Healthy Tips for the Holidays and New Year

I received an inquiry from a reporter for weight-loss tips for the holidays.  I thought I would turn my answer into a blog post.  Enjoy.


1. share a personal tip on how to avoid gaining pounds this holiday season?
Give yourself permission to have a few small portions of sweets or your favorite indulgence over the holidays, not all day every day for two weeks! Decide ahead of time what is acceptable and then no more.  It's not the small indulgences, it's taking it to extremes that will add 5-10 pounds! Balance out the "junk food" calories with something healthy.

2. How do you get past all the New Year pound-shedding resolution noise or gimmicks?
Losing weight and keeping it off is a lifestyle choice, not a fad or gimmick.  If you look at how much and when you are eating, perhaps keeping a food diary for a week, you'll probably notice a trend.  If you are eating for the sake of eating because you are emotionally hungry or anxious, then you have to address that, not just the food choices.  If you don't know what food is better for you, then learn.  If you need ideas for healthy snacks, google it.  Set yourself up for winning, not for failure, by really looking at what has gotten you to this point in the first place.  And then find a buddy to keep you accountable.  A life coach is very helpful accountability partner. (Hint, hint!)

3. Share your experience and or interesting related story?
I coached a woman about the big family transition she was going through: second marriage, two young babies, no time for herself.  With only 3 conversations over the course of a month, she addressed some key beliefs she had about what was making her feel restless and unhappy.  Without even trying, she lost 15 pounds in less than a month because she was no longer emotionally eating.  She was making good choices that fit into her lifestyle, such as healthy food, short yoga and meditation exercises, and a new perspective that helped her love her life again.

Hope this was helpful.  Any other ideas you want help on?

A Healthy Lifestyle

A doctor will tell you to quit smoking, a health teacher will tell you ways to avoid getting sexually transmitted diseases, the TV will remind you of the many chronic illnesses to avoid like Emphysema, Diabetes, Heart Attacks, etc. The average American woman can probably tell you at least 20 health tips off the top of her head, like drinking more water, avoiding saturated fats, not adding too much salt or sugar to her diet, exercising 30 minutes a day, and giving up sweetened drinks. What most of them have in common is sacrifice, which is why most women don’t follow their own knowledge of how to live a healthier life.

So what will help people choose to follow healthier habits? I believe that working with a life coach can help a person flush out the reasons why she is choosing the wrong habits and help her choose a better way to live. A life coach can help her client assess how she is currently living, what is causing stress and anxiety in her life, and what is NOT working for her. She is then able develop the intentions and strong conviction to reassess her lifestyle, not for a fad diet, but to make life-long changes that come from a new awareness and confidence.

Consistently living healthy habits is more of a mental health issue than a lack of knowledge, for the most part. A happy and fulfilled person who knows how to deal with life’s issues is not the kind of person to binge on sweets or take risks with their health. A woman who is comfortable in her own skin and in healthy relationships with those around her, is emotionally more stable and less likely to fall victim to poor health habits.

As a whole life coach, and a relationship coach, I help women flourish in all aspects of their lives; from personal growth to health and career. If one area of your life is unfulfilled or causing anxiety, it will have an effect on all areas of your life. I enjoy helping my clients see the big picture.

If this interests you, I hope you will contact me for a free consultation.
monica@newstepslifecoaching.com

Healthy Living

If you're feeling stuck and you don't know how to make the changes in your life that will propel you forward in a healthy way, I'd like to suggest one thing. Literally, do ONE thing today that is different from your usual routine. Eat a new meal, find a new way to exercise, find one little boundary for yourself (no food after 8pm or only one small sweet per day). Commit to that ONE thing for the next week. Think about how it embraces the "new you" vision. Think about how great you will feel having done something positive for yourself. That feeling will grow as you act in a positive way each day. You will be taking control of your life by making healthier choices.

Break out of that stuck place and create new momentum with ONE daily action.
You can do it!