FAQs
Do you feel like there’s so much more in life that you could be experiencing? Ever feel like everything is good, but you think it could be so much better?
Here are 3 ways to find clarity, and focus on doing something greater in your life:
#1 Discover your purpose in life- What is your passion? What are the things in your life that make you happiest and fulfilled?
#2 Write it down- The process of journaling helps create clarity, vision and stragic planning. Having the discipline of writing will keep you inspired and motivated to take action.
#3 Take more risks- As we get older we often stop taking as many risks. Maybe it’s fear of failure, or being afraid of success. We can’t let fear prevent us from the pursuit of our true purpose.
When we overcome any and all adversity that stands in our way and take action towards our dreams and goals, we will ultimately attain happiness and success.
Discover and live your true purpose in life!
Research has shown that the right foods stimulate the brain and enhance our mental ability, including concentration, motivation, mood, and sensory-motor skills. The right foods can also help reduce stress and slow down the aging process. (I’m all for that!)
Add these nutritious foods to your shopping list, and choose organic whenever possible.
-Leafy green vegetables
-Broccoli
-Berries: blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries
-Cherries
-Apples
-Avocados
-Flaxseed
-Brewers yeast
-Wheat germ
-Soybeans
-Whole grains
-Wild salmon
-Sardines
-Oysters
-Green tea
-Eggs
-Curry
-Coffee
-High cacao dark chocolate (I saved the best for last!)
Eat a rainbow of colors to get the proper nutrition in your diet. These “Brain Foods” are packed full of antioxidents, vitamins and minerals. All of these valuable, delicious, and nutritious foods will stimulate your brain to help you think more clearly, give you the fuel you need for an active lifestyle, and help you feel your best!
It’s a New Year and the perfect time to get healthy and fit!
“Do or do not not. There is no try” -Yoda
Set up a mind-body fitness plan that will inspire you and keep you focused. Start an exercise routine that will burn fat, build muscle, strengthen your core, and help your body perform optimally in everyday life. When your body looks and feels good inside and out, you do too!
What’s your first step? How do you change your attitude and get your mind in the right place?
Start by training from the inside out. You need to condition your “inner self” with a positive mental attitude.
Believe in yourself, have a vision of where you want to be, and make the commitment to get there!
”Your attitude determines your altitude”-Zig Ziglar
“Nothing happens until something starts moving”-Albert Einstein
Here are 3 exercises to help you get started:
#1- Spend just 20 minutes writing down what you currently think about your life. What do I like about my life now? How do I feel about where I’m at? My physical condition? My relationships? My finances? What frustrates me about my fitness and nutrition right now? What can I do better? What do I want to change?
#2- Take accountability and make your decree. Envision how you will look and feel, and what your life will be like. Start with a 10-Week Decree plan. Ten weeks from now: How many days are you working out? How do you feel? Do you have more energy, are you stronger, lighter, moving better with fewer aches and pains?
Write these down as if they have already happened. What does your success feel like?
Here’s an example to help you get started:
I wake up each morning with so much more energy! I am exercising 5 days a week and have lost 10 pounds! My posture has improved, I look 2 inches taller! I eat five smaller healthy meals a day and am getting 7-8 hours of sleep every night. My focus on physical conditioning has improved other parts of my life; I have a stronger relationship with my spouse, I am relaxed and happy with my life!
#3- Select key words from your decree and write them down on an index card. Choose words that will inspire you, and give you the strength and power to stick with your plan and honor your commitments. Read these words every morning, and carry it with you during the day to reinforce your convictions and keep you accountable.
Take Action, Train Your Mind and Body, and Transform Your Life!
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t…. you’re right!”-Henry Ford
From THE IMPACT PLAN, Todd Durkin
When people decide to lose weight or want to start exercising, they often wonder if they have enough willpower to actually stay commited to their goals.
“Willpower” is more or less about self-control, and you think that simply resisting that piece of cake (immediate gratification) will help you lose weight and be healthier (long-term greater benefit) Many times it doesn’t hold true.
Do you find yourself saying “This is the last time, I’m done being fat!” “I’m going to clean out all the junk food” Do you honestly think all you need to do is draw a line in the sand and break the patterns you’ve been living by for years?
Research has shown we have a limited amount of self-control or willpower. Mark Muraven and Roy Baumeister reporting in the Psychological Bulletin found evidence that self-control may consume a limited resource, meaning it can be exhausted and fail if used too much.
Additional research at Florida State University found that using willpower depletes relatively large amounts of glucose. Failures are more likely to occur when glucose levels are low.
Harvard researcher and scientist Daniel M. Wegner found in his research that losing and controlling weight really is about the preparation, the practice, education, planning, etc. Weight loss is more about POWER than willpower. Each of our actions is the culmination of an intricate set of physical and mental processes.
Be honest with yourself about your behaviors. Use mental rehearsals and think in advance about uncomfortable eating situations, then create a plan of how you will overcome them. Have an alternate plan of what to eat instead, and get the types of foods you want to avoid, out of sight!
It’s too difficult to constantly think about dieting, and it doesn’t work!!
Creating automatic behaviors help to create power. Arrange your personal environment so it maximizes your chances of success. Avoid temptation by not driving past your favorite fast food place, and get the junk food out of the house.
Incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Park furthur away at the mall or grocery store. Get on the treadmill in the am before your busy day starts, or get outside for some fresh air and vitamin D. Start a strength training routine.
Successful people figure out ways to make their behaviors and choices second nature. You can too! It will be worth it!!!
reference: The Diet Detective, Charles Stuart Platkin
Your Body’s Ability to Regulate it’s Internal Temperature-
Your body comes with it’s own built-in thermostat which cools you off by sweating when you’re hot, or by shivering when you’re cold. But as we age the body’s ability to regulate this system diminishes due to a complex set of body changes.
- Older people have a reduced sensation of thirst, so they often fail to replenish fluids lost by sweating
- Older people require a highter internal temperature before they start sweating
- Reduced kidney function contributes to dehydration and thermo-regulatory problems
- Older people who are less active have a lower fitness and aerobic capacity with a lower rate of sweating
Staying in shape can reduce your risk of dehydration injuries. People who exercise regularly have a higher total body water content, sweat more when they workout, and lose fewer electrolytes (potassium, chloride, sodium) when they sweat. Nonetheless, the older you are the more fluids you should drink, even when you don’t “feel thirsty”
These 10 biomarkers (check out all 10 on my website!) represent vital elements of the aging process that you can control. A short “health span” need not be inevitable as we age!
By beginning an exercise program, whatever age, and coupling increased physical activity with a nutritious diet, you can influence all 10 biomarkers for the better.
Science still hasn’t discovered a “fountain of youth” yet!! but the proactive measures that you take now will lead you toward maintaining a more youthful body and quality of life, even as your calender years add up.
Don’t wait for another New Year’s Resolution…… Start Improving Your Life Today!
Check with your physician before beginning an exercise regime.
Hire a certified personal trainer to help you get started on a safe and effective fitness program.
To learn more: Biomarkers: The 10 Determinants of Aging You Can Control by William Evans, PhD, and Irwin Rosenberg, MD, with Jacqueline Thompson
