Our life is full of choices. Some we consciously make and others are subconscious. What choices do you make?
“To win or lose,
To love or hate,
To try or quit,
To risk or withdraw,
To accelerate or hesitate,
To dream or stagnate,
To open or close,
To succeed or fail,
To truly live or die.
Every one of these starts with a CHOICE.”
-Snowden McFall, Author and Professional Speaker
What choices do you make? The choices are yours!
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy
Protein plays a big part in our healthy eating habits. Have you been to the store lately? They no more took the Valentine’s Day candy off the shelves and put up the Easter candy. With the spring fling of sugary treats we’re encouraged to commemorate the holiday with, give yourself the treat of a healthy body.
Make protein the first thing you eat when you’re hungry. Whether it is a meal or a snack, protein is where it is at! Protein gives you the long-lasting go power you’re looking for, it’ll keep you satisfied longer, and protein helps to shut off the brain’s hunger mechanism while building lean muscle. Wow! All that by eating protein?!
Be prepared with your favorite protein-packed meals and snacks:
* Beef or steak jerky.
* Bean deli slices like turkey.
* Lean chicken breast.
* Non-fat or low fat cottage cheese.
Another great snack I enjoy are Chocolate Crunchies from Smartforme. I enjoy them as a regular snack lus have some with me for “those times” when I’m wanting something to eat. They are made with soy and a treat that I enjoy. They have a few carbs but I plan for them throughout my day. They are chocolatey, crunchy, and have protein. I took them to the moview with my family and my kids preferred them over the concession junk. You can order them through www.smartforme.com.
You can be creative with your healthy choices. You and your leaner body will be glad that you did!
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy
Do you know it is important to get enough sleep to lose weight? Getting enough sleep actually helps with weight loss and maintenance. When your body doesn’t get the seven to eight hours of sleep it needs each night to rejuvenate, it finds other ways to compensate for neurons not secreting normal amounts of serotonin or dopamine usually secreted during sleep. The body satisfies this need by craving sugary foods that will give immediate release of serotonin and dopamine in the body. Lack of sleep throws off your entire system increasing levels of NPY (neuropeptide - a hormone that decreases metabolism and increase appetite).
So…get a good night’s sleep to help your body replenish itself, regulate hunger hormones, and aid in weight loss and maintenance.
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy
It’s March…the first quarter of 2008 is almost complete. Let’s review 2008 so far. Is your 2008 great? Are you still following any “resolutions” or changes that you wanted to make back in January? If so - Great! If not, what do you need to do? Are you making the progress incorporating changes and losing weight as you’d like?
You are not alone. Weight loss coaching is exciting and brings results. If you keep doing the same thing you’ve always done and expect different results - that’s the definition of insanity. Think different….do something different. Anyone committed to results and reaching their goals such as athletes and any professional has a coach. You should too! Give it a try. What do you have to lose except weight??!!!
Contact me and we’ll create a program designed just for you!
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy
For weight loss and maintenance, we want to increase our resting metabolic rate (RMR). One of the best ways to increase your RMR is to strength train regularly. Did you know that a pound of muscle burns 50 times more calories than a pound of fat!! Now, that’s a deal!
Working out with weights increases lean muscle, which burns more calories than fat. You don’t have to commit to hours at the gym to make a difference in your RMR. Here’s some “How to’s” for you to consider:
* If you’re not currently strength training, working out with weights for as little as 20 minutes two to three days per week can be enough to increase your RMR over time.
* If you’re currently strength training but want better results, try these strategies to bump up your workouts:
-If you’re weight-training two days per week, increase to three days.
-Always let your muscles rest at least 48 hours between sessions.
-Increase the number of sets you do. If you currently do two sets, crank up to three sets.
-Lift the heaviest weight that you can safely handle. Never increase the amount of weight more than 10% at a time.
Strength training is important and can be fun. The results are amazing. Enjoy!
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy
We treat others in our life, even those people we don’t know, with kindness. Do you treat yourself with kindness? Are you kind to yourself? Many times our expectations of ourselves are so high that it would be virtually impossible to feel good about ourselves. You aren’t perfect. None of us are. You are a work in progress. Progress not perfection. As you make changes in your life through dieting and living healthfully, be patient and kind to yourself. If you put love on the plate of your life instead of emotionally eating, you’ll naturally and effortlessly lose weight. Every day and in every way, love who you are!
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy
Have the courage to be yourself. Remember, you have the courage to:
* Embrace my strengths.
* Get excited about my life.
* Enjoy giving and receiving love.
* Face and transform my fears.
* Ask for help and support when I need it.
* Spring free of the Superwoman trap.
* Trust myself.
* Make my own decisions and choice.
* Be my own best friend.
* Complete unfinished business.
* Realize that I have emotional and practical rights.
* Talk as nicely to myself as I do to my pets and plants.
* Communicate lovingly with understanding as my goal.
* Honor my own needs.
* Give myself credit for my accomplishments.
* Love the child within me.
* Overcome my need for approval.
* Grant myself permission to play.
* Quit being a responsibility sponge.
* Feel all of my feelings and act on them appropriately.
* Nurture others becaue I want to, not because I have to.
* Choose what is right for me.
* Insist on being paid fairly for what I do.
* Set limits and boundaries, and stick to them.
* Say “yes” only when I really mean it.
* Have realistic expectations of myself.
* Take risks and accept change.
* Grow through challenges.
* Be totally honest with myself.
* Correct erroneous beliefs and assumptions.
* Respect my vulnerabilities.
* Heal old and current wounds.
* Wave good-bye to guilt.
* Plant “flower” not “weed” thoughts in my mind.
* Treat myself with respect and teach others to do the same.
* Fill my own cup first, then nourish others from the overflow.
* Own and honor my excellence.
* Plan for the future, but live in the present.
* Value my intuition and wisdom.
* Know that I am loveable.
* Develop healthy, supportive relationships.
* Accept myself just as I am right now, this very minute.
Believe In Yourself,
Cathy
