Increase this habit to drop the weight!

As I lay in bed trying to go to sleep I started wondering, “What am I going to write about this week?”  Then it hit me, “What about the importance of sleep and how it affects our health?”  About 1/3 of our adult life should be spent sleeping.  According to the CDC, 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep problems.  Sleep deprivation can compromise our mood, work, and most importantly our health.  Studies have shown that people who sleep less than 6 hours a night are more prone to obesity and a high risk of cardiovascular disease, and even diabetes.  For most of us, the culprit is stress, but other factors such as lack of exercise, alcohol consumption and caffeine can also be problematic.

If you enjoy caffeine, stop your intake 4-6 hours before you plan on going to bed.  Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it affects your REM sleep (this is your most restorative sleep phase).  Exercise is the best medicine for relieving stress…sweat it out!  When all else fails, Mom was right, warm milk actually does help you fall asleep.  It has lactic acid in it which releases a chemical when warmed that triggers a natural sleep cycle.

Another way to combat sleep problems is through nutrition.  According to Lisa Tsakos, registered nutritionist with NaturallySavvy.com, foods that provide B vitamins promote wakefulness and improve your mood throughout the day while encouraging a restful sleep at night.  Whole grains, leafy greens, legumes, and lean meats are the best source of B vitamins.  If you don’t eat many of these foods, give Life Shotz a try.  They are filled with B vitamins (not to mention the Vitamin D and anti-oxidants!)  Many of my clients that are taking Life Shotz discover they are sleeping deeper and waking up more refreshed!

Finally, try to go to bed by 10pm every night.  Making these small changes can help you sleep soundly through the night.

Yours in health,
Colleen

Never Give Up!

I know I’ve talked some on this subject before, but after receiving a few comments from some readers I felt we needed to address this subject again.  Some of the comments talked about how hard it is to stick to a healthy lifestyle.  I AGREE!  If it was easy we would all look like the cover models on the magazines.  I’m going to let you in a little secret; it’s hard for me too, sometimes!  Yes it’s the truth; don’t fall out of your chairs.  The road is not always going to be smooth.  In fact there are going to be times where there are some big pot holes along the way.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen someone stop working out just as their body was making the change they were looking for.  We live in this, “I want it now world.”  Sometimes, like with health, things can take a while to notice a difference, and just before we see what we are looking for we stop.  Sure we can try to take a shortcut and go on one of those fad-drop 20 pounds in 7 days- diets, but the long term effects of such diets can be harmful for your body.  It’s kind of an oxymoron, you crash-diet to get healthy, and you end up hurting your long-term health.  Change is hard; this is why I always tell my clients to take baby steps in changing their habits.  Set yourself up for success by setting 90 day goals.  If you think about it we have 90 day blocks of time all around us.  Things like pregnancy are broken down into trimesters, self employed people pay taxes quarterly, and seasons change every 90 days.  Our brains can focus on small chunks like this.  If I ask you where you want to be in 20 years that’s hard to see, but you can definitely see 90 days out.  In fact that’s only the end of April.  See the big difference?  Now you can take those 90 days and break them down into weeks.  All I want you to do is change one thing a week for those 90 days.  That would be 12 healthy changes over that time.  You can do that, right?  However, if I told you I want you to make 12 changes starting tomorrow, your eyes would glaze over and you’d freak out.  Remember, we all crawled before we walked.  Life is a journey, enjoy it, and don’t beat yourself up when you hit that pot hole.  Get back on track, and keep working for the healthy you that’s fighting to get out!

Yours in health,
Colleen

P.S.
Checkout the NMM Giveaway link http://livingonloveandcents.com/2011/01/21/mommy-makeover-giveaway/.  A Mommy Blogger gave a review of my DVD program and I’m offering a giveaway.  You can sign up to win!  The link will take you there!  Giveaway ends Feb 5th.

Chance to win free copy of Phase 1 New Mommy Makeover

New Mommy Makeover was recently reviewed on LivingOnLoveandCents.com.  Read what a real mom had to say about her experience with New Mommy Makeover, and enter to win a free copy of Phase 1 New Mommy Makeover!  go here now:

http://livingonloveandcents.com/2011/01/21/mommy-makeover-giveaway/

Yours in health,

Colleen

 

DVR Your Way to Weight Loss!

You are probably asking yourself how a DVR will help with your weight loss?  I’m not talking about DVRing exercise shows (though it could not hurt), but that’s not what I’m talking about here.  Let’s take a look at how you can achieve your weight loss goals by using your DVR.  First, learn how to use it.  This will alleviate you getting frustrated when you go to watch your shows.  Now that you now how to use it, lets see how it can make a difference.  What is the one constant in this world?  It’s the same for you or the person sitting next to you.  Time, is the answer you are looking for.  No matter how hard we try to squeeze more out of a day there are only 24 hours.  I think this is something we can all agree on.  Now, if you could prove to yourself a way to add almost a full hour to your day do you think you could do something to improve your health, get you closer to your goals, and live the life you imagine?  Not everybody is going to like this idea, especially the advertisers on T.V. When you think about it, they are paid to get you to live the lives their sponsors think you should live, and not the one you dream of.  It’s up to you, do you want to sit and watch their ideas on T.V. or actually start living your dreams?  Here is how you can add almost an hour to your day.  For those that don’t like math I will make this as painless as possible.  The average american watches 4 hours of T.V. a day.  I’m sure you know people that watch more, but lets use this number.  Lets say out of every hour you watch there is an average of 12 minutes of commercials.  Did you just have that “aha” moment?  That’s right we are going to fast forward through these commercials and gain about 48 minutes a day.  Let’s take that 48 minutes and round it down to 45 minutes to make the math easier.  We now have this 45 minutes a day and let’s see what happens for our week.  45 minutes a day for 7 days equals 315 minutes, or 5 hours and 15 minutes a week.  Let’s look at our month, 45 minutes for 30 days equals 1,350 minutes or 22 and half hours a month.  So, just by saving ourselves 12 minutes an hour for four hours a day you’ve almost added a whole day to your month!  Just by using your DVR you have made the impossible possible; you’ve added time to your day! Now what to do with that time?  You guessed it we are going to work out, even if it’s only 30 minutes of that newly discovered time.  30 minutes of consistent exercise a day will go a long way in helping you reach your health goals.  Remember you only get one shot at this thing called life; make sure you get as much out of it as possible!

Send me an email and let me know how you are using your new found time!!!

Yours in Health,
Colleen

Avoid this Four Letter Word….DIET!

”Diet”

Ok, we made it through the holidays and it’s time to follow through with our New Year’s Resolutions.  The most common resolution I hear about seems to deal with a Diet. I feel that the word “Diet” is one of those four letter words you would get your mouth washed out with soap for saying. The correct term should be “lifestyle change.”  People always go on and off diets, but a lifestyle change is permanent.  For the purpose of this article I’ll use that four letter word and hope there’s no soap around. The word “Diet” doesn’t always mean eating less to lose weight—although that’s what we commonly associate it with today. Someone “on a diet” is trying to eat less, or stop eating sweets to fit into a smaller pant size.

There’s so much confusion when it comes to dieting.  Atkins, Metabolic, or remember last year, the Drive-Thru diet from Taco Bell?  This year there is even a Twinkie diet!  I’m not making those last two up!  No wonder everyone is confused.  When I recommend the Taco Bell or Twinkie Diet you better run because you know the world is coming to an end!  Low calorie and fad diets can have serious health implications—insufficient vitamin and nutritional intake, lethargy, slowed metabolism, hormonal effects, and even dehydration.  Dieters commonly experience intense feelings of hunger and deprivation, which can lead to “cheating” or bingeing over time.

Improving your normal diet by making gradual, but permanent changes is a healthier way to lose weight than by just restricting calories.  Below are a few tips to help you decrease your caloric intake without “dieting” or feeling deprived.

1.  Drink more water.  Hunger is often mistaken for thirst, so if you find yourself wanting to mindless snack, drink water instead of grabbing the chips.  Also try to drink 2 cups of water before a meal and you will feel more satisfied!

2.  Familiarize yourself with portion size.  We are bombarded with “Portion Distortion!”  Read the labels and measure your food until you get an idea of what an actual serving size is.

3.  Be prepared!  Plan out your meals and always have a healthy snack ready to grab.  You don’t want to go too long without eating; not only will you be too hungry to make a good decision, you will inhale your food and eat more than you should.

Order your copy of New Mommy Makeover today, and make 2011 your healthiest year yet!  Remember, I offer on-line coaching too!

Yours in health,

Colleen

Colleen@NewMommyMakeover.com

http://www.NewMommyMakeover.com

http://www.FreePreNatalVideos.com

http://www.ElitePhysiquePT.com

5 Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress!

This week we are going to talk about something that doesn’t usually get associated with the Holidays; STRESS.  With the endless parties, travel, family gatherings and of course shopping.  It’s easy to see how we can be overwhelmed with all this plus a full time life.  Stress can lead to physical symptoms including weight gain, headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and problems sleeping. Research suggests that stress also can bring on or worsen certain symptoms or diseases.  This should be a time to be thankful for what we have, not about worrying about getting the Christmas cards out on time, or not being able to find that perfect gift.   Here are a few tips to help with your shopping, so you can check one more thing from your to-do list.

1) Buy duplicates. If you find a great gift at a great price, consider getting one for several people on your list, if it fits their tastes.

2) Include gift receipts. Ask for gift receipts at the register, and include them with your gifts when you wrap them. That way, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that if what you got doesn’t work for your recipient, they can easily exchange it.

3) Get gift cards. If you really need things to be simple, gift cards and certificates are a great option.

4) Let the post office be your friend. Rather than lugging all of your gifts to the post office and standing in the long lines, you can now get them to come to you! Visit the USPS website .

5) Make time for exercise. Exercise is proven to reduce stress and help you sleep better.  It will also keep the pounds from creeping up on you over the holidays!

 

Yours in Health

Colleen

P.S.

Great Stocking Stuffers!  Need a little extra immune building Vitamin D and extra Vitamin B for energy this holiday season?  Check out what Life Shotz has done for Michelle:

“Life Shotz has made a huge difference for me. I’m sleeping soundly, I wake up more refreshed and my energy level is amazing during the later hours of the afternoon when I would normally slow down. Now I have a smile on my face! When I was recently out of Life Shotz for a short time, I started coming down with a seasonal cold that would normally kick my butt, but I’m back on the product and I’m kicking its butt! Thank you Life Shotz!”
Michelle Curtis
Post Falls, ID

Click here to read more testimonials

Put YOU on Your Christmas List!

The season of giving is upon us, and it’s that time of year when you work all week then brave the crowds on the weekends.  As you create your list of gifts to pass out on Christmas Day I want you to look and see who is missing.  If you notice, the name that is missing most of the time is your own.  I want you to change that this year, and put your name on top of that list.  Then I want you to think about what gift you could give yourself that would make the biggest impact on your life.  Now I know some of you are thinking about new clothes, a day at the spa, or maybe even a new car.  All these things are fine, but I want you to think even bigger and deeper; more of an impact on your life.  I’m sure by now you have guessed it….the gift of health!  Now I’m not talking about a short term weight loss plan; I’m talking about health.  Health is a lifestyle and a lifestyle is not short term.  You may ask yourself, “Why do I want this as my gift?”  I could fill up page after page of reasons why you should, but that won’t help.  The reason lies within you already; you just have to find it. The reason may be in the mirror, or the reason maybe the in the little one’s eyes you tuck in at night.  Where ever you find your reason just know once you have found it, you are worthy of this great gift.  This gift is not for everyone, I wish it was.  But, if you decide to take this gift, it will change your life forever!  You will find a peace in yourself that you thought was gone.  You will be better prepared to handle whatever life throws at you, and you will be in a position to help others with the same gift.  No gift under the tree will have more impact than helping someone change their life for the better, and it all starts with the gift inside you first.  Have a safe holiday season, and here’s to YOUR GIFT.  I’m here to help in whatever way I can!  Yours in health, Colleen P.S. Check out this what this everday mom had to say about Life Shotz. “Taking Life Shotz was a real life-saver for me. I used to fall asleep with my kids at 7:30. The emails would just pile up day after day, and I was gaining all sorts of weight. After I started taking Life Shotz, my energy level seemed to shift in a way I hadn’t expected. I felt that feeling of “being normal” in the night time, kind of like it was still mid-morning. This shocked me, as I was so used to just feeling like the bed had a magnet under it and was just pulling me there starting at about 6:30 p.m. or so! I just completed my fourth manuscript, lost 20 pounds, and have a clear complexion.” Click here to read the rest of her testimonial.

What’s Your Breaking Point?

The other day I was talking to someone about exercise and living a healthy lifestyle and they asked me, “Why do some people get it and others don’t?”  It got me thinking.  I believe it all boils down to people making a decision for themselves.  I can write blogs all day long listing the many reasons why someone should exercise, but until they make that commitment to themselves, the words just fall on deaf ears.  I have experienced this first hand with my husband, John.  Some of you may not know this, but he has lost 35lbs and has kept it off for 4 years (way to go Honey)!  I would gently encourage him (he might say nagged) all the time that he needed to lose a few pounds so he could be healthy.  But until he decided for himself he never made the changes he needed.  Sure he would drag himself to the gym just to please me, but his heart just wasn’t in it, and I could tell.  Then, the day came when I almost fell over, he said he was ready.  He had apparently bent over to tie his shoe and his pants were so tight that it made him uncomfortable.  He had gotten to his breaking point.   That point when you say, “No more, something has to change!”  So he bought himself a bicycle and never stopped pedaling.  He changed his eating habits and even went to the gym without me saying a word.  You could see the difference in his eyes, his heart, and his actions.  It’s funny how something as simple as tying his shoe was IT; not me telling (nagging) him to exercise.  I guess that’s one of the great things about life, you just never know what’s going to be that point when you stand up and say, “No more!”  Just know when you or someone you care about is ready, I’ll be here to help in any way I can.

Yours in health,

Colleen Riddle

AFPA Certified Pre/Post Natal Exercise Specialist

http://www.NewMommyMakeover.com

Colleen@NewMommyMakeover.com

Tips for Healthy Traveling

For those of you that were missing my blog last week, sorry but I took a few days off and went to New Mexico to visit family.  If you get the chance I highly recommend it…gorgeous! The week before I left we talked about doing the small things to make big differences.  Well I wanted to give you a glance at how I make these small decisions work for me when I travel, and how they can work for you too.  First thing I did was do a little planning.  I looked at my flight itinerary to see what time I was departing and landing.  Armed with this information I was ready to plan my attack.  My plane left around 12:30 so I knew I needed to start with my lunch.  I packed some turkey and lettuce, wrapped it in a whole wheat wrap and cut up some cucumber slices (my chips) as a side.  I arrived to the airport a little early and found a spot to sit and eat my lunch before going through security.  The less you take through the better off you are.  This a picture of my lunch(I know; only I would take a picture of my lunch).

Of course I packed some water for lunch, but they will not let you take water through security so only pack what you are going to drink before security. Now once past security you can purchase water at one of the stores, but be ready to pay more than usual (a lot more). It’s worth it though because one of the leading factors of jet lag is dehydration.  Also if you’ve ever been stuck on the tar mat you know they don’t usually serve drinks; so be prepared!  Also in my little bag of goodies were some almonds, apples, and snack bars.  This keeps you from getting hungry during the flight, the dreaded layovers, or those delays I mentioned earlier.  I also suggest packing a few more snacks than you think you need.  You may end up needing them later, or your new best friend sitting next to you may not have planned as well as you, this way you can help them out (pay-it forward). Now I know there is nothing here you probably don’t know, and that is one of the points I’m trying to make.  Most of us know what we should do, but sometimes it’s just easier not to do them.  Now I’m not going to say that I went on vacation and did not indulge with some of my meals.  But the time and place was up to me and not some someone else.  To take care of those indulges I incorporated exercise into my vacation.  I went for walks and runs through my father’s neighborhood, and for a my tough workout I went for a 7 mile hike up and down some mountains (felt like more up than down).

You’re on vacation so of course you are going to indulge and that’s part of vacation, but with a little planning and a little exercise while you’re there you can enjoy yourself and not fall short of your health goals.
Happy traveling,
Colleen

P.S.

Coaching Success Story:

I want to brag on my dad for a minute.  Last year he lost over 20lbs and has KEPT it off for over a year.  Don’t ever think you are too old to make healthy changes!!  Go Dad…so proud of you!

Winning at the game of Life

I have a friend who entered a 5k race last weekend, completed it, but did not win. Her post on Facebook said, “Will I ever win?” And she went on to congratulate the race winners. Like I said I know this person and I’m here to tell you she is already a winner in every sense of the word. Now did she win the race, no, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make here. She constantly gives of herself to help others in the community, she challenges herself to stay healthy, and she inspires others. This puts her on the podium of life’s winners every day! It’s not always where you finish in the race, but who you helped along the way. Remember last week I talked about your life being a marathon and not a sprint (In case you missed it, look below). In today’s fast paced society so much emphases is put on where you finish we sometimes forget to help others along the way. When we reach the end of our marathon what do you think we will be remembered for? The things that we collected along the way or by the positive changes we’ve made in someone else’s life? Ok, so how can you inspire others to be their best? First, lead by example. Become the leader that’s inside you by making positive changes in your life, and get your health in order. You’ve already started just by taking a few minutes to read this email. Second, find people around you that inspire others; watch and learn from them (my friend for example). Third, and maybe the most important, take action. This one can be tough because you don’t know where to begin. JUST START somewhere and you’ll be amazed; before you know it you’ll be making a difference and standing on that podium next to my friend.

Yours in health,

Colleen