Friday, June 18, 2010

You Burning Questions about Health & Wellness: EXERCISE ... UGH! ... A Law of Attraction Perspective

Day 4 of your Burning Questions around the topic of Health and Wellness. I think I am starting a newspaper column here. Now, remember, I am not necessarily giving the "traditional" answers to these questions. I am answering them from the perspective of a Law of Attraction Health Coach and my own personal viewpoint on the topic.

Here we go ... today's question is about exercise! Yes, that word that many of you dread. You feel that you "should" be exercising but you don't quite have the motivation or desire to exercise.

Question #4: Want to change my feelings on EXERCISE!


I am wondering if I can change my feelings on exercise! Now, I adore how well my body functions/serves me and have been pretty fortunate thus far. I just really have never found any physical activity that I really LOVE doing on any sort of regular basis. I want to change this about myself, because I want to treat my body well. While I'd like to be fitter right now, this has less to do with that and more to do with just wanting to enjoy exercise like some folks do. Running literally feels like someone swiping razor blades through my lungs! Of course I love to dance...but I am not the best at it so I don't love being a part of actual dance classes. I love ballroom dancing, but don't really have the funds to take those lessons. I'd like to integrate awesome physical activity into my world without it feeling like such a chore!


And here's my answer:

There is always SOMETHING that you can find (that you would LOVE) that may not be considered "traditional exercise" but IS moving your body in a way that makes you feel ROCKIN'!

Many of my clients have had a lot of "shoulds" around this topic and anytime you come from a place of "should" the outcome is not optimal. And anyway, if it is not aligned with what brings you JOY, it's not going to be fun -- and who wants to be doing something that isn't FUN?!

I can't say enough about doing things when you are coming from a place of "I should" do this or "others think I should do this" --- it's just not aligned with JOY and the end result that you are looking to achieve will never be to your liking when it is a "should". I feel one of the most important "exercises" you can do is to raise your vibration around how you feel on a daily basis. I had a client who was referred to me by a Naturopath Doctor who wanted me to just tell this client to do everything she was telling her to do.

However, my client was "shoulding all over herself" with "I should cut out all gluten from my diet", "I should eat salads for lunch", "I shouldn't eat those potato chips I so love", I should, I shouldn't, I should, I shouldn't ... you get the idea. She also hated exercise and had absolutely no desire to go on a treadmill that had recently become her clothes line. Exercising was a "should" for her as well! A BIG should!

I started working with her on learning how to reach for a better feeling each and every day, making her happiness level her #1 priority. She learned how to address the stress in her life and minimize it. She learned how to pivot to what she wanted to happen instead of focusing and dwelling on what she didn't like about her life and her body. I also encouraged her to stop beating up on herself so much when she "slipped up", according to what she was told she "should do". She learned to be kinder to herself! And wouldn't you know, one day she came to the coaching session and said to me "Guess what I did? I went on my treadmill for 15 minutes today!" This was HUGE for her!!! And why do you think she felt naturally drawn to that? Because she was feeling better about herself and her overall life ... all because she was NOW deliberately choosing different thoughts and feelings. She was vibrating higher (as us Law of Attraction teachers call it) or for you NON-Law of Attraction people, she was feeling so much better than she had ever felt before and as a result she was motivated to do something that was aligned with great Health and Wellness. No surprise to me!

That's the way The Law of Attraction works!

I personally believe that when you are Lovin' Life in this red hot moment and appreciating all the blessings in your life, your body will be naturally drawn to things that are good for your body (food and exercise included), keeping it functioning at its best!

So, the first thing I recommend is to definitely be selfish with your vibration and make sure you are making a conscious effort each day to FEEL GOOD, by focusing on what you DO want in your life, by engaging in activities that put a smile on your face, and by being extra kind to #1 ... YOU!

I also recommend that you ask your inner guidance as to how you could move your body in a way that would make you feel the way you want that "exercise" to feel (e.g., invigorating, energizing, alive, on cloud nine, etc.) -- you get the idea. You may not get the answer right away but just be open to receiving the answer.

Also here are some questions for you to ponder that will help you to uncover what you are really looking for...

* How do you want to feel as a result of exercising?

* What particularly are you looking for the exercise to do for you?

* Why do you want to enjoy exercise like some folks do? Do you feel like you are missing out on something? If so, what would that be?

Physical activity can be AWESOME and it doesn't have to feel like a chore -- matter of fact, that would be an indication that it is not the right physical activity for you (at least not one that you want to do on a regular basis).

When you are aligned with JOY on a regular basis, loving your life as it is and loving who you are right now in this present moment, you will be naturally drawn to activities that are healthy for you! The perfect exercise will reveal itself to you -- one that will be so much fun, you won't even call it "exercise"! It will be at the top of your JOY LIST!

Have a Lovin' Life rest of the day!

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Thursday, June 17, 2010

Your Burning Questions about Health & Wellness: Chocolate Addiction or just LOVE? ... A Law of Attraction Perspective

Ok ... here we are on Day 3 of your burning questions when it comes to Health & Wellness and how specifically you can be a deliberate creator of your experiences when it comes to your physical well-being. This question is a really good one for all of you out there that LOVE LOVE LOVE chocolate but on some level think that it is "bad" for you.

Read on and feel free to post your comments about this "yummy" subject!

Question #3 from a Chocolate LOVER:

I'm really interested in learning about food addiction. Okay, I'll cut to the chase -- chocolate addiction. (I am eating a piece of chocolate as I write this...)

I know that it's more than just the physical addiction to the sugar, theobromine, etc in the chocolate. Intuitively, I'm aware of both the energy and the emotional charge I have behind chocolate.

I've done a lot of energy-shifting work around letting go of the need for chocolate, too, and it's worked for awhile, but not of the energy has shifted in a permanent manner.

Part of me is whispering, "I have an addiction!" and part of me is resisting that idea in the first place. It's like a big old chocolately slice of resistance, all around.
Truth be told, I really love chocolate. But I don't love feeling like I *need* it in order to have a good day, or to feel peppy.

And since my own intuition tends to konk out around this issue (resistance!), I'd love some insight.



And here's my unique answer to this wonderful question:

I just finished eating a piece of dark chocolate myself and I enjoyed every bit of it!

But, now on to your question ...

You want to learn about food addiction (well, chocolate addiction).

You indicated in your post above that you have done a lot of work around "letting go of the need for chocolate", that it "worked for a while", but that the energy hasn't shifted "in a permanent manner".

So, here are some questions for you:
1) Do you want to stop eating chocolate all together? If so, WHY? Is it a weight thing? Are you worried that it will translate to weight gain? Do you just have a belief that is is "bad" for you and that you "shouldn't" eat it? What's the reason WHY this is such a "hot button" and why it is such a big deal if you have an "addiction" to it? Just asking these questions in a very loving way.

2) What are you telling yourself about having this "addiction"? What story are you telling yourself that is holding onto the resistance?

3) What type of feeling to you have when you do indulge in chocolate? You said that you REALLY love it, but you don't love the feeling of "needing" it to have a good day. Fair point ... so, what great feeling do you have when you do eat chocolate and how can you reach for that same feeling in other areas of your life? For example, if chocolate makes you feel "peppy" or gives you that "boost of energy" you feel you need, what other types of activities would give you that "peppy" feeling or "boost of energy"? There are an abundant of things that can do the same thing.

For me, loving chocolate is OK. I don't feel I need it to get through my day, but I look forward to it and enjoy it thoroughly when I am having it. There's no guilt, no charge, no feeling of "oh my God, I'm addicted to this", it is just a daily pleasure that I engage in that puts a smile on my face. Does that mean I am addicted to it? I don't think so. But then again, I don't even think of the word "addicted" when it comes to chocolate. It's just a thing I enjoy doing, similar to taking a 4-mile walk down by the river or going out to eat to my favorite restaurant with my honey, or coaching my wonderful clients. It's a vortex thing!

So, let me know your answers to the above questions, and if you would like to have a complimentary strategy session with me around this topic or anything else, I would be happy to oblige. I am here to help you get in the vortex and be Lovin' Life more than you ever have before (with or without chocolate)!

To Your Happiness & Health!
~Maria

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Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Burning Questions about Health & Wellness: Allergies again?! ... A Law of Attraction viewpoint - Part II!

This is Day 2 of my rampage of answers to Health & Wellness questions I received on a Law of Attraction forum. Remember, I am answering these questions from the perspective of the power of your thoughts and feelings and how that impacts the state of your overall health and wellness. I am not a Doctor, and don't claim to be one. But I am aware and believe fully in the power of the mind and how it impacts our physical bodies.

So here it goes ... Question #2:

I am having problems again with my allergies going out of control (mainly food allergies). Things that used to be fine are suddenly giving me reactions. This happened in early December too, and I thought I tracked down the cause then, but now it is happening again. I have been trying to think what the vibrational cause could be, but I am stumped. Except for this, my life is going better now than it has in a long while. It's a mystery. I'd appreciate any insight you may have. I know MS is autoimmune too, did you have any insights as to what that was indicating?


And here's my answer:

I think the most important thing is to not try to figure it out. (Something I have learned that has served me really well once I embraced it.)

When you try to figure out WHY something "negative", "bad" or "off" is happening, you give it more attention and it will continue to happen. So, my first recommendation would be to stop trying to figure out why it is back.

On a side note, you did ask about the DX of MS -- my theory is that it was a result of STRESS I felt in corporate and that's how it manifested in my body. But that's the only attention I give it (in the answering of your question). Bottom line that I tell all my coaching clients is that what's important now, in this present moment, is that you make peace with it and align with wellness & joy (which I help share with them techniques on how to do).

On a personal note, I had allergies as a kids (got shots and the whole nine yards), then when I went to college, I continued to get allergy shots and then one day I said "enough is enough! I don't need this" -- my parents weren't thrilled I did that, but that's what felt right to me. Since then, I have not had any allergy shots. Now, recently in Eugene, OR (matter of fact the past few days), I started sneezing A LOT and having some "allergy" symptoms. What I did was to let it be and ride its course. I didn't resist it or get really frustrated with it. Yes, I took 2 Advil (believe it or not, that sometimes helps a bit), but that's all I did. My partner kept on saying "God bless you" about 100 times in the day and felt more bad for me than I did for myself. I even looked at it in a positive and said to myself "Ahhh ... this is cleaning out all the gunk in my head!". What happened was within 1.5 days, all allergy symptoms were gone.

And here's the rub ... the News Reporters here in Eugene, OR were saying that the pollen count was at an all time high of 990 (whatever that means) -- but they said that usually high counts are at 200-300. So, when I heard this (which was after I already had felt better), I was celebrating! I was REALLY good, given my history from the past.

What I am trying to say is that you need to take your focus off the allergies, make peace with it (by resisting it less and letting it be), and just know that your body wants to align with total wellness and will once you release any resistance you have around having the reactions.

Forget about the "vibrational cause" and just send the "symptoms" love and only give them attention if it is a non-judmental, un-biased observer kind of attention. Say hello to your little friends and breathe a big sigh of relief, knowing that the will leave when they are not treated as the life of the party!

*****
Until tomorrow with Question #3... In the meanwhile, feel free to leave your questions on this blog and I will do my best to answer them. Who knows, maybe a Magazine column is in the works and I will be your Law of Attraction Health guru answering all your burning questions that pertain to how YOU can be a deliberate creator of your great health and well-being! Anything is possible! :)

To your Happiness & Health,
Maria

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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Your Burning Questions about Health & Wellness: Heart Palpitations at work?! ... A Law of Attraction perspective!

I recently asked the following on a Law of Attraction Forum, looking for people's burning questions around health and wellness (since I am passionate about teaching people how to be pro-active when it comes to their health and to address the stress before it turns into a physical symptom). Here's the question I posted on that forum:

*****
I am doing a very informal survey here and would love to know what Good Vibe University members would like to see and learn more about when it comes to the topic of overall health and wellness. So, what are your burning questions (if you have any) when it comes to being a deliberate creator around your health?

Nothing is off limits here! Post away!

*****

For the next few days, I am going to post some of the questions I got (anonymous, of course) and the answers I posted:

So, here's question #1:
****
Have you had any experience with heart palpitations?
My sister, who is very healthy, is experiencing them as of late.
She's says they increase when she goes to work (she's a beautician)
She's now taking COQ10 and Hawthorne berry which is a heart tonic
She's very much into Abraham and understands what
stressful thinking can do. Just would like to
hear your ideas on deliberately creating
a new way of dealing with this bit of stress
****

Here's my answer:

I personally have NOT had any experiences with heart palpitations. However, when it comes to any health symptoms, it is important to pay attention to your body and notice when the symptoms seem to occur. Since you said that your sister gets them when she goes to work, if I was working with her as her LOA Health Coach, I would want to delve a bit deeper as to what her emotions were before going to work, during and after. There could be a correlation (or not), but many physical manifestations occur from emotional "stuff" (non-technical term) or "baggage" that we carry around (that we don't even know we have).

As far as dealing with the stress, there are many tools that I use with my clients (and myself too) that help a great deal to reduce (or dare I say --- ELIMINATE) the stress. My latest technique that I am all juiced about (which many of you probably can hear when I talk about it) is NPA. If you haven't already, listen to Joel's call on this simple, yet powerful technique that can help to reduce the stress and bring in a greater sense of calm and peace. And it does it pretty quickly too (if you are open to it). I also have worked with the Sedona Method and other meditation & visualization techniques to release stress. I also find simple breathing techniques can help a great deal.

For many of my clients, the stress is felt as a result of some story they are telling themselves that is no longer empowering (it may have been at one time, but it is not working for them any longer). I am thinking of a Doctor client who has a belief that you have to work hard to succeed -- the whole "no pain, no gain" mentality. But now through the coaching she is realizing that that belief is only making her feel more stressed and keeping her from spending quality time with her 6 kids (yes, SIX!). So, now she is crafting a new story that feels so much better to her, re-designing her "environment" so that it brings her more peace, and doing the NPA on the spot in her office when she is having an out-of-control moment.

Hope this helps.
****

Stay tuned for more preventive Health & Wellness questions and answers from a Life Coach's perspective.

To your Health & Happiness,
Maria C. Lesetz

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Wednesday, June 09, 2010

The Shower Exercise - LATHER UP with LOVE!

Last week I was in the shower and came up with an exercise that we can all do to appreciate our bodies more. AND YES, it is clean (literally!) HA!

As you all know, loving yourself is the first step to creating the body of your dreams or to create anything else for that matter that you truly desire. Beating up on yourself and having "mean" and "nasty" things to say about your body and who you are never gets you anywhere but feeling "stuck" and "discouraged". You are holding yourself back when you are not kind to you!


LATHER UP WITH LOVE & DEEP APPRECIATION:

So, last week I was in the shower and ...
I started washing my body with soap and as I was washing my leg and lathering the soap started to give my thighs and mega love stating to them how much I appreciate them for being so strong - appreciating those 4-mile walks I can take down by the river because my strong thighs help me to do that. I really felt a deep appreciation and the love was very focused on my thighs -- I was sending a loving energy like I never have before. Then, I went to my muscular calves and appreciated their strength and definition as I washed them with soap.

Then I moved on to my feet and said to them: "Wow. Given your size, you carry a lot of weight and do it with such grace and ease. Thank you for carrying the load of my entire body. Just goes to show that you don't have to be big to be powerful! Thank you!"

Well, you get the idea. It was a real FOCUSED loving energy of appreciation that felt so good. I got out of that shower and felt FANTASTIC. Matter of fact, I looked in the mirror after it and said "you look REALLY good!"

So, I wanted to share this LATHER UP WITH LOVE SHOWER EXERCISE with you, so that you can play with it. Try it. Love every part of your body for how it functions, what it does for you, what it allows you to do in your life that you absolutely love to do!

Never underestimate the power of love. It will transform your life and your body into something more beautiful than it already is.

Enjoy!

HUGS,
Maria

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Tuesday, June 08, 2010

WHY do you REALLY Want to Lose that Excess Weight?

I always tell my coaching clients that it is important for them to TAP INTO THE FEEL GOOD PLACE OF WHY (they want to achieve their goal). It is very important to feel that feeling prior to the manifestation because it is that particular feeling that is going to open up the doors to you living your dream!

Imagine right now having that healthy and fit body you want. What does it feel like? What are you doing as a result of having this new found rockin’ body?

Has your life changed? Are you doing things that you never have done before but always dreamed about doing?

What are those things? Can you envision what life would be like when you are at your ideal weight? What has changed? Are you the same person or are you showing up differently as a result of your successful weight loss?

My weight loss coaching programs are not about what you should eat or how you should exercise to get healthy. It’s about resetting your mindset so that you pave the way for success when it comes to your weight loss journey.

Why do you think so many people still have “weight issues”? Why are you still working on this area of your life?

Do you think it is because you are not eating the right things? You are not exercising enough? Not disciplined enough? Not on the right diet?

What is it?

Why do so many people lose lots of weight, feel good for a while, and then put the weight right back on? What’s that about?

I am here to tell you that it is ALL about the MindSet and the stories we tell ourselves about our bodies, the foods we eat, our life. It's more about the emotional "stuff" not the actual FOODS or the exercises we choose to do! Yes, that will bring temporary success -- but will it bring PERMANENT success?

Many people, maybe even you, have a Fat Mindset ... now, don’t take offense to that. I sometimes have that type of mindset too. But I can catch myself in the moment when I have those types of thoughts and reset my mindset to “think thin” “feel healthy & fit” and align with well-being. I teach my coaching clients how to do this so that losing weight becomes a much easier goal than they every thought it was!

You can learn how to be HAPPY right now with what you have. I know... you are not thrilled with the way you look right now --- or at minimum you definitely want to look different than how you look now.

But here’s the secret that I help my coaching clients uncover during the course of our work together ...

Are you ready .. here it is .. you have to stop beating up on yourself! You have to start appreciating your body for what it is. You need to align with what brings you joy before you can even make lasting changes in your overall health.

Now, I know that might sound difficult from where you are standing right now, but that’s why I am here. I am going to help make that process easy for you.

What if you are making it harder than it needs to be?

I tried to lose weight for many years (from high school into college and into my first 2 corporate jobs) .. but then one day I said “enough is enough” – I got on that scale, so the number on the scale and reach that pivotal point in my life where I decided

“this was it” – I had to have a different attitude, take different action steps, if I wanted to be successful with losing the weight and keeping it off.

Looking back on that time, I can tell you that the new attitude I was embracing came from a place of JOY – why JOY? Because I was a happy place in my life – I just got a new job which paid very well, had a great position, and potential to move up the corporate ladder. I had a wonderful place to live, an easy commute to work and had total freedom to live my life the way I wanted to. In all aspects I felt pretty darn good with myself.

And because of that feeling, that joy, that new found energy of moving into a new home, new job, new income level ... I naturally came to a conclusion that “enough was enough” when it came to my overweight body.

I joined a gym (on my own – in a new area where I knew nobody). I naturally started eating more vegetables and what I considered ‘healthier”.

But the moral of that story is NOT that I was eating differently and starting to work out ... the message from that is that the inspiration came from me being in a place of joy. Yes, that’s the key.

I have a few questions for you that I would like you to start working on (write your answers down and really put some thought into these):

1) WHY do you want to lose this weight? What will happen as a result of you losing that excess weight? How will you feel? What will you be doing that’s different than what you are doing now?

2) Are you doing this for YOU? Really YOU? Or is someone else telling you that you must lose weight because ... (their reasons, not yours)

3) Can you tap into that “feel good place of WHY”? Try it now. Imagine yourself 1 year from now with a body that is fit and healthy. How does that feel? Start to envision your life as if you already have that body that is aligned with total wellness. How does that feel? Ahhhhhh ...really feel that wonderful elated feeling of knowing that you are healthy, fit and empowered!

Now, if you are having difficulties with step #3, no worries -- sometimes my coaching clients can't imagine themselves thinner and healthier. That's OK -- it's probably too unbelievable from where you stand right now. So, here's what I want you to do instead: You know how you look in the mirror now and have a few choice words that you say to yourself when you look at your body? (Yes, you know .. all those self-degrading things you say about your body and how it looks.) Well, I want you to think about what you would like to say to yourself when you look in the mirror. How would you like to feel? Do you want to say "oooh, I look REAL good today" or do you want to feel "empowered" and "beautiful". Think about the type of thoughts & feelings you would like to have on a daily basis towards your body and how you look. That's what I would like you to do.

Your body responds to your thoughts and feelings and throughout and you can learn how to shift those thoughts and feelings to ones that are way more empowering and positively impact all the cells of your body.

Your body actually responds to everything you say to yourself about you, about your body and your overall health and well-being? Think about stress... I'm sure you are aware of the negative impact it has on your overall health and well-being. Many diseases and health conditions stem from feeling stressed. So, YES ... how you feel plays a huge role in how healthy your body actually is!

If you tell yourself that you are a “fat slob” or “disgusting” or a “cow”, your body responds to those negative thoughts. And forget about what those things you say to yourself do to your confidence level and spirit.

My coaching clients learn how to be kinder to themselves. Being kind to you is one of the most important steps in making positive changes in your life, including weight loss.

You can learn how to tell yourself a different story about who you are and what you are capable of doing. A story that will empower you instead of discourage you.

Start thinking about all those things you tell yourself on a daily basis about your “weight”, your “body”, your “image”. Start becoming 100% aware of how mean you can be to yourself.

Awareness is the first step to change.

I want you to start writing down WHY you want to lose weight.

I want you to TAP INTO THAT FEEL GOOD PLACE OF WHY – use your positive visualization muscles. You are REAL good at imagining and visualizing the worst case scenarios so NOW I want you to start imagining the best case scenario. Visualize having what you want. Imagine having a healthy & fit body already. Feel it. Breathe it in. Know it is YOURS! It’s a DONE DEAL!

I also want you to start being kinder to you. Catch yourself in the act of being mean to you and turn it around. Find something you do like about you in that moment. Remind yourself that it is just a story you are telling yourself and that you are worth it. You can have it all. You are a wonderful person who deserves the best life you can possible live.

You can do this. A thinner and healthier body is just around the corner. The question is "do you have the right mindset" and "love yourself enough right now" to make it happen?

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