Lose Weight Find Life

To my friends, clients and subscribers,

I’ll be away for a few days from my regular posts.  Please feel free to send me an e-mail or through “Contact Cathy” here if you need anything.  I’ll get right back to you when I return. 

I look forward to hearing from you and getting back to being in contact through Lose Weight Find Life!

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, Certified Life Coach, Weight Loss Surgery Coach

Do you associate food with having fun?  For many of us, we do.  If you want to have fun with a friend or your family, what do you do?  You eat!  Many times, we make the connection that in order to have fun - we need food!!  Food is fun, it fills our time from being bored, the fix all. 

Mix it up!  Break that connection and associate people with fun.  Food isn’t fun.  Happy people have fun.  Whether it is playing in the park with our kids, watching a movie or flying a kite, we don’t laugh and play as much as we could.  We take our fun way too seriously.  Many times, we define “fun” as flying off somewhere or putting together a formal party.  Why not do something simple?  Pillow fights are fun.  Watching a sunset or taking a walk and enjoying nature is fun. 

For today, enjoy the simple pleasure and have some fun!!

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, Certified Life Coach
Weight Loss Surgery Coach

The days are finally warming up and summer is around the corner.  As it warms up, remember to keep hydrated regularly throughout the day and use sunscreen.  When the sun is at its peak (around Noon to 3:00 p.m.) try to work out earlier in the morning or later in the evening. 

Be sure you include all three areas of fitness - cardiovascular exercise of 30 minutes per day, strength training (two to three times per week for 30 minutes), and stretching of five to ten minutes per day.   To maximize your fitness and well-being, remember to include all three areas in your exercise routine.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, Certified Life Coach, Weight Loss Surgery Coach

Mindfulness is important when you are eating so you can pay attention to how much you’ve eaten, enjoying what you’ve eaten, and how it feels in your body.  Mindfulness is a great way to capture the power of the present moment and enjoy TODAY.  It is so easy to get caught up in our own day-to-day stresses, problems and forget about enjoying your life now. 

Eating:  As you eat, be mindful and notice what and how you eat.  Become aware of the food going into your body and what is full and what is satisfied.

Exercise walking:  Take a mindful gratitude walk.  Spring is almost here so it is the perfect time to get out and enjoy the beauty of spring.  Pay attention to your breathing, what does the sun or wind feel like on your face as your walk?

Throughout your day, take a moment and be truly present in the moment.  Turn your awareness inward to yourself and tune out the external stimuli. 

At first, mindfulness can be challenging or feel awkward.  You aren’t used to it.  As you practice mindfulness in all aspects of your life, you’ll find yourself calmer, less stressful, and feel less anxiety.  After all, what is important is right now as it is all we’ve got.  The past is the past and you can’t change it.  The future is yet to be.  The present is exactly that - the present is a present for you to enjoy now.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, Certified Life Coach, Weight Loss Surgery Coach

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, Certified Life Coach, Weight Loss Surgery Coach

As we are watching our favorite television shows, the commercials can be annoying.  There are so many and they seem to last forever.  Rather than sit there bored or, worse, go to the kitchen as a time filler, make good use of commercials.  When a commercial comes on, get up and move instead!

Here’s a few suggestions:

* Get up/down:  Lower yourself gently to the floor and lie on your back.  Stand up.  Repeat slowly and then quickly.  Practice until you can do 15 in a row.  Make it fun and invite your kids and spouse to join you.

* Up/Down:  Stand up for a count of three, swing your arm around like a propeller and then sit back down.  Do 20 in a row more rapid than the previous one.

* One-Two Punch:  For a great work out of your upper body muscles and trimmer waistline - bend your knees slightly.  Visualize a punching bag in front of you.  Punch it with one hand at a time increasing your pace.  Try overhead punches which work the back of your arms, waiste and calves.  Clinch your fist, stand erect and punch your right arm overhead, pretending you are trying to hit the ceiling.  Rise up on your toes as you go.  Drop the opposite elbox down as low as you can alternating arms.  Do these rapidly.

All this during a commercial.  Who says commercials are boring?

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, Certified Life Coach
Weight Loss Surgery Coach

We give presents at birthdays and other holidays, but what about a “just because” gift.  Wrap it up, complete with a pretty bow.  SURPRISE!!  This is great to do for your partner, children, family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. 

What about you?  Have you ever given yourself a gift?  Buy yourself something you’ve wanted, wrap it up, complete with a beautiful bow.  A gift from you to you!  How perfect!

Surprise someone you care about with a gift to show them how special they are to you.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, Certified Life Coach, Weight Loss Surgery Coach

As my clients and friends know, I post almost daily to my blog.  However, as you can tell, I haven’t lately.  I’m committed to providing education, support, and motivation through my blog so it would take something major to occur for me to be MIA-missing in action.

A week ago, I pinched a nerve in my upper back and neck.  The pain has been awful.  It has gone down into my arm so even small movements are a reminder that I’m not 100%. 

This experience has been an additional reminder or wake-up call that we cannot take our health and well-being for granted.  I’ve known that but to go through the chronic pain of a physical issue, impacts us not only physically but mentally and emotionally too. 

Thank you to my clients and friends for understanding my MIA status on my blog.  I wanted to share my experience with you so you can benefit from my wake-up call to value and treasure our health.  It is easy to take for granted.  Our health and well-being are priceless and should be treasured and honored daily. 

For today, make a choice that enhances your health and well-being.  I know I will!

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, Certified Life Coach, Weight Loss Surgery Coach

It is hard to make a decision.  I’m fearful of making the wrong decision.  Do I have all the information I need?  The fears go on and on.  Do you have struggles with making decisions?  If so, I’ll share something that has helped me. 

The first thing I do is to make a pros and cons list.  I take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle.  I list one column “Pros” and the other column “Cons.”  Then I write down everything that comes to my mind about the situation either as a pro or con.  This gives me clarity and takes it out of swimming around in my head to something more visual and concrete written on paper.

I also answer the following questions based on the information that I have at the time and my feelings after the pros and cons list.

1.  What is my real objective?  What is my desired outcome?

2.  When do I have to decide?  What is my deadline?

3.  Fast forward a year from now - what does my life look like based on my decision?  Can you see happiness or regret?

4.  Is this decision final?  Can it be changed later?

5.  What are the risks?  Are they worth it to me?

Deciding to make a decision is often the hardest part.  These questions along with the pros and cons list will help clarify your thoughts and actions to allow you to make the decision and take full advantage of the opportunities that come your way.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy