Hello everyone,
In my life I have never achieved an important goal or almost anything worthwhile without lots of hard work and some setbacks or failures. I see these as a kind of requirement of the process of success. The more I strive for, the more I get comfortable with getting out of my comfort zone and trying new things. I try never to live in fear, especially of failure. Go at your goals with the confidence and gusto as if failure was not an option.
I always find motivation and inspiration from some of the great phrases that have persisted over time.
Here are some I really like and get a lot out of, I hope you do too:
“Winners lose much more often than losers. So if you keep losing but you’re still trying, keep it up! You’re on the right track.”
-Matthew Keith Groves
“Winners never quit and quitters never win.”
-Anon
“In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins-not through strength, but through persistence”.
-Buddha
“Eighty percent of success is showing up”.
-Woody Allen
Friday, July 24, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Some useful websites
Hi everyone,
Here are some great websites that I find very helpful for managing my weight, exercise, food journaling and many things in general. Look around as each of these websites are very large with tons of information.
If you happen to find a favorite of your own, let me know so I can spread the word.
These are great for looking up calories and food journaling in addition to many other things.
http://www.calorieking.com/
http://sparkpeople.com/
http://fitday.com/
http://caloriecount.about.com/
Here are a few sites for calculating your calories expenditure doing exercise, including steps:
http://www.healthdiscovery.net/links/calculators/calorie_calculator.htm
http://www.stepsbywalksport.com/ss/SS_conversion.aspx
http://www.walk4life.com/customerservice/forms_stepstomiles.aspx
Here are a few sites for general eating better, fitness, etc. Even though these are websites for either men’s or woman’s magazines they all offer great info for both men and woman.
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/
http://oxygenmag.com/
http://www.menshealth.com/cda/homepage.do
Regards,
Stuart
Here are some great websites that I find very helpful for managing my weight, exercise, food journaling and many things in general. Look around as each of these websites are very large with tons of information.
If you happen to find a favorite of your own, let me know so I can spread the word.
These are great for looking up calories and food journaling in addition to many other things.
http://www.calorieking.com/
http://sparkpeople.com/
http://fitday.com/
http://caloriecount.about.com/
Here are a few sites for calculating your calories expenditure doing exercise, including steps:
http://www.healthdiscovery.net/links/calculators/calorie_calculator.htm
http://www.stepsbywalksport.com/ss/SS_conversion.aspx
http://www.walk4life.com/customerservice/forms_stepstomiles.aspx
Here are a few sites for general eating better, fitness, etc. Even though these are websites for either men’s or woman’s magazines they all offer great info for both men and woman.
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/
http://oxygenmag.com/
http://www.menshealth.com/cda/homepage.do
Regards,
Stuart
Thursday, July 2, 2009
When motivation wanes
Ok, if you know me you know I am a magnet for disaster. I am not sure if I am uncoordinated, clumsy, unlucky or a combination of all three. It has been about 1 ½ years since I ruptured my Achilles tendon and had it surgically reconstructed. Over the last two weeks I almost cut half of my thumb off during a cooking program and then a few days later I fractured my 5th metatarsal bone of my right foot! I think I have injured myself more often than anyone I know. You may now be wondering what this has to do with promoting health and wellness. The truth is, I think all of this must be part of a larger master plan set out for me. It seems to me if I am going to motivate others to overcome their barriers and obstacles, I will need to overcome as many or larger barriers of my own. You see, this all must be a test to see if I can not only “talk the talk” but also “walk the walk”. This really has been a test of my stick-to-it-ness and my ability to adapt and be creative with my eating, exercise and lifestyle choices.
Most of the clients I work with as well as the people attending my programs are looking to make a change of one sort or another. Most often they may be seeking assistance to lose weight or get fit. When new to a program most people are highly motivated and excited. However some quickly become tired, frustrated, bored, or discouraged, ultimately becoming unmotivated. I want to share with you what has worked for me and my strategies for keeping my clients and students motivated.
Most people I encounter are seeking a fairly straight-forward goal such as losing 20 pounds or trying to become more physically fit. In a surprisingly short time these achievements lose their excitement and motivation and enthusiasm weakens. My first piece of advice is: right from the get-go, or when things start to go off track, explore and focus on a deeper meaning for these goals and relate what this means in terms of your lifestyle and overall health. Focus on not only how you will look but more importantly how these changes will affect your overall health. Think about how you will feel when you have more energy, your sleep improves, and your mood improves. Think about how you will feel when you reduce your risks of many chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. These are far more exciting gains than just knocking off a few pounds.
Next, I like to focus on social and psychological improvements. How exciting will it be to gain the feeling of pride and being more in control? Becoming fit, losing weight, and feeling more vibrant may allow you to be more socially active. When things get rocky draw your attention to the new lifestyle that awaits you, improved self-esteem and possibly better relationships.
Here are some other ideas that you can do to find and keep your motivation. Use the power of the written word. Feelings can lose their excitement very quickly. However, if you capture these feelings on paper you can create lasting images that you can review over and over. Write down how you feel about being overweight, sedentary or unfit and what improvements you can expect from making positive changes. You can also write a letter to yourself when you are just getting started with a program and are highly motivated. Describe all of the exciting and rewarding feelings. When motivation starts to slip take this letter out and read it. If you are more the analytical type you can do a cost/benefit analysis. Divide a sheet of paper into four columns. Label the 1st column “cost of remaining the same”, 2nd column “benefits of remaining the same”, 3rd column “costs of changing”, and 4th column “benefits of changing”. Do this for both the long term (years down the road) and short term, (the next few months).
Another strategy is to set lots of “mini-goals”. I always find it easier to accomplish larger tasks by breaking them down into smaller ones. For instance, if you are having trouble getting started with a structured exercise program, make a goal of exercising for only 5 minutes 3 days per week. Each week add another few minutes to each day and before long you will be up to 30 or 40 minutes without even noticing. Or if you just have to have that ice cream treat, make the goal of sharing it with someone instead of eating the entire portion yourself.
One final suggestion for now and this is my favorite. Reward yourself for making progress. Write a contract that if you accomplish “this” goal you will reward yourself with “that” reward. The rewards do not need to be large or expensive, just important to you. Examples are going to the movies, getting a massage, taking time to read a book, you get the idea.
Have a great 4th weekend,
Stuart
Most of the clients I work with as well as the people attending my programs are looking to make a change of one sort or another. Most often they may be seeking assistance to lose weight or get fit. When new to a program most people are highly motivated and excited. However some quickly become tired, frustrated, bored, or discouraged, ultimately becoming unmotivated. I want to share with you what has worked for me and my strategies for keeping my clients and students motivated.
Most people I encounter are seeking a fairly straight-forward goal such as losing 20 pounds or trying to become more physically fit. In a surprisingly short time these achievements lose their excitement and motivation and enthusiasm weakens. My first piece of advice is: right from the get-go, or when things start to go off track, explore and focus on a deeper meaning for these goals and relate what this means in terms of your lifestyle and overall health. Focus on not only how you will look but more importantly how these changes will affect your overall health. Think about how you will feel when you have more energy, your sleep improves, and your mood improves. Think about how you will feel when you reduce your risks of many chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. These are far more exciting gains than just knocking off a few pounds.
Next, I like to focus on social and psychological improvements. How exciting will it be to gain the feeling of pride and being more in control? Becoming fit, losing weight, and feeling more vibrant may allow you to be more socially active. When things get rocky draw your attention to the new lifestyle that awaits you, improved self-esteem and possibly better relationships.
Here are some other ideas that you can do to find and keep your motivation. Use the power of the written word. Feelings can lose their excitement very quickly. However, if you capture these feelings on paper you can create lasting images that you can review over and over. Write down how you feel about being overweight, sedentary or unfit and what improvements you can expect from making positive changes. You can also write a letter to yourself when you are just getting started with a program and are highly motivated. Describe all of the exciting and rewarding feelings. When motivation starts to slip take this letter out and read it. If you are more the analytical type you can do a cost/benefit analysis. Divide a sheet of paper into four columns. Label the 1st column “cost of remaining the same”, 2nd column “benefits of remaining the same”, 3rd column “costs of changing”, and 4th column “benefits of changing”. Do this for both the long term (years down the road) and short term, (the next few months).
Another strategy is to set lots of “mini-goals”. I always find it easier to accomplish larger tasks by breaking them down into smaller ones. For instance, if you are having trouble getting started with a structured exercise program, make a goal of exercising for only 5 minutes 3 days per week. Each week add another few minutes to each day and before long you will be up to 30 or 40 minutes without even noticing. Or if you just have to have that ice cream treat, make the goal of sharing it with someone instead of eating the entire portion yourself.
One final suggestion for now and this is my favorite. Reward yourself for making progress. Write a contract that if you accomplish “this” goal you will reward yourself with “that” reward. The rewards do not need to be large or expensive, just important to you. Examples are going to the movies, getting a massage, taking time to read a book, you get the idea.
Have a great 4th weekend,
Stuart
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