Keeping Motivated for your Fitness Goals

If you have set fitness goals, you should now be some way into your new programme. You may be feeling virtuous and seeing the benefits already; but for many of us, this is the time that we ‘flag’ as we find the new regime too difficult and are tempted to give up. If you are feeling like this, the following pointers may help you to stay on track and reach 66 days – the average time it takes to form a new habit, according to new research by Dr Phillippa Lally and colleagues at the UCL Health Behaviour Research Centre.

1. Remember the importance of nourishing food, and adequate sleep.

Nutrient-rich food containing slow-releasing carbohydrates, healthy fats and proteins helps to give you energy and supports your muscles; refined, sugary or junk foods deplete your energy and provide little in the way of vitamins and minerals.

Good sleep and rest is necessary to recharge and restore the brain and body, to make sure you are ready for the next workout.

2. Turn perceived failure into real success

If you have just gone straight home from work when you were supposed to go to the gym, do not declare yourself a failure and give up. This is the exact moment when you can prove how dedicated you are by going to the gym next time. It is all too easy to use our perceived failures as an excuse to give up.

3. Don’t set your goals in stone – you can re-evaluate them

If you find it hard to stick to a goal, then ask yourself why. Do you need to re-evaluate your goals or make changes to your schedule?

If you keep missing the gym on a Wednesday it may be because you always get to bed late on a Tuesday, leaving you too tired to go to the gym the next day – when would be a better time?

4. Focus on what you have achieved

It is important to notice when we have managed to achieve something, no matter how small. We often notice what we have not done, but not what we have already accomplished.

It really is about making those small changes – so notice when you make them!

5. Motivate each other

If you have a fitness buddy, you can recognise each other’s achievements. Sometimes we find it easier to recognise what our friends have achieved than what we have.

6. Make your life easy

If you are struggling to do something, there are often steps you can take to make life easier for yourself.

For example, if you find that you forget to take your supplements you could get yourself a supplement holder with a compartment for each day of the week. Then you will only have to open one container to take your vitamins and minerals.

Too tired to cook in the evenings after getting back from the gym? Then buy yourself a slow cooker, throw all the ingredients into it in the morning and come home to a house full of yummy smells and hot food ready to be eaten straight from the pot.

Never have time to eat breakfast before work? Keep breakfast things at work; or soak sugar-free muesli, nuts and seeds overnight in milk (or a milk replacement) in a water tight container, and carry into work the next day.

7. Remind yourself why you are doing this

If you enjoy making things, make a collage of why you want to become healthier – use text, pictures and motivational quotes. Keep it somewhere where you will see it to remind yourself daily of why you started doing this in the first place and why you want to keep going. Or write reminders on sticky notes and put them on the fridge.

8. Have fun!

Enjoy the process, this is something you are doing for yourself and should be fun.

If you find you are getting bored of your usual workout or bored of eating the same foods then change. Find new ways to exercise that appeal to you and different cookbooks you like the look of, this will help to keep you interested and remain motivated.

Change Your Lifestyle By Weight Loss

Some people lose weight by strict dieting for a short period. However, as soon as their diet is over, they often go back to their old eating habits, and their weight goes straight back on. Losing weight, and then keeping it off, needs a change in lifestyle for life. This includes such things as:

• The type of food and drink that you normally buy.
• The type of meals that you eat.
• Your pattern of eating.
• The amount of physical activity that you do.

Top tip: ask family or friends to help and encourage you to keep to a healthy lifestyle. Consider a lifestyle change for the whole family.

Before you start

Motivation is crucial
To lose weight and to keep it off, it is vital that you should be motivated, really want to lose weight, and want to improve aspects of your lifestyle. No weight-loss plan will work unless you have a serious desire to lose weight. You may not feel that being overweight or obese is a problem to you. So, you may have little motivation or desire to lose weight. That is fine, so long as you understand the health risks.

Top tip: write down the reasons why you would like to lose weight. Keep referring to this list to motivate yourself.

Set clear goals with a realistic timescale
Based on the recommended rate of weight loss explained above, set yourself a clear weight loss goal with a realistic timescale. Some people aim to get down to a perfect weight. However, this may be a lot of weight to lose for you and you may get fed up about poor progress, and give up. So, you may find it helpful to break up your weight loss goal. For example, you may wish to set yourself a goal to lose 4 kg over the following 4 to 6 weeks. Once you have achieved that goal, you can set yourself another, etc.

For most people, you can start to get health benefits by losing even just 5-10% of your starting weight. For example, if your starting weight was 100 kg, losing 5-10 kg in weight will produce some health benefits for you, even if you are still not at your ideal weight.

Top tip: aim to lose weight steadily, around 0.5-1 kg per week. For most people, health benefits can come from losing the first 5-10% of their weight. This is often about 5-10 kg.

Set yourself an action plan
In addition to setting yourself realistic weight loss targets, it is also helpful to set yourself an action plan. Be realistic and consider what you feel will have the most impact on your weight. For example, if you currently have a piece of cake every day, your action plan could be to reduce this to twice per week only. Your action plan might start with three main goals, and once you have achieved these goals, you can reset your action plan and think about other changes you might be able to make. The idea is to make small, gradual changes that you can stick to for life.

Monitor your current food intake
It is helpful to know how much you normally eat. Try keeping a diary, writing down everything that you eat and drink over a week or so. Include even the smallest of snacks. Are there times of the day that you tend to snack more? Are you eating three meals a day? Are there some snacks that you don't need? You may find it helpful to discuss your diary with your practice nurse, your doctor or a dietician. The simple fact is that, to lose weight, you must eat less than your current food intake (see above).

Top tip: don't forget the drinks. Some drinks contain lots of calories, including alcohol and some fizzy drinks.

Increase your physical activity levels
It is recommended that all adults should aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on at least five days of the week. However, if you are overweight or obese and are aiming to lose weight, if possible you should try to do around 60-90 minutes on at least five days of the week.

Moderate physical activity includes: brisk walking, jogging, dancing, swimming, badminton, tennis, etc. In addition, try to do more in your daily routines. For example, use stairs instead of lifts, walk or cycle to work or school, etc. Avoid sitting for too long in front of the television or a computer screen. Take regular breaks whilst working. The good news is that you don't have to do this physical activity all in one chunk. You can break it up into blocks of 10-15 minutes. See separate leaflet called Physical Activity for Health, which gives more details.

Top tip: build your exercise levels up gradually. If you are not used to physical activity, try starting with a 30-minute brisk walk every day and then building up from there.

Make Over Your Motivation

Having a motivation meltdown? Follow our plan to keep cruising toward your diet and fitness goals.

Week 1: Take Baby Steps

Ever start a diet or workout routine with the enthusiasm of a late-night infomercial host only to have your motivation disappear in no time flat like a canceled sitcom? You're not alone. Research shows that a quarter of weight-loss plans fall by the wayside within two weeks. On the other hand, stick it out for a month and your odds of success skyrocket. "Doing something for 30 days ingrains and strengthens the brain's neural pathways, so you're likely to keep that behavior going on autopilot," says Lawrence Perlmuter, PhD, a professor of psychology at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in North Chicago. Use our four-week bail-proof guide to survive the first crucial month of a healthy-lifestyle makeover without losing your thin-spiration.

Like a Marine drill sergeant with a class of new recruits, you're at your motivational peak. But trying to do too much too soon can sabotage even the best-laid weight-loss plans. "Make small, steady progress toward your ultimate goal during the first week — no drastic changes," recommends psychologist John Norcross, PhD, coauthor ofChanging for Good.

Stick-with-It Strategies for Week 1
Start small.

Aim to make one tweak a day: Add a new fruit to breakfast, skip your before-dinner cocktail, take a walk after lunch, do whatever you can to nudge your weight down. Once you adjust to these new habits, it will be easier to add more ambitious exercise and diet changes as the month goes on, Norcross says.

Don't waste your willpower.

A recent study published in Psychology & Health suggests that people have a finite amount of self-control, and that it can run dry, just like a bank account. To keep from depleting your source of inner strength during this first week, avoid situations that present temptations. Plan to have dinner at home instead of at restaurants; don't walk by the doughnut shop on your way to work. And squeeze in a workout first thing in the morning, before your motivation runs out.

Vary your vocab.

Saying you "should" do something, like exercise, immediately implies that you feel the activity is a burden, says Michael Sachs, PhD, an exercise psychology professor at Temple University in Philadelphia. Instead, replace should with want in your vocabulary. "By telling yourself that you want to work out today, you'll get into the right mind-set to go to the gym," Sachs says.

Do the write thing.

You've heard that jotting down your weight-loss goals makes them more likely to stick. "The very act reinforces them in your mind," Perlmuter says.

Week 2: K.O. Cravings

Congrats! Seven days down and you're still with the program. Next challenge: Squelching the urge to splurge. "Cravings worsen during the second week of a diet," says Elisa Zied, RD, an American Dietetic Association spokesperson and the author of Nutrition at Your Fingertips. It's partly physical — your body isn't used to running on fewer calories — and partly psychological. Suddenly, treats become more desirable simply because they're off-limits.

Stick-with-It Strategies for Week 2
Downsize your sweet tooth.

Adjust your palate by reducing sweets to only 10 percent of your caloric intake. So if you eat 1,600 calories a day, allow yourself a 160-calorie indulgence (about six Hershey's Kisses or a half cup of Dreyer's Grand Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream). "Giving up too much makes you feel deprived," Zied says. "By gradually cutting back on sweets, you'll eventually stop craving them.

Get fitter with Twitter.

Tempted to make a beeline for the candy machine? Tweet an S.O.S., suggests Connie Diekman, RD, director of university nutrition at Washington University in Saint Louis. You might write, "Candy bar craving! Need ideas for healthy alternatives." You'll be bombarded with supportive, encouraging words.

Work it out

Pining for a peanut butter cup? Take a hike. "Exercise eases stress and distracts you from thinking about food," says Heather Chambliss, PhD, a professor at the University of Memphis specializing in health behavior and exercise motivation. In a recent study in the journal Appetite, a 15-minute stroll reduced cravings in chocoholics, perhaps because exercise boosts levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin in the brain. Another study found that working out may release satiety hormones that keep your appetite in check for a full 24 hours.

Picture a new you.

Find an old snapshot of yourself that you love and post it on your fridge as a reminder of your goal for when the munchies hit. Keeping images of a trimmer you top of mind may help you think like a thin person, making it easier to choose healthy foods and toss out negative thoughts that could sabotage your diet, Perlmuter says.

Week 3: Find Support
Make the world your ally.
In Norcross's research on dieters trying to keep New Year's resolutions, those who took their promises public fared best. No need to wait until your next dinner party; spill the beans ASAP by starting a blog. The pressure will keep you on track: "If you cheat on your diet or stop exercising, you let down your readers as well as yourself," Norcross points out.

Find fit friends.

Enlist a pal to be your regular gym buddy so that you have someone to keep you accountable and share your struggles with. If you can't find a willing recruit, no worries; just ask a friend to check in with you every few days to see how your workouts and eating are going, Chambliss suggests. Making friends at the gym can help too. Strike up a conversation with the biker next to you, scan the bulletin board for workout buddies, or sign up for a group fitness class.

Get competitive.
Walk or run with people who are faster than you or position yourself next to speed demons in Spinning class so you'll push yourself to keep up. This also works outside the gym. "In the mall parking lot, try to beat other people to a store's entrance," Chambliss suggests, "or race up the stairs to see if you can arrive before someone who is taking the elevator." Even these mini triumphs will keep your motivation high.

Tech yourself out.

Set the alarm on your cell for when it's time to head to the gym (some phones have a "remind me" feature that will send you a text message). Clock your meals too: Eat breakfast within 45 minutes of getting up, then program the alarm to go off every three hours to remind you to have a small meal or snack, Diekman says. Eating frequently helps steady your blood sugar levels, keeping energy up and appetite down.

Week 4: Solidify Changes
Stick-with-It Strategies for Week 4
Think back.

List all the changes you've made in the previous three weeks and star the ones that have been easiest to maintain. Is bypassing booze something you can keep up forever? What about working out every day? Modify any changes that are proving difficult (hit the gym four times a week, not seven!) and keep only the ones you can live with permanently, Zied suggests.
Create an exercise alter ego.

"Calling yourself a runner, swimmer, or cyclist can make it easier to stick with the activity because it's now part of your identity," Chambliss says. You'll be less likely to blow off exercise sessions, as fitness is no longer simply a means to a weight-loss end; it is the end. Reinforce your new, athletic persona by surrounding yourself with like-minded people. Start a biking group (try meetup.com) or join a running club (go to rrca.org to find one near you).
Plan for real life.

Let's face it, sometimes you're going to pig out on kung pao chicken or skip your date with the stairclimber. Slip-ups are inevitable; it's how you respond that matters. "Feeling strong enough to get back on the wagon right away is empowering," Zied says. Don't beat yourself up over those egg rolls; go through your takeout menus and highlight five healthy options. Set up a plan B for no-gym days, even if it's as simple as running around the block or doing lunges and squats in your living room.

Believe in yourself.

Borrow a page from a kids' book and chant, "I think I can!" when your willpower reserves run low. Sounds cheesy, but it can make the difference between powering to the top of the hill on your a.m. run and wimping out. Newbie exercisers who strongly believed in their ability to succeed were most likely to still be exercising one year later, according to research from Miriam Hospital in Providence. So leave your no-can-do attitude in the dust and hit the road to a better body for life.

Yoga to Open your Heart

Here is a yoga meditation exercise to open your heart to give and receive more love. It is from the book - "The Eight Human Talents." You can repeat the movement 26 times focusing on your third eye point.

The important thing to realize about heart opening is that it’s totally natural for our spirit and utterly unnatural for our body. The latter is due to the fact that we have so many heart-closing daily activities in our culture. The main problem is that we sit in chairs most of the time. We even sit in one as we drive! This chair sitting tends to cause us to tuck our tailbone under and that action the rounds us and causes us to hunch our shoulders forward. Using a computer mouse at a desk or looking down and texting on a smart phone also tends to have the same effect. We roll our shoulders forward and inward.

To get the heart open, you need to reverse this chest collapsing, You need to elongate the front of your torso upward away from your waistline and then draw your shoulder blades down your back. This takes the head of your arm bones back and let’s your chest open. It causes your collar bones to “smile,” that is, to widen.

There are many more active ways you can do this heart-opening action, but here I’m sharing the most restorative version, so you’ll have no excuse not to do it (sneaky me!).

Think you’re too tired? This supine pose is perfect! You do it lying down and you simply allow gravity to help you open your heart by using either a bolster or blocks to press into the back of your chest and elevate and expand the front.

If you need a little motivation, keep this in mind: heart opening exercises give you a kick of the happy body-produced hormone oxytocin. So don’t be surprised if, a little while after you’ve done this pose, you’re smiling for no reason.

Are Your Friends Making You Fat?

Your BFF could also be your BDD (biggest diet downfall). Here's how to break the pal-pig-out cycle.

Healthy Friendship and Diet Fixes

"Eating is a social experience," says Evelyn Attia, MD, director of the Columbia Center for Eating Disorders at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. "For some of us, it's an activity we do with our friends." Unfortunately, group munching can cause the pounds to add up. When you dine with another person, you consume 35 percent more than you would alone, research shows.

Got a pal (or two) who pushes your all-you-can-eat button? Here's how to ID a chowhound and give your friendship — and your diet — a food fix.

Food Friend: The Comfort Queen

You just lost your job. You broke up with your boyfriend. No matter what the crisis, your best pal can see you through — usually over a pint of mocha fudge ice cream or a package of chocolate chip cookies. "Guys have drinking buddies when they're depressed; women have eating buddies," says Daniel Stettner, PhD, director of psychology at UniSource Health Center in Troy, Michigan. "Unfortunately, what should be a supportive relationship turns into a situation where both women enable each other to eat — and eat and eat."

Step away from the table: Instead of self-medicating with food, do some cardio. "Exercise is a potent weapon against depression," says Edward Abramson, PhD, a professor emeritus of psychology at California State University at Chico and the author of Body Intelligence. Thirty-minute aerobic workouts three to five times weekly for three months reduce mild to moderate symptoms by nearly half, finds a study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Sign up for a Spinning class or start training for a 5K, and invite your friend to join you. In addition, stop the graze-and-gripe fests. If you need to spill, do it over the phone or when the two of you are on a power walk.

Food Friend: The Party Girl

Your phone rings at 5 p.m. after a crazy day at the office. It's one of your buds, suggesting you both blow off steam by meeting at your favorite watering hole. Three margaritas, a heaping plate of nachos, and an order of chicken wings later, you head home feeling ill.

"Overdrinking and overeating are common ways to cope when you're under stress," says Stacey Rosenfeld, PhD, a psychologist in New York City. Alcohol also loosens inhibitions, which means that you and your friend are much more likely to start diving into the chip bowl.

Step away from the table: Limit time with your partying pal to Friday nights only. If you go to a bar, pick one with few or no appetizers so you're not tempted to overeat, Abramson suggests. When you arrive, order a glass of wine and a glass of water and hold the alcohol in your nondominant hand, says Jackie Keller, RD, a nutritionist in Los Angeles. "Most people drink less with this technique."

Food Friend: The Pig-Out Partner

After she moved into her own apartment last spring, Alina Tuttle-Melgar, 29, accepted a dinner invitation from her new next-door neighbor. The two hit if off, and soon they were spending three or four nights a week together eating hearty dishes like meat loaf and chicken pot pie. On Saturday mornings they went to a local diner, where they ordered huge stacks of pancakes with bacon. "I never ate like that when I was alone," says Alina, an account executive in Boston. Why would someone who normally nibbles on healthy fare like grilled salmon and vegetables suddenly start putting away food like a truck driver? "When you see a friend chowing down on something fattening, it may give you permission to let go," says Martin Binks, PhD, director of psychiatry and behavioral health and research at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center at Duke University. "The guilt is gone, and it's suddenly easy to justify the hot fudge sundae even when you haven't planned to indulge."

Step away from the table: Visit with your pal between meals. "Schedule activities, such as going for a walk, that will keep you so busy you won't have time to think about food," says Abramson. Or suggest that the two of you sign up for a gym membership, so that all your get-togethers revolve around doing something healthy.

Food Friend: The Temptress

Whether it's a pal who's always cooking every time you visit or a friend who likes to surprise you with a batch of homemade brownies or cookies, it's hard not to eat something that looks and smells fantastic and is right in front of you. "Many of us communicate warmth and love through food because that's how we were raised," says Warren Huberman, PhD, a psychologist at New York University Medical Center. There's nothing wrong with a friend occasionally bringing you a treat, of course. But if it becomes a pattern, that's a problem. "A buddy who constantly offers you food may be envious of your weight-loss efforts," says Stettner. "Subconsciously, she might want you to fail — especially if she needs to lose pounds herself."

Step away from the table: Be open and honest with your pal: Tell her you're trying to watch what you eat, says Judith Beck, PhD, a psychologist in Philadelphia and the author of The Complete Beck Diet for Life. She should get the message. However, "if you find yourself having to explain this to her more than three times, question how good a friend she really is and whether she has her own eating issues or is trying to sabotage your diet," adds Beck. If you still want to save the relationship, find a way to keep your get-togethers food-free: Visit a museum, for instance. If she shows up toting a bag of goodies anyway, it's time to steer clear of her, Beck says.

Food Friend: The Restaurant Junkie

Melissa Gibbs loves to go out to eat with her friends, but the cost has been steep: She's struggled with her weight for years. "When we sit down to dinner, someone orders a round of fancy martinis at 300 calories a pop, then a round of appetizers, and suddenly there's a day's worth of calories sitting on the table and the entree hasn't even arrived yet," says Melissa, a 39-year-old business development manager for a construction company in New Orleans. "Sure, I try to limit my intake or ask the waiter to leave off the mashed potatoes and put the sauce on the side. And all the while, I ignore the fact that I sound like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally."

"A group dinner gives you the green light to eat a lot, because the atmosphere is festive and others at the table are eating a lot too," says Binks. Considering that most restaurants serve gigantic portions and you're likely to be distracted by conversation, you probably won't even realize how much you're consuming until it's too late. "In theory, if you're in tune with your body and know when you've had enough, it shouldn't be a problem," adds Judith Matz, director of the Chicago Center for Overcoming Overeating and the author of The Diet Survivor's Handbook. "But many of us don't listen to those internal cues, and that's where we get stuck."

Step away from the table: Arrive at the restaurant hungry but not famished; snack on a mix of carbs and protein, like a piece of string cheese and an apple, an hour before to take the edge off, suggests Matz. Order what looks appealing, but try to stick to an appetizer and a salad and just one drink, preferably wine, which usually packs less than half the calories of a margarita or a martini. Eat slowly and savor your food, stopping as soon as you start to feel full. (Take the rest home with you for another meal.) If you'd rather have an entree, choose grilled meat or fish, and ask for an extra serving of vegetables instead of a potato or rice. For dessert, order one or two sweets for the table to share.

Finally, help both your waistline and your wallet by making expensive restaurant meals an occasional indulgence. Instead, offer to host a monthly supper club, says Christine Avanti, a nutritionist in Los Angeles. "Ask guests to bring a healthy dish of their choice so you can enjoy each other's company without calorie overload."

How to Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Body

"A mind is a terrible thing to waste" -- such a profound and inspirational statement that speaks to us all.

And, yet, all too often we do just that, waste it, by cluttering it with thoughts of fear, anxiety, worry, resentment, anger, and expectations. The list goes on. This state of mind soon causes us to neglect our bodies; and, in a sad turn of events, we essentially waste both.

For the past nine years, I have been helping people "break up" with their minds and "make up" with their body and soul.

Fitness and nutrition have been my trusted allies on this journey, coupled with an innate ability to make people feel comfortable being who they "truly" are. Aligning these three aspects of life ultimately leads to a deeper connection with ones own intuition, which is the blueprint to our happiness.

A key element in my success with clients is that I understand their struggles firsthand. For years my mind controlled me, with obsessive, self-destructive, dreadful and downright ridiculous thoughts that rained in my head like endless confetti. It felt like I was dealing with a mental bully from which there was no escape.

One event that stands out as a major catalyst in my adopting such a worry-filled mindset is the abrupt death of my mother at the age of 37. I was 9, my brother 18. With no father in the picture, we both moved in with our grandparents. Her death is the hardest thing I've had to deal with in my life thus far. I felt abandoned and betrayed. It drove me inward. I found it hard to open up and trust anyone. "They're just gonna leave anyway" was my rationale.

This carried into my early adult life, manifesting itself as dysfunctional relationships, abuse of alcohol and nicotine, sleeplessness, and eating everything on my body's "please don't feed me that" list. And although regular exercise was always a part of my life, I felt horrible.
Then one day it dawned on me that I was the sole proprietor of my mind and body. I was in control.

Sometimes we have "Aha" moments and other times we have "Duh!" moments. This was the latter. I began to reprogram my mind by honoring and listening to my body. I stopped overeating. I exercised more, cut out alcohol, slept more, read every book and health-related article that I could find, and surrounded myself with like-minded people.

The changes were immediately noticeable. That voice in my head got less and less audible, and I began to look and feel younger and younger. It wasn't easy, but to me, the alternative was a thousand times harder.

Here are some tips that have proven valuable to me in my journey out of my head back into my body. I hope you will find them useful.

FEED YOUR BODY WHAT "IT" WANTS, NOT WHAT YOUR "HEAD" WANTS

Filling our bodies with large amounts of foods that it doesn't want is like filling our car with diesel fuel when it takes premium and continuing to pour gas in it even when the tank is full. Insane right!? I know. I've been there! Try this. Eliminate fast and processed foods from your diet. Drastically cut your sugar and salt intake. And stick to eating organic fruits, veggies, fish, chicken, and lean beef, and lots of water. Cut portions by a third, cook at home more, and be creative with your food. The possibilities are limitless!

FELLOWSHIP WITH NATURE

The shear scale and power of the natural world snaps us out of our over-stimulated minds, forcing us to become more aware of our surroundings and how our body interacts with it. Hikes are great for this reason. Hiking challenges the body and gets you up close and personal with nature. Be sure to pay attention to the plant life, the sounds and smells. If you go with a friend, try not talking to one another for long periods. Allow your mind to take a back seat. Planting a small veggie garden is helpful and falls in line with the first tip. Create a place of natural serenity where you live, even if it's just a corner of a room.

BE MORE AFFECTIONATE

How many times has a warm hug snapped us out of a bad mood? I don't have an exact number either, but I can recall many such occasions! A hug is such a simple, yet highly affective action. Yet many of us can go weeks, even months, without a loving hug or touch, but endure traffic and watch TV on a daily basis. No wonder our minds have taken over! Change this by hugging at least three people a day. Make one of them a stranger. This might sound strange, but if you come from a place of sincerity and love, people are surprisingly responsive. Also, get regular massages. Mental stress hides in our bodies, massage helps in the cleaning process. Couples, you can start by giving each other five minute neck massages daily.

TRY YOGA

I can't stress this enough. Yoga changed my life. I was a skeptic at first. But a chance meeting with a yogi in Washington Square Park in New York changed that. I was stretching after a run. She came over and said, "Do you really wanna be flexible?" I said yes. She took me through an hour long, one on one yoga class. I left her feeling electric! Colors were vibrant, sounds were crystal clear, my spine was loose and nimble. I was hooked! The focus on breathing, the meditation, and the confronting physicality of it opens the door to a deeper, richer relationship with your mind, body and spirit. And it keeps you long and lean as a bonus.

GET UP AND GET DOWN

In other words...DANCE! As kids we all loved to do it, and we didn't care if we were shirtless in a pamper while everyone looked. When and why did we loose that freedom? I find it to be such a fun way to stay fit and let go. So stop worrying about who's looking and be the first one on the dance floor. After the first five minutes, you'll forget who's looking anyway.

It really all boils down to LOVE. If we are to affect positive change in this world we must give LOVE. That giving starts within.

Love is an action word: the more we love and honor our body and mind, the more we will love and honor others.

The Secret to Looking and Feeling Rested

I'm not a huge fan of our media's obsession with the diet and exercise habits of supermodels and ultra-thin actresses. So often, the topic just puts me to sleep. Which brings us to the topic at hand: Recently, Jennifer Aniston gave an interesting answer when Allure magazine asked her secret for staying so youthful and healthy at age 42. Her response wasn't the Zone diet, or yoga, or Pilates. Instead, her answer was, quite simply: Sleep.

Wake up!

We're used to hearing about the importance of sleep. Everyone knows the old "8 hours per night" rule. But in the race of everyday life, eight hours of sleep is, quite frankly, a dreamy luxury. Between kids, work, errands, cooking, and hopefully a little bit of exercise, we're all forced to cut corners here and there. And often that means cutting back on much-needed rest time.

So let's talk about the science of sleep. Read on, and don't fall asleep...not yet anyway:

Benefits of a Good Night’s SLEEP
Sleep and Slim

So getting a good night's sleep might not turn you into Jennifer Aniston overnight. But it might just be the key to your weight loss success. Here's the connection: When you are sleeping, your body is busy balancing out hormones - all kinds of hormones. Two of those hormones, namely ghrelin and leptin, are vitally important to losing weight...or gaining it. These two hormones alert your body to eat (ghrelin) or not to eat (leptin). When you are sleep-deprived, your body churns out more ghrelin, which means your body is telling you to eat more. And we all know what happens then.

And there's more: When you sleep less, your metabolism drops. So now you're playing double jeopardy. Not only do you have the raging ghrelin hormone demanding that you eat more sugary, calorie-laden foods, but you also have a metabolism drop off. Two plus two equals you're going to gain weight, all because you're not sleeping enough.

Sleep and Smile

We all know someone who proudly proclaims, "I'm not a morning person!" Maybe the reason so many of us aren't "Morning People" is because we're not sleeping. Sleep messes with every physiological function in the body. When your body undergoes the kind of trauma of sleeplessness, it starts to short-circuit. Some of the first wires to fray are those of your overall health, general mental processing, and the stability of your emotions.

Commonsense tells us that a good night of sleep gives us a better tomorrow, but a bit of scientific corroboration drives this point home. The sleep-deprived human body responds to the deprivation by releasing a torrent of stress hormones, amping up the blood pressure, and contributing to major heart problems. The sleep-deprived body produces less melatonin, reducing estrogen levels, and producing a predisposition to breast cancer. Lack of sleep slowly erodes the immune system, making you vulnerable to a mere whiff of the cold, flu, or any other infection.

Your mind works only as well as you're sleeping. In other words, less sleep creates loss of mental ability in areas like language processing, creative thinking, reflexive behavior, impulse control, attention-span, visual recognition, and judgment. I know it sounds kind of blunt, but the less you sleep, the dumber you become. The only reversal to this mental decline is more sleep. The better your mind functions, the more happy you are. Increased mental capacity produces higher levels of confidence, hope, and accomplishment. So it's simple: Sleep more. Smile more.

TIPS FOR BETTER SLEEP

Nearly 70% of women do not sleep the recommended eight hours per night. Most women are getting closer to five hours of sleep. So, here are some quick tips for sleeping better.

Exercise. The number one solution for getting better sleep (and more of it) is exercise. Exercise tires the body sufficiently to get a great night of rest. Exercise also helps to reduce stress, which contributes to better sleep. Basically, exercise is an amazing fix to a whole lot of sleep disorders and insomnia. But try not to schedule your workout too late in the evening, while exercise helps regulate your sleep/wake cycle, the stimulation that comes from a workout in the three hours before bedtime may cancel the benefits.

Eat well. What you eat has a huge effect on how you sleep. A balanced diet full of nutritious goodies and low on sugary snacks is a wonderful recipe for a great night's sleep. Carbs help your brain use tryptophan, an amino acid that causes sleepiness, and proteins help your body build tryptophan, so if you need a light bedtime snack try peanut butter on toast or low-fat cheese and crackers.

Have the right sleep stuff. No, we're not talking about sleeping pills or Tylenol PM. A good night is about the proper environment. Your best sleep occurs in a dark, cool and quiet room, shut off from distractions. A cool bedroom lowers your core body temperature, which initiates sleepiness. What's the ideal thermostat setting? It varies from person to person, but try 65 degrees to start and then adjust, if necessary. A comfortable mattress and pillow are also very important. For a sounder sleep, sprinkle some lavender. Try a few drops of essential oil on a cloth and slip it under your pillow or iron pillowcases with lavender scented water.

6 ways to step out of your comfort zone

Want to change your life? It's time to step out of your comfort zone and take action!

You know you want to make a change.

You want to see what life is like without extra weight on your body and on your mind. You're committed to making a change for the better.

To make it happen, think of your habits like a road trip. Your next steps become clear, and you start to see your destination ahead.

CHANGE HABITS NOW