Get Out of Your Own Way

How do you ensure that you will reach your goal? Give yourself consequences for slacking! Whether your goal is to stay on a budget, put money in savings, lose weight, or get in better shape, here are a few ideas to help you reach your goal.

Some quick tips for creating consequences:

1) Choose something that is specifically unpleasant to you.  Think along the lines of annoying
rather than harsh or physically painful. Some ideas:
- No morning cup of coffee if you don't get up and workout
- You don't complete your goal for the day, no guilty pleasure (bubble bath, evening glass of wine, favorite TV show)
- No money left in your budget because you went over, no happy hours with the girls

2) Ask for accountability.  Tell a couple of close family members or friends about your goal and ask them to hold you accountable.  For example:
- Your goal is to eat healthier, your consequence can be to pick up the tab for a friend if you don't make a healthy choice when eating dinner out.
- Your goal is to make better financial choices, you can ask a friend to go to the grocery store with you to ensure you stick to the list or the budget.

3) Get it over with.  The longer you put something off, the larger the task becomes.  A trick I often use with cleaning or organizing that needs to be done is to set a timer for 10 minutes and get as much done in that time frame as you can.  Usually, 10 minutes is enough to complete the task, and if not, it's enough time to create motivation and get that piled cleared off the counter.  If you really find yourself slacking, don't allow yourself to move forward until it's done.  (No more shopping period if you don't set a budget, no going to bed until the kitchen is clean, etc.)

4) Create an if/ then list. This sounds incredibly boring, and can be very boring, but it will help you play out the long term consequences of not meeting your goals.  You set them for a reason right?  Example:
If                                                                Then                                                             

-I don't stick to my budget                     - I won't be able to afford the beach vacation.
-I don't workout today                           -I will be one day further away from doing 25 pushups
-I don't work on that paper for class   -I will have to pull an all-nighter tomorrow and miss the party
-I eat this whole pint of ice cream      -I may not fit into the bridesmaid's dress I am overpaying for

Bonus:
5) Don't underestimate the power of rewards.  This doesn't exactly fall under the consequence category, but I use this all the time with my child and teen clients.  There is no reason it won't work.  If you promise yourself a new outfit for getting to the gym four times a week for a month, you have something to look forward to.  If you need to, create a reward chart with a clear goal and clear reward set at the beginning.  Give yourself a minimum goal (i.e. I will make 80 percent of my meals at home for 1 month) and give yourself a star every time you do that.   Make sure you write your reward on the chart as well (I will earn a pair of tickets to that concert).  You can choose if you want to add the opposite consequence if your goal is not met- no 80%, no concert.


Happy Goal Reaching!

Clean Eating Basics

Have you heard of clean eating, but feeling confused?  I know when I first started working with my Beachbody coach, Melanie, she talked about eating clean and it being what helped her lose 30 pounds.  After completing P90x, she was frustrated because she wasn't seeing results and once she started eating clean, the weight came off.  Diet is 80% of the battle with weight loss, and exercise is the other 20%.  This principle didn't sit well with me, because I like to eat and workout, so why can't working out be enough?  Well, it has taken me many months of thinking and allowing it to sink in to finally accept that my life long weight struggle is because I don't eat clean.  Luckily, the exercise keeps me in a healthy range, but I was never at the size or had the shape I wanted.  Now I am creating my plan of attack to get the weight off after I have baby # 2 in May.  It's very easy for me to know which workout program I will start with, and that I will be drinking Shakeology daily, but I also have to retrain myself with my eating habits.  (This pregnancy has given me a finicky appetite, more so than usual, so I rarely can come up with something I want to eat, and just end up eating something out of convenience, which isn't always healthy.)

While looking at all my resources, I rediscovered The"Eat- Clean Diet" from Tosca Reno.  One of the more popular takes on principles of clean eating.   Tosca has several books and cookbooks, all of which I have read, or own.  The difficult thing is that it seems there are a lot of rules, and it can be confusing.  There is a version of the book, "Eat- Clean Diet, Just the Rules", that boils it all down.  I wanted to take it a step further and

simplify things to the most basic level for myself (and hopefully for you too) into the basic rules of eating clean so that I can start easing back into it, planning to be back in the habit by the time baby comes.  (I don't think I am going to have a lot of brain power to be trying to remember all of this once I have a newborn!)

Do:

• Eat six small meals a day.
• Eat breakfast every day, within an hour of getting up.
• Eat lean protein and complex carbohydrates at every meal. (Think hummus and carrots.)
• Have two or three servings of healthy fats every day. (Unrefined organic coconut oil.)
• Get fiber, vitamins, nutrients, and enzymes from fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Control your portions.
• Drink 2 to 3 liters of water (about 13 8-ounce cups) every day.
• Complex carbohydrates should be in the form of whole grains- quinoa, brown rice, whole oats.
• If it has ingredients you can't pronounce, don't eat it.  (In general, packaged foods are not part of clean eating.)
• Include cardio and strength training as part of a regular exercise routine.

Avoid:

• Processed foods, especially white flour and sugar
• Artificial sweeteners
• Sugary beverages, such as soda and juice
• Alcohol
• Foods with chemical additives like food dyes and sodium nitrite
• Foods with preservatives
• Artificial foods, such as processed cheese slices
• Saturated fats and trans fats
• Anti-foods -- calorie-dense foods with no nutritional value

Shakeology, Saving me from my Starbucks Addiction

My Secret to Breaking the Starbucks Addiction

I have been trying to decide how I want to use this blog- do I use it for health and fitness for my Beachbody clients?  Do I use it with mental health information for my private therapy clients?  Do I use it for a place to talk about things I find interesting?  I think I have decided to use it as all three.  Health, wellness, and mental health all go together.  I happen to have a great interest in all three and hope to be able to share inspiration, helpful, and sometimes thought-provoking information.  Today's post is more in the area of my personal interest, but it is very much wellness related and has helped me gain power over my Starbucks addiction, which was part physical and part mental.  I'm sure you can relate with some area of your life that has become an addiction you have just decided to accept.

So here is a true story- I am a recovering Starbucks addict. I was going there 3 times per week for probably about the last year for a drink (Chai) and a breakfast sandwich. I attempted to give it up for awhile, but finally just accepted that I was an addict, lol. I was probably spending about $60 per month at Starbucks. I had a moment when I was playing kitchen with my two year old, Jade, and she asked if I wanted a "Grande Chai". It was super cute, but also made me realize how much she was watching and I decided to give Shakeology a try with my workouts because I didn't want her thinking the drive through was a good option for meals. I started Shakeology in mid November as part of a Challenge pack with T25. I am 15 weeks pregnant, so there were days I didn't get Shakeology in with my morning sickness, but even having Shakeology 3-4 times per week, my Starbucks addiction has vanished. I have been there twice since starting Shakeology a month ago, and one of those times, I really didn't enjoy it. I haven't had cravings or the desire to go there (the two times I went were out of habit and convenience), and really am not missing it. My mornings are now filled with either Shakeology or a clean breakfast that I look forward to. I really was skeptical of Shakology and didn't even really try to give up Starbucks for the last few months, so I am really amazed as this result and hope it will help me lose the weight from Baby Korn with a bit less effort this time.

 

For more information or to order Shakeology, visit shakeology.com/ kellikorn.

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Shakeology 3 Day Cleanse

	Get Back on Track or Jump Start Your Fitness Program

This is a great cleanse to help you restart your system after the holidays or a vacation, or even help you break a plateau in your weight loss.  Read on to see the quick and easy plan.

 

Ways to try Shakeology:
1.  Order a sample of Shakeology.

2.  You can purchase a week's worth of samples from me to try out Shakeology and see if its the right fit for you for $35. (This is for a week's supply of 1 Shakeology Meal per day.)

3.  You can purchase a Shakeology cleanse for $55 to jump start your weight loss program or break a plateau. (Clicking the link will allow you to message me and I will send you a link to purchase.

Try Shakeology

3 Day Cleanse (9 Meals) $55.00 USD Week of Shakeology (7 meals) $35.00 USD Shakeology Sample $5.00 USD

4.  You can sign up for Shakeology HD (home direct) which gives your free shipping and automatically ships your Shakes to you each month.  You can cancel at any time with no questions asked.  There is also a 30 day money back bottom of the bag guarantee.  If for any reason you do not like the shake you can return the empty bag for a full refund. (See Below)

5.  You can purchase Shakeology in the bag or 24 individual serving sizes, both are the same price.  With individual serving sizes you can have an assortment of Greenberry and Chocolate, Chocolate and Vanilla, and now Tropical Strawberry and Vegan Chocolate.

6.  You can try all 4 flavors with a  sample pack. Limit of 1 per customer!
  
What do you get for your purchase of Shakeology HD?

Your first Shakeology order not only comes with a month's supply of shakeology. 

You receive a calendar of 30 different ways to make each flavor, Chocolate and Greenberry. 

You receive free shipping when you sign up for Home Direct. 

You not only get a shake but you get a nutrient rich meal that you do not have to worry about creating yourself!

How to Mentally Deal with an Injury or Illness

I decided to write this post after doing some personal research on my own situation.  I am now 31 weeks pregnant and was placed on bed rest at 27 weeks for preterm labor concerns.  This means no walking the dogs, no exercise, being as "lazy" as possible.  My doctor referred to it as "Couch Potato"
mode.  This may sound like a welcome command to some, but not to me.  All I could think of was that I wasn't going to be able to play outside with my daughter, walk my dogs, and I would be losing any strength I worked so hard to maintain during the pregnancy. (Not to mention I was put on leave from work, so financial concerns also came creeping in.  I need my workouts to help with stress!) Couch Potato is pretty much the opposite of how someone would describe me.  Even during my first pregnancy, I was pretty active, and able to water ski 3 weeks after delivery.  Nonetheless, I want to keep this baby cooking as long as possible, so I had to figure out a way to make it work.  (For anyone who is curious, it was not the exercise that caused the preterm labor concerns.  It is a combination of factors of how my body is set up in pregnancy, combined with work stress.)

I have always been active, but never a big sports player, so injuries are not something I have dealt with.  Working out has always been a priority and I haven't had to deal with the mental or physical side of recovering from an injury, which led me to do some research.  What I came up with are a few tips below that I can keep in mind during this short time when I am allowed to be a Couch Potato, so that when the time comes, I can safely and sanely work on getting back in shape (and then I will wish I could sit and watch hours of TV :)!

• Forget the all or nothing approach. The inability to exercise does not have to be an excuse to let everything go.  Sitting on the couch eating potato chips does not have to go hand in hand with an injury or illness.  Our bodies need proper nutrition, perhaps more so than when we are "healthy", so use the exercise break as a chance to focus on nutrition.  Filling up on whole grains, lean protein, fruit, veggies, and healthy fats will help you avoid weight gain while fueling your body to help repair itself.  Use that extra time to read up on new clean eating recipes and making meal plans.
• Do what you can. My doctor may have banned pretty much any form of cardio, but I can still sit on a fit ball and work my arms and legs with light weights or resistance bands (and inadvertently work my core while sitting on the ball!)  This helps maintain some muscle tone and strength without causing contractions or exacerbating my condition.  Talk with your doctor or qualified trainer about some alternatives you might be able to do.
• Start checking things off your "to-do: list.  Having a two year old, a full-time job, a private counseling practice, and baby on the way, I always have a pretty hefty "to-do" list.  After the initial shock of not having much I could be doing, I found that identifying one or two key items to do each day has helped me check quite a few items off my list that weren't getting done.  I obviously can't be doing things like cleaning all of the outside windows, but I can file those insurance claims that have sat in a pile, sew a few things I haven't had time to get to, and read a pile of magazines that has been mounting up.  (Sounds rough, right?)
• Focus on other healthy habits. I am not the best eater in the world- it's always a quest for me to get more veggies in, so I have been trying to make sure I get in a green smoothie everyday, which makes me feel like I am compensating on some level for lack of exercise.  Other habits to focus on may be increasing how often you floss, finally getting time to give yourself a manicure, giving yourself time to start writing in a journal, or start getting enough sleep each night.
• Use this as a chance to work on positive thinking. I read a great book on positive thinking (which I will write about in another post.)   It took me a few days of some pretty big mood swings trying to adjust to this change in pace.  After I started thinking about all of the positive sides of this, my outlook was much different and most days, I am thankful for this rest period before becoming a mom of two.  There are always many blessings to count, it just takes the right mind set.
• Learn new ways of coping with stress. Exercise is my main form of dealing with stress.  It is often about trying to lose weight, but even more, I notice in my mood and stress level when I can't workout.  Having this extended period of inactivity, I had to find a new way to deal with stress.  (Although my stress level has decreased since I am not working, I still have financial worries and the occasional stress of having a two-year-old.)  This one is still a work in progress for me.  Going outside relieves stress, but it is difficult for me to just be outside without being very active.  I have found reading and taking warm baths helps, so those are my go-to methods of taking a mental break when I feel overwhelmed.
  
• Find some new hobbies.  Maybe it's writing a blog, decorating stationary, scrap booking, or even becoming a video gamer- trying new hobbies make you a more well-rounded person, and can help you find new ways to deal with stress.  One of my goals is to do some letter writing for cancer patients.  I may not be able to do a whole lot, but I can make some cards to encourage others who are struggling with things much bigger than I can imagine.
• Utilize help. This is also a work in progress for me.  I do not like asking for help- I have a bit of a control freak side to me, plus I just find it's easier to do things myself.  Well, I don't have that option right now.  I can't walk my dogs and they cannot go 2-3 months without being walked.  I can't vacuum, and my house cannot go 2-3 months without being vacuumed.   I have had to learn to trust that my husband can handle things, and when he is busy at work, there are lots of other family members and friends who have volunteered to help.  Being responsible for keeping this tiny human baking has given me no choice but to rely on others and ask for help in the areas I need it.  Honestly, this is probably the biggest lesson I've learned so far, and something I needed to realize- we all need help.  Sometimes we need it more than others, and sometimes we are the ones needing to help others, but if we don't ask or accept help, it makes life a lot harder. 

There will be a future post about getting back into shape after an injury or illness, but for the time being, take some time to identify the areas you might need to balance your life.  If you are a person who struggles with over-activity, take a few minutes each day to sit quietly and pray or meditate to gain some clarity and peace.