The truth is I'm always excited when I make these podcasts. I know that talking about "structure" probably sounds really boring, but it's actually so interesting to break it down and actually understand what it's doing in our lives - whether we look at it or not!
I'm not the kind of person who wants any more commitment in my life... between getting married and then having kids, my commitment allotment is ALL used up. I can't even pick a meal plan to commit to!! LOL If you want to understand the basic premise behind:
Then listen up to this episode! Because there are some basic rules you need to understand as to how and why these work (or don't work). All structure needs to be found in balance with flexibility. This is the secret to success! So grad your headphones, slip on your tennis shoes and join me in my magical place for a stroll in the woods, to learn and open up and have fun together!!
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Oops! I interrupted this podcast with episode 13B (all about the Konmarie way and how you can apply this to your health!)... and this one never got posted!!! Oh well, better late than never!
Let's just jump right in and figure out how ending the blame game will transform your life and health! Here are just a few possibilities...
It's time to declutter some of the emotions and energy that we've all been carrying around for the past two years.
Let's be honest: We are living in a crazy time. I know you might have just made the new year's resolution to lose weight or exercise every day or stop eating sugar or whatever... and likely that's already been knocked down and maybe you are feeling kind of hopeless about it already. We need to be a bit gentle on ourselves. You aren't going to succeed by trying to do it all at once. If you are sensitive or empathetic at all, trying to do so is going to leave you more depleted than ever. The secret to success lies in...well, listen to the podcast ;)
*I promise I will never share your email address with anyone.
I'm all about being honest. In fact, I'm ruthlessly honest. Because when we are anything less than that, we will sabotage our dreams and hopes and goals. Listen to this episode if you are ready to learn how being dishonest about things is making it impossible to lose weight. And, of course, learn how to become ruthlessly honest yourself!
*I promise I will never share your email address with anyone.
This episode goes hand in hand with the last one, except this time I'm talking about your Inner Athena. We need our inner Warrior, it's essential to be able to fight and go into battle mode when we need to.
However, in modern twenty first century we are living in chronic stress, and our inner warriors are EXHAUSTED!!! When this happens, we gain weight, not matter what we are trying to do to lose it! And, in fact, some of the things we try, like crash diets, actually push us more into battle mode, which is guaranteed to fail. Learn how to use your other inner Athena skill to find balance and lose weight in a way that lasts.
*I promise I will never share your email address with anyone.
This is the podcast you do NOT want to miss!! I share some of the most amazing, transformative, and yet SIMPLE techniques to start get immediate results in your life!! Whether you are ready to lose weight, eat better, or simply be happier, listen to this episode now!!!
*I promise I will never share your email address with anyone.
I'm going to share something about my work that I sometimes try to keep a bit of a secret! Whenever I work with someone who wants to lose weight, I actually start my work with them on all the other things. I've found by approach things in this "through the backdoor" way, that I can actually more quickly discover what's actually at the root, causing the extra weight, and help my clients reach their natural weight much faster!
One part of the unravelling of this mystery is looking at how we are taking care of ourselves. I've been doing that with some of my friends and colleagues as well. I hope this story from Marianita Love Pabalate and her journey to overcome exhaustion helps you gain awareness on how my approach really looks at the WHOLE you!
Let's get started by jumping right in. This series is about personal stories of extreme exhaustion, and how they affect us and our lives. Unfortunately people throw around terms like "exhausted" or "burned out" like a badge of honor. When you hit a point where your energy was so low that you really considered it serious, how did you know?
Physically after the lack of sleep and body fatigue, I always feel heavy. It felt like I'm dragging my every step. I have no motivation to move. And my gut was unbalanced, it was not happy. Mentally, my mind was blank, empty. No matter which of my go-to creative inspirational thing I do, nothing works. It feels like all my creative energy has been literally sucked out of me with a vacuum and I deflated.
Thank you for sharing. I got inspired to ask others to share their story with exhaustion when I faced my own diagnosis of adrenal fatigue. It's a sad reality that so many people face that or have a lifestyle that is sending them down that path. After you realized you needed things to change how did you go about it?
First thing I did was accepted the fact that I am tired and exhausted. That I should stop working, for now, get my mind off work, do not touch any pencil or paintbrushes nor my planner. I reflected. Went back to gratitude, for all the things that are happening, happened, and about to happen. I went back to my values. My values were definitely not being met that's why I reached the point of burned out. I then realized which ones I need to attend to.
Was it a smooth journey?
I wouldn't say it was a smooth journey. Because controlling myself to not work, not worry about work, and just relax was hard. I always had the urge to keep moving, whether it's laundry, cleaning, errands, etc.
You've been through a lot. You've been to what I call "the pit of despair," where everything feels so overwhelming or demanding that you kind of want to throw in the towel. And yet I know for myself that it was not depression. Depression, of course, is its own dark place, but fatigue is different. For me, I still wanted to do the normal things... But felt like it was just too much work. What advice do you have for someone who feels fatigued or even simply worn out on an ongoing basis?
Do not ignore signs and do not ignore your values. These are our guiding principles. With this chaotic and demanding world, we had always gone with the flow of constantly moving. If we can regularly check in with ourselves, ask the real hard questions like "How are you REALLY feeling?" It can help us limit the burned out feeling.
Was your weight a concern during this time in your life? If so, how did overcoming the fatigue change what was going on with your weight?
Weight was not a usual concern, other than when I know I've been overworking I don't eat regularly. Over time I can lose weight. Or stressed that I eat random unhealthy binges. Or time when I do not consider my wellness because of lack of inspiration which coincide with lackluster feeling about myself and business, I could gain weight.
Is there anything you can say was a silver lining to the experience you had with fatigue/exhaustion?
It just further reminded me that I need to check in with myself regularly. And that I should always put myself first, my wellness, and love on myself first.
OK, now for a few fun questions! Where do you live and what do you do there-for work and for fun?
I live in Los Angeles, CA. I am a freelance illustrator and I have my own business with my art inspired pieces. Just like other city dwellers, I like to see friends hang out at a cafe, venture out to new restaurants, visit local museums and events, drive up to nearby cities for getaways or drive to the mountainside.
What is a surprising food you just love to eat?
I like bitter foods. I like dark chocolates, the 90%+ kind, and dishes with bittermelon.
One thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I still enjoy watching whimsical animation movies and cartoons, even those made for kids.
Thank you! Where can people find you to learn more about you?
Marianita Love Pabalate, artist and owner of RipeMangoes.com
Ok, as you know, my guided journal launched over Thanksgiving and hit #1 in it's ebook category twice over the holiday weekend. I was obviously riding high!
So, it's been a month now and I'm not obsessively checking the page anymore :) But, because of the past obsessive watching, I went to amazon just to buy something the other day, and it auto-populated the website address to my journal's direct page... and my heart did a jump. Because I had a one star review :( So, in all honesty, here is how things went down. My first reaction: Ego/anger. "Who wrote this? Do I KNOW this person??" I looked at her amazon page (only three reviews, two x one star, one x five star), no other information. I had no idea who she was. My second reaction: Stuff down the emotions. "Okay, Alegra, this is going to happen. You can't only have 5 star reviews. Get over it and just move on." This is tricky because it actually feels helpful. It's true that getting agro and wanting to figure out if I can identify who wrote this is not serving me... but moving on and forgetting about actually isn't serving me either. My third reaction: Sit with it. So, I had to sit with it. I had to take it to bed with me and let it percolate. I had to let my ego do its thing, so I could go deeper to the stuff behind the stuff. It didn't exactly keep me up, but it was definitely on my mind as I fell asleep and again when I woke up. (Feels a little crazy to say that. Feels like I "should" be tougher than that. Feels like I "should not" be so affected. But yet... I am. This is me. I want everyone to think my journal is 5 stars and it upsets me that someone thinks it is 1 star.) My fourth reaction: Inspired acceptance. As I lay with these feelings... it did start to seem like less of a threat. I realized, as I wrote and re-wrote a million possible comments to her review on amazon (in my head, of course), that what she said was in some ways irrelevant and in some ways a helpful critique. She actually didn't realize it was a journal. With blank pages. To be written upon. So she was surprised at the lack of "information." That's useful - I want other people to know what they are buying. And at the same time, she wasn't really reviewing the content; she hadn't done the journal. So it is what it is. I came up with a way to acknowledge the fact that I appreciated her pointing out that yes, it is a journal, and yes, it has blank space. And I also asked her to share her new perspective if she chose to answer the prompts. How this applies to the rest of life... And guess what... ALL of this process applies to emotional eating, too! Initial reactions rarely serve. The stuffing it down is usually where we get stuck - literally stuffing the food down in order to stuff the feelings down. The sitting with it is SO SCARY! And yet, only when we sit and actually feel it (whatever "it" is) can we get to inspired acceptance or action. That is the EXACT reason why I created a JOURNAL and not a book of information. People have enough information. In fact, we have TOO MUCH information. What we don't have is the time and space to reflect on what the hell is happening in our lives that is making us eat the food we don't want to eat and/or obsess over the one star reviewers in our life. But the truth is... there is always going to be someone who thinks I'm one star. And there is always going to be BS in our life that makes us want to eat that pint of Ben and Jerry's. So what we all need is a plan and a path to process the feelings and reactions we have, in order to make sure we are taking inspired action. You can start by blaming the 1-star factor in your life. Take my quiz to find out who or what it is!
In the health world people like to talk about holiday weight gain. It's a lie.
Happy New Year!!!! The truth is that holiday weight loss can happen just as easily as holiday weight gain. And even if you do gain weight, it's not the 7 pounds average other so-called gurus are trying to scare you with. Holiday weight gain statistics are not that stark. But if your new year's resolution weight loss goals feel at odds with the new year's weight loss statistics, then rest easy. I have a different kind of weight loss plan. This is not like a weight loss challenge, where you try to starve yourself and obsessively watch the scale. This is not a series of weight loss tips that work for a while, and then someone stop working. This isn't even really a weight loss program, because there are no rules, nothing to give up, nothing to stop eating. This IS an approach to weight loss that works. It is one of the healthiest, easiest, and fastest ways to lose eight that STAYS off. This IS a "program" that allows you to eat every single food you love, without restriction or ever feeling hungry. Don't start at the end
Most health advice is totally backwards. It starts off by telling you what to eat, what not to eat, and counting all kinds of numbers. BORING!
I don't waste your time with any of that nonsense. Okay okay, it's not total nonsense. There are times when focusing on specific things in your diet and counting specific numbers are really important. But for the VAST MAJORITY of people who simply want to lose weight and look and feel their best... it is not necessary to count anything, and in fact it will backfire, ruin your so called "Diet" and end up making you eat more junk food in the long term. Because it's more than boring to count all those numbers, it's depressing and it is a distraction from what is actually going on in your body and mind. I help my clients forget all that BAD advice and create their own personal whole body connection! Don't Let the Products Guide You
This is actually how we got into such a mess with all the counting in the first place!!!
Food manufacturers have one goal: sell as much as their product as possible, which they do by getting you to eat as much as possible. #sadbuttrue Just like numbers, reading about the "health claims" on food actually disconnect you from your own desire, and puts some idea about what you "should" be doing into your mind instead. Looking at the package separates your from your body and your intuition. Trust yourself. And also buy quality foods with the shortest ingredient list possible, and simply "ingredients" whenever you can as well. That makes it WAY easier to the whole trusting your body thing. Forget ALL The Rules & Restrictions
Yup. I said it.
Forget ALL the rules. Because rules and food just don't go together.* (*As always, please trust and follow your doctor's medical advice because there are always exceptions to the rules, even the rule that you shouldn't have any rules.) The truth is that everyone is preaching about what you should or shouldn't eat. But no berry from the amazon is going to make you live forever, just as one bag of hot cheetos isn't going to kill you. And, worse yet, all the mixed messages and crazy hype about the good and evil foods of the world actually just cause us to feel stressed and overwhelmed, and end up causing us to make BAD decisions. Again, all this damn information DISCONNECTS us from our bodies! We just can't tune in when we have to think so freaking much!! And when we are disconnected we grab the cookies or the chocolate or the whatever and eat it... and then we feel SO BAD about it!!! Allowing yourself to eat freely actually FREES you to eat WELL. Stop FIghting With Yourself
As soon as you tell yourself,
“You can never eat _____” … it is guaranteed that another part of you will start demanding ____! This sets you up to sabotage ALL your efforts! Any approach to health based on all those rules and restrictions we just talked about? This will always lead you to battle within yourself, and when you battle yourself... YOU always lose. Oh, also, when you are fighting with yourself? You can't tune in, which we've talked about is really important. Also, any time you hear yourself saying "Should" means you are fighting with yourself. Should with food is always a judgmental statement. I should stop eating sugar. I should choose the low carb/fat/whatever menu item. I should not eat that delicious thing. I should eat that thing I don't really want but think will help me lose wight. Those are all ways of telling yourself that you suck and you don't deserve what you want. I know this because I used be in a world of shoulds. I broke free from that kind of approach, and I want to help every woman do the same thing now. When you connect your food to your desire, there is no more should. So, tune in to those shoulds. When you hear yourself saying you "should" then what you "should" do is take a pause and check in with yourself. This is the #1 Most Toxic Thing In Your Diet
This is the ONE thing that actually causes us to gain weight, whether at the holidays or any other time of year.
This one thing causes us to... •Eat more sugar •Gain weight •Lose energy •Feel bad about ourselves It's not sugar, artificial colors, saturated fat, or any other ingredient. The #1 most toxic thing in your diet is guilt!
Yup, guilt is at the heart of almost all emotional eating. And it also contributes to mindless eating, too (the close cousin on emotional eating).
Restrictive programs should be shunned as a miserable way to achieve health goals. There is room for every food you love when you focus on the joy and not the calories. When You Love Every Bite… You don’t feel guilty when you choose to eat a cupcake or get take out because you know it’s the right thing for you right then.You are empowered to make EXACTLY the right choice for you. So stop blaming yourself
Its simple and life changing to stop blaming yourself for the emotional eating and binges.
Ready to get started??? With my quiz it's simple and also FUN. Because now that you know it's not your fault, you get to find out whose fault it is!!!
The other day was a doozy.
My kids can be crazy. Straight up monsters. I know all kids are difficult, but when my kids BOTH get going, they get a bit extreme. So a few days ago they were just wild in the morning. They wouldn't listen. My 4 year old freaked out when I told him to put pants on and swiped his arm across the counter, knocking all my things down... including my phone, which stopped being able to make calls after that (though I didn't realize for a few hours, just thought it was the network. In hindsight this was lucky.) We were late, which makes me crazy. And I was PISSED. And for whatever reason I just couldn't shake it. I tried to apologize. I explained that I was really mad. I told them I was trying to change my attitude. And that uggy feeling just wouldn't go away. So pause for a minute. THIS IS NORMAL. It's normal my kids are goons sometimes. And it's also normal to just have really bad days when you are pissed at the world over fairly mundane things. After I finally got both kids to school, I drove to the gym. Everything on the radio was BUGGING me. I couldn't shake it! I had a few minutes. I called my sister. That distracted me a bit and I felt like I was finally moving on. And then I went into my strength class, started piling up my sets of weights, bands, mat, risers... and this woman says to me, "Is this your stuff?" "Yes." "Could you move it over there?" (She points three feet away but more in center of room.) "Uh, yeah." I respond, kinda wondering why, but not thinking too much about it. But as I kick all my pile of gear a few feet over I think more... she has NO stuff piled up yet. WHY THE FUCK DOESN'T SHE GO IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM????? Oh girl... when this dawned me 15 seconds later, I had dagger eyes. I had to move to the entirely other corner of the room because I could just tell I was going to PISSED! And I was. I couldn't even LOOK at that byotch the entire class. I was so angry. It was by most measures totally unjustified. And yet... I don't care. I don't care I was mad at her. I'll probably hate her forever. (I mean, assuming I never actually get to know her and she remains the anonymous self absorbed person to take the last spot on the wall even when someone else is CLEARLY claiming it.) And even lifting some hard ass weights didn't check that anger. But guess what did! I went home and started WORKING! Which, also, by some measures is not the healthiest choice. We shouldn't ALWAYS distract ourselves from our feelings with work. That is what workoholics do. (Using anything to distract from our feelings can be unhelpful. This is often the challenge of ending the habit of using food to deal with our stress or emotions. We need more than one tool in the tool kit. ) But in this case, it was perfect. I already knew that my anger was not necessarily commiserate with the unfolding of the morning. And some days are just like that. My business coach who also gives me spiritual advice is always telling me to embrace my feelings, and I did. I embraced. I allowed. Then I worked my booty off to move on!! And I blame that woman for ruining my morning. |
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