Drink Less, Live More

On occasion I coach for free , and recently I was speaking to a client who was discussing how she felt out of control with her drinking.  Often times we find ourselves saying it seems like a habit that we are not able to get a hold of. Makes perfect sense. The brain has  developed  a neural pathway through  repetition .   There is an alternative. Sometimes we drink for celebrating, but most often I coach successful women who have a thought that makes them want to escape a feeling such as anxiety.  They desire the alcohol, have the drink, feel better, and the behavior is learned over time.   We teach our brain this pattern.  But you can get a hold of it.  Awareness from a curious standpoint is the first step.  The next step is to begin using the planning, more evolved, part of your brain to decide in advance what you will drink.  You begin building a new neural pathway of controlled drinking...

I was recently opening a birthday gift from loved ones and found my brain being VERY tricky.  Much to my joy, a part of the gift included one box of Girl Scout Samoas, and one box of Thin Mints!  I haven't had these in such a long time and immediately my brain went to how amazing they are, and what a perfect time it was to have them.  I mean, I must also support young female entrepreneurs right? 😉 But I'm onto myself. This week is a more stressful one at work, and what a great treat to make me feel better (so my toddler brain tells me).   Honestly, just the sight of the boxes seemed to release some dopamine and relax me.  And then, I realized what was going on. My brain was going to the easy, well worn story of eating to feel better. Sure the dopamine would've been a magnificent hit, and seemed so perfect in the moment, but it was not perfect in my big picture.  I took a pause and thought about how I would feel after, and how I would have to l...

If you have tried to stop over drinking in the past but haven't found success it is likely due to the fact you were attempting this goal using willpower.  This is usually not long lasting because willpower in finite.  So you think all day long, I won't drink tonight, I won't drink tonight.  Maybe you are successful the first night, but by the third night you are like - I need my glass of wine! When I work with clients we dig into the neuroscience component of desire, and really look at how the brain is designed.  It is a fascinating tool, in fact the most powerful one we have, yet we don't take  advantage of it enough.  Over desire is a learned behavior we have practiced for so long that the neural pathway is like a super highway.  You (the brain) thinks something along the lines of "I deserve this after the day I had",  you reward with a glass of wine, and the pattern is repeated. Instead of fighting against yourself, take some time thi...

Here's a secret friends - if you are  struggling  with losing weight you don't have to  change  the number of calories you are eating today.  If you really want to make a lasting  change  you need to adjust the thoughts you have about the foods you are currently eating.   We have been told food is love , food is comfort , food is joy .  Food is really just food.  We eat it, it digests, and it comes out... well - I think you know the final step 😉. Ask yourself how much self love do you hold at your current weight?   How comfortable are you really? How much joy are you really feeling with this ongoing struggle. Be honest. When you start challenging your old beliefs you are able to see new ones are possible.  When you believe new things you will create new results.  Take the time today to imagine what  your future self would tell you.  When you notice yourself saying you deserve the...

Welcome back to Thinking about Drinking Thursday, where we discuss tools to help you drink less.  This program is not for alcoholics.  If you are a highly functioning gal who has decided to just cut back on your drinking - this is for you.  Do you just have some days when you get home from work and it seems like you can’t pour that glass of Pinot G fast enough? I’ve totally been there. It can be a crazy stressful hectic day,and the wine seems to just help is relax and hopefully get to sleep at night. But really, sleeping well was rarely the case. I actually was sleeping quite poorly. I’m sure aging and hormones didn’t entirely help, but interrupted sleep was clock work. If you are having trouble with consistent sleep I want to share a few insights. What I have found now since drinking less is 2 fold on the sleeping front. First, it does in fact take me a little longer to fall asleep because I seem to be more awake and at times a little anxious still. But once ...

Welcome back to Mindful Weighs Wednesday where we discuss weight loss topics and tools to create the best you. I was recently listening to another weight loss coach who mentioned the food was better in the trash than on your ass.  Of course I chuckled, but it is so true.  Growing up we were always told to finish what was on the plate, but in our large portion society we have to sometimes waste food in order to stay at our ideal weight.   We hate to waste right? But if you are carrying around the extra weight as fat on your body isn't that a waste?   Think about the commitment you have made to yourself.  You have started taking the steps to make decisions in advance by planning your meals, and you eat until you are no longer hungry.  You have a compelling reason you are doing this, and you don’t want to waste your efforts for past beliefs.  I encourage you to remain future focused and really keep thinking about what you want to ...

Welcome back to Thinking about Drinking Thursday, where we discuss tools to help you drink less.  This program is not for alcoholics.  If you are a highly functioning gal who has decided to just cut back on your drinking - this is for you.  How often do you find yourself getting home form work and SO looking forward to that glass of wine?  So many of the ladies I work with have similar stories.  You’ve had a long day at work, stressed, and anxious, as you think about all there is left to do on your lists.   The wine is what makes you feel better, or so you think.  Initially you take the sip, and ahhh.. breathe, it’s going to be ok.  But what often happens is one sip leads to many more, and soon enough you’ve had more than you wanted.  At this point it feels as if you are drinking against your own will. You wake up the next morning and tell yourself all the reasons you should’ve stopped sooner.  Did you ever notice ...

Did you know you can totally lose weight without counting calories?  Did you know it could actually be fun? It goes against what many of us know, but trust me friends - it is possible and this is the key to keeping it off. The science behind losing weight surrounds the importance of balancing of hormones, with insulin being the most important.  If you want to lose weight, the goal is to keep insulin as low as possible.   When you have too much insulin in your blood your body is unable to access fat stores, and you get hungrier.  When you get hungrier you often look for a snack.    You know the best thing to snack on when you are trying to lose weight?   Your own fat.   Dine in mamma - the rewards will be amazing. This is not about about deprivation.   You are in total control of making your food plan, and see what works best for your body to keep your insulin low.   You truly develop a way of living t...