Losing Weight

I was invited to talk on a radio show today as 'guru' for three people starting a weight loss regime, helping spur them on to success. Three lovely people, and the show was great fun......including me grovelling on the floor in dim lighting with a set of dodgy scales trying to read the participants' weights, and weight loss jokes such as the woman who said she knew it was time to go on a diet when her big pants had become thongs!

Each of the individuals had successfully lost weight in the past, then lost the will to continue, and put it all (and more) back on again.

I was asked for some very brief tips to help motivate them to achieve success this time.

I'm absolutely convinced that the route to success with weight loss is much the same as the route to success with anything you want to do. It follows the ABCD rule:

D - desire. You have to really want to achieve the thing you set out to achieve. Otherwise it's too easy to lose your way and give up on your good intentions.
B - belief. 'You can if you think you can'. If you really believe you will be able to do something, it's much easier to achieve it. If you ever catch yourself thinking 'I can't do it', give yourself a good talking to and focus instead on all the benefits if you succeed to help spur you on.
C - commitment. Set your goal e.g. to lose 2 stone in weight or to be able to run to the end of the road without being out of breath, and a realistic timescale. Then commit to it by sharing your goal and timescale with someone who'll spur you on and help you if the going gets tough.
A -action. As soon as you've achieved the above steps, take your first action towards your goal today, without delay. 'If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got'. If you want to achieve something, you have to take make some real changes.

I gave some tips along these lines on air, and then set off in my car - eagerly awaiting news of how each of the participants get on.

In the car on the way home, I was still tuned into the radio station. The presenter played two songs - in the first, I heard Hot Chocolate sing whimsically "I'm the loser", and in the next, the Corrs, sang "I'm losing the will to keep on trying". Inspirational stuff for our dieters?! Maybe they'd be better with a tune my two children are currently rehearsing: "I have confidence in me"!

Jumping off cliffs

One of my favourite quotes is from Ray Bradbury: "You've got to jump off cliffs, all the time, and build your wings on the way down."

Not that I'm advocating you or I actually do take a long walk off a short cliff!

The quote enables us to recognise that some of our most fulfilling times happen when we take some risks and break out of our comfort zone.

My husband found out recently that his job of 19 years is to be made redundant. He was offered another position - though with a 25% pay cut attached - but we chose the redundancy route. As you can imagine, it all feels a bit scary. Yet it's also rather exciting. This will be a new chapter in our lives. He will be making a new start, setting off on a different path - maybe even a completely different career. The redundancy, scary as it is, gives us the chance to reassess where he's going and how he will spend the next few years.

I wrote a while ago about a friend who's husband was made redundant. I remember writing about how it could be a fantastic opportunity for them both, despite the anxiety attached. It turned out to be exactly that. They are now both in Buenos Aires, having spent a few months in Panama, and they have set up an internet business together drawing on the skills of each of them. His redundancy gave them the opportunity and spur to do something new - and they certainly have! So far it seems to be a tremendous success and they are really enjoying life.

My husband and I don't have quite such exotic plans - especially having two children to care for. But the redundancy is giving us a chance to take stock and choose the next stage in our lives. Who knows what he'll be doing in another few months? Watch this space!

In the meantime, I'll bookmark this blog so that when the going gets tough - as it almost certainly will at times - I can come back and remind myself about jumping off cliffs!

Coping with stress

I've just come back from a lovely week in the Lakes with my family - lots of gorgeous countryside, fresh air, good walks, nice food and fun.

We all seem to have such stressful lives at times, it's great just to get away and 'chill'.

It's perhaps not surprising that we feel under stress so much of the time. Difficulties at work or home, work overload, and relationship conflicts or breakdowns are major contributors to our stress. Yet we often have insufficient support systems to cope with these stresses. In days gone by we would have close family and friends living nearby to lend an ear, give advice or offer a shoulder to cry on. Nowadays we tend to be scattered geographically, with longer working hours and less time to attend to our needs.

That's not to say our grandparents had it easy. They, too, worked long hours and without our many time-saving aids. But expectations at home and at work seem much higher, and much of the time we don't have people around us to help us cope.

I find many clients come to me stressed with their current situations - their lack of time, their relationships, their feelings of not being in control of their lives. It is possible to change all these things - just a matter of having some practical ideas and support.

That's why I'm leading a one-hour teleseminar called 'Simple Stress Management' on Thursday 19 April at 7pm. Teleseminars are a great way of learning - they're telephone calls (usually at very cheap rates) where lots of people phone into the same line and listen to a talk given by an expert on a particular theme. Just like attending a class, there's usually chance for questions and discussion, and you can participate as much or as little as you like. The great thing is you can call in from the comfort of your own home, and there's no travel time or cost. You can even sup a glass of wine, or make a meal (as long as your phone is switched to mute!) at the same time!

So please join me on 19 April to get some tips and strategies for reducing your stress levels - it would be great to have you on the call! Email me at elizabeth.juffs@ejlifecoaching.co.uk to register or to find out more.