Attitude Is Key When Tackling Weight Loss

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One of the most important things you can do for your health and fitness is to maintain a positive attitude.  What you think and, even more importantly, what you say about your body has extreme power.  Even the most detailed, well-researched weight loss plan is going to have a tough time standing up to negative thought patterns.

A few years ago I read a great quote by Oprah Winfrey that really stuck with me.  It is such a powerful statement that I wanted to share it with you and discuss the importance of a healthy self image.

“Say bye-bye to feeling bad about your looks. Are you ready to stop colluding with a culture that makes so many of us feel physically inadequate? Say goodbye to your inner critic, and take this pledge to be kinder to yourself and others.”

I agree wholeheartedly with Oprah that we have actually allowed the media to make us feel inadequate. We have succumbed to unhealthy diets — and sometimes painful exercise just to “fit in.”

I believe that you were uniquely designed. Some of us are thinner than others. I also believe it is perfectly normal to exercise and eat right so you look great in a bathing suit — or obtain those “guns” to look good in a t-shirt. However, not everyone has the time or the desire to look like a model on the cover of a fitness magazine.

Interestingly enough, an unhealthy body image does not discriminate. This type of self-loathing can occur for any body size. When I was a size two, I was never satisfied with my looks. Now, I’m a size 6-8 with lots of curves and I love the way I look. Am I motivated by vanity from time to time? Sure I am. However, I am no longer a slave to it. I exercise, eat healthy, and focus on living a balanced life.

A POOR SELF-IMAGE SABOTAGES YOUR WEIGHT LOSS.

An unhealthy body image can lead to yo-yo dieting, over training, and unhealthy eating patterns. These patterns can actually cause weight gain. Yo-yo dieting and over training can actually cause your metabolism to slow down. Being unhappy with your body can cause binge eating which will destroy your hard work. At this point, guilt can set in which may lead to depression and often times more binging.

What do you say to yourself when you look in the mirror?  Years ago a fellow fitness coach used the phrase “watch your words, your body’s listening!” That forever stuck with me. When you speak negatively about yourself, your subconscious accepts the information as truth.

And, since the brain “fights to be right,” your subconscious will automatically want to carry out what you said about yourself. If you say “I have a big gut,” then your brain will agree. You will do what it takes to maintain that “big gut.” This is not just ooky-spooky hocus pocus. This has been proven by neurologists.

THREE WAYS TO DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN A HEALTHY BODY IMAGE

1) Discover what you want. Take time to write what you want your healthy body to look like — not how the media says you should look. Research what it would take to accomplish these goals. Then decide if your goals are realistic and mirror the life you desire. Not everyone wants to be at the gym five days a week.

Once you have a reasonable set of health and fitness goals, ignore the outside chatter. There will always be some new diet or pill, a well-meaning friend, and Lord knows the magazines waiting to tell you that your plan is not ambitious enough. Or, that their way is better. My favorite is the person posing and asking “don’t you want to look like me?”

Now, I’m not saying to be closed-minded on a better way of doing things. I’m saying you should always question if a health or fitness idea fits into your life and values.

2) Speak Success. Tell your body what you want, not what you don’t want. When you look in the mirror, use phrases like “I am losing weight,” or “I have a flat stomach.” In the beginning this can be tough. You tend to think “you are lying.” However, you are not. In my favorite success book, The Bible, it says “speak as if it is already.” This is called faith, my friend! You are believing you can accomplish your goals.

Negative thoughts will enter your mind. That’s normal. You’re human.  Just don’t let them leave your lips. Replace each negative thought with a positive statement. If that’s tough in the beginning, use one of my favorite personal quotes. If you don’t have anything nice to say about yourself, don’t say anything at all. You wouldn’t say something that mean to a friend so, why say it to yourself?

Leave notes around the house as reminders to speak positively about yourself. This will help you build the mental muscles you will need to make success talk a habit.

3) Birds of a feather flock together. Pay attention to how your friends talk about their own bodies. Do they have a healthy self-image, or do they tend to put themselves or others down? Now I’m not suggesting you dump all your friends. Sometimes we need to examine if a relationship is healthy for us or not. If you notice friends putting themselves down, take the opportunity to respond with positive attributes you can point out about them. This practice will help you do the same for yourself.   Oftentimes your positive behavior will rub off on others and the conversation begins to change whenever you are with them.  And, you may discover people just can’t seem to get enough of you.

A healthy self-image is critical to losing weight and maintaining it without having to be a slave to dieting. This is powerful, my friend. Take it seriously.

To your success!
Jennifer

P.S.  Have a body image story you’d like to share?  Please post it below.  I’d love to hear from you!

Weight Loss Goals That Work!

Millions of Americans will start off the New Year with the goal to lose weight and exercise more. It’s always great to hear those statistics! However, as a health and fitness coach for 24 plus years, I can also tell you from experience that 1/3 of the goal setters will have already broken their resolutions by January 7th. That is frustrating because I also know from experience it doesn’t have to be that way.

It is totally possible to set weight loss goals that work!

Before setting any new health and fitness goals, it’s important to know what causes people to fail in the first place. One of the main reasons people have a hard time keeping their resolutions after the new year is that the goals they’ve set are usually unrealistic. Even the most disciplined person on the planet is going to have a hard time keeping a goal that is way too lofty to start with.

Permanent weight loss and maintaining a regular exercise routine is a lifestyle that is built by developing one healthy habit at a time — not created by some unsustainable fad diet or painful exercise routine!

Five tips to set weight loss goals that work!

1) Know what you want. Take a moment to decide what you want your end goal to be and whether or not that is aligned with your values and current priorities. While looking like the model on the cover of a magazine is a great goal, after discovering what’s required, you may decide that’s not for you.

Look at your calendar and be realistic about how much time you can commit to your new weight loss goal. If you are struggling to find  time, ask yourself if there are other commitments that you should put on hold to prioritize your health and fitness goals.

2) Change one thing! The people that see the most success do so by setting small incremental goals, knowing that they are committing to the long term and not just temporary behavior change. For example, if you eat out 4-5 times per week, set a goal to brown bag your lunch for the next 30 days. Or if want to add more exercise, tell yourself you’re going to walk 20 minutes per day for the next month.

At the end of the 30 days, commit to another 30 and then repeat. Once the first habit becomes as natural as brushing your teeth, you’re in a safe place to add more to your plate.

Or, if you’ve reached your desired goal, you are now in what we call maintenance mode. You can now continue your healthy habit for life. Mission accomplished!

3) Write it down! People that commit their goals to paper have a higher success rate. So take a moment to write down your goals for each area of your life for the new year. If you are keeping your list realistic, it shouldn’t be too long. You can always add more later in the year once you’ve accomplished the first set.

4) Do the work! Once you’ve set your weight loss goal, follow through and stick to your plan. Research shows us that once one healthy goal becomes a habit, momentum occurs leading to success in adding other healthy lifestyle habits automatically.

5) Don’t quit! From time to time circumstances may throw you off track. This is normal and happens to everyone. All you have to do is get up, get back on track and you will succeed in the long term.

New Year’s resolutions should advance and take you forward, but not be so lofty that they are completely unobtainable.  Keeping this mindset will allow you to set yourself up for total success! I know you can do it!

Have a goal setting tip you’d like to share or a question for me? Please leave a comment below. I really love hearing from you!

Happy New Year!

Jennifer

 

 

How to Lose Weight After 40

The Myths About Losing Weight After 40

Want to lose weight after 40? There are some important things you need to know. First off, mindset is the most important thing. I’m 44 years old and quite honestly I forget my age from time to time. I refuse to buy into the fact that just because I’m over 40 I’m destined to gain weight. ANYONE can gain weight when they are eating too much and exercising too little!

A slower metabolism is the reason that is typically used for over 40 weight gain. While that is partially true, the research is pointing to lifestyle as the major culprit. The majority of people over 40 have increased responsibilities and more money to spend. The increase in responsibilities allows less time for physical activity or scheduled exercise. The increase in income allows them to afford to outsource many of their physical activities as well as eat out more often.

Good news!  You do not have to accept this as your destiny!

Lose weight easily after 40 by following these simple steps!

 

1)  Get a check up!  See your doctor and get a physical. Have a full blood panel to screen things like your thyroid and hormone levels. If your doctor sees any imbalances that could affect your weight loss efforts, he or she may decide to prescribe medication. This will help you avoid a whole lot of unnecessary frustration! Do not skip this step or put it off. It’s that important!

2)  Exercise Regularly!  Research shows that 20 minutes of high intensity exercise can boost hormone levels in the body, resulting in a boost in metabolism. So, even though the metabolism can slow after 40, regular exercise can counter that.

Strength training helps build muscle, which burns more calories than fat. It’s recommended that people over 40 add strength training to their routine 2-3 times per week.

3)  Reduce calories!  To maintain your weight after 40 without lifestyle changes, reduce your caloric intake by 100 calories per day. If you want to lose or maintain your weight, it’s important to know how many calories you are eating daily. Keep a journal or subscribe to a free on line calorie counter like loseit. This will help you determine if you are creating enough of a deficit for weight loss and/or weight management.

It is possible to lose weight even if life’s current circumstances prevent you from increasing your activity level. But you REALLY want to pay close attention  to your caloric intake. Opt for “eating in” more often and choose high volume meals that are lower in calories. My favorite light recipes come from Cooking Light magazine.

Please note it’s always easier to lose weight with a combination of regular exercise and a healthy eating plan. It can be very challenging to lose weight by reducing calories alone. Not impossible, but it’s more restrictive and fewer people have success with this plan.

4)  It’s okay to enjoy happy hour! Mixed cocktails can pack a lot of calories. Beer and wine are usually the lowest. Factor liquid calories into your daily allowance. If you like to have a drink or two, then you may find you need to skip some other extras or increase exercise time while you are in weight loss mode.

The most important thing is to stop telling yourself it’s hard to lose weight after 40. Losing weight takes effort no matter what age you are. Tell yourself you CAN lose weight after 4o, follow these steps, and you will succeed!

Please let me know if you have any questions or if you have a “fit after 40” secret you’d like to share.  I love to hear from you!

Here’s to being fit after 40!

Jennifer