Monday 7 December 2009

Special Offers and surviving Christmas

I thought I'd start with the Special Offers so you don't have to trawl down looking for them.
What a nice person I am.
Book now for January to Stop Smoking or Lose Weight. Pay half the usual deposit before Christmas and the balance at your appointment and get £10 Cashback.

So now a few tips of how to cope at Christmas....

For my past clients the answer is easy - use your Stress Relief CD as often as possible to keep those stress levels down! That way you won't do anything you shouldn't (you know what I mean) and blame it on stress!

New clients can get a copy of the CD by calling 0113 380 1758 and ordering a copy for just £10 including p&p pr e-mailing julie@breakthehabit.co.uk

Tips for Health over the Holidays

Eat before you go out so you don't eat too much at that Christmas Buffet!
Have a glass of water in between each glass of wine - avoid the hangover and the empty calories!
Eat breakfast to get your metabolism going
Go for a walk - walk fast then normal speed fast then normal - to use up some of the excess calories
Never miss a meal. If you're going out to eat don't skip another meal - you'll just be hungrier and eat more!
When you're eating at home have loads of salads, vegetables and protein to balance off the Christmas junk!
Avoid fizzy drinks that are just sugar (or even worse aspartame and chemical sweeteners) and sip water throughout the day.
Have a glass of water first thing to wake you up (add lemon juice for an extra zing!)
Eat slowly, savour the food, stop when you're full (it's waste if you eat what you don't need or want).
Make yourself feel good and be grateful you're having such a great Christmas. Give to charity.

The big question now is "Will I write more before Christmas?" Maybe!

Tuesday 10 November 2009

November already! Freedom!

So I seem to have missed October completely!

As I've said before, people who write blogs every day obviously have nothing else to do! But I am now going to be using my blog a lot more....because I'm ready to share with my readers lots of interesting information, tips, techniques and, most importantly THINGS THAT WORK!

Just about everyone I speak to could do with a bit more money. Some people feel they can't afford to come and see me because they put their health and well being too far down their list of priorities. Now I could help these people by cutting my prices or giving discounts but that wouldn't help me - and it wouldn't really help them! Why should I earn less money because you spent your on cigarettes or booze? Of course I do give discounts and special offers - but I like to do that for people with depression and stress or debilitating phobia. I would prefer to help everyone else by passing on the ways that I've learned to attract money.

So why would anyone want more money? We really want money so that we can buy things, and do things and have things that we wouldn't be able to buy, have and do if we didn't have that money! Money is just the tool. What money really brings us is freedom!

Here's an example. Let's take someone who want to stop smoking. (That may be you?!) The first question I ask them is WHY do you wan to stop smoking? Now most people will talk about their health, or their kids, or the horrible smell. Many will say because it's costing them a fortune! For example, if you're 50 and smoke 20 a day and stop today, by the time you retire you'll have £30,000 in the bank EXTRA. I don't even want you to think about the £50,000 or more you'd have right now if you hadn't started smoking in your teens!

If you want to stop smoking because of the money then you absolutely HAVE TO have something that you want to do with that money that is MORE IMPORTANT than smoking.

If you're not a smoker maybe you're thinking that this doesn't apply to you. But if you want to lose weight you'll save money (chocolate and take-ways and crisps and wine are the expensive stuff you can cut down or out).

If you're stressed or have a phobia it's not maybe about money - but about TIME. How much time are you wasting of your precious, one and only, life?

So, here's what I believe. We all want freedom. Freedom to work or not. Freedom to buy nice things. Freedom to give to others our time and money. Freedom to do what we want to do.

So I'd like to share with you what I've been spending my "spare" time doing this week.

I have been reading a great new book by a guy called Joe Vitale. It's called Attract Money Now and you can get it, absolutely free. This man so wants you to be wealthier - and free - that he's giving the book away. And I want that for you too! So go and download the book. Then read it. Then DO WHAT IT SAYS it's free at www.attractmoneynow.com

Tuesday 22 September 2009

Foods for your moods

What, two posts in one day! Well I thought I'd spoil you a bit! I wanted to talk about stress and depression. I often speak to people who stopped smoking on their own for weeks, months or even years and then started again because of stress (as if smoking would reduce stress!!). I often speak to people whose lives are so stressful they drink too much and eat badly(as though that's going to help!). Here's a few ideas about how you can use food to help you feel better and reduce stress (and depression).

Eat (or take as a supplement) omega-3 Fats: These fatty acids are essential to your brain but we don't tend to get enough from food. More omega 3 in the blood means more serotonin - which makes you feel happier! You need a regular intake of oily fish or flax seed if you're a vegetarian.

Get more Vitamin D - and that means get out more! Sunshine is the best way of getting vitamin D so get out there for as long as possible, as often as possible.

Get enough B Vitamins: Vitamins B6, B12 and folate also help to produce serotonin - yes, the "feel good" stuff.

Get more selenium - one brazil nut a day will give you your daily intake and low levels of selenium are associated with increased depression - so go nuts!

Eat your five a day - antioxidants in fruit and vegetables keep you healthy - and happy!

Make sure you're getting enough tryptophan because it helps produce... yes, you guessed it! serotonin. You get it from turkey, eggs and beef - or if you're vegetarian spinach, beans and dark leafy greens. (Interesting..when I spell checked this the checker wanted me to change tryptophan into trepidation - completely the opposite!)

Reduce your sugar intake and eat low GI carbohydrates - brown rice, brown bread. Sugar actually uses up your B vitamins and chromium stopping them from helping you feel good!

And as I add to all my "hints and tips" : Drink more water!

Look after yourself - and have a good day!

HRT and Lung disease

I felt I needed to share this information that's been in the press in the last few days - just incase you missed it.
Research has shown that women taking HRT are more likely to die of lung cancer than those not taking HRT. This doesn't mean that if you take HRT you are more likely to get lung disease - but if you do get it then you are more likely to die from it.
This of course has tremendous implications for menopausal women who smoke.
You have two choices. Stop HRT or Stop smoking. Actually, you have a 3rd choice - die young.
I already have concerns about HRT so if you can live without it then I'd recommend this anyway (did you know HRT was derived from the urine of mares? How did they get that?!) But of course, there is no doubt about the one thing you can do to save your life - stop smoking. How much more information do you need?
For October only I will give a £20 discount off my stop smoking session to all women between 45 and 55 - whether they take HRT or not. As Tesco would say "every little helps"!

Sunday 6 September 2009

more in the news

To add to my last blog here's a few other things that have been in the newspapers that some of us already knew!

I read an article the other day that said that sweeteners can make you fat. We've been saying it for years and now, it seems, the "traditionalists" have finally caught on. In simple terms insulin reacts to sugar in food. But it seems that the body really doesn't know the difference between sugar and a manufactured sweetener. So the sweeteners you use in your tea, or the aspartame and saccharine in so called "diet" drinks actually work to kick in the insulin and make your body crave more sugar! If you really want to be frightened into giving up your diet coke check out aspartame on google!

Stop drinking diet, fizzy drinks now and replace them with water and I guarantee you'll feel better in a week!

If you're finding it difficult to kick your eating habits; if you've got stuck in "diet" mode; if you still think low fat will make you thin: Call me - let me show you how to eat well, lose weight and stay healthy.

Friday 4 September 2009

It's in the news!

Do you ever feel frustrated reading the newspapers? Do you ever long for some good news?

In the past two or three days I've read some very interesting things in the newspaper. Articles about research that confirms something that the paper thinks is new and exciting - and we've been talking about for years!

A couple of days ago the news was that that binge drinking makes you fat! Research has now proven that binge drinking (as opposed to regularly drinking too much!) actually adds 2 - 4 inches to your stomach! Your stomach is 2 - 4 inches bigger because you binge - regardless of how much you drink over a year!

Yesterday's news was that 1.2 million kids go to school without breakfast - they have a fattening snack or a cigarette instead! Could this be anything to do with the obesity issues we are seeing in young people?

Today's news is that eating earlier in the day can keep you slim.

I also heard on the radio that the number of children born with spina bifida in the Scotland had doubled this year on last. This can be avoided by women taking folic acid. If you are even thinking about getting pregnant start taking folic acid now. The first 4 weeks of the pregnancy is when the folic acid is most needed so waiting until you get pregnant is too late.

Sometimes the press reminds us about things we already knew.

Are you eating healthily? Sensibly? Early enough? Cutting your drinking? Making sure your kids eat well and healthily too? If not, why not?

Saturday 15 August 2009

2nd blog in a month!

Wow I remembered to blog for a second time in August!

I thought today would be a good day to continue the "hints and tips" series. When the weather's wet and windy what do so many of feel like doing? EATING!
So here's a few tips on eating healthier.
1. Buy the right stuff! Yes, simple as that. Buy nuts and seeds to snack on rather than bars of chocolate.
2. Plan meals. Don't just buy food, plan meals, that way there is less trauma about what to have and less waste
3. Use a smaller plate. Psychologically we tend to want to finish everything. We hate waste. After all "there are starving kids in Africa". Yes there are, but you finishing your takeaway pizza isn't going to help them - and it's not helping you! Why do takeaways make us fat - because we eat too much food.
4. Drink 8 glasses of water a day. Because it's good for you. Because it wards off "hunger". Because it's better for you, and much cheaper than diet coke!
5. Do what you know works. There isn't one person in the world that doesn't know what to eat. it's in the papers, the magazines, on TV. Use your brain and stop making excuses.

It's all obvious isn't it? So why not give it a try! Call me for help! The Special Package of 4 weightloss sessions for less than the price of 3 is still on... but not for long.

Could you lose 2 stone by Christmas? Yes you could. Call me and and I'll tell you how.

Tuesday 4 August 2009

Hints and Tips for stopping smoking

So now it's August and I am determined to blog more regularly!

Yesterday a lady cancelled an appointment with me to stop smoking. No, she hadn't changed her mind - in fact, she had already stopped! She told me that after our original telephone conversation she had realised how crazy smoking was so had just stopped! Now in a way I'm mad - I just lost money on that one! But I am also very pleased for her. And I know she will tell people about me!

So today I am going to help everyone who is thinking about stopping with a few Hints and Tips for stopping smoking:-

1. Make the decision that you are going to stop, no matter what
2.Plan what you’re going to do with the money instead – do small things so: With today’s saving I’ll treat myself to…; With this week’s savings I will treat myself to… Every time you get the treat you’re reminding yourself of how good it is to not smoke.
3.Do it NOW – don’t wait to a certain date or time, this is just admitting you don’t really want to do it
4.Throw away the cigarettes from your bag, car and house. Don’t keep any “just in case” as this means you’re expecting to fail.
5.Break the habit. If you smoke when drinking coffee, have tea; if you smoke first thing when you wake up or after a meal have a glass of water; sit in a different chair.
6.List all the reasons you smoke – stress, relaxation, and all the times you smoke – after meals, with a drink then ask yourself this question “Does it work?” The answer is NO!
7.Ask yourself “What is the upside of being a smoker?” and “what is the downside of being a non-smoker?” and then work through these answers.
8.Still finding it too hard? Call me on 0113 380 1758

If you stop smoking after reading this please e-mail me and share your success!

The next blog will be hints and tips for losing weight....

Friday 3 July 2009

What happened to June?

June came and went in a blur of activity - and a very high number of clients!

In fact, this is the first "admin" day I've had in 4 weeks. I've spent the day catching up on e-mails and passing time on facebook and twitter - which is a bit sad but a good way to pass an easy day!

When did you last take a day to mess around? catch up? sleep? relax?

Schedule a day - or an hour - into your diary right now for next week so you will give yourself some relaxation time.

If you're one of my past clients schedule time to use the Stress Relief CD. If you're not a client why not call me and schedule a time to solve a problem; break a habit; learn some new techniques to take control?

Before you do that go and get a glass of water. It's just stopped raining and the sun is coming out again but it's still sticky warm. You need at least 8 glasses of water every day to keep hydrated - and to keep your body alkalkised. Acidity is the surest way to illness and 2 litres of water a day added to a diet rich in salads and vegetables will help keep you alkalized and heathly.

The first symptom of dehydration isn't thirst - it's fatigue. So go and get that glass of water now (not coffee, tea, coca cola or beer or lager - water!).

Feeling down? Drink water. Tired? Drink water.

Before you go off to the doctors because you're lethargic, fed up, "out of sorts" spend a few days drinking 2 litres of water a day (slowly throughout the day is best). Make each meal 70% water-based food (veg, salad, fruit). Take a walk for 15 minutes (or more) every day. Get some fresh air in your lungs. If after a week you're not feeling better then go to the doctors. (of course, go straight away if you have a lump or an unexplained pain).

And another way to make yourself feel better is to focus on the good things in your life. You get what you focus on so stop moaning and complaining and give thanks for what you do have.

The sun is shining again and I've got a "free" weekend. And I'm feeling good! Just off for a glass of water!!!

Monday 18 May 2009

What happend to April?

April was one of the busiest months I've ever had! I saw more clients and still took time off over Easter! (Hence no blogging!)

But the big question now is what happened to May? The weather's dreadful (again!), the economy is dismal, everyone seems to be ripping us off (us being the taxpayer). And Katie and Peter have split!

So what's bothering YOU this month? Are you depressed at the weather? Your finances? Or life in general? Are you looking forward to your holidays - or too worried about your weight and what you'll look like in a bikini (sorry guys, you'll look dreadful in a bikini whatever you weigh!)

Are you STILL smoking? What ELSE could you do with the £2,000 a year you spend on cigarettes?

Call me, quote this blog, and I'll give you £20 off any session. If you're already a client you get £25 off anyway so that's £45 saved (treat yourself!).

If you stopped smoking with me and now want to lose some weight you could write a piece for the website about stopping smoking and get a total of £65 off your first weightloss session!

What are you waiting for? Why diet when you can use hypnosis?

This offer is only for May and June and you must mention this blog. Call me.

Saturday 21 March 2009

The Weekend Blog!

Well it looks as though weekends are becoming my time to blog!

Well the sun is shining and it's not raining so today there is no excuse for getting outside and getting some exercise and vitamin D.

Our bodies need Vitamin D and the best way to get it is from sunshine - although here in the UK that's pretty difficult over the winter months. And, of course, our bodies need exercise. So how about, as soon as you finish reading this, you go outside and wander!

If you can walk then walk, fast then slow, fast then slow, really push that metabolism! If you aren't fit or have problems with walking then wander around your garden or street - anything is better than nothing!

If you're trying to lose weight then just walking for about 20 minutes 3 times a week will help.
Of course, walking every day would be better! So today - get out there and walk. Do it again tomorrow. Monday when you get home from walk take a short walk around the block before you go into the house (no-one will notice!). Do the same Tuesday. And Wednesday. Go for a walk after dinner if it's nice inthe evening. If it's raining what else could you do? Dance to music on the radio? Run up and down stairs? Get out that old exercise DVD/cross trainer/exercise bike? Do your kids have a Wii? - get the fitness games!

Remember the key to weight loss is to eat less and move more. To lose 1lb a week you need to cut out about 500 calories a day and use 500 calories more. What's 500 caloires? Two glasses of wine? The packet of crisps you ate on the way home from work, or with your lunch - and the bar of chocolate you ate in front of the TV? There's no need to diet. Just cut down and MOVE MORE!!! Have a lovely weekend!

Thursday 12 March 2009

How's March treating you?

Well March has started with a bang! for me so I'm sorry that I haven't been blogging!
For me the blog has two uses. 1) it helps me let you know about special offers and new services and 2) it allows me to share with you information I have around your health.
Today I read an article about sweeteners and food additives and I really wanted to share the information. I ask all my clients to STOP TAKING SWEETENERS and particularly ASPARTAME which is in diet drinks. The US Food and Drug Administration refused to approve aspartame for use as a food additive for 16 years! This was because so much research had shown it to be harmful. Their own toxicologist, Dr. Adrian Gross, told Congress "without a shadow of a doubt, aspartame can cause brain tumors and brain cancer..."
It seems that the only reason aspartame finally got approval was that Donald Rumsfeld became CEO of the company that made it!
Another sweetener to avoid is Splenda or Sucralose which was originally found when someone was trying to produce an insecticide! Only tests on animals have been done - but if you saw the results you'd agree you really don't want to consume this sweetener!
Of course, I'm only quoting to you what I've read - you can do your own research on the internet - but when you look at how obesity and cancer have risen over the past few years could it just be possible that additives, chemicals and artificial sweetners have contributed?
Eat healthy, be healthy!

Tuesday 24 February 2009

New! Taster Sessions and Stress Less Feel Good

If you're feeling stressed and too busy to think straight this is for YOU! One hour with me for a deep relaxation hypnotherapy session!
If you're sceptical about hypnotherapy then this is an ideal way to "give it a try". I'll spend time explaining to you what I do (it's not magic but it is very powerful) and then you can experience half an hour of deep relaxation, stress relief and generally feeling good! And leave me feeling GREAT!
If you're a past client then you can have this session to get stress relief and deep relaxation anytime you want! Better and longer lasting than a massage!
£50 for new clients - including a Stress Relief CD to use at home.
Only £45 for past clients (who will already own the CD!)
Some hypnotherapists offer a personal consultation before you decide but who's got time to come in just for a chat! You're busy and and I'm busy so I'll talk to you for as long as it takes on the telephone, answering any questions you have. But the best way to experience hypnosis is to book a session. So why not come in and experience hypnosis and NLP now? Limited sessions available and this special price won't be around for long!
Call me on 0113 380 1758 to book.

Monday 9 February 2009

The Weekly Blog! Still trying?

Well another week goes by! Snow, snow and more snow! Well it looks very pretty outside and I've been lucky that it hasn't stopped me getting to see my clients - or them getting to see me!
I'm off to Huddersfield this afternoon so watching the AA roadwatch CCTV cameras on the motorway very carefully until then! Isn't it wonderful that you can see what's happening on your route? Unfortunately, things can change so quickly as some idiot does something daft and causes an accident!
Some people will be finding it difficult to get out on the regular walks for fitness and weight loss in the snow and ice. This is why you need something in your home that can help you keep active! Exercise videos can be good - but what about just dancing around to the radio? Or running up and down stairs a few times? Or a bit of vigorous hoovering? Some of my clients have got the Wii machine (if you've got kids you may have the machine already) . You can get the Wii Fit and do yoga and balancing and if you're not used to exercise this is a great way to start.

I find my mini trampoline the best way of quick and easy workouts - some people like exercise bands - those long elastic bands that you can use instead of weights.

Whatever you do, do SOMETHING! It will help with weight loss, general fitness - and keep you warm!

Sunday 1 February 2009

Another week goes by...how's the New Year Resolution coming along?

Well it's been nearly a week since my last blog - so I must have been busy!

Many people reading this will have been busy too - busy trying hard to stop smoking or lose weight and keep to their New Year's Resolutions! Is this you? Well how about making it easy? No-one said changing your lifestyle had to be hard! It's not cheating to get a bit of help - especially if that means getting the results lots faster!

I've started a number of new weightloss clients in January - and they'd all lost weight (between 4lbs and 8lbs) by their second appointment two weeks later and will all have reached their goal weight by the end of 2009 - some a lot sooner.

Sometimes it's easy to get overawed by the amount of weight you want to lose so try this:
Assume just 2lbs a week weightloss (anything over 3lbs is water anyway). Some weeks it will be more, some well, life will happen and it will be less, but take 2lbs a week weightloss as your average goal. So that's half a stone a month. So how many stones do you want to lose? In 12 months you can lose 6 stones at that very steady rate! Some of my new clients will reach their goal by the summer, some will take longer - all will stay at their new goal because they will have changed their eating habits, exercise habits and lifestyles - for good! If you're ready to join them give me a call.

Here's a small tip to get you on the right path: Buy some raw almonds.

Almonds can lower cholesterol and help with weight loss They give you fibre, protein, and monounsaturated fats - and fill you up. Recent research from St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto showed that almonds minimize the negative effects of a processed carbohydrate meal - so if you're out and about and are still eating McDonald's or sandwiches for lunch almonds will help! In the study, men and women ate 50 grams of white bread, along with one, two, or three ounces of almonds. (A one-ounce serving is about 22 almonds.) Adding the almonds to the white bread prevented the rapid rise in blood sugar caused by eating white bread alone. What you're doing is bringing the glycemic load of the "meal" down by adding the almonds to the bread and it's the glycemic load of the meal (or, if you like the sugar in it) that needs to be kept low. Of course, this doesn't mean that if you eat almonds you can carry on eating white bread! But just occassionally, think on, stock up on almonds and make them your snack of choice.

Monday 26 January 2009

Losing weight, improving health

Here's a few simple tips for taking control of your weight and your health

1. Avoid sugar-filled puddings, white bread, potatoes and pasta and focus on low-glycemic carbohydrates like brown rice. Fill up on vegetables and salads.
2. Keep fruit juices to a single glass a day and replace its high sugar kick with whole fruit which releases the sugar slower and includes fibre
3. Eat protein with every meal to put your body in fat-burning mode. Protein is also satisfying so you feel full for longer. Good quality protein comes from free range beef, chicken, eggs (preferably organic), fish, nuts and beans.
4. Some fats are healthy - so eat the healthy fats like olive oil and avocado. Numerous studies have concluded that people who eat healthy fats, and supplement with omega 3 lose weight easier, and faster and stay healthier.
5. Eat plenty of fibre through vegetables and fruits and wholefoods.
6. Read the label. And ask yourself - is it healthy if it's got a LABEL???!

Don't diet - change your eating habits to healthy eating habits. And if it's too hard - call me - hypnosis makes it easy!


Friday 16 January 2009

Hypno-diets

Hope you've picked up on my latest information on "hypno-dieting" "The latest craze to sweep the US and Hollywood". It's being talked about in the Daily Mail, Grazia and many other magazines as the way that singer Lily Allen lost her weight. And Of course, it's exactly what I've been doing here in Leeds and Huddersfield for the past 7 years!

Using hypnosis to help you eat healthily ("diet" meaning, simply what you eat) is the easiest way to reach your goals. In the sessions we talk about nutrition and health, what you need to do to lose weight and be healthy - and what you need to stop doing! Hypnosis helps you to change what you do, what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat and why you eat. So you don't want to snack just because you're bored. You don't feel the need for a bar of chocolate just because you're having a break. You don't eat for any negative or positive emotional reasons. You eat for nutrition only. Food and drink aren't a substitute for anything else - or an answer to a problem.

If you didn't want chocolate/crisps/pizza/wine/a pudding then you wouldn't miss them - would you? How easy would it be to lose weight if you didn't want the sugary and fattening foods?

Yes, that's how easy it can be!

Thursday 15 January 2009

Message to Self - and breakfasts

Message to Self: I must keep up with this blog!
Yet again, busy people haven't got time to blog! And isn't it true that, often, busy people haven't got time to look after themselves and their families properly?

Answer this question honestly. How often do you miss a breakfast because you don't have time? Occasionally? Once a week? Most days? If you want to become - and stay - slim then eat breakfast. Even if it's only a piece of fruit, or a slice of toast. This will get your metabolism working and, literally, break your fast! A working metabolism means it's burning calories and that's got to be a good thing! PLUS you'll feel better and much less stressed! If you get up and sit and eat breakfast with your partner/kids you will all feel better and much less stressed.

Ideal breakfasts include wholemeal toast (add a boiled or poached egg and make it even better) or a bowl of wholewheat cereal. For example, 2 weetabix, 2 shredded wheat, bran flakes are OK (Allbran actually isn't wholewheat) or of course, that wonderful, filling, cholesterol busting porridge! As always, if you're eating cereal read the label! Some cereals have more sugar than you want in your system so avoid them at all costs.

Oh, and cereal bars DO NOT COUNT! They are just a way for Mr Kellog's to recoup some of the profits they lost when so many people got too busy to eat cornflakes!

Eating "on the run" is to be avoided (see stress above) but better an apple and a few nuts in the car on the way to work than nothing at all!

More tips on getting slim tomorrow (or when I have the time!!)

Saturday 3 January 2009

Taking control of your weight

My son always says "if you can read you can cook" and I think he's right. These days everything you buy has a label that says how to prepare and/or cook it. And how many chef's are there writing recipe books these days! You don't have to buy ready meals (heat complete in the microwave) when you can buy Tesco's Finest or M & S Ready to eat meals all nicely packaged yet still fresh and top quality food. But in the same vein most meats, fish and even some vegetables have the cooking instructions on the pack so why not cook "from scratch" and save some cash?!

My saying is "if you can read you can lose weight" because my big thing is to READ THE LABEL. Checking for additives and extra sugar or sweeteners in foods has become second nature to me. Almost all packaged food is labelled with calories, fat and (most important for me) sugar levels. As a rough guideline look at the "percentage of daily amount" figures. Based on three meals and two snacks a day nothing should be more than 25% of your daily sugar or fat intake. (Why is sugar important? - come back tomorrow and I'll tell you!)

Then there's the cereal bars, meal replacements and "slimmers" foods. STOP. Read the label. Most cereal bars have as many calories - and a lot more sugar - than a piece of toast with a bit of butter on it! Get to know the calories of some of your favourite foods - and then check that you're not "giving up" something you love, to eat something that's manufactured and, in fact has just as many calories!

If you want to lose weight just cutting down on one thing a day could make a big difference - so have 3 glasses of wine instead of 4 and save 200 calories!!! Let's face it one of anything may taste nice, the second good, the third OK but the fourth? That's just STUFF going into your mouth! Think about wine, lager, pizza slices, biscuits.....3000 calories extra is 1lb in weight extra. Two weeks of "one less" a day could be 1lb lost! This is how you put it on - so this is how to take it off - slowly! And if you think 1lb every two weeks isn't enough multiply it out.... It's nearly 2 stone in a year. 2 stone lighter by next Christmas? This easily? Try it!

Thursday 1 January 2009

Happy New Year

Well here we are at 1st January 2009.
Ready to make some New Year's Resolutions?
Not AGAIN!! How many years will it be before you realise that resolutions lead to failure?

The key to change is not just making the decision but taking ACTION - ASAP, immediately, NOW!

Here is the NLP way to make changes.

1. Make it positive - what do you want (rather than what don't you want!)
2. Can you influence it? For example winning the lottery is out of your hands even if you've bought a ticket! And you can't change anyone else! But you CAN stop smoking, lose weight, reduce stress.
3. Be Specific. If you want to lose weight state how much; give yourself a specific goal not a general one.
4. Describe what you will see, hear and feel when you have reached your goal. How will you KNOW that you have what you wanted? How will you look? What will others say to you? How will you feel?
5. If you could have it NOW - would you have it? This is a good check on goals which maybe we should want but don't really want. How will achieving your goal change you life? Your relationships? Is that what you really want?

So here's an example.
Problem:You're overweight and are ready to take control.
Plan: I want to lose 2 stone and weigh 10 stone by the summer holiday.
I can do this by changing what I eat and exercising more (and booking in for some hypnotherapy to make it easier! :)
When I weigh 10 stone I will look great in a pair of tight jeans, be able to run upstairs without getting out of breath, my friends will tell me how well I look, I'll feel more confident.
If I was 10 stone NOW I'd be able to wear the trousers I bought last Christmas!

So now, go set those New Year's Resolutions!

If you've missed me for the past month (hope you have!) I proved the one thing I've alwasy said - only people with time on their hands can possibly have the time to write a blog!!!!