We are in our summer clothes and our bathing suits now and maybe not as happy with the way we feel as we could be. This month I’m sharing some ‘golden rules’ to follow when we make the decision to tone up and start Feeling Absolutely Fabulous about ourselves and our lives. So let’s make ‘yo-yo’ dieting a thing of the past, and make some healthy lifestyle choices:
The Feeling Absolutely Fabulous LLC 10 Rules for Looking Good and Feeling Great!
- Commit to a Healthier Life
Stop now! You are never going to ‘diet’ again! Choose to commit to a new lifestyle. We all know that dieting is not a solution. If you diet to lose or to gain weight as soon as you stop dieting you return to old eating patterns. When you stop, the pounds start to creep back on or off again, and before your know it you are back to your old weight. Or, making you feel worse still about yourself, your weight may have crept even higher or lower! The first step in Feeling Absolutely Fabulous is making that commitment to yourself to make healthy choices and change your life to one of happiness and fabulocity. - Move it or Lose it!
Some form of movement is necessary to keep your body healthy. If you have committed to making healthy changes to stay healthy, you are going to have to move your body. Regular exercise is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. And, there are so many choices. What do you like to do? Find it and do it, often. I don’t mean you have to go to the gym and hire yourself a personal trainer. However, if that’s what does it for you, go right ahead and do it! There are lots of options, have you learned to Belly Dance, Salsa or Tango? Ever wanted to learn to ride a horse or to fence? The Feeling Absolutely Fabulous golden rule for exercise is that is should be fun—if you hate it you will quit! Find out what is fun and do it, often. - Drink Water
Drink water. We suggest a minimum of eight glasses daily. That’s eight 8 ounce glasses of water each day. You may substitute herb teas, no caffeine please! If you drink coffee, tea, colas, etc, they don’t count as part of your eight glasses. Drink eight glasses of water as well as your other fluids, or cut out some of the others and drink water instead. Those of you who know me know that I have a great complexion-I drink my water daily. It flushes out toxins. Water also helps your digestive tract work well and your bowel movements stay regular. This is especially important now you are ready to eat for health as you will most likely be getting more fiber in your diet. Water bulks fiber up and moves it out! It will also take the edge off your appetite as you change your diet-yes, the simple act of drinking a glass of cool refreshing water will help you through the cravings! Don’t like it cold-then drink it warm. Don’t like the taste-put a slice of lemon in. Makes you run to the bathroom too often-your body will get used to it and gradually you won’t have to go so often. And as I said above, moving your body is good for you-get up from your desk and walk to the bathroom! If you want to Feel Absolutely Fabulous you will have to move your body! - Write it Down
One of the easiest ways to self monitor what you eat is to keep a little journal and write it down. If it goes in your mouth record it! No, it does not take a lot of effort-remember this is now part of your new lifestyle. This can cause a great deal of resistance, but to become healthy and happy and Feeling Absolutely Fabulous you have to get honest with yourself. AbFabbers are often surprised by how much or little good stuff they consume at first. You may know how it goes…honestly, I don’t really eat that much I don’t know why I gain weight…I must have a really slow metabolism…I eat well all day and only snack a little in the evening…write it all down for one week and see where you overindulge and where you under indulge. You can see for yourself how healthy your diet is and if in doubt you can send it in to me and we can review and see where you can make changes. Record your exercise too! Often the simple act of recording can stop us grabbing unhealthy food and inspire us to exercise. Try it! What do you have to lose? - Manage Your Stress
Stress is a natural part of the human experience however we all know that too much stress is extremely detrimental to our health and well-being. Finding healthy ways to manage your stress is an important part in your new healthy lifestyle. Often when under too much stress we will over eat, comfort-eat, binge, skip meals, eat an unbalanced diet. Emotional roller-coaster eating leads to surges and drops in blood sugar, which can make us feel even worse. The hormone cortisol starts packing a layer of fat on our tummy and we feel bad. See, where I’m going with this? Take a good look at what stresses you out and see if you can make some changes. When did you last have some time just for you? I suggest getting an aromatherapy massage, a reiki session or a reflexology at least once a month for maintenance. When under extra stress I go more often. The Feeling Absolutely Fabulous Progressive Relaxation CDs are great, easy to use tools for reducing stress and helping you get back to your fabulous self!
Well done, by reading this far I know that you are seriously thinking about making changes to a healthier you! Next month, we’ll look at the next five steps. In the meantime, start by doing the first five and together we’ll gently make changes. Remember, I am here to help you. Just call for an appointment (206) 201-2764 or drop me a line by email jf@jacquelinefairbrass.com Stay fabulous, Jacqueline Fairbrass CEO Feeling Absolutely Fabulous LLC Founder, School of Complementary Therapies
