It was a roller coaster of crappy food cravings, no energy or focus to workout, random bouts of tears, and short of breath moments. We women particularly struggle with this mind battle & let it halt our progress when we’re trying to take care of ourselves or our own health & body goals. For me today, my “I can’t” mental battle was about the “overwhelm” of all there is to do in growing a business to serve others, but this is exactly what gets us all off track on our health & body goals too!

The truth is, no human brain is completely immune to its amazing ability to zero in on the negative. Its pre-programmed for negativity excellence.

I was blessed to have parents who drilled the “you CAN” into my mind & repeatedly gave my opportunities to get out of my comfort zone so I flexed that habit a lot over my lifetime somewhat uncommonly as a child, but I still struggle some days.

Starting a business is without a doubt the hardest thing we’ve ever taken on in our lives. It’s one of those things… like childbirth.

Everyone avoids talking about the intensity or sacrifice or incredible investment of yourself or pain you’ll go through in the “birthing” process, because they know if you know, you may never have the courage to do it.

The same mental process happens when we decide to reach a long-term goal with our health & body with daily commitment over long periods of time. Our minds often get us off track!

Our conscious plays this vicious game with us when it comes to our bodies, or any goal we decide to consider that is going to take a CRAZY BOATLOAD of energy, patience, consistent effort daily, learning, and our courage and faith, over a long period of time.

This is how I feel most days starting a business to help others… learning things I’ve never had to know or do because it’s so important to us to help others get in a great relationship with their bodies… and this is EXACTLY what I imagine you feel like some days too working on your healing or weight loss goals, or even if you’re an athlete investing endless day for a longterm competitive goal.

It feels a bit like walking through a jungle in the dark, chopping vigorously with a machete at the brush to force our way through, having no idea what we’re doing, learning as we go, stumbling & falling, feeling alone, wanting desperately for someone to pick up us and throw us over their back and carry us the rest of the way, these are not easy places to venture. I think that about sums it up, right? Welcome to the visual of body transformation & business ownership! LOL

And it’s without a doubt going to happen that when we feel weak, when we’re tired, when we just don’t think we can go on anymore, the mind sees it’s prey & jumps in to bear down on us at just the right time.

Its this incredible wrestling match with our conscious, that sucks all our energy & positivity!

It’s a right hook with the “I can’t”, a left with the “the mountain top looks so high, I’ll never get there”, & and knockout upper cut with the “look around you you’re so far behind than everyone else, why waste your time it’s impossible, you’ve never done this before anyway what makes you think you have it in you to do it now, huh?”.

The #1 thing to do when this happens is just THAT — recognize that it’s happening!

Too often we fail to step back and see this taking place, and we let it paralyze us in energy sucking fear & doubt.

Recognize that YOU are fully in control of you brain and what you allow in it, where you allow it go, …and when it misbehaves or acts up like a bad-behaving child, give it a kiddy corner time out for 10 mins, SIMMER DOWN negative mind! I run the show here.

Whatever it takes — refocus your mind for just that space of time, walk away from what you’re doing, go outside and get some air, look at the sun, see the beauty in your environment, play with your dogs & feel laughter for a minute, meditate, pray, or find some positive affirmations & repeat them to yourself quietly over & over. Whatever it takes, just break the cycle!

#2… move into gratitude mode!

Pick just 3 things right now in this moment that you have to be grateful for, doesn’t matter. EVERYONE has 3 things to be grateful for at least, and if you can’t figure them out, then that’s another article.

The next move is a keeper…#3 get a 2nd opinion.

We’re all HUMAN — none of us are built to take on new & big goals alone, we need support, we need sounding boards, mentors, there are days we need encouragement, and even mental head kicks!

When you’re struggling getting your mind back on the positive track, reach out to a friend, a family member, a co-worker…just share with them openly your worries, fears, concerns, whatever your mind battle. Ask them to listen openly, and then offer their own perception of what you’re sharing. Often you’ll find, hearing how someone else sees you & your progress in an entirely different way than your negative mind perceives it & tries to filter for you. In fact, you’ll often hear how the efforts you’ve been putting forth for your goals are inspiring others around you in ways you never even knew.

Better yet, get your second opinions team in place before your journey, ready for the pre-emptive strikes when you need ‘em, because YOU WILL.

#4 — try a positive psychology coaching mindset technique: “decisional balance”. Ask yourself, what are the worst possible outcomes & then the best possible outcomes if I give up on trying & I stay where I am today & do nothing more? Now ask yourself, what are the worst possible outcomes & the best possible outcomes if I KEEP GOING? Write them down in a list & read them aloud to yourself. How do you feel now? Helps put it in perspective.

#5 — don’t under-estimate the physical!! The quality & schedule of your sleep cycles & your food input tremendously effect your brain hormonal balance. If you start messing with them, or put garbage in the machine, you will disrupt brain hormonal chemistry that controls emotions. Get back on track by making a solid deposit in the body bank of good, scheduled, undisturbed rest & quality nutrient-dense foods to hit your emotional refresh button from the TOP down — go for the CONTROL CENTER aka noggin.

Last but not least, #6, look backwards at how far you’ve come. If you’ve been working for a bit of time at your goal, write a list of all the things you’ve already learned that you didn’t know before you started, and positive changes you have already made.

Would you have experienced those if you gave into negativity or fear in the past? UM, NO!

So remove your mind from the pity train of fear & negativity, flip the switch on how you see it, and now the big hairy scary monster of a goal too big to achieve, really isn’t that big at all. Choose to build on that momentum.

Don’t let that negative self-talk strangle your inner power & keep your progress at bay, or get you off track!

All it takes is a little mental regrouping to get back on the positive mental train, so DON’T GIVE UP!!

If you have questions or just want to share your thoughts or additional suggestions to winning the mind battle that have worked for you when working at a health or body goal over a long period of time that may help others, please post your comments below.

Heather B. Dubé | Functional Nutritionist; Metabolic Practitioner; Founder, You & Improved Coaching, LLC

BA, CHHC, ACSM CWC, NASM CPT, On Fitness & Livestrong.com Writer, National Figure Competitor

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE:  

This blog post is an article by Heather Dube’ published in On Fitness magazine Nov/Dev 2011 issue  Clean Nutrition Report sold at Barnes N Noble & Whole Foods Market retailers worldwide. Back issues are available for purchase on the On Fitness magazine website.

_________________________________________________________________________

Debunking the western medicine food politics myth that high cholesterol and heart disease stem from egg yolks/cholesterol in food

Each week my husband and I get organic cage/hormone-free eggs; 12 cartons for 2 athletes. During on season for prep sometimes we hit 14 dozen: 168 eggs weekly.

The cashier, who now knows us for our strange food purchasing habits, breaks out boxes to transport our egg treasure, raising eyebrows.

We don’t consume 168 yolks; we consume a range of 1-3 yolks daily, in addition to other healthful fats, depending on where we are in athletic goals. The average person should consume 1-2 yolks daily for the health benefits as a general recommendation.

So why is our blood work described as the best doctors have seen in a career, and yet many shout about egg yolk cholesterol in relation to arterial health, heart disease, plaque build up, and triglycerides? Why have egg yolks been wrongly demonized by the medical community, AHA, and food political organizations?

Human body cholesterol function

We must first get clear on human body cholesterol function to understand its significance. It is actually a very healthy fat produced by the liver and non-negotiable for healthful human body maintenance.

Whether you consume it through food or not, your body produces it naturally. Most cholesterol comes from inside the human body itself, not from food; our first clue into debunking the medical theory on eggs.

You still need to consume it in small amounts to avoid nutrient deficiencies that lead to common illnesses. When you fail to give the body what it needs to generate itself and run its natural processes daily, this leads to the health problems we see today.

Cholesterol handles numerous critical jobs in human body. Here are some of the big ones. It is the bodies’ main healing substance; the precursor in our skin for vitamin D absorption, which prevents cancer; a critical component of the human brain; protects all cell membranes throughout the entire human body (also in relation to preventing cancer); needed for proper hormone production and balance; and required for vitamin K absorption to fight free radicals.

Western medical doctors are missing the mark

Western medicine is symptom focused, whereas holistic and integrative functional medicine is root cause focused.

It would seem simple that if someone’s cholesterol levels are high it must just be genetics and foods that have cholesterol in it causing the problem, right? Not so.

As a holistic health and nutrition practitioner, I advise we look deeper at all the internal human body processes, noticing the commonalities of people who tend to have problems with cholesterol levels, heart disease, and plaque build up.

First, one of the main causes of high cholesterol is actually the Standard American Diet (SAD), which is generally comprised of 80-85% processed sugars and packaged, refined foods.

The average American consumes way too much processed food daily as their main source of sustenance; foods that are entirely devoid of any nutritional value whatsoever to the human body, leading to health problems and imbalances.

This sort of common American nutrition approach generates a ton of free radicals inside the body daily which travel through the blood stream and significantly damage the arterial walls, creating divots if you will also known as lesions.

As a healing response because the human body is brilliantly made, the body cues the liver to release cholesterol to go out into the bloodstream and heal these divots by literally shellacking the arterial walls to fill these lesions back in. (Pfohl et al 1999; Germany)

The problem is, people just keep consuming so much processed, refined, sugar-filled foods, the process keeps repeatedly itself and eventually the cholesterol build up is too much.

When I have holistic nutrition mentoring clients with high cholesterol I immediately replace many processed foods with key nutrient-dense ones, add in components that lower internal inflammation naturally, and this consistently creates a positive test result in their triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

Other common causes in the human body that drive cholesterol levels up:

• stress increasing cortisol and internal inflammation
• genetics
• lack of movement
• high toxic load overburdening liver and proper lipid synthesis
• not consuming enough vegetables
• consuming TFAs, vegetable fats, partially hydrogenated fats, and rancid fats causing toxicity and free radical damage
• nutrition being the least

In fact, research shows that much less than 50% of cholesterol that is consumed through food is actually absorbed by our digestive system; another clue that debunks the medical yolk theory. The only exception is human milk where the body releases a special enzyme into the milk to ensure the baby receives large amounts of cholesterol, which are required at that time for proper brain and cognitive development.

The only safe, effective high cholesterol solution

A 1999 Journal of Nutrition study showed plant stanols and sterols, derived from fruit and vegetable pulp, have significant LDL lowering ability. Vegetables are one of the lowest consumed nutrient-dense foods of the SAD.

Medical doctors attack egg

yolk cholesterol, but never successfully eliminate the health imbalance with statins, which research shows do nothing to lower cholesterol. The only wa

y to lower cholesterol levels safely and effectively is holistic nutrition and holistic health modalities.

Demonizing cholesterol is rooted in food politics and keeps people distracted from food truths. Today, my husband and I are blessed too experience our own bodies entirely free of health imbalances or disease – from allergies, to rashes, to migraines, to lactose intolerance – there is not one thing we suffer from living a holistic health and holistic nutrition lifestyle that includes egg yolks.

Proof that the answer is not eliminating yolks. The answer is movement; vegetables; eliminating toxins, processed foods, unhealthy oils; and learning how to use holistic health and holistic nutrition skills to proactively support internal human body systems to do their jobs effectively.

If you have questions about using functional holistic nutrition to manage cholesterol naturally, please post your comments below. We’re happy to help!

Heather B. Dubé | Functional Nutritionist; Metabolic Practitioner; Founder, You & Improved Coaching, LLC

BA, CHHC, ACSM CWC, NASM CPT, On Fitness & Livestrong.com Writer, National Figure Competitor

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Part of my healing work & choice to do FCR is about delivering more oxygen to my brain and central nervous system (CNS) to allow my CNS to heal naturally and improve its function on its own, as the body is so brilliantly built to do, instead of focusing solely on the lesion in my brain which causes my movement disorder which is the dead-end approach traditional Doctors have taken with my body for years which has gotten me nowhere.

Anytime you can delivery more nutrients via blood and oxygen throughout the bodies systems, you are opening a door to natural healing and improvements by allowing the body to regenerate itself cellularly, which it is fully capable of doing.

This is a primary concept of natural healing & living in a human body that many do not comprehend or understand — the body you live in is constantly regenerating itself celluarly.

That is part of what comprises your resting metabolic rate. But ONLY if you give it the right tools to do so & assist the natural integrated systems through your own daily actions that manage these regeneration processes!

Glutathione

Whether it’s movement, holistic nutrition choices, managing your environment, or adding in advanced holistic approaches that maximize, heal & employ these natural systemic processes, there is a ton that you can do to improve your quality of health & life naturally, & these are the new human body mindset & skills we focus on sharing with others, because it’s truly the only way we canimprove & extend our own lifespan naturally, and turn the world tide away from needless drugs, illness, and surgery to take our health power back.

There are currently over 76,000 research articles that speak to the power of glutathione as a major player in holistic human body health, disease prevention, and optimal human body function & performance.

One of the core components You & Improved Coaching supports others in understanding for improved human body fat loss, fitness, & performance, is implementing evolved holistic human body thinking & strategies that are realistic & effective to conquer the human body stressors our body organism is under in today’s world, as our environment continues to shift.

This includes, but isn’t limited to, advanced detoxification strategies to improve and employ strengthened auto immune system function of the human body.

What is Glutathione & Who Is It For

Glutathione is comprised of 3 amino acids – cysteine, glycine & glutamine– it is a powerful anti-oxidant & detoxifier. Your body produces it naturally, but unfortunately in today’s stressful world our bodies are being pummeled with aging, toxins, chemicals, lack of movement, technology, nutrient-deficient nutrition, pesticides, pollutants, medications, environmental radiation, microwaves, x-rays, wi-fi, illness, dental mercury fillings & other heavy metal toxins in the body, etc. AND THE LIST GOES ON… all significantly deplete the bodies natural glutathione levels & immune strength by overwhelming the bodies oxidative stress & toxic load.

Heavy metals & toxins also build up in the human body organism over the years cumulatively, that many years ago our bodies simply were not subject to, and definitely not at the alarming levels of today.

Over time, this weakens the liver and doesn’t allow it to do it’s natural detoxification job, because the workload becomes too much & this correlates to glutathione deficiency. Glutathione levels are critical to conquer and prevent disease and maintain optimal health & human body performance.

Ultimately, glutathione is for everyone who lives in a human body, but particularly powerful for someone fighting any form of imbalance currently as noted here in our article.

Why is Glutathione Beneficial

It’s the mother of detoxification as it enters the blood, brain and other areas & sucks toxins out that have embedded in your bodies cells. The power is in the sulfur component, to which the toxins stick to like fly paper. The only time it cannot be used to strengthen immune function is with a cancer patient undergoing chemo, as glutathione identifies the chemo as an enemy (toxin) and attaches and removes it from the body, when the chemo at that point is intentionally to try to attack and kill the cancer.

It also recycles antioxidants in the body & helps the body deal with free radicals.

Important to understand, when the body becomes overwhelmed with oxidative stress and/or toxins, numerous illnesses and auto immune conditions result – chronic fatigue, chronic skin conditions, neurological dysfunction such as Parkinson’s Disease, auto immune illnesses, thyroid & endocrine system dysfunction, metabolic dysfunction & weight gain, poor clarity & mood / foggy thinking, poor recovery time from exercise, and so on.

Maintaining optimal glutathione levels counters all of the above.

An intense method and delivery of glutathione for more critical health states will actually produce increased weakened immunity and feelings of sickness for a few days as you go through the detox process & the toxins pass systemically through your body, and are removed by your GI tract & out through your bile & waste.

3 Ways To I Boost My Glutathione Naturally?

1. Consume Sulfur containing foods – garlic, onions, cruciferous vegetables – kale, brocolli, watercress are just a few; If you’d like creative, tasteful ways to enjoy glutathione boosting foods, check out our original recipes You & Improved Coaching comprehensive cookbook… where almost every recipe contains a glutathione boosting component
2. Exercise – 30 mins minimum per day of cardiovascular engaging movement & 3-4x/week strength training boosts gluathione levels naturally; important to note intense and/or “over training” naturally depletes glutathione levels… so athletes can benefit from considering even further gluthathione to counter the bio-individual demands they place on their body
3. Supplementation – important to note most consumer supplement production is not controlled & poorly done, so absorption and utilization are sub-par; this is why we only provide our clients with our own nutraceutical practitioner grade supplements, and the difference in the results is tremendously powerful – we will be shortly launching our own nutraceutical practitioner grade supplements on our website – these are supplements that only a holistic health practitioner like myself, or ND’s, DC’s, DO’s have access too to support others, so be sure to not assume that any professional claiming they’re selling nutraceuticals truly are – many professionals in the fitness & nutrition industry are unable to access high quality tested & produced non-retail products, but will state they are selling nutraceuticals – supplement production & quality is critical to results

If you have glutathione or other questions, please post your comments below. We’re happy to help!

On Fitness, World Physique, Fitness & Physique Magazine & Livestrong.com Industry Expert Writer; National NPC Figure Competitor; Holistic Health & Nutrition Practitioner; BA, NASM CPT, ACSM CWC

Look Better. Feel Better. Perform Better. TM

http://www.youandimprovedcoaching.com

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I spent from late 2009 / early 2010 through end of 2011, almost two years, incredibly focused day in, day out on my athletic competitive goals in the sport of figure.

The amount of time & energy that had to be daily dedicated to this goal if I totaled it would move mountains, and it speaks the the results I felt really proud to showcase on the national stage for my first national level NPC competition as a natural athlete.

But I’d be lying to you if I didn’t share the incredible amount of sacrifice that goal required – sacrificing time from my husband, from my family with a 3 yr old niece I’ve yet to meet, a grandmother whose health is aging normally with time and I’ve not had time to see, a household that literally rarely got cleaned , and a business that my husband and I could have had much further ahead at this point in time had we not actively chosen those national level athletic goals. That form of disconnection from the world, social occasions, and life as most people know it, while intensely focusing all your mental, emotional & physical energy on the body is something only a figure athlete whose trained for long, long periods can comprehend. There are moments it can break you, and it’s often why even as a coach ourselves, we enlist other coaches to champion us through the intense progression. No sport is harder to train for mentally, without a doubt.

Coming off that journey this fall after NPC North Americans in Ohio, I’ve had to let go of the reigns a bit to be quite frank on my fitness & physical goals, and dedicate time to our growing business, to our in person & distance coaching clients, and put back some focus & energy on all those things that waited patiently for my return during my two years of focused training.

As someone who worked really hard for that length of period to earn a physique I was really proud of, letting go of that for a bit right now is admittedly not easy on the psyche.

But it’s important to remember in these times that life goes in natural ebbs and flows, and it’s healthiest to go with them, then to continually force energy in 1 direction, and never allow it time to naturally regenerate itself.

There are so many other things in life that contribute to our body and minds overall ability to achieve true wellness — and when we disconnect from them for long periods, things like our natural human relationships, time with our friends, other areas of our life that stimulate us for example my personal studies in nutrition, our partner or spouse relationship, spiritual time …we can easily create unhealthy physical imbalances in our body & in our lives, and we need to recognize this.

When it’s all said and done there are 3 things that are the most precious things in life we can never put a price on – our health, our family, and TIME.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a driven competitive athletic spirit inside both myself & my husband that is very healthy & will always be.

But from time to time, we need to hit the PAUSE button & find health in just BEING for a moment.

We need to pull back from the “athlete persona”, from the intensity, from the competition, from whatever the goal. We need to look at ourselves from the outside, what we’ve achieved, take time to express gratitude & reflect on hard work accomplished to be truly a balanced healthy person that’s making the journey 1st and foremost about health. We need to honor the body & thank it for all it has done for us that we’ve asked along the path of progress, allowing it the space to BREATHE.

And that means letting go of perfection for a little bit & being our best, or constantly & ONLY focusing on our fitness. And that means reenergizing the areas of your life that give us other wellness – spiritually, mentally, emotionally as human beings – with many health needs that exceed just the physical to live well.

It means giving yourself PERMISSION TO BE HUMAN for a moment again, which we see so many athletes struggle with – defining themselves only as ONE thing, by their athletic work, but allowing emptiness to creep in in other areas of their lives while the athletic focus ramps up.

So when the lights go down, the ‘flash’ is over, & everyone’s left the stage, they crash into depression emotionally coming off the competition high, because they’ve forgotten that they aren’t an ‘image’, they’re a human being with many other areas of their spirit and health that cannot be forgotten or devalued along the way.

It’s okay to allow yourself that space, to recognize that a body is NOT what defines a healthy spirit or a lifetime. In fact, it is and will always be only 1 piece to the puzzle of a very enriched, healthy multi-dimensional, and truly happy human being.

Don’t forget to create the space that allows for the “pause” to put it all back into healthy “perspective”.

This allows us to recharge mentally & emotionally so when we’re truly ready to make our physical comeback, we come back healthier, better & even more balanced & prepared than before.

I felt the need to share my perspective on this topic as both an athlete & a coach, because many of the coaches in our industry are male – but women are unique creatures – we have very different emotional & hormonal needs that some male coaches may or may not fully understand or know how to support as effectively as possible. Also, we experience the competitive prep process quite differently than men as well, so it’s an area that needs more attention in my opinion in our industry, and a supportive holistic perspective that allows for the mind AND body to heal from a truly intensive physical often imbalance-creating athletic process, before returning again.

And that is where I’m at today on my journey of being a coach, competitive athlete, industry educator, but also all the other things that make up my healthful, blessed life. I’m okay, sitting in the pocket of the holistic, healthful, balanced, energy-recharging PAUSE.

On Fitness, World Physique, Fitness & Physique Magazine & Livestrong.com Industry Expert Writer; National NPC Figure Competitor; Holistic Health & Nutrition Practitioner; BA, NASM CPT, ACSM CWC

Look Better. Feel Better. Perform Better. TM

http://www.youandimprovedcoaching.com

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You’re welcome to share this article. When you do, please include this complete blurb below with it, as well as our copyright:

© 2011 You & Improved Coaching, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Here’s how to conquer this common spiritual life trap we see so many potentially vibrant souls fall into.

Seek answers to the emotional/mental/spiritual void that food is physically filling for you.

We do this over long periods of time by turning our mind focus inward on our body daily in SILENCE, learning to connect the two regularly, practicing self-care daily that uplifts and honors our physical body, and coming to know just how powerful food is….as a tool to heal & create the human body as well as your entire life experience.

While most are completely out of touch with this fact…everything they lift to their lips is literally creating their entire experience not only of their human body, but of their emotional, mental & spiritual filter of their lives.

So you are either CHOOSING to give yourself a GIFT everyday, or you are CHOOSING to steal it from yourself, and you pass that on to all those around you as you choose, including children who learn more from our ACTIONS than our WORDS.

Shift your mindset to understand that you have the POWER everyday in everything you do to CHOOSE YOU….and you are worth it.

You think you’re FILLING your soul, but in actuality all you’re doing is weighing your spirit DOWN, and prohibiting it from FLYING FREE & HAPPY on your journey.

Now let go of the foods that steal that gift from you, and choose the ones that fully allow you to embrace yourself in love, compassion, and caring.

National NPC Figure Competitor; Industry Expert Writer & Talent; Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner & Holistic Nutrition Consultant; Spokesperson for the Human Body to Heal, Transform & Inspire TM

You & Improved Coaching, LLC | Look Better. Feel Better. Perform Better. TM

Improving Weight Loss, Healing & Athletic Results TM

http://www.youandimprovedcoaching.com

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In our lifestyle, there is never a day we aren’t living on a made-for-us plan, there is a never a day we aren’t focused on attaining a set goal in the future, there is never a day we aren’t assessing & reassessing our own progress, in a consistent, committed march forward to the mountain top. We use our bodies as tools to live our lives each day from a foundation of evolution & progress.

I could never envision living our days out being stagnant or as a ‘lifer’. Nothing would drive me or my husband more insane. We live and die by a plan, and when we finish the current plan & achieve our goal, we create a new plan and move onto the next phase of progress & growth. When I first met my husband I found this pattern of how he lived on plans with human body goals quite interesting, but easily fell into following his lead after seeing how this path of physical success led directly to mental & spiritual success as well.

Just like it is unhealthy for the body to sit physically stagnant, as less oxygen, blood and nutrients transport throughout, less of our key internal systems are utilized, less energy is used, etc. it is also highly unhealthy for the mind & spirit to sit stagnant. Bodybuilding forces you to continually physically evolve, and so it is for our mind & spirit, constantly pushing past barriers, outside our comfort zones, evolving & refreshing into an improved version of yourself year round.

This is often why when you meet someone professionally in and around fitness they are generally all very positive, happy people. When you live in a constant state of progressive successful CHANGE it breeds joy. When you live in a constant state of desiring, but failing to acquire any change, it breeds discontent.

The physical… begets the mental… begets the spiritual, as they all work together in a human body symphony which generates our life experience, positive or negative.

So which are you? Are you most of the people we see doing a lot of talking or wasting a lot of energy dwelling on what they desire, yet taking very little if any action towards welcoming that change into their lives? Or will you step past fear with courage diving head first into consistent action every single day to live a life of progress and attain your goals?

Here are 3 Key Athletic Mindset Skills to Step Into Change NOW….

• Get over it - people often stagnate due to unnecessary fear, and so they hide docked in their comfort zone. One way to avoid this, is ask yourself — if I do X, what is the worst thing that will happen? Usually the answer is not as scary big-haired monster as your mind is making it out to be.
• Lose the perfectionist syndrome - we have a saying, imperfect action vs. perfect inaction. Perfectionism keeps items on your to-do list that NEVER EVER get done, am I right? And usually we are the guilty ones of over-doing expectations of ourselves. If you have a workout in your mind you prefer today, but something comes up that day & you’re not going to be able to get your “perfect” hot yoga class for 2 hours in, why do you choose failure in the form of doing nothing, when you could easily walk the dogs outside for 20 mins & have chosen to do at least something?  So what if it’s not perfect? It’s imperfectly DONE. (Check!)
• Start by believing in yourself - if you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect anyone else to? It starts with YOU. As athletes, we absolutely use tools such as affirmations, visualization, meditation to focus our minds on what we want to become & achieve. But you don’t have to be a competitive athlete to access the same tools of success. Use your mind to envision yourself as the change you desire – SEE YOUR POTENTIAL, whether it’s successfully healing a disruptive health condition you’ve been battling with, up’ing your athletic performance or physical condition, or getting back into those jeans you wore 10 years ago that have been hiding away.

Up your mental game to breed a mentality that is the foundation for building the habit of taking actions everyday that lead to change, which is the key to results & success!

National NPC Figure Competitor; Industry Expert Writer & Talent; Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner & Holistic Nutrition Consultant; Spokesperson for the Human Body to Heal, Transform & Inspire TM

You & Improved Coaching, LLC | Look Better. Feel Better. Perform Better. TM

Improving Weight Loss, Healing & Athletic Results TM

http://www.youandimprovedcoaching.com

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Want to use this article in your ezine, blog or website?
You’re welcome to share this article. When you do, please include this complete blurb below with it, as well as our copyright:

© 2011 You & Improved Coaching, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

As a competitive natural figure athlete & fitness model, I can share personally there are numerous forms & levels of training &

nutrition we practice for years through consistent day in, day out action, commitment, & discipline to have the physiques that grace the ads and articles of most fitness pubs. Does that mean there isn’t good education to be learned from our experience in those magazines? Of course not. Does it mean the title of the article should infer it took us 3 mins to get those abs results? Same answer.

It’s important to understand that the human body has the ability to learn, change & evolve over MANY years, based on how you cue it, challenge it, and invest in it everyday through movement, health & nutrition.

Results, human body change, and preventative health are not a destination, they are something you continue to evolve into, perfect, and invest into over the course of a lifetime, so the first step to true health is losing that failed mindset you’re being sold, and opening your mind to a whole new level of seeing & experiencing the human body in which you live. Most people don’t understand the true power and capability their body that carries them has, let alone take advantage of learning about it and experiencing it in their lifetime.

I’m in my late 30′s, and I have been investing in my health in different manners everyday for over 20 years, and my body is STILL changing, and I am STILL learning more about health & the human body, as well as nutrition & fitness. Open your mind to how big a statement that truly is, and how little truly the average person knows, yet sadly misperceive they know about their health & body.

Education that reforms your health & body belief systems & generates a self-care mindset is the only path to health. Wellness is an evolution, it’s a journey of a lifetime we can either choose to embark on as an explorer or not. It’s up to us.

These are not life skills we are taught in school systems, we have to pursue them of our own will & pursue them with strong determination & mind-body intuition. How I support and know to care for my body and health today isn’t the same way I was supporting it 5, 10, or 20 years ago. I’ve worked at evolving my experience & knowledge day in day out over time, and continue to. It’s a choice.

Nothing of great value in life comes with little effort, health included, & if the focus is only weight loss it’s a sure-fire path to failure. If health were simply attainable in a 3 Min abs article, then we have wasted 20 yr’s of our lives investing 10′s of thousands in mentorships with cutting-edge industry professionals, multiple top-tier credentials & education. Educate yourself on what generates health inside of the body – mentally, spiritually, physically – & the outside of the body heals as well.

As leaders in the industry with a platform to change the poor health trends growing today, we have to stand in health & body truth, as we’re the only hope left to reverse the occurrence of needless rising nutrient-deficieny related diseases. What good are great abs if your internal health is developing cancer or other disease anyway? True health begins & ends on the inside; it is only available to you when you build a relationship of understanding the body in which you live & how it loves & cares for you everyday in all its brilliant processes, so you can love it back in your actions.

Healthy mind, body & spirit,

Heather B. Dube’, Industry Natural Health, Nutrition & Fitness Expert

Natural National Level NPC Figure Competitor; Fitness Model; Holistic Nutritionist; Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner; ACSM Health Coach; NASM Private Trainer; National Association of Nutrition Professionals; American Association of Drugless Practitioners

You & Improved Coaching | Shape Your Body, Shape Your Life. (TM)

> Helping busy women fast-track health & body to fit, confident & fabulous over thirty!

http://www.youandimprovedcoaching.com | http://www.superSEXYover30.com

——————————————————————————–

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As someone whose suffered from serious illness such as chronic fatigue & been healed only through an advanced holistic detox nutrition program after medical doctors failed my health & body, I can promise you these foods actually limit the potential of your body & health to be at it’s best. What is in, and what is not in your foods, that your body needs or doesn’t need, is determining your quality of health daily. The problem is most people don’t know have the knowledge of what their internal body systems are doing daily, or what they require to be well & function optimally.

While balancing energy in versus energy out does matter, this approach needs to be combined with an approach that gives the body what it needsnutritionally INSIDE to be healthy in order to be effective & lose weight in the quickest way possible.

What is best for the inside of your body will ALWAYS matter more than what appears to be best for the outside of your body, and this approach will always create better results than just taking a basic nutrition approach that has been referred to in the industry to as ‘clean eating’ known around gyms, fitness, The Biggest Loser type shows, and various publications, and yet is not clean eating on your bodies terms.

If you aren’t using an advanced holistic nutrition approach that takes into account what feeds the internal body systems for optimal function & avoids health conditions such as cancer coming on in your lifetime, etc. than you’re missing out on the opportunity to…

• be healthier
• avoid disease
• heal disease & health imbalances naturally – from allergies, to skin conditions, to depression, neurological problems, diabetes, digestive disorders such as IBS, acid reflux, high cholesterol, and the list goes on
• and YES to have a lean body at ANY age that blows away those using calorie, fat & sugar free foods in their diet

Sadly I’d estimate 70-80% maybe even more of professionals as a nutrition coach, fitness coach, nutrition expert or RD tout use of calorie, fat & sugar-free products because they’re not aware of the numerous downsides of them for the human body, or how to take a more effective nutrition approach to weight & health management.

Here are 3 Ways Calorie, Fat & Sugar-Free Foods Are Sabotaging Your Best Health & Body….

1. All of these foods are sweetened with artificial sweeteners, the biggest culprit being sucralose…AKA Splenda. Newsflash, Splenda is not a food – it’s a chemical created by Johnson & Johnson, yes the company that makes shampoos, medicines, cleaners. Sucralose is a chlorine bleach molecule which is how these chemical companies essentially make it a calorie-free food because the GI tract will not allow that molecule to pass through the large intestine wall as a matter of your survival as it’s a dangerous toxin!! So that is how it becomes calorie-free because your body simply won’t digest it. Your liver has to purge that from your system to keep your human body safe & alive, but anytime you up your toxic load you are lowering your bodies ability to have a higher metabolic rate to be healthier, in better shape & lose weight.
2. All of these foods also have other junk chemicals in them that disrupt your internal health unfortunately…excito-toxins, neuro-toxins, chemicals, on top of the artificial sweeteners. Here it is sweet & simple…if you can’t pronounce it or it didn’t come from nature, it is of no use to your body or health as a nutrient, so all you’re doing is adding stuff into the works that slows your metabolic rate & body from functioning as it’s best, while potentially welcoming illness down the road, and disrupting your bodies key systems such as it’s neurological system, hormonal, etc. For example, Xantham Gum – really people? Does this sound like something your body makes hair, tissue, cells & ligaments from? Not quite.
3. Fat-free foods are loaded with sugars and sweeteners which weigh down your immune system & metabolic rate, while ratcheting up your daily carbohydrate intake typically way over the % that your body needs to function, therefore storing extra kcal on the body & making weight loss much, much harder. And here’s a BIG newsflash for you, fat is most key macro-nutrient for optimal brain, body, cellular, neurological and overall health function – the key is getting the right fats, in the right amounts, at the right times based on your individual health & body needs & goals – most people don’t know how to do this, and it’s leading to numerous needless health problems we see today – from neurologicaldisorders, depression, skin disorders, etc. and YES weight problems. If you remove a key nutrient from your food intake that the body needs to survive, you are wrongly cueing your body that it’s not going to get ample levels of fat, so as a survival response it will slow down your RMR (resting metabolic rate) & I mean WAY down, and guess what?? It will begin to store fat & food on your body as a defense mechanism where you are bringing on your own obesity, and/or not getting as lean as you could be if you were approaching fat nourishment properly.

And a BONUS TIP - all of these foods components disrupt & delay your digestive processes, and anytime you disrupt your digestion you’re getting less of a lean body than you could be naturally & easily, as well as welcoming in health problems.

No matter what your nutrition coach tells you, fake chemicalized foods that people use for weight management, in fact delay your best weight & body, AND come with risk of illness & disease. It’s why our country has ever-growing cancer rates, thyroid problems, allergies, skin issues, you name it! Your quality of health begins and ends on the inside of your body & no calorie, fat or sugar-free foods will ever circumvent the truths & principles by which the human body functions.

If you’d like to experience the fast health & body results an advanced holistic detox nutrition approach can offer, it’s really easy!  Check out our original holistic nutrition recipes cookbook & try our own original detox nutrition + sports nutrition theory approach to creating your best health & body.

Also, keep an eye out for our 2 Week Detox Nutrition Online Group Coaching Program where only a few select people will receive advanced nutrition coaching on how to try detox nutrition in your life & home step-by-step for optimal health, body & healing, launching this March. It’s a fabulous way to jump-start your weight loss for spring, as whole foods detox yields quick, effective weight loss while cleansing the liver, healing health imbalances & revving up your metabolism naturally!

In celebration of your best & fastest body results,

Heather B. Dube’, Industry Natural Health, Nutrition & Fitness Expert

Natural National Level NPC Figure Competitor; Fitness Model; Holistic Nutritionist; Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner; ACSM Health Coach; NASM Private Trainer; National Association of Nutrition Professionals; American Association of Drugless Practitioners

You & Improved Coaching | Shape Your Body, Shape Your Life. (TM)

> Helping overwhelmed women fast-track health & body to fit, confident & fabulous over thirty!

http://www.youandimprovedcoaching.com | http://www.superSEXYover30.com

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You’re welcome to share this article. When you do, please include this complete blurb below with it, as well as our copyright:

© 2011 You & Improved Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

It’s a perfect example of what questions you should use when evaluating what coach is most likely going to be able to offer you the best results for your health & body.

One thing that is very hard for the layperson is how to weed through marketing copy to be able to accurately review coaching credentials & their resume in an industry where credentials are not mandated.

You could be getting someone with a cracker jack box certification or only 1 year of education, yet no experience in implementation or producing results.

For my money – I want the best when it comes to coaching in anything. I always choose those that are already showing the results in their own business, health, etc. that I want to replicate for myself or at least results that are more advanced than I would like for myself so I know they can take me where I would like to go for me indefinitely.

So here they are…the top 10 ways you can decipher who is a true health, nutrition & fitness expert in a world where everyone has seemingly become an expert.

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10 Things Elite Coaches Do/Offer

1. Top Coaches Are All About Assessment...accurate expert health & body change is by science & #’s!!

2. Top Coaches Show What They Can Do…they have before after client pics, no not before after headshots of their clients…of their body

3. Top Coaches Are Well-Trained..we’re talking someone who is a LIFETIME student, not just 1 certification – degrees, high quality certifications, mentorships, and internships – top coaches have ALL of the above related to mind & body health in an impressive 1-2 page resume, including industry recognition & rewards or accolades to show their advanced level of abilities & nods from the industry they work in

4. Top Coaches Are Healthy and Fit …their health & body should be an example of health mastery – doesn’t mean YOU have to want to look like they do, it just means as a coach they are capable to take you to your goals whatever they may be & there is pure proof to boot of your guarantee that your money isn’t going to waste

5: Top Coaches Reward Behaviors, Not Outcomes

6: Top Coaches Take Regular Measurements...back to the science again all too often missing – what’s measured is managed!! …what’s not measured…well & we’re not just referring to scale weight, there are many ways measurements should be used initially both in health, nutrition, fitness & body – testing & measuring produces accuracy

7: Top Coaches Know How To Help All Clients

8: Top Coaches Adopt Everything Useful To Get Results...expert coaches know it ALL matters, and ALL works in unison so the nutrition plan, the fitness plan, the health plan are all personalized and tied together in an expert approach

9: Top Coaches Really Care…they are cutting edge, collaborate with the best in the industry & revel in a lifetime of learning about health, nutrition, fitness, healing, the human body & ALL aspects about it

10: Top Coaches Do Their Research/Read….they are on top of the industry & always learning, mentoring, growing with the best

Keep this list handy. It can save you a lot of wasted time, money & heartache when seeking the right expert to guide you to health & body results in the fastest & safest manner possible.

Wishing you the health & body results you deserve to experience,

Heather B. Dube’, Industry Natural Health, Nutrition & Fitness Expert

Natural National Level NPC Figure Competitor; Fitness Model; Holistic Nutritionist; Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner; ACSM Health Coach; NASM Private Trainer; National Association of Nutrition Professionals; American Association of Drugless Practitioners

You & Improved Coaching | Shape Your Body, Shape Your Life. (TM)

> Helping overwhelmed women look & feel fit, confident & fabulous over thirty!

http://www.youandimprovedcoaching.com | http://www.superSEXYover30.com

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You’re welcome to share this article. When you do, please include this complete blurb below with it, as well as our copyright:

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A smart lady & former national competitor from our Team ADP, Nichole Herro Guenther, reminded me last week when we were chatting about training for national competition – when you’re a natural athlete EVERY day is work, there is no  ’offseason’ – you have to be ON every single day.

As we turn into the new year of 2011, I stare down the rest of my long training path with 1 day, 1 goal in mind …still months from now & I am filled with a renewed respect for my industry peers that walk the long, grueling, dedicated & sacrificial path natural athletes walk.

Being a natural competitive athlete transforms & becomes your life & the life of those around you. Anything else will fall short when you get to the stage. It consumes your mind, your body, and your soul. It soaks into every pore of your being, to the point you are at a heightened sense of focus & intensity every day, and have a desire to win so deep within you that you can literally taste the dream itself on your tongue each morning you wake up & determine when you’re training & the six times you’ll be eating again that day, and if you need to go get therapeutic massage that day too to work out knots for optimal muscular contraction & physique development.

If people could only see for a brief glimpse what an athlete’s days look like – the daily effort, focus, relentless positive mentality & position of belief, time, $ & energy for endless months & years of multiple people that go into supporting just 1 athlete with 1 single goal for 1 single day in their life far, far away months and years down the road. If people could experience for a moment what it feels like to commit every last breath within you & of those around you to a path that long for such an uncertain promise of potential of realizing your dream of athletic achievement.

The natural path is months & years of challenge, evolution, sacrifice, dedication, courage & daily commitment for your 5 mins of stage under scrutiny of a judging panel who didn’t walk the last 18-24 mos with you, see every ounce of your being you gave, and yet you put everything into it and you put yourself out there for that small chance of winning.

It’s a path I never envisioned walking in my life, but a path I am so grateful to have the opportunity to walk as I learn more about & shape myself further into who I’m becoming every day closer to my goal.

I wish I could share it with so many around me, because I know that it would inspire them to know that hey – committing weekly to a goal just 3 mos away doesn’t seem that impossible anymore, does it? Because it shouldn’t. It’s all in your mind, what you decide is possible for you or not…all you have to do is wake up each day & choose to believe. That’s how we roll… if your goal is 3 mos away, or 24 months away, just choose to believe…and then step into daily action.

In health & body mastery,

Heather B. Dube’, Expert Lean Body & Weight Loss Results Mentor
Natural National Level NPC Figure Competitor; Fitness Model; Holistic Nutritionist; Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner; ACSM Health Coach; NASM Private Trainer; National Association of Nutrition Professionals; American Association of Drugless Practitioners

You & Improved Coaching | Shape Your Body, Shape Your Life. (TM)

> Helping you achieve fast, visible body shaping for the results you deserve & the energetic confidence to attract more joy, love & success into your life!

http://www.youandimprovedcoaching.com | http://www.superSEXYover30.com

PS ~ Our new “Super SEXY Over 30! (TM) | I Want THAT Body!” (TM) Cookbook limited time pre-sales with special pricing are starting shortly!

Be sure to check our fan page for more info ~ this cookbook is jam-packed with 80 of our very own original naturally healthy & lean body recipes!!

——————————————————————————–

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Damian & I wanted to share some of the fun, wacky & unique things that go on in our world with you so we’ve posted a new album in the group that we’ll be updating with new ‘moments’ from time to time.

It’s a look into the crazy, evolving, intense, fun lifestyle we have in fitness competition & coaching. As a visual person, I find images help me to learn & see in new ways. So we want to share images from our world of how we make our health happen daily in our own lives with our unique mindset & strategies that ensure health & body stay on our to-do list 365 days a year joyously!

So you just might find something in here that interests you! Check it out – A Day In the Life Of…

Thanks for sharing with us.

In grateful service to your mind-body connection,

Heather B. Dube’, Expert Lean Body & Weight Loss Results Mentor
National Level NPC Figure Competitor; Fitness Model; Holistic Nutritionist; Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner; ACSM Health Coach; NASM Private Trainer; National Association of Nutrition Professionals; American Association of Drugless Practitioners

You & Improved Coaching | Shape Your Body, Shape Your Life. (TM)

> Helping you achieve fast, visible body shaping for the results you deserve & the energetic confidence to attract more joy, love & success into your life!

http://www.youandimprovedcoaching.com | http://www.superSEXYover30.com

PS ~ Our new “Super SEXY Over 30! (TM) | I Want THAT Body!” (TM) Cookbook limited time pre-sales with special pricing are starting shortly!

Be sure to check our fan page next week ~ this cookbook is jam-packed with 80 of our very own original naturally healthy & lean body recipes!!

——————————————————————————–

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You’re welcome to share this article. When you do, please include this complete blurb below with it, as well as our copyright:

© 2010 You & Improved Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

Here’s a sneak peek into our kitchen on Thanksgiving Day 2010…. so you can experience how as both natural athletes & whole foods nutrition coaches we celebrate REAL food for the holidays & the gift of health that offer us, while not beating down our body or waistline!

Check out Coach Damian’s own original You & Improved Coaching whole foods nutrition recipe for healthy whole grain pie crust that offers numerous health benefits to the body, including great energy as it’s made from TRUE whole grains unlike 99% of the products in store that claim they are whole grain and simply aren’t.

We enjoy the holidays more knowing we are making choices that not only taste good, but are bar none nutrition for the body – so we don’t have to pay for our choices the day after with extra trips to the gym or potential sickness down the road. Isn’t health one of the blessings we’re to be grateful for and CARE for in our choices this time of year? Here’s how!!

Inside the You & Improved Coaching Kitchen | Our Own Thanksgiving Whole Grain Homemade Pie Crust:

*All recipes are copyrighted materials of You & Improved Coaching, LLC & not to be reprinted or reused in other materials without permission.

• 3 cups buckwheat
• 2 cups rolled oats

Run grains twice through clean coffee grinder on fine setting.

• 2 cups sifted flour
• 1 tsp raw sea salt
• 3/8 cups unrefined coconut oil (room temperature so it’s solid)
• 3/8 cup organic butter
• 5-6 Tbsp cold water

In a medium bowl, lightly stir together four & salt with a fork.
With Pastry Blender or knives, cut in oil and butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbles.
sprinkle in cold water a tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with a fork until pastry holds together.
With hands, shape pastry into a ball, wrap with waxed paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For a two crust pie, divide pastry into 2 pieces and shape each into a ball.
lay a large piece of suran wrap or wax paper on a flat surface. Lightly floured suran wrap or paper, with a rolling pin, roll ball into a 1/8 inch thick circle, 2 inches larger all around than the pie dish.
Lift saran wrap and turn upside down into pie dish. Fill as recipe directs.

>>> Like this recipe & want to learn more?
Naturally increase metabolism, reduce body fat, maximize energy, & enjoy great health for you & your family with our “Inside the You & Improved Coaching Kitchen” Cookbook of Quick & Easy Comfort Food Recipes created by holistic nutrition recipe developer & nutrition coach, Damian Dube’.

• 85 pages including healthy kitchen resources, shopping tips, food preparation charts & suggestions, and more!
• 50 of our original holistic nutrition recipes: soups, desserts, snacks, side dishes, breakfast, lunch & dinners.

Get the SKINNY on our holistic nutrition cookbook here!

Healthy mind, body & spirit,

Heather B. Dube’, Expert Lean Body & Weight Loss Results Mentor
National Level NPC Figure Competitor; Fitness Model; Holistic Nutritionist; Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner; ACSM Health Coach; NASM Private Trainer; National Association of Nutrition Professionals; American Association of Drugless Practitioners

You & Improved Coaching | Shape Your Body, Shape Your Life. (TM)

http://www.youandimprovedcoaching.com

http://www.superSEXYover30.com

——————————————————————————–

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You’re welcome to share this article. When you do, please include this complete blurb below with it, as well as our copyright:

© 2010 You & Improved Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

Tonight as I grabbed a quick hamstrings training session at the resort fitness center, I thought – I need to share some juicy natural health coach tips with our community on how to stay get your health in while traveling on business, as most people use traveling as a means to fall off the personal health wagon, but truly all it takes is a little innovative thinking & open-mindedness to make health happen while on the road.

Here are 8 Quick Expert Health Coach Tips from a national figure athlete on how I  stay on track with health while on the road for work….

1. Shift your mindset to something is better than nothing while traveling – If you have a set workout you do or idea in your mind of what you’re ‘supposed’ to do and you can’t find the resources to make that happen where you’re staying, that doesn’t give you license to give up entirely! Give yourself permission to modify your fitness approach while traveling & just GET MOVEMENT IN after sitting on your tush all day in conference rooms & meetings. Your body will thank you.

2. Do your research - when I travel we always call ahead and research the fitness facility at the property prior to staying. A little bit of preparation goes a long way. This way you can either be sure to select a facility that has what you need, or if you don’t have flexibility on staying at your choice ofproperties, you will know what they have in case you need to bring a few things like a dynaband to supplement & workout in your hotel room.

3. Be creative - if there is no gym, open your mind because you can literally create a workout anywhere. Are you telling me if you put your laptop bag over 1 arm & your purse over the other & did 10 sets of stairs either in the hotel or on the hotel property outside repeatedly at a fast pace that isn’t a workout for your cardiovascular & muscular system? Don’t have a gym, then find your workout through DESIRE – fitness is everywhere if you open your mind.

4. BYOF - If you see us travel there is never, and I repeat NEVER, anywhere we go without a sizable over the shoulder portable cooler of food, or at the very least there are healthy goodies in my purse to eat. Conferences for business travel are typically long days & mentally draining. Fuel your best mental clarity for a day of sponging info by an AM workout & having small healthy snacks to keep your energy level & ready to go throughout the day.

5. Skip the garbage sugar-filled free hotel breakfast - So you have to be at your best professionally to network, speak, learn, partner, what have you – these are critical moments for your business – so why are you tanking your mind, energy and mood right out of the gate with the AM sugar packed breakfast? Feed your brain, body & energy from the start of the day with the best possible fuel – healthy proteins, carbs, & fats. A good example would be a nice egg white omelette with assorted veg cooked in a quality healthy oil & a good organic tea.

6. Put limits on the business meeting treats typically excessively available - If you go in with no boundaries in mind in these type of business meetings, it will be a mindless treat free-for-all where it’s insanely easy to pack on mindless weight from what you’re consuming.  People like us that succeed at maintaining optimal health & body you will find when you’re around us in public social events that we don’t imbibe in consuming or even tasting everything just because it’s in our presence. If you expect to control your health & body, this is a non-negotiable rule you must begin developing habitual discipline around for your own life as you travel to business and other events.

7. Lose the I Don’t Have Time Excuse - Really? But you have time to go out for drinks from 5 – 12 pm? C’mon. How about making the decision to have a boundary to cut just 30-45 mins out of that time to get up just a bit earlier and grab a quick AM workout instead. If you aren’t willing to find compromise to make it happen, don’t expect to ever be healthy. Won’t happen.

8. Try a new concept - Need to have a networking meeting outside the conference? Why not invite your colleague to have that same meeting in the gym while sharing a workout, or a brisk walk outside? Who says all meetings have to happen over food & alcohol? Be innovative where health is concerned in today’s busy lifestyle. And hey, your mind will be thinking clearer here vs. numbing it with spirits – so just think of the co-ideas you’ll generate masterminding over a fitness session!

Have anymore business travel health ideas that have worked for you that you’d like to share? Please post them below to share with our community. We’d love to hear ‘em. There are ENDLESS ways you can stay fit & healthy while traveling.

Healthy mind, body & spirit,

Heather B. Dube’, Expert Lean Body & Weight Loss Results Mentor
National Level NPC Figure Competitor; Fitness Model; Holistic Nutritionist; Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner; ACSM Health Coach; NASM Private Trainer; National Association of Nutrition Professionals; American Association of Drugless Practitioners

You & Improved Coaching | Shape Your Body, Shape Your Life. (TM)

http://www.youandimprovedcoaching.com

——————————————————————————–

Want to use this article in your ezine, blog or website?
You’re welcome to share this article. When you do, please include this complete blurb below with it, as well as our copyright:

“Are you a busy woman or mom in your 30′s-50′s looking to reclaim your health & body quickly & easily so you can get your sexy MOJO back at any stage of life? Visit our website, http:///www.youandimprovedcoaching.com, for free articles, resources & to sign up for your FREE Gift Audio Download:Reshape Your Body | Our 5 Secret Strategies to Get Super SEXY Over 30!(TM) NOW.”

Expert Lean Body & Weight Loss Results Mentor Heather B. Dube’ is a National Level NPC Figure Competitor, Fitness Model, Holistic Nutritionist, Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, NASM Private Trainer, ACSM Health Coach, Cookbook Author, National Association of Nutrition Professionals & American Association of Drugless Practitioners Member, Creator of the Super SEXY Over 30!(TM) System & Founder of youandimprovedcoaching.com.”

© 2010 You & Improved Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

“The 9 Things You Must Increase To Decrease Weight Faster”

By Heather B. Dube’ - CHHC, AADP, ACSM CWC, NASM CPT, NANP, NPC, BA

When most think about the topic of weight loss or managing their body composition they knee-jerk into the mindset of taking things away or deprivation to achieve weight loss or a better body, but in fact that mindset is the exact OPPOSITE of what needs to be done.

If you’re approaching your body, health & nutrition properly the way it’s built to function & working within it’s natural processes, the most efficient way to generate quality health & body weight  is an approach to nutrition that involves actually eating MASS amounts of food & eating them all day long! A bountiful approach to eating which actually makes your body smaller!

To this end there are non-negotiable principles in the game of weight loss success that will allow you to lose weight on the FAST-TRACK if you add them in. And a few of them are counter-intuitive & you’ll find rather surprising! All of the below need to be increased for the average person & increasing them to the correct amounts & times are critical to your weight loss success.

Depending on what demands you put on your health & body daily, you may require even more than the next person – this is where having a goals-based nutrition & supplementation plan personalized for your own health & body goals will get you FASTER RESULTS than say, throwing sh-t at a wall & hoping that it sticks when trying to reach your health goals which is sadly what most are doing in hopes they get ‘somewhere’ ….although they’re not quite sure where they’re going ….or how to get there.

So here they are!!

The 9 Things You MUST Increase to Decrease Weight Faster…

1. SLEEP – when we sleep our body does it’s best work – rest & repair is critical for achieving the full scope of results from your workouts, including release of growth hormone in your brain that happens during sweet dreams, so get those zzzz’s – if you’re cheating yourself of sleep you’re cheating your weight loss results
2. RELAXATION – hormones are a non-negotiable factor in the weight loss game – cortisol, insulin, etc. all play critical roles in your ability to lose weight – and you can advance your weight loss results by learning how to use nutrition, supplementation & exercise to maximize these hormonal processes naturally to get advanced body transformation results much quicker than the next person will achieve when lacking a targeted program design approach – but in the meantime do yourself a favor if you don’t have a targeted program design built for you & schedule in regular down time to keep stress levels low for faster weight loss
3. WEIGHT - yeah, you read that right – increase your weight, but I’m talking about the weight you lift in a strength training session – this is the biggest mistake we see people make as they’re not clear of what they can do as well as how to approach their fitness in order to put sufficient weight on your frame to lift enough to create advanced transformation & faster weight loss – here’s the reality, folks — the more energy you expend out of the body, the quicker energy flies OFF your body instead of storing on it YOU in the form of food
4. PURE H2O – detoxification of the body indirectly speeds up metabolic rate – increase your clean water  intake & you shed weight faster
5. HEALTHY FATS – all you no-fatters are your own worst enemy – not to mention the numerous health illness and imbalances that can result from healthy fat nutrient deficiency INCLUDING CANCER – the simple truth is, our bodies require fat to burn fat, yes the amounts, times & sources are also relevant, but having NO fats or the WRONG fats is hindering your ability to amp up your weight loss results
6. NUTRIENT-DENSE VEG – let’s get clear on what this means – NO ketchup doesn’t count, NO iceburg lettuce doesn’t count, NO 1 pesticide-laden tomato slice on your Subway sandwich doesn’t count – I’m talking about the holy grail of nutrition – spinach, kale, collards, the chard, brocolli – the real hearty fibrous “good for you & your colon too” yum yums – increasing these will help you lose weight quicker for reasons too numerous here to mention
7. CLEAN LEAN PROTEIN- here is the only thing I have to say to explain this principle -  everyone is under-eating protein for optimal body composition, function, illness-avoidance & weight management – it requires the right amounts, times & protein sources for fast weight loss, but I promise you you’re not having enough to speed your weight loss results
   
8. EFA’s - essential fatty acids are called essential because the body cannot produce enough on it’s own for optimal health & function – this means YOU have to provide them through food & supplements, and today you cannot eat enough of them from your foods, so supplementing is a non-negotiable – EFA’s offer numerous health benefits to the body & brain including lowering internal inflammation. Again here the quality, timing and amounts all need to be individualized to the person, but just knowing that you need them you’re ahead of the game
9. ADVANCED SUPPLEMENTATION – let’s get one thing clear -  because I hear some health coaches laugh off the need for supplementation as if it’s frivolous & unnecessary because they have no experience with them at an advanced level of creating body transformation results - WHAT IS YOUR CLIENTS GOAL? Is their goal to get results faster? Is their goal to feel better or heal? Is their goal to look their best? …or to be able to fit in healthy eating in today’s ridiculously busy lifestyle? Because I haven’t had one coaching client yet that didn’t come to us to provide these results for them & you can bet your butt supplementation is part of the path to ALL of those results …if you’re doing them quickly, effectively & in an advanced manner. Not being able to support clients with advanced supplementation program design as a health coach cheats your clients out of the results they COULD be getting & in a lot LESS time
   

From balancing key hormones in the advanced weight loss result game, to adhering to eating in a manner that puts your metabolic rate on overdrive, supplements are a KEY piece of that plan.

How do we know this? Here’s the deal… there is no fitness & nutrition professional or advanced athlete in the industry that we hang & collaborate with that doesn’t have a kitchen cabinet FULL of supplements.  They don’t leave home without them for good reason, they take them at very critical windows in time based on the bodies natural processes for very intentional reasons, & in fact we all travel with a small suitcase of them typically when we fly. So, that has to say something –

Typically, when we offer our clients their personalized supplement program designs as part of their targeted mentoring program, they’re pretty blown away at the value of what they get & understandably because it’s so far from the norm of what you’re told by media or untrained Doctors you need which forms your expectations wrongly – 1 sub-par synthetic multi? Puh-lease…

Are you seeking a NORMAL body? Do you want NORMAL quality of health? Look around you today at what that means. Frightening…. Do you want the body your Doctor has? HELLLZ NO – I don’t! When have you seen a Doctor with a rocking physique? If you do, please twitpic it to me!

Don’t expect to get top level health & body results with an average or sub-par approach. It was Einstein who said the definition of insanity is to keep doing what you’re doing, but to expect different results.

If you want to create similar body transformation results that the change makers of the industry do, then you need to get on their weight loss party train, people  – don’t ignore the results they create repeatedly with personalized & proper supplementation to advance weight loss. Still want to refute supplements are needed? Or maybe I should ask you this…if you can achieve better results in less time, wouldn’t you want to?

Supplementation done right is an art unto itself that very few have the ability to do accurately to speed weight loss other than those who have proven to generate natural healing & body transformation results with different supplement lines for years in their experience. It’s NOT an area to delve into as a layman OR with no proven experience or results. If you apply it wrong you can waste a lot of money & time & potentially do more harm than good.

Want to Learn About Advanced Nutrition & Supplementation Program Design for Faster Weight Loss?

Check out our expert coaching programs where we mentor you on proper nutrition, supplementation & fitness theory, including timing, sources, and amounts to create optimal health & natural healing, and to YES advance your weight loss results.

Healthy mind, body & spirit,

Heather B. Dube’, Expert Lean Body & Weight Loss Results Mentor
Holistic Nutritionist; Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner; National Level NPC Figure Competitor; ACSM Health Coach; NASM Private Trainer; National Association of Nutrition Professionals; American Association of Drugless Practitioners

You & Improved Coaching | Shape Your Body, Shape Your Life. (TM)

http://www.youandimprovedcoaching.com

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“Are you a busy woman or mom in your 30′s-50′s looking to reclaim your health & body quickly & easily so you can get your sexy MOJO back at any stage of life? Visit our website, http:///www.youandimprovedcoaching.com, for free articles, resources & to sign up for your FREE Gift Audio Download: Reshape Your Body | Our 5 Secret Strategies to Get Super SEXY Over 30!(TM) NOW.”

Expert Lean Body & Weight Loss Results Mentor Heather B. Dube’ is a Holistic Nutritionist, Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, National Level NPC Figure Competitor, NASM Private Trainer, ACSM Health Coach, Cookbook Author, National Association of Nutrition Professionals & American Association of Drugless Practitioners Member, Creator of the Super SEXY Over 30!(TM) System & Founder of youandimprovedcoaching.com.”

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