Tag: weight loss

Group of people sitting around table with food

T’is the season…soon enough! As we settle into fall, there’s no denying what is headed our way as the holidays get closer and closer. This is my most exciting time of year as a health and life coach as I work with people to lose weight during a time of year that many consider to be impossible and difficult, yet I see so much opportunity and possibility that it has become something that I live by and I show others how to do the same. You see, it’s all about the mindset that you choose to embrace no matter what everyone else thinks, says or does. Ready for a new way to be healthy right now by not waiting until January 1st for damage control? Follow these 3 ways to reframe your thoughts about weight loss during the holidays and watch how successful you are with getting weight loss results among celebrations and traditions!

#1: Adopt the word “healthy lifestyle” and ditch the word “diet”

The first three letters of the word DIET spell die. Let me say that again. The first three letters of the word DIET spell die. The word die means to end, to be finished, to terminate. Therefore, when we say that we are on a “diet”, we tell ourselves that there is a beginning and an end and that once we reach the end, we can go back to our old ways. This way of thinking is not productive and does not move us into long-lasting habits. In fact, it indicates a temporary nature from the very first day. We justify a “diet” when we want to achieve a short-term goal: fitting into a wedding dress, going on a cruise, attending a special event such as a reunion, looking good in the Christmas card picture, or wearing a bathing suit on a beach trip. When we set our end goal of one event or occasion, it carries the assumption that once we reach the goal, everything will magically stay the same without the work it took to get us there and possibly with returning to “pre-diet” habits. I offer the thought of looking at your weight loss as a lifestyle. That includes what you eat to fuel your body and how you move to keep your body active. This small mindset shift is critical to train your brain to look at long-term goals that require ongoing healthy habits and effort. It also programs your brain to identify as someone who lives a healthy lifestyle instead of being a dieter. The self-talk that you do goes a long way to creating long-lasting success that becomes automatic on a daily basis. You have the power to transform your mind and body with positive and loving messages with a commitment to a lifetime of good health.

#2: Be honest about what the holiday season really is

The typical holidays beginning in the fall are only 4 days for most people: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. Yes, not everyone celebrates these 4 holidays, but in the USA, most people do. You can substitute your holidays for any of the ones I mentioned to make it more meaningful for you. The point is that between October and January 1st, there are usually only 4 twenty-four hour blocks of time that include holidays. The biggest thing to realize is that we tell our brains to go all out for the months of October, November, and December just because it’s the “holidays”. Pause and let that set in! That’s 91 days of celebration which we’ve convinced ourselves should include lots of unhealthy eating just because we’re in the “holiday spirit”! WOW! Most of us get caught up in this mindset so easily. But why? Why do we let anything yummy and sweet be eaten in excess for 3 months? Why do we get caught up in the “holiday season” this way? Good question! It’s a habit! I invite you to think about it differently this year and to take control of how you want to think about the holidays in a way that will support your weight loss. That’s right…weight loss during the holidays! Plan your healthy eating as if there is no end in sight and allow for some flexibility on each holiday, but not for a whole 3 months. You will be amazed at how you look at holidays ever again. This also applies to any celebration, birthday, or holiday during the calendar year outside of the fall season. It will change your outlook of any special day and will support your healthy eating habits to keep you healthy and happy.

 

#3: Ditch perfection and adopt an “-ish” approach

I speak to you from the heart here with years of experience of trying to be perfect at so many things, especially with my eating habits. I am happy to now be a reformed perfectionist, but I did not get here easily or overnight. Perfectionism is the fear of judgment from others or disapproval and is the need to set unrealistic goals and expectations on ourselves in order to please people. There are many factors that experts attribute to perfectionism which can differ from person to person. Many perfectionists are self-proclaimed while others carry it from traumatic experiences and lifelong influence from others. As adults, we have the power to flip the script on needing for how we look, how we eat, how we exercise, and how we do everything to please others so that we can live with what I call an “-ish” approach. I use this suffix a lot when I speak because it seems like such an accurate way to describe giving yourself permission not to be perfect. People who know me hear me use “-ish” often and it empowers me to be flexible with myself every time I say it. For example, instead of eating every meal exactly as you planned, you might try eating a holiday-ish meal to allow for a slight “off track” deviation which would not derail your weight loss efforts but would allow you a little wiggle room for a particular holiday meal or event. As long as you have healthy boundaries around your eating, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to hop back on track in a more structured way once you’ve had an “-ish” moment. When you allow yourself to have a little freedom around how you fuel your body once in a while, it erases the restriction mentality that is often short-lived and can work against your long-term goals. You get to set the parameters around your “-ish” eating habits and you get to plan for them with anticipation and kindness towards yourself, which is also critical. Treating yourself with kindness and gentleness will make all of the difference as you improve your health. It makes you feel honored, respected, and worthy.

If you are ready to enjoy the holidays with your health as more of a focus, you’ve come to the right place and the time to start is NOW! I can help you ditch the belief that overindulging is something that you deserve. I can help you to reframe old habits of making dozens of cookies and eating more than you should in order to switch to properly fueling your body. And most importantly, I can help you figure out why you self-sabotage at this time of year. I listen to you, I offer strategies, and I guide you through the journey. Ready to join me? Contact me here to learn more! Make this holiday season healthier for your mind and body! Cheers to a healthy and happy holiday season!

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!

Read more from Georgette!

Georgette LePage Brainz Magazine

Georgette LePage, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Georgette LePage is a certified Health and Life Coach who empowers women all around the world to lose their mental weight first in order to then lose their physical weight. Her approach is honest, real, clear, and genuine with transformational habit change and mindset reset methods. Georgette’s energy and enthusiasm are contagious. Her focus on a healthy lifestyle inspires her clients to leave behind old diet culture thoughts and patterns in order to embrace fresh and simple ways to live their best lives without diet drama. Empowerment, self-confidence, and self-care are cornerstones of the programs that she offers. She helps her clients to get the results that they want with realistic, real-life strategies. She lives her own life the way she coaches others. She listens to what her clients want and guides them with compassion and accountability as they achieve their goals. She works with people of all ages (teens to seniors and every age in between) who are ready to live a healthier, more joyful life. Georgette also hosts the talk radio show WHY WEIGHT? with Dr. Pat Baccili on Transformational Talk Radio. In addition to speaking English, she also is fluent in French and Spanish. Georgette has 32 years of experience as a World Language Teacher, as well. Her coaching motto is: Feel better. Look better. Be your best self!

Summer is in full swing, so it’s a perfect time to step back and see where your health lands on your priority list. Chances are that you may not be #1 right now. Are you too busy? Too stressed? Too overwhelmed? Too focused on others? Too scared to admit that you are worth the time investment? If this resonates with you, here are 6 tips for taking your health off the shelf in order to put yourself first.

people exercising

 

1: Make and keep your doctor appointments

Call your general practitioner, dermatologist, gynecologist, mammogram center, and dentist to set up your next appointment. Many people skipped appointments during Covid and have fallen behind on check-ups, so make it a point to get back on track. Get lab results when you can and look them over carefully. Also, weigh yourself, like it or not, and get an accurate, honest idea of where you are and what your body is telling you. This allows you to have a starting point. In fact, these results wake-up can come as a wake up call for getting your health in order as soon as possible.

Use the Information as motivation to change habits and be kind to yourself! Use it as feedback from your body so that you can honestly see where you are.

2: Assess your exercise activity

Be honest with yourself and list what you are currently doing to move your body. Being transparent about it will help to decide your next steps. It’s great if you track your movement on an app, a paper calendar or an electronic list because this helps you to look at what you actually do to exercise. Next, choose a new small goal and put it on your calendar. Treat your exercise like a paid appointment and honor it. Stick to doing it and check it off when you are finished. You are worth this investment of time! A suggestion is to pick a type of exercise that you like to better buy into the value of doing it.

3: Take note of what’s in your closet

What clothes are hanging out in your closet? When you walk into your closet, does it feel like a lovely boutique or the remnants of a tornado? Do you feel excited to choose an outfit or do you feel discouraged and overwhelmed with the clothes that you see? It might be a good idea for a closet makeover which will help you to be more motivated to get healthy. My favorite way to refresh a closet is to take everything out in order to start with a blank canvas. You’ll make 3 piles of clothes: one for items to keep, one for items to donate, and one for items to throw away.

Detach your emotions from each article of clothing as you put them back in sections in your closet (i.e., pants, long-sleeved shirts, short sleeve shirts, etc.). I also go one step further by organizing each section by colors. My blue short sleeve shirts are hung together, etc. This organizing skill definitely gives it a boutique feel. During this process, let go of clothes that don’t fit well and that you don’t like wearing. They no longer serve you, so out with the old and eventually in with the new! Buying new clothes is a sweeter reward than candy.

4: Clear the clutter

This strategy encompasses several areas: your home, your pantry, your car, and your mind! Less is often more, so approach this action step with the goal in mind of simplifying your environment. This might include throwing away junk food or food that is tempting that you are trying to avoid. In its place, stock up on healthier options, such as fruits and veggies. You can’t eat what’s not in your house. Clean out your car and vow not to eat while you are in it to avoid mindless consumption of calories. Organize your home to be free of distractions and unneeded objects to cut down on the overwhelm and to allow your brain to free up energy for concentrating on your health goals. In fact, this is a helpful strategy for any goal.

5: Be mindful of what you consume (other than food)

You are a reflection of who you spend time with and what you focus on. This is empowering to know because it reminds us that you are in control of where you spend your energy. Ask yourself what kind of people you surround yourself with and really examine how they affect you, what their mindset is, how active they are, what their eating habits are, where they hang out, what they believe, etc. Are you socializing with people who put healthy living first? Are you making human connections or are you lonely? Are you being dragged down by negative people? Are your friends closed-minded? Get real about where you are wasting time. Are you wasting precious time on social media? Do you get lost scrolling through posts that make you feel down on yourself? Do you feel like what you see on social media makes you feel inferior? If so, time to put some boundaries around your social media time. Clear the clutter to free up energy and brain power to live a better life.

6: Get support

It’s very possible to learn and grow on your own with so many available resources. Have at it, if that’s your style. If you do better with support and a sense of community, there are many options out there. For example, find an online expert and take what you can from their free content.

Many of us coaches offer free resources on our websites, such as I do, so take what is gifted to you. Sign up for an online course, masterclass or enroll in a coaching program. Find an expert who reflects your style and who is a good fit for you. Join a Facebook community that offers resources and discussions to help you. Look for in-person groups where you live if face-to-face connection is your preference. Listen to podcasts that will help you learn about healthy living, such as how to eat well, intermittent fasting, and sugar consumption, as a few examples. The options are numerous nowadays, so tap into the type of support that will best move you to your goals.

The whole process of shifting to a healthy lifestyle is as customized as is choosing from a menu in a restaurant. As you look inward to decide the path of healthy improvements, be gentle with yourself and candid in order to move forward and to take your health off the shelf sooner than later. I promise that you will be pleased with investing time and energy in yourself! You’ve got this!

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!

Read more from Georgette!

Georgette LePage Brainz Magazine

Georgette LePage, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Georgette LePage is a certified Health and Life Coach who empowers women all around the world to lose their mental weight first in order to then lose their physical weight. Her approach is honest, real, clear, and genuine with transformational habit change and mindset reset methods. Georgette’s energy and enthusiasm are contagious. Her focus on a healthy lifestyle inspires her clients to leave behind old diet culture thoughts and patterns in order to embrace fresh and simple ways to live their best lives without diet drama. Empowerment, self-confidence, and self-care are cornerstones of the programs that she offers. She helps her clients to get the results that they want with realistic, real-life strategies. She lives her own life the way she coaches others. She listens to what her clients want and guides them with compassion and accountability as they achieve their goals. She works with people of all ages (teens to seniors and every age in between) who are ready to live a healthier, more joyful life. Georgette also hosts the talk radio show WHY WEIGHT? with Dr. Pat Baccili on Transformational Talk Radio. In addition to speaking English, she also is fluent in French and Spanish. Georgette has 32 years of experience as a World Language Teacher, as well. Her coaching motto is: Feel better. Look better. Be your best self!

Healthy food on a heart-shaped wooden cutting board and a muscular arm

Hats off to you if you are taking your health seriously enough to want to make some changes! Making that decision is a good first step, so you’re on the right track! Specifically when it comes to weight loss, choosing your action steps can be overwhelming to say the least. In fact, most people tend to succumb to the overwhelm and retreat back into the safe zone of doing nothing. When you can commit to this journey, you have to be willing to do the hard work more than you are willing to stay stuck. It’s a fork in the road right away in order for you to move forward. That being said, here are 3 key ways to sift through the overwhelm of weight loss to find support.

#1: Learn About Your Options

There are more diets than you can imagine, so I’m happy to tell you that one size does not fit all. What might work for another person might not work for you. For example, if your best friend is doing Keto and has dropped a bunch of weight, that does not guarantee that you would do the same with it. There are many factors to consider and so many variables that it is impossible for everyone to get the same results. If you compare, you will despair. This will also create a discouraged attitude and could stall your progress. Instead, learn about your options and choose something that best suits you. For instance, if you are willing to follow an elimination diet, then research the pros and cons of Whole 30. Be sure to pick a plan, diet, or eating pattern that best reflects your interests and your level of commitment. Weed through your options and educate yourself on what you want to follow to shed the weight. Find reputable resources, consult with a coach or other professional, and plan the steps to carry you to success. In other words, you do you and do your research diligently and thoroughly. I call this the “grow to learn” strategy of educating yourself in detail before plunging into a direction so that you can find the right fit at the right pace.

 

#2: Use Social Media Sources In A Constructive Way

It is super easy to get sucked down the rabbit hole of social media, says the person guilty of such things herself. If you become enthralled in what you see and hear, precious time can easily melt away before you know it. It does feel like falling into a trance of sorts as you keep scrolling mindlessly while blocking out what is going on around you. It sort of feels like when you drive to work and wonder how you got there because it was so automatic that you may not have been paying as close attention as you should have, for example. Not advised! I’d like to offer honing in on social media posts as resources that can be filtered in order to avoid becoming time sucks. While searching for uplifting posts, podcasts, blogs, and gurus, it is a good idea to set a timer and take notes so that your search is intentional and focused to save you wasted time and to give you the information that you need.

 

For example, if you are looking for experts in the field of the effects of sugar, quickly narrow it down to 2-3 sources that you like and move on. Otherwise, you could spend too much time doing too much searching.

Also, when I know, like, and trust someone on social media, I look at who they follow and what resources they offer to their followers. This can be a big timesaver in the end. Again, the “less is more” approach will help you to protect your time so that you can get started on your weight loss. Being informed is a responsible way to be successful in a healthy lifestyle.

#3: Join A Community

This key to success will make all the difference in the world, so navigate through your options carefully. Very few people can go it alone when it comes to flipping their health and losing weight. It’s human nature to want to belong and losing weight can be a lonely experience, so put this strategy at the top of your list.

Again, what works for you…one on one coaching, FaceBook groups, in-person small groups, large virtual group weekly meetings, etc.? Gravitate to the community that makes you feel comfortable and that will enhance your experience. There are more communities available nowadays than ever before, especially since virtual connections became essential for connection during the pandemic. We’ll call that one of the silver linings of the unprecedented experience that the world had over the last 3 years. Used in a positive way, virtual communities offer diversity of people, ideas, and locations around the globe. It does make the world seem smaller in a sense when people with a common goal can come together to belong and support one another, no matter where they are.

So, customize your health journey in ways that work with your preferences and your strengths to find success that will lead to a long-term healthy lifestyle. You are worth the effort and energy to grow to learn so that you can learn to grow. Take your first small action step today to get your health turned around; you are worth the work!

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info.

Read more from Georgette!

Georgette LePage, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Georgette LePage is a certified Health and Life Coach who empowers women all around the world to lose their mental weight first in order to then lose their physical weight. Her approach is honest, real, clear, and genuine with transformational habit change and mindset reset methods. Georgette’s energy and enthusiasm are contagious. Her focus on a healthy lifestyle inspires her clients to leave behind old diet culture thoughts and patterns in order to embrace fresh and simple ways to live their best lives without diet drama. Empowerment, self-confidence, and self-care are cornerstones of the programs that she offers. She helps her clients to get the results that they want with realistic, real-life strategies. She lives her own life the way she coaches others. She listens to what her clients want and guides them with compassion and accountability as they achieve their goals. She works with people of all ages (teens to seniors and every age in between) who are ready to live a healthier, more joyful life. Georgette also hosts the talk radio show WHY WEIGHT? with Dr. Pat Baccili on Transformational Talk Radio. In addition to speaking English, she also is fluent in French and Spanish. Georgette has 32 years of experience as a World Language Teacher, as well. Her coaching motto is: Feel better. Look better. Be your best self!

 

 

Happy Tuesday! One of my favorite holidays is right around the corner: Easter. To me, Easter means renewing, rejoicing, and refreshing. The weather is slowly becoming more pleasant, plants and flowers are starting to poke through the ground, the sun is out more often, leaves are bursting in color, and there is hope for leaving winter behind and seeing brighter days…literally.

 

It’s also a time to once again be overloaded with sweets and treats, which means doubling down on your tactics for avoiding overindulging and canceling out your healthy lifestyle changes. It’s easy to wolf down a bag of jellybeans without even noticing or to face plant into a bowl of pastel colored M & Ms without being present. Let’s be truthful here…it’s easy to do and we’ve all done it before. What happens when we let our guard down is my “ONE JELLYBEAN AWAY” concept. That means that I personally can go from 0-100 very fast and consume far more jellybeans than I need to without even realizing it. If I’m not aware of what I’m eating, it can be so easy to plow through a bag (or two) of jellybeans and begin the downward spiral into overeating and reversing my weight loss efforts. 

 

Sometimes I promise myself to eat only a handful of jellybeans and I honor that and move on. However, it’s very easy for me to go on a jellybean binge after eating one jelly bean. Insulin spikes are often very difficult to fight off once you start intaking sugar. Actually, it can happen to anyone with any particular food. Pick your poison: cookies, chips, ice cream, candy, chocolate, etc. It’s different for everyone, so it’s good to be aware of your “trigger” food so that you can be ready to handle those moments when it can all skid out of control very quickly without much thought.

 

First of all, who really eats only one jelly bean? Let’s be honest here! Who really knows when to stop and push the sweets away from you? Most of the time, I do but other times I just keep going. I call it the tornado because it can start small and spiral out of control in seconds. Can you relate? Step #1 is being aware. Step #2 is to have a response ready when it does happen. Talk to yourself out loud and acknowledge what is happening. Ask yourself why you are on the verge of overeating? What feelings are you having….sadness, boredom, anger, stress, etc.? If so, stop and get curious about what you are feeling and why. Step #3 is to walk yourself through a few questions and decide that the unhealthy food you are tempted to devour will not satisfy that feeling. In fact, it will only make matters worse. Or are you actually physically hungry? Meaning, does your body need fuel? If so, stop and feed yourself something healthy. By the way, I’ve never known anyone to binge on carrots and celery during one of these moments. Go figure!

 

So, be kind to yourself, get curious about why you are about to overeat, and take a step in the healthy direction. You will never regret making that choice, but you will regret giving in to that “one jellybean away” path of destruction. Stay on track and move forward! 

 

You’ve got this!

Georgette

 

Ready for your own personal health & life coach to get the weight loss results you want? Contact me at glepage7@me.com to get started!

Young fit woman is preparing a protein meal in the kitchen.

We tend to put ourselves down on a regular basis. We tell ourselves that we aren’t good enough as we are and that we can’t do certain things. We often sell ourselves short on everything. Why?

The secret to achieving your weight loss goals is to find what you’re good at doing and use it as a strategy to lose weight. Work with your strengths to make progress! For example, if you are good at planning activities or events, start planning your meals for the week to include healthy options ahead of time so that you know what you are eating throughout the week. This includes creating a solid grocery list based on what you are going to cook and eat during the week. You could also plan your exercise by putting it on your calendar and honoring it like an appointment. That will help you to feel committed to show up and to keep that time set aside for moving your body. When you pencil it in on the calendar, it is more serious and more important. Chances are, you will stick to it with the same commitment that you would if it were an appointment. Perhaps you are good at cooking, so plan some new recipes for the week that will include more whole foods and fewer (or no) processed foods. Enlist the help of your family to contribute to meal making so that it’s not all work for you. It’s no secret that my culinary skills are very limited due to my lack of interest in cooking, but I’m a pretty helpful sous chef to my husband while he cooks. (I’m also good at buying groceries and cleaning up by doing the dishes.) Acknowledge what you are good at doing and find a way to incorporate it into your healthy lifestyle goals. Do you enjoy reading? Grab a book that talks about weight loss tips, trends, and practices in order to learn about ways to be healthier! Curious about intermittent fasting for example? Look it up online and read more about it to see if it suits you? Find experts who resonate with your style and philosophy on healthy living and follow them. There are so many free resources out there! There are also great investments available through programs, online memberships, and experts such as health coaches…just saying! Do your homework, be selective, and find the right people to guide you along. Another idea is to ask yourself what type of exercise or movement do you like? Look into what you can do to get started and get moving! Do you like walking? Dust off your treadmill and hop on or lace up those sneakers and go for a walk! Do you prefer a group exercise class at the gym? Look up the info and sign up so that you can show up sooner than later! Do you like to dance but haven’t done that in a while? Research what is offered in your area and sign up!

Whatever lights you up is what you would benefit from starting to get your body in motion! You will always find the time for things that you have an interest in and that are important to you, right?

So, find your inner Wonder Woman and get going on the path that will lead you to better health! There’s no time like the present, so get started by doing one small thing today! I know that you are worth it! CAUTION: How you do one thing is how you do everything, so expect that these new habits will show up in other parts of your life, as well. It’s very contagious!

Ready to get started on your weight loss journey but not sure where to start? I’m here to help! Contact me for a free 30-minute recovery session to learn more about my 10-week Meltaway Inside Out Program that is getting huge results for women over 35 who want to lose weight without diet drama. You could be next! You deserve to put your strengths to work so that you can see results sooner rather than later.

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!

Read more from Georgette!

Georgette LePage, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Georgette LePage is a certified Health and Life Coach who empowers women all around the world to lose their mental weight first in order to then lose their physical weight. Her approach is honest, real, clear, and genuine with transformational habit change and mindset reset methods. Georgette’s energy and enthusiasm are contagious. Her focus on a healthy lifestyle inspires her clients to leave behind old diet culture thoughts and patterns in order to embrace fresh and simple ways to live their best lives without diet drama. Empowerment, self-confidence, and self-care are cornerstones of the programs that she offers. She helps her clients to get the results that they want with realistic, real-life strategies. She lives her own life the way she coaches others. She listens to what her clients want and guides them with compassion and accountability as they achieve their goals. She works with people of all ages (teens to seniors and every age in between) who are ready to live a healthier, more joyful life. Georgette also hosts the talk radio show WHY WEIGHT? with Dr. Pat Baccili on Transformational Talk Radio. In addition to speaking English, she also is fluent in French and Spanish. Georgette has 32 years of experience as a World Language Teacher, as well. Her coaching motto is: Feel better. Look better. Be your best self!

 

 

Happy Tuesday! Did you ever notice how good you feel about yourself when you’ve nailed the perfect outfit? It’s hard to deny the feeling of looking good in what you wear! It just feels empowering! When was the last time that you reflected on your style? Do you know what your style is? Are you satisfied with the clothes that you wear and how you look in them? At times, we tend to ignore updating our look and our clothes out of habit. Have you ever considered examining what you wear and how you wear it? It’s worth a peek into your closet to see where you are with your style! It’s one thing to feel comfortable in your clothes and another to actually look good in them. Here are 5 simple steps to ignite your inner fashionista! 

 

Step #1: TAKE INVENTORY OF WHAT YOU WEAR

Are you 100% casual and live in workout clothes? Are you a jeans only girl? Are you trendy and follow all of the fashion fads? Think about the type of clothes you feel most comfortable in and the ones that fit you best and take a look at what you already have. Weed through the items to determine what needs to be kept, donated, or tossed in the garbage. Hold up each piece and ask yourself what vibe this puts out and how you feel wearing it. You’ll know what to do with it after this little test.

 

Step #2: HOW IMPORTANT IS FASHION TO YOU?

Do you care about wearing the latest look or do you have your own style and are happy with it? This will help you to decide the intensity that you need to apply during this sifting in the closet. If you’re more on the trendy side, follow expert stylists who you trust. You can also ask a friend who will be brutally honest with you about your clothes. Careful when you are shopping, though, as most salespeople assisting you in the dressing room when you are trying on clothes are there to make a sale, so their feedback may be biased. I do return to a particular store intentionally because I know they are very honest about how what I try on fits. Surprisingly, they offer me advice not to make me feel good about myself but to sell me the clothes that fit me better. My favorite stylists on YouTube are Kay Harms and Marnie Goldberg. Check them out if you need a starting point! 

https://www.youtube.com/@DressedforMyDaywithKayHarms

https://www.youtube.com/@MsGoldgirl

Step #3: QUALITY OR QUANTITY

Would you like to have fewer clothes that are of higher quality or more pieces that are of lesser quality? There’s no right or wrong answer, so decide if less is more or more is best! Plan your budget accordingly. Many minimalists spend a lot of money on a few mix and match items and look fabulous. To me, it’s the difference between a handful of gourmet jelly beans and a big bag of cheap no name jelly beans. Quality wins every time! Plus, it cuts down on the overwhelm of having too much in your closet and the feeling of being stressed!

 

Step #4: WHAT WORKS FOR YOU? WHAT SHOULD BE UPGRADED?

Tour your closet and notice what hangs out there right now. Does it feel like a beautiful boutique or a hot mess of disheveled clothes? Assess if it’s time to toss older items and replace them with new ones. You could do others a real favor by donating usable clothes in respectable condition, so don’t hesitate to pass on any items that no longer serve you. Also, it’s the perfect time to organize your closet and drawers to see what you actually have and need. Most of the time, less is more! The rule of thumb is that if you haven’t worn something in a year, it’s time to get rid of it! I have the one in, one out rule: when I buy something new, something in my closet has to go; it’s time to donate or throw it away!

 

Step #5: ACCESSORIZE

Sometimes an “old” outfit simply needs some accessories to give it a refresh! Dress up a top or down play a dress with the right choice of jewelry, scarves, shoes or purses. Sometimes you just need a little something to complete your look! Have fun with dressing up your outfit to give it that final touch!

 

Have some fun and revamp your wardrobe to match your current mood, style, and interests. Act your age or not, but dress your body for success with a little thought and intention so that you can love the clothes you live in! Your confidence will soar when you look your best and it gives you incentive to keep working on your weight loss goals! 

 

You’ve got this!

Georgette

Written by: Georgette LePage, Senior Level Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. 

 

There’s Only One Way To Go, So Let’s Move Forward!

Life is truly an adventure; sometimes feeling like a fairytale and sometimes feeling like a nightmare! It’s a rollercoaster ride with so many ups and downs along the way. When it comes to our health, there’s no better time than the present to make some small changes that will bring big shifts in the way we feel and look, on the inside and out. Although life was never promised as easy, we can’t ignore what humankind has endured over the last three years and the effects that we are now cleaning up and how we are trying to navigate back to “normal”. First of all, you ought to acknowledge what you’ve been through during these last few years and face how much of a struggle most of us had with our health and more specifically with our weight. Let’s just be real and own it.

A woman exercising in her home with hand weights.

In fact, according to experts, the COVID-19 pandemic changed us inside and out. For many people, those outward changes weren’t especially welcome. An APA Stress in America survey conducted in late February 2021 found 42% of U.S. adults reported undesired weight gain since the start of the pandemic, with an average gain of 29 pounds. According to the Harvard School of Health, roughly two out of three U.S. adults are overweight or obese (69 percent) and one out of three are obese (36 percent).¹ These statistics are alarming and should be a wake-up call for every American before it gets worse. Extra weight on your body precipitates sickness and disease and can put your overall health at risk. So, how do you make changes and see results in your weight? JUST MOVE FORWARD! Any health and life coach who genuinely knows her work will tell you that you didn’t get here overnight and each small step forward you make will move you closer to your goal of shedding pounds.

Step #1

Start by acknowledging where you are right now: Are you overweight? Are you sick all of the time? Are you tired all of the time? Are you depleted of energy? Do you not feel motivated to make changes? Do you feel overwhelmed about where to start? Do you feel confused by conflicting information on social media? Where are you right at this moment?

Step #2

Where do you want to go? In other words, what is your goal? Be specific! Declaring that you want to be healthy is too vague. You need to be clear about what that means. How does that look and feel and who benefits from your healthy changes? On a scale of 1-10, how important is it to you that you make these changes NOW?

STEP #3

What did you learn from your past? Without dwelling on your past (which is NOT the job of a health/life coach) what worked well and what were your challenges? What tools do you want to use this time to make progress?

Step #4

Start with ONE small step today and move forward! Forward is the only direction that will get you to your goal one action step at a time. Not sure where to begin and what to do? Do your homework and find resources, especially a coach who understands your pain points and your motivation to make changes. To be able to visualize this process, go stand at the bottom of a large staircase and look up. What do you see at the very bottom? What do you see all the way up to the top? Yes, each small step is an opportunity to get to the next step and to eventually get to the top step. No one jumps from the bottom to the top in one giant leap! It takes time, patience, planning, determination, motivation, and accountability to reach your goal. The pounds will come off, you will look and feel better, and you will reach your goal by moving forward and by looking ahead. Set your big goal, set smaller goals to get there, keep your focus, and get started with one small step TODAY! You’ve got nothing to lose (except weight) and everything to gain with becoming stronger and healthier inside and out! Happy First Step! Let’s go!

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!

Read more from Georgette!

Georgette LePage, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Georgette LePage is a certified Health and Life Coach who empowers women all around the world to lose their mental weight first in order to then lose their physical weight. Her approach is honest, real, clear, and genuine with transformational habit change and mindset reset methods. Georgette’s energy and enthusiasm are contagious. Her focus on a healthy lifestyle inspires her clients to leave behind old diet culture thoughts and patterns in order to embrace fresh and simple ways to live their best lives without diet drama. Empowerment, self-confidence, and self-care are cornerstones of the programs that she offers. She helps her clients to get the results that they want with realistic, real-life strategies. She lives her own life the way she coaches others. She listens to what her clients want and guides them with compassion and accountability as they achieve their goals. She works with people of all ages (teens to seniors and every age in between) who are ready to live a healthier, more joyful life. Georgette also hosts the talk radio show WHY WEIGHT? with Dr. Pat Baccili on Transformational Talk Radio. In addition to speaking English, she also is fluent in French and Spanish. Georgette has 32 years of experience as a World Language Teacher, as well. Her coaching motto is: Feel better. Look better. Be your best self!

 

 

Reference:

  • FlegalKM, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Ogden CL. Prevalence of obesity and trends in the distribution of body mass index among US adults,1999-2010. JAMA. 2012;307:491-7.

How timely these words are today as we are practically a month into a new year! So, how are you doing with your health goals so far? More specifically, how are you doing with your weight loss? Are you sticking to your plan to lose weight and to get healthier or has your motivation fizzled out? Traditionally, 92% of people who make new year’s resolutions do not keep them beyond the first 3-4 weeks of starting. It’s mind-blowing to think that only 8% of people keep their promises to themselves. What does that say about our motivation, patience, and commitment to our health? Here are 3 common weight loss mistakes and how to flip them to get results:

Mistake #1: Trying to change more than one habit at a time

This rings true for any goal, especially when it comes to weight loss! We tell ourselves that everything has to change all at once in order for us to get the results we want. In fact, the opposite is quite true: one small step starts you in the right direction of changing a habit and then spirals into another small step, then another, and so on and so forth! The brain functions well by doing one thing at a time, so why not start with one small habit. For instance, the goal of losing weight can be so daunting and we tend to want to change everything all at once. The quantity over quality mindset doesn’t work well for this goal or any other one for that matter. Flip it to reflect doing ONE small change this week or this month and then add another one when the first step becomes a habit; an action that you do automatically. Perhaps the first step is to write down what you eat for a week in order to see where improvements can be made or ditch sugar to see how much better you feel. Not only will you free up more energy and concentration to focus on your goal, but chances are also you will form a more solid, steady habit that will last. Cut the overwhelm and get started now! Less is more in this case! 

Mistake #2: Waiting for the perfect time to start

As humans, one of our procrastination tactics is to wait for the perfect time to start our weight loss journey. “I’ll start on Monday.” “I’ll wait until after the holidays.” I’ll wait until after my trip/birthday/wedding…etc.!” “Once the kids are older, I can focus on my weight/health.” “I’m too busy right now.” The excuses go on and on. Does this sound familiar? Putting it off simply shows that we are fearful of doing the work, potentially failing (again) or potentially succeeding, which would throw us into a new, uncomfortable world and we’d have to take a hard look at ourselves. Being vulnerable certainly doesn’t sound appealing to most people, but does it seem better than being unhealthy and overweight? A great question to truly think about! Even if you’ve failed at shedding pounds in the past, it’s helpful to realize that this time you’re not starting from scratch; you’re starting from experience. That’s a big mindset shift that will be very impactful!

Mistake #3: Stopping too earlY

Why are we so quick to quit before getting results? According to experts, such as James Clear (author of Atomic Habits), on average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. And how long it takes a new habit to form can vary widely depending on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances. In short, we simply often quit before changes have been made and most likely miss out on “almost succeeding”. Common reasons why we quit are: we don’t see results fast enough, we don’t want it badly enough (it’s not important enough), we don’t prioritize ourselves and our health enough, we feel overwhelmed and defeated, we don’t know what to do or we don’t have support.

Have there been times when you later realized that had you just been patient and worked on something a little longer the results would have surfaced? In all honesty, everyone probably can relate to this. Perhaps the number on the scale wasn’t changing fast enough, so you quit only to wonder later…WHAT IF? What if I had given the scale a little more time? What if I had eaten better for a little longer? What if I had waited a little longer for my clothes to fit more loosely? To avoid regret and asking yourself “WHAT IF?”, give yourself a reasonable amount of time to be patient, kinder to yourself, and determined to finish what you started.

As you set goals for the health and weight loss results that you truly want and are committed to working towards this year, flip the three mistakes we’ve talked about today in your favor with an optimistic yet realistic approach to getting the results you want. Harvest sound advice and knowledge from trusted sources and start your journey TODAY! There’s no time like the present! I guarantee you will look back and appreciate the first step you took to move your health forward with determination and motivation! Happy first step!

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!

Read more from Georgette!

Georgette LePage is a certified Health and Life Coach who empowers women all around the world to lose their mental weight first in order to then lose their physical weight. Her approach is honest, real, clear, and genuine with transformational habit change and mindset reset methods. Georgette’s energy and enthusiasm are contagious. Her focus on a healthy lifestyle inspires her clients to leave behind old diet culture thoughts and patterns in order to embrace fresh and simple ways to live their best lives without diet drama. Empowerment, self-confidence, and self-care are cornerstones of the programs that she offers. She helps her clients to get the results that they want with realistic, real-life strategies. She lives her own life the way she coaches others. She listens to what her clients want and guides them with compassion and accountability as they achieve their goals. She works with people of all ages (teens to seniors and every age in between) who are ready to live a healthier, more joyful life. Georgette also hosts the talk radio show WHY WEIGHT? with Dr. Pat Baccili on Transformational Talk Radio. In addition to speaking English, she also is fluent in French and Spanish. Georgette has 32 years of experience as a World Language Teacher, as well. Her coaching motto is: Feel better. Look better. Be your best self!

 

Happy Tuesday! Today I’m sharing one of my favorite coaching strategies of all time: STAY IN YOUR LANE. I hear a common struggle from clients on a regular basis: I’m exhausted from everyone else’s “stuff”. Yes, it is so easy to feel pulled here and there from everyone else’s stress, concerns, and life. On a regular basis, clients confess their over involvement in everyone else’s life, whether it be by being in the know, FOMO (fear of missing out) or over concern. When it feels like this is a struggle, you are right; it is! Most of the time when you recognize that it’s sucking your energy, it’s the perfect time to do something about it. Like I always say, you can’t control what happens to you (=circumstance), but you CAN control how you react (=thoughts, feelings & actions).

 

For example, say that you’re trying to lose weight and have made up your mind to make some small but important changes to get to your goal (which is the best way to do it!). At work, you’re doing all of the things to get weight loss results BUT you notice that a few coworkers are losing weight faster than you (so you think) and you now feel left behind and less confident in your skills. This is a classic example of when to gently remind yourself to “STAY IN YOUR LANE”. It simply means to mind your own business and do what is best for you. By cutting out the brain chatter of not doing enough, not doing what everyone else is doing, and not going along with everyone else, your goals will be clearer and more specific. Therefore, you will keep your focus on yourself.

 

“STAY IN YOUR LANE” is a critical strategy for improving focus and concentration, respecting your goals and intentions, and saving energy for what is important to you: YOUR HEALTH. Just like driving a car in traffic, you need to stay in your lane to arrive at your destination safely. Picture yourself in your dream car with both hands on the wheel in 4 lanes of traffic going 70 miles per hour and realize how important it is to stay in your lane… literally! 

 

This week, try the “STAY IN YOUR LANE” strategy and let me know how it went in the comments. I’m pretty sure you’ll learn how to catch yourself and get back in your lane when overwhelm and stress come to visit your brain. As always, YOU are in the driver’s seat of your own life! Bon voyage!

You’ve got this!

Georgette

Let’s chat to see if we are a good fit to work together! Contact me at glepage7@me.com

 

Happy 2023! This month, I will offer you one action step and one mindset shift  to help you jumpstart your 2023 health goals! I’m a firm believer in one small step at a time in order to reach your goals! Our brains like information in smaller chunks and will remember habits and patterns more easily that way!

 

This week, think about your intentions with your sweets and sugar! Are you giving them up all together or are you cutting back? Both ways can work depending on your motivation, determination, and decision making. It’s up to you! There is never only ONE way to do something, so do what will work for you!

 

If you have decided to reduce the number of sugary treats that you’ll be eating, I’d like to offer my concept of SWEET SATURDAY. When my son, Matthew, was young, he did not get very many sugary treats most of the time. It was easy to decide what he could or could not eat then based on what we allowed. As he got older, it got harder to keep up with, especially once he went to school where treats were offered as “normal” rewards and celebrations. To help regulate his sugar intake for the sake of his health, not as deprivation, I created the idea of SWEET SATURDAY. The guidelines were easy: no sugary treats, desserts, etc. during the week and ONE treat was okay on Saturday. I know that I got some criticism for it, but it ended up being a very good learning experience as well as a healthier alternative. It introduced the power of choice and the excitement of anticipation. Matthew was very selective with his one treat per week and learned how to make choices with quality of food in mind. It became something to look forward to instead of taking for granted and the anticipation of it was something to really look forward to. Even today at age eighteen, although SWEET SATURDAY is a practice of the past for him, he makes better choices by thinking about what to eat and when. He is aware of healthy vs. less healthy choices and is now old enough to decide for himself.

 

It’s a mindset shift from “what I can’t have” to “what I choose to have”! I know that you will find this more empowering which will then lead to longer lasting habits that stick. This week, I invite you to give this a try if it matches what your goals are regarding limiting sweets. Put your own spin on it and let me know in the comments what you did, how it went, and how you thought about treats differently! You have nothing to lose by giving it a try…except extra sugar!

 

You’ve got this!

Georgette

 

Need accountability, support, and expert resources to lose weight? Email me at glepage7@me.com to see if we are a good fit to work together!