Archive for the ‘Self Growth’ Category

If you are having trouble with losing weight and/or sticking to your diet, here’s something to consider:

A major-league weight loss psychotherapist, Dr. Roberta Temes, has decided to publish the same sessions she uses with celebrities and other VIP New York clients.

These hypnosis sessions allow them to more easily follow the advice of their dieticians, even with their hectic schedules.

Dr. Temes has had great success in working with people who have problems following their eating and exercise plans.

Although she has worked with some celebrities we cannot name, she has also helped normal people finally gain control over cravings that they never believed they would overcome.

Ann Carlo from Sag Harbor, New York is an example. She says, “Enjoying Weight Loss is fabulous. Thought I forgot all about it yesterday, until I realized that I ate breakfast (which I rarely do), drank a lot of water, had a veggie dinner and didn’t eat any sugar…a  miracle! Can’t convince me that this system does not operate on some level . . . even though you’re not always conscious of it at the time.”

This program is also recommended by doctors, trainers, and dieticians who use it to help their clients with diet adherence.

Dr. Deborah Baker-Racine in Huntsville, Canada, says “I have been using the Enjoying Weight Loss program with my patients who tell me they don’t even think about ‘bad’ food anymore . . . it’s just a fact in their mind. They find it easy to change self-destructive behavior and ’stay with the program’ that I recommend. This has always been my biggest challenge as a clinician.”

The creator of this 4-CD set, Dr. Roberta Temes, is on the Department of Psychiatry at the SUNY Health Science Center Medical School, so everything she does is based on research and not “pop psychology.”

This is not the typical weight loss program that you might be used to seeing. It is not a “diet” or a “workbook.”

It is straight clinical hypnosis from the author of Medical Hypnosis, the first hypnosis textbook used in medical schools.

The best part about this program is that it uses hypnosis, so there are no guidebooks or things you are supposed to do later. All you do is spend 15 minutes a day listening to the sessions and the changes start to happen. Most people notice a dramatic change within just 21 days.

This program comes with an iron-clad 1 YEAR no-questions-asked money back guarantee, and it’s easy to order.

Best of all, because it is so important to your health that you get this program, BestSelfHelp.com has negotiated a special deal for you.

This offer, which includes the complete Enjoying Weight Loss 4-CD program and over $75 of valuable bonuses, will cost you less than $100. But only for a limited time – or until supplies run out.

(BestSelfHelp is an affiliate of The Hypnosis Network.)

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We all know that exercising regularly is good for us.  It’s good for the heart, it helps us maintain a healthy weight, and it is excellent at relieving stress.  But there are many exercise myths that are presented as facts, either by those who are trying to sell us something or by those who mean well but haven’t gotten their facts straight.  Here are five myths about physical fitness that you might be surprised to learn about:

Exercise Myth #1: You can reduce fat in specific areas of the body by doing exercises that target those areas.

It seems to make sense, but trying to burn fat in the precise spot where you want to lose it simply doesn’t work.  The only way to burn fat is through aerobic exercises that get your heart pumping.  And those exercises burn fat gradually and from all over the body, not just around the muscles you’re using.  That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t work the areas where you have extra fat, though.  Doing so will build muscle there, and that will give you a more toned look when the fat over the muscle is reduced.

Exercise Myth #2: You must exercise regularly in order for it to benefit you.

There’s no doubt about it, getting fit takes many weeks of hard work.  This leads many of us to believe that if we can’t or don’t have the willpower to exercise several times every week, there’s no point in it.  But any amount of exercise is good for you.

Even if you only take a walk every now and then, it can help lower your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol.  It probably won’t cause you to lose weight or build muscle, but it’s certainly worthwhile.  And sometimes when we start off exercising every now and then, we realize that it’s not so hard to make time for it and start doing so on a regular basis.

Exercise Myth #3: Strength training will make you too muscular.

Some people lift weights to develop large muscles.  Others would like to do so in order to build strength and muscle tone, but they do not want to bulk up.  But if you follow a sensible strength-training regimen, you won’t end up looking like a bodybuilder.

Most bodybuilders use supplements and special diets in their quest to build muscle, and they spend hours each day at the gym.  If you’re looking to tone up and build strength, doing strength-training exercises that target a variety of muscles a couple of times a week will not create bulk.

Exercise Myth #4: Muscle turns into fat when you quit working out.

Muscle cannot magically transform into fat.  So you don’t have to worry about your six-pack abs turning into Jell-O if your exercise routine is disrupted.  Muscles will shrink when they’re not worked regularly, however, and this can create a flabby look if you discontinue your exercise routine.  The missed exercise and reduced muscle will also cause reduced metabolism, making it easier for you to gain fat.

Exercise Myth #5: I’m too old to start exercising.

As we age, we often develop health problems.  This leads many of us to believe that if we haven’t been exercising since we were young, starting now will be bad for us.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  Exercise can help manage many health problems common among the middle-aged and elderly.  It’s always important to talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise program, but there are few people who shouldn’t exercise at all.

Exercise myths can hinder our efforts to stay fit.  Knowing the truth behind them makes it easier to pursue a healthy lifestyle the right way.

You might also be interested in:
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A panic attack is a terrifying experience.  Those who experience them have sudden feelings of impending disaster, and they often believe that they are going to die.

Symptoms are similar to those of a heart attack, including dizziness, difficulty breathing and chest pain.

It’s easy to see why many panic disorder sufferers feel that strong prescription drugs are the only answer, but that is not necessarily the case. (While the tips in this post will give you ideas for panic attack natural remedies, it’s important that you discuss all of this information with your doctor so you can create a course of action that is just right for you.)

There are several ways that we can treat panic attacks naturally.  Some are used to ease overall anxiety and help us handle panic attacks better, while others are used when a panic attack occurs.

Herbs and Aromatherapy

A number of herbs are useful in the treatment of anxiety.  These include passionflower, catnip, valerian, chamomile and lavender.

While they won’t help end a panic attack that has already started, they may be able to aid in preventing attacks in the first place. Again, discuss these herbal remedies with your doctor before taking them (particularly if you are already on medication.)

Aromatherapy can reduce overall anxiety levels, and it can help end a panic attack in progress.  Calming essential oils such as lavender, ylang ylang and sage have an immediate effect that may stop a panic attack in its tracks when used early on.  Those who are prone could put some of the oil on a cloth and carry it with them to use at the first sign of an attack.

Hypnosis

Hypnotherapy allows us to change the way our brains react to certain situations.  This is exactly what needs to happen when we have panic attacks.  By altering our perception of the things that cause us panic, we can avoid panic attacks altogether.

Visits to a hypnotist tend to get faster results, but it is possible to undergo hypnosis at home.  Hypnosis CDs are widely available, and there are many that focus on the treatment of panic attacks.  Ask your doctor for a recommendation.

Other Kinds of Therapy

Therapy is often the panic attack treatment preferred by doctors.  There are several different kinds of therapy that may be used in the treatment of panic attacks.  These include:

* Desensitization therapy – Desensitization requires the patient to focus on the situations that cause him panic and imagine the worst thing that could happen.  This may sound counterproductive, but it is often effective in that it helps us realize that things will not turn out that badly after all.

* Cognitive behavioral therapy – Somewhat similar to desensitization therapy, it involves examining the beliefs you hold and determining whether or not they are realistic.

* Therapeutic humor - Training oneself to laugh in the face of a panic attack may sound far-fetched, but it can work.  Therapeutic humor is a form of visualization in which we learn to recall a situation that made us laugh when panic strikes.

Panic Away by Joe Barry outlines a drug-free way to end your panic attacks before they even start.

Panic attacks are serious business, but prescription drugs are not the only answer.  There are many natural treatments that are quite effective.  We don’t have to subject ourselves to unpleasant or dangerous side effects and the potential for addiction to live panic-free lives.

You might also consider the following:
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Every year, millions of people make resolutions to lose weight.  And every year, many of us fail. We either lack the willpower to stick to a diet, or we lose weight on fad diets but end up gaining it back. Still, if we could manage to make certain lifestyle changes that promote healthy weight instead of trying to lose it all at once, we would have a better chance of succeeding.

The Best Life Diet,  by Oprah’s trainer Bob Greene, offers a more sensible approach to losing weight.  Instead of relying on radical diet restrictions to produce quick weight loss, it provides a plan for gradually changing your eating and exercise habits.  It doesn’t focus on including or eliminating specific types of foods, but rather replaces sugary, high-fat and otherwise unhealthy foods with healthier alternatives.  This may not get rid of those extra pounds right away, but it will help you lose weight in a healthy way and keep it off.

Phases of the Best Life Diet

The Best Life Diet works by introducing lifestyle changes in three phases.  These phases are:

* Phase One - This phase focuses on basic lifestyle and diet changes that require the least effort.  It includes an increase in activity level, keeping yourself hydrated and taking dietary supplements.  Eating habit changes include not eating for two hours before bedtime and eating three meals and one snack each day.  This phase should last a maximum of four weeks.

* Phase Two - This phase takes the first one a step further by asking participants to engage in even more physical activity.  It introduces six problem foods that should be avoided, emphasizes portion control, and promotes weekly weigh-ins to monitor progress.  This phase should last a minimum of four weeks.

* Phase Three - This is the final phase of the program.  It focuses on making the transition to healthy eating for life.  The concept of “anything goes” calories is introduced, providing the opportunity for dieters to include small portions of their favorite treats while maintaining an overall healthy diet.

The concept of phases makes it easier for those who want to lose weight to implement the necessary changes.  Instead of jumping right in and becoming overwhelmed, they can make some simple changes, get accustomed to them, and then move on to the more challenging changes.  This makes success much more likely.

The Best Life Diet can help us lose weight at a healthy pace, without depriving ourselves or becoming malnourished.  While the lack of quick weight loss sounds unappealing to some who are ready to lose those extra pounds, this diet can result in long-term weight loss.  And isn’t that more appealing than losing lots of weight, only to regain it within a few weeks or months?

You can order The Best Life Diet (Revised and Updated)at a great price on amazon.

“I takes courage to be considered at times as a little too zealous.“ - F.D. Van Amburgh, The Mental Spark Plug, 1923

Years ago, my favorite NBA player was Charles Barkley.  I never missed a Phoenix Suns game when he played for them.  On court and off court, the man never failed to entertain me.  .  Sometimes he’d leave me shaking my head, sometimes he’d leave me nodding my head…. sometimes Sir Charles would leave me holding my head.  But make no mistake about it, Charles Barkley never left without letting you know he’d been there.

Even on a golf course, Charles Barkley cannot be ignored (it’s not pretty, but you can’t take your eyes off of his swing).

He has that something that I have always been drawn to – ZEAL.  Zealous people are people who live out loud.  They know what they want in and from life and they know what they’re passionate about.  They wear this passion on their sleeve and often wear a perplexed expression on their face – one that questions the rest of the world.. “Why aren’t you getting this?!  Why aren’t you excited too?!?!”

The quote at the top of the post is by a favorite author of mine from the Twenties (No, I wasn’t around then, wise guy!) – F.D. Van Amburgh.  When I came across the quote recently – while redoing the quote pages here on Self Help Daily, I couldn’t help wondering – what do you think Amburgh would have thought of Dick Vitale, Charles Barkley, Wendy Williams, Jillian Michaels, Richard Simmons, Rachael Ray, Toby Keith, Sarah Palin … some of the most zealous people of our day?!  I’ve read enough books by F.D. Van Amburgh to believe with all of my heart that he would have been just as drawn to them as I am.  I think he would have been completely smitten with the girls.

The thing about zealous people is this: You will not always agree with them, but you’ll always know where they stand.  Zealous people wave zealous flags and they most certainly aren’t white flags.  When you just read the list of names, you probably reacted in one way or another to at least one of the names.  That’s because people with zeal stir emotions and sometimes anger.   I’m not condoning everything done or said in the name of zeal – far from it.

See, I think of zeal as a magic window into the heart of a person.  Through their zeal, the rest of the world gets to see exactly what makes them tick.  Zeal strips away facades, press spins, and photo-shopping.   The beauty of it is that zealous people don’t care!  They have enough confidence and courage to simply ride the zeal train to the next station.

Whether or not I agree with everything they say or do (and I must say, there’s one that I can’t see eye to eye with on much at all), I give each one of them this:  They have guts – guts to be who they are and not conform to the person anyone else thinks they should be.  I also admire their passion.  Especially those who have passion for others:  Dick Vitale’s passion for young people touches me and I wish there were more like him.  Jillian Michael’s passion for people’s health and fitness is equally admirable.  I love that she cares so much that she is willing to yell, kick, and scream to get her point across.  I also thoroughly admire and appreciate Toby Keith’s dedication to our men and women serving overseas.  They’re willing to fight for our country and Toby’s willing to fight for them!  What’s not to love about that?

A lot of people don’t take a “live out loud” approach to life and that kind of makes me sad. Their own fears and doubts hold them back.  They think, “If only I were thinner…” or “If only I had more money…”  or “If only I were older….” or other ridiculous thoughts.  As our own zealous Charles Barkley once said, “If ifs were gifts, everyday would be Christmas!”

Make no mistake about it, being zealous doesn’t mean you have to love or demand the center of the stage. The people I’ve highlighted in this post are definitely center stage individuals!  If life were a play, they’d have lead roles and get 95 percent of the lines.   Zeal can come in somewhat quieter, more laid-back packages as well, you know.  Barack Obama, Faith Hill, Angelina Jolie, Denzel Washington, Billy Graham, Oprah Winfrey, Diane Sawyer – no lack of zeal in these individuals whatsoever.  They just go about their work on a somewhat quieter scale.

Zeal doesn’t always scream, but it does always command attention.  On the other side of the coin, as Thomas Henry Huxley once said, “Zeal without knowledge is fire without light.” If you’re going to be zealous, make sure you know what you’re talking about and that it’s even worth saying or doing in the first place!

Take a gut check today.   Do you believe in yourself and your dreams enough to fight for them?  Are you willing to stand up and stand out to live your life on your own terms?  Or are you afraid what others will say or think?  If that’s the case, I hope you’ll come out of the shell you’ve built around yourself and step out into a whole new life.  Be bold!  Be confident!  Be strong!  Be you!

Don’t bunt. Aim out of the ballpark. – David Ogilvy

Follow me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/JoiTaniaSigers

Charles Barkley, Jillian Michaels, Toby Keith, and Wendy Williams

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First of all, I haven’t drowned in a river of coffee – – – though, what a way to go.  I haven’t been on Self Help Daily in quite a few days simply because I’ve been a busy bee, buzzing around everywhere else.  I had a few blogs that were demanding a great deal of work.  Plus, well I’ll just be honest, I got a lot of cool kitchen appliances, pans, gadgets, and gizmos and I’ve been having the time of my life cooking and baking.

It reminded me of Christmas when I was a little girl, I’d get so many Barbies (along with Barbie airplanes, cars, and houses) that I wouldn’t know where to start – I’d just plop down in the middle and lose myself for hours.  Seriously, sometimes I’d forget to eat.

A few (he he he) years later, I took the same approach – perched myself in the midst of fajita makers, iron skillets, a huge new griddle, gadgets, bowls, new dishes, etc and lost myself for hours.  And hours. And hours.  Somehow I don’t forget to eat these days though…

During the holidays, I noticed a number of things that I’m particularly grateful for with my family; traits that each member has that I love even more than kitchen gadgets.  I may be biased because these are the people who hung the moon and stars, but I think there are certain things we can all learn from each, so here goes – My I’M GRATEFUL FOR list that has a few lessons hidden in its midst:

• I’m grateful for a husband that gets along beautifully with our daughter’s boyfriends.  He doesn’t look down on the young men for enjoying video games – he just tries to beat them!  I’m also grateful that he not only keeps my vehicle going and checked over, our girls’ cars going and checked over… he even looks out for their boyfriend’s cars.  I think that’s too cool for school.  It makes the family dynamic so much sweeter and funner when everyone looks out for one another.  The fact that all of the kids love spending time with us and around us will make my life a lot happier for years and years to come.  Family is the most important thing in the world to me and when mine’s around, the sun shines brighter, the coffee’s warmer, chocolate tastes even better, and the birds sing a sweeter song.
• I’m grateful for my oldest daughter (Emily) who genuinely loves spending time with her mom.  We go shopping, we eat out, we look at clothes, we talk for hours in the kitchen, we go to the library, and we most definitely do the whole Starbucks thing.  She’s an absolute joy to spend time with and I’m grateful that she considers “mom” cool enough to hang out with.  She’s a ridiculously bright girl who keeps me on my toes.
• I’m grateful for my youngest daughter (Stephany) who is the most spirited and, beautifully strong willed person I’ve ever met (right up there with my husband/her father).  She will take nothing off of anyone, and has a way of putting them in their place that simply amuses me.  With this girl, I know someone may offend her once, but they won’t do it twice.  I love her spirit and I love her strength.  She is, at once, incredibly sweet-natured and very petite but also strong-minded and strong-willed.  Like her father, she doesn’t suffer fools well and that keeps them at arm’s length…. and out of harm’s way.
• I’m grateful for my middle daughter (Brittany) who amazes me with her grit and determination.  If the girl wants something, she makes it happen – whether it’s a car, her education, a job… she’s a fighter in every sense of the word and sometimes it’s just fun to sit back and watch. If she came home today and said, “I want to go to Hawaii for two weeks next summer,” I’d buy her a cool new pair of sandals and tell her to bring me back a coffee mug.  I’d also sit back and enjoy watching her make it happen.
• I’m grateful for my daughter’s boyfriends. Dill (Emily’s) never fails to make me laugh.  His personality is larger than life and to know him is to adore him. When this kid opens his mouth, you tend to stop what you’re doing because you know it’s going to be priceless.  I don’t know where he comes up with the stuff he comes up with, but the world’s a funner place because he does.  When he and my husband are watching a game together or playing Madden football, the rest of us just listen – they’re a couple of characters and laughter always follows them.  Rusty (Stephany’s) quite honestly lights up the room when he comes through. He’s full of life, fun, and (like me) never met an animal he didn’t love and want to name.  Left to our own devices, we’d surround ourselves with more animals than Noah ever saw.  Rusty and Steph are hilarious with gifts.  They (without fail) always give me gifts early.. whether it’s for Christmas, my birthday, Mother’s Day or just a day they wanted to buy me something… they’ll come through with Cheshire grins and I know I’m about to get a goody!  The concept of making others happy makes them happy.  Come on, how cool’s that?    Chris (Brittany’s) is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.  You hear that saying thrown around a lot, but this kid lives up to each word. He keeps me armed with Starbuck’s cards, but he’s such a sweetheart I’d think the world of him even if he didn’t!  I’ve never heard him raise his voice to anyone and can’t even begin to imagine him saying anything bad to or about anyone or anything.   My mom and dad and my in-laws would have adored each of these boys and they would have been popping-at-the-seams proud of their granddaughters.
• I’m grateful for my cats – each one makes me melt when they look at me!

I’m not boasting or bragging with these words, just stating facts.  The people and cats around me rock.  These are just a few of their wonderful traits that I’ve been thinking about lately – they have countless more.  They’re just beautiful people, inside and out.

The thing is, I’m willing to bet the people around you rock too.  If you haven’t thought about it in a long time, think about it now.  What traits do they have that mean the world to you?  Do they make you smile?  Do they make you laugh so hard you have to double over?  Do they seem to know just the right thing to say at just the right time?  Spend more time with positive thoughts about your loved ones and refuse to let the negative ones hang around.  Really, nothing good comes from them.  In fact, I”ll tell you what DOES come from negative thoughts:  Negative words and negative actions.

If you keep thinking negative thoughts about the people in your life, how long do you think it’ll be before you say something negative to them or about them.  Something that’ll only lead to tension, unhappiness, hurt feelings, and misery for everyone.

Negative begets negative.  Positive begets positive.  Mark it down.

If you have people in your life who smile when you come into the room, you have all the riches you will ever need.  It’s my hope that you will truly appreciate them, treasure  them, look out for them, love them, and smile at them so often they think you’re up to something.

Follow me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/JoiTaniaSigers

Loving Your Family and Showing It!

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