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timely tip from fit it in solutions

Each morning visualize and focus on your action steps for the day and carry your positive vision with you throughout the day.

Thinking and Feeling Thin and Healthy

My clients say, “It seems like it should be so easy to eat nutritiously and exercise. Why is it so hard?” The action steps are easy. Let’s face it; we all know what to do: eat less and exercise more. It is not difficult but it is hard.

The reality is that there is more to it than just following the “diet” and exercise plan. There are the cognitive and emotional sides to it as well. The following steps in behavior change seem to be a good path.

1. Vision creates excitement leading to
2. Ideas create desire leading to
3. Focused planning creates inspiration leading to
4. Actions create motivation leading to
5. Sustained action when done joyfully leads to
6. Results.

Most of us tend to struggle with steps 3 and 5 and some of the emotions around those steps: motivation and joy in our healthy lifestyle. Without good planning, motivation and joy we are doomed to repeat the same pattern.

This is where a good wellness coach comes in handy. A wellness coach is your magical motivator; someone who helps you find your inner motivation and joy in the journey. If you aren’t in a place to hire a wellness coach, find a positive, motivating friend to hold you accountable for the actions you will take. This is something that can be done by phone or email, taking very little time. And it works!

Pull out your journal today and write out your plan using the above steps as your guide. Each morning visualize and focus on your action steps for the day and carry your positive vision with you throughout the day. If you need help, feel free to call me: your magical motivator.

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timely tip from fit it in solutions

Every hour today straighten your posture and contract your abdominal muscles for a stronger core.

Lose Five Pounds Instantly

Okay; not really. However, you can appear to just by changing your posture.

Stand in front of the mirror and turn so that your side is facing it. Allow your shoulders to slump forward. Let your abdominal muscles relax so that your abdomen pooches forward. Take a long gander. This is your before picture.

Now roll your shoulders back. Put your chin up so that it is level. Tuck your rear under and contract your abdominal muscles enough to hold this position comfortably. This is your after picture. Quite a difference; isn’t it?

In addition to making us look thinner good posture has many benefits. Good posture promotes:

• Stronger core muscles
• Stronger back and abdominal muscles
• Reduced back pain and chance of injury
• Increased confidence
• A generally improved sense of well-being

Make it your goal today and every day to improve your posture when you stand and when you sit. Uncross your legs when you sit and use those core muscles. Think about how strong and confident you feel when your posture is erect. Put reminders in various places so you will be prompted to straighten your posture throughout the day.

Also, don’t forget to teach this to your kids. Insisting on good posture was one of the best things my mother did for me. Before you know it good posture will be an excellent habit for you and your children.

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Write down 1 to 3 reasons why you know you can succeed at your goal and post them where you can see them every day.

Confidence to Succeed

Let’s face it; we are far more likely to be successful if we believe in ourselves. A wonderful tool for improving our confidence to succeed is the confidence scale. Here is how it works:

• Set your goal. Your goal should be action oriented, measurable and realistic. Also, it should have a time frame in which you plan to accomplish it; that is, a deadline.
• Rate yourself on your confidence scale. This is where you decide on a scale from 1 to 10 what your chances are of meeting your goal. You are a 10 if you are 100% sure you will meet your goal. You are a 1 if you are sure you won’t.
• If you rated yourself anything less than a 10, ask yourself why you didn’t rate yourself higher.
• If you rated yourself anything more than a 1, ask yourself why you didn’t rate yourself lower.
• Using the answers to the last two questions make a list of what you can do to increase your confidence in your ability to succeed.
• Rate yourself on your confidence scale again. Hopefully, your confidence rating has gone up. If you are anything less than an 8, you may need to re-evaluate your goal and break it down into more doable steps.
• Write down the reasons you KNOW you will succeed and post them where you can see them every day.
• Enjoy the journey!

Setting yourself up for success is all about focusing on the positive. Somewhere inside you is the belief that you CAN do it. Now, will you?

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Try weighing yourself no more than once a month and see how that works for you.

The No Weigh Diet

My neighbor has lost a significant amount of weight since January. Everyone has noticed it. However, if you ask her how much weight she has lost, she says, “I don’t know. I haven’t weighed myself since December. I am on the no weigh diet.”

When I was working on my Master’s degree in the mid 1990s we gave that advice regularly. We would tell people not to obsess with what the scale says; to go by how they feel and how their clothes fit. I personally did not own a scale.

I’ve since changed my advice on whether to use a scale. With the thought that different tactics work better for different people, I try to guide my clients in a direction that is best for them. Some people seem to be more driven by what the scale says. As I softened my stance I bought myself a scale and I now weigh myself regularly.

After my discussion with my neighbor, I am once again questioning the wisdom of weighing on a scale. Using a scale might help motivate a person to stay on track. On the other hand, it might backfire. Regular weighing can cause a person to become obsessed with weight, diet, eating and food. That can lead to yo-yo dieting. Since owning a scale, I have found that I oscillate more between over-eating and restrictive eating. How healthy is that?

Maybe we could all have a healthy balance by weighing ourselves once a month and using our clothes and how we feel to stay on track in between. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could be comfortable in our own skins; feeling healthy and happy without an external measurement used for standing in judgment of ourselves?

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Plan ahead for how often you will have a small dessert (or other treat) each week this month and stick to your plan.

The Mentality of Our Health

I admonished my 10 year-old for devouring her second cookie at 10:00 a.m. (yes that is a.m.) today. Today being Memorial Day was fuel for her response, “But Mom, this is a celebration. I will eat better tomorrow.” I pointed out that every day for the last 5 days has been a celebration: Wednesday was the last day of school; Thursday was the first day of summer break and Friday started the holiday weekend; etc.

Where did this mentality come from? Where was she taught that we should abandon our healthy lifestyle principles in the name of celebration? I readily admit that I am also a player of this celebrate-today, pay-tomorrow game. I had hoped my children wouldn’t pick up on it.

While I am a firm believer that there is nothing wrong with the occasional indulgence, I’ve started to notice that the boundaries of “occasional” are rapidly expanding (right along with our waistlines). It is time for us to take a new look at our boundaries.

• On her own, a few months ago my daughter decided she would only eat a small dessert 3 times per week and she kept a chart to track it. I thought that was a great idea.
• According to my son, the Man-With-The-Yellow-Hat from “Curious George” eats one doughnut per month.
• My sister now has her family eating nature’s dessert: fruit after dinner.

We are so fortunate to live in a society with amazing abundance and so many opportunities for gathering with friends and family to feast. Maybe we can begin to focus more on the relationships we are building and fun times we are having while focusing a little less on the food. What do you think? I welcome your comments.

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Before going to bed tonight list all of the things you did right that contributed to your good health today.

Build on Success

When you get to the end of this day ask yourself one question: what have I done right today? However, don’t give just one answer; give many answers. Better yet, write the answers down.

Think of answers in a variety of categories. What did I do right for my family today? What did I do right for my good health today? What did I do right at work today? What did I do right to be a better, nicer person today?

As with many other subjects I write about, this is a great one to teach our kids. At bedtime or dinnertime we can ask them: what did you do that made you proud today? Not only does it help them focus on the positive, it will help them increase their confidence in themselves.

Studies have shown that when people focus on their strengths and accomplishments they tend to take more positive actions toward their goals. In other words, success breeds success. Focusing on your accomplishments (instead of your weaknesses) will help you reach your goals!

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Take breaks when eating today and ask yourself if you feel satisfied.

Satisfied, Healthy Kids

I had the most fascinating conversation with a neighbor this week. Wellness obviously continues to be my passion because I relish listening to a person’s success story. My neighbor’s success story is wonderful. As she recounted her journey of health and happiness bits and pieces of the story included the kids and our mission as moms to help them develop healthy habits.

We talked about how out of touch most of us are with our bodies and how we have trouble with portion control. I told her that I tell my kids to slow down when eating and I frequently ask them to pay attention to whether they are full. She immediately shared the following suggestion she learned from her sister.

A great question to ask your kids is, “Are you satisfied?” I love this approach. Not only do I intend to use it with my children, I am using it with myself. Feeling full brings to mind eating enough food to have an expanded waistline and feelings of lethargy. Being satisfied makes me think of contentment and a lithe, energetic feeling.

Combine the “are you satisfied” question with slow, mindful eating and suddenly we are in better control. Eat a fourth of what is on your plate. Chew slowly and enjoy the taste, texture and smell of the food. After one fourth of the food has been consumed, take a two minute break. During this break is the time to evaluate how satisfied you feel. Do you need to eat another fourth to be satisfied? Continue this process until you achieve the satisfied feeling; no more.

This is an easy technique for us to teach our children.

• Eat one-fourth while enjoying the food.
• Take a two minute break.
• Evaluate your level of satisfaction.
• Repeat until satisfied.
• Then stop.

Parents and children can walk away from the table feeling energetic and content.

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Think of two words that will motivate you to make healthy choices and repeat them throughout your day.

Stick to Healthy Habits with Mantras

A mantra sounds like something mystical and in the religious sense; I guess it can be for some of us. However, it can also be a very practical tool for motivation. Its second definition (according to the The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition) is simply a commonly repeated word or phrase.

Mantras can be somewhat like positive affirmations and in some ways I find them to be better.

• They are mini pep talks.
• They are shorter and easy to remember and repeat.
• Unlike affirmations, they don’t feel false because they are only a part of the phrase. For example, instead of saying, “I am thin and healthy;” which may (or may not) be true, you say “thin; healthy.”
• They can be calming, especially when timed with your breath. For example, breathe in when saying thin and breathe out when saying healthy.
• Like affirmations, they can be used for any circumstance, anywhere and throughout the day. You might want to be careful not to say them out loud in public lest people think you are a bit off.

I use mantras for all kinds of healthy strategies. My favorite is the one I use to lift my mood (and hopefully make me more pleasant) which is “loving; kindness.” The two syllables also combine well with my breath. “Thin; strong” reminds me to take care of my body.

What mantra would work best for you? I invite you to share by leaving a comment.

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Ask your kids to name one healthy thing they would like to do this week and do it with them.

One Overweight Kid

What does a parent do to help a child who is overweight? What if there are multiple children and only one of them is overweight? How can we help without harming? There are some positive steps parents can take.

• Rule #1: Do no harm. Focus on good health habits and feeling good instead of weight and dieting. Examples are, “Suzy, let’s go for a bike ride. It will make us feel good.” “If you eat lots of vegetables it will make you energetic and healthy.”
• Rule #2: Concentrate on actions and habits. Watch for unhealthy habits and encourage the opposite. If your child eats fast, look at the clock and talk about making the meal last for 15 minutes so that he will feel comfortable instead of stuffed. If your child wants seconds encourage her to drink a glass of water first and to choose fruits or vegetables as seconds.
• Rule #3: Treat the whole family. Don’t single out the overweight child. Even thin children should develop healthy habits to maintain good health. Wellness is good for all of us.
• Rule #4: Involve the children in healthy habit decisions. Ask them what they would like to do to have a healthy week. They are far more likely to comply if they have some control.

The best part is that the whole family can benefit and bond in a positive manner when these rules are followed. Just like anything else in child rearing, it takes persistence (and lots of it). Over time our children can learn a positive approach to taking care of themselves. Even better, they can find joy in the journey.

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Cut up some veggies and enjoy them with a healthy dip. Healthy dips include hummus, bean dip or a small amount of nut butter.

Feeling Full While Losing Weight

A common question is: How can I lose weight when I’m hungry all of the time? One secret is finding satiety without excess calories.

Most people find that they are more satisfied when they eat in “combinations.” Eating refined carbohydrates alone tends to create some of the biggest issues. A big bowl of cereal with milk might fill you up in the morning but how do you feel 2 hours later?

The trick is to eat a good combination of foods at each meal and possibly at snack time, as well. The best combination includes

• protein,
• a little healthy fat and
• a high-fiber source of carbohydrate.

An example of this might be a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread loaded with lettuce, tomato and a little avocado (your healthy fat). A big bowl of vegetarian vegetable soup would be the perfect accompaniment.

This is also important for us to keep in mind when feeding our kids. My 7 year-old son could live off of Life cereal and skim milk. I quite frequently push a spoon of peanut butter on him to round it out.

I would love for you to share your favorite combination meals or snacks in the comment section.

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