If you find yourself stuck, perhaps it's time to explore the reasons why. With some simple self-exploration you can pinpoint the areas of your life that require change. It may require you to leave your comfort zone, but in the end you'll likely find that it was all worth it!

It's also important for you to build an action plan. If you stay organized and follow a simple plan of action step by step, there will be nothing that can stop you from achieving your goals.

Here are some ideas that can get you on your way to getting unstuck:

1.      Set Up Accountability. When you hold yourself accountable and keep a close eye on your goals, you'll be better able to identify when you're stuck in a rut. The first step is to really figure out why you're feeling stuck in the first place.

2.      Set A Time Goal. You're stuck and you'd like to be unstuck, but chances are you've been putting off working toward your goal. You've already decided to make yourself accountable and now it's time to give yourself a time limit - so do it!

3.      Be Not Afraid. Being afraid of change is one of the biggest reasons why you get stuck in the first place. Perhaps you're feeling trapped in your job and, in order to get the job you'd like, you have to go back to college. You need to get over your fear and see what you need to do to apply. You'll be happy you did when you land your dream job someday.

4.      Look For Role Models. Find someone who has been through your situation or something similar and see how he or she was able to overcome obstacles. If possible, ask this person questions.

5.      Change Your Thinking. It's true: your actions first start as thoughts. When you think positive and brave thoughts, you'll be motivated into action!

6.      Take Time. Remember to take some time for yourself to collect your thoughts. You may discover some insight into how to solve your challenges. Make sure you're completely alone with your thoughts without any distractions.

Taking Action

It's easy to remain in your "stuck" situation because it's familiar and you know what's going to happen. You might even feel safe. However, eventually the dissatisfaction you feel will take over and you'll realize that the only way to get "unstuck" is to take immediate action to change.

Make the Change

Once you choose your timetable, you'll want to break down your changes into small steps. Track your progress and tweak your system to make sure your changes are making a difference.

For example, if you're feeling stuck in a relationship, you'll first evaluate where you think the concern lies. Perhaps you aren't communicating effectively. If so, you can set a timetable of three months to overcome this challenge.

You can then break down the problem into smaller steps by reading a book on communication, talking about it with your partner, or attempting counseling sessions. As you go through these actions, you're constantly keeping a close eye on how it affects your relationship.

In the end you have a firm decision about your relationship's progress and you no longer feel stuck. If you hadn't taken action, it'd be impossible to improve!

Repeat the Process

Once you've applied this system to one aspect of your life, you can use the same strategies whenever you're feeling stuck. Whether large or small, there are always actions you can take to break through barriers!

Whether you're busy or bored, it's always important to make time for yourself. If you take the steps to include even a little bit of fun into each day, you'll find yourself leading a much happier life overall.

Be spontaneous or plan out your fun - there are no rules here! It may help to sit down and make a list of all your new ideas on how to bring on the fun.

Here are a few ideas for items to add to your "fun" list:

1.      Pets. Pets are a great source of relaxation and play. What kind of pet would bring you the most fun? If you already have a pet, think about activities you can do together, such as dog shows, expos, and so on.

• Pets are known to be natural stress reducers. This is why dog owners tend to lead longer lives!

2.      Comedy. Laughing is always fun and there are many things you can add to your list when it comes to comedy. You can watch short video clips online, rent a funny movie, or go to the local comedy club.

3.      Classes. Have you always wanted to try a new hobby? Sign up for a class to get you started.

• Grab a copy of a class schedule from your local community center. You can often find a variety of interesting classes to join at affordable prices.

4.      Socialize. Having a good time can also involve your friends and family, or even strangers! Start up a weekly game night, go bowling, spend a night on the town, or get active at your local community center or church. It's important to mix it up and keep things fresh.

5.      Adventure. If you like a good thrill, be sure to add exciting activities to your list. If you prefer to stay low key, you may want to stick to relaxing activities.

• You might be in the mood to go rock climbing, or maybe you'd rather try a gentle yoga class. It all depends on your personality, mood, and your own idea of a good adventure.

6.      The Long Way. Take the time to do an activity the way it was originally meant to be.

 

• For example, instead of driving somewhere close by, walk or ride your bike. Instead of buying a ready-made pizza crust, learn how to make your own pizza dough. The fun is in the doing!

Try Something New

Even if your list already contains new things to try, you'll want to avoid falling into a routine. Enjoyable activities can turn dull if you slip into a predictable pattern. Variety might come in the form of completely new activities or you can alternate similar activities that you already enjoy.

• You may want to change the sport you play on Friday night or play a different board game Saturday night.

The Power of Five Extra Minutes

People often use the excuse that they don't have enough time for fun. Remember that if you're busy, you can always take a break! Even if you only have five minutes, you can still use this time to put a smile on your face. You can always find time for a little fun.

Try these ideas for infusing some quick fun into your day:

• Plan your next day trip or evening activity.
• Go online and read an entry from your favorite blog or joke website.
• Have a mini meditation session to gain relaxation.
• Grab an easy level Sudoku puzzle or other mind-boosting games.
• Write a quick note or e-mail to a friend you haven't seen in awhile.

This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ideas on how to infuse fun into your day. If you stay creative and keep adding ideas to your list, you'll always have something to do. Remember: life is too short to skip out on the fun!

Failure has touched the lives of everyone at some point. Because of this fact, you know how horrible it can make you feel. No wonder you strive to avoid it at all costs!  But the problem is that this fear of failure can become one of your biggest life fears.

Fear of failure is a fear of the great unknown. You don't know what's truly out there, and so you're scared. You might even be tempted to give up entirely in order to avoid failure. You'll soon realize that not trying at all is the ultimate failure because there is no way to win without trying.

How can you overcome this fear and gain the confidence you need to seek the life you desire?

Consider trying one or more of these actions steps:

1.      Imagine the worst case scenario. Of course, you should spend time imagining everything turning out well, but it actually helps to imagine the worst case as well. This is because, while horrible, imagining the worst case gives your fears a face. Your fears are then no longer the unknown and they may not be quite as scary.

·      When you figure out the worst thing that can happen, you just might realize that the most a failure can do is to delay your ultimate goal. But if you can figure out how to get past this possible delay, you're back on track!

2.      Take bold action. The fear of failure can hold you hostage. When you take bold action, you're able to learn from your mistakes so you can continuously moving forward.

3.      Talk to successful people. Ask them about times that they've failed or times that they've felt a fear of failure. It's likely that they were afraid too and that they've even failed greatly before reaching success. Knowing that you're not alone can be quite helpful.

4.      Utilize affirmations. Use the help of affirmations in order to change your mindset about your fears. Affirmations can help you reprogram your subconscious mind so that you believe you'll succeed, which will encourage you to take action to make it happen.

5.      Know that you'll try again. Tell yourself that, if you're face to face with failure, you will pick yourself up and try again no matter how many tries it takes. Then follow your plan.

Don't Be Afraid Of Help

Since the fear of failure is so common, there are many people around you that you can talk to about the subject. You might feel like you're alone, but you're not. Discuss your issues with a trusted friend or use the services of a professional counselor.

Sometimes just having someone listen and understand you can make your fears seem like less of a burden. It can help you to get into a positive mindset, which is the first step you'll need to take in order to tackle your fear of failure head-on.

The Long Term

After you've mastered your fear of a particular situation, keep at it in order to stay on top of your fears. The key is consistency and positive thoughts. Remember that there are always lessons to be learned on your journey, even if you've failed. Keep at it and good things will come!

It's easy to forget the importance of everything we put into our bodies. While you can't always eat a completely balanced diet, you can reduce your stress levels simply by choosing stress-fighting foods.

Since everyone is different, some stress-relieving foods might work for you while others may not. Your best bet will be to try them all and then incorporate the ones that work for you into your regular diet.

Here are some foods that can help alleviate your stress:

1.      Green Leafy Vegetables. Leafy greens contain a lot of magnesium. Magnesium is an important mineral that has the power to relax muscles.

2.      Fish Oil. Fish oil contains essential fatty acids that help with serotonin uptake in the brain. Serotonin makes you feel good mentally and enables your brain to better cope with stress. You can get your fish oil from certain kinds of fish, such as salmon, or from supplements.

3.      Milk. There is a reason that milk is sometimes referred to as a "wind down" food. The proteins in milk can help reduce anxiety while the calcium is another mineral that can help with muscle relaxation.

4.      Chocolate. A small piece of dark chocolate each day can actually provide you with many health benefits. Chocolate has a stimulating effect. The caffeine also helps to increase serotonin. It's okay to indulge in chocolate in small amounts!

5.      Red Wine. Many experts believe that a glass of red wine each day provides health benefits. The only drawback is that it's easy to overdo it when drinking alcoholic beverages. Wine is packed with beneficial antioxidants and can temporarily lower blood pressure and help you relax.

6.      Oatmeal. Oatmeal and other carbohydrates also help increase serotonin levels in the brain. In fact, your brain needs carbohydrates in order to function normally. This is why it's essential to include good carbohydrates like oatmeal in your regular diet.

7.      Lean Meats. Lean meats can help you combat stress by providing a good source of protein. Turkey, eggs, chicken and fish are all good choices because they contain necessary amino acids for healthy brain function. Remember not to eat fatty meats because the fat can interfere with proper digestion of the amino acids.

8.      Coffee. Yes, caffeine is a stimulant and there is also a risk of developing an unhealthy habit. However, moderation is the key. Coffee can help stimulate the brain into working with more energy and efficiency, helping you feel more motivated and less stressed.

9.      Nuts. Nuts help you maintain your proper blood sugar. They also contain plenty of the vitamin B complex, which combats fatigue.

10.  Spinach. Spinach is one of the world's super foods. It contains many vitamins, antioxidants and omega 3's. This means it would be hard to eat spinach and not feel good!

Vitamins & Supplements

Of course, it's always best to get your nutrients from the natural source. If this isn't possible, or if you can't stomach a certain food, it's best to look for vitamin supplements so you can still derive some benefits from it.

Vitamin supplements help your body get the nutrients it might be missing. Once you start consuming these necessary nutrients, you'll be on your way to feeling healthier and stress-free.

Weight Loss Coach - Steve

Feeling of hunger is a big reason that weight loss efforts are abandoned before the reaching ultimate goal.  Since you didn't wake up overweight you won't reach your goal overnight.  That's why avoiding hunger and still being able to enjoy your favorite foods is important.  Studies have shown that incorporating "Flexible Restraint" can provide enough structure to limit food intake to promote weight loss while avoiding the feeling of deprivation.  Practicing "Flexible Restraint" will limit your calorie intake when you feel hungry for a snack, planning for a larger meal at night or a Holiday/weekend event.  This will allow you to enjoy your favorite foods when it counts the most.  Depriving yourself can lead to a face plant into the Eggplant.  It's important to enjoy the foods you love while losing weight this will avoid the possibility of binging.  Unless it's a trigger food that you can't control, in that case IF YOU CAN'T CONTROL IT YOU CAN'T HAVE IT. 
 
We love pizza in our house.  We plan for it a couple of times a month but, we make it at home and substitute for low fat/fat free ingredients and incorporate foods low in energy density.  Low energy dense foods have high fiber, protein, water or air. These foods are low in calories that tend to fill you up and satisfy longer.  However, have you ever had a dinner leave you hungry?  This is where hunger is hazardous.  The reason is an hour or two after dinner you're most likely in front of the TV and in an emotional environment.  This is like throwing gas on a fire.  You have physical hunger mixed with emotion. 
 
When physical hunger is tied with emotion you'll find yourself in the “Carb” Cabinet more often than not.  This is what I found happening to me when I was losing my sixty pounds.  I’d have a sensible, satisfying and balanced meal for dinner only to feel physically hungry an hour or two after.  If this ever happens to you start adding a little more protein or vegetables to ensure physical satisfaction throughout the night then, if hunger strikes it’ll only be the emotion that will have to be dealt with. 

 

To distinguish between physical and emotional hunger:

 

Physical

·       You haven’t eaten for several hours

·       Hunger intensifies (pain or discomfort)

·       May feel nausea, irritable, light headed

 

Emotional

·        Hunger subsides in fifteen minutes

·        Not willing to eat a frozen bag of green beans

·        Food begins to “talk” to you

·        Tend to choose salty, higher fat/carbohydrate foods

 

In order to manage your weight you’ll need to also manage your feelings. 

This can be done by:

1.    Listening to your body’s signals - When your body begins to send physical signals holding off will likely lead to consuming a large comprising choice very quickly.  But be careful, many times you may be only dehydrated and just need a glass of water.

2.    Notice what emotions tend to make you eat - stress, bored, angry, happy, sad, celebrating.  Instead of biting through the emotion write through it.  Start a journal and record the emotion that’s triggering the hunger.  This will not only get your mind off the kitchen but, you’ll begin to recognize what you’re really hungry for.  Many times you use food as a diversion from dealing with the emotion.

3.    THINK about non food options – Brush your teeth, chew gum, grab a book and a cup of tea, take a walk, remove yourself from the emotional environment. 

 

Practicing “Flexible Restraint” and managing your feelings are techniques to recognizing true physical hunger and great strategies to achieving your weight goal.  To quote a French proverb “A good meal ought to begin with hunger”.  

Have a Great and Successful Week,

Steve

If you don't like to throw away leftovers, tend to overeat when certain people are around, feast on tempting food or need to have "good" food on hand just in case someone might stop by then, you're in luck, you are just like me.  Someone, that continually needs to manage their environment.

As a kid I used to watch Yogi Bear.  This overweight, over aggressive Bear had a habit of lightening your load a.k.a. (Your Picnic Basket).  The Random House College Dictionary defines a Habit as: customary practice or use, and like Yogi he had a customary practice of using our picnic basket, an environmental hazard if you ask me.  When we think of a habit though, we generally talk of breaking or stopping a habit rather than starting a good one. 

Today, you can't get away from talk of cleaning up the environment.  But, how has your environment affected your weight loss?  Would you rate your work environment, Healthy, Moderate, Very Unhealthy, or Toxic?  Does the Teachers Lounge look more like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory or the Cardiologists office resemble the food court at a Mall?

It just doesn't stop there.  How about at home?  A TV commercial could trigger our face to plant into a cheese cake, chocolate cake, or  you fill in the blank.  An innocent date to a local restaurant could be hazardous pending on environmental pressures or influences.  Don't you see?  Cleaning our environment is more than saving the Beaver or protecting an amphibian egg mass.  It's about protecting our health, family, and well being. 

Let's take a look at our environment and how it impacts us, just not physically but, emotionally.  That's where the hazard lies.  It's not the Panara bread to die for or that sizzling platter, it's how we react to it.  Do you crave that loaf by the smell or want to high-jack the waiter of that sizzling sound?  These are all environmental hazards that if we don't control could become our toxic waist.

Clean up your environment today.  Start with your house, work and eating establishment.  I realize it's tough to toss out items you'd paid for, so box them up and donate them.  At work, label that room with all the junk, "The Fat Room" and don't enter unless you want to become it.  Restaurants should be entered with caution.  Have a plan and STICK TO IT. 

Bleach and ammonia mixed together is toxic. The same is true with trigger foods and emotions.  Keeping these two separated is safe environmental practice.

Have a Great and Successful Week, -Steve

© 2008 ChangingOurWeighs, LLC.

Have a Great and Successful Week,

-Steve