Entrepreneurial women have my highest respect and mompreneurs totally blow my mind with what they are able to accomplish in 24 hours. You are SuperWoman! You do it all. You run a business, take care of your family, and help make the world a better place. You never hesitate to lend a hand to a friend in need and you leap at the opportunity to improve your community. You make us mere mortals look like sloths.

But when it comes to taking care of the most important person, YOU, there never seems to be enough time. That’s your Kryptonite… You put the needs of everyone else ahead of your own. It’s great to help others. It’s rewarding and gratifying. But what you must realize is that when you take care of YOU, everyone else WINS in a big way.

Do you honestly think that there’s not enough time in your day for fitness? It’s my mission to prove to you that not only do you have enough time for fitness, but that you can actually get more done throughout your day when you incorporate office fitness into your day.

Office fitness is your “Time Multiplier”. You will get more done in less time as a result of the increased productivity, energy, and focus that you experience from home office workouts. You’ll also experience improved quality of work and time management too. When you consider all the benefits of incorporating fitness into your workday you’ll realize that you can’t afford to avoid it.

Want More Time In Your Day? Take This Eight Minute Fitness Break…

Time Efficient and Effective Office Workout

One of the keys to a successful business is working more efficient and effective. Quickly completing the most important tasks that will have the biggest impact on your profits. The same holds true with your fitness. You want to get the most bang for your buck and achieve the greatest results possible in the shortest time possible.

The eight minute home office workout that I shared with you above uses three of the most effective exercises that you can perform; squats, piston rows, and the chest press. These exercises have an incredible impact on your metabolism especially when they are performed in quickie fashion. Using the stability ball for the chest press works additional muscles such as your glutes, thighs, abs, and lower back. It’s an easy way to work more muscles in less time.

There’s no need to sacrifice precious time by spending hours in the gym. You can achieve a greater impact from a 10-minute quickie than you could with a typical gym workout that lasts forty-five to sixty minutes. It may seem hard to believe, but it’s true. 10-minute quickie home office workouts is the definition of working more efficient and effective.

How does quick home office fitness multiply your time? First, you only need to workout for 10-minutes compared to 45-minutes so you are gaining an extra 35 minutes. Second, you don’t need to leave your office, which saves you travel time and prep time. Third, after the quick fitness break you will experience greater focus and clarity. Distractions will be a thing of the past. Fourth, you will have more energy, which will reflect in your productivity and quality of work.

Quickie home office workouts not only require very little time, but they also require very little space and very little equipment. As you noticed from the workout video above, I performed the workout in approximately 3 feet by 5 feet space and I used a stability ball and a set of dumbbells. That’s all that you need for a great workout. No need to spend money on expensive fancy equipment or a gym membership.

Tomorrow I will demonstrate a quick 10-minute cardio session that you can do in your home office, which will boost your energy and increase your productivity. You won’t even need any equipment. All that’s required for tomorrow’s quickie cardio is your own body weight. It will be fast and it will be fun.

If you have any questions or comments about home office fitness please do not hesitate to ask. Simply share your comment in the box below. That reminds me. I’ll be randomly selecting a winner from the people who share their comments on my blog posts this week. The prize is my Fat Loss Quickie Home Office Fitness program. So take a moment and share your thoughts and opinions below.

You ROCK! Enjoy the experience,

Scott Tousignant

PS Here’s a gift to help boost your motivation to incorporate home office fitness into your day. It’s the Fat Loss Quickie Motivation Report and it’s jam packed with motivational strategies to overcome obstacles and achieve an unstoppable mindset. I hope that you enjoy it.

Take good care,

It turns out that maybe you could/should throw in a touch of chocolate.

A clinical trial reported in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Proteome Research found that eating an ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day for two weeks reduced levels of stress hormones in people who reported feeling highly stressed.

Growing evidence has suggested that dark chocolate may reduce risk factors for heart disease and other physical conditions, and may reduce cravings for sweet, salty or high fat foods. The present study appears to be the first to show reductions in stress hormones and other stress-related biochemical changes in those highly stressed subjects who ate dark chocolate (1.4 ounces) daily, for two weeks.

Enjoy!

“I know I’d feel better if  I…”

…”got more exercise.”
…”ate a healthier diet.”
…”spent more time with friends.”
…”took a yoga class…wrote in my journal more regularly…took time for myself.”

Sound familiar?

Most of us know that we could do a better job at taking care of ourselves. The challenge is making it happen when time is such a valuable commodity.

Here are some strategies that will help:

Be clear. What exactly is this better care you want to take of yourself? Make sure that you aren’t busy berating yourself for whatever it is you aren’t doing and that you do have a very clear picture of the self care steps you intend to take. Think small (doable) and concrete. Examples might be: I will drink 64 ounces of water each day, I will do a yoga routine instead of losing myself on the internet before bed, I will make sure I schedule a date with a friend each week.

Create structure. When you are trying to create a habit or fit something new into your busy routine, it’s helpful to have as many things as possible that remind you of it. It’s also helpful to create a system that allows you to schedule once and then make fewer daily decisions about how and when you will take the time you need. For instance, it might be easier to sign up for an 8 week scrapbooking class and know in advance when you’ll be setting aside the time for your hobby rather than having to create the time each time you want to scrapbook. Consider how you could create some ongoing structure around your self care. Schedule walking dates or program your daily deep breathing time into your phone (so you’re reminded). Create a system that reminds you when you’ve committed to taking better care of yourself.

Underscore the value. Why are you doing this again? The question is guaranteed to come up at some point when keeping your commitment to self care is inconvenient and a challenge. Be clear from the beginning about exactly what’s motivating you.  Why is it important to make caring for yourself a priority? What’s the cost of not creating the time and the care for yourself? Be concrete. “Because I should” is not an adequate answer. We follow through on our goals when we have a really juicy, compelling reason for doing so. When you find yours, write it down and put it somewhere where you will be reminded of it frequently.

Savor and cherish. You may not have all the “me time” that you really need. You may have to make some compromises or fit things in a less than optimal way. That’s how it works for most of us. The thing is, it only works, if you savor the time that you do have. Whether you have five minutes or an afternoon, make sure you are present for the time that you devote to yourself. You may be such a dedicated multi-tasker that this is a challenge, but you will not get the bang from your buck if you’re busy checking your email while you listen to the relaxation tape or stressing over work in your bubble bath, or constantly responding to texts during that phone call to a friend. You’ll only really taste the perfect chocolate truffle if you’re paying attention—if you show up and focus all of your senses, let it melt in your mouth and taste it with complete awareness. It’s like that with self care too. Let yourself absorb and benefit from whatever amount you are able to give yourself.

Factor in accountability. You’re a busy lady. How are you going to keep this new habit and priority on your radar when life gets even busier? Who or what will help you get back on track when you veer off course (most of us do)? Who will remind you of your vision and its value when you are feeling grumpy or stressed or discouraged? Who or what will help you show up for yourself when you aren’t really feeling it and who will believe in you when you don’t? Accountability is a missing link in the action plans of many women. Factoring in this one piece can make a huge difference in your ability to implement and follow through.

So, I’m curious. What’s the self care piece that you want to grow or get better at? Leave a comment and if you’d like, tell us what your next step is (create some instant accountability).

Take good care,

I shared quite a bit of information and some very important tips for taking control of overeating and creating peace with food. I also shared a special offer on the Emotional Eating Toolbox™ which you are welcome to take advantage of.

Want to listen?
Taking Control of Emotional Eating

Take good care,

PS: My Emotional Eating Toolbox™ Take Action Series kicks off this week. We’re going to be addressing the nuts and bolts of creating an individualized blueprint for taking control of emotional eating–just in time for the hectic and tempting holiday season. You can get all the information and grab your seat here.

If you are like many women who’ve spent a lifetime (or what feels like one) struggling with weight and overeating, words like “breakthrough” may sound like unrealistic hype.  For many women who are worn out with food and weight struggles, a breakthrough may feel impossible.  Why?  Their current mindset is one of “struggle.”

Breakthroughs with food and weight aren’t hype and I’ll tell you why. If you are struggling or yo-yo dieting or feeling hopeless about your weight, a breakthrough is EXACTLY what you need. Anything less than a breakthrough is likely to involve you working up motivation to do more of what you’ve been doing. The truth: more of the same just keeps you where you already are.

So what exactly IS a breakthrough with food and weight?

A breakthrough is a brand new approach. If you’ve been stuck on the diet hamster wheel and getting nowhere—it’s learning how to step SIDEWAYS off the wheel so that you can do things differently. With overeating this might mean learning to shift from days defined as “good” or “bad” eating and using new strategies and tools to defuse stress eating, comfort eating, and other types of emotional eating.

A breakthrough is NOT working harder. In fact, a breakthrough usually eliminates unnecessary struggles and creates more ease. Breakthroughs with weight loss usually involve developing effective strategies that keep you motivated and feeling satisfied (not deprived) and letting go of strategies or weight loss plans that weren’t working for you in the first place.

A breakthrough is BIG. It might feel uncomfortable or even a bit scary at first because it’s very different from the way you’ve been doing or thinking.  One breakthrough I often see is the change that happens when a client realizes that they don’t have to go hungry and be hard on themselves in order to lose weight. This new approach changes everything—and it’s big.

A breakthrough involves a change in mindset. Clients in the Emotional Eating Toolbox™ programs give examples of letting go of mindsets that were holding them back: perfectionism, self-blame, and self-sabotaging beliefs. They are amazed at the energy that’s freed up and the changes in motivation that happen with these mindset shifts.

Breathroughs often happen when you try something new or engage a support system. It’s hard to see things in a new way or envision a different way of approaching things when you are alone with your own thoughts and familiar ways of being and doing.  This is one reason that coaching programs and mentors can be so effective at creating powerful change.

No matter your goal, it’s important to evaluate whether the path you are on is working.  What do you need to get where you want to go over the next six months—more of the same or a breakthrough?

Take good care,

Is the candy haunting you? It’s the beginning of the holiday treat season and a good time to ask yourself the following questions:

What’s your plan? How do you want to respond to all the treats you will encounter between now and January 1st?  “Don’t eat them” is not a plan. What strategies do you intend to use to minimize temptation, stay in control of your choices and not feel deprived?

Where are your weak spots and how can you be proactive? Do you feel calm and on track until midafternoon or does the chocolate only call to you after dinner? What’s that about? If you’re REALLY feeling haunted and it feels impossible to resist (we’ve all been there), then this is about something more than hunger. What else is going on? Is this emotional eating—stress or comfort or even boredom eating—that you are experiencing? Respond to the situation or the emotion and the food will become less compelling.

What simple policies or structures can you put in place to limit your exposure and make life simpler? Of course you know to get rid of that leftover candy you don’t even like, but what next step could you take?

What’s your plan for dealing with the treats? Any tricks or brilliant strategies you’d care to share with the rest of us?

Take good care,

That’s part of what I talked about during my Busy Woman’s Holiday Healthy Lifestyle Blueprint teleseminar last week.

Diets (the D-word):
• Don’t work and don’t create permanent changes.
• Are about deprivation.
• Don’t work (did I say that already?) and anyway, they are almost impossible to undertake during the busy event-and-treat-filled holiday season.

A Healthy Lifestyle Blueprint:
• Doesn’t tell you what NOT to do. It’s a plan that is do-able and that is designed to create change that lasts.
• Takes into consideration all the important variables including your life, your schedule, and your unique needs and challenges.
• Gets you where you want to go in a way that feels satisfying (not hungry or deprived).
• Is something you can continue to follow and refer to when things don’t go perfectly (they never do), or when you get stuck. In fact, an effective blueprint is a powerful plan that doesn’t require you to be perfect for it to create success.

Last week I showed you how to ditch the d-word and craft a blueprint for a healthy lifestyle that you can take with you through the holidays and into your new year. If you want to listen to the recording, you can do so here.

One of the key components your blueprint must have to move you into effective action with weight and overeating is a plan for taking control of the REASONS and the triggers for overeating and unhealthy choices (this is a key component that’s usually overlooked).

Would you like some help doing just that during the time of year that presents incredible eating and lifestyle challenges? The Emotional Eating Toolbox™ 6 Week Take Action Series begins November 10. I’ll be walking you through my Emotional Eating Toolbox™ Program with action plans, templates, and activities that move my clients out of overwhelm with food and weight and into action towards their goals (and there’s no d-word). Join me live on the calls or follow along on the mp3 downloads of each class.

You can learn all the details and register here.

Grab a seat now and you can also get special pricing, free coaching (!) and a personalized Q&A call.

Take good care,

PS:  I really AM offering a free personal coaching session to the first five women who grab a seat in this program and bonus personalized Q&A opportunities for a select group. You can sign up here.

Research shows that many of us gain weight during the winter holiday season.  That’s probably no surprise to you.  What may surprise you is that research also shows that we are less likely to lose the weight we gain over the holidays. That weight tends to stick around and accumulate over the years.

Research also shows that if you’re already overweight, the holiday season may present an additional risk. Those who are overweight are actually likely to gain MORE than the average person during the holidays.

How would it feel if you woke up on January 1, proud that you maintained your priorities without being sucked into holiday overeating, emotional eating, overwhelm, and overload?

I’m offering a free teleseminar:

The Busy Woman’s Holiday Healthy Lifestyle Blueprint: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

During this free teleseminar I will cover:

–3 important tips for creating healthy lifestyle success during this busy time
–4 paths to self-sabotage you want to avoid
–What you MUST feed yourself to be successful
–2 things you can do RIGHT NOW to maximize your success

You’ll also hear information about our all new Emotional Eating Toolbox™ Take Action Series

The call will take place Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 4pm Pacific, 7pm Eastern.  If you can’t make the live call, don’t worry.  The call will be recorded and all who register will be emailed access to the recording.

Won’t you join me? Just go here to register.

Take good care,

Why is it that when we are struggling the most, when we feel the most unsure or the most helpless, or the most overwhelmed, we pull back and isolate instead of asking for help?

For smart savvy women struggling with food, weight, and overwhelm, the reason is often shame. Our unhelpful inner critic tells us we “shouldn’t” be struggling, we “should” be able to figure this out, and we “shouldn’t” have to ask for help.

As a result, too many women don’t utilize one of the most effective tools for creating lifestyle change, permanent weight loss, lasting motivation, decreased self doubt, increased confidence, and a life that works better for them. The tool I’m referring to: high quality support. I’ve already blogged about what real support includes, my challenge to you is to practice engaging it.

1. Practice asking for help. This includes delegating, asking others to honor your needs, and allowing your support system to help you reach your goals.
2. Learn how to reach out when you don’t know what you need. Did you know that you can ask someone, “How can you help me?” You can also describe your problem, need or dilemma to someone you trust and ask them to help you brainstorm solutions. Too often we believe we need to have the answers before we reach out.
3. Know and honor your support style but be open to trying new things. Some people gravitate towards groups or classes and others thrive with a close relationship with a coach or mentor. Respect what you know works for you.
4. Extend your personal lifestyle support system to include people who know more than you or who are a few steps ahead. You won’t have to reinvent the wheel and they’ll help you stretch.
5. Ask for support in new situations. Put a sticky note somewhere you will see it with the question, “Who can help me with this?” When you start to feel stressed, practice asking the question. Don’t worry if you don’t always have an answer.

This week, I challenge you to examine your stance towards support. Are you letting it in? Asking for it? Demanding the quality of support that you really need to thrive?

Take good care,