ANATOMY OF A HABIT: 10 EXCUSES THAT NO LONGER WORK. OR DO THEY? (Issue 43)

By Diane Gold

A habit is a fascinating little “acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it becomes almost involuntary,” according to the dictionary from Ask.com (owned by InterActive Corp., new owner of About.com, bought from The New York Times last week. Understanding the credentials of the dictionary I am using somewhat helps me evaluate the definition I am putting to print).

Since this definition of “habit” correlates well with Charles Duhigg’s The Power Of Habit, which I am reading, I am satisfied that it is a good representation of what a habit is.

Since I am about to speak on animal experiments, let me say that I applaud any research that does not involve the use of animals (gorillas already have rights) , that any animal should have the right to live a leisurely life in a posh facility as a reward if s/he has donated her time to human science;
computer simulation or sculpture as education should be used instead of working with animals; and any facility that uses animals should have a mandatory residence with services and staff for aged-out animals that has been paid for up front in case the facility loses funding. Now on with the article.

In Charles Duhigg’s book, cited above, he talks about experiments done by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, where they studied habits using mice. They gave the mice a cue  – which is the first of the three-part make-up of a habit – and, thus, created a habit. When the mice had learned to successfully respond to the cue, in this case, pull a lever, they were rewarded with food. This went on until it was quite routine for the cue, the action (the second part in the habit cycle) and the reward (the 3rd piece of the cycle).

Phase 2 in the study involved poisoning the food so that the mice got sick upon eating it. The floor that led to the food was also electrified, causing a shock to the mice if they walked on it. They stopped going for the food and walking on the floor. Until they were shown their cue again. Then, automatically, because the habit was so ingrained in them, they walked on the floor, got shocked, ate the poisoned food and vomited.

This behavior is so common in humans, and we now know it is the pathways in our brain that get embedded with habits, not all the environmental stuff we always blame. When we feel the rise of a particular hormone in our bodies, this is our cue. We begin craving whatever it is we have trained ourselves to crave. We have two choices. Go get the reward we have trained ourselves to get, or go do something that will replace the old reward. Yes, we can create new habits, but we have to begin doing just that.

Click the image below for help at WarriorsOfWeight Consulting..

Duhigg, in his The Power of Habit writes an accounting of Wolfram Schultz, a neuroscience professor who worked with macaques. Using the same cue, acquired action, reward system; Schultz taught Julio, an 8-pound macaque, to touch a lever when he saw a particular cue.

For this action, he would get a reward of juice. After repeating this cycle – cue, acquired action (Duhigg calls this “routine”), reward – touching the lever to get his reward became an ingrained habit.

Schultz had had an electrode placed in Julio’s brain to read his neurological activity. It showed that Julio would get excited or happy when he got his reward. More activity at reward time in this simulation.

As Julio’s habit became stronger, from more time doing the same behavior, his neurological activity changed.  The spike in activity came from anticipating his reward. So the cue became the trigger. The excitement that used to come from the reward was now coming when he saw the cue (in this case, it was visual). Ah, primates! How alike we all are.

This sounds like all of us who have walked through fire to satisfy our habits, whether candy, drugs, bread, gambling, being late, staying lethargic, a relationship, a lifestyle. Of course, everyone is different. And changing a behavior is different in each of us. And there are so many factors involved as there are chemical levels in our body, tendencies in our heredity, environmental cues that are habits we are not aware of, and more.

There are so many questions that arise from hearing about habits. Why does one of two twins raised in the same household have a more difficult time changing a habit than her twin? So many reasons.

EXCUSES

Let’s talk about excuses. Many of us come up with reasons why we are habitual. How true can these be if our neurons change automatically with repetition? Does that mean that all the following excuses have to be thrown out?

1)    I drink because my mother was mean to me.
2)    I overeat because I was an only child.
3)    I gamble because we were poor.
4)    I have excessive behavior because I was sent away to boarding school.
5)    I compulsively shop because they fed us junk food in school.
6)    I hoard things in my house because my friends didn’t like me.
7)    I overmedicate because my grand aunt did.
8)    I steal clothing all the time because I was abused.
9)    I will always be late because we ate fast food at home every night.
10)  I have an excuse because my parents weren’t ever home when I came home from school.

We all have used an excuse for our behavior. Most of us have, anyway. Can an adult habit be attributed to a childhood experience? Probably yes, but proclaiming it is not going to change the habit.

HABIT CONTROL

Let’s talk about Julio, the macaque, again. He had a strong habit. When the professor took away his reward or reduced the sugar content in his juice, he would become angry or depressed. He was hard to distract even when he was given the opportunity to go out of the experiment area and socialize with others because he was busy having an urge for what had been taken away. He continued to stay near his computer monitor which had given him the visual cue, continued to press the lever that had previously given him his reward, craving his reward.

Other macaques who had gone through the same sequence of creating the habit but who did not reinforce it over and over again through a long period of time were easily distracted and broke the habit immediately. When given the chance to go out and socialize, they were just as happy to do that as to push a lever and get juice.

CONCLUSION: HABIT CHANGE

The only way to make a change is to do it consciously. According to Duhigg’s Change A Habit chart, when we feel the cue, we need to choose a different reward. That’s why deprivation is so hard. That’s replacing something with nothing. That doesn’t usually do it. Replacing what we used to do with something new like reaching out, talking, dancing, doing martial arts, meditation, running, swimming, eating salad, drinking water, just might do it. We are so different, but we are so much the same.

Knowing that all our excuses are not the real reason we crave shouldn’t matter. Our experiences, wrapped up in these excuses, certainly have an impact on the habits we have formed. If we are too sad to go to school, we never get to college because we don’t have a high school diploma. If we were not taught about nutrition, we probably have hugely unhealthy habits. This lack of food education does not create the craving, itself, but because of the lack of education, we may have created certain pathways in eating habits we may need to change.

ACTION STEP

There’s no way around it. No matter why we have a habit, if it’s time to change it, DO IT NOW. The sooner we start, the sooner we change.

___

If you just want to talk about it, we can help at WarriorsofWeight Consulting. We are ready, willing, experienced. Are you?

GO AHEAD. CLICK THE ENTER SIGN IN THE DOORWAY.
___

FEEDBACK

Please leave a comment and LIKE below.

DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Moms For Healthy Daughters, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert and a dedicated mom.
The more she reads and talks to people, the more she sees how much we are the same. Diane says,

“Today is the day we can change one habit. It won’t happen overnight, and it will take conscious effort. It doesn’t have to be difficult. It just has to be consistent. Easy and consistent. That’s it. Pick a habit, and plan a new move in advance. That way, the next time that physical trigger (the cue) starts the habit cycle, we can instantly start forming our new habit.”

WRITING FOR WEIGHT LOSS: A WAY TO CURB OUR URGE TO EAT (Issue 42)

By Diane Gold

Did you ever think about Writing For Weight Loss or any other reason and the benefits writing can have on our habits and our lives?

I had the good fortune of having my grandfather publish one of my poems in the Newburgh News in 1958 about a Halloween Witch. And then, I had another published, Blackie’s Kittens. The thrill of seeing my work published had a profound effect on me, but the ease of publishing now would have had a much more impactful effect on me.

Back then, someone had to call a newspaper editor and convince the editor how great the poem. It probably helped that he was the town’s dentist. Today, of course, work must be approved by the current editor inside the powerful publishing machine; but, generally, distributing our writing for weight loss, fun, fame, fortune, recognition, therapy, legacy or any other reason is not so complicated and is much easier. All we have to do is open up a writing device – a tablet, phone, laptop, journal, recorder, or, yes, even a paper pad – write something from our head or our heart and – bam – blast it out to the world via internet.

As moms who care deeply about their daughters, we have the wonderful responsibility and opportunity to introduce as much awesomeness to our daughters as possible. If we love music, we show our daughters its value, whether it be for listening or creating. If we believe in volunteering our time for literacy.

We (almost all of us, that is) learn reading and writing as a requirement as part of our primary education, whether in school or in home school. Writing allows us to fill out ID forms, connect with financial institutions, describe what we are learning in school and it is a vehicle with which we can express ourselves. Did you ever notice how daughters of creatives often spend their lives creating also? Part of it is environmental, habit formed.

ACTION STEPS

Today, we can begin having a public column in about 15 minutes flat. We put up a blog and start writing. We can write about the food we love, the qualities of our dream partner or the ethics of the common woman. This is the very activity I am advocating for moms as examples for their daughters: to write creatively for self-expression, to soothe ourselves, to build personal imagination and creativity in ourselves and a tool to curb our urge to eat.

The very act of sitting down to write takes us away from the refrigerator, the candy store, the menu for pizza. It should be a spot away from distraction and food, a place where we would have to be inconvenienced to get up and get food should we get the urge.

I believe everyone should have a written record. We have such full and colorful lives, even though, as I’ve said before, boredom is a big complaint.

“Why did you eat?”
“I was bored.”
“Why did you use drugs?”
“I was bored.”
“Why did you play music?”
“I was bored.”
“Why did you write?”
“I was bored.”
“Why did you teach someone to read?”
“I was bored.”
“Why did you write a book?”
“I was bored.”

Obviously, being creative and giving to others is more fulfilling in the long run. It is helpful if we have a model in our home to follow.

We can get started with the simple things to write about:

HOW WE FEEL

Of course, everyone can write about how we feel. And we should. It is part of our legacy.
Sometimes, we see what looks like too much personal talk in social media, such as
“I am going to So-And-So Restaurant to eat Such-And-Such hummus dish.”

A lot of this is subtle social calling, that is, when we say where we are going, others may meet us there. When we talk about the food we eat, we are billboards for our favorite restaurant. We may even be getting free food from our favorite eatery for spreading the word to our social media tribe.

Friends enjoy news about friends. Others can read something else or write, themselves.

OUR GREATEST PASSION

Let’s say we are moms, and our greatest passion is our daughter. We can’t sit around smothering our beloved daughter by saying,

“Oh, you are my greatest passion. The very fact that you are my daughter makes my life massively important.”

We can say that once in a while, but, unless we want to drive our daughters to dependence or embarrassment, we need another outlet. Writing is such an outlet. Of course, we need to respect the privacy of our daughters, which means talking about them online, so we need to think this through, too.

Which is why it might be best to write about another passion, such as dancing, gardening, raising the education standards, marching for animal rights or politics. Whatever it is, this is who we are. When we write about it, we are taking a stand and showing our daughters how to take a stand through writing and taking action. And our writing will help our cause in the process.

AN INSPIRATIONAL STORY

We all have had struggles, and the fact that we are reading this is proof that we made it through those struggles. Most of us have also shared in the good times.
In sharing some of our stories, we inspire others. It is not ours to choose who gets inspired by what we write, but sharing our own stories is a way of contributing positively to our community and our world. It makes us free, is a good example for our daughters to emulate and adds to the pool of resources that exist to make a better world.

EXPERT KNOWLEDGE

Every one of us has some expert information in some area. We sometimes forget that we are experts until, one day, it dawns on us. We could be an expert in how to sew, sell, wash, organize, diagnose, prevent, heal, create, protect, find for cheap, meditate, pray. Some of these things skills are so natural to us that we forget that we have them.

Just the other day, I realized that I am super experienced at feeling and acting upon urges, in other words, an expert. I wouldn’t have said it out loud, nor would many ever admit this fact, but I realized how many dozens of times I had acted upon the same urge, knew what it felt like, knew what it could lead to, knew how to train myself to change my actions upon feeling this urge. My conclusion: I could put on my resume that I am an expert in urges.

And today, I wasn’t surprised when Charles Duhigg, in The Power Of Habit, was saying how we don’t have to do much brain activity when we do something we’ve done a bunch of times already, when he said,

“…subconscious mechanisms…impact the countless choices that seem as if they’re products of well-reasoned thought, but actually are influenced by urges most of us barely recognize or understand,”

meaning that most of the time we are not using our brain to make choices for things that have already become habitual. We are only gliding through a sliding pond of acts we know quite well to execute acts which fulfill an urge we put in our “habit library” a while ago.

No matter how we got it, what we know is worth writing about. Someone will value the information. And it is part of our personal legacy. And in terms of our daughters, if they are writing, they will not be eating. Thus, writing for weight loss gets its name.

IF WE COULD HAVE ONE WISH

If everyone wrote about what we wished for, we would have a lot more activism and a lot less extra eating. Writing can be a step further than wishing, and others get to hear about it. Make sure to use the right keywords a few times in whatever is written. Keywords drive searches on the internet.

It can be personal, and writing about it could cause us to take action on it. It could be community based or it could be philosophical. It’s all worth expressing.

CONCLUSION

I don’t mean to be cliché-like, but Do It Now. Write.

It’s pleasurable, it allows us to talk about ourselves and our beliefs. We can access ourselves, we can mock ourselves, we can get to know ourselves better, we can share our knowledge to help others. There is every reason to write.

We want to be examples to our daughters, and here is another opportunity to show them a way to curb appetite by changing biology through writing. It is said we can only concentrate on 1 thing at a time. So, if we are writing for weight loss, we are not eating. True, 2 things can be in our head, but 1 is always the primary focus.

With time, we can make our focus productive and control what we do when we get an urge to eat. To help us along, we can pour a glass of water. Then we can get some already cut veggie sticks or baked veggie sticks that we keep around for snacking. Then, we can begin to write, knowing we have healthy snacks and water close by and that our daughters can use this behavior to their success, too.

For help with a blog, check out WarriorsOfWeight Get A Blog. Click the image below.

FEEDBACK

Please leave a comment and a LIKE.

DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Moms For Healthy Daughters, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert and a dedicated mom.
She has written lyrics early on in her music career and has been writing for the past 15 years. She believes it is a great outlet, a productivity motivator and a great way to enhance personal development. Diane says,

“We all have something to say. We may not have the confidence to realize it, but our experiences make a difference to others, especially our daughters. We can each inspire through sharing our stories, get inspired by getting comments on our writing. It is a great way to balance the day by knowing there will be self-expression in it. It’s a way to work on our language skills. It’s a place to share our feelings. It is a beautiful habit to cultivate. It is there for all of us.”

BAD HABITS: HOW TO CHANGE A HABIT (Issue 41)

By Diane Gold

I have been studying bad habits for some time, but closely since I realized that what was not addicting to me in my first and second decades felt different in my fourth and fifth decades. And after having lived a period of time as the girlfriend of someone self-destructive to someone emulating the behaviors myself and getting through that.

Eating too much in college or drinking a lot when I was studying jazz in school and going to the clubs at night were no big deal to eliminate from my life at the snap of my fingers. Everything was fun, experimental and easily controllable. As luck would have it, there were no addictive triggers. (showing at that time).

True, I did gain 20 pounds during college and struggled to get it off, but it did not feel the same as later in life when I began to develop chemical triggers with deep cravings. So I learned that one’s capacity for habit (like an addictive trigger) can alter itself or turn itself on or off at various times in one’s life.

Teaching and consulting in music, tai chi and stress relief have allowed me to study the habits of others. In general, what I found was that people change a habit by replacing it with a new one. I, for one, broke my cycle of excess by going to sleep early. When I woke up, my urge was gone.
The result? Eventually, a new habit is formed, that of immediately taking an action that takes us away from the behavior we want to eliminate.

We have to keep in mind that when we do something over and over, our synaptic pathways get worn in a certain way to crave and satisfy, which is why we always have a tendency to that particular habit. That’s why we have to form “parallel patterns” (in the words of Julia Layton, contributing writer at How Stuff Works) so that we become satisfied, replacing the old with the new behavior, eventually.

Old triggers will still occur. It’s what action we take when they do that determines whether the new reward gives us enough pleasure to sustain the new behavior.
The expression

“build a life which is actually more enjoyable than substance use”

is quoted as the result we are looking for in a description of a substance abuse program at St. Jude’s. This is the similar to

“Build a series of habits that erase or greatly minimize the desire for bad habits. ”

To this day, though, I know that (I’m using alcohol, but this applies to any object of destruction) having one drink of alcohol will light up my synaptic pathways which are molded from habit, lying in wait to trigger cravings. I’ll have one drink on day one. Then, on day two, it will be easy to have one or two drinks. The third day, it will be three drinks. This pattern will occur exactly as outlined, as sure as the letter b follows a in the English alphabet, once the cycle of giving in to the craving has begun.

Then, I will have to go cold tofu and kick the cravings.

THE SECRET

How? I will eat a salad and drink water at the first sign of any craving. This will stop the urge and calm down the urge cycle. This works for food in the same way. It changes the need for that greasy, salty, sugary food because we have nourished the body with
a blander, more wholesome taste. It will also mean agreeing with myself not to have the object of the craving for a few years, at least.

Having gone through the process of giving in to the craving and kicking it before, I won’t bother going through it now since the work is hard and, most of the time, borders on massively hard. I can go do tai chi, stick my feet in the ocean, write an article, call an offspring or friend, drink the water or eat the salad very happily. I can even ramp up the writing of my book on, you guessed it, cravings.
__

Getting back to studying others, I have watched people dance, play music, do tai chi, run, start a conversation upon feeling a craving they wanted to get rid of. As long as they stuck to the new behavior; they had a chance of forming a new habit and bucking the old.

The trick is to do the new behavior within 30 seconds of getting the urge so that it doesn’t build up in the mind. Not allowing time to lapse will help us not to get sucked into the behavior we want to dump. That’s the key.

ACTION STEP

So here’s an awesome action step. Carry a pocket watch or one of those timers the dentist gives us to time brushing our teeth. Immediately start it. This will make us aware that we have mere seconds to take action. This action should precede dancing, doing a kung fu form. It should not precede calling a friend or accountability partner for help. Always reach out first. But get busy and go for a run. Do it. New pleasure feelings will arrive. The previous craving should be gone.

Doing a movement activity works often because it produces a new set of chemical reactions which suppresses or lessens the “crave” hormones and increases the pleasure neurotransmitters.

For help with habits, check out WarriorsOfWeight Consulting, for 5-weeks or 10-weeks, for moms, daughters and you. Click the image below.

GO AHEAD. CLICK THE ENTER SIGN IN THE DOORWAY.
___

In doing research for this article, I came across this below flow chart by Charles Duhigg, author of the book, The Power Of Habit. He says,

“If you can diagnose your habit, you can change it.”

He talks about how he used to leave his desk and go buy a cookie every day. He gained weight and wanted to do something about it.

He decided to log how he felt when he craved the cookie, what time of day it was and what the rewards were, following his flowchart

Click here to download.

So, he couldn’t kick the habit until he learned how his habit worked. He learned that every habit has a cue (a trigger), a routine (the habit you have) and a reward.

He spent time noticing when he urged for the cookie: 3:00-3:30 pm, it turned out (the cue). When he got this urge, he’d go get the cookie, and, upon further examination, he noticed he would also spend 10 minutes or so socializing with colleagues in the cafeteria while eating (the routine).

In order to figure out his reward, he did an experiment. One day, when the cravings arrived, he took a walk around the block. The next day, when he urged, he went to the cafeteria, bought candy and ate at his desk. The following day, he went to the cafeteria, didn’t buy anything and just talked to friends.

He realized his reward was the socializing. Now, at 3:00-3:30 pm, he gets up, goes over to a friend’s desk, hangs out for 10 minutes and goes back to his desk. The cookie urge is gone, and he is getting his reward, socializing.
__

We all want different rewards and crave things for different reasons. One person’s habit may be harder to change than another’s. It may take me 3 months to figure out that I was buying the cookie to have a reason to talk to my colleagues, when it took Charles a day to do it. The habit that we want to change may show up 10 times a day, instead of Charles’ habit, 1 time a day.

But, it is possible for us to change the habit. We just have to act quickly every time we have an urge.

ACTION STEP

Imagine if every time we felt an urge to eat, we walked out the door or got up from our desk and ran around the block. If we were of school age, we could ask permission to go to the women’s bathroom where we could run in place for 60-120 seconds instead.
We’d be burning calories, we wouldn’t be allowing ourselves to sit with our same old frustrating urges and do our same behavior and we would be strengthening and toning our muscles while running. (Wheelchair folks can do this, too.)

CONCLUSION

We can take many actions to change a habit. We can talk to people or we can do some type of movement or exercise.

All the actions boil down to the one key of replacing a behavior with a behavior. When looking for literature on how long it takes to change a habit, there is as much variation as there are people who write about it. That’s because we are all so different.

To change the habit of leaving a light on when we leave a room is far simpler to change than the habit of eating salty, oily, sugary foods with every meal. Adding a salad to every meal could solve both conditions. It could be the consequence of not turning a light off and the healthy action that helps us to change our bad eating habit.

So, ACTION STEP

Add a salad to every meal. If we already eat salad at every meal, add 2 snack salads during the day, or increase the size of 2 of the salads.
__

Back to how long it takes. I’ve heard 18 days, 3 weeks, 28 days, 30 days, 45 days, 60 days, 3 months, 6 months. These are all correct. It’s also correct to say that many habits are not broken but just suspended. This answer affirms the synaptic pathway scenario that cannot be changed theory.

The bottom line is that it is possible to change a habit. We have to act as if we are in a marathon. Because we are. As soon as we feel the urge to do whatever we don’t want to do; we have to run, jump, stretch, call a friend, lock the refrigerator and give the key to our neighbor. Whatever it takes, we have to do it now.

For help with habits, check out WarriorsOfWeight Consulting, for 5-weeks or 10-weeks, for moms, daughters and you. Click the image below.

FEEDBACK

Please leave a comment and LIKE this article.

DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Moms For Healthy Daughters, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert and a dedicated mom.
She is convinced through research and through personal experience, that we have the power to change ourselves. We just have to do it. Diane says,

“We fuel ourselves with the power to change ourselves. Although the journey may be different for each of us, It is not dependent upon anything else. Even if our living quarters are no bigger than an automobile, we have the ability to become strong and change our body, mind and spirit through meditation, exercise and studying. It is up to us to take that opportunity. “

GIVING TO CHARITY CAN HELP OUR DAUGHTERS WITH WEIGHT (Issue 40)

by Diane Gold

Giving to charity is the strategy to end all strategies.

WHY WE DO IT

It’s OK to give to charity so that we feel good because the result is that someone gets.

It’s OK to give to charity because it makes us realize others need us, because the result is that if we give, someone gets.

It’s OK to give to charity because the Women’s Club (or for Kid’s Club) or religious house says it is our duty, because the result is that if we give, someone gets.

It’s OK to give to charity because we want to show off and wear fancy clothes, get our picture in the Society section of our paper,  compete with our neighbors or counterparts in charity; because the result is that if we give, someone gets.

It’s best if we give to charity because it’s part of our spiritual job in life; again, because the result is that if we give, someone gets. But we become a giver, less for what’s in it for us and more about doing what’s right in the world.

WHAT IT DOES FOR THE WORLD

When we are giving to charity, we are doing something positive for the world. We are not having poor communication with our daughters. We are creating good energy. We are being a great example for our daughters and our community. And we are promoting good behavior by our donation of our time or money.

THE TIE-IN TO OUR DAUGHTERS AND THEIR WEIGHT

Here’s the mega tie-in that can actually help us help our daughters with their weight issues.

When we are at a charity event, we eliminate stress because we are happy, motivated and recognized for our time or money. We are more interested in helping others than in food.

Our act of charity is separate from the dynamics of family life. Because we are working or socializing to help others, we don’t have enough time to worry about our home, our money, ourselves. We are too busy saying,

“You’re welcome,”

to the event leader for rolling out the red carpet to symbolize gratitude for donations or for walking down it as a donor of our hard-earned money, whichever we do to get involved.

5 ACTION STEPS FOR MOM AND DAUGHTER

CHOOSE A CHARITY

Although choosing a charity to support is a very personal thing, if we want to use gifting as a way to bond with our daughters; we might pick a cause that has to do with animals or children or whatever we know our daughters like to pique the interest of our daughters. It should be an organization, ultimately, that we, as moms, care about because there is no guarantee our daughters will choose to become involved. In fact, our daughters may choose not to work for the same charity to show their ability to choose for themselves.
If the emotional climate is right, mom can ask her daughter what charity she would be interested in helping. This way, the daughter will feel important and respected.

BE A GOOD EXAMPLE

Unless we have begun the work with our daughters, casually, without being too assertive, we can talk to our daughters about the work we are doing. The most enticing might be to show photos of the people we are helping, the people we are meeting because of the work and the events we are attending to do the work. Our daughters should know that we, their moms, are good citizens so that they can learn by example.

INVITE DAUGHTERS TO JOIN

As mentioned in Choosing A Charity, above, it might work best for some moms to start the process with their daughters. For those who did not, there are several ways to invite: (1) mention a specific job our daughters can do, such as playing with puppies on display or reading to kids who are sick or (2) just  ask your daughter to accompany you.

We know the way our daughters respond and have to decide which of these invitation methods would be most successful.

TALK ABOUT CHARITY

No matter when we invite our daughters to join us or if our daughters have resisted charity work, it’s a good idea to talk about what good fortunes we have by stopping by an animal shelter, going to a cancer center for kids, watching a 5-minute video about poverty or hunger. Talk about the value of doing charity work, either for the benefit of helping or to explain why schools require community service hours in school – so that our daughters realize the importance of community work.

Take a look at programs like Just Like My Child, a foundation that has brought the first doctor, the first roof and floor to any school in Uganda. Watch The Ron Clarke Story, a movie about a creative teacher who got through to dissatisfied have-not children in Harlem, NY by introducing them to wildly happy have-not children in South Africa as part of their education; or Big Cat Rescue in Tampa that saves large and small cats that have been abandoned or abused.

But these may not be the charities your hearts are drawn to, and they may not be in your local area. Every community has many programs that need us and need our daughters. Do some local research before this discussion, which is important, whether our invitation has been accepted by our daughters already or not.

BE UNDERSTANDING AND CONSIDERATE OF YOUR AWESOME DAUGHTER

As compassionate as you are for the charity you choose, remember to be that compassionate toward the daughter you love so dearly. Make sure she knows she is more important than the charity.

Oftentimes, girls with weight issues have self-esteem issues. Because of this, be aware that your focus on the charity does not overtake your focus on your daughter, either in reality or in your daughter’s eyes.

CONCLUSION

Often, seeing is believing, meaning that when we experience something in actuality or see it in action; we believe in its worth more than if we talk about it or see a still photo.
When daughters hear that we have done a charitable act, they may start thinking about giving. They may not. But, when we ask them to join us, we offer an opportunity for our daughters to become bigger than their own personal scope of life and to focus on others who need their help.

They feel needed, their self-esteem grows, they meet good people, they have more confidence and trust in Mom. They also get the chance to mingle in a positive environment with happy people who are not pressuring their lives.

Giving for charity gets us out of our own heads. It is a perfect chance for moms and daughters to bond and get a step closer to better communication.

For daughters, if they are doing charity work, their focus will not be their own traumas with food and weight. They are focused outside their own struggle and are making a difference in someone else’s life.

When we begin to see the gravity of the problems of others, ours sometimes lessen, or we become stronger in working on them. This is a huge connection that charity has with weight loss and how it can help our daughters.

FEEDBACK

Please leave a comment and LIKE below.

DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Moms For Healthy Daughters, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert and a dedicated mom.
She has watched how giving to others, sharing our time and money can make a big difference in our own lives. Diane says,

“When we focus outside our own personal worlds, we embark upon new ways to empower ourselves. We learn much, meet many and develop gratitude that stays with us forever.”

MOVING TO A NEW HOUSE: 3 WAYS CHANGING OUR ROUTINE GIVESE US BIG OPPORTUNITY

by Diane Gold on August 6, 2012.

Although I really wanted to stay in my previous house for at least another year, the time it took for my daughter to graduate with an advanced degree, I had to move last week, and opportunity showed itself. My landlord decided to sell the house I rented. So, I had to house hunt, pack and go.

How we deal with changing our routine is the issue at hand. So, here we are rolling along, working on our proposed food plan, communicating with our daughters in a non-smothering, non-judgmental, non-confrontational way, exercising regularly. And all of a sudden, we are doing something else.

Whether we have postponed our weekly publication, had a fight with our daughter, stopped our  exercise program or forgotten to act dignified; we are somehow in a different place from the one we were in before.
Opportunity knocks, even if we don’t see it. Pull out the “Everything happens for a reason” poster because we get to choose what is right for us, and change often leads us to get stronger and better.

If getting back to our routine is positive, the right choice would be to get back quickly so that we don’t lose momentum. Inertia in physics resists change in motion. So, if we are moving, there is resistance to stopping. If we are still, there is resistance to starting. If we stop production of our magazine for a week, it is more difficult to pick up and start doing it than if we hadn’t stopped at all. If we stop exercising for a week, it is more difficult to pick up our routine again than if we hadn’t stopped. How many times have we needed a vacation from our vacation? Same principle.

On the other side, if we stop being excessive, such as stopping eating too much, drinking too much or being too bossy; inertia is still in play. The difficulty we have continuing to cease the excessive behavior is because we have made that behavior a habit, so stopping for a week does not stop cravings that the body has experienced for years. Stopping takes time. Starting does, too.

Let’s get back to opportunity. When we go off path because of the unexpected circumstance of having to move, we have given ourselves a new set of circumstances, as I did.

1) CLEAN SLATE

Being in a new environment has given me a clean slate. It was a disruption in my life that has been freeing, energizing and eye opening. As a matter of fact, the training I do as a tai chi mentor works on the premise that every day is a new day and is an opportunity for a new beginning.

Somehow, though, being in a new location makes this concept shout out at me. Plus, I get to create a more peaceful and more harmonious environment than the last time I moved.
No matter what change occurs, no matter what path we step off, as long as we awaken; our clean slate is created.

Imagine yelling at our daughters when our goal is not to yell or interfere in their daily decisions. At that very moment, we have created a new place in our lives, a space in which we get to start anew, no matter which direction that is, no matter what we have done to go off our path.

Now imagine, our daughters fell off their food plan and came to us for advice.

ACTION STEP

The biggest thing is to remind them (or tell them for the first time) that they have created a clean slate. They get to jump on their plan to pursue their goal at the very next meal or the next day. They need to know there is no tragedy in being human, and we must offer this advice to them.

2) FREEING THE MIND

This locational move has made me a raving fan of giving away what I don’t need. My new place is smaller than my old place, so I had to give away furniture before I moved. This led me to start giving away “stuff.” What I didn’t know was that some of the “things” I gave away were emotionally tying me down.

I gave away a pair of socks that belonged to a previous relationship I had. Who would have thought this would make a difference? But the actual removal of this tiny little item from my drawer caused me to feel an emotional blockage empty itself and feel free.
I did the same thing with pillows whose color drained me of energy. Who knew?

ACTION STEP

Become a member of the freecycle.org network. This is a free group open to anyone who signs up with the local group coordinator. The purpose is to avoid putting things in the landfill. What has happened is that people in need watch for posts from people with excess. The result is that receivers get what they need, and people with excess give their excess a good home. (Technically, recycle means to take material and break it down for alternative use. Reuse is passing things on. But the network is huge and uses the term freecycle to mean passing it on.)

3) FREE SPACE

One of the most amazing things my move taught me is the importance of living simply. The amount of boxes that were in each room actually inhibited my respiration, plus the adhesive holding the boxes together affected my breathing. The biggest factor was that the collection of “things” I had accumulated over the years was resident in my mind. I realized the importance of minimizing.

Wherever we are, when we fall off our path or change our routine, we need space, free from things.

If there is a lot of “stuff” in the house, the “stuff” crowds us, even if the house is large. When we have “things” resident in our mind, these things take our clarity. When our clarity is muddied, it is hard to focus. When it is hard to focus, it is difficult to make our best choices.

ACTION STEP

Go through your “stuff” and give some away. It will make your environment cleaner. Ask your daughter to help. In this way , you will get her positive input and she can, at the same time, learn to keep it simple.
a)    Give away silverware and plates that are extra.
b)    Give away some clothing.
c)    Get a scanner, and digitize papers to eliminate the need for file storage.

CONCLUSION

Whether we go on a vacation, move our residence or fall off our path; we are changing our routine. This change is an opportunity, although, if we fell off our path, getting back on it is much harder than it was the last time we got on it. It is much more common to fall off a difficult path than to be on one. Why? Because we are human, and we like to feel good and do what is easy. But, because, for the most part, we were born with strength, skill and the ability to choose, we can pick ourselves up and get back on our path or change it to one whose choice suits us better.

FEEDBACK

Please leave a comment below and a LIKE above.

DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Moms For Healthy Daughters, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert and a dedicated mom.
She has just created a joyous clean slate by her unexpected residential move. Diane says,

“Being able to give away much of the “stuff” that George Carlin so aptly talked about in his routine of the same name, she is creating space in the mind, the heart and the environment for added peace, joy and centering. She highly recommends stuff removal as a tool to clearly proceed to reach any goal.”

GET YOUR WEIGHT OFF: 10 SUREFIRE TACTICS THAT WILL REDUCE YOUR WEIGHT NOW (Issue 38)

By Diane Gold

What is extraordinary about this list of 10 tactics is its simplicity. We are all about making it painless so that our progress lasts at WarriorsofWeight.com. Here’s Elisa.

Elisa

Now it’s time to peel off those unwanted layers and to reveal the real you. The beautiful, thin, light you!

It’s time to lose those love handles and to take control of the situation. So here’s my next question… what are you going to do about losing that weight? Whether it’s five, ten, fifty or one hundred fifty pounds — what’s your game plan? You’re definitely going to need a strategy if you want to succeed in a culture that is traced with tantalizing temptations.

While I’m a HUGE advocate of exercise and all of its many benefits, I do not and will not recommend exercising like a nut, just so you can eat whatever you want. That’s self-defeating and ultimately results in poor exercise AND eating habits – especially when the weight goes nowhere fast… and eventually, it will, my friend.

Instead, you’ve got to get to the root of the cause: poor diet and nutrition. I suggest you focus your precious time and energy on as many of these 10 tactics as possible. I say go for 10 out of 10!!!

1) Become a Veg-head! Dominate your meals with veggies (all kinds!) and gradually (or immediately!!) replace animal foods with powerfully protective plant-foods (veggies, fruits, beans/legumes, nuts/seeds and whole grains). Do this and I guarantee you’ll lose weight.

2) Guzzle green juice, GULP. Don’t actually chug it, but start your day off with green juice for breakfast. Sip on it throughout the morning and you’ll be fit as a fiddle! If you don’t have a juicer, seriously consider purchasing one, or blend green smoothies instead. You can strain your smoothies with paint strainer bags (available for a couple of bucks at a hardware store) to make juice, or enjoy it as a nourishing smoothie with a little extra bulk. Check out juice recipes here or smoothies there.

3) Fruits and veggies, baby! If you aren’t able to juice OR blend, then start your day right with fruit and veggies. Have a delightfully refreshing fruit salad alone, or on a bed of lettuce. Anchor your favorite fruits with a nutrient rich nut butter (ie: peanut, almond or cashew) in lettuce, cabbage or collard leaves…. keep your food light and simple before noon.

4) Get Lean, Green and Mean!! To get lean, you’ve got to get mean with a wicked bed of greens daily. For lunch, have a BIG salad with a variety of leafy greens and a colorful array of veggies – the more the merrier. Try a new veg each week! Keep it interesting and low calorie with fruited vinegars. Always include 1/2 cup of salt-free beans (of your choice) to top your salad. Beans, a good source of soluble fiber, increase satiety, decrease cravings and reduce afternoon munching – plus their loaded with nutrients.

5) Find comfort in the evenings… Use dinner as your fun, creative meal. Enjoy new veg-based recipes with warm veggies, homemade nut-based sauces topped with tofu, beans or tempeh. Limit the amount of whole grains to 1/2 cup per day. Begin or end your meal with fresh fruit or a clever banana whip… a delightful way to wind down your day.

6) Kitchen CLOSED! Brush your pearly whites after dinner to symbolize the end of your daily eating, thus resisting the urge to snack later gator.

7) Eat non-starchy veggies till your heart’s content. Remember, the more low cal, high nutrient, non-starchy veggies (leafy greens, onions, peppers, mushrooms, cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, celery, artichokes, etc…) that you consume… the more weight you’ll lose! Munch on that!!

8) Think Junk in the Trunk. Steer clear from fatty animal products, especially those high in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium (dairy, red meat) and processed foods. Avoid alcohol and caffeine consumption which result in overeating due to feelings of withdrawal and plummeting blood sugar, often mistaken for hunger.

9) Shake Your Rump!! Exercise, stretch, run, walk, jog, bike, lift, step, dance, go … [tai chi] … laugh, and sweat whenever you can however you like.

10) Sleep Like a Beauty. Get adequate rest. Aim for 8 hours of sleep each night and if that’s not possible — sneak a cat nap into your day. A lack of sleep can contribute to unnecessary snacking and altered hormone levels that jeopardize weight loss.

EatUrVeggies. Your body will thank you.

Chow!!
__

CONCLUSION & ACTION STEP by Diane Gold

Each of us has an image of our good body. We also have an image of where we are today. How hard could it be to move one step higher than our self-image of today on a regular basis. For some of us, it’s pretty hard. For those who can break the food barrier themselves, be tolerant. There are many consultants to help us should we need it, including Elisa. The huge diet companies that exist act as consultants. They help us take that next step.

If we shoot for the moon and change too many things too quickly because we have concern that we will lose today’s motivation tomorrow, even one change may fail to take root. We need to be calm, take our time and know that consistent progress does not include rushing.

1) One way we can go about employing the above 10 tactics successfully is to be sure we commit to 1 tactic on a daily basis so that we do not become burdened with too much pressure.

2) The next way might be to pick 1 tactic and maintain it for a 21-day regime.
a) After 21 days, another tactic may be added continuing the first tactic or
b) After 21 days, another tactic may be switched out for the first tactic

The way that we approach change depends upon what makes us feel more calm and more powerful at the same time. It’s powerfully important to reduce stress caused by food, not to add to it. So the framing of this decision is based on each of us.

WarriorsOfWeight.com has its own consulting program. Go to http://warriorsofweight.com/consulting to get more information on our consulting programs. Go get details.

FEEDBACK

Please leave a comment and LIKE this page. And, when you’re on Facebook, go to http://facebook.com/warriorsofweight and click LIKE. We’re working on the page and would appreciate comments.

ELISA RODRIGUEZ

Elisa Rodriguez is a registered dietician. She emphasizes a whole food, herbivore eating style in addition to promoting blending, juicing and fasting for health. Elisa is a living example of the power of healthy food and has defied Lupus through her whole food, plant-based diet. She has her degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Delaware. Please go to our Expert Page to read more about Elisa.

DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR/PUBLISHER

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Moms For Healthy Daughters, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert and a dedicated mom.
She is excited that many of the members of the WarriorsOfWeight.com community are interested in eating well and improving their food plan through vegetables and juicing. Diane says,

“Eating glorious, fresh vegetables and fruits nourishes us with the vitamins and minerals that replenish our bodies. With each bite, we heal and grow. When we want to feel alive, we can just munch on a veggie.”

FANTASTIQUE! You made it. As you may know, Diane Gold has helped thousands of people change their lives through fitness, music therapy, martial arts and consulting. She is available now, right here, for you.

The Philosophy: Take One Step.

Enter Your Info In The Form.

1. Feel physically & mentally fit every day.
2. Be an example to and help others.
3. Understand habits and achieve your goals by taking one step.

GET YOUR CONSULT TODAY!

WarriorsOfWeight.com Consulting is a division of WarriorsOfWeight.com. We strive to give YOU our method of goal achievement so that you thrive every day. Check out our CONSULTING OPTIONS HERE. Ready? Let’s go.

LOVE YOURSELF, THE INTERVIEW, WITH SABRINA BARNETT AND HER EMPOWERMENT CLOTHING FOR WOMEN (Issue 37)

By Diane Gold

Sabrina Barnett, best known for being a high fashion model, a musician and philanthropist, is an evangelist for women’s self-esteem and has designed women’s empowerment clothing for that purpose. This article is based on our interview. (Check out Sabrina’s T-shirt coupon, too.)

Sabrina begins by talking about her “slow progression” from model to designer.

Sabrina
I realized that there [were] a lot of models that are getting paid a lot of money, that don’t really feel good about themselves [or] feel comfortable in their own skin. And I thought to myself, well after all these years of modeling, if there [are] women that are getting paid money for the way that they look that aren’t feeling good about the way that they look, I can’t even imagine what it would be like in the population at large. And, so when I started really doing some research, I realized that it’s a real problem for us, our self-esteem, our self-worth and our self-image.

I’ve been very blessed to work with some of the best designers. And, so, I’ve sort of taken that information from colors and fabrics, and the look of things.
And then understanding, wow, we’ve got a real problem with self-esteem issues with women, no matter whether they are professional models or  whether they are what society says is not attractive, which is really the reason why I decided to come up with this empowerment line for women.

Diane
One of the things I saw in your line was that your sizes went up to triple X. I immediately appreciated that.

Sabrina
The most important thing in life is to embrace ourselves for who we are and what we represent. And, that really has very little to do with the way that you look. And, I know society puts such a huge importance on it. And, when I was modeling, I always said, somehow I want to give back to women. And, I thought it was going to be in a self-help book of behind the scenes modeling, to show them that there’s so many …
… gorgeous pictures that you see – there’s a makeup artist that works on you an hour, a hairdresser that works on you an hour, best photographers, best assistants, best lighting. They take five hundred pictures, if not more. So, it’s really an illusion.

And, yes, these women are absolutely gorgeous, but so are you.

Diane Narrative
After all her years in front of the camera, Sabrina  has become a great photographer, too. She took many incredible photos of me.

Sabrina
The T-shirt collection is an empowering collection because instead of having skull and bones, or instead of having nothing on a [T-]shirt, I have certain messages such as, ‘I am worthy, I admire kind people, I‘m a soulful spirit, ‘I am powerful.’ Beautiful messages that are very short, that are very to the point, and anybody that reads you can read your inner beauty, your inner expressions.

So, that’s why it’s clothing with a purpose. But, more importantly with the sizing, we start out small, medium, and instead of calling a woman large…we say ‘love.’

… We say, small, medium, love, extra love, double love, and yes, ladies, we have triple love!

…For all those women who have been called triple large, we say triple love. And it’s just love yourself. It’s such an important message. And, that is really the message that goes into your other question.

Diane Narrative
I had asked Sabrina if she had the power, how she would have girls think about themselves.

Sabrina
The most important thing I would tell … everybody that I can out there – and I do on a daily basis and every shirt that gets shipped is another reminder of loving yourself – learn to love yourself for who you are right now, because now is all we have and this ain’t no dress rehearsal. This is life.

And, every moment counts. We’ve got to make every moment count. So really, the clothing line is a reminder. The T-shirt collection, they’re called Lovable Tees. I’m the designer, Sabrina Barnett. But, the bottom line is, loveable tees, loving sizes, lovable collection, love yourself.

Diane
I love the love, double love, extra love.

Sabrina
Well … how dare people call us large? And, great, let’s embrace the fact that we’re large! … And, I want to tell all of you ladies out there that you are fabulous! You’re amazing. You’re wonderful. And once you know that, once you own your greatness, which is the name of another shirt. It’s just simply, ‘own your greatness’…

Diane
I love it.

INNER VOICE
Sabrina
…and on the back it says, ‘Never let other people bring you down.’ Now, other people can mean us. We’re sometimes our worst critic. That inner voice that we have in our heads….
It’s vicious! It could be so mean and so nasty.

So, how are we going to learn to love ourselves unless we can check our inner voice on a moment to moment basis? And, sometimes it’s hard to do, but once you start getting used to it, it really alters and shifts your life. So, the Lovable Collection can really help create that space for people out there.

Diane Narrative
If we don’t change the inside, it’s hard to change the outside. Yet, if we start to change the outside, we WILL change the inside.

It’s the “fake it to make it” scenario, which is practice it to be it. We must pretend to believe in ourselves enough to move, exercise, dance, which, in turn, will make us feel better about ourselves, all of which will reduce weight. Putting on awesome clothing is one way to start the process.

<<<Remember to check out Sabrina’s T-Shirt Collection. Make sure to use code sb10 at checkout.>>>

THE RIGHT WEIGHT IS THE RIGHT WAY
Diane Narrative
I had asked Sabrina to comment on the right weight.

Sabrina
There’s no such thing as right. The right weight is the right way. You are the right weight if you know the right way to following your heart and owning your beauty.

THE RIGHT STATE OF MIND
Sabrina
You’ve got to eat right, you’ve got to exercise, and you have to be in a right state of mind to create that. Because, if you’re feeling down about yourself, then you’re not going to want to exercise. … The only reason I say to lose weight … [is] for health.… I am an advocate for weight loss due to the fact that I feel that it’s a healthier space for us all to live in.…

CHEMICALS ON LABELS
Please don’t drink soda … If you can’t read the ingredient on the label, then it shouldn’t go in your body.

INNER CHI
… When you can create and find that balance, then you’ve found your inner ‘chi,’ your inner peace.… It’s the same thing with your diet.

CLOTHING TIPS
Diane
When girls are overweight, what one clothing tip could you give, or dressing technique, that would make them look more curvy and less thick, or bottom line, make them love themselves more?

Sabrina
There you go. Now you’re talking my talk. I’m tired of the more curvy, the less curvy, the waif look, the this, the that, the other. I’ve seen it for years. And, I’ve seen the dysfunction.

… If you want me to answer your question more specifically, I think black is always flattering. Black hides a multitude of whatever it is that you’re not feeling comfortable with. And, the bottom line is, I want you to feel comfortable.

So, you know, a belted tee, like a Lovable Tee with a great message – It’s all about reminders. We must remind ourselves. This is not what society has taught us. This is not what school has taught us, or the media has taught us. [We need] just to love ourselves for who we are right now, because that’s the only way that we’re going to create inner peace. And, that’s the only way that we’re going to shift the way that we are, if, in fact, we want to shift the way that we are right now.

We’ve got to accept ourselves because love is acceptance. So, black is always flattering … we’ve got some Palazzo pants in our collection that look very classy. They’re edgy. They’re stylish. And, again, they’re not too form fitting so if you want to have something that’s a little bit more comfortable, a little bit looser, that’s really what I would recommend, just off hand, right now.

Diane
What would you say to girls who are struggling with too much weight, when they see a slender figure … they see models who look like they’re totally happy … and they don’t see the inner heart of these models?

NAME CALLING LASTS FOREVER
Sabrina
They don’t see the inner workings of a lot of these models. … I was one of them that struggled with self-esteem issues.… I was called ‘brownie’ as a kid because my skin is very brown, my hair is brown, my eyes are brown. So, you know, again, one person can say something to you when you’re a little kid and that can stay with you for the rest of your life. And really, you allow it to tarnish yourself.

… you put on a T-shirt, a Lovable Tee that says, ‘I am worthy,’ ‘I’m the star in my life and love’s got my back.’ Well, love’s got my back because I have to know that I’m worthy. And I’m not talking from an egotistical standpoint. I’m simply talking, you know what? Own who you are because the sexiest thing on the planet is not what you look like; it’s how you feel.

Diane
… And being able to shine, and let that shine out and let everybody see.…

Sabrina
That’s exactly right.

CHARITY
Diane
Can you talk about your beliefs in charity? Who should give and how much should people give?

Sabrina
Okay. So, again, I hope you’re understanding a little bit from me. I tried not to live in the box of who should. The word ‘should,’ ‘would’ or ‘could’ for me is like a little bit …  controlling. Like you should do this. You should do that.

So, I would say … I love giving for the simple fact of giving. Sometimes people put such an importance on the financial aspect of charity, as opposed to what about all these people that have dedicated so much time, so many hours of their lives, which time is the most important thing. It’s something you can never get back, right? Money, you can lose, you can get back, but time you can never get back. And, sometimes people lose the sight of, ‘Oh, charity. I just donated whatever amount of money to such and such a charity.’

Well, what about donating of your heart, of your time, of yourself, of your essence of gorgeousness? What about saying, you know what? Let me give for my energy. It’s vital to one’s well-being. For me, I feel great when I can give … We’re always busy … That’s life, right? … But we create and make time for what we want to do.

Diane
Yes….

Sabrina
One of the things I’m asking your audience to do is create time to be charitable, to give back … And, if you don’t have a dollar to do so, then maybe you may want to think about giving back of your energy, like hopefully something that you and I are doing inside this conversation might help somebody in some way.

Diane Narrative
(Watch WarriorsOfWeight.com magazine for the feature: Charity for Weight Loss.)

Sabrina’s Mission can be summed up as follows:

“To be a good mother, … a great friend, … to give back and to teach people or remind people to love themselves … It’s really the only path towards true joy. If you love yourself, you can love another.”

There are lots of one-step action steps. They are simple if we allow them to be.

1)    Love ourselves.
If we are struggling with this concept, it takes small, consistent steps to achieve it. Even a smile at ourselves in the mirror can make a difference if we do it often enough.

2)    We’ve got to make every moment count.
Choosing to let go of the meaningless fights in our lives or our own minds gives us more time to flourish, share and give.

3)    Embrace our weight today.
Whatever we weigh today, we should embrace it. If our bodies or minds are some way that we would prefer to change, we must embrace who we are now so that we have the vitality and motivation to create the change.

4)    Own our greatness.
Be sure and secure of how great we are. We can all think of one great thing we bring to this world. Even if this ownership is practicing to make it our truth; the sooner we start, the more experienced we will be.

5)    Check our inner voice (possibly our worst critic) on a moment to moment basis.
We need to have conversations with ourselves regularly and purge old limiting goop we might tell ourselves.

6)    Wear black, which is always flattering (and don’t drink soda).

7)    Be charitable with our own energy.
We can always help someone less fortunate than we. It’s also a great way to focus away from ourselves.

CONCLUSION

When we love ourselves, we are more useful to the world, our families and our community. It might take some time to realize our position. But there are inspirational people such as Sabrina Barnett out there, so there is hope and help.

We can put on empowerment clothing and feel better instantly. We can help someone else and feel better, too. We might have to dig deeply for it, but we can find the good that others see in us. We are worthy, and we are worth it. Start now. And go get a T-shirt from Sabrina at http://warriorsofweight.com/sabrina.

FEEDBACK

Please leave a comment below and LIKE this page. And, when you’re on Facebook, go to http://facebook.com/warriorsofweight and click LIKE. We’re working on the page and would appreciate comments.

SABRINA BARNETT

Sabrina Barnett is a world renowned super model who has been on runways and magazine covers the world over. She is a talented singer, recording artist and clothing designer who is passionate about helping women and their self-esteem. Her Women’s Empowerment Clothing uses positive affirming statements to promote self-love.

DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Moms For Healthy Daughters, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert and a dedicated mom.
She is thrilled to team up with others who believe in believing in yourself. Diane says,

“Every time we think a good thought about ourselves, it goes into a little vault for safekeeping. Eventually, when the vault is full, it results in overflowing joy.!”

MIND-SOUND: MUSIC & LANGUAGE CREATE IMAGERY THROUGH SOUND, AN INTERVIEW WITH HEIKO MARTENS-SCHOLZ (Issue 36)

By Diane Gold

This article is from an interview with Heiko Martens-Sholz, who uses music, rhythm, language to create mind imagery through a scientific method that helps us achieve goals through sound motivation.

What this means for our audience is that his method can help regulate appetite and manage urges. We are developing a mind-sound program for WarriorsOfWeight.com community based upon Heiko’s HiTec-Motivation.

To follow are some important pieces of our interview with Heiko.

Diane
When we met, we talked … about my training in music therapy and the similarities with what you are doing. Let’s have you define motivational sound and… how you became interested in the subject.

Heiko
First of all, I would like to say that I believe that music is one of the basic elements of human traits, of a human condition. And I believe that whenever music and rhythm is part of our motivational mindset, it literally moves us. So when we use music, not only for pleasure and enjoyment, but for change; it will move us.

I’m sure you have had this experience before in your music therapy.

Diane
Music changes us. Music does things to us from a biological level. It makes a big, big difference in many, many ways.

Diane Narrative
Heiko talks about a new element of the human condition, language. He explains how prior to language, there was something older which was image, the vision, imagery, fantasy in our brain/mind system. He goes on.

Heiko
What we did in our research was we combined music, rhythm and language to create imagery. And I… would say it’s a kind of a revolution.

Diane
…Sounds fantastic. Can you talk about HiTec Motivation which you invented with the Technical University in Munich. And how the sounds in your program reboot a person’s mindset or attitude by the listening of the sounds.

Heiko
I like your term reboot because actually that’s a term we are using in conjunction with our technology.

What we do if we are considering to change something in our lives … for ways to reset our mindset or reset our routines in everyday life… That puts us into a certain stress level because, to achieve that change, we have to become very active. And in [much] scientific research … in motivational psychology, scientists found out that, to make the first step towards change is a big obstacle. And even the final step is a big obstacle.

A lot of people do the first step to change something. But when it gets to the final step to receive the reward of change…like to …lose weight on a constant level, they lack to do the final step. And that’s because the brain/mind system is … referring to systems and experiences that the [brain/mind] system had before. It’s very hooked on the past. It’s hooked on repeating past experiences.

What we found out in our research … [is] if we could change and modify …affirmations that we use to define our goals that we use to change something in our lives

Diane Narrative
Affirmations are positive words we use to help us reach and maintain goals such as,
“I am a really good musician” or “My body is very beautiful.”

Heiko
and if we could transform these affirmations into sound patterns like music or rhythm or frequencies, it would be much easier for our brain/mind system to accept these instructions for change and set them in motion.

And that means if you use HiTech-Motivation

Diane Narrative
Heiko’s mind-sound program is named HiTec Motivation.

Heiko
…on a frequent level, in conjunction with your diet, for instance, then it would help you do the first step and keep on doing all the little steps toward the change you desire, and keep on doing [using the mind-sound system] until you do the final step, until the process is complete. And THAT we have proven on a scientific level with hundreds of people who used HiTec-Motivation, in conjunction with any form of change management.

Diane Narrative
Change management would be any method such as a low-sugar, -salt, -fat diet, movement training or meditation used as a tool toward change.

Diane
Sounds beautiful. Sounds great. I believe that so much. Because I’ve seen it …in music therapy. Fantastic. I love it.

Diane
The technological method is great for individuals. It’s also great for [any] corporate environment.

Diane Narrative
Corporate here uses the definition “of or related to a united group,” such as a group of moms, a group of daughters or a group of moms and daughters.

Diane
It seems very parallel to my corporate tai chi concept, which is a means of relaxing and rebooting a group.

Diane Narrative
Heiko describes his having used this technology with athletes listening to soundtracks through headphones and relaxing as a group.

Heiko
…And when you do that in a group, like in a tai chi class when you’re moving, there is a group effect which … strengthens and fortifies the effect of the individual training action…Very powerful.

HiTec-Motivation, especially if you use stereo headphones, lets you tune in to a very safe and smooth relaxation experience. What I’ve found is that many individuals who try to change something in their lives… find it hard to slow down, relax and to be at ease. And to be able to relax means that you can tune into your inner space, and changes in the outside always come from the inside If you are able to tune into your inner self, then you have this inner creative room where you start to trigger changes. And this is the first thing that happens when you listen to HiTec-Motivation.

CONCLUSION
Not until I heard my own “goal-oriented words” transformed into music by Heiko’s science did I realize the breadth of the mind-sound technology. As a music therapist, I have seen people go from states of stupor to states of fulfillment from a single line of lyric or melody. I, myself, can transform through playing and composing music, listening to it and dancing. Music is a universal art of communication.

When music benefits are combined with synthesized language, we can evolve and become the goal we set out to achieve. When we remove stress, our biggest barrier, we open the floodgates to success.

Heiko has provided more scientific info within the interview. For now, though, we will end here and prepare the launch of the WarriorsOfWeight.com mind-sound set of mp3s.

FEEDBACK

Please leave a comment below and click the LIKE button. And, when you’re on Facebook, go to http://facebook.com/warriorsofweight and click LIKE. We’re working on the page and would appreciate comments.

HEIKO MARTENS-SCHOLZ

Heiko Martens-Scholz earned his degree in Motivational Psychology. He has devoted his career to developing a scientifically proven method to easily and safely manifest personal goals. His sound system, HiTec Motivation, is rated the leading one in Europe, developed by his consulting firm. He is an author, consultant, father and has vision for a sustainable global society. His full bio will be on our Experts Page in 48 hours.

DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Moms For Healthy Daughters, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert and a dedicated mom.
She is always looking for the integration of music and tai chi, music and dance, music and stress relief. Diane says,

“Music can change our lives. It’s there through thick and thin, whether we play or listen. Here’s a weight control tip: take 1-5 minutes a week and just dance. Our bodies and minds deserve the relaxation, the fun and the workout. Do it!”

Mind-Sound is a scientific method of using music and language to create images through sound. Because it works with the mind and brain together, it has worked with hundreds of individuals to help them achieve their priority goals.

How would you like to be
SOUND MOTIVATED?

Fill Out The Form NOW.

1. feel more beautiful
2. be less hungry
3. have new control over urges
4. strengthen the mind
5. keep getting stronger
6. be your ideal weight
7. keep your ideal weight

Help Your Daughter TODAY by
Doing The Program Yourself!

Enter Your Name & Email,
To Get Access To MIND-SOUND!