Want to be SIMPLY inspired??

I know I’m always up for some inspiration, so the other day I went looking for some great quotes.

Here’s what I found:

1. “We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” Dolly Parton

2. “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Confucius

3. “Always forgive your enemies–nothing annoys them so much.” Oscar Wilde

4. “Most of us have trouble juggling. The woman who says she doesn’t is someone whom I admire but have never met.” Barbara Walters

5. “Age is just a number. It’s totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine.” Joan Collins

6. “If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.” Katharine Hepburn

SO………I adjusted my sails and chose a job I love, which did indeed please at least one person (who has no idea who her enemies are)! She does hope it pleases others as well! YES, this person can juggle for REAL (three tennis balls at least) though she still struggles with juggling EVERYTHING else in her life as she continues to learn to appreciate a good bottle of wine! I must call Joan and thank her!

See how I learned from those quotes!!??

shelli

Are you reaching your goals?

You have all these things you want to accomplish, right?

Lose weight.

Quit smoking.

Eat better or exercise more.

Do something about all the stress you feel.

You have so many things on the list that you can’t start them ALL right away.

So you decide to wait until next month to really take action.

Then something comes up and you put it off
until next month.

You know how it goes.

So at the end of the year you have not accomplished
your goals.

Are you ready to change that?

Are you ready to actually ACHIEVE your goals this time?

Here’s what I’d like you to do:

1) Start a new Word document on your computer.

2) Title it “Goals for the (month, year, week, whatever……you fill in the blank!)

3) Write down your top 10 goals.

4) Then reorder them according to importance.

5) Then take the last 8 off the list.

6) Then write a list of EXACTLY what you need to do to
achieve each of those TWO goals.

7) Write down EXACTLY how much time per week you
are willing to commit to achieving your goal.

Write down EXACTLY how much money per month
you are willing to invest to achieve your goal.

Include both the money you are willing to invest materially, meaning to
actually do the goal, and the money you are willing to invest
in training.

For example, if your goal is to lose 50 pounds, you probably can’t do it all by yourself. You’ll likely need a coach or a support group. So write down the money you
are willing to invest per month for a coach or a support group.

9) Write down EXACTLY what it will mean for you personally if
you achieve this goal.

Staying with the previous example of losing 50 pounds, what will that really mean if you lose the 50 pounds? Would it mean you’d fit into your clothes better,
be more attractive, feel better about yourself?

10) Then write a list of anything you don’t know how to do
or what you think is holding you back from achieving that goal.

11) Then commit to begin NOW, starting today to focus on your goal.

12) If you have completed #11 and are ready to start focusing NOW, send your Word document to me. I will probably get about 100 or more, so it may take me a few days to comment on them, but comment I will!

I look forward to hearing from you……so get started on step #1 RIGHT NOW!

shelli

Do you think you see the world through your eyes or through your brain?

Most people might answer through your eyes, but that’s not correct.

You don’t see the world through your eyes. You see it through your brain.

What does that mean?

It means that despite the possibilities you SEE in front of you, your brain can sap your confidence and “psych” you out of taking action.

Being psyched out of taking action is one of the biggest challenges we all have in creating the lives we want to lead.

When we look at people who’ve had success in life in the ways we’d like to be successful, we often think that they are so far ahead of us that we’ll never get there.

We often psych ourselves out and don’t even get started.

It’s true that there are some amazing people out there who have done amazing things in the world. But they are no better than you.

Their success is not just due to the strategies they have or the time they’ve spent learning those strategies. Those things are important. And you should model them.

But the thing that really sets them apart is how they see the world.

They have programmed their minds differently.

The good news is that you too can reprogram your mind. You can change the way you think about your capabilities.

Instead of thinking that success is not possible for you and that successful people are somehow different, create an extraordinary vision of yourself.

Think of yourself as a screenwriter, scripting your life with you as the leading character.

Then act on it.

As you create new thoughts and take new actions, you create new connections in your brain. The more you practice and get out of your comfort zone, the faster the process becomes.

There’s so much new information out there about how our brains are wired and how we make changes. Read books like The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge and start learning what’s possible.

At first, seeing through your brain and not your eyes will feel awkward, or even a little weird.

Noticing that your perceptions are directed by your thinking is the first step. It will get easier with practice and eventually you will program yourself to see opportunities that you couldn’t see before and take actions that you couldn’t take before.

If you have any other book suggestions in this new neurological frontier of brain power, let me know. I’ll be happy to pass them along!

shelli

Think of two words that strike fear into women everywhere and you’re likely to come up with breast cancer.

And there’s a good reason for that.

In 2008, according to the National Cancer Institute, an estimated 182,460 women were diagnosed with and 40,480 women died of breast cancer.

With these alarming statistics, it’s tragic that most women just wait until a self-exam or mammogram shows an unusual lump in their breast. Often, by that point, the cancer has taken hold and it becomes a life and death challenge.

So there’s something I want to share with you.

Most breast cancer is determined by how estrogen is metabolized in the body and whether it is balanced by adequate levels of progesterone.

Here’s what you need to know and do and pass on to your mother, your sisters, and your friends so they’ll do it too.

1. Have your estradiol, estrogen metabolites, and progesterone levels tested. If you have a progesterone deficiency, you are at least four times more likely to develop breast cancer. If testing shows you are deficient in this hormone, there are several progesterone creams available without a prescription. Ask your healthcare professionals for a recommendation.

2. Estrogen testing will tell you whether your body is breaking down estradiol, your primary estrogen, into safe or dangerous metabolites. For instance, 2OH (one of the metabolites of estradiol) actually inhibits breast cancer. But 4OH and 16OH increase your risks, so you don’t want those levels elevated.

3. The good news is that you can encourage your body to make more good estrogen while getting rid of the bad stuff simply by maintaining healthy gut flora and modifying your diet to include more antioxidant-rich and omega-3 foods and fewer carbs. The insulin resistance and inflammation caused by carbs significantly increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and breast cancer.

4. You might not be aware that your thyroid plays a role in breast health too. If you have an underactive thyroid or thyroid antibodies (autoimmune thyroiditis), your body may not be making enough NK (natural killer) cells. These are the immune cells that search out cancer cells and destroy them. That’s why it’s vitally important to have your thyroid checked regularly.

5. Did you realize that it is in your power to dramatically reduce your risk of breast cancer by balancing your hormones and eating a nutritious diet?

Many believe it’s fate or genetics that determine whether or not they’re faced with breast cancer.

Whether you answer yes or no, you now know it is in your power to reduce your risk.

And if you thought a yearly mammogram was the most you could do to protect yourself from breast cancer, think again. Make hormone and thyroid testing a part of your yearly checkup.

It’s important that women are properly educated about real breast cancer prevention.

Carry this message to women everywhere, and together we can reverse those statistics.

shelli

I’d like to share with you an email I received from one of the women who reads this blog.

It was in response to the August 21 post on changing your work out strategy when it’s not working.  She wrote:

“Hi Shelli

I agree fully with this post. For years I have been feeling tired and too busy to work out in the evening. I’ve been suffering from osteopenia and some osteoporosis and am unable to carry my own groceries. My husband and I joined a gym and commited ourselves to a trainer for 8 weeks. The first 3 weeks were pure hell pain! Now I do every other day cardio and the alternating day I do my circuits. I am currently lifting weight 30-35 lbs and do push-ups (30).  Best of all I can now get up from the floor to a standing position without calling for help. I can also carry my own groceries.
I am a 63 year old female. If I can do this, any one can!”

I love hearing stories like these. They are so encouraging!

And she’s 100% right, we all can improve our health and fitness if we commit and stick with a well thought out plan!

shelli

Sometimes what you’re doing either with working out or nutrition
just isn’t working.

It’s important to remember that when one strategy doesn’t work, you’ve got to try another and another until you find the one that DOES work.

While this sounds simple enough, it can often be frustrating and
bring you to the point where you feel like quitting and throwing
in the towel.

But when it comes to physical activity and eating well, you really can’t throw in the towel because let’s face it, you must get some exercise, and proper nutrition
is not something you can compromise.

Let me tell you what got me thinking about all this.

I have a client who recently gave birth to her first child.

For years she had done her workouts at home. She used her garage
and set up a treadmill for her cardio and some weights for strength
training. She found music that kept her moving and energized.
She was a happy and healthy camper.

But like I said, that was before the birth of her daughter.

Now she was finding it very challenging to start, and even when
she got started very few scheduled workouts got finished. She
remained committed but the conditions had changed, and therefore
her strategies needed to change.

At this point, joining a gym made sense so she could utilize
their baby sitting services. This would give her the time and
space she needed to get back her discipline and DO the workouts.

Here are two key points to consider if and when your current
health and fitness strategies are just not working.

1. For all of us, there are certain times of the day that work
better than others for establishing consistent exercise routines.

So, if you’ve tried and tried to exercise at certain times of the
day and it just doesn’t seem to be happening, try something
different!

Switch to a morning workout instead of an evening workout. Be creative, but stick with the changes long enough to see if they are really working or not.

One scenario WILL work best for you.

2. However you set up your program, whether it’s a class or from
a book or personal trainer, choose one and commit to it for a
minimum of 6-8 weeks.

Let’s say that again. Whatever you choose, choose and COMMIT!

Block out the time, put it on your calendar, do whatever it takes to actually complete the scheduled routines.

These two points will help you move away from what frustrates so
many people when it comes to working out: inconsistency and lack of results.

Without consistency there can be no results.

So, assess what’s working and keep doing that.

Then assess what’s not working and do something else. Make sure
these two key points are in place and go from there!

shelli

Warning: this blog post contains a humorous yet thoughtful look at
fear!

We hate to admit it but most of our fears are irrational.

And I’ll even admit that most of my fears are irrational.

On one hand, everyday life just isn’t that dangerous anymore.

Technology, engineering, and modern medicine have eliminated so
many of the things that people used to fear.

Fears rise up in response to perceived threats, and trigger a “fight or
flight” response from us. They evolved as a basic survival mechanism.

Studies show what we fear is fairly universal: spiders,
snakes, heights, public speaking, and death.

As Jerry Seinfeld once said, “According to most studies,
people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death.
Does that sound right? This means at a funeral most people would
rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy.”

We all might agree that one of our greatest, if not THE greatest
fear, is fear of failure.

Whether we are aware of it or not, it can paralyze us and keep
us from taking action, taking risks, and having experiences that
might benefit us greatly.

It’s easier for all of us to stick with what we perceive as
safe, comfortable and familiar.

Yet many times when we choose safety we reinforce fear.

We nurture fear. We let it dictate the terms by which we live our
lives and make our choices.

When we overcome our fears we begin to live.

“He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the
secret of life,” said Ralph Waldo Emerson.

How is fear conquered?

That can be a complicated question that keeps you from ever
actually conquering your fears.

So let’s keep it simple.

We conquer fears by doing what we think we can’t do, again and
again.

Let me give you a personal example.

When I was young, and even to this day, I stutter. Being called
on in class or in any social outing terrified me.

Today however, I seek out opportunities to speak in public. It’s
one of the best ways for me to meet people and let them know who
I am and what I can offer them.

I see fear as a barrier to success.

It can give a small thing a big shadow.

I also see fear as the opposite of faith.

It keeps us stuck in between regret over the past and anxiety about the
future.

These days I’m feeling like very few things warrant the fear
energy we give them. Often we’re running not from genuine threats
but from what we’re imagining.

That’s why my favorite acronym for fear is False Evidence
Appearing Real.

There are many rewards for conquering fear. The biggest one is
the other F word; freedom.

Freedom from anxiety.

Freedom from regret.

Freedom from a life unlived.

Do you think fortune really does favor the brave? I do.

As Marianne Williamson wrote, “Our deepest fear is not that we
are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond
measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens
us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? … We
are all meant to shine, as children do. And as we let our own
light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do
the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence
automatically liberates others.”

As middle aged women, we have lived enough life to know which
fears are still holding us back.

Air them out, one at a time.

Know them, and work through them and don’t let “false evidence
appear real.”

As for me, I’d much much rather be the one giving the eulogy
than the one in the casket!

What do you think?

shelli

Have you ever noticed that sometimes you catch yourself focused on the problem instead of looking ahead to your goal or destination and figuring out how to get there?

I witnessed an experience like this on the golf course recently.

Henry Ford said, “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.”

So true, so true.

I was playing golf with two men friends of mine.

On one hole Joe hit a ball smack into a large electrical utility box situated on the fairway alongside a pond. His ball went into the pond.

He dropped another ball on the grass and once again hit it into the box and it ricocheted into the pond.

I kid you not, he did this a third time as well!

I was on the other side of the fairway watching and waiting, and I must admit I started to laugh.

What were the odds of this happening three times in a row?

After all, he only had to get the ball into the air and over the electrical box. He’d gotten golf balls airborne millions of times before, right?

So what went wrong?

I’m guessing he was focusing on the obstacle and taking his eyes off the goal.

If you focus on the fact that you don’t have any willpower to stick to your eating plan, or you have bad habits, or you don’t think you can find exercise that you enjoy, you will hit those barriers and probably not pass them.

You must be aware of the challenges you face in order to navigate past them, but don’t make your obstacle the focus.

Your focus should be on where you’re going next and how you’re going to get there.

If you don’t have willpower, find a group of women with similar goals and challenges and put together a support group.

If you have bad habits, tackle them one at a time and take steps to change.

If you think you can’t find a workout program that you’ll enjoy, talk to women who do seem to be enjoying an active lifestyle and learn how and what they do.

After talking with Joe, the next time he’s got a challenging shot to make on the golf course, he’s going to focus on the options he has for getting his ball to the green and not on the obstacle in his way.

I hope I’m there to witness his success!

Keep this in mind when you pursue your own goals.

Focus on the destination, not on the obstacle.

shelli

Have you ever wondered if there’s a connection between eating sweets and breast cancer?

This topic comes up in the media every now and again, so here’s some information for you.

Limiting carbs and sweets IS one way to decrease your breast cancer risk.

Eating carbohydrates and simple sugars causes a spike in blood sugar. The constant elevation of blood sugar can result in insulin resistance. When that happens your body loses the ability to utilize the calories from the carbohydrates you eat.

It becomes a vicious cycle and takes its toll on you.

You eat carbs, your insulin levels rise but you become less efficient at getting glucose into your cells to be used for fuel.

Your body begins to store excess fat from not utilizing the carbs.

This combination of elevated blood sugar, insulin, and increased fat tissue causes inflammation, which damages other tissues in your body.

Insulin resistance leads to diabetes, heart disease, and strokes. Insulin resistance and diabetes are also linked to cancer.

A 2005 Italian study on the subject, published in the British Medical Journal, looked at roughly 5,000 women. After adjusting for their health history and lifestyle factors and comparing those women with and without diagnosed breast cancer, the researchers found that the women who consumed the most high-carb/high-sugar foods (like biscuits, pastries, and ice cream, as well as chocolate and simple sugars, including honey, jams, and jellies) had a significantly increased risk for breast cancer.

Other studies, including one just published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggest that insulin may be the link to the increased risk for breast cancer.

So take this information and remember that eating too many sweets and having elevated insulin levels raises the risk for breast cancer.

It is a risk factor that we can control.

Focus, instead, on eating a high-fiber diet rich in non-starchy vegetables, fruits, organic animal proteins, fish, beans, nuts/seeds, and other healthy fats. Monitor your sugar intake and gauge your intake of healthier carbs, like rice for instance, by your blood sugar and insulin levels and your weight.

shelli

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