My Favorite Things! Healthy Holiday Gift Ideas

My Favorite Things! Healthy Holiday Gift Ideas

I love holiday shopping….for myself. Hahaha. I have to confess that I’m a super practical girl. I don’t like frivolous things. I think I’m a minimalist. If I can’t use it, I don’t want it. I don’t like clutter, I don’t like knick-knacks (I actually kinda hate them). I have been known to ask for dish towels and a vacuum for Christmas before (and have been THRILLED to receive them). I get a lot of crap about this from my family. Eh, you know, we all have our little things. Whether you’re a minimalist or not, I thought I’d share my favorite healthy holiday gift ideas in case you still have shopping to do!

The primary thing on my list this year is books. I absolutely love to read and think books are great gifts.

Here are a few of my FAVE books – I’ve highlighted and underlined just about every page in all three!!

The Obstacle Is the Way – The Timeless Art of Turning Trials Into Triumph
obstacle is the way

Meditations
meditations

The Motivation Manifesto – 9 Declarations to Claim Your Personal Power
motivation manifesto

Books On My List This Year – I haven’t read these but they’re at the top of my list!!

The Way Of the Seal – Think Like an Elite Warrior to Lead and Succeed
way of the seal

Great by Choice
419oM1kcjBL

Girl Stuff For Yourself Or The Ladies On Your List!

Lululemon Vinyasa Scarf – I have one but I want more. Love this. Obsessed!!
lulu scarf

Lululemon Bang Buster Headband – We won’t count how many I have but this is the ONLY headband I’ll wear during my workouts!!! I can’t have too many. These are perfect (but I hate the way the model wears them on their site)
lulu headband

Athleta Power lift Tights – These are awesome. Great fit, warm, amazing.
power-lift-tight-admiral-blue-dress

Random Stuff I’m Digging

Oh She Glows Tea – This is brand new and I recently got my first order. I’ll DEFINITELY be ordering more!! Its organic, its fair trade and most importantly, its amazing. I got 3 flavors initially and I’m obsessed with them all. I got the Apple Crumble, Black Maple and Caramel Latte. INSANE.
ohsheglowsteashoppe

Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor – If you follow me on instagram you know I’m a huge fan of working out with my HR monitor. I used to wear it all the time and then I took a break for a while but I’m back to wearing it and I’ll never stop. I’ve tried 4 or 5 different ones and I like this one the best.
polar-ft4-heart-rate-monitor-2

What’s on your list this year? I’m genuinely curious – let me know so I don’t miss out on any great ideas! I’m still building my list. What’s your “gotta have it”?

A NEW Approach to Crushing Your 2015 Goals

A NEW Approach to Crushing Your 2015 Goals

It sucks to not be happy with your body. It sucks to constantly be thinking about how you need to lose weight, how you aren’t happy with the way you look in your jeans, how you should eat better or exercise more. That SUCKS. And I can totally relate to feeling like you don’t have what it takes or nothing seems to work & you just don’t have it in you to stick to a healthy lifestyle plan. I’ve been there. It’s an awful place to be.

But I PROMISE you: you can do it. I PROMISE you: your life will be different. I PROMISE you: it will be worth it. I get so fired up when I talk to people about my 2015 coaching program because its so fundamentally DIFFERENT from everything else out there. I desperately want people to take the leap of faith and choose a NEW way of achieving your health goals, losing weight, and, most importantly, keeping it off. God, I want that so bad for you. I really do.

Stop living in _when...then..._EMBRACEI get so pissed off when I evaluate other programs on the market. It makes me crazy that people put together these one-size-fits all approaches to weight loss. That’s not how it works!!!! What about hormonal imbalances? What about preferences, lifestyles, schedules, goals, etc? What works for one person might be completely unreasonable for another!

Then there’s the time frame stuff…so many programs out there that provide you with a 30 plan. Essentially, most of them are nothing more than a 30-day set of rules. How does that address the underlying issues? What are you to do when the 30 days are up? How do you maintain? Have you just swept the REAL issues under the rug?

And then there is the lack of accountability. Anybody can sign up for a program. But what happens when you fall off the wagon? You just fade away and go back to your old habits with nothing but a little less money in your pocket. No fun.

That’s why I developed my unique, customized, one-on-one fat loss coaching approach. I wanted something totally different that would give you the highest possible chance of success. Here’s what is totally different about the Primal Potential approach:

  • The plan is totally customized. We will evaluate your current diet & lifestyle and identify small, incremental changes. We’ll find your minimum effective dose for fat loss and we’ll master it. We’ll gradually build upon those successes.
  • We’ll get to the root of your weight problem. Do you self-medicate with food? Are you an emotional eater? Do you binge? Do you severely restrict? Are you either “on” or “off”? Why? We’ll dig in – together – and understand those behaviors so we can put them behind you forever.
  • We will talk on the phone and game plan every single week. We’ll go over what’s working & what’s not. We’ll talk about what you’re struggling with and identify strategies to overcome it. We’ll constantly be adjusting and correcting.
  • You’ll have unlimited email access to me. When you’re struggling or feeling unmotivated we will work through it together. If I sense you starting to pull away or fall off track, I’ll gently bring it to your attention. We’ll talk about why. We’ll identify ways to reset your motivation and get you excited and back on track.
  • I won’t provide a list of rules and restrictions. I’ll help educate you via emails, newsletters, webinars and shared resources and we’ll study your body’s response to various approaches. Together, we’ll create your lifelong fat loss formula.
  • You’ll have access to numerous tools I’ve created to help you monitor your body’s response to change so you begin to identify the most powerful fat loss factors for YOU.
  • We’ll work together for an entire YEAR so we can navigate plateaus, setbacks and crush some MAJOR goals.

I couldn’t be more excited. This is your chance to make 2015 a transformative, empowered year and I’d really like to make the journey with you. For all the info on the program and to apply, click here. Wednesday is the last day to get your application in. Please, believe me, YOU CAN DO THIS. Don’t miss this opportunity. I believe in you and I want to help.

5 Ways to Jump Start Weight Loss

5 Ways to Jump Start Weight Loss

Can I get a little emotional with you all for a second? Guys, I used to feel pretty hopeless about weight loss. I had tried and failed SO many diets that I seriously doubted my ability to EVER get healthy and be a “normal” weight. I didn’t think I was strong enough. I didn’t think I have the self-discipline required. I was an addict. I was addicted to numbing my loneliness, sadness, and depression with food. I was really great at researching diets, getting prepared for them and even being super disciplined for a short period of time. But inevitably, time after time, I’d fall back into my old habits and regain all the weight I had lost, plus some!
However, I’ve now lost 140 lbs. I’ve gone from a size 24 to a size 8. I’ve gone from a life focused on my next indulgence to a life focused on goals and aspirations. I’ve gone from a life of hiding and depression to a life of empowerment and achievement. It was a huge change. A massive change. A totally life altering change. I desperately want to help you make similar changes. I want to help you see that you can do it. I want to help you create a plan that you can stick to without feeling deprived or isolated. I quit my corporate job so that I could do just that. Today I want to share with you 5 ways to jump start your weight loss and then help you put together YOUR action plan for 2015. Ready!?
  1. Stop psyching yourself out
    I heard Tony Robbins say something recently that I realized described the way I used to think about weight loss – back when I couldn’t seem to make it work. He said, “you’re making it much worse than it is because you’re afraid of failing”. BOOM. Hear me out. If you’re one of those people who says, “But I hate to exercise” or “I just don’t have the self discipline” or “my metabolism is totally wrecked” or “I’m just too busy” – I’m talking to YOU. You’re surrounding yourself with reasons you shouldn’t try because you either don’t want to do the work or you’re afraid of failing. You’re making it harder than it is! You don’t NEED to workout. Sure, its healthy, but weight loss is 80% or more about what you eat. I lost 50 lbs before I set foot in a gym. If you think you don’t have the self-discipline I’d suggest that you aren’t considering the right way to lose weight. It shouldn’t feel like a sacrifice. You should be eating foods you love. When you’re doing that, you don’t feel deprived and you don’t have to constantly white-knuckle your way through the dang thing. Your metabolism is wrecked? That’s not irreparable. Focusing on balancing your metabolism will not only help you lose weight but it will allow you to get healthy. In fact, if your  metabolism is wrecked that is all the more reason you need to make a change RIGHT NOW. “Too busy” is a bunch of bologna. We all have the same 24 hours in each day and you’re already spending time eating. Eating for fat loss doesn’t have to take anymore time or energy than what you’re doing now unless you decide for it to. So stop psyching yourself out. Either you want it or you don’t. Either you’re going to put in the effort or you’re not. Stop making it harder than it actually is.
  2. Decide not to diet
    I get it. When we have weight to lose we think we need to go on a diet. Dieting generally means eating less, forgoing the foods you love and perhaps exercising more. You end up hungry, cranky and constantly thinking about all the things you want to eat but “can’t”. That is a terrible plan for a million reasons. First and foremost,  you won’t be happy. You’ll feel like you’re being punished and you can’t continue something that makes you constantly feel that you’re not able to do what you want. More importantly, drastically cutting calories is a complete hormonal nightmare. Your body doesn’t realize that you’re cutting calories to lose weight. Instead, because it is programmed for survival, it thinks that food is scarce and it responds accordingly – slowing down your metabolism to conserve fuel and increasing your hunger and cravings to trigger you to go eat! Finally, traditional diets aren’t something you can keep up for the rest of your life. You aren’t going to limit yourself to green veggies and grilled meats indefinitely, are you? So what happens when the diet is over? You pile all that weight back on and your months of sacrifice aren’t worth a damn thing. Anybody been there? I know I have!! Instead, you need to work to find foods you absolutely love that are also fat loss friendly. This is actually a lot easier than it sounds but it does require that you expand your horizons. Try new things. Ask friends (or me!) for recipes. Fall in love with new things. It doesn’t have to feel like a sacrifice, guys! And if it does, you’re just not doing it right!
  3. Question conventional wisdom

    Everything you’ve always heard is not true. It’s just not. Just because you’ve heard it over and over for years does not mean its right. Let’s look at the Food Pyramid. That thing was around for 20+ years recommending 6-11 servings of starch each day. What happened? Rates of obesity SKYROCKETED. Ask yourself who is making recommendations and what their interests are. The whole low-fat/fat-free movement was NOT based on research. It was based on money. The food industry – a powerful political influencer – had the potential to make insane amounts of money with low fat and fat free products. When we look at the “science” they stood on, it is totally flawed. Eat REAL foods. Avoid processed foods. Question convention. Look at where convention got us – fat and sick. I’ve got tons of info on my blog about the importance of dietary fat, how you CAN overeat protein and how toxic sugar is, in all forms. Don’t believe everything you’re told. There’s a new way. You can read more about my very in depth thoughts on all that is wrong about conventional diet wisdom here and here.
  4. Write it all down
    I feel like people roll their eyes when they see this suggestion. Yes, I am suggesting that you write down everything you eat AND how you feel – track your energy levels,  your hunger, your cravings, your mood, your sleep, etc. I know it can seem tedious but its not. It takes less than 2 minutes. You have two minutes. Here’s why it matters: it is in the process of writing things down and looking back at your good & bad days & weeks that you start to truly figure out your OWN unique fat loss formula. When you can see that on the weeks you made progress you were eating more fat, that’s POWERFUL information. Or, if you see that you ate way more and your hunger was out of control on days following long cardio workouts, you know how to tweak and adjust. If you see that you’re way more hungry if you have carbs in the morning versus fat and protein, you can make better breakfast choices. You can read tips and tricks all day long but ultimately the most  useful tool is understanding your own behavior and how your body responds to food, exercise, sleep and stress. Write it down. Make the time. In the long run, its going to save you time and accelerate your results. I’m not kidding. Just try it for a few weeks.
  5. Ask for help
    It is inevitable. You’re going to have good days and bad days. You’re going to feel motivated at times and completely unmotivated at others. You’re going to get stuck. You’re going to have questions. You’re going to get emotional and frustrated and excited and confused. It helps to have someone who can remind you of why you’ve started, encourage you to push through the hard moments and help you troubleshoot when you hit a rough patch. That’s what I love about my blog, my newsletter and my facebook page. You guys are so great about emailing me and asking for advice and I have to say that it lights me up. I’ve spent years studying nutrition, working in the industry and battling my own food demons – I genuinely have it in my heart to help you overcome these challenges. But its tough to do with just one or two emails here or there! That’s why I’ve decided to work one-on-one with an exclusive group of just 15 people in 2015.
Whew! I have been so excited to tell you guys this!!! I want to take on 15 people with 50 lbs or more to lose and we will work one-on-one, incredibly closely, for a full year while we tackle your goals, find your unique fat loss formula and achieve your transformation. We will talk every week. You will have unlimited email access to me, you’ll receive tons of educational and motivational information via email and webinar. I’ve even created special tools for you to track your progress and share it with me so we can adjust and monitor together! I’m limiting it to 15 because it will be so personalized. No more one-size-fits-all diets or ridiculous sets of rules. We’ll evaluate your lifestyle, your preferences and what you feel ready to take on and we’ll do it together. OMG I’m so crazy excited I can’t even stand it.So here’s the scoop – because its such a small group, I want to be sure I’m working with the RIGHT people and they’re ready and willing to take on this 12 month journey. I’ve created a short little application. I’m taking applications through December 10th and I’ll be notifying all applicants by December 15th. We’ll begin our journey together on Monday, January 5th. I really can’t tell you how beyond excited I am to work with you, to know you, to share my journey and help you create your most incredible transformation. Check out more info here and get your application in soon!!
And one last thing!! This Thursday December 4th I’m going to be hosting a FREE webinar to share some of the most important lessons I’ve learned about creating your own fat loss formula and maintaining motivation all the way through. It will be at 8pm EST and space IS limited to grab your spot now by clicking here.

As always, thank you guys so much for supporting me and for trusting me. Let’s go get healthy!!

The Hard Moments

The Hard Moments

Let me just say: my weight loss journey is not easy street. I mean, like, NOW. Its not easy street now. It never has been. Forgive me if I’ve ever given the impression that this is easy and effortless. Its just not. I feel frustrated sometimes. I get tempted to skip my workouts. I sometimes wish I could eat a big bowl of ice cream and not get bloated and fall asleep immediately afterwards.

But I decided to see this journey all the way through regardless of how hard it is. There are good times, too. Times when I feel totally untouchable in the gym. Moments when I feel strong, capable and unstoppable. Days when I wake up and notice changes in my belly or face. Those days feel great. I make sure to take extra time on those days to journal. And its not a “ooooh! I feel so amazing, life is wonderful” kinda journal entry. Its an evaluation of what I’m doing that makes me feel that way. Maybe I feel unstoppable in the gym because I got 8 hours of sleep for the past several days. Maybe my belly is leaning out because I successfully avoided dairy for a few days. When things feel good I study WHY they feel good. I write about it because honestly, in a few weeks I won’t remember the feeling OR the reasons behind it. I’m constantly evaluating and assessing. It’s a powerful tool.

There’s a time when awareness is far more important though. The times I feel like crap. The moments I want to cry. The moments I feel like progress is slow. The moments I want to have a pizza delivered in the middle of the afternoon. When I was over 300 lbs I would TOTALLY avoid analyzing these moments. I wouldn’t even consider it. I’d go into “earmuffs” mode and just indulge, indulge, indulge and avoid my feelings like a freaking plague. It would be uncomfortable. And I’d have to admit that I was doing something wrong. I don’t like to be wrong. So if I just blindly followed my urges it was like it didn’t happen, right? Uh….yeah….something like that. I did that for years.

I have a very different approach now. When I feel down/frustrated/lonely/cravings or whatever other unpleasant feeling, I dig into it. The practice of brutal honesty and self-awareness is the single most important thing I am doing to reach my health goals. When I understand what’s going on I can identify it and create a strategy to overcome it. Woah, novel, huh?

Let me give you a real life example. In July I left my busy, chaotic, stressful job to devote myself 100% to Primal Potential. I went from spending 9-12 hours a day in an office to being home all day. Major change. I had to learn quickly to structure my days because I know I tend to go on the prowl for food when I get bored. So I did just that. I’m a morning person so I play to my strengths. I get up, meditate, work for a few hours and then take a break to workout. After my workout I come home and work for a couple more hours. My dead-air time is the late afternoon. My brain is fried, I’m getting tired. I’m restless. I’m bored. I’m at the house by myself. All my friends/family are at work. After a few weeks I quickly found that it was a hard time for me. It was in those afternoon hours that I was having more cravings, trying to talk myself into indulgences.  I didn’t let it go on for so long that I stopped making progress towards my goals because I’m blindly snacking through the afternoons. I identified my feelings, I acknowledged that I do much better and feel much better when I’m busy, and I created a strategy to address that tough time of day. I knew I couldn’t shift my work blocks to the afternoon because I function much more optimally in the mornings. I couldn’t move my workouts to the afternoon because my trainer isn’t available then. I didn’t want to say “do more work!” because I know it wouldn’t be my very best at that time of day.

So I decided to use my afternoons as my “study” time. I love it. I now look forward to that time of day. I get a cup of tea (too late for coffee) and either curl up on the couch with whatever book I’m reading or sit in my office and listen to a podcast. I’m never short on things to read or listen to and this allows me to relax and recharge. I read & study things that motivate and inspire me. Its perfect for me. What’s most perfect is that I’m responding to my pain points and finding a work around. I’m not thinking “oh its impossible to lose weight because I just get so hungry in the afternoon and I can’t control it”.

Are there scenarios or times of day that are hardest for you? I often hear that the evening hours are most challenging. People graze from dinner to bedtime – mostly out of boredom and loneliness. I get it. That’s super common. But that doesn’t mean you’re stuck in that place. Study it. As yourself what is going on. Seriously, sit down and really think about it.

Are you hungry?

Is this a reaction to being bored?

Do you feel like you need to have something going on all the time or else you’ll think about food?

Have you conditioned yourself to need food in order to enjoy your favorite TV show?

Are you tired?

Identify what’s going on and then start trying different things to overcome it. Maybe you could make dinner time a little later and bedtime a little earlier. Maybe adding more fat and protein and fiber to breakfast and lunch will reduce your evening cravings. Perhaps you could pick up a  hobby and work on it in the evenings like learning to play an instrument or learning to knit. What about taking a cooking class a few nights a week or joining a Bible study group?

No matter what your pain point is, there is a workaround. You just have to stop avoiding it or accepting it as your lot in life. Identify your pain points. Strategize. Practice, practice, practice.

Don’t forget! Thursday December 4th at 8pm EST I’ll be hosting a webinar to talk about the keys to my fat loss success and how I maintain motivation over the long haul. I’ll go step by step through what works best for me, what hasn’t worked and how you can start to create your own fat loss formula! Space is limited so click here to reserve your spot!

Video Blog! 2015 Fat Loss Coaching!

Video Blog! 2015 Fat Loss Coaching!

I’m so excited!!! I’ll be taking on a very small group of women for one-on-one fat loss coaching in 2015! This is totally different from every other program out there! Why? Because it is TOTALLY based on YOU and your unique needs. It is not a one-size-fits-all program or plan. I will be working VERY closely with these women for a full year. We will create a CUSTOMIZED game plan every single week based on your preferences, your lifestyle, your goals and your pace. We will talk on the phone every single week. You will have unlimited email access to me. I want you to reach out when you’re struggling, stuck, have questions, need a friend or have something to celebrate! You will get regular motivational and informational emails and we’ll have 2 webinars each month. I’ve created customized tools to help you track your progress so we can perfect your approach as we go. It is going to be absolutely incredible and I cannot wait! This is not about dieting. It is not about restricting or being hungry. Its about overcoming your emotional eating. Tackling the root of your weight issue. Balancing out your metabolic hormones. Conquering your goals. Transforming your life. I’ll be taking applications through December 10th and notifying all applicants by December 15th and we’ll kick this thing off on January 5th! For all the program details, click here. Get your application in before the 10th!!!!!

 

 

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