New Year Strategy, Skills and Horses!

I have had an excellent week thinking about my objectives for the coming year, planning my strategy of how I am going to achieve my desired results and I am now focused and ready to go.
I have looked at what went well last year and what disappointed me which tells me what I need to do more of, what I need to avoid and also what new and different things that I need to consider.
On trying something new, I was fortunate enough to have an equine assisted learning and coaching session last week with Claire Misson from Mirror Me. Working with a team of horses we worked through a number of activities to develop communication skills, self awareness, personal effectiveness, relationship management and negotiation skills. The horses provided me with so much information about myself and my skill set and where my strengths are and what areas I need to improve on. The session provides opportunities to develop confidence, self-esteem and increase success for individuals or groups in business and leadership.
The outcome from the session was very interesting for me and has given me much food for thought about my skill set. I thoroughly enjoyed doing something completely different. I am not really a New Year resolution sort of person but my focus for this year is to do and experience different things and see what results I get rather than doing the same old stuff. Who knows what will happen but what I have learnt about myself is that if I am interested in something and it is meaningful to me then I change my routine and make it happen so that it becomes a habit.  Do you think you could do something different this week and have a new experience that could make a  lifestyle impact?

2015 – Make that Change!

I hope you have had a fantastic festive holiday and a very happy New Year.  I find the new year is always exciting for me as it is a time for reflection with regards to the year that has gone plus the anticipation of what the new year has in store. Taking that into account, I find it very useful to look at the following things:

  • What worked well?
  • What didn’t go well?
  • Taking both the above things into account, what have  I learnt?
  • What do I want to achieve in the coming year?
  • How do I plan to get there?
  • What is my focus?
  • How am I going to maintain it?

Looking at these questions enables me to continue and maximise my successful actions, avoid repeating what did not work and then focus/plan the goals I want to achieve over the coming year.

This can be applied to whatever you want to do whether that is losing weight, setting up a new venture, starting a new hobby or even moving home.

January is an excellent month for sitting down and planning your year.  Money is usually tight after overspending at Christmas so if you are stuck indoors, why not make effective use of the time and motivate yourself into the new year. When you start to achieve your goals, how good is that feeling going to be?

So come on —- don’t let 2015 pass you by.  Make those plans, take action and see what amazing results you can achieve!

 

 

Beating the Christmas Bulge – Part 2

Following on from my blog last week, here are the rest of my top tips for Beating the Christmas Bulge!

On the seventh day of Christmas what can I give to you?

Day 7 – Remove Temptation

Don’t have lots of chocolates and sweets at home too early in December. Don’t buy them early if you know you will eat them and then go and buy more. Know your habits and work to win and not to fail. Disappointment in yourself is a feeling you want to avoid. Being aware of the issue can help you avoid being persuaded into having things to eat or drink that you don’t want.

Day 8 – Opportunity

Go and do a different activity – not necessarily just about food. Find a Christmas market and walk round and look at the crafts, ice skating, bowling, start a new class – pilates, yoga or even an INSANITY class. Don’t put it off just because it is December, start now as you will feel so much better come January and achievement is a great feeling to experience.

Day 9 – Energy

Sleep well. Go to bed earlier on the nights that you don’t have anything on, enjoy a good book or watch TV in bed and allow your body to rest and recharge your batteries. Eat sensibly and drink plenty of water, your body needs it to keep you going through this very busy period.

Day 10 – Treats

Go on – treat yourself and make time for you! Book yourself a massage, manicure, pedicure or hair appointment, put your feet up with a favourite book, magazine, or watch your favourite film with your feet up.  Make time to spoil yourself – you deserve it after what has to be done to get Christmas sorted for all the family.

Day 11- Excitement

Have some fun! Smile lots, it’s infectious and it makes us feel good. Try something different and see what results you get. Laughter is a great tonic for the mind, body and soul.

Day 12 – Achievement

Give yourself a pat on the back. Recognise your own hard work and acknowledge that fantastic feeling. Give your trumpet a little blow.

I hope there has been something useful for you in my festive tips  for ‘Beating the Christmas Bulge’ and remember:

Small changes go a long way to making a BIG Difference!!!!

A Very Merry Christmas to You All…

Beating the Christmas Bulge

We can all struggle in the build up to Christmas to keep our weight management plans on track. So, keeping the Christmas theme in mind and thinking about the carol The 12 days of Christmas, here are some top tips that I apply on the lead up to the 25th December:

Day 1 – Value

Make you a priority. This seems an odd thing to say at this time of year when most of us are spending hours on end organizing and doing things for everyone else. If we do not value ourselves and look after our well-being then how can we do it for everyone else. Make sure you take the time to sit down when you can with that favourite magazine or have a coffee with a friend.

Day 2 – Time

Planning and preparation is key. Think about your week and your social engagements. Plan your meals around them. If you are going to be eating lots of rich food and drinking more alchohol, think about reducing your meat content that week or replacing things with Quorn, trying more vegetarian dishes or just reducing protein and carb portion sizes and increasing vegetables and fruit.

Day 3 – Delegation

Delegate those tasks that can be done by other family members – you do not need to do everything yourself. Think and plan what needs to be done and what you can offload to create more time for the things you really need to do! Much better to be calm and organised than rushing round and stressed.

Day 4 – Activity

Keep moving. Walk where you can instead of using the car, don’t put things at the bottom of the stairs – take them up. Go to your exercise classes don’t make excuses, don’t we always feel good when we make ourselves go and come out with that feel good factor. Dancing is a great activity especially at this time of year and helps to burn off a few extra calories.

Day 5 – Strategy

Think about your danger areas. When attending parties, think about what sort of party it will be. Know yourself and acknowledge your weaknesses. If you are a grazing person like me then don’t stand near the buffet table, take what you want and move away then sit strategically where it is going to be difficult to get out and get more. Select a smaller plate and choose a small selection of what you like, do not deprive yourself. Smaller and sensible is much better and easier to maintain than ‘not at all’. Always have a glass of water on the go to drink between alchoholic drinks plus it will help with morning after headaches. Staying hydrated at this time of year is so important for a multitude of health reasons.

Day 6 – Focus

Think about what you want. For some people its about losing some weight before hand ready for the treats later on or maybe its about damage limitation and maintaining the status quo. For others its about having freedom to do everything that they like and then deal with it in January. Plan for what you want to achieve and know  your outcome for January do not leave it to chance.

Have a great week, good luck with the first six and tune in next week for my remaining Beat the Christmas Bulge tips………

 

Public Speaking

Building my own business has led me into many areas where I feel I need to learn more or develop my skills in order to succeed. I have been practising one of these skills this week, having been invited to speak at a business event today.

I am always happy to talk to people about the journey I have been on, my experiences as a life coach and as a small business owner. I have many stories to tell about my progress in all these areas. But I know that as a public speaker I have to deliver these stories differently. In a one-to-one coaching session I am really in my comfort zone; when confronted by an audience I have to work at my delivery and interact in a way which is less natural for me.

There are many tips and tricks available to the novice speaker, but I would suggest focusing on one area first – get feedback! We all see many presentations delivered to varying levels of quality – from smooth and engaging to rather excruciating. We rarely see our own presentations to make these judgements, relying on other people to give us the sometimes harsh news that we are not the most natural or engaging presenter, maybe that we need to look at a different approach.

I would recommend that you help yourself to improve by generating as much feedback for yourself as possible. Work hard at your performance by:

Having someone you really trust see you run through your presentation and get good feedback from them.
Taking a friend to your “show” and getting them to tell you what they really think.
Using video or audio recording to get a true view of how you look and sound – you may surprise yourself.

Above all, keep working at it – there is always room for improvement and it will help you enjoy your journey.

Lastly, thank you to Ema Doherty from Exact Makeup Art and Red Leopard Colour & Style for inviting me to speak at your Christmas Sparkle Shopping Event, I had a most enjoyable and informative afternoon.

 

Don’t Beat Yourself Up!!

Weight loss journeys can be difficult and you may feel as though you cannot enjoy social occasions. In reality, of course we all can – but it does mean making different choices and applying damage limitation where possible.
I have had a birthday this week and also a long weekend away. At first I was concerned with how I would cope but after some consideration I decided to go and enjoy myself within reason and then deal with things when I returned to the UK.
I used the sight seeing opportunities as exercise and walked around as much as possible which also helped with the digestion of several heavy lunches and evening meals plus the consumption of more alcohol than usual. I also decided that while I was drinking wine I would go without cake with my coffee as a compromise.
I have thoroughly enjoyed myself, having ridden a Segway around Budapest, pedalled my way through the Central Park on a beer bike and had some fantastic Asian Fusion food at the Buddha Bar restaurant. I am now back in the UK and my focus is on planning and preparing for the coming week.
I will be planning my meals, which will help me create my shopping list of healthy foods to get me back on the wagon and into my little black dress for the Christmas party. I will be stocking up on fruit, vegetables, fish and chicken and limiting my treats this week. If there are no goodies in the house then I find I am rarely tempted.
My plan will include more vegetarian dishes this week, plus lots of homemade vegetable soup to help me get back on track. Exercise will also be very high on my priority list.
I will look back over my super week and appreciate the whole experience but then move on with the determination to stay on track for my Christmas goal by making some slightly different food choices.
Life does not have to be mean and miserable when losing weight but returning your focus to your weight loss goal and getting back on track quickly reduces the damage to the progress you have already achieved. After having a rest from healthy eating, take action and get back into the groove as soon as possible. Don’t beat yourself up, just draw a line under it, appreciate the good times, and continue with your healthy choices.

Don’t listen to me this week

Thanks to everyone reading my posts recently, especially those sharing them with your wider community of friends.  I always appreciate your feedback and comments.

This week I thought the best advice I could share would actually be this post from the Guardian, which was sent to me by a friend.  If you are coaching someone (or being coached) this week then this might help you cover the basics when developing personal goals.

You can contact me on the usual channels.

Weigh less at Christmas?

Whether you want to look gorgeous at the Christmas party or you just want to be healthier and fitter, now is the time to do something about it. Do not let time slip by, take action now and picture how you will look and feel in 6-8 weeks time.
Changing your lifestyle does not mean you have to go on a diet or join a slimming club, although these can help if you have longer term goals. Think about your daily routine and habits and decide if some of these need to change to allow you to achieve your goal.
If you always sit in front of the TV in the evening and snack on food that you really don’t need to eat, then the pounds will increase. But if you go and do something different that takes you away from the food adverts and puts your focus elsewhere then it is surprising how food is no longer a priority.
Just recently I have started to learn to crotchet and I find that if my hands are busy with the needle and wool and I am concentrating on the pattern, I don’t have the brain capacity to think about food and therefore nothing goes in my mouth.
I also walk instead of using the car whenever possible to increase my activity and it is kinder to the environment plus more cost effective for me.
I no longer place things at the bottom of the stairs to go up later, I take them up straight away.
I have bought myself a pedometer to monitor my daily steps, this is actually fun to use and a great incentive especially if I am getting near a daily milestone.
Smaller plates and smaller portions will certainly help with your weight loss. Increasing vegetable portions, reducing consumption of red meat and substituting it with Quorn will also help. Dishes such as Quorn chilli and bolognaise can be very tasty, particularly with fresh herbs and spices.
Looking at your habits and routines, making small changes now and doing something different are all steps you can take so that Christmas can be a positive, comfortable and happy time for you.

Stay on track and achieve your weight loss goal!

When we start to lose weight we are usually motivated, excited and driven but quite often we lose our enthusiasm as we are making that journey and never actually reach our final goal. We make progress over a period of time but then there always seem to be distractions to knock us off course.

How do we stop this happening so that we reach our ultimate goal?  Reflection and focus will help you stay on track and achieve weight loss success.

Make sure your goal is very clear and you fully understand why you are driving towards it.  This could be down to health, fitness or appearance reasons. Is your timescale realistic? What steps do you need to take to make it happen? What support network do you need around you? All these things need to be considered to ensure you achieve success. Make sure you set yourself some mini goals which will give you a sense of achievement along the way.

Once you have started to work towards your weight loss goal it is very important that you look back and reflect on your journey so far and ask yourself these questions and write your answers down:

What have I accomplished so far?
What has gone really well?
What am I disappointed with?
Taking the above into consideration, what have I learnt?
Has anything changed regarding my initial goal?
What is my focus for the next stage of my journey?
How am I going to make sure I achieve it?

Writing this information down will help you stay on track. Looking at what you have achieved and what works for you will help when the going gets tough and you need some inspiration to push on and reach your goal. If you hit a plateau then try something new to change things up a little and give you a different experience. Maintaining motivation and enthusiasm is essential if you want to get results. I find that trying new hobbies, classes and even new recipes really help to keep me on track.

Making healthy meals that all the family can eat makes life easy for you, you feel included rather than being isolated on your diet and it also assists you in staying on track.

Here is one of my favourite family recipes:

Turkey Meatballs with Tomato Pasta Sauce

1 pack of Turkey Mince
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1 tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander
1tbsp tomato puree
1tbsp any chutney
1tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Salt and black pepper to taste

Help from the family is always an added bonus.

Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together with your hands to form one large ball. Then take a little of the mixture and roll into a ball about the size of a golf ball. Line 2 baking trays with tin foil (or have an assistant to do it for you) and place the balls onto the trays then bake in the oven on 160 degrees (fan) for 10-15 mins.
Take a carton of passata and put in a pan with some sliced mushrooms, garlic and chilli (to taste) and season. Cook your preferred shape of pasta and add to serving bowls then place the meatballs on top and cover with the passata and mushroom sauce

This is one of the easiest meatball recipes I have made. They require no added fat to cook, and all my family enjoy them. Do let me know what you think or share any variations.

A healthy lifestyle is not just about what you put in your mouth, it is also about what you take in emotionally, spiritually and mentally. So, remember to reflect on your week, eat and sleep well, focus on your coming week, prepare, plan and then take action. Don’t forget to acknowledge your achievement and celebrate your success. Have a great week.

Change, Mindset and Success. Do you have what it takes to make it happen?

We make changes in our lives on a regular basis but not all of those things stick and become habit or routine. Frequently old habits slip back and so does that sinking feeling of disappointment.
Why does that happen? I ask myself.
The answer is to do with mindset. It took me until my mid forties to realise it was not just about the action I had to take to change something but also my mindset before I decided to change, then my mindset during the process of making the change and my final mindset – which was going to mean my continued success leading to permanent lasting change.

Change is usually prompted by an event or circumstance which makes us think about our current situation and are we satisfied with it? If not, then something needs to happen but before starting on the journey a number of questions need to be answered:

Why do I want to make a change?
What will the benefits be if I make this change?
Do I really want to change?
Will it be realistic and sustainable?
Do I need help from other people and if so, who?
Am I currently in the right frame of mind to make this change?

Understanding the reasons for making a change – and the benefits it offers us – enables us to create the right mindset for success. Positive language and using the words ‘I will’ and ‘I must’ gets the brain ready for action and our success rate is significantly increased.

Over the last several years I have lost a considerable amount of weight which has been down to eating a healthier diet and taking regular exercise. When I started out on my journey my mindset regarding exercise was that I felt pleasure if I avoided physical activity and saw that as a bonus. After several years of exercising and experiencing first hand the health benefits of feeling and looking fitter, I have now changed my mindset to feeling uncomfortable when I do not exercise and I don’t feel happy until I do some sort of activity.

Making  a new habit does not happen overnight and requires a lot of dedication, hard work and repetition. Scientists state that for a change to become a habit, it requires us to repeat that action between 40 to 70 times before our brain accepts it as the new regime. Also having congruency between what we say and what we do is a must. There is no point changing if you are not going to ‘walk your talk’. Just talking about doing something is not going to make it happen and will certainly not change your mindset. Understanding your change and why it needs to happen, taking action and believing success is achievable will lead to a determined and clear mindset and a successful outcome.