As the New Year approaches, I'd like to expose three of the more common "Rez Busters" before you make a New Year's Resolution!
Buster #1: Too Long – After two weeks or even two days, many of us give up on a goal as soon as we realize that our goal will take more time than we have planned for achieving it. It happens the moment we become discouraged, or impatient, or quickly bored with our new (usually less fun) routine. The best antidote for this Rez Buster is to have an accountability partner. Whether a coach or a friend, we need someone (visible, physical, and friendly) to remind us (a) that we REALLY wanted to achieve it and (b) that’s it’s worth the effort to keep on “keeping on.”
Buster #2: Too Busy - Initially, most of us have great intentions and true passion to change, but we tend to be unrealistic with the limited number of hours in our day/week. If you start something new and you are already a busy person (overworked, overwhelmed, or overcommitted), you will need to eliminate something currently in your schedule to make room for the new routine. To avoid this Rez Buster--whether you want to take a class, join a gym, or eat healthy—you will have to plan ahead to grocery shop, prepare meals, add “to-and-from” drive time to your day, or set the alarm to get up earlier or go to bed earlier than in the past.
Buster #3: Too Hard – We’re all susceptible to quitting when something gets too hard. The problem with fatigue is that it is convincing. We DO feel tired, and sore, and weak. And that is normal. My husband is a marriage counselor who reminds couples when they complain to him, saying, “Marriage shouldn’t be this hard,” that healthy, successful relationships DO take work, they ARE hard at times, and that it’s natural to feel that way! To overcome this Rez Buster, you need to talk to and hang out with people who have achieved and sustained the goal you want to achieve. For example, at AA meetings, those of us with years of sobriety are of great encouragement to those who are just beginning. We are living proof that hard work is both required, possible, and worth it when pursuing a difficult goal.
Having been married and sober for almost thirty-three years, I know that accountability, planning, and encouragement are the keys to turning “consecutive days” into decades of consistency. So before you set your goals (which I hope you to do), make your resolutions with eyes wide open, and remember, that one day at time is the best “little change” you can make if you want to see a big result!
Be encouraged and Happy New Year,
Becky
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Can you imagine not having legs?
Just try to imagine being a child who is unable to walk or play with other children.
Just try to imagine being a mother who is unable to help your severely crippled child.
Just try to imagine being a person who has been crippled since childhood and is unable to leave home because you cannot walk.
You don't have to imagine it; you can see it right now in a short, 3 minute YouTube video that reveals the reality of such an unimaginable life.
In the video you'll watch stories of people who cannot walk. They will bring tears to your eyes and hurt to your heart. More importantly, my hope is that it will compel you to give (as it did me) a small donation to an organization that gives mobility, freedom, and joy to the most impoverished people in the world. $59.20 produces, ships and delivers a unique wheelchair to all parts of the world—and even more money can help an entire region! My friend, Mike, works for this organization that meets the needs of such people. It is called Free Wheelchair Mission. (Mike has no idea that I’m writing about him or FWM today.)
Will you join me this Christmas season in giving a gift to someone you’ll never meet while on earth (perhaps in heaven), BUT whose life will be POWERFULLY changed on earth because of your gift? Simply click here for more information or donate one wheelchair—I did it this morning; it was REALLY easy. Maybe you can share some of your extra Christmas cash, return a gift that you'll never use and donate the cash to FWM, use part of a gift card or write and mail a check in memory of someone you love?
Christmas—for my family—is the season in which we celebrate the gift that God gave to the earth two thousand years ago--Jesus. Because we have a God who loves us so much, so unconditionally, so personally, we are compelled to give in the same way.
Will you give a wheelchair—which will take a little change out of your bank account (about $59.20 worth of change), yet have a big result in one man, woman, boy or girl's life?
Let me know if you GIVE—let’s see how many wheelchair donations one blog can inspire in the next week—okay? FYI: Though MANY of you post on my facebook account, if you and your family give a wheelchair, please make a comment here. Okay? By the way, I don’t receive any kickback of any sort if you give—Mike doesn’t even know I’m doing this! I’d love to think that LCBR caused at least 10 wheelchairs to be donated!! Yes?
Merry Christmas and be encouraged,
Becky
Just try to imagine being a mother who is unable to help your severely crippled child.
Just try to imagine being a person who has been crippled since childhood and is unable to leave home because you cannot walk.
You don't have to imagine it; you can see it right now in a short, 3 minute YouTube video that reveals the reality of such an unimaginable life.
In the video you'll watch stories of people who cannot walk. They will bring tears to your eyes and hurt to your heart. More importantly, my hope is that it will compel you to give (as it did me) a small donation to an organization that gives mobility, freedom, and joy to the most impoverished people in the world. $59.20 produces, ships and delivers a unique wheelchair to all parts of the world—and even more money can help an entire region! My friend, Mike, works for this organization that meets the needs of such people. It is called Free Wheelchair Mission. (Mike has no idea that I’m writing about him or FWM today.)
Will you join me this Christmas season in giving a gift to someone you’ll never meet while on earth (perhaps in heaven), BUT whose life will be POWERFULLY changed on earth because of your gift? Simply click here for more information or donate one wheelchair—I did it this morning; it was REALLY easy. Maybe you can share some of your extra Christmas cash, return a gift that you'll never use and donate the cash to FWM, use part of a gift card or write and mail a check in memory of someone you love?
Christmas—for my family—is the season in which we celebrate the gift that God gave to the earth two thousand years ago--Jesus. Because we have a God who loves us so much, so unconditionally, so personally, we are compelled to give in the same way.
Will you give a wheelchair—which will take a little change out of your bank account (about $59.20 worth of change), yet have a big result in one man, woman, boy or girl's life?
Let me know if you GIVE—let’s see how many wheelchair donations one blog can inspire in the next week—okay? FYI: Though MANY of you post on my facebook account, if you and your family give a wheelchair, please make a comment here. Okay? By the way, I don’t receive any kickback of any sort if you give—Mike doesn’t even know I’m doing this! I’d love to think that LCBR caused at least 10 wheelchairs to be donated!! Yes?
Merry Christmas and be encouraged,
Becky
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Dieting Makes Mice and Men Miserable!
Because coaching weight loss is a big part of what I do on a weekly basis, I was very intrigued by the recent research published by Tracy Bale, PhD and his team from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. They discovered that diets (or food depravation) not only cause depression, but weight gain--in mice! Their findings not only make sense to scientists--and their mice--but to anyone who has ever been on a diet.
Purposely, before the researchers put laboratory mice on a diet, they let them eat whatever they wanted for a specific amount of time. Not a surprise, the mice--given unlimited access to food--overate. (Sound familiar?) When the mice were put on a strict diet of fewer, controlled calories, they became fatigued, disinterested, and lacked motivation (you won’t believe how they tested this…). After the mice were taken off the diet, they were allowed to eat anything they wanted. Once again, they overate uncontrollably, quickly packing on more weight then before they went on a diet!
Here is what the researchers concluded:
1. Dieting makes both mice and men miserable.
By testing the blood of the mice, Bayle also found that several genes important in regulating stress and eating had changed. Previous research shows that experiences can alter the form and structure of DNA, an effect known as epigenetics. Even after the mice were fed back to their normal weights, the epigenetic changes remained. It's as if they were mice on the verge of a nervous breakdown and their way to deal was to keep on binging long after the food restriction was lifted.
"Evolution developed the brain to rapidly respond to a reduction in calories as well as change its programming for the future," Bale explained. "If you were in a famine and came across something calorically dense, your brain will tell you to eat as much as possible and pack on the calories and pounds because there could be another famine coming." To lose weight, many of us could benefit from reverse engineering this phenomenon out of the brain. Bale speculates this could be done by adding a stress reduction component to every diet.
2. Controlling stress helps a person retain weight loss.
"Because stress drives the brain pathways that seek out reward, most people seek that reward from high-calorie food. You need to find non-caloric stress releases, like yoga or exercise, to deal with it instead," Bale said, adding that preliminary investigative evidence proving yoga and meditation lead to weight loss comes as no surprise to her. A 2009 study by Australian researchers revealed that “those on low-fat diets maintained an increase in positive mood throughout the year.”
In the 2009 Australian study, “participants met with a dietician twice a month to help them stay on track and researchers assessed participants' feelings of depression, anxiety, anger, and fatigue before the diet began, after eight weeks of dieting, 24 weeks, and at the end of the year. Though participants consumed the same amount of calories and lost the same amount of weight -- 30 pounds on average -- only those on the low-fat diet maintained an increase in positive mood throughout the year. Dr. Keith Ayoob, nutritionist and associate professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York said, 'When a diet is [very] low in carbs, it can start to wear you down.'"
3. Controlling portions is the real secret to weight loss.
It may also be worth noting that when scientists like Bale want their furry subjects to slim down, they don't slip hoodia in their water, feed them exclusively grapefruit, or ask them to subsist on baby food. They simply cut back their portion sizes. Funny enough, it always seemed to work. Of course, that's not the point of this study and clearly, a mouse is not a person any more than a laboratory is a fast food joint. But besides getting diet stress under control, eating less is a good take home message for anyone who is looking for the real secret to losing weight.
As we approach both the holiday season of unlimited food festivities and the guilt and goals that follow with New Year "diet resolutions," I'd like to suggest making just a few little changes in your lifestyle, in order to see big results in your health.
1. Embrace a food plan that revolves around portion and carbohydrate control, as well as lower-fat foods.
2. Enlist an accountability partner (friend, coach, counselor, mentor) to help you process your emotions while losing weight.
3. Engage in a body and mind exercise program that includes stretching and burning and breathing and building...
Over the next few days and weeks, consider HOW you can make these "little changes" happen. If I can help you, don't hesitate to ask a question or join one of my groups in 2011. For more information, visit LittleChangesBigResults.TV.
Be encouraged,
Becky
Purposely, before the researchers put laboratory mice on a diet, they let them eat whatever they wanted for a specific amount of time. Not a surprise, the mice--given unlimited access to food--overate. (Sound familiar?) When the mice were put on a strict diet of fewer, controlled calories, they became fatigued, disinterested, and lacked motivation (you won’t believe how they tested this…). After the mice were taken off the diet, they were allowed to eat anything they wanted. Once again, they overate uncontrollably, quickly packing on more weight then before they went on a diet!
Here is what the researchers concluded:
1. Dieting makes both mice and men miserable.
By testing the blood of the mice, Bayle also found that several genes important in regulating stress and eating had changed. Previous research shows that experiences can alter the form and structure of DNA, an effect known as epigenetics. Even after the mice were fed back to their normal weights, the epigenetic changes remained. It's as if they were mice on the verge of a nervous breakdown and their way to deal was to keep on binging long after the food restriction was lifted.
"Evolution developed the brain to rapidly respond to a reduction in calories as well as change its programming for the future," Bale explained. "If you were in a famine and came across something calorically dense, your brain will tell you to eat as much as possible and pack on the calories and pounds because there could be another famine coming." To lose weight, many of us could benefit from reverse engineering this phenomenon out of the brain. Bale speculates this could be done by adding a stress reduction component to every diet.
2. Controlling stress helps a person retain weight loss.
"Because stress drives the brain pathways that seek out reward, most people seek that reward from high-calorie food. You need to find non-caloric stress releases, like yoga or exercise, to deal with it instead," Bale said, adding that preliminary investigative evidence proving yoga and meditation lead to weight loss comes as no surprise to her. A 2009 study by Australian researchers revealed that “those on low-fat diets maintained an increase in positive mood throughout the year.”
In the 2009 Australian study, “participants met with a dietician twice a month to help them stay on track and researchers assessed participants' feelings of depression, anxiety, anger, and fatigue before the diet began, after eight weeks of dieting, 24 weeks, and at the end of the year. Though participants consumed the same amount of calories and lost the same amount of weight -- 30 pounds on average -- only those on the low-fat diet maintained an increase in positive mood throughout the year. Dr. Keith Ayoob, nutritionist and associate professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York said, 'When a diet is [very] low in carbs, it can start to wear you down.'"
3. Controlling portions is the real secret to weight loss.
It may also be worth noting that when scientists like Bale want their furry subjects to slim down, they don't slip hoodia in their water, feed them exclusively grapefruit, or ask them to subsist on baby food. They simply cut back their portion sizes. Funny enough, it always seemed to work. Of course, that's not the point of this study and clearly, a mouse is not a person any more than a laboratory is a fast food joint. But besides getting diet stress under control, eating less is a good take home message for anyone who is looking for the real secret to losing weight.
As we approach both the holiday season of unlimited food festivities and the guilt and goals that follow with New Year "diet resolutions," I'd like to suggest making just a few little changes in your lifestyle, in order to see big results in your health.
1. Embrace a food plan that revolves around portion and carbohydrate control, as well as lower-fat foods.
2. Enlist an accountability partner (friend, coach, counselor, mentor) to help you process your emotions while losing weight.
3. Engage in a body and mind exercise program that includes stretching and burning and breathing and building...
Over the next few days and weeks, consider HOW you can make these "little changes" happen. If I can help you, don't hesitate to ask a question or join one of my groups in 2011. For more information, visit LittleChangesBigResults.TV.
Be encouraged,
Becky
Sunday, December 5, 2010
The Gift of Change
This is the season to give. Maybe it is time to change the way you give gifts? Even a little change will have a big result in someone else's life. Check out this blog (my son and his wife's) for 6 places to purchase gifts that each have a "give back" component:
JakeandKhara.blogspot.com
Included on the blog are links to 31 Bits, Krochet Kids, Toms, Mocha Club, One Mango Tree and Light Gives Heat--all organizations that are working to change people's lives. Make a change in the way you do gift-giving this year!
Be encouraged,
Becky
JakeandKhara.blogspot.com
Included on the blog are links to 31 Bits, Krochet Kids, Toms, Mocha Club, One Mango Tree and Light Gives Heat--all organizations that are working to change people's lives. Make a change in the way you do gift-giving this year!
Be encouraged,
Becky
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