Visualize Yourself Thin: 3 Essential Steps for Amazing Results

                                       BAMVP - Be A More Vibrant Person in 2012

V is for visualization.  Close your eyes and visualize a beautiful memory, proud moment, memorable vacation.  Make it real by noticing the colors sights, sound, and smells around you.  Visualization encourages the release of feel good endorphins.  Puts a smile on your lips.  Now open your eyes and have a great day!
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  Visualize Yourself Thin:  3 Essential Steps for Amazing Results

"If I Can See It, Then I Can Be It" - I Believe I Can Fly lyrics by R. Kelly

Do you visualize?  Daydreams, memories and inner talk are all types of visualization.  Imagine a goal that you want to attain.  Then program your vision to reach it.

The Carrot and the Stick

Your goal is to lose weight.  Specifically 20 pounds; or wear a size 8 again; or have enegy to play with your kids.  That's the carrot, your reward.  If you want to be successful in your endeavor you will have to acknowledge the reasons why you are pursuing this goal.

What was the incident, the last straw - "the stick" that set your plan in motion?  Was it a long look in the mirror, a hurtful remark directed at you or a medical issue that would disappear if you lose the weight?  Write it down and leave nothing out.  No one has to see this except you.  This is the motivation you will use again and again at those times when you are tempted to give in to cravings.

Picture Perfect Visual Aids

Find pictures of you at your ideal weight.  Place them everywhere.  On the refrigerator, bathroom mirror, iPhone, ipad, computer screensaver.  You could also use pictures of someone you believe ideal or even hang that size 8 outfit in full view.

This is not only about how you want to look.  It is also about how you want to feel.  Link positive affirmations to your visuals.  Think, "I can do this", "I look awesome" or whatever works for you.
Send love even to those parts you want to slim down!

Wait For It...

You knew this was coming.  Food and exercise.  What is your action plan to help make this weight loss happen?  Link lots of pleasure to this planning phase.  Visualize yourself selecting, preparing and eating healthy meals.  Picture yourself savoring and enjoying the feel and texture of the food in your mouth.  Adopt an "I eat only the best for my body" attitude.

You will want to give up foods that keep the weight on.  But take baby steps so you don't feel deprived.  For example, one less soda a day will save approximately 100 calories.

Exercise must be fun for you to stick it out.  So  visualize moving your body to something you enjoy and watching the pounds melt.  Dancing, jogging, biking or walking.  An extra 2000 steps a day will help maintain your new weight.

Now Visualize Yourself Thin

Visualizing is a powerful tool.  According to Emil Coue (who coined the phrase, "every day in every way I am getting better and better") "your thoughts become reality - you are what you think."  You will be using all that you have learned to so far to create an image using your sense of sight, touch, sound, smell and taste.

Set aside 5 minutes two to three times a day.  You can visualize while walking, exercising on the treadmill, sitting alone, in the morning or in the evening before falling asleep.  Visualize yourself already at your ideal weight.  Use your senses to bring the image alive.  Give it detail.  Are you wearing that size 8 dress looking proud and confident?  Strolling along the beach in your bikini turning heads?  Playing tag games with the kids with energy to spare?

Feel the air around you, the ground beneath you, the colors, sights and sounds you are experiencing. Visualize stepping into that picture and try it on for size.  Fall in love with your body again.  You are *BAMVP.  Bold, Awesome, Motivated, Vibrant and Powerful.


*See 11/2/10 post, "BAMVP Be A More Vibrant Person:  How to Fit Relaxation Into Your Busy Day"

Get to The Bottom of Addictive Behavior and Move On With Your Life

                                                    



 BAM VP - Be A More Vibrant Person in 2012!

M is for meditation.  Allow time for quiet introspection and problem solving.  Ease into it by daydreaming.  Gaze out a window and focus on your breathing.  While enjoying nature you are doing a form of meditation.  Your thoughts are in the moment.  Yesterday's worries and tomorrow's challenges do not exist.
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Get to the Bottom of Addictive Behavior and Move On With Your Life

"While we may not be able to control all that happens to us, we can control what happens inside us." -Benjamin Franklin

*Jennifer had a life most women would envy.  A beautiful home, well-behaved children and a husband who was a good provider.  She also had a self-indulgence that she kept secret.  It started with a glass of wine in the evening to relax after everyone had gone to bed.  She told herself that one or two can't hurt so she added one, then two during the day.  Eventually, the fear that she might be becoming an alcoholic began to alarm her.

Is Three Too Much?

Women who drink at home alone are more likely than others to later have drinking problems according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a component of the National Institutes of Health.  Depression is closely linked to heavy drinking.  Among women who drink 13 percent have more than seven drinks per week.  A report from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans indicates this to be above the recommended limits for women based on the lower level of water in a woman's body to dilute alcohols effect.

Getting to the Bottom

Jennifer questioned why she was in such a self-destructive mode.  Meditation helped her probe deeply into her problem...take an honest look at what she was doing to herself and ultimately her family. 
Until recently she was the soccer mom.  Her identity wrapped around her children, their activities, their wants and needs.  However, as they grew older and more independent, they neither needed - nor wanted so much of her attention. 

She felt she no longer had an important role in life.  So who was she?  What was she supposed to do now?  Discontented with staying at home but afraid to venture into the job market made her feel more depressed.  She finally resolved to start doing things for herself that would boost her self-esteem.

The **BAMVP stress reduction techniques and "time for me" getaways allowed her to reflect on who she was and what she wanted out of life.  She joined a fun exercise activity - belly dancing; registered with a temp work agency to brush up on her job skills and ease back into the workforce.  Best of all Jennifer renewed a past passion when she enrolled in a series of art workshops.

Stress Plays a Role in Addictive Behavior

One of the reasons people drink, overeat, chain smoke, gamble compulsively, etc., is to help cope with stress.  For people like Jennifer, getting to the bottom, uncovering the core issue, is all that is needed to begin to move on.  Others may have to hit rock bottom, what I call the "Popeye fed up mode" of "That's all I can stand and I can't stands no more!"  That's when they move to action and seek help.
Counseling, outreach groups like AA, Gamblers Anonymous, over eaters programs, and faith help them to move on with life.

When you deal with what is causing the stress in your life, the addictive behavior becomes manageable.  And for some like Jennifer, no longer necessary.

*From the book, "When You Need a Timeout."

**Breath, Affirmations, Meditation, Visualization, Progressive Relaxation.  See 11/2/10 blog post "BAMVP Be A More Vibrant Person: How to Fit Relaxation Into Your Busy Day."

5 Strategies That Help You Stop Smoking for Good

                                BAM VP - Be A More Vibrant Person in 2012
A is for Affirmations.  Positive thoughts about yourself to yourself will lift your spirits and strengthen your resolve.  Take a look at the tasks ahead of you this day.  State your intention to succeed in all your challenges.  Make your affirmations fit your lifestyle.  Make a daily commitment to BAM VP every day and rediscover your joy of living.  Seize the day!
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                 5 Strategies That Help You Stop Smoking for Good

"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goal, adjust the action steps." - Confucius

You resolved to stop smoking in 2012.  Here it is week two and you haven't had a cigarette.  Congratulations!  It's no secret that stopping is one of the most challenging things you will ever do.  According to the National Institutes of Health an estimated 85 percent of smokers have tried to quit or would like to quit.  So when you find your resolve wavering, don't give in.  Just recheck your strategy.


Understand Why You Smoke

There are many reasons why people smoke.  Some say it is relaxing, or creates a sense of comfort from anxiety or boredom, helps gain acceptance with peers, or they love the rush euphoria smoking provides.  So why do you want to stop?  Write down all the reasons you don't like smoking.  Then add this to your stop smoking list, "Because I know that one day this habit will betray me and destroy my health."

Replace the Smoking Habit with a Healthy Habit

When you stop smoking you take away a familiar routine you have lived with for some time. You leave a void that cigarette smoking will quickly reclaim if you don't find a replacement.

Take the initiative and identify healthy alternatives that work for you.  For example, the person who gets a rush from smoking can get that euphoric feeling from exercising, jogging, brisk walks or playing sports.   The bored person needs activities that stimulate the mind such as puzzles, games of strategy, Sudoku, educational pursuits or creative interests.  The healthy alternative for the person who smokes to relax is obvious.  The *BAM VP relaxation techniques are the most effective way to relax muscle tension and produce feelings of serenity and calm.

Change Your Routine and Cigarette Associations

To quit successfully you have to change the connections you associate with smoking.  For example, if you associate the first breath of the morning with a cigarette, or you enjoy a cigarette with your coffee, what will you do to change?  One suggestion is to drink a full glass of water first thing in the morning.  Take your coffee on the patio instead of the kitchen.  Small changes break your routine.  It is up to you to have choices available to create these new connections.

Reward Yourself Often Throughout Your Stop Smoking Campaign
Link some pleasure and excitement to your campaign to stop smoking by rewarding yourself every time your reach a milestone.  Think of a treat you really want - and get it.  New shoes, jewelry, a new putter, movie, CD, book, spa treatment.  The best part is you will be using the money you saved not buying cigarettes!

Don't Let Other People's Smoke Bother You
If seeing other people smoke is your trigger then this advice may seem contradictory.  But in order to quit for good you have to face your fear of temptation.   At some point deliberately expose yourself to other people's smoke. You know by now that cigarette smoke smells a lot better than it tastes going down your lungs.  Use your stop smoking list to arm yourself with strong convictions and affirmations.  Recognize that this is a test that you are determined to ace.  By actively courting each temptation and winning you be adding new strategies that strengthen your resolve to quit.  You will become more confident with each victory and prepared for the next test of your will.

Mercifully after the ten days or so the urge to smoke will come less frequently.  But it will pounce out of the blue when you least expect it.  And when it does you will be a formidable foe with all the strategies and coping skills you need to handle and defeat these last remnants of the urge to smoke.
These are the strategies that worked for me and I have not had a cigarette nor desire for over 20 years!

If you need additional help quitting there are on-line stop smoking programs, like QuitNet and The American Lung Associations that provide free help for people trying to kick the habit.

*BAM VP - Breath work, Affirmations, Meditation, Visualization, Progressive Relaxation. See 11/2/10 blog, "Be A More Vibrant Person: How To Fit Relaxation Into Your Busy Day"

End Your Weight Loss Struggles

BAMVP - Be A More Vibrant Person In 2012!

B is for Breath. Periodically during the day put the to-do list on hold. Take a moment to relax and recharge by focusing on your breathing. Slow, deep breaths from the diaphragm relax the muscles and flood the body with renewed energy. Make a daily commitment to BAMVP in 2012 and rediscover your joy of living!
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End Your Weight Loss Struggles

"A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other". --Author Unknown

Is your resolution to lose weight in 2012? The same weight you lost in 2011 and 2010? Why can't you make that weight loss stick?

*Dawn had the same question. For three years she resolved to lose 10 to 15 pounds to jump start her weight loss program. No diet was off limits. Low fat. Low carb. High protein. Even all liquid, all cereal, all cabbage soup. And each year she lost those 10 to 15 pounds. Unfortunately, when she started eating normally the weight came back. With an extra pound or two for added measure. Help!


Eating to Relieve Stress

Dawn slowly realized that dieting was not a permanent solution. And until she understood her compulsive need to eat it would always be a temporary fix. Dawn is a single parent with sole responsibility for raising her two children. Juggling parenting, household, commuting, a job she hated and a boss insensitive to her unique needs left her exhausted and frustrated by the end of the day. The stress was making her fat because food, and plenty of it, kept her company during the long, lonely nights after the children were put to bed.

Finally fed up, literally and figuratively, Dawn turned to BAMVP techniques to help her relax and eventually get control of over eating. She found that writing down the troubles of her day gave her peace of mind. And she spared no punches in her private journal letting her real feelings out! Using words she dared not say out loud, especially to her boss was freeing. Dawn found less need for food when asserting herself this way.

Permanent weight loss is no longer a struggle for Dawn. The need that drove her to compulsively eat has been replaced.

*From the book, "When You Need a Timeout".

Note: BAMVP Be a More Vibrant Person - see 11/2/10 post.