Self-Improvement | Healthy Eating | The Self Improvement Blog

Seafood and Wild Rice Casserole

May 6, 2012 By Admin Leave a Comment

Easy and excellent for your family or friends. I have cooked this recipe numerous times over the years.

Ingredients
1 (6-ounce) package long-grain and wild rice mix
1 pound peeled cooked shrimp
1 pound white or lump crabmeat picked for shells
1 (10-ounce) package frozen green peas
1 cup chopped celery
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook rice mix according to package directions, omitting any oil. Add the shrimp, crabmeat, peas, celery, green pepper, onion, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper, tossing carefully.
2. Pour into 2-quart casserole coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake 20 – 30 minutes, or until heated through; serve.

Makes 6 – 8 servings
Food Facts

Calories 287

Protein (g) 29

Carbohydrate (g) 27
Fat (g) 7
Calories from Fat (%) 21
Saturated Fat (g) 1
Dietary Fiber (g) 3
Cholesterol (mg) 159
Sodium (mg) 837
Diabetic Exchanges: 4 very lean meat, 1.5 starch, 1 vegetable

Filed Under: Healthy Cooking Tagged With: healthy cooking, Healthy Eating, self improvement, shrimp and wild rice

Chicken Orzo Salad

March 4, 2012 By Admin Leave a Comment

Featuring chicken, peas, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta, this fantastic, marinated light pasta salad combines bold flavors with great ingredients.

Ingredients
2 cups orzo pasta
2 cups diced, rotisserie, skinless white chicken
1 cups frozen peas, thawed, or shelled edamame
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, sliced, reconstituted, reserving 1/3 cup water from reconstituting tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain.
2. In large bowl, combine orzo, chicken, peas, green onions, feta, cucumber, tomatoes, dill.
3. In another bowl, whisk together reserved sun dried tomato water with remaining ingredients.
4. Toss with orzo mixture. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Makes 10 (1-cup) servings
Food Facts
Calories 300
Calories from fat 18%
Fat 6 g
Saturated Fat 2 g
Cholesterol 26 mg
Sodium 148 mg
Carbohydrate 42 g
Dietary Fiber 5 g
Sugars 6 g
Protein 19 g
Diabetic Exchanges 2 starch, 3 vegetable, 1 1/2 lean meat

Filed Under: Healthy Cooking Tagged With: healthy cooking, Healthy Eating, orzo salad, self improvement

Listen NOW: Trim and Terrific Cooking – and Eating. Holly Clegg delights us with her food ideas.

March 4, 2012 By Admin Leave a Comment

Holly Clegg has offered expert advice on quick, flavorful and healthy eating for nearly 20 years through her best-selling trim&TERRIFIC® cookbook series. Consisting of 14 books to-date, the trim&TERRIFIC® series includes the newly released women’s lifestyle cookbook Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets to Sizzle at Any Age, in addition to the specialized trim&TERRIFIC® Diabetic Cooking and her Eating Well Through Cancer. Holly has also released a free iPhone and Blackberry application, Mobile Rush-Hour Recipes, which brings her signature recipes to your fingertips. With nearly 1 million books sold, Holly reigns supreme when it comes to helping today’s busy person cook everyday meals that are fast and fit into an overall healthy lifestyle. Known as the “Queen of Quick,” Holly’s recipes are time, user and pantry-friendly.

Show Description: What would any author of best selling cook books talk about on a radio show? Well, it would be food. We are going to talk about cooking and eating – what better subject for a noon show? Holly will tell us how to make any recipe healthier, about working into your diet the basic food groups, and how to choose the best ingredients for your recipes. We will talk about organic vs. non organic food and she will share with us some of her “tricks of the trade” of making food look and taste better. This is a show that can benefit you if you are a gourmet cook as well as someone who dislikes anything to do with a kitchen. She will make your kitchen seem brighter and the pots and pans friendlier. Listen to Holly now by Clicking here.

Filed Under: The Self Improvement Radio Show Tagged With: healthy cooking, Healthy Eating, self improvement, trim and terrific

Healthy Eating – Get in the Habit

February 5, 2012 By Admin Leave a Comment

By Christopher Martin Sewell -

Do you have the right attitude to food? ‘You are what you eat’ but our eating habits are just as important as the food choices we make in achieving and maintaining health. An old saying ‘Worry and hurry are enemies of digestive health’ are truer today than ever before. In order to truly benefit from the dietary changes we make, it is important to adopt healthy eating habits.

Top tips for healthy eating habits:

Get Cooking…

Prepare as many meals yourself as possible. Chopping, preparing and simmering food creates incredible aromas. It doesn’t only make your kitchen smell lovely; it also kicks off the secretion of digestive enzymes which are essential for complete digestion of macronutrients. Touching, tasting and smelling food before you eat it will prepare the body for digestion, prevent overeating and improve your psychological relationship with food.

Be clever about preparation

Fruit Heart Shop for fresh food regularly and keep your pantry stocked with good staples to make it easier to eat a healthy diet. Whenever you cook or prepare food, make double and freeze in individual containers for future meals. When preparing dinner make lunch at the same time to save time. The best preparation is knowledge about healthy food options – a well informed choice will be the healthiest choice.

Eat regularly

Eat at least every 4-5 hours. Our bodies need regular fuel to maintain blood sugar levels & metabolism but enough time to complete digestion before more food is eaten. Avoid skipping meals by having balanced snacks on hand for busy times. Hunger is a sign of low blood sugar and will lead to poor food choices & overeating if ignored.

Avoid overeating

Overeating occurs when we skip meals, eat too quickly or don’t satisfy our taste buds. Overeating stresses the liver and the digestive tract. Our digestive fire is at its peak around noon, a time that is most efficient at converting food into energy rather than storing it as fat.

Be ready to eat

Ask yourself how hungry you are before and after each meal. Take 5 minutes to relax before a meal if you feel stressed. Do not eat your meal in front of the computer or while working. Stop eating when you are almost full, to gauge whether you need any more. It takes approximately 20 minutes for our brains to receive the signal of satisfaction, produced by gut hormones, during a meal.

Drink plenty of water

Drink at least 2 litres (8 glasses) of water between meals each day. This can include herbal teas as well as diluted fruit juices. Try and avoid drinking excessively during a meal as this can reduce enzyme activity. A good alternative to water can be Green Tea or Cherry Active which is high in its ORAC values.

Chew

Digestion begins in the mouth with chewing and the secretion of enzymes. Eating quickly increases the amount of air and the size of food swallowed. This will lead to inadequate digestion and an increase in gas production

Go 50% raw

Have half of your vegetables and fruit intake raw (e.g. salads) unless otherwise stated by your healthcare practitioner. Fruit and vegetables contain enzymes which aid digestion, so aim to eat some with every meal.

Exercise

Aim for at least three or four times a week. Exercise works the diaphragm, which massages the intestines and thereby improves digestion. It also regulates appetite, blood sugar control and metabolism.

Treat yourself occasionally

Be healthy 90% of the time and treat yourself 10% of the time and eat whatever you desire.

Eat positively

Good habits can easily be established with a little effort and a positive frame of mind. A balanced healthy diet doesn’t have to be boring, bland, time consuming or expensive. Take back the control of your diet and health by making your own choices and stop allowing industry to dictate what you eat. And remember, food should be prepared, and eaten, with joy!

Chris Martin Sewell, Health Expert at Totally Nourish. Established since 2008, Totally Nourish is a leading UK online health store specialising in health supplements and vitamins, health foods, dietary supplements for the Low GL diet, skin care, beauty care and make up, patrick holford supplements and more. Fast dispatch and delivery available. Also available onsite is FREE confidential expert nutrition advice, health news and articles and also a low GL diet recipes section.

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Filed Under: Health Tagged With: Healthy Eating, healthy eating habit, self improvement

Simple Tips to Healthy Living

November 10, 2011 By Admin 1 Comment

By Gregory Ortel -

It is a well known fact that when people maintain a healthy lifestyle, they lead a much fuller life. This poses a challenge for many who want swift results. These short range remedies may range from vitamin pills, supplements or a number of medications that may offer some relief. Yet what they’re forgetting is that there are often some very simple things everyone can do to improve their health. Below we will show you a few simple techniques that will pay off with a healthier being.

It is Crucial to Drink Plenty of Water: Your body will be greatly compensated when you drink plenty of water. The greater part of us, forget to drink the recommended amounts of water. A well-hydrated body is less likely to suffer from headaches, depression, constipation, kidney problems, weight gain and a myriad of other health issues. Your kidneys depend on large quantities of water to wash out the toxins. You can maintain a healthy weight level when your metabolism improves. Increasing your water intake, instead of drinks such as coffee or soda can be very beneficial. It will not take very long for you to recognize a change. Exercise Just Enough: Regular exercise on a continual basis is a good option, however overdoing it to lose weight fast is not. Easy and gentle workouts are your ticket to feeling better and also losing the extra pounds that you have always wanted to shed. Very popular forms of gentle exercise include yoga and swimming. You will actually help reduce joint inflammation and also allow yourself to have greater mobility. They’ll help you to improve your respiratory capacity so you won’t feel so out of breath, and they’ll help you strengthen your heart muscle, which can reduce your risk of heart attack enormously. As an added benefit, you will keep your weight down.

Reduce Stress Levels: Anyone who suffers from high levels of stress will know the health problems associated with this. Weight gain, insomnia and anxiety are just a few of the issues caused by heightened tension. Look into behavior that will have a significant reduction of your tension. If the annihilation of the issue is not possible, you can decrease the effects somewhat. These could include walking, meditating, massage therapy, or any other stress-relief method you feel works best for you. In order to achieve the best physical condition possible; you first need to figure out how to downgrade your level of stress.

You do not have to give up on things you like to live a healthy lifestyle, but you do need to make wise choices. To be healthy you do not just need to lose some weight and eat like a rabbit. To have complete health you need to have a spirit that’s well and good mental health, as well as happiness. Putting these with your physical health will make sure you enjoy a long happy life.

Is living healthy important to you? Visit Healthy Living Habits for tips on improving your health.

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Filed Under: Health Tagged With: exercise, Healthy Eating, healthy lifestyle, self improvement, stress free living

5 Fast Foods Items for the Healthy Eaters

November 8, 2011 By Admin Leave a Comment

By Chipper Nicodemus -

There is no doubt that fast food is fast, cheap, convenient and well admittedly tasty food, but finding a healthy choice on the menu is like finding a French fry in a salad. If you know what to avoid and what to look for you will be on your way to savings some calories and trans fats from your meal.

Lets start with a “whopper” of a fact: A Double Whopper with cheese, a medium order of fries and a handheld apple pie from Burger King contains more saturated fat that the American Heart Association suggests we eat in two days. So let us get started.

5 Horribly Bad for You Fast Foods:

5. Carl’s Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger

Two giant beef patties and two slices of cheese plus some special sauce. This hefty burger weighs in at 1520 calories and a mondo 111 grams of fat. That is a majority of your 2,000 calories and no sides, or drinks.

Quick fix: The Low Carb Six Dollar Burger ditches the bun and has a more reasonable 490. On the Border Grande Taco Salad with Beef

4. You hear “salad” and people think salad equals healthy this is NOT the case. This “salad” has a whopping 1450 calories, and 102 grams of fat. Loaded with sour cream, cheese and a deep fried taco shell this is a perfect example why people should take the word salad with caution.

Quick fix: Try the Chicken Fajita Salad which comes in at an 760 calories.

3. Chicago Grill Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

This is for the personal size deep dish pizza pie will cost you 2300 calories and a heart clogging 162 grams of fat.

Quick fix: Opt for the Sausage Flatbread pizza and you will save yourself 1500 calories.

2. Burger King Triple Whopper with Cheese

Three times the beef and three times the cheese. With no fries or the super sized soda this triple beefy burger is 1230 calories and a upsetting 82 grams of fat.

Quick Fix: Try the BK Veggie Burger for the PETA in you. Only 340 calories and 8 grams of fat.

1. Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with a side of Ranch dressing

Holy-artery-cloggers Batman this starter is more than a dinner would cost you calories wise. Weighing in at nearly 3,000 calories and 182 grams of fat.

Quick fix: Skip this starter and opt for the Seared Ahi and your heart will thank you.

5 Healthy Fast Food Choices

5. Wendy’s Large Chili

This is a hardy meal in a cup and all around 330 calories and 9 grams of fat. Hold off on the cheese and sour cream and enjoy this fiber rich meal.

4. McDonald’s Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich

Surprisingly the Golden Arches made the “healthy eats” list. This chicken sandwich, make sure to skip the mayo, has 370 calories and 4.5 grams of fat.

3. KFC Honey BBQ Sandwich

Don’t let the fried chicken staple fool you, this choice is a low-fat choice that only has 280 calories and 3.5 grams of fat.

2. Subway 6” Over Roasted Chicken Breast

Subway is a haven for some healthy eats. Just skip the mayo and other high fat creamy sauces to save on calories. This was one of Jared’s favorites and at only 310 calories and 5 grams of fat this should be one of your favorites too.

1. Taco Bell Chicken Ranch Taco Salad

Here is a great way the word salad equals healthy. Only 240 calories and a lean 6 grams of fat. It comes with a unhealthy fried tortilla shell, but just ditch that in the garbage. Be sure to ask for Fresco style which has fiesta salsa and white meat chicken.

If you have time to make dinner at home check out these 6 tasty and guilt free burgers. If those don’t get your taste buds watering check out this superfood packed Powermeal, which is one recipe and provides 6 health benefits. Do you have any healthy fast foods that are your drive thru go to? Have any mouthwatering and tasty healthy meals for home? Share in the comments below!

Picture: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AFast_food_01_ebru.jpg

Attribution: By ebru (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Chipper Nicodemus is an SEO Assistant at Healthline.com. Healthline Networks has extended its health search technology services to include specialized health tools that address the patient pathway – from symptoms to treatments, to doctors, to medications.

Filed Under: Physical Health Tagged With: Healthy Eating, healthy fast foods, self improvement, the worst fast foods

A Balanced Diet: What Is It and How to Achieve It?

March 18, 2011 By Admin Leave a Comment

By Regina Cheah -

Having a balanced diet simply means eating the right type of food in the right amounts at the recommended levels in order for your body to take in the nutrients it needs for health. It is important to have one as it ensures the prevention of obesity, diabetes, some types of cancer and diseases.

According to the ‘Australian guide to healthy eating’, the number of daily servings required from each food group to meet your body’s daily nutrient needs can be roughly broken down into the following:

Carbohydrates: 6 – 9

Protein: 1 – 2

Fats: 1 Dairy: 2 – 3

Fruit: 2

Vegetables: 5

Next thing you would need to know is what constitutes 1 serving of a food group.

Carbohydrates:

• 1 slice of bread

• 1 cup of Rice or pasta or noodles

• ¾ cup of ready to eat cereal

• 1 medium bread roll

Protein:

• 70 – 90 grams of cooked lean meat/fish/poultry

• 2 small eggs or 1 large egg

• ½ cup peanuts/almonds

• 2 small lamb chops

Fat:

• 1 tsp of vegetable oil/butter/peanut butter

• 5 grams of fat in food such as cakes and pastries

Dairy

• 1 cup of yogurt/milk

• ½ cup of ice cream

• 1 slice of cheese

Fruit

• ½ cup of freshly squeezed juice

• 1 apple/orange/banana

• ½ cup of chopped fresh fruit

• ¼ cup of raisins or dried fruit.

Vegetables

• Half a cup of cooked vegetables

• One whole tomato

• 10 baby carrots

• 1 cup of salad vegetables

Now, a major problem in trying to follow this guide to ensure that your body has all the nutrients it needs to be healthy, is that a person would have to consume (for example), a minimum of 2 slices of bread, 4 cups of rice, 70 grams of cooked meat cooked in some vegetable oil, 2 cups of yogurt, 2 apples, 30 baby carrots and 4 cups of cooked vegetables per day. Though this may be easily achievable by some, for many others, especially those who live extremely busy lives or are trying to reduce their portion size and calories to lose weight , it is not. Thus, I have outlined a few recommendations and tips on how to achieve a balanced healthy diet.

• Try choosing high-nutrient density foods such as a sandwich that is packed with lean meat and vegetables. This will provide a higher amount of vitamins and minerals without too much calories

• Avoid foods that are high in calories but low in nutrients. These are mainly foods like candy, soft drinks and cake.

• Always serve a salad with your main meal for lunch and dinner. This will ensure you will increase your intake of vegetables.

• Swap rice/pasta/noodles for bread, 1 slice of bread is already 1 serving of carbohydrates!

• A cup of freshly squeezed juice in the morning covers your recommended daily intake of fruit

• If you have a busy lifestyle or, you’re trying to lose weight and still finding it hard to meet the daily requirements, it is also a good idea to try and take supplements. Supplements can ensure that your body will receive all the nutrients it needs if you’re unable to consume enough food for your body to extract the required vitamins and nutrients to reach optimum health.

However, please keep in mind that it is important not to replace your real fruits and vegetables with the supplements (if you choose to take them). Nothing can ever replace a healthy diet!

Good luck!

It is never too late or too hard to live a healthy lifestyle. Make the commitment and achieve that healthier lifestyle you have always wanted. Your body, mind and soul will thank you for it!

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Filed Under: Health Tagged With: balanced diet, Dieting, Healthy Eating, healthy life, Healthy Living, nutrition, supplements, Weight

Health and Wellness is Key to Longevity

September 12, 2010 By Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

By Ilana Diallo -

Looking for the answers to longevity of life? Expecting to live longer than those of the previous generation? This is something that most people are looking for. Having a life that is complete and full of successful achievements and done in great health is highly sought after. There is no mystery to living a long and healthy life.

Health and wellness can open the door to a long and healthy life. Wellness is in simpler terms described as the state of well-being. This can also be defined as ones overall vitality of life in every aspect is brought into complete balance and wholeness. With this a person’s health is a portion of their overall wellness state.

Health and Wellness in Eating

Health and wellness is most commonly thought about when one is either ill or need to lose weight. Is there extra pounds on those thighs? Stomach rounding out more than desired? This is where many people start on their journey. Losing weight is a product to bring the physical body inside into balance.

Eating the right foods is very crucial in bringing a balance to a person’s diet. It is a good idea to start out eating right gradually. This is done to slowly give the body a new habit. This new eating habit needs to be done at a slow and consistent pace. Start out by swapping certain foods for newer foods as well as food substitutions.

For example, If meals that are eaten contain vegetables that are canned then transition gradually to fresh vegetables or even some frozen. This can slowly work up to eating fresh all natural or organic vegetables. This method can be used in all the food categories as the eating transition begins.

Another example, change how food is cooked. Do less frying food and bake food. Use more herbs to season and flavor food and less salt. This helps change the taste buds and allows them to experience new flavors and new foods.

Exercise

The next component in health and wellness that people know about is exercise. Balancing the body does require the whole physical body, inside and out. Need to tighten the stomach muscles? See a ‘love handle’ that has multiplied? This is what many people see in the mirror and motivates them to lose weight.

Exercising the body can assist in the improvement of organ functioning and the blood circulation in the body. Doing cardio workouts can help build a stronger heart. Find a routine that gets the blood pumping without overextending the body in physical exercise.

Gradually increase the physical activity by taking short walks, doing stairs, and targeted dance workouts. Exercise is good for assisting in longevity in life. It has been known that many people have lived longer lives with exercise. As the eating habits change weight will slowly shed off. Then once increased activity occurs the weight will come off quicker.

Complete Balance

There are more aspects to wellness than health. Here are a few areas that wellness stretches to:

1. Social Wellness

2. Occupational Wellness

3. Spiritual Wellness

4. Physical Wellness

5. Intellectual Wellness

6. Emotional Wellness

7. Environmental Wellness

8. Financial Wellness

9. Mental Wellness

10. Medical Wellness

Each of these areas has extensive ways that they can be achieved. Health and Wellness can assist in having a longevity in living through eating right, exercising, and taking supplements that assist in balancing the body’s health condition out. Make the achievement goals in health and wellness a gradual change. This gradual change will eventually change one’s whole life as it concerns to health and wellness.

Ilana Diallo is a professional writer and has been researching and writing for over fifteen years. Ilana is an active member in her local community. Ilana enjoys bringing light to topics that are controversial and new.

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Filed Under: Health Tagged With: eating right, Food, health and wellness, Healthy Eating, healthy life, physical wellness, Weight

How to Start a Healthy Lifestyle

May 10, 2010 By Guest Contributor 3 Comments

By Janet Rodriguez

If you struggle with healthy eating, then you know that breaking unhealthy habits may be the hardest part of this lifestyle. A great most important step when you desire to start eating your way to a healthy life style is to rid your house of all enticements that may distract you from following better eating habits. Ideally it might be a smart course to keep junk foods and drinks out of your home in order not get tempted to break throughout the day.

If you are worried about getting hungry, keep healthy nibbles like carrot sticks, yogurt, fresh fruit, or whole-wheat crackers available. If you find that you simply can’t bear to throw out the candy, try keeping something little available, peppermints or barley sugar. Eating some (accent on few) of these will not ruin your diet but also will give you that small sweet fix you rave.

Another great step to healthy eating, when you are first starting this lifestyle, is to take sometime to learn what foods are the healthiest for you and how they work in the body. Most people understand that fruits, vegetable, and low fat meat and dairy foods are good for you, but few people understand why. When you understand how particular nutriments work and why you want them, it becomes more reasonable for you to make fitter selections for your body. If you frequently eat in a rushed hurry at strange times, you are more inclined to snatch a rushed meal which should probably do more damage than benefit.

Rather than grabbing a junk food lunch on a tight schedule, take a bagged lunch to work, complete with a healthy wrap and some fresh fruit and veggies. Remember not to forget your evening meal, a simple plan to have a meal prepared prior to getting home would be perfect, but in our fast paced life style, occasionally this just cannot be done. A method to figure out that issue is to plan out your evening meals for the week, on your days off. Another warning: when going to the stores, don’t venture there hungry because if you are anything like me, 1 or 2 chocolate bars will not hurt.

Don’t be surprised if you do not feel well for a brief period of time. Often this is normal as your body is adjusting to your new and improved lifestyle and is cleansing itself from the unhealthy toxins built up from poor eating habits. However if this feeling continues or you are worried, a trip to your physician would be the proper action to take. Regardless of if you only replace one soda a day with a glass of water, you are actually improving your intake of calories. If you eat junk food each day for lunch, try replacing that 1/2 the time with better quality foods. When you start by taking little steps you are not cutting out all of the foods you like all at the same time.

By taking your time to learn about your eating habits and slowly replacing them with better meals, by bothering to learn and understand why you should be doing that and making the required changes in an orderly fashion, you may feel miles better inside yourself physically, psychologically and emotionally and well on the road to becoming as healthy as you may be.

If you like this article and would like to learn more about weight loss and fitness tips please visit http://www.dietfactsandfitness.com

Janet Rodriguez is a work at home mom. She is passionate about healthy living and feeling your best. You can visit Janet’s website at http://www.dietfactsandfitness.com

“This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any Ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author’s name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction”

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Filed Under: Emotional Health, Health, Physical Health Tagged With: better eating, better eating habits, eating habits, healthy d, Healthy Eating, life, life style, start

5 Day Diet Bootcamp – Day 3

May 7, 2010 By Guest Contributor 1 Comment

By Rosemary Hershey

You have decided to start a diet and lose weight; you’re fed up looking and feeling fat. You’re tired of hating yourself every time you squeeze into clothes that used to fit. You believe if you lost weight, all would be right with the world and in your life. It won’t, but you don’t get that yet. So you start this year’s best seller diet and after a little more than two weeks, you’re down 12 pounds. Wow!

Your life does improve, for a while. You look and feel great. You work hard on the diet, denying and restricting for 4 months with unwavering willpower, and finally 38 pounds lighter, you love the skin you’re in. You feel convinced you’re a new woman, transformed by the diet to always eat smartly. And for a while longer, you do.

And then one day your old self shows up craving a small temptation, a nibble here, some extra there, a “yes” despite being full, a snack attack one evening, you know the drill. And despite the number on the scale heading upward, you reason it’s only 3 pounds and surely you can handle it starting tomorrow. You still believe you’ve truly changed. Except you haven’t. Except you can’t handle it and it will handle you and take you back to where you started. Overweight, frustrated and stuck in a repeat performance. Sound familiar?

What I’m saying is this, not a diet on earth will change you. No magic diet exists to do the work that needs getting done. Only you can change you. Only you can decide what’s out of harmony in your lifestyle that drives you to food. Only you can find your gremlins and put a smile on them by looking inside rather than looking outside you for solutions. Solutions that promote harmony, acceptance and love for the woman you are, overweight or not.

You are not about what you eat, you’re about what’s eating you, what drives you to food and what’s out of alignment. You can manage, realign, replace, detox and outfox who or what is driving your bus once you decide it! This is ownership of who you are and ownership of how to be in love with whom you are while improving behavior that doesn’t serve you, to behavior that does. This is your life. This is your choice. It always has been.

Start with your intention. Truth is subjective. What is the intention of your life? Think about it, reflect on it. What do you intend for yourself? If you die tomorrow, what life imprint would you want others to remember about you? Are you living it?

Can you define what IS working for you on one sheet of paper and what isn’t working on another?

How does what’s working make you feel? (liked, needed, special, loved, respected,etc.)
How does what’s NOT working make you feel? (overwhelmed, nervous, stressed, mad, bored)
How do you want to feel?
If you could rearrange or change one thing, what would that be and what would it do for you?
How would it make you feel?

Think on these questions. Get in there, inside you and look around. You can’t get to you destination without a roadmap. Know thyself.

Defining the real you ignores the illusion of how life was meant to be lived. How would you know without listening to your heart? If your life’s not working, take a fresh look at the prefab model handed you and respect you’re rights to self-definition. Refine and align with your vision. Write down the vision for your life right from where you are now. If you want more out of life, what does that look like?

If your too involved -cut back;

Uninvolved – take action, volunteer, join a forum, start a walking club.

You regret leaving college – enroll online and take classes. Start again.

You dislike your job – plan a way you can leave to do something you love. Write steps you can take now to start. Do research, ask yourself questions, write it down. It’s action and it works for you not against you.

Ignore the crowd of critics and be your own person. Every day, you get to decide who that person will be and how that person will impact the world because your mood, your touch, your smile impacts. Honor your influence, respect your power by simply living authentically and reflective of your best you. Your best you starts with mindset and how you feel reflects how you live. You do make the difference in your life. When you calm your lifestyle storms, you feel better and behave better. Try it for yourself.

If you feel powerless and have accepted your role of inaction, then you’ll stay on the victim side of life and will never know how much you mean to yourself and how much you can do. But if you choose to commit and make life happen, then you shift to the power side of life and transformation.

Decide what you want. Small changes matter. What would make you happy? What makes you glad to be alive right now? How do you want to live your life today? Tomorrow? Every day? Complicated, cluttered, overwhelmed or simple, easy, divested? Overworked, frustrated, stressed or enthused, energetic, unburdened? Assess everything. Tune in, not out and nurture your power.

How and where can you say yes to yourself and be your own cause. Organize your life around serving it. Focus your passion on your purpose and get to know yourself on an intimate basis to define and live what’s important to you in some way, shape and form. Change does not have to be drastic to be effective and powerful but it has to begin. So be aware if your actions do not serve you. Assess if you are attached to outcomes or stuck in a program or belief that drives you to food? Then decide to change it now. You don’t have to know how yet, all you have to do is decide from that really deep place inside you. That’s how change begins, one decision at a time. Decision is action; action puts you in your power.

You can access a free chapter of my eBook when visiting my blog, greatest-diet-tips.com/blog. To your success,

Rosemary Hershey

Rosemary invites women who want to lose weight and end the diet trap to read a free chapter of “Diet-Bailout”. Why? Because it gives tools, tips and techniques to find the magic formula to live life on your terms.

Find your triggers to overeating, your elusive driver, that insatiable hunger you keep trying to fill. Re-purpose all of it and get happy with life and with yourself. For mature women only who want diet-freedom and happiness, get your how to chapter now by visiting: http://www.diet-bailout.com

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Filed Under: Health Tagged With: 5day diet, 5day diet bootcamp, diet bootcamp, diet help, diet tips, Healthy Eating, lose weight

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