Weight Loss Guru

Happy New Year to you all!

This time is always a bit of strain for so many people.  To me, it's always been a bit of an anti-climax. I can remember festive periods gone by when everything seemed to slow down, people had fun and enjoyed some rest and some time with friends and family. It was a time where many people had a chance to reflect and think about the year ahead. This seems to be almost impossible today because of the crazy pace of life we live. There are so many pressures in this commercial world we live in.  I couldn't believe, on Christmas Eve, reading a newspaper advert for a sale in a big store that was starting on Christmas day on-line. What's going on?

In the past, I've gone away at this time of year and had a quiet time escaping the parties and spending some quiet time with close friends. I always take time to think about the year ahead and focus on what's important.

"What's Going On" is a song by Marvin Gaye, it's about the difficulties and hardships people face in this sometimes mad, bad and crazy world. One of the lines in the song is "there's got to be another way"

So let me ask you, "What's going on in your life?" and "How do you feel about your life?" These might seem like deep questions but what I am encouraging you to do is to reflect and ponder about your life and what's important to you. Check out my mini-guide to a great 2008 because there is another way:

• Smile and laugh often
• Invest in your close relationships and spend time with the people who care about you and love you
• Get plenty of fresh air and use your body for what it is designed to do, which is MOVE
• Eat plenty of fresh food
• Get plenty of rest and relaxation
• Have as much fun as possible and do what you love to do more of the time

What about you? Have you got anything that you think would be fundamental to making your '08 Great? I look forward to your comments...

Take care,
Pete

Hi there to you all and I hope you have had a good Christmas and are looking forward to 2008.

This is the time of year when many of us think about New Year resolutions. The common-most being to lose weight and get fit.

If this is one of your goals and if you haven't already checked out www.petecohen.tv, then have a look. It's a unique 21 day programme designed to help you develop the powerful and positive habits that will not only help you lose weight, but give you the tools you need to keep the weight off.

It's a great time to take a free trial and join up as the price is going up on Jan 1st.

Have a look at what some of the people who have been following the programme for the past few months have said:

"In 21 days I've lost a couple of pounds and a some inches, but, more importantly, I've learnt more about myself, particularly that I can do things differently. New habits are forming and I am nurturing them..."

"...I am relaxed and discovering new pleasures. I deeply dislike diets. I like to eat. I have never ate with such pleasure. I learnt to eat slowly and this made all the difference. I also love freedom. In this sense, I am much more free. I decide what I will eat instead of eating without choice.."

New Year's Goals

I recommend that if you do want to break a habit this year or achieve a goal or goals then your first port of call would be to write down anything you want to achieve.

"Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination."
Fitzhugh Dodson

When we truly focus on something, we are much more likely to achieve it  - whether it's gaining a job, buying a house, acquiring a qualification or having a harmonious relationship. By sending a message of desire to our brain, we start to make pictures of what we want and, in turn, we begin to take action in order to make it happen. Similar to a builder having an idea of what a project will look like when it's complete or a hairdresser knowing what style they want to create before they start cutting, we can all design the future we want - and then set out to obtain it.

If your goals are about things that you need in your life and will benefit you and others, you'll feel happy when you achieve them. But if you set goals just because you think you should, or to please other people, you may not feel that special even when you do achieve what you set out to do. It's important to ask yourself "What's in it for me?" and "What will happen if I don't manage to do this?"

I really hope you have a good New Year's and and even better 2008!

If i was Santa i'd be circling now in a holding pattern and and waiting for the lights to go out.. it's sooo close... theres kids in beds all over the UK with big fantstic dreams right now... so i wish you all the best for tomorrow and may all your dreams come true!

Hi there and let me start by wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas! - It's nearly upon us!
 
"You don't know how lucky you are!" was a regular put-down directed by my parents at me as I was growing up.  It was a critical remark used particularly when I wanted something new, or was bored with what I was doing. Once it had passed my parents' lips, the line had been drawn and I knew a lecture would soon follow on the subject of how much we had, compared to how little they had in the earlier part of their lives.  My parents were right, their generation had grown up during the war, with the real fear of air raids and the restricted diet and lifestyle  associated with rationing.  And the hardships suffered by their parents was greater still.

With many more lifestyle choices, a higher standard of living and more disposable income, we have never had it so good and yet greater numbers are suffering serious emotional distress. It is reported that, in Britain, almost a quarter of us suffer from depression or anxiety and a further quarter are on the verge of such distress.

Just as the experiences of my childhood proved, I was becoming increasingly confused between my needs and wants.

According to Oliver James in his book "Affluenza", two-thirds of Britons believe that they cannot afford everything they really need. Even when earnings increase, the perceived disparity remains, and the potential for anxiety and depression amplify.

For many people living in the western world, they feel like a hamster on a wheel, never having enough time, never having enough money and waiting for the promotion or windfall which will help them get on to the next step of the ladder. For almost all, the utopian ideal of a work life balance remains just a dream. I remember Christmas many years ago when it was quiet and peaceful, everyone seemed to slow down and take a few days off. Today, so many of us frantically work right up to Christmas Day, only to then stop for just one day and then pick up the pace again on Boxing Day.

So how about this Christmas, you take the time to focus on your needs and maybe fit in some YOU time.

Set yourself a challenge to enjoy the festive period and to have as much fun as possible with your friends and family.

In my next couple of posts, I'll be offering you some top tips on how to achieve any New Year's resolutions you may make.

Take care,
Pete