Do you consider yourself lucky?

Do you know someone you think of as having all the luck, and you call them a lucky duck?

It’s interesting how we view luck.

Some say luck is preparedness meeting opportunity.

There’s also the expression “born under a lucky star.” Some people seem to have the Midas touch and all they touch turns to gold. They seem to get lucky breaks followed by more lucky breaks.

I DO consider myself lucky.

I have abundant health, a profession I enjoy and wonderful relationships. While I’ve had my share of lucky breaks and serendipity, I must admit that I do feel like I also go out and MAKE my luck.

How?

Glad you asked!

Here are some ideas about how I approach creating my good luck:

1. Get out there.

I admit, my naturally outgoing personality makes this one look easy but I still have to practice getting out there. The more you do this the more you’ll come across opportunities and the helpful people who go along with those opportunities. Meet new people. Learn something new about the people you already know. Ask questions. Develop a curious nature. Put yourself out there so that luck will find you!

2. Go with your gut.

Trusting and believing your gut reactions to life can be helpful. Our instincts can guide us. There’s the intellectual approach to life, which has its place, but don’t forget to make room for your instincts to help you make decisions. Start to notice if your luck comes from the times you let your gut be your guide. This will help you trust your gut feelings in the future.

3. Grab the silver lining.

If you think of those people you consider lucky, I’ll bet one trait they have is making lemonade out of lemons. They seem to find something positive to take out of every situation, even when they are out of luck. Misery loves company, and lady luck does too. Fortune seems to go to the fortunate, so find some positive aspect you can focus on in every situation and create your own luck.

These 3 G’s: get, go and grab, can be applied to all aspects of your life.

Want better health, want to enjoy your life more or want to feel more fulfilled in your relationships?

Work with these three approaches and see if you find more opportunities meeting with your preparedness.

I’m betting on lady luck that you do!

shelli

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No matter what your sport or what your health and fitness goals are in life, here are 5 perspectives to use that will enhance your experience, guaranteed!

1. Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude

Be thankful for your body. It’s such a gift to be able to be physically active and see your body support you in your physical endeavors.

You likely put many hours into your training, so sometimes it’s easy to forget and take for granted our body’s response to the load we place on it.

Recall how far you’ve come as an athlete and how much progress you’ve made.

Play golf? Recall how awkward you were during the early days on the driving range.

Swim? Remember when you could barely swim two laps in the pool?

Training for a marathon? It’s taken months of dedication and adaptation as you ran mile after mile.

Sometimes when you stop and realize where you WERE as an athlete and how much progress you’ve made, it’s quite an eye opener.

Think about injuries you’ve overcome, obstacles you’ve busted through and choices you’ve had to make to enjoy an active lifestyle.

None of these are easy to handle, so bring that attitude of gratitude with you as you pursue activities that bring you pleasure and you’ll enjoy them even more!

2. Believe

Believe in yourself.

It’s easy to get discouraged and think you won’t ever reach your goals.

Setbacks happen, it’s normal. Get back in the game and start from where you find yourself and keep going!

Surround yourself with a good community of like-minded people and learn to use their support. They’ll help you stay the course, however, the core belief in yourself must come from you.

3. Understand your Nutrition and Hydration Needs

As an athlete and active woman you should know what your nutrition and hydration needs are. Don’t get caught up in what someone else is doing. You have your own needs.

Also, make sure to learn what it takes for your body to recover. Being smart about your recovery time is essential to keeping yourself training long into the future.

4. Stay in the Moment

I know you’ve heard this before, but it can be tricky to really grasp what it means.

Simply put, stay tuned in to what’s happening with your body. Stay present in both your mind and body to what you’re experiencing. Stay focused on what you are doing and how you’re feeling while you’re exercising, training, or racing.

You can do a body scan asking yourself questions such as: am I feeling hydrated, how is my heart rate, how do I feel?

Think about what you are doing in this moment. Don’t fall into the mental trap of spending too much time in future planning.

For instance, if you’re out for a hike and your thoughts turn to “what am I going to have for dinner tonight?” it’s likely that you’re probably hungry and should take in some fuel NOW!

Staying present fosters a sense of enjoyment and enriches your experience and memory of what you’re doing. It takes practice, so if you’re not already working with this idea, start now.

5. It’s All About the Journey

I know, this sounds like a platitude but it’s really true. As athletes we reach for new goals and experiences. We can be overly result-oriented so we have a tendency to forget to enjoy the journey and focus too much on our improvement or lack of results as a measure of success.

I train many first time marathoners.

The first goal I look to instill in them is that they finish the marathon with a smile on their face.

Their result time for that first marathon is insignificant compared to having a great experience. There is only one first, and I want them to enjoy it and perhaps even think about doing it again. It requires that their mindset focus on the journey!

There will always be rough spots and obstacles to overcome if we’re active and pursue an active lifestyle.

I think these five focuses help us keep one foot in front of the other, doing our best and moving forward.

Your perspective is key to how you’ll experience your life, so add these five to your perspective checklist and let them enrich your active lifestyle!

shelli

“The world has the habit of making room for the man whose actions show that he knows where he is going.”

- Napoleon Hill

While I’m no Napoleon Hill, I do believe that you can’t possibly get to where you’re going if you don’t know where that is!

And in setting a course of action or choosing a goal, you do need to prioritize your actions.

When you look at that statement more closely, it also means that some things in your life will need less of a focus and some things will need more focus.

And some things will need to be eliminated altogether because there’s only so much time and energy in a day!

As an example, let’s say you’ve decided to pay more attention to eating in a healthier and more nutritious way. That’s your number one goal.

So maybe you need to do some reading to educate yourself on what that really means.

Maybe you’ll consult with a nutritionist, shop at different stores, make time to go to a farmer’s market, or do more cooking and food preparation than you’re used to.

All of that will take time, so you’ll need to make adjustments in your schedule.

In creating your new schedule you’ll ask yourself what can I take out of my schedule and what will I need to put into my schedule to reach my goal of a healthier and more nutritious diet.

Take out a sheet of paper and start brainstorming.

Follow this two step process. First identify the goal. Then create the space for the action steps needed to reach your goal.

1. My goal is to ______________________________.

2. I can take out _________________________ and ____________________ to create time and space.

For example:

*My goal is to eat in a healthier and more nutritious way.

I can take out snacking on junky fast food and I can make time at home to prepare healthy snacks and carry them with me.

*My goal is to exercise more.

I can take out watching television after dinner so that I can make room for taking a walk instead.

*My goal is to get more and better sleep.

I can shut off the computer a few hours before bedtime to make room for creating bedtime rituals that will allow me to sleep better.

See how this works?

This may seem overly simplistic, but give it a try.

It’s helpful whether your goals are off track and you need to get them back on track, or if you want to start moving in a new direction.

This give-and-take exercise really gets you thinking about how you’ll better manage your time, and the actions you actually need to take in order to reach your goals.

Let me know how it goes!

shelli

Are you up for success? I sure hope so!

Here are some ideas about how to set yourself up for successful, healthy living.

We are all influenced by our environment when it comes to our levels of physical activity and how much and what we eat. Our environment creates what’s “normal”, and so by changing our environment we can increase success.

Eating junk food, not exercising, sedentary living, hours and hours of TV watching or time on the internet; these take away from healthy living.

Here are some ideas and action steps you can take to help your environment lead you to more success:

1. Use smaller plates and cups. Most of us are used to just filling our dish and eating until the food is gone. The smaller plates strategy is a great one that I have been myself for years. It works!

2. If there’s a food you don’t want to eat, don’t keep it in the house. Make it harder to get. Now while I recognize that we do need to make peace with food and shouldn’t be scared of any particular food, I am also a pragmatist. For me, a box of cookies or salty foods can sit in my cupboards forever and not tempt me. Ice cream is a different story! I don’t keep it in my house, and make eating it a special occasion activity done OUTSIDE my home.

3. The flip side to that is if there’s a food you “should” be eating, make it easier to get.
*Sign up for a CSA (community supported agriculture) box so that fresh, healthy produce and/or organic meat is delivered to you.
*Have fresh, healthy whole foods on hand and prepared. You can buy pre-cut vegetables, if that makes eating them easier for you.
*If you don’t want to cook, hire a personal chef. While on the surface that may seem more costly, if you eat better and choose your foods wisely, it may be cost effective and well worth the money. Check it out.

4. Put the television in an inconvenient place and don’t watch it while you eat. Watching while you eat makes you much less aware of what and how much you’re eating. If you find that you’re watching too much and your healthy living rituals are falling by the wayside, cut your cable package down so you don’t have 100 channels. Or get rid of the television altogether. I haven’t watched television in ten years!

5. Park your car farther away from where you’re going. Walk the extra distance. Or sell the car and get a bike. Or commit to walking when you have errands to run within a close proximity to where you live.

6. Join a social group organized around activity: a class, club, or a group that meets for certain events like hiking. Find a workout buddy. Surround yourself with people who are also working on their health, fitness, and nutrition. Organize your social events around activity; get a bunch of friends together in the park for some games like softball or frisbee.

Notice two things about these strategies:

1. They make problematic behaviours inconvenient.
2. They make healthy behaviours convenient.

Knowing and doing are two very different things.

Environment influences us to DO, and will often win over knowledge when it comes to the choices we make.

If your environment needs a tune-up, then get to it and do it. You will progress along your road to successful, healthy living!

Let me know if you try any of these strategies and how they work.

I always look forward to hearing from you!

shelli

Is drinking milk and eating dairy products a mistake?

The answer can be confusing.

You’ll be better able to decide for yourself when you have accurate information, so let’s see if we can get clear on some Milk Matters!

Here are some points to consider:

1. When looking around the globe for countries that drink high quantities of milk, look no further than the United States. Americans drink the most milk.

They also top another list by having the highest rate of osteoporosis.

One thing that contributes to the high rate of osteoporosis is that pasteurization makes much of the calcium found in milk unusable by your body. Remember that pasteurization (heating milk to high temperatures) is supposed to kill off all sorts of harmful things like bacteria and molds, but it also changes the natural health benefits of milk products as well.

2. Do you suffer from lactose intolerance? If not, you likely know someone who does. Milk comes with its own digestive enzymes that will allow you to properly digest it. However, when milk is pasteurized those enzymes are destroyed, making it difficult to digest. This is what leads to lactose intolerance.

The benefits from milk come from consuming it in its most natural state (unpasteurized). Some states in the United States do allow milk to be sold as raw milk. California is one such state.

Milk is BEST left in its natural state. If you’ve never tasted raw milk, it really is a different product altogether from what we think of as “milk.”

It’s also important to remember that in order for cows to produce the quantities of milk the farmers need, the cows are given excess amounts of growth hormones.

While the topic of dairy farming is too big a topic to cover in this article, it’s not hard to imagine that all these excess hormones, as well as any antibiotics given to the cows when they get sick, end up in their bloodstream.

And guess what?

The hormones and antibiotics also end up in the milk that comes from these cows.

Not a pleasant thought, is it?

Many people are still caught up in the idea that to get enough calcium they NEED to drink milk. If you are one of them then here’s what you need to know.

First, remember that much of the calcium is not absorbed by your body when it comes from milk that’s been treated by pasteurization.

It’s better to get your calcium from foods such as green leafy vegetables, broccoli, sardines and salmon.

Cows eat grass and that’s where their calcium comes from, so eating your leafy greens will give you your calcium too!

Afraid of getting osteoporosis?

Exercise will do you MUCH more good than drinking milk.

Make it weight bearing exercise because putting stress on your skeletal system helps it stay strong and healthy.

So here are some actionable steps to take:

1. Strength train regularly.

2. If and when you consume dairy use raw milk products. If you can’t find raw ones then purchase ones that are certified organic so that they are free of hormones and antibiotics.

3. Get your calcium from food sources like leafy greens and fish.

If you plan to consume milk and dairy products, use these guidelines and make the wisest choices possible!

shelli

There’s something I call the Oprah Syndrome (O.S.).

Let me give you an example to illustrate the O.S.

My cousins invited me for a home cooked dinner. They are in their 80’s, in fairly good health and are aware of health foods and making the best nutritional choices possible.

Before we started the meal, they gave me a piece of bread and told me to dip it in olive oil and eat it first before eating anything else.

I asked them when and why they started this new custom.

They told me they were watching Oprah and a guest on her show suggested doing this.

Oprah Syndrome in action; whatever Oprah says, does, or her guests say and do must be correct, so I’ll do it too!

While I have great respect for Oprah and all the success she’s had, sometimes this copycat behavior really irks me. Particularly when I’m in disagreement with the suggestions.

Here’s my case in point.

These past few years Oprah has been using walking as her primary exercise and so have millions of her followers. Yet, she’s still overweight and still looking to get leaner.

While walking is better than no exercise at all, if you want a lean body it’s simply not sufficient exercise. It won’t help you burn fat.

Why?

Because in order to burn fat your body needs to produce fat-burning compounds known as catecholamines. When you produce them, they bind to metabolic receptors on the outer membrane of fat cells, causing their destruction. That’s the scientific explanation, but all it means is that fat cells will shrink.

And what creates this fat burning effect?

This only happens when you exercise at 60 to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate. Calculate this range with this formula: 220 minus your age times .60 equals your target heart rate zone.

When you exercise by the numbers and understand what’s required, you’ll burn fat.

So, yes, the Oprah Syndrome can lead you in the right direction, but in this case it’s important to add the missing piece that will get you RESULTS!

shelli

Do these 3 things and you’ll drop weight and feel great!

In fact, you’ll feel so great you’ll want to continue using these tips on an ongoing basis!

I know some of you have at times joined those well known weight loss systems where you count points and sit in meetings once a week. I actually know those systems quite well because my aunt worked for one of them for 25 years! However, when she worked for them it was well before they went into the prepared food business.

When women ask me what I think of those programs, here’s how I respond.

I think the social support is important. If, and that’s a big IF, you get “lectures” from a leader who passes along useful information, that can help too.

However, many times I’ve seen diabetic issues actually get worse and blood pressure elevate in women using all the processed and prepared foods sold by these programs.

Before you spend all that money on the “systems,” here’s what you can do.

Take these actions and weight loss results will follow.

1. Whatever is in your kitchen that’s processed, throw out. Fake foods like snacks, bars and meals that these systems sell are not whole foods. Don’t believe me? Please read the labels carefully and see for yourself.

2. Choose whole natural foods: lean proteins, raw nuts, healthy fats and PLENTY of fruits & vegetables. Monitor starchy carbs like grains, breads, and cereals. Remember, eating more starchy carbs than your body can use is what’s causing your extra weight to hang around.

3. Stick to these basics. Stop reading all the media nutritional advice that’s confusing and complicated. Until you have the basics in place, don’t sweat the small stuff.

The big picture is where it’s at.

What you’re eating 80% of the time is what’s going to make the biggest difference in how you look and feel.

It’s basics like these three tips that will get you RESULTS!

shelli

Do you enjoy garlic?

I sure do.

It not only pleases my palate but it has a long list of health benefits as well.

Let’s take a closer look.

Garlic has incredible antibiotic and blood cleansing properties. It has been shown to have 1% of the potency of penicillin.

Bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics, making the antibiotics useless. This is not the case with garlic.

Garlic can fight off bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, Cryptococcal meningitis, Candida albican and Staphylococcus. This bacteria fighting property was first discovered in the early 19th century, so we’ve known about the medicinal use of garlic for quite some time.

Eating garlic each day will cleanse your blood, so conditions like acne have been known to improve.

You’ll also reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease. Garlic contains Allicin, which increases your antioxidant enzymes. These are just a few of the potential health benefits.

Tips for using garlic:

* Crush it or chop it and eat it raw. That’s when its health properties are most potent.

* One clove a day will improve your health. Fighting off a cold? Try eating 2-3 cloves.

* If you’re cooking garlic, wait until your recipe is almost done. Then add the garlic. This way you won’t overcook it.

* If you don’t digest garlic well, don’t eat it. It’s not for everyone.

Here’s how to roast garlic whole and eat the warm, toasty cloves right out of the head. It’s very simple and great for garlic lovers!

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of the cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

3. Place the garlic cloves in a baking pan; muffin pans also work well for this purpose. Drizzle olive oil over each clove, using your fingers to make sure the garlic is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

4. Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Using a small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a small fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

Eat the whole cloves or mash them and use them for cooking. You can also spread them over warm bread, mix them with butter to use as a topping for baked potatoes, or mix them in with Parmesan and pasta.

Enjoy, and let me know about some of your favorite garlic recipes. I’ll pass them along!

shelli

True story from the trenches!

I get many questions each week from women who have read something I’ve written, or who need some guidance with some particular health or fitness concern.

I personally answer all my emails. No administrative assistant or overseas outsourced helper EVER reads or answers my emails. I enjoy getting them and enjoy responding and offering any assistance I can.

What happened recently is a good teachable moment for us all, so I’m sharing it with you.

A woman wrote to me asking for “belly” exercises.

She wanted to turn her belly fat into muscle.

Her chief complaint was that her belly was too big and her pants too tight. She told me she was overweight. I asked her for some more information about what she already did for exercise and she provided me with answers.

Before I tell you what I offered her and how she responded, let me share a few educational pieces of information.

We are all born with a certain number of fat cells. These do not change.

When we gain fat the fat cells get larger. When we lose fat the fat cells get smaller. That’s the simplest way of looking at the process.

Next point is that muscle is muscle and fat is fat.

They do not become each other. When you get more muscular you are improving the physique and changing the composition of the muscles you already have.

When you lose fat it does not become muscle, you simply shrink the fat cells down in size. If you have muscles and let them go to waste, they become deconditioned but they are still there.

These are important points so please make sure you understand them.

OK, back to my story.

I attempted to explain to her that her belly fat is a nutritional issue and not a “I need belly exercises” issue.

You simply cannot exercise away improper nutritional choices.

Let’s just say she DID NOT LIKE my answer.

That’s okay.

Not every woman wants to hear what I have to say, and not every woman is ready to do what it takes to change what she’s not happy about.

When things like this happen, and I’m very glad that it’s RARE, I like to ask myself, “What can I learn from this and what can I pass on to my readers?”

In this case, I felt like there was something for us to learn and for me to teach.

Fat is fat, muscle is muscle and the approach to minimizing fat and maximizing muscle is different.

Proper nutrition, which I’ll admit, presents the greater challenge for most of us, has got to come first in both of these quests.

I hope you see my point!

shelli

I get asked almost every day, “Should I believe all the marketing information about Acai berries?”

Or “What do you think about Acai berries?”

Many people are calling it a wonder cure. No matter what ails you, or even if you’re in great health, you’re being told that Acai is your key to optimal health and longevity.

Do not believe all that you hear and read and do not be so quick to jump on the Acai berry bandwagon.

Yes, even if you heard about it on Oprah! Buyer beware.

Acai berries are great, that’s not the issue.

But Acai drinks and other Acai products can be loaded with sugar – natural and otherwise. Remember, we’re looking to reduce our sugar intake and regulate our sweet tooth!

Most people have a difficult time cutting back their sugar intake. The average American consumes a whopping 160 pounds per year.

A healthy human body can’t process more than 10 or 15 pounds annually. Pretty startling fact!

Acai products are marketed as super-antioxidants. However, when it comes to antioxidant content, CINNAMON is much higher.

Cinnamon costs only pennies at your local grocery store, so Acai product marketers won’t be sharing that fact with you anytime soon.

Acai products do contain a small amount of anthocyanidins. These are natural substances that aid your cardiovascular system.

Want that substance in large amounts for pennies??? Eat a big organic salad!

See what I’m getting at here? Neither cinnamon nor anthocyanidins is a “wonder cure.” Neither are Acai berries.

The “wonder cure” is abandoning any addictive habits (like consuming too much sugar) and eating a varied diet of fruits, vegetables, and other healthy and whole foods.

Paying attention to proper wholesome nutrition throughout your life will serve you much better than thinking there’s a magic bullet or wonder cure!

shelli