The Power of the Mind/Body Connection: Clari's Story

Clari is one of my “rock star” clients. She has been training with me for several months, and she puts her all into every single session, as well as her independent workouts. She has made incredible strides both physically, and, as you are about to learn, mentally and emotionally. I am honored to share her story and words of wisdom with you here:

“The biggest obstacle to any kind of transformation is the voice that tells you it’s impossible.” ~Geneen Roth, Women Food and God

I am a spirit on the journey to my guided mission on earth! I did not know that until recently; well it was not fully in my conscious, anyway. What I did know was I was in a battle field where my self- sabotaging mind was telling me that this was the body I was meant to have. Worn down and on a road to Diabetes. This was it! So I would lose weight and gain it back on a binge of self-hating thoughts that would turn into Cheesecake Factory apple pie at 9:30pm. “What is wrong with me?” I thought. “How could I do this to myself?” So began the cycle (again) of getting back on the band wagon of doing the best I could with the food available around me. How did I change this? How can we all change this?

America is sick to its core with the poison pumped into our brains through constant media coverage. But what they don’t tell you on those quick fix commercials is how to change and level up your mind to be ready for the evolution we want our bodies to step into. They don’t tell you about the hard work, the self-love development, the spiritual journey, or the blood, sweat, and tears one must “suffer” to gain the rewards we seek. Our minds, hearts and bodies must be in total alignment with the goal we want to reach. It’s not easy, and whomever tells you differently is lying.

There is a choice: The road you choose to total body wellness or the default life of sticking anything you want in your mouth and paying the price. That price was getting too high for me. So I chose to change everything. Starting with the voice in my head that said, “Relax, we’ll go to the gym later,” or “Just ask for fries. What does it matter?” or “Your doctor doesn’t know how you would suffer sacrificing so much.” Change the voice that you let guide you and you will change your life. The body and the mind are intimately connected; anything you are doing is a result of a thought and with practice you can override the system that tells you (like it told me) “you will be fat forever.”

Some steps you can take to level up your inner voice are:

Meditate: I find since I have started to create a quiet space for my thoughts, through meditation, I can notice when my thoughts are working against the body I am seeking to create.

Hunger Awareness: Sometimes we eat from the place of our emotions. When I am seeking love or approval, naturally I want ice cream, I am conscience of that.  Asking yourself, “What am I really ‘hungry’ for?” brings awareness and connection to your consciousness about what experiences we are longing for in that moment. This makes us acknowledge and be aware of our emotional needs and can help stop you from the setback of emotional eating.

Finally and most importantly have a powerful goal in mind of your body transformation. The first time I met Nicole, I told her this and I keep it on my mind every day: “I want to sculpt the body of a goddess.” Create and describe an empowering image of the body you seek to create. Write it down for more power and keep it in your mind on your journey.

So far I have lost upwards of 20 pounds since I have started and what I know now is that without my head in the game, I would never have progressed this far. So get your head in the game or you’ll be right back where you started!

Claristela Cuduco is a Certified Dream Builder Coach and author of the popular, Best DreamLife blog, helping her clients design and manifest the life of their soul's purpose. As a sought out life coach and profession speaker, Claristela offers inspiring workshops as well as transformational in-depth coaching programs to help clients achieve new heights of success, fulfillment and spiritual aliveness. Stop by and find out how Claristela can empower you to achieve your dreams.

Accountability: The Jawbone® UP24

Accountability is a key component to successful life change. Some people choose a personal trainer or a life coach; others choose support groups, blogging, or other peer-supported environments. And some choose to simply hold themselves accountable, which can be the most difficult choice of all. Fortunately, there are many tools out there to help keep you accountable.

I have been using the Jawbone® UP24 for about three weeks now, and overall, I think it’s very effective. The UP24 app syncs right to my phone (which is Android, but it works with iPhone also), and I have everything in one place. That’s my favorite aspect of this device: one-stop shopping.

The device tracks three things: steps/activity, sleep, and food. It has its own tools for these categories, but syncs with many other popular apps, so if you’re already using one, it’ll simply sync up and you won’t have to do much. Setting it up is incredibly easy, as is charging and updating the software. It comes with a special USB device to connect to your computer, but communicates with your phone via Bluetooth.

The steps/activity tracker is very useful, and fun if you’re a competitive type. You set a step goal, and it’ll track all your steps, tell you the percentage you’ve completed, and even encourage you to up your goal if you consistently meet it. You can also set a stopwatch during exercise, and simply tell it the type of workout you did and the intensity level, and it’ll calculate your calories burned. It also tells you your resting burn, active burn, and then total burn for the day. You can also set timers to make the device vibrate, reminding you to get up and move around.

The sleep tracker is a real eye-opener (pun very much intended). Sleep is an integral part of living healthy, and so many of us sacrifice too much of it. When you can see the impact your sleep is having on your goals, it can be motivating to get into bed a bit earlier. It tracks the total percentage of your sleep goal, your deep and light sleep, how many times you wake up, and how long you’re awake.

The built-in food tracker is my least favorite. I do like that it gives you a “food score,” which is a score (out of 10) on the healthfulness of your food choices, but the actual food logging tool is not only hard to navigate, but it’s incredibly inaccurate on nutrition data. The good news is that it syncs with MyFitnessPal, which is a far better, far more comprehensive food tracker. UP24 also recently added a weight goal aspect to the food tracker, so you can set caloric intake. While it’s a bit disappointing to have to use an outside app for the most important component of healthy living, it’s not so inconvenient as to be a deterrent.

UP24 also gives you fun little tips, motivational messages, and even cautionary words every day based on your progress. Today it told me to be mindful of my 4.8/10 food score (in my defense, I’m on vacation), and to keep tracking to make improvements. It encouraged me to surround myself with healthy friends to increase my chances of staying healthy, and it challenged me to take 12,009 steps today to beat my 7-day average.

With the exception of a few minor annoyances, this was a worthy purchase. If Jawbone can clean up the food tracker database and make it more accurate, it’d be near-perfect. You can even sync it with your social media accounts to share your information with your friends and family. It’s versatile, inconspicuous (just looks like a cool bracelet), and user-friendly.

Happy tracking! 

5 Critical Steps to Staying Resolute in the New Year

Day one of your New Year's Resolution is here. You've got determination. Focus. Dedication. Excitement. Enthusiasm. It's going to happen, you're going to be amazing, and nothing is going to stop you.

But do you have a plan? What's going to stop you from slipping back into your old habits by the first week in February, only to panic at the beginning of May because summer is 3 weeks away?

The biggest key to your health and fitness success is planning. A short-term and long-term plan. Goals are awesome, but they will never be realized if you don't plan for them. It's time to go at 2014 like no other year before it. If you want this to be the last battle, you've got to plan for the war.

1. Have a schedule: You must make exercise part of your regular routine. If you don't blow off grocery shopping, paying your bills, or going to work, you can't blow off exercise, either. It needs to be a habit, and it needs to be consistent. If there are days of the week that you know are just too insane, then don't plan to work out that day. But choose the days/times that you know will work, and commit to them. Good intentions don't burn calories.
2. Be realistic and specific: Do not plan to work out twice a day every day if the last time you saw a treadmill or a dumbbell was 5 years ago. Be realistic about the frequency and time of day you plan to exercise. If you're not a morning person, resolving to go to the gym at 5am isn't going to work. Start with 3-4 days/week, 30 to 60 minutes, and work your way up. Know exactly what you're going to do and when. Ask most fitness professionals and/or fitness enthusiasts if they have specific activities set for specific days, and the vast majority will say yes.  If you really love the Wednesday night group fitness class, that that's your plan for Wednesday. Also be sure to have a Plan B. If you hit traffic and can't make the class, that doesn't mean you go home. It means you do something else instead. The same goes for equipment use. If you like to use the elliptical, but they're all taken, then get on a bike or a treadmill. Skipping because you're late or someone else is using your item of choice is nothing but an excuse. 
3. Map your meals: If you're on the go, have a family, work insane hours, etc., eating well can be a challenge. You'll need to map out your meals for the week, even if it means sitting down once a week, listing it out, making food in advance, etc. Not knowing what you're going to eat or even having anything suitable on hand is a surefire way to wind up with take out. 
4. Choose variety: This goes for exercise and healthy eating. You need to keep it fun and different to stay engaged, but also to see the changes in your body. Most plateaus are a result of routine--your body gets used to what you're doing and stops responding. It has to be challenged in order to change. Variety can be hard to figure out when you're new to all this, so just keep trying new things. If you've never taken a spin class before, don't assume you won't get through it. Try. Often we surprise ourselves! The worst that can happen when you try something new is that you don't like it. At least you still got a workout in! 
5. Track your progress: This is not just getting on the scale once a week. Track your steps taken, calories burned, minutes exercised. There's tons of apps and devices out there for you to use.  You need to see your accomplishments outside of pounds shed. You need to see yourself getting stronger, working out longer, working harder. All of this will keep that enthusiasm alive and well. It can even inspire you to set specific fitness goals, such as running a 5k, or doing an obstacle course challenge. You need to see how far you've come in order to keep going. 

May 2014 be your strongest and healthiest year yet! 

Workout of the Week: Tabata

Tabata training is high intensity interval training using either one or a variety of cardio movements. Get an awesome cardio workout using tabata, especially when you're short on time. Just 20-30 minutes will blast plenty of calories and fat!
 
To create your tabata workout, you'll need a timer or a stopwatch.
Use 60-second intervals: 40 seconds of work, 20 seconds of rest.

Circuit 1: 10 rounds: Jump rope
Circuit 2: 10 rounds: Burpees
Circuit 3: 10 rounds: jumping jacks

*Tip: You can mix and match, alternate, or use just one movement. Choose your favorite or most challenging exercises to increase difficulty.

Success Does Not Come From Fads and Tricks: the R.E.A.L Solution

We are constantly bombarded with advertisements, reports, and articles that promise "fast results" when it comes to weight loss. Millions of dollars are spent each year on books, DVDs, pills, and gadgets, and inevitably, the same thing happens: the weight comes back. Sometimes it brings a few extra friends. This creates frustration and guilt. We get angry. We quit. Sometimes it leads to obsession. There is only one way to get out of the vicious cycle of gain and lose.

You've got the first tool you need: desire to lose the weight. If you didn't want it, you wouldn't be compelled to try the fads and tricks. In fact, you want so badly to lose the weight, which is what these companies count on to sell you their products. But the desire is not enough; it needs a partner. Desperation leads us to rash decisions, so we need something to even it out: the R.E.A.L. Approach.

Resolve is defined as: to decide firmly on a course of action. The course of action is not to pop a pill or eat nothing but celery and grapefruit for a week. You must firmly decide on making healthy, lasting changes. This is a long-term change that leads to long-term results. Do you want to keep the weight off for a few months, or for the rest of your life?

Educate yourself on the healthy habits, nutrition, and exercise that work for you. Work with your doctor, a nutritionist, or a fitness professional to find out what is most conducive to your body and your goals. There is no blanket formula, and we are not all the same in our response to food and exercise. More and more research is showing that genetics have a tremendous impact on our metabolic processes. Some people struggle with sugar addiction, while others get the evening snack bug. Learn what does and doesn't work for you.

Accept the idea that This. Is. Work. You get up and go to work every day. You are dedicated and committed to your job, to your family, to your education. To earn a degree, you work for years. To earn a promotion, you work overtime, go above and beyond your duties. You must commit to your health in the same way. Cheating and taking short cuts never turns out well in life. It doesn't work here, either.

Love yourself. As cheesy as this sounds, tackling these types of changes from a place of guilt or shame only leads to criticism and failure. Do this because you love yourself enough to be healthy. You love your family and friends enough to take care of yourself and ensure you'll be around for a long time. Treat yourself with the same care as the people and things you love.

There are no shortcuts, there are no miracle pills, and exercise can't come in a bottle. You have all the tools within you to push past the cycle. You can change. You can succeed. You can thrive.