• With Thanksgiving so close – if you are even thinking of pausing your weight loss or pushing off your weight loss for another day or week you need to refocus right now and realize that life is never going to stop for you to lose weight. Start now and make it happen. You will always have an occasion, an event, a holiday, and/or dinners out. You need to make this a way of life and the only way to do that is to incorporate your busy life with your weight loss goals. You can do anything and go anywhere and stay on program.
• Stop making deals:  If you cheated extra during the week you don’t make the deal to starve yourself the next two days. If you have a lunch or dinner out and it’s not your Cheat Day – You should never be thinking…“Should I stay on program or go off?” – There is no should I or could I. There are no deals to be made with yourself. You have done plenty of that and look at where it has gotten you. You need to be in SHARK mode — keep it all very simple — if it’s not your Cheat Day then you are on program regardless of where you are or what you have going on in your life.
• Make it a priority: Yes unfortunately you need to be little obsessive about your weight loss. Not in the sense that you have to be extreme but you do have to think about it and it has to be a priority – weight loss is hard and it takes commitment and you have to be willing to feel that little hunger. You can’t get distracted and mindlessly eat —With so much temptation around (and with the holidays it will only get worse) you have to be focused, committed and a little obsessive about staying on program. The more you make it a priority in your life the better the results and the easier the weight loss will be.
• If you are feeling a little mentally weak – Take out your skinny pants and try them on. Try on your shorts. Look online for a bathing suit you want to be in. Shorts and/or sun dresses – because the next vacation along with spring will be here before you know it. With the weather we are having in NY these days it might be here even sooner than we think. While quarantine was a great time to be the best you can be and even get yourself to a better place — many did not use the time wisely. So now this is the time for you to do it. Start now – you don’t wait for warm weather to be here and then try and start. You do it now so when vacations return and warm weather arrive you are ready.
• Extra weight makes you unhappy –  studies show that unhealthy and over weight people get angrier over unimportant issues 5x faster than healthy fit people. Most likely the reason is because unhealthy and overweight people tend to start their day unhappy and frustrated to begin with. So as the day goes on so does their temper. So next time you think “should I eat it or should I stay on program?” Remind yourself it’s not just extra food or unhealthy food that you are debating about – What you really are debating is do you want to add another unhappy day to your life and to the life of those around you. Do you want to continue to feel unsettled and out of control with your unhealthy eating habits and more importantly unhappy with who you are and who you have become. Is it really worth what you will be going off program for. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

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

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:

1. Add one extra hour a of exercise a day (walk, bike, hike, HIIT workouts, or just dance with your family around the house for an hour — so much fun and good for everyone!).  If you do it consistently for 7 days along with your current one hour you will see a big difference in your body and the scale.
2. Don’t sit for longer than 30 minutes at a time.  Get up do jumping jacks or jog in place.  Do anything to get the blood flowing and the body moving.  Just keep thinking sitting too long = loss of muscle, and lots of fat and cellulite.

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

I think it’s safe to say we all need a little extra motivation to do the right thing.  Between the quarantine and the weather – yikes! But Mondays are always a great day for motivation and a great day to be embraced.  Any mistakes you made last week you can change to positive this week.  Anything you wished you could have done better last week — you can do better this week.  Don’t waste another week, and another opportunity to be amazing.  These are the challenging days we all need to fight to get through.  Make this week your week that you will fight for what you want and what makes you happy.  — Not to mention freezing cold snow today is turning to 60 degrees tomorrow.

WHAT YOU DO TODAY WILL REFLECT YOUR TOMORROW:  It’s absolutely true that what you do today will reflect your tomorrow and what you do this week will reflect next week and this month next month and this year next year….   That’s why they say how you live in your 40s, has a lot to do with how you feel in your 50’s.

For so long I have heard so many of you say “I wish I wasn’t working I would have more time to take care of myself.”  OR “I have no time for myself because I am always in the car running around with my kids activities”.  Well…. be careful what you wish for — because now you all have time — plenty of time to do the right thing.  But as with everything in life your new found time comes with new challenges.  The challenge to be in the house around food 24/7.  The challenge to find activities to keep moving and stay motivated.  We are in a new world of less social and more “me time/ family time”.  And quite honestly how you use this time for yourself and your family will absolutely reflect on your tomorrow on so many levels.  So think and make the right decisions because you have more control in your home than anywhere else.  This can really be a positive life changing time of yourself and those you love.

I am truly so proud and  happy to say we had a lot of great weight loss numbers this past weekend.  Not that I ever doubt anyone but I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect as we have never been in this type of situation.  But so many of the clients felt they needed to be extra strict in fear of gaining.  So they gave up a snack and added a little more activity.  Others are so motivated because they feel this is their time to do the right thing knowing when they do emerge from the confines of their home they want to shine.  I have actually had many tell me in the VERY BOLD LETTERS and  with certainty that when the quarantine is over they want to be the butterfly emerging from the cocoon.  — motivating!

NEW AND OLD JOBS – JUST DIFFERENT LOCATIONS:  I was recently speaking with a client and we were talking about how important it is to follow your menu and really understand that anything over the amount on your menu is going to make a difference in your weight loss.  She said to me, ” I see so many of your clients who have lost so much weight and they are so thin but they act like it’s a job and they treat it like it’s a job — is that good?  I said you have to treat it like that.  But it doesn’t have to be a negative job — it should be a positive job.  It’s a job that you love to do.  You want to eat clean and be healthy and yes treat it like an important job in your life.  Today is no different we are just all working in this same job from home.  But if you keep doing the right thing regardless of where you are working from you will always get the best results.

IT NEEDS TO BE ABOUT YOU:  What we don’t always realize is weight loss is so much more than just the number on the scale.  Because everything in our life stems from how we feel and how well we take care of ourselves.  Feeling good or bad will result in having a good or bad day.  Feeling good and treating your body healthy — is going to result in how you approach life and all the good and bad obstacles that come with it.  If you are feeling happy, healthy, fit and strong you are going to get through the rough days a lot better than if you are feeling heavy, bloated, sick and depressed.  In fact, studies show that overweight people have an 80% higher rate of depression than people of a healthy weight.  Why? because you always feel better about yourself when you are taking care of yourself.  Sometimes just having the feeling of control over what you are and are not eating can change your day from bad to good.   You have to decide what is important to you.  Find a motivation to help you get you there and make a commitment to make your health and weight loss a priority.  Even though it’s not normal times it can still be a job that you are excited about doing — and that will give you normalcy and motivation.

I know you have heard this before from me but I need to repeat it — you need to start somewhere.  If you are already in a good place then I am super excited for you  to continue to be amazing!  If you are not feeling great and have no control then you need to get right back on program today.  I promise you, after one week you will feel good after two weeks you will feel great and a month — you will never want to go back to your old eating habits.  I can’t even begin to tell you how many people wrote to me that they were just so happy they started before the quarantine.  Trust me if you have not started do it now.  Whatever day you start it’s always going to be hard.  It was hard to start before the quarantine, it’s hard to start during the quarantine and it will be hard to start after the quarantine.  The longer you delay it the harder it will be.  Just do it — tomorrow you will be so happy you did.

DO IT NOW

SOMETIMES LATER BECOMES NEVER

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

I think by this point we are all going a little Coronavirus Crazy!  I was waiting for things to settle down before sending a blog but I realized that might be a while so I decided to move forward and share my thoughts….

First of all I just want to say we have to remember to take everything in perspective.  For most of us if we get the virus we are going to be okay.  Remind yourself who you are protecting right now is the very young, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.  For everyone else it’s going to be like having a bad cold.  So if you are sick stay in and protect our parents, grandparents, children, and those who are already compromised with their health.

COMPARE IT

THE FLU:  In the U.S. at least 18,000 people have died and 250,000 have already been hospitalized during the 2019-2020 flu season, according to estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – more than 26 million Americans have fallen ill with flu-like symptoms.  And this flu season has been especially hard on kids.

CORONA VIRUS:  World wide there are 145,000 cases, 5,411 people have died from it and 70,200 recovered.

There is a big difference when you compare the U.S. and World wide.  When you compare the flu and the Coronavirus you wonder why are they closing schools, and big events for the Corona and they never do for the flu, when the flu affects so many more people?  — Not understanding can create the panic.  — To shed some light on this….. one reason for the closings and quarantine is the Coronavirus is very contagious and while for most of you it will never be more than a cold — it spreads so quickly it can easily become devastation to a community with elderly, very young and comprised immune systems.  So while you may not be affected as bad you have to realize and understand the importance of the damages it can do to others.  That’s the whole reason for the quarantine that if we isolate the virus the hope is the virus will eventually die.   That’s why it’s really important if you are sick or have been exposed to someone sick —  stay home.

But with all the panic that is taking place people are going to end up killing each other before they ever even catch the virus.  So slow down and just take a moment to realize sometimes all we need is a little time to get to a better place.

Right now one of the most important things for you to do is stay healthy because if you do get it the healthier you are the more you will be able to fight it.  I am always preaching to you to make sure you are eating clean and exercising and doing all the right things for your mind and body because the healthier you are the better you can handle anything that comes your way.

Here are some things to think about and do:

1. Own your space — if you are at an event or any kind of gathering for personal or business give yourself some space when talking to others.  Remember it’s not only about the person you are talking too — it’s who that person was in contact with and the person before that person.  Protect yourself and give at least 6 feet between you and always give air hugs and blow kisses.
2. Wash all fruit and vegetables with vinegar — Washing with vinegar is the best way to remove bacteria.
3. Keep it positive! We are all in our own sense of quarantine so have some fun with it and spend some time with those you love and make some memories.  These will be the stories your children tell their children about how much fun they had when their family was quarantined 20 years ago.

• Young or old – play games, cards, monopoly, charades
• Get a jump on yard work.  Start pulling those weeds and raking the lawn
• Clean out the garage – the storage room or the closets for spring
• Take time away from the News and Social media and get outside in the fresh air and exercise.  Go to the park, or trails, walk, jog, hike, ride your bike, play tag, go to the beach and collect shells from the sand.  The recent weather has given us no excuse not to be outside getting some much needed vitamin D.
• While you are out at the park — one thing I love to do in my home on a nice cool day is shut the heat and spray the whole house with disinfectant and then open all the windows — and then leave for the day.  Let the house air out and sterilize.

Final Thoughts:  Live your life.  Don’t live in fear because that is absolutely not healthy.  DO NOT use this time as an excuse to go off program.  Because before you know it this will all be a memory and we will wake up and it will be an 80 degree day and there will be those of you that are taking off the coats feeling really good and excited to put on the jean shorts and t-shirts — while others who did not do the right thing will be dreading the 80 degree day more than they did the flu/virus.  I am already seeing it.  Weights are sent to me all day Friday, Saturdays and Sundays and I can already see who is staying strong through the craziness and who is not. Make the right choice.

Right now the one thing you can control is your food.  So you have to decide when the time comes where do you want to be and how do you want to feel.  Make the choice and choose your hard.  Is it harder to do the right thing now or will it be harder to squeeze into your summer clothes later.

AT THE END OF THE DAY YOU CAN ONLY CONTROL WHAT IS IN FRONT ON YOU

TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME

DON’T FOUS ON THE “WHAT IF”

FOCUS ON THE HERE AND NOW

— MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL–

BE HAPPY – STAY HEALTHY

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

It’s not easy being uncomfortable.  One of the biggest things about weight loss and getting results is we have to be okay with being a little uncomfortable.  Both mentally and physically being uncomfortable takes getting used to.  Mentally it’s not easy to say NO to something we want.  Especially when the only one holding us back from it is us.  Physically we have to be okay with not having what our body physically feels it needs at the moment – reminding ourselves that we feel a little hungry because we have to eat less than what we currently need to have weight loss.  When your body is used to eating more of course you will feel little hungry.  Not all day but there will be times when your body realizes you are taking in less and it’s going to want you to feed it so it doesn’t feel uncomfortable.  Not an easy thing to get through – yet very doable.

We live in a society that prefers instant gratification and pleasure.   You see it and you want it.  We almost never think of the consequences until after we did it.  When we are uncomfortable we want to get rid of the feeling and we do what makes us immediately comfortable – regardless if the result is going to make us unhappy.

CHOOSE YOUR HARD:  UNHAPPY vs. UNCOMFORTABLE – What you have to remember is the uncomfortable is temporary.  It will be gone and you will get past it and the results of it are what makes you happy.  If you choose the easier path and grab without thinking or caring you will be unhappy and bloated and that’s a whole different kind of uncomfortable.  So which is it?  You want to be uncomfortable a little hungry or uncomfortable in your clothes?

Here are some things to remind you why it’s okay to be uncomfortable:

• Nearly everything that generates any kind of value requires effort, focus and discomfort.
• It’s the fear of discomfort that drives us away from our goals
• It’s this fear of discomfort that drives us to search for endless shortcuts.  How can we make this all easier. How can we achieve success without the hard work?
• The truth is the only real way to get comfortable is to realize discomfort is where your success is.  Follow it, embrace it and you will get it.

If you think about how society today is so terrified of pain and discomfort.  Many will do anything to avoid pain and suffering.  We have endless pills and alcohol to make all manner of discomfort go away.

• Don’t fall into the trap of becoming comfortable with simply existing. You must want and love putting the work in to get results. It’s okay to feel both the pain and pleasure from working hard for something. For example let’s take weight loss – It’s uncomfortable and there are days you have to walk away from what you really want. I think we can all agree there is pain involved. Both mental and physical pain. It’s not easy to walk away from something you want. But the results of doing it are beyond amazing. The feeling of waking up healthy, light and thin. Grabbing anything in your closet and it fits and feels good. Your confidence is high and your days are always great. You feel healthy. You feel like you can face anything and get through it. And you feel this way all because your body and mind feel good. When your body is in a good place your mind is in a happy place. When you feel good you are happy and when you are happy you always look amazing. There is nothing more beautiful then a happy confident person. When you are comfortable in your own skin – it makes all the little uncomfortable times worth it.  Who wouldn’t want this.  We see people all the time that have it and we want it.  But in order to get to this amazing feeling you need to work hard and feel the little pains of being uncomfortable.  When you are willing to do that you will get the results.

What I want you to think about for the remainder of January and into February – is becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable.  It’s okay to be a little hungry – you won’t starve.  It’s okay to go to a party and not indulge .  It’s okay to feel a little mental pain without having to numb it. Face your fears and embrace them – it’s the only way to get through them.   I want you to embrace it and be happy that you can embrace it and happy that you can work for what you want.   Nothing in life comes free.  You must put the work in.   Don’t wait for the perfect time – it doesn’t exist.  There is always going to be something – it’s all part of the uncomfortable.    You have to get past it.   It’s not always going to be a perfect day or situation – but you  keep moving forward and keep working hard.   Do what you need to and get to where you want to be.  Think about it -if you don’t do it now -when?   Start now and make it happen.  You will feel the joy of being uncomfortable because you will see the results it brings.   Remind yourself that uncomfortable is where your success is!!  When you work at it and embrace it – the toughness of being uncomfortable passes and you find yourself in a place of control and happiness.

It's only when you see the positive changes in your mind and body 

is when you feel the most comfortable and genuinely alive


~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Hi Everyone!

Welcome back from 2018 and welcome into the beginnings of 2019.  It is a time of reality and sometimes that doesn’t feel so great.  While so many did wonderful over vacations so many didn’t.  Either way getting back to real life is never easy – but it’s so beyond important.

There is a time for work and a time for play.  Right now – it’s a time for work.  You have a straight run of putting the time in and reaching new goals.  Whether you are getting back to where you were or continuing on your successful road – Now is the time to do it.

Do not look back and don’t have regrets.  Move on and move forward.  For many of you know one week back on program and you will feel so much better.  Even if you are not back at pre-vacation weight you will be in a great place, back in control and in the direction you want to be.

Don’t sabotage yourself.  Getting back on program is going to make you feel so much better but it may take more than that to see numbers you want to see.  So even if you feel good in a couple of days I would wait a solid week on program before you go on the scale.

The importance of feeling good and doing the right things for your mind and body is so important.  Of course we all want to look good.  But we must remember looking good from the inside out is important too.

For example many of you know my hubby has started the program.   After turning 50 being in shape is not as easy as it used to be.  He absolutely loves to indulge with our boys and does it quite often.  Truth be told I always think he looks amazing.  He is such a great person.  But heart disease runs big in his family and he has been feeling the extra weight.  And quite honestly we have been together since I’m 16 and I don’t want to live without him over something he can control.  The reason I bring this up is because while we all want to look great – we also have to remember the importance of our health.  Mentally and physically being over weight will affect every area of your life and one way or another it will also affect all the people that love you.

We all get to a point where we look and say “wait a second, I am so out of control and not where I want to be.” For some it’s later than others but the most important thing is not that it happened but how you address it.  You get right back on program and feed yourself healthy and keep yourself happy.

Don’t over think it – no quick fixes. No starving yourself.  No self sabotaging.  None of it works.  Go back to your menu or reach out to us and we will guide you.  The only way to get your numbers down right now and to feel that lighter healthier feeling is to get the control back.  Follow your meals and snacks and nothing in between.  After a week you will feel great and two weeks back in the game and on your way to reaching new goals.

Embrace today and the New Year.  Be excited to reach your goals.  you can do this.  You know what you want and you have the tools to get you there.  Go with it and follow it through.  One day at a time and before you know it you will feel so good that  you will find your inner strength and that strength combined with how good you feel will bring excitement to jump start each day.  When you put the work in you are capable of everything and anything.

TODAY, THIS WEEK AND THIS YEAR BE EXCITED ABOUT EVERYTHING!

Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

With just a hop skip and a jump you will be on Holiday Break.  As fast as it arrives it will be gone.  So make sure you enjoy every second of it and do tithe way that will make you the happiest – with No Regrets.

Here are some Holiday Tips and Advice I would like to share with you:

1. Whether you are on the beach, the mountain or home you should be drinking water throughout the day.  Dehydration can cause hunger, headaches, constipation and fatigue.  Plan your water intake throughout the day.  for example a great practice is to drink an 8oz bottle of water when you wake up first thing.  Your body is dehydrated from sleep and the activities from the night before – whatever that may have been.  So wake up and drink.  Every time you plan a meal or a snack drink 8 oz of water before you eat.  You will not only consume less but you will feel and look so much better throughout the day.  ** Did you know that alcohol and caffeine are diuretics.  If you are drinking alcohol or any caffeinated drinks – make sure you have a glass of water in between every drink.
2. Stay of the gym BUT stay active on Vacation.  You want to change it up of your mind and body and vacation is the perfect time to do that.  On the mountain go skiing, sledding, shoe walking, or horseback riding.  On the beach take a long walk or jog on the sand.  Go swimming.  Do an outdoor yoga or bootcamp.  Enjoy your surroundings and plan activities according to the weather you are in.  If you are staying home with the family play hide and seek or tag.  Go bowling or ice skating.  Take long walks in the park or go hiking.  It will be enjoyable and nice change for the mind body and great family time.
3. Always always plan your meals and snacks.  Regardless on vacation or home you need to plan your meals and snacks because believe it or not while it’s uncomfortable to over do it at home it’s even worse to over do it on vacation.  Whether you are home or on Vacation you want to choose one of the following to keep you on track:

• STAY ON PROGRAM:  and follow your 6 clean days and 1 cheat day.  If you do this you will of course lose weight and feel great.  Plan your food and snacks in advance each day.  if you are drinking then that is your snacks.  if you follow the 6/1 I would recommend having your cheat day at the end of the week before you go home.  All week long you can make a list of the foods/snacks/desserts you see that you want try on your cheat day.  If you save the Cheat Day for right before you return you will have a much better chance of sticking to the 6 clean days.
• SPLIT THE HOLIDAYS:  We have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and New years eve and New Years Day.  If you split them and stay clean all day and only off at night – Dinner and Drinks or Dinner and Dessert.  You do it for both Holidays with super clean days in between.  You will absolutely maintain but for many will still have a great chance of losing if you have SHARK DAYS in between.
• MAINTAIN YOUR VACATION:   If you feel you need the break from the everyday mindsets vacation is a good time to take advantage of it.  Whether you are homer away you will choose one meal and one dessert/drinks each day.  The remainder of the day keep clean. So for example you might do Muffin for breakfast and bar for lunch and then cheat dinner and dessert/or drinks (desserts are your drinks.  The next day you might decide to cheat at breakfast and eat clean the rest of the day with cheat dessert.  It’s up to you to choose each day your cheat.  The key is not to have a full cheat day that week.  You come home and you go right back on program.  No scale.  You go back on program for one week and then you go on the scale and you will see your  pre-vacation weight.

While I wish food and drinks didn’t play such a big part in how we feel – the reality is it does.  And Im a big believer in addressing things rather than ignoring them.  Since what we eat and drink affects our mindset and personality, I think it’s super important to think through how you want to feel and what is going to make you happy.  Do not cheat everyday if you  by mid week you will be miserable because that will use make everyone you are with miserable.  As hard as it may feel to stay on program – think about how hard it will be to feel bloated and uncomfortable in your own skin.  In not suggesting you stay 110% clean on vacation.  I know you all so well that I really believe there is a different option for each one of you.  But what I am telling you is that while going off program makes you feel free of stress and structure – if you over do it you will begin to feel uncomfortable and out of control and I don’t want you to have that feeling on your vacation.  Think about it and plan how often you can cheat and still feel okay.  Because when you start out in a bathing suit or snow pants and end up mid week in a cover up or feeling like frosty you have to be okay with it.

FINAL THOUGHTS:  Remind yourself two things.  It doesn’t matter how amazing you were up to this point.  You will feel the effects of daily over doing it and you will feel it quickly.  Smoke the choices because this vacation isn’t only about you it’s about your family and what mood they have to deal with when you lose control.  I know it’s the harsh reality but I’m telling you now so you don’t look back and feel like you should have made different choices.  You have all been on vacation before and you know what it does to you mentally and physically the you are consistently off program.  Some are okay with it and can just deal with the affects of it and go right back on program when they return — others will let it ruin the holiday/vacation mid way through.  Don’t do it.  this year you are going to THINK BEFORE YOU ACT and make sure your choices are what is good for you and all those you love.  And always remember if you lose control and you realized you over did it and start to feel uncomfortable there is a simple solution –  the very best thing to do is regardless of where you are you just go right back on program to a 110% shark day.  After one solid day back on program you will feel so much better.  We are always here for you if you need guidance – simply reach out.  Remember this isn’t about being perfect it’s about being happy.

HAPPINESS LOOKS AMAZING ON EVERYONE!

The most wonderful time of the year!  I thought today would be a perfect time to talk about the WEEKEND!  You know that really difficult time that everyone has keeping to one cheat day.  Yes I know we are in the most festive and the busiest time of the year.  I know we had parties every week. That’s why they call it the happiest season of all because everyone is eating and drinking!  But I also know how fast weight comes on and how much longer it takes to come off.   That’s why it’s important for me to remind all of you – the next two weekends are super important.  If you keep it to one cheat day a weekend you will see the number go in the right direction.  If you cheat a little the night before or the day after you will maintain.  It’s that simple.  to see the number go in the direction you want you must keep it to ONE CHEAT DAY A WEEK.  That includes No Extra’s at all.  Stick to your menu and you will feel the best and get the best results.

ALL THE MAGIC HAPPENS THE NIGHT BEFORE

If you weigh in Friday morning and your Cheat Day isn’t until Saturday you should not be cheating ” a little” Friday night.  Just because you weighed in does not give you the freedom to cheat Friday night.  If you cheat a little Friday night that will reflect in the following week.  You should not be drinking extra drinks or eating extra snacks you should stick to your meals and snacks on Friday like any other weight loss day and Cheat ONLY on your Cheat day.  Again this is only if you want the very best results every week.  Remember that all the magic happens at the end of the week so even if you weighed in Friday morning but your Cheat day is Saturday you stop the weight loss and the magic as soon as you are “off program” Friday night.

THE NEXT TWO WEEKENDS

There are only two weekends left until Break.  whether you are celebrating the holidays or vacationing or just hanging with the family – the real challenge will be from December 24th through Jan 1.  So for the Next week and two weekends keep it laser focused.  Live the program – 110% six clean days and only one cheat day.  You will go into the Holiday week feeling mentally and physically amazing, strong, healthy, thinner, happier and full of life!  Because when you do the right things it shows in everything about how you look feel and act.

THE STRUGGLE  THAT YOU FIGHT THROUGH

IS WHAT GIVES YOU THE RESULTS.