www.lynngrieger.com

As we count down the last few days in 2009, I want to encourage you to take a few minutes and think about everything you’ve accomplished this year. Often at the end of the year we moan about what we didn’t achieve and focus our energy on missed opportunities.

Let’s turn that around into a celebration of 2009:

What are you most proud of accomplishing this past year?
What memories of 2009 make you smile?
Which new friends did you make, and which friendships did you nurture?

I ofen find that some of my best thinking happens when I’m running, walking, biking, or swimming. The physical activity sets my mind free, and I don’t have any other distractions competing for my attention. Before January 1, 2010 take a few minutes to exercise, clear your mind, and reflect on the positive parts of 2009 that you want to add to your bank of memories. Celebrate 2009 and get ready for 2010!

If something is fun, more people will do it.

Makes sense, doesn’t it? Check out this video to find out what happens when taking the stairs becomes fun: escadapiano1

Just think what would happen if you found more fun, silly, laughable ways to live your life!

I love cookbooks and recipes, but sometimes I really want to see the food being prepared. If you’re addicted to the Food Channel, be sure and check out this very cool website/blog that contains video recipes. Even better, the recipes are based on supremely healthy ingredients that your family will love. You don’t need to tell them it’s good for them; they’ll know at the first bite it’s good-tasting.

http://foodandhealth.com/blog/

Which would you rather do to decrease your risk of developing a chronic illness such as diabetes:  make some changes to your lifestyle, or take medication?

A new 10 year follow-up study from the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) trial followed 2800 adults at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The results, published in the October 2009 issue of The Lancet, show that lifestyle changes work better than medication.

Just what are lifestyle changes? We’re talking about healthier eating habits, maintaining a healthy weight, regular daily activity and exercise, not smoking, and finding healthy ways to deal with stress. The folks who utilize these methods reduced their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 34%. Only 18% of the people who took medication (in this study, the medication used was metformin) reduced their risk of developing diabetes.

Sure, making changes to your usual eating, exercise, and stress management habits takes some time and effort. Popping a pill is comparatively easy. However, if you truly want to decrease your risk of chronic disease, making even small changes to your daily habits will give you vastly improved results.

This is where coaching can help. Set long term goals, and then break those goals down into realistic and achieveable 3-month goals. Develop a weekly strategy to meet those 3-month goals, and then set new 3-month goals. Personal coaching helps you through this entire process, giving you support, encouragement, and accountability. If you want to live a healthy, active, fulfilled life; don’t you owe it to yourself to get started, today?

I often find that nutrition is a lot like the Goldilocks story. You know how the porridge was too hot, too cold, or just right? And the bed was too hard, too soft, or just right?

The same often holds true for nutrition. Some foods are packed with good-for-you nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants and phytochemicals. Other foods contain lots of calories, typically from fat or sugar (and sometimes both!) but very few healthy nutrients. Other foods fall squarely in the middle; their calorie content is balanced by a good amount of nutrition.

The problem is, it’s not always easy to decipher where foods fall on the nutrient-rich spectrum. Sure, some of the choices are no-brainers. We all know that a piece of fresh fruit contains more healthy nutrients than a candy bar, but what about comparing zucchini to celery, or chicken thighs to water-packed tuna?

If you really want to make sure you’re choosing the most nutrient dense foods for you and your family, check out the nutrient-rich shopping list available here:  http://www.nutrientrichfoods.org/living_nutrient_rich/nutrient_rich_shopping_list.html

The folks at the Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition have a wealth of materials on their website. In addition to the shopping list, you’ll find recipes and ideas on eating out.

You certainly don’t have to make 100% of your food choices high in nutrients. However, the more often you swap in a higher nutrient food for one lower in nutrients, the more energy and better health you’ll enjoy. Use the nutrient-rich shopping list the next time you go to the grocery store, and remember to thank Goldilocks.

It seems like just about every woman I know wants to lose weight. Or she talks about her problem areas, usually her stomach, hips and thighs. Perhaps we want to lose weight so we look good on our wedding day, or because our child is getting married and we can’t bear the thought of ourselves in the wedding photos. Maybe we love the idea of walking or running a 5K, 10K, or half-marathon but think we can’t possibly succeed until we lose some weight.

Why do we let our weight and body image hold us hostage?

There’s no easy answer to this question, but there are answers that we can find if we’re willing to put in some work. Here are three of my favorite sources for information, help and empowerment:

• Green Mountain at Fox Run, http://www.fitwoman.com/, a woman’s healthy living and weight loss retreat right in my backyard - the Green Mountains of Vermont
• Michelle May’s “Am I Hungry” program at http://www.amihungry.com/ that focuses on mindful eating and learning to live a healthy, powerful life
• Books by Debra Waterhouse who understands how women’s bodies and our minds work - often against each other. http://www.waterhousepublications.com/

Have you ever wanted the luxury of a personal trainer, someone who can give you individualized workouts, help you develop a healthy eating style, and works with you to meet your goals?

Now you can get all of this - online! I’m one of the trainers at www.fitorbit.com, a comprehensive website that gives you the opportunity to connect with a personal trainer without ever leaving your house. Not sure what exercises to do at the gym to maximize your time? Curious about the best way to strengthen your core? Having trouble dropping weight? All of these goals can be reached by working with me through FitOrbit.

For more info, go to http://trainers.fitorbit.com/personal-fitness/LynnGrieger

Every day someone tells me how they satisfy their emotions with food. When they’re under stress they grab chocolate; when they’re bored they munch on chips; when they’re tired they reach for the ice cream; and when they’re lonely cookies are their favorite friend.

My response is often to encourage them to ask this question:  Am I hungry? If I’m not physically hungry, what is it that I truly need?

There are several great books on the market to help you figure out how to effectively deal with emotions without using food. One of my favorite authors is Michelle May, MD, at www.amihungry.com. I love her books and her insight into how we’ve learned over the years to use food to satisfy our emotions.

If you’re trying to solve this puzzle, here is something to guide you along your way from Michelle:

When I’m hungry, I eat what I love.
When I’m bored, I do something I love.
When I’m lonely, I connect with someone I love.
When I feel sad, I remember that I am loved.

If you’ve worked through this on your own, please let us know some tips that you found especially helpful.

Have you ever set a goal, worked really hard, but fell short of your expectations?

The women in our 2009 Training for More group experienced this first hand this year. On race day the end of April, the weather was hot and humid, to protect the participants the race director did not time the race, and everyone went slower than expected. We were ready for snow, but not temperatures in the high 80’s.

Fern and Patty (in the photo with me above) decided they wanted to bring closure to their goal of running a fast half-marathon this Spring. Patty found a half-marathon in Utica, NY, only a 3-hour drive. We rearranged our schedules, drove to Utica, and completed the goal. Everything fell into place:  the weather was cool, the race was well-organized, the course was beautiful (and flat), and the volunteers were enthusiastic.

Fern and Patty smashed their goals and had an awesome race. They took a disappointing situation and turned it around, putting their goal of a fast Spring marathon behind them. We did it together, the same way we trained throughout the Winter.

Lessons learned:
-  things don’t always work out the way we want
-  there are always alternatives to consider
-  disappointments can be overcome
-  setting goals with friends makes the entire experience more fun

What goals are you working toward? How can you turn a disappointment into a victory?