The Role of Personal Development in Wellness

According to Dr. Bill Hettler, founder of the National Wellness Institute, being healthy and physically fit is only ONE dimension of wellness. There are five other sides of wellness to consider: Emotional, Social, Intellectual and Spiritual. I agree I think we often focus on the physical side without giving enough consideration to the other sides of wellness.

I believe personal development (aka personal growth, self-help, self-improvement, etc.) gets us on the other side of illness and disease to prevention and cure. When we focus on our spiritual health, our emotional well-being, pursue our passions, learn about things that help us be healthier and happier, identify and share our gifts, and contribute to the greater good in addition to nourishing our body and becoming active, that is when we become most alive and step into the realm of true wellness. Anything less is temporary at best because it does not take us to a place where our mind, body, and spirit align.To me, wellness is the destination and personal development is the vehicle that takes me there.

What personal development do I do? I read and study every day.  I learn. I share. I learn about nutrition. I learn about matters of the mind and spirit. I pray, meditate, visualize. I do a personal development 360 so that it surrounds me in strength and empowerment to live my best life.

Dr. Michael Arloski, founder of Real Balance Global Wellness Services, has an excellent report called, Living The Ten Tenets of Wellness. In it he says, "Self-esteem is the critical factor in change." Self-esteem is developed through personal development. It is through personal development that we learn to make the necessary changes and find the support to maintain our motivation.

Dr. John Maxwell, leadership expert, says that people will change when they learn enough that they want to. Personal development helps you learn enough to want to because through personal development you learn that you have a choice, that there are options for leading a healthier and happier life. That is what personal development has done for me. It has led me to a higher level of awareness for wellness of my mind, body and spirit.

Dr. James Rouse sums it up perfectly in his interview with Darren Hardy, publisher of Success Magazine (my favorite magazine), when he says that you need to connect your inner goal with your outer goal. Personal development helps you establish your inner goal. When you spend time looking inside, you see what inspires and motivates you to want to achieve your outer goals. It is the inner goals that helps us achieve the outer goals.

To me the role of personal development in wellness is vital and is as important as eating clean and exercising. What about YOU? Where is personal development on your daily routine?


Kathy

Do You Have Faith?

It shall be done to you according to your faith.

Matthew 9:29

 

This is your time for Increase. You may have been sick for a long time, but this is your time to get well. You may be bound by addictions and bad habits, but this is the time to be set free. You may be struggling financially, but this is the time for promotion. The key is to believe.
 

Joel Osteen (Devotional Book: Your Best Life Begins Each Morning by Joel Osteen)

 

I love the word faith. The word faith means complete trust. I do believe that with faith we can overcome any obstacle that comes before us in our lives. I believe that you have to believe that God wants us to live the life that He intended for us to live. I believe this is the year for you and I to be happy and to overcome our weight problems. We have struggled with our weight most of our lives, and it is time to believe that 2014 is the year of better health. It is the year of getting rid of the bitterness that we feel about ourselves, and to learn to put ourselves somewhere at the top of the list instead of the bottom. We have to stop being bound by this weight, and it is time to be free of this once and for all. I pray that we all take off our rose colored glasses and quit seeing the world through others eyes. We need to open our eyes and look at ourselves and believe with faith we can triumph over our body issues. Step back and look at this verse, and truly believe that according to your faith it shall be done. Now, I just gave you a blog sermon!
 

I believe in faith!

Julie

 

Mixing It Up - H2O Exercise

I'm mixing it up this week in an effort to move more and see if I can get those scales to budge at least 2 lbs. I'm doing a different exercise class at the Y this week, everything from Aqua Aerobics to Zumba! I have been doing the same 20-30 minute home exercise programs for over a year and I'm burned out on it. I still love home exercise DVDs like Taebo and T25, especially for the convenience, but I also enjoy going to the Y and walking outside, so that's what I plan to do this week. I think it will also be good to get out of the house and get some fresh air. I have been cooped up more than normal with this wacky weather we have been experiencing. I know it's winter and that is normal, but it also makes me want to go into hibernation mode and the best way I know of to get past the lethargy is to move. Energy begets energy, right?

The other thing I am going to make a concerted effort to do this week is up my water intake. I never realized all the symptoms being dehydrated can produce: everything from a headache, inability to concentrate, joint pain, cramping, dizziness, constipation, fatigue... the list goes on. Dehydration can become very serious and affects our entire body. I think we often dismiss dehydration as a cause when we get headaches, chapped lips, foggy thinking, dizzy or whiteout when we stand up, and when we feel tired for no apparent reason. Water is at the top of the list to control cravings too. I think if we counted water ounces consumed instead of calories, we would all be a lot better off. Actually, we don't have to count ounces of water consumed, there is a much easier way to gauge whether we are getting enough water and that is clear urine. If it's dark, drink more water!

I think water and exercise go together in that we often avoid it and then when we do it, we wonder why we stopped because it makes us feel so much better. Water and exercise goes together literally too. Very few things get rid of the winter blues as much as jumping in the pool. It feels so soothing and reminds me of summer. That's where I'm headed as soon as I publish this blog in a few minutes. I can't wait! That's how exercise should be, something you look forward to doing, not a chore.

So, I'm going with my gut this week, which is to increase my water intake and move more. What are YOU doing to mix things up this week? Comment below or on our Facebook page. I hope whatever you do, you have a healthy and happy week!

Kathy

Beating the Fast Food Trap

Driving down the bypass is a test of willpower. I've heard it referred to as the Mayonnaise Mile because of all the fast food restaurants. The temptation to eat junk food is almost always present, even though I know I will likely feel bloated, sick, and tired if I eat it. What gets me past cravings for french fries and Cinnabons is faith and fueling my body with enough water and healthy food that I can keep right on driving instead of impulsively going to the drive-thru. I rarely go out to eat anymore, but when I do, here are a few things I keep in mind:

1. Green Diet. I do not go on diets because I have been on enough diets to know that diets don't work. I have never seen a fad diet that is sustainable. Every "diet" I have ever been on has resulted in gaining back all the weight I lost plus more. The only "diet" I do is a Green D.I.E.T. where green stands for plant-based and sustainable and diet is an acronym that helps me remember my goal to strengthen my body, mind and spirit: D = Drink More Water, I = Include Whole Fruits and Vegetables, E = Exercise, T = Think - will it hurt or heal me.

2. Portion size. MGH has a portion size kit that we will be using at an upcoming Great Weight Off Meetup. Restaurants typically serve 2-3 times the recommended serving size. Health experts recommend putting half of our food in a to go bag "before" you eat your meal. Who does that? Most of the overweight people I know are conditioned to eat everything on our plate or in the bag. I have gotten better at throwing food away once I am full, but it took a long time to release that clean-your-plate mindset.

3. Crowd out. Rather than feeling “deprived” by saying no junk food ever, crowd it out by eating the healthy food first. This is easier to do when dining in a restaurant than when eating fast-food because the options are limited when it comes to fast-food, but it can be done if you really want to. Eat a salad or baked potato first and get a "super-size" cup of water and see if that fills you up. Chances are it will. Dr. Roger Gould, author of Shrink Yourself sums up "real" hunger versus a craving this way, "If anything (like carrots sticks or celery) will do, you are hungry. If you are hungry for a specific food (like pizza or ice cream), it is a craving." I ask myself if anything will do to gauge whether I am physically hungry or if I am being influenced by old eating behaviors brought on by emotional or spiritual hunger. If I am craving something salty or sweet, I remember what Dr. Douglas Graham, author of The 80-10-10 Diet says: "If you are craving sugar, your body needs fruit. If you are craving salt, your body needs the nutrients provided by leafy green vegetables." This crowding out method is what has helped me overcome food addiction and is helping me transform my life!

If I am away from home, I pack my own healthy food. If I forget to grab my food, I prefer to go to a local farmer's market or grocery store and get fresh fruit and veggies, like carrots, cauliflower, and hummus, cherry tomatoes, a banana, orange, grapes, or salad with salsa from the salad bar. My favorite "fast-foods" are veggie burgers, salads or baked potato with salsa, veggie stirfry, tofu bowl, and veggie pizza. Yes, I'm a vegetarian. It works for me. I wish I would have done it years ago! :)

Kathy

What Do I Eat?

 

210.0

Lost 1.8

 

Slowly but surely this weight is coming off. I hope to report more weight loss next week partially due to the YMCA classes that Kathy and I will be attending. This will be an adventure. I am so excited to meet the people at the YMCA and check out the great classes that they have, but right now this weather makes it really hard to make healthy food choices. I cannot wait until I can go out and enjoy the nice weather that will have this spring! I have tried to be productive while being stuck inside these last couple of weeks. I have tried new recipes, and I have enjoyed making healthier versions of food that I love to eat. I like to experiment with recipes, and I have posted some on my ideas on my blog. Being snowed in makes it hard to go out to eat, and this can be a plus, but at the same time I like going out to eat and discovering healthy choices. 

 

So many people say “What can I eat when I go out to a restaurant; there are just no healthy foods to eat.” You can give an excuse when people want you to go out eat. You can tell them that you are losing weight and cannot go out to eat because you will be tempted by unhealthy food. However, you can still go out to eat, and you can eat healthy. I love going out to eat with family and friends. I believe if you tell yourself you cannot have something, you will want it more than ever. Being healthy is a lifestyle. It is not about going on a crash diet. I start by making different food choices. Instead of french fries I order a baked potato. Instead of pop I drink water or unsweetened iced tea. I love ice cream, but instead of downing a milkshake or blizzard I like to order a small frozen yogurt cone.

 

When you get a salad, get the dressing on the side and before you put any of the salad on your fork, dip your fork in the cup of dressing to be able to taste the dressing in each bite without going overboard. When you get a sub sandwich don’t get the foot long just get the six inch sub. This automatically limits your portion size. I have been ordering a small salad and soup when I go out to eat. The other day I wanted a grilled cheese so bad, so I ordered ½ of a grilled cheese and a small cup of soup. I left the restaurant not feeling deprived but satisfied. Some restaurants even have menus that have calorie counts and sections that highlight healthier choices. These are just a few tips that I have found that work for me. I will never stop going out to eat. I just look at the menus a different way.

 

So next time, when you get the opportunity to go out to eat with family or friends please don’t turn it down, go and enjoy yourself, and check out the menus with a new mindset!

 

Julie

Super Bowl Challenge and Healthy Snacks

I'm watching the Super Bowl tomorrow, like millions of people, but unlike most, I watch the Super Bowl only for the commercials! As an entrepreneur, I am fascinated by marketing and the Super Bowl commercials are talked about in the marketing world for weeks afterward. In fact, I know a guy, Al Lautenslager, who gets paid to review and talk about Super Bowl commercials to marketing groups!

So, to make watching the game more interesting and to get my workout in, I'm going to do Sparkpeople's Super Bowl Challenge during the game. While I may have to ask what a 2-point conversion means in order to do the Macarena or modify the dips on fumbles, I'm sure I'll have fun and maybe get the family in on it too. I invite YOU to do the Super Bowl Challenge too!

Also, be sure to check out my Pinterest page for some healthy recipes to make for Super Bowl snacks.

Touchdown. We got this game!

Kathy

Too Many Breadsticks!

Do you eat your meals at the same time every day? I try to eat on time, but yesterday I did not and I ate way too much. When I got off work at 4:00 p.m. I had so many errands to run. I knew that I was going to be busy, and I packed myself a protein bar until I was able to eat supper. Well, I forgot to eat that protein bar and guess what, I was starving at supper time. After I got all finished with my errands it was 8:45, which was 8 hours since the last time I ate anything. We decided to stop at Fazolis and eat, and as I took the first bite I realized how starved I was. I could not control myself; I ate so many breadsticks. Eat on time, or plan to eat a little protein if you are not going to be able to eat. I cannot wait to eat until I feel hungry. Some individuals in the health industry state that you should only eat when you are hungry, but this does not work for me. If I wait to eat, I always overeat.

My grandpa always ate at the same time every day. My grandpa died at the ripe old age of 105. He ate from his garden and always in moderation. About the only snack that I ever saw him eat was popcorn. He never had a weight problem. I need to follow his example.

When I came home after gorging on breadsticks I felt so tired. I was so tired that I just layed down on the couch and feel asleep. I woke up at 12:15am, and I never posted my blog that day. I was so mad at myself for not thinking about the repercussions of overeating. I felt like I went back to my old habits. But, this morning I let that go and I started the day off right. I got up and exercised, and I have been eating healthier today as well. I am not looking back at my previous mistakes and getting discouraged anymore. I am looking forward, and this is a new day to keep on track. In today’s world, everything is always going at a fast pace. We should think about what and when we plan on eating in advance to help us not feel deprived and starved. We will be more likely to overeat if we do not plan ahead for the day.

Julie