Focus

New thinking for a new you

November 18, 2022 by VickyCountessCoaching

‘The Holidays” are upon us all with Thanksgiving just a week away.

For many this means Holiday Overeating.

And this is not just the one Thanksgiving meal I am talking about – but overindulging for weeks.

And with this overeating often comes the feelings of regret, shame and even disgust.

What if I told you that you can absolutely have a wonderful holiday season AND feel great afterwards?

Yes, it is possible!

Really.

And it all starts with being intentional with your thinking.

It begins with your new thinking and focus – the new way you want to approach your eating during the next weeks – not your old thinking and approach that might include:

I MUST eat everything and more, after all it’s the Holiday
If I don’t eat all the goodies, I will feel deprived
I will hurt the feelings of others if I don’t eat “everything”
It’s all so good, I just can’t stop myself
Food is what this time of year is all about

Instead, here are just some sentences that you might want to regularly repeat (bonus points for writing it out to read and re-read):

I can eat to “just enough” – it is satisfying and okay
The new me is happy to eat more healthfully and I feel better for it
This Holiday season I want to take care of myself – and I will!
It’s possible to have a wonderful holiday season and feel good afterwards

By the way, here are some intentional and specific tips:

Instead of taking a nap after eating, go for a walk
Instead of starving yourself until the “big meal” – eat a solid breakfast with some protein
Instead of inhaling your Holiday meals – mindfully eat by chewing slowly and savoring the food

If you are wanting some help with making some new decisions about your holiday eating where you will have support, accountability and tons of tips and tools to make ALL THE DIFFERENCE, get on my calendar for a complimentary session and let’s talk!

Are you taking the best care of yourself?

November 11, 2022 by VickyCountessCoaching

Is there always something that gets in the way of taking the very best care of you?

It could be you think that you are too busy with your kids, parents, business or even the laundry – everything seems to get in the way.

Or maybe you are telling yourself that it is selfish to spend any time, money, or energy on yourself.

Or maybe you are telling yourself it’s just not a priority now.

Especially because the Holidays are coming, and you will tell me that this is NOT the time to start to lose weight and get into shape.

To which I reply, if not now, then WHEN?

In fact, there is no better time than NOW.

Think about what will it cost you to keep on waiting to focus on YOU?

Getting deeper into the abyss of overeating and overindulging
Continuing to live that sedentary life
Continuing to feel guilty and ashamed that you aren’t taking any action
Putting off feeling better physically and mentally

You deserve to start taking care of yourself now!

I am passionate about helping my clients with their self-care, making it a priority, and getting results.

I help by providing do-able tools, ongoing support, and accountability.

If taking the very best care of yourself makes sense to you, get on my calendar for a complimentary session and let’s talk.

What are your excuses?

August 25, 2022 by VickyCountessCoaching

You set out a plan – whether it is to cut down on desserts, nighttime snacking, or another variation – in the hopes of losing weight.

And/or you decide to really start doing exercise every morning.

Wahoo – you have a plan!

And then life happens, and that moment comes when your plan gets pushed to the wayside.

And it will happen.

The rolodex of excuses looms large in your mind:

I’m too busy
I’m too tired
This is too hard
This will never work
I’ve never have been able to do it before

And then you quit.

You don’t lose the weight or get into exercise at all.

And how will you feel then?

Probably not so good.

And most importantly, what will NOT taking action cost you?

Working with me, we figure out the right strategies to be successful, learn tools to get you over the hump when those sneaky quitting thoughts creep in, learn to be consistent (not perfect, because who is?), and have accountability until you do reach your goal.

Right now there are 2 ways to work with me:

In a group setting starting September 9^th for 30 days for just $30.

- Here we will pick 1 habit that will be impactful and easy for you do with accountability.
- Here you will learn different effective tools to use in the challenge and beyond.
- Sign up at: https://conta.cc/3JtDsmz

OR…

One on one coaching where it is all about you!

- You recognize and admit that you need some personalized direction, clarity, and accountability to get you to your goal.

In either case, get on my calendar for a complimentary session to get more details and move forward on making a positive difference in your life.

Have you planned to NOT want to do the expected?

May 13, 2022 by VickyCountessCoaching

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?

May 6, 2022 by VickyCountessCoaching

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

April 29, 2022 by VickyCountessCoaching

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.