Today we’re going to look at alkaline diets and the theories behind them. We’ll establish what is true, what is not true and how these concepts should influence the choices you make. We’ll take a closer look at what foods leave behind acidic biproducts and those that do not. Should you emphasize more alkaline foods? Should you avoid acidic foods? We’ll cover it all.
Did you know that more than half of annual weight gain is put on during the holiday season? And most individuals don’t take it off after the holidays are over? This makes holiday success strategies absolutely critical! Do not have this holiday season be like all the ones past! There’s a better approach!
Many people write off the entire holiday season and feel like progress isn’t possible with the frequency of treats, parties and special occasions. I have to disagree. In today’s episode I’m going to discuss 6 holiday success strategies that will allow you to enjoy the things you love and still feel great at the end of each day and at the end of the year. I’ll also share 2 of my own holiday recipes as well as a collection from others!
The other day I did a detailed podcast on the power of creating a morning routine and shared parts of my own. I also shared the morning routines of several high achievers. It was a super popular episode and today I wanted to help you put that into action. If you want to see my personal morning routine & the affirmations I say to myself multiple times each day, text the word MORNING to the number 44-222.
These 5 elements are the steps to a morning routine for fat loss & focus. I say regularly that you cannot hope for motivation, you have to create it. This is one of the most powerful ways to create your motivation daily. You don’t wake up with your hair done & makeup on, you have to make time for that. Same with motivation. You have to make time for creating motivation & focus. This morning routine will help you do just that.
First, a word about hitting the snooze button in the morning: Don’t. No, seriously. First tackle that. Think about it. When you set your alarm at night, you are deciding that that time is when you will get up. When you hit snooze, you are telling your subconscious that your decisions & goals don’t matter. You are telling your subconscious that what matters more is how you feel in the moment. Sound familiar? We do that with food & fitness, too, and it keeps us from our goals. We decide ahead of time to eat a fat loss breakfast but in the moment we cave to the muffins. That tells our subconscious that decisions are optional. Snooze does the same thing. Do not start the day instructing your body that the only thing that matters is how you feel in the moment. If you are a chronic snooze offender, consider taking one or more of these steps to help you break the habit:
Get to bed earlier
Set your alarm for the actual time you need to be up
Alright, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about establishing the morning routine that begins when your feet gratefully hit the floor in the morning. And before you tell me that you don’t have time, understand that this can be done in 10 minutes or less. If making the time for this quick morning routine accelerates your fat loss, improves your mood and helps you stay focused, isn’t that time well spent?
Intentional breathing/silence
This can take many forms. It can be prayer, meditation or anything in between. We underestimate the value of intentional breathing. Slowing down and focusing on the breath. See, we tend to be so reactive. We have an urge, we act. We have a craving, we eat. We act first and think later. This few minutes of intentional breathing allows us to be present, mindful and in control. The more you practice this, the more you’ll be able to carry this mindfulness with you through the day. I find that the more I stop and intentionally breathe, the less prone I am to emotional or mindless eating. Plus, it helps me be more calm and intentional in all situations.
Affirmations & visualizations
We litter our minds with negativity. Constantly. In fact, it happens so constantly that we’re hardly aware of this constant internal chatter. “I’m so fat. I’m tired. I’m stressed. I have no time. I have no energy.” It’s not serving us. In fact, it’s reinforcing the very behavior we hope to change.
Create a list of 2-5 affirmations that reflect the kind of relationship you want to have with your body or food. Read them each morning. As you read them, visualize them in detail. Visualize yourself making great food choices. Visualize your body changing. Visualize your workout performance. See it clearly & in detail. To see my personal affirmations, text MORNING to the number 44-222.
Gratitude
We naturally have a negativity bias. We focus on the things that frustrate us, disappoint us, stress us out and let us down. When we focus on the negative, we feel negative. When we feel negative, it’s tough to make positive choices. You cannot simultaneously be grateful and negative. Actively practice gratitude. Think about, visualize & feel the things for which are grateful. I find it helpful to write them down and I use the 5-Minute Journal to remind me to be grateful at the start & end of each day.
Goals
Start each day establishing 3 goals you will achieve. They can be small goals you’ll tackle that day or longer term goals you’ll make progress towards. Either way, name them, claim them and see yourself achieving them. You might establish these the night before and review them in the morning as part of your routine. Get specific & visualize the achievement.
Movement
This does not mean a full blown workout, though that might be how you want to use the time. It might be stretching. I like to do body weight squats and pushups just to get my blood flowing. Maybe you use the time for a short walk. Maybe you do a little foam rolling. Whatever form it takes, just take a minute or two to move your mass.
Remember, this morning routine can be done in 10 minutes or less. But taking intentional time to set the tone for your day is incredibly powerful for both fat loss & focus. Where the day starts the day stays. To see my personal morning routine and my own affirmations, text MORNING to 44-222!
Woah! I am FIRED UP in this episode!!!!! I want to pop in for a very short episode that I hope you will find highly motivational. Maybe this is one you save and listen to each day to help you re-focus and stay true to your goals.
We all understand that stress can work against us. We know that making good food choices can be harder when we’re under stress. But we might not think about these 3 things that stop weight loss and are lesser-talked about causes of stress. See, we think of stress as mental and emotional. But there are 3 very specific things that might be stopping your weight loss by causing stress you don’t even feel! We’ll talk in detail about these three things and then go into 6 strategies you can implement TODAY to get back on track and start seeing the results you want.
3 Things That Stop Weight Loss (by increasing stress)
Chronic dieting and/or over-restriction
Excess exercise
Sleep deprivation (even short term)
6 Strategies for Getting Results
Stop over-restricting. Find foods you love that love you back.
Prioritize sleep
Watch your workouts
Be intentional about relaxation
Simplify your life
Implement smart carb strategies to reduce hunger & cravings, increase energy and burn fat without stressing your body. If you’re curious about these carb strategies, please join me for a free webinar where I’ll go through them in detail!
