Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Upgrade Your Life for a Boost in Happiness

It seems lately that I have been noticing small ways to "upgrade" my life. There are countless opportunities each day to make our lives better......just a little at a time.
  1. WATER: I recently started to drink RO (reverse osmosis) water that I buy by the gallon at Whole Paycheck Market (read: Whole Foods Market).  When I am forced to drink tap water or water from a drinking fountain at Lifetime Fitness, I cannot believe what I taste: chlorine. We get used to what we have, but this simple upgrade makes a difference for me.
  2. OFFICE SPACE: I set up my office in our basement because I need so much room for files, my library of resources and materials for putting together many different demonstrations for heatlh fairs. Lately, I realize that it feels like I am dong penance down there. The basement is finished and good enough, but it does not feel beautiful.  Last weekend with the help of my husband,  I moved my office back up to our computer room that we had redecorated several years back with California Closets. I feel human again and it gave me a chance to reorganize my work space and surround myself with some beautiful pictures and flowers. This upgrade makes me more productive.
Here are some other ideas to Upgrade Your Life:
  1. EXERCISE: If you are stuck in a rut doing the same 45 minute walk or run on a treadmill, UPGRADE! Ride your bike, jump rope, take a yoga class, or meditate. Join a group! There might be a group of people right in your neighborhood that are biking, walking or running. Group Fitness is very successful and a great way to work out and connect. Start your own group. Ask a few friends if they would be willing to meet 2x /week to run, walk or bike at a local park. This group will add accountability to your goals.
  2. CLOTHING: If you have not worn something in 1 year, please donate it. Getting rid of clothes and items that you no longer use, leaves room in your life for some new, pretty and wonderful things.
  3. FOOD: Make a commitment to upgrade your week of food. Maybe the upgrade idea is meatless Mondays, maybe it is 2 days eating vegetarian each week . Maybe the upgrade is cutting back on cheese or meat or alcohol. These small UPGRADES will provide you with real health benefits. Make your upgrades slowly, so you don't feel overwhelmed.
  4. PEOPLE: If there are people in your life that are not good for your health, UPGRADE by not including them in your life anymore.  Reach out to new people at work, church, clubs, gym, book club. Find people that will support you in reaching your goals.
I would love to hear your upgrade ideas. Email me at deniselovathealthcoach@gmail.com and let's talk.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Do you need to make room in your life?

I finally cleaned out my closet over the past two days. I hate the winter clothes, the dust on the carpeting along the base-boards and the piles of t-shirts with logos from places I never went to. How did I even get these into my house? You can make a patchwork blanket out of t-shirts, but that project is not for me and is not happening in my lifetime.



I remember reading that when you have no room in your closet "physically" when you go shopping, you cannot seem to find anything to buy because your mind knows there is no room. I have found this to be true.

If you seem to have accumulated too much over this winter, this year or over the past few years, now is a good time to clear it out to make room for what you really want in your life. When you are 80 years old and still have a home full of collectibles and clutter, you will truly be overwhelmed.

I am going to start you out with some information from www.MindBodyGreen.com.

"Everyone needs a little more space in their life. The space can be physical or it can be figurative. We may need space for a new relationship to grow, or to allow ourselves to make a long wanted change or to banish something from our lives. No matter what you need space for; here are some tips to make it happen:

1. Focus on the BIGGER PICTURE. Write down your goals for your space. Don’t simply write down “organize closet”, take it a step further and think about WHY you want to get that area organized. For example, having an organized closet may mean that you can get dressed easily and quickly in the morning. Instead of starting your day on a stressful note, you are starting your day with ease and confidence that you look and feel great. 

2. TAKE A POLL. Talk to family members about what and why they want to get organized. They may want to organize the family room so they can have game nights or your spouse may want to organize the garage so you can put in a home gym. Discussing the reasons behind the upcoming changes makes them easier to implement and more important to everyone.

3. DAILY TASKS.  Once you have your end goal in mind you need to decide what you are going to do EVERY DAY to make this happen. So often we think of cleaning out our clutter and lives as a weekend task that is done once and then it’s over with. In fact, being organized, clutter free and stress free are things you have to work each and every day.

4. BE PRESENT. Just like many things in life, being organized comes from being present. When you walk in the door at the end of the day, don’t simply mindlessly throw the mail down along with your coat and bag. Take the few moments needed to hang them up where they belong. Take 30 seconds and discard junk mail and recycle it.  Doing these tasks when you walk in the door means that you are saving yourself time later and you are respecting your home.  Teach your children to do the same. It only takes a few seconds.

5. DO WHAT BOTHERS YOU MOST FIRST. Often we have a household project that bothers us. We complain about it, but do nothing about it. Often we don’t know WHAT to do, so we do nothing. We are paralyzed by the fear that we will do the wrong thing.  Instead of doing nothing, do something. Just take one small step in the right direction and you will feel great. Those things we’ve been putting off and dreading are often the ones with the biggest reward.

6. CLEAN OUT THE KITCHEN. The kitchen is the heart of every home and the epicenter of your family’s health and eating. If your kitchen is cluttered, you will have a hard time preparing healthy meals and your family time will be compromised. If you are going to take the time to organize only one area of your home, make it the kitchen."

It's SPRING, go CLEAN and make room for whatever you want in your LIFE!


To Your Best Health,

Denise Lovat
Certified Health Coach, AADP

You can reach me at deniselovathealthcoach@gmail.com



Friday, April 11, 2014

Are you aware of how you talk to yourself?

Today while running a boring but beautiful 4 miles, I was feeling fatigued around mile 3.5. My mind tricked me into almost walking, but instead of listening to the voice that said "time to walk" I told myself that I only had .5 to go and that "I can do this." I got rid of that negative talk. I stopped it in its tracks, and replaced it with positive talk.

This is a very important aspect of health. If you talk negatively all day to yourself, you cannot possibly feel good about yourself at the end of the day. Are you aware of how you talk to yourself? Do you listen to your own self-talk.

Here is a great 1 DAY exercise to bring awareness to your self-talk.

  1. When you wake up in the morning write down the first thing you are thinking. Is it positive, or negative? Do you say, "I am so tired" or do you say "I am excited for this day to see what I can accomplish?" The mindset is so very different and the energy you bring to your day should improve with more positive self-talk.
  2. During this same day, be mindful of the way you interact with co-workers or people that you are exposed to during the day. Do you talk negative about them in your mind, do you judge them? If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts, write them down on the left side of the page, write down something positive on the right side to replace it. Give someone a compliment instead of talking negatively or judging them. 
  3. During this same day, be mindful of how you treat your spouse or loved ones. Do you constantly wish they were different and let the same things annoy you over and over? If you find yourself thinking negatively about your loved ones, write down your thoughts on the left and the positive replacement on the right. Do something special for them.
Now repeat for the rest of your life and be healthier and happier forever!