Weight Loss Guru

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

Bit of a treat today, we have a Guest Post from Ali Hale of theofficediet.com - Healthy Living for Busy People. Ali is really inspiring, here she's broken a 'day in the office' down to certain 'trigger-times', I hope you enjoy reading this... If you do, please leave a comment for Ali at the bottom. Thanks

For many of us who work in desk-based jobs, it can be all too easy for our diet to be derailed before we’ve even noticed. Whether it’s those delicious cupcakes that the “birthday boy” in your office brought in, or the buffet lunch laid on for a meeting, working life can undermine even the best of intentions.

There are various times in the day, though, where things seem most prone to going wrong … and if you plan ahead, you can easily cope with them.

8.00am - Skipping breakfast
Have you ever hit “snooze” on the alarm, snuggled back down under the duvet, and drifted back into blissful sleep … only to jolt awake at 8am, needing to be washed, dressed and en route to work by 8.10? Usually, the easiest thing to cut from your morning routine is breakfast.

Skipping eating in the morning, though, means your metabolism gets off to a sluggish start – and being hungry will make that doughnut shop on the way to work much more tempting…

11.00am – Mid-morning snack from the vending machine
By the time you’ve been at work for a couple of hours, stress may have kicked in. That snippy email from a customer, or your boss suddenly dumping a huge project in your in-tray, can make you seek out the nearest vending machine for some chocolate-coated comfort

If you’re feeling the pressure mounting up, take a short break from your desk. Walk to the water cooler, not the nearest snack-source, and get yourself a cold glass of water. Or head over to talk to a colleague who’ll be able to help you gain some perspective.

1.00pm – Buffet lunch at a meeting
Sometimes, you manage the perfect morning: a healthy yet satisfying breakfast, a virtuous apple for a snack … then a buffet table faces you at lunchtime. If you’re anything like me, you’ll find that the siren call of “FREE FOOD, FREE FOOD” overrides more sensible thoughts like “Do I really want to eat that, though?” and “What would be a reasonably low-fat option?”

Through somewhat gluttonous experience, I’ve found that the best ways to deal with free buffet lunches are:

• Fill half of your plate with crudités or fruit.
• Just go for the things you really like the look of. There’s no rule saying you have to try one of everything.
• Stop after a single plateful – no “I’ll just have another of these little things…”
• Eat slowly: take your time over the meal and chat to people.

4.00pm – The afternoon energy slump
Few of us are at our most productive during the last hour of the working day. It can be very tempting to have a yawn, a stretch, a quick check of Facebook … and a sugary snack for an energy boost. If you’re genuinely hungry, try a cereal bar, a couple of pieces of fruit, or a small sandwich. If you’re just tired, a mug of tea or coffee will perk you up – if you want to cut your caffeine intake, there are lots of tasty herbal teas around.

7.00pm – Too tired to cook
When the last thing you want to do after work is cook an elaborate meal, it can be tempting to phone for a pizza or Chinese. Most of us have busy lives and don’t want to spend hours in the evenings preparing food. I’ve found that it helps immensely to plan ahead: agree with your flatmates or partner who’ll cook on which weeknights, working around your schedules. Decide what you’ll make in advance, and ensure you pop to the shops at the weekend or on the way home to work for any ingredients needed.

If you have plenty of time at the weekend, cook double portions and freeze half -- you’ll have a quick weekday supper that just needs heating up, at much lower cost and higher quality than pre-packaged ready meals.

• Red pepper, fresh or canned tomato and carrot with garlic and paprika.

• Squash or pumpkin chowder with onion, potato, ginger and lime.

• Pasta, potato and pesto soup – another rustic one which cooks in time it takes to have a shower!

• Carrot and coriander with onion, parsnip and lentils or a can of cannelloni beans – very filling.

• Sweet potato, onion, garlic and a can of creamed sweetcorn with fresh coriander, lime juice and paprika or chilli.

• Leek, potato and onion with chicken stock and low fat crème fraiche or quark. This can be left chunky or whisked until smooth and velvety.

• Canned ratatouille and a drained can of cannelloni beans, cooked with vegetable stock, garlic stock, garlic salt and sweet paprika pepper – a real store cupboard standby that takes less than five minutes to make.

• The quality of the stock you use really determines the finished flavour of any dish, especially in the clear soups that are more of a meal in a bowl. Noodle bars are very fashionable places to eat but it’s quite easy to cook in the same style at home. Simply cook Japanese ramen or soba noodles in good quality stock and add your own choice of flavourings at the end of the cooking process. Some suggestions might be shredded chicken or fish, spinach leaves, pak choy, sliced mushrooms, bean sprouts, sliced leeks, celery or carrot, chopped fresh chilli, ginger and coriander leaves.