A lack of willpower is not your problem

Here come the doughnuts! There goes my diet plan!

How many times have you begun a nutrition plan or diet only to have someone bring doughnuts to your office or home?

You have the best intentions and you're certain your willpower will hold out this time. After all your beach trip is only a few, short weeks away, and you want to look good in your swimsuit!

Usually this is where the bargaining begins. You have a debate with yourself. You reason that you've been so good on your diet so you choose to indulge a little. Everyone else is, why should you be the only one left out? So you take a delicious doughnut, or two, and decide that tomorrow is a new day and you'll eat perfectly tomorrow.

Does this situation sound familiar? Maybe it's not doughnuts for you but chips and salsa, or ice cream? Whatever "it" is doesn't really matter. What does matter how you feel afterward -- as a wimp with no willpower.

I'm going to share with you a secret: willpower has nothing to do with it.

In my days of constantly chasing weight loss and experimenting with different diets this scenario was common place for me. I see the scenario daily on social media. It's usually portrayed with clever memes or a gif but, nevertheless, the guilt-trip is the same - success comes from willpower, and if you only had more of it you'd be successful.

Why does this cycle happen and how can it be stopped?
How to gain willpower #willpower #dieting #dietingmotivation

Willpower is highly overrated. It's a word we frequently use and see yet, if asked, I'm guessing most of us would have trouble defining it. It almost feels like a mystical factor that needs to be harnessed in order to have power over food.

I'll say it again. A lack of willpower is not most people's problem.

Take the focus off of willpower and instead put it on decisions, habits and discipline.

Dieting doesn't work in the long run and I'm not a fan.
  • It doesn't last
  • it isn't a sustainable way of eating and
  • it often leaves your body lacking nutritionally
Instead, of dieting for weight loss, nourish your body through whole food nutrition.

Add to that balance. Balance in life liberates us from cycles of defeat.


Take that box of doughnuts that just walked into your office. Everybody is partaking. When you do not you create at least two unproductive, self-defeating circumstances. First, you put the entire office on notice that you are "trying to lose weight." Every day after that someone (at least one) will ask how is the diet going? How much weight have you lost? Odds are the person you find most annoying will be the one who asks most often. You have put your waistline in the spotlight, center stage. That's pressure you neither want nor need.
The second self-defeating and unproductive circumstance you create when turning down a doughnut while everyone else is indulging is the "apple in the Garden of Eden" effect. The more you tell yourself "No," the stronger the attraction and urge to partake. Who wants that battle?

There's a better way, and you can embark on that way now; before the doughnuts-in-the-office challenges. Decide to change the way you eat. It is your decision. You are in control. You are the master of your destiny.

The first step is to write down why you're changing the way you eat. This can't be a simple blanket statement, such as, "I'd like to lose 10 lbs." Why do you want to lose 10 lbs? What will losing 10 lbs do for you? How will your life be different once those 10 lbs are gone? You need to answer these questions and you need to write it down.

The women I work with complete that exercise with precision and clarity. They know specifically what they want, and they know the reason behind it.


Furthermore, what you want to change has to be of greater importance than the food you want to indulge in.

When I decided to heal my acne through nutrition I learned that I needed to eliminate certain foods that were not serving my body. Unfortunately, these were foods I really didn't want to let go of. A part of me felt I needed these foods to be content. I teeter-tottered and struggled with committing to a decision for a long time, and my results showed it. My face would clear, and then I would revert to eating as I always had, and my acne would come back.

It wasn't until I became utterly dissatisfied with my appearance that I successfully eliminated certain destructive foods, and replaced those with foods that were helping my body. Now I no longer miss those old foods. But initially what kept me on track was realizing why I made the decision.

You may want to lose 5 lbs, but what that requires may not be something you want to do. The 5 lbs, you rationalize, isn't that uncomfortable to live with. Do you understand where I'm going with this? Your "why" has to be bigger than anything else. When that happen it is no longer a "should do" decision, but rather a "want to" choice. It is always easier to do what you want to do that what you should do. Granted, discipline will be necessary because motivation and drive don't always hang around long.

The final component to this is to recognize that they are physiological things, completely outside your control, that take place in the body when you change the way you eat. If you're craving something, or feel you lack self-control with certain foods (especially with highly refined carbohydrates), there is a reason. This is where one-on-one coaching will carry you to success.

Reach out to me right now. Let's have a complimentary conversation. Take the first step to becoming who you want to be.

Posted in Nutrition. Tagged as dieting, dieting motivation, discipline, eat real food, health coach, how to lose 5 lbs, motivation, quit dieting, resist doughnuts, willpower.

the importance of gratitude for clearer skin

Did you know stress is one of the top 5 factors contributing to your acne?

Think about it. How many times have you had a huge breakout appear right before a special event?

How about break outs that show up before a job interview?


When healing acne you must look at the whole picture and stress is definitely apart of it.

Obviously, it's important to reduce our stress levels. I don't think anyone would argue that going through life while constantly worrying is a productive, healthy way to live. The problem is it would be impossible to completely eliminate all stress from our lives. I don't care who you are you deal with stress to some extent on a regular basis.
How to practice gratitude for clear skin #acne #acnefree #clearskin #gratitude

Stress doesn't only revolve around big, life issues. Although that can definitely be apart of it. It's also the smaller things that lead to stress and sometimes I think these may be worse. These little issues are easier to ignore and therefore they can build upon each other until you have a mound of stress.

What exactly happens when we are stressed that would cause a breakout? There are a few factors.
  • Stress affects your gut
    • 70 % or more of your immune system lies in your gut
    • 90% of your happy hormone, serotonin, is made in the gut
  • Stress leads to impaired digestion and optimal digestion is necessary for clearer skin

Bottom line: You need a healthy gut to have clear, healthy looking skin. An imbalance in the gut leads to too much inflammation in the body and acne is a form of inflammation.

There's not much refuting this these days. I've even been noticing skin care companies that make acne specific products, discussing the relationship between the health of our gut and the health of our skin.

The irony here is the more acne you get the more stressed you may become.

I remember thinking when my acne was at its height, that if my face would clear, I could finally get a handle on my stress levels. Waking up everyday to a red, inflamed and pimple-covered face automatically put me in high stress mode.


Since it's impossible to eliminate all stress from your life, what can be done?

I believe there are three actions.

The first is,
increase your resilience -- and it isn't complicated. Three resolutions will immediately help:
  1. get adequate sleep each night -- 8-9 hours are recommended
  2. eat a whole foods based nutritious diet
  3. exercise regularly 
The second action to eliminate stress is let go of things you have no control over. Stressing over issues we cannot control makes us feel trapped; a victim mentality.
  1. In situations you can influence for improvement, do so
  2. In situations you cannot influence, either disengage, or release it from your emotional domain of responsibility.     

The final component to increase your stress resilience is implement  a Gratitude Journal.  

Really?! Yes! Believe me, I was someone who always rolled my eyes at this type of thing. I feel grateful enough, what do I need to write it down for? 



Research has shown that changes take place in your brain that reduce stress and increase feelings of pleasure when you WRITE down what you are grateful for. Each day take a few minutes to write down 3 things you are grateful for. Research suggests doing this for 21 days straight in order for the changes in the brain to take place.

Here's the way I look at it. This gratitude exercise is simple. It probably won't take more than 5 to 10 minutes of my day. If it really can help why not give it a try? The worst thing that could happen is you notice zero changes in your outlook on life and you go back to your old routine.

I challenge you to 21 days of gratitude! Do you keep a gratitude journal? Leave a comment and let me know. 


 

Posted in Acne. Tagged as acne, clear skin, cystic acne, heal acne, heal acne holistically, heal acne naturally.

How to Never "Cheat" on Your Diet Again

What if you never again had to use the word "cheat" when it comes to food? FREEDOM!

It's sad that over the years we've forgotten how to eat. We seem to know nothing about listening to our own bodies. We use words like "cheating" when it comes to what we eat. It's nonsense and, when I hear it, I hurt for the person who believes it. 

The most recent statistic I heard is that the diet industry is a $72 billion industry. We live in a culture where people are obsessed with weight loss and quick fixes.   The problem is it's easy to sacrifice your health in the name of weight loss. The good news is you don't have to do it this way! 



You don't need to: 
  • Punish yourself for the foods you've eaten
  • View foods as "good" or "bad"
  • Use the word "cheat" when it comes to the foods you've put in your body
  • Ever again say, "I'll start Monday."





There are so many methods of eating available: paleo, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, lacto-ovo vegetarian, keto and the list goes on. 

Apart from food camps there are numerous diets available that promise quick, yet lasting results. Cabbage soup diet (been there, done that), apple cider vinegar and maple syrup fast, carb cycling (who can keep track?), counting calories, tracking macros, etc.

I've tried a few of these myself. In fact when I first began healing my body through nutrition I classified myself as a vegan. I'm the first to admit I've fallen into the trap of forcing myself into a food camp, and I've had my fair share of dieting.

Learning to listen to your body is one of the most valuable things you can do for yourself.  Tuning into your body will bring you peace with food. Weight loss, if it needs to happen, will occur in a much more sustainable, life giving way with lasting results. 

It's hard for women to believe that I don't follow a specific plan. What rules do I follow? How do I know when to eat or what to eat? I understand their questions because I had these same questions a few years ago. It's what led me to where I am today. Chasing weight loss, looking for quick fixes and miracle cures led me to a place of gut imbalance and chronic inflammation in the form of cystic acne. I had to find different answers.

Before jumping into a new diet plan or finding yourself feeling trapped by a food camp I encourage you to consider these few things.
  • Learn to listen to what your body is telling you
  • Identify your food intolerances and avoid them even if it's the healthiest food on the planet, if you don't digest it well, don't eat it!
  • Keep your body hydrated with purified water
  • Don't become legalistic when it comes to food
  • Focus on real, whole foods that nourish your body well.




When you follow my principles (the basic are cited above), and you put them into practice so they become second nature, something beautiful happens: you never have to diet again. I know because I'm finally at that point myself, after years of battling with my own body.

I will teach you how to get to this point yourself.

It is possible to not fret or worry every time you're around food. It is possible to feel good in your own skin without being tied down to a diet.

Tired of the nonsense? Click here to apply to work with me. 

Posted in Nutrition, Wellness. Tagged as cheat day, dieting, diets, eat real food, health and wellness, health coach, how to eat, how to eat to lose weight, stop dieting, whole food nutrition.

On the fence about choosing a "word for the year"? Try this instead

Everyone is choosing a "Word for the Year" -- everyone except me.

Here's why:

So much can change in your life in one month, one week or even one day, much more over the course of one whole year.

Some words I've seen chosen are: joy, trust, slow, rest, yes, brave, etc.  You get the idea.  The trend is to choose a word that represents the type of year you want, and then make decisions based off the word.

One major change in your life will sabotage everything, if it all rests on one word.


I plan my year for vacations, school schedules and big projects for my business, but for all the other things? Monthly.  My approach is more realistic, and healthier. Therefore, instead of adding stress when life goes crazy, I am able to adjust. Flexibility facilitates your wellness journey.


So often we view the month of January as setting the tone for the year. If we are successful with our health in January then we can assume we'll be successful for the rest of the year. I'm sorry but this is faulty thinking. First of all what if January is an incredibly challenging month for you financially, emotionally, or physically? What if you feel "unsuccessful" this month? Does that mean the rest of your year is shot? I sure hope not!
#wordoftheyear #clearskin #womenshealth


On the flip side of this, what if January is a highly successful month for you? You hit your fitness and nutrition goals you're on your way to your summer body and then reality hits and you find yourself back where you started. Does this mean you need to wait until next year to start over? Of course not! It would be silly to even think that. This is exactly why I enjoy the new year but I don't place too much pressure on myself to make the month of January "perfect."

A key element that is overlooked when it comes to New Year's goals is how to implement new habits to accomplish those goals. Goals are set with good intentions but, without a clear plan, it is likely you will fall short. This can leave you feeling like you failed. The remedy is to develop some new habits.

The greatest success I've seen with creating new habits is planning out and implementing one or two at a time. Focus on those few items and really perform them well for six weeks, at least. Then it will become an organic part of your day.  After that, add another new, healthy habit.

For example, let's say this year you want to implement a new exercise routine, cut out all processed foods, get 8 hours of sleep each night and implement a quiet time into your day for reflection. Wow I'm tired just writing all that! That's A LOT of pressure, and too much to handle all at any once.

The key is to choose one or two of these new habits, decide how you're going to implement it and then get to a point where it's second nature. Let's say you choose to focus on getting adequate sleep each night, but you're also eager to start working out. Determine what time you need to go to bed by to get the sleep you need. Then decide what you'll do to ensure that your head hits the pillow at the time and do those things.

To begin your new exercise routine start slowly. Plan to commit to 20 minutes a day to start. Work your way up from there. If you currently don't exercise at all, but set a goal to workout for one hour, 6 days a week, you'll probably revert back to your old ways.  It's just too much pressure on the body.  Will this take longer than implementing all the goals at once? No it will not, because it will work.

Whatever you do to inspire yourself for the new year I encourage you to remember this, one critical truth:

Taking care of your body is lifelong commitment
.

Don't rely on a  quick fix, trendy diet or fad exercise program as your be all to end all. These things are never a miracle cure.

I encourage you to view good health as a way of life. Adopt that way now and stick with it forever.

Happy New Year!



P.S.-- I am excited about improvements coming to my site. More than ever I'm passionate about helping women take charge of their health. I will help you quit dieting for good, and I've got just what you need for that.

Reader Feedback:  How do you view the new year? Do you feel a lot of pressure in the month of January to perfectly implement all your goals for the year? What would you like to see happen?
 

Posted in Wellness. Tagged as #newyearsresolutions, #wordoftheyear, creating healthy habits, goal setting, habits, health and wellness, new year, new year's resolutions, new years resolutions, nutrition, quit dieting, weight loss, weight management, word for the year.