My answer? Yes, but mostly no.

If pastries have some magic pull on you, it may be a symptom of high stress.

If affirmations boost your confidence that you can implement changes, then by all means go ahead. However, they won’t by themselves lead you to success if you’re a cookie monster. You have to change your habits.

That being said, thinking differently can indeed help you act differently and create real change. Here are my 4 top thinking tips for anyone trying to lose weight.

1. Know you can. Is there a mindset for getting in shape? You bet! There’s a lot of research behind it, but in short, if you believe you can make progress with regards to your health habits, you can. If you think you’re stuck, you are. To see how you can develop the right mindset for your health, see Build a Growth Mindset on p. 34 of our book.
2. Relax! Stress hormones prompt you to eat more, specifically more high-sugar high-fat food. Worse, in an effort to make sure you can survive the stress, they prepare your body for starvation by stockpiling as many of those extra calories as possible. See Stress and Appetite in a blog post by my colleague, Dr. Heidi Hanna. Avoid this double-whammy by allowing yourself regular intervals of mini-relaxation throughout the day. Do a Mini on p. 42 of our book can help you find specific techniques to try.
3. Eat for nutrition first, pleasure second. Not the other way around. With our daily exposure to publicity for juicy burgers and melting chocolate, it’s easy to forget that we should eat primarily to feed our bodies. If that’s a challenge for you, use the chapter Eating by Design on p. 106 of our book to bring things back into perspective. Hint: identifying all the functions food serves in your life and finding other activities for any functions that aren’t related to nutrition is a great first step.
4. Exercise is a privilege – not a chore. Imagine being paralyzed for a minute. No, no – don’t read on before you’ve done it. Close your eyes for 12 seconds and imagine you can’t move your body as you please. Imagine you depended on others to get you up in the morning, feed you, bathe you. We take it for granted, but having the ability to move is a pleasure and a privilege. See if thinking this way can propel you to action.

If you’d like Kathryn and me to answer your habits-related questions in future posts, email us your questions.

Paul Cherry has over 23 years experience in sales training, leadership development, sales performance coaching and management coaching. To date, he has helped over 1,200 organizations in every major industry ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. He is also one of the foremost experts on asking the right questions in sales and management.

Join me and my friend Paul Cherry on May 23rd for a free 30-minute web seminar as we explore how a healthy mind and body can help you boost your sales.

Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss:

Research shows that happier people sell up to 80% more than gloomier people

• How to up your attitude when you’re having a bummer sales day

Sleep your way to the top

• Why sleep deprivation is like being under the influence of alcohol
• Tips to energize yourself when your battery feels drained
• Retain more information from previous conversations to reconnect with your customers

Eat your way out of a sales slump

• Identify the foods that disrupt your thought processes
• Learn the right foods to keep your brain sharper so you make that first impression with prospects a lasting one

… and a lot more!

Want to join us?  You’ll need to register for this event – RSVP here.

Mood Boosters Can Really Do a Lot for You

So – ready for a few mood boosting tips? Here are my favorite 4:

1. Ask 3 Happy Questions. Any time you need a quick boost, ask yourself these 3 questions: What am I grateful for? What am I proud of? What am I looking forward to in the next 24 hours? Allow yourself to respond to these questions with anything you can feel sincere about, whether it is something small, something big, something seemingly insignificant, or something that has deep meaning for you. Don’t judge what makes you happy – just enjoy it! These 3 questions are a great way to boost your mood and to kick-start a fun and productive dinner-time conversation.
2. Find Meaning. When you dread an activity, it’s usually because the perceived pain of performing it outweighs the perceived benefits. For example, if you postpone completing your continuing education credits (CECs) each year, it’s probably because you see it as something that doesn’t bring you much value. But while you procrastinate, you experience a nagging little stress that dampens your mood. To get yourself into action, focus on the meaning of the task. Those CECs will help you have deeper impact on the lives of the people you serve. Isn’t that more motivating than merely satisfying the requirements of your certification or licensing board? More on this topic in See Beyond Your Everyday Life on p. 146 of our book.
3. Find Flow. You may love your TV after a long day at work, but people report the greatest satisfaction when they are immersed in what they are doing, not when they are being passively entertained. Think of the hobbies you enjoyed as a child or the ones you wish you could pursue today. Pick one, and then plan ways to get one step closer to making it a regular habit. Research shows that active leisure allows us to come back to work more refreshed and recharged the next day, thus helping us enjoy greater energy and feel more resilient when obstacles arise. Not sure how that applies to you?  See Leisure that Matters on p. 178 of our book, and find out!
4. Do Good. Whenever I was in the dumps, my grandmother used to say “Go do someone a favor. It will do you good.” Research supports my grandmother’s suggestion. In fact, noted psychologist Martin Seligman has stated, “we scientists have found that doing a kindness produces the single most reliable momentary increase in well-being of any exercise we have tested,” (Flourish, p. 20). For this suggestion to remain powerful overtime, you’ll need to vary the kindnesses you perform. Check out acts of kindness that occurred in the London Tube. Then turn to p. 166 in our book for a little guidance on how to make it a regular practice.

Final thought, this one for coaches: if you are working with someone who is a bit of an energy vampire, the above tips can help you help them. But don’t forget that emotions are contagious! Protect your own energy by integrating a quick mood booster before and after each appointment with this person!  :-)

Need a Little TLC?

Ladies – are you overdue to give your body a little TLC? The Hope Lake Lodge at Greek Peak Mountain Resort in New York State is offering a Women’s Wellness Week May 13th-18th. A great Mother’s Day gift (wink-wink to guys reading this post!), the event will enable you to relax, recharge and rejuvenate. With daily physical activities, health workshops, healthy meals and good conversations, it will answer all your questions on how to be and stay healthy. And of course, the agenda includes a spa treatment at the beautiful Waterfalls Spa to round off your week beautifully.

I will be there on Wednesday May 16th in the evening to host a workshop on how to use the SaS Compass to manage your sleep, food, mood and exercise habits more effortlessly. A copy of Smarts and Stamina: The Busy Person’s Guide to Optimal Health and Performance will also be given to each participant. I’d be delighted to see you there and sign your copy!

If you are a wellness professional, you’ll also be happy to know that you can get CECs for participating in this retreat. I personally can’t think of a better way to kill two birds with one stone.

The Hope Lake Lodge was voted 4th best Family Resort in the world on trip Advisor. I think you’d do well to come check it out before summer just to make sure it’s the perfect place for your family!  ;-)  For more information, pricing and availability visit the Women Wellness Week page, or call 800.955.2754.

Assuming running a marathon is a good benchmark, let’s push this idea a little farther. How would running a marathon after age 50 sound? How about after age 60? You get the idea: the older the marathon runner, the more remarkable the individual’s physical shape.

Can you guess the age of the oldest marathon runner in history? Last October, the world record went to Fauja Singh, who rightfully raised his arms in triumph as he crossed the finish line of the 26-mile Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and at the same time earned himself a title in the Guinness World Records. Want to see that for yourself?  There are several supporting photos in this well-illustrated article.

So how old was he? 100.

To what does he attribute his remarkable health and prowess? Being happy (as well as ginger curry and tea).

That would make him one of the healthiest people in the world, wouldn’t you say? And his recommendation is right in line with what research says about the topic. There is lots of evidence linking being happier, being healthier, and living longer. See my article Why Happier People Are Healthier on Positive Psychology News Daily for more details and sources.

Start with Being Happy
What does that mean for you, regular person for whom running a marathon seems as likely as taking a ride on the back of a flying giraffe? It means that, rather than fuss over how much you should exercise, how little you do exercise, and how much prouder you’d feel if you did exercise, you’d do better to channel that energy towards being happy. Being happy will rebalance your biochemical activity in a way that will naturally boost your desire to be physically active.

SaS Compass

This is an application of the SaS Compass: that sleep, food, mood, and exercise are all interconnected, such that you can start with any habits to make improvements. So pick the easiest and most appealing place to start, not the one that feels like pushing rocks uphill.

If you are a health coach, the implication is similar: if you are working with people who are resistant to exercise, try letting it go for a while. See if some happiness-boosting activities give you better results. Getting out of a weakness zone and feeling happier will increase your clients’ general energy and therefore increase their desires to be a little more active. I bet you’ll be pleased with the results.

So what should you do to get happy?  Well, you’ll have to be a little patient for that one – it’s one tip per post, remember?  Our next blog post will address the topic. In the meantime, you can check out our book which explores 20 different ways to boost happiness. (Frequent users: find our suggestions in the General and Mood sections.)

Think it’s too late for you to embark on the health journey? Blogger extraordinaire Jeremy McCarthy makes a compelling argument to prove just the opposite in You Don’t Stop Playing Because You Get Old. 

See you again in 2 weeks!  ;-)

Outreach Today Hosts by Future Photo Group

Have you promised yourself time and again that you’d finally start to exercise, only to see that determination fade after your third workout? Are you tired of being tired and overwhelmed? If you aren’t sure what to do to bring your lifestyle up to healthier standards, you’ll want to hear this.

This Wednesday, I will be the guest of Melissa Jenkins-Simon and Diane Stafford on Voice America’s Outreach Today. This show is dedicated to helping you build a better life for yourself and your family through greater awareness of practical, relatable and current information. Sounds good to me!

We’ll be talking about my #1 strategy for people who want to start living healthier – no matter where you’re starting from. We’ll also talk about how poor health habits hurt your productivity, and how to reverse that trend if you’re stuck in this situation.

When? Wednesday, April 11th at around 1h30PM ET

Duration? About 25 minutes

Where? Internet radio – click here to visit Voice America Outreach Today’s website

The live show will allow callers to ask questions, but if you can’t make it, you can still listen to the recording after the fact, directly from the Outreach Today’s site. Hope to hear from you there!  ;-)

Nap More, Snack Less

“How can I stop snacking in the afternoon?” That’s a question I get asked quite often. If you feel tired, a little sugar or caffeine may seem like an easy way to get that extra oomph you need. But let’s put it this way: with over 2/3 of the adult population being sleep deprived in the US (and if you are in Australia, Canada, France or England, my bet is that your stats are very similar), and with ever-increasing obesity rates everywhere, most of us would benefit more from fitting in a few extra Zzzzs per 24-hour cycle than we would eating a few extra calories.

Ready to give it a try? Here are some basic rules to get the most out of a nap:

1. Keep it short. Napping for as little as 15 minutes will have a noticeable impact on your energy levels and ability to be productive. On the other hand, naps longer than 45 minutes may make you feel drowsy, and compromise your drive to fall asleep at night. 15 minutes is not long enough for you to fully fall asleep? No worries. The mere fact that you gave yourself the opportunity to shut down, close your eyes and deep breathe is full of benefits in itself.
2. Nap early. Napping after 5PM will likely compromise your ability to fall asleep at night.
3. Observe your energy dips. If you tend to yawn and reach for sugary snacks or caffeine at 3PM every afternoon, then that’s the best time for you to replace a bad habit (sugar) with a better one (nap). If your work environment isn’t conducive to napping, check out Take a Cat Nap on p. 94 of our book for suggestions on how to find the peace and quiet you need.
4. Put your smartphone to good use. First, turn your ringer off – this one goes without saying. But then use an app to play soothing sounds while you relax. Also use your phone alarm to wake you up gently when it’s time to get back to work. Knowing that you don’t risk sleeping in through your next appointment will help you drift away peacefully and efficiently.

Napping will not only help boost your energy, but it will also slow down your production of cortisol, the stress hormone that drives you to want more high-sugar, high-fat foods. So what may seem like an over-the-top indulgence may actually keep you away from needless decadence!  ;-)

Working, taking care of your family and mundane daily tasks can leave very little time for your health. However, making your wellbeing a priority is important for maintaining the energy needed to perform daily duties with enthusiasm and endurance.

To help guide you down the path of an healthier lifestyle, Marie-Josée Shaar and Kathryn Britton partnered up to write the book “Smarts and Stamina: The Busy Person’s Guide to Optimal Health and Performance.” The book, which was created as an interactive workbook, allows you to work through the challenges that are holding you back from living a full life.

The book is easy to use and provides the tools needed to achieve body-mind harmony. The science-based information provided is practical and easy-to-read. It allows you to set achievable goals and reflect on challenges that may have affected your health in the past.  “Smarts and Stamina” is as an essential tool to kickstart your journey to better health and productivity.

If you wish to see the full review, check it out here.

And if you feel a book isn’t quite enough support for you, take a peak at our online wellness programs.

It’s amazing how simple facts and habits can really make a huge difference in your health and energy levels. If you are ready to see how to make the big do’s and don’ts of health fit your lifestyle, check out our 8-week online wellness program. But don’t delay – it starts in less than 2 weeks, on March 12th.

If you’d rather something shorter, I’ll be revealing all kinds of health secrets at The Massage Studio in King of Prussia on March 21st. My friend and colleague Christa Smedile, RD, LND will also be there to answer all your questions on the importance of whole foods. And best of all? Complimentary chair massages to all!  ;-)

March 21st, 7-9PM
The Massage Studio - 583 Shoemaker Road, Suite 200, King of Prussia, PA
$50/person
RSVP: 610-354-0138

If you’re more of a Twitter person, then you’ll be happy to know that you can now follow me @gotsas. I’m just getting started here, so I’d welcome your support. SaS is all about helping each other live healthier ever after, so the more we connect, the more impact we’ll have.

But most exciting of all, the program Smarts and Stamina for the New Year went so well that Kathryn and I will be teaching 2 new rounds between now and the summer. Retitled Smarts Ways to Build Stamina, this 8-week online program is all about getting you to your health goals in the most effortless and sustainable way possible. Whether you want to focus more on your sleep, food, mood or exercise habits, we’ll open up our bag of resources and help you get there. The program can be entirely done from the comfort of your home, and at your pace.  It’s getting rave reviews from its current participants.  Here’s an example, coming from Jo in Australia:

Please take a minute to check out the course by clicking here. But act fast!  Our early bird special ends Thursday, February 23rd.