New Years and the “Resolution”

I gave up making resolutions many years ago. For me, it’s about setting intentions for the wondrous new year and letting go of anything unwanted or unneeded to make space for magic. If you do make resolutions, make them with love for yourself in your heart and soul. Understand that lasting change is difficult to master and be kind to yourself along the way. Make it about self-acceptance and authenticity for who you are and not what you think others want from you. Make it about health and happiness. Make it about love and hold onto it tightly.
Wishing you much joy and peace for the new year!

The Clocks have changed…how about you?

Even though today is a cloudy day, the change in clocks is allowing for more light and sunshine and I’m excited about this time of renewal!
Allow for the shift however because, the transition itself can be unsettling to the natural flow until the new rhythm settles. Once that has happened, the shift in perspective always opens up fresh ideas and creative opportunities.
A similar result can be gained from choosing voluntarily to change old habits or patterns of thought and behavior which no longer serve you. And Spring is certainly an excellent time to refresh your commitment to your health and wellness and all activities relating to your success as a person living with abundant health.
Habits can be hard and initially uncomfortable to break. However, it is always worth releasing the creative energy which becomes locked in a loop when you are entrenched in habitual routines. So here’s a tip to help you do just that:
• Alter your regular daily routine in one significant area which has an effect on the habit you are aiming to let go of.
For example, if you normally do your exercise after you have finished a whole load of other tasks on your ‘to do’ list, try turning this around and do your exercise first.
Repeat this approach for 21 days to reinforce your new rhythm … and then review the results. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you discover an improvement in the quality and the quantity of your physical activity, all from one simple, yet well-chosen change.
I’d love to hear about the changes you are choosing to make this Spring in support of your abundant health!

It’s New Years….Again…

I thought I’d wait a week or so before talking about the “resolution” issue. I’m going to be honest and share with you that I hope most of you are smart enough not to fall into the trap of making promises that you aren’t going to keep.

Why? Because resolutions are based in the negative and who wants to hang out there? If you wanted to exercise more and eat better, you’d be doing it already. Waiting for the New Year, like it’s some kind of magic, isn’t going to do it for you.

There is a more positive way to look at your objectives for the New Year. Can you take a look at your health from a broader prospective? How do you want to feel in one month? Do you want to have more energy? Or feel more confident? What is one thing you can do towards getting you to the point of feeling better by February 6th? What is one thing you can do right now that you will not fail at…that you can absolutely commit to and that will bring you closer to feeling whatever you want to feel by February 6th? Got it….Great!!!

Now…go and do it

Most people need some kind of accountability to really get the job done. That’s why I’m offering 15% off my regular packages for the month of January.
Call or email me to learn more.
You can do whatever you intend. I can help keep you focused.

Twelve Tools And Tips for Staying Merry During the Season

The holiday season is once again upon us. By now, many of us have put strategies into place to help us stay healthy and strong throughout the season of eat, drink and be merry! And…some of us have not. So, although you’ve probably heard it all before, here’s a list of 12 strategies that will assist you if your goal is to maintain weight (or possibly lose a pound or two) and to stay away from the dreaded 5-7 lb weight gain that accompanies all the parties and hoopla that has begun! Also included in this list are ways to remain grounded and balanced. It’s not all about the weight, you know.

1. It’s in your head. You make a choice to gain weight when you think about the holidays as a time when you are out of control. You are always in control and you always have choices. Without exception. Choose to do whatever feels right to you. Do not let the media and hype throw you into imbalance.

2. Starting today, create a plan. Most people have already sent out their holiday party invitations. I got two yesterday. Take a few minutes to map out from October 23rd through January 10th, including family functions, work related functions and networking events. Are there any that you do not want to go to and feel that your presence is not mandatory? Send your regrets now! Look at what you have left. How does the schedule make you feel? Excited to be a part of it or overwhelmed at all you must “do” during the season? If you are feeling overwhelmed, keep working the schedule by eliminating those events that do not feed your feeling of “good will to all” until you are excited about your activity during the next six weeks.

3 Come up with 10-15 of your favorite foods that are also healthy. Stock them and use them to eat a small meal before you go to a party. This way you feel satisfied and will not feel that you are depriving yourself of that extra portion of fatty, greasy, nasty chips an dips or cheese and crackers.

3. I hate to say it, but sugar is a killer for the willpower. You have one cookie on 11/23 and by 12/25 you are eating the batter raw out of the bowl. Consider, if you will, if you are eating high sugar foods, to at least combine them with a portion of lean protein to slow down the absorption process.

4. The dreaded water drinking. Drink water…lots of it…often throughout the day…there is just no way around this.

5. I know…I know…you are sooooo busy. Whatever. Take at least 5-10 minutes each day to sit in contemplation/mediation and truly feel the gratitude you have for your life. It gets shorter by one day each day and you owe it to yourself to connect with your spiritual power, whatever that looks like and feels like to you. Getting in touch with that small still voice that is your soul will absolutely help you to stay calm and centered as you get bombarded by the anti-spirit of Christmas…shopping!

6. Exercise. I know…I know..you are soooo busy. Whatever. Even if it’s 5-10 minutes for a walk around your office, do it. Just do it…there you go; I’m not a fan of Nike but the tag line makes sense. As Yoda says..don’t try…just do. Here’s my favorite when I’m out of time. Run ¼ mile fast as I can..do 25 pushups, 25 sit ups, 25 squats and repeat all 4 times. Takes me 15 minutes..I’m cooked. You don’t have to do this intensity..scale it to whatever you can do..but..do it!

7. Make each meal a complete one. Combine lean protein with healthy fat and carbohydrate. Like: hardboiled egg, with almonds and handful of grapes. That kind of meal satisfies your body and keeps you fueled and balanced.

8. Eat every 3-4 hours. If you keep the furnace stoked, you won’t get the cravings that come when your body is saying “feed me you fool” and your mind is saying “Snickers”. Your mind is not your friend.

9. Work on being present throughout the day. Most of us are living either in the past or thinking about the future. All you have is right now. Don’t waste time playing the “he said/she said” game. It’s over…get over it. And your future can change in a minute…you could get hit by a bus or a deer (depending on where you live). But you do have the blessed and amazing here and now. Look around you…it’s wondrous.

10. Here’s an oldie but goodie. For every alcoholic beverage you drink, precede it with a 12 ounce glass of water. It will help flush toxins and will help you not to want to drink too fast or too much.

11. Decide before you go out, how do you want to feel when the party is over? Do you really want to waste the next day having a headache and not being able to get off the couch? Really?

12. Enjoy the holiday season in the spirit of love, friendship and being in the presence of magic and wonder. There is nothing more wondrous than nature, the beings we share our planet with and the love we have to share that is limitless. Keep your heart open, let go of anger and hatred. As one of my very best friends says….We are one…We are connected. Open up..let us in.

Two New Workshops this November!

I’ve been a busy bee partnering with two great ladies to bring you workshops in November. All the proceeds from both of the workshops go to support the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County.
Go to www.dianecatrambone.com to register directly for these events. Here is a synopsis for each event.
November 10th – Growing Young Gracefully
Held at the NMS Joint Institute in Exton (map and directions at registration site) from 6 to 8pm. Ani-aging expert Kennerly Clay and me, your favorite health coach, will be sharing our secrets for looking and feeling great, no matter your age at all! From the inside out, be the best you can be and actually learn how to diminish the signs of aging.
November 17th – Healthy Eating Strategies for Life
Held at the Farmhouse at Great Valley (map and directions at registration site) from 5:30 to 8pm. Chef Steph and Coach Diane (me again) will be sharing FOOD! and of course, strategies to help you be pro-active in planning and providing healthy tasty fantastic food for you and your family.
Pay at the door for both events. We are asking for donations in the form of $20 or whatever you can give. Check or cash only please.
I’m super excited to be sharing these wonderful ladies with you. Two great events to set us up for the holiday season!

I can help but wonder….(I loved Sex and the City!)

Most people I come into contact with are soooo busy! Running around all day, doing this and doing that. When I speak with them for the first time, they are so enthusiastic about what I do. You’re a health coach? Wow…I need one of those. I need to lose weight…I need to exercise…I need to manage my stress better..and on it goes. However, when I ask them if they are serious..the walls go up and the first thing they say is….yes…BUT…I don’t have the time, I’m too busy!

Really? I’m curious…doing what? We are all busy every day. But are we busy doing the right things? It’s pretty easy not to do something. And it won’t affect our lives today…nor tomorrow..nor next week..and maybe not next year. But the consistent action of not doing something that is good for us will affect our lives, eventually. Bad behaviors turn into bad habits and those bad habits are very difficult to break. It’s those habits that will affect our health, our relationships, our quality of life.

And so I reflect…are you busy working towards a life that you have envisioned for yourself? Or are you paddling upstream in a strong current? You can see the other side, where you would like to be but you can’t get there no matter how hard you work?

I’m sharing an exercise with you today. Instead of writing a “to do” list this week (ya know how that goes)..write a “I did” list for the next seven days. Every night before you sleep, take some time out of your busy schedule  and write down the things that you did.

Now, how many things that you did serve you in your life? How many make you feel empowered? Energized? Motivated? Connected to Source?
On the flip side, how many things make you feel sad? Frustrated? Overwhelmed? Out of Control? These things do not serve you. Can you erase them from your life? One at a time…baby steps…moving forward to the life of your dreams.

If you are ready to work with me, I’m ready to work with you. Call or email me and set up a free 30 minute coaching session. If it’s a fit, we move on, if not, we don’t. I keep my life simple.

Enjoy the journey!

The Speech

“We did not come here to fear the future, we came here to shape it.” President Obama tonight in his speech on health care. And I challenge us all…do we fear our future or understand that our thoughts shape our future each day. Wellness now…take responsibility for your own health. Do not fear disease…disease happens when you are in discord with your body, soul and spirit. Work hard to shape your future of abundant health, choose health over medicine and the quick pill. Choose awareness over the easy way out. Choose respect for your body over thinking that your bad habits won’t make any difference to your health. Maybe they won’t make a difference today or tomorrow…but ignoring your health will affect not only you and your family, but the entire health care system. We pay for your mistakes. And…we can’t afford it any longer.

If you are planting the seed to begin an exercise regime soon, remember….you won’t be harvesting the results in two weeks! Enjoy the process of cultivating, growing and weeding out what doesn’t work. Only then will the harvest be abundant.

We are closing in on harvest season. Today, I’d like to remind you to eat whole healthy foods that are indiginous to your area and are in season. Eating foods as they grow wherever you live means you are living with the land as your friend and benefitting from the bountiful gifts you are given each day. If you are able to preserve, do so. Your body will thank you in February as it works hard to stave off colds/flu.

blog from a friend of mine…i’m sharing with her permission cause I loved it so much

Love it… One more time.
By Jen
What happens when you come to the end of something in your life? Do you create something new? Or do you hold on to the past too long?
There are so many cliche’s and quotes behind this thought… “When one door closes, another opens” and “There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Change…. most people don’t love it. I do.
Ok, maybe not LOVE it, but embrace the idea behind it. Or… maybe I do love it. But there is so much uncertainty, so many questions about what remains…

See, the challenge for us all is to go through life in the present. NOT thinking about what may happen tomorrow, NOT worrying about what just happened yesterday. There was a sign on my former boss’s desk that I will never forget. It was so simple, but it impacted my life in complex ways. “Be Here Now.”

And so I stole that and made that the cornerstone of my Mental Toughness Academy. Being in the present… overcoming your need to worry about past and future. All we have is now… and risking sounding too cliche, it’s all about seizing the day, and more importantly the moment. CARPE TEMPORIS PUNCTUM… Literally means seize the moment in latin…. so does Carpe Diem.

So I get back to my five words today. This is what hung in the locker room of the Force the night of their last game. We spoke all season about playing for love of the game. The last night was no different than the first. And even though their lives all went in different directions Monday morning, they all were there with one common purpose and goal Sunday night: To love it one more time. TO be fully present and give everything they had to that moment. To respect the game, to love the game, to find passion in every pitch.

What about you? Do you live your life like every moment counts? Or are you worrying too much about things you can’t control? Every day, every moment… make it the most important moment you have. And even if it’s not the last time you see someone or do something, act as if… because you never know when it will be your last. It’s a lot like my favorite definition of faith:

“When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about to step off into the darkness, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: There will be something solid to stand on, or you will learn to fly.”

Regardless of what may happen, regardless of past or future. Regardless of belief or faith. Give all of you the next time you do anything. Know that no matter what happens, if you give everything you have, it always comes back. So instead of worrying about what happened before or what may happen later, Play like TODAY is your last game, give of yourself like it’s all you have. Take nothing for granted. And…Love it… One more time. Every time.

Coach Jen
Exelllence Training Camp