agree to certain things.  We have responsibilities.  We’ve learned that to get ahead in our lives there are things that are best to do.  In the daily routine of life, there’s nothing wrong with that.  Think of them as choices and not be the victim of “have to’s” driving your life. 

In the core of who you are and how you live your life, your choices DO matter.  In fact, your choices make all the difference in the world.   Be true to yourself always.

Your life belongs to you, and what you do with it is your greatest responsibility.  I have a daily reminder that is in my journaling software program that pops up when I turn on my computer.  It says “Today, I am in charge.  I choose my thoughts.  I choose my attitudes.  I choose my actions.  I choose myself and to live my best life.”

Life is like steering a luxury cruise ship.  Sudden changes can throw you and the ship off balance.  Thankfully, life rarely requires big changes or u-turns.  Small, safe, easy changes result in success.  Just repeat daily, as needed. 

Your life belongs to you.  Only you can decide how you will life it.  Your life is a “do it yourself, work in progress” type of project.  Make sure you create and choose the life you truly want.  Live your life purpose from the inside out.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

Your body gives you physical cues when it needs food.  Many times for dieters though we learn to tune them out and ignore them.  Other times our head hunger for food cravings is interpreted as hunger.  You can trust your body.  There is a difference between hunger and food cravings.  All you have to do is pay attention and listen to your body.

You might feel lightheaded and possibly get a headache when you’re hungry whereas someone else might get irritable or get a churning sensation in their stomach.  True hunger comes on gradually and allows you time to address the cues by eating something.  Real hunger then progresses to the physical sensation that your body needs to be fed but not for something specific.  Just feed it.

A craving is different.  It is a desire for a specific food.  If you’re telling yourself that you’ll feel better if you eat a cookie, and only a cookie will do, you’re probably experiencing a craving.  People that eat a healthy, well-balanced diet tend to have fewer cravings.  They also tend to overeat less because they eat when they’re hungry and stop when they are satisfied.  So, if you’re hungry and anything will do, you’re physically hungry.  However, if a certain food is the only choice that will do, chances are it is a craving.

A great way to lose weight and maintain it is to learn to eat in response to your body, not your your brain. 

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

Does life sometimes seem too tough?  Imagine having to hunt for food and defend yourself against wild animals wanting the same food.  Yes, I know, we don’t have it as difficult as our ancestors, but sometimes it can feel as challenging.

What if we looked at every roadblock and obstacle as a challenge.  What if we looked at a challenge as an opportunity to learn something about ourselves and to observe our inner strength.  There’s a proverb that a smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.  If you have rough seas, maybe they are trying to teach you a lesson about your skills and strength in being a better mariner and maneuvering the seas.  There are always vital skills you can learn and benefit from.  As a lighthouse in a storm shines bright, you can too.

What lessons are your rough, challenging seas trying to teach you?

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

What’s the size of your comfort zone?  Your comfort zone is the place that you hang out within yourself.  Your behavior, attitudes, risk-factor and thoughts are in your comfort zone.  The more you spend outside of your comfort zone, the more comfortable and familiar it feels.  Plan on feeling uncomfortable temporarily.  Turn your comfort zone up a notch or two.  Before long, your comfort zone has expanded, and your possibilities for change have grown along with it.

To move forward in your life, you must be willing to be persistent and go beyond what is familiar and comfortable.  It can feel frightening and possibly overwhelming at first, but it pays to persist.  Watch toddlers learn to walk.  At first, it is new and uncomfortable with lots of tip-overs and falls.  With persistence, they walk and proceed to run.  The same applies to us.  Why crawl when you can walk and run just by expanding your comfort zone?  What was once new and intimidating can become positive exhilarating.  You’ll wonder why you ever hesitated.

On a regular basis, take a step out of your comfortable and familiar zone of comfort.  What you discover and achieve will astound you.  Go for it!!  

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

Areas of our lives can deteriorate so slowly that we don’t notice problems until they are at boiling proportions.  Unhealthy relationships often start slowly and rise to a point where we accept the unacceptable. 

Money problems often begin with small debts that grow into choking obligations.  We can stop and deal with difficulties when we take the time to notice them early on.

Do you know about the story with the frog and boiling water?  It makes my point perfectly.  If you put a frog into a shallow pan of cool water, the frog is like to be quite happy and enjoy it by sitting in it for awhile.  If you take the frog out and heat the water to boil, and then put the frog back in, the frog will jump out immediately.  If you put cool water in a pan, put the frog in, and then slowly heat the water to boiling, the frog’s nervous system will not register the changing, rising temperature.  The frog will sit there until it dies.  If the frog had the ability to register the gradual changes as they were happening, it might live. 

Thanks to our frog in this story, the point of taking time for yourself is shown.  If we’re in a situation that is not healthy for us, we may not recognize the boiling temperature until we step back and assess our life and the situation.  The benefits of regularly taking time to step back and get on track are numerous:  relaxation, fresh perspective, and a renewed energy to build a life with more happiness, health, love, and wealth.

Remember the frog and avoid boiling situations in your life.  Make sure to regularly take time for yourself.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

I must admit, if I didn’t have to exercise to maintain my weight, keep healthy, and continue the habits of my lifestyle, I would not exercise.  Nope, I don’t particularly love it.  I didn’t carry around 147 pounds of excess weight for the majority of my life by enjoying exercise.  However, what I do love is my life that I have due to exercise being an important component of my life I enjoy today.  If it requires an investment of 30-45 minutes per day a few days a week to keep all the benefits of weight loss and health, it’s worth it.  Actually, it is a minimal investment for a huge payoff.  When I don’t want to exercise (and believe me, there are many times that kicks in!), I remember that it’s a minimal investment for a giant payoff.  For me, that’s my motivation.  Through coaching, we can find what motivation kicks in healthy habits for you.

There are many types of exercise.  It doesn’t have to be something you hate or find boring.  Try any activity at least once.  I’ve heard a lot about Zumba recently so I’m going to check that out.  Maybe I’ll like it and maybe I won’t.  At least I tried and I’ll know.  Hey, maybe I’ll LOVE it and it’ll be fun rather than exercise only.  My next thing I’m going to try is kickboxing…..Expand your exercise horizon.

Combine your exercise with something you love.  Do you like watching dvd’s, listening to audio books, your favorites on your iPod?  Include these into your exercise routine.  Reframe your exercise time rather than “ugh” to “Me Time” and savor the time just for yourself.

After you’ve exercised and you feel great, write it down.  Write down your feelings both physically and mentally about yourself.  When you’re at that “do I want to exercise or not,” you can pull out your journal and remind yourself of the exhilaration you obtain after exercising.  The feeling of personal empowerment, strength, your body moving, clearer thinking, and the amazing and satisfying sense of achievement from merely moving your body.

I wish I could say that I that I love to exercise.  I can’t.  However, I can say that I LOVE the investment benefits of only 30-45 minutes per day to be in love with my life.  Who knows, after I’ve done Zumba or kickboxing or ???, I may be in love with exercising! 

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

Get excited about your own life.  Be enthusiastic about our dreams, goals, and desires.  The enthusiasm and excitement can burn bright like a fire…..you can smell it, taste it, and feel its glow inside of you.  Feel the fuel inside of you!

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

Do you know that certain types of fats are better choices than others in terms of keeping your heart healthy?  Now there’s even more good news…scientists now know that when people use healthier fats instead of the less desirable fats, they lower their total body fat and burn more calories after a meal. 

Here’s the skinny on fats:

HEALTHIER FATS are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.  These are found in certain oils such as olive, peanut, and canola along with many nuts, some seeds, and avocados.

LESS DESIRABLE FATS are saturated fats and trans fats.  Saturated fats are found in foods such as bacon, butter, full-fat cream cheese, sour cream.  Trans fats are found in many packaged baked goods such as cookies, crackers, and margarine and shortening.

By knowing what is in the foods that you eat, you are able to make smart decisions in your choices.  Make the healthiest choices possible for a balanced diet from all of the food groups. 

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy