The (Funny) Secret to Effortless Weight loss: part 3

May 7, 2012 By Kalia Leave a Comment

When was the last time you laughed?

Not a polite chuckle, but a good ole’ belly laugh that leaves your belly hurting and tears in your eyes?

And what does this have to do with weight loss? – Turns out- a lot.

While laughing may not stack up toe-to-toe with other forms of exercise on a calorie burn level, it does amazing things for your physiology- that internal chemistry that dictates your hormone levels; which in turn affects hunger, mood and more.

Belly laughing also gives your core muscles an awesome workout! Right now, try busting out a few belly laughs- just fake ‘em if you have to- notice your diaphragm gets going, and those muscles deep in your belly (the ones that are responsible for whether your belly wall pushes out or lays nice and flat) get activated.

How to try this?

Next time the level of ridiculous stress in your life has you wanting to tear your hair out, see if you can find a reason to laugh- even if it’s just because the only other option is to cry- you’ll get the same level of emotional and physical release, with the added benefit of endorphins and neurotransmitters that light up the pleasure centers in your brain. Notice the sensations in your body after your next good laugh.

And it lowers cortisol, which we looked at in part 1 and part 2 of this series (click those links to see the posts). One side-effect of cortisol is that it makes our body store fat in our belly- unhealthy and not so good for fitting into our jeans.

Now I’ve got nothing against a good cry I just want to invite you to remember that laughing is an option. Here’s a link to a laughing meditation practice that might leave you chuckling

or check out this post – you can always search youtube for things that will make YOU laugh!

Laughter is a good addition to your life whether your goal is to lose weight, relieve stress, or just enjoy your life more.

What Cracks you up? And how do you feel afterwards? Tell me below, I’m so curious.

Filed Under: Action, Energy, happiness, Laughter

The Secret to effortless weight loss: part 2

April 30, 2012 By Kalia 1 Comment

The subject of weight loss often involves moans and groans from those who have tried it and, either lost weight but couldn’t keep it off, or couldn’t lose weight to begin with.
You may be able to relate. I know I certainly could at one point in my life. You may feel how I did, that losing weight and keeping it off is a big secret.
Maybe you beat yourself up about it, thinking that you don’t have the willpower or the motivation to work out as hard as you need to burn off all those calories.

None of this helps.

But I can tell you something that does.

Stop trying so hard.

Last week, I posted part 1 of this series (click here to read the first secret)

This week, I’m giving you something that doesn’t require any extra effort or willpower. All it requires is that you remember to do it – and you you almost do it all day long…

The secret is to breathe like a baby for a few breaths. Have you ever watched a baby breathe? Their bellies rise and fall with their breath.

Try it now. Notice the level of tension in your body right now. Then, inhale slowly through your nose and feel your belly expand with your breath-

Pause.

Exhale slowly and fully, drawing your belly toward your spine at the end to gently ‘squeeze’ all the air out.

Repeat two more times.

Notice any sensations in your body now.

You don’t have to be sitting cross-legged, your eyes can be open or closed, no special music required.

Simply breath, and then repeat. If you want a soundtrack to remind you, go here (I promise it’s worth the listen)

At first it can be helpful to have reminders to do this:

Program your phone to alert you a few times a day
Post some reminder notes around the house, maybe on the computer screen, or in the mirror of your bathroom
Connect your breath with a certain activity, like washing dishes or starting the car, so that you build this ‘exercise’ into a habit.
Whenever you feel your body tensing, practice your breathing as a reaction- you’ll notice an immediate difference.

Deep breathing gives us an immediate way to lower the stress hormone cortisol in our bodies- remember, while cortisol can be helpful, if left unchecked, it can seriously damage our health- plus it makes our bodies store fat around our bellies.

Less Cortisol = less fat stored (especially around your belly)

I’m curious to know where you’ll practice your breath- post in the comments below the first place you think it makes sense to start practicing this.

Filed Under: Energy, weight loss, Well-being

The Secret to effortless weight loss: part 1

April 24, 2012 By Kalia 2 Comments

Sometimes, things feel easy; eating lots of chocolate, grabbing whatever is in the fridge for dinner, diving into crystal clear, turquoise ocean with schools of dolphins…

Some things feel easier than others, but if you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you know that it can sometimes feel… shall we say less than easy?

The list often begins a little something like this:

Exercise – a lOT
Stop eating all the foods you love to eat
torture yourself by thinking about all the things you shouldn’t be eating, (but probably wouldn’t be thinking about if you weren’t on a ‘d.i.e.t’)

What if losing weight could feel as effortless as those dolphins look, swimming through the ocean?

Part of weight loss is work, there’s no denying that. The work is really in the habits that you’ve got (those neural pathways in your brain that got you here in the first place). But there are some big pieces that people often don’t look at in the bigger picture of weight loss that have nothing to do with calories in/calories out.

The first one that we’ll look at today is SLEEP.

Yes, I know, you’ve ‘got’ to wake up an hour early to fit your workout in. The truth is, is you are ditching your zzz’s to force yourself to work out, you may not get the payoff you were hoping for (ie- weightloss).

Studies show that women who got less than 8 hours of sleep were 75% more likely to be overweight. When you leap out of bed in the morning and drag yourself to the gym or the road or the stationary bike in the basement, you’re messing with your hormones woman! You decrease the hormone that lets you know your full, and you increase the hormone that screams “give me sugar and fat- preferably processed”. You also increase Cortisol levels in your body- Cortisol is a stress hormone that makes your body- (gulp)- STORE FAT – especially in your belly! Probably not exactly what you were hoping for. I know ‘gain weight in my belly’ does not rank high in my to-do list- i’ve had two kids, enough with the growing belly.

But what about that workout you may ask. You’ve got some options (always!!)

The first option is to turn off the tv or the computer, and get to bed earlier, (as an added bonus here- you won’t be tempted to rummage through the pantry for left-over Easter, Halloween, Christmas Candy). You’ll wake up energized, and ready for that morning workout.

The second option is to schedule your workout for another time in the day- or break it into several ten minute increments throughout the day. You do not have to do your workout all at once to get the most out of it.

I’ll share with your another secret to making weight loss not feel so hard next time- until then, get some sleep!!!

Filed Under: wellness

Do you feel like you’re starting from scratch?

April 8, 2012 By Kalia Leave a Comment

Sometimes, life gets in the way of our best intentions to take awesome care of ourselves. Maybe we’ve been caring for a sick family member or friend. Perhaps we’ve had a baby, or gone done with an illness ourselves. Or maybe we’ve lost ourselves in our work, and come up for air after a few weeks (or months) of blowing ourselves off.

It may feel like you are starting from scratch, but remember what you’ve learned in your journey so far..

You didn’t get here overnight. Small choices along the way got you to this point. If you are tired or overwhelmed, feeling bad about what you’re doing, or not doing…
Just remember, it took time to get here.
Your body will respond,
Your mind will respond

You’ve just got to keep taking one little step at a time.
Or start taking one little step in the direction you want to go.

Maybe you’re impatient with what’s going on,
Or you’ve hit a bump in the road-
Life happened.

It’s probably time to re-ignite your vision, your motivation,
time to light your inner fire again

Start focusing on why it matters
to have energy,
that inner spark of Joy.

How might your mornings be different?
Your interactions with family and friends,
your level of anxiety, stress or overwhelm?

Then, look again at what little things you can do
Don’t agonize or beat yourself up over what you can’t do- that will just drain you even more.

Make a list of 3 easy things you can do that will support your energy, your confidence, your spark of happiness

(sometimes ‘doing’ means not doing – as in, choosing to REST!)

ideas to get you going:

Feel your vision when you first wake up, or just before you go to sleep.
walk around the block, or the yard once per day
Drink a big glass of water before anything else in the day
Notice when you are beating yourself up, and replace that thought with something you would tell your best friend, or your child.

Play with ideas, and then, if three feels like too much, just choose ONE thing, and do it every day for a while. Notice how it makes you feel to give yourself this little gift every day.

Want help getting started again?? Click here to learn about Mind Body Booty Camp!!

Filed Under: wellness

How to create Space when there just isn’t Time

March 24, 2012 By Kalia Leave a Comment

Can there be space without time?

I’ve been wondering lately how to fit it all in.

You know what I mean, the workout, the sleep, the lunches packed, the dinner made, the house cleaned…

and oh, yeah, the business work completed.

In fact, I recently did a 21-day meditation challenge through The Chopra Center to see if I could actually make the time in my day for a seated mediation. Now I know I’ve talked about mindfulness practices, and I do those.

I pay attention when I wash the dishes or my hands. I smell the conditioner as I rinses through my hair. And this helps, it really does. It brings me into the moment- if only for a moment.

The Moment of Calm

As I moved through the 21 day challenge, creating the time for those 15 minute meditations was sometimes crazy. Sometimes it was the last thing I did before I went to bed, and truthfully, on some days it just didn’t happen.

But here is what I noticed as the days passed by, and more often than not, I created space and time for those meditations; space opened up everywhere around me. It’s not that there was less to do, my busy schedule was still there. But the quality of that space had changed. I had room in my mind. I could see my thoughts without being exhausted by them running my mind. I could create distance from them, which allowed way more perspective.

An Opening…

And then the challenge ended. I was once again left to my own devices.

No one was sending me emails, offering a daily meditation if I just click a button.

And so the real work begins. I create space, even when it doesn’t feel like there is time.

Because I know that in the small bit of time I carve away, the space becomes infinite, time becomes relative, and I get to feel the sweetness of breathing into a feeling of freedom and non-time.

Even if it’s just for a moment, and those moments string together. To become my life.

Filed Under: Curiosity, Mind, Well-being

How do you see it?

February 27, 2012 By Kalia Leave a Comment

There is a hill that I like to walk. It’s a decent hill, that climbs, and at the end, it gets pretty steep, (it’s affectionately called “kill hill” ; )
The first time I walked it, it felt really steep.
After a few months of walking it at least once a week, it’s still steep, but it’s the kind of challenge I look forward to, because I know how good it feels to get to the top.

Albert Einstein talked about each one of us having a major decision to make about whether we see the world as hostile or friendly. Imagine yourself for a moment with each perspective, and guess how you would feel differerent.

Today, I want to invite you to look at your perspective of how you take care of yourself. This means:

how you move and feed your body
how you nourish your spirit
the attention you give your emotions.
Do you see self-care as a burden? Does it ‘make you’ feel guilty?
Or do you choose the perspective that allowing yourself to be a priority is a good thing for everyone in your life – yourself included?

From your perspective, (which is all that really matters, because this is at the root of your beliefs), how important is it that you are healthy? Does it matter if you have good energy and are resilient? What parts of your life are affected by your mood?

And most importantly, do feel like you have the ability to make the changes in your life that will support you in these areas?

My perspective is that you absolutely do. I’ve supported enough clients and friends through changes to be an absolute believer. Sometimes you just need more or better information, and sometimes you need the support to see and shift that deep place inside of you that imagines what is possible.

I would love to know what your perspective is - sharing it could make the difference in someone else’s life- we’re not alone here!

Filed Under: Curiosity, Energy, happiness, Inspiration Tagged With: Curiosity, habits, simple steps

Are you Enough?

February 22, 2012 By Kalia Leave a Comment

In our busy days, we are often so wrapped up in doing and achieving and helping… Life comes flying at us at a dizzying pace, and we can get spun in that vortex. We can get lost in the illusion that if we could just somehow finish “the list” or perfect the project, that we would finally have arrived, we would finally be ‘enough’.

What if you were enough right now.

Just as you are.

Without changing or finishing or fine-tuning anything?

As a mom, wife, entrepreneur, sister, daughter, friend, community member…I can get caught up in creating my identity through what I do and how well I do it.

Can you relate? Thankfully, I’ve been able to navigate myself to a place where I no longer have to do it all perfectly- at least most of the time. A few years ago I was facing some really tough times with my recently launched business. I didn’t know what to do, and I felt like a failure. I remember that a-ha moment when I received this simple truth. (Of course, it came from my mother… Thanks Mom!)

What you are creating in your business is not who you are.

said another way – - You are already enough, just as you are.

So don’t go taking on the world, conquering the dragons, perfecting the art of juggling the toddler, while flipping pancakes and scheduling a meeting simultaneously- at least not to prove anything.

Let the challenges you take on be in pursuit of your passions, your Spirit and Soul. Maybe that does include juggling, flipping and scheduling (not anyone else’s call but your own).

Know that some challenges that come will be un-chosen. For those, just show up. Do what you can. Don’t try to do any of it perfectly. Know that you are enough.

Right now, that gem inside you already exists. Simmering and Shimmering.

The only thing to do is uncover it by letting go of the ‘shoulds’ and ”have-tos’ that have dimmed your light.

Right now, just take a breath into the idea that you are enough.

Filed Under: Inspiration, Learning, Mind Tagged With: Energy, habits

5 Tips for Cleansing without losing your mind

February 13, 2012 By Kalia Leave a Comment

Cleansing is awesome.

There is a sense of freedom and lightness that comes from letting go of habits that aren’t helping you, extra weight, and helping your body get rid of toxins.

As a busy mom, wife and entrepreneur, I find that going at a gentle pace with my cleansing serves me better than doing something radical. At the end of the day, I still need to make dinner for my kids, make sure they have clean clothes to wear, and not be so run-down that I can’t be present and nurturing for them.

So, if you are in the same boat, I wanted to offer some simple tips for cleansing at a pace that will still allow you to be there for your family and your business.

Make sure you are getting enough water throughout the day. Adding some greens (either in a smoothie, or powdered greens) and squeezes of lemon with help up the cleansing properties of water for you.
Move your body every day. When we move, whether walking, dancing, doing yoga- whatever, we increase our circulation, which helps our bodies off-load toxins, and we nourish our organs with fresh nutrients and oxygen. When move our bodies, we also tend to deepen our breath. Breathing is an incredible tool for detoxification, make the most of it. Plus, it helps us stay clear in our mind and keep a good attitude.
Exfoliate. Our skin is our largest organ of elimination (yes, your skin is an organ), so to help keep things moving along, it’s great to start each day- or ever one day a week- with a dry body brush. You can find these at any health food store, and just take a few minutes before you shower in the morning to scrub your body with the dry brush. Start at the hands and feet, and move toward your heart with circular strokes.
Experiment with letting go of foods that can be problematic for people. The biggest ones include; sugar, dairy, wheat, soy and eggs. For me, creating a nutrition program that includes very little sugar is the best. I notice such a big difference in my energy, my skin and my weight, that it has become a way of life. Get really curious about this for yourself. How does your body feel when you’re not eating lots of sugar? What about letting go of dairy or wheat for a few days. Experiment with this so you can notice the effects these foods have on YOU.
Play with your awareness. Your thoughts have a huge effect on your body chemistry. Stressful or negative thoughts create toxic levels of stress hormones, and can ultimately create disease in the body. This doesn’t mean that you should pretend that there are only butterflies and rainbows in the world- being delusional isn’t healthy either. What you can do is create a mindfulness practice that lets you see your thoughts instead of be your thoughts. There is a wonderful freedom that comes form being able to just notice that you’ve gone off on some dark tangent, but not get wrapped up in it, feeding it from the fuel of your imagination. You can also incorporate practices that encourage positive mental states, which create healthy hormone levels and body chemistry that encourages health.

Play with doing some of these things. Pick one or two if you are feeling pressured, or decide to spend a few weeks incorporating them all. Chances are, you’ll feel lighter and more energized by the end of it.

Join me for a 28 day empowerment cleanse that starts Feb 22, 2012 – I will be leading this empowerment and nourishing cleanse with my long-time mentor and friend, Joyanna Cotter - There are three different levels you can choose to join at- the basic level is FREE!

Go Here for details… and to sign up.

Filed Under: Action, Curiosity, Inspiration, Monday Moment, weight loss

Will just doing what you can make a difference?

February 10, 2012 By Kalia Leave a Comment

I’m not sure about you, but my to-do list gets a little long…

And by long, I mean Rapunzel’s braid long. Kind of makes me want to throw it out the window like Rapunzel did with her braid

Having a list like that can be overwhelming.

So can starting a hard-core diet, or an over the top exercise routine.

While going all-out can work for some things, ultimately, things get done when we take them one thing at a time. Burning yourself out with hours of gym time every day just means you won’t get long-term results. Most crash diets end up in more weight gained than was lost.

So, for today, what is one thing you can do to support and nourish your body.

Is it going for a 20 minute walk? Or adding 10 push ups to your routine.

Maybe it’s as simple as starting the day with a big glass of water, and carrying water around with you the whole day.

Or perhaps it’s taking a few minutes every morning before jumping into the day to think about some of the gifts of your life. Roll them around in your mind and notice any sensations that come up in your body.

Find your one thing, and do it every day, until it’s a habit. Then find one more thing. Repeat as needed.

When we add one thing, we create way less resistance and backlash within ourselves. After all, who can’t do just one little thing? Doesn’t have to be hard, or take a long time. But that one thing, when it’s a habit, can make a hug difference in your energy level, and it can boost your confidence because you see you can make changes in your life. And they don’t have to happen all at once with drama and suffering.

What will your one thing be today?

Filed Under: Action, Energy, fitness, Get results, Inspiration Tagged With: Gratitude, habits, Inspiration, simple steps

What’s on Your Playlist?

January 31, 2012 By Kalia Leave a Comment

Not feeling up to your normal routine? If you’ve been pushing yourself lately, or not getting enough sleep, maybe you need to listen to your body. Or maybe you’re just making excuses. Only you know the truth. So, if you’ve got some serious rationalizing going on, (and when it comes to your workout or another cookie- it’s entirely possible- we’ve all been there!), stop making excuses, grab your ipod, dial down to your favorite playlist, and get moving.

Time enough for excuses later.

Anatomy of an awesome playlist

It’s always a good idea to warm up with someone that’s not over the top explosive, but makes you want to get going…

I love to start with some fun Pink Martini or Deep Forest for some good beats.

Then, if you’re going for a good interval workout, mix and match songs that make you want to GO with songs that give you a bit of recovery- Think BEP’s ‘Boom Boom Pow’ followed by Usher’s ‘Yeah’.

You can take this idea into any genre you want – go for fast, strong beats for one song, followed by something that still makes you want to go, just not as fast.

This type of playlist will rock you through your interval workout before you get a chance to have a second thought.

More Benefits of Music for you body and your mind

According to Oprah’s favorite Docs Oz and Roizen, music makes your brain work better, and improves your memory.

Music is one of the best stress relievers around. Your body will respond to the beat, so choose music that makes you feel mellow, I’m lovin’ Diana Krall, Nina Simone and George Winston lately.