It's in the press!

Yet again this week there are stories in the press about issues we've been talking about for literally YEARS!

The first one is about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  Some researchers have been saying for a while now that this is an addictive sugar - if you have it you'll want more - and today's research highlights it's links to diabetes. 

Many food manufacturers have been remove HFCS from their biscuits, cakes etc. but it can still be found - so please read the label before you buy these high sugar manufactured "foodstuffs"!

If you want to cut your calories from sugar (and remember to always avoid artificial sweeteners) try Agave Nectar.  You can buy it in most supermarkets either with the other sugar products or in the "specialist" aisle.  A teaspoon has about half the calories of normal sugar and you can use it in your coffee and in baking and puddings!  So there's another easy way to cut calories without cutting taste!

The other piece of news today was about the research linking fizzy drinks to prostate cancer. In Swedish research the conclusion was that one "soft drink" a day can increase the risk of developing this cancer by 40%.

Now I always say - check the research!  For every piece of research saying one thing there will be another piece saying the opposite.

But whether it's added sugars like HFCS or just "fizzy drinks" it's got to be worth considering your options - for the sake of your health hasn't it?

What are you ready to change - for the sake of your health?

If you want some help then please call me!

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The best and worst diets

The British Dietetic Association (BDA) have again done their research on the worst diets for weight loss and health.

Well I think it's fair to say that any diet that removes a whole food group - carbs or fats - or has you being fed through a drip in your nose is probably going to be unhealthy!

The Dukan diet came third again for the BDA - an unhealthy diet that can cause constipation and wind at best and long term stomach problems at worst!

So have you been following my simple steps formula?

If you've kept up on steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 this week you are on your way to healthy weight loss and a healthier life.

Please remember that our bodies need protein, carbs and fats to be healthy and strong - and exercise (or let's call it moving more) will help us use up the calories we put in!

Eat less, move more.  The key to health and weight loss!

There's just time for a couple of hypnotherapy sessions before Christmas. If you need help to change what you eat, when you eat, why you eat and how much you eat then give me a call!

Help me here! Why would anyone think that being fed through a drip in your nose when you're perfectly healthy is a good thing?

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Tips for weight loss (2)

Did you did tips 1 and 2 from yesterday?  If you did - well done!! Keep it up!

If you didn't - GO BACK NOW!

So assuming you've 1) started using a smaller plate and 2) walked up a step or two then we can move on to

3)  when you're watching TV tonight stand up and walk about in every break.  If you go to put the kettle on do bends and stretches while its boiling.  Just move a bit more. Dance to the ad breaks!

4)  add an extra vegetable to your dinner - making your healthy foods more filling so you're less likely to want a pudding!

Each extra calorie used and extra calorie removed will help towards your weight loss  - and improved fitness!

There's just time for a Special Package of 3 sessions before Christmas (and you'll get one free after Christmas too!) so if you need some help to change your eating habits and give up those sugary snacks once and for all give me a call!

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Tips for weight loss - one step at a time

There are lots of websites out there with tips for losing weight aren't there?  Have you read them all?  Really?  Have you done what they say?  Really?

Most people have done one or two things once or twice, maybe for a few days.  And if they are not completely successful they give up trying - they teach themselves how to fail!

I was having a discussion only yesterday with a couple of people about vitamins and supplements.  They both admitted they'd tried a few things for a few weeks then given up.  Yesterday I had a potential client call and tell me all the ways he'd tried to stop smoking - well tried for a few days at a time!

Well what if you could just take one step at a time? Literally and metaphorically?

What if you stopped trying and actually did something?

Here's the plan.

1. Use smaller plates.  Ok you've heard it before I know - but have you done it?  Psychologically we don't like waste (there are starving children you know!) so we eat everything on the plate!  Using a smaller plate means you will eat less.  Simple!

2. Take one step at a time.  Yes I mean a step. Not a lift, a step. Walk up and down the stairs!  At work instead of using the lift.   Go up a flight of stairs to the toilet rather than using the ones on your floor.  At home run up and down stairs just for the hell of it!

3.  Oh no...too much information.  Do 1 and 2 first - I'll share 3 and 4 with you tomorrow!

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Fed up or depressed?

Are you depressed - or just fed up?  I speak to many people who call me to help them with depression.  Some of them have been diagnosed with depression and even given anti-depressants by their doctor.  Some of them are just fed up.  Or lonely.  Or feeling down.  Or being affected by the weather. Or their hormones.

So what can you do? And what can I do for you?

Well if you're feeling anywhere on the scale from a bit fed up to very depressed you can do some things straight away which will help you feel a whole lot better!

First of all stand up straight.  Yes, I said stand up straight!  Lifting your body lifts your mood - it's proven to work as your mind and body are linked and, well, we all know what "depressed" looks like - don't we?

Now go for a walk.  Today with this horrible weather that may just be a walk around your house or office but still go for a walk and walk up straight, head held high.  Try it.  It works!  Of course, even better would be a walk outside in the fresh air and sunshine - yesterday was a much better day for that I will admit!!

Now take a look at your diet.  Not "diet" but your diet.  What do you eat and drink?  Here's some things that will make you feel worse:
missing meals, eating (or drinking) too much sugar, alcohol, caffeine, lack of nutrition and vitamins.

So that's easy then isn't it?  Eat regular, healthy meals and drink plenty of water.  We can all start doing that today!

Now to the head stuff!  Our emotions and imaginations are in the unconscious mind. - and that's the one I'm talking to when you come to me for hypnotherapy.  So if something from the past is still hurting you.  Something that happened to you.  Someone who hurt you.  Close your eyes and put the event or person behind you.  Make them smaller and smaller and push them (or it) further and further behind you. 

Sound too easy?  Yes, everything we can do is easy.  That's probably why we don't do it.

Give it a go.....then come and see me to help you take it all a step further...

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7 weeks to Christmas - what can you do in 7 weeks?

Christmas Day is 7 weeks tomorrow! Yikes!  What can you do in 7 weeks to make a difference to your health, wealth and happiness?

Stop smoking - that's takes 90 minutes with me and you'll be a non-smoker for ever!  You can start 2013 healthier and wealthier - saving about £3000 a year for ever!

Lose weight.  By changing your eating habits (we don't do diets) you can lose 2lbs a week on average.  Starting tomorrow that would be a stone lost by Christmas Day.  So start tomorrow! Call me and book a single session to get a kick start - or maybe a Special Package  of 4 to change what you eat, when you eat how much you eat and why you eat - and get motivated to move more!

Slow down.  Book in a couple of stress relief sessions and I will send you a great Stress Relief CD to use at home - ensuring you breeze through Christmas!

What are you waiting for? 
Give me a call! 0113 380 1758

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You're never too old!

A client asked me the other day if it was really worth her stopping smoking.  She'd read in the press that smokers die about 10 years younger than those who don't smoke - but to make sure you get those 10 years back you have to stop smoking before you're 30.

Well she was quite a bit older than 30 and I can see how her thought-process was working. 

But sometimes it's not how long you live but the quality of the life you live!

Smoking related diseases are often painful and slow.  We all know we're going to die and I don't think we're scared of dying - we're scared of how long it will take and how painful dying will be.  What we're all trying to avoid is suffering.

Of course, I'm sure there's someone reading this thinking well, I'm only 24 so I don't need to stop for another 6 years!  Yes, there's always some reasoning, some creative thinking - some excuses!

So maybe you will live 10 years longer if you stop smoking.  Maybe you won't.  But you will certainly feel fitter for longer, be able to breathe and probably sleep better too!

Which brings me to an other piece of information in the e-mail bulletins this week.  According to new reserach in the British Medical Journal, people who take sleeping pills have a 5 times higher risk of early death than people who don't.


The study compared over 10,000 people who took sleep-aid drugs, with over 23,000 who didn't.
and the results showed that the people taking the sleeping pills were up to 5 times more likely to die during the study period.

To add to that on average, sleeping pills only get you about 11 minutes extra sleep a night!

So instead of sleeping pills why not look at why you're not sleeping.  Could it be stimulants like coffee, alcohol, watching TV, playing on the internet or, yes you guessed it smoking that's keeping you awake?

So when is a good time to stop smoking?  NOW!

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What's in the news?

A few things caught my eye in various news and e-mail bulletins today.  Did you see the one that says researchers have found that a woman smoking can alter her DNA and may affect not just her children but also her grandchildren's health?

Or perhaps you saw that only pure natural yogurt is really good for us to eat - that's one without sugar, high fructose corn syrup, sweeteners and other gak (a nutritional term added by me!)

Or did you see that for every woman saved through surgery and chemotherapy for breast cancer another four go through unnecessary surgery for a cancer that may never grow enough to kill them?

There's so much scary stuff in the press these days isn't there?  Health stuff is scary!  So what can we learn from it all - without being scared to death?

Well here's my mantra.  Everything in moderation - except smoking and drugs and sweeteners and additives and preservatives. Knock those on the head now.  It's easy and it's the best way forward.

If you need help then call me on 0113 380 1758.

You know you want to!

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Only Two Months to Boxing Day!

Yes, in two months Christmas Day will be over.  The turkey will have been stuffed - and so will you!

So wouldn't it be nice to enjoy Christmas and the New Year without the bloating and the hangovers?

If you're one of those people - yes, you know who you are :) - who overeats and drinks at Christmas and regrets it then why not tkae control of your eating and drinking habits now?  Call me!  You know you want to! 0113 380 1758

Of course if you love feeling bloated and hungover that's fine!  Remember the past doesn't equal the future!  Maybe this year you won't feel so bad!!

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Just too busy?

Well I can't believe it's been so long since I blogged!

But I will be blogging more so please keep coming back and reading up on the latest comments and offers!

Today is about being too busy!  Yes, I could say I've been too busy to blog!  What are you too busy to do?  Or are you procrastinating?  Or is it that you really don't want to do something?  You know you should but you don't really want to! 

I had an interesting - and very long - email from a potential client the other day.  They told me all the reasons why they wanted to stop smoking - and all the reasons why they don't want to stop!  So how do you know if you really want to do something?   How can you help yourself make the correct choices?

Well there are only two reasons why we do anything.  To avoid the pain that we're getting - or to get more pleasure!

First avoiding pain will get you moving!  Let's take smoking (just as an example! :)  When the cough, breathing problems, family nagging, bad weather etc etc get too much you make the decision to stop smoking!  For most people talking about how good they'll feel, how much money they'll have to spend on other things, how much longer they'll live just isn't going to help - it's too long term and when do we want it? WE WANT IT NOW!

Once you've stopped of course then the pleasure kicks in.  You can breathe, run up stairs, stay inside in the warm, play with your kids, save £30 - £50 a week for a lovely holiday or a new car - or spend it on YOU!

So avoidance of pain gets you to make the decision and JUST DO IT! and the pursuit of pleasure will keep you motivated and keep you stopped!

Of course you can use this reasoning for losing weight too.  What's worse than the embarrassment of being overweight (pain)?  And every pound you lose, ever time you buy smaller sized clothes, trendier clothes or get a compliment then the pleasure spurs you on!

So how much pain are you in right now?  And how can I help you make it SO BAD you're ready to MAKE A CHANGE?
(oh and so you know, the potential client did book an appointment!)
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Scientists in Mexico have found "the missing link" between breast cancer and alcohol.  Women with higher levels of a certain hormone are more likely to develop breast cancer.  Of course, the hope is that a test will be developed to identify those at most risk.  But really, is that glass of wine worth it? Or is now the time to take control of your drinking habits?

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Easter Eggs

Have you finished eating your/your children's Easter Eggs yet?

Enjoy them! Chocolate that cheers you up is good for you! In fact, anything that cheers you up is good for you. If it doesn't cheer you up then it's not working. So stop doing it. And do something else!

If you enjoy a bit of chocolate now and then go for it! Just don't go mad!

If you're worried about piling on the pounds you just have to work or walk that chocolate off!

The Budget 2012

Have you worked out what the budget will do for you?

Well if you're a 20 a day smoker and earning the average wage it will give you just under £200 a year extra in tax reduction and let you give £135 of it back in extra tax on your cigs!!

So, if you're fed up of giving money to the government maybe now is the time to stop smoking!

The process I use to help you to stop smoking is very different to most hypnotherapy processes. I use YOUR reasons for wanting to stop in the process to BREAK your connections with smoking. Of course money isn't the best reason to stop - you can smoke for free if your partner or work colleagues smoke!! The best reasons are your health both now and in the longer term and you family - you want to be there for them, don't you?

So, if you're ready to stop call me on 0113 380 1758.

(and I see alchohol is going up in price too - need help to cut down on your drinking too? ;)
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Bloated and flabby or bronzed and beautiful?

There's a great piece in the press today about an American guy showing how to produce those "before" and "after" shots - in just a few hours! You know the shots I mean - the flabby, pale, unhealthy shot then the muscular, toned, super- fit shot?

Of course he must have had the muscles already but the interesting thing is how he says is the best way to get from muscular (pumped up in the gym, spray tan, oiled) to flabby (yuk) - eat a whole bag of crisps and drink 2 litres of fizzy pop! It will bloat your body! And, he says that diet fizzy pop is best!

What conclusion can we draw from this......

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Smoking and dementia

I don't want to alarm you but in the latest published research middle-aged men who smoke are at a greater risk of suffering dementia later in life. The research found that men had a greater and faster decline compared to those who had never smoked or had given up more than 10 years earlier. The research also found that the more the men smoked the more the mental decline.

This research was carried out at University College London and looked at data from over 5000 men and over 2000 women over 25 years.

The leader of the research is quoted as saying: “Our results show that the association between smoking and cognition, particularly at older ages, is likely to be underestimated owing to higher risk of death and dropout among smokers.”

When I ask clients which they are most scared of cancer or dementia it's dementia that is most feared. We see so much about dementia and it's devastating effects. It seems like every day there's something in the press about it. If you needed a reason to stop smoking could this be it?

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money, money, money

According to the Alliance Savings Trust if you save £83 a month for a child from birth into a pension (yes, kids can have pensions) the government will top it up by £250 a year and when that child retires (if they continue the savings) they will have the £1m pension pot they will need to live on!

Now of course £83 a month isn't much - or maybe it's a lot to you. If it isn't a lot you'll thin well, we'll get around to it sometime! If it's a lot to you then maybe you'll put it off too?

But hey, it's 12 packets of cigarettes! So if you stop smoking you can save for 2 kids and still have about £40 a month left over!

If you need another reason to stop smoking - and for many people their kids are one of the reasons they want to stop - then how about stopping smoking now and starting a pension fund with your savings?

Of course you could also put it into a tax free ISA for yourself! If you smoke 20 a day you'll easily save £3k a year - that's more than half an ISA!

Or are you planning a cruise? Or a new car?

The real reason for stopping smoking is to stop it controlling your life - your health and yes, your money!

Whatever your reason, now is a good time!

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Or maybe

Weight Loss Tips and Techniques

Whenever I meet up with a weight loss client we always talk about tips and techniques for losing weight.

Hypnotherapy is great for changing your mind and for breaking habits and the great thing about weight loss is if you combine hypnotherapy with common sense the weight drops off even faster and easier!

The latest piece of research on what can help weight loss is all about the colour of the plate!
It seems that people who ate of a red plate ate up to 40% less than those eating off blue or white.

The theory is that red is for danger and our unconscious will be put off by the colour. I agree don't you? I hate eating off coloured plates - any colour! But most of all I don't like red plates - food just doesn't look right on a red plate!

So if you need help to eat less maybe you could try it? Although I'm guessing it might be quite difficult to find a red plate?

Of course psychologically we seem to be programmed to eating everything on our plate ("there are starving children in the world you know, don't waste food"). Because of this another easy technique is to use a smaller plate. Your unconscious still feels satisfied as the plate is cleared - and yet you've eaten less food!

I'm off to find some red salad plates to sell on my website....

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Weight Loss Challenge

Happy New Year!

Or is it?

Is 2012 looking very similar to 2011 already?

Are you in need of a change?

Well rather than make big resolutions this year why not make small ones - just for today, just for now?

What can you do now that will help you change?

If you're overweight maybe you could plan a healthy evening meal - add an extra vegetable, cut a slice of bread or a potato. No, it's not much but it's a start.
Maybe you could run up and down stairs NOW! GO!

If the change seems to big you're less likely to start so why not look at what you can do now, today. Then look again tomorrow.

If you want to stop smoking how about cutting down half of one today. Then again tomorrow.

If you need to reduce stress stop. Now. Breathe. Breathe again. Breathe again. OK you can carry on now.

Take a quick and easy assessment of where you are now.

Check your weight and BMI (do it on a website it's much too complicated otherwise!)
Are you overweight? How much do you want to lose in pounds? Divide it by 2. This is the number of weeks it will take at 2lbs a week. Add a month to give yourself leeway. What will you be doing then? What will you look and feel like?

Need more motivation to take control? Is your blood pressure high? How's your cholesterol?
Is your resting heart rate between 60 and 79 beats a minute? Lower? Great! Higher? Your health is at risk!

Take one step NOW towards change. Tomorrow you can take another step!

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