Motivation, Vision, and Behavior: The Winning Combination

When I talk with clients about achieving their chosen weight and healthy life, we spend a ton of time on motivation, vision, and behaviors for success.

Motivation Keeps You Moving

What exactly is motivation? According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, it is:

1 a) The act or process of motivating

   b) The condition of being motivated

2. A motivating force, stimulus, or influence

So how do we maintain and even increase motivation over time? We pay attention to clearly articulated reasons for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.

For participants in our Weight for Wellness(TM) program, that means focusing on what we call the "Big Whys". Why do you really want to be healthy? What happens if you continue to do what you're doing now? How will your health be in a year, in three years, and beyond if nothing changes? Is there someone important in your life who will benefit from a more healthy you? What does achieving a healthy weight mean for you and why is that important?

Vision, Trance, and You

What constitutes vision? Returning to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary, we find:

1 a) something seen in a dream, trance, or ecstasy;

   b) a thought, concept or object formed by the imagination

2 a) the act or power of imagination

An important question to ask is: What vision am I paying attention to?  

One vision is of you being at your present weight, doing the things you've been doing, and feeling the same way you now feel about yourself. 

I hear someone saying, But wait a minute Steve, that isn't a 'vision'. Yes, indeed it is a vision. 

Look at definition 1 a) again: "something seen in a dream, trance, or ecstasy;" 

The beliefs you hold about your weight; the behaviors you rehearse in your mind time and again; the real expectations of your future, they all contribute to the trance you call present reality. You spend hours a day cementing in this vision while spending less than 10 minutes a day creating a vision of super health and personal command over your life.

Rehearse a New Reality

What would happen if you committed just two or three minutes every hour of your day creating rich, big, bold, and clear pictures of the reality that can be? Why not aim your powerful imagination in ways that support health and happiness? Rehearse in self-talk and vivid imagination multiple times every day the reality you really want for you and your loved ones.

Behaviors Bring Reality

Finally, what behaviors keep you chained to your present health reality and what behaviors support a new reality of health and happiness? Genetics and other factors may play a role, but you have far more control over your health and life experiences than you might imagine.

Changing behaviors leads to changed realities. What small changes can you make that over time bring huge health benefits? 

- Read labels and stay away from high fructose corn syrup and other sugars in processed food.

- Write down what you eat and drink daily. This leads to behavior changes automatically.

- Take a walk. 

- Wait 10 minutes after a meal before deciding whether to eat desert. 

- Drink a glass of water 10 minutes before a meal and when cravings arise.

- Wear a pedometer and track how far you walk every day. 

- Pack a lunch and healthy snack. 

- Get out of your desk chair at least once an hour and stretch. 

- Ask your subconscious knowing and heart wisdom what will work for you. Email CarterMethod@gmail.com to learn how.

Make a decision to do just a few things differently every day and notice what happens. Add short exercise breaks during the day to your electronic calendar and set automatic reminders. Stay motivated by focusing on your "Big Whys". Choose to spend time in the trance of terrific health and happiness.

You really can achieve the life, health and body of your dreams. Start by approving of yourself exactly the way you are. You're not "broken". You have simply been running unconscious behavior programs in a highly effective way. The skill and efficiency you're using for existing programs can be shifted to new programs.

If it's time for you to choose a new reality, cultivate new motivations, new visions, and new behaviors.  

You are worth the investment!

Steve Carter

Stress Solutions, LLC
Home of the Weight for Wellness(TM) program

http://EasyStressCures.com | http://www.EFT-MD.com
1-804-677-6772

When Sugar Isn't So Sweet

Consumer Reports recently did a study to find out how much extra sugar there is in food and beverage products we consume daily. 

Their findings: Everyday the average North American consumes the equivalent of about 22 teaspoons of extra sugar from food products and drinks. That's approximately half a cup of extra sugar.

 

Many nutritionists advise that added sugar consumption should be no more than 6 teaspoons for women and 9 teaspoons for men. Consumption beyond those amounts may be unhealthy. Of course, check with your doctor to get advice about your individual situation.

Self-Defense

What can we do in self-defense? The first and most important step is to read labels. Look for sugar type additives such as sucrose, glucose, and high fructose corn syrup. 

When listing ingredients, food processors often use grams rather than teaspoons. Four grams equal approximately one teaspoon.

Paying attention to food labels is a simple "Weight for Wellness(TM)" action that can help you achieve your healthy weight choice.

To watch the short television news broadcast about these Consumer Reports findings, click Here.

Steve Carter

Stress Solutions, LLC

Home of the Weight for Wellness(TM) Program

http:/EasyStressCures.com | http://www.EFT-MD.com

804-677-6772

Want to GAIN Weight? Skip Breakfast

What is one of the best ways to help ensure weight GAIN?


Skip breakfast. 

What is one of the best ways to achieve and maintain healthy weight? 

Eat a good breakfast that includes protein.

As I've worked with clients who want to lose weight over the years, one pattern that shows up frequently is a habit of skipping breakfast or eating only a minimal amount of food to start the day. 

We've all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Guess what? When it comes to achieving a healthy weight, it is.

Why? Think about it: When you start your day, it's been 12-hours or longer since your last big meal. Your blood sugar level is usually lowest in the morning and your body needs nourishment to nudge the level back up. 

If there is little or no fuel added to the tank each morning, your body's engine can't purr properly through the day. You often end up craving sweets and carbs as your body attempts to rebalance its chemistry. This can add more volatility to blood sugar and hormone levels leading to weight gain.

It makes good health and weight management sense to eat a good breakfast every morning.

Click Here   and learn more.

Steve

Stress Solutions, LLC

Home of the Weight for Wellness(TM) Program

http://EasyStressCures.com | http://www.EFT-MD.com

Ph: 888-849-5040 | International: 1-804-677-6772

Beautiful Echoes and Better Health

Today is officially the first day of the new week. As a matter of fact, today is the first day of the rest of your life.

Why not give just a couple of moments worth of thought and ask: 

What can I do this week to encourage more health and happiness?

A few suggestions:

• If you're a part of the Weight for Wellness(TM) program, check in with your partner and ask how he or she is doing. If you're not a WFW member, give a friend or family member a call just to talk. Remember, your role is not to "fix" someone else or solve his or her problem. Listen without judgement and send love. Simply being present for others is a huge help.
• Share your successes and challenges with your friend, family member, or WFW peer coach. Ask yourself if there's something your partner could do that would be helpful for you. If so, ask the person to do it.
• Read at least one article that supports your healthy choices each day. Check out for example, the Prevention magazine article, "Small Changes That Take Off Big Pounds".

The Most Important Action

And the most important action? Spend a few moments giving yourself approval just the way you are. 

If you find that a challenge, find at least one thing you like about yourself. Are you kind to animals? Do you love your children, parents, or others? Did you put a dollar in the Salvation Army kettle at Christmas? 

Find something about you that you feel good about, even if you think it's insignificant. Allow yourself to really, really FEEL the positive feelings and allow those feelings to grow and flow throughout your body. 

Let It Go

It's far easier to allow your life to change for the better from a place of self-acceptance and appreciation. Beating yourself up ensures you continue getting more of what you consciously say you don't want. Let that go and give yourself approval frequently throughout the day. 

After just a couple of days of positive self-approval, notice how much better you feel and how much more positive energy flows in your life. Notice too, how much easier it becomes to make healthy choices automatically.

Beautiful Echoes

There is a saying that goes:

Speak kind words and receive kind echoes. 

Listen for the echoes from your own heart, mind, and body. Then notice the echoes returning to you from the kind words you say to and about others.

Listen...listen...listen... 

The echoes are beautiful.

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To learn more about the Weight for Wellness(TM) program, email us at: CarterMethod@gmail.com.

Steve Carter

Stress Solutions, LLC

Home of the Weight for Wellness(TM) Program

http://www.EFT-MD.com | http://EasyStressCures.com

888-849-5040 | International: 1-804-677-6772

This Chair is Killing Me!

A study entitled, "Television Time and Mortality" published in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association, reports that for every daily extra hour of television watching while seated we experience on average an 18% greater risk of death from heart disease and an 11% increase in mortality overall.


Those people who spend on average four-hours or more a day sitting in front of the television are 80% more likely to die from heart disease compared to people who sit in a sedentary state for two-hours or less.


"Ah", I hear someone say, There must have been other factors. Perhaps the couch potatoes didn't exercise. According to study findings, increased mortality rates applied even to those who exercised regularly and ate well.


Another study, "Sitting Time and Mortality From All Causes..." reported similar findings. The report's conclusion:


These data demonstrate a dose-response association between sitting time and mortality from all causes and CVD, independent of leisure time physical activity. In addition to the promotion of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and a healthy weight, physicians should discourage sitting for extended periods.


Stand Up and Step Out

The human body is designed to move. Most of us, however, aren't doing the right kind of moving. We move from one chair to another throughout the day. We sit in traffic, often for 90 minutes to two-hours or more daily. Many of us sit at computers hours on end. 

When we go to lunch we sit down for another 30 or more minutes of mindless eating, only to return to our desk chair for more hours of sitting in front of a computer screen.

One Simple Thing

How easy would it be to add just a few more steps and a few more minutes of head to toe vertical positions in your day? Studies show that people who do one simple thing will on average walk an extra mile a day. 

What's that simple thing? Slip on a pedometer. Knowing you're wearing a pedometer is passive motivation to take a few more steps every day--and add a few more years to life! It's one of those small changes that over time bring big results.

Check out this Fox News report by clicking Consumer Reports: Pedometers. You'll be stepping in the right direction when you do.

Steve Carter

Stress Solutions, LLC

Home of the Weight for Wellness(TM) Program

http://EasyStressCures.com | http://www.EFT-MD.com

1-888-849-5040 | International: 1-804-677-6772

Ditch the Diet and Use the Power of Three

Continuing on the theme that small is beautiful when it comes to making changes, I recommend you invest three minutes and 13 seconds and watch a video by Ruth Buczynski, PhD, president and co-founder of the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine, or NICABM for short.

The video is entitled, Mindless Eating, but you'll find that it's more than a pitch to pay attention as you eat. Dr. Bucynski shares fascinating facts she learned from Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindless Eating, such as:

• On any given day we make over 200 decisions about food.
• There is what Wansink calls the "Mindless Margin", a gap of 300 - 400 calories we can eat or not eat without any noticeable feeling of being deprived.
• Mindless behaviors are habits usually born years ago.
• Just three mindful changes in eating habits can mean 300 fewer calories consumed each day. The weight loss over time can be significant.

10-Day Challenge

I encourage you visit Dr. Buczynski's blog post and watch her video. Look at the list of possible changes, pick just three, write them down and give them a test drive. Look at the list of three once or twice a day as reminders.

When you give them a try for 10-days and notice the results, you can choose to continue doing those three or try some others. Let your feedback guide you.

To reach Ruth's blog post and video, click Here.


Brian Wansink's Info

To visit Brian Wansink's website where you'll find a rich treasure chest of information about mindful eating, click Here.

I recommend you also check out Brian's videos on YouTube. They are all good. As an example, click the video of an interview with Brian below:

Steve Carter

Stress Solutions, LLC
Home of the Weight for Wellness(TM) Program

http://www.EFT-MD.com | http://EasyStressCures.com
Ph: 1-888-849-5040 | International: 1-804-677-6772

Eat, Sleep, Breathe: Passive Weight Loss Strategies for 2012 + More...

Just like swimming pools opening on Memorial Day and throngs of shoppers hitting the mall on Black Friday, we can count on an endless parade of weight loss feature media stories showing up in January. Most of these "New Year's Resolution" stories are rehashed recommendations to eat less and exercise more.

Writer Manual Villacorta, a registered dietitian, offers a refreshing contrast to the standard January media redux: He offers three simple and easy to do suggestions to help with weight loss: Eat, Sleep, and Breathe. 

To simplistic to be useful? I suggest reading his short post (Click Here) and consider the wisdom of simplicity in achieving health goals. 

Another "Keep it Simple" Voice

Another "keep it simple" voice offering solid medical research based guidance is Travis Stork, MD, one of the regulars appearing on the TV program, "The Doctors". Dr. Stork, author of "The Lean Belly Prescription",  New York Times bestseller, was recently interviewed for "Prevention" magazine. 

Like Manual Villacorta, Dr. Stork points to the role of stress in weight challenges. The short "Prevention" interview can be found by clicking Here. His "Perfect Day of Weight Loss" guidance, also published in "Prevention", is available by clicking Here.

Your Own Simple Steps

While suggestions such as those offered by Manual Villacorta and Dr. Stork can jump start our creative ideas, there's no substitute for going within and asking your subconscious knowing and heart-wisdom what will support you. If you would like some suggestions about how to elicit the knowing within, drop me an email at CarterMethod@gmail.com.

For those in the Weight for Wellness(TM) program, what better time than now is there to review your plan, revisit your "Big Whys", and recommit to achieving your health choices?

To your health, wealth, and joy,

Steve Carter

Stress Solutions, LLC

Home of the Weight for Wellness Program

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http://EasyStressCures.com | http://www.EFT-MD.com

Ph: 888-849-5040 | International: 1-804-677-6772