I think it’s always amazing when I can talk to someone, like Lisa, about topics such as obsession because she has personally experienced these hurdles in her own life.  She is insanely knowledgeable from a clinical standpoint because of her education, but she has also lived and worked in the fitness industry for years, which gives her a leg up in understanding how the body works and how people can push their bodies and physics to these insane places!  She has also had to overcome her own battles with her body and food so those personal experiences bring knowledge and a whole sense of community full circle.  

 Lisa is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT) and now, through her coaching and training, she specializes in helping others design a life that allows them more time doing what they love. She is also the host of the podcast, The Therapy Show with Lisa Mustard, and wife to Billy and mama to 2 girls!  She has loved everything about health, wellness and fitness for 20 years, but she still felt she needed to change things about her body. 

 While working in sports marketing she was surrounded by people who are obsessed with health, people who have to do this to be the best, because it was their job!  So while being surrounded by the best and having to work on their bodies the way they did,  this stuff began to rub off and she kept wondering “why can’t this be me’”  Lisa loved what people were able to do with their bodies and she wanted to be able to do that as well. How many of us can totally relate to this!’!’  

Lisa began obsessing over fitness and wanted to add more and more muscle. So she started eating for muscle, then wanted to see things change, so she cut calories and turned to cardio thinking this was going to get her the results she wanted.  She went down the path of cardio and dieting, cardio and dieting and like many of us who have experienced this, she wasn’t seeing any results and she couldn’t understand why!   

She didn’t really have an eating disorder, but she instead called it disordered eating. Lisa knew there wasn’t something right with her thought pattern about food and her body,  and this was affecting her everyday behavior.  She obsessed about everything she ate and it eventually got to the point that she wouldn’t even go out because she couldn’t control the food at these events that she would be at.  Lisa finally had a breakdown..   

Tired of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the results and not getting them, so she turned to her husband Billy who had for years advised her that she had to stop doing so much cardio, begin heavy lifting and eat more carbohydrates.. Which come on ladies, we don’t want to hear that or do any of that! 

There are so many people out there who are stuck on this notion of, do more cardio and cut calories, limit carb intake and it is really not the right way!  Cardio makes us hungry, so the more cardio you do, the hungrier you are, and the more you want to eat!! So we don’t get the results we want because our body is not being fueled and worked out properly. So we HAVE TO CHANGE what we are doing when things like this are not working. 

When it comes to change in your life and wanting better for yourself, you’ve got to try different things, you cannot stay in that cycle of doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.  That is where the change is going to happen, by trying different things to get you to your goal!  But remember, just because you try something different doesn’t mean it’s going to be the ticket for change. You may have to try a variety of things until you get to what works for you.  

When Lisa changed up her routine that she had become so used to, she told herself she would be in this new commitment for the long haul.  This wasn’t some 30-day fix or 60-day program. This was something that would create slow and gradual results from a workout that was sustainable, maintainable and a long term LIFESTYLE CHANGE. And I have talked about this time and time again, your MINDSET needs to be in the right place. You need to be in the right place, have your why and get to a point where you are at peace with your mindset as Lisa had become when she found what worked for her and gave her the results she wanted.  

If you noticed above, I also said that you have to know your WHY, why you want to change.  We know we want to change for ourselves and fulfill our needs, but we also may want to change for the people and loved ones around us.  For Lisa she wanted to raise daughters that were healthy, strong and confident, so she knew that she had to be a healthy, strong and confident mom. And that wasn’t going to happen with her daughters witnessing her struggle over this unhealthy relationship with food and fitness. So if this is resonating deep with you, and you have been in Lisa’s shoes, you have to want to make that change so that the ones you love most aren’t affected by the obsessions.  

Through Lisa’s personal experiences and struggles with food and body obsessions, she has gathered a ton of helpful knowledge that I urge you guys to try if you were Lisa was.  Here is a list of some of the tips, tricks and hacks Lisa has found useful: 

• Get out of the safety of what I used to be. 

• Look to the women who have what you want, or what you want to accomplish, or have been through what you are going through. See what is working for them! 

• HIRE a coach if you need to hire a coach!  It’s a beautiful gift and you will be grateful you did it.  You need someone to help you answer questions you don’t want to ask yourself.  

• Do not do your own program.  Because then you will just have you do the things that are easy for you! You need to be challenged. And that is where a fitness coach will come in handy who can help create a program for you. 

• If you want to do cardio, go for a walk. It’s relaxing, it’s cathartic, and it gives you “me time” to think or reflect on things.  

• Get in the right mindset! 

• Remain consistent! “What you do today will pay off in a couple of weeks.”  

• EMBRACE THE JOURNEY! There will be up’s and down’s, but that is the beauty of it!  

• Give yourself some sort of alone time to reflect within yourself. Write in a journal or read a book. 

Self-reflection will play a huge role in this because it will give you that time to you need to look at what you are doing, why you are doing and what you need to change to get you to a happier, healthier version of yourself.  So whether you are starting a new program, or working on one currently you’ve got to ask yourself these things to find out if you even are on the right path…..  Do you like the workouts that you’re doing or the food you are eating”  Can you see yourself doing this for the next 5 years’  If not, ask yourself what will make you happy’  Are you happy with what you are doing’ What does success mean for you”  Because “What you are doing should lead to your success.”!!! 

Now that Lisa has self-reflected and found what works for her and every aspect of her life, she looks back and doesn’t understand why she obsessed so much!! Now that she has found something that she truly loves and feels good doing, she never gets on a scale, she works out and eats right (and indulges when she wants to because she can!), she is happy, she doesn’t obsess about things, she doesn’t stand in front of a mirror anymore and pick herself apart, and MODERATION has become her Mantra! 

Here is a breakdown of what Lisa did moving from her old obsessions of cardio, calorie-cutting and limiting herself, to finding a workout that got her results and a diet that worked with her lifestyle… (lean out and loose the muffin top!) 

• Eased up on the cardio and started lifting heavy again (4 days a week) progressing my weights. 
• Played around with nutrition. 
• Intermittent fasting, in the beginning, this was helpful because it helped manage her calories. 
• Eating enough protein, vegetables and carbohydrates.
• Eventually, she stopped intermittent fasting and ate in the morning because she wanted more energy for her morning workout. So she kept the same amount of calories, she just shifted her eating schedule.  
• If you drink alcohol, you need to manage that and rein that in.  
• Don’t do more than 30 minutes of cardio 3-4 days a week. You don’t need to be doing anything crazy, moderate intensity on the elliptical is just fine. 
• Or go for a long 60-minute walk for once or twice a week. 
• If there is a day that you don’t feel like working out, then take the day off and if you give yourself that rest, you will come back the next day ready to go! 
• Figure out what it is you like to eat. 
• Lift heavy weights. (sooo important) 
• You won’t get the same results from boot camp classes, bare or pilates.  

“You CAN love your body but still want to change it.”  

What makes Lisa Mustard feel magical”…. When she is with her 2 daughters and she is just connecting with them. That mother-daughter time sharing with each other and talking is where it is at! Having those moments of understanding and validation and just the I love you is so amazing for her.  Momhood and family time with Billy and the girls just being together doing things, having fun or watching a movie is really, truly magical in itself.  

www.lisamustard.com

Social sites: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetherapyshowwithlisamustard/ 

https://www.facebook.com/lisamustardchangeagent/ 

IG: @lisa.active.life and @thetherapyshowwithlisamustard 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamustard/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lisamustard/ 

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FabFitSquad 

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitgirlmagic/ 

Website: https://kimbarnesjefferson.com/ 

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fit-girl-magic-healthy-living-for-women-over-40/id1476883661 

The post How To Break Up With Body and Food Obsession appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Let’s start at the very beginning. Why should we exercise’ Well, besides helping you lose weight, exercising is good for your overall health. Working out can yield big benefits like decreasing blood pressure, diabetes risks and helping you to stay mobile for the long term. For women in their 40s  exercise helps with hormonal balance and helps you relieve your stress.

There’s an old saying: ” exercise is king; nutrition is queen.” If you begin to exercise thinking this is the fastest way to lose weight is to exercise more and eat less, let me be the first to tell you that, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Denying yourself food and ramping up exercise is the quickest way to create cravings that will derail your plans. Instead, there are three things you need to focus on.

1. Protein – I’m not saying bacon and eggs for breakfast. I’m talking about a quality protein, like fish, lean chicken, lean cuts of beef, eggs. The beauty about protein, it’s very filling so you’re not going to feel like you’re eating like a bird, it’s very satiating. Make sure you get 30 grams of protein per meal.
2. Vitamin D – with all the sunscreen and bug spray we use these days, we’re blocking out the vitamin D from the sun. This also plays a part in our muscle loss. Ask your doctor to check your levels and see what, if anything, you need.
3. Omega-3 – This help with inflammation. Yes, you can just take a pill, but good fat oils are so much better! I want you to think any oil with the exception of sunflower, safflower, corn vegetable, soy. Any grocery store you go to there will be a whole selection, as long as you don’t pick any of those five oils, I just named you’re good, rock on with your bad self.

The best way to maintain your success is to combine exercise and nutrition.

Plus follow these steps:

Make a choice – What am I going to do and how many days a week can I honestly commit’

Start simple – A simple walk is a good place to start. Just get moving! 15 minutes of something

Make it a routine – Routine is a big part of the Fit Girl Magic Formula. It all starts with having great habits that builds into a routine that builds into consistency, and that’s what ultimately gives you the results.

Be courageous –  I get it, you might have tried in the past and you failed miserably. Or maybe you did too much too soon and you just kind of went balls to the wall and then you got injured and then you just stopped. Okay, you found something that didn’t work; now let’s try something else.

The tactical for beginners

Start working out anywhere from two to three times a week. Do a full body exercise and work your big muscle groups. That’s squatting, doing push-ups, doing some bent over rows. Throw in some biceps and triceps.

Now, I know some people out there have some type of constraints – hip/knee replacements, somewhere on their body is an arthritic joint, that’s fine. What I’m saying is you can work around those potential injuries/limitations. I don’t want you to be your injury/disease. I want you to be what you can be in spite of your injury/disease. I had a client who had two knee replacements at the same time. She did upper body exercises. She was still walking on crutches, walking with a walker, but she did upper body exercises.  When an injury or disease hit you are going to work with what you’ve got, and you’ll work around the injury or the limitation depending on whatever the heck it is.

My goal is to make the information that you get from me, that you get from the Fit Girl Magic podcast to be as simple, sustainable and easy to digest as possible, because guess what’ It doesn’t need to be complicated. When it’s too complicated you either 1. Don’t do it or 2. Go too hard to fast.

So where can you start today that you can maintain for a better future’

Links
Now You Can Discover Secret Ways To Stop Stressing That You Won’t Hear Anywhere Else 

The post Secrets To Beginning Exercise Quickly And Efficiently appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

[contact-form][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Website” type=”url” /][contact-field label=”Message” type=”textarea” /][/contact-form]

and from your relationships to your business life feels damn good.

That’s why you should go about doing anything to boost your self-confidence. One of the best ways I know how to boost your confidence is exercising. Plus it has some amazing health benefits.

So how can exercise boost self-confidence’

Here Are 7 Ways How Exercising Boosts Your Confidence

1. Weight Control. Not feeling your leanest really can keep you from feeling your best. Exercising and healthy eating is one of the manage or lose your weight. It’s a simple equation the better shape you are, the better you will feel. When you feel good about yourself, it’s easier to make friends and more connections in life means more confidence.
2. Mood Booster. No one skips to their workout, but damn you feel glad that you did it. Working out is one of the best mood boosters I know, that’s legal. Now don’t worry if you don’t have time, you can always, go for a walk, bike ride or a run. Moving your body helps your brain to stimulate brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, these chemicals give you that feel good feeling.
3. More energy. In this day and age, who isn’t looking for more energy’ Making exercise a regular practice helps you to feel better. When you feel better you want do more.
4. Better sleep. It’s hard to feel confident when you are dragging ass!! Regular exercise helps you get to sleep and stay asleep. Too many studies prove that sleep is necessary for general feelings of well-being.
5. Improves productivity. One of the best ways to clear the mind is to exercise regularly. I get some of my best ideas working out. Working out helps me to work through different challenges I may be facing. Plus when you push yourself through exercise.
6. Give you something to look forward to. Once you have a reasonable schedule for exercising, you will start to look forward to it. When I was in corporate. I lived from this kickboxing class. Everyone in my office knew don’t get in my way on Mondays or Wednesdays. It forced to me to leave work and gave me something healthy to look forward to.
7. Improves concentration. In general exercising helps us to develop the necessary skills to concentrate on the task in hand. You are focusing on breathing, keeping good form and listening to your body. It’s through exercise that I’ve been learning to listen to my body to know what it needs.
8. Feelings of control and achievement. Working is where I really start to see the fruit of setting goals. Sure we all want to hit our fitness goals overnight, but it was my fitness goasl that taught me that taking it step by step day by day got me to my goal. It showed me that hitting your goals takes work, dedication, commitment and consistency. Then you start hitting goals you feel AMAZING and starting feeling this swell of confidence.

Don’t Wait! Get Started Today!

The post Boosts Your Self Confidence appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

Choosing Something You Love Tweet this
If you choose a form of exercise that you love, you will not think of it as a form of torture or something that you are being forced to do.  Instead, you can look forward to the event and put even more effort into it.

A great example is if you love to dance.  Find out about classes in your area and commit to going each week.  It doesn’t really matter what form of dance you choose.  The most important factor is that you are getting involved in an activity where you are burning off calories.

If you are going from a completely sedentary lifestyle and you start attending two or three dance sessions per week, you will notice a difference in your health and energy levels in no time at all.  The weight will fall off slowly but surely.
Try your best to pick dances that require a little effort on your part.  Something that will get your heart beating a little faster is perfect. This means that your body will be actively burning off energy.

If you are a little shy about venturing out in public, you can still get your exercise done through dance. There are plenty of dance and fitness DVDs that you can choose from. You can order a set of DVDs, which are graded at different levels, so they are suitable for absolute beginners as well as people who have danced before.

Set a date on your weekly schedule to put the DVD on and dance along with the instructors.  Xbox, Wii and Playstation all have dance videos you can use as well.

These are all great options if you like the idea of dancing but can’t find suitable dance classes in your area. These are also excellent if you do not want to or can not leave home at the moment.

Choose an Exercise You Can Get Used To
Sometimes you have to face the fact that exercise might not be fun but it is good for you. If this is the case for you, then pick something and do it for a short space of time. For example, make up your mind to go for a short walk. Go for just ten minutes. Do this 2 or 3 times in the week. Then increase the time to 15 minute sessions.  Over the next few weeks, start to increase the time that you are out until you are walking for at least 40 minutes each time.

What you are trying to do is to create a habit.  The more you can get used to doing something, the easier it will be to carry on doing it.  To get a better workout, you can add hand weights to your walk or you can increase your speed.

Instead of walking, you could try this with cycling or jogging or going to the gym.  If you can get used to a regular routine, you will be able to see the benefits after a while.

Hook up with a friend. When you find something you like invite a friend, this way it becomes an appointment and you are less likely to skip it.

Do you have any other suggestions for how a beginner can get started’

The post What’s The Best Exercise The Lose Weight’ appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.

We all have different body clocks, some of us feel our most energy in the morning or in the late afternoon. Which is great, but with all of the other obligations — work, friends, family following your body clock may become a little difficult.

According to the American Council on Exercise, they find the people who exercise first thing in the morning tend to be more consistent with their exercise as its less likely to get squeezed out due to time constraints.  I work out feel great because I have done something for myself and it’s not possible for anything to get in the way.

Now I hear what you are saying, setting the alarm for 5am stinks, but .. it’s WORTH IT!!!  So, how do you do it.

• Set a bed time! Yes a bed time, you need to sleep and with the invention of Tivo, DVR there goes your excuse about missing your favorite TV shows.
• Relax a little before you go to bed, so that you can fall asleep — try reading or listening to relaxing music before you go to bed
• Lay out your clothes before you go to bed, so all you have to do it get dressed.
  • I even had one client dress in her gym clothes
• Make a date with yourself and put your workouts in your calendar.

Be sure you have something in your stomach before you head off to gym.  It doesn’t have to be a full Old Contry Buffet breakfast, but something small like a banana, piece of toast or a glass of juice.

The post What Is The Best Time To Exercise’ appeared first on Kim Barnes Jefferson.