Life Only Better

Curves: Feeling Good About Your Body

I recently met a young woman who we'll call "Jill", who impressed me the minute we were introduced.  She is young (24 years old), confident, carries herself extremely professionally and operates her own business. 

Since meeting her that first time, I've had the opportunity to get to know her a little better.  I really love her attitude about the way she takes care of herself and about her body image. 

She eats healthy, exercises and is not "skinny".  As she coins it, "I'm curvy".  And, by the way, she's proud of the way she looks. 

This is such a refreshing yet unusual attitude for young women in our society today. "Jill" is young, fit, and has beautiful curves which makes her look and feel sexy.  She is not trying to lose weight in her derriere or her beautiful legs, she's completely happy. 

What a wonderful example for young females, children and adults.  Genetically we have a predisposition to a certain body type.  So many women fight against the current in an attempt to drastically change those features to achieve the waif/model body style. 

I'm here to tell you that many models and celebrities simply don't eat (or eat too little).  Many of them also work with a personal trainer 2-3 hours per day.  This type of lifestyle is simply too costly and unrealistic for most people.

So take a good look at the beautiful features of your body and be proud of them.  If you continue to eat healthy and exercise you'll live a long, happy life, appreciating the way you look and not worrying about what others think!

Being Your Best Fit

It’s about that time of year when people begin to slack off on their New Year’s Resolutions and forget about being “Your Best Fit”.

What does being “Your Best Fit” mean anyway?  It’s different for everyone.  My best fit will be completely different than your best fit.  We all have different goals, body styles, former and current injuries, and life challenges.

So perhaps this is the perfect time of year to reframe the definition of your best fit.  Take a look at your current situation and establish goals that are truly realistic for where you are in your life right now. 

For example at the beginning of the year if you vowed to exercise every day but simply haven’t found the time to do so, then perhaps you should consider a goal of two to three times a week.  Once you master that then you’ll feel confident about a more challenging goal.  Not only that, but having accomplished exercising two to three times a week will make you feel so good both mentally and physically that you’ll actually WANT to do more. 

What many people don’t realize is that exercise is mostly psychological.  The first step is deciding that you want and need to exercise.  The second and most difficult step is actually doing it!

So what ever you do, make it realistic.  Don’t attempt to exercise for one hour your first few times out the gate.  Try 20 minutes and see how that feels.  Invariably you’re going to feel a little soreness.  The trick is to feel enough to feel good and not so much that you cannot move and forever ban exercise from your life!

So you can be your best fit in no time if you approach the process sensibly with positive thoughts and understand that you really can do it!

 

New Year's Resolutions

So what's a resolution?

A resolution is a solution to a problem. 

At the first of the year many of us review what we would like to improve in our lives.  We'd like to eat  better, exercise more, stop smoking, be a nicer person, etc., etc., etc.  So we resolve to improve these areas of our life during the New Year.

Let's return, however, to the definition of a resolution:  a solution to a problem.  As we're making our New Year's resolutions, we aren't thinking of our resolutions as solutions, we're thinking of them as improvements, and there is a difference.

Let me explain.  Let's take the resolution of eating better.  What problem does this solve?  Well, it's a little different for everyone, however, for most, is solves the problems of being overweight, feeling badly about yourself, not fitting into your clothes, and overall health issues.  Wow!  Just that one little resolution is the solution to so many problems!

Another example is resolving to exercise more this year.  What problems does this solve?  Lack of energy, self confidence, endurance, motivation and needing to buy larger sizes.  How cool is that.  Just one decision to be more active in 2007 can do all of this?  The answer is categorically YES!

So today, as you're making your list of solutions (resolutions), give some thought to the problems you're trying to solve.  Write down not only the resolutions, but also the problems they will solve in your life if you stick to them.

Refer back to this blog for lots of free resources to help you with your health and fitness goals this year.  And be sure to sign up for the free weekly teleconference The Fit Chat.  Every Monday we discuss a variety of health & fitness issues to help you achieve your goals. 

My best wishes to you for great success in 2007!

Your Body Is Listening

What are you telling it?

Are you thinking positive thoughts about the way you look or the way you want to look, or do you have negative thoughts about your current appearance?  Your thoughts play a huge role in the success of your health and fitness goals. 

That which you focus on will multiply and reward you.

So if you keep telling yourself and your body that you are fat, overweight, or out of shape your mind and body will respond by keeping you in your current situation.  But, if you begin to send more postive messages like "I am beginning to lose weight", or "I feel great after exercising today", or "I am a lean, mean fat burning machine", you will be focusing on the positive, which will help to lead you to your ultimate goal.

And having a very clear vision of your ultimate goal is essential.  Take some time to sit down, close your eyes, and picture in your mind how you want to look and feel.  Make your vision as detailed as possible and imagine what it would feel like to be the ideal you. 

Every morning while brushing your teeth, recall that vision and those feelings.  This will help you to begin each morning sending positive thoughts and messages to your body.   Those positive messages will fester and multiply and before you know it, you'll find yourself making healthy choices, exercising more, and overall feeling better about yourself. 

You can create the ideal you both in mind and body.

Motivation: How would you like to look?

Decide.

We all have the power of making a decision.  You can decide how you want to look and feel.  It can be that simple.  Take some time and place a picture in your mind of what size you'd like to be, what shape, or what weight.  Create a vision.  In that vision, do you have more energy, are you smiling, do you fit into your clothes, are you standing up straighter?

This is an extremely powerful process.  Simply deciding to make a change in your life is an enormous step in the right direction.  Each day, all you have to do is keep taking small steps that will lead you towards your vision.  And I'm here to help you.  You don't have to go it alone.

I encourage you to listen to the audio recordings from The Fit Chat Call.  They're right here on this Blog.  The calls are packed with valuable tips you can implement into your daily life right away, that will help lead you towards how you want to look and feel.

You can also listen to The Fit Chat live, simply by signing up in the box to the left.  This gives you the opportunity to ask questions live and interact with other callers who have also decided to improve their health and quality of life.

You'll be so surpised at how this will change your life. 

If there's any topic you'd like to see covered on this Blog or on The Fit Chat Call, please feel free to email me at [email protected].  I'm here to help you in any way I can.

You can also post a comment or question on any of these articles on the Blog.  If you look below the article, there's a "comments" link.  Simply click on this link to type in your comment or question.  The answer to a question you have will not only help you, but also others who are reading this Blog.

Have a Healthy Week and Do What you Never Thought Possible!