So many times we put unrealistic expectations upon ourselves and set ourselves up for failure. A healthy lifestyle is so much more than a set of rules. It's about DEFINING WHO YOU ARE.
Saying things like, "I will never eat sugar again," "No eating after 7 PM," or "I am going to work out daily, starting Monday," the focus is on what you want/need to change. Contrast that with, "I am someone who takes care of my body," "I am someone who associates with healthy people," "My day orients around my well-being and exercise," "I have better things to do than eat junk food," "I need my energy to accomplish my goals." See the difference? The second set of statements focuses on WHO YOU ARE and what you want in your life, not just the change you want to make. This shift is more than just paying lip service to the first set of statements. It calls for action to show your commitment. When you shift who you are, things naturally look different, and the results are obvious.
This focus has made a HUGE difference for me this past year as I have become a "runner". I tell myself OFTEN, "I'm a runner." When it's 4:45 am and I don't want to get out of bed, or when it is raining and cold outside, I tell myself "I'm a runner... and this is what runners do."
Take a minute and make a short list of the things that DEFINE YOU!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
What comes first... action or motivation?
I’ve thought a lot about this question this week.
I believe that just like the spark comes before the flame, action comes before motivation. But of course if there isn’t anything flammable near the spark then there will be no fire. So you can’t have action for very long without motivation, the flammable material. The fire is the burning desire that makes the engine go.
If you want to use the law of inertia (An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force) to your advantage you must take action.
Not motivated? Take action. Depressed? Take action. Un-inspired? Take action. End of story.
I believe that just like the spark comes before the flame, action comes before motivation. But of course if there isn’t anything flammable near the spark then there will be no fire. So you can’t have action for very long without motivation, the flammable material. The fire is the burning desire that makes the engine go.
If you want to use the law of inertia (An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force) to your advantage you must take action.
Not motivated? Take action. Depressed? Take action. Un-inspired? Take action. End of story.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Are you tracking your food?
I need a reality check. I need accountability. I can't do math in my head.
(Well.. I can do a few simple equations. But trying to keep a running log in my head of the food I've eaten is tough.) I've started keeping a food journal faithfully... and it makes a difference. It can make a difference for you too!
You hear all the time that to lose weight, you should track what you eat. Well, a recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows that keeping a "food diary" may double your weight loss efforts.
Researchers from Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research kept tabs on 1,685 overweight and obese adults (men and women), whose average weight was 212 pounds. The researchers encouraged participants to following a program and adhere record their daily food intake and exercise minutes.
After 20 weeks, the average weight loss was 13 pounds per person. But researchers discovered something else; the more participants recorded what they ate, the more weight they lost in the end. Participants who did not keep a food diary lost about 9 pounds over the course of the study, while those who recorded their food intake six or more days per week lost 18 pounds—twice as much as those who didn't track any food!
So the bottom line is... I want you to be successful and a food dairy is one VERY important tool which will help you stay on track and help me pinpoint how to help you best.
I have a new form / journal that I've emailed to most of my clients that fits right in with TSFL program. If you want a copy... let me know and I'll email it to you. Tracking your food can be the reality check you need!
Have a happy and healthy week!
Marti
(Well.. I can do a few simple equations. But trying to keep a running log in my head of the food I've eaten is tough.) I've started keeping a food journal faithfully... and it makes a difference. It can make a difference for you too!
You hear all the time that to lose weight, you should track what you eat. Well, a recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows that keeping a "food diary" may double your weight loss efforts.
Researchers from Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research kept tabs on 1,685 overweight and obese adults (men and women), whose average weight was 212 pounds. The researchers encouraged participants to following a program and adhere record their daily food intake and exercise minutes.
After 20 weeks, the average weight loss was 13 pounds per person. But researchers discovered something else; the more participants recorded what they ate, the more weight they lost in the end. Participants who did not keep a food diary lost about 9 pounds over the course of the study, while those who recorded their food intake six or more days per week lost 18 pounds—twice as much as those who didn't track any food!
So the bottom line is... I want you to be successful and a food dairy is one VERY important tool which will help you stay on track and help me pinpoint how to help you best.
I have a new form / journal that I've emailed to most of my clients that fits right in with TSFL program. If you want a copy... let me know and I'll email it to you. Tracking your food can be the reality check you need!
Have a happy and healthy week!
Marti
Monday, March 1, 2010
Love, Love, Love TSFL!
I love hearing success stories. I love seeing people change their lives. I love hearing about TSFL SAVE lives.
I had the privilege to attend a FABULOUS training on Saturday. Dr. Wayne Anderson, who is the co-founder of Take Shape for Life and the Medical Director for Medifast, shared his wisdom about how we can get AMERICA healthy. Our society is doomed for obesity, unless we start making daily choices that will move us towards optimal health. I met several individuals who had lost over 100 lbs each. I met a woman who taking over 11 medications a year ago and was face the permanent use of a wheel chair. She began the TSFL program and a year later she has lost 65 lbs and completely OFF all 11 medications. I was again reminded that TSFL is not a weight loss program... but it is a program that helps you reach optimal health!
I highly recommend Dr. Wayne Anderson's Habits of Health book. As I listened to him speak, it reaffirmed my belief in this amazing program! His book will help you move beyond your initial desire to just lose weight but then progress towards optimal health. His book and the companion guide is available on the TSFL website at https://shop.tsfl.com/proddetails.aspx?pid=1223 It really is a guide to healthy living.
Think about your goals and ask yourself what you plan to do TOMORROW to move you towards optimal health. Each day comes just once in a lifetime. You only have one shot at it. What are you going to do to make it the best?
Have a happy and healthy week!
Marti
I had the privilege to attend a FABULOUS training on Saturday. Dr. Wayne Anderson, who is the co-founder of Take Shape for Life and the Medical Director for Medifast, shared his wisdom about how we can get AMERICA healthy. Our society is doomed for obesity, unless we start making daily choices that will move us towards optimal health. I met several individuals who had lost over 100 lbs each. I met a woman who taking over 11 medications a year ago and was face the permanent use of a wheel chair. She began the TSFL program and a year later she has lost 65 lbs and completely OFF all 11 medications. I was again reminded that TSFL is not a weight loss program... but it is a program that helps you reach optimal health!
I highly recommend Dr. Wayne Anderson's Habits of Health book. As I listened to him speak, it reaffirmed my belief in this amazing program! His book will help you move beyond your initial desire to just lose weight but then progress towards optimal health. His book and the companion guide is available on the TSFL website at https://shop.tsfl.com/proddetails.aspx?pid=1223 It really is a guide to healthy living.
Think about your goals and ask yourself what you plan to do TOMORROW to move you towards optimal health. Each day comes just once in a lifetime. You only have one shot at it. What are you going to do to make it the best?
Have a happy and healthy week!
Marti
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Citius, Altius, Fortius
Citius, Altius, Fortius
What does the Olympic motto mean?
Those three words in Latin mean.... Faster, Higher, Stronger!
I hope you have been able to watch some of the Olympics over the past week or so. It is truly amazing and inspiring to see these athletes excel and see their dreams come true. I feel like the TSFL journey is a bit of an "olympic" journey, too. It takes effort, dedication, passion, courage and commitment to change your lifestyle and enjoy the rewards of winning your goal!
Take a minute to think about how will you go Faster, Higher, and Stronger on your TSFL journey. Go for the GOLD!!
Put your future in good hands - your own!
What does the Olympic motto mean?
Those three words in Latin mean.... Faster, Higher, Stronger!
I hope you have been able to watch some of the Olympics over the past week or so. It is truly amazing and inspiring to see these athletes excel and see their dreams come true. I feel like the TSFL journey is a bit of an "olympic" journey, too. It takes effort, dedication, passion, courage and commitment to change your lifestyle and enjoy the rewards of winning your goal!
Take a minute to think about how will you go Faster, Higher, and Stronger on your TSFL journey. Go for the GOLD!!
Put your future in good hands - your own!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Loving YOURSELF!!!
Since LOVE is in the air, I thought I'd pass along a little tidbit of advice about LOVING YOURSELF!
It is so important on your journey to optimal health that you put YOURSELF on the top of your priority list. I know you are probably thinking that sounds so selfish, huh? But I promise that you cannot give back to those around you, unless you make time for yourself. This certainly doesn't mean neglecting your family or other responsibilties. However, when you make time to replenish your mind, spirit and body, you become your "best" self and that makes a difference in the lives of those you love most.
So take a minute this week and think about what you are doing ... Are you at the bottom of your list? Are you sabotaging yourself? Do you believe that it's okay to take care of YOURSELF without being selfish?
It is so important on your journey to optimal health that you put YOURSELF on the top of your priority list. I know you are probably thinking that sounds so selfish, huh? But I promise that you cannot give back to those around you, unless you make time for yourself. This certainly doesn't mean neglecting your family or other responsibilties. However, when you make time to replenish your mind, spirit and body, you become your "best" self and that makes a difference in the lives of those you love most.
So take a minute this week and think about what you are doing ... Are you at the bottom of your list? Are you sabotaging yourself? Do you believe that it's okay to take care of YOURSELF without being selfish?
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Beat Bad Habits with the Power of Choice
Our habits determine our health. Small, simple things done each day can either lead us toward disease, or toward optimal well-being and even longevity. Which direction we take depends on how we use our power of choice. Cultivating Optimal Health is simply a matter of creating healthy daily choices. Habits are things we do regularly without too much thinking. They form when behavior patterns are set up and reinforced in the brain through repetition, day after day.
Triggers
Habits are set in motion by triggers. We arrive at a familiar intersection, and we automatically turn left. We come home from work, and we instinctively reach into the mailbox. The dog and cat are waiting by their food bowls, and we unconsciously reach to get their food out of the cabinet.
We sit down at the TV for the big game on Sunday, and the fatty chips and dips appear almost as if by magic, whether we’re hungry or not. Unconsciously, our brains are still motivating us to seek that rewarding feeling we associate with the chips and dip.
Daily choices
When our lives become a series of automatic, unhealthy reactions to triggers, we’ve lost control. This is especially true for unhealthy eating. Triggers can drive us to consume far more calories than we need or even want, often without even being aware of what we’re doing.
Regaining mastery over our actions starts when we simply stop to think. When we review our daily habits—all the things we’ve become conditioned to do over time—and determine whether or not they are leading us toward what we want, we’re preparing a foundation for change.
Only then can we employ our conscious mind to override our unconscious mind and transform unhealthy habits into healthy choices.
STOP – CHALLENGE – CHOOSE
Overeating and other unhealthy actions that sabotage our long-term goals can stem from emotional triggers. We may overeat when stressed, nervous, angry, bored, or depressed, and these triggers can be very powerful. STOP – CHALLENGE – CHOOSE is a potent technique that can break the link between events, unpleasant emotions, and undesirable reactions.
Here’s an example of how it can work when you are triggered by negative feelings or an unhealthy environment:STOP: Take a deep breath and center yourself. Suspend action.CHALLENGE: Ask, “Why am I feeling like this? What outcome do I want?”CHOOSE: Make a healthy choice for optimal outcome and awareness of alternative behavior.
Triggers
Habits are set in motion by triggers. We arrive at a familiar intersection, and we automatically turn left. We come home from work, and we instinctively reach into the mailbox. The dog and cat are waiting by their food bowls, and we unconsciously reach to get their food out of the cabinet.
We sit down at the TV for the big game on Sunday, and the fatty chips and dips appear almost as if by magic, whether we’re hungry or not. Unconsciously, our brains are still motivating us to seek that rewarding feeling we associate with the chips and dip.
Daily choices
When our lives become a series of automatic, unhealthy reactions to triggers, we’ve lost control. This is especially true for unhealthy eating. Triggers can drive us to consume far more calories than we need or even want, often without even being aware of what we’re doing.
Regaining mastery over our actions starts when we simply stop to think. When we review our daily habits—all the things we’ve become conditioned to do over time—and determine whether or not they are leading us toward what we want, we’re preparing a foundation for change.
Only then can we employ our conscious mind to override our unconscious mind and transform unhealthy habits into healthy choices.
STOP – CHALLENGE – CHOOSE
Overeating and other unhealthy actions that sabotage our long-term goals can stem from emotional triggers. We may overeat when stressed, nervous, angry, bored, or depressed, and these triggers can be very powerful. STOP – CHALLENGE – CHOOSE is a potent technique that can break the link between events, unpleasant emotions, and undesirable reactions.
Here’s an example of how it can work when you are triggered by negative feelings or an unhealthy environment:STOP: Take a deep breath and center yourself. Suspend action.CHALLENGE: Ask, “Why am I feeling like this? What outcome do I want?”CHOOSE: Make a healthy choice for optimal outcome and awareness of alternative behavior.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
