Authentic Weight Loss. Be the perfect-sized YOU!
It’s a marvelous Monday morning and the wheels in my head are really turning! I was speaking with a client yesterday and her own break throughs actually released a pile of energy and creativity in me…I love how that happens, anyway…
I was thinking about the area of weight loss and how it’s a billion dollar industry. I was also thinking about my own weight. I will be perfectly honest and say that I am not overweight. I could probably afford to loose 10 lbs according the the BMI chart (don’t get me started) but I have finally reached a place where I am okay with my body as it is.
I have, though, been on the other side, where I was considered over-weight. At one point several years ago (a very low point) I worked at a weight loss clinic where they told me I was fat and needed to lose weight if I wanted to keep working there. Funny thing is that I only weighed 5 lbs more that what I weigh now.
What did this do? Well besides destroying my self esteem, I became obsessive and attracted more weight (gotta love how that LOA works!). I gained almost 25lbs in 8 months because of that atmosphere (which I was only in for 10 weeks. I couldn’t work for a place that destroyed self-esteem like that). But the results of working in an environment that focused on what is wrong with people was hard to leave behind. I went from being a perfectly normal, non-fat woman, to being considered dangerously over-weight.
My doc was worried and we worked together to get it under control. My secret? Eat when I’m hungry. That’s all it was. The weight came off easily. Took about 6 months to lose all of it. But that’s what I did.
It’s amazing what happens when you look at your life, get off autopilot and start participating! Now I no longer have a weight issue. I’m not perfect. I feel envious looking at magazine and watching TV, but I’m okay with myself. I can gain 5 lbs and not freak out because I know I can easily lose it. Because I live my life authentically, as as consciously as possible, I have automatically become the perfect-sized me!
I don’t stress about it, and (gotta love that LOA!) now I am a good weight for me!
Look for an article in the next week on how to do this.
What is your life vision?
By Kimberly Englot
If a client were to ask me what the #1 thing was that they could to do to instantly improve their life I would tell them to get a very clear life vision.
You probably have a vague idea about what you want your life to be like. That’s the problem…it’s vague. Your life vision must elicit a strong feeling. You have to know instantly whether something fits into your life vision or not, and you will get that from feelings.
The only way to get these strong feelings is to get your life vision crystal clear. Call it a vision board if you want, but it can also be in the form of a journal, or an audio recording. Whatever works for you. You must be incredibly detailed. Include all of the 8 life areas in detail (health/wellness, finances, career, family/friends, relationships, personal development (spiritual development, community involvement), fun/recreation/relaxation, physical environment/home).
Questions and ideas to get you started include:
- What is your physical appearance life? What kind of clothes do you have? Are you active? Do you eat well? What is your diet like?
- Describe all of your main relationships. What is your marriage like? Or do you choose to stay single, or in a committed relationships without marriage?
- What do you do for fun? Are you on sports teams? Do you volunteer? What kind of clubs are you in?
- What would you do if you knew there was no chance of failure? You were 100% guaranteed to succeed.
- What kind of books do you read? What kind of people do you surround yourself with?
- What kind of goals do you have?
- How much do you have saved up? What kind of car do you have?
- What is your home like? What kind of feelings do you get when you walk in the door?
- Describe your personality/manner. Are you laid-back? Are you incredibly active? Are you able to talk to everyone you meet, or do you carefully weigh your words?
There is no right or wrong answer with this, and no “shoulds” allowed. Do not judge yourself while you’re doing this activity. You will likely hear you inner critic yipping at you, just ignore it (I’ll explain how to deal with that inner critic later). The only catch with this…you must be 100% honest with yourself.
Do not say you want to run a marathon or write a book, if you hate running and don’t read. It’s okay. This vision must be yours, and only yours. Do not adjust it to be “suitable” for your husband, your sister, or your neighbor down the street. This is your life. Get your life vision clear.
Health & Wellness III
This is another item from my Authentic Life Checklist in the Health & Wellness Section:
I don’t have a lot of stress in my life.
Stress is a killer for an authentic life. Stress is a huge sign or symptom, of an unbalanced life. Unbalanced equals unauthentic. Why are you stressed? What areas are you stressed? Is it internal circumstances or reactions that you can control, or is it completely external which you can let go of? You can control your reactionto the stressor. If you get stressed because you’re stuck in traffic, you can control your reaction to getting stuck in traffic. You cannot control the fact that you’re there. Recognize that you’re somewhere you don’t want to be but that feeling upset will not get you out of traffic. The reason for the traffic backup doesn’t care that you’re irritated. So be aware of this and then settle in for awhile. Take the time to call your mom, or do some thinking or philosophize about life. Listen to some great music. A great plan would be to have some personal development books or audio books in your car for exactly that moment; you can learn and grow while sitting in your car. Use the opportunity to learn something, or simply relax. Don’t get yourself wound up of external circumstances; you’ll end up giving yourself a heart attack. That’s just one example, I’m sure you can think of something in your life that you are stressed over and either can control the reaction by acknowledging the situation is what it is, or you can’t control the situation and have to let it be, anyway!
Get the full copy of the Authentic Life Checklist at http://www.kimberlyenglot.com!
Get Your Priorities Straight–No More Settling for Good Enough!
By Kimberly Englot
Enough of settling for “good enough” when it comes to your priorities…or do you even know what your priorities are anymore? Is it time for you to reassess your life, dreams, passions and goals? I know that life gets busy. Spouses, kids, jobs, pets, and homes all require attention, but what about you? You’re not a lot of help to anyone if you’re resentful, tired and only living via obligations to other people!
Get out some paper and take some me time to figure out what your priorities are. This might take some time upfront, but it will save you energy and aggravation later because you won’t be worrying about things that don’t matter! And you’ll know what you need to focus on to live your extraordinary life!
Think about all life areas when you’re deciding your priorities. Contemplate recreation, career, money, relationships, home life, and personal growth. What area’s are lacking? Is having fun a huge priority for you, but you find that you never bother to make the time to scrapbook, or meet the ladies in your book club, or show up for the volleyball games? You need to stop settling for “good enough” when it comes to your priorities in life. This takes courage and probably some hard decisions, but it will be worth it when you notice you’re happier and enjoying your life for a change.
The “good enough” aspect of life is a double edged sword. You also need to have your priorities straight so that you can know what to let go. If being on the ABC Board doesn’t really matter to you, why are you wasting your time doing it (and don’t use the whole “obligations” argument). If you don’t care about have a perfectly tidy house, don’t use up precious energy nagging the kids to clean their rooms or picking up your husband’s socks.
You free up all kinds of energy for other things when you get your priorites straight! It’s time to reassess and start looking at what really matters to you. Clear away anything that doesn’t make you shriek “Hell Yes! I need that in my life!” I’m not talking about the small things like laundry, or dishes, or walking the dog. Those are matters that have to be done, if only to avoid chaos. However, if those things are not a top priority, then you can set yourself free from being so sticky about them! Yes, laundry must be done. However, don’t forgo your workout for laundry.
Living a great life is all about priorities! Go to http://www.kimberlyenglot.com and subscribe to my weekly Authentic Self Newsletter to grab a copy of my Authentic Life Checklist, which is a great tool to help you assess your life.
You are not your thoughts
By Kimberly Englot
Our brains think constantly. That’s what they’re supposed to do. Now, if you’re anything like me you’re not very good at meditating. It’s very difficult to train yourself to empty your mind of thoughts.
I have tried. It takes a lot of practice. Some are able to do it. Some aren’t. I don’t bother any more because I’ve found an alternative method that serves me just as well, if not better!
My way to quiet my mind and notice the negative thoughts is to simply be aware of what is going on. You see, you are not your mind and you are not your thoughts. You are the being that can recognize your thoughts. Before you go…”I don’t have any thoughts in my head that I’m not aware of” I want you to realize that you’re thinking that very statement. That is the voice I’m talking about. I call it the inner critic (I also refer to it as the ego-mind). Use your conscious mind (the part that lives in the moment) to recognize your negative thoughts, and simply let them be. You don’t have to buy into them.
I used to have a very damaging inner critic. It was constantly saying things like, “Why do you even bother speaking. No one cares about what you have to say.” Then I discovered that people do care about what I have to say and I started to speak up! This obviously turned into my passion and career as an Authentic Life coach. Because I was able to notice that my inner critic was thinking that, I gained back control and was able to NOT believe it.
You are not your thoughts. You can’t control your thoughts either. At least not for any realistic time frame. You will only drive yourself crazy trying to control them. I like to believe that our brains are tuned into a higher frequency of the universe and thoughts pop in and out, and we have no way of knowing where they came from…much less be able to control them! I know I have some pretty crazy thoughts that come from out of no where! And many of my best ideas come to me when I least expect it. Actually as I am writing this blog entry I have no idea where the words are coming from. They are just popping into my head as fast as I am able to capture them by typing….I wouldn’t want to control that for the world.
Be conscious of your thoughts, but don’t try to silence them or control them. You are not your thoughts so you don’t have to be afraid of them anymore. Set yourself free!
