Need an Attitude Adjustment? Here's How to Get One
One day you wake up feeling irritated by everyone, focused on "what's wrong" in your life, or just plain apathetic to all of it. This cranky disposition just crept up on you. You may stay in this mood for awhile, but finally you say to yourself, "I hate feeling this way! This is not who I am. I need an attitude adjustment!"
Consider for a moment the possibility that you didn't just fall into your bad mood based on a single event, but that you very gradually became immersed in a lack of happy thoughts due to an absorption of negative energy from the people around you. Perhaps a coworker made an unflattering remark to you the other day, and you've been trying to think of a comeback ever since. Maybe a friend called four times in the past week to vent about how her husband is a jerk and her kids don't appreciate her and trying to be a good friend, you make her feel better by listening to every sordid detail and recalling examples in your own life when loved ones had been insensitive to you as well. The effects of these incidents may not be immediately noticeable, but each one builds upon the one before it, until they attach to you and take hold.
What this means from an energetic point of view is that little by little, your vibration has continually headed lower. It is so subtle sometimes that you don't even realize it until it's too late and has affected your attitude in a big way. Your thoughts increasingly grow overly negative from day to day, gaining momentum, until finally you've had enough! As far as you're concerned, you are unloved and unappreciated, and no one is going to convince you any differently!
So what do we do when we realize we are the guest of honor at our own pity party? Here are three tried-and-true solutions to help you begin feeling like your cheery self again:
1) The Happiness Catalogue:
The Happiness Catalogue is where you write down all of the things you enjoy. For instance, you may list: playing your guitar (which you haven't made time to do in years); taking a bubble bath, going out to the movies; taking your dog for a long walk while the sun shines brightly on your face; or how about baking cookies; putting together a puzzle on the kitchen table; or dancing around the house to your favorite tunes. Maybe you love flowers -- go to the market and buy your special kind and just stare at them all day if you want. After all, this idea is akin to looking through a seed catalogue, full of a variety of beautiful, colorful options that are perfect just for you.
Personal happiness can only come from the experience of joy. No no one can do it for you; it has to come from feeling good on the inside. An imbalance in one's life -- caused by an abundance of negativity and a lack of fun and play -- will eventually manifest into a bad attitude that will be a challenge to shake off. Put balance back into your life by doing things that make you smile.
2) Note to Self:
Try this experiment: Sit down and have your "future self" write a letter to your "current self." Use your imagination and fantasize! The sky's the limit! Tell your "current self" how amazing life is! The "future you" is having the time of his life! The "current you" doesn't have to worry about a thing because that coworker who's always rude to you took a job somewhere else -- you now own your own extremely successful business -- and your friend, who used to constantly complain to you, has never felt better and has nothing to say but positive things! You are able to live in the moment (which really isn't so bad) without thinking about the past or the future, because everything totally works out. Your "future self" is loving life, and that is what you have to look forward to! All you need to do is be here now... the future will take care of itself and the past is old news.
3) E-motion Is Energy in Motion:
When energy moves through us, it takes the form of an emotion. When negative energy is trying to move through us, it takes the form of negative emotion. Therefore, if you've been exposed to lots of negative energy, your body and mind are going to try to release it as such. This is why an adjustment of your attitude may be in order. Crying is an action that comes out from inside and cleanses the emotions. Some people may see crying as a bad thing, making one even sadder. However, the truth is that we feel much better after a good cry! It actually elevates your vibration by making room for the joy to come in. So play some sad songs and just let it all out!
Take responsibility for your mood and choose not to stay in it. Realize that just as this energy moved into you, it must move out. Try not to be around others when in a bad mood so as not to spread the misery. Accept what it is, let it go, and allow yourself to move forward. The moment you start feeling a little depressed or begin having more and more negative thoughts, do not shrug it off and let it get worse. It's a slippery slope. The longer you ignore these emotions, the harder it will be to detach from them and live a happy, emotionally healthy life. Nip it in the bud!
If your life is balanced, and you set aside time on a regular basis to have fun and do things that make you feel happy, then no matter what life and other people "throw" at you, it won't affect you in such a negative way. Everything you encounter will be much, much easier to handle, because your vibration will naturally be higher, and you will not easily attach to the negative energy of others. However, if you wake up one day in a bad mood for "no apparent reason," you'll know that you have been neglecting that part of your life that brings you joy. So browse through your Happiness Catalog, make a "note to self," and know that this too shall pass...
Corinna T What fun it would be to write that note to my future self. I'll try that when I've got a break.
Today almost 5 hours spent in the flower gardens weeding, watering by hand, digging up plants and moving them across the yard to new area that was hard baked clay and full of roots. Lots of strength and patience needed, but I did it and that new area looks so different.
Neighbor cut down her two tall trees that shaded our back fence line that I had full of Hostas, ferns, Heuchera, Astilbe. All shade loving plants. Now they are baking in very hot 2PM till 7 PM sunshine and not happy.
So satisfied and am super pleased I can still do this at 77 years. Probably the many years of exercise is the reason I still can. Also have unusually good halth, Thank Goodness.
Tonight is Date Night with my husband that I met when I was 16. My very best friend, too.
Sandy-sounds like you have been very hard at work. Were you moving your shade loving plants or some others? I hope you can figure out a way to save all your plants.
Wow, how sweet, love from 16 to 77 and still going strong. Have a wonderful date!
Good morning from a beautiful sunny Pennsylvania! Off to a horse show this morning, then to a Labor Day carnival tonight with fireworks. Have a great day everyone!
No change for me last week.....
Yesterday:
B - oatmeal with blueberries
S - banana
L - roast beef sandwich
S - nectarine
D - chicken and broccoli
Here is a recipe that sounds good! I will have to give this one a try.
Zucchini Lasagna with Basil-Cashew Cheese Sauce
Basil-Cashew Cheese 1 cup
unsalted cashews
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
½ teaspoon sea salt
Artichoke-Tomato Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
14.5-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
8-ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Zucchini Lasagna
6 medium zucchinis
Coarse salt
Fresh basil, for garnish
Olive oil, for drizzling
Serves: 6-8
Prep time 1 hour
Cook time 1 hour 10 mins
Total time 2 hours 10 mins
Instructions
Basil-Cashew Cheese
Soak the cashews in a bowl of water for 30 minutes.
Drain and rinse well.
Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and process/blend until smooth.
Artichoke-Tomato Sauce
Heat oil in a medium skillet.
Add diced onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, until onions are softened.
Add garlic and cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
Next, add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, artichoke hearts and basil leaves.
Season with red pepper flakes, sea salt and pepper.
Bring the sauce to a boil and then simmer on medium low for 10 minutes.
Zucchini Lasagna
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Slice each zucchini into ⅛-inch thick slices.
Salt the zucchini slices heavily and set aside for 20 minutes to drain the water out. Squeeze as much water out of the zucchini slices as possible.
Spread a few tablespoons sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish.
Lay 4-5 zucchini slices side-by-side on the bottom of the dish. If you're slices aren't long enough for the entire casserole you can add another vertical row or place some slices horizontally to fill the space.
Top the slices with ½ cup sauce and ¼ cup cashew cheese.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients, ending with a final layer of sauce and cheese.
Garnish with more fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil.
Bake, covered, for 30 minutes and then bake, uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until the top of the lasagna is golden brown.
Let the lasagna sit for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
1600ish for Friday, so...close....to ten pounds. Hoping for a good weigh-in tomorrow.
Do you all offer yourselves little rewards if you make goals? I'm doing a mini-shopping trip with my daughter when I hit 15 pounds off. She keeps reminding me to stay on track!
Made the Zuchinni dish today. It was okay. However, I am still hungry after eating 3 servings. I thought about eating a 4th serving, but said why bother. Maybe it is because of all the hiking I did this weekend. However, my weigh-in for today shows no movement.
Darkblue-I hope you make it. You have been doing good. Good luck for tomorrow. I sometimes give myself a little reward, but it varies. Sometimes I find myself going too far so I have to be very, very, very careful.
You're working like a dog — hitting the gym, tracking calories — but you just can't shrink your pooch. Learn six surprising reasons the scale is stuck, plus how to make over your metabolism.
Diet Mistakes Causing Your Weight-Loss Plateau
Food journal? Check. Regular workouts? Yes, indeed. Enough fiber to keep an entire army regular? You got it. I know how to lose weight. I've been writing about the topic for more than a decade. That's why it was so frustrating when the pounds clung to me like a codependent boyfriend, no matter how hard I tried. A lot of women have this problem, the experts tell me. "Body weight can fluctuate by up to five pounds on any given day, so the amount you shed can easily get lost," says Pamela Wartian Smith, MD, the author of Why You Can't Lose Weight. I combed through research and grilled diet gurus to pinpoint little-known reasons that your efforts — and mine — haven't been showing up on the scale. Who knew?
You Don't Drink Enough Water
We've all heard how important H2O is when it comes to shedding pounds. It helps to suppress appetite, so you're less likely to overeat. But that's not all: When you're dehydrated, your kidneys can't function properly, so the body turns to the liver for additional support. Because the liver is working so hard, more of the fat you consume is stored rather than burned off.
What surprised me most, though, is that if you're upping your fiber intake but not also hitting the bottle hard, things tend to get a wee bit, er, backed up. "It's important to add fiber gradually and increase water intake at the same time. Otherwise, instead of helping with digestion, fiber may actually lead to constipation," notes Anna-Lisa Finger, RD, a personal trainer for the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center in Baltimore. I often consume nearly double the recommended 25 grams of fiber daily. Gulp.
Just how much water should I be drinking? "About one-half your body weight in ounces every day, especially if you're exercising," Dr. Smith says. So the eight-cups-a-day rule applies only to sedentary women who weigh 128 pounds (sure as **** not me!). "If you consume an aggressive amount of fiber, another eight to 16 ounces a day is a good idea," Dr. Smith adds. H2OMG! That amount of liquid — for me, 12 cups a day, minimum — requires serious effort. I fill up with about a liter at each meal, and I'm a peeing machine.
You Skimp on Protein
Several studies show that high-protein diets result in more pounds shed, at least initially. Protein enhances the feeling of satiety and prevents your losing muscle as you lose fat. You also have dietary thermogenesis, which is the energy you burn to process and use the food you eat, on your side. "Your body expends more energy to metabolize protein than carbs or fat," says Cari Coulter, RD, the program director for Wellspring Weight Loss Camp in Kenosha, Wisconsin. "So higher-protein diets make you burn slightly more calories."
So how much protein do I need a day? "It depends on your weight, but most women should get 40 to 80 grams," Dr. Smith says. To accomplish that, I have Greek yogurt (18 grams) or a couple of eggs (13 grams) for breakfast, and I eat a few ounces of lean poultry (25 grams) or fish (22 grams) or a heaping helping of black beans (15 grams) or lentils (18 grams) at lunch and dinner. I snack on a handful of raw almonds (6 grams). As a result, I feel fuller — sometimes so full I don't even sneak a bite of my son's ice cream (the way I used to whether I was hungry or not) — so it's easier to keep daily calories in check.
More Reasons Why You're Not Losing Weight
You Sit at a Desk All Day
I log a solid hour of exercise almost every day, but outside of that, my time is mostly spent sitting in front of a computer. Much to my dismay, research finds that dedicated workouts simply can't compensate for being sedentary the rest of the time. According to one University of Missouri-Columbia study, sitting for just a few hours causes your body to stop making a fat-inhibiting enzyme called lipase. Getting up and walking for just two minutes during each of those hours burns an additional 59 calories a day, according to recent research from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Experts recommend setting a timer on the computer to remind you to move every hour, but what's helped me is the Fitbit One ($100, fitbit.com). I keep this activity tracker clipped to my bra 24-7, and I won't go to bed until I've logged 10,000 steps a day. To accomplish that, I heed some of those recommendations we've all heard a million times ("Take the stairs instead of the elevator," "Park far away from the mall"). I even jog in place while brushing my teeth and watching TV. At first my husband and son laughed their skinny little butts off at me, but now seeing me hopping around the living room strikes them as normal. Walks are part of my family's evening routine, and "How many steps do you have now?" has become the new "Are we there yet?" I've even given Fitbits to friends and family as gifts so we can see who takes the most steps. Move-more mission: accomplished.
Your Numbers Are Off
I've always considered myself a math whiz, so I assumed that I had the whole calories-in, calories-out formula down pat. Here's how I determined how many I should eat a day: I got my basal metabolic rate (BMR, or the amount of calories I need to maintain my weight) using the online calculator at fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/bmr, and I entered "moderate" for my activity level, because I exercise regularly. That gave me about 2,400 calories a day. Then I added whatever calories I burn during my workouts (usually about 500), according to my heart-rate monitor. That meant I could eat almost 3,000 calories a day without gaining a pound (or nearly 2,500 a day to lose a pound a week). Sure, it seemed high, but I had used a calculator. It had to be right!
Not so fast, Coulter says. "The BMR calculator already factors in the calories you burn with your workouts, so you shouldn't add them in again," she explains. Math club membership revoked! All this time I had thought my daily needs were 500 calories higher than they really were. No wonder I'd been maintaining instead of losing.
You Work Out Regularly
I know, I know. How can an exercise routine make you gain? For starters, people tend to eat more when they work out, either because they feel they've earned it or because they're overestimating how much they've burned — or both. "This is especially true in the early stages of a fitness program, when your body is getting used to the decrease in calories consumed and the increase in calories burned," Finger says. (Read: You're freaking hungry.)
But here's the real shocker: Working out can make you retain water. "To ensure that you don't get dehydrated, the plasma in your bloodstream will store an extra two to four pounds of water," explains Michele S. Olson, PhD, a FITNESS advisory board member and professor of exercise science at Auburn University at Montgomery in Alabama. "You'll always carry that extra water unless you become inactive; it's not fat or muscle, but simply superhydration. It's a good thing." It's also a good thing to keep chugging H2O, which can, counterintuitively, help minimize additional water retention. So I'll take Olson's advice and stay active, well-hydrated...and off the scale.
You're a Stress Case
I'm a lot like the lab rats — and humans — who turn to comfort food and pack on pounds when they're under duress. "The stress hormone cortisol triggers the fight-or-flight response, which is an appetite stimulant," Dr. Smith says. "In addition, it steps up the production of a certain brain chemical, neuropeptide Y, which increases cravings for carbohydrates."
Even when I don't give in to cravings, stress can stall my slim-down. "Too much cortisol slows metabolism," Dr. Smith says. "Even worse, excessive stress causes fat to be stored in the abdominal area, where weight is harder to lose." Ugh! I can practically feel my belly expanding every time I have a meltdown over something, including my weight-loss efforts.
Luckily, a lot of the things I'm doing to whittle my middle should also ease my angst. "Exercise reduces stress," Dr. Smith notes. "Balanced, nutritious meals can repair the damage that stress does to the body, and a social support network also helps." So my team of Fitbit-wearing friends and fam is helping me beat belly bloat in more ways than one.
Get Weight-Loss Results
Scale Serenity
It's been three months since I embarked on this adventure, and I've lost 12 pounds — a solid pound a week. I've increased my water and protein intake, I move more throughout the day, and I'm trying to stress less. But one of the best things I've done has been — go figure — not weighing myself, at least for a little while, as Olson suggested. I was tempted in the beginning, but I stuck to my scale embargo for a month. Now I weigh in weekly, but the fluctuations don't bother me. Really. Because I know I'm creating a daily calorie deficit, and I've found other ways to measure my progress (see "Beyond the Numbers," below). I know the fat is coming off, no matter what the scale says. I feel enlightened — in more ways than one.
Beyond the Numbers
When the scale bums you out, here are three other ways to gauge your progress.
How do your clothes fit? Try on the same pair of jeans and shirt every six to eight weeks.
How do you feel? You should have more energy, sleep better, and feel less stressed.
How much can you do? Keep a workout log and track how much weight you can lift and how many miles you can walk or run. Originally published in FITNESS magazine, May 2013.
Diet Tricks Weight-Loss Pros (Only) Tell Their Friends
Could swearing off that extra salt keep the pounds off? We tapped the nations leading diet gurus for the advice they spill at cocktail parties—the things they know really make the pounds melt away.
Jump-start the day with fruit
“I always have a piece of fruit in the morning. It gets me into the mind-set that today will be a healthy-eating day, whereas if I start the day with just a bagel or a muffin I'm inclined to backslide and eat more junk. I change it up: some berries in my cereal one day; a banana-coconut-and-pineapple smoothie the next; or an apple with a slice of whole wheat toast and almond butter.” — Rory Freedman
Get milk! “Dairy gets a really bad rap in Hollywood. A lot of my clients have completely cut it out, but the reality is research shows three to four servings of low-fat dairy have been linked to weight loss, especially around the abdomen. Once they add it back in, they start losing weight.”
—Jackie Keller, a certified Wellness and Nutrition Expert who has worked with Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron
Eat carbs before sundown
“I stock up on carbs at breakfast. So many people try to cut out carbs completely, and then by 3 p.m. of the first day of their diet they have a headache, theyre cranky, and have so little energy they cant work or exercise. I tell clients like J Lo to start with a high-carb breakfast (fruit with oatmeal, for example) and then gradually taper down during the day. "Some other good choices are brown rice, sweet potatoes, and sourdough bread. As the sun sets, so should your carb intake—by dinner, youre having only four to six ounces of lean protein like chicken or fish and some steamed vegetables.”
—Gunnar Peterson, a Los Angeles celebrity trainer who has worked with Jennifer Lopez and Penelope Cruz, and the author of The Workout: Core Secrets from Hollywoods #1 Trainer
Stand to boost calorie burn
“I stand when doing weight training. It forces your body to stabilize, so you work harder and burn more calories. It strengthens core muscles, too, as well as improves your balance and posture.”—Patrick Murphy, a Los Angeles trainer who has worked with Eva Longoria
Hop, skip & jump
“Instead of spending an hour indoors on the elliptical, I take my workout outdoors, where I alternate running, skipping, and galloping—a mix of movement that forces your body to use all sorts of rotations. If you look at dancers and athletes, youll see that theyre constantly moving their bodies in different ways, which helps them stay strong and slim.”—Tracy Anderson, a trainer who works with Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow
Give yourself a curfew
“Go to bed around 10 and no later than 11. The later youre up, the more likely youll overeat.”
—Pam Peeke MD, MPH, Discovery Health TVs chief medical correspondent, author of Body for Life for Women, and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland
Gross yourself out
“Whenever I have a craving for a certain food—say, chocolate—I instantly force myself to think of a big bowl of food I have a repulsion for. then I imagine eating the two together, concentrating on the texture and the taste. It works to control the craving every time.”
—Paul McKenna, PhD, author of I Can Make You Thin
Walk more, burn more
“I recommend just trying to walk a bit more. if you add in an extra mile to your day-to-day activities (about 2,000 steps) youre burning about a 100 extra calories each day.”
—James Hill, PhD, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado and co-author of The Step Diet: Count Steps, Not Calories, To Lose Weight and Keep It Off Forever
Lose seven pounds…without dieting
“I tell my clients to watch their sodium intake. If you eat a lot of salt, your body holds onto water, so you can easily have an extra five to seven pounds of pure fluid retention. Unfortunately, sodiums found in even the so-called healthy frozen foods or soups, so check labels carefully when shopping. "Ideally, these foods should have just 200 to 400 milligrams of sodium per serving. Once clients cut back on salt, they lose that soft, bloated appearance and start to look more lean and defined—even if they havent made any other changes to their diet or workout routines.”
—Patrick Murphy, an L.A.–based celebrity trainer
Have an amazing race
“I recommend the 30-30 workout: an intense 30-minute regimen that involves six different activities five times (for a total of 30 exercises). Pick six different exercises that work large-muscle groups—say, push-ups, squats, bent-over rows, crunches, walking lunges, and overhead presses. "Then do each move for 30 seconds, going from one to another with 30 seconds of rest in between. It gets your heart rate up, so it offers all the calorie-burning benefits of cardio. But because youre also doing weight training, your body will continue to burn calories even after the workout. I have clients start with this once or twice a week, slowly working their way up to three or four times.”
—Jason Walsh, a Los Angeles celebrity fitness trainer who has worked with Jessica Biel and Sophia Bush
Get more sleep
“One of the first questions I ask clients like Tia Carrere is how much theyre sleeping. There are some really dramatic studies out there that link not getting enough sleep to obesity. Were just beginning to realize that the quality and quantity of our sleep affects our appetite in ways we never dreamed it did. "When you are sleep-deprived, your body produces low levels of leptin and high levels of ghrelin, two hormones that affect how full you feel. I often find that once clients start getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night, theyre much less likely to overeat and the pounds just come off.”
—Jackie Keller, an L.A.–based celebrity trainer
1730 k/cal today. Not my goal, but we were out all day long and I ate 2 meals on the road. Kept it as healthy as I could without starving. Back on goal calories tomorrow!
Need an Attitude Adjustment? Here's How to Get One
