Dubai Lolita - Love, Health, Fitness & Freedom: What are you Affirming? Your Words are Your Power

Dubai Lolita - Love, Health, Fitness & Freedom: What are you Affirming? Your Words are Your Power: Video on the Power of Your Words - http://bit.ly/1XUrvb4 -Your Words are Powerful and can shape your life. What are you affirmi...

What are you Affirming? Your Words are Your Power

A new video on the Power of Your Words - http://bit.ly/1XUrvb4

Your Words are Powerful and can shape your life. What are you affirming and what are you creating in your life through speech and thoughts? 

This video brings awareness on using empowering words and enhancing personal success through Affirmations: http://bit.ly/1XUrvb4

Key Questions that can generate empowering answers when we are receptive:

How can I create more joy today in my life? 

How Can I love myself more than ever before?

Set your intention and go forth into your day with Positive Expectation, and then notice the signs and receive your answers.

Valuable Tips: Eating Out & Sticking to your Eating Plan - Stay On Track & Succeed!

We've all been there. You're on your eating plan and doing well. Food prep is going smoothly, you are hitting your daily targets and feeling motivated. And then we receive invitations to dine out and you're wanting to join.
What to do when you feel that you may veer off of your plan and possibly sabotage your goals?

Dining out can be pleasant and satisfying, and you can honor your eating plan if we follow some clear parameters to keep us on track.

Here are some tips and ideas to help all of us who are following a diet or healthy eating plan (clean eating) and are dining out.

Earlier on the same day or 1 day in advance:

• Review the menu in advance – Check out the menu online if possible and assess which is the best dish for you.

• Plan/Strategize Ahead - Plan out your meals and caloric distribution for the day so that you can identify how much you will budget for dinner. Chances are the dinner (meal X) will be higher in calories even when you estimate and will likely contain more fat than you can accurately estimate. This is especially true since it's not entirely feasible to weight your food at the dinner table. 

Psychological, Mental & Emotional Preparation is key:

Prepare yourself mentally and emotionally - Set yourself up for success with Positive Vibes in advance. 

Decide in advance of sitting at the table on how you want to feel. Example talk to self: 

• "By the end of the dinner I want to feel light and satisfied, I want to feel good, proud of myself, I want to enjoy the company of other diners. I want to appreciate this special moment and opportunity to take in fine food."
• "I want to eat well and make healthy choices that are aligned with my health, wellness and fitness goals. 
• I trust myself to make the best possible choices knowing what I know about good food selections. I can do this. I trust myself to make the very best, ideal choices for myself tonight. It's going to be OK. I'm going to be fine. It's alright and I feel good about this new experience. I've got this and I can do it. Most importantly, I WANT this and I believe in myself. 
• I am my own partner on this wellness, health, fitness journey. I trust myself! I love myself and I can do this. It’s going to be fine.

When seated at the table & you’re ready to order: This is where your power lies.

Make savvy choices when you ready to order. Here are some pointers that can support you in more easily and effortlessly making the best choices aligned with your goals:

• Simply ASK for what you want - Inform the waiter directly: "You know, I'm really careful with my nutrition. Can you please recommend the lightest or "healthy" dish available tonight? That with the most veggies and least oil/fat? The waiters typically know which dishes the restaurant would rate at on the 'healthier' side.

• Salads - Look at the salad options and if it’s enough for a main course, pick the salad. Request dressing on the side which includes oils. If there is a protein, ask how it is prepared to avoid inadvertently ordering fried options. Ask for grilled, steamed or boiled options (same for the vegetables).

• Appetizers - Try to avoid appetizers since these are normally small bites packed with loads of fat and calories but which will not fill you up as you will then have a Main Course (correct?)

• Inquire on the Cooking Method - Request grilled, boiled, smoked, or steamed options. Bypass the sautéed, fried, deep-fried, pan-fried, seared, buttered, breaded or such ‘rich’ sounding dishes. The restaurant will typically be generous with the oils/butter they use when preparing their dishes and this is true from simple restaurant to 5-star cuisine.

• Request grilled or steamed with little to no butter/oil. Mention, if need be, that you are allergic to excess oil/butter.

• No Fried Anything - Be wary of and avoid dishes that are deep-fried, or with a complicated-sounding sauce, especially because sauces are made with fine ingredients like butter, oil, cream, milk, etc.

• Sauces/Dressings - Request all sauces and dressing on the side so you can then control the amount you decide to ingest. You can sample the sauces, and thus not deprive yourself, by using the Teaspoon as a measuring tool.

• Avoid dessert. You do not really need it, do you? If you can exercise self-control then only take in 1-2 bites and call it a day. Desserts will be energy-rich no matter how you slice it and any dessert can easily add 100-500 extra calories, unless you choose simple fruits (without creams, sauces, or other accouterments, etc) - bear this in mind! 

You made it through the main course making healthy, mindful options; don't squander your excellent effort by consuming excess calories at the very end. Furthermore, if this is dinner remind yourself that desserts are pure sugar; large quantities of sugar consumed at night will have you buzzing with energy the rest of the night and thus interfere with getting deep and restful sleep. 

• Alcohol – Alcohol/Spirits contains calories and carbs (sugar) and thus you may want to restrict this particular item from the evening. Beer can cause bloating which you probably don't  want to feel after eating. However, if you absolutely feel obliged due to social/professional pressures, then go for 1 glass of red wine which is easy to account for and contains some positive qualities such as resveratrol which is an antioxidant (antioxidants reduce oxidative damage in the body). However, bear in mind that there are many mixed evaluations on the need to drink wine for its health benefits. You can obtain antioxidants through fresh fruits such as berries.  

   

When you receive your food; the process of eating itself. 

You still have the power to:

• Bless your food and thank life for having it available here and now to nourish your body.
• Infuse your food with positive vibes and trust that it will only have positive, desired, beneficial effects on your fantastic, special and unique body.
• Pace yourself whilst eating; take slow and deliberate bites. No need to rush because if you eat too fast and finish before others you may feel compelled to eat even more food such as bread or any leftover appetizers still on the table.
• Savor each bite. Detect the variety of favors. Appreciate the food that you are eating and its preparation. 
• Appreciate the different food components - spices, ingredients, etc -  all the more if you are dining in an elegant, refined restaurant with a noteworthy chef and top-notch cuisine.
• Engage in conversation with other diners so you enjoy their company and also give your stomach enough time to process the food being ingested.

Finally, may we always appreciate that one meal will not make or break our ultimate success. Overeating in one meal can leave you a bit puffier and bloated for the next day, or feeling mental fogginess if you've eating something completely off of your plan.

The most important thing is to realize that it's about the habits and actions we are taking on a daily, consistent basis. How are you eating every day at each meal? Are you being true to your plan and thus aligned with your goals and vision?

When it comes to eating out perfectionism usually jumps out the window. Rather, it's about eating as close to ideally as we possibly can. The more you practice and experience what works for you, your own psychology, your own triggers and your own strengths and weaknesses, you become a more skilled eating-out diner.

For those of you who must constantly eat out for business and social reasons, then you will definitely want to be more strict (dare I say militant) about your nutrition and eating with the above ideas in mind.

Practice, reassess and see how your progress goes. And if eating out if really complicated for you then do not do it as much - you can always say no and meet you friends and others within another context that does not revolve around food.

Wishing you the greatest health and wellness! 

Jennifer

Personal Power Life Coaching

Note to God: Weaving Wisdom Out of Pain (Post written on: Oct 21, 2015)

Post written: Oct 21, 2015, and for whatever reason I kept it as a draft until now.

Themes: Finding the positive outcome of painful experiences; choosing thoughts deliberately empowering yourself through self-awareness; giving yourself time to heal and allowing time for the processes of life to happen organically; releasing pain from the past; moving forward in your life.

Dear God,

I have asked you, the Universe/God, this morning, out of curiosity and because I would love to use this as a moment of learning and even deeper clarity and well-being: what is the meaning and reason behind my little shin cut from Friday afternoon? It happened so suddenly, mindlessly and pointlessly. Ridiculous! I’d like to better understand and fully absorb, in the most resourceful way possible, what this means and what are you trying to tell me through it? 

Nothing happens in vain; everything has a reason for being and for happening.

First thoughts:

Realization of how much I don’t want to feel hurt or pain. It feels so OFF to be hurt physically. I don’t want a single hair on my body to be hurt or injured.  I extrapolate this one step further – I can also hurt myself not physically but in other ways – emotionally and with my thoughts. This type of self-inflicted pain (I was stretching but without paying much attention to where my feet were placed). 

Pain is not only physical - it can be generated from within with the THOUGHTS we think. 

Hurtful thoughts are ones that lower our mood, deflate our spirit and bring us down.

If they are thought on a consistent basis they can turn into resistance (manifested through ailments and low energy) and can hold us back and away from moving closer towards our goals and desires. It is like creating a roadway deviation or an accident which then creates a traffic jam and thus slows you down on the road to achieving your dream. Nonetheless, there is still always hope because this implies that you are still on your way to your destination (Feelgood-Ville) however, moving more slowly and possibly even feeling other un-resourceful emotions now such as frustration, doubt, and fatigue.

You and I, we can always turn such thoughts around. We can question them, we can shed light on them rather than ignoring and planting them deeper in our psyche. We can bring them to the surface like picking a ripe tomato and analyzing it. If it's a rotten tomato - let it go! Throw it away! Free yourself of all the rotten tomatoes in your life and you will only ever need to eat delicious, fresh, organic, plump and nutrition tomatoes :-) i.e. you will only ever need to focus on and entertain beautiful, uplifting, positive and empowering thoughts.

Moral of the story:

Choose predominantly and then chronically, exclusively powerful, empowering, resourceful, loving thoughts.

Thoughts that move you closer to what you want and desire. Take the faster road, traffic-free and unencumbered, to reach your desired destination, and also notice that you enjoy the journey more because you are flowing, driving at your desired speed, possibly enjoying a beautiful, spectacular scenery! If you have not been used to being mindful or aware of your thoughts, then perhaps now is the time to start. No better time like the present. All we truly have is this moment right NOW. What are you thinking right now? What are you habitually thinking? How are you thinking your thoughts? How are you interpreting your experiences? And subsequently, what meaning are you giving to all these experiences?

Increased Thoughts Awareness:
As you begin to pay more attention to how and what you are thinking, you can decide deliberately, consciously, eagerly what thoughts will help you feel better and move you closer to what you want.

• Key Question: What do you want to feel? What do you want to think?
• Stop the negativity, stop the self-criticism, stop the comparisons to others, stop the self-doubting, the hesitations; stop the judgments, criticism and fault-finding. 
• You are GOOD, you are PERFECT, you are all that is so make peace with it, embrace it and know with all your heart that embracing things as they already are will not hold you away from what you want and all you ARE becoming.

Allow the Healing Process. Life Does Go On!

Healing takes time and progression; there is a certain order to things that we cannot micromanage. As with the external, so with the inner healing. Whenever we experience internal emotional pain we need to fully acknowledge and appreciate that there is a grieving process and then a healing process (the more significant or deeper the hurt, the longer or more delicate the healing is required). Do you allow yourself to grieve and heal properly? 

Sometimes we don’t properly grieve & heal because it is too much to handle and too painful. We want to be strong rather than ‘weak’, or we simply don't want the hurt feeling. Unfortunately, this does not make the emotional hurt disappear. Rather it remains embedded in the psyche as recurring thoughts, attitude, or expectations. If you want to move forward in your life and release past hurts, acknowledgement and proper healing is essential.

A bruise or cut needs to be treated and allowed time and space to repair - blood has to clot, new cells have to form, old cells slowly begin to harden forming a thin layer of old dead skin cells…then it becomes itchy until eventually the scab comes off. At this point there is vulnerable, virgin skin beneath that is exposed. 

That patch of skin won’t ever look the same; however it will be brand new, repaired and no longer hurting. Soon you forget about it and go about your daily life as if nothing happened. You only remember if you bring your attention to it. You realize that the injury is quite inconsequential in the big scheme of your life for other things have come to pass and now take your attention. 

This is the magnificent blessing and gift in the pain. The fact that life goes on, feelings pass, healing happens, and new things will take its place. You feel happy once again!

Rejoice!  All is well. :-)

Effectively Manage Your Emotions at Work (or anywhere!) - A re-adapted NLP Process

Are you a Sensitive or Emotional member of your team or group? Or do you work with such a sensitive/emotional individual(s). There is a high likelihood that you do.

In either case, along our professional development and journey we have all found ourselves in a situation in the work setting where emotions got the best of you or someone else. Perhaps this entailed a manifestation of explosive emotion, or an experience of deep discomfort, upset, anger, frustration, or indignation. Regardless of the felt emotion, these scenarios resonate with every single member of the human race, for as humans we are most certainly feeling and sensing creatures, and this sensing/feeling quality does not necessarily switch off at work.

In fact, emotion can sometimes deepen and reveal itself in the workplace in ways we had not considered possible - and this is most reasonable when you consider that we spend a significant bulk of our day at work. Indeed, it is no wonder that a sizable chunk of our personality will express itself in the workplace. Add to this the fact that work can generate stress via its multiple, diverse demands from different stakeholders, different priorities, and personal preferences - it is a like a colossal soup of goals, projects, personalities, emotions and perspectives, and somehow the components of this mixed-ingredient soup need to combine in just the suitably harmonious combinations in order to yield a palatable end product - a delicious soup i.e. fruitful results in the office.

There needs to be some degree of harmony and complementarity between the ingredients in order to generate a satisfying soup. In the same way, there needs to be a degree of flow and synergy in human relations, and thus a management of the emotions of each participant in each working relationship.

As we cannot manage anyone elses emotions it behooves us to assume responsibility for our own emotions and to learn effective State Management, or effective management of our emotions.
If our emotions are an undeniable and powerful trait that makes us discerning beings, how can we work with it? What can you do the next time you experience difficult emotions at work? This article will provide a specific NLP-based (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) tool that is already in your 'toolbox', which you are now activating by reading these words. It will help you to effectively manage your emotions when encountering difficult situations and peers at work.

Take a step back, literally - Assume a different perceptual position.

• If you can, physically disengage/remove yourself from the situation that is generating your internal discomfort, frustration, emotional state, etc. and go to a place where you can be alone. Perhaps close the door of your office for privacy or go to an empty meeting room, or simply go to the bathroom - all you need is a clear spce where you can be alone.

In that area, stand where you are and call this "Position 1". Position 1 represents that troubling situation.

• Now imagine there is another circle to your right. Call this Position 2.

Take a step to the right and move into Position 2 - acknowledge that in this new space you (i.e. Bob) have removed yourself from the situation (Position 1) and you are now an outside observer of Position 1 i.e. the situation and you in that situation.

• From Position 2, look at yourself (look at Bob) in Position 1. Take a breath and look at what is happening there. Describe the situation and the unfolding of the scene. What was said specifically and what transpired in Position 1 that upsetting or uncomfortable?

 

How does Bob in Position 1 feel? Ask yourself the questions: "What has been actually said? What is being asked? What is really going on here? Where is Bob assuming or interpreting or Mind Reading?"

As much as you can, stick to a narrative told in the voice of an outside observer.
As you deliberately disassemble the situation in a more levelheaded manner, you can begin to identify what is bothering you from a more objective perspective.

The simple act of physically moving yourself into a new space (Position 2), and then studying what happened, will help you tremendously in gaining some composure and greater clarity. As you dismantle the scene you regain a sense of control and thus you feel slightly better than you did before. Feeling better and calm will undoubtedly enable you to respond to any situation in a more resourceful manner.

• Lastly, in Position 2 ask yourself: "How do I want to feel?" Identify your desired internal state - how you want to feel when you move back into the situation, which you will have to do soon enough.

AND: What is the single thing Bob could do, moving forward in this situation, that will help him continue with his day with his desired state? This action must be feasible within the work context and it would not involve or impact anyone else - it is designed for your personal, internal and private improvement of personal emotion. This desired state could be ease, peace of mind, indifference, acceptance, clarity, etc. Only you know how you want to feel which will be better than how you were when you started this exercise.

• Once you identify your desired state and then identify the 1 step or thing that you can do right away that will generate this desired state (ease, peace, acceptance, etc.) take a moment to see yourself doing that 1 thing...Close your eyes and visualize yourself moving into that picture doing the action and see yourself feeling better. What is your facial expression? How are you sitting? How are you talking and how are you breathing? Fully engage with that image of yourself for 30 seconds at least.

With this image clear in your mind's eye, open your eyes and go back to work. You've already charted your steps and you've decided how you want to feel. Everyone can have their win-win...the key is to focus on how you want to feel regardless of the external factors which you cannot control.

Step back into your situation and allow yourself to move forward with ease and more clarity about how you want to feel (without attaching to people or factors) and focus on that feeling. You are bound to succeed. It only requires a few minutes of your time, identifying a better feeling and then focusing on it whilst engaging these 2 simple perceptual positions.

 

Conclusion:

So the next time you are at work and you have the unique opportunity to feel an emotion that is not ideal for you, try these steps -

Before reacting take a breath, remove yourself from the situation and go somewhere where you can be alone.

Identify Position 1, then move into Position 2.
Look at the circumstance of Position 1, see yourself there. Describe the scene and realize that you can remove yourself from the issue, and thus you regain control, composure and better manage your internal state, which is the most that anyone can do regardless of the conditions.

Finally, identify your desired state and what is the 1 thing that you can reasonably do (at work) that will support you in feeling better (the desired state). Then Visualize yourself doing that 1 thing and see yourself receiving the immense benefit of the simple action. Focus on that vision. Then go back to your day and continue about your business.

Congratulations! You have just dismantled a strong internal bomb and have replaced it with more clarity, focus and self-empowerment. Bravo!

A BeeYOUtiful day :-) - From The Vortex

Today is a BEAUTIFUL – BEEYOUTIFUL – DAY!

“

I am a powerful creator

I am tuned it, tapped in, turned on :-)

“

Oh yeeaah!

Magic

Spendor

Brilliance

Shiiiiiine

Marvellous

Awesome

Fantastic

Super

Duper

Terrific

Fun

Frisky

Playful

Alert

Aligned

Committed to me and myself

Love it

Have it

Do it

Be it

Love it

Own it

Do it

Own it

Free it

Be it

Love it

Live it

Thrive

Dive

Delight

Deep

Sight

More

Fore lore soar

More

Blessed

Glad

Deep

Leap

Might

Height

Sight

Might

Night

Light

Bright

Kite

Knight

Mite

Might

Skip

Play

More

Love

Connect

Fun

Light

Laugh

Run

play

The Magic - Daily Gratitude

Thanks to a recent catch-up with a good friend who shared with me the wonders of the book "The Magic", by Rhonda Byrne (same author of The Secret), I've decided to follow the book again. I had purchased the book almost 2+ years ago, started reading and then somewhere along the way fell off its trail and it slipped into temporary oblivion.

Anyways, Practice 1 is to write your list of 10 things for which your are grateful, every day/morning.
Here is today - Day3:

1. I am really grateful for this fresh, new day because it's a new opportunity at life, to enjoy time with the people a like and who love me, to be a cocreator, and to have fun and enjoy the life experience.
2. I am so thankful for this morning's fasted swim; I loved it because it helps me to take rest from gym while also burning fat, boosting my metabolism and keeping my muscles activated.
3. I so deeply appreciate the beauty of the morning time, especially today poolside; the radiant sun gives me energy and tans me, the birds are flying high and free, singing their bird songs, and the air is clean, fresh, new. It is peaceful and supporting; kind and caring; loving.
4. I really appreciate my safe and convenient drive to work because I reached safely and in good time; i like the flow of things.
5. I feel really grateful for the delicious decaf coffee I had; perfect taste, hot and nicely complementing my breakfast.
6. I really appreciate the nice person who took my pic this morning in bathing suit because i was able to really see progress in my physical development, and to appreciate who I am much more.
7. I totally love and am thankful for the safe, supportive, collegial and professional work environment where I work.
8. I am so thankful for the free car parking my company offers; bc of it I have a secure place where I leave my car the whole day, for free.
9. I am so thankful for my colleagues and all my peers at work, and everyone I interact with, bc everyone is a co-creator and our interactions gives us all more clarity and guidance on what we prefer (and don't prefer). There is a ton of valuable feedback in our daily interactions.
10. I am so thankful for last night's amazing sleep bc today I had great, positive energy and exuberance; I appreciate being able to appreciate and how thinking about these marvelous things enhance my sense of living and quality of life.

 What 10 things are you thankful for today? :-)