Free stress solutions I

Do you find yourself tied to your desk all day long? More phone calls to return, more emails to craft, more industry trend reading to do, more work, more responsibilities, more “to do” lists and less time to accomplish it all. What do you do when work’s got you down?

Lately, I’m finding people running around like crazy. They go from work to home, to driving the kids around and taking care of the family, to cooking dinner and doing the laundry. I hear them say there’s no time to slow down because companies are down-sizing so work comes first. Putting in overtime, bringing work home, working on weekends all seem to be today’s reality. Does this sound familiar? What does one do when the thought of taking on one more project sends you over the edge?

Here are some ideas to get you through to the next moment:

1. Breathe. Stop what you are doing and take several deep breaths. On the inhale, hold for a moment, then slowly release your breath. Breathing deeply will help give you clarity, focus and a moment of peace.

2. Listen to music you like. Maybe it’s a quick beat or perhaps it’s a slow, romantic tune – music helps distract you from the hectic pace and puts you in a different frame of mind.

3. Unless you’re driving or doing something requiring intense focus, close your eyes and meditate for a few minutes. If you’re not into meditation, try a visualization exercise. Take a few deep breaths and imagine yourself in a beautiful, peaceful place far away. Maybe you are on a hammock on a warm sunny beach or perhaps you find yourself skiing down a cool mountaintop. Take a vacation from your present reality and visualize another calming environment.

4. Take a walk or move around. Any form of exercise from walking and jogging to doing neck rolls, push up’s or leg lifts will stimulate blood flow and help relieve stress. A walk around the building and moving your body is a great way to break the pattern of going from one task to the next.

5. Get out in nature. Being outdoors in nature is a cure-all for me! Even if it’s just getting a moment of fresh air, taking yourself outside of the confined office space will change your entire perspective and allow you to interrupt the build -up of stress.

More stress solutions next week!

Is life coaching for you?

Hiring a life coach can assist you in many ways. If you are looking to change something in your life or empower yourself to do something different with your life, then consider working with a personal, professional life coach. Coaching can provide you with:


• Action plans to ensure you reach your goals
• Strategies to overcome sabotaging patterns
• A direct path for continued success
• Tools to help you make difficult decisions
• Support and guidance to help you get where you want to be in life
• Techniques to assist you in facing and overcoming fear successfully
• A sense of purpose and direction
• ....and a way to empower yourself for life.

Perhaps you want to move to your dream destination, lose weight and get healthy, find your perfect mate/relationship or enhance the relationship you are presently in, locate a better job, or make more money. Consider learning more about professional life coaching. It is possible to change the way you think, look and live to reflect what you want. You simply have to decide that is what you want to do. Making the decision to investigate your fears and look at what is NOT working in your life is the first step.

Is life coaching worth it?

Ask yourself these questions:

• What's it worth to me to achieve my goal?
• What's it worth to me to have changes in my life (big and small)?
• Am I ready to commit to having my goals?
• What's the cost of NOT making a change?

Decide today no matter what your fears to change your life, to let go of the weight, to find love, to discover your true purpose and to live a much happier, more fulfilled life. Commit to yourself and not to the wishes of others and find out how you can move forward in thought and action.

Coaching for fitness and weight loss II

There are also many other factors that might be contributing to your difficulty losing weight. A professional coach can help you to uncover answers to these questions:


• What motivates you and how can you stay motivated?
• How does your attitude affect your success?
• How do loved ones sabotage your success and what you can do about it?
• What are your overeating “triggers”?
• How can you rebound from a setback?
• What is your internal dialogue saying and how can you overcome negative statements?
• How can one get past the inevitable "plateau?"

Life coaching will assist you in exploring these issues that have kept you from reaching your weight loss goals. An action plan will be developed in partnership with your coach to get you over the obstacles, and get you to where you want to be.

With a fitness and weight loss coaching plan, individuals receive weekly telephone coaching sessions, a detailed eating and workout plan, motivation and encouragement, and unlimited e-mail support. A coach is involved in helping you reach your goals and lose weight.  He or she wants to see you increase fitness levels and improve your health, lifestyle and most importantly, your self-confidence.

If you’re tired of doing it on your own, and you don’t want to spend a fortune on special foods and diets, you don’t have to! Try working with a weight-loss coach and get the results you want, all at your convenience, from the comfort of your home.

Coaching for fitness and weight loss I

Do you need help losing weight? Have you tried almost every diet plan out there only to have failed again? For many people, the challenge of losing weight or implementing a healthier lifestyle is not due to a lack of information about WHAT TO DO for weight loss but rather WHAT THEY ARE NOT DOING. It is the lack of consistency and the inability to find, adhere to, and follow a good action plan that fits their lifestyle.


We all know that to improve our cardiovascular health, improve endurance, increase muscle tone, and lose weight effectively, we need to get more exercise, eat less, and make wiser food choices.  We also need to stop engaging in potentially self-destructive behaviors that threaten our health, such as binge eating and smoking.  Despite knowing these basic facts, however, many of us struggle to get on a balanced weight loss program and stick to it. Trying to do it on our own, we fail.  We need the right kinds of support, tools, and resources.

Hiring a weight loss coach can help you identify what situations trigger your unhealthy behavior and help you identify ways to avoid them. A coach can also assist you to replace "bad" behaviors with "good" behaviors.

Coaches will work with you to come up with solutions and strategies to assist you in your weight loss goals, which may include steps to:

• Work with a personal fitness trainer
• Hire a nutritionist
• Join an exercise group/gym
• Find activities you enjoy to make getting healthy more fun
• Research clubs, groups, studios, etc. that will keep you interested and engaged in life
• Discuss and identify issues that keep you "stuck"
• Keep a food journal so you can see how you eat and identify patterns
• Learn more about healthy eating habits and vitamin supplements
• Drink more water and cut down on high-calorie drinks

....and numerous other strategies that are discussed jointly between you and your coach.

How to Find a Life Coach

So you are thinking about making some changes in your life. You believe you are ready to move into something BIG, but feel you need a little help getting there. Then life coaching can certainly help. Many believe that life coaching is for everyone but not everyone is a successful life coach. So how do you know how to find a coach that is right for you?

The one word answer is "explore."

Many life coaches offer a free, one-time sample session. This is your best way to find out if you connect with your coach. Investigate many coaches and ask lots of questions. Use the sample session to work on an issue that you've been grappling with and see how you feel at the end of the discussion.

Ask yourself:

• Did I feel motivated to take some action?
• Did the coach give me the space and freedom to explore areas that I was interested in exploring?
• Was the coach's style something that I was comfortable with?
• Do I feel that I can trust this person?
• Did the coach push me into areas that I was unsure about? (Although you might be resistant, this is something you want to happen).
• Did the coach ask good, thought-provoking questions?

Not every sample session will give you the time to find all the answers you are looking for, but it will provide you with some initial thoughts. After your sample session, feel free to ask the coach how he works, where she was educated, how many hours/years they have coached for and anything else that is important to you. Rates/fees, availability, time commitments and manner of coaching vary greatly between coaches so it's good to have an idea of your budget, if you would like in-person sessions, telephone coaching, or email capabilities, and have some thoughts about how often you would like to meet, etc. when you talk.

 

I do sample sessions, too!  You'll never know until you try...

Why Do I Need a Coach?

Life coaching can help you in many ways:

• Do you know what's important to you?
• Do you know what's really important to you?  
• Do you have trouble staying focused?
• Do you want help attracting more of what you want?
• Are you interested in discovering what holds you back?
• Do you need help clarifying your values and vision?
• Do you need help creating goals and action plans?
• Are you the type of person who likes to be held accountable?

Life coaching is the practice of assisting clients determine and achieve personal goals - whether it's making changes to improve health, career, relationships or your physical environment.

Let a life coach help you take that first step today.  (Hint:  Ask me!)