Insanity!!!!!

"Insanity:  doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

~Albert Einstein

I had a serious "ah-ha!" Moment recently.  I realized how many times in the past few years I have gotten serious about losing weight... For a few weeks or months... And then gone back to my old habits of eating.... Hmmmm... Notice anything?  Like that I still weigh the same?????   

It is time for me to do something different-- I need new habits!  I keep changing my habits for a short while...lose some weight... Then go back to my usual way of eating and gain it ALL BACK!  This is getting ridiculous!!!!!!!

I am going to recommend a wonderful book I read this year.  It is called, The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy.  He talks a lot about how changing one little habit can have a HUGE impact over time.  So I am going to apply this to my eating habits.  

Here is the example Darren Hardy used:

A guy decides to cut out 125 calories a day.  He does this for 31 months, which equals 940 days. 

940 days X 125 calories = 117,500 calories

117,500 calories divided by 3500 calories per pound = 33.5 pounds! 

33.5 pounds all from something as painless and easy as cutting out 125 calories a day!  No fancy diets or counting calories, just changing a small habit--maybe cutting out soda, or halving the amount 
of cereal in the morning... Nothing huge.  Hmmm... The trick is, as I see it, is to make the small changes and stick with them.  So I have to focus on it long enough for it to go from an aware choice, to an unconscious habit.  

So.... I am becoming aware of eating less.  I noticed at Thanksgiving, that a couple of people who have lost quite a bit of weight recently, chose the same foods I did... But half the quantity!!!  Imagine that?  It was like a light bulb going off in my head as I thought about it.  Enjoy the foods I love at a special holiday... But eat less of them!  What a novel idea!!!!

It is time to pull out the signs!  I need some intense reminders!  

"Would you rather eat that or be skinny?"  

"Did you go to the gym today?"  

"Eat carrots not cookies! "  

"Would you rather gain a pound or lose a pound?"

If you come over for dinner... Don't laugh at my signs-- they help me to develop focus!

I did not learn to be disciplined growing up--no excuses though, I am an adult now.  If I want to be disciplined, I have to choose to focus on it.  Hence... Notes in my kitchen... Gym dates in my calendar.... Apps on my phone to track what I eat.  (My favorite is: www.myfitnesspal.com )

It is time to stop the insanity!!!

Care to join me?

Grab That Love Handle!

OK.  New thought.  I had an "Ah-Ha" moment the other day when I was dressing to go out for the evening...

I spend so much time, expend so much energy, on choosing the right clothes to hide the fat I am unhappy with.  I make sure the shirt is not too tight... the skirt is not too clingy to my backside... I wear a sweater or jacket to cover up... Dark on the bottom... light on the top... more slimming... or try to hide it all with just plain black...

...But just make sure it doesn't show!!!  Whew!  That takes a lot of energy.  Not acknowledging our fat keeps us in denial.  When you try on clothes and look in the mirror, are you aware of standing straighter than you normally do?  Of really perfect posture?  Or of sucking in your gut as you take in a side view?  Squaring your shoulders?  If you take a minute to think about it--you know you are not going to walk around with your belly sucked in to your rib cage all day.  Not happening.  You know you are not going to stand perfectly straight all day with no slouching.  When we do this we are denying what we really look like and the amount of fat we are carrying around.  We are pretending we do not have that roll of fat... we do not have thunder thighs... but whether we admit it to ourselves or not... it is still there. 

You want to lose that belly roll?  I suggest you grab it every time you sit down and say "Hi!" to it.  When you get dressed in the morning- stand in front of the mirror without sucking in your stomach and look at how you truly look in your clothes. 

Do not make disparaging comments.  This is your miraculous body after all-- it is allowing you to live and breathe and walk around.  Just acknowledge and make a positive statement about where you are going with your health.  For instance, "Today I am going to choose to release some fat."  or  "I am on the road to a healthier body." 

So grab that love handle.... look closely at that derrière... grab those wiggly underarm swags... (my term!) and acknowledge them.  Get familiar with them personally.  We will not make any lasting changes without truly accepting where we are at right this minute.  It will be much harder to overeat or choose the wrong thing to eat if in the morning when I am getting dressed, I take that hand mirror and really look at those thighs -or grab that belly roll when I sit down and acknowledge it. 

Good-bye belly roll!

I see you, I acknowledge you

--and now I release you!!!

162 and counting...

Ok.  This is it.  This is my 102 day count down to getting married.  Getting married is a way bigger commitment than I am about to make... So why have I been hesitating to put this other commitment in writing????  Because I am afraid I will fail!!!!  That's why!  I haven't been particularly successful  yet.... Of course I haven't committed to it wholly yet either....

Oh... Are you wondering what I am talking about?  Losing ten pounds before the wedding, that's what!

I believe this is harder for someone like me.  I eat a healthy diet.  I don't eat fast food.  I don't snack on pretzels and candy bars.  I do exercise.  I eat tons of veggies.  I am a woman over fifty--so I have hormones-gone-crazy. 

I don't have fifty pounds to lose, just ten or fifteen--I would be delighted with ten!  It's not like I can give up snacking and voila!  Ten pounds melts away!  Or start exercising and poof!  There goes that flabby middle.

No, I need to rethink portions.

I need to vamp up my exercise.

And... I need to start now!!!!  

Every day, I have the opportunity to choose differently.  And so far... everyday I have not made the choice.  Days slip by, unobtrusive... and nothing is noticed... nothing changes... it is the easy path. Why do I choose the easy path which does not get me to my goal?

Maybe the goal is too big, and the action steps too fuzzy.  Maybe I haven't asked for support, out of embarrassment or self-consciousness.  Time to change that.

This is me.  All 162 pounds! 

 

And I am asking for your support!  It can be in the form of sending positive messages.... or mental thoughts.... or not offering cookies when you see me!  I tried my wedding dress on... yup--definitely will look better sans 10 pounds!!!!

I pushed the RESET button today-- I started a five day sugar cleanse!   I will let you know how I did after the five days!

Are you hiding behind those same old resolutions again...?

Have you ever been in that place where you you've made an announcement... Like " I'm going to lose 10 pounds" and then not followed through?  Have you ever complained about your job and insisted it was time to make a change, and then stayed put?  Have you ever made a New Years resolution?

I've been thinking about how sometimes, our intentions, goals, vision boards may in fact hold us back.  When we don't follow through, a small part of our attention stays stuck in that place--the place where we feel we failed.  We walk around a little embarrassed, wondering if people remember we said we were going to lose those 10 pounds by now... And haven't done it.

We don't pick ourselves up and start over.  We burrow a little deeper inside of ourselves, we get a bit more stuck, we become a bit less engaged.  Over time, these pile up and by the time we are middle age so many of us live a life of resigned acceptance that we aren't going to have the life we want.  That this is all there is.

Well poop.  Shake off that mantle and shake things up!  So what if you didn't lose those 10 pounds, look for a new job or learn to play the piano.... Start today!  Yes, you have to admit you didn't do it when you said you would.  Yes, some people will say, "oh there she (he) goes again," --and who cares what anyone else thinks?  They will likely still be sitting on their duff complaining about others next year too --do you really care?  And do YOU want to be one of those people?

Just like music swells....then gets quiet... Then gets loud and fast and crescendos... your life is like that too.  Go with it.  There will always be ups and downs.

Remember all of the famous people that have failed....

• Oprah was fired from one of her first jobs because she was unfit for TV!
• Walt Disney was told a mouse would never work... --right.
• J.K. Rowling was on welfare.
• Jerry Seinfeld was booed off the stage his first time at a comedy club.
• Stephen King received 30 rejections for "Carrie."

Can you imagine NO Stephen King novels?  NO Oprah?  NO Mickey Mouse???  Of course not.  The only difference between you and any of these people, is they didn't give up.  They didn't turn inward. They got back on the horse.

  A friend gave me a quote to hang on my wall a while back.  It said:

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, 

but anybody can start today and make a new ending."

I love that thought, because it gives any of us hope!  It reminds us we ALWAYS have choices.

So, did you say again that this year you would lose that 10 pounds?  Make this the year you change your behavior... You choose healthier food, you choose to exercise, you choose to live healthier!

The only one in your way.... Is you!

Who are you??? Really... Who are you??????

"If we can get to the place where we show up as our genuine selves and let each other see who we really are, the awe-inspiring ripple effect will change the world."

—  Terrie M. Williams

 

 

I have been thinking about this a lot lately.  After all I have been through over the past two years, I think that our emotional life impacts our physical life.  Our ability to be true to ourselves has far reaching impact--from our health to our relationships to our day to day activities.

 

 

What are we so afraid of anyway?  What is it that causes us to spin a cocoon around ourselves and peek out.  Somehow we grow up so concerned with how others see us that it impacts our every action.  And why I have to ask?  What is the big, bad evil thing that will happen if someone doesn't like what we say or how we dress or who we are talking to?  That is the big secret--there is no boogie monster.  There is no big, bad impact.  We wear heels and furs in our little town and someone says "what, you think your in NYC?"   ...SO WHAT???   We need to learn that it is a reflection of them and not us.  We need to get to a place of acceptence of what is.  Not judgement, just acceptence. 

 

 

When we are able to be... simply be ourselves, we will attract those who love us for who we are.  It may be less in quantity, but I guarentee that it will be better in quality.  We will be more, do more and have more when we are genuinely our selves. 

 

As we get to this place where we accept ourselves, appreciate our bodies and love them, then we are able to move forward towards better health.  It is when our attention is on this cellulite or that wrinkle or this roll of fat and how ugly it is or how old we look that we stay stuck.  AND... I think that we focus other peoples attention on what our attention is on as well--exactly what we are trying not to do! 

 

When we walk through life confidently loving ourselves, we attract more authentic people to us.  We are focused outward and we are able to keep moving forward. 

A Journey of a Thousand steps...

Well, you know I have been striving to get healthier over the past year.   I had foot surgery in June of 2011 and it has been a battle ever since.  I put on 20 pounds over the course of the past year, I became weak, flabby, I had the proverbial "flat tire" around my middle... I was a mess!  I couldn't exercise at first--of course, I could barely walk.  But as time went by, my foot healed more slowly than the doctor had led me to believe it would, and then I had scar tissue to deal with--painful scar tissue that is, and then I dislocated my knee and then I developed severe and chronic back pain... and then...

Are you getting the picture?  Physically I was really a wreck.  I was in pain.  I couldn't do what I had been in the habit of doing--running.  I could barely move once the back pain started.  What I now realize, is how much all of this impacted me emotionally.  My self image was of myself as an athlete--  now bring it down a notch!  I am not talking Olympic... just your average, everyday sort of athlete.   One day I was running, then the next I could barely move.  So my self image suffered quite a blow....

I recently really got how much I had pulled into myself.  I was embarrassed about my unhealthy body, I had no self image to replace "runner" or "athlete."  I had moved to a new city and was in culture shock here.  It is hard to stick to a plan to lose weight-- which I became fixated on--when there is so much going on emotionally.  Rather than do what I would tell anyone else to do--focus on little steps and overall health, not "losing weight," I did the opposite.  I focused on how out of shape I was, which only fueled my poor self image, which further fueled my, "how can I look you in the eye and talk about health, when I am so obviously out of shape?"

Huh.  So I reiterate what I said when I first started this blog a year ago--and now I REALLY know what I am talking about.  You have to get to some kind of positive place about your body.  You have to focus on what you have, not what you don't have.  You have to focus on what you want, not on what you don't want.

Do you know what woke me up?  A book called "The Compound Effect" by Darren Hardy.  Actually it started when I heard him speak at the Usana Convention.  He talked about how a small action, repeated over and over, will have a big effect.  For instance, if you take only 125 calories out of your diet every day, in 27 months, you will lose 33 pounds!  My reaction to that bit of trivia?  Wowy-Zowie! I CAN DO THAT!!!!  It was like a slap in the head.  It woke me up.  It jazzed me.  It helped me to focus on a positive step--cut out 125 calories a day.  Easy-peasy.  And do you know what happened?  I put my attention on a goal instead of on my declining health and I got healthier!  So...

     When I put my attention on the goal,
     I lost a pound,
     as soon as I lost a pound,
     I felt better about myself,
     as soon as I felt better about myself,
     I put my attention back on the goal of getting healthier,
     as soon as I put my attention back on the goal of getting healthier...

I recommend his book to all of you.  I think it is applicable to life in general.  It is packed full of information about how to live a more effective, balanced, successful life.  (Success being how YOU define it)  Check it out at:  www.thecompoundeffect.com

I am happy to report that I have lost 9 pounds since convention.  I am going to the gym and using the elliptical and the weights.  I am focusing on what I do have not on what I don't have.  And it is working!   I can continue to tell people to focus on what they want and to take baby steps and now I really speak from experience.  I feel so much better about myself, my health and my self image.  I will have to redefine myself--not a runner, at least for the time being, but a canoer?  Kayaker?  Walker?  I am sure I will figure it out!

So the question I would ask is this... what positive aspect of your body can you focus on?  What goal do you have to put your attention on?

You have to look to where you want to BE

in order to get to where you want to go!

Live Life in Crescendo!

I recently heard this quote, and I am sorry, I do not know who to attribute it to.  It is this....

"Live Life in Crescendo!"
 

What a great thought.  How often have you met a 60 or 70 year old who is trudging through life, bored, waiting to die.  Or a young gen Y who is sliding along, not paying attention to what is important to him or her, rather bored with the whole thing called life.

It gets my dander up, I'll tell you!  Life is for living!  It is about choices!  It is about the present moment!  Why choose boredom?  Why not choose adventure?  Why not take a risk? 

I recently heard a doctor talking about Type 2 Diabetes.  HE said, it is a choice.  Did you know that Type 2 diabetes was called Adult Onset Diabetes not long ago?  Why did they change the name???  Because so many children are now getting diabetes that it was no longer just an adult disease.  And why are more children getting it???  BECAUSE  THEIR PARENTS ARE CHOOSING TO REMAIN IGNORANT ABOUT HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES.  BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS ARE CHOOSING TO GO THE FAST ROUTE FOR FEEDING THEIR CHILDREN AND NOT THE HEALTHY ROUTE!

Every time you choose MacDonalds over a healthy meal, you are choosing Type 2 diabetes.  Every time you choose high carb, high sugar meals, you are choosing type 2 diabetes.  Your choice.

But I am not just talking about health here--although, if you know me, you know it is one of my passions!  I am also talking about your job, your daily activities, where you live... everything!  When I chose to retire from Montessori and move to the NYC area... that was pretty risky!  It has certainly been challenging at times, but I have grown from it.  I have not been bored, I can tell you that!  And, I am different because of it.  Better I hope, but definitely different.

Choosing to be an Entrpeneur--that is challenging--and growth inspiring! Moving from a definite paycheck each week to a residual income that is entirely dependent on my daily actions--well that is anything but boring.  And, coupled with physically moving from rural to Metropolitan, which has been uniquely difficult for me, really mixes things up.  So here I am, a year later, honking horns with the best of them!  Yes, it has forced me to grow and to change.  Yes, it keeps me in the present moment.  Alive.  Aware. Engaged.  

So--my new motto is definitely,

"Live Life in Crescendo!"

 

No boredom allowed around here--there is too much to do! Too much to see.  Too much to experience.  Go ahead, take a chance on something different.  It doesn't have to be huge--it could be a new hobby.  It could be trying out ballroom dancing-- canoeing-- painting.  Just remember--we all have choices in life.  We all can choose to stay engaged in life.

Gotta run--there are things to do and places to go!

 

Me? Deny my humble,farm girl upbringing???

Recently I had some house guests. We were getting ready to eat --grilled burgers, salad, etc. When I pulled out the cloth napkins, along with plates, silver wear and glasses to set the table. One of my guests asked me if I didn't have paper plates and napkins.... Actually, I didn't.  I do use them on occasion, when I am not home, but at home, I prefer 'the real deal', so to speak. Am I putting on airs? Am I too good to use paper products? Am I denying my humble, farm girl upbringing?

Not one bit.  But do I like to eat at a well set table?  You bet.  Do I like my home to feel beautiful and well-kept?  Uh-huh.  Why?  And what does this have to do with health anyway?  Well, initially, I was just thinking about why I prefer "real" table settings.  For one thing, ecologically, it is a better choice.  I have to remind myself of that as I wash, dry and fold the 40th napkin of the week... but yes, I believe it is the right choice.  But as I thought about it, I realized there was another reason. 

It feels better.  It feels special.  It feels fancy.  It feels luxurious.  And I deserve to feel all of that.  I deserve to feel good--to feel pampered--even by myself and my choices. 

So what about health again?  This is a health blog after all. OK, here is the connection--the ah-ha moment.  I think when we get to the point of valuing ourselves, of loving ourselves -we take better care of ourselves.  We eat better.  We exercise.  We choose healthy food.  We take vitamins.  We drink water.  We get the right amount of sleep.  Because it feels good.  Because we deserve it.  Because it feels special--fancy--luxurious.  We care about our bodies to the degree that we feel worthy.  Of what?  Of existing.  Of taking up space.  Of being loved. 

In one of my early blogs I wrote about getting naked in front of a mirror and learning to love yourself--every naked pound, saggy butt, and ounce of cellulite.  I think this is connected to that.  I think that we have to accept and love our physical body--and I think we have to emotionally and spiritually accept and love ourselves.  Then we will be motivated to take the first step on the path of health and wellness. 

So stop 'saving' the good china, pull out the cloth napkins and use the family silver!  You deserve it!  Regardless of the lack of love or acceptance growing up... at this very moment you can choose to love and accept your self.  You are worthy of a cloth napkin, the best china and a healthy body!  You are loved.

Lee's bio

All About Me...

If I could only share one thing with you about me it would be that I truly believe we all have great potential. I believe that each and every person has the ability to create the life they desire. My mom, a very hardworking, independent, "woman's libber" (before there was a "woman's lib") taught me that we all have within us a powerful force for good; we have only to acknowledge and use it!

And so, my whole life I have created the life I want, as I am again doing now as I take this new path of creating my own business. When I wanted to leave the area for the winter time, I ended up owning a sailboat and sailing during January, February and March. When I wanted children, I ended up with 4 beautiful babies! When I wanted to work at Corning Incorporated, I interviewed everywhere, but knew that I would end up with a job at Corning. When I wanted a more family friendly job I procured one at my children's school. You see how my life as gone... and I expect the same this time as I embark on this new adventure...

Aside from that I'm an avid canoer, I own three, including a solo and find great peace paddling around the lakes and canals in upstate NY or the lakes of the Adirondacks--another favorite place. My four children are all grown, two still in college which is what has motivated me to look for a new adventure. I loved being a sailor, I loved being a mom and I loved working outside the home. Now it is time for something new. The empty nest is a great new phase in my life and I am embracing it wholeheartedly!

The best thing about having my own business is time freedom. I love being in charge of my life. I love deciding when to go to work. I love being able to work from anywhere. I can visit the grandchildren and get work done. I can visit friends in California and not lose touch with my work. I can visit family in North Carolina and work there as well. It is all up to me.

Additionally, I like knowing that if I am going to be on vacation this week, I will still be making money. Residual income is so important to me. I am done with working for an hour and getting paid for that hour. Now I work for an hour and get paid over and over again. A much smarter way to work! For me, it all started when my dear friend, a lawyer, a CEO, and a very ethical, straight-forward person came to me and said she had found just the thing for my next adventure! She was adamant that I look at this business. We have been friends for 30 years and she knew I was looking for something. She knew I had 3 kids in college at the same time. (--read that as I needed more money!) She knew I was very interested in health and wellness. And so... my adventure began.

I did my own due diligence. I found the perfect business that allowed me time freedom, money freedom, a team of people who support each other and work hard to succeed. Are you looking for any of the same things? What would you give up to have a business like this?

Are you willing to put aside some time each

day to work on your future?

Are you willing to work hard now, to achieve what you want later?