While we are talking about minimizing stress this month, it reminds me that the holidays are soon approaching, some of which begin this month. Many of the tips in our feature article can carry over to the holiday season.
One tip that I find universally helpful, and that can be challenging to apply, is that of saying “no.” The holidays naturally add more to our schedule: religious celebrations, family and social gatherings, and, of course, shopping. Being particularly aware of what we commit our time to will help us to spend our time exactly as we want, and to stay out of the fray of the hectic holiday rush.
Taking a few minutes of “me” time each day (a client calls it PDT – personal down time) can keep you centered and in touch with what you need, feel, and want. When you are more in touch, you will be more apt to say “no” when you need to. You will also know when you are truly able to say “yes” and feel good about the commitment.
Have a burning question about intuitive eating, exercise or other health issue? Email your questions and look for answers in upcoming issues of Stop the Weight!
This month I am sharing a tip I wrote for my Virtual Assistant, Donna Toothaker’s newsletter earlier this year. It’s about why exercise is good for your business. I hope it gives you some motivation to get out there and move!
I also wanted to share a new discovery. This is great if you are at your computer and need a brain break (but be careful, it’s addictive!). One of my favorite places in the world is Monterey, California. A favorite attraction in Monterey is the Monterey Bay Aquarium. If you can make it, I suggest you visit, it is wonderful!
I read about the Aquarium’s website the other day. They have live webcams set up in various areas including the sea otters, penguins, kelp forest, and aviary (my favorite). You can watch the animals at play live and if you are lucky you can even catch them being fed. Check it out here: http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/cam_menu.asp. Enjoy!
Grow Your Business, Not Your Waistline!
You know that exercise is good for your health, right? But did you know that exercise is also good for the health of your business? In fact, in a study on exercise and entrepreneurship, researchers found that running three times a week on a regular basis not only increased personal satisfaction and independence, but runners had higher sales than non-runners. According to the study’s author, Mike Goldsby from Ball State University, “…good physical condition should contribute to entrepreneur’s success in reaching their personal and financial goals…Maintaining a fitness regimen is helpful for attaining goals and sustaining entrepreneurship.”
If you aren’t a runner, don’t worry. Any type of aerobic exercise such as walking, cycling, hiking, etc., has benefits for entrepreneurs. In addition to the potential of increased sales, exercise is an excellent stress reducer and energizer, both things needed by any entrepreneur! Getting away from your office to exercise helps to clear your head, and may even produce solutions to those problems you have been struggling over. Exercise also increases creativity, another beneficial entrepreneurial attribute.
To get started, try stepping outside for 10 or 15 minutes for a brisk walk. You don’t need to run a marathon to get fitness and financial benefits. Suggest meeting someone for networking at the park to walk, instead of over lunch or coffee. Take the opportunity while you are exercising to listen to all those self-improvement and continuing education tapes you keep putting off. Most importantly, find an activity that you enjoy so you stick with it and reap all the rewards!
The following is an excerpt from Healthier Outcomes’ special report, “6 Simple Steps to Guilt-Free Eating” available in its entirety at www.healthieroutcomes.com:
Over my years of experience and training in fitness, weight loss, and health, it is no surprise to me that diets have a depressing 5.2% success rate. And I also know through personal and professional experience that it is possible for people to eat their favorite foods without feeling guilty or punishing themselves, and lose and then maintain their weight.
The weight loss industry has led many to believe that they are failures for not being able to lose weight and keep it off, but the fact is if you were successful, the weight loss industry would have no way to squeeze your hard-earned money out of you. Keep this in mind – there are thousands of diets, with more appearing each day. Does it make sense that as the diet and weight loss industry grows, so does the obesity in this country?
The Challenge
The primary reason diets don’t work is what the American Dietetic Association has labeled “Diet deprivation backlash” – this comes from black and white or “good” vs. “bad” thinking surrounding food – we feel shame when eating “bad” or “unhealthy”. When you go on a diet and restrict certain foods, usually your favorite ones, you are much more likely to crave these foods, maybe even dream about them. Does this sound familiar?
Diet deprivation backlash simply means for every diet there is an equal and opposite binge. Let’s say you are on a diet and you get a craving for a cookie. Of course a cookie is forbidden, so you search for something that is allowed on your diet. As you make your way through carrots, rice cakes, pretzels, fruit, diet soda and sugarless gum, the craving does not go away. By the end of the day you give up and eat a cookie. But by this time, you are out of control and eat 6 cookies instead! At this point, you have eaten around 1000 calories (including the cookies) plus regular meals, when if you ate a cookie or two in the first place you may have consumed 200 calories and been able to focus on more important things. This scenario is played out in various ways by everyone who goes on a diet.
The Solution
This backlash is human nature. You are told (even if by yourself) that you can’t have a certain food. Therefore, it is all you can think about. Researchers have studied this phenomenon with interesting results.
In a study of a group of eight-year-old children, researchers put the group in a room with several bowls of candy and one bowl of carrots. They told the kids they could eat as much as they desired from any of the bowls, except the bowl of carrots. The amazing thing was that the kids ate a greater percentage of the carrots than the candy, simply because they were told NOT to eat them!
If you can refrain from labeling foods “good” or “bad”, you are on your way to ending the destructive diet and binge cycle. With every diet you go on, not only will you typically end up gaining more weight, but you lower your metabolism. By ending the dieting, you can maintain your weight and eventually lose it as your metabolism increases back to normal and by following the other guidelines in this report.
This article has been excerpted from the special report, “6 Simple Steps to Guilt-Free Eating” available for download at www.healthieroutcomes.com. Gillian Hood-Gabrielson, MS, ACSM, is the president of Healthier Outcomes, a nationwide coaching practice specializing in intuitive eating and fitness coaching. For more information please visit www.HealthierOutcomes.com. Gillian can be reached at gillian@HealthierOutcomes.com or 866-650-6464.
...and experience a whole new joy in just being you!
Come and join Christiane Holbrook, wellness and business coach (http://www.legacyinaction.com) and Gillian Hood-Gabrielson, emotional eating and fitness coach (http://www.healthieroutcomes.com) as they use the highly popular Wellness Inventory® to coach you:
achieve meaningful wellness goals and feel great
gain motivation to finally get into an exercise routine that works for you
quit dieting once and for all
set priorities and focus on what really matters to you
say no to others in order to say yes to yourself!
When: Weekly telecalls starting November 8th to November 29th from 9 – 10:30 am PST
Costs: $99 includes a comprehensive wellness inventory (a $40 value!) and four teleclasses.
The Wellness Inventory, is a "whole person" assessment and lifestyle program designed to help you gain personal insight into your state of physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness. The program offers guidance and tools to transform this new awareness into lasting changes in your life, and a renewed sense of health and wellbeing.
The program, based on the work of wellness pioneer, John W. Travis, MD, MPH, identifies your areas of strength, the specific areas in which you are most motivated to change, and guides you in creating a wellness action plan based upon your results.
Finally, the Wellness Inventory provides tools, resources, services to help you reach your wellness goals and bring more balance into your life.
You will leave this series with:
a sense of radiant wellness
high energy and enthusiasm
sense of freedom and lightness
no longer feeling guilty
Register Today!
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While stress (the type that spurs us on to complete projects and motivate us to the finish line) is a natural and often beneficial part of our lives, we can learn to minimize small day-to-day stresses that can create major frustrations in our lives. Recreational therapist, Cathy Allen, CTRS, says that too much stress can be harmful, making you sick and irrational (no, not me!).
In my coaching practice, I see that even though exercise can help reduce and manage stress, stress is often an inhibitor to actually doing the exercise. In an interview, Ms. Allen shares 15 tips for minimizing stress (including, of course, exercise!):
Wake up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning to avoid running late throughout your day.
Practice preventive maintenance on your car, appliances, and home (things seem to “fall apart” at the worst time).
Be prepared to wait: a magazine or book can make a wait in a line or at the doctor’s office tolerable and almost pleasant.
Prepare and plan ahead: fill the gas tank before it nears empty, and buy postage stamps before you are running low.
Count your blessings: for every one thing that goes wrong, there are probably ten blessings.
Say "No!" to extra projects, social activities, and invitations you know you don't have the time or energy for.
Surround yourself with non-worriers: when you associate with chronic worrywarts you too will worry more frequently.
Be body wise: eat a well balanced diet, exercise, and get enough sleep.
Discussing your problems with a trusted friend or family member can help clear your mind of confusion.
Do something kind and helpful for somebody else.
Eliminate destructive self-talk, such as "I'm too old to . . ." "I'm too tired to . . ." etc.
Use your weekend for a change of pace. If your workweek is slow and patterned, add action and spontaneity into your weekends. If your workweek is fast-paced and full of people and deadlines, seek peace and solitude during your days off.
Everyday allow yourself “free” time for privacy, quiet, leisure, and relaxation.
Remember to take your lunch break. Get away from your desk or workspace even if it's for 15 or 20 minutes.
Be optimistic – hold a forgiving view of events and people. Accept that we live in an imperfect world and that most people are doing the best they can.
Last month we discussed the benefits and guidelines for exercise before and during pregnancy. Your exercise program after giving birth is just as important. As always, discuss with your doctor what kind of exercise you can perform and at what time after delivering.
Although you will likely have to wait some time after giving birth to resume exercise, when you are allowed, get into a routine as soon as possible. Not only is exercise going to help you lose your pregnancy weight and get your body back to normal, it is also essential for your mental health. You will be experiencing new kinds of stress with the new baby. One of the most important benefits from exercise will be a reduction in stress as well as reducing the chances of developing postpartum depression. Exercise will give you more energy, which you will need, and help you recover faster and heal from giving birth.
Many options are available for starting exercise. Remember to build up gradually and do not expect to be at the same level you were before pregnancy. If you were running, you will need to start walking and work your way back to jogging and then running. Good cardiovascular options include swimming, aqua aerobics, cycling, and low impact aerobics. Yoga and/or pilates are good choices for increasing abdominal and back strength. A well-designed strength training program will go a long way in getting your muscle tone and strength back.
While it is easy to want to exercise again (and have the best intentions), putting it into action can be difficult with a new baby and little sleep. Here are some ideas to help you stick with it so you will reap the benefits:
Avoid the “all-or-nothing” mentality. Be flexible with your routine and know that some days you may not get in your exercise time.
Find a health club with child care or that allows you to bring the baby while you exercise.
Let your husband have some bonding time with the baby and give you a break to exercise.
Take exercise classes that include your baby, or exercise with the baby in a stroller.
Remember that even five minutes of exercise is beneficial!
