Health & Wellness

Create Your Convincers

Get Motivated

Create Convincers to Get Motivated!

Today is Wellness Wednesday with Life and Weight loss Coach Flossie Alexander of You Can NOW! Coaching.

Whenever you hear or read that someone has accomplished something that you would like to accomplish, you automatically go within and search your memory for experiences you have had, and conclude whether such a thing is possible, and whether you have what it takes to do it too. The same is true when you set a goal for yourself. You search your memory for successful experiences and skills that point to success – these are known as convincers.

Everything that you desire to accomplish in life, it begins in your mind. Convincers support your beliefs that you can reach our desired goals. Changing your life around becomes much easier when you believe that you can do what it takes because your own experience tells you so.

Here’s an example. Let’s say you want to begin a regular exercise program and have not been successful in the past. You could start with skills that point to your self-discipline. Are you organized? Always on-time? A good housekeeper? Are you good with keeping routines? These are examples of self-motivation that you can bring to your exercise program. Do you enjoy activities that you can do outdoors? Do you enjoy moving to music? Do you like the synergy of a group? These are all preferences that can lead the way to enjoying your new program.

Get a winning attitude! Take a piece of paper and write down your goal. Then, write down all of your past successes and all the reasons why you know that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Write down all the skills and resources that you have or are willing to develop; all the actions you are willing to take. When your determination, your faith, your conviction, your endurance get challenged, you will have a long list of convincers ready to tell you that you’ve got what it takes to make it!

Yours in Health,

Flossie Alexander
Life/Weight Loss Coach
You Can NOW! Coaching
Where Results ARE Typical!

About Flossie: Flossie is currently a member of the National Association of Professional Women and Toastmaster’s International. She is a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Coach as well as a Certified Wellness Coach with a successful track record in leading organizations and individuals into achieving healthy lifestyle goals. After overcoming obesity, losing 165 pounds in 18 months, she has developed a passion to help others through public speaking and one-on-one weight loss coaching. Visit Flossie at http://www.youcannowcoaching.com to start creating your new healthy lifestyle and lose unhealthy weight permanently.

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Are You Better Than You Were Yesterday?

Dawn of a New Day

It's a new day..Strive to make it better than your last!

Today is Wellness Wednesday with Life and Weight loss Coach Flossie Alexander of You Can NOW! Coaching.

Years ago a fitness coach that I was working with told me: “The pursuit of excellence is rewarded.”
That might sound simple or easily dismissed as a trite self-help lesson. Yet put into action, this is the most powerful lesson on the planet. It’s taken me years to appreciate the potency of this statement and even less time to see the results in my body.

This lesson is so powerful that I took it into all aspects of my life in a way that reminds me that today is not just another day:

BETTER THAN YESTERDAY
Experiencing better than yesterday is hard. It requires you to be your own worst critic, while maintaining the belief that you are fully capable of remedying your own faults. This approach can be difficult to sustain. It’s easy to find satisfaction in complacency and believe that you’re doing the best you can. Actively seeking aspects of your behavior and your life that can use improvement is much harder on the ego and can be an uncomfortable place.

The reward of being better than yesterday is concrete improvement accomplished in small, manageable steps. Each day is better than yesterday and tomorrow is even brighter.

Take this philosophy, and apply it to your pursuits, whether personal or professional. You’ll find, as I did, that excellence boils down to a simple truth: you’ve got to reject where you are before you can get where you’re going. You’ve got to be better than you were yesterday.

Yours in Health,

Flossie Alexander
Life/Weight Loss Coach
You Can NOW! Coaching
Where Results ARE Typical!

About Flossie: Flossie is currently a member of the National Association of Professional Women and Toastmaster’s International. She is a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Coach as well as a Certified Wellness Coach with a successful track record in leading organizations and individuals into achieving healthy lifestyle goals. After overcoming obesity, losing 165 pounds in 18 months, she has developed a passion to help others through public speaking and one-on-one weight loss coaching. Visit Flossie at http://www.youcannowcoaching.com to start creating your new healthy lifestyle and lose unhealthy weight permanently.

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Lean Protein: The Natural Appetite Suppressant

Lean Protein Meal

An Example of a Lean Protein Meal

Today is Wellness Wednesday with Life and Weight loss Coach Flossie Alexander of You Can NOW! Coaching.

Lean protein is a great appetite suppressant. It is an excellent choice when it comes to satisfying hunger and keeping blood sugar levels steady. These steady blood sugar levels keep your energy high and keep your appetite satisfied for hours! Here are a few examples:

  • Almond or Peanut Butter
  • Unsalted Nut Meats
  • Low Fat Cheeses
  • Lean Chicken or Turkey

Lean protein also allows you to maintain muscle mass while losing weight, which keeps your metabolism running at full speed. Cutting back on protein during weight loss, on the other hand, contributes to a loss of muscle mass and a slower metabolism.

When you prepare a meal or a snack center your choices around protein and watch the pounds melt away!

Yours in Health,

Flossie Alexander
Life/Weight Loss Coach
You Can NOW! Coaching
Where Results ARE Typical!

About Flossie: Flossie is currently a member of the National Association of Professional Women and Toastmaster’s International. She is a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Coach as well as a Certified Wellness Coach with a successful track record in leading organizations and individuals into achieving healthy lifestyle goals. After overcoming obesity, losing 165 pounds in 18 months, she has developed a passion to help others through public speaking and one-on-one weight loss coaching. Visit Flossie at http://www.youcannowcoaching.com to start creating your new healthy lifestyle and lose unhealthy weight permanently.

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Staying the Course with Your Fitness Goals

Healthy_Eating

Image: Snagwire Media

Today is Wellness Wednesday with Life and Weight loss Coach Flossie Alexander of You Can NOW! Coaching.

I’d like to know, do you eat and exercise according to what you want?

Think about that one for a moment. Do you consistently make the right food choices and lifestyle choices? Or do you get derailed by “the world” and its “forbidden fruits”? And do you consistently exercise each week?

If you’re struggling to get started, or if you have and sometimes “fall off the wagon”, I’ve got a powerful technique to share with you and it is amazingly powerful.

Here’s why…

People have this unique tendency to go back and forth when it comes to nutritional decision making. When faced with a number of choices – some good and some not-so-good – indecision sets in, tension rises, justification and rationalization sets in, and we sometimes make the wrong choices.

Then what happens?

Well, in retrospect we know we faced a moment of weakness. We know that we rationalized a poor choice with thoughts like:
· “It’s only one”
· “I’ll try again next Monday”
· “I earned this treat”
· “I’ll get back on the plan tomorrow”
· “I worked out really hard today”

You get the point, right?

“The reason most people fail instead of succeed
is that they trade what they want most
for what they want at the moment.” – Flossie Alexander

There are a ton of phrases that help us justify poor decisions. However, as we all well know, it’s only after we make the poor decision that we see the err of our ways.

So today, I’m going to disempower these harmful phrases by introducing a new phrase. This will absolutely help you avoid the poor choices we’re all prone to making. A phrase that will give you control back when you feel like you’re slipping.

“It’s just food … I’ll stick to my plan”

Here’s how it works

You’re at the office and your co-worker brings the leftover deserts from her catered party. You see the tempting treats and they look delicious. Before you start that conversation in your head where you debate and negotiate with logic, you shrug your shoulders and say, “It’s just food – I’ll stick to my plan.”

My Clients (and me)

Having worked my way through this struggle and having worked with countless weight management clients, it always amazes me how much time we’ll spend debating about whether or not to eat a certain foods.

Of course, we all have our share of internal debates with food choices. But some of these internal struggles amaze me. Indeed, many clients have explained in graphic detail the internal dialog and bartering they go through over something as simple as the office candy dish.

Out of control isn’t even the phrase for it. Instead, they were under the control of the candy. Or the pizza. Or the donuts. Or the sugar free, artificially sweetened jello. Or the after work beers.

Or the …

Now, I know you might be thinking this couldn’t possibly work. After all, with all the serious dietary choices people have to make – and all the psychological baggage involved – a simple shrug of the shoulders couldn’t possibly work.

Well, you just have to try it to see how this works. This is one of the most powerful strategies I’ve ever found for helping me and other folks make the healthy decisions day in and day out.

It allows folks to avoid the messy mental gymnastics and gives them a touchstone for remaining true to their real intentions and goals. Indeed, it helps us avoid the problem outlined in this quote — “The reason most people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment.”

Take your power back …

Now, let’s be clear. You don’t exactly have to use the phrase “It’s just food” Instead, you can choose from a host of other phrases.  Pick a trigger phrase that turns your nutritional decision making into a “no big deal” proposition and take your power back.

Yours in Health

Flossie Alexander
Life/Weight Loss Coach
You Can NOW! Coaching
Where Results ARE Typical!

About Flossie: Flossie is currently a member of the National Association of Professional Women and Toastmaster’s International. She is a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Coach as well as a Certified Wellness Coach with a successful track record in leading organizations and individuals into achieving healthy lifestyle goals. After overcoming obesity, losing 165 pounds in 18 months, she has developed a passion to help others through public speaking and one-on-one weight loss coaching. Visit Flossie at http://www.youcannowcoaching.com to start creating your new healthy lifestyle and lose unhealthy weight permanently.

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What Exactly is Conscious Living Anyway?

touch_the_sun

Good Morning Friends!

Today I’d like to clarify what conscious living is all about and provide a few examples of how we can all incorporate this philosophy into our daily lives.

Michael and Bianca Alexander over at Conscious Living TV have the best definition of conscious living  I have come across which states:

Conscious Living means taking responsibility for our experiences and living with awareness to make choices that sustain ourselves, our communities and the planet. While meditating and practicing yoga will get you headed in the right direction, Conscious Living is also about how you shop, eat and live.

In short, conscious living involves doing what is right not only for our own benefit but for that of the world as a whole. It involves actively seeking solutions that will bring us in harmony with the world around us and doing what we can to teach others how to live this way as well.

Living Consciously

As the quote mentions above, it is fine to take up meditation or yoga as a means of getting in tune with yourself and nature but there is so much more to it than that. To live consciously requires changing our perceptions and practices on all levels of being – spiritually, mentally/emotionally, physically and financially – so that we maintain a “do no harm” attitude in everything we do. Here are a few examples of how you can incorporate conscious living into daily life:

  • Reduce, Reuse & Recycle: Reduce the number of plastic water bottles in landfills by purchasing a reusable bottle instead. Cut sheets of documents that are no longer needed (You only print when necessary , right?) and use them as makeshift scratchpads. Finally, if you have outdated electronics lying around your home donate them or recycle them instead of tossing them in the trash.
  • Purchase Eco-friendly Fashions: Find alternatives to clothing that hurt our fragile planet. Environmentally safe clothing made from sustainable materials such as bamboo and organic cotton is just as fashionable and you can feel better about your purchase knowing you are doing your part to protect the earth!
  • Shut It Down, Shut It Off: Keeping electronics plugged in or turned on when not in use wastes electricity so unplug items such as laptop adapters and cell phone chargers when not in use. Additionally, disconnect appliances such as irons and toasters while not in use. Even though they are not being used they are still using power.

These are just a few simple steps that can used to leave a cleaner healthier planet for generations that follow. Many others can be found on sites like Conscious Living TV. Check them out and tell Michael and Bianca I said hello!

Today’s Meditate on This affirmation: I do all I can to live in harmony with the planet and its inhabitants.

Have a PERFECT day!

Michael Stagg

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Overcoming Workout Resistance

 

Mental-Fatigue-Makes-Working-Out-Feel-Harder

Image Credit: FitSugar.com

Wellness Wednesday with Life and Weight loss Coach Flossie Alexander of You Can NOW! Coaching.

What causes you to avoid or stop working out? Common reasons we neglect out fitness training include:

  • Mental fatigue: Attempting to workout after a long day at the office can make your routine appear to be harder when it’s not. On days when you feel overworked or too stressed to workout go for a long relaxing stroll instead.
  • Uncomfortable working out around others: Not everyone likes being part of a gym community. This may be especially true if you are just starting your fitness program. If getting gawked at in a gym full of hard bodies is too daunting for you simply workout at home until you are confident enough to attend a gym. Alternatively, you can always get together with family or friends to go the the gym as this provides a support mechanism that all involved can utilize to stay motivated.
  • Improper fitness apparel: It’s likely that if you don’t have proper workout gear you may become discouraged and stop your training. Remember that your clothing should not impede movement or be too constrictive. You want to make sure your shoes are designed for the particular exercise(s) you will be doing (i.e. running shoes for jogging, cross trainers for multiple types of workouts).
  • Good old fashioned laziness: Sometimes we just don’t feel like working out and just want to lounge around. This is simply the mind trying to persuade you that you don’t need to workout. Don’t give in to the temptation to slack off! Instead remain determined to get your workout in.

Remember your goals and why you began working out in the first place. Identify any resistance factors and develop a plan to shake them off. If you are working with a personal trainer or weight loss coach discuss your feeling with them so that they can recommend ways to combat your desire to neglect your routine. If you don’t have a fitness/weight loss coach contact me at info@youcannowcoaching.com we can discuss your needs. Investing in your workout routine is an investment in a healthy future!

Yours in Health

Flossie Alexander
Life/Weight Loss Coach
You Can NOW! Coaching
Where Results ARE Typical!

About Flossie: Flossie is currently a member of the National Association of Professional Women and Toastmaster’s International. She is a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Coach as well as a Certified Wellness Coach with a successful track record in leading organizations and individuals into achieving healthy lifestyle goals. After overcoming obesity, losing 165 pounds in 18 months, she has developed a passion to help others through public speaking and one-on-one weight loss coaching. Visit Flossie at http://www.youcannowcoaching.com to start creating your new healthy lifestyle and lose unhealthy weight permanently.

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Live Your Dream of a Healthier Life Today!

Image By: Dream Designs Photography

The Holidays are over, the kids are back in school and we are starting to think about the year ahead and keeping our resolutions to be fit and healthy.  Did you over-indulge during the lazy days or ate your way through the Holiday? Are you finding it hard to stick to your resolutions (or set unrealistic ones) to improve your health and simply given up altogether? Relax! Success and failure are a part of life and so is your commitment to living a healthy lifestyle.

Take a moment to review your goals and remember the reasons why you really want to change. Visualize an image of yourself at the perfect level of health. What are you doing? How do you feel? What are the steps you could take today to live in this healthy body? It is all a matter of choice so decide to live your dream of a healthier life and start today!

Could you use a helping hand creating and maintaining your health and fitness goals? Setting yourself up with a lifestyle and weight loss coach, like those found at You Can NOW! Coaching, is a great way to renew a commitment to a healthier you when the excitement of new resolutions has waned.  Visit us online to find out how we can get you back on track today!

Yours in Health

Flossie Alexander
Life/Weight Loss Coach

You Can NOW! Coaching

Where Results ARE Typical!

About Flossie: Flossie is currently a member of the National Association of Professional Women and Toastmaster’s International. She is a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Coach as well as a Certified Wellness Coach with a successful track record in leading organizations and individuals into achieving healthy lifestyle goals. After overcoming obesity, losing 165 pounds in 18 months, she has developed a passion to help others through public speaking and one-on-one weight loss coaching. Visit Flossie at http://www.youcannowcoaching.com to start creating your new healthy lifestyle and lose unhealthy weight permanently.

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Making Sure Dad is All STRETCHED Out


Greetings Readers!

Since June is Dad’s Month at My II Sense and I thought I’d continue my Wellness Wednesdays with a piece on stretching which is a great way to maintain your flexibility as you get older. I do a series of stretches before I go to work that help relieve back, knee and neck tension since I sometimes experience lower back and knee pain if I walk to much.


I know there are a lot of dads out there like me that sit behind a desk for extended periods of time so I’ve provided links below to a few online resources offering “Office Yoga” stretches; most can be done at your desk!

http://www.shelterpub.com/_fitness/_desk_stretches/desk_stretches.pdf

http://www2.vhi.ie/topic/stretchguide

http://www.ehow.com/how_4741615_relieve-pain-simple-stretching-exercises.html

Do you have stretches that you’d like to share? Comment below!

Have a PERFECT day!

Michael

My II Sense

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Whip Dad Into Shape for Father’s Day


Greetings Readers!

I’ve decided to dedicate this post to discussing a few methods that dads (and everyone else) can begin whipping themselves into shape. Here are a few things I’ve begun doing; I hope it inspires others to pursue a healthier lifestyle.

  • Morning Smoothies – I’m not big on eating breakfast but since it is an important meal I didn’t want to keep skipping it. I generally make a “Jungle Juice” smoothie (no, not the one containing 151!). You take one whole banana and/or other fruit along with one tablespoon of ginger and eight ounces of orange juice and blend. Guaranteed to get you going!
  • Increased My Walking Regimen – As a parent, I have a tendency to get the kids to go to the store for me when I want something (usually junk food!) so now I simple go myself (an TRY not to buy junk!). Also, I’ve started taking the stairs more during my commute to work. I’ve dropped 5lbs just doing that!
  • Being More Positive – I’ve been meditating more to increase my mental clarity. Meditation also allows me to have more focus, relieves stress and boosts my overall ability to cope with life’s ups and downs.

Now that’s not to say that you should do what I do. There are plenty of ways to encourage dad to get into optimal health such as:

  • Give him a gift basket with heart healthy items like nuts, fruit and even chocolate! Include a little note thanking him for being a great dad and push for him to continue eating healthy foods like those in his basket.
  • Engage in activities that promote everyone’s health. This can include playing tag in the yard, going for family walks in the park or playing sports together.
  • Cheer dad on for his healthy habits by fixing a healthy version of his favorite meal!

What ways would you get your favorite dad to get in shape? Share them with our reads in the comments below.

Have a PERFECT day!

Michael

My II Sense

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How to Boost Your Energy in the Workplace


Greetings Readers!

Have you ever been at your desk and began feeling tired or sluggish even if you’ve had a decent night’s sleep? Have you ever felt stiff, especially in the neck and shoulders? Here are a few techniques I use to boost my energy level and shrug off that stiff Tin Man feeling!

  1. Bellows Breathing – This is an excellent technique for fighting off fatigue and it’s so simple! Sit comfortably with spine erect but relaxed. Begin taking deep breaths in through your nostrils expanding your lower abdomen completely. Exhale fully, again, through your nostrils rapidly as if using a bellows to fuel a fire. Bellows Breathing should be done no more than 15 seconds at a time when first beginning and gradually increase the duration of the exercise by five seconds with a maximum practice time of one minute. NOTE: There is a risk of hyperventilation leading to unconsciousness if practiced too much when first beginning! Listen to your body and practice this technique responsibly.
  2. Neck Rotations – This little technique always works for me when my neck begins to feel like steel cable. All you do is slowly rotate your head in a clockwise motion about 3-5 times and repeat the same motion in counterclockwise fashion to roll that rigidness right on out!
  3. Shoulder Shrugs – An oldie but goodie, shoulder shrugs are an excellent way to remove tension in the shoulders, upper and middle back. Similar to the neck rotations you roll your shoulders forward in a circular motion for several repetitions then switch and do the same thing in the opposite direction. Your arms, neck and back will thank for the attention!

Other Things You Can Do

Here’s a list of other things you can try that will increase your energy and limit fatigue:

  1. Limit Your Caffeine Intake – While coffee and sodas do provide a brief pick me eventually, the crash you feel far outweighs the benefit of these beverages. Additionally, caffeine has been attributed to depression, insomnia and fatigue, the very thing most people use caffeine to combat!
  2. Eat Nuts to Boost Your Energy – I frequently carry peanuts and cashews with me to nibble on throughout the day because of their high protein and vitamin content. This keeps cravings for junk food at bay and gives my body the fuel it needs to keep going until my next meal.
  3. Get as Much Rest as You Can – In today’s society it’s hard to get five hours of quality sleep at night let alone eight! That’s why it’s even more important to find ways to rest your body and mind. My two personal favorites are minute mediations and power naps. Both provide a quick way to “unplug” from the world, even if only for a minute, to allow me body and mind to regroup and relax.
  4. Drink Plenty of Water – OK, I know EVERYONE preaches this but it’s true! Water assists in the digestion and absorption of food, lubricates joints and prevents low energy levels. Increasing my daily water intake alone has helped reduce my fatigue!

Increasing your level of energy will help you deal with customers and coworkers better and, more importantly, it will help you feel better about YOU!

I hope these little tips help get you through the day and allow you to tolerate your customers and coworkers more. If you have a great technique for getting energized at work feel free to share!

Michael

My II Sense

Blog Sources

Effects of Caffeine – http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Ca-De/Caffeine.html

Some Info on Various Nuts – http://www.naturalhub.com/natural_food_guide_nuts_common.htm

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