Weight Loss 30/04/2012
 
Despite the miserable weather and the wettest drought on record, believe it or not, summer is just around the corner and it''s not too late to think about getting into shape.  There's no big secret to weight loss - you need to eat less and exercise more.  In my Bounceability weight management workshops I teach 5 golden rules:

ONLY EAT WHEN YOU'RE HUNGRY
Before you reach for that biscuit or packet of crisps, stop and ask yourself if you are really hungry.  Nine times out of ten you will find that you are reaching for food out of habit and not because you are hungry.

STOP WHEN YOU'RE FULL
Have you ever eaten a dessert when you were already full from your main course and then felt stuffed and bloated afterwards?  That horrible feeling when you feel your stomach is going to burst.  From now on, serve up (or request) smaller portions and stop eating as soon as you feel satisfied.  Paul McKenna gives a hunger scale in his book 'I Can Make you Thin' (see my links page).

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER
Drink a glass of water before your meals - you will find you will want to eat less - and drink plenty of water throughout the day.  Don't allow yourself to become dehydrated.

EAT MINDFULLY
Have you ever sat at the computer with a bar of chocolate only to find that when you reach for another piece, it's all gone and you can't remember eating it?  So, don't do anything else while you're eating - no working, no reading the paper and no watching TV while you eat.  This may be one of the most important things you can do to help you achieve your target weight.  Sit down at the table for your meals.  Eat slowly and savour each mouthfull.  Put your knife and fork down while you chew your food properly. Make meal times a social occasion when you connect with your friends or family.

BUILD EXERCISE INTO YOUR DAILY ROUTINE
Start moving more - even if it's just getting off the bus one stop early or using the stairs instead of the lift. Get yourself a pedometer and aim to increase your step count every day so you are doing the recommended 10,000 steps a day.  You don't need to go to gym - just walk more. 

Finally, remember that you choose what to eat, and if you chose to over-indulge in unhealthy foods you are making a choice to be overweight. 

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If a relationship has broken down it's often very difficult to see past our own emotions and to acknowledge responsbility for the situation we are in.  The NLP technique of Perceptual Positions is a tool that can be used to help you understand what might have gone wrong (and the part you played) and what you can do to fix it or move on.  (This may seem a bit strange but the point is to explore the situation from the other persons's point of view and also as someone with no attachment looking at both sides).  

The three positions are:

1st Perceptual Position -  Self
In this position you focus on your perception of the situation, how you are feeling and what you would like to say to the other person.

2nd Perceptual Position  -  Other
In this position you focus on the other person's reality, how it looks from their perspective, how they might be feeling and how they might respond to you.
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3rd  Perceptual Positon  -   Observer
In this position you view the situation from the perspective of a detached onlooker.  You can watch both parties interact and as an observer you can understand the emotions of each and identify what needs to be done .  Here's where you look at the situation objectively. The Observer neutral, so if you start to feel any emotion in this position, check whether it's coming from 'self' or 'other' and move away.  

Move from 1st Position, to 2nd and to 3rd as many times as it takes to gain clarity and insight.

Why not try it and see if you achieve a breakthrough?

As always, your comments and queries are welcome.



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What is stress?  The dictionary definition is 'demand on physical or mental energy, distress caused by this' 

The dictionary definition of distress is ' anguish or suffering caused by pain, sorrow, worry or exhaustion; state of difficulty or helplessness; lack of money or necessaries.  So it seems to me that maybe when we talk about being stressed, what we actually mean is that we are distressed.  And if we are distressed, things start to unravel.  We might become tearful, we might start drinking more, smoking more, eating more, spending more time on the internet.  We might begin to have physical symptoms such as headaches, rashes, aches and pains and maybe sleep problems such as insomnia, or sleeping too much. We may become short-tempered and irritable which can lead to relationship problems. I'm sure you can add to this list. 

So, what can you do if you are feeling stressed?

First of all, take some time out.  I know this can be difficult, especially when you are stressed because of demands at work, but you will find that even 10 minutes away from the stressful situation will allow you to re-charge your batteries.  It's really important to do this before you burn out completely. 

Take yourself off somewhere quiet.  Sit down with your feet flat on the floor and your hands in your lap. Make yourself comfortable.  Close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose, and slowly exhale through your mouth.  Repeat this several times and as you focus on your breathing, with each breath in breathe in relaxation and calm, and with each breath out, breathe out tension and stress. Feel your muscles relaxing with your breathing.  If your mind starts to wander back to the stressful situation, just focus again on your breathing.  Do this for 10 minutes or so and you will feel relaxed and invigorated and ready to return to your normal tasks.  Why not try it next time you feel like things are getting on top of you?

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Always interested in complementary and holistic health care, I have recently started to question the western approach where the focus is on treating the symptoms rather than getting to the cause. How many of us come away from an appointment with our GP or a visit to a clinic with more questions than answers? How many of us have seen a 'specialist' in one field who isn't interested in looking at other symptoms which may be related but are outside that particular speciality?

How many people are on drugs that supress one symptom only to leave them with side effects that require more medication? For example, the medication to prevent acid reflux can prevent the body from absorbing iron properly, which means taking iron supplements which can cause constipation, which means taking a laxative, and so it goes on.....

There has to be a better way and I believe that so-called alternative therapies work because they work with vibrational energy. After all, everything in the universe is energy vibrating at different frequencies. And because complementary therapies take a holistic approach, they are often successful where traditional western medicine has failed.  If you have any doubt as to the power of the mind remember that even modern drug companies consider the placebo affect in clinical  trials -  and for the science behind it have a look at this link which describes the findings of research at Columbia University:

http://www.physorg.com/news105029324.html

I would love to hear your comments and stories. Please bear in mind that this is a public forum. If you want to send me a message privately, please use the form on the contact page.
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It's that time of year again.  Christmas is out of the way, the days are getting longer and we are starting to look forward to the year ahead.  What do we want to do differently in 2012?

New Year Resolutions are always about positive changes.  When we start the New Year we are full of enthusiasm for our plans to give up bad habits, get fit, lose weight, get the finances in order, make plans for life-style changes, etc.  It's keeping the momentum going that's the hard part.  Here are some of my tips for keeping motivated.

1)  Make sure your goals are SMART - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. 
2)  Tell people about your New Year Resolutions so they can hold you accountable.
3)  Ask for support if you need it.  Everything we do is easier with a little bit of help.
4)  Reward yourself appropriately when you achieve a goal. 
5)  Don't despair if you have a slip-up.  Just put it behind you and start again from where you left off.
6)  If you feel overwhelmed by one of your goals, break it down into smaller, manageable chunks.
7)  Take some time out each day to reflect and adjust if necessary.

And finally, according to researchers at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia regular exercise improves your willpower and motivation.  So making a New Year resolution to get fit could have a valuable spin-off.  It's worth a try.

Your comments are welcome, as always.

Happy New Year!

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It's amazing where you can find inspiration.  Keep an open mind and accept that people generally have good intentions.  You will find that inspiration comes to you out of the blue.  It might be something you read in the paper or something you hear on the news. It could be something you hear from a colleague, or something that a friend of a friend posts on facebook.   It might be the way the sun shines through the autumn leaves or it might be the words of a song.  Often it's found in the magic, mystery and awsome beauty of creation. But if you close your mind to possibilities and maintain the position that your way is the only way, there's no way for the inspiration to get in.  So challenge yourself to listen more than you speak and take some time out every day just to be quiet and clear your mind.  Do stuff willingly and without expecting anything in return and you will find that the inspiration starts to flow. Be kind.  Say thank-you.   

I find the Desiderata inspiring - some of it is here:

.....do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

If this has inspired you, why not leave a comment here.   You never know - someone, somewhere, might be inspired by what you have to say.  Let's start a tidal wave of inspiration!
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Inspiration 18/10/2011
 
  • Have you managed to turn a negative situation into something more positive?  
  • Do you know of someone who has managed to overcome disadvantage or adversity? 
  • Do you have a favourite quotation or poem which inspires you?

    Why not share it here?   Sometimes all it takes is the right words at the right time to make a BIG difference. 

    To start the ball rolling, here's a quote which Nelson Mandela used in his inauguration speech:-  

    from A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson:

    “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
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