ENVISION YOUR VISION FOR YOU

It's so important to have a clear idea of what we want, where we want to go, who will accompany us to help us along the way.  This is true in little things and big.  In order to follow the Weight Watchers program, I need to plan my meals and snacks.  I need to organize a list for the store with dinner plans in mind so that I know what to buy.  I need to stay focused when I go to the store, so that I only buy the items on my list and not get marketed into the pricey and pointy endcap displays for smores.  By sticking to my plan, I can stick to my points budget and my dollar budget.  Win/win!

But why?  Why all this focus and energy on planning and staying disciplined?  Because we want what we want.  Specifically for Weight Watchers members, we want weight loss and lifelong weight maintenance.  Because those gifts will bring improved health, vitality, energy, smaller clothing size, greater physical freedoms, improved self esteem, increased happiness and sense of accomplishment and fulfillment...

Thinking about our goals, planning for our goals, sharing our heart's desire for these goals is incredibly important in achieving these goals.  We can even go a step further.  We can create an image, a tangible template of these goals i.e. the vision board.  First, think about the things you'd like to be doing in the next 3-6 months.  Think about this from the smallest thing (a clean bathroom all the time) to the biggest (reaching a weight loss milestone, a fitness goal, sharing a vacation).  Find photos online or in magazines and catalogs that portray these goals for you.  If you have a picture of yourself in a favorite outfit that you'd like to get back into--take that photo to your vision board.  If you have an image of yourself running a 5-K (3.1 miles)--look at some NIKE Ads and JUST DO IT.  If you'd like to achieve greater happiness on a daily basis and practice mindfulness, then a photo of someone meditating (YOU) might be on this board.  

By having a tangible picture of our dreams can be a powerful part in achieving those dreams.  By setting a realistic time-line, like the next 3-6 months, can make this seem achievable.  By looking at this collage of images, photos and maybe even words makes this feel real.  NIKE'Ss vision board has photos of healthy people engaging in physical activities, looking happy and energetic with their tag line: JUST DO IT.  Every ad they place is a vision board for their customers.  

You are your best customer.  You are your brand.  You are the thoughts that you ponder and then the words that you say. This life is your one and only.  What is your image for yourself?  What does the best version of your life look like?  Start by thinking about it.  Start by gathering those images in one place.  Continue by looking at it on a daily basis.  This is part of the weight loss and wellness journey.  This is a part of your healthier more active and energetic and mindful life.  This is the best version of yourself.

At my Mind/Body YogaFit conference this weekend, I attended a two-day training on meditation among other things.  We ended this two-day conference by each person in the class stating one word to summarize their thoughts.  My thought was mindfulness.  I am going to keep this thought front and center.  I was tasked by the yoga trainer to practice meditation for 20 minutes twice a day for 21 days.  I am going to do it, because, after all, my word was mindfulness.  I am going to see what it does for me.  I am expecting great things.  Great things are part of my vision.  And yours.

MINDFULNESS: The Time is Now. The Place is Here.

We have heard it before in many forms:  Be here now.  Carpe diem.  Focus.  Pay attention.  Single task vs. multi-task.  This has never been more timely, dare I say, than right now because we are all attacked and stimulated by so much information coming at us all at once.  Belive it or not, too much information coming at once makes people agitated and unhappy.  Yes, mindfulness is the opposite of being unhappy.  Being in the moment, single-focused and conscious promotes wellness, wellbeing and happiness.

Since this is true, then why are we always surrounded by so much stimuli and so much impatience? We have  technology to thank for that.  Yes, we need it.  Yes, it helps in immeasurable ways, but when it comes to the basic theme of having a happy day, technology has the potential to harm.

What does this have to do with weight loss and living a better, healthier life?  Well, in order to make good choices about the day, the food, the dinner to be enjoyed later tonight, we have to make time to simply plan, concentrate, sit down and focus.  Most of our daily 200 eating choices are mindless, and if we are practicing mindfulness, i.e. single tasking and being in the moment, we are much less likely to make poor choices that we regret later.  No regrets is a source of happiness.

As a yoga instructor, I teach the body/mind connection in my classes.  In fact, this week I am attending a two-day yoga teaching training on meditation.  Coincidentally, meditation is what we practiced in our Weight Watchers meetings last week.  We sat quietly and noticed the breath moving through the body.  By focusing on the breath, the life force, something so simple and something that is available to us all the time, we bring the body and mind together.  Focusing on the breath coming in and out through the nose makes it even better.  Once the body relaxes, the mind can relax too. This is a life skill that can actually help us enjoy small moments when they occur and help us lose weight too.  By focusing on the little things, the daily joys of life, we give more meaning to our lives.  We become more aware of what's happening around us, the kind words that are said, the nice weather that is outside, the sound of the birds on a walk.  Vacation is always great, but we live at home and go to work and care for families.  We need to practice finding joy and happiness in our regular life so that we can make the most of the here and now.

I find it fascinating that by slowing down, we become more productive, not less.  By taking a break from the impatience and "McQuick" world we live in, we become more focused and happier.  By intentionally and consciously and mindfully choosing what we want for ourselves, we are so much more likely to get it--and to be happy doing it.

Last week we talked about how important it is to find moments of happiness in daily life and notice them for what they are.  I was very bothered because my house needed the "super clean."  I did it.  I took the time, and every time I walk by the dust-free coffee table and the clean corners and shiny surfaces, I am very happy--and contented.  I took the time.  I feel calmer and less irritated by the "to do" list that was annoying me.  Simple, daily, doable.

If life is going by too quickly, it is time to slow the pace.  It is time to unplug from the technology and enjoy moments as they come.  Time is the meaning we attach to it.  It is is going by too quickly--I love this great chocolate cake that I wish it would last longer.  Or, is it going by too slowly--how much longer until the doctor comes in with these test results?  How would you like to be spending your time?  Today?  This next hour?  This evening?  This week?  Are you choosing the healthy habits that will lead to the healthy lifestyle you are looking to create?  Are you choosing to make time for exercise and a break from the hectic pace?   You are in charge of your time, what meaning you attach to it.  Attach a message of self care, of self importance, of intention.  This will make healthier choices feel easier.  It will make the Weight Watchers program feel like a lifestyle instead of a chore.  It will make you feel much more content.

Take a moment.  Take a breath.  Take your time.

HAPPINESS WORKS AND HELPS WEIGHT LOSS TOO

There is a direct link between happiness and working towards desired life goals.  People who are happier, choose to look at the brighter side.  They are the people who actually have more energy, enthusiasm and support in reaching their life goals.

With this in mind, we are focusing on the importance of seeking a happy point of view so that we have the energy to work the Weight Watchers program.  Some people say happiness is a choice. Some say it is perspective.  Some say happiness is impossible to achieve because there is too much gloom and doom in this world.  What we are saying is that if we choose to look for the happy moments in our lives, stop and notice them, appreciate them and feel good about them, we can feel better--dare I say, happier.  Happier people want more for themselves, expect more of themselves too. Happier people find ways to make the program work.

Life moves so quickly in the technology age.   Our expectations and impatience moves at the same rate.  This doesn't work well with creating a longer, healthier, happier life.  It takes moments, one at a time, day after day, to build the healthier lifestyle we desire.   If we can stop and take stock in the good things we have: time with family and friends, walking around the lake, biking outside, going to outdoor concerts, sitting on the porch drinking coffee on a slow summer day, sleeping in, buying a new summery dress, gardening and growing, then we can gather the positive energy we need to make the program go.  We can then stop looking to food to fill in the unhappy moments.

Sometimes I talk about the bliss list, which is the list of things you can do to make yourself happy. There has to be something on that list, if not several things, every day.  It doesn't have to cost a lot of money, but it does have to happen, to be acknowledged and appreciated.  It will make your day go so much more smoothly.  I dare say, it will make you happy.

THE BEST OF SUMMER: GET ACTIVE AND MAKE IT HAPPEN

The next three months in Minnesota, June, July and August are the best three months of the whole year, in my mind.  I try to pack in as much fun, joy, biking, sunning, walking at the lake by my house, as I possibly can.  I want to make the most of it, because I enjoy this time of year so much.  I am happier when it isn't so cold, when the flowers are in bloom, when it is easier to cope with life.

 

Because the weather is so much better, and it is easier to get out and about, we are focusing this week on being active and making it fun.  As kids, running around the neighborhood all day was fun.  Riding bikes, climbing hills, chasing neighbors were activities that kept us busy, occupied and active.  As adults, many of us have lost that sense of "play" and fun.  As adults, we associate eating and drinking with fun.  Given all the sedentary time spent at the desk with technology, this makes no sense.  Our bodies are meant to move.  We feel better when we are in motion.  One of my members has been on a recliner for 6 weeks after foot surgery, she can attest to how good it feels to just move.   

Let's make it happen now.  Let's create a list of "SUMMER FUN" --the activities that you want to have happen by Labor Day.  This list might include vacation, staycation, trips up north to the cabin, kayaking, biking, paddle boarding, canoeing, weekend road trips, farmers' markets, state fair, gardening, family reunion... and what else?  Once you realize how many things you might want to have happen in the next three months, you might notice it will be a busy three months, trying to get it all in.  

This leads us back to the importance planning plays in our success.  If you want these things, you've got to plan your schedules and follow through on the plan.   At which point, the reward will be great. Your life will be richer for having created just what you wanted.  Mission accomplished!

What turns a "wish list" into an "action plan" is prioritizing the list and then making it happen.  We don't have to wait until a magic moment when life is perfect to wear a bathing suit or ride a bike or try kayaking.  We can take chances right now.  I call this "showing up for your life."  It's our responsibility to make the most of ourselves.  By making the most of each day, we create a much more enjoyable journey of self improvement, health and wellness.  

Get out and enjoy this precious life.  It's yours.  Make the most of it.