That amazing feeling of being in love with life continues way longer than your workout. It boosts energy and positive feeling all day.
Tomorrow is my last blog here! To keep receiving my posts, follow my new blog, at LoveYourWaySlim.com. Thank you for all your support here at Goss Coaching. I so appreciate each of your fabulous readers. Blessings to you!
How are those New Year’s Resolutions to lose weight coming? Are you still plugging away? Can you feel them starting to waiver? Or have they been put aside to show up on next year’s list?
One of the things that can cause people to pass on meeting their wellness goals is the overwhelming feeling that can come from trying to go from holiday-treat-eating coach-potato to food-measuring athlete all at once.
There really is no rule that says you have to change all of your behaviors at once to succeed.
I didn’t.
Four years ago, for various reasons I went from a runner to a walker to not doing any exercise at all. During that period of inactivity, I didn’t curb my eating and pretty quickly reached my heaviest weightever.
I found myself starting over with exercise and losing weight—again. And it did NOT feel good.
While I hated where I was, I just couldn’t seem to find the energy to get out of bed and move.
So what changed? How did I get going?
I first started mentally preparing.
These mental preparations did include mentally visualizing me moving my body, but most importantly,they were a conscious effort to change my thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.
You see, I was spending a whole lot of my mental energy feeling like a failure.
Here I was in this place of starting over—again! I knew how to diet and exercise, yet, I had failed. Surly this meant I was a weak person, or a slacker, or was somehow inherently flawed.
Those beliefs were not getting me anywhere. In fact, they were keeping me stuck in the spiral of shame and self-loathing that I thought losing weight would fix. But that very shame and self-loathing made it nearly impossible to force-start a new diet and exercise program.
And I was struggling with thoughts and beliefs about how hard working out was going to be, and how much hunger and deprivation I was going to have to endure. I was dreading it. These kinds of thoughts were NOT conducive to starting a successful diet and exercise program.
It was important to take the time to mentally prepare for where I wanted to go.
Action is great, but if you don’t have your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs aligned behind it, it’s not going to create sustainable results.
Part of that mental preparation was gently letting go of the idea that I was somehow a failure. Was I really? I did know what to do. In fact, I was so mentally disciplined that numerous times I had forcedmyself to push past a wall of negative energy to Make Things Happen.
What mattered was my belief in myself. What mattered was that I knew Who I was and what I could accomplish.
Changing those underlying thoughts brought a sense of relief that was enough to begin to shift the momentum of energy in my favor.
Another part of my mental preparation was to think about all the reasons I did want to be slim, fit, and healthy. To imagine how good that would feel.
I took my reasons a lot deeper than just looking good in a pair of jeans. I wanted to fully live a vibrantand fulfilling life. A part of me felt like I wasn’t living up to my full potential. I wasn’t consistently showing up in relationships as the person I wanted to be. I wasn’t accomplishing everything I wanted to accomplish. I wasn’t showing up in my life as who I knew I intended.
Having physical health, energy, and stamina was critical to be able to step out as the Me I truly wanted to be.
And the final piece of mental preparation?
I reached out for support. Having someone there to confirm that I wasn’t a failure or a slacker, and to tell me that they “knew I could do it” was what tipped the energetic scale enough that I was able to get out of bed on that chilly morning and move!
But that movement would have been a joke to some people. What I considered a huge success was just 10 minutes of any kind of physical movement. Seriously, I counted everything! Counting and celebrating each tiny sign of success continued to build the energetic momentum towards achieving my goals.
And it wasn’t until I was consistently meeting my physical goals that I started thinking about the slow and steady changes I could make with my eating.
The daily mental preparation continued to be critical to my achieving my success. It was the wind that helped me get airborne and support me as I flew.
It was—and continues to be—the critical factor in how I have easily maintained a size 6 now for the past several years.
Yes, it took me a year to lose 34 pounds and get back into great shape. So what?
At the end of that year I was a lot happier having slowly and steadily made those small decisions towards a healthier lifestyle than to try to do too much at once and give up, only to be faced with the same goal and results a year later.
And now several years later, I can tell you taking it slow and steady was totally worth it!
It was that slow and steady, inside out approach that led to sustainable results.
What small mental shift can you make today that will move you towards a healthier lifestyle? Do that for a week and then look for another tiny step to make. Do that consistently and you will build momentum and achieve your goals.
Do that consistently and next January 1 you will be celebrating your success rather than being faced with the disheartening decision to put Losing Weight on your list of New Year’s Resolutions—again.
Together we can do it!
Join the the Love Your Way Slim Coaching Program today!
This unique program transforms your mindset, integrates your core values and spiritual beliefs, provides exceptional support, and hones in on the most powerful actions you can take to make releasing the weight not only easy and satisfying—but fun! (Yes, it really is possible!)
Program closes January 12, 2013. It won’t reopen until January 2014!
“I hate exercise.”
That’s a sentiment that I hear often from my clients.
But when they dig a little deeper, we discover it’s actually not true.
Think back to when you were a little kid.
Somewhere along the way, you were forced to give up “play.”
Responsibility got in the way; maybe school or your studies, getting a job, or starting a family.
“Exercise” became something you “had to do” to lose weight. And being the responsible adult that you are, you may have picked responsible “exercise programs” that you didn’t enjoy. You forced yourself to do them. You took it like medicine because working out was “good for you.”
Is it any wonder many people think they hate exercise? Who would want to take nasty tasting cough syrup every day? Certainly not me, and probably not you.
What if you created a new “rule?” What if this “rule” was that moving your body should be fun.
Having your movement be fun doesn’t mean that it’s not effective. Depending on what your goals are,there are many ways to achieve the results you’re looking for—and have fun!
For instance, a fabulous reader told me yesterday that she’s gotten back into shape doing gymnastics and hula dancing!
In addition to the old standbys, like walking, running, weight-training, yoga, tai chi, and Pilates, I know women who are in great shape who have achieved their goals by doing everything from fire-dancing, to boxing, jump-roping to hula-hooping. And there are many more options.
I personally love dance walking and dance cardio on the treadmill!
Experiment until you find the workout you really enjoy.
Picking something that you actually enjoy doing significantly increases your chances of releasing the weight–once and for all.
Think of it this way. If you are starting a workout program that you hate, are dreading and despise every moment while you are doing it, how long are you likely to sustain that program?
This is another example of how harnessing your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs and aligning them with your actions is like adding a rocket booster to your ability to achieve your goals.
Find the way that moving your body feels good!
Together we can do it!
Here are my inspirations.
Join the the Love Your Way Slim Coaching Program today!
This unique program transforms your mindset, integrates your core values and spiritual beliefs, and hones in on the most powerful actions you can take to make releasing the weight not only easy and satisfying—but fun! (Yes, it really is possible!)
Program closes January 12, 2013. It won’t reopen until January 2014!
The key to moving your body consistently is to make it fun! Picking a workout you actually enjoy increases your consistency–and success.
My blog is moving! To keep following my posts after January 15, follow my new blog, at LoveYourWaySlim.com. I look forward to continuing the journey with you!
Have you made a list of things you want to achieve in 2013? Chances are you made a resolution or two.
One of them was probably to lose weight.
Today, you may be fired up to get to the gym or to start that new diet. If so, Woo Hoo! Deciding to change is a huge step. Let’s harness that positive energy you are feeling right now and keep it going!
And if you are dreading being hungry and feeling deprived, and hate the idea of working out, that’s OK. You are where you are. Let’s begin to shift your energy to make your goal more appealing, and thus achievable.
No matter where you are, look at your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs and see if they are supporting your new actions, or if they are setting you up to fail.
For instance, how sustainable will your commitment to workout be if you are thinking thoughts like:
Those kinds of thoughts will ensure you give up on your resolution.
You can tell by how they make you feel. How much do they fuel your belief that you can meet your goal? What outcome are they pointing towards?
Chances are if you’re thinking thoughts like these, you can’t jump right away to the idea that, “exercise is fun and you love it.” How honest does that feel? So begin by easing up on your thoughts just a little bit.
For instance:
Easing up a little on your thoughts feels better and fuels your positive beliefs that you can achieve your goals.
Aligning your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs to support your actions is like turbocharging your ability to meet your weight loss goal.
Pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about your diet and exercise program. Are they moving you where you want to go? If they aren’t, change them to support your goals—and help ensure your resolution becomes reality!
Together we can do it!
Today is the day! Register now for my FREE tele-class to help you revolutionize your weight-loss resolution (so it finally works)!
In this content-rich seminar you’ll discover:
Sign up for the call now! loveyourwayslim.com/transformyourresolution/
Let me help you make 2013 the year you mark “losing weight” off your list of New Year’s Resolutions forever!
PS I’ll be sending out a recording of the call, so even if you can’t listen live, sign up now!
When you exercise, do you love and adore your body? Are you having so much fun you wish you were doing your workout at other times during the day? Does moving your body help you tap you’re your sensuality and feminine power?
In this provocative TEDx talk, Sheila Kelley shares how tapping into your feminine power can help you in every part of your life—include getting the body you want.
The challenge is that all women have learned to be ashamed of your bodies.
Kelley shares that every woman has a “First Offense” that brought negative attention, judgment or shame to your body.
I vividly remember my “First Offense.”
When I was 5 years old, my father told me I needed to learn how to suck in my stomach.
Me blowing out the candles on my 5th birthday
Now at age 5, I wasn’t fat. But how I interpreted his comment was that he was telling me I was fat. He was telling me there was something wrong with my body.
I was a tomboy who always had scabs on my knees from falls and crashes on my bike. Shortly after that conversation with my father I remember for the first time being embarrassed at how my banged up knees looked and trying to pull my knee socks up as high as they would go to cover them up.
For the first time, I suffered from body shame.
From that moment on, I focused almost exclusively on my flaws, and what was wrong with me. And for most of my life, I struggled with my weight.
That was just the first offence. With every criticism or judgment we receive as we grow and mature, we close ourselves off from our feminine power.
This is why so many women “hide” behind unhealthy eating habits.
Kelley says 80 percent of women in America feel something is missing and they have no idea what it is.
That “it” is reclaiming your feminine essence and reclaiming your body.
Near the end of the talk, Kelley invites every woman to, “Step into the grandeur, the beauty, the gorgeousness, the sway, the curve, the power, the fire of your body, of your spirit, of your emotions.”
Reconnecting with your feminine power is an important step in getting the body you want.
Together we can do it!
How empowered do you feel right now?
One thing I’ve noticed is that women who are struggling with losing and regaining the same 30 pounds over and over again are often in victim mode.
This means you frequently feel that you are at the effect of outside circumstances that you believe are outside of your control. You feel powerless.
This can look like:
Some element of life is coming at you, and you are coping by eating a food that will trigger a temporary hormonal reaction in your body that makes you feel better.
The problem is that once the physical reaction subsides, feelings of guilt, shame, and self-loathing take over, driving up negative chemical reactions in your body—and perpetuating unhealthy habits.
What’s happening here is your negative thoughts are generating catabolic energy that releases the stress hormone cortisol, adrenaline, and other chemicals that literally can cannibalize your body. Over time, this catabolic energy can cause everything from painful trigger points in your shoulders, to inflammation, to heart attacks.
It can even impact your metabolism and other weight-related systems making it easier to gain and harder to release weight.
Feeling energized, alive, and powerful creates positive anabolic energy that releases endorphins, testosterone, and body supporting hormones that help your body heal, rebuild, and flow with physical energy.
And yes, makes it easier to release excess weight.
One way to tap into positive anabolic energy is to consciously shift your thoughts and feelings about who you are, what you are capable of, and what you deserve.
Another way to feel more empowered is to move your body.
And it can be as simple as changing your posture for as little as two minutes!
In this fabulous TED talk, social psychologist Amy Cuddy shares that body language can affect not only how others see you, but also can change how you see yourself.
She says that “power posing”—standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident—for just two minutes can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain improving your chances for success.
What this means is that our bodies can change our minds.
So if standing in a power pose for two minutes can have a profound impact on your body chemistry, imagine what happens when you lift weights for 30 minutes? Or run, or dance?
Everyone who has ever worked out consistently knows how awesome you feel afterwards. It is often that empowered feeling that keeps exercisers coming back for more.
You can tap into that feeling of empowerment before, during, and after your workout.
You can do that right now by thinking about how it feels after your workout, actually feeling empowered, or even power posing for two minutes.
How will this benefit you?
Cuddy shares that the minds of powerful people have common characteristics. She says that powerful and effective leaders are more assertive, confident, optimistic, win at games of chance, are better at thinking abstractly, and take more risks.
They also have more testosterone and less of the stress hormone cortisol.
In other words they have a lot of positive anabolic energy.
Our thoughts and feelings—and body movement—literally impact our wellness at the cellular level.
Before your workout, begin thinking about how energized, alive, and powerful you feel afterwards. And then use your thoughts, feelings—and body—to tap into that feeling of empowerment throughout the day.
Not only will this make doing your workout tomorrow easier, but it improves your success in all areas of your life.
Together we can do it!
Wellness Tip of the Day: Before your workout, think about how energized, alive and powerful you feel afterwards. Tap into that power throughout your day.
Woo hoo! I got a 20 minute workout in this morning!
Doesn’t sound like much?
I am celebrating!
Why? Because I’ve missed my workouts for most of the past two weeks due to a chest cold.
While 20 minutes is less than half of the time than I normally spend, I did what I could do.
And it felt good!
It felt satisfying to get back to regularly moving my body. It felt like progress. It felt fun to focus on wellness.
An interruption to your workout routine is actually a key time to focus on progress not perfection.
Too often you may be disappointed, frustrated, and discouraged because you aren’t where you were or where you expected to be. It can take a few days—or even weeks—to get back up to full speed and intensity if you’ve been sick, injured, or are just under a lot of stress. (Holidays anyone?)
When you focus on what you’ve “lost,” where you “should” be, how “hard” it is, etc., you are actually getting in the way of your comeback. It will be hard because you believe it to be.
I know.
In the past, coming back from an illness might very well have sent my workout routine on the skids for months.
I would have focused so much on the negative elements of my recovery that I literally made it 100 times harder to get back into a healthy routine.
Think of it this way. If all you focus on is how much you are dreading your workout, how much you hate exercise, how horrible sweating is, how hard it will be—how likely are you to sustain your workout program?
Not very!
Pretty quickly, even the idea of working out can be emotionally and physically draining. This is often the beginning of your regaining the weight you have lost—and then some.
When you catch yourself starting that negative thought spiral, STOP!
Instead, celebrate what you can do, rather than what you can’t, what you did, rather than what you should have done, and where you are, rather than where you think you should be.
Shifting your focus to the positive literally generates energy that will help you get back on track more quickly and easily.
I also have the personal experience that exercise relieves stress, and now I use stress as an excuse to workout rather than a reason to avoid it.
When exercise feels like the very last thing you want to do, focus on the stress-relieving benefits of exercise and how much better you’ll feel afterwards.
And when you do the workout and are in that better-feeling place, notice it, focus on it, and celebrate it so that you can remember it the next time you are trying to convince yourself to go workout.
The key to getting back on track is to figure out the minimum that you can do that will make you feel like you’re making progress, and then celebrate doing that. Even a walk around the block has benefits and will help clear your mind, and it’s a lot easier to convince yourself to do than a full-blown workout.
And if you really can’t motivate yourself to get a workout in, forgive yourself and focus on doing what you can do to take care of you.
Together we can do it!
Wellness Tip of the Day: Exercise relieves stress. Use stress as an excuse to workout rather than a reason to avoid it.
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