GO AHEAD IT'S THE HOLIDAYS DON'T TAKE ONE

For many the holiday season just around represents a time of "fear". The fear of being tempted by the holiday cookies, cakes, pies and other desserts. Most will talked about it as if it is beyond their control. This seems really absurd to me. The notion that a bunch of items from a bakery can "control" one's decision seems to be a massive public brainwashing.

A piece of candy has no more control over you than anything else outside of you. If you decide to be a victim you are still the one deciding. Take responsibility for the decisions you make in your life. Including what you put into your body.

TIME ENOUGH

People come to me asking me to "make them" motivated to exercise. This is a big mistake. Motivation is determined by our goal. If you want it bad enough it becomes a priority.

This is a hard one to overcome. It’s really the failure to prioritize your workout above everything else that causes people to fall back into old habits of being "lazy".

If you watch one television show a day--you have time to exercise.

YOU DON'T NEED A FOUR LEAF CLOVER FOR LUCK

The phrase that all successful people in any given area (physical fitness, business etc) dislike the most; "You are so lucky." Luck has nothing to do with it.

Throughout the years my peers and I often find ourselves discussing why only 3% of any given field is successful. In other words, only 3-5% of law students go on to be successful lawyers. Only 3-5% of people who get certified as a hypnotherapist will actual do it full time. Only 3% of the population is debt free. And the list goes on and on.

We have concluded that success is often determined by due diligence. The person who keeps showing up and doing the work will often be in the upper percentile. Certainly I can testify that in the field of physical fitness the person that puts in the best effort at the gym will get the best results. I am not suggesting that you spend hours at the gym --- although if you have the time being physical should always trump watching television. I am suggesting that if you continue to put in a quality work out you WILL get results.

So if you happen to see me at the gym--know that I probably got up early to allot proper work out time and prepare a healthy breakfast, the night before I most likely passed on desert, did not consume alcohol in an effort to "relax" or "have a good time." What I did do was create my own luck. If you want to be lucky you have to put in the work. Stay positive. And all the luck will come to you.

HOW TO DISCIPLINE YOUR DISCIPLINE

Discipline is not something you are born with. It is a mental muscle that needs constant training. Like any other muscle, if you don’t use it, it will weaken. It takes more than just wanting to be disciplined. It is an ability that must be developed and tended to. If it appears easy for some, it is because those people have cultivated it for a very long time.

It isn’t something you can grab out of the top drawer when you need it. You have to have it ready when you need it. Begin slowly by creating a reward and consequence game for your behaviors.Remember no muscle gets into shape immediately. You have to methodically build it and maintain it. All your choices affect this muscle.

(taken from my book: "Head Over Meals-Thinking Your Way To Being Thin Happy & Healthy")

NAUGHTY OR NICE?

I am always amused when clients define themselves, food or an entire day by the terms "good" or "bad". This judgement is usually determined by their actions, or an event that has occurred. I typically remark that both adjectives seem a bit extreme. People, food and a twenty four hour period are neither good nor bad. They just are.

We are the ones judging it. There is certainly value in observing something. If I determine that a certain behavior or food item may be harmful to me, I may consider eliminating it. 

Rather than waste time replaying and criticizing, it may be more helpful to decide what to do about it.

Vitamins That Can Hurt You | Yahoo! Health

Vitamins That Can Hurt You | Yahoo! Health

GO AHEAD HAVE THAT EASTER EGG

At brunch I often order a side of eggs. I was allergic to them as a baby but have since grown into being able to eat them. Aside from your basic hard boiled Easter egg--I like eggs. I think they are misunderstood.

Eggs are a great source of protein and "good fat". Assuming you are not frying them. Yes, eggs do contain cholesterol so clearly if you have high cholesterol you shouldn't be eating eggs. But if you are trying to prevent high cholesterol or get healthy, exercise can help by keeping your cholesterol low and preventing heart disease.

Regular sessions of swimming, running, and jogging have been shown to lower cholesterol. If you are changing your lifestyle to being healthier --- don't take away the egg. Add the exercise.

Besides your cholesterol, exercise has many health benefits. It is in my opinion the "fountain of youth. It helps to strengthen your heart, bones, and other muscles of the body, in addition to helping you to lose weight.

DO IT FOR YOU

Make sure you are doing something for you and you alone. Resolving to do something for a family member or society is a sure way of setting oneself up for failure. 


Is it from your heart? Is it meaningful to you? You want it and what are you willing to do for it? Be responsible for the goal you are setting. Make sure it is possible for you to achieve it.


 Don't lose weight to prove something. Set a goal that is attainable and self-initiated. Remember there is always a bit of discomfort in change because you are reprogramming a past behavior. This is only temporary. As you work through the difficulties, the positive changes will occur. The discomfort is very small compared to the pay-off.

M IS FOR MOM AND MANY CHOICES

In honor of Mother's Day, let us acknowledge that poor Mom seems to take a lot of heat for attributes we may not like. However you are what you are today because of the choices you have made and the information and programming you have absorbed and acted upon throughout your life.

At any time you have the power to change the way you see yourself and to change your beliefs. Also you can change you attitude about food and your body right now. You were born with the power of choice.

Truth be told, genetic only plays a 35% role in your physical health and make up. The rest is determined by the choices you make. And what precedes that choice? Your thoughts. Subconscious thoughts are seven to nine times more powerful than conscious awareness.

So instead of focusing your thoughts on blaming mom's genes, think about what thoughts you would like to have instead.

THE NEW YOU

The New Year often brings about feelings of new opportunities. New beginnings. The truth is every moment is a new opportunity and new beginning. Every second you are making a choice and that choice will lead you away or toward becoming healthier.

You don't have to wait til you lose ten or twenty pounds to become healthy. You don't have to wait til next week, after "that" event etc. You don't have to wait at all. You can decide to be healthy right now. Be you only better. Be the you you want to be--right now.

RIGHT FOOD RIGHT FUEL

You don’t expect your car to respond to the wrong fuel, so how can you expect your body to respond to the wrong food? Food is fuel to your body. It's great that we enjoy a wide range of selections. But this only means we have several quality fuels to chose from.
Much in the same way your thoughts are fuel to your motivation and can effect the way you feel. The truth is we have the ability to make a decision about the quality of fuel we want to put into our mind and body. And we can expect results based on that choice.

TAKE IT LIGHTLY

One of my client's co-workers baked cookies for her peers. When it got down to the last three, the office worker offered my client one of the last cookies. My client replied "You know I don't eat them." At that moment the woman insisted "Eat it. You know you want it. Just have one."

Certainly we understand that the office worker was not being malicious. The real disappointment is that when the same client had stopped smoking no one insisted she "just have one cigarette." We wouldn't think about standing there making statements like "You know you want it" with a lit cigarette.

It is not my responsibility to dictate whether someone should have a cookie or cigarette. I am just confused as to our peers cannot honor our choices. But mainly I am amused that people take others healthy food choices so lightly.

CHOSE IT AND LOSE IT

When a challenge arises, or you are vulnerable, you can get overloaded. This overload can degrade your critical capacity, and you may absorb information that is not in your best interest. The information may then associate itself with and reinforce an existing belief of similar nature. Consequently, we may over-generalize and create false associations. The thought or belief may then perpetuate unwanted behaviors resulting in long-term patterns, which do not serve you, in your present or future state.

You are what you are today because of the choices you have made and the information and programming you have absorbed and acted upon throughout your life. The result is neither good nor bad – it is just you! But it is important simply to understand that most of your behaviors are automatically generated by past beliefs and memories.


Understanding this, you have the power to change the way you see yourself, to change your past beliefs,and to change your attitude about food, your body, and even your confidence in your ability to achieve the healthy body you’ve always wanted. You have this power, and this power is in your ability to chose.