Weight Loss Guru

Hi everyone, here's a great little piece from a friend of mine. Her name is Susan Cass, she's a Personal Fitness Trainer and she really knows what she's talking about... Enjoy :)

I can't have that, I really can't have that - I want it, I want it - oh okay I'll just do an extra hour in the gym tomorrow, donuts aren't that bad after all anyway are they? Especially if I scrape a bit of the sugar off and it after all it has a hole in the middle.....

So tell me, Dust? high in fat, low in fat? Well probably both depending on your mind set that day. Had a great day? - yes? so its okay to reward yourself with "CAKE". Had a bad day? Yes? so it's okay to cheer yourself up with "CAKE"

Do you remember being at school and doing exceptionally well in your spelling test? Well it was more than likely your folks were waiting at the school gates with a huge smile and armed with that finger of fudge for being great. Didn't make the soccer team first squad? Your greeting at the school gates is now open arms, a sympathetic expression and that finger of fudge. So you can see a distinct pattern emerging. From a young age food was generally interpreted as both reward and condolence.

As we have gotten older we've understood that more calories we consume than we actually need leads to carrying additional body weight - so we start trying to balance out our calorie intake/expenditure formula by overtraining or going on bouts of sudden and severe training regimes which overtime can damage our internal body systems. For example in order to have that Krispy Kreme, you HAVE to do an extra hour on the stepper or run an extra 6 miles, or you'll feel guilty for the rest of the day.

So food can quite often resemble an emotional crutch to get us through any situation and battling your conscience on a daily basis could feel like the energy equivalent of fighting 10 rounds head to head with Mohamed Ali (if only the calorie burn were the same!)

The question is, Do I REALLY want to eat that, do I REALLY need it? If the answer is yes - then you will have it. If the answer is no, think about doing something that makes you feel good? Perhaps a long walk in the countryside alongside a babbling brook breathing in the fresh air? A competitive game of 10 pin bowling with friends at the local alley? a game of five aside with your friends after work? shopping with girlfriends and the purchase of those killer Jimmy Choo's, going to see the newest film release at the cinema? - just reading that probably made you smile.

Somewhere deep within us, we have some unique behaviour triggers, the things in life that truly inspire us and make us feel great and want to push on. Write down those thoughts, aspirations and goals that inspire you as well as your measurable goals and how you are going to achieve them. Refer back to them as often as you can as a reminder that will keep you on course. It will act as a motivational tool to make sure you stay focused and on track. Over time your goals and dreams may change, so you may need to try a variety of approaches and change your diet to find that winning formula for you. There is no right or wrong - if it works for you, it works!

If you always do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got - so chuck away those emotional food crutches, think about the consequences of your actions everyday and take a positive stance to change by taking responsibility to break the bad habits. Its truly liberating and you'll step out of bed every morning healthier, happier and more in control of you. No more food rewards and no more Majorie Dawes!

Article by
Susan Cass
Personal Fitness Trainer

Do you have people in your life who are always telling you what to do, happy to dispense opinions whether you want to hear it or not? Do you seek guidance from friends, colleagues, books or magazines and then apply them to your own life? If so, have you ever been so confident in using that advice that you would pass it on to your friends and relations? Indeed, have you drawn upon that advice to form your own belief?

Beliefs form the cornerstone of our lives, they thread through our being, discreetly guiding us through life’s ups and downs allowing us to us to make sense of the world and to function in it.

We learned our beliefs about ourselves and the world in which we live, when we were very young. Our understanding of ourselves and our world derived through whatever versions were presented to us by the most influential adult figures in our lives. Without question we absorbed and believed all the messages which were relayed in our environment. These may have been spoken words which criticized or appreciated us or they may have been more subtle thought and behavior patterns which influenced our home life. Once a belief is formed, we will tend to persevere with that belief and use it secure us to our understanding of the world around us. In fact we will be insistent not simply on believing, but to believing just what we do believe.

Beliefs hold power, they have the potential to divide a nation, and they can create turmoil and unrest. You only have to switch on the TV and give a brief glance at the world news, to see how beliefs divide countries and lead to war. But what are your beliefs, what do you hold be true to you? This is not a question of religion; this is more an enquiry into what makes you tick. In 1951 a radio show entitled, 'This I Believe' by Edward R. Murrow, invited people from all walks of life to present their personal philosophies;

"People of all kinds who have nothing more in common than integrity, a real honesty, will write about the rules they live by, the things they have found to be the basic values in their lives".

The radio show presenter forewarned his audience that this would not provide an answer for the problems of life and help overcome the issues of the time.

"And yet in talking to people, in listening to them, I have come to realize that I don’t have a monopoly on the world’s problems. Others have their share, often far bigger than mine. This has helped me to see my own in truer perspective: and in learning how others have faced their problems - this has given me fresh ideas about how to tackle mine"

All too often people are happy to dispense of advice and more often than not we are happy to accept that guidance at face value. Those more astute amongst us may already be practicing a higher degree of restraint in accepting second hand advice. But what about passing on advice? I’m sure those of you with children, or those who work in education are pretty au fait with dispensing advice, even though it may be directives from above. But what infinite wisdom would you wish to convey to your kith and kin if given the chance.

We all have little nuggets of worthwhile advice from experiences and people we have encountered. They can remain locked away in our psyche for eternity, or they can be used rather like a manual to help us and others navigate our course through our being.

When I was at school, our biology teacher told us a story of what happens when you put a frog in boiling water. I have no idea why he did, but it’s interesting from a behavioural perspective. In the same way as if you or I were put in a bath of boiling water, the frog will jump straight out. He will then be petrified of going anywhere near the water because he knows how hot and uncomfortable it is, which is understandable. So how do you get a frog to stay in boiling water, assuming you have a good reason for doing that? Well, you put the frog in water of a comfortable temperature and then gradually heat up the water: the frog gets used to the rise in temperature so stays there even when the water is at boiling point. Unfortunately the frog is unlikely to be able to survive and will die but doesn’t jump out because he doesn’t realise how much danger he’s in because he’s got so used to it.

With the hundreds of people with whom I’ve worked, I see a similar pattern in how people look after their health: people collect unhealthy habits, none of which seem that bad in isolation but over time they add up to be really painful. Just as the frog doesn’t realise how the temperature of the water is getting dangerous, many people don’t realise how their gradual decline in health is dangerous. For example, someone may start by putting on a bit of weight; then their excess weight makes it harder for them to breathe; this is followed by high blood pressure; and they then end up with Type 2 diabetes. At each stage, it’s ‘one more thing to cope with’, ‘a bit of bad news’, or, simply, ‘bad luck’: but, rather like heating up the water one degree at a time, this person eventually finds themselves in boiling water but doesn’t realise how serious it is. If they had suddenly gone from fine to poor health overnight, they would have noticed the significant change in how they felt: but because their health problems have been gradually building up, they don’t realise how far removed they are from perfect health. The good news, however, is that, even when you’re sitting in boiling water, many health problems can be reversed simply by changing your behaviour

What part of your body sends messages at 240 mph?

What part of your body generates more electrical impulses in a single day than all the world’s telephones put together?

Which part of your body has over 1,000,000,000,000,000 connections – more than the number of stars in the universe?

Which part of your body is made up of 15 billion cells?

The answer to all of these questions is your brain.

Your brain is your body’s power tool.

Many people believe in the power of computers but the brain is more complicated than any computer we can imagine:

The world’s most sophisticated computer is currently only as complicated as a rat’s brain.

The brain controls everything in the body: it processes a vast quantity of information about what is happening around us and inside us.

It’s the decision-maker that issues instructions to the rest of the body.

Crucial messages pass in and out of the brain through a network of millions of nerve cells that pass on information to other nerve cells, rather like a very complex electrical circuit.

The brain is responsible for regulating our emotions and our bodily sensations such as pain, thirst and hunger. And as if it didn’t have enough to do, it also takes care of memory and learning.

Scientists believed until recently that, unlike the other organs in the body, the brain was not capable of renewal or growth once we had attained adulthood. Evidence to suggest that new brain cells can be produced throughout the whole of our lives.

In 1998, researchers working under the direction of Professor Fred H. Gage at the Salk Institute of Biological Studies in California and at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Göteborg, Sweden, discovered that large numbers of new brain cells develop in an area of the brain involved with leaning and memory.

This reinforces the ‘use it or lose it’ theory of brain ageing.

It suggests that we do not have to remain victims of the way we are made and we can develop new positive ways of thinking and acting.

 
What do you think? Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

It’s official: Right is wrong when it comes to which side to get out of bed

Has anyone ever said to you of a morning, “What’s up with you this morning? Get out of the wrong side of bed?” 

But what is ‘the wrong side’? Well  I was recently involved with a  leading hotel chain,  to see if  we could find the answer. We came to the conclusion  that when it comes to getting out of bed, RIGHT IS WRONG and we should all be aiming to get up on the LEFT.

This conclusion was made following hot debate by me and two other experts from the fields of sleep science and Feng Shui. Dr Chris Alford and Jan Cisek.

Principles of Feng Shui and elements of known left-brain function helped to establish the conclusion.

According to the Feng Shui principle of Bagua; creating harmony through the use of space, the left side of the bed is associated with what we hold dear – family and health, money and power (knowledge). 

Feng Shui expert Jan Cisek says: “By getting out of bed on the left side, you direct positive energy into the corresponding areas of your life. It is a powerful tool that can also be used to help you arrange your bed when you’re staying away from home”.

The study further determined that getting out of bed on the correct side goes beyond just the physical action of getting out on the left side. It also includes the use of the left side of the brain to prepare the mind for having the best possible day.

The left side of the brain is responsible for logical and analytical function. Psychology and motivation expert Pete Cohen says it is this side we use to think rationally about the day ahead:

“Before getting out of bed on the left, consider the day and its benefits. The right side of the brain is responsible for emotions like fear and stress, which only dilute your potential for having a positive experience”.

What if I got out of the ‘wrong side’ of bed this morning?

Our study produced some simple techniques Brits can use to help salvage a day that has begun badly from getting out of bed on the wrong side.

Sleep expert Dr Alford says one of the key techniques is reducing the sleep chemicals that build up in the brain over the course of a day, contributing to feelings of irritability and lethargy:

“By taking a power nap or going into a meditative state for twenty minutes, you can reduce the level of sleep chemicals and start your day over feeling more relaxed and calm.”

Ensuring you don't 'get out the wrong side':

Getting out of bed on the correct side (the LEFT):

1.       Lie in your bed on your back with your head facing North

2.       Think rationally about the benefits the day will bring

3.       Get out of bed on the side to your left

What to do if you have ‘got out of the wrong side of bed’:

1.       Begin your day again… If it is still early or you are at home: go back to bed and release the previously bad start. Lie facing North, think rationally about the benefits of the day before getting out of bed from the left side

2.       Stop, relax and regain control… By taking a power nap or meditating for a period of twenty minutes you can rid your brain of the build up of sleep chemicals which can contribute to irritability and lethargy

3.       Change your psychology with physiology… Go for a jog or do a yoga class at lunchtime - exercise reduces tension and releases endorphins that promote a happy state of mind

So what do you think and which side of the bed do you get out of? Let us know... please leave a comment

If social pressures to eat have brought you down in the past and you find it hard to say “NO” it doesn’t matter. You’re free to make up a whole new set of rules for dealing with situations in the future. Your circumstances might not change, the people around you might not change. But you can change!

So why do we find it so hard to say NO when we are offered tempting food? There are few reason for this, one being that we don’t want to hurt other peoples feelings when they offer us something. Another reason is the simple fact that these foods taste great and give us a high. In the western world most people eat, not because they are hungry, but because food stimulates their senses and makes them feel good.

We're biologically driven to feel good and our brain seeks out pleasure. Food fits the bill for a lot of people a lot of the time and this is why so many waistlines are expanding.  To help you, the next time someone offers you something and you are not hungry, stop for a moment and ask yourself the question “Do I like this food enough that I want to wear it?” Then picture this food on your thighs or on your backside. I am sure this will make you think twice and make it easier for you to say the magical word “NO”

Did you know that each one of us is made up of roughly:

63% water
22% protein
13% fat, and
2% minerals and vitamins

And, did you realise that every single molecule in our body comes from the food we eat and the water we drink. So eating the highest quality food in the right quantities helps us achieve our greatest potential for health and vitality.

Yet among the big news stories of the new millennium was this: the number of starving people in the world is now roughly equal to the number of clinically obese people. But the irony is that many people in the developed world are actually eating less than they used to, so what’s going on?

I have seen, over the last twenty years or so, that the quality of food we’re eating has got worse and there is now more focus on highly processed foods. The people I see in my one-to-one clinics and in workshops and seminars seem to be more stressed and very inactive. It appears that we are more obsessed with how we look rather than what we eat.

The sum total of this behavior is that we are gradually eating ourselves to death and, believe it or not, many people who are overweight are actually suffering from the same condition as people who are starving. Yes, MALNUTRITION, The reason being that the processed packaged food is often so heavily refined that it’s lacking in the vitamins and minerals we need for our bodies to work well.

Just as the quality and type of fuel used in your car influences both the performance and longevity of the engine, so the quality and type of food you eat influences the health, performance and longevity of your body.

If your diet contains lots of packaged and processed foods then chances are you are missing out on vital nutrients - so it’s time to cleanse your body. Every  single process that takes place in your body - including digestion, fat burning, thinking, breathing, walking and talking - requires vitamins and minerals.

When you eat fresh, natural foods, your stock of vitamins and minerals gets topped up: quite simply, when you eat well, your body works well.

As we lose touch with real ‘live’ food, it becomes harder to form the association with the vitamins and minerals in food and the realisation that we are alive because of them. Our body requires them to survive, so if we keep eating food that is lacking in them, our body’s stocks of these nutrients become depleted so we will start to malfunction and it will become increasingly harder to concentrate and process information. The  body will have less energy and it will find it more difficult to metabolise food and burn fat. That’s why junk foods are often called ‘anti-nutrients.’ They literally attack your stores of nutrients and damage your health.

So commit to giving your body what it needs, including good food and plenty of activity, and I will help you along the way, giving you encouragement, support and guidance.

Until next time

Hi there everyone,

As you may or may not know the magic number for my weight loss programme is 28, as it takes about this number of times of doing something new for it to become a habit.

I have put together 28 steps to a better and happier life. Have a look through and see what you think;

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

4. Play more games than you did in 2007.

5. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

6. Dream more while you are awake.

7. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured.

8. Drink  plenty of water.

9. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

10. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

11. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, OR issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

13. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.

14. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

15. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

16. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

17. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

18. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

19. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

20. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

21. What other people think of you is none of your business.

22. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

23. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

24. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

25. The best is yet to come.

26. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

27. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

28. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.   

Until next time, take good care,
Pete

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Hi there,

So lately I've noticed a lot of people who are following the petecohen.tv program are having great success using  Tool 3 - the Relaxation & Transformation MP3...

"I am still finding the MP3 tool is working the best for me"

"The MP3 is great. At the end I feel wonderful"

 "The relaxation MP3 helps me keep my stress levels down and increase my belief in my ability to keep losing weight."

"Pete is right about the MP3 - it does relax me and makes me feel more positive."

"I can't believe how much better the relaxation and transformation mp3 makes me feel. I am eaten better and feeling great"

Here's a 5-min sample of the track
(The full track is 30mins long)

But, dieting is hard work?

So how can this Relaxation Track help people lose weight when it seems like a dichotomy; going against everything that people are usually told about losing weight?

Most people associate weight loss with dieting, and dieting with hard work, denial, sweat and sometimes tears. The process of losing weight makes many people tense and anxious as they are so concerned about how much they are eating or whether they have lost enough weight.

It has always been my goal that in helping people to lose weight, I would also teach them to enjoy the process and become more relaxed and calm. 

This is especially important because most people overeat when they are tired, bored, lonely, stressed, anxious or sad, along with many other emotions.  Bad eating habits are not often associated with feelling relaxed, calm and peaceful.

The transformation and relaxation tool relaxes the body and calms the mind. The knock-on effect of this is that people become better at managing their emotions and make better choices, automatically choosing foods which are healthier as well as having an increased desire to exercise and be active.
 

The power of suggestion.

Everyone is open to suggestion and we are more easily influenced that we think. For example if I was to say to you "What do beans mean ?" - do you hear a voice in your head that goes "HEINZ" ?  Or if I was to say to you "Pringles, once you pop" - do you hear a voice in your head that says "You just can't stop" 

The power of positive suggestion or, as some people call it, positive affirmation is an essential part of achieving success in many areas of life, whether  that's sport, business or - of course - losing weight and getting fit.

In this tool I take the person, who wants to lose weight, on a guided journey where I make many positive suggestions to them and their ability to break habits and achieve. The result of this is that people start to give themselves more positive reinforcements and feel good about all the changes they are making. 

In addition there are many health benefits from using this tool because when people relax their brains works differently and this creates many positive changes in the body, like decreased blood pressure, heart rate, muscular tension and better digestion. 

Here's a 5-min sample of the track
(The full track is 30mins long)

So until next time, take time to chillax, which is my new made up word for relaxing in the modern world ;)