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Free Teleseminar: Women Entrepreneurs and the Money and Fitness Factor

February 22nd, 2010, No Comments »

Are you looking for some fitness mojo? I’m excited to share a teleseminar where we’ll be addressing a topic that lives in the back of many women’s minds but that very few people actually talk about: the link between your health and fitness and your professional success.

• Are you a business owner or professional who feels like your struggles to “get healthy” are holding you back?

• Do you worry that your health or your unfit appearance don’t represent your premium brand or business?

• Is your energy subpar for the audience that should be buying from you?

• Is lack of sleep keeping you away from your ‘A’ game?

• Do fits and starts with food stall your inner champion somewhere near the water cooler?

If so, this free call is for you.  I’m so excited to be interviewing Ashley Mahaffey.  

Ashley Mahaffey, certified personal trainer and Ironman triathlon finisher, is a fitness strategy expert specializing as the secret weapon for speakers and traveling professionals who want to be lean and energized for their big platform. Ashley has trained NCAA champions and business leaders alike. For more information, visit www.AshleyMahaffey.com.

In this free call Ashley will cover:

- What The Money & Physical Fitness Factor is and how it affects all entrepreneurs

- What two foods may be keeping you from your weight loss success

- How changing 1 simple variable in any cardio routine can boost metabolism to burn fat

- 4 effective full body exercises that you can do at home or in your hotel room

Won’t you join us?

The call is Thursday, February 25 at 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern.

The call will be recorded so please register even if you can’t make it. All who register will have access to the recording. Just go here to register.

Take good care,

The Emotional Eating Toolbox(TM) Take Action Series: So What’s It Really About?

February 17th, 2010, No Comments »

The next session of the  Emotional Eating Toolbox(TM) Take Action Series kicks off next Tuesday, February 23.

I’ve received a number of inquiries about the program and a number of requests for more information about the following:

What kind of results do people get from participating in this program?

It’s a pretty reasonable question and  I realized that I needed to do a better job of answering it.  Because the program really helps you examine YOUR individual situation and work at the pace that works with YOUR life, results vary widely and I’m not sure that there are “typical” results. It’s hard to measure the kind of changes that happen in this program. That said, here are some things you can expect and examples of what others have reported:

• You can expect to get really clear on the root of your struggles with food and overeating. That means getting clear on the things you are REALLY craving and needing (many of them aren’t really food).
• You can expect to learn how to stop blaming or being hard on yourself and how to use more effective strategies to move forward.
• You can expect to learn how to put a stop to the eating that feels out of control or over the top–not by depriving yourself but by using another strategy that REALLY addresses your needs.
• You can expect to learn how to stop getting stuck in the same old places, how to overcome self sabotage, and how to figure out what to do INSTEAD of emotional eating.

Here are some examples of what past participants have reported:

• They figured out that their eating really wasn’t senseless–there was a purpose to it. Once they understood this, they were able to address the REASON for the overeating directly–find a BETTER strategy for dealing with the reason–and get out of the overeating trap.
• They learned how to stop boredom eating (and how to address the boredom). The same can be said for stress eating, anxious eating, comfort eating, etc.
• They started using new tools to stop stress eating at work and to stop overeating the treats people were bringing into the office.
• They got better at saying “no” to things they didn’t want to do that were triggering overeating.
• They developed a plan for night eating, snacking and bingeing.
• They realized that they needed tools for coping with anger and started building better ways of responding instead of eating out of frustration.
• They developed new strategies for rewarding themselves that didn’t involve food.

I could keep going, but I hope you get the idea.

I can’t tell you exactly what YOUR experience would be with the Emotional Eating Toolbox(TM) Take Action Series, but I can tell you that if you put in the effort and complete the program, you will learn things about yourself, about your relationship with food, and about how to use new strategies, mindsets, and ideas in a way that will allow you to be more effective and in control.

The program starts Tuesday, February 23, 2010 and there is still time to register and be ready to jump in with us in the first tele-call of the series.

You also still have a chance to grab some incredibly valuable bonuses–including the opportunity to have a personal coaching session with me.

Here’s where you go to get all the information.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Take good care,

Getting to the Root of Emotional Eating Part Two: Effective Weeding

February 17th, 2010, No Comments »

Monday I shared with you why it is so important to identify and address the root cause of your struggles with food, emotional eating and overeating if you want to create an effective, lasting solution. Now, let’s look at your “weeding technique.” How are you at effectively addressing the root of your difficulties?

Here’s what I see. Too often, women gloss over the idea of understanding what is going on with their relationship with food. They look at a checklist and determine that they are an emotional eater, make a quick note of it, and then move on to planning what they will do differently in the future. This time (they tell themselves), they will eat salad for lunch. They won’t snack after dinner, and they will go to the gym on a regular basis. They fail to create a plan to address the real root cause of their overeating.

Planning feels productive and it makes most of us feel effective and in charge. I don’t have anything against plans—as long as they address the root cause that has propeled the problems with food, weight, and overeating in the past.

Too often women shame themselves into thinking that they are “making this too complicated.” They deny themselves the help and support and solutions that could maximize their effectiveness and minimize their struggle because they don’t feel “deserving” or because they have difficulties investing in themselves and making their goals a priority.

Quite simply, many of the women I encounter have a long history of trying very hard to change their relationship with food without the resources they need. No wonder they feel tired, discouraged, unmotivated and skeptical. They’ve been trying to create major life change on a shoestring—and a frazzled one at that.

So here’s the question (and the challenge) of the day: This topic speaks to you, or you wouldn’t have read as far as you already have. When it comes to getting to the root of the cause of your emotional eating or overeating, are you on the premium plan or are you trying to squeak by with the economy, super-saver-free-trial offer? Be honest with yourself. If you aren’t finding the success that you want, it’s cheap and easy (albeit painful) to beat yourself up emotionally for a lack of results.  Does this add to your effectiveness? Not one bit. The alternative that could? Upgrading your attention to the roots.

Ready to make a change? Here’s the challenge: If you were to upgrade your weeding strategy and really address the root cause of your struggles with food, what would that look like? What would you do differently? What new tools would you want to use? What help would you ask for? What resources would you engage?

What step can you commit to taking today?

Take good care,

The Emotional Eating Toolbox™ Take Action Series combines my 28 Day structured and self-guided program with the accountability, motivation, strategies and tips provided in six weekly teleseminars. We’re starting a new session soon. Find out more here.

Emotional Eating and Overeating: Why Getting to the Root Cause is so Important.

February 15th, 2010, No Comments »

There are few things more discouraging than battles with overeating, weight loss struggles and weight regain. I’ve seen far too many savvy, wise women lose their confidence and even their hopefulness about their ability to make successful and lasting changes in the way that they eat and in the number on the scale. The guilt and self blame that often follows just makes everything harder.

Here’s the truth. Making successful changes with your eating and your lifestyle requires paying attention to the head game. You can develop all the menus you want, precut and bag your veggies,  and stock up on fruit and protein powder until the cows come home, but if you don’t understand what is driving your eating, what led to any extra pounds you are trying to lose, what contributed to your last attempt at weight loss not working out so well, why the chocolate calls so loudly to you every evening, or why you typically regain any weight that you lose, your efforts aren’t going to pay off the way that you want them to. At least, not in a way that lasts.

Trying to lose weight or “get healthy” by going on a diet is like weeding a garden by chopping the leaves off the weeds. It doesn’t work. If you want to solve either problem in an enduring way, you must deal with the root.

The root is how the weed gets nourishment. With overeating and emotional eating, the root is the real, underlying reason that compels you to overeat or eat differently than you want to and than your wise self tells you that you should. If you don’t identify and figure out how to address the root cause of your overeating, emotional eating, and your battles with food or weight, the chance that these issues will always come back is pretty high.

Dealing with the root is not always quick, simple, or sexy. But it IS fundamentally important. And though it may seem like an overwhelming proposition, the truth is that if you allow yourself the proper tools to do the work involved, it doesn’t need to be a STRUGGLE.

To be continued….

Take good care,

Want to move forward? Looking for a plan to address the root of your emotional eating or overeating? The Emotional Eating Toolbox™ Take Action Series kicks off soon. Go here to learn more and to snap up some great bonuses just for signing up.

Why Resolutions Fail–Reason #3: Glossing over the realities of your life

February 12th, 2010, No Comments »

This is the third in a series of posts on why resolutions fail and why goals aren’t achieved. You can find the previous two posts here and here.

Life happens. Somewhere along the line you’re going to have a business trip, you’ll get the flu, you’ll fight with your partner, you’ll have a really tough day or week or month. When the going gets tough, the majority of resolutions fall apart.

Too many resolutions were created by people wearing rose colored glasses.

I’m all for positive thinking and optimism, but a plan that is going to endure has to include a plan for rough patches and even lapses in action—because they happen. Consider the challenges you are likely to face as you move forward towards your goal. Take note of the places you’ve gotten tangled up in any past attempts. Make a note of upcoming events that are likely to disrupt your schedule or interfere with your focus. Start to think proactively about how you want to respond to the realities of your life. Craft a “Plan B” for time-crunched days, find a support system for the areas you might not know how to address, imagine yourself re-starting if you stop. Be honest with yourself about your strengths and your vulnerabilities. Leverage the positive and be realistic about the rest. You’ll be amazed at the difference this makes.

Take good care,

Why Resolutions Fail–Reason #2: Planning for Perfection

February 10th, 2010, 2 Comments »

If I had a dollar for every get-healthy-lose-weight-get-in-better-shape resolution that was sabotaged by all-or-nothing, perfectionistic thinking, I’d be writing this blog from my villa in the south of France. Healthy lifestyle change is quickly sunk by the mindset that if you don’t get it perfect one hundred percent of the time you’ve failed.

It may sound silly when I write it this way, but have you ever:

• Overeaten at the end of the day and then decided that “now that you’ve blown it” you might as well eat some more?
• Lost motivation because you weren’t making it to the gym as often as you’d planned so quit going all-together?
• Decided that since you overate last night and there’s a party on the weekend you might as well wait until Monday to restart your weight loss plan?

These, my friend, are examples of perfectionism. They reflect the philosophy that you have to get it perfect in order to take action at all. Perfectionism also includes the belief that if it isn’t perfect, it isn’t any good.

The problem is, none of us is perfect, we’ll never hit one hundred percent all the time, and if that is our definition of success, we’ll always fall short. For most of us, that’s pretty discouraging—not a great motivator when you’re looking for making changes that you can stick with over the long haul.

My advice: instead of aiming for perfect, aim for doing your best. Know that even the worst choice can be followed by a good one. If you are someone who tends to think of “restarting” and “failing” or “blowing it,” start retraining yourself to think of the goals you are pursuing as long term. You don’t need every step to be brilliant, you just need to keep taking steps in the right direction.

Take good care,

Why Resolutions Fail and We Don’t Reach Our Goals

February 8th, 2010, No Comments »

It’s February and the crowds at the gym (all those people who made New Year’s resolutions) are thinning out. The kids are back in school, the holidays are long gone, and most of us are in the midst of “real life.” Are your goals and dreams still a part of your reality, or has your zeal and motivation started to fade?

The January “honeymoon phase” may be behind us, but this is actually a perfect time to tweak your plan (or revamp it completely) so that you can go the distance and achieve those goals you’ve set for yourself. The truth is, having things not go the way you had anticipated can be a great opportunity to learn how your plan holds up to real life and identify what changes need to be made so that you can stay on track for the long haul.

This week I’m going to share three reasons that even the most dynamic resolutions might not be getting you where you want to go:

Reason for failure #1: Failure to plan
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” A resolution or an idea is not a plan, it’s an intention. Many busy people err by jumping into action—any kind of action–without investing the time to create a clear, do-able, sustainable plan. If your weight loss resolution fell apart because it was simply based on “eat less,” you might want to take a step back and craft a strategy that includes how you’ll address any triggers to overeat, how you want to respond to physical hunger and cravings, and what other strategies you can put in place to maximize your effectiveness.

Change is not a one shot deal. It’s never too late to reevaluate your approach and create or re-craft your plan of attack. Take a look at any areas of your life that aren’t moving forward and ask yourself what plan or strategy you’d like to use to get them into motion. Be as specific as possible and don’t gloss over the actual “what” and “when” of any actions that you are going to take.

Take good care,

Simple Self Care Tips

February 5th, 2010, No Comments »

Whether you are nurturing a business or career, a family, an intimate relationship, or a secret dream, your time and energy are the most valuable commodities you possess. No matter how wisely you spend them, the truth is that they are limited in supply and extremely precious.

Another truth: productivity and energy both depend on fuel. Just like our cars, when we aren’t fueled and properly maintained, we don’t run well. When we don’t give ourselves the experiences and care that allow us to be at our best—we simply aren’t our best. We don’t perform at our potential, we don’t have our best gifts to give to others, and we simply don’t feel as good as we could. We don’t shine.

We all need quality fuel (and I’m talking about a lot more than food here) to fuel the full, vibrant, unique life that only we can live. It doesn’t have to be difficult or radical.

Here are some simple steps to nurturing yourself so that you are well-primed for the actions you want to take (and whatever else life throws at you):

1. Take five minutes every day to check in with yourself. Really. Take a breath, see how your body is feeling, note what’s on your mind and pay attention to your stress level. Ask yourself what you need. Don’t skip this step. You have to be paying attention to anything (or anyone) that you want to take good care of. If it helps, write down the things that you need and keep the list where you can see it.
2. Learn to rest when you are tired. Yes, I know you are busy and you may think that you have too much to do to stop and rest. But here’s what really happens. When we don’t allow ourselves the breaks and the rest that we need, we start going in circles. Our ability to focus and concentrate is reduced. Our productivity goes down. We forget things. Often, we are so tired and unmotivated that we don’t really do the things that we need to move forward but end up wasting our dwindling energy and time on “busy work” instead that tricks us into feeling productive. OR instead of stopping and resting, we keep moving doing mindless kinds of activities like surfing the internet or watching TV we don’t care about. We don’t get refueled and we lose time that we could be using to replenish ourselves. Practice stopping. Rediscover naps. Go to bed on time. If you are getting nowhere on a project–what about a five minute break doing something delightful and refueling?
3. Do one lovely thing for yourself every day. It’s the intention and the follow through that count here—not the size of the action. It may be giving yourself a pedicure or giving yourself permission to say “no” to something you don’t want to do. It may be flowers on your desk. Give yourself permission for indulgence.  Every day.
4. Start collecting energy boosters. Make a list of small, ten minute acts that make you feel better. This is hard for many women, so don’t be afraid to start small. Some ideas to get you started:

• Putting on music that makes you happy
• Spending a few minutes outdoors
• Changing your clothes
• Laughing
• Hugging someone you love
• Making a list of your accomplishments
• Stretching, moving, or dancing around the room

My challenge to you: try these steps out, find what works for you, add to the list, then repeat, repeat, repeat. The real key here is getting into the rhythm of paying attention to the fuel you are getting and learning the tricks and the strategies that keep you fueled, happy, and thriving.

Take good care,

Emotional Eating and Overeating: What You Need To Know So That They Don’t Sabotage Your Weight Loss Plan

February 3rd, 2010, No Comments »

I’m pleased to announce the next call in the Smart Women’s Teleseminar Series and it might be just the ticket for you if you are finding yourself struggling or veering off track with your New Year’s plan for a healthier lifestyle.

The topic this month:

Emotional Eating and Overeating: What You Need To Know So That They Don’t Sabotage Your Weight Loss Plan

Did you know that emotional eating can be an issue for you and you might not even know it? Or that slowing down and paying attention to emotional eating can help you identify additional triggers that may be fueling your appetite, slowing down your metabolism and sabotaging your weight loss attempts? Join me for this free teleseminar on Tuesday, February 9 at 3pm Pacific/6pm Eastern and you’ll hear:

• What you need to know about overeating that no diet will address

• Why most dieters fail

• The most powerful tool you can use to create permanent weight loss and changes in your relationship with food

… and much more.  I’m also going to be providing information about the upcoming Emotional Eating Toolbox™ Take Action Series which begins this month.

You can register and get all the information for the free call here.

Take good care,