Don’t get me wrong. You still have to exercise and eat less. But understanding your pattern and using the related supplements can help according to Amen.

I will be talking about this today. Learn more at www.blogtalkradio.com/imready4me.

A friend of mine just upgraded to unlimited minutes. I now talk to her twice as much each day than I did before. Nothing else changed. The unexpected consequences are now we spend more time on the phone and sometimes I have to say “Busy, can’t talk now.” The same dynamics of change and unexpected  consequences can happen to help improve your lifestyle.

4 Small Chances

Here are 4 small but important changes that will help you with your weight loss and just make you feel better.

1. Eat breakfast within 1 hour of getting up. This kick starts your metabolism first thing. The unexpected consequence is that when you anchor in this meal, you start the day feeling like you did something good for yourself. This feeling will carry through your eating the whole day.

2. Eat 4-6 balanced mini-meals each day. By spacing out your body’s fuel, you burn it all day and do not have highs and lows. You will also never feel overly hungry and that cuts down on binging.

3. Have more than 10g of protein in all your meals. You should be getting 50 to 60 grams of protein a day. Protein is necessary for the building and repair of body tissues. It also regulates the body’s processes. If you are not getting enough protein while losing weight, your body is not at it’s best. You could also experience hair thinning.

4. Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. When a person sleeps, the body and mind are working just as hard as when the person is awake. Besides reviving energy, sleep maintains chemical balances that create better moods, stabilize chemical imbalances, and even ensure that the body is working at its best capabilities to ward off disease and even obesity.

Did you notice that 2 of the changes had have nothing to do with what you ate but with behavior? What healthy choice will you make today? Let me know.

What does this mean?

If we are great at cooking, why not focus on all the great healthy meals we can make, instead of all the exercise we are not doing. And the same is true in reverse. If you like to exercise, focus on getting the best workout you can, not on the cooking you are not doing.

If your goal is a healthy life, at some point, the 2 will merge. In order to get the best workout you will want to put healthy food in your body. No one says you have to be the one cooking. If you are the one cooking, at some point you will have more energy and feel like taking up some exercise. It may not be the gym, but it might be a bike ride through the farmer’s market.

When you start with what you are good at, you will reach your goal sooner, easier and happier. Look at all the life skills you have. Ask how can I apply them to all parts of your life including weight loss.

What healthy choice will you make today? Let me know.

The results are in…

I thought it only fair to share the results of my 14-Day Super Highway Plan. Here are the goals and what I learned:

1. Lose lbs 6 – I lost 3.75lbs which is in the healthy 1 to 2 lbs a week range. Remember this is the net loss –weight loss-muscle gain. I lost an inch off my waist. My rings are loose and some items of  my clothes fit better. Drinking my 88oz. of water helped. I did this by drinking 3 glasses first thing in the morning. I will continue with this.

2. Lower blood sugar – This is still not where I want it to be. I have started taking my readings daily so that is a big improvement.  I have to continue with this.

3. Redesign/improve meals –This was the biggest success. I got back into the habit of having 4-5 smaller meals. I resigned many meals so the proportions are more balanced with protein, carbs and fat. I have added more fiber.  I stopped using loose Splenda and went back to the packets. It readjusted my sweet taste in other foods. I will definitely keep doing this.

4. Walk more than a mile – I am at ¾ of a mile and enjoying it. I was pushing to make the 1-mile mark with Monk and making both of us crazy. He was more interested in stopping or playing and I had time constraints. Now we are both getting what we want everyday and increasing our distance. I sleep great.

5) Two other things that I noticed:
a) My skin looks great thanks to the water and beauty treatments. I feel great!
b) I had trouble visualizing. I just wasn’t thinking big enough. I thought about it a lot and on day 12 I finally got it – the big WHY! This was the reason I decide to do the 90+1 Day Challenge.

I want you to have the same Ahhh that I had. You are invited to join me in the  90+1-Day Challenge. The days between now and October 1 will be used to set 3 big goals to fuel your dream life.

What can you do today to improve your health? Let me know. Join us at www.ImReady4Me.com.

Scored 8!

Your choice

You always have a choice as you near the end of a time frame or a project.  You can end on:
A.    A Bang or
B.    A Whimper.

Not choosing is a choice

As I neared the end of my 14-Day Super Highway Plan, I was getting tired of counting. I was also a little disappointed that I would not have a huge result to report. So the question entered my head. Will I end on a Bang or a Whimper? I chose BANG.

This is the same choice you have about this year. We are in the last quarter of the year. You have the opportunity to end it on a high note. What could you accomplish if you knew you couldn’t fail. Not just in weight loss but in your whole life.

I thought about this a lot on Wednesday. On Thursday as I prepared for the I’m Ready 4 Me call, I realized I wanted to travel and speak on having a healthy lifestyle at any age of your life. On Friday, as I was speaking with an associate, I mentioned this exercise and what I wanted. She asked me to speak to her group in 2010! How great was that?

To get results, big or small, you have to know what you want. It has to be big enough that it energizes you for years! I would like to invite you to join me in 90 +1-Day Challenge that starts October 1.  You have 5 days to decide what you want so you can fuel your dream life.

Not choosing is the choice to end on a whimper. End 2009 with a bang. Join us at www.ImReady4Me.com.

What can you do today to improve your health? Let me know.

Day 13 of 14 Day Plan

Scored a 5

What is the best way to lose weight?

Did you ever ask yourself what is the best way to lose weight? Should I:

A Cut calories or
B. Exercise more?

An eye opening moment

Years ago, I went to see Dr. Mike. He asked, “What are you going to do about your weight?” “Let me guess”, he continued, “You’re going to exercise.”  I nodded yes.

“Ok”, he said. “Tell me how long it takes you to eat a piece of chocolate cake?” After some thought, I asked the important question: “Am I eating by myself or in front of other people?” It was important to know.

“Less than 10 minutes” I finally replied. He came back with “How long will you have to exercise to burn up all those calories?” It was an eye opener for me! It could take me hours or days to work off some of the things I was putting in my mouth!

The small change of cutting a mere 100 calories a day will equal a 10lbs loss in a year. If you weighted 200lbs, you would have to walk 385 miles at a rate of 3 mph to burn off the same 10 lbs!

The moral of the story is you can lose more weight by cutting the empty calories in what you eat. But exercise is the additive that gives you faster and better results. For the best results, do both and make choices you can live with for a lifetime.

Do you want to learn to make the right choices for you? Join I’m Ready 4 Me! Membership. What can you do today to improve your health? Let me know.

Scored a 6.

I had a really slow start yesterday and had to work late to catch up.  Did I mention, besides walking Monk, I also have a coaching business to run?

It is harder to count grams of fiber than I thought. The fresher and more natural the food is, the less labeling it has. I had a fresh baked whole-wheat roll that I have no idea how many grams of fiber it has. I had to guesstimate.  I did end the day with a half cantaloupe  (4grams) and blueberries (2grams). Had to look that up as well.

A healthy diet should contain 25 grams of fiber. Upping that to 35 grams daily will increase your weight loss. It makes you feel fuller longer and it cleans your insides out. The easiest way to do this is to increase foods like fruits, grains, cereals, pasta, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds and vegetables.

How many grams of fiber are you eating a day? This can be a little tricky if you want to factor in carbs and the glycemic index of food. You can learn more about designing a healthy eating plan by joining the www.ImReady4Me.com membership.

I am still looking for a good resource to count grams of fiber. Here are some sites that I am trying:

http://caloriecount.about.com/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fiber-foods/NU00582

http://www.slrhc.org/healthinfo/dietaryfiber/fibercontentchart.html

http://www.md-phc.com/fiber/food.htm

What can you do today to improve your health? Let me know.