Parks and Rec - week 4

Hi LIFEstyl'ers!

Thanks for the comments Rika and Christine...

As we all become "fitter, healthier and (curvier, slimmer, sexier, happier, etc.)" - you pick the "_____'er"... We now know WHY we eat, WHAT to eat and last night we discussed HOW to eat...As said, the HOW is a very important part of the equation for a healthy lifestyle...In the weeks to come, we will discuss how mood, stress, sleep and relationships play a key role in this process...

As said, lifestyle change is a process...be patient, if you add in new foods and change your activity level slowly and gradually, it will be FUN...and FUN is what all this is about.

To one of our LIFEstylers who is very busy and finding the 10 minutes a day walking challenging...Try parking your car 5 minutes away from work in the morning and you'll get the 10 minutes needed...We would much rather see you do the activity daily for less time regularly than moving up to 15 minutes and doing it every third or fourth day... Go slow and you will definitely see, feel and hear the results!!!

For motivation, we talked about the only constant in life is change...just like the Swiss watch makers, if we do not change with the times...we may fade...We have hopefully been helping you think outside the comfort zone to help with internal growth...With time, you'll be amazed with your results! We talked about emotional traction and how important it is to make a date with destiny...Your new blue DECISION bands can be a symbol for some of the changes that you are making...

Homework this week was:

1) increase walking or any other activity (now that you have a Parks and Rec pass!) to 15 minutes alternating with 10 minutes or 25 minutes every other day
2) deep breathing, just can't get enough of it
3) BELIEVE! Think of yourself in 3 months, 6 months and a year from now already feeling the success you will have, NOW...In other words, bathe yourself with the feelings of success of becoming fitter and healthier today...How will you feel when you have reached your goal? Think about it.
4) walk away or detach yourself from media (tv, computer, video games) once a day...There are recommendations that media should be limited to 2 hours a day or less. So after reading this blog, go out and walk, jump or dance!

Next week we will talk about stress and cravings...

Have a wonderful week!

Take care,
Dr.P

Parks and Rec. - week 3

Hi LIFEstylers!

Are we having FUN yet?...The road to self mastery is always an adventure! This week we discussed WHAT to eat...We reviewed some of the latest food choices which help to maintain a healthy weight. Increasing 1) whole grains, 2) vegetables, 3) whole fruits and 4) legumes, beans, peas and lentils (soy). Dr. Niel Barnard has a number of publications on this topic: http://www.nealbarnard.org/pubs.htm

Remember healthy living is a process...Slow and steady wins the race!

As noted in the first session, I am not a dietitian, and if you wish further dietary information the free Dial a Dietitian is available at 1-800-667-3438.

Next week we will talk about HOW to eat.

Homework for week 3 included:

1) walking 10 minutes a day or 20 minutes every other day
2) deep breathing hourly, we discussed thinking of a focus word as you exhale like PEACE, POWER or STRENGTH.
3) we wanted to value your values, by choosing the top 5 values. As noted, there is no such thing as a right or wrong value. With behaviour change values become your "hot keys" for change!
4) food diary in advance, for one day plan your meals instead and eat to the schedule as much as possible. It appears a number of you have work situations which prohibit regular snacks. My challenge to you is to find a way to snack and do good work at the same time. It can be done! You are human.

Have a wonderful week.

Take care,
Dr.P

Parks and Rec. - week 2

Hi Gang,

This week we discussed WHY we eat, including some of the other reasons we eat (stress, social, boredom, low mood, etc.)...We learned about DOPAMINE, the little neurotransmitter which causes all sorts of "good" things...How it is involved with eating and procreating...How it can be misused and overused in addictions.

Homework included:
1) deep breathing hourly if possible
2) beginning to BELIEVE and VISUALIZE your success in 3 months, 6 months and 1 year from now
3) leave something on your plate with every meal
4) walking 10 minutes alternating with 5 minutes every other day using your new PEDOMETERS! Enjoy!

Have a healthy week. Next week, we will discuss WHAT to eat...

Take care,
Dr.P

Welcome! Parks and Rec - week 1

Greetings LIFEstylers,

It was nice to meet you all!

As promised, we have developed a blog to help with your journey of becoming fitter, healthier and curvier (pick any ___er!)...

We will give a brief overview of what we discussed in class as well as list your homework for the week ahead.

For the first week, we discussed some of the principles of neurolinguistic programming (nlp) and how they apply to weight loss. The program is to be FUN and not fear-based...

Homework for week 1 was:

1) 2 day food log
2) walk 5 minutes a day or 10 minutes every other day (make sure you do it daily or every other day). Parking the car further from work or the mall can be helpful.
3) do your baseline measurements (waist, hip and weight)
4) practice some deep breathing

Have a wonderful week!

Take care,
Dr.P