Formula for Change

BEHAVIORAL CHANGE

If you look at any habit that is out of balance or conflicts with your goals, behavioral change is a vital piece in the process of altaining your desired outcome. This may include eating habits, lack of exercise, procrastination or compulsive behaviors. Here are the 4 stages of behavioral change, and each must be addressed in order to effect lasting change:

CONTEMPLATION

It’s that initial period where you spend a fair amount of time thinking about a specific change you want to make. It could be that you want to stop night eating while watching TV.

PREPARATION

Here’s where you’ve make a decision that you want to and are going to make a change

ACTION

Now you begin taking small steps and noticing how it feels, addressing roadblocks that come up. Your first action may be to stop buying the items you generally eat while watching TV. It may be to drink water or tea in the evening without food. Consciously note any positive outcomes from this change in habit.

MAINTENANCE

This is the last and final step in making change, and can be the hardest. It takes 21 days to solidify a new habit, so be patient with yourself, and stay with it. Once you have these 21 days under your belt, you will have created a new routine that will feel easier and more natural as time passes.

Rev Up Your Metabolism!

Ever wonder what metabolism has to do with weight gain or loss?  Metabolism is basically the sum of all of the activities your body has to do to stay alive and breathing and keep you rockin'.  It's calculated as a  basal metabolic rate; the energy, or calories you need simply to be alive in a resting state.  Calculate yours here and then come on back to see what you need to do to lose unwanted weight.  

It makes sense  that your goal is usually a HIGH metabolic rate and definitely NOT a low one, yes?  Here are some ways to wake up that metabolism engine of yours:

1.  Make sure you're eating ENOUGH.  Yes, I said it; you may not be eating enough for your body to know it's okay to burn off some energy.  Your body is sometimes smarter than your rational mind; it knows if you don't have enough food so it takes action and slows the burn. Not good when you're wanting to lose weight. 

2.  Eat regular meals.  Breakfast is most important, so make it a good one filled not with muffins and bagels but with high protein foods - fish, eggs, plain Greek yogurt, and some veggies like kale, onions, mushrooms. 

3.  Build muscle. This is a BIG deal!  Fat only burns 9 calories per pound and muscle burns a whopping 38 calories per pound.  Lift those weights, practice yoga, do your squats, ladies and gentlemen. 

4. Eat sea veggies, nuts and wild seafood.  These give you a blend of iodine and minerals like selenium to nourish your thyroid. You need a heathy thyroid to have a healthy metabolism. 

So how does my healthy eating plan fit in when we're talking metabolism?

It's all about balance.  In my book Food Becomes You you can find simple recipes that give you a blend of all the foods you need to get your metabolism into just the right level. It might take some time, you won't see rapid weight loss, but rapid weight loss in the past is exactly why you might have been having trouble losing weight now.  

Seasonally, it also makes sense to do a concentrated Cleanse. At Wellness and you, we schedule a Cleanse in the Spring and Autumn and another just after the Holidays. It consists of approximately one week of focus eating of foods compatible with the season and is combined with specific self-care practices for mind, body and spirit. You can learn more by visiting the programs page.