The missing factor behind optimum health and wellbeing

My article in Lilyfit magazine

Nýju skref að nýju lífi 21 Apríl kl. 17.30-19.00

Nýju skref að nýju lífi

Flestir eyða meiri tíma í að læra á símann sinn en á eigin heila. sem undirmeðvitundin stýrir 90-95% af daglegri hegðun, tilfinningum og hugsunum er mikilvægt að skilja hvernig vinna megi með þann hluta heilans til að ná varanlegum árangri í að bæta og breyta lífsstíl sínum.

Níu skref að nýju lífi er fyrirlestur þar sem þú lærir að forrita undirmeðvitundina upp á nýtt til að gera það eins auðvelt að viðhalda góðum venjum og það var áður að viðhalda þeim slæmu. Einnig munt þú læra hvernig tengja megi jákvæðar tilfinningar við breytingaferlið. Með 9 einföldum skrefum getur þú lært að njóta þess að borða hollan mat og hreyfa þig.

Komdu 21. apríl næstkomandi í Heilsuhornið í Blómavali og lærðu einfalda leið að bættum lífsstíl og hvernig gera má leiðina að markmiðunum auðvelda og skemmtilega.

 

Vilt þú verða einkaþjálfari með alþjóðlegt prófskírteini?

ISSA er einn af stærstu einkaþjálfunarskólum Bandaríkjanna sem veitir þér réttindi til að vinna sem einkaþjálfari úti um allan heim. Einnig er ISSA námið metið til eininga í nokkrum háskólum Bandaríkjanna.

Með ISSA:
· Getur þú menntað þig á þínum hraða
· Tekið prófið á netinu þegar þú ert tilbúin/n
· Fengið stuðning meðan á náminu stendur
· Fengið stuðning eftir að náminu lýkur

Undanfarin 10 ár hef ég kennt við ISSA einkaþjálfunarskólann í Dubai sem rekinn er af Ahmed Abbas. Ég er flutt til Íslands og vil bjóða þeim sem hafa áhuga á tækifæri til að öðlast einkaþjálfunarréttindi á ótrúlega hagstæðu verði.

Með því að skrá þig hjá mér í einkaþjálfunarnám ISSA færðu 2 tíma fría í tækjasal þar sem ég fer yfir undirstöðuatriði þjálfunar í sal og hvernig aðlaga megi þjálfunina þeim sem eru að koma úr sjúkraþjálfun eða eru með gömul meiðsl.

Einnig mun ég bjóða upp á aðstoð við að útbúa þjálfunarprógrömm sem vega þungt á lokaprófinu.

Skráðu þig núna og fáðu 13.150 kr. (100$) í afslátt.
Verð með afslætti: 65.630 kr. (499$)
Verð án afsláttar: 78.780 kr. (599$)
(Tilboð gildir til 15. mars 2015. Sendingarkostnadur er ekki innifalinn)

Þeir sem mæla með ISSA einkaþjálfunarnáminu við vini og vandamenn fá 5.000 kr. fyrir hvern þann sem skráir sig hjá mér í námið. Á þann hátt vil ég þakka þeim fyrir aðstoðina sem styðja mig í að koma ISSA á markað hér á Íslandi.

Helga Marín Bergsteinsdóttir
Inspirational speaker and Health and Wellness coach

 
Director of Health, Mind & Body
Website: http://www.healthmindbody.net
Email: helga@healthmindbody.net
Tel Dubai: +971 505518482
Tel Iceland: +354 8458174

New years resolutions and how to make them last 15/01/12

 New Year Resolutions and how to make them last

Written by Helga Marin  www.healthmindbody.net

It all starts with a thought. That is the only way it can start.  All creation and change in human beings starts with a simple thought. But thinking is not enough surely actions must follow.

Popular new year resolutions are to become healthier, fitter or thinner. Most of us are able to take the first action step.  Entering the New Year, we are filled with the hope of a healthier and more prosperous life, and greater achievements.  As we start exercising every day, eating tons of greens and vegetables, we feel great about our new start.

Somewhere along the way, it becomes too difficult to maintain. That is where it all goes wrong.  Something unexpected happens, like marital or career problems, and all the effort goes down the drain. We convince ourselves that veering off the new path we’ve taken is only temporary. We will soon be on track again.  Most of the year goes by before we realize that we never got back on track.  But again, another new year is on the horizon, so we can try again.  New resolutions are made, only to be forgotten again, and the cycle keeps repeating itself seemingly forever.

Interestingly, the time on the right track gets shorter and shorter every year, until the time is almost unnoticeable.  So here we are again, in early 2012, facing a new year thinking that this time everything will be different.  But to be realistic, what is the difference between now and last year?  Do you have more knowledge, motivation, time?  Have you hired a trainer, nutritionist, or life coach?  Have you made sure that this time you will not only take the first step, but continue, until you reach your goal?  Have you formulated a bulletproof plan that will not fail?

In reality, most of us don’t have a plan. We just assume that by thinking about it, it will all happen without any noticeable effort on our part.  Even though we know our thoughts are powerful, it is not always enough.  Thinking about our goal is one thing, and it is in fact the first step to creation as mentioned earlier, but our actions need to follow.  As our thoughts shifts away from our desired goals to the stress we are experiencing, lack of time, or the temporary gratification we think we are missing (often in the form of different unhealthy foods), our experiences become exactly that, and we can no longer achieve the life we dream of with all its good fortune and prosperity.

So how do we achieve a long lasting change?  How do we in fact achieve any goals?

Thinking about your goal is a good start, but not enough.  The thought has to be specific and detailed, and then an action plan must be made.  And even though you might not know every single step to your goal, you must know how to get started.  Some of our goals may seem too big to achieve.  Maybe you want to lose fifty, sixty, or seventy kilos and you just don’t see that as a possible target.  By starting with one kilo, and then two, and so forth, you are focusing on what is possible.  That keeps you on the right track.  It is only overwhelming when we focus on the whole fifty kilos that we want lose, instead of breaking it down into accomplishable smaller steps that added together equal fifty kilos.

By using CANEI (constant and never ending improvement) every day, you will eventually achieve your goal.  If you ask yourself daily, “What can I do to improve my lifestyle just a little bit?,” you will slowly reach your goal.

Focusing on the long term goals rather than short term goals is only one of many mistakes people do when attempting to change their lifestyle. Another mistake people do is that they focus more on what they don’t want instead of what they do want.

When I first started working with weight loss I used to give people 2 lists. One list had all the foods my clients should avoid eating and the other list included all the foods they should include in their diet. I soon found out that instead of following my plan my clients were suddenly eating more of the unhealthy stuff than they used to. At first I thought the reason was that the forbidden food became more exciting because it was forbidden which was true to certain extend but later I found out that it was also my clients focus that created the craving. By looking at the forbidden list every day created thoughts around that food and automatically increased the cravings. If you have experienced going on a diet where you think more about the food you want to avoid than the food you want to eat you have most probably experienced this…….that your cravings for unhealthy food increased.

I therefore came up with an effective strategy that I believe is the key to creating new and better habits long term. Firstly I suggest that you focus only on food that you know is healthy for you, if something unhealthy comes into mind, shift your thoughts towards a healthier substitute. Secondly work on adding healthy foods to your diet instead of excluding unhealthy foods. Think about it, what is easier, adding or excluding food from your diet? Adding is easier because you don’t feel deprived. By adding bit by bit healthy food you slowly push out the unhealthy stuff without noticing it. I suggest that you decide that all foods are allowed and that you always have a choice what you eat. Make each choice consciously and think about what feels good to eat for your body and for your mind. Following this simple strategy not only facilities changing your lifestyle but also helps you to create changes long term without too much effort. .

Lastly I suggest that you ask yourself every day what you have achieved that is going to bring you closer to your goal. Focusing on achievements instead of failures motivates you to stay on the right track. I also suggest that you find a way to reward yourself every week for achieved goals and that you celebrate your success with something other than food.

Remember that changing your lifestyle is all about creating new habits. By systematically improving your habits, one at a time, you can dramatically improve your overall lifestyle. Develop the habit of changing your habits!

Láttu nýársheitin endast… 10/01/12

Láttu nýársheitin endast.                                                                 Höfundur Helga Marin

Ég hélt á stjörnuljósi, rétti höndina upp til himna og lofaði sjálfri mér að með nýju ári myndi líf mitt breytast, ég ætlaði að létta mig um 10 kg, ég ætlaði að vera duglegri í ræktinni og ég ætlaði að svo sannarlega að taka mig á mataræðinu. Nú ætla ég og það er ekkert sem stendur í vegi fyrir því að áætlun mín takist.

Nýársheitin byrja alltaf svona, á hugsun og það er eina leiðin sem við getum byrjað. En hugsunin nægir ekki til, framkvæmd verður að fylgja. Fyrir suma er það nóg að hugsa um markmið komandi árs, fyrir aðra virkar það betur að skrifa þau niður. Mörg okkar taka fyrsta skrefið, sérstaklega eftir áramótin. Við byrjum árið full vonar og eftirvæntingar um að þetta ár verði betra en það síðasta og að í þetta skiptið fari allt að áætlun.

Við byrjum í ræktinni, mataræðið er tekið fyrir og okkur líður æðislega en einhvers staðar á leiðinni verður þetta allt saman of erfitt að viðhalda. Stundum eru það aðstæður sem breytast, erfiðleikar koma upp eða þá að við sjáum ekki árangur erfiðis. Við tökum hlé yfir helgi sem síðan færist að næstu helgi og áður en við vitum af er komið að næstu áramótum. Ný áramótaheit eru sett og við hefjumst handa rétt eins og áður full eftirvæntingar og vonar. Hjá flestum styttist sá tími stöðugt sem við höldum okkur við efnið og á réttri braut þar til að sá tími verður að engu og við hættum að reyna.

Svo hér erum við komin, árið 2012 rétt gengið í garð og ný áramótaheit hafa verið sett. Ennþá eru það margir sem eru vongóðir að í þetta sinn gangi allt af óskum. En svona til að horfa fram á við með raunsæisaugum, hefur þá eitthvað breyst frá því í fyrra eða frá því árinu þar áður? Ertu búin/n að ráða þjálfara, næringarráðgjafa eða búin að skrá þig á námskeið? Hvers konar stuðning hefur þú núna sem sem þú hafðir ekki í fyrra? Hvernig veistu fyrir víst að þú komir ekki til með að gefast upp? Hversu viss ertu um að þú eigir eftir að halda áætlunina út árið? Ertu með nýja áætlun sem getur ekki brugðist? Ertu með nýja hugmynd sem þú trúir og treystir á?

Sorglegt en satt flest okkar eru ekki með áætlun sem er neitt öðruvísi en sú sem við studdumst við árinu áður. Sum okkar hugsa ekki einu sinni svo langt að setja upp áætlun. Við höldum að það sé nóg að taka ákvörðun og þá gangi allt að óskum. Við hödum að ákveðni okkar og drifkraftur á þessari stundu verði okkur til framdráttar. En hugsanir okkar og tilfinningar breytast og geta breyst frá degi til dags. Einn daginn ertu í stuði til að vinna að markmiðum þínum, hinn daginn ertu það ekki. Við gleymum að reikna með erfiðleikum, neikvæðum tilfinningum, löngun í óhollnustu og öðru því sem getur fleygt okkur af réttri braut á svipstundu. Við gleymum því að mannleg hegðun stýrist af því að við sækjum í ánægju og reynum að forðast sársauka og á meðan að reynsla okkar af nýju lífsmynstri er meira tengd sársauka en ánægju er engin mannleg leið að halda nýja mynstrinu til streitu.
Hvað er þá til ráða? Hvernig getum við náð markmiðum okkar og árangri til frambúðar? Hvernig förum við að því að taka skrefið alla leið?

Hér fyrir neðan eru nokkur ráð sem þú getur nýtt þér til að taka skrefið til fulls. Þetta eru fyrstu 3 ráðin sem ég kenni af 16 sem ég kenni á námskeiðinu ‘Nýársheitin og hvernig á að standa við þau’.
1. Að skrifa niður nýársheitin er fyrsta skrefið en að sjálfsögðu ekki nóg. Þau markmið sem þú setur þér á árinu verða að vera nákvæm og hnitmiðuð. Ef þú vilt breyta lífsstílnum er ekki nóg að ákveða að borða hollann mat og hreyfa sig. Hverju nákvæmlega ætlar þú að breyta og hvernig ætlar þú að gera það? Það er ekki nauðsynlegt eins og margir halda að ákveða fyrirfram hvert einasta skref að settu marki heldur er það nóg að þú ákveðir markmið vikunnar eina viku í senn. Á meðan að þú færist fram á við í viku hverri getur þú verið viss um að ná settu marki á einhverjum tímapunkti.

2. Einblíndu á markmið vikunnar og jafnvel á markmið dagsins í stað þess að hugsa um lokamarkmiðið. Ef þú ætlar þér að léttast um 30 kg hugsaðu um 1 kg í einu eða jafnvel bara hálft. Einnig mæli ég frekar með að þú einblínir á hegðunar markmið frekar en útkomu markmið sem þýðir að það þú einblínir frekar á að breyta ákveðnu hegðunarmynstri í viku hverri í stað þess að einblína á að missa ákveðinn kílóa fjölda. Þú gætir til dæmis sett þér það sem markmið að fara í ræktina 3 sinnum þá vikuna, borða 2 skammta af grænmeti á hverjum degi og drekka 2 litra af vatni. Ef þú nærð þessum markmiðum og heldur þeim svo við hefur þú tekið skrefið í átt að bættum og betri venjum. Næstu viku getur þú svo sett þér ný hegðunarmarkmið sem þú einnig heldur við í áframhaldinu. Það getur hjálpað þeim sem eru með vikt- maniu (þ.e.a.s þeir sem stíga á vikt á hverjum degi og láta svo útkomuna ráða skapgerð dagsins) að henda viktinni út og einblína frekar á hvernig líðan breytist og hvernig lífstíllinn hefur breyst..

3. Einblíndu á þann mat sem þú veist að kemur til með að hjálpa þér að ná settu marki í stað þess að einblína á þann forboðna. Þegar ég byrjaði feril minn í Ræktinni Seltjarnarnesi fyrir 15 árum síðan man ég að ég gaf þeim viðskiptavinum sem komu á fitubrennslunámskeið hjá mér 2 matarlista, einn innihélt allan þann mat sem ég vildi að þeir forðuðust og hinn listinn bar þann mat sem ég mælti með. Síðan bað ég fólk um að hengja báða listana á ískápinn. Það sem gerðist var að í stað þess að neyslan minnkaði á þeim mat sem ég bað fólk um að forðast jókst hún. Ég lærði það síðar að það sem við einblínum á langar okkur í og með því að hafa bannlistann fyrir augunum í hvert sinn sem ískápurinn var opnaður jókst að sjálfsögðu löngunin. Því ráðlegg ég að setja engan mat á bannlista heldur einblína og hugsa um það sem þú ætlar að bæta við mataræðið frekar en það sem þú ætlar að taka út.

Mundu að breyta um lífsstíl fjallar um að breyta og bæta rótgrónum venjum. Það tekur tíma og þolinmæði þar sem þú þarft að forrita heilann upp á nýtt. Með því að taka eitt skref í einu, einblína á skammtíma markmið og tenjga jákvæðar tilfinningar nýjum lífsstil eykur þú líkurnar margfalt á því að á næsta ári getir þú sett þér NÝ markmið í stað þeirra sem þú hefur nú unnið að í fjölda ár án þess að sjá árangur erfiðis

Höfundur Helga Marin
Inspirational speaker
Health and Wellness coach

http://www.healthmindbody.net

helga@healthmindbody.net

Engin aukakíló um þessi jól. 12 ráð að léttara lífi yfir jólin….. 25/12/2011

Engin aukakíló um þessi jól. 12 ráð að léttara lífi yfir jólin…..

Grein eftir Helgu Marín

Það voru tveir dagar til jóla og jólakjóllinn hékk nýpressaður framan a svefnherbergisfataskápnum.  Ég hafði keypt hann árinu áður rétt fyrir jólin eftir að hafa létt mig um 5kg á 2 vikum. Kjóllinn sem var úr fínu gráu flaueli var eins og málaður utan á mig. Um þau jól notaði ég kjólinn aðeins einu sinni, því um leið og ég réðst í jólamatinn eftir megrunina miklu sprakk kjóllinn utan af mér.  Í þetta skiptið var ég ákveðin í að standast allar þær freistingar sem jólunum fylgja og halda í burtu kílóunum sem ég var nýbúin að missa.

Það var komið að aðfangadagskveldi og eins og hefð var á klæddi ég mig í jólakjólinn áður en haldið var í kirkju. Kjóllinn passaði fullkomlega og þá stundina fannst mér þjáningin sem fylgdi megruninni vel þess virði.

Kvöldmaturinn byrjaði á skjaldbökusúpu með heimabökuðu brauði. Siðan tók við gæs og önd í appelsínusósu með öllu því meðlæti sem því fylgir. Eftirmaturinn var rjómarönd í karmellusósu. Það var eins og kú hefði verið sleppt á beit eftir margra mánaða svelt, ég borðaði ekki bara yfir mig, ég borðaði meira en allir fjölskyldumeðlimirnir samanlagt. Kjóllinn þrengdist með hverjum munnbita og þegar kom að því að opna pakkana var ég komin í náttfötin.  Kjóllinn var hengdur upp á herðatré og þar hékk hann þar sem eftir var ársins. Ég gerði tilraun til að komast í hann um áramótin en það gekk ekki þetta árið frekar en það fyrra.
Jólin voru bara eitt a mörgum tilefnum sem ég notaði sem afsökun til ad misbjóða likama mínum á þenna hátt. Ég endurtók sama leik fyrir önnur tilefni eins og afmæli, brúðkaup, ferðir til útlanda og fleira. Það sem kom mér til að snúa við blaðinu var einfaldlega það að skyndikúrarnir hættu hreinlega að virka. Ég lærði það síðar að líkami okkar man þá ýmsu megrunarkúra sem við prófum í genum tíðina og lærir að verjast þeim. Því oftar sem við leiðumst inn í sama megrunar munstrið því hraðar aðlagast líkaminn þvi. Það kemur svo að því að líkaminn hættir að léttast þar sem hann er nú  kominn í varnarstöðu og neitar að sleppa takinu af þeirri fitu sem við viljum losna við.
Ef tþú ert þreytt á megrunarkúrum sem virka aldrei til langframa þá gætu leiðbeiningarnar sem hér fylgja komið að góðum notum yfir hátíðarnar.
1. Lærðu að njóta matarins sem þú borðar og borðaðu hægt. Með því að beina athyglinni að hverjum munnbita og taka eftir því hvernig maturinn bragðast getur þú minnkað það sem þú borðar um meira en helming. Þegar þú tekur eftir og upplifir bragð af þeim mat sem þú borðar mettar þú bragðtaugarnar á undan maganum. Prófaðu þessa aðferð á uppáhalds súkkulaðinu þínu. Taktu lítinn bita, lokaðu auganum og leyfðu súkkulaðinu ad bráðna upp í þér eins lengi og þú getur og upplifðu bragðið. Ef þú leyfir þér að njóta hvers munnbita færðu nóg eftir einn til tvo bita.

2.  Að njóta matarins sem þú borðar styrkir ónæmiskerfið á meðan að það fer ekki út í óhóflega neyslu. Viðamikil rannsókn kannaði viðbrögð ónæmiskerfisins á hópi einstaklinga sem borðuðu sneið af súkkulaði köku. Helmingur hópsins upplifði mikla sektarkennd á meðan að þeir borðuðu kökuna og hinn helmingurinn upplifði alsælu. Rannsóknin sýndi að þeir sem upplifðu sektarkenndina bældu ónæmiskerfið tímabundið á meðan að hinir sem upplifðu ánægjuna komu af stað hamingju hormónum sem stryktu ónæmiskerfið.  Þetta sýnir að það er betra að njóta syndanna á meðan að á þeim standa í stað þess að fyllast sektarkennd.

3. Mundu að þú ert einstaklingur sem hefur val um það hvað og hversu mikið þú borðar. Hættu að kenna aðstæðum og öðru fólki um hvað þú borðar. Berðu ábyrgð á eigin hugsun og hegðun og mundu að það ert þú sem setur matinn upp í þig, enginn annar.

4. Taktu inn omega 3 olíu, 2msk a morgnana og áður en þú ferð í veislur. Þú getur líka borðað trefjar áður en þú ferð í veislur eins og Chia seeds, wheat bran og hörfræ. Bæði olían og trefjarnar jafna blóðsykurinn, minnka sykurlöngunina, metta þig og minnka þar af leiðandi matarlyst.
5. Ekki svelta þig allan daginn áður en þú ferð í jólaboð. Borðaðu reglulega 4-5 máltiðir á dag. Ef þú ert mjög svöng/ svangur missir þú gjarnan stjórnina.

6. Búðu þér til möntru sem þú endurtekur oft á dag. Til daemis gæti mantran hljóðað eitthvað á þessa leið „‘Eg elska að borða hollann mat og eg hef fulla stjórn a því hvað og hversu mikið ég borða”.  Það sem þú endurtekur aftur og aftur ferðu smá saman að trúa. Rótrgrónar sannfæringar lita bæði hegðun þína og hugsun án þess að þú sért meðvituð/meðvitaður um það.

7. Sjáðu sjálfa/n þig fyrir þér í þínu besta formi áður en þú sest að matarborðinu. Það beinir athyglinni að því hvernig þú vilt líta út og minnkar löngunina í óhollnustu. Þú getur líka hugsað um það hvernig þér kemur til með að líða eftir á ef þú borðar hóflega í samanburði við óhóflega.

8. Beindu athyglinni að þeim mat sem þú veist að er hollur fyrir þig. Í stað þess að hugsa um þann mat sem þú hefur ákveðið að forðast, hugsaðu um þá  hollnustu sem þú vilt borða. Það sem þú beinir athyglinni að langar þig í. Ef þú finnur til löngunar í smáköku beindu þá athyglinni að öðrum hollari mat sem þér finnst góður. Þú gætir til dæmis hugsað um ávexti, ber eða möndlur í stað smákökunnar.
9. Borðaðu einungis á matmálstímum og  ekkert þar á milli. Ef þú borðar 5 máltíðir á dag borðaðu þá bara á þeim tímum sem þú ákveður fyrirfram.  Ef þig langar í smáköku  bíddu þá með að borða hana þar til kemur að næstu máltíð.  Ef þú borðar sætindi með eða á eftir mat hefur sykurinn ekki eins mikil áhrif á insúlín framleiðslu líkamans. Of framleiðsla af inslúlini er ein aðal orsök offitu og sjúkdóma i dag.

Einnig getur það að bíða með að borða sætindi þar til að næstu máltið kemur verið góð aðferð til að sleppa sætindunum alveg þar sem að löngunin hverfur gjarnan á stuttum tíma. Löngunin gæti þá verið horfin þegar að máltíðinni kemur.

10. Notaðu Zig Zag aðferðina. Zig Zag gengur út að auka og minnka inntöku á mat eftir ákveðnu munstri. Til dæmis gætir þú borðað meira í 1-2 daga og minnkað svo matarskammtinn í 2-3 daga á eftir. Með því að auka og minnka kaloríu neyslu á víxl nær líkaminn ekki að safna á sig fitu forða.
11. Finndu jfnvaegi a milli thess ad borda hollt og óhollt. Borðaðu á milli jólaboða salöt, grænmetisdjúsa, súpur og aðra hollnustu. Mundu að það mikilvægasta er að þú njótir matarins og borðir meðvitað.

12. Að lokum mundu eftir tilgangi jólanna. Hvað getur þú gert fyrir sjálfa/n þig og aðra til að gera þennan tíma eins hátiðlegan og eftirminnilegan og möguleiki er á.

 

 

 

INSPIRATIONAL TIP OF THE WEEK “Eat More, Weigh Less” June 21 2011

Two days ago a woman came to see me for a consultation as she wanted my help to lose weight. When I asked her what was standing in her way of doing so, she told me that she suffered from a low metabolic rate and no matter how much she restricted her diet, the weight just wouldn’t move.

She had visited doctors, health care practitioners, nutritionists and anyone who promised help with weight loss. She had also done all the tests related to her metabolism. Her hormones were in balance, her thyroid was functioning as it should and she did not have any disease or disorder affecting her metabolism. I asked her about her diet and quickly estimated her kcal intake.

I found that she was eating around 1000 kcal a day. She explained that this was her normal routine but sometimes she would be tempted to eat a little bit more. Her story is probably the most common one I hear from people who come to see me for weight loss. Crashing down your metabolic rate is not only the most common reason for weight gain but also the most difficult one to deal with.

Working with weight loss for more than 15 years, I have searched for solutions in order to help people in correcting their metabolic rate.

Today I know that it is not only possible but it can be fairly easy if done properly. It is important to understand how your body works and how it is constantly adapting to its environment. What is interesting to note is that your body has this amazing capacity to adapt to almost any diet, at least short term. When you eat toxic food your body works hard to eliminating but it also adapts to the toxic environment compromising vital functions that keep the body healthy and working at its peak.Your body has also the ability to adapt to a lower intake of kcal so the metabolic rate slows down as you eat less. Finally, your body has the capacity to adapt to any extreme diet that works on eliminating food groups; for example the Atkins diet. It could work one time or even 2-4 times but after that it stops working.

The key to successful weight loss is not so much about lowering your kcal intake, even though that might be necessary at times, and it is not so much about eliminating completely food groups from your diet. It is about teaching your body to burn as many kcal as it possibly can. When your metabolic rate is working effectively, eating unhealthily now and then will not cause you to gain weight. This is why, instead of cutting down your kcal or eliminating food groups from your diet, you should be thinking about how you can raise up your metabolic rate.

Here are few tips on how to raise your metabolic rate:

1. Eat according to your gene type. Understanding that we are all different and that one diet doesn’t fit all is one way to raise your metabolic rate. Some people do better on high carb diet, some do better on a high protein diet and some do better on a high fat diet. Finding out what suits you could be the key to a successful weight loss. It is important to note that even if you do better on a high-fat rather than high-carb diet it doesn’t mean you should cut out carbs completely from your diet but rather you should focus on reducing the amount of carbs. The same goes for all the different types. We all need carbohydrates, protein and fat but the ratio between the 3 can vary between individuals.

2. Eat frequently or 5-6 small meals a day. Eating frequently is probably one of the most effective ways to speed up the metabolic rate no matter what kind of genes you have. I usually use the metaphor of a fire place. Put wood on the fire regularly and you keep the fire up. Put too much wood on the fire and you kill it. Leave too long time in between and the fire goes down automatically. Your metabolism is the same, when you feed your body with a small amount of food regularly and you keep up the metabolic rate you lose weight, and when you eat too much you start storing fat instead of using the fuel you take in and you gain weight.

3. Avoid trans fats and high fructose corn syrup. Trans fats or hydrogenated fats are fats that can not be used as fuel for the body and so whenever you eat trans fats it gets stored directly in your fat tissue. Besides contributing to weight gain, trans fats are one of the biggest risk factors behind heart and cardiovascular diseases. High fructose corn syrup, which is the cheapest and the most common sugar in processed food, is one big contributing factor to weight gain. Some evidence suggests that fructose may cause weight gain and fat storage in humans, because it’s metabolized into fat in the liver, rather than being absorbed and processed into glucose the way that table sugar or other carbohydrates are. This kind of sugar also suppresses your ability to feel full which can lead to excessive consumption of food.

4. Your mood and how you feel has a lot to do with your body’s metabolism and its ability to burn fat. As your body is constantly reacting to your feelings by releasing different chemicals you can easily both raise and slow down your metabolic rate and your body’s ability to mobilize fat as an energy source, with your feelings.

There are 18 more ways to boost up your metabolic rate and so if you want to learn more you can. Next Saturday, the 25th of June I will be conducting a seminar on 22 ways to boost up your metabolic rate and increase your body’s ability to burn fat. The workshop I call Eat more, Weigh less. If you are interested you can sign up by emailing me back or call 050 5518482. I have attached all info via attachment.

Yours in Health and fitness Helga Marin

Inspirational tip of the week Nr. 12 “5 rules that could simplify your life” from Health, Mind and Body

I am back in Dubai and so I should be once again writing my inspirational tips.

Here comes my number 12 after a long break.

Last night, I went out with a few girlfriends on a ladies night. We always start at the Westin, but then we usually move to the Habtoor after a couple of hours. I had an interesting experience that encouraged me to write this inspirational tip. As a single woman I go out a lot and of course in the process I always meet new people. I’m generally curious about people, so I am happy to engage in conversations with complete strangers.

Last night I met a guy who I really enjoyed talking to, so as we were leaving Westin I invited him and his friend to join us to Habtoor. Upon our arrival it was absolutely crowded with people. I jumped quickly to the bathroom as my girlfriends along with the two guys waited for me outside. When I came back, I saw them quarreling about something. I was surprised and asked what was wrong. My friends were furious and explained to me that those two men were both married, and they had no right leading me on as I was a single woman looking for someone to share my life with.

While I could understand my friend’s point of view, I could not understand their anger. I explained to my friends that I never asked them if they were married so they couldn’t really blame them for not telling me. This however didn’t seem to calm them down as they continued to point out to me that men ‘like that’ are all the same and are only after one thing and that one thing was to cheat on their wife. Seeing my friends so upset and angry got me thinking that they are probably not the only women who think this way and perhaps it is me who is the exception to the rule with my way of thinking. Perhaps what has changed me is that I have certain rules in my life that I live by. Those rules have freed me from many negative emotions like anger, frustration, resentment, fear, stress, anxiety, etc that I used to feel those almost daily before. Even though I know I can never free myself completely from those negative emotions I know that I am feeling them less and less.

As I believe, we could all benefit from having less negative emotions, and more positive and constructive ones I thought I should share the few rules that this situation brought to my mind. The implementation of these rules in my life allowed me to perceive the situation from a completely different perspective to that of my friends and thereby freed me from feeling the negative emotions of anger and upset.

My first rule is become curious instead of judging people. I believe that judging others defines you not them, and it definitely says more about you than them. How? It is simple, we judge others because their way of behaving or talking is not in line with our own values, beliefs, and so when somebody behaves in a way that is unacceptable according to our own rules, we judge them. There is another important point that I should mention. Not only do we judge people based on our own beliefs and values, we also judge them based on our ASSUMPTIONS which are NOT THE TRUTH! It gets only more complicated, we will assume things based on our past experience, and too often, we fill in the blanks with absolute no closeness to reality. This is why I believe, we view things as we are rather than as they are.

Here, curiosity instead of judging simply states that it would be healthier looking at our differences as human beings, not as something bad, but rather as something more positive and interesting. Become curious about why people behave and think the way they do. Take the time and interest to understand their values and beliefs, see things from their point of view and perspective. Ask questions instead of judging. With this new found attitude, your experience of other people will be a much more positive one and most importantly, your own feelings will change.

“The only difference between a flower and a weed is a judgment” Think about it…

My second rule is that what you bring out to the world, is what you have within you and what you store inside is only your choice. I like how Wayne dyer describes this with a metaphor of an orange. He says: “If you cut an orange in half and you squeeze it, what comes out?” Orange juice right? He continues: “We will never get apple juice, grapefruit juice or any other juice…no matter how much we squeeze the orange”. “What comes out of the orange is what is inside; it is as simple as that”. What it means is this: “If you have anger, resentment, fear and anxiety stored inside of you; when you are squeezed or pressurized, you will express those feelings”. There are people who always react with anger, some who are always afraid, and others who always feel resentments. Isn’t that true? Yes, we have the capacity to create all those emotions, but we also have a choice, and it is only that, that determines which emotions, we allow ourselves to experience most frequently.

A few weeks ago, I had anxiety bottled up inside of me, because of my perception of a situation I was in. I noticed that I reacted to situations very differently than I was used to. I was more upset from people, I felt more disappointed and generally, I was ruder than I usually am. My behavior and feelings changed, because I already had negative feelings stored inside of me. I’m sure some of you have experienced having a rough day at work, coming home and yelling at your spouse for something that you would normally not get upset over. My point is that when you decide to fill your inside with positive constructive feelings, it is that positivity that comes out even when faced with challenging situation or what you might perceive as the rudest of people. Remember – how you react to people defines you as a person and nobody else. My third rule is to always think about what you would like the outcome of a situation to be before reacting to it. A good example of this happened to me a few years ago – my girlfriends had rented a limousine for a special night out together. All the girls were waiting for me in the limousine at my friend’s house and I was running late and needed to get there as soon as possible. I jumped into a taxi and asked the driver if he knew the directions to the place where I was going, he assured me he knew them very well.

To cut a long story short, it turned out that the driver didn’t actually know the directions to my friends house and wanted to drop me off at a nearby shopping mall so that I could jump into another taxi. Momentarily I got very upset, I was late and I was thinking about my friends waiting for me but then I stopped myself from reacting and thought about what I wanted the outcome of this scenario to be. I wanted to get to my friend’s place as soon as possible and if I took another taxi, it would cost me lots of trouble and time. So I thought about the outcome I wanted and how to achieve it. I put my hand on the driver’s shoulder, smiled and with a calm voice I told him gently that I really needed to be dropped off at the right place and together we could find it. With the help of my friend, the cooperation of the taxi driver and the outcome in mind, we got there pretty fast. The end result: I got to where I needed to go and enjoyed a fabulous night out with my friends!

So, was the taxi driver wrong? In my perception he was but that isn’t relevant as it is not my job to teach him right from wrong. My point is that sometimes it is much more powerful to look for the outcome of a situation rather than just reacting to it. To do this, puts you in power of the circumstances and accordingly allows you to control the outcome. I have practiced this strategy many times and I am now pretty skilled at achieving the outcome I desire.

My fourth rule is let go of expectations. A year ago, when I became single again, I had a clear idea of what I wanted in a man. When I went out on dates I had certain expectations. Every single date was a huge disappointment, and then I started to expect the dates to be boring. Every time it was… a self fulfilling prophecy. So one day I decided to let go of my expectations, and just enjoy what each man had to offer. Following this new attitude, my dates transformed, and I really started to enjoy them. It doesn’t mean that I let go of my idea of what I want in a man. It simply means that I am now open to experience whatever any man has to offer without the expectation. What can come out of it is a great friendship or perhaps, one day something more…

My fifth rule and perhaps the most important one is that what you give out you get back. It simply states that you should treat other people the way you want to be treated. When you judge people expect to be judged back, when you are rude to people expect the same back, when you are kind to people you mostly get kindness back and when you are honest, people are usually honest back.

You might have experienced being cheated on treated bad in one way or another despite your effort of being kind. This should in no way change you or the way you behave because if you are like the orange you know that what comes out is what you have stored inside despite your circumstances.

In conclusion, these are the four rules that helped me perceive the two men very differently than my friends did. I didn’t judge them, why should married men be deprived of going out and meeting new people? I didn’t have any expectations, and I thought of the outcome before reacting when I heard they were married. I enjoyed a very nice evening, met good people; married and not married  and went home happy. Isn’t that what going out is all about? Is it worth going out if you are going to go home feeling upset and angry? It is a question that you my reader can answer for yourself…

Inspirational tip of the week Nr.11 “Live an inspired life”

As I sit down and think what to write about as an Inspirational tip of the week; the word inspiration comes to my mind. There couldn’t be a better subject to write about than inspiration or how to live an inspired life.

Contemplating on the word inspiration brings into my mind Wayne Dyer’s thoughts about it.  In his audio “The secret to inspiration” he talks about how we are not human beings having spiritual experiences, but in fact spirits having human experiences. This is originated from the idea that we come into this life as spirits, and leave in the same way.

Since learning to live an inspired life has probably been one of the most important lessons in my life then, why not share it with those of you who are perhaps at the moment facing different kinds of life challenges, and are therefore having difficulties tuning into your higher self where true guidance to an inspired life lies.

Even though living an inspired life might seem as a simple thing to do, yet we can see how most people struggle with it, and some don’t even know what it is all about. For those of you who do know it; you also know how difficult it can be to stay steadfast in a place of inspiration when faced with obstacles and the challenges of life. I myself have to admit that when I face obstacles, disappointments and frustrations; I often lose my harmony and therefore my own inspiration.

At those low moments, I usually take action towards getting re-inspired by meditating and listening to inspirational audios which always get me back on track of feeling inspired.  Some of you might find talking to friends, visiting beautiful nature spots, and or pursuing your artistic talents more effective way. The goal is to evoke feelings of peace and harmony so whatever accomplishes that, is the right thing to do. 

An important part of living an inspired life is to believe that obstacles, frustrations and disappointments come into your live for a reason. They are all learning experiences in disguise, and therefore are an important part of your journey towards your goals and desires. I do believe that everything happens for a reason, and that even good or bad people come into my life for a good reason.  Therefore, I suggest that you openly embrace and accept both obstacles, and difficulties along with those people whom you might not approve of as part of your journey.

So what does it mean to live in an inspired life?

In short, I could say that living an inspired life means putting a complete trust in your instincts, knowing that you are part of something much bigger and more significant. The oneness theory describes how we are all part of the same source, and therefore we are all connected like branches on a tree or like cells in a body. Believing that you are a part of the whole creates a different meaning to your life, and puts it into a different perspective. Your instincts are the language through which you can communicate with God, or whichever source you wish to call that power that lies behind all creation. Trusting your instincts is trusting God.  Your instincts are your compass that guide you, and always has your best interest at heart.  In this world, your role is what you feel it should be. I believe that it is only when you decide to let your instincts guide you that you can truly live in harmony.

It can be difficult to let go of what the logical brains tells you to do, and just listen to your heart. Many times in my life I have fought my inner knowing or instincts as they sometimes don’t make any sense to me. Recently, I got the idea to write about single life in Dubai and my learning and observations from that experience. My writings started taking more and more of my time, which led me to neglect other important goals with regards to my business. In the last two months, socializing, having fun with my friends, meeting new people, and then writing about it has truly been my focus of attention. Despite the fact that I’ve been having so much fun, a voice in my head kept telling me that I was wasting my time, that I should focus on accomplishing more goals I have for my business, and stop fooling around like a teenager; yet the more I tried to pull myself together; the less I accomplished. One day, I made an appointment with a medium and had a reading. From the reading, I got confirmation that what I was doing was correct, and there was a deeper meaning than I could see to it all.  Even though some of you might find it stupid to believe in medium, but it was a turning point for me in learning to trust my own instincts. So I have continued going out, meeting people and having fun without feelings of guilt and regrets.   

Sometimes when we listen to our inner voice, it doesn’t make any sense, but what I am suggesting is listen anyway… and do what feels right; yet not necessarily what makes sense. 

Below are a few suggestions on how to live an inspired life. All of these rules I keep in mind and try to follow as much as possible. But as a human being it is important to know that making mistakes is part of the journey, and therefore only a simple reminder of who you really want to become as a person. Sometimes we need to experience what we don’t want to see; what we really want or as Wayne Dyer so profoundly describes it, without ugliness we wouldn’t be able to experience beauty, and without war we couldn’t experience peace, and without hate we wouldn’t be able to experience love.

Here are my tips on how to live an inspired life:

1. At all times, tune into your heart and listen to your instincts when you face challenges or difficulties in your life. What feels right? What does that inner voice tell you to do? Sometimes before going to bed or when I meditate, I simply ask and then wait for the answer to come to me.  Sometimes it comes immediately and sometimes it takes a few days or even longer. Learning to ask the right questions is an important step towards living an inspired life.
2. Take time for yourself every day to meditate or pray. Whatever creates complete peace in your heart is what you need to achieve here.
3. Let go of judging other people and yourself. When you judge another human being you are not defining them, you are defining yourself.
4. Go into a new relationship or a friendship without any expectation. Observe and learn, and if the person does not make you feel good or at peace, let go of that friendship or relationship. The biggest mistake we do is trying to change people around us to fit our own needs.
5. Forgive and forget, carrying feelings of anger and hate will only affect you.
6. Always look for the best in every person you meet.  Whether they have a bad or good reputation, meet them with the mindset that you will only look for the best qualities and traits that person has to offer.
7. Learn to focus on what you want instead of what you don’t want, as what you think about becomes your reality
8. What you give out, you get back, so remember to give out to other people what you wish to get back from them. When you meet the needs of other people, your own needs will naturally be met. 
9. Act instead of reacting to people and situations. Go out of your way to be kind and just. When a person is mean or angry to you, respond with kindness. Go out of your way to make that person feel better knowing that their anger and injustice has nothing to do with you but rather it is their response to their own life challenges.

10.  Live in the presence. Too often we forget ourselves regretting the past or worrying about the future instead of focusing on here and now. Those feelings of guilt and worries do not only affect our perception of the present but can even affect the future in a negative manner. Learn to live for the moment, looking for the best that every moment of your life has to offer, and have faith that the future will enfold exactly the way you want it to. 

Written by

Helga Marin

Health and Wellness coach/ Inspirational speaker

http://www.healthmindbody.net

Inspirational tip of the week Nr.10 from Health Mind and Body “Eat what you love and lose weight”

Today I had an experience with a client that I would like to share with you. Perhaps this will be an eye opener for you too…

During the many years I have worked with weight loss; I have come to realize that many of my clients who consistently abuse their bodies by eating large amounts of what can be classed as unhealthy/junk food don’t to do this because they prefer the taste of unhealthy/junk food to that of healthy food, neither are they ignorant to the negative physical nor mental consequences of indulging in such foods.  So why do they do it and continue to do it?  Because society has taught us to associate positive feelings towards unhealthy/junk food so people believe the immediate ‘high’ they get from eating unhealthy/junk food can help fill the empty void they often feel inside and perhaps numbness, and put their emotions into perspective.  Well at least it does for today .. for this time .. for this hour.  Not only have my clients taught me this, but I myself have a history of using food in this way.

Many of the unhealthy/ junk foods people turn to contain a lot of sugar.  Sugar is highly addictive, and is recognized as a drug that you can become dependent on. The more you have; the more you want.   One of my aims is to teach my clients how to enjoy their food, and how in moderation, sugar can be incorporated as part of a healthy diet.

Today, I decided to carry out an exercise with my client to show her how she could really satisfy her taste buds and really enjoy her food before reaching the point of experiencing the uncomfortable feeling of over filling her stomach.

So much to the surprise of my client; I marched her off to the closest pastry shop and demanded she choose whatever she really fancied from the vast array of pastries and cakes on display.   She chose a large chocolate chip muffin.  I must admit by this point my client was looking at me as if I was completely crazy.  What on earth was I doing making her choose a huge calorie laden muffin when I was supposed to be teaching her about healthy eating? 

Surely we should be discussing the virtues of salad.  Or, had I found a magical way of making the calories in pastries and cakes disappear?! 

We sat down together with the muffin, and I told her to trust me and what I was about to ask her to do.  I asked her to break off small pieces of  muffin, and pop them into her mouth one at a time and then close her eyes, and concentrate on the taste, let the muffin melt on her tongue slowly, and allow it to fill her senses, but most importantly to really enjoy the experience.  I requested she did this until she felt she had eaten enough of the muffin, and felt satisfied.  To make her feel at ease; I decided to join her in the muffin ceremony, and together we sat in muffin eating ecstasy or at least that was where I was!  We took the time to let each bite melt in our mouth, and I kept verbally bringing her focus towards the enjoyment of the taste.

After about eating only four small pieces of the muffin; my client got really upset and began to cry.  She said she couldn’t eat anymore.  She told me she felt physically sick, and that when she was concentrating on eating the muffin, it made her realize that she wasn’t even enjoying the taste or experience of it, and was actually just going through the motions of chewing, and swallowing the food for the sake of it.  We talked about why she felt so upset and she told me that in all her years of trying to lose weight nothing had ever had such a powerful impact on her than the exercise we had just carried out.   It was like a punch in the face, a real wake-up call.  It was the first time my client had ever become conscious of what total lack of enjoyment, satisfaction and fulfillment the food was actually delivering. The muffin exercise had actually helped her recognize how she had become so emotionally dependent on food in the past to comfort her; filled an empty hole, how perpetual this habit had become, and how she felt it necessary each time to consume even larger quantities of  food to experience these good feelings.  Now, she had discovered however in actual fact, no matter how much she ate; the food was not providing her with any of the long term emotional rewards or security she thought or hoped it would, but instead it was claiming her freedom and stopping her living her life to the fullest. She felt a huge amount of sadness and loss for the great amount of time she had spent participating in this futile act; where her only achievement was continual frustration and disappointment.  She felt anger for these wasted hours which could have been spent participating in something more personally fulfilling and rewarding.

How many of you have felt like this? How many of you have eaten without really enjoying it? How many of you have eaten without really thinking about it? How many of you have let your habits control what you eat?  

For those of you who identify with any of these feelings; I recommend you also try the exercise I have spoken about in this article, it will really help you change your relationship with food and how you think about it.  Learn to satisfy your taste buds rather than over fill your stomach.

This is how you do the exercise:

Step 1:                 Choose your favorite food item

Step 2:                 Take a small bite, close your eyes and focus on the taste

Step 3:                 Keep the food in your mouth as long as possible, preferably 30 seconds

Step 4:                  Continue to take small bites and stop only when you feel satisfied 

When you do this exercise correctly; it creates an intense ‘over loading’ of your taste buds and you are then really able to focus on the taste of the food.  This creates a feeling of satisfaction very quickly, and therefore your desire for the amount of this particular food will be much less.    

Please feel free to email regarding this article or with any other questions you may have.  All comments and feedback are greatly appreciated.

Yours in health and fitness

Helga Marin

Helga@healthmindbody.net

www.Healthmindbody.net