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Category Archives: Health & Wellness

Surviving the Holidays

06 Nov

This is a great time of year. We’ve officially entered the Holiday season. I’ve already seen Christmas movies on television. As wonderful as this time of year is. It’s also a dangerous time of year for weight loss. Weeks and weeks of healthy eating, working out, counting calories, etc can be undone in the last 8 – 10 weeks of the year. Especially for me. It starts with Halloween and the abundance of candy that comes with it. That gives way to my birthday. From my birthday, we speed towards Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving comes work pot-luck luncheons, department holiday luncheons & parties, sweets, egg nog, Christmas candy, etc…. The end of the year is indeed a treacherous minefield in the battle for health and wellness. If you’re not careful, the progress made throughout the year will be replaced with weight gain and feelings of guilt, shame & remorse as you head into the new year. Thus putting you behind the proverbial eight ball on January 1, 2014.

So how do you navigate this time of year? How do we make it across the minefield without stepping on a land mine? Well there’s no set way of dealing with it but listed below are some things you can do to help safely navigate the holiday season. They’re not listed in any particular order.

  • Water, water, water
  • Use smaller plates
  • Eat a healthy snack before going to holiday parties
  • Remember proper portion sizes
  • Create daily or weekly goals to help you maintain focus
  • Find an accountability partner
  • Limit alcohol
  • Don’t skip meals
  • Maintain fitness regimine
  • Keep a food journal

By incorporating some (if not all) those tips, you’ll definitely put yourself in a position to go into the new year with momentum. The goal isn’t to refrain from enjoying the holidays. However, for me, it was more important to maintain the progress I worked so hard for throughout the year.

By following these tips, I was able to maintain my weight loss through the gauntlet that is the last two months of the year. It definitely wasn’t easy but it was worth it when I met January many pounds lighter.

Enjoy the holiday season but don’t lose focus on what your goals are. Remember why you’re doing what you’re doing.

 
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Posted by on 11/06/2013 in Exercise, Fitness, Health & Wellness, Healthy, Inspirational, Nutrition, Weight Loss

 

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Victory Loves Preparation

03 May

I had a break in my work week yesterday and normally that is cause for concern. I have to be extra careful food choice wise. There’s something about the work week routine that helps me make great food decisions. Anyway, I was reminded how important planning & preparation is.

Here I was completely out of my normal routine. In the past, that would have made making wrong decisions easier. (Well making a wrong decision is just as easy as making a good one. But that’s a different blog) But not this time. I prepared ahead of time. I plan my meals ahead of time for the work week. So instead of having to exhaust mental energy on what to eat yesterday – Good choice?…bad choice? -, I simply ate what I prepared earlier. That removed any excuses, any temptations to make a bad decision.

What did I learn from all that? What thought was I reminded of? Victory loves preparation. My brother says that all the time. It’s so true. Victory, success (in weight loss or anything else) doesn’t just happen. You have to prepare for it. You have to plan for it. If not, surprises (like yesterday’s departure from my normal routine) can set you back.

Preparation isn’t just planning and cooking meals in advance. Preparation is packing your gym clothes and putting them in your car night before. Preparation is looking at the menu and deciding the best choice prior to getting to that restaurant. It may appear small and trivial but preparation goes a long way to ensure success.

Remember the will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win. (Not my quote but I absolutely love it)

 
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Posted by on 05/03/2012 in Exercise, Fitness, Health & Wellness, Healthy, Inspirational, Nutrition, Weight Loss

 

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I Talk To Myself (And I Answer)

20 Apr

I laughed at myself this morning. I joke that you’re not crazy if you talk to yourself. Now if you answer, then yeah you might be cause for concern. Well, this morning I had a full-fledged 35 minute discussion with myself during cardio. I went back and forth with myself about how crazy it was I was in the gym at 4:30,drenched in sweat and eyes that were burning from sweat and sleepiness.

The conversation turned to whether I should finish my cardio. I talked myself in and out quitting at least 5 times. Not only did I converse with myself, I switched between conversations and answered myself verbally! When I realized I was doing all that, I couldn’t do anything but laugh. It also got me thinking.

What are you saying when you talk to yourself? I know I’m not the only one that talks to themselves. What are you saying to yourself? Hopefully it’s more positive than negative. More encouraging than discouraging. You have to be a cheerleader for you. Sounds corny but it works. I cheered for myself (Verbally no less) while on the elliptical machine. So much so verbally that the guy next to me thought I was encouraging him to finish and did an extra 10 minutes he said. He had no clue I was talking to me!!

I know I’m not the only one who talks(and answers) Who else has conversations with themselves?

 
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Posted by on 04/20/2012 in Exercise, Fitness, Health & Wellness, Healthy, Inspirational, Weight Loss

 

I Found The Secret

13 Apr

I’m so excited! I found the secret to weight loss success. It’s not a pill that melts belly fat or makes your legs smaller. It’s not a specially formulated juice. Nope it’s not even sold for $19.99. So you don’t have to act now or hurry before the offer expires.

As a matter of fact, the secret to weight loss is not found in stores. Nor a pill bottle, nor a beverage bottle. I didn’t find it in the health food store. Nor did I stumble across it in a special extract from some exotic flower.

This secret to weight loss is extremely powerful! Drastically altering the lives of those who have it. It allows you to overcome all obstacles that stand in your way. When properly used, the secret to weight loss can lead to success in other areas of life. The best part about the secret? No list of things that could go wrong if you take it. You know, “Warning this may cause drowsiness,diarrhea, vomiting, night time sickness, day time sickness…. blah blah blah” It’s 100% fail proof!!!! I’m so confident in the miraculous powers of this secret to weight loss, that I’ll personally give you your money back if you’re not satisfied with the results!!!!!

By now you shouldn’t be wondering how much it cost? Or how much is shipping? Hopefully you’re so anxious to know what is that you’re about to go crazy because I’m dragging this out. Okay Okay… For those who want to know the secret, I’ll tell you and I’ll even tell you where to get it.

If you’re sitting down, I need you to get up. If you’re standing, I need you to make your way to the nearest mirror. Close your eyes. Open them. Look deeply in the mirror. Take a deep breath and realize that what you see in the mirror is the secret to weight loss.

BOOM! There it is! Right in front of you. The secret is YOU!!

You have everything already in you to be successful. You just need to discover it inside you. There are no gimmicks. No shortcuts. All you have is you. Your will, your drive, your passion, your commitment to you. You know what? That’s the real secret key to your success. It’s completely up to you.

Take full advantage of the secret. I know I am….

 
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Posted by on 04/13/2012 in Exercise, Fitness, Health & Wellness, Healthy, Inspirational, Nutrition, Weight Loss

 

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Celebrating the Small Victories

02 Mar

When I started down the path of losing weight, my success was completely scale based. Don’t get me wrong. The scale is a good way to measure results. Yet it’s a very fickle and misleading creature. There were weeks I KNEW double digit weight loss would occur; only to end up with minimal losses. Double digit weight loss is the norm right? It happens weekly on The Biggest Loser. Well, except for Week 2.

I learned some valuable lessons from that.
Lesson 1 – Measuring results entirely by the scale can lead to frustration and loss of motivation.
Lesson 2 – Don’t miss the small victories by focusing only on weight loss.
Lesson 3 – Celebrate the small victories.

What do I mean? I didn’t control the number on the scale during weigh-ins. There were variables outside of my control. Being too dialed into the scale, caused me to think my hard work wasn’t paying off. I thought that a few times. By stepping back, I was able to get better perspective. See the bigger picture. I found I experienced all kinds of success! In fact, the success wasn’t weight loss. Success was who I was becoming along the way.

Who I was becoming produced many, many, many small victories! Small victories like not ordering tea or soda when we ate out. Another small victory – not having seconds. Or how about going to the gym every Monday – Friday. Yet another small victory – Not quitting during cardio when I was tired and my lungs were burning. Or having to put a hole in my belt. One of my personal favorites – Having to hold my shorts up going downstairs because they would fall down!

See those are all small victories. Get enough small victories strung together and you’ll see the big victory of weight loss. I began celebrating the small victories like crazy! What I found was, that recognizing the small victories carried me emotionally when the scale didn’t move as quickly as I liked.

So don’t miss out on the small victories because you’re focused on just weight loss. Take time to smell the roses and enjoy the journey.

 
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Posted by on 03/02/2012 in Fitness, Health & Wellness, Healthy, Inspirational, Nutrition, Uncategorized, Weight Loss

 
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