LightenUp: Every mind, every body.

I was recently reading an e-newsletter from realage.com which wisely advises:

"When you lift that forkful of whole-wheat pasta to your mouth, do you think "tasty," or do you think "healthy"? To curb overeating, focus on the mouth appeal.

In a recent study, thinking about a food's delicious flavor rather than its nutritional or health-related benefits helped to curb hunger later in the day."

So LightenUp online community let's all choose to focus on how tasty our meal is which will reduce overeating but also increase our enjoyment of the act of eating itself.

I remember something my mother said to me when I was trying to decide whether I would study a particular course after I had left HSC.  She asked me how old i would be in 2 years time and I said, 20 and she said how old will you be in 2 years time when you've completed the course?  Well.... 20...  Time is still going to pass whether you choose to do something specific with your life or not.  The same applies to making changes in your life.  In one year, you will be one year older - do you want to be one year older and feel the same as you do now?  Or do you want to be one year older and feel even more vibrant, happy, joyful and alive!?  What small, daily, easy changes can you make in your life that will accumulate to a great shift by the time 12 months comes around?  For me, I'd like to run a half-marathon by this time next year.  One small change i can make immediately is for example, adding 15mins to my current runs; or perhaps booking in with a personal trainer to help me work out a schedule.  Whatever else I do, I know that by this time next year, I will have run a half-marathon.

What do you want to be, do or have by this time next year?

The Famous Weekly Magazine from 25 January 2010 talks about celebrities weighing in as the body debate continues to rage.  LightenUp really likes what Jessica Alba has to say: “So I’ll take the stretch marks. I’ll take the sagging boobs.  I’ll take the cellulite I can never get rid of.  Even though some might call flaws, I’ve learnt to love my stretch marks!”  Is there a part of you that you want to learn to love?  Why not start today but looking at the parts of you that you don't like and deciding to see the good in them.  Perhaps they represent the joy you have experienced in your life, good times with family and friends, or wisdom of the years?  Of maybe they just show that like all of us you have bits you love more than others....learning to accept and then love all your bits is what will move you to the body you truly want.

Whenever I hear the word 'respect' it always reminds me of Aretha Franklin's song on the subject :)  At LightenUp we have been working on some new resources to support people in achieving the body they want and feeling better about themselves.  We know that a key part of weight loss success and sustainability is cultivating a health level of self respect so we are excited to say they we are in the final stages of developing a 'Self Respect in 30 Days' e-based program which will be released shortly.  Both the directors of LightenUp have trialled the program to test it out on our own lives and have found it to be extremely beneficial in terms of feeling better about ourselves, and making choices about our eating, exercise, sleep and general health from a place of self care and self regard rather than a negative space.  Can you imagine a world where every one of us steps up our self respect a notch?

If any of you have been watching the Biggest Loser this season, the changes are quite dramatic and i think long overdue.  Previously it was all about food and exercise; how much of each and one needed to be less than the other (as everyone knows but sometimes doesn't follow!)  This season, sees the addition of the Masterclasses where they give the contestants advice, tools and resources to be able to continue their weightloss and lifestyle changes outside of the un-reality of the Camp.  They're asking them to think about why they eat and why they let themselves get to the weight they were.  It's so important to know your 'why'.  Everyone knows the 'how' but rarely considers the 'why' because often it's too hard.  This is key to sustaining and mantaining the changes.  It's the same for evereyone who lives in the real world - we have to make changes that are realistic and manageable while understanding why we want them.  The key is to set yourself up for success, don't overwhelm yourself and take one step at a time.  One drop of water in a bucket will not fill it, but many single drops will.

The latest issue of the Wellbeing Magazine (www.wellbeing.com.au) has a great article entitled ‘The Wow of Now’. It talks about the importance of mindfulness for reducing stress and anxiety, but also how it can boost happiness because the practice helps us to savour every moment. LightenUp – the intelligent approach to weight loss – teaches the benefits of mindfulness in terms of eating.  When we are 100% aware of the food we are eating, the taste, the texture, the smell, our chewing, our stomach satiety signals, we derive far more pleasure from the practice of eating and we create more happiness in our lives.  So when you next eat something take the extra moment to sit down, look at your food, smell it, eat it slowly and savour the whole experience.  We guarantee you won’t regret it – and chances are you will only eat what you need.  Bon appétit!

How many of you go through life asking yourself all sorts of Why questions?  Questions like, “Why am I so fat?” “Why can’t I lose weight?” “Why is exercise so hard?”  And the list goes on (I won’t because it’s doesn’t feel good at all!!) 

Our brains are designed to search for the answers we ask it, negative or positive – it can’t tell the difference.  What would happen if you started to ask yourself positive Why Questions?  Try “Why is it so easy for me to lose weight?” “Why do I love exercising so much?” “Why am I so deserving of all the good things in life?”  And on this list can go!  When you read these, don’t they make you feel good?!  The key is to also take action in the right direction – i.e. you can’t continually ask yourself the first question and then remain on the couch, watching TV and snacking on chocolate!  That just doesn’t make sense.

So, think about the negative why questions you’ve been saying to yourself and then turn them into positives and then ask, ask, ask! 

Oh how easy it is to procrastinate!  I've quite the champion at it and have now made the decision to no longer specialise in this area but to now specialise in taking action.  Having started already, it's amazing how much better I feel!  It's also amazing to see how it translates across different areas of my life.  If I am procrastinating in one area, chances are I'm procrastinating in most areas!  By just doing the thing that needs to be done actually makes it all feel better!  I've also realised how much more I get done in my day.  So, I now have a no procrastination zone!  Right, I'm off to take some action!

Everyone I’m sure has heard the real estate mantra, it’s all about “location, location, location!”  Well in our world, it’s all about “action, action, action!”  While it would be so easy if we could simply visualise our ideal bodies into existence, the reality is whatever you decide you want in terms of your health, fitness, life etc there is always a level of action that must be taken.  You can’t visualise your best body and continue to lie on the couch snacking on less than healthy food!  What one action do you need to take that will give you a kick-start?  My friend Sue has a great blog called The One Action – this is more business focused, but if that’s easier for you to start on, then go check it out.  Once you start getting used to taking just one action to move you closer to wherever it is you want to be, the easier it will be to focus that one action on yourself.  Happy actioning!