Vicky Countess Coaching
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What’s your priority?

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sleeping kitten

I was coaching a client this week about getting a “good night sleep” so that she would feel rested in the morning.

After all, it’s no secret that getting a good night’s sleep results in a better functioning next day.

And did you know that it really makes a positive difference in the weight loss journey, too?

In so many ways.

Check out this article from WebMD:WebMD

Does Sleep Affect Weight Loss?

It’s true: Being short on sleep can really affect your weight. While you weren’t sleeping, your body cooked up a perfect recipe for weight gain. When you’re short on sleet, it’s easy to lean on a large latte to get moving. You might be tempted to…

Read more >>>

 

Yet at bedtime, you may want to stay up later to:

Keep scrolling and scrolling on your phone

Finish up one more work thing

Look at one more email

Do some online shopping

All of which shorten your amount of sleep time and negatively impact your next day.

OR

You can be intentional.

And ask yourself the same question I posed to my client:

“What is the priority?”

You can make sleep a priority and decide to put aside the distraction.

It takes a moment to decide and act on it.

One pro tip that she is implementing:

Input the bedtime phone alarm reminder that is labeled “Sleep is my priority”.

What is your priority and decision?

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

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judgement

“People change best by feeling good, not by feeling bad” – Author of Tiny Habits, BJ Fogg, Ph.D.

Wonder why “motivating” yourself with shame doesn’t work?

You know, beating yourself up after you eat way too much dinner and then snacking way into the night or sleeping in when you had told yourself you would get up early to exercise.

After your serious “talking to”, you think tomorrow will be different.

Of course, judging and demeaning yourself into “better behavior” appears to be helpful but in fact IT IS NOT.

Remember that definition of insanity – repeating something over and over again and expecting different results.

So now what to do?

STOP JUDGING YOURSELF. Whaaat? How to do you break that go-to habit?

The first step is to be aware of your negative self-talk. Listen and even write down what you are saying to yourself.

Next you look at what you are thinking/writing with CURIOSITY AND COMPASSION.

Become the watcher of your thoughts, feeling and action cycle.

Now be the scientist and experiment by being intentional and plot a new course based on feeling good about yourself and not bad.

These ch-ch-changes will make ALL THE DIFFERENCE!

 

I help women get the results of living a healthier and happier life through healthy habits. It’s never too late. Book a complimentary call to see for yourself!

Have you planned to NOT want to do the expected?

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marathon

I was speaking to someone recently who was planning to sign up for Disney’s Goofy’s Race and a Half challenge for next January.

This means that on Saturday you run a ½ marathon (13.1 miles) and the following day, Sunday, you run a full marathon (26.2 miles).

Of course, don’t confuse this with the Dopey run where runners do 5K, 10K, ½ marathon and the full marathon in 4 consecutive days – a total of 48.6 miles.

People that do this really are Goofy and Dopey, right?

Having done a few Disney ½ marathons (not in the Goofy or Dopey challenge), we talked about what she would need to plan for in training for the event.

One of the tips I shared is EXPECT that there will be times that she will NOT want to do the planned training.

And this is something YOU need to know whenever you choose and work towards a goal – whether it is stopping overeating, having (more) exercise in your life or any other healthy habit goal.

Your brain will throw up obstacles and sentences like:

  • “It’s too hard”
  • *I don’t feel like it”
  • *What was I thinking, forget this”
  • “I don’t follow through”

Knowing exactly what to say to yourself in that moment when these thoughts creep in (and they will) is critical.

Your new “go-to thought” that gets you over the hurdle needs to be believable and compelling.

Here are some possibilities:

  • “This is how I get stronger”
  • “My body loves this, and I love my body”
  • “This is really good for me”
  • “I can do this!”

I know that different and more believable motivational thoughts will definitely change what you do and results!

If you are ready to make changes in your life and want the support, powerful tools, strategies and accountability that life coaching with me can offer, please click here to schedule a complimentary call.

Here we will dive into YOUR goals and how I can help you get there.

How can you get 2 wins in 1?

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weight scale

Many of my clients come to me for one reason: to lose weight.

And what generally happens through the coaching process is that they ALSO get a lot of Non-Scale Victories (or NSV’s).

These are things that happen along the way that aren’t measured by the number on the scale.

Sure, seeing the numbers on the scale going down is ah-mazing AND what you learn along the way is just as valuable.

In fact, it can be even more valuable!

It is learning skills, tools and habits that are beyond the obvious food related things.

These are skills, tools and habits that are outside the typical “diet” culture of restriction, deprivation, focusing on ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods and how you label yourself “good” or “bad” according to what you ate that day or the number on the scale.

Somehow, we think that beating ourselves up is productive and will “make you” stop all the future overeating.

If this is you, ask yourself, how has that been working for you lately?

Let me share just one of the skills that can help you move away from emotional overeating:

Learn to not beat yourself up

Try these steps the next time you want to run to food as your coping mechanism and then beat yourself up afterwards:

Step 1

  • Pause, get present and take a deep breath.

Step 2

  • Replace judgement with curiosity.
  • Shift the urge to beat yourself up and instead notice, with curiosity, what happened and why you made that choice.

Step 3

  • Think about WHY you want to reach your goal.
  • What are all the reasons and how will you feel when you get there?

Step 4

  • Come up with a plan – even if it’s one small thing – that you will do from now on to start taking you back on track.

Developing the skill to be present and intentional in your life is a powerful NSV (non-scale victory).

Try an experiment and see how these 4 steps can work for you.

If you want some help instituting these 4 steps – and other powerful tools in your life – click here to set up a complimentary call with me.

During the call, we will discuss YOUR goal(s) and how I can help you get there!

Questions to find your way out of a thought hurricane

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hurricane

The last week I have been in a thought hurricane.

It is a term I coined for those times that I get fixated on a particular issue in my life.

Of course, living in Florida it is a hurricane.

Anyway, it’s where my thoughts are swirling around and around, seemingly uncontrollably, in my brain.

And it is always dramatic and goes to the worst-case scenario.

And when this happens, my thoughts are:

  • Overpowering
  • All consuming
  • Very distracting

Nothing is forward moving, helpful or productive. It just keeps me stuck.

Do you ever notice a thought hurricane happening in your life?

And this is what I have learned and work on with my clients:

You can choose to remember that you are in control of your thoughts and they are optional.

You can interrupt the storm or at least turn down its intensity.

Pro tip: Here are 5 powerful questions to ask yourself when you find yourself swirling in a thought hurricane:

  • What are the facts of the situation?
  • What is the math of the situation vs. the drama?
  • What am I grateful and appreciative for here?
  • How can I be compassionate with myself?
  • How can I move forward?

If you take the time to pause and answer these questions, you will be able to move out of the mind storm and see a clearer path to move onward.

 

If you are interested in moving forward in your life, click here to schedule a complimentary session to explore working together so we can get you where you want to be.

Take the first step

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footsteps

Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu said: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”

Losing weight, changing your eating habits, getting into an exercise routine, getting more organized can feel like a thousand miles journey.

Overwhelming.  Insurmountable.  It just won’t happen.

Yet, like everything else it starts with one step.

Looking at how you can think, feel and act to get what you really want is a first step.

Ask yourself what you are doing today to reach your goals?

Even moving towards your goal by 1% every day will change the trajectory of your life.

If you are interested in support, accountability, tools and strategies to get you to your goal, I invite you to set up a complimentary session with me.

Here we will talk about where you want to go and how I can help.