Tag Archive for ‘healthy habits’ at themojocoach.com

Tag Archive for 'healthy habits'

Ready, Set….Slow.

Published on October 12, 2009 in General. 1 Comment

When it comes to lasting weight loss, slow and steady wins the race.

Although many people take on the latest diet program, quick fix or promise of immediate results, most only find themselves right back where they started in a relatively short period of time. In fact, most people who take drastic measures to lose weight not only gain back what they lost, but gain even more leaving them more discouraged and frustrated with each attempt.

Why do we continue to put our time, effort and energy into the “quick fix” and why doesn’t it work?

Dieting doesn’t work for many reasons. The first reason is that drastic steps are temporary…at best. It isn’t realistic to commit into a 7-day-a-week exercise program if we haven’t been exercising at all or to think that we can drastically reduce our calories for the long term if we have many eating behaviors that caused the weight gain in the first place. If the changes we make can’t comfortably be worked into our day, our routine, our lifestyles and our lives, whatever we take on isn’t likely to continue. We may be able to commit to an overhaul in food choices or eating behaviors for a short while but when confronted with something that triggers us to overeat or abandon our best efforts, we will immediately go back to what is familiar and comfortable.

What is familiar and comfortable? Our habits. Whether they’re good or bad they’re what we’re comfortable with. That’s why when we want to lose weight those habits which originally caused the weight gain must be changed. We’ve all heard the saying “habits are hard to break” and because that’s true, a slow and steady approach needs to be used to develop new, healthier habits to replace the old, unhealthy ones.

So how do we break the habits which lead us to gain weight?

One thing we need to look at is our “diet mentality.” For many moms, we’re either on or off a diet at any given time. If we have that “all or nothing” or “black or white” extreme behavior when it comes to weight loss, there’s no room for error and no way to recover from any mistakes made along the way. If the road to weight loss doesn’t allow for some imperfection, it is unrealistic to think that we can stick it out for the long haul.

Life throws us some curveballs from time to time, that’s a given. How we handle those curveballs may require some adjustments to our eating plan. If our eating plan doesn’t allow for those adjustments, where does that leave us?

It leaves us right off our diet. Angry, frustrated and discouraged, we revert right back to what is so deeply ingrained within us. Any progress made is abandoned and for many moms, here’s where the negative self talk takes us even further away from believing weight loss success is possible as we berate ourselves with every bite of foods we’ve sworn off for good. So, if this sounds so familiar and you’ve had enough of “yo-yo dieting”, weight cycling and diet behavior, what can you do?

1) Understand that each time you start an unrealistic diet, you chip away at your confidence and belief in your ability that you can lose weight. The more you chip away at that confidence, the less you trust yourself and the more powerless you become.

2) Understand that although it doesn’t sound as appealing as a “miracle cure” or “immediate solution”, weight loss is a journey. The more you discover why you gained the weight and understand that your habits can and need to be changed, the more weight loss success you’ll have.

3) Focus on the fact that each habit you change serves as a stepping stone to greater confidence, trust and belief in yourself. When we isolate a habit we want to change, put our efforts into finding a solution to turn that habit into one that better suits us, we feel proud and happy with our ability to take control of our eating and our behavior. That simply feels good and enables us to see that our choices and decisions are within our control. It brings about a feeling of strength and empowerment as well as increases our confidence and self esteem.

When we feel confident, strong and empowered, we’re proud of ourselves and realize that anything is within our grasp. While it may be more exciting to believe that drastic efforts bring huge results, when it comes to weight loss, the greatest results are found by making the most minimal…but consistent changes.

Are You a Mindless Muncher?

Published on September 11, 2009 in General. 0 Comments

Imagine mealtime at your house. Does it go like this?

The kids are screaming, the dog is barking, the phone is ringing, and the kids are starving NOW! Soccer practice ran late leaving you less time to prepare dinner, piano lessons start in 30 minutes, and you have to feed everyone else and eat on the go. You get the kids sitting down and your dinner consists of shoving the leftover macaroni and cheese that they didn’t eat into your mouth as you run out the door. During a lull in the action, you are able to grab a bag of something crunchy while you catch up on e-mails. Once the hectic day is behind you, you can’t think of doing anything else but staring at the TV with a bowl of ice cream in your lap.

This is not a scenario that sets the stage for mindful eating, is it?

When we eat mindfully, many things occur. First of all, we are aware of how much we are eating. We are more in tune with our body’s signals that tell us when to eat, how much to eat, and when our body has had enough. We overeat less because we are paying closer attention to what our bodies need. When we eat mindfully, we are also able to more fully enjoy our food because we are focused on the flavor, texture, aroma, presentation and atmosphere that surround us and the food we’re eating. When we eat mindfully, our bodies are determining when to eat as opposed to the event, the clock, or the show on TV.

Picture a beautifully set table with candles, china and sparking silverware. Music is playing softly in the background, you’re wearing something flattering and your partner notices how great you look. You’re hungry for your dinner, the food looks delicious and you casually stroll to the table for your exquisitely prepared meal. It wouldn’t be difficult to eat mindfully in this scenario, would it?

To eat mindfully, the first step is to be aware of what, when and why you are eating. You need to catch yourself eating when you’re not hungry.

So often we eat mindlessly when we’re passing food to others, making snacks for the kids, preparing dinner, walking past the candy dish at work, reading or watching TV. We may even find ourselves looking for something to eat when we have a few minutes to spare before the next activity, using the food as a way to kill some extra time. Somethings we may wander into the kitchen, open up the cabinets and wonder why we are even there!

I’m not talking about emotional eating, where food is used as a coping mechanism offering quick relief from your emotional pain. That is a whole other discussion. I’m talking about mindless eating where distractions and a lack of awareness cause you to take in food when you’re not hungry-when you are not paying any attention to what you are eating!

Here are some ideas to help you become a more conscious eater and conquer that mindless munching.

1) Stop and ask yourself why you’re eating.

Believe it or not, you may not even realize that you had something in your hand or your mouth. Ask yourself if you could possibly be thirsty instead. (Our thirst mechanism doesn’t always work effectively. We often confuse thirst with hunger).

2) Ask yourself what you really need.

If you are bored, you need something to do - not something to eat! If you don’t know what you are feeling, you need to figure that out, too!

If you are eating just because the food is there, here are a few tricks that might work for you.

Chew Gum - If you just want to keep your mouth busy, gum might satisfy that oral need.

Teeth Whitening Strips - You can’t eat for 30 minutes with one on. Less eating and whiter teeth!

Take Your Hands out of Commission - Polish your nails, apply creamy scented lotion, knit, or even wear rubber kitchen gloves. It would be hard to eat mindlessly with any of those obstacles in the way.

Brush Your Teeth - You could also pop in a breath strip. For many people, enjoying that minty, fresh taste will prevent eating.

Find Something Else to Do - Brush the dog, clean a drawer, anything that keeps you busy and out of the kitchen.

Visualize - Picture a regular sized plate. Now picture that plate with all of the snacks, bites and treats that you grabbed mindlessly during the day. Put everything on the plate that you grabbed when you walked by the candy dish, ate standing up, tasted while you were cooking, nibbled while you were on the phone, sampled while you were feeding the kids, or snacked on while you watched TV. How does the plate look? Is it overflowing?

When learning to eat mindfully, it’s important to focus on your food as you eat it. The best way is when you eat slowly, sit down and concentrate on the taste of what you’re eating. Many mom’s feel that sitting down to a meal is a rare treat. But by sitting down to a meal, many things happen. You are more aware of the amount you eat and the reasons why you are eating. Mindful eating also leads to better digestion. You get more benefit from the nutrients you are eating. Finally, by eating mindfully, you’re sending an important message to yourself that you are worthy and deserving of some much needed self-care. You’re treating yourself with some kindness and respect which overflows to those around you.

And that’s SO much better than leftover macaroni and cheese!

Exercise Myths

Published on August 24, 2009 in General. 1 Comment

There are a few myths that have been circulating for a long time and need to be cleared up once and for all.

1) If you use weights you will “bulk up”.

As women, we don’t have the high levels of testosterone that would be required to gain significant bulk, and we can never gain a lot of bulk without lifting well over our own body weight and putting in at least a few hours each day to strenuously train. Most women who life weights using even moderate weight achieve a sleek, sculpted look. Think Michelle Obama, not Arnold Schwarzenegger!

2) You can turn fat into muscle.

Fat and muscle are two different things. Some people think that one turns to the other, like ice turning to water, or vice versa. Frequently when you lose fat, you can see the muscle tone that was hiding underneath it. But the fat isn’t turning into muscle any more than wood can turn into metal.

3) Fat weighs more than muscle.

A pound of fat weighs exactly the same amount as a pound of muscle. The difference is that muscle is more compact - fat can take up to five times the space! Two women can weigh exactly the same amount but be two different sizes depending on what those pounds are made up of. A women with a higher percentage of body fat will be larger than another of the same weight who is more muscular.

4) If you focus exercise on one body area, you can “spot reduce”.

If you have heavy thighs, you can do leg lifts until the cows come home, but you will not be able to lose fat specifically in your thigh area. Fat in your body is systemic, just like the blood that travels through your veins. Fat can be lost through aerobic activity or by increasing your rate of calorie burn by building extra muscle. But, while we can definitely lose fat, we can’t specify where the fat will come from.

5) Some people just don’t sweat.

Sweat is your body’s way of cooling down when it is heated by exercise. If you aren’t working up a sweat, you need to work a little harder! Upping your intensity can help make your workouts more effective.

6) I can’t exercise.

This is the worst myth of all. If you believe that you can’t exercise and become fit and healthy, you sabotoge yourself before you even get started! Your limiting thoughts will keep you from taking the first steps to become fit and well, ensuring that you stay convinced that a fit, healthy body is something you can never achieve.

Here’s where you take that inner critic and tell her to take a hike! You can do anything. Whether you chose to believe it or not, it will surely come true.

Take a look at the myths that you have bought into that aren’t working for you. Are you stuck in an exercise rut that isn’t working because of beliefs you have about what it will take to get healthy? Try a reality check on those beliefs. Making some small changes to your routine can get you moving forward toward a healthy new you!!

Why do YOU need to exercise?

Published on July 26, 2009 in General. 0 Comments

Why do you need to exercise?

There are many reasons to incorporate exercise into your life. But all of them may not have the same motivating power for you. Finding the benefits of exercise that mean the most to you personally can make all the difference in getting you into a long term habit of regular exercise.

Some of benefits of exercise that you might consider are:

Reduces your risk for conditions such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity
Helps reduce your blood pressure
Increases HDL (”good” cholesterol) and reduces LDL (”bad” cholesterol)
Clears toxins
Improves the quality of your sleep
Sharpens your mind and increases energy
Makes your heart and lungs stronger and more efficient
Elevates mood
Helps manage stress
Sets a positive example for your children
Tones your body and keeps you slim

You have probably heard most of these benefits before, and they’re all good reasons to get off the couch and get moving. But finding the one that motivates you is the key to making exercise a part of your life!

If reducing the risk of disease jumps out on the list and makes you want to get started, then think about how exercise helps normalize your levels of stress hormones, blood glucose levels, and insulin levels. Normalizing these levels keeps your body in balance while reducing your risk for diseases.

If the idea of elevating your mood is especially appealing to you, imagine being outside on the perfect day, with a clear head, listening to the perfect song and enjoying the feeling of treating your body well. Now imagine you are midway through your workout and suddenly you feel a burst of energy that makes you feel as if you can fly. You are completely “in the zone”, you feel weightless and you feel like nothing beats the feeling you’re experiencing right at that moment. You may double your speed and not even notice because you are so completely enjoying the experience.

Those of you who don’t exercise may think I am nothing short of crazy, but I can only urge you to give this “high” a try! When you compare it to any chemically induced high, this one is available any time, for free, and is actually good for you!

Another example of how exercise can elevate your mood is by giving you a positive outlet for stress relief, building your confidence by building a more fit body and showing yourself a commitment to living a healthy lifestyle. The positive thoughts that come along with these feelings will overflow into other areas of your life.

If setting a good example for your children seems like a strong reason to get moving, realize that you can tell your children all day long how important it is for them to exercise. But if they see you finding the time to exercise yourself, they may follow your example and get out and try it themselves. Don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk!

If making your body lean, toned and strong sounds good to you, you are in good company! Having children can leave your body in less than optimal condition and you can thank your little ones for the new stretch marks, change in skin tone, sagging, and those few extra pounds you may still have hanging around since their arrival. While people will tell you these are some of the ‘medals of motherhood’, I’m going to tell you something else. You don’t have to be unhappy with your post-pregnancy body. In fact, you can make your post-pregnancy body stronger, sleeker, and sexier than ever before.

While you may have a few extra pounds on you, you also may have some new curves to work with. While your skin tone may not be the same, you can certainly tighten up what’s lying underneath. The point is, it’s never too late to work toward a healthy, fit body!

So take some time and think about what would motivate YOU to exercise. What benefits of becoming fit mean the most to you? Find a personal reason for beginning or maintaining an exercise routine. The reason can be your health, your appearance, stress-management, the chance to take some time for self-care, or showing yourself that you can make a commitment and stick to it. Whatever reason you discover, write it down and review it every day. On days when you don’t feel like exercising, reading your own words of motivation may offer you the incentive to get moving!

What does it take for your garden to grow?

Published on July 14, 2009 in General. 0 Comments

This weekend I drove by a nursery and noticed many people excited to get everything they need to grow a perfect garden. While some held plants, some held flowers, some held seeds and others held gardening tools, these people all shared the same intention, to plant and grow a beautiful garden.

Well, that got me thinking…

What does it take for a garden to flourish and thrive? Seems to me that much of what is needed to grow a healthy garden is also what is needed to build a healthy life.

Think about it. When planting flowers, we want to plant them on moist, nutrient rich soil, water them frequently, and make sure they have adequate space and are able to receive the sunlight that encourages their growth.

Now take a look at us. What conditions do we need to grow, thrive and be our best?

The moist, nutrient rich soil can be compared to eating healthy food. Are you eating a colorful, nutrient rich, healthy diet filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats and plenty of water? Just as the garden grows best when it has quality nutrients it can absorb, our bodies perform better when we eat quality foods packed with healthy ingredients while hydrating ourselves with enough water.

Next, a garden thrives when given enough sunlight. Don’t you feel better when you’re enjoying the sun too? Take advantage of the summer weather to get outside and enjoy the sun (with protection, of course!)

Now, think about why we need to give a garden adequate space in an area that encourages its growth. When flowers or plants are planted too closely together they don’t have room to grow. Just as a garden can suffer when it is crammed with too much “stuff” in too little space, our lives can be crammed with so many tasks, responsibilities, chores, errands, commitments and obligations that we don’t have room to breathe.

With so much going on, it’s unlikely we have the mental space we need to consider (let alone do anything about) what we need to feel fulfilled, enriched, happy and healthy.

Even if there is enough space, it is important to consider the environment where the garden being planted. For plants to thrive, the soil needs to be dense, free and clear of any rocks or debris. In this clutter free environment, it’s easy to see your garden grow. If you planted your garden on dry, hard clay or in a cluttered area filled with extra “stuff,” would you expect the same results?

Take a look at your surroundings. Is there adequate room and is it calm, serene and comfortable? Or, is it cluttered, disorganized, messy and chaotic? Just like the garden, our surroundings are either supportive or destructive to our well being. They can either enhance and soothe or unnerve and distress us.

Just as the garden is more likely to grow or perform better in the right environment, so are we.

Finally, consider the daily care of the garden. A beautiful garden receives support in the form of a loving caretaker. Since the garden can’t take care of itself, one of the roles of the garden’s caretaker is to remove the harmful weeds that would prevent it from thriving. Basically, the caretaker ensures that nothing sabotages the garden’s health, growth and well-being.

Consider your own daily care in the form of exercise, emotions and your relationships. Exercise, positive emotions and healthy relationships encourage healing, growth, health and happiness. But a lack of exercise, negative emotions and toxic relationships act just like those weeds, suffocating wellness and preventing us from flourishing.

Is a lack of exercise, negative thoughts or toxic relationships preventing healthy, positive results in your life? Is it time to do something about those “weeds?” Are they preventing you, just like that garden from becoming its best?

In the right environment, any garden can grow, thrive and be beautiful. Just as you give the garden what it needs to grow, it’s time to be a loving caretaker to yourself and make sure you have the same love, care and attention so you can bloom!

Mojo 911!!

Published on July 6, 2009 in General. 0 Comments

Have you ever wished that you could get private coaching from a Registered Dietitian with a Master’s Degree to create a healthy eating plan? Work one-on-one with a Personal Trainer to create a fitness routine that is just right for you? Meet with a Whole Health Coach who can show you how your current lifestyle is creating health/wellness or illness/disease?

But all of that individualized attention would cost thousands of dollars, right? Since I’m all three of those experts rolled into one (branded The Mojo Coach™ by my clients to sum it all up), I can tell you – yes, it would! And it would be worth every penny!

BUT, starting on Tuesday, July 7th at 2PM EST you can join me at www.MomTV.com for my new TV show – Mojo 911! – where I’m giving away all of this and much more… for FREE!!

I’ll be giving truckloads of information, ideas, strategies and inspiration within the six areas that as moms, we struggle with most: Nutrition/Weight Loss, Fitness, Stress Control, Emotional Health, Relationship Wellness, and Spirituality.

Each week I’ll be giving away a FREE gift: either one of my 2 CD’s, my book: The Lifestyle Fitness Program: A Six Part Plan So Every Mom Can Look, Feel and Live Her Best (recommended by Parenting Magazine), a mini coaching session, or who knows-if you live nearby I may just stop by and give you a kitchen cabinet makeover, take you on a food shopping tour or help you set up an effective home gym!

How can YOU win these FREE gifts? You’ll have to tune in each week to find out how to enter and winners will be announced each week!

If you are a mom who is ready to make lasting lifestyle changes, lose weight, become fit, healthy and happy from the inside, out…you’re going to want to tune in Tuesdays at 2PM EST at www.MomTV.com!

For nearly 20 years, I’ve inspired and empowered unfit, overweight and overwhelmed moms “get their mojo back” and now I’m eager to share everything that’s worked with moms who’ll be watching my show: Mojo 911! The program I created and teach (The Lifestyle Fitness Program) works because I know that you need a program that values your time, understands your specific needs and brings results. Also, being a mom of 4, I “get it” and know that our needs as moms are very different from the needs of others!

So please join me at 2PM EST on July 7th – and every Tuesday – on www.MomTV.com and let me help you get your mojo back!

Taking a Holiday from your Healthy Lifestyle?

Published on June 25, 2009 in General. 0 Comments

Do you consider holiday time to be a holiday from healthy eating?

If you find special occasions, like holidays and vacations, give you a great excuse to indulge in foods that aren’t usually included in your diet, maybe your everyday eating style is too restrictive. When you’re making lasting lifestyle changes to your diet, there is never a reason to be “on” or “off” because you’ve allowed for some flexibility and imperfection. Eating dessert isn’t a tragedy, because you simply understand that you’ve allowed for it, or you’ll cut back during the next meal. With healthy lifestyle changes, as opposed to dieting, you’ve also given yourself permission to indulge every so often, which often eliminates the urge to binge.

Weekend eating is often similar to eating on vacation because of the lack of structure a weekend often provides. The same ideas apply here. Allow for some imperfection to avoid the need to binge.

It’s also important to pre-plan for overeating whenever you can so you have a strategy when confronted with excess food. For example, let’s say you enjoy drinking on Saturday nights and you usually drink more than you’d like. Decide before you head out that you’ll have one glass of wine and alternate sips of wine with a glass of water. Or choose a wine spritzer to cut the amount of wine instead.

If you are heading to a picnic or party to celebrate next weekend, make sure you don’t go with a roaring appetite. It’s too easy to overindulge and by having a small snack before heading to the event, you’ll have a clearer perspective and make better choices. Once you get to the party, here are some tips to help keep things under control.

1) Have a drink in one hand (you can have a club soda, which looks like a “real” drink, and no one will bother you about not drinking), and carry a clutch or purse in the other hand. Now you have no free hands to overeat!

2) Carry your drink in one hand and a plate of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables in the other hand. Now you are eating with minimal damage. Summer is the ideal time to fill up on these healthy treats!

3) Tell yourself that you can try three incredible looking appetizers or desserts. Taste each one, savor the flavor and enjoy! When it’s time to sit down for the meal, leave over what looks ordinary. Use the opportunity to try unusual, interesting foods while avoiding excess calories from foods you could have any time.

4) At a holiday event, allow yourself to experience the foods that you associate most strongly with that holiday. If the Fourth of July just isn’t the Fourth for you unless you eat a hot dog with everything on it, go ahead and have one! But pass on the potato salad, chips and anything else that’s just there to fill your plate. Be picky and indulge in only the foods that’ll make you feel like you’ve truly celebrated!

5) Find something else to do at the picnic or party other than eating and drinking. Play badminton, talk to your friends and family, organize the sparkler display, play with the kids. Anything that keeps you busy and away from the snacks will make the party more fun and keep you focused on the event rather than the food you aren’t eating.

So next time you are headed to an affair where the buffet tables are overflowing with delicious treats, try some of these strategies to keep yourself on track. And if you do end up overindulging, be forgiving with yourself and just get back on track with your next meal!

So You’ve Gained a Few Pounds, May as Well Gain More?

Published on December 27, 2008 in General. 0 Comments

Hi Everyone,

How was your holiday? Hope it was filled with love, great times and special memories.

If you’re like most of us, while the holiday is filled with cheer, it’s also filled with food…a lot of it. Here’s where we often say “I’ll wait until the New Year to start eating better” or “I’ve blown it already, may as well just start fresh January 1st.” So, if I’m interpreting this correctly, it means that while you may have gained a pound or two, you may as well keep going and gain backall of the weight you’ve lost so you have a mountain, instead of a hill to climb once the New Year arrives. Does this make any sense?!

The reason I’m bringing it up now, and will be bringing it up again and again over the next few weeks is because it’s never to early or too late to get back on track. Healthy eating isn’t about “good or bad” “all or nothing” or being ”on or off” a diet at any given time. It’s about pulling in the reins when you feel you’ve been a little bit out of control, the pants are getting a little snug or you’re just starting to feel uncomfortable.

It’s perfectly ok to over indulge now and then. Food is meant to be savored and enjoyed, not something to fear or feel guilty about. The only difference between someone with a lot of weight to lose and someone who stays within their normal weight range is at what point they pull back, stop overdoing it and eat sensibly.

If you’ve reached that point now, stop and reconsider the usual “I’ll wait until the New Year” approach. While the New Year is all about new starts and fresh beginnings, it’s about changing what doesn’t work for something that works better. Think how great you’ll feel if when the New Year arrives you can celebrate knowing you’ve already put a great plan of healthy eating/behaving into action!

Enjoy and remember, the 2nd, 3rd and 10th bite/sip tastes the same as the 1st!

Debi “The Mojo Coach”
www.TheMojoCoach.com