As I am writing this we are actually getting some rain! It’s nice to have a seasonal change, although who knows how long it will stay around. I love this time of year, it doesn’t get too hot but the bone-chilling cold hasn’t hit yet. I hope you are all enjoying the approaching fall and all the changes that come with it.

This month I have decided to share some more resources that I have come across in my travels, both on the internet and in the outside world. I have also included my latest article I wrote for Women’s Online Magazine, called “Boosting Body Esteem”. I hope it gives you some ideas to move forward into accepting yourself – a crucial step to making peace with food and your body, and losing weight.

I had the privilege of being a guest on the Living Your Personal Best radio show and podcast this week. The show’s hosts, Amy and Alice wanted to talk to me about my recovery from my broken leg and how I reached the other side of it and the lessons learned. It was good for me to relive that myself and remember the most important lessons such as taking time for fun and finding positive outcomes from challenging situations. If you would like to listen to the show, it is posted here.

Enjoy the beginning of fall!

He’s Eight!
by Denise Hedges

This month, I’ve included an inspiring story written by my dear friend and Business Coach, Denise Hedges. It’s a true account of an eight-year old boy who could be a role model for all of us. His story is bound to encourage and motivate you to achieve the things you want most in your heart of hearts!

For those of you who’ve been blessed with that entrepreneurial spirit, don’t miss Denise’s free workshops at the end of her article!

There aren’t many eight-year-olds who have their own businesses, but this little guy does. His name is Thomas Compton. He’s from South Carolina and he raises chickens, goats, and calves. He also tends his own garden. He’s been selling his produce and 3-4 dozen eggs a day to the local market, as well as marketing his produce directly to the public on Saturday mornings at the community tailgate market since he was three years old. And he’s been saving his money.

Last year when he was seven, his parents asked him what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas.

“A shaved Ice Stand.”

Not your ordinary kid. But he was serious. He wanted a shaved ice stand.

His parents did some research and had to let him know that the kind of stand he wanted … the kind of heavy duty trailer, outfitted with sliding windows, that you see at fair and festivals … was going to be a little too expensive for Santa. Undeterred, Thomas had a proposal for the big guy. He would contribute all the money he’d saved from his business since he was three if that would help swing the deal.

$11,000 … that’s what he handed over to his parents to give to Santa!

Santa was apparently duly impressed, because when Thomas woke up on Christmas morning, Santa had brought him a shiny new yellow shaved ice stand with the name of his new business professionally painted on the side.

Flash forward to today. His business is going like gangbusters in the 100-degree desert-like conditions we’ve experienced this summer. He’s open from 2-6 pm, three days a week. His normal base of operations is his Mom’s day care center … Miss Tammy’s Little Learning Center. He also sets up at the grocery store parking lot on Saturdays from 10 am to 8 pm and travels to big events and festivals, high school baseball playoff games, and other local gatherings.

He operates the stand all by himself, except for his one part-time employee, Sarah Brock. They went to daycare together, so they go way back. His mother also helps out some when he gets busy, plus she’s the driver. He keeps the stand spotless and, by all accounts, provides a first-rate customer experience.

Now, before you think this little fellow should be out playing and being a kid, he plays and has fun with his friends too. He does plenty of normal kid things, but he just loves to come home in the afternoon and scoot out to the garden in his utility vehicle and go to work. He enjoys it. How’s that for refreshing in the age of the omnipresent video game?

Oh, by the way, he saves most of his money, but he has plowed some of it back into the business. He bought a 1999 Dodge Ram truck to pull the Shaved Ice stand around. He’ll be able to drive it in about 8 years.

When his parents asked him how he came up with the idea for a shaved ice stand, he said, “ It’s something I could work at that could be mine.”

A simple statement, but profound all the same.

“Something I could work at that could be mine.”

Blessed be the entrepreneurs.

Free Sales and Marketing Seminars

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Have you ever wished somebody could just tell you …
step by step … exactly how to build a thriving business?

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Join us for our FREE teleclasses: “Triple Your Revenue with These Six Foolproof Steps!” and “Are You Making Any of These 8 Fatal Marketing Mistakes?” and discover why your marketing isn’t producing the results you desire.

You’ll learn the specific marketing strategies that are guaranteed to produce the greatest results, so you stop wasting time and start getting more clients, customers, and revenue. We’ll also make sure you aren’t making any of the 8 fatal marketing mistakes that plague business owners.

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For healthy exercisers, impact activity like jogging or step aerobics is good for you. Impact exercise helps build strong bones and helps prevent osteoporosis. However, too much impact exercise can create stress injuries that will halt your exercise program indefinitely. Cross training your cardio program by alternating days of impact exercise with non-impact exercise maximizes your benefits while minimizing injuries. Below are ten popular examples of no or low impact exercise to mix and match with your high impact cardio programs. Find the ones that motivate you to move!

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September 2007

Welcome

Boosting Body Esteem

10 Cardio Exercises for No or Low Joint Impact

Entrepreneur's Corner

Recommended Resources

A waist is a terrible thing to mind.
Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, authors of “Intuitive Eating”

Quick—When you see yourself in a mirror, what’s the first word that pops into your head? Do you think, “Wow! Girl, you’ve got it going ON!” Or, do you think, “Momma’s got too much back!” If it is the latter, you most likely have poor body-esteem.

Body esteem is similar to self-esteem. It describes the way you feel about your body and the effect that it has on your overall well-being. If it is poor, you may live your life always trying to beat your body into submission through exercise, diets, constant criticism, and waiting until you lose weight to start living your life fully.

Here’s a secret you probably don’t know. In order to permanently lose weight and achieve your goals, you need to accept the person you are NOW.

You’re probably asking, “How can I accept myself when I am not happy with my body?” This is a common question. But consider this, “How has feeling this way and continuing this war with your body worked so far?” I would guess you would answer, “Not very well.” So why not try something new?

Psychologist Judith Rodin, in her book Body Traps, said, “You don’t need to lose weight first in order to take care of yourself. In fact, the process actually happens quite in the reverse!” This is a fact the diet industry has been keeping from you for a long time!

Here are a few tips I share with my clients that can help you improve your body esteem:

• Become an intuitive eater. Stop dieting! Research has shown that only 5 percent of those who diet have any success. This means 95 percent of diets fail, and too often, dieters gain even more weight!
  
  When you stop dieting, eat when you are physically hungry and stop when you are full, you release yourself from all the stress, guilt, shame, and restriction that accompany dieting. When you learn to listen to your body’s signals about being hungry and being full, your body will eventually return to its natural weight-- and stay there. A recent Ohio State University study found women who appreciated their bodies ate intuitively and actually had a lower body mass index than those who were dissatisfied with their bodies and kept dieting.
  


• Surround yourself with people who appreciate you for who you are and who accept themselves, too! Stop talking about your weight, your diet plan, and what you are eating.
  


• Wear clothes you love and that fit you right now. There are stores that cater to people of your size, shape, and fashion. If you need to, hire an image consultant to help find clothes that work for you. Get rid of anything in your closet that doesn’t fit comfortably. Feeling miserable leads to thoughts of food and shame, which lead to the refrigerator! You know that your clothes size differs depending on the maker. Don’t let a number tell you how to feel about yourself!
  


• Stop comparing yourself to others. Do you find yourself checking your body as you walk by mirrors or store windows? Checking your appearance can prevent self-acceptance by making you overly critical. Don’t look at those magazines on the check-out stands either! Comparing your body to others usually results in more self-criticism and body hatred. While you are throwing away old habits, get rid of the bathroom scale as well! If the doctor wants to weigh you, ask that they don’t tell you the number. If you’re addicted to the scale, scale back (couldn’t resist the pun!) Cut back to once a week, or even better, once a month. Remember, the scale does not tell the whole story. Your weight can fluctuate up to seven pounds during any given time during the month.
  


• You know this one—Exercise. Exercise is necessary for your overall health, for relieving stress, and lessening depression. Many forms of exercise can have an effect on the way we feel about our bodies and ourselves. To heighten your body awareness, practice walking meditation, t’ai chi, yoga, or movement therapy. Don’t link exercise with weight loss. Do it to boost your body esteem. Start exercising now. Studies show that even obese women gain self-pride and a better mental outlook through movement. Walking or biking are both great for an instantaneous change in the way you feel about yourself.

What are you waiting for? Start viewing yourself as a wonderfully made woman. You are uniquely made. Your body knows what its needs are. Listen to what’s inside and the outside will be transformed!

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• Donate Your Weight Podcast: This is a great podcast about the non-diet approach to weight loss. Coach and hyponotherapist Sheri O. Zampelli, MS, CCH, is the host of this awesome show and I encourage you to listen and subscribe to it!
  
  Sheri had me as a guest on her show a few weeks ago. You can listen to it here – just scroll down a couple shows until you see my logo.
  


• Last month I met Sheila Finkelstein who has a wonderful ezine called Picture to Ponder. Twice a week she sends out photographs she has taken along with comments to inspire and transform. I have really been enjoying her photography and am amazed at the things she sees in ordinary objects. Here’s a fun example.
  
  To subscribe or find out more about Sheila and her work, visit eteletours.com.
  


• Last week my husband and I were at a Gary Allan concert and we had the pleasure of meeting two fellow Gary fans who have an exciting new business. It’s called Blisspets.com, and they have the most unique dog fashions! If dressing up your dog isn’t your thing, you still have to visit their site. They have a great selection of toys, travel products and other must-have accessories. The Tuff toys are really cool, I think they could stand up to my dog who insists on tearing all her toys apart. Here’s the link to start shopping.

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