In Michael Landing’s “The Coke machine – The Dirty Truth Behind The World’s Favourite Soft Drink” he tells us of the devastation by one of the world’s largest companies (Coca Cola) that has compromised our health, undermined workers rights, and environmental standards worldwide.  Coca Cola’s influence spreads across the world, from India and Mexico, where companies are suspected of decimating water supplies and spreading toxic pollution, to the US, where supersizing has led to an explosion in adult obesity and exclusive soda contracts in schools have fuelled childhood obesity and increases in diabetes.  At the same time, Coca Cola Company has become a huge success with enormous profits – but what is the cost to our health.

Landing tells us it all began in the late 1800’s when there was a shortage of doctors and many turned to the peddlers or travelling salesmen crisscrossing the United States selling so called patent medicines that could “cure” anything. After a lot of music, magicians and comedians, the salesmen used to reel in their potential buyers with outrageous pitches often whipping up fears of disease before “magically” healing a planted crowd member or two. So it was typical at the time to buy these “medicines” to “cure” what ailed you. 

John Pemberton, injured in Civil War, was convinced that the coca leaf was the best substitute for opium. Pemberton developed his first beverage as a run up to Coca Cola called French Wine Coca – that contained wine, coca leaf, with kola nut and other ingredients. In that era, most beverages were alcoholic and even children drank hard cider and beer. The late 1880s saw the rise of temperance movement so many turned towards the new carbonated drinks like Pemberton’s.  In 1886, as nervousness and anxiety was abundant after the Civil War, Pemberton set out to make a new nerve tonic as a cure. The exact formulation is a closely guarded secret, but he began by removing the wine (because of the temperance movement) and kola nut (because of its bitterness) and he added synthetic caffeine. Then, keeping the coca leaf (cocaine) (which was not removed until 1906), he also added sugar and citric and phosphoric acids, vanilla, lemon oil, extracts of orange, nutmeg, coriander and bitter orange and cassia, which was then carbonated.

Pemberton did not live to see Coca Cola’s success.  He sold Coca Cola to an ambitious Atlanta pharmacist, Asa Candler, who quickly spread the drink around the country in syrup form to drugstores to peddle in their soda fountains.  By 1895 Coca Cola was sold in all 44 states with Hawaii, Canada, Mexico and Cuba soon to follow. By 1902, Coca Cola was selling over a million gallons earning it $1.5 million in sales. In early 1900, Coca Cola began bottling and this revolutionized sales and by 1920, the company made $4 million in profit.

Candler then sold the company to Ernest Woodruff who then re-incorporated the company to raise more capital to expand and increase sales so in the 1920’s Coca Cola was to become one of America’s national symbols, eventually exporting the brand worldwide. 

Coke was sold in 6 ½ oz bottles until the 1950’s.  By then, the arms race with Pepsi had Coke rolling out 12 oz and 26 oz bottles at cheaper prices to stave off Pepsi’s challenge.

For decades, the price of sugar keep the lid on how big Coke could grow but in the 1980’s super cheap high fructose corn syrup was developed. This began the age of the supersize – Coke became so cheap to make and drink – sales boomed. With this great success also came the beginning of the obesity epidemic. Since then the size of the average American has doubled with the average BMI in the 1970’s at 14 – and now standing at 30. So with increase of consumption came the increase in sugar or high fructose corn syrup.  Sugar disrupts the body’s natural mechanism causing cells to become more resistant to insulin which leads to diabetes which before 1990 was known as adult onset diabetes since it occurred typically later in life. By 1996 however, so many children had developed it the name was changed to type 2 diabetes. Today it is estimated that 1 in 3 will now become diabetic!  

 But back in the 1980’s the war was not on sugar but fat. Hence the explosion of the low fat diet crazes. But despite the low fat diets we have become larger and larger every year. (The last 10 years consuming around 700 calories per day more mostly from carbohydrates and added fats and sugars and putting on an average 20 lbs more since 2000).

These days it is estimated that sodas, soft drinks and “juice” drinks like Coca Cola’s Minute Maid brand represent approx 25% of the calories in a typical American Diet.  A typical 12 oz can of soda contains about 150 calories. Times that by 3, which is the average daily consumption, and you get almost 500 calories, or about 3500 calories extra per week, or the number of calories needed to add one pound to a person’s weight in one month, or a massive 12 pounds in one year – just by drinking sodas! 

To combat this, Coke and other soft drink companies started to add the artificial sweetener Aspartame to Diet Coke in 1983 (despite regular drinkers complaining about headaches, dizziness, fatigue, depression and insomnia and claims of cancer by other countries health studies).  Investigations were carried out by the company and the FDA and it was stated Aspartame was not harmful.  Despite the evidence to the contrary from other countries studies! Plus, if you think drinking Diet Coke will stop you from putting on the weight – think again – it has now been proven that drinking “diet” drinks is 7 times more likely to increase your belly size than if you don’t drink diet drinks!

And since then, in 1995, another potentially dangerous chemical has been found in Diet Coke – benzene – a chemical linked to leukaemia and other forms of cancer.  Coke was not alone, Perrier water was also found to have benzene in its drinks forcing them to recall 160 million bottles worldwide.  But the public was not informed until 2005 of benzene in Coke’s Fanta – Consumers finally took action against Coke, Pepsi, Cadbury and other companies and Coke settled in 2007 and along with the others and agreed to reformulate the drinks.

It is in the schools today where the fight continues because that is where obesity begins.  Making deals with school boards and trustees, Coke has managed to secure agreements with financial aid so long as the school only sells coke brands or anything that is approved by Coke. What followed were also exclusive deals with sports stadiums and fairgrounds. They were relentless to drive sales at whatever cost.

As our kid’s health started to deteriorate, parents and anti soda lobbyists started to meet the corporation head on with some success, forcing it out of the schools.

And as much as these anti soda lobbyists activities has had an effect – Coca Cola and others like it now have got on the “bottled water “bandwagon. 

What about Bottled Water – is it The Real Thing?

The bottled water industry is one of the biggest scams around today.  Let’s start by saying that the US water system is one of the safest around, delivering fresh, drinkable water to millions for pennies. Even with one of the best water systems in the world, last year, Americans spent more on Poland Spring, Fiji Water, Evian, Aquafina and Dasani water than they spent on iPods or movie tickets — $15 billion and they are expected to spend $16 billion this year.  

We drink tons of bottled water; in fact, over 38 billion water bottles a year are pitched into landfills — in excess of $1 billion worth of plastic. And what the companies don’t tell you is that most of the bottled water we buy is actually regular tap water from a municipal facility, repackaged by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo with a few minerals added.    

What Coke has done (like others) was to formulate a mix of minerals that they could ship to their bottlers to put in their tap water, then the mixture is put through a carbon filter and zapped by ultra violet light to kill bacteria and then put through a reverse osmosis filter to help purify it. However, in one example, it was actually discovered that the UK version of Dasani used water directly from the River Thames, which is not the world’s most pristine waterway, making it no more pure than London tap water but potentially more dangerous to drink!!

So basically, companies like Coke, take over local water supplies for virtually nothing, bottle it, and sell the water at huge 1000% profits – not to mention the 17 million gallons of oil each year now required to produce the plastic bottles just in the US.

It’s any wonder in 2007 The Economist called the success of the bottled water industry “one of capitalisms greatest mysteries” calling it the new “snake oil”.

To add more insult to injury, to get on the more “health conscious” boom Coke has released “Vitamin Water” and other “Sports” drinks like PowerAde with supposed health benefits which are essentially just sugared water with an few extra ingredients using “double labelling” (for example in Vitamin Water, it states its only 50 calories per serving when in fact its 125 calories per serving), to tempt us into consuming it.

Misrepresentation of what is actually in your bottled beverages it seems is still rife today – just like it was over 100 years ago when we were sold “snake oil”.

It’s time to choose what to stand for and show it by what we buy.  The beverages that Coke and other companies like them, Pepsi, Nestle, and Cadburys are quite simply in my opinion, pure poison. They are definitely not, “The Real Thing”.

The safest way to consume one of the primary and basic necessities of life, water, is from a high-quality water filter, distiller, or reverse osmosis system.  From there it is best to carry it around in glass or a stainless steel container.  Not only are you doing your body good from drinking from a high quality filter you are taking positive action for the environment. Drink filtered water, herbal teas and natural juices from a source you can trust.

For more information on alternatives and my Vital Fit Nutrition eBook visit my website www.vitalliving.com  there is a better way…….

Sincerely,

Dennis Croll

www.vitalliving.com

Red and White wine are healthy.

Many of my clients ask me regularly – “Is it ok to drink wine?” The answer is – yes but, as I always say, all things in moderation.

Recent studies in various countries show that the positive effects of drinking a moderate amount of red wine are higher than you think. But white wine has also protective forces that are in some ways equal to red wine –and in some instances white wine is even more protective than red wine.

Sports Medicine Specialist and Professor at the University of Mainz, Dr. Klaus Jung has performed several consecutive studies in the past years on the health effects of white wine. He and his colleagues have proven in detail the following protective effects of white wine (if it is consumed in a moderate amount):

1. The “bad” LDL cholesterol, drops while the “good” HDL cholesterol, that protects the heart, rises.
2. Polyphenols which are only contained in wine act as antioxidants.
3. Fibrinogen, that supports the clotting of the blood, drops too.

This means that wine prevents dangerous embolisms, thrombosis, heart attacks and cerebral infarctions. However, Dr. Jung points out that as much as wine can protect you against ill health it is important to note that it cannot heal existing illnesses.

How does the moderate consumption of wine affect our bodies? Read on.

Wine, your heart, and blood circulation

In France there are less people dying of heart attacks than in the US. At first there was no explanation to that fact, as French people love to eat “good food” too. But recently a possible explanation as to the cause of less heart attacks has been found: the consumption of wine! – Why?

1. Lack of oxygen rich blood supply to the heart due to narrowed arteries (accumulation of cholesterol and potential formation of blood clots) is the main reason for a heart attack. Red wine works against that in multiple ways: The tannins in wine avert the oxidation of cholesterol (Vitamin B) and minimize the risk of accumulation of cholesterol inside the blood vessels. Furthermore, those tannins and the alcohol combined prevent the formation of blood clots; and can even cause a certain widening of the blood vessels.
2. The consumption of wine – especially red wine – also helps to prevent arteriosclerosis (narrowing of blood arteries due to the accretion of cholesterol). Therefore the consummation of a moderate amount of wine can stimulate and stabilize low blood pressure. But beware – too much alcohol can cause high blood pressure too! Moderation is the key.

Conclusion: Wine can prevent the buildup of cholesterol and blood clots in the blood vessels and can therefore abate the risk of getting a heart attack. It also can help prevent arteriosclerosis; and stimulates and stabilizes low blood pressure.

Wine and your digestion system

Flavoring, mineral nutrients, the acid and alcohol contained in wine cause increased salivation and gastric juice secretion. Therefore, wine – especially highly aromatic wine with intense flavor – has long been consumed as an appetizer and to prevent the loss of appetite.

Wine activates the production of pepsin, which is a digestive enzyme, in the stomach. Furthermore the secretions of the pancreas and gall bladder are augmented, which increases the efficiency of the whole digestive system (and the risk of getting gall stones becomes smaller).

Wine can also be used as “medicine” for frequent digestive disorders especially young and fresh white wine or fermenting young wine. It abates constipation; while red wines rich in tannins can help cure diarrhea. This is because wine has a disinfectant effect on the gastrointestinal tract and kills the bacteria there.

Conclusion: Wine boosts the secretion of saliva, gastric juices and increases the production of digestive enzymes and helps against constipation and diarrhea!

Wine, your brain, nervous system and old age

A long-term study of approximately 4000 persons over 65 years of age showed that regular, moderate consumption of wine can help to prevent the degradation of the brain due to old age. Therefore wine drinkers often maintain their mental youth longer than people who don’t drink wine at all. Plus, according to that same study a fourth of a liter of wine per day reduced the aging process by more than a third.

The study also indicated that moderate consumption of wine also affects the nervous system by making us more aware of what is happening around us. Wine, as previously mentioned also causes the blood vessels to widen and an increased circulation of the blood, and therefore improves the oxygen supply to the brain.

Anecdotally, Johann W. Goethe, who was a fancier of wine, was said to say that wine increased his creativity.

Conclusion: Consumption of wine can increase awareness and creativity. And it slows down the degradation of the brain and helps slow down the aging process!

Wine and your immune system

The positive effects of the consumption of wine, especially the tannins and acids in wine, on the human immune system are based on its ability to detox the intermediate metabolism byproducts of bacteria and alcohol – and are therefore helpful in preventing intestinal infections caused by coliform bacteria and infections in the respiratory system.

Wine also helps to stimulate the respiratory system: the deepening and speeding up of breathing after drinking wine leads to a better transport of air through the bronchial tubes and therefore increases the supply of oxygen.

Conclusion: Wine can help fight against bacterial infections and helps to strengthen the immune system!

Can drinking wine help you lose weight?

Of course the consumption of a high amount of alcohol causes weight gain. But did you know that you can lose weight with alcohol too?

Weight loss methods using wine have been known and used for over 150 years. Around 1820, Dr. Johann Schroth developed a healing diet called “Schroth-Kur”, (still available today in Germany) – which essentially is an intensive purification of the body.

The vegan diet consists of low salt, no fat and is mostly protein free – and one has to alternate between “drinking days” (days where you drink a lot of a combination of herbal teas, juices and dry white wine and water) and “thirst days” (days where you don’t drink much at all).

Together with hot and cold body wraps, exercise and relaxation this cure guarantees weight loss by increasing your metabolic rate. It also rids the body of toxins, strengthens the immune system, calms the organs, lowers high blood pressure, lowers cholesterol and blood sugars, helps fight diabetes and respiratory and skin diseases and reduces the acidic build up in the body plus it lowers the risk of stroke and heart attacks.

Conclusion: With a moderate consummation of wine, combined with a vegan diet, it is possible to effectively lose weight!

Wine, your hormones, sex and love

The nervous system is not the only “controlling system” in the human body; another one is your hormones. Hormones are messengers that are manufactured in different places of the body (such as the thyroid, pancreas, and brain that regulates the reactions and maintenance of your body) to cause special effects on the body.

Moderate consumption of wine initiates the whole hormone system – and therefore increases the production of sex hormones. The noticeable feeling of warmth while drinking wine is caused by the expansion of blood vessels underneath the skin.

Consuming wine prior to love making relaxes the body and heightens the awareness of the moment and helps one feel “good”. Furthermore it has an impact on the production of estrogen – which therefore can help to ease the discomfort of menopause.

Another important significance is that wine increases the activity of the thyroid and therefore the resistance to diseases, such as colds, flu, rheumatic disorders and generally helps against stress.

Conclusion: Wine stimulates the hormone system, makes one feel “good” when making love and helps against discomfort during menopause. It also helps to reduce stress.

What is a “moderate” amount?

Generally speaking drinking a glass or two of wine a day combined with proper nutrition and regular exercise is considered to be moderate and beneficial to your health.

Drinking to excess of any alcohol is detrimental to your health. Balance is the key.

Yours in success in health and fitness

Dennis Croll

Vital Living

www.vitalliving.co.nz

• Acne
• Anemia
• Arthritis
• ADD
• Atherosclerosis
• Fibromyalgia
• Headaches
• Osteoporosis
• Low Immunity
• Allergies
• Ear infections
• Colic
• Obesity
• Heart Disease
• Diabetes
• Crohn’s disease
• Breast, prostate and ovarian cancers
• Sinus infections

Getting Fitter as you Get Older?

Does it seem as you get older that your body just cannot seem to do what it used to? Our body’s mechanisms do change as we get older BUT with planning they don’t need to change so fast or at the same rate of others around us.

Let’s examine the six critical components of physical fitness – speed, strength, endurance, temperament, flexibility and reactions and then ask what we can do to delay the aging process.

SPEED

As you get older your fast twitch muscle fibres atrophy, the power of the muscle contraction declines more noticeably than the force. This is because the amount of blood pumped from the heart in one beat stays basically the same but its contractibility decreases meaning the amount of blood is not being delivered as quickly. Even though on average our heart rate diminishes by approximately 1 heartbeat per minute per year and our VO2 max (the amount of oxygen that can be delivered to the muscles), can reduce by 9% each decade, if you have always been active you will be able to substantially delay this decrease and have greater economy of motion with slightly less explosive power.

STRENGTH

We lay the foundation of our strength in our 20’s and while most will not be able to develop strength after our 30’s, it won’t decrease much between 40 and 50 plus if you continue to train. However it is possible to develop strength – and build muscle well into our 50’s and 60’s – if you train smart and build adequate recovery time into your workouts. Plus concentrate more on functional and bodyweight exercises as we do with Vital Living’s Home Fitness programs (www.vitalliving.co.nz). Because the workouts are only about 30 minutes long, no more than 5 days a week, your body gets sufficient time to recover – and build strength.  

ENDURANCE

As we get older, the body compensates for the decrease in cardiovascular capacity by becoming more economical in energy use. As long as we continue training regularly, manage injuries sensibly, and have sufficient recovery time our endurance levels should maintain themselves.

TEMPERAMENT

When you are young you tend to go flat out all the time – and some of your decision making can be rash. As you get older you need to listen to your body more and learn to pace yourself. Also, as we age and our testosterone levels begin to drop, we need more time for recovery. We also need to pay attention to our nutrition more as our metabolism slows. We need to cut out processed foods and sugars and replace with fresh natural foods. As you get older you also take more notice of information and situations – you are not as impatient and make better decisions.

FLEXIBILTY

The increase of flexibility as we age although it is an irreversible process can be managed. Our tendons which attach muscles to bones become stiffer. At the same time, the collagen and fibres in our muscle joints become less flexible. As the synovial fluid in the joints, which act as lubricant also diminishes it’s no wonder we tend to end up feeling stiff and sore after a workout. We need to begin a regular stretching routine daily to mange this.

REACTIONS

As you age your body takes longer to react so the longer you stay in your sport the more chance you will have to improve your reaction times.

It’s the old cliché – “if you don’t use it you lose it”

For more information please email me at dennis@vitalliving .co.nz or visit my website ww.vitalliving.co.nz

Dennis Croll

Fit over 40 and living life to the fullest!

Vital Living

Getting six pack abs isn’t as hard as it seems. All you have to realize is that you have 3 sets of abdominal muscles, the transverse abdominus (pelvic muscles), the obleucue (the love handles) and the rectus abdominus, which is the one most commonly exercised. The trick is to use them all not just the rectus abdominus.  But, one safety measure to put in place, always remember to protect your spine, your abs are structured to resist motion, not create motion so try to avoid exercises that involve bending and twisting your spine at the same time. Also, always brace or tighten your abs before you initiate ab exercise as if you are about to be punched in the stomach.

Here are some examples of how to activate all three of your abdominal muscle groups at the same time:

1. Assume a push up or “plank” position, place your elbows and forearms on a Swiss ball, move your elbows in a circle, making sure that your core doesn’t rotate and your back stays straight. Do ten times each side.
2. Try rolling planks.  Hold a side plank for ten seconds, rotate to a front plank for ten seconds then hold the other side plank for ten more seconds, that’s one set, do six.

For more information on great Ab exercises and a killer ab workout check out this link. http://bit.ly/gD7XPb .

Let me know your progress, measure you abdominals at the belly button while sucking in, do these exercises and the Ab Killer workout and then measure you belly in two weeks.  Have you seen progress?

Until next time, get off the couch and live vitally!

Sincerely,

Dennis Croll

www.vitalliving.co.nz

What are your habits?

Do you eat the same thing for lunch, go through the same exercise routine, and fall into bed at the same time each night?

Or maybe you've made a habit out of eating whatever looks good, avoiding the gym, and staying up as late as possible.

John Dryden famously said, "We first make our habits, and then our habits make us."

Confucius said, "Men's natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them."

And Aristotle noticed that, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit."

It's pretty clear that the habits you adopt will shape who you are.

When it comes to your body, the two habits that define your physique are your eating and exercise habits. In fact, everyone that you know who is in great shape has dialed in these two important habits.

If you aren't happy with your body, then simply adjust your eating and exercise habits. Here's how to adopt a habit:

Making a Habit
Use these seven steps to create a life-improving habit.

1) Decide on the ONE habit that you would like to develop. It's tempting to pick up 3 or 4 healthy habits, but choosing just one new habit is realistic and doable.

Here are some healthy habit ideas:

• Do not eat after 7pm each night.
• Bring your lunch to work instead of eating fast food.
• Exercise 4 times a week after work for 45 minutes each time.
• Only eat fruits and veggies as your afternoon snack.
• Get up early and exercise for an hour each morning.
• Work with a personal trainer 3 times a week.

2) Write your new habit down on paper. Also include your 3 main motivators for developing this new habit, the obstacles you'll face, and your strategies for overcoming these obstacles.

Here's an example:

• My new habit is to work with a personal trainer 3 times each week.
• My 3 main motivators are 1) to feel confident in my bathing suit this summer, 2) to have more energy, and 3) to fit into my skinny jeans.
• The obstacles I will face are 1) not having the energy to go to my session after work, 2) not having enough money to pay for sessions, and 3) not having my spouse's support.
• I will overcome these obstacles by 1) doing my workouts before work instead of after work, so I have more energy, 2) cutting down on frivolous spending to ensure that I can afford it, and 3) asking my spouse to join me so we can get in shape together.

3) Commit fully to your new habit, in a public way. This could mean posting it on facebook, or simply announcing it at the dinner table. Put yourself in a position where you'll be embarrassed to give up on your new habit.

4) Keep track of your progress. You could keep a detailed journal or simply make a check mark on each calendar day that you successfully exercise your new habit.

5) Keep yourself publically accountable. This means either status updates on facebook or verbal status updates at the dinner table. Your friends and family are in a position to offer you support, so don't shy away from those close to you.

6) When you fail, figure out what went wrong so that you can plan around it in the future.

7) Reward yourself for your success.

Once your new habit becomes second nature, usually in about 30 days, feel free to add a second habit by going through the same 7 steps.

I'd love for my fitness program to become your new healthy habit! Call or email now to reserve your spot.

Focusing on one goal at a time is the most powerful way to achieve it. Taking on more than one goal at a time spreads your time and energy out, making it impossible to accomplish anything. If you have more than one goal on your mind, write them all down and then go after them one and a time until they are all completed.

You want to be fit. You know how much you should weigh. You know your ideal pant size. You can even picture how great those skinny jeans will look.

So why aren't you living life in your ideal body?

There are many complex reasons that make weight loss a challenge, reasons that go deeper than simply calories-in versus calories-out.

I'm talking about the life issues that get in the way of your success.

Read the following 5 obstacles and the solutions to unlock your best body ever.

1. You don't want to be bothered.

It's in your DNA to avoid pain and seek out pleasure. Unfortunately this works against you when trying to get fit. In your mind, it's painful (or at least uncomfortable) to deny yourself the tasty food that you crave and to exert yourself with exercise.

There's a simple way to work around this obstacle: Find something painful about being fat to motivate yourself towards healthy eating and exercise. Focus on the negative impact your current weight has on your health, self-esteem and lifestyle. Convince yourself that the pain of being out of shape is much greater than the discomfort of losing weight.

2. You don't want to wait for the good stuff.

Just as you wish to avoid pain, you are also an expert in seeking out pleasure – namely food. This served the cavemen well, but these days it ends up as extra pounds around your waist and thighs.

There's good news: extra calories are not your only option to stimulate the pleasure center of your brain. Find an activity or two that make you smile and indulge in those regularly.

• A walk outside
• A good book
• A night out to the movies or theater
• A spa day

You can also retrain your brain to crave the pleasure of exercise-induced endorphins. Talk about weight gain kryptonite!

3. You are crazy busy.

Let's face it, you work too much, commit yourself to too much and don't even get enough sleep most of the time. The fast-paced way you live leaves you exhausted, stressed and hungry for comfort food. You even begin to feel too busy to take care of your health.

It's time to reprioritize. Let go of your perfectionist standards and remove a few commitments from your schedule so that you are able to cook healthy meals, exercise and get a good night's sleep. Remind yourself that taking care of your health is not a luxury – it's a necessity.

4. You don't deserve it.

I don't agree with it, but you sure act like you don't deserve to live the good life in the body of your dreams. Take a moment to think back on all the times you have self-sabotaged your weight loss efforts. If you don't believe deep down that you are worthy then you'll never give yourself a chance at a fit body.

I believe that you deserve to have a healthy body – and I urge you to dig deep down to uncover why you don't. Once you conquer your feelings of unworthiness, getting on an exercise and healthy eating plan will be easy.

Take the time to take care of yourself. You DO deserve it.

5. You are afraid.

You're afraid to start because you just might fail, and wouldn't that be embarrassing? You're also afraid to start because you just might succeed, and change makes you uncomfortable – even if it's change in the right direction.

When you decide to get fit you will need to go through a bushel of changes:

• New diet
• New exercise routine
• New friends at the gym
• New clothes
• New self-image

Focus on all of the ways that losing weight will make your life better. Envision that better life everyday so that it goes from being new and scary to familiar and comfortable.

I want to personally help overcome every obstacle standing between you and your ideal body. Call or email today to get started on a program that will change your life and body forever…in a good way

I have been thinking a lot about New Year’s Resolutions and why most of the time they immediately fail. The worst part about resolutions is that they are so easily broken and thus make you feel like you are a failure even before you really start. Many people think they have no willpower and if they were just “tough enough” or “disciplined” enough they can achieve their goal, whatever it is. Give yourself a break this year. Don’t randomly make and break resolutions and give yourself a hard time. Instead try a different tactic.

I read a great article about a book that I think deserves quite a mention. The book is called Succeed How we can Reach our Goals by Heidi Grant Halvorson. The article is by Anita Thompson and I found it in The Costco Connection. (Ok, you can laugh but sometimes you find inspiration in the most unlikely places). Now, before you disconnect and think, NOT ANOTHER SELF HELP BOOK! I just want to share one little bit from the book that might help you. You don’t have to read the whole thing, just think about these things. And THEN think about your resolutions or goals.

The reason this concept struck a nerve is that I am always working with women and men who are struggling with motivation and willpower. There are many who do not just simply roll out of bed in the morning and begin their exercise routine. Instead, they bargain with the clock using the snooze button, they convince themselves that they can squeeze exercise into their schedule later in the day, they use any ache or pain as an excuse to be sick or not exercise, ultimately they talk themselves out of the exercise . You know it; you’ve been there if you are not one of the “lucky, motivated, and fit crowd”.

That is why this one little article with its simple concept struck me as being so helpful. According to Halvorson, people think others are successful because they have “more” of something, such as willpower and the unsuccessful people blame their lack of success on what they perceive as a having “less” of something such as willpower, intelligence, or perseverance. That is not true. Talented people, when you look at their lives, are actually often workaholics. They put in effort, have a strategy and are persistent.

Ah….so that is part of the key, effort, strategy and persistence.

Another reason people use to explain their failure is that they “didn’t know what to do”. That is actually usually not true. Think about it in your own life. If you want to lose weight, you know what to do. If you want to get better grades on a test, you know what you need to do. BUT what happens is that we don’t take the time to really think through what we need to do, what steps we have to take. We think “I’ll use my willpower” or “I’ll resist temptation”. Has that strategy worked for you before? Nope, it’s a failing proposition.

Let’s take a usual New Year’s Resolution, you want to exercise more. And that is usually where it ends. Since you failed to define the goal and decide when and where you are going to do it, you miss opportunities to reach the goal.

Ahh….the second part of the key, set a goal, define it and decide when and where you are going to accomplish it.

If goals are spelled out you will not miss out on opportunities to act on the goal. You won’t get too busy and then several days have passed without taking action. If the goal or resolution is defined and planned then it is not broken before it starts. It isn’t hard to break patterns and build up your self-control and willpower if you have good plans.

One solution introduced by Halvorson is to use if-then” planning. This is how the author lost her “baby weight”. The author, like many of my clients, hates exercise and “will hate it forever”. In the past she would promise herself to exercise three times a week but kept putting it off. In essence, her willpower was not going to be up to the task of keeping her from impulsively eating or making good decisions. So she started using “if-then” plans. For instance, if it is Monday, Wednesday or Friday at 9am then I am going to work out. If I am hungry then I am going to have a vegetable. And it was remarkable. She lost 50 pounds in a year.

Ahhh……a third part of the key, is planning.

This is not the only success planning solution. Along with this tidbit, Halvoson has compiled a secret stash of knowledge to help people figure out what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong. “If- then” planning and other solutions discussed in the book have made an enormous difference in many people’s lives and it’s so simple you almost think it isn’t going to work but it does.

You absolutely can be more successful in reaching the goals in every area of your life. So, don’t worry about your New Year’s Resolutions. Write them down, define the goal, plan a strategy to get them done, and decide when and where you are going to get them done.

If your goal is weight loss – try my Vital Nutrition Book to help you define your goal, strategize and plan.

If your goal is exercise – check out my home exercise programs that keep you fit and happy and well on your way to your goals.

As always I love to hear about your goals, plans, and successes. Write me anytime at dennis@vitalliving.co.nz
Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Dennis Croll

www.vitalliving.co.nz