Secrets of Success

Vision Board & GOALS

I "vision collaged" my back of the door mirror, this way I "SEE" it all the time!!! Everyday, sometimes several times a day! Foods, Exercises, Physically fit bodies, places I want to go and things I want to do!! Anything that is something to strive for or look forward to I put it on the edge of that mirror. SO when I do that one last check in the mirror before I sweep out the door I know what I want in LIFE!!! EVerything I want to live for is there: Prayer, Familiy, Friends.Healthy Lifestyle!

Off the couch, on the floor..

Determined to stay off the couch in the evening after a long day and exercise, I found if I sit on the floor I end up doing all my Calisthenics, yoga poses and stretching, while hanging with hubby and enjoying our tv show.

Review and Tweak the Plan~

Whenever i'm getting off track or even when i'm feeling a little bored I look over my old blogs. Almost all of them give me a more positive perspective or solutions to what I want to tweak or change. Should I not feel more empowered or motivated to a new direction then I hit some of my SP friends blogs.

Team Effort

Working out with friends with a common goal DRIVES RESULTS!!! go to my spark page and lets all encourage each other :)

How to Avoid Post-Weight Loss Sag

When you lose weight, especially if you lose weight quickly, you risk getting saggy skin (just watch a finale of the Biggest Loser.. sad but true).

Instead of risking never being able to wear a sleeveless top (let alone a bikini) because of the excess skin, treat your skin right as you lose. Apply a good lotion (cocoa butter or shea butter is best) at least once a day (twice is better).

While you can't change nature (skin will obviously sag as you age), moisturized skin is pliable skin!

Staying Cool in the Summer Heat

When the mercury climbs, you may be tempted to reach for ice creams and smoothies or base your meals on sandwiches and macaroni salad... DON'T DO IT!!!

You are what you eat literally... Do you really want to be fluffy and filled with fat?

Instead of processed ice creams and breads, reach for fresh fruits and vegetables. You will feel the heat less.

Besides, no one ever overate (or got fat) on broccoli or apples

Treat Yourself

If you feel like eating a "treat" (or buying one)... save on money and calories by treating yourself in other ways...

Set your hair, rub lotion on, do your nails, give yourself a pedi, give yourself a facial, go sit in the sun for a few minutes, run a bubble bath... whatever makes you feel good or feel pretty... have at it.

By the time you are done, you won't even want that pint of ice cream or new pair of shoes :)

Adjust or adapt

Who said Life was easy or there is an end to struggle? Just as you have to make a lifestyle healthy eating change & adjust to it till it becomes part of everyday life & no longer a "diet" struggle. You also can deal w/ what negative life brings to you by accepting, adjusting to it, riding it out, gaining strength, knowledge & adapting to it's changes till life gets easier again. With time & experience, you get better at emotionally & physically handling things. The struggle doesn't ever end. But

Focus on what you are adding, not what you are taking away

Focusing on the healthy lifestyle choices I am adding, such as drinking lots of water, eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, and getting daily exercise, helps keep me much more motivated than focusing on what I am taking away. My lifestyle is then not about deprivation but about making good choices for a healthier me.

No limits!

At any age, and especially as we get older, taking charge of our health and making lifestyle changes is vital if we want to live a life of enjoyment and possibilities. Give it your all!

Take The President's Challenge

The President's Challenge (www.presidentschallenge.>org)
is another set of challenges available for FREE.
Begun in the 1960s, it has been available for years.
(Presidential Fitness Award, Physical Fitness Test, Presidential Active Lifestyle Award - PALA, or Presidential Champions)
The Adult Fitness Test measures aerobic fitness, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, & body composition.
PALA goals are 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week for 6 of 8 weeks (or 8,500 daily steps).

Exercise during the SHOW, rest during the commercials

Most tips suggest exercising during the commercials, and that's awesome, but on the days when I know I'm not going to do much outside (no work, rainy day, etc), I choose to watch something engaging that doesn't ask much of me aka a Lifetime Movie, and exercise during the movie and sit down during the commercials. I'm doing 20 min segments of walking in place, squats, crunches, etc.

Baby steps

Words to live by;
You can always do one more thing.
You can always wait a while for that snack
You can always take one less bite
Never lay down when you can sit up,
sit down when you can stand up,
stand still when you can walk,
walk when you can hop, skip, jump or run.
One little step at a time is painless and it'll get you there.

Get a plan

Almost every time I have slipped up, it is because I didn't plan ahead. I know I am going on holiday next week and it is not going to be so easy to exercise or eat healthily so I am making a plan for how I am going to keep my healthy lifestyle outside my normal routine.

Changing Lifestyle

Changing your lifestyle is like a round of golf.

No matter what you perceive as your handicap, you still have to play the game (of life) one shot at a time.

How I am going to drink the (dreaded) water

I decided to drink one cup of water before breakfast and one after, one before and after lunch, and one before and after dinner. That only leaves me 2 more cups to worry about. Maybe that will help me get it going! I hope this helps some of you who don't like water either. The other two I can make fun by adding lemons or power grape Powerade or just buy flavored water.

Good luck with the dreaded water! Chelsea

Fight your Weight Loss Battle at the Source of the Problem

Losing weight isn't the problem at all, the lifestyle is the problem so that is what needs to be fixed. However to fix your lifestyle it take a long term commitment. Committed changes take time so you can learn them, adapt to them and adapt them to you, and eventually love them.
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Make One Positive Change A Day

Diets don't work and neither do crash exercise regimens. The only way to see results is to have a healthy lifestyle. So change one bad habit to a good one and with time you will have a healthy lifestyle that you can maintain for life.

Fire Your Scale

For some of us the scale is our worst critic, our judge, jury and executioner every time we step on. Instead of focusing on weight lost, focus on healthy habits. Instead of making weight your primary focus, set healthy lifestyle goals.

Never Give Up

There are a lot of little things we should do to change our bodies and our health. But the ONLY thing you MUST do is never give up. Don't beat yourself up for mistakes, just move on and celebrate yourself for getting back on track.

Focus on What you Should Eat, Not What You Shouldn't

Celebrate healthy food, don't lament the bad stuff.

Yes, Man

I know it sounds silly, but being more positive has helped me A LOT!!! Eliminating simple phrases like "no, I can't do this" and "I feel silly" has done so much for me. I'm not very far towards my goal yet, but I am definitely on the right track to getting there.

Start Living your Life now - don't wait!

Don't wait until you're at your perfect weight to do the things you want to do. Get out there and get busy, and you'll have less time to obsess over food and you'll get more enjoyment from you life. That's right. DO it RIGHT NOW!