THANKSGIVING – HAVE A PLAN
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
How often we say it. How often we promise to do it. Yet, how rarely do we actually do the best we can? When we do — when we use all our efforts, when we push through old and new boundaries — the satisfaction is enormous and the rewards are sweeter because we earned them. But the first thing you have to come to terms with is your best really your best? Mindset is everything when it comes to weight loss. When you wake up in the morning and tell yourself — “That’s it!” — You are tired of giving every one else your best, NOW you are going to give yourself your best too!! You are going to put yourself in a place that no matter what — you will do the right thing. You will make sure you walk away when you have to and you will plan, prepare and follow through each day. You not only promise yourself — but you fight through the tough times and you don’t let anything or anyone set you back. So don’t just SAY you are going to try your best THINK IT, BELIEVE IT AND DO IT. Because if you believe that you are going to be amazing then you will be amazing and if you think it’s too hard you can’t do it — you won’t do it.
From the time you wake up in the morning how you think about yourself and your day is going to have a huge impact on your results. Last week we went over how important it is to Fall in love with taking care of yourself. This week I want you to continue that but be excited about it. Be excited about the scale. Be excited about feeling good. Be excited about doing the right things…. And be excited because you are in control of your life and you make the decisions on whether or not you want to live healthy, be thin and feel amazing. No one makes those choices for you. How exciting that you get to wake up today and decide that you want to take care of your body, your mind, your health. You want to work hard toward a goal and you are the only one who can get in the way of that goal. What you want, how bad you want it and hard you work for it will determine your success. How amazing is that — and how EXCITING!
Keep the NEGATIVE OUT: Keep the negative people away, and keep the negative emotions out of your mind. Negative people will always be around. Sometimes we can control their presence and sometimes we can’t. But you always CAN control what you take from them. If you have no choice to be around negative people then it’s important to keep your mindset extra strong. Don’t let them take you to their dark side. Don’t let them talk you into ordering something you don’t want. Don’t let them convince you how hard weight loss is (we already know how hard it is no one has to tell us). Most of all don’t let them take you off your path. Unfortunately even our closest people can take us off our healthy path just because they are in a bad place. The bottom line is misery loves company. It doesn’t mean they don’t love you it just means they want you to share in their misery at that moment. What you do and how you react is your choice. And while it may only be one bad day for them — that one bad moment for you might take you off your path for a week — and then where does that leave you? Stick to what works for — if they love you they will be okay with it. If they are not okay with it then you should re-evaluate your people.
POSITIVE PEOPLE ARE HAPPY PEOPLE
KEEP THE NEGATIVE EMOTIONS OUT OF IT: I can’t, it’s too hard, im sick of it, I should weigh less by now, I want to be at my goal already, they made me do it. I didn’t want to go off I had no choice ……. I can literally go on with this list forever. I have heard it all. If you want to change your results – THEN CHANGE YOUR WORDS. The words you tell yourself are the words you will live — so every time you catch yourself being negative — STOP AND PAUSE and then reverse it. Even if you don’t feel it reverse it anyway and keep your words and thoughts positive. The more you do it the more it will become second nature. No one wants to hear you crying — You don’t even want to hear you crying. Everyone has their own problems and is trying to get through their own tough days. Im sure you are even sick of listening to all the negative excuses that comes out of your mouth — so think of how your family and friends feel. Negative talk does nothing but create negative actions which result in negative results. KEEP IT POSITIVE- POSITIVE -POSITIVE! The more positive you talk to yourself the better results you will think….. The more positive you results you think the more positive you will speak…… the more positive results you speak the better results you will feel. While I know you already know all of this — it never hurts to be reminded so you can reevaluate your words, thoughts and environment. We can fool others. But we can’t fool ourselves. When you are honest with yourself it will bring freedom for you to work harder. Only you truly know what your best is. And when you give less than your best those are the results you have to live with.
Halloween Pumpkins, Ghosts, Thanksgiving, Fall Shopping, Leaves Changing….
What is not to Love about Fall?!
FALL IN LOVE WITH TAKING CARE OF YOUR BODY: Sometimes it’s not enough to just take care of your body. When you FALL in love with taking care of your mind and body it can be life changing. It doesn’t matter where you are right now — if you are just starting, have been on program or returning… wherever you are the most important thing to start with is to remind yourself daily how important it is to feel good about yourself and how happy it makes you when you are doing the right things — and you are the only person that can make that happen.
DON’T JUST DO THE PROGRAM — LIVE THE PROGRAM
In the beginning of the program (the first couple of weeks) you just need to get through the weeks to get to your cheat day. The Cheat Day is life saving as it helps you stay on program the other six weight loss days. but after a couple of weeks and after seeing some really nice changes — it should start to become more than getting through your six clean days to get to your cheat day. In fact, it should start to reverse. You should start to live for the six clean days. The Cheat Day is fun and always look forward to it, but your body and mind should begin to understand and take notice that you feel your very best on your six clean days. Mentally you start to look forward to them — at the end of your Cheat Day you can’t wait to eat clean the next day. You can’t wait for a couple of clean days to pass — so you can feel better and get back to the lighter and cleaner feeling you love. You can’t wait to get back on the track of eating clean knowing that you are back to fueling your body with healthy and clean eating and in return it’s working your numbers in the right direction. By mid week you should begin to get excited wondering what you will lose this week. The closer you are to your menu the more weight you will lose. Will you see a new number and will it be the lowest one you have seen in a long time? It is so exciting to take care of yourself to the point of loving it. Loving how you feel and loving how it’s changing you mentally and physically. When you love feeling good, healthy, lighter, fitter and thinner there is truly no better feeling and no better way to live. It’s a positive addiction that you should want and love.
TRUE STORY: Clients literally text me all the time and say “I have to start sending my food again”, or “I have to get back on program.” A client just texted me yesterday and said “I have to get back on program. I don’t know why I go off program every time I am off program I am miserable and when I’m on program doing the right things and taking care of my body I am so happy. My husband told me last night it’s time to get back to Josephine. He didn’t say it because of the weight he said it because he knows how happy and good I feel when I am on program and he sees how miserable I am when I’m off.” MY RESPONSE: YAY!!!! — that of course makes me so happy! I never want anyone unhappy but it absolutely thrills me when clients realize that being on program is when they are the happiest. They are the happiest because they feel the best. So why do we go off program when being on makes us so happy? The answer is simple — no matter how great being on program makes us feel we will always have little slip ups and hiccups because life gets in the way. And once it’s in the way and we lose that control — our brain takes over and it can take days, weeks and sometimes months to get back on path. But the most important thing is that you do get back on path because you know that is when you feel the absolute best!
FOCUS: This week try focusing on your six clean days instead of focusing on your Cheat Day. Think about each day and how good you feel when you go to bed because you followed the program and stayed 100%, and think about how amazing you feel when you wake up. Whenever we do the right things for our body it changes us as people. We are happier, and proud of ourself and how we are treating our bodies. We are proud of the way we look and feel. I don’t think anyone can say that they don’t feel anything but amazing when they get dressed in the morning and feel great in their clothes. If you want that to be you then you need to work for it. If you want to feel good all week then you need to stay focused and positive about your clean days. Don’t focus on the one Cheat Day — focus on how you feel the six clean days… you feel lighter, healthier, thinner — and how you feel when you followed all week and at the end of that week you step on the scale — so proud, super happy, like you want to jump around and tell the world you did it — you followed you lost weight and you feel great!!
FALLING IN LOVE WITH WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND WHAT IT’S DOING FOR YOU: When you do the right things for your body, and make the right choices, and fuel your body with the right foods, you feel better. Some weeks will always be harder than others but if you stay true to what you want and what makes you feel the best and keep positive everyday knowing this is what makes you happy — then you will start falling in love with what you are doing and what it’s doing for you. When this happens you will never want to go back to treating your body unhealthy — because you know feeling like that makes you unhappy. Why would you want to do anything that makes you unhappy or not feel good? Stay positive and remember what makes you feel your best and what makes the changes in your body the best it can be. Stay focused and positive on your six clean days and how they are changing your body and then you will truly enjoy your cheat day.
LOVE THE RESULTS: As much as you love and enjoy the Cheat Day you realize that every consecutive six clean days that you complete is what is changing your body. It’s changing how you look, it’s changing the scale and most important, it’s changing how you feel. When you fall in love with taking care of our body and fall in love with feeling the very best that you can — it no longer is about the one Cheat Day a week. It’s about the six clean days that you are fueling you body with healthy clean portioned foods that make you feel your best.
There is no better feeling than taking care of yourself. There is no better feeling than doing the right thing for your body and your mind. There is no better feeling than being the best you can be.
“LOVE YOURSELF INSIDE AND OUT”
~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick
4TH OF July Weekend has arrived — it’s time to make your choice and stick to it.
As many of your know it doesn’t take much to gain weight. All it takes is not thinking, not planning, and frequently over indulging — very easy to do any time of the year but especially over a long holiday weekend.
THIS WEEKEND
you have 3 choices — Lose, Maintain, or Gain
WEIGHT LOSS: If you are really motivated and the weight loss means everything to you and you don’t want anything in your way of reaching your goals then you will continue to stick to your menu and ONLY HAVE ONE CHEAT DAY THIS WEEKEND. That means no extras at all. Simply stick to your meals and snacks and only cheat the ONE cheat day. If you do this and treat this weekend like any other weekend you will continue to stay on your path and lose weight. Will it be easy — that depends on how much you have going on — it also depends on what is most important to you. While some can go to a BBQ and focus more on how they feel others are challenged by what is around them. These are choices only you can make. There are always options — if you are going out make sure you bring what you need or make sure they will have what you need available to you. Plan before not after. Don’t give yourself reasons to do the wrong thing. If you want to stay on program and feel your best then follow your plan and stick to your clean meals and snacks. The most important thing is to make your choice before you go and stick with what you plan.
MAINTAINING: If you have a lot going on this weekend and you feel really good about where you are and you want to enjoy a little extra then you will split your days. You pick 2 out of the 3 days and you stay on program for breakfast and lunch and cheat dinner, drinks and/or desserts; and you do it Friday and Saturday OR Saturday and Sunday or Friday and Sunday (you choose 2 days of the long weekend and cheat any one meal, drinks and/or desserts and the rest of the day you are 100% on program). If you follow this you will maintain your weight through the holiday weekend — very doable. But again the most important thing is to make a choice, plan for it and then stick to it.
WEIGHT GAIN: Very easy to do but NEVER an option!
We always talk about planning and how important it is. But what is more important is following through on the planning. Do the right things and make sure that if you planned on being 110% today — then you are 100%. If you planned on cheating for dinner and dessert and then right back on the next day — make sure you go right back on the next day — no excuses. If you planned on being off program 2 nights but clean all day then make sure you do it. Always think things through — what is tomorrow going to feel like, and what the end result of your choices will be. Will it make you happy? Is it worth it? Think about where you are today and where do you want to be come Monday. Learn to live and enjoy today but plan for what you want and where you want to be tomorrow.
ALCOHOL – THINK BEFORE YOU DRINK: One drink you are okay — TWO drinks you are forgetting what is important to you — THREE drinks you are done. It’s not the alcohol that is the issue it’s what the alcohol makes you do and what it makes you forget. It’s fun to have but it can be very damaging on so many levels. Remember to think before you drink. Like everything else have a plan and know how many you are having and stick to what you plan. Drink water throughout it’s hydrating and it keeps your hands busy.
FINAL THOUGHTS…. whether you want to lose weight this weekend or maintain you can do it. You follow your plan and decide before so you know what you are doing and what the outcome will be. Think things through and always remember that just because it’s a holiday weekend that you want to enjoy and celebrate doesn’t mean that you need to cheat at everything you go to or everyday of the weekend. You can enjoy and celebrate everything without constantly indulging unhealthy weight gaining foods. We know you will feel better mentally and physically and have a happier time staying on program. When you can be amazing and on program do it because every good healthy clean choice can make the difference between maintaining and gaining. And all the choices you make as the weekend progresses will make the difference in how you look and feel each day.
You are the only person who can make the excuse of why you are going off program and you are the only person who can give yourself a better excuse of why you are staying on program. Monday is only 4 days away — think about how you want to wake up and feel when the weekend is behind you.
Make good choices today so you don’t have regrets tomorrow
Innovation Wishes everyone a Happy, Healthy and Safe 4th of July
~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick
Ready or not here it comes…. 4th of July is exactly 5 weeks away. It’s hard to believe with this crazy 2020 that we are approaching the beginning of summer. But after the beautiful weather this past weekend in NY we also know how quickly spring turns into summer weather. So what can you do in 5 weeks? If you put your mind to it and really focus, you can get a lot accomplished.
4th OF JULY WEEKEND IS EXACTLY 5 WEEKS AWAY
1 POUND A WEEK = 5 LBS
(very doable)
2 POUNDS A WEEK = 10 LBS
(doable)
3 POUNDS A WEEK = 15 LBS
(hard but doable)
These are all doable. You just have to want it and be persistent.
Make it a priority and work toward it everyday.
This is such an important time to really concentrate and be as consistent as you can with your meals and snacks. The reason is because the closer it gets to the 4th of July the more drastic you will be willing to try a Fad Diet that will put you in the wrong direction. There are no miracle pills or potions. The only thing that is going to get you to a good place and where you want to be is HARD WORK, BEING PERSISTENT AND CONSISTENT. Just like everything else in life you have to put the work in to get the results. So if you are feeling like, “Oh No! I only have 5 weeks what pills or potions are out there” — I’m telling you right now to put your efforts into your menu because you know it always works for you. Have your one Cheat Day a week and follow your meals and snacks 6 days a week. Remember: you can’t cheat during the week and then cheat on the weekend. You can’t cheat during the week and still have a Cheat Day and you can’t cheat for 5 days and then be good for 5 days and expect a miracle. It doesn’t work like that. KEEP IT SIMPLE: take the next 5 weeks and follow your menu 100%. Stick to your meals and snacks and include any fun exercise. Have ONE Cheat Day a week and I promise you by 4th of July you will be in such a great place you will be so happy that you did it. Even if you have more weight to lose you will be so much happier, lighter and thinner than you are today.
This is a game. It’s how you play it that will determine your outcome. If you follow the rules you will have the best success. If you cheat when you shouldn’t be cheating, then you will be less successful. It’s not much different than how you should view anything in your life. If you want to be the best, and feel the best then you have to act it. Be amazing and give everything that matters in your life 110%. Fight for it and be persistent! … and let go and give the nonsense, the gossip, and all the other unimportant things 0% of your time and effort. Use your energy and your efforts toward the things that make you happy — and YOU should be at the top of that happy list. Firmly believing when you feel good, your weight is good, and your clothes fit — you are a happier person.
How happy do you want to be this Summer?
We say it all the time, weight loss is hard
but being over weight and unhappy is harder.
It’s always your choice.
If you are persistent you will get what you want
If you are consistent you will keep it.
~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick
SCALE NOT MOVING?
If the scale stopped moving it’s most likely because you stopped moving too! Rainy days and quarantines can make for a very unhealthy lifestyle for weight loss and health!
DID YOU KNOW…. Based on a study of more than 220,000 people, researchers found that the longer you spend sitting down every day, the higher your risk of dying prematurely, even if you engage in regular exercise. And if that isn’t scary enough then you should know sitting down for long periods of time isn’t just bad for your metabolism, it can also make you age quicker too. New research has found that sitting down for long periods of time even with regular exercise can make a person’s cells age prematurely. Yikes!
Why does this happen?… Because you are not meant to sit you are built to stand upright. Your heart and cardiovascular system work more effectively that way. Your bowel system also functions more efficiently when you are upright. You are also meant to move! When you are moving, your overall energy levels and endurance improve, and your bones maintain strength. Moving your muscles helps your body digest the fats and sugars you eat. If you spend a lot of time sitting, digestion is not as efficient, so you retain those fats and sugars as fat in your body. — Yikes again!
Interesting fact…. Your legs and gluteals, are the biggest muscles in your body and when used they burn the most calories. That’s why runners, long distance walkers, and lower body training will always have and create leaner bodies because they are working their legs and gluteals, and burning the most calories. These large muscles are important for weight loss and overall strength to help stabilize the body. Sitting for long periods can lead to weakening and wasting away of the large leg muscle and gluteal muscles. What happens when your leg muscles waste away?… you don’t burn as many calories because you no longer have the biggest muscles in your body and if that isn’t bad enough you end up with all fat and cellulite. Because prolonged periods of sitting reduce blood flow and that creates fat and cellulite. Just another big reason to get up and go…..
Live Longer!… Physical inactivity contributes to over three million preventable deaths worldwide each year. It is the fourth leading cause of death due to non-communicable diseases. It’s also the cause of approx. 30 per cent of breast, colon cancers, diabetes and heart disease. So next time you are at your desk and working 8 hours straight think about the damage you can be doing to your body. Set the timer and make sure you are moving. It’s something you have complete control over to change.
Feeling Sad?… We don’t really understand the links between sitting and mental health as much as we do the links between sitting and physical health. But we do know that the risk of both anxiety and depression is much higher in people that sit more.
Have I made my point yet?… if not, let me make it clear — it’s time to stop sitting and start moving! And walking your plate to the sink doesn’t count.
Move More In Quarantine….. An hour of exercise a day is just not enough in quarantine. Before quarantine you were exercising an hour a day and then you were running errands, work, sports, shopping, kids etc… Now you exercise and hour a day and you sit a lot more than you used too.
A SIMPLE FIX:
Today is more challenging than ever because you are not always on the go. Being sedentary is definitely going to play a part in how your body looks and functions. So whether you are cleaning, playing with the kids, walking, biking, jogging, …. find the time to move and make the excuses to keep moving as much as you can. It will help you mentally and physically feel so much better today, tomorrow, next week and next month.
IT’S NEVER ABOUT HAVING THE TIME — IT’S ABOUT MAKING THE TIME
~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick
We are now on UBER EATS 7 days a week for your convenience