Shift Weekly: Forget Wall Street--"Occupy Yourself" in 2012

Dear Shifters,

Happy New Year!  I hope that you brought the new baby 2012 in with a healthy BANG!!!  As you are trying to wrap your mind around writing 2012 on everything instead of 2011 I thought I would just remind you not to get too caught up in starting the New Year with overwhelming expectations and ideas of being perfect on a diet now that 2012 has rolled around.  Showing up for yourself and mastering the way you use your mind in order to meet your weight goals is something that you can always do—whether it is the “new” year or not. 

So in this week’s coaching session I invite you to create a New Year’s Revolution rather than a Resolution.  Really shake things up from your core—Forget “Occupy Wall Street”—start an OCCUPY YOURSELF REVOLUTION with power and see how 2012 can Shift for you!

Now is the chance to SAVE BIG on using the Shift Weight Mastery’s processes for creating real and positive changes in your relationship with food, exercise, your body and yourself.  Resolve to really be good to yourself and your body this year!

SAVE $100 The Shift 30 Day Weight Mastery Process-January 21st (All Day Intensive) (sign up by January 7^th)

SAVE$50 The RE Shift 30 day Weight Mastery-January 21st Process (All Day Intensive) (sign up by January 7^th )

Save 10% Shift Monday Phone Support and Saturday Shift Support Classes (Los Angeles) See dates and times at the bottom of the newsletter.

OCCUPY YOURSELF--Resolution vs. REVOLUTION!!!

Have you ever wondered why New Year’s resolutions sadly go the way of the fad diet--gone and forgotten within a few weeks???  Because resolutions, like goals, only engage the conscious 12% of our brain--the analytic willpower part of us.  If anything resolutions are Inner Critic run affairs soon to be dumped by the Inner Rebel and forgotten before the first box of Valentine candy ends up on our desks.

Here are some common resolutions--

I will quit smoking
I want to stop eating crap
I will start exercising
I will yell at my kids less
I will cut down on my drinking
I will stop spending so much money!

Blah, blah, blah. Quite a motley crew huh? I can hear your subconscious yawning from here. Resolutions do not engage the better part of us--the bigger part of us--the subconscious imagination. HOWEVER, A VISION DOES. 

This year I challenge you to create a vision so big for yourself that it begins a REVOLUTION in your neural pathways. Where does a vision begin?  It begins in your imagination.  Our imagination is in our subconscious mind—the big 88% of our mind.  When we just resolve to change something by saying it—that resolution goes nowhere—because you are only engaging your 12% conscious self.  When we can see and feel the change we want to create—(as we do when we create a vision) that is when we turn on the Inner Revolution—“Occupy Yourself” mechanism by engaging 100% of our fabulous mind.

For example:
Resolution: I drink too much.  I will cut down on my drinking

Okay so maybe you are drinking a couple of drinks every night and it is keeping you from releasing weight, or keeping you from getting up early to exercise or making you feel dependent on something outside of you. So how do you create a pathway to a more sober—clean-headed lifestyle?  By creating a vision that is specific, realistic and seemingly adventurous or challenging enough to be seductive to all of yourself—not just the virtuous New Year’s self.

1--Be specific--this may be a “by when?” or “how many?”--in this case with cutting down on drinking the vision could be “I see myself enjoying drinking less on a weekly basis”-and the specific vision could be-“How much am I drinking at this point?  Is it a drink a night?  Is it only on weekends?  I can see myself keeping my drinking to 2 drinks on Friday and Saturday and abstain during the week and feeling really clear headed and vibrant—pouring myself a nice hot cup of tea and relaxing when I get home from work—waking up feeling refreshed in the morning?” 

Now you are working with yourself.  Now you are engaging the vision by asking questions, giving yourself a choice and really seeing the change—not just saying it.  Now you are creating loving boundaries.  Now your chances of creating a real New Year’s REVOLUTION just increased 100%!!  The more specific you are, the more you engage your imagination and problem solving ability.  Be specific and then be real.

2--Be real with yourself--set goals that resonate with all parts of you. Forget the “should”—this word is banned from the creating process. “I shouldn't drink at all!”  “I should abstain on weekends!”  You'll know when you are not being real with yourself  because you will hear your Inner Rebel somewhere in the background laughing his or her head off. "Hahahaha! No drinking on the weekends!  Yeah right--nice try buddy get back to me when you mean business!"  Create a vision that feels comfortable and not like you are going to have to push a square peg into a round hole.

3-Create adventure--make your vision sexy!  What is drinking less going to mean to you in the long run other than drinking less? Is the challenge of creating an internal buzz from your own connectedness to yourself and others rather than relying upon a glass of wine to do the work for you a challenge that your neural pathways could get tipsy over?  Or is the vision of you leaner and cleaner because you cut the extra 800 calories that the 6 glasses of wine over the course of the week was adding to your waistline?  Yeah baby---I feel a revolution coming on!!!

Here are some sexy REVOLUTIONS to try on rather than the sad resolutions stated above

Becoming a non-smoker will allow me to find way more healthy and productive ways of self-soothing--which will give me more confidence--a feeling that I can do anything!!!

I deserve to put more green things in my body--it deserves healthy food full of life--the more alive and whole foods I put into my body the more alive and whole it will feel!!!

I desire to really connect with my kids-- imagine communicating effectively with my children--imagine truly having g a family based on the word team.  I desire to be a model for them--I will respect myself and them so that they can do the same.

I am more conscious with my money observing how, why and when I choose to spend it will offer me a great insight into my own sense of worth.  I long to feel worthy--once I separate myself from money I can really begin to tap into my true value.

So as you are making those 2012 wish lists--do yourself a favor and "Shift" from resolution to REVOLUTION!!  “Occupy Yourself” and may all of your revolutions create amazing Shifts in your lives, the community, our nation and the world at large!!  Start with yourself and make a Shift and see how the world changes because of it.

Alone we diet—together we SHIFT!

Happy New Year 2012!!!

Oxox Rita

NEW! Saturday Support Series Twelve in 12 (Release 12 lbs by 2012)—

Back by popular demand!!! 

This winter’s series is focused on releasing 12 pounds by April 1^st.  What are the behaviors and mindsets that it is going to take? We are going to keep you focused and supported over these 6 sessions spaced out over 12 weeks between January and April to release 12 pounds (or what ever your short term goal is) even through the dark winter months.  Please join us.

Saturdays 10-11:30: 1/14, 1/28, 2/11, 2/25, 3/10, 3/24

Cost: $137 for series (price includes 12 by 12 Course CD)—big savings!! Save 10%--sign up by January 7th

Per session: $25

Monday Night Phone Support Series

Join us every other Monday night over the winter for our Monday night phone series.  Call in and get support and/or just listen in.  Hypnosis included.

Mondays 7:30-8:30 pm on:  1/9, 1/23, 2/6, 2/20, 3/5, 3/24

Cost $97

Save big when you sign up for both Monday and Saturday Classes together $157!!

Shift Weekly:The Morning After

Hi Shifters and Happy Post Holiday Monday!

I am out of town and so this will be brief.  I just wanted to say I hope that you had a Happy Holiday and if you woke up feeling “what the heck happened?” the morning after the holiday-- here is the 1-2-3 to get back on track from the eating frenzy (if for any crazy reason you got involved in it).

The week between Christmas and New Year can be the most challenging of all—so gear up and get strong and get shifting out of the holiday Fat Thinking by…

1.    Forgiving yourself

2.    Creating a vision for New Years

3.    Creating a plan of action

4.    Moving your body every day in some way

5.    Cutting the carbs to a few servings (quality carbs only) and up your protein!

6.    Save the date for the Shift or Re-Shift January 21^st (discounts before January 1—so hurry!)

More details on getting on track here in the holiday video posted here if you haven’t had a chance to it view yet.

Holiday Coaching Video 

Have a great week!

Oxox Rita

Shift TV: 4 Holiday Survival Mind Tips/Have Yourself a Merry Little Portion

January 21st: The next Shift 30 Day Weight Mastery Process begins Saturday from 9-5 ! Discounts for early birds are ending December 31. Sign up now and save $100 and get special CD pack—323 988 4574 or ritasfl@aol.com

Click for Shift TV

SHIFT TV: 4 Cognitive Tips for Weight Release During the Holidays (only 6 minutes)

Shift Weekly:  Have Yourself a Merry Little Portion

Dear Shifters,

I don’t know about you but the holidays have come blasting into my life at full force.  My kids are not only counting the days but the hours until Christmas Eve and Santa’s arrival.  They are amped!  The great thing about this year is that they are 6 and 9 and able to fully appreciate and participate in everything about the season.  Last night we did one of our family traditions which was to make gingerbread cookies (80 caloriess each BTWJ)

Serving Size Mania

Every holiday season I pull out my mother’s big huge thick notebooks full of recipes from newspapers and recipe cards that she had collected over the years.  I have 6 such thick recipe books of hers that look more like Wizard’s spell books because they are so voluminous.  During the holiday season I pull the books out and leaf through them—they remind me of her and her zest for baking at this season.  Yesterday I noticed a very curious thing.  I pulled out a recipe for gingerbread that was very similar to a recipe I had seen in a modern cookbook in my cupboard.  I took the 2 recipes one from my mother’s book written in 1957 and the one in the modern cookbook—they had the same ingredients, same size pan to bake the cake in.  The only difference was the 2009 recipe served 8 people and the 1957 recipe served 24!!!

New!! RESHIFT! January 21^st 30 Day Re-Shifting Weight Mastery Process-runs in tandem with the Shift—same exciting synergy—but a more advanced process.  Come and get your mojo back after the holidays and continue releasing pounds masterfully.  Limited to 10 participants. Contact me asap for more info.

Yes our ideas of sizes and serving have changed dramatically over the years and so have our expectations of how much food we need in order to “be done”. The holiday season is a time when we go to parties and events and often our eyes are bigger than our stomachs.  When we go through the holidays the added stimulus of people, music and holiday cheer (or lack thereof) often tune us out to our shut off valve of when we have had enough.  Especially nowadays when serving sizes are so large and disproportionate to our body’s true need for calories it is going to serve you to be able to distinguish hunger from other feelings and to be able to stop when you have had enough—otherwise the tendency for the scale to creep up over the next few weeks will sneak in. 

Click for Shift TV

Hunger Tool

Let me give you the holiday gift of the hunger number tool. It may just be the least fattening gift you get all holiday season (I have already received a few boxes of Sees Nuts and Chews—AND I AM A WEIGHT RELEASE COACH!)

The hunger number scale goes from 0-10 zero is starving—stomach growling maybe even light headed—very empty—and 10 is thanksgiving (or holiday season) stuffed full.

Take a moment now to tune into your stomach.  Put your hand on your stomach and take a Shift breath.  On a scale from one to ten where are you?

As I mentioned zero is starving. 1 is hungry and need to eat now 2 is hungry –1-2 is the best time to begin eating  3-4 is satisfied—and very light—this means the hunger feelings have disappeared and you are lightly satisfied. 5-6 is satisfied but not full—6 is usually where you want to stop eating.  This is where naturally thin people stop eating.  I have a friend who is naturally slender—I see her push the plate away and do this sort of little magical wave over her food—it means she is done and she doesn’t touch the food again.  It is sort of her own personal shut off valve.  What can be your shut off valve?

For me, as for many masters of long term permanent weight release, I come from the clean your plate club.  So when I am at home and even at holiday parties and events—I try to put only the amount of food and calories that my body requires for me at that time.  I just don’t tempt myself with more.  When dining out—I will usually ask for a second plate and put the food amount I need on the clean plate and have them bag up the rest or offer it around to others at the table.

Begin to think of what you can do when you reach that 5-6 which feels like you can get up from the table and feel fed but feel no physical discomfort at all.

Now 7-8 that feels a little uncomfortable—that is definitely full and 9-10 is discomfort full the kind of full where you eat everything and then have to unfasten your pants and go lay down full—it’s the kind of full where you groan—I can’t believe I ate the whole thing—I know you know that feeling—I certainly do—but I also know that I never want to feel that full again—how about you?  So use your hunger number as you are eating. 

When you start eating gage where you are at—the  as you begin eating note when you reach a 3-4 stop and tune into your stomach—at this point you can remind yourself that you only need a few more bites of food to take you to a 5 or 6 and then you will be done.  Think ahead to finish—even if you are with people it only takes a second to tune in.  We eat up to 50% more food when we are with others so tune in to your stomach and prepare to finish at that 5-6.

If you take anything from the hunger number tools take this—protect your zero.  What does that mean??Many people who struggle with weight will wait until they are at zero to eat—they either try to not eat early on and then end up too hungry and eat too much or they get too busy and don’t think about food until it’s too late.  Both ways work against you as when we reach a zero once you do start eating it is very hard to stop eating. This happens a lot at holiday events.  People starve themselves before a party and then eat far too much.

Protect Your Zero

So  Protect your 0!—Never get too hungry—a huge part of weight management is blood sugar management—if you keep yourself fed with steady blood sugar levels throughout the day—you rarely get hungry.  This is an essential tool is keeping your calories within your daily budget easily and effortlessly.  So never get to zero-plan ahead—bring some quality protein and or fiber based snacks with you.  Keep a bag of apple in your car.  Think of how you can protect your zero before heading into that holiday party.

Protecting my zero is so important that I will eat a bit before going out to eat—this way if it takes a long time to be seated or be served I am not ravenous when I order and therefore order too much—and then eat too much.  Eating ahead also allows me to sit with the bread or chips basket and have some power over it—often the main reason people overeat bread or chips is they are simply too hungry.  Do yourself a favor—protect your zero at all times. And have yourself a merry little portion this holiday season!!

SHIFT TV: 4 Cognitive Tips for Weight Release during the Holidays (only 6 minutes)

Click for Shift TV

Oxox Rita

Please add your Holiday tips below in comments and like us on Facebook!  Forward to a friend who might like some holiday tips as well.

Shift Weekly: 7Up or 7 Down—Where will your weight go this holiday season?

Dear Shifters—

Did you know that the average weight gain over the holiday season is around 7 pounds?  YIKES!! That’s not a pretty statistic.  Imagine getting on the scale January 2^nd and seeing your weight 7lbs heavier than it is now.  Imagine how your clothes will feel?  Do you wish that for yourself?—I think not!  I do not want you to see that either my dear Shifters.  Remember, alone we diet and together we Shift?  Well alone we also gain the holiday weight but together we can Shift through the holidays and avoid being part of that upward trend and instead either maintain or continue to weight release weight through the holidays.  Sound good?  So over the next few weeks I am going to be offering some tough coaching for your Inner Coach.  That’s right--- tough!!!  Think of prize fighters going into a boxing ring.  You need your coach to be strong and their voice load and tough over the noisy crowd of both your Inner Rebel and Critic and the noise of our cultural pull to push food and eat excess food during this season.  We are going to win do you hear me?!  This is how…(see coaching below after reading these special offers)

The next Shift Weight Mastery Process is January 21st—sign up now for the $100 DISCOUNT before January 1—contact Rita @ ritasfl@aol.com

Re-Shift Process--  Regroup and Refocus with this 30 day process that includes going though the Shift day intensive on January 21—join before January 1 and receive $50 off the already low price—c’mon you know you want to!  Contact Rita @ ritasfl@aol.com

Round 1

The first few rounds of a boxing match the boxers have energy, they are strong, they throw some good punches.  Maybe that’s where you are now at the beginning of the season—the parties and company and dinners out are ahead of you and so is all the excess sugary, fatty and salty food..  That’s where a lot of my clients are when we head into the month. “I’ll be fine, “they say, ”it won’t be a challenge this year—I feel good.”  However feeling good and hoping to do well do not mean anything once you hit round 2.  So don’t be a victim of “feeling good” about the holidays--have an iron clad vision of where you commit to be January 1^st.  That’s right feeling good means nothing to your brain and neither do hope or try—how many clients come back after the holidays saying—“I don’t know what the heck happened—I thought I was going to do good but it all went wrong—very wrong !!  I’ll tell you what went wrong—they didn’t have a vision that lit the way through to New Years.

Round 1—create a vision linked to an absolute commitment energizes your brain into action.  See it, believe it and go for it—before heading into round 2.

Round 2

This is where the onslaught of holiday food begins to become overwhelming, this is where the stress, and the shopping and the parties and the obligations begin to wear you down.  Once again, think about Rocky Balboa in the ring—he’s been taking some hits, not feeling so on top of the world.  In fact he’s beginning to get a little overwhelmed, he’s losing balance spinning a little.  In his head now he’s not so sure he’s going to win—this is a lot harder than he thought.  This is when his coach pulls him into the corner and begins to talk tough—he says hey!  You are not going to be a victim here so do not think like a victim—you came here to win!  Feel it Rocky—feel it—you can do it you can make it happen—you didn’t come this far to fall down.  Rocky gets re energized because his coach just aligned him back to his vision.

Round 2: Align yourself with your vision and don’t allow limiting beliefs to get in your way.  You have your vision—how are you going to walk into that party and eat within your calorie needs for weight release and have a good time but not eat any more?  You have to align yourself with the vision of leaving that party feeling good about the party and about yourself.  Do not give yourself the same disempowered excuses that keep you struggling with weight and keep you being mad at yourself after you leave the party.  Excuses like—that party was hard because there was so much food, my relatives were stressing me out, I didn’t have time to plan ahead…..YAWN!!  Aren’t you tired of buying into the same old crappy sayings you say to yourself year after year??  Win this year and bring your coach to the party—give yourself the best holiday gift you can give yourself—a feeling of pride that you showed up for yourself. One way you can do this is by using your hypnosis CDS—not as coasters for the eggnog and brandy drinks you serve your friends—really listen to them—the hypnosis will cut through the negative chatter in your mind and re-align yourself with yourself—don’t just say “I gotta listen to those CDS”---DO IT!!!!

MORE COACHING ROUNDS ON NEXT WEEK’S HOLIDAY COACHING VIDEO!!!

Please give your holiday tips below in the comments box below and help your fellow Shifters—Shift!

OKAY, NOW WHAT DO YOU WANT?

Please help me help you make 2012 your best year ever—this is a link to a short survey that will let you tell me what you need for continued success in the form of products and services.  Thanks!

Click here for SURVEY

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: The Shift Online Community and Calorie and Exercise Tracker is coming in JANUARY 2012!!!—now you will be able to interact with other Shifters—form groups and post your food to others easily within the privacy of the Shift community—I am so excited about this and I hope you are too.

BIGGER OPPORTUNITY—Become a part of the Shift-in-a-Box Pre-Launch Test group and save $80 off the cost of the Shift in a Box.  We will be starting a 30 day Shift in a Box Weight Mastery Process with the new and Improved Shift in a Box in January—I am only selling 25 “boxes” at a reduced rate to this first tester group who will agree for the reduced price to fill out a poll about their experience and help us make this a world class product.

Please let me know if you are interested in being a tester or interested in purchasing one for someone for the holidays at ritasfl@aol.com

Okay and have a great week—listen to that powerful Inner Coach

Oxox Rita

Shift Weekly: Confessions of a Junk Food Junkie and her Veggie-Filled Redemption

THIS COMING SUNDAY FROM 5-7PM! THE SHIFT HOLIDAY SHOW AND HAPPY HOUR

Where: Club 705, 705 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach, CA  90254 Phone: 310-372-9705 www.club705.com

-Get ready to Shift through the holidays unscathed at this fun-filled community event that will include a holiday eating strategies, hypnosis, calorie bingo and prizes, discounts on upcoming events and products, and more! 

-Please RSVP (if you haven’t) we want to make sure we have enough “stuff” or contact me for more details.

Shift Weekly: Confessions of a Junk Food Junkie and her Veggie-Filled Redemption

Is there hope for a junk food junkie?  Is there a path to recovery for a candy-bar-holic? Can a former Mc Donald’s disciple be redeemed? Should the Betty Ford Clinic open a “Fast Food” wing?  When it comes to junk food (or GAK as we like to say at SHIFT) sometimes it can feel like an uncurable addiction.

Learn the inside secrets of how Shifter Linda Buffington made her amazing transformation from a “McDonalds Munching Mama” to a “Wellness Coordinator” who helped her husband improve his diabetes and now helps others make the same healthy changes in their own lives in this Shift Talk Radio session. (see ideas to infuse your life with veggies below)

Click for Shifting Diabetes Interview with Linda Buffington

Listen and learn:

-how Linda helped her husband improve his diabetes

-how she transformed from fast food and chocolate bars to a plant-based diet

-tactical ideas about getting more fruits and vegetables in your life including the fruits and vegetable supplement JUICE PLUS

Click for Shifting Diabetes interview with Linda Buffington

If you are interested in learning more please go to www.LindaLovesJuicePlus.com.

BRAINY NO-BRAINER WAYS TO INFUSE YOUR LIFE WITH MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

-Have at a little fruit with each meal. It's easy. For instance, have blueberries or

a banana on some 0% fat Greek yogurt or oatmeal in the morning, a piece of fresh fruit with your lunch and/or as a snack and a fruit serving with dinner. (If you don't feel like cooking a vegetable or making a salad, slice up some cantaloupe or a few apples.)

-Challenge yourself to try at least one new vegetable or fruit each week. Shake things up with a veggie swap out at dinner by switching from the old familiar green beans, apples and bananas to kale, winter squash, mango and kiwi.

-Eat more salads as “meals”. Use a large salad as the base, but, throw in meat

"condiments"— several ounces of cooked chicken, turkey, tuna or some low-fat cheese

and/or legumes. (this alone would equal about 4-5 serving of veggies).

-Mix fruit and vegetables. Add sliced or chopped apples, pears, grapes, melon, kiwi and

orange sections to tossed, spinach and cabbage salads.

-Take advantage of ready-made bag salads and precut and cleaned fruits and vegetables (melons; salad greens, shredded cabbage for coleslaw, grated carrots, stir-fry vegetables, and baby carrots). These are great when you're in a time crunch have worked all day and just want to throw something together.

-If you're in the dessert habit, try substituting fruit in place of dessert. For instance, try an apple baked with some cinnamon and a few raisins or a sliced up banana with a couple teaspoons of chocolate sauce drizzled over it.

-Put vegetables in everything: eggs, soups, sandwiches, stews, or mix green beans or broccoli with pasta or substitute the pasta altogether with a bowl of greens topped with marinara sauce and Parmesan.

Click for Shifting Diabetes Interview with Linda Buffington

Again, to contact Linda and read her Newsletter: www.LindaLovesJuicePlus.com.

Please post some of your "add veggies" ideas or sordid "junk food junkie" stories below or just say "hi!" below.

Have a green and Shifted week!

Oxox Rita

Shift Weekly: Thanksgiving--3 Strategies and Shift TV

Hi Shifters--Happy Pre-Thanksgiving.

COMING UP SOON!

Worried about packing on the pounds this Holiday season?? Come to the Shift Holiday Show and Happy Hour and receive a free Holiday Hypnosis CD and discounts off the next Re Shift coming January 2012 as well as other discounts and prizes for Holiday Calorie Bingo.  This event will not only prepare you to release weight through the holidays but be a fun chance to experience the fabulous, fun Shift Community.( Please RSVP by replying to this email).

The Next 30 Day Shift Weight Mastery Process and Re-Shift begins January 21st 2012.  Sign up now and receive pre-end of year discounts and bonus gifts. 
SHIFT WEEKLY: Thanksgiving Mantra “Know-no-know!”

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year.  No pressure to buy presents, no eggs to hide, no fireworks to fight the crowds to watch, just family, friends and food—it’s just so simple and nice.

CLICK HERE for SHIFT TV—Thanksgiving 15-50 (a fun video of how I challenged myself to finish last year's Thanksgiving under 1550 calories! Great starategies included!

Since I love to cook and entertain and Shift I have been thinking ahead somewhat to this coming weekend.  I actually love the planning ahead, cooking and shopping for this day as much as I do the sitting down with everyone and eating.

One thing I do not love is feeling stuffed and bloated after Thanksgiving—and I am sure neither do you.  There is one thing to celebrate all we are grateful for, to dine and connect with others and ourselves—it is another (unfortunately easy thing to do) thing to eat too much, drink too much and finish the day disconnected from ourselves in a food fog.

So here is some coaching as we head into one of the food-i-est holidays of the year.

There seems to be a general consensus in the world of masters of long-term permanent weight release as to how to get through Thanksgiving and while maintaining or releasing weight. I have boiled these pearls of wisdom down into a do-able mantra that you can repeat to yourself through the entire weekend.  Unfortunately saying the mantra doesn't burn calories but it may keep some extra ones from hopping onto your plate--into your mouth and down to your tummy--remember the turkey gets stuffed so you don't have to.

THE MANTRA AND FAIL PROOF SYSTEM: Know-No -Know!!!

Part 1) Know roughly what you are going to eat on the big day and plan for it.  Mr Stacey—my sex-ed teacher in high school had a saying which applies to both birth control and calorie control: "HOPE IS NOT A METHOD"--you cannot hope that you'll get through the weekend unscathed. "Hope" or "trying to be good” is for future pregnant teens and failed dieters!  C'mon masters--this is one holiday where you can't use the lame excuse “gee I didn't know what we were going to have…”—because ya know!—okay!?  There's going to be turkey—right? --then there’s going to be the carbs--the potatoes--the sweet potatoes--the stuffing--the parker house rolls (is there a rehab facility for these--please advise), then the attempts at veggies--peas? beans? jello mold (remember those? that was my mom's whip it out and surprise them with the lime cream cheese jello mold! wow!), there's going to be some cranberry thing and probably some dessert-hmmmm what could that be?? I wonder!!!

So here's the thing my darling Shifters--look up the calories of these things ahead of time then you can choose what you truly want and what will be wasted calories --like the lime cream cheese Jello thing (sorry mom).  Sure, you can leave room for surprises but plan ahead and you will be ahead. Start the dialog with your Inner Coach now instead of after the appetizer plate has arrived and you are starving.

Which brings me to my next piece of coaching: come prepared with a not so starving tummy—eat some protein before heading over the river and through the woods.  Bring some light appetizers to the party to nosh on.  Don’t arrive starving and then spend the next hour sitting in front of a bowl of potato chips and onion dip.

Next--- and most importantly---create your Thanksgiving vision. Yes creating a vision of how you want to wake up feeling Friday morning and how you want to head into the following week feeling—having stayed connected to yourself all weekend long and not diving head first into the dreary and major buzz killer--food fog. Make Mr. Stacey proud people!


Part 2) “NO”--practice saying “no” it in the mirror, visualize saying it in your head. Be kind, be firm, say what you mean and don't be mean but say “no thank you” when you don’t want it or need it –say it sweetly but firmly to your mom--your aunt--your friend--your Inner Rebel. Say, “No thank you--I've had enough, I’m pacing myself, I can't eat sugar, I am driving no more wine etc.”  Say, “that looks beautiful but no”.  Say,“Hell no!”  No to extra food--yes to extra conversations--yes to connecting to others and yourself--yes to helping out--yes to having your feet rubbed--yes to watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  But when it comes to food that will take you outside your body’s energy needs for maintenance or weight release--just say, “No!”

Part 3) Know--this is a big one masters. Know. Know what and how much you ate.  Write it own it.  “Know” without the k = “now”.  When you “know” you can live in the “now”--you are present to yourself and not your Inner Critic who will be harsh or your Inner Rebel who will say “screw it” (I remember one year pre Shift I ate the entire top off of a pecan pie and then forgot that I had done it that was probably 1200 calories right there--before the stuffing)--you will be staying powerfully connected to your Inner Coach and live in the now.  “Now” mixed up spells “OWN”.  Know what you ate so you can own it and live in the now.

CLICK HERE for SHIFT TV—Thanksgiving 15-50--can Rita finish her Thanksgiving day under 1550 calories? Watch and see and learn great strategies to get you through your TG in Shifted style.

I am grateful for everyone in the Shift Community and wish you all a happy day of thanks and a relaxing weekend!!!!
Love,
Rita

Shift Weekly: Mind over Exercise

Remember we will be celebrating and preparing for holiday weight release success at the:

SHIFT HOLIDAY SHOW AND HAPPY HOUR DECEMBER 4^TH FROM 5-7PM (SEE DETAILS AT BOTTOM OF THIS POST)

The next Shift Weight Mastery Process begins January 21^st, 2011 sign up now and receive discounts and bonuses.

The Shift in a Box 30 day Weight Mastery Process will be available in December at pre-launch prices—a great gift for those out of town friends and family who need the gift of good health this year.

Dear Shifters,

If you have been resistant to exercise chances are you have not been watching enough TV!  Mind T.V. that is.  This is the time of year that a lot of times our exercise takes a nose dive.  The holidays suck our time from our schedules and the shorter days make it less desirable to get out and move.  Now you can get moving again with the help of a self-hypnosis technique that I call Mind TV.

When I struggled with my weight every night I would go to bed swearing I would wake up early the next morning and get up and exercise.  “I will get up and exercise!” I would say to myself, but that was about it.  I went to bed without another thought about it until the next morning when the alarm sounded and I groggily remember in some hazy distant memory something about exercise. “Hmmm,” I would say as I hit the alarm, “let me just think about that for a moment…” as I drifted back to sleep as my barely worn sneakers would spend another lonely morning in the back of my closet.

Why was it so hard for me to get started on my new exercise routine?  My intentions were good.  A part of me, my conscious mind, would say, “Rita, get up and exercise!”  The problem was that there was a bigger part of me, my unconscious mind that had gotten used to sleeping in and really could only see me staying in bed and hitting the snooze button on my alarm.  Consequently, the smaller part of my brain saying, “exercise” and the bigger part of my brain was seeing, “stay asleep”.

It was a case of “say” versus “see”.

Seeing ourselves doing something engages our imagination.  It forces the brain to create a picture.  Our unconscious brain works less effectively with language than it does pictures, metaphor and symbol.  Seeing myself getting up and exercising forces my brain to see it and then proceed to figure out how to achieve that outcome. That’s why “seeing” yourself doing something is a much more effective way to get your resistant unconscious brain motivated and eager to achieve the outcome than just saying “I have to exercise” which is saying, and saying has very little impact on the unconscious mind.

When I finally understood this and started seeing myself wake up and exercise I was able to begin to get up and exercise. Now you can too.  I am going to teach you a super simple self-hypnosis technique that I call MIND TV that you can use to get yourself “seeing” and begin an exercise routine.

MIND T.V. SELF HYPNOSIS

1)      Get comfortable in a chair or in your bed (you can do this before you drift off to sleep at night or in the morning as you are waking up).

2)      Close your eyes.

3)      Breathe in deeply and fully, and then exhale.  Repeat this two more times.

4)      Tense every muscle in your body tightly and hold for the count of three.  Relax.  Repeat this twice.

5)      Create an image of yourself sitting in a comfortable chair and also imagine that in front of you is a large screen T.V. 

6)      Imagine that you have a remote control device in your hand and that you now turn the T.V. on.

7)      Imagine on the T.V. is an image of you just before you would get ready to exercise.  Make sure you are very specific about when and where this would be, what time of day it is and what you are wearing BEFORE you get ready to exercise.

8)      Now see yourself in the chair press START on the remote device and see the image on the screen of yourself beginning to get dressed to exercise and starting out exercising.

9)      Continue to PLAY the image of yourself as your move through your exercise, see yourself feeling good, looking happy performing the exercise. Be specific as to how long you will exercise for and what exactly you are doing. (NOTE: You do not have to imagine the exercise for the length that you will perform it in real life.  Just be specific.)

10)   See the image of you in the chair watching the scenario of you on the screen finishing your exercise and feeling proud of yourself for having shown up for yourself.

11)   Now see the image of you hitting REPEAT on the remote device and PLAY the same exercise scenario on the T.V. screen again.  Repeat this same scenario three more times for a total of 5 times.

12)   Take a nice deep breath and open your eyes. (If this is before sleep just continue to drift off to sleep.)

There you have the technique to begin your very own exercise channel.  Us e this technique often and soon you will find that it is much easier to engage yourself willingly in moving your body.  You can also use this technique to create a powerful vision of seeing yourself a year from now exercising at (or closer to) your ideal weight, this will also help keep you motivated.

The Mind TV self hypnosis technique is also useful for other things you may be resisting as well, such as; pushing the plate away when you have had enough, walking by the candy jar at work or stopping after one glass of wine.

-Do keep trying this technique, it may take a few times to get the result.

-Do try to also feel the feeling of how good the outcome will feel when you achieve it.  This also helps the brain to create the outcome.  See it and FEEL it!

-Do have fun!

-Don’t do this while driving.

Enjoy the show!  Enjoy the results!

Oxox Rita

I am including the Shift into Exercise interview that I did with exercise and movement expert Marilyn McLaughlin.

CLICK LINK TO EXERCISE INTERVIEW

SHIFT HOLIDAY SHOW AND HAPPY HOUR DETAILS

Where: Club 705

                  705 Pier Avenue

                  Hermosa Beach, CA  90254

                  Phone: 310-372-9705

                  www.club705.com

You are cordially invited to partake in the fun of the

SHIFT Holiday Party, benefiting SHIFT KIDS

Come celebrate! Come support a great cause!

♪ Learn how to party the SHIFT way by ordering low calorie drinks and foods

♪ Develop Shifting strategies for handling holiday eating

♪ Hear holiday eating stories

♪ Play “Holiday Calorie Bingo” and “Name that Calorie” game

♪ Get hypnosis to support you through the holidays

♪ Participate in group strategizing for success

♪ Sing “Shifted” holiday songs and receive a special holiday present

Bring your family and friends to join in the fun (discount coupons for Shift courses and products will be available to welcome newcomers)

Suggested $20 donation benefiting SHIFT KIDS (tax deductible)

Cash Bar and Food are reasonably priced