5 Life Lessons that will Help You Achieve Weight Loss

What was on your New Years’ Resolution list this year?  Are you making successful attempts towards finding your solution to your resolution?  Many of us didn’t even make plans to change our behaviors for 2012.  Why not?  Perhaps because we have failed in the past and are more focused on the things that we have had success with?  Let’s face it, no one feels good about failing.  Many of my clients come to me with one goal in mind - to lose weight.  I work with hundreds of successful, career-oriented people, but for some reason when they attempt to lose weight, they fail.  Weight loss is suddenly a foreign language to them.  In fact, over 65% of the U.S. population has failed at reaching a healthy body weight.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO) more than one billion adults are overweight and at least 300 million of them are clinically obese.  Worse yet, an estimated 17.6 million children under five are estimated to be overweight.  To learn more about the health consequences and costs associated to being overweight, visit http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/gs_obesity.pdf.  As a wellness professional, I have been committed to helping people stay motivated to reach their weight loss goals.  I speak from years of experience working with overweight individuals and from a point of view when I too was overweight.  It wasn’t until I established a new thought pattern that I actually succeeded with achieving a healthy body weight.

Why is it so hard? 

I used to ask myself this question over and over.  There are so many reasons/excuses on why we can’t lose weight.  “I have to put my children first,”  “My spouse doesn’t support me,” “I’m stuck in meetings all day and am forced to eat the donuts they bring us,”  “I hate to sweat,” “I can’t afford a gym membership,”  “I’m just getting old and my metabolism has slowed down,” “I don’t like the cafeteria food so I have to eat fast food…” And the list goes on for miles. 

I’m here to tell you, “STOP!”  Stop the negative affirmations and stop focusing on all the reasons why you cannot lose weight.  Did you doubt yourself when you wanted to obtain a successful career or job?  Did you make excuses?  Is it human nature to be our own worst enemy and no matter how large or small our goal, we set ourselves up for failure?  Even if we get off to a great start and are highly motivated, about a week or so into the journey, we can easily fall of course. 

The following life lessons will help get your mind focused on goal setting.  This material will come as little surprise, but it will get you one step closer to your weight-loss goal. 

Lesson 1:  Let go of the negative self-talk

If you continue to tell yourself, “I’m too fat,” or “I just can’t lose wait,” then that’s exactly what you will let yourself become and you will never be healthy. Instead replace negative affirmations with positive affirmations.  Sounds simple.  Good.  Then take Nike’s advice and, “Just Do it!”  Every time you catch yourself saying something negative, immediately stop and say, “I am one step closer to my goal because I took the stairs today.”  Or whatever – you fill in the blank. 

Lesson 2:  Identify your support system

Often clients tell me they cannot reach their goal because their peers or family have poor health habits and don’t support them.  I coach the client to have a heart-to-heart with the people they are closest too by explaining to them that they really need their help.  If you truly want to do something for yourself, the ones that love you will support you – you simply have to approach them seriously and tactfully.  If the unfortunate event occurs and they do not support you, but instead try to sabotage you, start to reach out to other people in your life that will help you.  We all don’t have the luxury of having a personal trainer, dietician or chef, but we all can find at least one person that will lift us up when we doubt ourselves.  Have this person on speed dial and don’t hesitate to use him or her as a crutch when the going gets tough. 

Lesson 3:  Set a specific goal that you can measure that is realistic.

“I want to tone-up” or “I want to get in better shape” does not define this lesson.  For example write down, “I will lose five pounds in one month by exercising two days a week and eating healthfully and mindfully through the reflection of my food journals.”  Big difference!  I recommend you to write your goal down on paper and place this vision sheet in a visible area that you recite everyday.  If you have over 10 pounds to lose, create sub-goals.  Build non-food rewards for yourself once you meet your goals.  The goals must be S.M.A.R.T. – Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timed.  If you do not reach your goal in the time frame you created, try again.  Reassess your goal.  Perhaps you were a little too aggressive.  It’s better to start smaller and succeed, than to start off larger, with an unrealistic goal and fail. 

Lesson 4:  Create an “Accomplishment List”

Write out everything that you are proud to have accomplished over the past year…or even five years.  Brag out yourself to yourself!  Although being overweight can define your health, it does not define you as a person.  You are far more significant than a number on the scale or your BMI (body mass index).  Place your accomplishment list in a separate place from your vision list.  I like to have mine pop-up from time to time on my Outlook calendar.  It helps me remember that I have many things in my life to be grateful for…and so should you.

Lesson 5:  Put it in motion.

It’s now time to make your goal reality.  Start by documenting your experiences and then share them with me and others on my blog.  I want to see some results!  Let’s work together to take an active role in decreasing the overweight and obesity epidemic on a global level. 

Best in health,

 

Aubrey Worek

B.S. Exercise Science

Certified Health & Fitness Specialist with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

Certified Member of the Aerobics & Fitness Association of America (AFAA)

Owner of Wellness Solutions at Work, Inc. (WSW).  To learn more about WSW programs, visit my website at www.wellnesssolutionsatwork.com. 

For Women - Part 1

PERIOD.

A great topic of discussion...no matter what your age or what you call it...menstruate, rag, time-of-the-month, crimson wave...(what do you call it?!).    Well, I LOVE getting my PERIOD!  Yes, I know that might sound odd, but I do!  I love it for many reasons...

I got my first period when I was in 9th grade...and really I was considered  a 'late bloomer' compared to some of my girlfriends, who got theirs as early as the 5th grade.  Some adults would say to them, "Oh you poor thing!  You're too young to be menstruating.  What a shame!"  Statements like this made the 'early bloomers' feel uncomfortable and awkward.  But from my perspective, I was envious.  I wanted to get my period.  I was excited to mature...to become a young woman...to be treated  as an adult (or so I thought). 

When I finally got my period, I felt more confident.  Kind of like I had this secret that I kept from the boys that just made me extra special.  Even when I would get cramps...I appreciated them!  It made me more present...more alive...more in touch with my body. 

This is the way I look at it, the cramps, water retention, the heightened emotions, the chocolate cravings (all the PMS stuff) are all signals that, YES, I am getting my monthly visitor.  It can help explain, why I'm crying over a cheesy movie, or if I am craving something decadent it's OK to indulge (within reason of course)...it means as soon as my period comes, I'll drop 3- 5 pounds of water weight - whew!!!  Really, if you put a positive spin on these things, you'll understand what I am trying to say here...

Period = healthy.  There was a time in my life that I struggled with anorexia and bulimia.  I was under 100 lbs.  I didn't get my period for over a year...I became amenorrheaic and unhealthy.  Fortunately, I did not suffer any bone loss...but during this time, the gynecologist told me that my uterus had shrunk to the size of a 90-year-old woman's!!!  This was terrifying to me.  She told me that I had put my body into an early menopause.  What the hell was I doing?!  Why was I intentionally starving and hurting myself.  This was a huge wake-up call.  

When I finally started menstruating again (after a long time of nutritional and spiritual guidance) I felt like "me" again.  Getting my period meant, I was not pregnant (a good thing at the time when I was in college) and getting my period now means I am fertile and can some day conceive!  It's what makes us so unique from men...even though I think most men get a sutto period each month...minus the bleeding ;-) 

My take away message is, don't use your PERIOD as a scape goat.  Don't act like it's a handicap and men should "feel bad" for us or think it's disgusting...tell them to get over it!  It's natural...no matter what your normal cycle is...b/c it varies with every woman...1x per month or maybe every-other month...it is unique to you and makes you a wonderful woman. 

My Favorite Author

Louise L. Hay

Today's 'Inner Wisdome'

I DESERVE JOY...I deserve to live in an atmosphere of joy and acceptance.  I do daily affirmations in which I tell myself that I really deserve good am willing to go beyond my parents' and my early childhood limitations. 
I look in the mirror and say to myself:  I deserve all good.  I deserve all to be prosperous.  I deserve joy.  I deserve love.  I open my arms wide and say, I am open and receptive. I am wonderful.  I accept. 

Tell Me Why

Why do bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people?

I feel that many of us are pretty equal in terms of the ebb and flow and good vs. bad events that occur in our daily, personal lives.  I have come to realize that when something terrible happens to me that is beyond my control, I get upset, but know in my heart that time will heal me and I will look back, reflect and persevere. 

What confounds and disturbs me is the extreme....

If you are reading this post I recommend you to visit http://www.vday.org/ and in addition read, "I am an Emotional Creature," by Eve Ensler (author of the Vagina Monologues).  These things will awaken you...your awareness for and appreciation of your own life will be heightened...and hopefully stir a desire inside you to spread more joy, understanding and compassion to others.  Or, take a bigger stand on how you raise your children...how you talk to your spouse...how you tolerate (or refuse to tolerate) things. 

I will never know the answer to the question above...but can only pray that as long as this human experience exists, we can learn from history for once...instead of repeating it.

Who Cares?!

Yes, that's right...who the hell cares what others think of you?

Well...I DO!  Ha, ha...this is a reoccurring resolution of mine.  My entire life I have been paralyzed by the thought of, "I can't do that...I can't say that...what will they think of me?! Oh gosh, what if I look foolish or docile?!" 

I have lived a life of tap dancing around people's feelings, emotions and concerns...even when it's rarely reciprocated.

But you know what...this makes me ME...I enjoy CARING.  To a certain extent.  Striving for acceptance has in a lot of ways made me quite likable...people enjoy being around me b/c I CARE.  I listen.  I want to make others feel good...I want you to think, "Wow, she really cares about me...she makes me feel good."

I am genuine. 

The problem is, if you're like me, you can be quite sensitive and open to others criticisms.  One of the Four Agreements is, "Don't take anything Personally."  Do you practice this regularly? 

So now, I choose to be myself...to put myself out there...take risks without giving a s*** of what others think or say...I want more out of life and to let go of these feelings that paralyze me.

How about you?  Do you care too much...or too little?

The Last Straw - Part 1

It took one e-mail from an acquaintance of mine to be motivated to start a blog.  This e-mail was the proverbial, "last straw."  For the past year I have pondered over several life-changing experiences that have occurred in my life that have made me question, "What the hell is wrong with people?  What ever happened to practicing 'The Golden Rule.?"  My confidence, appetite for life, and ego have all been compromised...and I am now rebuilding what I have let been taken from me. 

So, I want to speak my mind to those women who have ever doubted themselves in life...or have felt they have been taken advantage of...or have just gotten "stuck" by not believing in their talents.

Don't worry, I am not blogging about a, "hate men campaign," but rather encouraging women to start attracting supportive men...supportive people...into their lives.  In fact it's not a male vs. female issue at all...it's the power of the law of attraction and applying it to your daily life.

So, over a good glass of wine...tonight, start thinking about, writing about, talking about what YOU want to bring into your life.  No matter how big, small, or outlandish it sounds...do it for YOU. 

Comment...what do you feel you WANT?  What do you NEED?

I'm doing it for ME, too.