Cinderella is More Than a Story

Poor Cinderella. All locked up, treated like a slave by her mean step-mother. She dares to keep her positive attitude while cleaning and befriending the animals. When the prince sends the invitation to the ball, she doesn't automatically believe she should stay cooped up and hidden. To stay behind with her "unworthy" and "unlovable" self would mean that everything that her step-mother and step-sisters said and believed about her was actually true. So, Cinderella does everything possible, to get to where she knows she is invited and to arrive where she ultimately belongs. It is a beautiful story of a woman who has a such a core belief in her value and worth that she disregards her circumstances. In the end, her dreams come true.

How many of us can say that we ignore our circumstances, what others say about us, or even what we might have been told from a loved one in order to rise up to live out what we know to be our strengths? My 10 year old niece recently auditioned for the role of Cinderella. She has always been a dramatic girl, and has a definite talent for the stage. Courageously, she stepped into her version of Cinderella...and got the part. She stood up in an audition and boldly believed she could be the lead character in a play. No negative thoughts to hold her back. No limiting beliefs about how she might fail, or screw up, or not be good enough, or that someone else was better than her. She believed in the magic of who she inherently is.

How are you stepping into your part? Do you face each day with dread for the duties you have agreed to that don't really matter to you? Who are you trying to please in your life? I challenge you to release your strengths and start living out of your inherent gifts, talents, and beauty. You are needed. Your life is special.

Try this meditation...
1) Picture yourself as Cinderella. Where are you in her story? Are you...

• sulking in the tower?
• frantically trying to clean and be friendly to help make yourself feel more adequate?
• finding the joy in life as you embrace your essence?

2) What are you doing with your invitation to the ball? Are you...

• becoming bitter and angry as you compare your life to those around you who seem to have it "together"?
• squelching your heart to keep the peace around you and maintain the status quo?
• stepping out in faith and living with confidence that you are loved, needed, and worthy?

3) How are you responding to your lost slipper, or the inevitable reality that life is hard even when your dreams and desires are strong? Are you...

• Striving harder and expecting more out of yourself and others
• Giving up and letting go of hope
• Finding new ways daily to expect only good regardless of your current circumstance

You may think Cinderella was unrealistic to believe in her dreams of a better life. But, the alternative is to believe that life will never change. Which will you embrace in the new decade to come? You already have the lead role in your story, how will your story unfold in 2010?

"A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep
In dreams you lose your heartaches
Whatever you wish for, you keep
Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling through
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
the dream that you wish will come true"
-Cinderella

Something to Chew On

I am reminded today that the primary perceived role of personal trainers is to help people lose weight. However, let it be known that some personal trainers focus on many other priority items such as injury prevention and recovery, sports performance, or diabetes management to name a few.

I happen to love to work with women around body image. Helping women and girls develop a strong inner belief about their beauty is what makes my heart sing. "The Body Positive movement, started by Dr. Deb Burgard, focuses on defining 'healthy weight' not from a generic height/weight chart or even by arbitrary Body Mass Index cut-offs, but rather as the weight your body is when you are living a reasonable life. The practice of the Body Positive message is not in focusing on weight at all, but rather the decisions you make day-today about how you parent yourself and meet your needs." Here is where it gets tricky.

We can be obsessed with an ideal that is not realistic for our life circumstances and body type, but we can also self-sabotage to the point where any attempt we make to feel better about ourselves ends up getting flushed down the toilet along with our sense of self-worth. There is the over-striving to please a peer-pressured and media driven society, and then there is the horrible consequences of hating ourselves so much that we don't even remember what it means to have a day where we are proud of who we are outside our own skin.

Where do you fall? "Who am I and how do I make a difference in the world?" has been replaced with "What should I look like and what image should I project?" (Kearney-Cooke & Striegel-Moore, 1992, p. 99).

How is your perception of your body or the energy of your health taking you away from how you are making a difference in the world?

Now that is something to chew on!

STOP the Chaos Inside

Every now and then, I have an event or circumstance that tries to knock me flat on my back with hopelessness, despair, and, in the end, a fruitless freak-out attempt to scramble to get things back under "control". We truly are are own worst enemy. Rather than saying no; rather than just letting things go and letting life flow out from us, we have an internal tantrum and demand that life behave. After all, it is our life and it must be tamed so that we know what to expect and live in such a way that our days stay organized and pretty, right?

Well, in my humble experience, the most important thing we can do is STOP. Will the world really end if we don't wear the same size jeans we wore in high school? Will all our friends truly desert us if we don't go to that happy hour on Thursday? What will people really think if we start allowing ourselves to be in the moment instead of constantly worrying about the past, hiding our present, or sacrificing what really matters most for the unknown future?

I am a driven person. I inherently push those around me and I get disappointed with myself and others easily. But I have found that when I let go, and I give my life some space to let in love and simply stop to see what can happen...then I allow others and myself to experience more in this life through the chaos than we would have if I would have kept it stuffed my tiny little box of expectations. See what a little chaos might do for you today...I dare you!

Are you a victim?

Women are fascinating. The highs and lows of hormones often leave us victim to unpredictable days. The problem: We slip easily into victim mentality when we aren't fulfilled by life. To fill our void we allow ourselves to be filled by whatever comes easy...food, alcohol, toxic relationships, etc. When we are in victim mentality, we don’t see the range of choices we have and we wallow in resentment. We feel helpless.

The solution: In order to eliminate our victim mentality, we must:

1. Start by accepting the reality of the situation instead of trying to achieve an unrealistic ideal.
2. Find the best choice available within the reality of the circumstances, and then
3. Accept that choice instead of resenting it.

Victims live in fear. They make excuses for their lives. They hide to make themselves secure. They make up irrational ideas to help them cope with their circumstances. They shut out relationships and turn to addictions to keep themselves numb. Victims don't always consciously choose to live this way, it is simply how they have survived their life experiences. We all have a story with a history and a plot, with tragedy and triumph. Have you been a victim to the story of your life, just letting life happen without any intent or goals, or are you embracing the story with all its highs and lows and forging ahead toward what you need regardless of what standards and ideals the media and social pressures may expect from you?

Let's face it. Life is not easy. We have to make the best of our individual experience. Which means that killing ourselves to try to fit into a size 6 jeans may not be what is best for our lives. It might feel good for a a moment when or if you can reach the goal, but only if it can help you to live a more balanced, healthy, and joyful life.

How will you embrace your story? What do you need to help you make your story more enriching and vibrant?

For more information about how you can connect with community and overcome feeling like a victim in your health and wellness program, read more about the H.E.A.L. program.

Exercise: Friend or Foe?

Time magazine published a feature article this past week about "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin". Far be it from me (a gal who has spent half her life studying exercise) to argue with the author, John Cloud, for profiling exercise in a predominantly negative light. I agree, losing weight is much more about what we eat and where we stand mentally/emotionally than simply spending hours on the treadmill. Let's take a closer look at a few common fitness beliefs to see how we can apply this information to our highest benefit:

1) Exercise burns calories which in turn helps us lose weight. The fact that exercise burns calories is true, and we can tweak how many calories we burn in a session by the intensity with which we exercise. However, it takes way more energy to burn calories through exercise than it does to simply just not eat as much. As we commit to more and more exercise, we may be left feeling worn-down and even more hungry.
Solution: Don't try to kill yourself with every workout. Make sure you still have enough energy on most days to do your "chores", play with your kids, etc. Surround yourself with healthy food choices so you are combining your exercise with a balanced diet/post-workout snack rather than binging after your exercise session.
2) When I exercise, it will automatically help me make better food choices. Unfortunately, when we rev up our metabolism from increasing our exercise, our body will tend to want to increase its drive for caloric intake as well. In Brian Wansinks studies on mindless eating, he found that out of 1,004 Americans surveyed, 86% sought out comfort foods when they were happy, and 74% when they wanted to celebrate or reward themselves. In other words, when we feel we have accomplished something, like completing a hard workout, we might lean toward rewarding ourselves with food. Not a great combo when trying to shed pounds.
Solution: Take the mindless eating challenge. It's free and could save you hundreds in unnecessary calories, simply by staying aware and making small, painless adjustments in your eating habits.
3) I have to run or lift weights to get an effective weight loss workout. As much as I love both running and weights, every one of us has different needs when it comes to exercise. Our personalities have a huge impact on what type of movement we enjoy, and what our bodies typically need most. However, doing any activity that gets your moving, smiling and generally getting our stress out is the primary goal.
Solution: You don't have to do what your neighbor does or things that simply drive you nuts. Commit to something you genuinely enjoy and do it consistently. I have some suggestions based on personality type here.

Overall, my response is that exercise can make you thin when it is used for the right reasons, with the right expectations, and in combination with many other life-style habits that contribute to wellness. These things might include getting consistently good sleep, eating mindfully and sticking closely to a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water, and surrounding ourselves with good relationships and work environments. Our individual health does not simply follow a single stream, it has multiple tributaries that create our river of life.

Expectation overload

I love waiting for a good thing. Maybe it is a sick trait of personal trainers, but I really do find amazing satisfaction out of watching the steady progress of physical change in others while patiently waiting for all the hard work to pay off. Perhaps this is what has always made me love running so much. In fact I get down right giddy about waiting to open a gift. Although, I have to admit, these days my ability to wait has waned. The expectation of what is to come is overwhelming at times. It doesn't really matter if we expect it to be a good thing or not, if what we expect doesn't actually happen, we are inevitably disappointed.

What are you expecting out of life that has left your overwhelmed or disappointed? The women I work with have a mile high list of expectations for themselves everyday...and they wonder why they always feel like they never measure up. It is even harder for high achievers or people pleasers to keep our expectations in check. We want it to have it all, give it all, and be it all...all the time. This just isn't realistic.

Here are some ideas to keep your daily, monthly, and life expectations in check:

1. Make a vision board: Take a half day (trust me, the time is worth it) and gather lots of magazines, clippings, drawings, or whatever reflects your life passions and put together a single page map of what is most important to you. If over the nest 2-5 years you could have all that you think would make you happy and successful, what would it be?
2. Plan out your days in time blocks. Not only should you put in your regular daily appointments for you, your kids, your mate, and your pets, but you should enter things in like, pay bills, grocery shopping. Anything that regularly takes time.
3. If possible, check in with your to do list as it reflects on your time blocks above. Do everything you can to delegate or get rid of tasks that either someone else can do (or be paid to do) or just decide to scrap them. This works well for things like book-keeping, cleaning, or dog walking.
4. Make a conscious decision to let go of your expectations and be gentle with yourself. If life is coming at you way too fast, and you are getting altogether too down and out about what you are doing or being...stop, take a deep breath, and let go. Ask yourself this question: In 5 years from now, will I be stressed out for not having done or accomplished whatever it is I am freaking out about now? If the answer is anywhere near no, then, please, let it go and relax. You are superwoman just as you are. Really.

Beating yourself up won't help

As a personal trainer, I often times feel like I am managing a jack-of-all-trades health position. Not only am I to be educated and experienced at weight training, flexibility, and cardiovascular health, I also feel I need to be a coach, psychologist, nutritionist, and holistic lifestyle guru. Now, if I can wear all these hats and do them perfectly, everyone will lose weight and love me, right?

WRONG. In the same way that we cannot be everything to everyone, and do everything perfectly all the time...I cannot try to be all-of-the-above-trainer at all times.

I am perfectly flawed. Yep, I have flaws...and they are perfect. I own up to them, I acknowledge them, and I understand that it will take a lifetime to either embrace them or work toward improving them. There are multiple reasons why I might sabotage my abilities by getting down on myself (and I promise I am ALWAYS trying to live above this) but I wanted to point out some ways you can avoid crippling your ability to stay on course with your health and wellness:

• Get accountability: via classes, friends, a trainer, a coach, or by joining a training group for a race or charitable event.
  
• Eat no less than 1200 calories/day for weight loss. You can estimate how many calories you need online. Be sure to include at least 25 grams of fiber/day, and lots of lean protein.
  
• Get 5 days of at least 30min high-intensity interval training: this would included circuit resistance training or interval cardio work.
• Drink half your body weight in ounces/day and reduce alcohol and caffeine
• Sleep 7-9hours every night. Ideally try to be asleep by 10:30 so you are ready for your morning workout.
• Plan. Put your workouts on your calendar and keep a log of what you actually do. You will stick to your plan longer, and have a nice reward of being able to look back at what you have accomplished. You can even keep track online!
  
• Have fun, ask for help when you need it, and reward yourself when you meet specific goals.
  

Getting past your past

I recently started a new program called "Downer to Dynamite". It is an 8 week series aimed to help educate, motivate, and support women who want to get out of their unhealthy habits, and begin to respect themselves mentally, emotionally, and physically. The incredible thing that has happened, is that I, too, have found myself being challenged by the program. Some questions really get you thinking about a variety of life-issues.

What has occurred to me is that most of us are still getting over insecurities or coping mechanisms we learned from our youth. If any of our basic needs for safety, love, food, movement, and shelter were ever unmet (think Maslow's Hierarchy), we likely created our own way to protect and care for ourselves. It is in these mechanisms that we are still reacting to our life circumstances. For instance, in the fourth grade, my family moved to a new school district where I first felt the stares of the "new girls". I felt totally unsafe and unloved. I thought I couldn't really trust people and that I had to please a lot of people in order to be accepted. Well, I still get anxious about friendships for that reason. And sometimes I cope with this anxiety by dressing differently or reaching for exercise or food to calm myself.

Thankfully, I have a high level of awareness of these defense mechanisms and have realized I have a choice to either react and let them control me, or I can let the real emotion sink in and deal with it healthfully by talking to people, doing some journaling, or remembering the truth that I AM ENOUGH, just the way I am.

CS lewis once wrote, “Pain removes the veil; it plants the flag of truth within the fortress of a rebel soul".

Understanding our source of pain helps us to unveil the truth of how we have created habits of self-preservation. Some habits could be healthy, others may simply serve to bring us even more pain. Ask yourself these questions when faced with chronic anxiety, stress, negativity, or pain to unveil your truth and start the process of forming new reactions to your circunstances:
1) Where have I felt this before? or, When did I start feeling this way?
2) Why am I reacting this way in response to this feeling?
3) Do have someone I need to forgive or talk to about this to get past my past?
4) What are some other ways that I can act out my response that honors my heart but empowers me rather than bringing me down?
For more info, visit Getting Past your Past

Play that funky music...

I often hear people say that they just can't motivate themselves to workout. Admittedly, I occasionally have those days too. But what I have found, is that when I really think about it, 9 times out of 10, I will always feel better if I just make myself get out there and move. Once I am moving, the stress and fatigue melts away, and I am can get in the zone. However, if you are finding that shear will-power isn't quite enough, you may benefit from having a trusted play-list of your top workout favorites to keep you going. A research team out of Stanford showed that music engages the areas of the brain involved with paying attention, making predictions and updating the event in memory. All great ways to make your workout more effective. Listed below are some resources for making your own awesome and moving playlist:

Did I tell you I am now a hip-hop extraordinaire? Get your top 10 hip hop workouts songs!

Wanna know what made the overall top 10 list?

Think you could do better? Create your own list with lots of recommendations on iTunes through the Sport iMix site.

Feeling manly?...here are the 52 Best Workout Songs according to "The art of manliness"

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a resource for a womens' top workout mix. Help a girl out! I would LOVE to make a Restoration Fitness top 25 by having you list your favorite workout music for women in the comments below!!

H.I.T. IT!

H.I.T., or High Intensity Training, is one of the best ways to get a great workout and overcome weight loss or strength gain plateaus. Essentially, it means packing a big punch of effort into little packages throughout your training. HIT stresses intensity over repetition. Additionally, adding higher intensity, more powerful effort bursts into your cardio program can also have huge benefits. Twenty minutes of high intensity interval cardio increases your aerobic capacity (VO2max) dramatically, maintains lean muscle mass, boosts your metabolism during and after exercise, and potentially burns more fat calories than 30-45 minutes of low intensity cardio.

Here are some tips to add high intensity into your program:

1) Choose a weight for an upper body exercise that you can only lift 6-10 times, lower body would be closer to 8-15 times. Use a 3-1-4-1 cadence for the lift. For instance, on a seated row: Pull bar toward your ribs for 3 seconds, pause 1 second at end range, spend 4 seconds allowing bar to return to start, and finish with a 1 second pause prior to repeating.

2) Finish your lift with a hold at mid-range to force the muscle to near complete failure.

3) For an intense cardio interval program try this:

• 3-5 minute warm up at easy pace
• 30 seconds at a sprint followed by 30 seconds rest
• Add 30 seconds to each sprint and rest interval until you reach 4 minutes total for your "sprint" interval
• After your sprint interval, take 4 minutes rest, then reverse the order back down to 30 seconds for each "sprint" and rest interval.
• Finish with a 2-3 minute walk or cool down followed by a great stretch!

**you should always either consult with your physician for clearance or have worked up to a high level of fitness so that you are able to work at a high cardiovascular, respiratory, and muscle intensity without risk of injury

How often? 2-3 days for interval cardio training and 2-3 days for your weight training. See expert Yuri Elkaim give you specifics.

Shrinking or Shining?

I have recently become the proud personal trainer for a wonderful woman named Sara. She is blogging and twittering her ups and down along her journey to lose 100lbs. Now, as much as I want to see Sara free from her extra weight, everything in me wants start out by saying...NO! It isn't about shrinking...it's about shining!

It takes a bold person to lay out her entire process of life-change for the whole world to see. That's not shrinking...that's letting your light shine! What if all of us started getting more real about our struggles, triumphs, failures, and victories? If you want extra support to help you reach your weight loss goals, follow these tips:

1) Follow a twitter dieter to learn great tips, tricks, and to follow along in the weight loss ups and downs. AOL health is currently following 24 dieters.
2) Read other great bloggers who talk about boosting your body image and self-confidence. My top 2 favorites are Dara Chadwick, who writes about the statement "You's be so pretty if...", and, Back in Skinny Jeans.
3) Get involved with a community of women:

• Invite women over to share your favorite health recipes, or, better yet, plan a cooking extravaganza one day a month for healthy freezer meals.
• Join a local training group. My favorite running group in the Northwest Denver area is The Solepepper F.I.T. club. All levels are welcome and Erin is so positive you can't help but want to laugh even while you run.
• Get real. If you aren't ready to tell the world about your process and want a more intimate setting with some direction and small group accountability on exercise, nutrition, and embracing a positive body image, you will find it at the 8 week Downer to Dynamite series. Semi-private classes are starting in June.
• Stay real. Tell at least a few friends our family members what you are doing. We all need support, especially when we are trying to change something that is a long-time habit like overeating or lack of exercise.
  

“Love is all around you, love is there in your laughter, in your hair, love flows everywhere. Love is older than you but the light shining through makes me see your love is all new.”-anonymous

Let your love for yourself and others SHINE!

Take 5 on Mindless Eating

Have you ever wondered in mid-bite (or maybe later, when your pants are a little snug after a big meal) why we eat what we eat, and why we think we need certain types or amounts of food?

Mindless eating is an American pastime.

Food will not fill any void other than physical, bodily hunger. It won't love you back, it won't fill your heart with love, it ultimately won't change your mood (at least not in the long term). YOU change your mood and YOU decide what is best for you because YOU are smart and are worthy of loving yourself. Even if the kids and family and work all seem to come first, you still get to decide that YOU are on the list.

It helps to start living more in the moment, and choosing to let the moment fill you up with joy and gratitude rather than using food to escape or fill a void you might feel. Celebrate with hugs, music, pictures, jokes, stories, listening, and being present. Put the food/drink down and simply notice. Food is not the occasion!

To overcome mindless eating, it helps to have some guidelines,
My challenge to you is to "take 5":
1) Eat 5 small meals a day (small is relative, but most snacks=100-150cals, meals=400-800cals)
2) Get 5 fruit and veggie servings within your 5meals/day
3) Maintain total calorie intake at 500cals less than what you mindlessly eat for weight loss
4) Take 5min at the start of each day to meditate, read a healthy affirmation, or write about gratitude for the changes occurring in your body
5) Workout at least 5 days per week

These 5 goals are not impossible to meet, it just takes being very intentional.

You should not feel hungry. Eat when you are hungry, and STOP when you are full. Stopping when you are full and waiting until you really are hungry is hard, and it may not serve you at first to eat the 5 small meals if you are really paying attention to hunger and fullness. Still, do your best to keep yourself from getting ravenous...that's why the small meals work.

If you can start thinking and living this way...you have won!!

Sizing up your mind

"A woman is but the product of her thoughts. What she thinks, she becomes."- Mahatma Gandhi.

Our thoughts, feelings, intentions and expectations are nothing other than waves of energy that vibrate at a certain energy level. We “broadcast” our inner thoughts and feelings continuously and magnetically attract all that is on the same vibrational level. So, when we are stuck in negative thoughts, feelings, intentions, and expectations about ourselves or our circumstances, we often attract the same things back to us.

Knowing that these declarations about ourselves are registered at a unconscious level by the world around us, we can begin to see why it can often be so hard to make changes in our lives. In order to change our habits, thoughts, and feelings we must first begin by committing to think about ourselves differently. Let's look at how to tilt the scales so that more positive than the negative experiences can come our way...try this exercise:

1) Close your eyes and imagine looking at your reflection in the mirror.

2) Rather than seeing what you might normally see, choose to see what you think you would look like if you were perfectly satisfied with your life and your body. Pay attention to the details of what you see.

3) When you open your eyes again, keep the image of what your mind brought up close to you throughout the day. It might help to journal about it so you can read aloud the words and description of yourself that you created.

4) Repeat this exercise weekly, and continue to journal what you see and how your life might be changing as you begin to deepen your connection with a positive and loving relationship with yourself.

Food as Fuel

If food were something we could live without, we might just try to give it up so we weren't so tempted by it. However, as luck would have it, we obviously must have it. As fad diets come and go and different opinions splash the news, how do we make sense of it all?

I mean, if we must have food, and we desire to treat our bodies with respect, then how can we begin to trust our instincts with food? We must start to see food as fuel. Just as a car must have the right type and quantity of gas for fuel, we too will function best when we fuel ourselves with fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean meats.
Try this experiment:
The next time you are tempted to eat something that will likely not be a great fuel source (ie. doughnut), ask yourself this question:

• "Would I feed this to Lance Armstrong right before he raced?" If not, then why are you eating it?

Stop the mindless eating. You have a tremendous role to play...feed your engine to stay on track!

Positive Thinking= Loving your Body

I was listening to a podcast from Compass, a women's coaching group, when the author/coach (Natalie Tucker Miller) said..."our positive thoughts give off energy, or vibrations, into the universe that not only affect ourselves, but others."

This is not the first time I have heard that our thoughts not only dictate how we live, but can also influence how others react to our energy as well. Recent studies completed in San Diego and Britain have shown that happiness is contagious. This is not to say that we should ignore our feelings, or try to deny our hearts when we are unhappy or discouraged. What researchers are showing here, is that by thinking positive thoughts, we can actually choose to change how we and others feel and act. Pretty awesome, especially for those of us who have chronically chosen to be negative toward ourselves.

The next time you hear that little voice inside reminding you about how fat, stupid, or "not good enough" you are, start thinking positive thoughts. It might seem crazy and a little like a lie to think the positive at first, but after trying this in my own life, I have proven this theory works!

Create your own inner catalyst for positive thinking, and watch for others to join you in your happiness!

Saying NO to the critic

I am reminded today of a time back in 3rd grade, when a few of the 'popular' girls poked fun at me for what I was wearing. I was brand new to the school, and could only conclude that either 1) they were stupid and didn't know what they were talking about, or 2) what I was wearing really did make me uncool.

I am not sure where the point is in life when we start believing both other people and even the voice of the saboteur in our head more than what is reality about ourselves. Take for instance my example above...what if they had said I were fat, or too skinny, or just plain ugly, or stupid? Would I go on believing that about myself and try to fight against it my whole life, or choose to say, "NO, my clothes are what I love to wear, and I happen to love them, so go find someone else to pick on!"

Often, some things people say or what we hear in our minds might even hold some truth. Our power to overcome these negative thoughts, inner self-pity, tormenting voices, or just plain old bad habits, is to choose to say NO, even if some part of them is true or holds a place of comfort for us. If what we have bought into is keeping us from accessing our strength and real character, it is destructive. So what if we have gained a few pounds? We are not defined by the size of our waist. We get to decide what we will believe, how we will respond to our circumstances, and what choices we can make to live our lives with abundance and joy.

What will you say NO to today?

The Biggest Winner...

I am constantly amazed at the amount of people who are obsessed with "The Biggest Loser". I suppose the compulsion to watch is driven by the fact that you get to see a person going through a real-life struggle, and whether they succeed or fail in the big and small decisions. Unfortunately, many of the people on this show are doing extreme exercise and food control. There is a benefit to this occasionally. To push beyond our limits and test our will and strength. I give them major kudos for the undertaking, especially when it seems half the world is on the edge of their seat to see the number on the scale every week.

Can you imagine? How would you like a film crew fixed on you the next time you step on a scale? On the flip side, what would be a better motivator? How can we choose to find our inner camera crew that will reflect and remind us of the desires of our hearts and the best-self characteristics that could make us choose moderation and hard work over binging and laziness?

If we can't all be on "The Biggest Loser" and have our entire life focused on health and weight management, what will we do to keep ourselves on the winning side of health for our bodies, hearts and minds?

FOOD LOGS ARE FUN

I LOVE food logs. Not because I am nosy or want to frown on those who eat too many cookies, (I just ate about 4 home-made chocolate chip ones...) but because I find that the food log gives little snapshots of why we eat and how food effects us. I just spent the last hour and half scouring through a week of food logs for a client. Perhaps it is my manic desire to help people find peace with food, but I love this process. As much as I loathe math, I find meaning in calculating grams and calories and suggested food ratios for clients. Here is a quick calculation you might find useful:
To find your basic caloric needs:

Weight________x bf%________=Fat lbs________

weight_______-Fat lbs_______=LBM (LEAN BODY MASS)______

CALORIC NEEDS:

LBM:________ x 12=CALORIES TO FEED LBM/DAY_________

This is your estimated minimal caloric need to feed your body so you don't start using muscle tissue for food. Ultimately the standard of eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full is key. I would add that getting as much of your calories from fruits, veggies, and lean proteins is the other biggest bang for your buck. Sorry cookies...you lose. Salad for me tomorrow:)