I AM strong! I can push through anything! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!  It is OK to feel uncomfortable!

I set a goal to run 1 mile and like it in 30 days (the end of my current 90 Day Challenge).  I am on day 20.  I started by walking 1/4 mile, running 1/4 mile (twice).  This week I increased it to (walk1/3, run 1/3) twice and that was my goal when I went out today.

I didn’t feel much like running this afternoon.  I felt lethargic and hot.  I thought that I wouldn’t make it past running the first 1/4 mile.  When I reached it I thought, ok, just a little ways to go and I can walk again or maybe just quit.  But then, something happened.

As I focused my site way ahead on the trail, I began to chant to myself:

I AM strong! I can push through anything! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!  It is OK to feel uncomfortable!

Suddenly, I was focused on pushing through to 1/2 mile.  That may not sound much to many of you, but for someone who hates running and has never been good at it (except for when I was child), 1/2 mile is a BIG deal!

Oh my goodness!  Could I do it?  I hit the 1/3 mile mark and although it would have been easy to resume walking, I strangely kept going as I chanted:

I AM strong! I can push through anything! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!  It is OK to feel uncomfortable!

And, I DID IT!  I made it to 1/2 mile.  Well now what?  Do I walk a 1/2 mile back?  I could but I thought no, I should only rest 1/4 mile, which is what I did.  I walked 1/4 mile and ran another 1/4 mile and finished with a 1/4 mile cool down.

Wow!  I am pleased as punch with myself, what I consider a big YIPPEE! for the day!

Here’s the thing.  I seriously don’t like to feel uncomfortable.  That is why I don’t like to run because I don’t like the feeling of losing my breath.  Aren’t there a ton of things in life that make us feel uncomfortable?

Working through things that make us feel uncomfortable (things that are good for us and authentic to who we are), makes us stronger, builds more character, and reveals more of our authentic selves!

I want to be strong, true, and authentic.  I want to know that I can push through when the going gets tough no matter what it is!  And because of that?  I WILL be running a mile with ease by the end of the next 20 days.  Yay me!

Thirty (30) pounds of excess weight, feeling fat and ugly, and your doctor sharing that you have health issues lurking all point to one thing.  It’s time to stop the excuses, buckle down and get serious about a weight loss & fitness program.

That was me in the spring of 2008.  I was so mad at myself, the health and wellness nut, who knew better.  But it took the doctor telling me to drop 10 pounds for me to actually do anything about it.  I dreaded it all at first but once I got started and engaged the right mindset it was awesome and the pounds melted off!

You can read the whole story with before and after pictures here => Weigh More Than A Diet

Three years later, spring of 2011, I found myself 10-15 pounds overweight with a loss of some of my beautiful muscle mass that occurred in this last year.  What happened?  Well, life.

There is no doubt that my body is changing given my age.  That’s ok because I can work with that as long as I apply what I know.  But, the fat gain and muscle loss was all emotionally based.  Life does happen and sometimes we think we have “it” under control when we really don’t.  One thing I have noticed in this past year is that very thing and it has taken honest moments and particular situations to grab my attention.

I am in a very different situation from 3 years ago.  I have more emotional cleansing to do on a regular bases in order to help me maintain my focus and not get lost in the emotional situations and even binges that sometimes occur.

With that I am so very thankful for the Body by Vi 90 Day Challenge that has been mentioned here at The Wonder Woman Challenge before.  I have partnered with a great team of people with the same goal of achieving and maintaining a healthy body.  I really need the community support system this go around.  Plus, it just makes it much more fun!

Remember this above picture? ↑ I use it all the time online even here on my “about” page.  It was taken August, 2009.  See those shorts?

I could not fit into them ↑ as of two months ago (June, 2011)!  You can see that I couldn’t come close to buttoning and zipping them!  I actually look pregnant there .. yoiy! .. just what every woman wants to look like!  Riiight!  So, I set a very simple 90 day goal because simple was all I could do at that time.  I wanted to be able to wear those shorts again!

Because of the 90 Day Challenge, ↓ 47 days later I could wear them!

I am certainly not done because I am not as toned as I was in the 2009 picture but I am well on my way.  I am in the process of gaining my beautiful muscle tone back with the remainder of my current challenge.

And, while I am finishing up this challenge I am thinking about what my next 90 Day Challenge goal will be.  Any ideas?

One thing I am seriously considering is using the money that I am saving on my grocery budget from my  90 Day Challenge to put in a “slush fund” for fun, pampering, self-nurture activities.  Wouldn’t that be a blast?  Oooh!  I can see it now!  I can make a cute little love jar (or some kind of container) to slip up to $2.00 a day in and at the end of the month?  Wow … do I hear Massage therapy? Manicures? Pedicures? Shopping therapy? Girls night out?  Hmmmmm …..

Thoughts and ideas please!!

Exercise is self-nurturing.

Yes! It really is!  However, in my coaching practice I discourage my clients from including exercise as part of their self-nurture challenge until they are able to get beyond equating exercise with punishment.  Let’s face it, most people hate exercise and self-nurture is about doing things that you love.

I am here to tell you that it is possible to turn exercise into a beautiful, loving, self-nurturing activity.

Realize that your body is an amazing machine that works hard to keep you functioning.  A lot of people take care of their cars much better than they take care of themselves, but I know that’s not you, right?! Of course not!

When I learned to tune into my body at the gym, wow!, did my workouts change and so did my results!

As you workout you do want to push yourself to get the results that you are after, but while you are pushing yourself, you are doing so in a coaching manner.  You can have a difficult workout, but not in an ugly, degrading and/or punishing kind of way.  Your thoughts want to be more from a place of encouragement and celebrate your improvement even in the smallest way.

But here is where it really changed for me when I discovered Supta Baddha Konasana, a restorative yoga pose.

After my workouts I lay in this restorative pose and really tune into my body allowing myself to feel the work that I just did.  And while doing so, I think about all the different systems at work, I imagine the new muscle being created along with excess fat and toxins  being discarded and flushed out of my body.  While I’m visualizing and meditating on all of this, I move into a spirit of gratitude and thank my body for all that it does for me and for the work that it just did, and reaffirm my body and self that I will continue taking good care of me because I love me.

No matter where I am exercising, at home or in the middle of a busy gym, I will take 5-10 minutes for Supta Baddha Konasana.

Girlfriends, this is such a powerful technique.  I encourage you to try it and watch how a shift about exercise begins to take place.  And, overtime, watch your results improve!

Are you ready to add exercise to your self-nurture practice?

Stay tuned for how to use Supta Baddha Konasana a different way that will make you feel like a queen!

Click =>Join the 90 Day Challenge

Breakthrough.  The next level.  Busting through the ceiling. Metamorphosis.

February was an interesting month looking back.  I had to look at my posts and reflect on my past week to begin to put some clarity to it.

February was definitely dedicated to creating.  We started with a fun way to creatively express love to ourselves through Love Notes With A Twist, which by the way I will have a follow up post to that soon.  We started a 90 Day Weight Loss & Fitness Challenge to begin to create health and wellness.  And we created artistically making our love containers and Valentines for our loved ones.  I even threw in soap making.

Plus, February was my birthday month!

All sounds fun and exciting, doesn’t it?  Then why did the last week of the month end up being a very difficult, emotionally raw week for me?

As I look over the month, I admit to you that my personal Love Notes With A Twist has not gone well, but I am determined to pull it out of the tank.  I thoroughly enjoyed the artistic creativity with the Valentines and the soap making which both gave me a huge charge.  And, the 90 Day Challenge is giving me a sense of hope & excitement to get my health & fitness level back up to where it belongs. However, and here is part of the rub,  that requires change on many levels.

With change, in this case personal growth, comes struggle.  We have to really want something in order to endure what’s hard to breakthrough the self-imposed wall, ceiling, padding, etc. to get to that next level.

In order for the beautiful butterfly to emerge from it’s cocoon, it must first become uncomfortable and then break its way out.  The butterfly must do all the work itself because any help will cause it to die, so I have been told.

We want personal growth but just when we are about to experience the breakthrough that we have been waiting for for so long is when the tension is at its greatest point.  We have a choice.  We can back off and lessen the tension to put us back into our comfort zone, or we can stay the course, push through the tension, and bust out of our cocoon allowing the beautiful butterfly to takes its rightful place in this world.

Sometimes we can find ourselves in that place of metamorphic tension and not totally understand where it is taking us.  I find myself in that place now.  The cocoon has become very uncomfortable but where will I be when I bust out of this shell?

As a result I have been asking myself, what IS MY rightful place in this world?  What is MY truth?  What is MY truthful pathway?

And I ask you … What is YOURS?

Whatever our breakthrough truth is for each of us, it is ours to own, embrace, and thrive in with amazing joy and peace!  Let’s not sink back into our comfort zones, but instead step up to the plate to endure this metamorphic tension so that we can joyfully grace our world with the beauty that is intended for us.

The world is waiting for each of us to take our own rightful place, and when we do there will be a hush of amazement!  Can you hear it?  Can you feel it?  Go for it!

The Luminous Green Butterfly image is from Fantastic at picable.com

Friday, February 18th is my birthday! This is not something I typically announce but this year I am.  It is a special milestone that I am excited about AND I am giving myself the most awesome gift ever!

Guess what it is!  Give up?

A healthier fit body!

And how am I going to achieve that?

Yes! Through a 90 Day Challenge that I am doing with Dr. Cheryl Townsley!

I love fitness challenges!  I did one 2 1/2 years ago and lost 30 pounds.  I went from a size 10 to a size 4.  You can see my before and after pictures in the post called “Weight Loss: Weigh More Than A Diet”.  The link is at the end of this article.

I know.  You are thinking to yourself that I must have gained it all back, right?  Wrong!  When you watch Dr. Cheryl’s video below about the challenge and her personal transformation,  notice what she says that happened to her body when she turned a particular age.  (That will also give you a clue about what age I am turning on Friday   )  In the last 6 months I have noticed a big change in my muscle mass, almost strange-like along with a few added pounds, less than ten but with my small frame I really notice it.

For my special birthday, I am giving myself the gift of health, not out of hatred and punishment, but out of love and care for myself through a 90 Day Challenge.  I am embracing who I am, the age that I am turning, and giving myself what I need to be strong and vibrant.  By doing so I can then give from a healthy joy-filled, love-filled cup to my loved ones and to YOU!

I encourage you to join me so that you can give yourself a healthier you as well.  Embrace yourself right where you are and join myself and Dr. Cheryl on this exciting transformational journey by taking the 90 Day Challenge. Let’s create a fun and supportive community of love and joy while we reach our weight loss and fitness goals together.

Are you in?  Let me know what you think in the comment section below.

P.S. … Have you figured out how old I am yet?  The clue is in the video!

For more information click here => 90 Day Challenge

Beyond Dreams to Reality

by

Dr. Cheryl Townsely

As a little girl we have dreams of our prince in shining white armor and a fairy tale life.  We finish school and then life seems to take a turn.  One by one our dreams get set aside and hopes dwindle.  We reach that ‘certain age’ and life seems to be a big challenge.

By the time I reached 50, I had achieved success as an author (published 15 books), media guest (over 1,000 shows), naturopathic doctor (working with over 20,000 clients from around the world  in our clinic) and was the master of a perfect diet and supplements.

You would think I would be the picture of health and joy.  In truth, I was a tired old woman who looked older than 50. I was tired of taking care of everyone else and had no idea what to do differently.  How could I have created this ‘old woman’ when I knew so much and worked so hard?

The key is in the last sentence.  Hard work and knowledge will not create a life of joy or the energy to enjoy life. In fact, it does the opposite.

Today, at 57, I’ve lost 40 pounds, lost 3 sizes in jeans (size 14 to a comfortable 8 ..  soon to be 6), eliminated hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt and have friends amazed at the “fun woman” I’ve become.  My life is filled with more joy, fruit and hope than ever before.  I enjoy my life, my family, my friends and my opportunities.

What allowed that change?  Three simple steps have changed my life.

1.     I learned to say ‘no’ and take care of me. The scripture, “love your neighbor as yourself” is true.  You can’t love others more than you love yourself.

2.     I honestly acknowledged what I wanted to create. I got honest and acknowledged I wanted a fit body and to be free of debt with health and financial margins. I wanted it more than my comfort zone and was willing to do what it took to make the changes . .. with balance!

3.     I created a game plan to move me towards what I wanted. Once you set that game plan in place, just know that the ‘program’s that have kept you stuck will show up.  Guaranteed!!  You must have a support team who cares about you creating your desire more than keeping you comfortable in your mess!

That is why I have chosen the 90 Day Challenge as my game plan.  It gives me a great protein shake (meal replacement) with adequate nutrition that tastes great and is less than $2/meal.  The challenge keeps me focused on my goals and surrounds me with a community that helps me succeed.

Join Shileen and me on the 90 Day Challenge. Isn’t it time for you to create a life and body you can enjoy?

Photo provided by Tom Curtis

Do you feel like a sitting duck in terms of your health?

In Part 1 of Breast Health vs. Breast Cancer I shared about how at one point in my life I was scared and felt like a sitting duck in terms of my health until I determined to become proactive.  That’s when my holistic health and wellness journey began.

With October being breast cancer awareness month I am focusing on breast health rather than breast cancer.  Let’s move away from what I call the sitting duck syndrome and be proactive no matter what your health is like at this moment.

So what can we do to be proactive in terms of healthy breasts?

1. Breast Lymph Massage: discussed in part 1 … click here => Breast Health vs. Breast Cancer

2. Maintaining a healthy weight & exercise

Please don’t brush off number 2 with a defeated yea yea I know.  The research that I found on how this proactive activity can impact our breast health is pretty amazing and I hope to offer you encouragement in this area.  Please keep reading!

“Dr. Walter Willet, Head of the Nutrition Department at the Harvard School of Public Health, concludes, “Probably the single most important thing women can do to reduce their risk of breast cancer is to avoid weight gain in adult life.”

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute state that women who are overweight are two to three times more likely to develop breast cancer. And don’t think this only applies to women that are obese. The risk increases at a BMI of 27, which is just slightly overweight. BMI is a function of height and weight, so for example woman who is 5’6″ and weighs 170 pounds has a BMI of 27.

Getting to and maintaining a healthy body weight is key to the prevention of many diseases, so make this a top health priority.” By Nadia Rodman, RD

Did you catch that last statement?  “Getting to and maintaining a healthy body weight is key to the prevention of many diseases …”.  So, if we want to be proactive in achieving and maintaining healthy breasts ladies, then we need to include being at a healthy weight as part of our plan.

That takes work doesn’t it?!  Sometimes it just seems easier if we can pop a pill whether it’s medicine or even supplements, but we are cheating ourselves with that kind of attitude.  The truth is there is so much that we can do for ourselves in terms of being proactive that doesn’t cost us a thing AND that will ultimately make our hearts sing with joy, but it does take a little effort.

You CAN do it!!  I know that you can!!

It’s the same thing with exercise.  Exercise is so healthy … we all know that.  And it makes us feel so much better.  (Side note: dieting without strength training leads to muscle loss which makes it harder to lose weight!)

Let’s tie this to breast health.

“According to a five-year study of more than 70,000 women conducted bythe American Cancer Society, the most active women had a 29% lower breast cancer risk compared to those that exercised the least.

Several studies have also validated the importance of exercise after diagnosis. One study of 900 women diagnosed with breast cancer found that those who did two to three hours of physical activity each week were 70% less likely to die over the next six years compared to those who were inactive” ~ Nadia Rodman, RD

Do you see that we don’t have to be sitting ducks?  We can be proactive in the area of breast health and, of course, these things impact more than our breasts. These things impact everything about our health!

What do you need to do right now to become proactive with your health?  What do you need to do right now to begin loving you!

Yes, when we take care of our health we are loving ourselves!

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight along with exercise is a beautiful way to self-nurture.  And when you begin to look at it that way your attitude changes making it more of a pleasure rather than a chore.

Do you need help getting started?

Do you need help changing your mindset around weight loss & fitness?  Do you need a jumpstart?

There is so much emotional “stuff” in our physical conditions.  Just watch Biggest Loser and you’ll see all the “stuff”.

I am just an email away if you need help and support.

Here’s to healthy breasts!!

Love to all!!

Related Posts:  Breast Health vs. Breast Cancer

Weight Loss – “Weigh” More Than A Diet

[Audio] Insane Amount of Free Diet Information

[You are going to love this audio!! Great stuff! Jon Benson writes some of the most provocative fitness stuff on the Internet, so I know you'll benefit from this recent article from him. I have been benefiting from his mentoring for years! Let me know what you think!! ~ Shileen ]

Scott Colby, CPT just interviewed me recently for “Fit Pros Against Cancer.” My job: Help give away a TON of free fitness information to his listeners as they called into the show.

And I think I did a pretty good job.

You tell me… ; )

Here’s what we cover in just about 30 minutes…

1. How much fat can you burn (and inches can you lose) in just 6 days?…
2. How to make fatloss “easier” (not ‘easy’… but easier!)…
3. What to do about perimenopause and menopause stress and the fat-gain that comes with it… AND…
4. The “Stress-Free” dietplan for women who fight the “pooch” or who are going through perimenopause or menopause!
5. Is exercise worthless if you sit down while you work?…
6. What about fitness for “seniors”?… Can you gain muscle and shed fat past the age of 60?
7. An inhome exercise that lasts 7 minutes but that can increase the lifespan of women by up to 60%! …
8. The shocking truth about whole grains and disease…
9. The “myth” of shaping/building muscle AND dropping bodyfat at the same time… hear the TRUTH about this once and for all! …
10. How you can have your cake (literally!) and eat it too (i.e. get all the fatburning benefits while still enjoying desserts)…
11. How to “reboot” your key fatburning hormone using nothing more than the food in your refrigerator!…
12. This freee substance uses 90% or more of your calories… and you need more of it… find out what it is!…
13. The “Food Purist” versus the “Food Rebel”… which one are you?…
14. The one thing you can to TODAY without hardly any effort to improve your appearance and your health!…
15. 2 simple exercises you can do at work to remove back strain and improve your abs (yes… ABS!)…
16. Why the “baby boomer” generation is literally being left out of most fitness plans… and a plan that’s perfectly suited for all boomers!…
17. The 1 trick I use to workout without nagging injuries! …
18. Why exrercise decreases 1 critical sex-hormone… and what you can do to prevent it (even increase it!) …
19. The importance of strength over the age of 30 (it’s not what you think… and it’s VITAL!) …
20. And more!

Listen By Clicking The Play Button Below!

Products + Free Video Mentioned In Audio Include…

[ Like what you read today? Then take a look at Jon Benson\\\\\\\'s latest by clicking on the links or banners in this article now... ]

Ok, girlfriends … I’m just keepin’ it real! =)

So the other day, Tuesday to be exact, I put out the following update on twitter and facebook:

“B4 u indulge in an emotionl food binge stop & ask yrself what u need in th moment. It’s not food. Then honor yourself w the real need.”

This concept has really served me well over the years. I do use it a lot. However, in being real with you, I do go through periods of time when the whole idea of “stop and think before you eat” is totally out the window. Case in point … last night! This is what happened …

I had to stop at the store on my way home from work. As soon as my foot stepped inside the door a battle began in my mind about buying a bag of chocolate. No, it couldn’t be a small chocolate bar! It had to be a whole bag!

As I shopped I was winning the battle. Nope, don’t need the chocolate, but by the end of the shop I had convinced myself that I could get the bag of chocolate and eat it responsibly … meaning just a couple here and there.

Note: Never once did I ask myself why I wanted (or needed) the chocolate.

Just keepin’ it real!! ….

So, I get home and throw the bag of chocolate on the counter … and there it stares at me as I am talking on the phone with my girlfriend hashing out life stuff … kicking up emotions. Get the picture?? =)

I stare back at the bag of chocolate and think to myself I’m just going to have 2 or 3 … while deep in conversation with my girlfriend. The three chocolates go down smooth … and fast … and oh so yummy!

Our conversation goes on for quite some time … I continue to pop the little chocolates into my mouth, mindlessly. By the time I hung up the phone I had eaten at least three-fourths of the bag!!! I am not kidding!!! A big UGH!!

Needless to say, I felt gross! I couldn’t even go to bed because of how gross I felt. What the heck was I thinking???

Remember … I’m just keepin’ it real!! =)

That’s just it! I wasn’t thinking at all!! … At least not in the moment. It hit me soon after this binge that I had just posted about thinking before you eat. Oh great! What kind of role model am I! lol

Well … a real one! None of us are perfect, especially me, and even more so now that I know for a fact I have hit “the change of life”! Oh yea! I am in menopause! Gasp!! =D

It is now the morning after my chocolate binge and I am still feeling it! That’s ok. The best thing I can do now is to forgive myself, let it go, and move on to a better day of healthful eating and exercise.

To end this “just keepin’ it real” story with you, I want to share a hysterical video (it’s short)  that another girlfriend posted on my facebook wall after seeing my “think before you eat” status. I just saw it this morning. Sooooo funny! Enjoy!

Oh … and, feel free to share your own story below in the comment section. Please … don’t let me stand-alone here in “just keepin’ it real”!! =)

Last spring I experienced a weight gain crisis.
No, it didn’t happen all at once but I found myself heavier than I had ever been with serious health issues lurking because of it. I knew what I needed to do.
I know the most natural, easy way of dropping excess weight when it comes to the eating part. I even know the exercise part. It was the emotional and mindset part that needed major work.

Weight loss has so much to do with emotional and mindset issues. Even within that I give the emotional priority over the mindset but they’re very closely linked.

We stuff our emotions that then get stuck inside our bodies often perpetuating a downward spiral. It shows up in health issues, berating self-talk, sabotaging behavior, and on and on. Then we soothe our feelings by stuffing our bodies with more food which equals more weight gain and a host of other things. Aaarrrgghhh!! It’s time to stop!! Don’t you think? It was for me!

Besides the natural eating and exercise program I put myself on, the following is a sample of
emotional and mindset activities I did:

1. WHY: You have to have a serious why. We all want to look good but that just isn’t strong enough. For me it had to do with being healthy for my family in the moment and in years to come. I created power statements, thoughts, visions, and feelings around my why.

2. EMOTIONAL RELEASE: I used powerful emotional releasing techniques to dig out the root of the problem one of which was EFT – Emotional Freedom Technique. This was a huge part of my process particularly at the beginning along with several other techniques.

3. MINDSET: I set weekly weight loss goals rather than focus on the big picture. That was so helpful. I would picture the 2-pound weight loss on the scale in my mind. All week I would tell myself that I weighed that much. Example: if I were at 145 and the goal was 142, I would see 142 on the scale in my mind and say, “I weigh 142 pounds”. Then I would imagine how it would feel to reach the goal. I set my mind on the end result.  If fear or negative thinking popped up I made myself stop by saying something like, “That was once true for me but it is no longer true for me now.”  I would be very specific in the statement and would speak my new truth.

People ask me all the time I how lost the weight. It’s not something that I can explain in a simple sentence or two. People assume it was all about how I ate. Sure that played a significant role but it was so much more than that.

Let me add that I had been trying for years to lose weight with just eating and exercising right. It didn’t work! When I applied all the different techniques, the weight seemed to melt off. To my great surprise it wasn’t hard. It was and continues to be an awesome journey. I say continues because I’m maintaining my ideal size practically effortlessly. I didn’t and still don’t feel deprived. And, one of the coolest things is that food no longer has an emotional grip on me. I now have a good relationship with food! That is an awesome miracle!!

Currently I am 27 pounds lighter than I was last July when my weight peaked an all time high. The after pictures posted here reflect 20 pounds that was discarded within 3 months.  I am at my ideal size, which I am pleased as punch with.  However, there is still work to be done.  My body fat percent is obviously lower but still needs to be less than what it is to give me a stronger, healthier body.  Soon I will be gearing up for that challenge.  This is a must if I plan to fulfill the secret dream I mentioned in my post Telling Secrets. =)

My weight loss experience was the catalyst for all that I’m doing now. I knew that if I could use the emotional and mindset techniques for losing weight I could use them in other areas of my life. I knew there were great things ahead of me.

As Pamela Peeke author of “Body for Life for Women” says, “When a woman’s mind, body, and spirit unite, miracles happen. Her transformation is a gift that keeps on giving.”

That’s exactly where I am!

Do you struggle with weight loss issues? Is your authentic beauty trapped within excess weight? Would you like to become the gift that keeps on giving?

I encourage you to comment your thoughts, your feelings. I welcome your emails too! God bless you in your journey!!

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