Healthy Choices

Shed that Excess Winter Fluff!

Spring is FINALLY here! Time to spring into a healthy weight as we enjoy these warmer days. Shedding our comfy coats, scarves and sweaters, we discover layers of excess winter fluff hiding beneath. It is time to take action, to choose again, to move, to spring into wellness, and establish good health practices to achieve our healthy weight.

Unlike the bears who put on weight in the summer so they can hibernate and SLEEP through the winter, we humans tend to put on weight over the winter. We EAT our way through winter hibernation from holiday sweets, stress, boredom, or just because we can.

Currently in the US, 75% of adults and 35% of children are overweight, with 35% of us also pre-diabetic. Since there is a direct correlation between excess weight and illness, we need pay attention to these statistics. We need to understand how we are contributing to our own illness by our habits, patterns, and choices. We must strive to make a change, to take control, and formulate a plan for our own health. Now is the time to bring on the energy, focus on what we want for our health, and take action to achieve our goals for weight and health.

We have developed lots of excuses, habits, and patterns over the winter that need to be adjusted. Here are some things we can do to start the process of healthy change:

5 Steps to Your Healthy Weight:

1) Evaluate your self-sabotaging weight patterns. Understand what you have done to put the weight on, and strive to change it.

2) Make a commitment to yourself to achieve your goal this time. Put the details in writing, read it to yourself regularly, and make time in your busy day to take action toward your goal.

3) Set achievable action steps that you take toward your weight goal daily. For instance:

  • Eat more veggies and lean meats.
  • Drink 8-10 glasses of water each day.
  • Avoid toxic foods: sugar, alcohol, excess caffeine, dairy, and gluten.
  • Eat earlier in the day so that your burn off the calories before bedtime.
  • Move your body every day as if you were playing at recess.

4) Visualize your ultimate size and shape frequently, with energy, emotion, and passion. Imagine what it will be like when you have achieved the healthy weight you desire.

5) Celebrate your weekly successes—with something other than FOOD!

It takes a combination of desire, commitment, and determined effort to achieve your weight goals. It also takes time, so be patient with yourself. You may wish to surround yourself with a team of professionals to assist you on your journey. A Clinical Hypnotist will help you to clear the habits of the past, keep you focused on your goals, eliminate those cravings, and help you to clearly visualize and embrace a healthy new life; a Registered Dietitian will discover unhealthy patterns or food sensitivities, and help with healthy dietary plans; an Ayurvedic Professional will assess your unique body type, and encourage corresponding food choices for optimal health; a Naturopathic Doctor will uncover food sensitivities, along with nutritional or hormonal imbalances, and assist you with natural methods, supplements, and homeopathic remedies; an Endocrinologist will be able to prescribe specific medication to offset nutritional or hormonal imbalances; a Personal Trainer will nudge you to move your body to the best of your ability; and a Yoga Therapist will guide you to strengthen your body based on your unique structure. Look to my website for a list of accomplished health professionals that are highly recommended.

As you take determined action to become trimmer and stronger, you WILL shed the excess weight. Set your goals, work toward them every day, and feel good about creating a healthy new life this summer.

Many Blessings,

Lois Hermann