Commitment leads to Results!

Stuck in a life rut?

January 14, 2008

Howdy! I hope you’re having a great start to 2008!

I’m sure some of you have made some goals/resolutions for the year, some of you did not. If you are feeling unmotivated or lacking the desire to make changes to your lifestyle-which will accelerate your weight loss-could it be that you need to spruce up other areas of your life first so that you will be even more happy (and motivated) to eat well and exercise on a regular basis? Are you stuck in a life rut?

Think about it for a minute. Do you live for the weekends? Do you have fun and laugh on a regular basis? Do you play often? Do you read new books/literature? Do you see movies, plays, musicals? When is the last time you visited one of LA’s many museums? Do you take advantage of all that Los Angeles has to offer? When is the last time you took a new course or class just because you wanted to learn something new? Do you like your career/job? What do you look forward to?

Conclusion to book reviews-conversation with Dad

January 3, 2008

After having read “Skinny Bitch”, I had a conversation with my father about what he and his family used to eat growing up in the former Yugoslavia (now the Republic of Macedonia). The book made me realize that either extreme is not optimal-going to excess with poor eating habits, and also taking it too far in the opposite direction-being too rigid and extreme.

Because I don’t think anyone knows EXACTLY what human beings are meant to eat, I feel that the best option (for me) is to eat as naturally as possible, including those things that you love occasionally (whatever they may be). There are so many “cultish” groups out there, trying to convince us that there way is the BEST way, the only way, and any other way of eating/thinking is wrong and will bring about disease and poor health.

So, I asked my father what his family used to eat back in the day. Now, my mother and father are the only people in their family who developed a disease later in life. There have been no reported cases of diabetes, cancer, or multiple sclerosis in my entire family line (of which we know).

Book Reviews-Skinny Bitch and The Wisdom of Menopause

January 3, 2008

Happy New Year to all! 🙂

I hope that you are gearing up for 2008! Writing down your goals, thinking about what you want to accomplish this month, in the next 6 months, or the next year. I usually don’t make New Year’s resolutions; however, I think that it is important to write out some goals-short term and long term. There is power in writing down what you want to achieve and in constantly reviewing and examining the goals you set for yourself. I hope that you will also do the same!

Over the holidays, I read two books related to health & fitness. The first is called “The Wisdom of Menopause” by Christiane Northrup, M.D., and the other is called “Skinny Bitch” by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. I wanted to share my thoughts on these two books because I feel that they touched on some very good topics that might interest you.

The Wisdom of Menopause was a fantastic read, and I urge any woman who is nearing menopause or going through menopause to read it. Menopause can be a trying time for many women. So many changes occur in a females body at this time, and it seems that the majority of women feel that they must undergo HRT (hormone replacement therapy) to alleviate the many symptoms that they experience during this phase in their life.

Too busy? Try these tips and suggestions!

December 25, 2007

Seasons Greetings!

As 2008 approaches, I am sure that you are all getting motivated to get started on implementing some changes to your lifestyle-I know you cannot wait! 🙂 However, once the year gets rolling, we will once again get wrapped up in our hectic lifestyles, and our health and fitness goals will possibly be forgotten or put on the backburner.

You may be thinking, “I’m too busy, I can’t possibly adhere to a strict exercise regimen”, or “I just do not have the time to eat well-it is too much work!”. With careful planning and a bit of preparation, I promise that you CAN start living a healthier lifestyle.

You don’t have to adhere to a super strict program to achieve benefits-you must do whatever you are able to do, in accordance to your lifestyle, and the time you have available. Here are some recommendations:

Just do it- and more quotes

December 18, 2007

Hello and Happy Holidays!

A friend of mine and I were talking the other week about the concept of “just do it”. I had mentioned that I had given up caffeine, and not too long after I told him this, he said that he was also going to give up caffeine. A bit skeptical, a few days later, I asked him if he had any coffee. He replied “no, I told you I was giving it up, and to go back on one’s word is weak”.

Ah, there is much truth and insight to this statement! I try to adhere to my word as often as I can, but somtimes I fail. It requires a lot of practice and commitment, but I also believe that words are powerful, and every time you break a commitment to yourself or to someone else, you not only disappoint the other person, but you disappointment yourself, whether or not you want to believe it or admit it. Every single time you break a promise to yourself, you weaken your spirit.

Think about it-how many times have you made a promise to yourself, only to go back on this promise a few days later? How did that make you feel? Not so great, right? Well, that is the feeling I am referring to. You lose confidence in yourself, you lose integrity.