KICK-START 2011

That old phrase “TIME FLIES!” certainly seems to ring true in my life. Since I last wrote, Christmas, New Year, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa have all taken place. I’ve traveled to Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New Mexico, hosted family, attended my daughter’s wedding, and had my yard dug up with a trencher to repair a broken water pipe. The news has been filled with “feel good” holiday stories, “hard luck” holiday stories, and information about traumatic national and world events.

All that being said, I find it hard to believe I haven’t blogged for four weeks! I suppose I could say I haven’t written because I had major writer’s block, or maybe the holidays took all my strength, or perhaps it was excitement, travel and things to do over the holidays, or the disruption of my regular routine when the water pipe in our yard broke and we had 34,000 gallons of water and a hockey rink in the pasture. No matter what the reason, the end result is that the blog wasn’t written.

Same thing happens to us with weight loss, doesn’t it? Life gets in the way and we find all sorts of reasons to justify why we can’t lose the weight we want and live healthier lives.

Well, here we are, half-way through the first month of the New Year. Did you make some New Year’s Resolutions? Are you sticking to them? Do you feel better, worse or the same as last year at this time? Do you weigh more, less or the same as last year at this time? Are you ready to take action to lose that first 10 lbs of the weight you need to drop to be healthy? Are you ready to finally get rid of that last 10 lbs you’ve been trying to lose? Are you ready to lose the weight you want and keep it off forever?

GOOD NEWS FOR YOU! I’m offering a FREE Kick-Start Your Weight-Loss Program and Find the Thinner, Healthier You THIS WEEK 30 minute consultation to help you make your weight loss dream a reality. Stop watching those ‘BUY THIS EXERCISER TODAY’ or ‘TAKE THIS MIRACLE SUPPLEMENT AND LOSE 15 POUNDS THIS WEEK’ ads. Stop wishing you could lose weight and make it a reality in 2011! If you’ve tried all the diets, gadgets, gizmos and supplements, bought the gym membership but never went, or simply have made up your mind that this is gonna be the year that you FINALLY get it done — take advantage of this opportunity and set yourself up for success! This offer will be available only for the next week, so contact me soon so you don’t miss out! Lose the weight you want so you can look GREAT and feel GREAT in 2011.

Organizing for Joy

That’s not an original title. Seth Godin actually published a blog post with this title in October. I came across it as I was clearing out and cleaning up some old emails and it sounded like an appropriate title for this post. I confess, I didn’t open the link and re-read the article, the words just caught my eye and made me consider something I’ve been neglecting recently.

I have been busy like most other folks this holiday season and each day I create to do lists to be certain that I don’t overlook anything that needs to be done. The tasks on my holiday ‘to do’ lists generally include the following: decorate the house, get the annual Christmas letter written, sign, address and mail the cards, pick up those last minute gifts, clean the house for holiday guests, wrap the gifts, find the perfect outfit to wear to the party, bake cookies, deliver the gifts, pay the bills, get groceries, prepare meals for guests, etc. As I look over the lists and think about all these tasks, I realize that neither organizing for nor adding joy have been things I’ve thought about very much. And, I’m beginning to think that if I not only organized for joy, but actually added a little JOY to my to do list every day, life would be a bit brighter, more fun and less stressful!

It’s easy to organize for and add joy because it can be the smallest, simplest effort (a few minutes to connect with a friend through a note, card, phone call, email or face-to-face visit, a moment to share a smile or enjoy the feeling and crisp smell of a cold, sunny or snowy day, the taste of a warm cup of hot chocolate, the sounds and smells of a crackling wood fire, a relaxing hot bath). OK, so if it’s easy to do, why haven’t I done it? Because it means I have to take time to for myself every day. Rather than investing every waking moment in getting stuff done, I have to schedule and organize my life so there is time to enjoy the joy! And, in order to do that, I need to take time to focus my thoughts and actions on those things that bring me joy, be aware of, experience and savor feelings of joy, fuel my body with healthy food and get plenty of sleep and exercise, and deepen my sense of spiritual joy. I need to take care of myself. In this season of sharing, I have to find a way to balance the joy in giving and the joy in receiving, because joy in receiving adds joy to the giver’s life, too!

So, here’s your challenge in the week ahead: make note of the ways that you organize and add joy to your life in the next week, by giving generously to yourself (healthy eating, daily exercise, plenty of sleep, time to experience and do those things that bring you joy!) and by being a grateful and joyful receiver. Then share your JOY by commenting on this blog.

Have a JOY-FILLED week!

Women, Horses & Health

We’re already looking forward to January here at the ranch! New Journeys Life Coaching will be hosting “Women, Horses & Health: A One-Day Retreat for a Better You” on Saturday, January 29, 2011. This special day, open only to women who want to change their lives and be healthier and happier in 2011 offers the following:

+ Set and achieve personal health goals in 2011
+ Identify unhealthy patterns and change them
+ Enjoy a fabulous lunch that you can replicate at home
+ Learn to cook easy, healthy, low-waste meals
+ Take home a kitchen cooking guide with recipes and tips
+ Unplug, decompress and re-energize with nature
+ Benefit from personal, one-on-one coaching
+ Pre-event and post-event telephone consultations
+ Be guided through the process by equine staff
+ Experience a day of fun and adventure!
….AND MORE!!

This event will have very limited enrollment. It will be a wonderful opportunity to chase away your winter blues by spending time with kindred souls and our friendly horses in an indoor arena. Our sous chef, Kent Door, is looking forward to serving a delicious lunch AND will be sharing his knowledge and experience to make cooking fun and flavorful for even the most challenged cook.

This would be a FABULOUS, UNIQUE Christmas gift for that special woman in your life! Significant savings are available for early enrollment and if you bring a friend, so contact me today at NewJourneysLC@gmail.com for more information and to get your registration form.

Day of Thanks

Thanksgiving — that day of turkeys, pumpkin pie, family, friends and football. Truly one day of the year to stop and give thanks for all those blessings.

For me, this Thanksgiving is one in which I’m filled to overflowing with gratitude. I’m grateful for good health, for a wonderful spouse, for the love for and from family and friends, for a new grandson and two great-nephews who arrived since last year, for our horses, our pooch, and our cats, for all the birds and wildlife who share this place with us, for the sunshine that warms us, the rain that refreshes us, and the wind that cools us off and invigorates us, for all the food we have available in this country, and for the men and women who help keep us healthy and safe, and for all who have served and currently serve in the military both at home and abroad.

I’m grateful for the many new friends that I’ve met in the past year through the gift of my coaching business. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to share my gifts to help others live happier, healthier and more successful lives.

If you don’t have one, today would be a wonderful time to start a daily list of what you are grateful for each day. I keep mine next to the bed and end my day by listing at least five things a day for which I’m grateful.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. I’m so grateful that you did!

Have an outrageously HAPPY and HEALTHY THANKSGIVING!

Save the Stuffing

Next Thursday, the holiday feeding frenzy will kick off with our Thanksgiving feast. Personally, I’m looking forward to that mouth-watering turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potato casserole, fruit salad, green bean casserole and the pumpkin pie, pecan pie, cherry pie, apple pie, blueberry pie and any other kind of pie that I can get my hands on! It’s such an exciting and DELICIOUS time of year! Soon we’ll be juggling the Christmas party and family gathering schedule and making time to bake cookies and receive all those sweet goodies from friends and neighbors. Before I know it, I’ll be making my New Year’s Resolutions, including the annual #1 resolution to lose weight!

NOT THIS YEAR!!!

This year is going to be very different! I’ve spent the last several months paying attention to what I’ve been eating, adding steps to my step counter each day, and enjoying the new, smaller-sized clothes in my closet. This year, I’m going to SAVE THE STUFFING FOR THE TURKEY!

A few weeks ago, I hosted a teleconference I called “Save the Stuffing for the Turkey or How to Survive the Holidays without Packing on the Pounds.” It was a fantastic conversation, packed with amazing ideas and tips. I decided they were too good to keep to myself, so I’ve put together the best ideas I’m going to use to get through this holiday season without packing on the pounds and I’ve decided to share them with you! I’m calling them “Save the Stuffing for the Turkey or 5 HOT Tips on How to Enjoy the Holidays without Packing on the Pounds! As my early HOLIDAY GIFT TO YOU, please CLICK HERE to access the link to sign up and receive one HOT tip every day for the next 5 days in your email box. Or, you could decide not to accept this special gift and get an early start on your New Year’s resolutions for 2011:

2011 Resolution #1: Lose Weight

You decide!

The Garden Experiment

We had a lovely little garden here at the ranch last year. For something different, we tried what a good friend of ours called a “garden experiment.” We dug up the earth and then gave a variety of seeds to our ‘helpers’ to plant wherever they wanted. The thought was that the plants were compatible — some would vine and cover the ground to keep down the weeds, some were tall, some were vining plants that would grow on the tall plants. It sounded like it could work.

So what happened? We had all kinds of stuff growing everywhere and it was hard to determine what was plant and what was weed. Some of the ground plants were covered by the huge leaves on the vining plants so it was hard to see the produce and when a wind storm blew our tall plants down, all the plants growing on them went down as well. We ended up losing some of the produce because we couldn’t find it in the tangled mess, realized that we didn’t even plant all of the seeds we had intended, and overall, just didn’t have the yummy fresh vegetables we were hoping for.

How does this relate to losing weight, good health and a happier, more successful life? You gotta have a plan and stick to it! When we think we want to lose weight and don’t decide how much and by when, it rarely happens. When we don’t have a clear plan, we don’t have a clear vision of what we want to do. Even if we do something we think might work, we may not accomplish anything because we don’t know where we are going. That leads to frustration and often to self-criticism which spirals into depression. Nothing changes and we feel defeated so we eat more, do less and gain weight. Sound familiar? This same cycle of despair and ineffective implementation can happen in our relationships, in our vocation, in the way we are handing our financial situation and in any aspect of our life.

So….TODAY IS THE DAY! We are prepping the ground and making a plan for next year’s garden. How about you? Make a plan. Decide what YOU want to do, then take one step toward making it happen. And, if you want someone to help you in the process, drop me a note at NewJourneysLC@gmail.com. I’d be happy to work with you.

Hitting the Wall

Hitting the Wall. That phrase conjures up a lot of images and feelings for me. Have you ever hit a wall literally or figuratively? If so, I’m sure you have your thoughts about it as well. When I think about hitting a wall, I think of BAM!, falling into a crumpled heap, stopping in my tracks, bruising.

The most interesting thing, however, is that I always imagine my wall as made of bricks. What does your wall look like? How portable is it? That’s the funny thing……my wall can show up anywhere, anytime. And, I’m usually the only one that can see and feel it! I’ll bet it’s the same with you.

Have you ‘hit the wall’ with weight loss? Have you ‘hit with wall’ with your exercise plan? Have you ‘hit the wall’ with taking care of the clutter in your office, bedroom, garage, kitchen, your mind?

More importantly, what do you do after you ‘hit the wall’? How long are you stunned, unable to move? Do you stay down for a long time, slowly work on getting up or do you hop up and get moving again as soon as you can?

I must say that sometimes I’m down for what seems like a long time. When that happens, it usually takes someone else reaching out with a kind word, a phone call, a note through my computer or a postcard in the mail to give me the strength and hope to get up and get going again.

If you’ve hit the wall with your weight, exercise plan, eating habits or overall health and wellness, join me in my upcoming Lose10lbsin12wks Body&Mind Makeover for Women. You’ll be up and over the wall before you know it!