Tag Archives: Emotions

Take Care of You to Take Care of Others

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15837s3rsga1hfaYesterday’s events in Connecticut may have left you reeling emotionally.

While it may feel selfish, now more than ever you need to focus on your own self-care.

This includes gently moving your body, getting enough rest, reaching for some highly nutritious foods, and taking some quiet time for meditation, prayer, or reflection.

And the number one thing you can do for your own wellness?

Ask for the support you need.

  • You may want to go it alone.
  • You may not feel comfortable asking for help.
  • You may be embarrassed by your emotions.

Much of holiday stress is feeling like you are in this alone.

And that’s a really tough, and painful road.

This is not the time to tough it out by yourself.

Study after study shows that having at least one person support you in meeting your wellness goals will dramatically increase your chances of success.

Having support helps you:

  • Normalize what you’re going through—You realize that everyone gets emotionally stressed, overwhelmed, overeats, and has moments of weakness. You are not a failure or a freak.
  • Notice and honor what you are doing for your self-care—Having someone to share the positive steps you are taking helps keep you motivated to take more steps.
  • Problem solve— You’ve got someone on your side who can see your situation more objectively and can help you brainstorm ways around any obstacles.
  • Re-find your inner peace—going it alone makes it easier to get caught in the negative thought spiral going on in your head. Having support helps break the inner patterns enabling you to refocus on the present and the blessings you have in your life.

Where can you find help?

  • Ask a friend or family member—Choose someone who is consistently positive, good at problem solving, and will be uplifting and inspiring.
  • Join a group—There are a number of on-line and in-person support groups. One such site is transformation.com. This incredible free community recognizes that emotions play a big role in wellness.
  • Hire a coach—Consider working one-on-one with a certified professional health or wellness coach who can help you stay focused on your self-care.
  • Go to a counselor–If your fear and grief are so intense that you are having trouble functioning, seek out the help of a professional counselor or therapist.

Taking care of yourself no matter what enables you to take care of others.

And if you have the inner resources to give, reach out to someone and offer unconditional support and encouragement—even love. The result is you both feel better—body, mind and spirit.

What can you do this weekend to reach out for—or give—support?

Having at least one person helping to cheer you on, boost morale, and problem solve will make it easier to take care of you, even in the face of really difficult circumstances.

Together we can do it!

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My blog is moving to my new website LoveYourWaySlim.com. For the next month, I will post both here and there. To keep following my posts after January 15, you will need to follow my new blog. I look forward to continuing the journey with you!

5 Easy Tips to Make Creating Healthy Habits Fun!

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Calendar January 2 Transformation StartMost people are not going to start a new eating or exercise program before January 2.

But you can drastically increase the chances of fulfilling your New Year’s resolution to lose weight by creating new mental habits right now. 

And it can take as little as 5 minutes a day.

Think about how much you get done when you are excited, eager, and looking forward to something. Now think about how hard it is to make progress when you are dreading something, don’t want to do it, resent it, etc.

While you can move forward and get stuff done while you are feeling negative catabolic emotions, consciously shifting to positive anabolic thoughts before you begin a task is like putting on rocket boosters. 

Not only is your power to get things done greater, but it’s easier and more fun.

Most of what makes releasing weight “hard” are your current mental habits.

You have thoughts about how hard it is to lose weight that you have repeated for so long that you don’t even realize there’s another way to look at it. You have practiced dreading dieting. You have developed a mental rut on exercise that is not serving you.

These are just some catabolic habits of thought you have going on. Thoughts are made of energy, not marble. They can be changed! 

Why do you want to go to the trouble of creating positive, life-building anabolic mental habits, you might ask?

Because anabolic thoughts result in emotions that feel good.

Those emotions make your heart sing. When you are feeling anabolic emotions, you know that things are always working out for you. When there’s a problem, you see the solution. You laugh more. You relax more. You are happy to be alive. 

As a result, the actions you need to take feel easier.

  • Instead of hating to work out, you start to enjoy it.
  • You find you like the taste of fresh vegetables.
  • You easily make the decision to turn off the T.V. and go to bed so you will wake up rested and refreshed.
  • Water starts to taste good.

 It’s easy. It feels like the choice you want to make.

Progress not perfection

Start now to create these new mental habits and come January 2 you will be so ready to turn these thoughts into action that there will be no stopping you!

Here are 5 easy ways to begin creating new mental habits:

  • Make a list of how you want to feel come January 2.
  • Think about all the reasons Why you want to be fit, strong, and slim. (Go deeper than just looking good.)
  • Remember all the ways you enjoyed being active when you were a kid.
  • Slow down during meals and really appreciate your food and how it is building the body you want.
  • Appreciate the life giving aspects of the water you are drinking.

Doesn’t that feel good?

Now practice these thoughts every day.

Often people will use the excuse that they don’t have time to create new mental habits, particularly during the holidays.

Truly, you don’t have time not to!

By taking a few minutes now, you will more than make up with ease and efficiency when you do start your eating and exercise program.

A huge bonus is that the more you practice these new mental habits, the easier and more fun your life becomes.

What is one thing you can begin to do regularly to shift your mental habits? What difference does that make in creating the body—and life—you want come January 2nd?

Together we can do it!

Tips for Changing Your Mental Habits

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There is power in feeling good.

Think about how much you get done when you are excited, eager, and looking forward to something. Now think about how hard it is to make progress when you are dreading something, don’t want to do it, resent it, etc.

While you can move forward and get stuff done while you are feeling negative catabolic emotions, consciously shifting to positive anabolic thoughts before you begin a task is like putting on rocket boosters.

And not only is your power to get things done greater, but it’s easier and more fun.

Most of what makes day-to-day living “hard” are just your mental habits. You have  thoughts about how hard it is to get up and go to work that you have repeated for so long that you don’t even realize there’s another way to look at it. You have practiced dreading Mondays. You have developed a mental rut on many topics that are not serving you.

These are just some catabolic habits of thought you have going on. Thoughts are made of energy, not marble. They can be changed!

Why do you want to go to the trouble of creating positive, life-building anabolic mental habits, you might ask?

Because anabolic thoughts result in emotions that feel good. Those emotions make your heart sing. When you are feeling anabolic emotions, you know that things are always working out for you. When there’s a problem, you see the solution. You laugh more. You relax more. You are happy to be alive.

All you have to do is create some new mental habits.

And here’s a bonus. Creating anabolic mental habits makes creating healthy physical habits easier. So instead of hating to work out, you enjoy it. You love the taste of fresh vegetables. You easily make the decision to turn off the T.V. and go to bed so you will wake up rested and refreshed. It’s easy. It feels like the choice you want to make.

One way to create new mental habits is to tap into anabolic energy before you do something.

Here are some quick and easy ways to change the energy of your thinking and create new mental habits:

  • Take 3 to 10 deep breaths
  • Meditate, quiet your mind, pray, or center
  • Take a nap
  • Take a bath or hot shower
  • Read some inspiring quotes
  • Look at pictures of cute animals or things you love
  • Look out a window and focus on a tree, bird, or other bit of nature
  • Create a list of all the things you love or appreciate and read it
  • Journal
  • Light a candle and focus on the flickering flame for a few minutes
  • Count your blessings
  • Think of other explanations for the situation
  • Think about how you want to feel, or how something you are working towards will make you feel
  • Pet your dog or cat
  • Let yourself believe that a solution is possible

These are things to do before you do your workout, before you make that phone call, before you write that email, before you do anything–especially anything that you have developed a negative pattern of thought about.

Often people will use the excuse that they don’t have time to practice anabolic thinking. Truly, you don’t have time not to! By taking a few minutes on the front end to shift your energy, you will more than make up with ease and efficiency, and have fewer problems resulting from your catabolic approach to clean up.

And the more you practice anabolic thoughts and energy, the easier and more fun your life becomes. And the more anabolic mental habits you create.

What is one thing you can begin to do regularly to shift your mental habits? What difference does that make in creating the body—and life—of your dreams?

Together we can do it!

Wellness Tip of the Day

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Wellness Tip of the Day: Use your emotions to guide you to a richer, fuller, healthier and more fulfilling life-experience. Love is like true North on a compass.

 

 

What Did You Expect?

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Whatever you’re thinking about is literally like planning a future event. When you’re worrying, you are planning. When you’re appreciating you are planning…What are you planning?

Abraham as interpreted by Esther Hicks

“Miracles are happening, seen and unseen.”

This is the mantra that has been going through my head all weekend. And I absolutely believe it to the tips of my toes.

Every time I was critical of my body or discouraged that my physical progress in my 18-week Transformation Challenge isn’t further along, I said it.

Every time I thought about the future and doubted, I said it.

Every time I caught myself concerned or worried, I said it.

Because this is my life I’m creating. If I want things to be different, then my thoughts, feelings, and beliefs have to be different first.

When you think about the Foundation Principle that “Like Energy Attracts Like Energy,” also known as the Law of Attraction, it makes sense that if you’re doubting, worrying, or being critical of yourself or others you’re attracting more of that same energy back to you. In other words, you’re creating more things about which to doubt, worry, or be critical.

A quick way to check what you’re thinking, and therefore creating, is to examine what you expect. Do you expect things to work out—or not? Do you expect life to go your way—or not? Do you expect things to be easy—or not? You’re getting more of what you expect.

All-That-Is (God, the Universe, Source Energy, Higher Coach—whatever works for you) absolutely wants you to have every good thing you desire, but you have to open the vibrational-door wide enough to receive it.

You’re opening that door when you’re experiencing positive anabolic emotions, such as hope, contentment, eagerness, excitement, joy, and love.

Even more powerful than shifting those negative catabolic thoughts and emotions is to build on the anabolic, because that’s what you truly want more of.

So every time this weekend that I caught myself feeling confident, I reminded myself that “Miracles are happening, seen and unseen.”

Every time I was appreciating something, I said it.

Every time I was laughing, I said it.

Every time I felt loved or loving, I said it.

Perhaps you don’t believe in miracles. Do you believe in answers and solutions? Then replace miracles with a word that does bring a feeling of relief, because that’s all that’s needed to shift to a more anabolic state. Every time you make even a tiny shift towards being more anabolic, you open the door a little wider for the Universe to give you the answers, solutions—and even miracles—that you’re asking for.

What can you do to remind yourself that answers, solutions, and miracles are coming? More importantly, what can you do to believe it?

Together we can do it!

Photos from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

What’s Holding You Back?

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One of the benefits of taking on a new challenge is the opportunity to identify and clean-up limiting beliefs and other blocks to your success that absolutely will come up. The quickest way to ferret these blocks out is to pay attention to negative emotions.

When I identified a whiff of discouragement, I knew this was a fabulous opportunity to identify and shift some limiting thoughts, feelings, and beliefs so that they will better support me in achieving my goals, rather than hold me in place.

I am in week two of an 18-week challenge for Transformation Mastery. When I decided to take on this challenge, not only did I set the goal to release 10 pounds of fat and increase my nutrition and fitness level, but I also wanted to let go of lingering fear or limiting beliefs about what I can and cannot do.

My only surprise was that they showed up so quickly!

After a week-and-a-half of eating cleaner than I ever have before, and going after a new high-intensity workout program, I was shocked yesterday when I pulled on my jeans and they were tight. Sure enough, when I stepped on the scale, I was up a pound-and-a-half.

The first thing I did was go into troubleshooting mode and look at what I’ve been eating. What I found was plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean meats and other quality protein, and complex carbohydrates. I had already replaced one cup of coffee a day with a cup of ginger-green tea, and was working on letting go of the second cup so that I would be half-and-half free. Other than adding an apple and a few strawberries here and there, I couldn’t see what the problem was.

So I added up the calories and discovered that I was actually eating between 200 and 300 calories more a day than my goal of 1,800. I wrote out a new plan for the rest of the week that would help me hit my mark and the problem seemingly was solved.

But my Gremlin, that inner critic that likes to tell people they aren’t good enough, took this opportunity to kick in. With this increase in self-criticism, I found myself really struggling with my workout this morning.

The good news is that, as my mentor coach likes to say, your Gremlin shows up when you are about to step into your greatness.

What are the thoughts that were coming up for me that were at the root of this feeling of discouragement?

  • My metabolism is too slow. Maybe my body type just can’t lose weight.
  • What if I get through this and there are no physical changes? I’ve been pretty public about this challenge. Won’t people think I’m a failure?
  • Maybe this is the best my body can look and feel, and I should just accept it.

If left unchecked, these thoughts would lead to actions that would begin to undermine how well I would stick to my eating plan or how much I would challenge myself during workouts. What’s the point of eating clean or pushing yourself if you are only going to fail anyway?

These types of thoughts are normal. We all have doubts, fears, and worries. But the difference between people who achieve their goals and those that don’t is that they learn how to shift their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs to support them.

What are some new thoughts that I can think?

  • My metabolism may be efficient, but everything I am doing can certainly kick it into a higher gear. And I have been fitter, stronger, and leaner in the past, so I absolutely can get there again.
  • If I truly can get through these 18-weeks loving my body enough to consistently feed it high-energy, anabolic foods and move it with intention and intensity, then regardless of any physical changes, I will achieve my goal of being an authentic example of successful weight management, and optimal health and wellness for my clients and everyone I encounter. That’s what matters.
  • If my words and actions are in alignment with my intentions, values, and beliefs and I am allowing myself to be the fullest and most authentic version of me, then it truly doesn’t matter what size I am or what my body looks like.

The emotion these new thoughts generate is confidence and renewed commitment, because for me, this isn’t about being a certain size or body shape, it’s about striving to be the best possible me that I can be.

Are your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs supporting the achievement of your goals, or holding you in place? How can you shift them to better support you? What new feelings does that generate? How does that help you achieve your goals?

Together we can do it!

Photo by Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Feeling Generous?

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As we were getting ready for bed last night, my husband David shared an unexpected experience he’d had in the dentist’s chair that afternoon. While the doctor was busy in his mouth, there was a TV screen for him to watch, but with the sound turned off.

The program was the Ellen DeGeneres Show and he watched as Ellen gave a young single mother a stack of cash tied in a bow, and a new car that had yet another stack of bills stashed in the glove compartment.

Even with no sound and no idea of the woman’s story, David was moved watching this demonstration of generosity, and we both marveled at how much fun it would be to give so abundantly.

As I contemplated giving before drifting off to sleep, I realized that whether we know it or not, each of us is giving all day, every day, in ways that are more profound than the gift of money, things, or even our time.

You are the gift. And how you show up in life is the gift you are giving. The question is, are you giving the gift you intend?

Imagine being in line to check out at the grocery store. There are people in front of you and behind you. Are you giving them the gift of impatience and frustration, which is emanating out of you at a frequency that can be measured, or are you perhaps giving them contentment or peace?

What do you want to give?

How about when you get to the checkout person? Are you giving that person the gift of a smile and appreciation, or gruffness and criticism, or perhaps even indifference?

How do you think what you are giving makes that checkout person feel? What gift do you think they are giving in turn?

We are not islands stewing in our own emotion. What we are feeling and expressing is what we are giving to everyone we encounter—and to the world.

What are you giving most of the time? Is that what you want to be giving?

If not, how can you begin to shift your thoughts, emotions, and beliefs to better align with Who you want to be?

How would it feel to be able to give the gift of a smile, pat on the back, praise, or just emanate appreciation and joy right now?

Together we can do it!

Photo by akeeris / FreeDigitalPhotos.net