Change is a constant and inevitable part of life. Sometimes, change occurs naturally, driven by our own decisions and desires. However, there are instances when change is thrust upon us by external forces - circumstances beyond our control. It’s during these times that we may feel powerless, trapped, and devoid of choice.

We all know we should exercise but did you realise that being physically active is the most important thing that you can do to improve or maintain your health?

Regular exercise has benefits that extend beyond weight loss.  Of course weight loss is one of the great benefits but there are many others that will improve your quality of life and longevity.

New Year, New You is a headline that gets wheeled out at the beginning of a new year – year after year!  Despite it’s yearly repetition, this is one headline that I never get sick of hearing.  

The quality of your life is largely determined by the quality of your health and wellbeing. 

When Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, he was actually referring to fire safety, but his words can certainly be applied to health.

Illness is easier to prevent in the first place than it is to cure it or repair the damage afterwards. However, health care statistics and the rise in obesity levels tell us that we’re getting it the wrong way around.

 

I’m travelling in France with my husband right now and despite the fact that we’re sampling French pastries, cheeses and baguettes as part of our cultural experience here, we’re both losing weight!

Although I don’t recommend walking solely as a means for weight loss – strength training is definitely far more efficient and effective - it’s been a great highlight of how an active lifestyle will affect your waistline and your wellbeing. 

I met with Liz, one of my very special mentoring clients this week and what Liz shared with me was so powerful that I had to write about it to share her life-changing experience. 

 Liz is a married mother of three boys.  Along with running a busy household, Liz is in the middle of completing a University degree, renovating her home and has a very full lifestyle. When Liz started her mentoring program she was highly stressed, unhappy and felt that she was even close to some sort of breakdown. 

While we’re living in such busy times it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important and what we value.  Advances in technology have taught us the joy of instant gratification and we want everything now. 

 In some cases good things come to those who wait.  The Dalai Lama once said “live one day at a time and make it a masterpiece”.

Self-discipline is the key to achieving your goals and dreams.  Whether you want to lose weight, improve nutrition, exercise, quit smoking, create wealth, pay off debt, complete work tasks… and the list goes on.  Doing what it takes to achieve these things can sometimes seem inconvenient, or too hard.  That’s where your friend self-discipline comes in.  It teaches you to be responsible, creates good behaviours and ensures you get what you want.

Developing habits of any sort, career or personal, requires consistent, repetitive behaviour to allow the habits to form. During all my years of coaching, the clients that have seen the best, longer term results are those that have been consistent in their actions and the process – thereby creating successful habits.  This applies to any goal -  weight loss, healthier eating, better sleep patterns, smarter work practices, etc.

If you watch or listen to the news then you’d be aware of the daily reports on what the media tell us to be the latest threats to our lives.

Ebola, is the latest example. There’s been no incidence of it in Australia, yet due to the coverage given by the media it’s got everyone’s attention and some people are running scared – even though there is no immediate threat.

A threat for everyone that is actually more real and ever present is an unhealthy lifestyle.