Do you desire Financial Health? Experiment with CASH

This week I did an experiment with cold hard cash. Each month when my credit card bills come in, I am always amazed at how much money I have spent. I am always convinced that the bill that American Express has sent is someone else's. Alas, the bill always turns out to be mine. American Express never makes a mistake.

My experiment: for one week, use only cash when purchasing anything. My experiment has been a great learning experience and a way to reset financially.

Using cash for all purchases has really made me think long and hard about each and every purchase this week. I am a real consumer. I go to a grocery store at least once a day and find things to buy wherever I am, even in church!

Here were some of my thoughts while shopping this week: Do I really need another bag of $20.00 cacao powder when I have 1/3 of a bag at home? Why buy 8 peaches when some might go bad before we eat them, just get 6? Just because something is on sale, does not mean you have to buy it? With only $60.00 left in my wallet, I better save some for gasoline.

I invite you to experiment with cash and reset your finances. I cannot wait until my credit card bills come this month and say "0" due. Imagine the freedom!

Are you Feeding your Worry? I Have a Secret Weapon...

One of the first things I did to improve my health was to search for a way to decrease worry. As a mother of three children who would soon be teenage drivers, I would lay awake at night worrying about all the bad things that could happen as my children grew up to become adults. Laying awake at night worrying cannot possibly be good for your health...heart racing, tossing and turning, sleep deprivation.

I stumbled upon an article that changed my life. The result of reading the story has armed me against worry that can impact health negatively... the constant downward spiral kind of worry that is heavy on you when you go to bed and heavy on you when you wake up. My mind would always take me to the worst possible scenario. This tool  that I discovered is my secret weapon against worry and a key to good health.

I want to share this secret weapon with you today, in the hopes that it can change your life and improve your health. The article was written by Mary Lou Quinlan and was featured in the November 2010 issue of Real Simple Magazine. Mary Lou Quinlan's mother was ill most of her life. Her name was Mary Finlayson and her secret weapon was writing down on any old piece of paper her worries and prayers and placing them in her "GOD BOX" for God to take off her shoulders. When Mary Finlayson died, her children found not one but 10 "GOD BOXES" spanning many years of their lives. Reading through all the notes was like looking at the tapestry of their lives. It moved me into action.

I immediately bought my first "GOD BOX" at Michael's crafts. I have it pretty near full and I am in need of my second "GOD BOX." Sometimes my prayers are answered within minutes. It is AMAZING! The answers I have received and the relief I feel by physically writing down my prayers and worries and giving it up to God, has improved my health by at least 100%.

The first year I gave "GOD BOXES" to everyone I knew for Christmas. Today I continue to give this gift to many women whom I meet in my life.  If you decide to use a "GOD-BOX" and you have positive results, I would love to hear about it. Email me at deniselovathealthcoach@gmail.com. Please pass this secret weapon on to others in your life, it is worth sharing.

I invite you to read the original story in Real Simple here: http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/family/relationships/inside-god-box-00000000045743/index.html

The author Mary Lou Quinlan has also written a book which was a New York Time Bestseller and she has an inspirational website: http://www.thegodboxproject.com/.


To Your Best Health,

Denise Lovat

For my FREE recipes and tips on how to kick sugar go to: www.deniselovathealthcoach.com

Make an Inconvenience a Positive Experience for Your Health

This week, we had one of our automobiles in the shop being fixed after being rear-ended on the highway (yes, both front and rear). With everyone needing cars to get where they have to go, I decided that I would be the one to "pretend I did not have a car" and turn this inconvenience into a positive experience FOR ME!  I decided that I could last three days (Tuesday - Thursday) in this world, by riding my bike. After all, Wheatgrass and Sprouts (www.wheatgrassandsprouts.com) my part-time job is only 2 miles away and Whole Foods is only 2.5 miles away and the clients I am working with  this week are only about 12 miles each round trip.

Well today is Thursday and I made it! Over the three days "pretending I did not have a car" I have logged over 70 miles on my bike. I am here to tell you that my metabolic rate has gone up and I could feel myself burning calories throughout the day. The multiple short bursts of exercise throughout the day have been great for keeping my body moving naturally while enjoying the gorgeous pre-fall weather. Oh and yes, the saddle-bags I bought earlier this summer for my bike are THE best purchase of the year.

Are there things in your life that are inconvenient that you could turn around to benefit your health?

To Your Best Health,

Denise Lovat
Health Coach

Do You Really Want that Cookie or is it a BIG HUG you Need ?

Habits are very powerful things that get their claws in us and will not release us until we reprogram our brain. According to Charles Duhigg, author of the New York Times Bestseller "The Power of Habit," "A habit is a choice we make at some point, and then stop thinking about it, but continue doing it. Often we do it everyday. Put another way, a habit is a formula our brain automatically follows: when I see this cue, I will do this routine in order to get that reward."  Sometimes we think we need a cookie, but we really need a hug. Read on.....

If you have ever played the piano, you may have some insight into this subject. When you practice a song and play one part incorrectly over and over, you are programming your brain and fingers to play it incorrectly. To change wrong to right, you have to play it correctly at least 20 times before your new habit takes hold. Have you ever dialed the wrong phone number of a number you call frequently? When you redial it correctly, you can feel the muscle memory in your fingers and the comfort ( or rightness) of dialing the number correctly.

Any habit can be eliminated but we need to do some homework and experimentation to figure out how our habit dug in so hard.
Charles Duhigg says there are four steps to manifesting the change you want to embrace:

1. Identify the Routine
2. Experiment with Rewards
3. Isolate the Cue
4. Have a Plan

This is a solid approach to changing behaviors that are getting in your way. You can buy Charles Duhigg's book or read this detailed article adapted from the book in EXPERIENCE LIFE Magazine: http://experiencelife.com/article/the-power-of-habit/.

What habit would you want to experiment with?

To Your Best Health,

Denise Lovat
Health Coach

Where are YOU on the health "Spectrum?"

I woke up today with an analogy in my head, "Just like an autistic person is on the "autistic spectrum", we are all on the "health spectrum."  Where are you on the "health spectrum?" Are you  at the low functioning end where McDonalds and Wendy's reside? Are you at the low end where you are eating out everyday and letting others control your health destiny? Are you in the middle of the "health spectrum" where you are eating salads, salads, salads and feeling miserable and deprived? Are you a vegetarian eating delicious cheeses, pastas and breads ( I am jealous of you!)? Have you ever tried veganism? Will you dare to TRY IT RAW?

I have great news. Where ever you are, you can move. YES! Where ever you are, you can MOVE to higher functioning on the "HEALTH SPECTRUM!" Now go to work.

So Many New Beginnings on this Journey To Health

Sometimes we want to believe that a "5 Day Miracle Diet" can change our bodies, our mental state, our lives in just 5 days. This is unrealistic and sets us up for disappointment. When you set out to change your health, it should not be to fit into a dress for a high school reunion, to lose 5 pounds before the weekend so that you can eat and drink whatever you want.  When you start your journey, you should have yourself in mind! If you are in for the long haul of taking back your health, you will reap the benefits. Here are FIVE simple things to be conscious of to help you set your mind straight. Above all, be present while you are travelling on your journey to health:

1. Each day is a new beginning, to do different what you did the same yesterday.
2. Each meal is a new beginning. Every time you eat, you can make a different choice than you made the meal before.
3. Each time you interact with someone, you can change the way you behaved the last time you interacted with them.
4. Each time you begin to talk to yourself, you can make it positive talk instead of negative talk.
5. Each time you blame someone else for something in your life that went wrong, know that you are the only person who controls your destiny.