Patriotism and Overeating

Overeating is as American as apple pie, especially on holidays. I don't know what it is about our culture, but every time I go to someone's home for a picnic, not only are people shoveling huge portions into their snouts, but there's more food left over than was consumed. There must be some kind of cultural imperative where if you run out of food, or if someone leaves a party hungry, you'll be shunned from the community. It's crazy! What is it with our obsession with food? Are we scared that we might run out? The way we're "consuming", we might!

Just because there is copious amounts of food being served doesn't mean you have to pull out all of the stops and eat everything in sight. I have a system that I use on holidays and I want to share it with you so that when Father's Day and the 4th of July roll in, you can empower yourself to enjoy the day and not over indulge. Hell, nothing is worse than the feeling of having a volleyball stuffed into your gut from eating too much food.

Isagenix to the Rescue

Here's what I do. I went to a barbecue on Sunday. I knew I was going and I had an Isagenix IsaLean shake for breakfast, several snacks of apples and almonds, couple of bottle of water in between. Isagenix Isalean shakes are not only healthy beyond description, but they are very satisfying so that you can easily go for hours without being hungry. I find them to not only be a staple in my diet so that I never miss a meal, but they are the perfect pre-party food.

The party was called for 5pm, so I had a second IsaLean shake at 4pm so I would not be hungry when I arrived. This way I could sample a few appetizers and not feel like I had to park myself next to the chips and dip like a pit bull.

The appetizers were in a word...appetizing! I had three little pieces of focaccia bread with a tomato-herb spread on it. Then I had three tortilla "scooper chips" filled with 6-layer dip. Meanwhile, I'm drinking water like a thirsty camel. The cooked food was grilled burgers, chicken, and hot dogs. So far so good. Now I have also skipped on the alcohol, but that's easy for me as I don't drink anyway. But if you want to make a dynamic impact on your health, I recommend you skip the alcohol due to the extra calories associated with it.

I started with a hamburger that my son decided he didn't like. I got it with a few bites missing so it was actually 2/3 of a burger (4-5oz). I took it out of the bun and ate it like it just came off the grill. Then I had a piece of grilled chicken (about 3oz) and 3/4 cup of what my wife calls "NJ garbage salad". The salad has bow tie pasta, lettuce, tomatoes, a balsamic dressing and crispy chinese noodles sprinkled on top. About a half hour later I had a grilled hot dog with mustard on a hot dog bun. For dessert I had a slice of watermelon and a 'sliver' of chocolate peanut butter pie.

I was not hungry, and truthfully, I did not over eat. In actuality this meal was the perfect opportunity to let my body know that the food gates were not closed and that there is no need to slow down metabolism.

The food choices I made may not have ben the healthiest selections, but that's okay too. Every now and then your body can handle a few extra calories and foods that are not exactly "health food". And that's the message I want you to understand. If you pay attention to what you are eating 90% of the time, you can splurge 10% of the time. So please don't beat yourself up if you "over ate" a little on Memorial Day.

But now that the holiday and the weekend is over, get back to your routine and stay the course. If you continue to cheat on Tuesday you'll soon regret it as you begin to watch the bathroom scale numbers go up.

I'd like to get some feed back from you! So please make the time to "dish" and share your story about how and what you ate this weekend. Also, please let me know how you felt too! Come on, don't be shy, add a comment below.

It's All In Your Head

We get so caught up in following the right diet or the right nutrition program that we forget to make sure where our head is at. Being successful at exercise begins with how you "think" about exercise. I can tell within a minute or less if a new client is going to be successful by how they talk about their exercise and diet failures to date. Every day that you don't work out is a day lost from you taking control of your health.

Here's a short list of some of the things your brain might be telling you.

* I'm too tired.
* I don't feel like it.
* I've got too much going on right now.
* It's too hard.
* I need my sleep.

Do you realize everyone of those is just an excuse? Excuses are whatever you tell yourself so that you don't have to apply yourself. There's a million excuses and a million stories to be told. It's akin to giving yourself permission to NOT do something and not feel guilty about it. It's just "your story".

But the story that has yet to be written is your success story. The one that you get to write about your triumph over food, bad habits, laziness, making excuses, needing more sleep, etc. etc. etc.

You see, no one is going to show up and take you by the hand and walk you though this. It's a journey that needs to be taken by each one of us. It's often a challenging journey too. If you want to be successful at anything in life you've got to show up and be accountable.

Whether you want to be a psychologist, an actor, an entrepreneur, or whatever you decide you want to be or "do", the point that links all of this in common is "making a decision".


You can have anything you want, be anything you want, once you decide to "be or do". So if it's a lean and healthy body you want, first you have to decide. Once done, you have to prioritize things in your life so that you make time for this to become a reality. If you are spinning your wheels it's because your priorities are out of order. You start and stop, start and stop, and then all you are left with is the same body you started with.

The question you need to ask yourself is "WHY do I always STOP?" There are many reasons, but the only one that matters is this: Anyone who STOPS making progress towards their goals and dreams stops because they don't have powerful reasons in their mind reminding them WHY they need to keep going. They value other things more and prioritize others people and things before themselves. And that's a crutch of sorts too!



Simply put, you don't have a big enough WHY. And Why is that? The answer is also fairly simple. Finding one's WHY is just a mechanical process. But as easily as one can create their WHY, some people crash head-first into theirs. Life can be pretty harsh and sometimes our painful experiences drive us to positive outcomes. But the answer lies in personal pain or "being disturbed" on an emotional level.

When it comes to fitness, all some people have to do is look in the mirror when they are naked, get on the bathroom scale, and get dressed. These three events of the day can throw a person into a downward emotional spiral. But what are you going to do about it?

A) Do Nothing - No change, things stay the same and may get worse.

B) Commit to making a change -Unlimited potential. The skies the limit.

The bottom line is that whatever you are doing with your life that is supportive or not is all in your head. You and you alone have the ability and the power to change everything in your life, if you just "decide" to do so.