Happy Spring! At last! As I'm writing this we are getting a mix of hail and snow but it may be the last cold storm we get for the season. I certainly hope so as my firewood is almost out. I'm really looking forward to being outside more and possibly trying once again to do some gardening. I hope I can turn my black thumb into some shade of green this year, but that remains to be seen!
I am really excited to share with you a couple of big projects I'm working on but I don't dare do that until I know when they will be complete so I can start offering them. These are things I've been wanting to do for a long time so I can't wait. Before that happens, I will be sending you a survey that I hope you will help me with. I promise to make it short. I really want to provide you with the products and services that will serve you in overcoming dieting and/or emotional overeating. While I've been through the frustration and pain of this process, I know everyone's experience is different and I want to provide you exactly what you need, so please look out for the survey within the next couple of weeks and help me help you by completing it.
In the meantime, if you have any suggestions about products or services I can offer, or what I can do to make this newsletter more helpful, please don't hesitate to email me. My goal is to help you get your life back and help you get back more time and energy so you can do the things you really want to be doing in your life. No more waiting until you are a certain size or number on the scale! Returning to your body's natural weight comes when you are living your life to the fullest. Trust me, it took me years to prove this to myself. I don't want you to have to spend that much of your time learning the same lesson.
One last quick note - I've just joined the Multiple Sclerosis Fundraiser and Giveaway Event. They have tons of gifts from businesses all over the internet. There are great items if you are looking to promote your business on the web, and items for everyone else including downloadable gifts on all kinds of topics, including internet safety for your kids, personal finance, marriage, motivation, and even growing bonsai trees! Check it out! I hope you enjoy this edition of the newsletter. Please don't hesitate to contact me for anything that you need, I am here for you!
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Last month I told you about many of my favorite resources for saving money. This month I have a few more to share. I typically don't sign up for every offer that comes my way; most of it is a lot of junk and a waste of my time. These three sites receive my seal of approval as I use them myself. You may find them interesting.
- MyPoints: a friend of mine referred me to this site. You receive a few emails a week with special offers where you can save money and earn points if you take advantage of the offers. Here's the best part - you don't need to purchase anything, just clicking through in the email to look at the offer gives you points. These points accumulate and you can redeem them for gift cards for all kinds of merchants including some of my favorites like Home Depot and Barnes & Noble. Just clicking through usually gives you 5 points. Acting on an offer gives you many more points. I often buy my office supplies or magazine subscriptions this way. I've even purchased Christmas and birthday gifts and received points for doing so. They do not sell or give away your email address and neither do the merchants they endorse. You can go sign up from the link above, or if you would like to give me some extra points, :) email me and ask for an invitation and I will send you one. It's a really fun way to earn gift cards and basically get some money for not a whole lot of work!
- InBox Dollars: this site is similar to MyPoints, you receive emails and click through to view the offers. However, InBox Dollars actually pays cash for each click through. Granted, it's not a ton of money, but it adds up and every bit helps, right? You also earn more money if you take advantage of the offer, like you receive more points with MyPoints. Again, you can go to the link above or email me for a referral and I actually earn a bit for doing so. Your choice! :)
- SendEarnings: this is pretty much the same as InBox Dollars, they often have the same ads and a similar website but the payout is quite a bit less. If you have limited time, I would go with the first two sites but this one is just as easy to use and accumulate cash rewards. You can use the link or email me on this one as well for an invitation.
I hope these resources and the ones I shared last month are helpful, I've found them quite useful!
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I asked my friend and virtual assistant Donna Toothaker if I could share this article with all of you this month. Whether you are in business for yourself or not, there are some great ideas for reducing the stress that is so pervasive in our world right now. I especially love her first recommendation of taking in less of the news. I've noticed myself feeling a lot better since I made a conscious decision to turn it off. I'm in charge of my destiny and what I decide to take action on will have more influence on my life than what the government and the stock market do on a day to day basis. I have seen a lot of business owners take the attitude of "I refuse to participate in the recession", and I think it's a great state of mind. I encourage you to do the same and ask yourself what your opportunities are instead of dwelling on things you cannot control. Here's Donna's article - remember, it doesn't just apply to business owners!
It's March. We know that soon, here in New England, the weather will change, and that comfort and warmth and the scent of spring blooms are imminent. Soon, we will open all the windows, let the fresh air run through the house, and do a thorough spring cleaning. We'll begin to eat more lightly, get outside and get moving, and give our body a little cleanse, too. How we all love a fresh start!
If only we knew the same of our economic situation. If we knew there was a definite improvement only weeks away, might we choose to use the present time as an opportunity to explore new opportunities instead of letting fear drive us as investors, consumers and business owners?
I say, let's do it anyway! Let's look at this recession from another angle - one of opportunity. Outside, under a few inches of snow, seeds are germinating in the darkness. Perhaps this time of economic gloom is the perfect time to germinate our own seeds, to tend to our own soil, to clear out the weeds to let our visions grow.
We can begin by choosing to use the recession as a time to "cleanse" -- to simplify -- letting go of the toxic things, systems, or situations that aren't working for us. Chances are, if we do, we'll be opening up and creating space for new opportunities to enter!
Here are three simple things you can do today to create space and change your mindset.
Go on a Media Diet
Shut it all off. Cut the flow of bad news to your brain! Although it is good to keep abreast of current events, keep a limit on what you take in. Most of the news headlines - tragic accidents, violent crimes, robberies, terrorist attacks, and havoc in the markets - bring in ratings based on their "shock factor." The truth is, very little of this actually relates to you, now, in the present moment.
Television news, online RSS feeds and news websites can create an environment of fear and worry. Instead, take stock of what GOOD is happening, right here, right now, and focus on how to make it even better.
Detox Your In Box
Clear out a little virtual clutter, and lighten your load. This is an "instant gratification" fix that can give you a sense of achievement every day! Chances are there are old e-mails, Facebook, Twitter and calendar notifications and spam clogging up your e-mail inbox. Your postal carrier drops umpteen pieces of mail - most of it junk - in your mailbox every day. Deleting/throwing away or archiving/filing old mail for a few minutes every day frees up space in your inbox, on your desk, and in your head, once you know what may have been lurking in there. Touch every piece of mail - virtual or otherwise - only once, and take action or file or delete/discard.
Make a point to archive or delete any e-mail that's six month's old or more. Change your Facebook/Twitter settings so that notifications no longer come to your e-mail or phone. If you are in an e-mail group, opt to have messages sent to you in digest form rather than individually.
Do you really need to run to your computer every time it signals that you've received an e-mail? Probably not. Turn off the e-mail notification setting, and instead set aside a bit of time in the morning and in the afternoon to check e-mail in batches and respond promptly.
Practice Letting Go
In every practice or business, there are the "not so ideal" situations: necessary tasks you don't like to do (or have little time to do) or "negative" clients or customers who ask a lot for little return. Now is the time to take stock and consider making changes in these areas. Perhaps you should outsource the paperwork that's been bogging down your consulting business. There are plenty of professionals out there who are suddenly without jobs. Perhaps it's time to say goodbye to a client or customer relationship that's just not "working," and use that extra time to better serve those clients who are, or to work on attracting more ideal clients. Take a few minutes today to imagine your perfect day. What would you be spending the bulk of your time on, and with whom? Make a list of the actions and clients that really feed you. Then, run that list against your current situation, and you'll know where to begin to let go.
It doesn't take much to get started. Once you clear out what's not serving you, and take steps to shift your mindset to one of opportunity, positive results can't be far behind, no matter where the economy is.
About Donna Toothaker
Donna Toothaker is founder of www.1stVA.com, the highly sought-after company that provides online marketing support and services to the top nutrition and fitness professionals in the country. 1st VA specializes in assisting these professionals who wish to effectively build or improve their online presence. To discover how 1st VA can help your business - visit http://www.1stva.com. |
March 2009
Spring is here, finally! You've probably heard that gardening is a great way to get physical activity into your routine while also having fun and reaping a wonderful reward when your flowers or vegetables start sprouting. Gardening comes with its own risks of aches and pains. This month I wanted to share with you an article from the National Home Gardening Club about preventing or reducing knee problems:
Don't let knee pain limit your ability to garden. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, author of FrameWork: Your 7 Step Program for Healthy Muscles, Bones and Joints, offers the following tips for maintaining healthy knees while enjoying gardening:
Keep moving. Motion helps reduce the risk for osteoarthritis. It lubricates and nourishes knees.
Drink plenty of water. Drying out reduces flexibility. On average, you should drink eight glasses (8 oz. each) per day. Active gardeners need substantially more to balance fluid loss.
"Good" pain is good for you. Minor discomfort will lessen after regular activity. But stop gardening if you feel severe, sharp pain.
Get strong. Strengthen your quadriceps (front thigh) muscle, which is the main protector of the knee, with leg lifts.
Warm up, then stretch. Break a light sweat, then stretch to help maintain mobility and reduce stiffness.
Get cushioned. Wear supportive shoes to alleviate joint stress.
Chill out. Ice knees for 15 minutes after gardening if they feel sore.
Keep your knees healthy and enjoy gardening that much more!
You can find this article online at the National Home Gardening Club website.
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I love Lenore's Outrageously Healthy teleseminar program! Her guests are outstanding and she has many more incredible guests planned in the coming weeks and months. Just recently she had an interview with one of the top experts on self-esteem, Joe Rubino. His teleseminar was chock full of value and quite a treat for Lenore's listeners. I just heard that she will have my good friend Doris Helge of Joy on the Job speaking very soon. You do not want to miss Doris. Remember, the classes are no charge and you can upgrade for a minimal charge to receive the recordings and have access to many more benefits. I'm a member and the value is incredible. You can try out this membership for only $1! Go to http://www.outrageouslyhealthy.com/rep/
gillianhoodgabrielson.html to check out upcoming speakers and all the details about membership. I hope to "see" you there! If you have any questions, please let me know, I'm a big fan!
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Back in January, I shared some of my thoughts about Oprah's revelation that she was still struggling with her weight and had gained much of it back. I didn't see her actual show when she talked about it, but I did purchase the January 2009 issue of O Magazine to read her article about her continued battle with her weight. While I applaud Oprah's courage to be open and transparent with her audience, I was disappointed to see that the diet mentality is still firmly entrenched in her beliefs and approach to weight maintenance.
As I was writing about Oprah's struggle, I realized I had more to share than would fit into one newsletter article, so I decided to turn it into two parts. You can read part one in January's issue.
For part two, I thought I was going to write more about my thoughts on Oprah's way of thinking and approaching her admitted struggle. However, in rereading the article, I came across a subject that really merits its own discussion. The subject Oprah makes a brief reference to is having a "food addiction" and having to tackle it. She doesn't say how she is doing that, she just goes on to talk about changing her food choices to more "commonsense basics", meaning eating more "healthy" foods (my words, not hers). I think this is a belief that many people share and it keeps them stuck in the diet - overeating - weight gain - diet again cycle that doesn't lead to anything but long-term weight gain, constant guilt and diminished self-esteem.
You've probably heard many people talk about their addiction to food or particular foods, like refined sugar. While I can understand why people believe they are addicted to food in general or to a type of food, I disagree with this concept. My beliefs about this are a bit controversial for many, especially those who believe in a 12-step approach to overeating, and the truth is different things work for different people, but my personal and professional experience in overcoming emotional overeating cause me to disagree.
In a 12-step recovery model, which is a widely accepted approach for overcoming addiction, a person needs to abstain from whatever he or she is addicted to, such as alcohol, drugs, or gambling. It's just a fact that we cannot abstain from food, right? I know that these programs will say you need to abstain from your "binge" foods, but these are usually flour and sugar and these are really hard to avoid if you are even the slightest bit busy and can't spend all day shopping and cooking. And for most of us, if we are told we can't have a certain food, that's all we are going to think of and want, leading to deprivation and eventually overeating on that food. This is really why it feels like an addiction, we feel like we can't control our urge to eat it or we can't stop once we start.
Another problem with believing you have a food addiction is the fact that our thoughts lead to our results. You've probably heard this before, maybe as the Law of Attraction. While there's a lot of talk about LOA these days, I'm talking simply about the outcomes of our beliefs. Here's how it works: our thoughts lead to a feeling, which leads to a behavior, which leads to a result. Let's take the thought "I'm addicted to food" and follow the process.
Thought: "I'm addicted to food (or sugar, or fill in the blank with a food)"
Feeling: You may feel guilty for having a "problem", despair because you don't think you can break the "addiction", or helpless because nothing ever seems to change
Behavior: Guilt, despair, helplessness, and similar feelings drive the urge to eat because they are uncomfortable feelings and food can numb the feelings. It is also a learned way of coping, often from childhood (but it's not an addiction).
Result: The result of the behavior of overeating is either maintaining or gaining weight and continued overeating driven by the negative emotions. You get to say, "See, I knew I had an addiction", even though it really isn't what is happening.
I would love for Oprah to be able to break this cycle. She knows all about thoughts and how they lead to our results, but she isn't making the connection when it comes to food and her weight. I hope you are able to do this so you can get the results you really desire.
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