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Remember the basics to stay on track this holiday season...

Perspective - it's all a matter of perspective. If you believe healthy choices will give you the most satisfaction, your choices will match this.

Purpose - why are you wanting to be healthier and are you focusing in on it?

Plan - do you have a plan to succeed? Is it in writing?

Prepare - are you prepared to overcome the logistical, relational, physical, mental, Financial challenges that come with living a healthier lifestyle over the holidays?

Partners - Have you shared with others that you are living a healthier lifestyle and making healthy lifestyle choices over the holidays and letting them know that you'll be making choices in terms of nutrition and exercise that maybe an inconvenience for others but it's something very important to you?

Stay connected with others who are living a healthier lifestyle and invite others to join you if they're not. Regardless of what they decide at least you will have spoken to them what matters most to you and awaken them to the choices that you're making so that they may be inspired and that you may be inspired to continue your journey ahead.

See more Healthy Holiday Tips and Tactics here! 

PS. If you know of anybody else who is interested in getting healthier and who would like some encouragement, please let them know about our healthy community and how we're working together.

Watch this video for some encouraging words on how a few small changes can lead you too extraordinary results!

When it comes to success the formula is rather simple but the implementation of the core success factors is not easy. It takes determination, possibility thinking, coaching and education to unlock the potential we have with in us. In this video I breakdown the S.A.C.K. principle to help you to identify what you may be missing to achieve your goals.

What's the one big thing standing in the way of you achieving your goals and realizing your dreams? Watch this video and prepare to overcome the barriers you're facing and make progress!

How many marbles can you put in a jar over the next 28-Days? Ready to discover your optimal health for a 'change'? See www.ehealthcoaching.com for more weight loss and health coaching tips. 

Why focus on the past when the future holds so much more potential. Here's a quick look into your future if you're willing to look at things a little differently.

You are mastering healthy lifestyle habits in an unhealthy environment. You’re likely to slip up and fall backwards now and then and feel like you're losing the fight but don’t let your temporary lapse in judgement define you. You can still win the battle. Let your slip up refine you. Work through it and learn from it. Here are 7 tips to use that failure to move your forward towards success...  

1. Manage expectations.  It is unrealistic to expect a child to learn to walk without ever falling.  Falling is not a failure.  It is how the child learns to balance.  It is also unrealistic to expect a 20, 30, or 40 year old person to make healthy choices 100% of the time, after decades of practicing unhealthy choices.   If you will take the time to reflect and change your perspective on failure, success is within your grasp.  
   
   
2. Suspend judgment.  Thoughts like “I”ll never get this right!” Or even “I can’t believe I blew it again!” Convey a lack of confidence in our ability to succeed.  Positive or negative, we often live up to our expectations!  We would never think to belittle a child that falls when they are learning to walk.  We understand that building up their confidence is an important part of their process of eventually walking successfully. Our thoughts and words can either empower or crush our confidence, and ultimately our will to try again.  If we are to learn from our mistakes and pick up the courage to try again, we need to suspend judgment.
   
   
3. Review your performance. Top athletes often review film of their performances to identify what they did right and what they did wrong. The purpose of the review is to improve their performance.  Will you pursue the goal of achieving the optimal health with the same passion as an elite athlete who’s pursuing their life-long dreams and goals? Think of the last time you felt you failed.  Review the facts without judging them.  Ask yourself the following questions:  What happened?  What day did it happen?  What time of the day was it?  Where were you when it happened?  Who were you with?  Why did it happen?  Where you Bored, Lonely, Angry, Sad, Tired, Eager, Distressed or Something Else?
   
   
4. Identify the road blocks.  As you reviewed your performance, you identified some barriers to successful performance that are specific to you.  Maybe it was a birthday celebration, or the friends you were with.  Maybe you were hungry as you drove past a favorite fast food place.  Understanding which physical, mental, and financial barriers stand in the way of your successful performance can help you create a plan for success.  
   
   
5. Define the win.  The next time you are faced with a situation similar to the one you described above, what would make you feel successful?  What do you want to create? What do you want to be, do and have?
   
   
6. Remember why.  In the daily grind of life we can lose our motivation if we don’t remind ourselves about why we started this journey to begin with.  Remind yourself daily why you are willing to face the challenges and conquer the obstacles.
    
7. Create a map to success.  Write out your plan.  Include your goals, why they are important, a list of potential barriers, and the action steps you will take to get around the barriers.  Having a written plan that you implement and updating that plan as needed will eliminate detours and accelerate your progress to the summit of success.    

We can allow our failures to limit our potential, or we can use them as stepping stones on our climb to Extraordinary health.  How will you choose to use your mistakes?  

I hope you found this list helpful and wish you the best in success and optimal health in the days, weeks, months and year to come! 

The word “coach” comes from a town called Kocs in Hungary.  Back in 1556 the people of Kocs began to make large carriages that would take people from wherever they were to where they wanted to be.  This large carriage was the beginning of what we know as the stagecoach.  

A personal coach is similar to a stagecoach.  The primary aim of the coach is to help the leader get from where they are to wherever they want to be.  Helping the leader make this trip successfully is the only agenda of the coach and their success depends on their ability to close this gap.

Without a coach in one’s life, leaders can experience:

•         Lack of Accountability
•         Lack of Focus
•         Lack of Direction
•         Lack of Perspective
•         Lack of Systems
•         Lack of Balance

These symptoms can often lead to an ordinary life producing ordinary results in the life and work of a leader.  Complacency in a leader’s life can also set in after a certain level of success has been accomplished because of a general resistance to change.  This leads to the leader never breaking out of the successes of yesterday.

A coach can help challenge a leader to break out of this rut by bringing their dream(s) back to them and holding them in front of them.  Leaders are constantly challenged by the elements around them and it becomes tiring to continue to climb the mountain of success.  Extraordinary coaches understand this and know where to go to help the leader dig deep within to bring out the courage to continue to journey to excellence.

Often, we think of a coach as the person who works face-to-face to inspire an individual or team to win a championship. This is just one example of coaching. Coaching can come in a variety of forms, including:

o        A personal or professional growth book, DVD or audio program

o        Interactive websites, podcasts, blogs or other virtual resources

o        Live training courses or workshops

o        A mentor or accountability partner

o        A mastermind group of individuals who challenge one another

o        A personal coach who works with you one-on-one

To live an extraordinary life, we all need some form of coaching to go beyond what’s usual, regular and customary in our lives. Coaches give us the EXTRA edge we need to make our lives “exceptional to a marked extent.” Resolve to find a coach and/or the coaching resources that will take you to the next level!

Extraordinary athletes have coaches to help them get extraordinary results. Leaders who want to achieve their goals and go beyond what is usual, regular and customary in their lives also need coaches who can take them farther than they can take themselves.

Why is having a coach so important?  

Stephen Covey, a New York Times Best Selling Author says “Accountability breeds response-ability.”

A coach brings some critical pieces to the success puzzle you won’t find anywhere else:

• strategic perspective, insights and knowledge different from your own
• resources, tools and tactics to help one accomplish the mission in less time with less effort and mistakes
• accountability, motivation and encouragement to help us go beyond what is comfortable

Once someone has reached the peak of success with the help of a coach, you will find that person rarely takes on a major project, dream or mission without one ever again. Invest in your success. Find a coach and listen to them.

Looking for a personal health coach to help you take your game to the next level? Visit www.eHealthCoaching.com.

By: Sumi Tohan, RDN, LDN

• Download healthy shopping list

Healthy eating is often perceived as being expensive. Here are some suggestions on how to save money while buying nutritious foods. Remember, foods that are high in starch and sugar tend to be the cheapest things you can buy at the grocery store.

In comparison, buying fresh, nutritious foods seems costly and is often the reason many people find it challenging to sustain healthy eating habits. A low-carbohydrate meal plan can actually be a cost-effective way to get better nutrition. When you look at how much it costs to get all of the nutrients you need, rather than just calories, meat, eggs, dairy, seafood, and vegetables actually provide the most value. Starchy and sugar foods, although cheap, do not provide essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, healthy fats, or protein.

Here are some suggestions to help you shop effectively:

• Rely on cheap protein. Good sources are eggs and tofu. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are more cost effective protein sources for vegetarians rather than pricey mock meats.

• Favor simplicity. Use herbs and spices as condiments rather than specialty products labeled low-carb.

• By produce in season. Not only will it taste better, it will also be cheaper.

• Be aware of holiday specials. This is a good time to buy extra and freeze it to have on hand during times when meat is full-price.

• Where’s the beef? The price of beef is continuing to rise. Opt for other protein sources, such as poultry or even plant-based options like tofu or seitan.

• How about stocking-up to save? Choose products that have long shelf-lives, will be used regularly, and can be used in multiple ways.

• Invest wisely when it comes to those kitchen gadgets. Only buy kitchen gadgets that will help you save money.

• Don’t be a short-order cook. Learn how to adapt ingredients to suit varied tastes in the home in order to have to only cook one meal to save money and time.

• Doing your own prep-work can save you money as well. For example: A whole chicken is cheaper than the sum of its parts, so de-bone and separate it it yourself.

• Bulk-up. Buy protein in bulk-packages for a lower cost per serving, then batchcook and freeze it until needed.

• Drink like a fish. Hydrate with plain water instead of expensive calorie free drinks.

• Go international. Try Asian or international markets to find competitive pricing on produce, seafood, tofu, nuts, and even spices.

• Practice menu-planning. Use the store circular to figure out what’s on sale, and use those foods to plan your weekly menu.