Just as the new year approached my life, so did a handful of opportunities, and challenges. Have you ever experienced such a thing? It spins you around so fast, that your head spins… “It’ll make your head spin”…. Trying to stay on board with myself, and staying the course that I had spent weeks earlier carefully orchastrated to put my new year’s plan into action, when I found myself in a place that didn’t quite fit the bill.
Now to back up a bit, to explain why this came as such a blow to me right out of left field.. This past November I specifically told and gave myself permission to go off my diet, and to enjoy the up coming holidays “MY TREAT”… Now keep in mind that I just spent the entire summer, working my fanny off Literally, and I had lost a total of 21 pounds.. I was so proud of myself…¸¸.•*¨*•♥ Attended a 12 week bootcamp with Kathy Smith which was provided by a new company NEXTFIT which is here in Utah.. LOVED IT! LOVED IT!♥

Every day I would tell myself, to get back to the program… I believe that I made this promise a million times to myself… Well as January arrived, I knew that I could get rid of the extra pounds that I had put back on. Well January has come and gone, and now a family crises has left me kinda depressed, (MAD AT MYSELF) and unmotivated… And above all feelin very FAT and not trim at all… So where is this story line going… BE PREPARED for anything, and never let your self off the course of something that means so much to yourself… It just isn’t worth the regret that it leaves you with… Back to DISCIPLINE which feels much better on…

I can create anything I want in life.

And I came across this wonder posting.. ENJOY ¸¸.•*¨*•♥

As the New Year approached, I noticed conversations between my friends turned to resolutions and weight loss. I believe every year we go through the same topics: “this is the year I am finally going to loose 30 pounds” or “I’m going to lose 50 pounds this year”. The year comes and goes and next December we go back to making the same statements.

I have three friends in particular that are going through the first week of the year feeling defeated. These women are smart, beautiful, intelligent and, to be honest, not really fat. They have wonderful families, great homes, adoring friends and careers that have not been affected by the recession. So, what do you give the girl who has it all? This was my challenge for this week, specially since all three want to lose weight in 2010.

As a coach, you find yourself thinking outside the box. And when you have friends who have everything, the only thing you can give them is advice. In regards to their resolutions, I have three tips to improve their lives right now, starting this moment.

The first tip is simple: stop using the four letter word – LOSS, as in weight loss. Our brains are trained to find whatever we loose. If you want to see the weight back, keep thinking lost. My approach is towards health, nutrition and movement. That takes another four letter word, DIET, out of the equation. What I want you to concentrate on is making healthy choices, fueling your body with good nutrition and moving every day, for at least half an hour. If you look at my goals for the month of January, you will see the first one says “Drink plenty of water”. This is code word for No More Sodas. Notice how the first statement is an action, and the second is a passive statement. Words are powerful and you can use them to help you achieve your goals. If you eliminate one can of soda a day, you will shed one pound a year. I used to drink a 20 ounce bottle a day, which is 2 1/2 cans. That means, I should get rid of two and a half pounds this year. That is one change where I am putting my health first and improving my nutrition. The second goal for January is “one hour of movement a day”. I did not specify what kind of exercise I want to do, that goes into the daily journal. The important thing is to move, no matter the weather or what is going on around me. It is also less overwhelming than writing a goal that states “I will loose 30 pounds by June”. You have to figure out what works for you. Often, the reason why goals are not achieved is because they are not accompanied by a plan. This year I decided to write my goals as plans for the month. My plan is to move for one hour every day, and out of the first 11 days of the month, I have been able to do it in eight of those days. The important thing about this first step is that you think of yourself and your health and not like a number to be reached. This formula is more loving to you, which brings me to my second tip.

The second tip is: love yourself in order to increase your self esteem. Now, I don’t know about you. I have never met a person that loves herself and has low self-esteem. The reason is because this kind of person needs no validation from outside sources. They can see the value in their own lives and the importance of being who they are. The more you accept yourself as who you are now, and love yourself deeply, the more your self-esteem will rise. Give it a try. For the next 30 days, when you wake up in the morning, look at yourself in the mirror and as you are getting ready, say “I love you”. It might sound silly at first and you might not be able to look at yourself in the eye. After a while, you will notice that you are not as uncomfortable and you start treating yourself better. People around you will notice a difference too.

Smile at yourself every time you see your reflection. Take care of yourself. Follow tip one and eat for health, move and think nutrition. Sleep well. Take time for yourself. It is amazing how some times we tell others how to care for themselves and we don’t do it for ourselves. Love yourself first so that you can care for others.

The last tip is about redefining the word Diva. At the end of the day, every Diva lives for her public’s adoration. Do you know the secret to having everybody love you? Love everyone. In order to love others, you must first love yourself, which is why I mentioned that tip first. There are many ways in which you can show your love and compassion to others. You can donate time, money and things to your favorite charities. You can help a neighbor in need or help a person cross the street. There are other, subtler ways to do this too. Think about the last time you went to the grocery store. The clerk was overwhelmed and the last person in line was not very nice. You got to checkout, she said HI, you answered Hi, and that was it. You probably don’t even remember what she looks like. The next time you go to the grocery store, take the time to read the name tag and when the clerk says Hi, you answer, using her name. Ask her if it has been a busy day? Be sincere, nobody likes fake attention. You might get a smile, an answer, or you might not. I can tell you that even in the darkest days, the average person remembers things like that, and it makes them feel great. It also reminds us all that we are all equal and that we are all part of this great Earth. And bonus, you will feel great too.

To make it easier to remember, think only about the positive aspect of each tip. Think health, love yourself and love others. Try any one of this tips or all three and you will see a change in your life.

Roxana Nunez is the author of the AvidDiva blog, as well as the Owner of AvidDiva Coaching. She is constantly looking for ways to improve her life and the lives of others. You can find her at http://www.aviddiva.biz or at http://www.aviddiva.wordpress.com