Healthy Habits

Its ok to say something sucks!

2011-08-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

Its ok to say something sucks!

A lot of new age wisdom talks about not focusing on the bad or uncomfortable things in your life and to some extent I agree but not entirely. Awhile back I had a cancer patient in my office talking about how she was trying really hard to focus only on the positive and not let her mind wander to her negative feelings. It had been a struggle and she was there asking me to help her make it easier. “I want you to make it so I only think positive thoughts.” Hmmm, I thought, good luck with that.

I asked her how she really felt. “Well, most of the time I’m ok but quite frankly this really sucks!” Now she was being real and I far preferred that version of her. The truth is we have to acknowledge our feelings, the good the bad and the really screwed up. That doesn’t mean we have to swim in a deep pool full of them for hours but they do need to be given a voice. To suppress the parts of you that have negative feelings is not only disrespectful to yourself but also counter-productive. Those unacknowledged feelings don’t just go away they go deeper. When you keep ignoring them they will begin to pester when you let your guard down, like when you are trying to sleep.

Emotion is just energy in motion so don’t be afraid of your feelings. They are just feelings and can’t hurt you. The following are things you can do to help emotions (particularly unpleasant ones) come in and go out of your mind when you are done with them.

Journal: The undisputed king of emotional healing. Write down how you feel. Use the F-word if you need to, it’s ok to just let it out. A 20 page rant is good for you and will help you feel better.

Exercise: This is a suggestion from my friend Michele Meiche. Focus on an unpleasant emotion then go for a run while allowing that emotion to move through you. At the end of your run bring up a picture of the opposite emotion or situation and allow yourself to feel that for a while. It helps you see and feel both sides of a situation.

Yoga: This is kind of exercise too but in a different way. Most people don’t realize this but emotions are actually caused by hormones that float in your body. They have found receptor sites for emotions in tissues all over the body. Doing yoga will help you free old or stuck emotions from those tissues.

Eating: Never use food to deal with emotions with one exception. Very dark chocolate (over 70% cocoa) had been clinically shown to help release a love-related chemical known as phenylethylamine which can actually make you happier. My favorite is the Endangered species 88% Cocoa individual wrapped chocolate pieces. 50 calories each for those of you that care.

Being honest with yourself about all your feelings really is the healthiest way to be. Feeling bad for a few minutes a day will not make bad things happen to you, sometimes the bad just happens. Love yourself through all your feelings even the ones you wish you didn’t have. Eventually they too shall pass and you can move on.

Jill Thomas CCHT
Healthy Habits Hypnosis
760-803-2841
www.healthyhabitshypnosis.com

Get Some sleep

2011-07-07T15:11:00.000-07:00

Sleep Troubles

Ahh… sleep. This is such a big issue for many of my clients and is a big source of personal frustration. Often people tell me they wake up and have to go to the bathroom then don’t fall back to sleep. Your body has a hormone that gets released at bedtime which should keep this from happening so unless you are drinking a lot of fluid at bedtime waking up is a sign that something else is going on.

I have done a lot of research over the years on this issue and created this list of suggestions that have helped many of my clients get a good night sleep. Hope this works for you.

-No alcohol or large doses of sugar 3-4 hours prior to bed: Sugar and Alcohol can have a similar effect on the body’s blood sugar. If you consume it too close to bed your blood sugar can fluctuate often causing you to go to sleep ok but become wide awake a few hours later.

-No Caffeine 3 hours before bed: This one is obvious but often forgotten. Caffeine affects your system longer than you think so stop the soda, coffee and tea well before bed.

-Try a little bit of protein right before bed: Blood sugar fluctuations can cause you to wake up. Try a bit of protein like a small piece of chicken or a boiled egg at bedtime. This will give your body something to work on while you sleep. Exception-protein shakes which are mostly sugar

-No news right before bed: In preparation for sleep your brain waves start to move into patterns similar to the hypnotic state so watching something violence (like the news…) right before bed puts the world’s problems deep into your mind at a time when its more open to suggestions. This is why we often have nightmares about the last thing we watched on TV.

-When wide awake for over 20 minutes get up: Tossing and turning for the next hour will not help you sleep and puts a strain on your relationship. Getting up usually helps to reset the body’s clock and will help you get better rest the next night.

If you are waking up with a “To Do” list in your head try just putting a small notebook by your bed and writing down your ideas. Sometimes if you just write it down you can go back to sleep.

Troubles and worries will always be there and allowing them to rule your life will only make you miserable. Try these suggestions plus the sleep MP3 available on my blog and you may find yourself sleeping comfortably again.

">http://www.healthyhabitshypnosis.com/Audio/Sleep.mp3

I am still doing my Bi-Weekly weight loss support group. The next meeting is on July 12th at 6:30 and the topic is “How to end Emotional Eating”. Hope you can join us!

End Sugar Cravings

2011-06-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

Sugar Cravings

“When we taste human blood a sort of frenzy begins and it’s almost impossible to stop.” -Edward Cullen in the movie Twilight.

Substitute the word sugar for blood in the above statement and you are accurately describing how many people feel after they eat sugary foods particularly if they don’t eat anything else with it. Overeating sugary foods is a major factor in many people’s inability to achieve their weight loss goals. And as with many health issues there is both a physical and mental component to it.

On the mental side years of birthday cake, Valentine’s Day candy and “I love you” chocolates have trained us to associate feelings of love and connection with sugary foods. As a result many of us crave sweets when we want to feel more loved and connected with others.

On the physical side eating sugar often sets in motion a chemical chain of events that sends our blood sugar levels up and down and causes us to crave even more sugar not long after our first large dose.

In both cases sweets never fully satisfy your cravings so you just keep eating until guilt or the bottom of the bag compels you to stop.

So how do we make the cravings go away?

Ok you aren’t going to like this answer but on the physical side the only way to make them stop is to not eat sugar. Just cut it out of your diet, which is not easy to do since its in EVERYTHING. If you cut it out completely for 2 weeks your body will stop craving it.

On the emotional side when you get a sugar craving you have to stop and ask yourself “What do I really want?” or “What am I trying not to feel by craving sugar?” Then work toward giving yourself what you really need. Hint: It’s never more sugar.

The answer is usually something like “Something to do, I’m bored” or “Someone to talk to, I’m lonely.” In both cases sugar will not help at all but phoning a friend or just about anything else will and that’s what you need to do to really heal this issue. If you consistently feed yourself what you really want rather than the sugar you will start to get the information “I’m bored let’s call a friend” rather than “I want a candy bar.” That’s when you will have completely shifted out of this habit.

So what about artificial sweeteners?

BOOO! Those are so bad for you it’s hardly worth mentioning. And eating them increases your sugar cravings rather than decreasing them.

The following link will take you to an MP3 that can help you reduce your physical sugar cravings and increase your feelings of self love.

http://www.healthyhabitshypnosis.com/Audio/HealthyBodyMeditation.mp3

Jill Thomas CCHT
Healthy Habits Hypnosis
760-803-2841
www.healthyhabitshypnosis.com

What are you afraid of?

2011-06-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

What are you really afraid of?

The other day I woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible fear of being abducted by aliens. (Note to self: no more movies about alien abductions right before bed.) As I lay in bed trying to calm myself down from what is undoubtedly the stupidest fear that has ever kept me awake at night, I realized it wasn’t aliens that had me afraid; it was something else. The aliens were just the object I assigned my fear to because that’s what I was thinking about. My real fear was under that, and it was something very real.

I have been in the process of getting my book ready for publication, and the fear that has me is of losing control of something I have worked so hard to create. That fear is something that could happen, and though there are things I can do about it, to some extent I will have to face that fear and move on.
The reality for most of us who are experiencing feelings of fear is that the real issue goes deeper than what seems to be in front of us now — the thing that’s being tossed around our minds late at night. Very often it’s the same fear I had … of losing control.

Control is an illusion and none of us really has as much as we think we do. At any time our life can be turned upside down by things well beyond our control. Accidents, financial issues and illness are real things we live with all the time. And just like the bully that preys on our weakness, fears can beat us up and take away our joy. The only way to handle them is to face them.

When you are feeling fear, worry or anxiety, ask yourself, “What’s under this?” And keep asking until you feel like you have hit the core issue. The core issue is usually something you can’t do a lot about and it’s often the thing you are most afraid of.

Jill Thomas CCHT
Healthy Habits Hypnosis
760-803-2841
www.healthyhabitshypnosis.com

Why we fail to acheive

2011-06-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

Why we fail
I think one of the biggest reasons we fail to achieve our health and wellness goals is that we go into it hoping for success but on some levels expecting to fail.

Years ago I dated a math professor at a local university. One day over coffee he asked me a surprisingly philosophical question. “So Jill, let’s say you toss a coin 19 times and it comes up heads every time, what do you think the odds are of it coming up tails on the 20th toss?” I thought about it then answered “50/50 same as the first toss” “Yes, but you had to think about it didn’t you.” He was right, I had thought about it an embarrassingly long time. “That’s what my students do too. They get caught up to much in the back story and miss the obvious answer.” He was right and I realized the deeper meaning in what he was saying.

We get caught up in our own back stories about how we tried to succeed at something yet failed and think that means we will fail again. I am not going to say that if you dieted 19 times and failed that it doesn’t mean anything. It does, but it doesn’t mean as much as you think and it certainly doesn’t mean you are doomed to fail on the 20th attempt.

In order to get a different result what you really need is to do something different. If you are trying to lose weight don’t just go on the same diet that didn’t work the last 19 times you tried it, do something different. If you are trying to quit smoking don’t just toss the pack in the trashcan get some help from someone who knows how to help you succeed.

The MP3 that you can download from the link below will help you succeed with your health goals by giving your unconscious mind a clear picture of what your most healthy body is supposed to look and feel like. Your unconscious mind will take this image and help you form new habits that bring you closer to your goal.

http://www.healthyhabitshypnosis.com/Audio/HealthyBodyMeditation.mp3

Enjoy!

Jill Thomas CCHT
Healthy Habits Hypnosis
760-803-2841
www.healthyhabitshypnosis.com

Relief from Anxiety

2011-05-25T05:11:00.000-07:00

Tools for managing anxiety

Since most of the clients I am seeing right now are coming to me for feelings of anxiety and worry, I thought I would share some great tools you can use to help manage those feelings. The most insidious part of anxiety is that it causes your body and mind to go into panic mode, which shifts your thoughts and energies into worrying about the problem. This shift turns off your creative ability, so now in addition to having a big problem you have lost the ability to tap into your creative resources to come up with a great solution. Often I see clients who have things they can do to help solve their problems but because they are in panic mode they can’t see those sometimes very obvious solutions.

Here are some great conscious-level tools you can use to help shift those feelings:

-Exercise: the undisputed king of handling anxiety, it has better clinical results than all the anxiety medications out there. If you need help my personal trainer Christine Burke is the best. Visit lightheartedfitness.com

-Doing violence to a pillow: Take a pillow and think about all your upsets and frustrations — all that’s bothering you — and while thinking about those feelings beat the stuffing out of a pillow. Emotion is just energy in motion and the more we move while we are feeling it the faster those feelings pass. Trust me, the pillow will survive and you will feel better.

-Ice water: Taking a break and drinking a large glass of water helps calm anxiety. I can’t say exactly why, but it works and it’s cheap.

-Natural CALM: This is a great calming product out there you can get at any health food store. It’s a magnesium powder called Natural CALM and it really helps you relax after an upset. It’s also great choice if you are an emotional eater since, unlike food, it will actually help you feel better.

-Meditation: second only to exercise in clinical results, and my personal favorite.

You can use the meditation below to help you bring peace and wisdom into any situation that is causing you anxiety. It should open and start when you click on the link but if you have any trouble email me and I will send you the MP3 directly.

http://www.healthyhabitshypnosis.com/Audio/ReduceAnxiety.mp3

Wishing you all great health and happiness.

Jill Thomas CCHT
Healthy Habits Hypnosis
760-803-2841
www.healthyhabitshypnosis.com

Take away fears power

2011-04-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

Take away Fear’s power

The kind of fear I am speaking of today is not the fear of something dark and shadowy that keeps you from doing something stupid like walking into an alley in the middle of the night by yourself. The fear I want to talk about is the one that holds you back. The fear that keeps you from doing things that would actually move you forward into the next phase of your life.

It shows up as a fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of looking stupid or a fear of getting laughed at. And it often keeps you from expressing yourself fully and being your most authentic self. That fear is the tool of the ego that wants you to keep things in the status quo and it will trip you up time and time again if you let it.

When I work with clients who tell me they are experiencing fear, that usually tells me it’s coming up because they are in the process of bringing something into their life that will take them to the next level. That fear is a resistance but also it’s a sign that you are on the right track. When it comes up it means there is something that needs to heal in order for you to grow into that next phase, whether it’s a new business venture, a new way of being or a new way of expressing your most authentic self. It’s a sign of something new and exciting trying to be born. You have to let it.

Like the ghost under your bed as a child that kept you afraid of the dark, this fear lives only in your own mind and has no basis in anything real. You must not give it the power to stop you.

How do you stop the fear from interfering?

Do what you most fear once, ten times and if needed 100 times until that fear no longer has power over you. Write 100 drafts of your book, talk to 100 new people to find a new friend, interview for 100 jobs if that’s what it takes; you only need one success to turn everything around.

But what if I fail?

Abraham Lincoln lost eight elections yet went on to become president. How many times did you fall off your bike before you “got it”? Everyone fails in the beginning; it usually makes you better.

What if people laugh?

After you graduated from high school did you ever actually see someone laugh at someone else’s creative attempts? Not very often, huh? Most people if they don’t like something will just ignore it and move on.

What if people don’t like it or me or whatever I am putting out there?

Truth is not everyone will and that’s OK; you can never do or create anything that everyone will like and you shouldn’t even try. Know who will be most receptive to your ideas and create it for them. Or even better, create it for yourself-just because, and if someone else likes it, great. If not, so what.

In the words of the almighty Nike sports, “Just do it.”

The choice that has lasting consequences

2011-03-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

The choice that has lasting consequences

Recently I was given an opportunity to apply to speak on an online radio program about anxiety after weight loss surgery. My first thought was to turn it down because even though I know a lot about this subject I know there are others who know a lot more. So the inner dialogue began like this.

Wow wouldn’t that be fun, I should apply — I would be great!

Yes, but are you really an “expert”?

Some would say so and maybe I am exactly what they are looking for.

Yes but there are others who know a lot more.

There are always others that know more no matter how much you know.

You probably won’t get it.

I am sure I won’t if I don’t apply.

This argument went on for a while with the negative side starting to win, but then I remembered my friend Lisa, who is president of a vitamin company. Before I met her she was a sales rep working for a company that sold raw materials to vitamin companies. One day she heard that there was an opening for a vice president position at one of the companies she sold ingredients to. The idea intrigued her but even though she had an MBA she hadn’t used it in a management position before and didn’t feel completely qualified for the position. But she applied anyway. The owner liked her and gave her the job; later she became president and was able to help the company become profitable again.

Looking back even I questioned her qualifications and asked her once why she applied. She said that she didn’t want to create the habit of passing on an opportunity because she didn’t think she was qualified. “Once you start going down the road of disqualifying yourself for things before you even apply, it’s hard to go back. I know I can do anything. I’ll let them decide if they agree.”

Life interferes with our dreams and passions enough without us shooting ourselves down before we even get started. If something appeals to you and sounds interesting, go for it; don’t pass it up just because you aren’t sure you can do it. Maybe you can’t, maybe you won’t get the job, maybe it’s not for you after all but you can’t always know that at first glance and so often just the processes of checking something out leads you where you really want to go.

I didn’t get the position, but more importantly I have created the habit of applying anyway and going for it. Besides … who knows where the path may lead?

The path of most resistance

2011-03-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

The path of most resistance

It is so easy to continue down the road you are currently on. Continue with life as it is, even if it’s not satisfying anymore or has even become toxic. A new path has to be created and sometimes you hack away at the weeds of old thought patterns. Change, even good change, is so very hard.
Yet …

Every person who has accomplished something amazing did so by deciding to choose a different path, stop living as they had been, take a huge risk, walk off into the unknown on new road and let the old way be gone forever.

Sometimes these choices come in agonizing moments of upset when you find your life has become so low and you’ve dug a hole for yourself so deep that your only choice is to stop digging. Sometimes they come as moments of great inspiration when you decide that the vision you have in your head is so important that you simply have to share it with as many people as possible. Other times it comes as a solution to a troublesome problem, as in — what if we could use small wooden blocks to press words into paper so books could be made more easily, wouldn’t that be a great idea!
Some time ago in a moment of intense despair I decided I could no longer live life as someone who weighed 210 pounds; my life as a fat person was done. I committed to change no matter what it took and on that day I became truly free. It took my body a year to catch up but that’s part of the journey too.

I journaled every day about how I did it so I could show others the way. Soon my diaries, which have become my book, will be available for everyone to read. But for now this video process will help tap into your wisdom self to help you make an important decision and commit to a new path.

Without true commitment, courage (lots and lots of courage — trust me on this one) and a willingness to continue no matter what, it is very hard to succeed at any goal long-term. But with it — even the impossible is possible.

Are you on the right path?

The sacredness of self

2011-01-22T16:37:00.000-08:00

The Sacredness of Self

Every July 27 I have this wonderful day when I am extra super nice to myself, eat all the cake I want and gratuitously spend way too much on some trashy novel that I usually finish in about a week. It’s my birthday and I just love myself, so that’s my day. But why is it just one day? Why is mother’s day or father’s day just one day? That’s less than 1% of the days and I am thinking that’s just wrong. If I did nice things for my boyfriend only once a year our relationship would be in the toilet. And let’s face it, my relationship with myself has been much longer and I have to deal with it 24/7 no matter what.

Much is made of the importance of “date night” as a way to keep your love relationship healthy. There is never any mention of the most important relationship you will ever have, the one with yourself. The specialness and uniqueness that is your inner higher self is sacred and this relationship should be celebrated more than just once a year.

Treat yourself to a special self loving date at least every month on your birth DAY or better once a week. Creating a better relationship with yourself makes you a more balanced person and keeps you from being dependant on others to help you feel loved.

When you love and nurture yourself it makes you happier and that helps create harmony in every relationship you have.

Jill Thomas CCHT
Healthy Habits Hypnosis
760-803-2841

Christmas love

2010-12-14T10:11:00.000-08:00

The energy of Love

I used to really dislike the gift giving part of Christmas. To me it felt more like an expensive social obligation than the expression of love, sharing and joy that I felt it should have been and I didn’t get what it had to do with a Holy-Day. I love the spiritual aspect of the season with so many different faiths celebrating at one time but that was not what bombarded me every time I went near a mall. One year I finally understood.

The office I worked in had a holiday gift exchange where everyone was supposed to get something that cost around $20 for the person whose name you drew. Most gifts, including mine, were typical boring candy, wine or candles and didn’t really mean much to the givers or receivers. However, the one I got was special. Someone bought me a used copy of “Bridget Jones diary” that the inside flap said cost $2 and she included a note “I know it’s not $20 but this is something I thought you would really like.” I did like it. Actually I loved it and it's now my favorite book ever but that’s not what made the gift so special. It was that I could really feel the thought and consideration of the giver emanating from the book. She made an effort to get me something she actually thought I would like and it felt like she was giving me love wrapped in shinny silver paper. I realized that’s what all gift giving should be like.

Often we get so caught up in trying to get the “right” gift that we buy something expensive yet meaningless. We end up putting the energy of those feelings on the gift itself and the person receiving it feels that too. The sweater grandma made that you don’t really like is very special because you feel the energy of the love coming from that gift, not the monetary value. By contrast the office gift exchange chocolates usually feel sterile and often get re-gifted at the next event.
This year try making someone something you think they will like. Or take the time to only buy gifts (even if they are small) that mean something and allow the energy of your love and consideration for that person to be infused into the gift. They will feel it and both you and that person will receive something special in the process; the vibrational energy of Love.

Eat Less Now!

2010-12-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

Easily eat less food

Diet: the only thing I have ever done in my life that consistently had a 100% failure rate. By the age of 30 I weighed 220 pounds and it seemed like I had gained and lost the same 20 pounds about 30 times by “dieting”.

The only thing that felt worse than being overweight was the thought of “dieting” again. That idea just disgusted me. I hated counting calories, weighing and measuring portions but most importantly I hated everyone knowing I was dieting. It’s very hard to hide when you are bringing your own “special food” rather than what everyone else is eating.

Something very magical happens when you get disgusted by something. You become open to ideas you wouldn’t have considered before. One day I decided I was just going to eat 20% less food and see what happened. I didn’t change a single thing just ate less. However, I was very meticulous about it. I cut ¼ of every sandwich I made and tossed it, I poured in my cereal then scooped out 20% of it, 2 eggs for breakfast became 1 ½ and a ¾ slice of toast and even my occasional candy bar lost 20% off the end.

And you know what, it worked. I lost weight without changing anything or feeling denied. As time went on and I got smaller I made other changes but initially I just ate less and that was enough to get me started toward lasting weight loss.
Our bodies grow to expect a certain amount of food in order to feel full however you can train it to feel full with less by just eating a bit less, then a bit less again and before you know it you are much smaller than before. Don’t make it so hard on yourself when really lasting weight loss can be very easy.

In honor of the holidays I created this process that will help you feel more comfortable with less.

I hope you like it and I wish you a wonderful holiday.

Jill Thomas CCHT
Healthy Habits hypnosis
760-803-2841

http://www.youtube.com/user/healthyhabitshypno#p/a/u/0/jhfxc_IEbEk

The Reticular Activator

2010-11-19T11:57:00.000-08:00

In the next few months when my lease expires I will be buying a new car, a Mazda 3S in graphite mica to be exact. Since I know that’s what I want I am seeing them everywhere and its seems everyone I know has one. The reason I see this car everywhere even though it's not extraordinarily popular is because of a part of the brain called the “Reticular Activator”. This is the part of the brain whose job it is to make you notice things that are important to you when they show up around you. In a way this part gives you tunnel vision. You notice the most important things while not being distracted by the less important things, in my case every other car type on the road.

A few weeks ago I pointed out yet another Mazda 3 in my color and my boyfriend said to me “You should ask your reticular activator to find you some money so you can buy that car in 3 months.” Yes, once again Richard made me see what I was missing, getting the money to pay for it.

We so often miss important opportunities for financial gain because we have turned off our reticular activator to what scares us most, bills, lack and fear of failure. As a result we fail to act on good opportunities that are presented to us.

I created this short process to help direct your reticular activator to see the money creating opportunities around you so you can shift your focus to those areas and create greater prosperity for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/user/healthyhabitshypno#p/a/u/1/Dar0ERzt9JI

Jill Thomas CCHT
Healthy Habits Hypnosis
760-803-2841
www.healthyhabitshypnosis.com

The pain of holding on

2010-10-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

I once worked with a client who was taking several medications for anxiety and depression, one of them illegal. When I asked him what he thought was driving his depression he told me he was going through a divorce, having some major health problems, behind on his mortgage and as if that wasn’t bad enough he just got laid off. Since the layoff was recent I knew that hadn’t caused the other chain of events so I asked more about the financial issues. It turns out he and his wife had bought a house they really couldn’t afford and had struggled the past 2 years to pay the mortgage. It was the struggle and worries it created that lead to all the other events in his life including his health problems. He was self medicating to try to avoid having to face situations that seemed beyond his ability to cope.

There is pain in letting go but there is far more pain in trying to hold on to an object or situation that is no longer in your best interest. On some levels we don’t want to let go because even if it’s bad it’s at least familiar and the vast unknown of possibility seems very scary.

My client was afraid to let go of his house because it meant admitting to himself and to others that the stable happy life he was pretending to have wasn’t what it appeared to be. In reality he had gotten so far behind on his mortgage that change was going to happen no matter how hard he tried to fend it off; his struggle was only making it worse.

Ask yourself what in your life are you trying too hard to hold on too?

What is the underlying reason you are holding on? Are you afraid of what others will think? Are you afraid there won’t ever be a replacement?

Acknowledge your feelings and allow yourself to work through them but make your needed changes anyway. Trust that you will be ok no matter what happens.

It’s scary but you have to give up to gain and there is no telling what better life situation is trying to manifest but cant because you are still holding on to the past.

Help I'm trapped in someone elses nightmare

2010-08-24T12:55:00.000-07:00

Help! I’m trapped in someone else’s nightmare
Many of my clients are experiencing watching people around them get laid off, lose their businesses or even their houses. Even though many of these people are doing fine themselves they are still having a lot of the same anxieties. I even had one friend whose graphic design business is booming tell me that she feels a bit guilty because many others in her field are struggling. It’s almost like many of us who are ok are feeling what’s called “survivors guilt.” The sickle of layoffs passes many by and often those people feel a bit guilty that they made it while others they know did not. This guilt will not bring your friends job back nor improve the world in any way.

We are all affected by what happens to the others around us and often we feel our friends’ pain as though it was our own. While it is nice to be supportive of your friends and family you want to make sure you don’t get too caught up in what’s going on with their world. Getting too empathic to others situations only contributes to the group anxiety and you know we don’t need more of that.

So give your friends a hug, and maybe some advise if they ask for it. Acknowledge how you feel about what’s happening around you and remind yourself of what’s true for you in your life. “I have my job, my business is doing well and I am grateful.” Then do your best to let go of problems outside your control.

If you really want to help, start by creating as much peace in your life as possible. If you mediate, do it more. If you go to yoga then do that more. If painting brings you peace, then get some new canvas. Whatever brings you peace needs to have a bigger role in your life.

Just as anxiety radiates and multiplies so does inner peace and that is what we really need right now.

Namaste

Who Cares?

2010-08-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

Important lessons I learned after fighting for years to get down to a “Bikini weight”.

Your body will probably never look like a Victoria’s secret, they don’t even look like that; they airbrush.

Let it go.

Everyone at the beach, pool or lake are more concerned about how THEY look than how you look.

No need to be self conscious, they aren’t even looking

You will probably still have cellule no matter what you weigh, everyone does.

Nobody will notice

The truth is very few people of any weight look really good in a bikini, you might not either.

You will still look nice.

Most men actually prefer woman with more curvy bodies.

Love yourself no matter what size you are; confidence is sexy

You can wear that special bathing suit now, no matter what you weigh. If you want to, you should.

Its ok to say something "sucks"

2010-08-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

It’s ok to say something “Sucks”

I know this idea goes against new age wisdom which promotes the idea of trying to think positively all the time and see the good in all things. While I 100% agree that there is almost always some good to be gained from even the worst of situation, I do think you need to allow feelings to come up and be acknowledged no matter what they are. You have to give all your feelings a voice, even the ones you wish you didn’t have. If you don’t, they might make themselves known in some very destructive ways.

Suppressing or pushing down feelings causes them to be almost like ticking time bombs inside, ready to explode at the next slow cashier or driver who cuts you off. These feelings often show up as strong urges to gorge yourself on food, drink heavily or even shop.

Emotions are just energy in motion and suppressing them or not acknowledging them just makes them worse. Ever try to ignore a 2 year old? They just get louder or try to get your attention in a more dramatic and sometimes destructive way.

Give your feelings an outlet. Journal, go for a run, cry or beat the stuffing out of one of your pillows (trust me, they will survive)but whatever you do, don't hold it in. You will feel better once you let those feelings flow and you are able to move on to something else.

Love yourself enouph to let your feeling flow.

The worst that could happen

2010-07-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

The Worst That Could Happen

The other day I thought I heard someone getting into my car at four in the morning. I nudged my boyfriend, “I think someone is stealing my car.” Not even opening his eyes, he says, “You wanted a new car, right? This will make that happen faster; now go back to sleep.”

Of course he was right, and what I heard was probably my neighbors going surfing. But it reminded me that for most of the things we worry about, the worst thing that could happen usually isn’t that bad. I admit I was almost disappointed when I saw my Honda in my parking spot the next day since I had already decided on what color Mazda I wanted.

I see a lot of clients who are out of their mind with worry, and most of the time what they worry about either probably wouldn’t happen (like suddenly becoming homeless), or if it did, it really wouldn’t be that bad, like in my case with the car. Similarly, lots of business owners who are seeing drops in business are worried about what would happen next. Most of the time, if you really talk to them, you find out that there are lots of things they know they could do to save their businesses, but they are trying not to do them, like lay off people or downsize their office space.

If worry is a big concern for you right now, try this exercise:

1. Think of a situation that’s bothering you or causing upset.

2. Now ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that can happen in this situation?”

3. When you have the answer, ask yourself, “Then what would happen?” And keep asking that question until you are as far down as you can go. Let’s say the worst thing that could happen was losing your job; then you might lose your house; and then end up homeless with no car. Or whatever you think is worst case for you.

4. When you have the absolute worst thing that can happen written down, I want you to take a hard look at the situation and ask yourself if you really think that’s likely to happen. If you have family or friends living in the area, no matter what, you aren’t likely going to end up homeless. And unemployment may not be a lot of money, but it is something.

5. Now I want you to write down at least three positive things that could come as a result of the “worst thing” happening. One of my clients started laughing when he realized that if he lost everything and had to declare bankruptcy, he would be debt free for the first time in almost ten years. Not so bad, huh?

So often the worst thing that could happen is really not worth taking years off of your life by worrying about it. And keep in mind, the worst things that can happen almost never do and even if they did, you can handle it. I believe in you.

Jill Thomas CCHT
Healthy Habits Hypnosis
760-803-2841
www.healthyhabitshypnosis.com

Stress reduction with Cats

2010-07-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

Stress reduction as taught by Sophia & Sonya Thomas-Massey

I used to laugh at cat people for being so into their animals but now I get it. Cats have a lot to teach about how to handle stress and keep life in balance. I recently have been blessed with two cats and watching them has been both fun and educational. Here is a bit of what I have learned about stress reduction from my girls.

-The cats usually give me about 30 minutes on my laptop before they climb on and make me quit. Too much work at home is not good.

-The best toys are free or almost free: The cats have so much fun with bottle caps and discarded pens and I keep thinking I need a new iPod. Silly.

-Get more Exercise: Housecats will just start running around the house for no reason. We make getting exercise such a production with scheduling personal training sessions and gym workouts. Sometimes it’s best to just strap on your shoes and go for a walk, or better yet a jog.

-Daily Stretching and Yoga: Cats seem to stretch about 8 times a day and this seems to keep them healthy. We should all stretch more.

-Do things just for the fun of it: I suspect the cats have figured out there is nothing to catch when chasing a laser pointer. So why do they do it? Because it’s fun and for no other reason. We should do things that are fun, just because and not get so caught up all the time in our greater agendas.

-If your sister is sitting in the better place on the couch then just bit her ankle… wait maybe you should just find another seat. I guess there are a few things we can teach them too.

Love your cat and yourself and go out for a walk just for the fun of it.

How do you eat an elephant?

2010-05-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

“How do you eat an elephant?” I bet you've heard that one. The answer is “One bite at a time.” How about another cliché. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Yes, we've all heard that one too but it’s worth repeating because we tend to forget the wisdom in those expressions.

If someone weighs 250 or more pounds the idea of getting down to 150 pounds sounds a bit like climbing a tall mountain in a single day. So impossible sounding that most give up early or worse not even try.

When you weigh over 220 pounds, losing 5 pounds is fairly easy right? Then make your goal to lose 5 pounds for the month. Celebrate (not with food) when you reach that goal and set another 5 pound goal and so on till you make the big goal.

As a side note 60 pounds is just a number same as 12 is a number. It’s our mind that makes it seem big or unattainable. In the end it's just 12 months of transformation or 2 months of transformation. Years after you hit and maintained your goal you won’t regret those hours of TV you traded for hours at the gym. The benefits of that time at the gym can be enjoyed for the rest of your life.

You make the choice.

Lets say there was a magic pill...

2010-05-13T09:37:00.000-07:00

Let’s say there is a magic pill that would cause you to lose all the weight. Would that pill help you get motivated to work out? No. Would it teach you better nutritional habits so in addition to being thinner you can be healthier, happier and live longer? No again. Would it make your more active and physically strong? No. Would it help you create a lifestyle of health and wellness that goes beyond just your weight impacting your entire life. No. Will a pill help you create more self-love self-acceptance and self-esteem so you never again allow your life to feel out of control. Absolutely not, never.

What it will do is make you dependent on it, possibly for the rest of your life. It will be a band-aid that will address the symptom of your distress (being overweight), yet not address the imbalance in your life that is causing you to put on weight in the first place. It wouldn’t replace anything in your life that is missing that you are trying to replace with food.

In short, it wouldn’t make you happy which is what we are all really seeking in this world anyway.

I know when we are desperate and having a hard time losing weight any ray of hope might seem worth exploring. However, if you could talk to any of those people who now have permanent life threatening heart problems after using the diet drug Phen-Phen, I bet they would tell you to go for a walk instead.

Sorry no magic pills

2010-05-07T13:23:00.000-07:00

Prior to becoming a hypnotherapist I worked in the vitamin industry for over 10 years selling, marketing and evaluating new products for sale. In that time I learned a lot about diet products and have identified 3 basic categories of diet pills. These are product that are marketed as a “Diet Pill” or “Diet Aid” and are not usually single ingredient products.

Decent but costly: Could help a bit, but for cost you are better off investing in running shoes and doing a few extra laps around the block.
Neutral: No real weight loss benefit, but they won’t hurt you. Usually the products are a combination of several things that could work but in doses much too low to be effective.
Bad: Products that could do real harm. Having lots of energy in the short run might not seem so great if it ends up causing high blood pressure, heart problems or even something worse.

Notice I don’t have a category for “Good”. That’s because in my experience there aren’t any good diet pills. I’m not a doctor and I am open to being wrong, but this is what years of experience has shown me.

Now let me clarify. There are lots of vitamins, minerals and other nutritional supplements that can cause you to lose weight if your body needs them. However, those are typically not found in the weight loss section of the store.

So go for a walk or even better a run. Pass on second helpings and save your money for all those nice new clothes you’ll need to buy when you lose the weight.

Its about time

2010-04-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

Lane Bryant, a company that makes attractive clothing for plus sized women, tried to buy prime time ad spots on ABC and FOX and was turned down. The ad features a plus sized model who looks more like a normal sized woman as opposed to an unnaturally slender model. She is trying on Bra’s when her boyfriend sends her a text message saying he would see her in an hour. She then leaves the house dressed in just her undergarments and a coat with huge smile on her face.

You have probably seen commercials like this before only they were for Victoria’s secret and they have never had trouble buying ad time from the networks.

First of all, I love this ad. Lane Bryant is finally showing their plus sized woman as strong confident sensual goddesses rather than woman trying to hide their bodies in sweaters and drawstring pants.

But what I like best about this ad is the backlash Fox and ABC got after refusing to air it. People got really angry over what appears to be discrimination against full figured women. For me it shows that we as the consumers have shifted our preferences from only wanting to see uberthin models on TV to more real and everyday people. The popularity of reality TV has proven it. I think it shows that we have evolved and maybe after the dust settles(or maybe because of the dust) networks and advertisers will start taking notice.

A fresh perspective

2010-04-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

It’s always good to get away from your business or your job for a day to work on your business or your job. Meaning take a day to attend a trade show or event related to your occupation.

Not only is it good for you to learn new information related to your field but it also helps to freshen up your viewpoint. Often we get so wrapped up in what we are doing that we forget to step back and look at the big picture. What are others in our field doing? Is there something that your competition is doing that you need to incorporate into your business? Is there a way you can improve on other peoples way of doing business or job to make what you do even better?

If you stay in the same mode of operating for too long you get stale and bored and your business suffers for it. Often you forget how fun it can be to create.

Recently I went to the natural products expo and found out what others in the weight loss field are up to. I came home with a fresh perspective, a ton of great samples (including the mud mask-see picture) and some great new ideas that you will see me bringing into my business in the next few weeks. But mostly I had fun and I wish the same for you. So find a trade show or event related to your job or business and have fun connecting and growing. And if they offer you a mud mask... skip it, this one gave me a rash.

Jill Thomas CCHT
760-803-2841
www.healthyhabitshypnosis.com

The joy in life

2010-04-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

The Joy of Life

I was at the zoo the other day watching the trainers feed the elephants. They were so excited about getting their meal and attention from the trainers. It seemed to make them happy but it made me a bit sad. Are these animals eating to live or living to eat? I assume they get the same meal just about every day and I know they don’t go hungry, so what’s the big deal. It made me think their lives probably aren’t that exciting and the meals make a nice fun distraction.

Ask yourself these questions? Are you living to eat or eating to live? Is your life satisfying you and feeding you enough that food is just something that happens or has it become a source of entertainment or escape?

If eating has taken on a role in your life that is beyond just making you less hungry, then you need to find some other source of joy in your life.

My suggestion today would be to take some time to yourself and come up with at least 5 things that don’t cost anything that will bring you joy. Things like drawing, going for a walk, chatting with a girlfriend on the phone, watching the sunset... things that are simple and free yet bring you joy.

Why does it need to be free? Well, because you don’t want to replace overeating with overspending. You just want to create more joy in your life.
Resolve to bring these things into your life more and more so that you are feeding yourself Joy rather than food.

Jill Thomas CCHT
760-803-2841
www.healthyhabitshypnosis.com

Try Try Again

2010-04-14T15:02:00.001-07:00

Try Try Again

Often I hear from clients that they tried a diet program or exercise routine, got frustrated then gave up. Losing weight the right way is supposed to take a while. You aren’t going to drop 60 pounds overnight and sometimes when you first start exercising you actually gain weight. That’s how it works but that doesn’t mean it’s a fail. My experience is that people give up too easy. Success comes to those who keep going toward their goals even if their first attempts fail or don't produce the desired results.

When it comes to diets, if after a few days you find the diet is just too hard to follow it might not be the right one for you. There are so many good plans out there that can help you lose weight that if at first you don’t succeed try something different. The same is true with the exercise routine you tried to force yourself to do. I can't tell you how many times I hear from people “I can't seem to get to the gym in the morning.” When I ask them if they like working out in the morning or if they even like going to the gym for exercise I usually hear “No, but I really need to do it.”

The truth is no matter how much you need it if you don’t want to you won't do it. So try something else and keep trying until you figure out what works. Or even better, seek the advise of a personal trainer and or nutritionist who can help you decide what plans would be easiest for you to follow.

Responsiblity

2010-04-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

I liked Seth Godin's blog today so much that I am reprinting it on my blog. I 100% agree with his take on responsiblity

Seth Godin's Complete Blog

Rights and responsibilities

Robert Bookman from the restaurant industry was quoted as saying that it would violate the free speech rights of restaurant owners if they had to post a health department grade of their cleanliness in the window.
More and more, businesses and businesspeople talk about their rights.
It seems, though, that organizations and individuals that focus more on their responsibilities and less on their rights tend to outperform.
You're responsible to your community, to your customers, to your employees and to your art. Serve them and the rights thing tends to take care of itself.
Another thought: If I worked at Pepsi, I'd be actively lobbying for the obesity sweet soda tax (a penny an ounce) being proposed in New York. Instead, in a no-surprise knee jerk reaction, almost everyone in the industry is lobbying like crazy to stop it. This is dumb marketing.
The benefit of a tax is that it affects you and your competitors at the same time, so you all benefit from doing the right thing, as opposed to having to compete against someone who doesn't care as much as you do.
Once people realize that excessive use of your product makes them sick and then die a long and painful death, it's probably time to stop lobbying and time to start doing something about it. This industry should stop thinking it is in the corn syrup delivery business (which brings nasty side effects along with it) and start focusing on delivering joy in a bottle. Lots of interesting ways to do that without giving up profits.
If your success depends on sickening the poorest and least educated portion of your customer base (and the ones that buy the most from you), it's time to redefine success.

Visit a Personal Trainer

2010-04-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

Visit a trainer

When I first lost all the weight I used the help of a personal trainer to help me reach my goals. I hadn’t seen one in several years so I decided to visit one. She gave me a new routine to try and I discovered 4 important things about myself.

1) What I had been doing was WAY too easy; the butt kickin’ I got proved that.
2) Even though my weight hadn’t gone up, my body fat percentage had. That was a real eye opener. I was thinking that since my weight hadn’t changed in a long time I was still in good shape.
3) I don’t know how the correct way to lift weights, my form was corrected (made harder actually) on almost every single weight I lifted. By the way doing things wrong can lead to injury
4) If left to my own devices, I will naturally take the easy way out and not work as hard as I need in order to grow.

It’s important to have your overall progress checked so that you are always growing and improving. It’s just too easy to not push as hard as you should to keep healthy. Visiting a trainer helps you to see where you are and what’s going on with your body. It also inspires you to keep improving and reminds you how hard you should be working if you want growth.

You probably see your Dentist, Doctor and/or Chiropractor sometimes for Checkups. Add the personal trainer to your list and you can round out the group.

If you need a good one I would recommend Christine Burke at www. LightHeartedFitness.com J She’s great!

Cookies and popsicles

2010-04-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

I like cookies but I’m usually satisfied with a popsicle so I choose that instead. I love coffee crème but skim milk does the job so I chose that most of the time. I love laying around and watching TV but I don’t like what it does to my body so I chose to go get some exercise and enjoy a moderate amount of TV. Stuffing myself at the buffet is much easier than passing on 2nd and 3rd servings but with practice, self-control becomes easier.

Being lazy can be fun and eating healthy can involve curbing some of your food passions but trust me on this one, nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. And nothing feels quite as good as knowing that you look good in your clothes while having energy to go anywhere you want in them.

The thing is, you have to make little choices every day and being thin is about those choices multiplied by weeks, months and years. You can chose to do the things that make you thin and healthy and still satisfy some of your food cravings, or you can chose to create and maintain a lifestyle of having everything you crave but ultimately losing the things you really want.

It’s your choice. You really do have the power. Now go create the life you really want!

Food heavy hitters

2010-03-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

People always ask me “what can I do to lose weight that’s easy?” Well, getting thinner is simple but not easy. It’s really not about the big changes you make but little things multiplied by days months and years that make the difference in overall health.

My aunt is a medical doctor in rural Arkansas where obesity is a huge problem. I asked her what was one tip she could give to help get healthy and she said “If people would just get in the habit of drinking their coffee with a little bit of milk rather than lots of crème that would make a huge difference. Start there then work on changing lots of other little things.”

She was right. Coffee crème has lots of calories and if you drink 4 cups a day 7 days a week that can make a big difference in your weight. There are a number of foods that fall into the category I call Heavy Hitters. Cut back on these foods or even better cutting out these foods completely will make a HUGE difference long term. For my clients who are only 20 or so pounds overweight, that’s all they would need to do.

Here goes:

Mayonnaises - There is nothing good to say about mayo, it’s pure fat and doesn’t add much flavor. Learn to enjoy your sandwiches’ without it.
Cheese - Compared to mayonnaise this has some nutrition, but a sandwich without cheese is a lot lower in calories and better for you.
Butter - Toast is good dry and it makes a huge difference in your daily fat intake to cut out the butter.
Coffee crème - Use nonfat milk instead or better yet get used to drinking coffee black.
Salad dressing - Use nonfat low cal instead. There are some that have only 20 calories per serving.
Special sauce - Ask any teenager working in fast food and they will tell you “special sauce” is usually mayonnaise with something else in it.

These little steps of cutting out foods multiplied over days, months and years can make a huge difference in your body long term and once you get used to eating this way you won’t even miss it.

Men and Women are different

2010-03-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I got the stomach flu and was miserably sick. I will spare you the details but I will say I spent a lot of time that day in the bathroom hating life.

After a few days when I returned to the land of the living, the reaction to my illness varied greatly between my male and female friends.

Men: “that sucks, glad you are better”
Women: “glad you are better, HOW MUCH WEIGHT DID YOU LOSE?”

I lost 4 pounds(all fluids) and kept them off for about 10 minutes.

As women we are so conditioned to see weight loss as a good thing(even if you don’t need to lose any) that we don’t really care how it came about. I remember one of my girlfriends even asked if I had gotten lucky and lost a few pounds after my appendectomy. It’s almost like we want to get SOMETHING for our ordeal.

Here's the thing, I have never known anyone who has said they lost and kept off any weight as a result of the stomach flu, surgery or any other physical calamity.

Let's learn to see being healthy and feeling good as the real victory and love ourselves enough to do what it takes to make that happen.

www.healthyhabitshypnosis.com

The power of "Nothing"

2010-03-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite movies ever is Office Space which jokes about life in corporate America. There is a part when two of the main characters are talking and one asks the other what he would do if he had a million dollars. He replied that he would do "nothing".

For me with a job and a business there are few times when the stars line up right and I get a week day to myself, but that recently happened and I decided I wanted to celebrate by doing "nothing". I gave myself a completely unassigned day and it was a wonderful luxury.

"Nothing" may seem like being lazy, but it’s not. You can’t give to others what you aren’t giving to yourself and that means recharging and relaxing.

"Nothing" to me ended up being watching TV in my pajamas and not feeling one moment of guilt about not making the world a better place in some way. Well, that made my world a better place and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to plan on 4 hours a week of completely “unassigned” alone time where I am free to do absolutely nothing and not feel the slightest bit guilty about it.

Do yourself a favor and schedule some completely free time where you don’t have to do anything on your to-do list or please anyone but yourself.

Take care of yourself and don’t bother me between 1-5 on Sunday afternoons, I will be busy doing "nothing".

look mom no hands

2010-03-01T10:25:00.000-08:00

First blog, looking forward to sharing lots of fun and exciting weight loss tips and tools with everyone.

Bye for now but more sharing later.