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Stairway to Your Goal
Envision your goal at the top of a stairway and yourself at the bottom. Now look way up at the top, and see your goal. Then look at the next step down from the top. That would be the last step you need to take before you accomplish your goal. What is that step? And what is the step before
it, and the one before that?
Identify the steps, all the way down to the very first one, the one that's right in front of you. That is the step you can take today. Stand up tall,
focus on the top of the stairway, and take that first step. You're on your way! Now all you need to do is just keep taking those steps, one after one.
Don't waste your time waiting for the stairway to turn into an escalator that will carry you effortlessly to the top. It won't happen. You've got to take those steps yourself.
It will take some effort. The higher the goal, the more steps there will be. But as long as you're going to be walking up the stairway, you might as well have something great waiting at the top.
Take one step at a time, and you are certain to make it. You may occasionally slip, and you might want to sit and rest every now and then. The important thing, though, is to
keep on climbing. Every moment, every day. Each step will carry you closer to the top.
And on that happy day when you take the last step, give yourself a little break. Relax for a moment, and look down the stairway at how far you've come. Squint your eyes and see if you can make out the people down there, the ones who are just now starting to climb.
Then take a deep breath, pat yourself on the back, and go look for the next stairway.
In
fitness,
Namita
namita@womenfitness.net
Q:
Hello again Namita,
First, thanks for everything, I really appreciate all your help. Your personal attention is awesome! So, you're meal/food recommendations have really helped and I definitely notice a huge difference in my energy and the results I'm getting at the gym, but I still don't feel I have total control on how much to eat and when to stop. Sometimes I eat past fullness just because it's there and a habit....most of the time not even noticing I've finished it all. Any tips on eating the "right" amount, so I feel full and satisfied, but not stuffed? I've never had much success with other peoples programs, so I'd really just like to learn how to know when and how much to eat on my own. Thanks again,
--Shirley Stevens
A:
Hi Shirley,
Many women seem to have lost their ability to know how much they need to eat in order to feel energized and satisfied. This can happen when we spend a lot of our life following regimented eating diet programs. However, your own body, not someone else's plan, is your best guide.
Try to get in the habit of tuning in to your internal cues of hunger, instead of eating the amount of food you think you should, or attending to external cues like the sight or smell of food. It's okay to eat any amount of food to feel both physically and psychologically satisfied. But you must learn to stop when you feel comfortably full, not stuffed.
In addition to learning how it feels to be hungry, full, and uncomfortably full, you can learn from your mistakes. If you eat past comfortable fullness, don't beat yourself up. There are bound to be times when you eat too much for your body's comfort. Try to remember how eating too much feels and remind yourself of this feeling the next time you are tempted to overeat. With practice, you can change your eating patterns and start eating when your body tells you you're hungry, and stop eating after you've gained a satisfied, energized feeling.
Many of us are also "cue-sensitive" to food: if there are food reminders, we are likely to eat. For example, if we often eat dinner in front of the TV, we are sending ourselves messages to eat each time we sit there, whether we're hungry or not. If this is true for you, try eating only at the dining table.
And Shirley, you're very normal. Many women also have problems with "automatic eating," eating that occurs unconsciously. For example,
suddenly, the bag of candy is empty and you don't even remember eating it. Try to eat slowly and attentively, and only when physically
hungry rather than completely starved. This helps prevent both cue-sensitivity and automatic eating. The most wonderful and delicious
food in the world won't be enjoyable if you eat so fast that you don't appreciate its quality.
Before going back for seconds, take a breather. Give your body 10-20 minutes to decide if you really are still hungry or if you are already
physically or psychologically satisfied. Eating more slowly, pausing throughout the meal, and waiting before taking a second helping can
help you develop sensitivity in detecting hunger and fullness.
Shirley, when you have a chance, please take the time to read the WF Weight Management Component (on-line how-to manual) at
http://www.womenfitness.net/programs/wtmngmnt/contents.htm
. Here you'll literally find everything you need to know about effective weight management, including the 10
Certainties of successful weight management, the best times to eat and how often, healthy/lowfat shopping, cooking, and dining-out strategies,
150 ways to slim down your meals etc....My members are receiving outstanding results by following this program!
I really hope this helps. Please let me know if I can help you further and keep up the great
work, Shirley!
Sincerely,
Namita
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