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Welcome to all our new subscribers, and I extend my appreciation to everyone who forwards this newsletter to friends. One friend telling another is how we grow, and I deeply appreciate your support. If you know anyone who might like it, please forward this newsletter to them or send them this link: http://www.FitnessMovtivatorNewsletter.com

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IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Greetings from the Editor
2. Article—Why Most New Year’s Resolutions Fail
3. Article—Your Metabolism—do you understand it?
4. Article—The Mental Side to a Healthy Weight—How you can take matters into your OWN hands!
5. Inspirational Quotes
6.Articles & Web Sites Worth A Look

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Dear Fitness Friends,

It is a new year! If you haven't started already, now is the time to start taking action to reach your new fitness goals. Many people use January to start with a clean slate. However, many people who do, end up falling off the wagon with their resolutions. That is why I referred to your resolutions as fitness goals and not resolutions.

Usually our fitness goals are pretty consistent. We may tweak them or change them somewhat, but we don't usually just throw them out. Of course, we don't have the intention of throwing our new year's resolutions, but many times, that is what happens.

Why not make a list of your fitness goals. Place them in a prominent place, where you can see them every morning when you get up and every night before going to bed. Also, make a list of actions you need to take in order for you to reach these fitness goals.

Sometimes even the best laid plans fall through. But that is no reason not to get up and start again. If your fitness plans fail, try to find the reason for this and get up and start again--you don't have to wait until the next January to start. Every minute of every day, you can begin with a clean slate.

Wishing you a healthy and prosperous new year!!

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"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination. "

~~Tommy Lasorda

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Click here to read my review.

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It’s the New Year! Time to once again “Start the new year out right”. Are you determined to lose weight, save money, have a better marriage, find MR./Mrs. Right, be more assertive, ask for the raise, find a new job, begin to be more organized, be more positive, serve more in the church and spend more time with our kids all by Jan 31st?

NO? Come on, those are realistic resolutions, aren’t they? The funny thing is, most people think that making these changes all at once is realistic and possible! A few are possible, but the whole list?

When I hear my clients tell me their resolutions, I always ask them…”What’s making you want to make those changes?” “What has prevented you from accomplishing them BEFORE the New Year?” “Do you have a PLAN for making the changes happen?”

A Plan? What? Most people feel sheer willpower will help them get through anything. They wake up January 1st and say to themselves “Today is the day I change!” and “Poof” the miraculous change has occurred! Sure, it will occur for many, for a while…3 days, 4 weeks, 2 months..and then their “will” seems to diminish and their resolutions end up on on next year’s list to go through the same viscous cycle once again.

How can you make this year different? One way is to take a step back and really analyze your list of resolutions. What is truly realistic for you right now, at this time in your life? Once you identify what is realistic, rid yourself of the word “TRY” from your vocabulary. If you begin a resolution with “I am going to TRY to lose 10 pounds this year” You are automatically giving yourself an out. “If it doesn’t work out, it is okay, it really wasn’t meant to be” is automatically giving yourself permission to fail. Losing those 10 pounds is obviously bothering you, making your life less fulfilling, or it wouldn’t be on the list of things to change!

When you say“Well, at least I tried," ask what does “trying” mean to you? I work on this specific issue with my clients and help them change the word “try” into “I will “ until it becomes automatic. It takes practice, however using this strategy will eventually permanently STOP the awful “resolution failure cycle.” YOU can do the same thing!

Let me explain how the removal of “try” can work for you. Begin by omitting it out of your vocabulary and replace “try” with “I will”. This strategy will set you up for a POSITIVE, conscious start, rather than giving yourself unconscious permission to fail.

Let’s say you begin a resolution where you want to spend more time with your children. What sounds better…”I will TRY to spend more time with my children this year," or “ I WILL spend more time with my children this year.” Doesn’t the latter sound more positive? Now, of course, I don’t want you to beat yourself up if you find yourself slipping, just realizing that it IS possible to change and that you will simply need to find another way to accomplish your goal.

When analyzing your resolutions, ask yourself some of these important questions:

1.Do I have too many resolutions on my list to accomplish all at once?

2.Are my resolutions actually realistic for me during this time in my life?

3.Where do I see potential roadblocks that might make creating change in my life challenging? Are my roadblocks work, family, personal, health, transportation?

4. What type of plan can I make for myself to avoid these roadblocks?

5. In my planning, what resources and support do I need?

While making your plan, think about how it will feel to fail at accomplishing your resolutions. Are you looking forward to the feeling of pain, failure, disappointment, frustration?

Now, think about how GREAT it will feel when you have followed through with your resolution! What is the outcome? How happy are you? How do you carry yourself? Is your self-esteem improved? Has your change POSITVELY influenced others around you?

Put pen to paper and in a journal, write a paragraph to yourself about how you would feel as if you had already conquered your resolution! Again, focusing on how great you feel, how happy you are, how your surroundings have changed! How it has made your life better?

Once you have gone through these questions and exercises, you should feel much better about how to approach your resolutions this year and have the beginnings of a plan on how to get what you want.

The New Year has 365 days in it, so it is NEVER to late to make that change! The calendar is only full of days and numbers…your life is full of memories, love, peace and joy…make each moment count. Make TODAY be the start of what you truly want your life to look and feel like. You CAN do it!

I would love for you to email me your resolutions and plans! You can contact me at susan@peak-performance-coaching.com

I believe in you…now get out there and do it!

Susan Creal, life and licensed wellness coach, offers her services online through www.peak-performance-coaching.com Susan provides online and telephone coaching programs to women who need direction, accountability and want to learn permanent behavior change. Visit: www.peak-performance-coaching.com for a free coaching session!

Copyright 2003 © Peak-Performance-Coaching, LLC

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"One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals. "

~~Michael Korda

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Your Metabolism—do you understand it?

By Derek Beech

How many people do you know that carry a little bit extra around their waist and then say to you "it can't be helped I have a Slow metabolism". Probably a few if not many have said this to me and they obviously just do not understand their metabolism. Though metabolism does play a big part in weight gain, if you are gaining weight year after year, it may be time to try and better Understand yours.

First of all the term metabolism refers to the rate that your body burns calories. The more active you are the more calories Your body will burn, so if you take in (eat) more calories than you burn in a day you will gain weight and vice versa if you eat less than you burn then you will lose weight.

Your metabolism is partly genetic, but it is also very much affected by how you choose to live your life. Your metabolism will tend to slow down with age but it can be increased by choosing a healthy diet and participating in a regular exercise program. Lifting weights is the best exercise because as your muscles become larger and stronger they will burn more calories even while you sleep.

Women tend to have lower metabolic rates, meaning that they need fewer calories than men to maintain the same body weight.

If you are attempting to lose weight and increase your metabolism avoid "Metabolism Booster" products and crash dieting. While studies have shown only a negligible metabolism increase from these booster products, they have been known to cause diarrhea, increased heart rate, perspiration, and nervousness. Crash dieting will actually slow your metabolism down and cause you to gain weight faster once you stop dieting. This is because your body destroys hard earned calorie burning muscle tissue and holds onto its non-calorie burning fat reserves because it believes you are starving to death. Not to mention you will experience less energy and your thought processes will be more sluggish.

The best approach is to exercise and focus on a healthy diet. Here are some tips that work:

A. never skip breakfast, it is much more important than dinner as you will use this energy throughout your daily activities. B. eat smaller meals every 2 ½ - 3 ½ hrs. This will cause your digestive system to work more often resulting in more calories burned and a steadier supply of nutrients to the body. C. plan your meals ahead. You will be less likely to make poor food choices if you have a plan. D. increase your whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables in your diet. They are low in calories and very filling. e. MOVE!! Swim, dance, hike, bike, workout, walk with someone, you need to start exercising!

If you are looking for the magic get thin and fit pill, trust me, you will not find it. All you will end up finding is a bunch of hype and marketing gimmicks that really do not work. But, a steady, determined approach to increase your metabolism thru diet and exercise will.

Wishing you success in all your health and fitness goals.

Derek Beech

Derek Beech is a Natural Competitive Bodybuilder and the owner and writer of the Elite Fitness Health And Bodybuilding Equipment Newsletter www.elitefitnesshealthandbodybuildingequipment.com

Copyright 2004 © Derek Beech

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"Winners make goals, losers make excuses."

~~Anonymous

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The Mental Side to a Healthy Weight
How you can take matters into your OWN hands!

With all of the weight loss programs, diet pills and shakes out there today, it is increasingly difficult to really find what works to lose and maintain weight. Who do you believe? How do you know what is best for YOU? !

It can be extremely confusing and frustrating when one diet plan tells you to eliminate all carbohydrates, another tells you to eat most of your calories in the morning while yet another says to eat 6 mini meals per day. What about liquid shakes for breakfast and lunch and supplements and bland food for dinner? How about eating all of the protein you want and all of the saturated fat and become healthy in just weeks??

What happened to slowing down and truly LISTENING to your body? How long has it been since you truly examined when you are hungry, why and for what? Has this always been the case? At what point in your life did you begin to be “out of touch” with your own self?

Understanding how your body balances itself is incredibly important to lose or maintain a healthy body weight. Have you taken the time to really analyze how your body reacts to adding a little bit more healthy fat in your diet? Decreasing the bad carbohydrates? Incorporating more exercise? Working with weights? How have you measured how your body has reacted? Have you tried to create dramatic changes or small, subtle changes taking great care to truly see how your clothes fit, how your body fat has reacted, how your weight has changed or stayed the same. Keeping a journal of what balances your body is a super first step!

Body fat is another important factor to consider in listening to your body. Do you know what it is? How low should it be for your body type? Do you know your body’s lean or muscle mass? Your metabolism is directly related to these factors. For example, if you learn that your body fat is high and that your lean mass is low, then, weight training would be great for you ! In order to increase that lean mass , muscle strength has to be built up

What about hunger? Have you truly felt the real sensation of a hunger pang? Do you know what it means? Stopping to listen to your internal body cues is very important to maintaining healthy weight. What food do you eat that makes you feel full the longest? What do you tend to crave during the day? How long after you have eaten a meal do you begin to feel the rumble of your pangs? Listening to your body and feeding it when it is TRULY hungry is a great way to prevent weight gain. Of course, eating the right foods is necessary too!

When eating, take it slow and savor every bite. Avoid eating in front of the TV or computer. Look at what you are putting into your mouth; think about how it is nourishing your body, not simply satisfying your mouth! The food you are eating gives your body what it needs to function properly, to build muscle that has been torn down and to heal itself. At the first signs of feeling full or satisfied, put your fork down and put any leftovers away. Close the kitchen up for the night so you aren’t tempted to nibble on things that are around.

Self-acceptance is also a crucial element to helping you maintain a healthy weight. Loving who you are, what you have become, what you have truly accomplished is imperative! Looking at yourself in the mirror and telling yourself that you are a beautiful, loving human being who is healthy, fit, and positive can help you keep your self -image. We tend to neglect ourselves, and who we are. When you begin to love yourself, food and weight issues are easier to conquer and results will show quicker. You are worth it!

Susan Creal is a life and wellness coach who offers complimentary coaching sessions. Go to www.peak-performance-coaching.com to sign up for yours!

Copyright 2004 © Peak-Performance-Coaching,LLC

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Articles & Web Sites Worth a Look

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"Stride forward with a firm, steady step, knowing with a deep, certain inner knowing that you will reach every goal you set yourselves, that you will attain every aim."

~~Eileen Caddy

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If you need more motivation and some group support, feel free to subscribe to the Exercise Your Willpower mailing list. We have a great group of people who help motivate each other. To get more information, visit our website at: http://www.exerciseyourwillpower.com

Check out the many online fitness and health tools.

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