Let's Get Naked for Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of my Fit Moms. Enjoy this guest post from Lisa McCourt... 

Not that kind of naked. Okay, maybe that kind, too. But Valentine month is also a perfect excuse to get emotionally naked with everyone you love. Most of us have a number of comfortable, pleasant relationships that suit us but do nothing to deeply nurture us. Emotional transparency is the key to upgrading those relationships to the level of juicy, juicy joy!

The fact is: you are a tribal creature by nature of your humanness, and the more deeply you can connect with your fellow humans, the more you’ll thrive. Our society doesn’t foster transparency—quite the opposite. We’re taught from a very early age to put our “best face forward” and to hide or deny any traits we fear will make us less attractive to others. We’re taught that our success in life depends upon the image we project and manage to uphold. How often have you been told “you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression?” or “image is everything”? My friend who works in sales for a large publishing company likes to quip, “Anybody who says you can’t judge a book by its cover never tried to sell one.”  The cover is all we judge by! And all of us want us our covers to be the shiniest, most impressive covers we can manage to project.

But where does that really leave us in terms of self-love and genuine connection with our fellow human creatures? Hiding and denying genuine aspects of your precious self creates an energetic declaration that those pieces of you are unlovable. Having too many of these unlovable bits will prevent you energetically from being able to receive love. People can only truly love you to the precise extent that you’re loving yourself, and to the extent you’re willing to hold your complete, authentic self up to be loved. Ergo, more transparency equals more love.

A happy bonus is that your own transparency will invite others to be more transparent themselves when they’re around you. We think hiding our “negative” traits will make us more likable, when the opposite is actually true! Since we all share a longing, deep down, for the freedom to live life as our most uncensored, real selves, most of us are irresistibly drawn to transparent people! They give us permission to let our own guards down, which feels really, really good.

To honor Love-Month, try being more transparent with the people in your life. If you’re blessed to have a significant other, do frequent check-ups to see how transparent you’re being with your beloved. To a large degree, the success of our intimate relationships depends upon our level of transparency with one another, as well as the degree to which we’re matched in our capability and determination for transparency. We all want to be seen, fully, by our partners and loved for who we are. But it’s not up to our partners to make that happen. It’s up to us to show up as our most transparent selves, and only when we’re able to do that will we be capable of truly exchanging love.

Transparency . . . it’s not just for negligees anymore!

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About the Author: Unconditional love expert Lisa McCourt is a dynamic speaker, seminar leader and author whose 34 books have sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide. Her new book, Juicy Joy – 7 Simple Steps to Your Glorious, Gutsy Self, teaches people to embrace "radical authenticity" to fully experience unbridled joy in life. Lisa lives in South Florida with her two children. For a free Juicy Joy audio program, visit www.LisaMcCourt.com.

Having Trouble with Portion Control?

A few weeks ago, I reviewed Yum Yum Dishes, a great way to help with portion control. This guest post from body image coach Laura Fenamore also discusses how to monitor and control your portions. Here's her story, which I think you'll find interesting...

“I’ll just have one. It’s no big deal.”
By Laura Fenamore

I’m Laura Fenamore, and I am thrilled to be sharing my story, which offers hope and guidance to women worldwide.

I was a compulsive eater out of my mother’s womb. The youngest of eight children in an abusive home, I was born knowing that the world was definitely not safe for me. I used food to feel safe. It was that simple. I could not stop eating. When I was not eating, I was thinking about food or when I could get my next meal. I obsessed about it regularly. I overate every day, hated myself for it, and yet could not stop.

From 7^th grade until age 24, I smoked two packs of cigarettes a day. I started drinking alcoholically at age 13, and was a “wild child” as a teen and young adult. By age 24, I was designing my ending and talked regularly about taking my life. I was a fat, depressed drunk who hated herself. Until a major shift happened…

I was gifted with a moment of clarity that hit me like a brick. It was the moment at which I realized I had the choice to either give up or go on, and fortunately, I chose life. Between my 24^th and 25^th birthdays, I lost 100 lbs. the old fashioned way – watching what I ate.

My weight release and the emotions I felt surrounding it led me to create One Pinky, a community that helps women achieve a healthy body image and release their unwanted weight for good. I feel so grateful that as I approach 50, I feel a million times better than I did when I was 20.

Although not all of us struggle with food addiction, the vast majority of my clients have complicated relationships with food – they eat when they’re sad or bored, they eat too much and then don't feed their families well. It often seems that the moment we decide to quit bad habits, the deluding, conniving self-talk begins – Oh I’ll have one more cookie for dessert. If I give my child this candy bar, they’ll stop complaining. Before you know it, this deceptive self-talk has become a deafening self-shout, and the danger of relapse is just around the corner.

But it is possible to get a hold of this self-defeating, one-way conversation. This is where Yum Yum Dishes come in.

Yum Yum Dishes are the perfect way to gain control over your eating habits. In a society of big portions and excess, it can be hard to put on the breaks, but Yum Yum Dishes make it easy. There are so many reasons I love Yum Yum Dishes:

• They work. Monitoring portion control is a huge part of creating healthy eating habits. According to the CDC’s government website, “Research shows that people unintentionally consume more calories when faced with larger portions.” For anyone trying to release weight, portion control is a must. Yum Yum Dishes make keeping portions reasonable a no-brainer.

 • They’re easy. For those of us who don’t have the time (or interest in) weighing or counting everything we put in our mouths, Yum Yum Dishes do the work for us. Their small size means smaller portions, which means better eating. I encourage my clients not to deny themselves anything, but I do encourage them to eat in moderation. Eating out of a Yum Yum Dish automatically regulates portion size.

• They’re fun. Anyone that knows me knows I am totally a kid at heart – I love animated movies, I still play on swings at the park and adore my Raggedy Ann doll collection. The colorful, eye-catching designs of Yum Yum Bowls make them a joy to have in the kitchen. They remind me not to take myself too seriously and that eating is supposed to be a joyful act of self-care. Plus, they also appeal to kids, and can help parents teach children about healthy eating habits at an early age.

Every day seems to bring a new study or article about the benefits of healthy eating and maintaining a healthy weight. Yet the world we live in seems to be pulling us in opposite directions – 64 oz. soda cups next to fashion magazines full of impossibly thin models. It’s hard enough staying positive and motivated without having to worry about everything that passes your lips. Yum Yum Bowls do the work for you, helping you enjoy the foods you love in portions that your body can handle. And that’s something worth celebrating.

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About the Author: Weight Release & Body Image Coach Laura Fenamore is on a mission to guide women around the world to love what they see in the mirror, one pinky at a time, so they can unlock the secrets to a healthy weight and start loving their lives as soon as possible. Laura is the author of the forthcoming book Weightless: 7 Tools to Love Your Body (and Lose Weight For Good) and a frequent contributor to local and national media – including First for Women, Ladies Home Journal, the Dr. Pat Show and blog contributor on Betty Confidential, Daily Love and Positively Positive. Laura believes that self-love and self-care is where the transformation begins. Learn more about her programs, invite her to speak or contribute to your program or conference, or place pre-orders for her book today at www.OnePinky.com.

Are You Using Pinterest?

My new social media addiction is Pinterest. Have you tried it yet? Basically it's a visual site that lets you create "boards" and post "pins." Some of my boards include "Recipes", "Places I Want to Go," "Style," "Things for the Home," and "Fitness." That's right, there are different workouts posted on Pinterest. Best of all, they're great workouts. I did this one to the right just this morning. It's a treadmill interval workout for running.

Here's what I want you to do if you haven't experienced the joy that is Pinterest. Visit the site -- www.pinterest.com and follow me at http://pinterest.com/agoszka/. Be sure to check out my Fitness Board. There's also "Motivation", "Cool Quotes/Sayings" and much more.

Let me know what you think of the site. I've become a bit obsessed with it. I just love pretty pictures and it's so convenient to save all of these things in one spot.

Need to Get My Running Mojo Back

Do you ever feel directionless without a goal? That's the point I'm at now. I had such a great time preparing for the NYC Marathon. I enjoyed taking some time off. But I forgot how de-motivating it is not having an upcoming race to train for. *Sigh* What's a Fit Momma to do? It's time to prepare my 2012 race schedule, of course!

It's never enough to have just one upcoming race. I like to plan out the entire 12 months to ensure I don't lose my running mojo again. Here is what I'm hoping to accomplish this year:

March -- Sleep Hollow Half Marathon
April -- Ship Bottom 5K
May -- Super Hero Half Marathon
August -- Dog Day 5 Mile
August -- Wild Half Marathon
October -- LBI 18-Mile
October -- Atlantic City Marathon

That's right, I'm planning on doing another marathon this year! I'm as surprised as you are! LOL! I came so close to 4 hours last year (4:08:59) that I really want to work towards coming in under 4 hours.

This plan also fits nicely with some of my 2012 New Year's Resolutions (which look strangely similar to 2011), including:

• Run a 5k in 25:30
• Complete a half marathon in under 2 hours
• Run 18 miles in under 2:45

I also have my bucket list (and 2012 New Year's Resolution) of competing in a figure/fitness competition. I'm hoping to do that in July and will outline the entire process, including dieting and training, on this blog. So stay tuned!

One thing I'm planning on doing differently as I train for the upcoming half marathons is incorporating Cross Fit training. Have you ever heard of it? It's short, intense workouts. Supposedly, you can run less and still improve your running times. The exercises are very functional and don't take long to complete. But that doesn't mean they're easy!  Here's a sample:



Do you ever lose your running mojo or workout motivation? I'd love to hear your tips for staying focused.