• We have them when in a moment of emotional pain we eat the entire gallon of ice cream.

• We have them when we have been training successfully for 2 months and then hit a plateau and become discouraged.

• We have a setback when we have successfully lost a lot of weight, received accolades and acknowledgement from our friends and family, only to gain all the weight back.

It is not the setback that defines us, but rather how we respond to it.

If you never quit, you can never fail, and anyone who has tried to lose weight understands how discouraging a setback can be. A Setback can makes us feel:

           ashamed, inadequate, inferior or angry in some way.

A setback can bring out our deepest fears and knock us clear off the path to achieving our goal.

A Setback can be your greatest nemesis….
…..Or it could be the greatest opportunity! An Invitation to awaken your Power and Courage and achieve what you have said you wanted.

Let’s examine this:
Did you know the only TRUE FEAR we have at birth is the fear of falling? That means EVERY other fear you have has been LEARNED! Every one. So if you have a fear of public speaking, you learned it somewhere in your life. If you have a fear of being rejected or abandoned, you learned that. That is great news, because if you learned a fear, you can “unlearn” it, so to speak.

I am not saying altering your thought process is an easy task, what I am saying is that it is completely achievable. You simply need to know how to take it step by step until your fear stops stopping you.

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. -Eleanor Roosevelt

Learning how to confront your fears is as simple as one, two, three:

STEP ONE:
          What are you really afraid of?

Have you ever been on a diet and been doing really well, then all of a sudden BAMM! You gain a pound or two. How did you respond? Did you look over the past week and get honest with yourself and take responsibility for getting off track? Or did you say F*** This and resort to your old habits?
What did you TELL yourself in that moment? Did you tell yourself something positive or negative? Did it sound something like: “I’ll never be thin” or “It never works for me?”
Take a moment and think about it: What did you say to yourself when you hit an obstacle in your weight loss program? This could be the most important answer you discover on your road to success.
-Whether you tell yourself you “can” or you “can’t,” you will ALWAYS be right.
What you said to yourself at that moment is the KEY to your success, and if it was something negative, GOOD FOR YOU! If we don’t learn from our past we can’t move past our fear.

STEP TWO:
           How Did It FEEL?

What was the “feeling” you had that accompanied your statement. Were you angry or disgusted with yourself? Were you embarrassed? Did you emotionally shut down so you wouldn’t have to feel anything? Running to food to fill up the empty emotional space around your heart (aka: emotional eating)?

If you can get to the FEELING behind the statement you made you will see where the fear lies. For myself, the feeling was about being unlovable and being abandoned, somehow that every time someone left that it was my fault, and either starving myself or over eating were ways of punishing myself for screwing it up. Somehow I deserved to be punished and food was my way of acting out that feeling. But here is the truth: none of my feelings were REAL, so none of my fears were real. This takes us to number 3.

STEP THREE:
           IS IT TRUE??????

What makes feelings and fears real is if we keep giving into them, without thought. But is it true? Was my statement about being unlovable true??? Was my belief that I needed to be punished true? Hell NO! I was the only one making it that way…and I allowed it to be true because I felt it, so therefore it had to be true….

You have heard the statement: The Heart Lies, correct? But what does that mean? It means that when we feel some emotion toward another person we often overlook obvious, physical evidence that would indicate that we should not follow our feelings. So if we all know this, and have done it once or twice (or more) then why is it so hard to believe that we can be mislead by our emotions and feelings around weight loss?

Emotions and feeling APPEAR real in your mind. The brain can’t separate reality from fiction at the level of thought, and feelings are just thoughts. So if this is true, then how can we begin to use this information to our advantage??? If what you have been saying to yourself over and over is not getting you to your goal, and it is not true until you say it is, then what can you tell yourself over and over to make it work to your advantage?

So, when I say I am unlovable then that is going to come true.
What happens when I ask myself is it true? I can begin to list all of the reasons I am lovable (and, by the way, I really am lovable). If I encounter a personality trait that may not be so lovable, then I get to change it. This is all about belief.

“The Only Thing Standing Between You and Your Goal Is the Bulls**t Story You Keep Telling Yourself As To Why You Can’t Achieve It” –Jordan Belford

So when you get clear on the story you keep telling yourself (Step One), then you can identify the feelings you have that keep convincing yourself it is true (Step Two), and then you get to decide if it is true (Step Three).

See, it is as easy as one, two, three.

Now, fill in the story you want to believe about yourself. Write it down, complete with clear goals, read it everyday complete with all of the new, positive feelings that go along with the story and have a better result.

What do you do if you stumble or fall? Repeat Step One, Two, Three and get back on track. Then consider:

What Would You Attempt To Do If You Know You Could Not Fail?

Because if you Never Quit, You Can Never Fail.

Have a Healthy Day!

Share Optimal Nation:

Have you ever eaten so much at one meal you needed to undo the button on your pants? 

We have all felt this way at one time or other, but my question is why?

What compels us to keep eating and not stop when we have consumed an appropriate amount of food?

In the ongoing battle for weight loss, size (portion size that is) does matter. 

One of my favorite restaurants here in the city is a famous Jewish Deli know for its incredible portions: literally an éclair the size of my forearm and sandwiches as large as my head.  You may think I am exaggerating, but shockingly this is the deli’s claim to fame…and the public lines up for the food.

The reason it is my favorite food stop is because of the quality of its food, but the quantity of food is a never ending creation of business for those of us in the fitness and health care industries: you will HAVE to deal with the consequences of the food at some point. 

Research has shown that humans believe if we are served a “Portion,” AKA a Mega-Meal, then it must be a reasonable amount of food. The catch 22 is that our “portions” are not calculated for health, they are calculated for profit.  The United States has long held itself proud as the land of “Abundance,” but applying that belief system to our food consumption has left us fighting a battle against obesity.

So what are we to do about it?

We prepare for battle!

Luckily, this conversation on eating healthy is beginning to take hold on the food manufacturer, as well as the Federal Government.  One example of this is the recent decision of M&M/Mars, the candy company, limiting the size of its candy bars is 2013: they will no longer sell any candy bar containing more than 250 calories per package.  Of course I would expect this to have a positive impact on their revenue streams in some way, but at least they are making steps in the right direction, it is still a candy company and they don’t want you to “get healthy” and stop buying their product.

The Federal Government has, once again, changed the food pyramid to a more user friendly visual: a plate.  This actually made a lot of sense: they used a popular visual image, a dinner plate, and put food groups and portion sizes on the plate to help you better understand what percentages of food you should be serving. 

But was it too little too late?  We live in a land where we are proud of our humongous hamburgers and colossal casseroles.  Are we permanently programmed to believe Bigger Is Better? 

So what is a consumer to do? 

Here are 4 simple steps to help you with healthy eating habits and portion sizes:

Size Does Matter!

1. What is a potion size?  Get familiar with the size of your hand.  This is almost a fool proof method for evaluating portion size!  No weighing, no measuring, and conveniently with you everywhere you go.  The size of your hand is in direct proportion to the size of your body: the bigger you are the more calories you need to support your frame. 
1. Make a fist: the perfect size for a potato or serving of pasta.
2. Lay your hand out flat, fingers together: the perfect portion for your protein choices.
3. Handfuls of fresh veggies are unlimited so grab as many as you would like!

2. Small Plates!  When you want to make sure you are eating smaller portions, use smaller plates.  Think about it: you can fill a small plate and your brain will perceive it as being full but your waist will not suffer the consequences of overindulgence.

3. Read Labels!  One of the greatest additions to restaurant menus has been the breakdown of calories, carbs, fats and proteins right on the menu!  There is virtually no room for mistakes any longer.  In a restaurant, the menu will be for the total meal, or one serving, but getting familiar with labels on prepared foods is also important.  Most people do not truly understand the meaning of a portion size, so take out a measuring cup and see for yourself.  This will help enlighten you to the truth about why size matters when it comes to weight loss.

4. Share!  I am a fan of indulging in so called “forbidden” foods once or twice a week.  I believe it is important to help reduce cravings and binging, as well as to allow you metabolism to remain revved up to burning calories.  That being said, it is not OK to be gluttonous with poor food choices.  So one of the things I suggest, especially for rich desserts, is to share them with a friend.  If you share you will eat only half of the serving, you will also be more mindful of how fast you are consuming your dessert, because sharing is involved…a win/win situation.

Happy Eating!    

Share Optimal Nation:

Are you STUCK at a weight loss plateau?

Are you going to the gym and training 4 times a week, but still cannot lose weight?

You may be wasting time!

There are many reasons you may be not seeing the results you want:

• You could be eating too much sugar, often hidden in food
• You could be consuming too many calories
• You could be sabotaging your results with alcohol
• You may be working out inefficiently
• You may be sitting too much….

Wait…did you just read that correctly?  You could be SITTING too much?

Think about it, consider how many hours a day you spend sitting:

• Do you sit at a desk
• Drive long hours
• Watch multiple hours of TV a day

How many hours are you sedentary?

The latest research is showing that if you sit for 9 or more hours during the day you may be wasting your time at the gym, even if you are training hard 4 times a week.  The positive effects of exercise are cumulative, meaning the results you get on a weight loss program have to do with multiple factors other than the amount of time you are on the treadmill.  If you are sedentary for the majority of your day, your body acclimates to the level of activity and slows down your caloric expenditure.

It makes perfect sense if you think about it:  the body is comfortable at the weight you have been for an extended period of time, and if you are sitting throughout the majority of your day, your body will conserve calories.  Here is another way to think of it:

-Say you sit for work 9 hours a day (adding your hour commute to your computer time) 9 hours x 5 days = 45 hours

-Then you come home at night and watch 2 hours of TV: 2 hours x 5 days= 10 hours.

-Add 7 hours for sleep and you are sedentary for 18 hours a day or 90 hours a week!

-75% of your day is sedentary!  If you sit longer than the average working adult, the ratio of movement in your day is even LESS!

NO WONDER YOU CAN’T LOSE WEIGHT!

So, what can you do about it?

Take more opportunities to MOVE!

Did you know that standing for 1 hour burns 100 more calories than sitting?  That’s just standing still, if you are moving and walking, you are now burning 2-3 times as many calories, but you are also DECREASING the percentage of inactivity per day.  The key here is the amount of activity you are participating in on a daily basis.

You may be asking: How Can I Fit More Fitness Into My Life?  I work at a computer all day!

I am GLAD you asked!

Even if you are limited to your office or car, you can get more movement into your life! 

At The Office

There are a wide variety of moves you can perform throughout your day while remaining close to your desk, and sometimes you don’t even have to get out of your chair.  Sitting in a chair all day can have long term effects on your spine and posture, so these exercises are designed to not only burn calories but also alleviate stress on your back.  Make sure you are wearing a comfortable, stable shoe for the exercises; if you tend to wear heels, just store an extra pair of sneakers under your desk for quick fixes throughout your day.

1. Get off the Bus early and walk for 10 minutes:  Adding 10 Minutes of activity before and after work can have a cumulative effect on your health!  You could be adding 100 minutes of activity a week!  And who says you have to stop at 10 minutes?  The farther you walk, the higher the impact!
2. Take a Walk at Lunch: I know you may have heard that before…so why aren’t you doing it? 
3. Take “Walking Meetings”: This was a favorite choice for Steve Jobs, he would often ask people to join him on a walk to discuss important subjects, and just look at what he was able to accomplish during his career.  If you suggest it to someone and they question your choice just say it worked for Steve Jobs and Apple!  Case closed!
4. Take the Stairs: You will burn calories and not have to be crammed into a stuff elevator.  If you work on a higher floor, get off the elevator 2 stories before yours and walk up.  Do it in the morning and DEFINETLY after Lunch, this way you will avoid the afternoon crash! 
5. Once an hour, climb the stairs 3 times: While everyone else is outside taking a cigarette break (yuck) you could be huffing and puffing a whole different way, go hit the stairs.  Take one flight of stairs and go up and down 3 times, you will be breathing heavy but feeling lighter than your smoking co-workers.

TIP: AVOID THE CAFFINE AND MOVE AROUOND FOR AN INSTANT ENERGY BOOST!  Basis physics says it takes energy to create energy, so the more you move, the more energy you will have! The stairs are better, cheaper and more effective than a cup of coffee any day!

6. Once an hour walk side ways up the stairs 2 times, once right foot leading, once left foot

7. Once an hour jog in place for 45 seconds: If you do not have stairs to climb, just practice number 7-18 in your office.  They also work as an afternoon pick me up instead of coffee, with no “crash” later.

8.  Once an hour do jumping jacks for 45 seconds

9. Once an hour jump “imaginary” rope for 45 seconds

10.  Once an hour do 20 squats

11.  Once an hour do 30 step ups

12.  Once an hour do 30 Side steps

13. Once an hour stand and stretch up to the ceiling: This is one of the most beneficial moves you could perform and it actually feels good.  If you practice nothing else on this list please take on a regular practice of standing once an hour and reach your arms up to the ceiling.  It will feel so good you will wonder why you have not been doing it until now.  Combine this stretch with tips number 22 and 23 to pack even more power for your posture.

14. Stand while on the phone: Simply put, standing instead of sitting burns 50 more calorie every half hour, and it is taking pressure off your back, so stand as often as you can.

15. Pace while on the phone: Even more calories are burned while moving.  Need I say more?

16. Prop your computer up high enough so you can stand while typing:  I am standing at my laptop as I am typing this.  In fact, I was sitting in a coffee shop for a couple hours earlier today and started to feel my back stiffen, so I packed up my laptop and returned home where I knew I could stand.  Again, for every half hour you stand you are burning 50 more calories than sitting.  A simple solution is to stack a stable box or two on your desk or counter top until you achieve a comfortable height to accommodate standing.  Think of all the calories you can burn!

17. Stand up/Sit Downs:  This is a great practice for strength and extremely practical for life, after all, this is a move you will want to do for the rest of your life, right?  It is as simple as it sounds, with a little twist:  Stand up from your chair and make sure your weight is even between your feet.  Now slowly count to four as you lower yourself back down to your chair, but do NOT put your weight on your seat.  Instead, as soon as you feel your chair stand right back up.  You can repeat this move 10-15 times for maximum gain.

18. Single leg Stand up/Sit downs: This is a more advanced version of number 17. You would use all of the same techniques but remain on one leg instead of two.  You may use both legs to return to the start position, and I would not recommend performing this move if your chair is on wheels, unless you can stabilize it first.

19. Seated Isometrics while at your desk:  Numbers 19-21 are Isometric Contractions: contracting a muscle without joint movement.  Simply put, an isometric contraction is the squeezing and holding of a muscle without movement.  You can increase contraction of almost any muscles in your body: abs, glutes, lats, quads, etc.  By accompanying this contraction with proper form you can increase strength, though this should be complimented by full range of motion exercises.  My favorite Isometric to perform is pulling the belly button into the spine then squeezing the abs as hard as you can while breathing, building a flat, tight abdominal wall. 

20. Seated Isometrics while in your car

21. Seated Isometrics while commuting to work

22. Seated backstroke while at your desk: Do you remember swimming backstroke when you were a child?  That is the same motion you can mimic while sitting in your chair at work: slowly extend on arm at a time overhead, reaching back as far as you can without strain, alternate arms and repeating 10 times.  This move helps open shoulders that have been hunched over a desk or computer.  Repeat as often as you can, once an hour if you sit for long periods of time.

23. Seated tush lift at your desk: Another great move while sitting at your desk: sit straight up in your chair with your feet flat on the floor.  Place each hand on your seat, just outside your hips.  Extend your arms straight, pushing down into your hands while also extending your neck and head up to the ceiling.  You should lift the weight of your tush up off the chair, though you may not actually lift out of the seat.  Hold for a count of 10 while breathing, repeat 3 times.  A fantastic postural move.

24. Seated alternating leg lifts at your desk

25. Standing balance training:  This is a move that will help strengthen many things, including your core, and the best part is you can do it anytime: while brushing your teeth, doing the dishes, waiting in line at the store or bank, anywhere you would like.  Simply stand on one foot, count to 10 or 20, then repeat on the other side. 

Print this list for yourself and USE it! 

You will be glad you did!

Have a Healthy Day,

Jo-Ellen Marks

Share Optimal Nation:

            How are you feeling right now?

Good, tired, stressed?

Do you not even have the time to focus in how you are feeling because there is too much information to catch up on, too many deadlines to fulfill, and too many emails to read?

I have another question for you:

            Have you been trying to lose weight without success?

…and another question:

            How are you sleeping?  Even though you are exhausted, do you toss and turn with racing thoughts?

Do you believe the commercials trying to convince you that Cortisol is to blame for weight gain and they can sell you a pill to help?

Because, believe it or not, the answer is MUCH more simple than that.

As a matter of fact, many of your challenges around diet, exercise and stress could be lessened or even alleviated with one small solution.

A solution that is so simple and easy it will baffle your mind and confront your daily thought process in its simplicity:

That simple and free solution is:

Slow Down!

In a word full of instant information, instant downloads and updates in 140 characters or less is it no wonder we are sick and tired and getting fatter by the day!  Something has to change within our society or we are going to continue down this path to obesity, at great personal and financial expense.

There are many reasons why slowing down has a high payoff for your health and fitness levels.  We are going to look at 3 reasons here:

1. Slow Down Your Eating

Your Mother was right: you should slow down and chew your food.  The practice of counting how many times you chew a mouthful has an incredible impact on your caloric intake and digestion.   When we eat, our bodies begin to slowly, very slowly, relay chemicals in the brain to let us “feel full.”  When you are in a hurry to eat you have a greater opportunity to consume extra calories with each meal. 

Here are some tips:

• Sit down and focus on eating, instead of watching TV or standing in the kitchen.  Sitting down for a meal allows you to focus on the amount of food you are eating.
• Count how many times you chew a mouthful of food before you swallow it, if you count between 20-40 chews, you will be slowing down the speed of consumption, therefore allowing more time for the “full” feeling to set in.
• Put smaller amounts on your fork.  Simply by cutting down the volume you take in on each bite of food you will be able to lengthen the time to finish a meal.  This is often easier than counting your bites, especially if you are engaged in conversation over your meal.

2. Slow Down Your Strength Training

If you have less and less time to train at the gym, this is a great way to increase the effectiveness of each strength training move, and it is incredibly simple:

Stop at the point of peak contraction and squeeze the muscle you are training for a full second, then proceed through the negative portion of the move slower than you would normally.  This allows additional intensity to be placed on the working muscle at contraction, and will increase the intensity without doing any more volume of work.

3. Take Time To Breathe

Simply taking a moment to slow down your breath is an amazing way to help you be healthier.  When we are rushing through our day or feeling tremendous amounts of stress, our breathing is shallow and respiration rates are higher, therefore your heart and circulatory system also need to work at a higher rate increasing stress on the body.  Simply by focusing on your breathing and taking deep breathes throughout the day you will increase oxygenation to your cells, reduce your heart rate and decrease your blood pressure.  This allows your entire body to work more efficiently and reduce stress related ailments.

So you see, sometimes the answer is much more simple than you thought.  Try these simple solutions and let me know how it goes!

Have a Healthy Day!

Jo-Ellen Marks

Share Optimal Nation:

We are spending $40 Billion dollars a year in weight loss products and getting fatter as a nation! 

Something is wrong with this equation.

This is the first generation of children who have a greater risk of dying before their parents…and it is all from a PREVENTABLE disease. 

So what can you do to help?

YOU can do something to reduce the risk of Obesity and Obesity’s harmful side effects by taking just a few simple steps:

1. Get outdoors:

Yes, I am talking to you.  You may be sending the kids out to play, but what about you?  You can take the family to the park or playground and do many things that will feel like “play” and are burning calories:

• Play a sport with your child such as soccer, tennis or baseball.  Make a game out of drills that help their favorite sport.
• Play Frisbee or Fly a Kite with your kids, each requires a little running to make it work.
• Pick a theme hike or scavenger hunt:  give your kids a list of things to find at the park, things such as leaves, rocks, mushrooms, animal tracks can stimulate the imagination and exercise.
• Get your bikes out and take a ride.
• When the weather permits, go swimming.

2. Make a Grocery List

When you go to the store, make sure you are buying more whole foods and less processed food.  Foods found on the perimeter of the store tend to be closer to their original state, and are often healthier.  Stick to your list, and try not to be tempted by sales of unhealthy, calorie dense processed foods.

3. Drink Less Soda

Did you know that drinking ONE can of soda a day increases your chance of developing Diabetes by 25%?   Most people do not limit their intake to one 12 ounce can, they drink way more and increase their risk proportionately. 

4. Pack Lunch

Have you taken a look at your child’s class picture last year?  What percentage of students were over weight?  When I was growing up, there were only a few kids in my grade school class who were over weight, but now it can be from 25-40%, even higher for low income communities. Why?  There are a number of contributing factors, but one factor you can impact is the food they eat when at school. If you plan your meals for yourself and your family, then there is less room for error.  Every good choice has an impact. You can choose:

• Whole Grain Breads
• Low Fat Lunches
• Fruits
• Low Sugar Drinks

5. Allow “Fun” foods

We can’t expect ourselves or our children to be perfect when it comes to food choices.   So how do you cope?  Teach them that so called “bad foods” are ok once in a while.  The key is FREQUENCY and PORTION control.  Limit sugars at certain times of the day, especially breakfast and lunch, but allowing a sugary snack in the afternoon or after dinner will let kids not feel deprived, and help them make better choices.

      *Remember: if you don’t have it in the house, it is harder to consume.  So limit the high calorie and sugar choices you buy, and everyone will make better choices.

Have a Healthy Day!

Jo-Ellen Marks

Share Optimal Nation:

That was the headline I saw and I had to know more, not so much because it is the Pentagon, but because eyes are being open to the impact of obesity on the health, well being and welfare of our nation.

If you have read this blog before, you are well aware that our country is facing an Obesity Epidemic; we are literally a ticking time bomb set to implode.   Our health care system can not absorb the impact of the rising health care needs of our increasing waist lines.

Obesity has been directly linked to Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Cardiac Disease and some cancers, we do not have time to lose in manning our battleships and waging war on this lethal enemy…an enemy within our own bodies.

So now the Pentagon is on board….

The Military has begun to see the problem of Obesity affecting our Military Readiness. As stated in a recent Yahoo News Feed:

…a recent army study that says more than one quarter of 17- to 24-year-olds are too overweight to serve in the military. Active members of the military are also becoming more overweight, a Pentagon official said, and that causes a “readiness problem.”

Also, there is a direct attack on the Military’s budget:

…the U.S. military spends about $4.65 billion in food services each year. It also spends an estimated $1.1 billion a year on medical care associated with excess weight and obesity.

That was 1.1 Billion of your tax dollars a year to treat people from a completely preventable health concerns. 

It is about time the Pentagon is taking action.

We all need to take action here. 

We all need to continue to become educated and enlightened about eating healthy and living an active lifestyle, and I am grateful that this is having an impact on the Higher-Ups in the world.  They are the ones who can effect positive change for so many others.

So what changes have you been making for yourself and your family to live a healthier lifestyle?  If you are one of the proud members of the military family, it will be that much easier from this point forward.

And for that I am grateful.

Have a healthy day,

Jo-Ellen Marks

Share Optimal Nation:

I was on Yahoo News today and I came across an article about Childhood Obesity and Behavior Programs.

I am extremely interested in this topic.

We are literally fighting for our lives and the lives of our children.  The rate of obesity among children in this country is staggering:

And this article stated that the percentage of obese children in the control group of this low income community is 54% by the age of 8!!!

54% by the age of 8!!!!  My jaw hit the floor when I read this. 

We are facing an Obesity Epidemic. 

Why is it an epidemic?

• The generation being born now is the first generation with likelihood to die before their parents…and from a completely preventable disease.

• Not only that, but the amount of health care dollars that are required to care for Obesity related disease could bankrupt our medical system.  Diseases such as Diabetes, Heart Disease, Hypertension and Cancer are all attributed to obesity, and the risks associated with these diseases is lessened by maintaining a healthy body weight.

• Again: 54% of children by the age of 8 are obese; if something is not done this will get worse.

The Yahoo article stated that weight loss was an unexpected result of Behavior Programs offered to families of pre-school children, and that there was a 50% or greater drop in the rate of obese children during follow up; only 24% of the children who received the behavior program were obese as compared to 54% in the control group.

This is an interesting study that needs to be put into action. 

Oh, and the article ended with:

The cost and other logistics of doing that(behavior programming) are unclear. But obesity itself — as well as the behavioral problems the program targets — carry a big price tag, Brotman pointed out.

“The argument that there would be cost-savings is, I think, pretty compelling,” she said.

I think the cost savings would be positive on not only the physical, but the psychological, social and emotional levels as well.

Check out the article for yourself and see what you think:

http://news.yahoo.com/behavior-programs-may-cut-child-obesity-risk-171458357.html

Have a Healthy Day

Jo-Ellen Marks

Share Optimal Nation:

What is your Goal?

Would you like to know a trick to get EXACTLY what you want?

Would you like to know how to create a fire of desire that will compel you to do “whatever it takes” to achieve your goal?

It is so simple, but so effective that you will triple your results and get to your goal.

Simply put, if you want a goal, whether it is losing weight, running a half marathon, or eating healthier, you need to declare a Deadline. Not just any Deadline, but a huge Deadline that will get you excited about getting into action and arriving at your results!

What is a Deadline?

A Deadline is a date or event in the future that is IMPORTANT, and if you want to get to your goal, your Deadline needs to be BIGGER than any excuse you have told yourself in the past.

You have seen Deadlines in action before:

• A bride getting ready for her wedding will stop at nothing to be in the best shape of her life.  The Wedding is a deadline.

• You enter a Weight Loss contest where there is a $1000.00 prize for the person who lost the most weight.  The Contest Prize and Date are your Deadline.

• You are going to your reunion where your ex-beau will be, you suddenly have more motivation and focus to get to the gym and keep your diet healthy.  The Reunion is the Deadline.

• Your doctor told you if you do not lose weight and lower your cholesterol you will have a heart attack.  The Medical Emergency is the Deadline…literally.

Your Deadline must be something HUGE in your future.  It must be something you truly desire.  Your Deadline will compel you to break your habitual routine and start to take action steps toward you goal.  It is that important.

So WHAT IS YOUR DEADLINE?

What Goal are you going to set that will draw greatness out of yourself? 

If you really want that goal, put it in a Deadline in the future.  Tell as many people as you can that you are working toward this, and only listen to those opinions of those whom will help you get there.  Ignore all non-supportive opinions, simply thank them for their input and continue on your journey to achieve your goal.  You may even inspire the naysayers who would rather see you fail.

Let me know what your Deadline is.

Have a Healthy Day!

Jo-Ellen Marks

Share Optimal Nation:

 What are you working toward?

What is your goal?

Is it clearly defined?  Or haphazard and loose?

How are your results?  Are they showing up clearly or are they random?  Could that have anything to do with your focus on your goal?

What is one of the missing links in your program…nutrition or fitness?  Could it be the absence of a journal? 

I know, keeping a daily journal is not the most convenient thing to do, but consider how far you have come along your path to success:  are you getting results or not? If the answer is no, then writing down the steps along the way will ABSOLUTELY have a major impact on your training and weight loss.

Every time I go to the gym for my workout I am writing down what I am doing for my workout, even though I am a fitness professional, I do not have a perfect memory of my training routine from one week to the next.  Sometimes I even get a little creative with my program and need to write down my “creations” or I forget them.  I also want to be able to compare my workouts with my results, so keeping an accurate record is critical for my success. 

Writing it down also has another valuable component:  it forces you into a habit of daily accountability.  Daily focus on any goal you want to attain is critical.  Consider that the way you have been going about things in life has gotten you to where you are right now.  Since energy flows to where attention goes, doesn’t seem logical to put as much attention on the behaviors you are looking to alter?  Even if you are NOT getting the results you want, the journal is the most accurate way to re-assess your individual components and tweak your plan of action so you can achieve results.

Of course I am always working on my fitness routine, but this year I have also taken on an all out effort to learn about finance and creating wealth, so I too have started a financial journal to be aware off all the money coming in and out.  To help me with this process I have left a notebook on my counter top and make entries everyday.  I also make sure I am getting receipts for every purchase so I can accurately log them…and WOW!  What a difference it makes to be writing EVERYTHING down.  Just the impact it has had on what I am spending my money on is well worth the daily effort.  If I don’t see the entire picture I cannot alter the outcome.  For this reason I highly, highly recommend taking on the additional effort of keeping a journal to help you achieve your fitness and weight loss goals.

NO EXCUSES!!!  Technology has made this so easy!!!  Here are a couple of quick tips on how to make it easy to keep a journal:

1. Set a reminder in your phone or calendar everyday so you stop to write it down

2. Open a NOTE in your phone and keep your journal there

3. Put a small tablet in your purse or briefcase

4. Keep a notebook by your bed so you can write it down before you sleep

With these few tips you can make any task in your life a little easier…simply write it down.

Have a Healthy Day!

Jo-Ellen Marks

Share Optimal Nation:

We are well into the second week of the New Year, and the gyms are busy all over the country!

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution to get fit? 

How is your plan going? 

I hope it is going well!  But if it’s not, let’s look at what may be missing…Your Plan.

There is a popular saying:  If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail, and it speaks volumes of truth.  

Most people’s resolutions are all about “changing” a particular pattern or habit to a healthier or more satisfying one.  But how exactly do you go about “changing” something?  You have to start practicing an entirely new way of approaching a matter to truly elicit change, otherwise the old approach will re-appear, because that is where you are most comfortable. 

Change is uncomfortable…it gets you out of a predictable set of behaviors and creates something you are not used to…and the only people who REALLY want change are babies sitting in soiled diapers!  The rest of us can ‘rest’ happily in the life we know and are used to.  So Changing takes something, and the discomfort of your present circumstance has to out weight the fear and uncertainty of the change, or you will go back to your old habit.

So let’s NOT CHANGE ANYTHING!  Instead, let’s back up, make a plan and approach it from an entirely new angle.  Sounds radical, but consider human behavior:  if you keep doing what you have been doing, you will get exactly what you’ve got.  So let’s do something different, something exciting, something to see your “Resolution” in an entirely new light.  Let’s look for what has been MISSING.

Huh, What???  Missing??? Don’t understand?  Let’s look.

Problem: Getting out of Bed:

Say you have been trying to get up early to go to the gym:  You made it twice, then slept in twice, got discouraged and have not been back since.  Has this ever happened to you? What was missing from this equation to get you back on track even after you had failed? 

Better yet, what could you have PLANNED to make getting out of bed easier?

1. Go to bed earlier
2. Set the alarm earlier for one snooze cycle
3. Create a mantra for waking up
4. Practice visualization
5. Have a workout partner holding you accountable
6. ETC, ETC, ETC…

The point is if you KNOW you have a hard time getting up and don’t PLAN a solution you are setting yourself up for failure.  This is not a change, it is a rational, realistic approach to working with known obstacles on your path to getting what you said you want. 

YOU SAID YOU WANT THIS GOAL….look at what has been an obstacle to your success, and make a plan to get to your goal.  SIMPLE!

Problem: Eating Healthy at Work:

Again, let’s break it down:  You work extremely hard and lose track of time.  Soon you realize it is lunchtime and you are starving!  What do you do?  You wanted to eat healthy, but now there is no time, so you grab the fastest thing you can find and eat it without thought. 

There are so many scenarios I could share with you here, so please feel free to insert your own, but the outcome is the same: You make a poor food choice because of limited options, limited time and screaming hunger.  If you KNOW that this could happen, then what could you do that would really, no kidding, solve this problem BEFORE it happened? 

What was MISSING that set you up for failure?

1. You could pack lunch
2. You could have a healthy mid-morning snack to prevent hunger
3. You could set a timer to remind you to eat
4. You could plan out a week of meals ahead of time
5. You could keep hand healthy menus or food choices in case of emergency
6. ETC, ETC, ETC…

The point again is simple:  know where your biggest obstacles are in food choices, then PLAN ahead of time so you can be committed to your goal and see results.

Know Yourself, and don’t allow obstacles to get you off track.  If you stumble, that’s great!  Now you have the opportunity to learn about yourself, make a plan and get in action!

Otherwise you are just sitting in a dirty diaper waiting for someone to change you.

Have a Healthy Day!

Jo-Ellen Marks

Share Optimal Nation: