Before I became a Health and Liftstyle coach I very rarely read what we term as ‘self help books’. I had heard the term Personal Development as one of my customers ran PD courses, however most of these were centred on leadership and management or being part of a team.

I’d read the usual ‘The Secret’ ‘Who moved my cheese’ and ‘The 7 habits of highly successful people’ and that was the extent of my knowledge. Then I came across a Jim Rohn quote ‘work harder on yourself than you do on your job’ back then it didn’t really make sense but I’m really now starting to understand what he meant by that.

Personal development is not really encouraged at school or at home when you are growing up. I spent most of my life concentrating on my corporate success, accountancy qualifications, being the best at project management or business analysis, keeping totally up to date with the latest Windows or Dynamics releases. The only time I spent on ME was when I actually got some free time to run. It was those times I was able to clear my head, think about my goals and solve mine and my customer’s problems. But when you live that mad corporate lifestyle the ‘ME TIME’ is very limited, even more so when your home and family are hundreds of miles away and your weekly commute is a day’s work itself.

We all have a tipping point – an alarm that something needs to change. For some unfortunately it’s often their health, for most it’s a life changing event but for me it was the reality that for the past 20 years my family had been my only ‘WHY’. My family were the reason I had lived away from home 5 days a week, my family were the reason I often stayed onsite until 8pm evenings to get a job done and my family were the reason my own needs were way down my list of priorities.

Then one day my family grew up!!  They all became beautiful independent young woman with a life and ambition and success of their own. I had taught them that whatever they dream about they can make possible, that they can choose their future and shape their lives to whatever they wanted. I had taught them the importance of writing down their goals and visualising what they wanted from their life.

I then realised I was instilling those same values on my team and those around me, but I wasn’t living them myself, I didn’t know what my life’s purpose was, I had dreams and visions and goals but I had never written any of them down, outwardly I was positive but inwardly I was constantly complaining to myself that my life wasn’t going the way I wanted it to. I boasted about the importance of meditation to bring about creativity, but I could never sit still long enough to do it myself.

So I made it my mission to start working on ME, treating myself like a project – my daily milestones would be my 10 minutes of meditation, starting the day with exercise instead of hitting the snooze button, listening to motivational speakers instead of my usual music playlists, cutting the plug off the TV and spending that time reading instead, cutting down on the wine and coffee and making sure my diet was the healthiest it could be and drinking my 3 litres of water a day.

I worked in terms of 7 day milestones – sticking to all of these would be a lot easier if I did it in blocks of 7 days as it meant I had to stick to just 3 blocks and I had formed new habits that would mould my new life.

I’m now coming to the end of Phase 1 of ‘Project Me’ and I’m really seeing changes. My life is healthier and happier and my purpose is becoming clearer my motivation is stronger and I have for the first time self-awareness.

I’m now ready for Phase 2 which will be about how I can take those improvement’s and start changing other areas of my life.

We’ve all heard it said ‘its all about the journey’ and sometimes we have to just jump off life’s mad merry go round and step back to see what’s really important, find out what really drives us, how can we discover our true potential and fulfil our dreams and aspirations?.

My reading library now consists of really life changing material which I’d be happy to share with you – drop me a message or email at [email protected] and I’ll send you my recommendations and you too can take that step too becoming the best version of you that you can…. You deserve it !

How many times in your life have you yourself eating when trying to deal with emotional issues. When these times come, are you feeding your stomach or feeding your feelings? Often the answer is both. We need to eat to fuel the body, but sometimes we eat to satisfy our feelings. It could be particular foods because we're happy, sad or even bored, but when we eat for reasons other than physical hunger, it's emotional eating.

Eating when we're not really hungry is a sure way to add unnecessary calories weight that can quickly ruin your weight management program. So how do you beat emotional eating? Know the difference and then manage it.

Knowing the difference:
 

1. Emotional eating appears suddenly, but physical hunger comes on gradually.
    
2. Even if you're full, you're more likely to keep eating if it's to satisfy a feeling.
    
3. If your stomach is growling for food, you'll eat almost anything to fill the gap, especially if you   crave a particular food such as ice cream, chocolate, or potato chips, you're probably eating to feed a feeling.
    
4. Emotional eating feels like it you need to eat the food you crave instantly, whereas if it's physical hunger, it can wait.
    
5. You may feel guilty after emotional eating, but if you're physically hungry you won't.

Managing emotional eating:
 

1. Try to recognize the feelings that cause you to want to eat emotionally.
    
2. Take your mind off the craving by doing something else - try going for a walk, do some housework, or talk to a friend.
    
3. Find a comfort food that's a healthy alternative, so when the feeling comes you've got an option that isn't junk food.
    
4. It's about moderation, not elimination. If you're on a diet, elimination of all unhealthy foods can do more harm than good. For example, if you can't live without chocolate, don't deny yourself completely. Have a small portion, and then put it away.
    
5. Sometimes it's just a taste you need. So try eating only a few bites. You're likely to remember the satisfying experience, rather than the guilty feeling after you've finished the whole pack!

If you recognize that you're eating for an emotion, remember that whatever your food choice, learn how to control it and use moderation. Sinc24 can help you with healthy and tasty snack alternatives that will support your goals, not destroy them. Contact us today to discuss how we can acheive this together.

 

Since starting my personal Herbalife Challenge its got me thinking about some of the awful things I’ve done to my body in my quest for skinniness.

When I was a teenager – I was a curvy size 10/12, I hated the fact I had boobs and hips and a description of hourglass, I wanted to be more Olive Oyl than Betty Boop.

I remember seeing a pic of myself oh holiday and was horrified; I spent the rest of the week wearing my brothers baggy T Shirt on the beach.  Oh what I wouldn’t do for that body now ! All I saw was a chubby teenager with a round belly – and what I wanted to see was a sophisticated skinny with a washboard stomach. I did some modelling as a teenager and looking back now I had an amazing figure I just didn’t appreciate it.

My first attempt at dieting was eating nothing but lettuce – I did this for 4 days until I fainted in the kitchen and had to tell my Mother who quickly admonished me and sat there and watch me eat a massive bowl of stew and dumplings. I felt so bad I tried to make myself sick afterwards – very unsuccessfully I might add and just ended up with a saw throat! And so began my love hate relationship with food.

I spent the remainder of my teenage years eating almost normally but with any imminent special occasion I would go back on the lettuce – then I discovered Chocolate Laxatives – the answer to my prayers and a flat belly.  I also became unable to go out of the house or anywhere that wasn’t within reaching distance of a loo, what was the point in a flat belly if I couldn’t show it off to anyone !!

When I reached 20 I became pregnant for the first time – hell what a massive 9 months of binging that was,  a whole 4 stone worth!! I had a craving for dry roasted peanuts washed down with apple juice and devoured at least 2 x 500g  bags a day – most of it came back up again but I just couldn’t stop eating them. Even worse when Kerri was born she weighed 7lb 2oz and my scales said I lost 5lb !!!

It took me the best part of 3 years to lose 3 of those stones and I managed to maintain it until my 2nd pregnancy – this time I only put on another 4 stone, 20 years later and another baby and I was a whopping 5 stone more than that skinny teenager on the beach !

I thoroughly abused my body in an attempt to lose weight  - I did the Cabbage Soup diet and spent most of my time avoiding public places due to incessant flatulence… I did Atkins and gorged myself on massive hunks of cheese and fatty steak washed down with white wine… I did the obligatory slimming clubs which encourage you to eat eat eat but only certain foods – all good until you realise you have developed the appetite of an adult elephant !

I have flirted with the South Beach diet, the Zone diet and even the Maple Syrup diet and I seem to have lost the same stone over and over and over. I have shut myself away and exercised solidly for 2-3 hours at a time.
I discovered running was a great way to maintain my weight and still eat and drink what I liked, however over the years my back got worse and worse and the running became less.

I used to give my family ‘feast days’ when I would cook up all sorts of treats and lay them out buffet style on the table, I would drink a bottle of wine during the cooking and generally another whilst eating it as well, these once a month feast days became once a week, then all weekend every weekend, until I noticed another stone had crept on !

I've now decided once and for all I had to lose this excess weight. My daughter introduced me to Herbalife and I was actually relieved I didn’t have to think about what to have for breakfast and lunch – no more empty cupboard so I’ll just pop in a whole pizza for lunch! I loved the fact I wasn’t hungry, I loved the fact my stomach seemed to shrink and I loved how good it made me feel I didn’t want wine to cloud this my enthusiasm with a fuzzy head.

I decided I had abused my body for over 30 years – I feel privileged and lucky to be here and if I am lucky enough to be here for another 30 I’m going to make sure that from now on its not about dieting, its about wellness, health and nutrition. I feel blessed that I’ve found Herbalife and its changed my outlook on food and my life – if I can help 1 other person feel the way its made me feel I’ll be happy.


Kathleen xxx

Lots of people have messaged me asking me how I am getting on. Well I was a stone short by 1st April but hey I had lost 3 stone so not complaining at all. I have dropped 3 dress sizes and my body fat percentage is down 17%. The key thing is my fitness and wellbeing has increased ten fold, the pinnacle of this was me completeing the 5km race for life this week.

OK now I didnt run it in record time and it was a sweltering 22c but I did it and I ran most of the way - apart from stopping to help a lady with crutches who had collapsed. It was so sad she was so determined bless her but her knee had given way and she was in danger of hurting herself even more. Once we got her some help I ran off again thinking that so could have been me ! had I not changed my lifestyle I would probably be using a walking stick now .. or worse !!

I still get the odd twinge in my hip but nothing like it was, losing the weight and increasing my fitness has made such a difference. Having my 2 shakes a day is now a way of life for me, I totally enjoy them and dont miss my old breakfast of nothing and my lunch of sandwiches and crisps, I dont miss the afternoon bloating from eating the bread and I dont miss my old lifestyle one bit. Herbalife is with me for life - I still lead a busy manic lifestyle but now I am happy to say the one thing I dont have to worry about is am I getting enough nutrition as I know the world leading scientists that Herbalife have developing the products have taken care of that for me !

I've now adjusted my goal and want to lose another 2 stone to get me down to the size I was before my children, I never dared to think I could get there again but now I know I can its going to be just another tick off my list of things to achieve :-)

 

Its such a chicken and egg situation.... you put on weight, you stop exercising, you put on more weight then your joints start to complain. This is what happened to me and become one of the biggest catalysts in me starting My Herbalife Challenge.

I used to love running - OK hubby says I didn’t run it was a slow jog! But even so I enjoyed it and it got me from A to B a lot faster than I could walk it ! I used to managed about 5k round the fields at least 3 times a week, or if I was working in London along the Thames tow path and back along Twickenham bridge.

I used to try and get a 10k in at least once every couple of weeks ,and always during that time I’d sort out all my problems at work,.  I’d mentally fix so many of my clients network issues, I’d resolve so many system or programming failures and most often just put the world to rights. It was my little bit of escape – my ‘me’ time when nobody could demand my time or attention.

I love the film ‘what women want’ and the advert that Darcy comes up with for Nike says it all – ‘the road doesn’t care its just glad you turned up’ is just brilliant and I always used to think of it as I was putting off getting my trainers on and it would motivate me to ‘just do it’ (the silken sound of Mel Gibson’s voice in my head used to help as well !!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9nQnBzBui8’

Running allowed me to eat pretty much what I liked and not put on weight. When a change of job an increase in family commitments and a change of routine, a couple of years ago put a halt to my running, the pounds started creeping up and that extra weight increased even more. I’d had to give up fencing years ago due to a knee injury and the extra weight really put on extra pressure and that old injury flared up bringing an even futher halt to my running.

Then the back pain started – initially just my lower back then into my hip so that even walking became a problem. I couldn’t even get on my horse anymore let along ride him and walking became difficult and even the thought of running was painful.  I went to see my local GP who advised I had sciatica and possibly some arthritis in my hip and lower spine which was being made worse by the extra weight. If it continued to be debilitating then surgery and even a hip replacement was an option – I was totally horrified, hip replacement at my age !! that was enough to spur me on to lose the additional weight and see if the pain would decrease.
But as everyone knows losing weight without exercise is near on impossible, and you can’t exercise when you can hardly walk… my uphill battle began ….!!!

I’d tried lots of other diets and never really managed to stick to them, the minute the word diet came into my vocabulary I started thinking about food ! so Herbalife was a real blessing – for at least 2 of my meals each day the biggest choice I had to make was what flavour shake to have ! (my fav is Chocolate by the way ).
I started walking as much as I could – especially uphill which seemed to free my hip up so much more. 

Gradually the walking became quicker and this week I was able to break into a gentle jog – am so happy as without even noticing the pain has almost disappeared ! I’ve only lost a stone so far but its been so easy I know I can lose the other 3. My energy levels have gone through the roof and I just want to run to burn it off – trouble is I’m not there yet and if I did I’d probably end up with an injury. So for now its still slow and steady – but when you can see a lovely bright shiny light at the end of the tunnel that run suddenly becomes so much easier.