What you fight, fights back.

FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT. That's what you do. You struggle and battle to lose weight, get "toned," or be healthy. Just think about the words you use:

"I've STRUGGLED with my weight FOREVER!"

"I'm not winning this BATTLE of the bulge at all."

"I really need to ATTACK my problem areas."

Do you ever wonder why it seems so damn hard to lose weight, be healthy AND happy during the process (not just when you've reached your goal)?? It's hard because you might be looking at  your body as something separate…this "thing" over there that is outside yourself. This thing that needs to be controlled, managed, punished, and beaten into submission. You think that stress eating or emotional eating is a part of you that needs to be destroyed…as quickly and as brutally as possible.

Think about this: whenever someone has tried to attack or control you, what did you do? You didn't just lay down and take it…you probably tried to fight back, right? Well, that is what happens when you attack your own body.

What you fight, fights back. 

Here are some of the weapons that you may be using in this attack on yourself:

• Hours of cardio
• Diets/deprivation
• Fat burners
• Body wraps
• Spanx
• Negative self-talk

I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. Your health and overall wellness are a BIG part of the relationship you have with your body…it's NOT something separate. It's a relationship that needs to be nurtured, loved, and accepted. Think of it like any other relationship you care about. You wouldn't try to fight or control someone you love, would you?  Then don't do it to yourself.

Treating your body as something separate hasn't worked so far, and it will continue to not work.  

Your body, mind, and spirit are a package deal.

Ok, so you've been fighting the good fight, now it's time to put your weapons down and start a big ol' LOVE FEST. The next time you want to suffocate your tummy in a pair of Spanx, look it right in the eye (aka your bellybutton) and say "You're cute just the way you are!"  No, I'm not joking…try it.

If you've been at war with yourself for years, it's going to take some practice to get to a peace agreement. You can practice by wearing clothes that fit (not too big, not too small), doing things that FEEL good (massages, exercise), and saying positive things about the part(s) of your body you dislike the most. 

Today, I challenge you to end your war and start living in peace. 

Wishing you wellness, 

5 Reasons You're NOT Ready to Make a Change

We're all guilty of wanting something different, wanting to change something in our lives, but nothing seems to happen.  We get STUCK and can't move forward.  It's definitely frustrating...I know from my own personal experience and by helping other people become UNstuck.   In today's video, I talk about the 5 things that could be holding you back from getting what you want.

At the end of the video, I want you to ask yourself: "What can I do to get ready?".  

You can usually FEEL when your current situation (job, relationship, weight, health) is no longer working for you.  If you have that feeling, now is the time to make your move!

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Sweetness is NOT my weakness: How to recover from sugar addiction

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After MANY years of struggling with sugar, I think I'm finally at a point where it no longer controls my life.  In fact, I've been able to walk by the two cupcake bakeries in my neighborhood without buying ANYTHING from them this year (that's a HUGE step for me).  Now, this isn't something that magically happened overnight.  In fact, this is something that's been in the making for a while now…and here are the things that I think helped me get here:

 

• I learned my triggers: We all have something that makes us reach for the sweets.  For me, it's stress and anxiety, usually brought on by certain social situations, overscheduling myself, and sadness or disappointment.  Now that I know what causes me to dive head first into a bag of peanut M&Ms, I've come up with other, non-sugar ways of coping: an intense workout, sharing a laugh with my girlfriends, or just taking deep breaths and going for a walk are my coping mechanisms of choice.  I actually FEEL my feelings instead of FEEDING them.  I still love my M&Ms though.  

• I know how sugar makes me feel:  Sugar is NOT my friend…too much of it makes me feel terrible.  I get sluggish and I just want to take a nap, which is not the thing to do when I have deadlines to meet.  I also get a massive headache when I have too much sugar.  I don't want that feeling, so I avoid coma-inducing sugar bombs.  If I really want something sweet, a very ripe banana (with or without almond butter) always does the trick for me…my cravings satisfied without the sugar crash.  

• The way I eat makes me happy and keeps me satisfied: I rarely eat packaged, processed convenience foods, so my taste buds aren't bombarded with sweetness morning, noon, and night.   Have you noticed that the more sugar you eat, the more you want?  If almost everything you eat has sugar in it (check the labels!), it's going to keep you coming back for more and more.  Once I cut out the crap food and started eating nutrient-rich whole foods every day, I have so much more REAL energy, not the kind you get from a sugar high.  Also,  starvation and deprivation during the day lead to raging sugar cravings at night.  Back in my dieting days, sugar was always my nighttime companion, but not anymore.  Ditch the diets and eat REAL food all day, every day!

• I'm living a "sweeter" life: Yes, I loved the taste of sugar, but I was also using it as a substitute for things that were missing in my life.  Dissatisfaction with my job, relationships, and a whole bunch of other things left me trying to find love and happiness in a deep dish apple pie.  Now, I'm more focused on doing things and spending time with people that make me truly happy. Inspiring others by sharing my story is something that brings me incredible joy, something that I was never able to find with sweets. Trust me,  I tried and tried to find happiness in pie, cake, and chocolate chip banana bread pudding…but, for some reason,  it never showed up in any of those places. 

I hope you can find what works to help you kick your sugar habit.  If a sugar queen like me can do it, so can you! 

I'd love to hear how sugar affects you, so leave a comment in the section below!

If I don't eat breakfast, I'm screwed!

So summer is winding down and now it's back to the grind for most of us. No more vacations and the kids are back to school...that means that things are about to get hectic. Hectic mornings lead to skipping breakfast, which can ultimately result in poor food choices and low energy during the rest of the day. We know we shouldn't ditch "the most important meal of the day"but, hey, things happen...right?

If breakfast is so important…why do people skip it?

There are numerous reasons why you (and a lot of other people) skip the first meal of the day:

“I have no time” “I'm not hungry” “I like sleep better than I like breakfast”

If you’re one of these people who aren’t affected by skipping breakfast (i.e., you don’t make poor food choices, you have plenty of energy, and you’re not trying to lose weight), then you can STOP reading right now.

However, if you skip breakfast AND you spend the rest of your days eating uncontrollably, then this post is for you.

Making time breakfast can help you:

• maintain a weight that is healthy for YOU
• increased  your alertness and productivity at work or school
• have more energy during the day

First, getting a good night’s sleep is critical to your success…don’t let the snooze button stand in the way of you and breakfast.  Second, you need a stash of quick and yummy recipes that you can make in the morning before you head out the door (some of them can even be made ahead of time!).  So, instead of wolfing down an everything bagel or banana nut muffin on the way to work, take a little extra time to make these quick and easy recipes I’ve created for you.

Download this 5-pack of delicious and clean breakfast recipes…one for every day of the workweek!

• Skipping breakfast is ruining your day. Here's why and how to stop. Click to Tweet
• 5 easy breakfast recipes to start your workweek off right! Click to Tweet