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| May 24, 2006 | Gregory Anne Cox, Publisher | |||
In This Issue: |
A Note from Gregory Anne | |||||
Beginnings Welcome to the first edition of Live Better Coaching's newsletter- The You Revolution. I'm excited to finally launch what has been brewing and creating itself for a number of years. I must credit the title to my best friend, Chris Cavanagh. She pointed me to one of the definitions of the word revolution. This is from Dictionary.com. “Revolution; n. 1 a drastic and far reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving. What genius! This describes my vision when working with women--to effect fundamental and lasting change in the choices you make, how you see yourself, and what's possible for your life. The mission of this newsletter is to introduce smart, midlife, entrepreneurial women to people, ideas, and information that can positively impact their lives. Each issue will bring you usable, current, accurate information and resources to encourage small or big changes in your day to day ways of being and doing. If you try on any one or many of the ideas in The You Revolution I guarantee you will see results. Big promise? Yes, but I stand by it. If you are willing to “try on” different ways of thinking, Caveat: We can all benefit from the advice and wisdom of experts, sages, and professionals. I can and will provide information from, and contacts to, the above types of experts and more. I cannot however--even if I know you--say what or whom will be the best fit for you.
In fact, let me put it more simply and quote one of my mentors, T. Harv Eker, "Don't believe a word I say!" (you can check him out at his website) I can only come from my experience and my experience, coupled with my years of research which continues daily, tells me that what you'll find in here works for myself and many thousands of others. That does not make it right for you. I ask that if something resonates with you, try it, if it works great, stay with it, if not--not. The main thing is to begin. Now let's get back to your part in the You Revolution. You deserve health, wealth, happiness and At this stage in our lives we may, or may not, have more time to reconsider those dreams and ideas we put on the shelf earlier in life when career, kids, or marriage was all-consuming, but they seem more important than ever, don't they? I suspect those dreams may include a healthy and flexible body, either more money or better skills to manage what you've got, satisfying relationships, freedom, your time and, once again, Joy . (You'll be hearing that word frequently.) You are probably also looking for tools, insights, and tips on wellness and fitness, served up in bite-sized pieces. You probably want to know what works and why. You'll find all of that here. As well, I will be sharing my journey with you so you can see what's changed for me, where I was, where I am and how I got here. It was not a straight path, at times it seemed insane and impossible. In hindsight it was all good and what needed to happen in order for me to be here sharing these words with you. Just like you, what I had to do first was figure out what I wanted and begin the journey to getting it. Welcome all of you who are ready to begin putting together a powerful, rewarding second half--the best half. I am honored to be in the good company of like-minded smart women. I know your time is valuable and that there is a mountain of information out there demanding your attention. My highest hope is to provide something of value for you. If there is something you'd like to see in these pages, drop me an email. If I've fallen short of my goal also let me know. All feedback is encouraged. In Each Issue: The Body Project - Beginning with my next issue, the first section will be called “The Body Project.” It will read like chapters from the lost midlife body owners manual. While my goal is to offer information on all aspects of our lives the majority of my readers currently come to Live Better Coaching with lifestyle or wellness issues. As we are holistic beings I will occasionally include information on mind and spirit. Moving forward much of what's written about here will be what you, the reader, tell me you want to know more about. I hope you’ll browse through the rest of our first issue and see what goodies await. I’ll follow the same format for future issues and add to it as I find things I think you should know about. Between monthly issues you can keep up with me and Live Better Coaching at my blog, The Coaching Café.To your Health, Power and Joy! Gregory Anne Cox |
Ready to begin living better? today to learn how we can work together Phone: 631-728-2456
Visit Living Better for even more great information! |
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"Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again." |
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As our days get longer and warmer I am off my usual breakfast cravings--too many to list but we'll visit them as we head into cool weather. Right now my blender is my favorite piece of equipment. If you don't have one, pony up the $25 or so it will cost you to get a basic one. Why? Because a shake is fast, delicious and satisfying food and can be eaten any time of day. For a snack I'd make it a bit lighter. This recipe and its variations are for a meal 350-400 calories. Is that groaning I hear? Too many cals, too few? It's actually just right if you eat 4 – 6 times a day like I do for sustaining energy. If you eat 3 squares then you'll have to add “a bit on the side” as my Brit would say, to get enough calories to sustain you til lunchtime or, if it's lunch, 'til dinner. Warning! Too few calories will lead to I subscribe to the “Think Outside the Book” theory. How that applies here and elsewhere in your food prep/meal planning is to be willing to do what works for you, based on what you have in the house regardless of what the recipe calls for. Do not however use this rule to eliminate whole categories of ingredients because you don't like them. The yuck factor is a learned one. Remember, it's the little voice in our heads that is the reason we stay as we are. Repeat after me, “little voice, I'm taking over, this stuff will help me feel better, look better, and have a healthier second half. Now take a hike!” Ok here's the recipe for this month. (You will see more and more recipes as time goes on. Who knows we may even write a recipe book together.) Breakfast Or Anytime Shake Add all of the ingredients to a blender cup: Blend until smooth, pour and Yummmmm. You are enjoying a perfect balance of carbs/protein/fat. Because you have all 3 components your energy will be sustained, slow burn. You will feel satisfied longer. You can feel very virtuous for doing something good for yourself. *Whey is the most bio-available protein, meaning it is used easily by the body. If you don't want a dairy source of protein powder I recommend Rice Protein from NutriBiotics. Designer Whey is 98% lactose free. An easy, low cost online resource for supplements, health, and beauty products is Vitacost. Click on the logo to go to their home page. **Blueberries and sweet potatoes are two of nature's superfoods and should be on everyone's menu at least once a week to start. ***If you are not hip to the importance of flax in our diets then google it. I will be doing an article or special report on it in the near future but for now trust me on this one. You need it, it tastes nutty, it's easy to sprinkle on almost anything you eat and not notice it if you don't love it. Please don't ask me for calories etc. If they are not posted with a recipe then I don't have an accurate count. Trust that every recipe I give you will be balanced, healthful, and “ affordable” calorically as part of a healthy eating plan. |
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Body for Life for Women: A Woman's Plan for Physical and Mental Transformation Pamela Peeke, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P. If you don't know Dr. Pam Peeke
go to her website and read. She is one of us, and she has the goods on midlife--and all--women's bodies. I was first introduced to her through an earlier book, Fight Fat After 40. In it she talks about how stress not only kills us but first it makes us fat. Happy happy joy joy. Check it out here. (Fight Fat After 40 In March, at a health fare sponsored by More Magazine before their Marathon , (friend Chris and I power walked the half marathon) Dr. Peeke did an hour long presentation. She's bright, funny, is a powerful presenter, and you get the sense that she'd be a good person to have in your corner. (See photo with her and the editor of More to the left. Click on the photo to see it larger.) This month's book takes the information in her first book a step further as ten years have passed and we know a lot more. Those of you familiar with the Body for Life for men by Bill Phillips will recognize the concept but Peeke used the results of her cutting edge research in gender based medicine while at the NIH to redesign the program specifically for us girls. Although Peeke is a mid-lifer this book works for all ages by explaining the different needs we have for nutrition, exercise, support, and combating age-related life stressors. Birthdays don't matter, hormonal milestones do, says Peeke. According to the doctor, the reason her book/program works is that she has designed a blueprint to follow. First, all of the book's recommendations are based on scientific breakthroughs in two hot fields of research. #1 is gender based medicine or how gender impacts the diagnosis and treatment of disease. #2 is body composition which is the proportions of fat, muscle, and bone that make up total body weight. The number on the scale is but one data byte she says, the quality of that number is more important than the quantity. The next element is the holistic approach to fitness; mind and body. They always go hand in hand. The program redefines the healthy female body. To quote Peeke, “It encourages you to embrace and optimize your mental and physical strengths by challenging you to be the very best you can be.” Stop comparing yourself to someone else and be Your best. She goes on to say, “It's woman-proof.” No woman she has treated has failed because of a lazy attitude or lack of will power but rather self sabotage through care giving with no limits and obsessing over things rather than getting out and doing something. Failure is no longer an option. The final segment is the 12-week Challenge, a series of personal challenges--in which you're either shedding or maintaining weight--that you cycle through for the rest of your life. The program is comprehensive, supportive, and easy to follow. On top of that, is Dr. Peeke's user-friendly way of combining science, information, and humor. She's funny! I love that! She's also compassionate and no-nonsense. You either do the work or you suffer the many consequences of aging that await. The work I mention is weight training and feeding your mind and body well. The more important of the two it would appear is weights; building and keeping muscle. Here's a scary factoid from the chapter entitled, “You Have to Move to Remove the Weight”, “no more than 60 percent of American women get the daily recommended 30 minutes of physical activity. At least 25% are completely inactive—“I'm talking one step over coma” she jabs. Mother of Pearl girls we gotta get moving! Our lives are on the line and so are the lives of the young women we impact. On page 3 lies this terrifying tidbit, “Over 30% of women carry at least 50 pounds more than recommended for optimal health. And frighteningly, their daughters are becoming so sedentary and overweight that they risk becoming the first generation not to live as long as their parents.” These facts put Dr. Peeke into warrior mode to develop a solution that would help all women live longer, healthier lives. To your dumbbells smart women! No you don't need a gym or a lot of fancy equipment. A full range of exercises for keeping the muscles strong and toned are included in the book in photos. For the food component there are “Smart Food” recommendations along with their nutrient values, a review of energy bars, a sample eating plan, supplement recommendations, and more to support you on your way to improved mental and physical fitness. The other thing the book has is lots and lots of photos of women who entered the EAS Body-for-Life Challenge contest (www.bodyforlife.com). These photos include every starting point--age, weight, healthy or not--and talk about inspiring. Whether you are interested in a 12-week challenge or you just want more information on what works and what's happening in your body's command central, this book is this month's winner. |
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Our next Smart Woman's Life Style Tune-Up begins on Wednesday June 21st at 7pm EST and will run for 4 consecutive weeks. Please go to my website and click on the link for more information on these programs. |
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Thank you for reading. I know your time is valuable and that there is a mountain of information out there demanding your attention. My highest hope is that I've provided something of value for you. If you know someone who might benefit from any of the content please forward this. |
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