Time to Take Down the Lights

The holidays have beautiful decorations, fun gatherings with family and friends, and exciting traditions to enjoy with little ones.  They are also stressful in accomplishing all that needs to be done, exhausting with added activities in an already jammed routine, and a bit over the top with the sweets that I enjoy and the vegetables that I miss.

As giddy as I get the weekend after Thanksgiving to start decorating for the holidays, I also am quite ready for the reset button the week before New Year's Day.  Visions of juicing and cleanses and strict eating dance through my head.

Before I get carried away with all that I will deny myself in order to make up for each indulgence I enjoyed, I have to remember what I know to be true about me. 

• Restrictions work ok, for a really short time. 
• Long term results come from making small positive choices consistently. 
• I feel energetic when I move in some way every day. 
• My body feels light when I eat colorful whole foods, when I'm hungry, until I feel satisfied (not stuffed).  

If you are ready for a lasting reset, without the angst of a diet, let me help you get there. Contact me here to join a new group starting January 14th. 

What's Holding Me Back?

There are times in my life that I feel unmotivated. I feel like the work it takes to achieve the goals I have set is too hard.  But I think about it, and the bar doesn't actually seem to be set that high.  When I decided what goals where attainable, I though long and hard about whether or not I was truly able to set them.  So what's the deal?  What is holding me back?  Here are a couple of sabotaging thoughts that threaten my drive and how I turn them around.

1.  Fear of Failure:  trying really hard and not getting results.
How I deal:  When I don't try, I don't get results either.  My current state is not the worst place in the world. If I stay where I am for the rest of my life, I still love myself, am surrounded by love, am fortunate in the opportunities I am getting to explore, and appreciate so many things about my world. So even if I don't get the results I am looking for, experiencing the effort will be success. 

2.  Fear of Restriction:  Just considering dieting has me spooning honey straight out of the jar (truth, not proud of it, but being honest).
How I deal:  If I think about the good I am enjoying by eating incredible foods that are supportive of my body rather than the bloating I am not suffering from the delicious foods that are damaging to my body, I can practice what I preach and focus on the positive.  A gratitude journal helps me keep this perspective ever present.  

3.  Option Overwhelm:  There is so much I could be doing that I am frozen by indecision and do nothing.  This often presents itself as boredom, but that is a coverup.
How I deal:  Make a list of all of the possibilities and pick one.  Taking any action builds confidence in taking more action.  If I make a mistake, I will still be learning.  

4.  Embarrassment to Be A Coach and "Working on Weight Loss":  I "should" already have this stuff mastered.
How I deal:  It is not embarrassing to work on gaining strength, so why is it embarrassing to work on better nutrition?  What I am building are life habits, so weight loss shouldn't look any different than any other time.  I am on the continuum of learning about what makes me the healthiest I can be right now, which has changed since postpartum, post surgery, post college, etc.  Each stage of life is a new learning experience in my health.  

5.  Fear of the Wrong Effort:  Practicing the discipline to not eat my husband's incredible homemade Rosemary and Sea Salt Sourdough and still not healing my gut.
How I deal:  I won't know what works until I try something.  I'm not in a hurry.  I have my whole life to keep exploring and learning. 

If any of these setbacks resonate with you, let's tackle them together.  I have a few spots still open for women are looking to lose between 10-20 lbs who are ready to face their obstacles and practice change.   Send me a message today to start Oct 1st.

Sucker Hole

Sucker hole is a term I learned when I lived in Telluride. It’s when the weather is terrible and the sky is dark, but you look out of one corner of one window of your house and you see a tiny patch of blue sky.  While you had previously decided to bag your plans to ski or hike in hopes of a blue bird day - gasp! - the weather has turned!  The clouds are breaking!!!  You are going out after all!! 

You rush to collect your gear and make the most of the time you have....only to find that you have fallen for the sucker hole. There is really just that one tiny patch of blue and it has already been engulfed in the impenetrable cloud cover. You are dressed and out there though, so you proceed in spite of it and hope that a couple more sucker holes might grace you with a flicker of their hope.  

I found that those days inevitably had hidden treasures waiting for a little leprechaun (me) to find them. Firstly, fewer people are out, leaving you with wide open peaceful space. If the rain did indeed stop, the light was incredible and the colors seemed to jump off of their perches into the biggest bear hug for my eyes. 

I had this experience on Mother’s Day. My life is changing really fast right now in some pretty big ways, and I was feeling pretty exhausted from days of celebrations. I knew that I needed exercise, but also felt unmotivated. The weather had been fairly crappy for days. I took the dog out for a quick walk and realized-I didn’t need a jog, weights, or intervals. I needed a hike. Alone. Not even the dog.  I needed to be responsible for no one, at my own pace, with no conversation.   

It started pouring as I opened the car door at the trailhead. I pulled up my hood and started to march. 

It was magical from the first step.  The sweat felt exhilarating.  The air was alive in a way I couldn’t feel an hour before. I met a blind dog with the biggest smile on his face picking his way down the steep steps of Mt. Sanitas. 

I have decided that the sucker hole is where I thrive. Picking my way along, unsure of what is to come, but feeling empowered because I choose to go anyway. 

I can get pretty bogged down with change. Fear of the unknown wraps it’s tentacles around me in a way that makes me feel tethered. Yet when I actually try, I can fairly easily break free and just flow through the water, letting the current guide me.  

The last time I went through a big change like this I got to change careers and pursue a dream. I got to find out what it means to love your job and your work. I got to choose yes over and over and over again. Starting out was terrifying.  I couldn’t yet see the view from the mountain top. I can see it now though, and I hope I always remember how good it feels. I am choosing to go, rain or shine. I am choosing yes to adventure, even if it’s scary. I am living in that sucker hole!

The lessons that I am learning from this sucker hole are these.  Firstly, move.  Move consistently.  Move whether you want to or not.  When you don't want to move, likely you need it more than ever.

Secondly, when the opportunity doesn't seem ideal, maybe there is actually a different opportunity that could be just as good or better presenting itself.  If you are open to exploring it, the payoff could be huge.