While living a fat loss lifestyle does take some planning and preparation, it needn’t consume your life! Here are some of my top tips for easily integrating more fat loss habits into your life:

1) Keep your workouts quick and effective: You’ll get far greater results if you ante up on the intensity and cut your time in half. Studies consistently show, whether it is high intensity intervals, circuits, or fartleks, you’ll burn more calories during the workout, have a greater afterburn (which means burning more calories after the workout) and get a more lean, toned look if you push yourself to the place where you have to back down and rest, rest, and then push yourself to that place again. How do you know you are at ‘that place’? Your muscles are burning, you are breathless, sweating and it’s HARD. I also tell my clients and cycle participants this is the place where they hate me, or they question their own sanity.

2) Get more protein: Take two groups. Put them on the same amount of calories per day and have one group have a higher protein diet (25-40%) and the other a lower protein diet (15%). The higher protein group will lose significantly more body fat, according to a study by Skidmore College. You will also burn more calories throughout your day, says the  European Journal of Clinical Nutrition and not only burn more fat, but reduce your risk for heart disease, according to Nutrition Metabolism. Why? Greater control of insulin levels, for one. Also, protein takes much more effort for the body to break down into usable amino acids, burning more calories in order to do so AND leaving you satisfied longer.

3) Mix your cardio with your weights: If you do cardio spurts in the middle of your weight sets, you’ll burn more fat than if you separate the two. Keep your heart rate up and you’ll get better results – guaranteed!

4) Fixate on fiber! Fiber is a beautiful thing. It keeps you satisfied, clears out your arteries,  and contributes to fat loss with it’s amazing ability to create bulk in the digestive tract without calories and keep insulin levels stable. Look for a fiber source in every meal! Your best bet: veggies. A close second is fruit, followed by whole grains. Consider adding a fiber supplement to your morning smoothie to get even greater results.

5) Make every day casual day - A University of Wisconsin study shows that wearing jeans led study participants to walk nearly 500 steps more than those dressed in normal work attire. That’s an 8% difference, which over time can yield significant results. It makes sense, right? Pencil skirts and stilettos have never made for comfy marathon gear! If you work in an environment where casual day is only on Friday (or never) switch to flat shoes and less constrictive skirts. Opt for layers so you can go for a walk at lunch without getting too sweaty.

6) Lift heavy, ladies! You don’t have enough testosterone to look like a bodybuilder, I promise. What you will do is get that toned look you are after, burn off a butt-load of fat, AND give yourself stronger bones with which to age gracefully. I encourage you to pick a challenging weight that you can lift – with good form – no more than 8-10 times and work with that for a few weeks. Then try for a little more. The key is to shock your system so it adapts. The adaptation process is what we call results.

7. Green tea – drink it! Drinking 3+ cups of green tea boosts metabolism by about 4% – and it isn’t from the caffeine. 4% is not a lot – it certainly isn’t license to eat another brownie – but over the course of a year it can add to additional fat loss you otherwise would not have seen. Metabolic boost aside, green tea has a host of happy chemicals in it that prevent cancer, heart disease, and aging, so drink up!

8. Groove to tunes (esp fast ones!) When you have your tunes with you, you are more likely to push a little longer, go a little harder, and get a more effective workout. Some studies indicate it will boost your consistency and make those hard workouts feel a little easier, leading to greater fat and weight loss. One caveat, though! If you are exercising outside near traffic, omit the music altogether or keep it low enough that you can hear traffic and cyclists. Safety first!

9. Contract consciously: Contract your abs when you lift those weights (or that box!), squeeze those glutes when you push off with each step..by using those muscles with awareness you activate them more often, leading to better form, addition muscle recruitment, and greater results overall.

10. Get fidgety: Fidgeters burn more calories – keep it moving by toe tapping, taking regular water fountain breaks, stand up when on the phone (or better yet, pace around). When researchers hooked people up to calorie monitors they found that sedentary fidgeters still used an average of 350 more calories a day than other sedentary folk. Not surprisingly, they were leaner as well.

11. Believe you can  I underline this because I believe it is the most important one. Without believing in the possibility of your healthy, happy self, you don’t stand a chance. Monitor all the positive things you have done for fat loss; you’ll be more likely to do more of them. And get this – according to a study in Psychological Science, when hotel housekeepers were told that their work was good exercise they lost about 2 pounds and reduced their blood pressure by an average of 10% in only 4 weeks, while those who were not told this had no change.  Whether or not it’s the placebo effect is irrelevant. Those results are noteworthy.

12.Learn to love fish oil -  Fish oil is an amazing nutraceutical. It boosts mood, heart health, and fat loss. It’s believed to aid in fat loss in conjunction with a fat loss diet by telling fat cells to reduce or stop replicating and storing additional fat, as well as controlling some of the inflammatory markers that cause insulin resistance and further aggravate fat storage. If fish oil gives you tasty burps, try chasing down your morning dose with a spoonful of nut butter. My recommendation: 4-6 grams of omega-3s a day. If you are taking blood thinners, please make sure your doc is closely monitoring your blood status, as fish oil can have a blood thinning effect.

13. Visualize! See it happen in your mind, watch it happen before your eyes! Your subconscious mind does not recognize the difference between fantasy and reality, and seeks to experience externally what it is expecting internally. Visualize your waistline shrinking, your muscles becoming more defined, and your strength increasing. Do this often, and avoid the things and people which may indicate otherwise (this is one reason why I encourage clients to step off the scale – or opt to weigh in every 1-2 weeks if they can’t  kill that relationship completely. Body weight fluctuates wildly due to salt intake, hormones, and other factors and can jack up your mental state and completely derail you).

Think it’s too New Age woo-woo? Check this out: a study in the North American Journal of Psychology reports that those who regularly visualized going through a specific weight workout actually gained almost as much strength as those who actually did it. Even better – when you visualize the workout’s results and THEN do it, your results are even greater than if you just mindlessly go through the motions or don’t do it at all.

Detoxes are incredibly popular – especially in the fall and spring. Equinox time, as our seasonal transitions, are an excellent time to detoxify the body. There is a natural shift in energy during these times – we all sense it! Fall comes and we begin to conserve our energy a bit, focus on the tasks at hand, travel less and stay in more. Springtime is the opposite – as the Earth wakes up from winter’s slumber, so do we! We stay out later, get busy with activities and naturally set goals for ourselves – usually around getting into that summer bikini or clearing out our closets. There is a natural biorhythm occurring within Nature, therefore within us. This is why such times are ideal and natural to cleanse.

Detoxification happens naturally within our bodies every day. Our system is in a constant state of detoxification and rejuvenation, utilizing the filtering capabilities of the liver and kidneys to remove unwanted compounds that exist naturally from simply being alive, as well as external toxins such as alcohol and pollution. In order to maintain vibrant health and wellness, we must be able to balance our body’s ability to detoxify with our capability of rejuvenation.

Cleansing offers us a great way to prevent seasonal illnesses that come with these changes because it allows out body a period of rest and rejuvenation, as well as a clearing out so that it is less burdened by seasonal changes. I would argue that  external detoxification and cleansing protocols are essential to well-being in this day and age for the following reasons:

1) Our food quality is at an all-time low. GMOs have permeated the marketplace, our topsoil is largely at the ocean’s floor, and even organic foods are not as nutritionally dense as they were 50-60 years ago. Our industrial commercialization of the food supply is for the purpose of convenience and commercial profit – NOT health. Consequently, we are consuming far less nutrition from the same apple eaten today as our parents or grandparents did. Our ability to rejuvenate is thus compromised, and our food contaminants are incredibly high.

2) We are stressed and overstimulated creatures! Finances are on nearly everyone’s mind, we work more hours than ever before and are paid less for those hours. CNN can give you the update on the state of our Union – I don’t need to share this with you. These stressors filter out into our workplace, our relationships, and burden our families. With less downtime to restore ourselves and a greater pressures in our culture, we are all in a chronic low level state of stress. Chronic stress inhibits all of the body’s functions, including metabolism, liver, kidney, lymph detoxification, and cellular rejuvenation.

3) We encounter greater pollutants which tax our bodies. Regardless of location, we are all inadvertently exposed and ingesting several man-made compounds that did not exist even 10 years ago. This comes from air, commercial and private buildings, food supply, cosmetics, and many other sources. All of this stress inhibits the body from ridding of toxins AND decreases the absorbability of nutrients we receive from the foods we eat, further taxing the burden on the body via low level malnourishment.

Many people think detoxifying involves strict, radical means such as juice fasting, harsh stimulants which purge the colon, or radical diets of nothing but soup or fruit. Not so! In working with active populations, I have designed detoxes which allow the body to detoxify while maintaining a work schedule or a physically active life. (note – this does NOT include high intensity or peak athletic training!) My detox time is always a great opportunity to whip up some of my favorite meals, like nori-wrapped salmon and detox-friendly pesto, and I never go hungry or suffer from low blood sugar. Detoxing can also extend out beyond food choices. A media detox is strongly recommended during times of overstimulation or stress; many, many people experience great epiphanies when they carve out the space to listen to the small quiet voice within.

In connecting with our body, a cleanse can offer us insight into the foods that may be problematic or troublesome for us. For those who are having digestive issues or difficulty taking off weight, I recommend very systemically re-introducing foods to determine exactly which dietary habits are responsible for ill health and poor weight. It is not uncommon to gain 3-6 pounds of water weight after consuming a food we are intolerant to. Consuming such foods regularly may not create overt or severe symptoms, but they can be the hidden reason why weight has plateaued or why it has been challenging to reduce in the first place.

Cleanses can be powerful to reset ourselves for the new season and get back on track. They allow us time and space to reconnect with our most precious possession – the vessel we live in and the spirit it contains – and bring us back to a place of honoring that.

Are you ready to detox? Ask yourself the following questions:
Did you have a touch too much fun over the summer? (You know what I’m talking about!!)

Do you feel sluggish and tired despite adequate sleep?

Do you have skin inflammations, achy joints, or seasonal allergies?

Are you susceptible to all those illnesses that comes around this time of year?

Do you have trouble taking off weight you’ve gained?

Do you have digestive issues (such as constipation, loose stools, stomach heaviness, bloating, or cramping, indigestion, etc) that you’ve deemed as ‘normal’ because they occur so often for you?

Do you feel groggy or get brain fog after lunch?

The more questions you answered ‘yes’ to, the more likely you’d benefit from a cleanse! Know that any ‘yes’ (aside from summer fun) is a sign of an abnormality, and it doesn’t have to be something you live with daily! Small steps can cause huge changes in our energy, digestion, and health. If you are interested in detoxification or suspect you may have a food intolerance, email me for more information and to set up a complimentary consultation. Mention this post and receive 10% off our new detox program, Purify! This 7 day detox focuses on cleansing all systems – lymph, liver, kidney, blood, and fatty tissue, and can be done without great interference in your daily routine.

Stunting is dangerous work.

Do not try this at home.

In preparing for a big show, I’ve been learning all sorts of new acrobatic moves, many of which involve highly ballistic moves that my tendons and ligaments aren’t quite accustomed to doing.

I poorly executed a stunt in practice the other night (see right) and strained some of the ligaments in my lower leg upon landing, resulting in more acute injury on top of the accumulating chronic stress of practice. With a big stage performance 5 days away, it was time to pull out all the stops and get a little crazy in the kitchen.

In homeopathy, there is a concept called the law of similar. It essentially means “like cures like”. For the purposes of nutrition, we see this in a cut carrot, which looks like an eye, complete with iris – and is good for eyesight. A tomato, is red and contains four chambers – just like our hearts. Tomatoes are packed with vitamins and lycopene, which has been shown to reduce heart disease risk. Walnuts look like little brains (with right and left hemispheres!) and contain omega-3s and other nutrients which facilitate the creation of neurotransmitters and overall health in the brain. These examples are all around us and have been used as signs in the food as medicine model for thousands of years.

For the purposes of building up my tendons and ligaments, I went straight to the source. I went to my local organic butcher and brought home about 3 pounds of lamb knuckle and marrow bones.  Nothing will give my body the building blocks for collagen and bone like collagen and bone! I boiled them into a stock for several hours with herbs, salt and pepper, then removed them, folded them in a kitchen towel, and proceeded to pummel them with a hammer.

Lesson one: Knuckle bones are tougher than I am.

I can take this! I'm tough enough!

Bones: 3pts. Aimee: 1pt.

Despite an overall failure, I was able to chip some of the firm tissue off the knuckles, and broke a leftover turkey leg bone to pull out the marrow inside. I wrapped the bones in cheesecloth and set them back inside the broth to stew with the veggies I was going to add. (Note – if you try this, make sure it is not on tile or easily damaged surfaces! Also – try a sledgehammer and wear goggles. That may work better. While your Vitamix may make some headway on the bones, it isn’t worth the risk of damage to the container)

Tendons and ligaments need several nutrients to maintain their integrity. Sulfur, vitamin C, Vitamin K, and many others. I added seaweed to the broth to increase the mineral content, and chose cruciferous veggies for the bulk of the stew. Cruciferous veggies such as cabbage, cauliflower, and bok choy contain sulfurophanes, which break further down into sulfur when eaten. Sulfur plays a key role in creating connective tissue. Bok choy also contains large amounts of calcium – and the calcium present is better absorbed than the calcium in dairy products.

To season the stew, I added turmeric, cumin, and ginger. All these herbs are powerful anti-inflammatories and contain wonderful compounds that facilitate overall health. Your spice cabinet is a veritable medicine chest!

The result – pretty good! Admittedly, I’ve never sat down to eat something like this before, but I do prefer to eat my nutrition whenever possible. I am not stopping there, though.  My arsenal for anti-inflammatory, connective tissue healing includes the following, daily:

3-6 packets of Emergen-C per day (or divided doses of Vitamin C to 6,000mg)

1 tbsp fish oil

1500 mg. bromelain, divided into 3 doses, taken on an empty stomach (when taken with food, it acts as an enzyme. When taken alone, it gets into the GI tract and acts as an anti-inflammatory)

6 oz. Zrii – an Ayurvedic blend which has a high antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effect on the body and helps reduce the stress response physically and mentally

Now, if crushing bones on the back porch isn’t your style, you can purchase collagen as a supplement to add to this regimen, or make aspics – those popular jello molds from the 60’s and 70’s that graced many a potluck. Aspics are made with gelatin, which is derived from the bones and tendons of animals (how’s that for a new take on Jell-o?)

I’ve also gotten acupuncture, received reiki, and had my ankles braced most of the time for the last 4 days with alternating heat and ice applications. All this commotion in the kitchen doesn’t take away from the basic principles of Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation (RICE)!

So far so good! The test comes on show day (tomorrow) … I will be taped for extra support and will continue this regimen for the following 6 weeks or so (about the time it takes for ligaments and tendons to heal).

One of most frustrating things about getting sick is the interruption in your exercise routine. If fitness was part of your New Year’s resolution, you have established a regular routine and habit of movement. We notice the weather is starting to turn as cherry blossoms bloom and temperatures begin to raise, which only increases our desire to take our workout out of the gym.
And then –

Your child, your co-worker, that random stranger gifts you the sniffles.

Should you can your workout if you are sick? Well, It depends on your overall symptoms.

Light Coughing and/or sneezing: Give it a try. If your energy is fine and you can breathe, you can exercise. You may want to have a lighter workout, though. If your coughing is deep within the chest and more of a consistent “hacking” nature then stay at home.

Body Aches and/or Deep Fatigue: Skip it. If you are approaching your workout sore and exhausted, it isn’t going to get better. Your form will be off and you will not only increase your risk of injury, but may prolong your illness.

Fever and/or chills: Skip it. Stay at home, have some soup, rest!!! This holds true even if green light symptoms are also present.

Runny Nose and/or Congestion: While this can be quite an annoyance, it doesn’t have to stop you from exercising if you feel up to it.

Nausea, upset stomach: Lay down, drink some ginger tea and call it a day. The jostling nature of physical activity is not likely to help you help you out!

Sore Throat: Go for it! If no fever is present, the increased body temperature of exercising may eradicate whatever nasty bug is settling in your throat.

As a general rule of thumb – if symptoms are present above the neck, feel free to exercise. If they are manifesting below the neck, its best to stay home. If you decide to work out, plan on exercising half your usual time, going
half-speed on the treadmill or stationary bike, and backing off on the
weights until you regain your health. If you’ve been out sick and are feeling better, keep it light and easy until your energy and stamina return fully.

Whenever you are ill make sure your immune system is supported with LOTS OF WATER. If your throat is tender, you may find hot beverages particularly comforting. Take a thermos to the gym with warm water and lemon juice. Also, remember to take those extra precautions to prevent your illness from spreading – wipe down handles and equipment, wash your hands often, and cough into your elbow or armpit to prevent germs from spreading.

I set this to post while I am away meditating. It seems appropriate, as meditation is an act of creating mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a key element in successfully maintaining weight loss, determining which foods work best for your body, and for staying healthy and balanced in all areas of life. With countless external cues creating an environment suited to overindulgence, vigorous attention to our body’s cues is perhaps the most effective tool for health available — and it costs nothing!

We can all agree that what we eat has a huge impact on our health and energy, but what is less commonly known is how what we eat affects our appetite, our moods, and our thoughts. With hectic, busy lifestyles, we are no longer aware of the impact that our food choices have on our level of functioning, and many have lost sight of what high level functioning feels like.

When we begin to pay attention, our entire world becomes possibility for change.

By noticing how the foods we eat affect our body, we empower ourselves to make different choices. One of the key things clients who work with VIBRANCE experience is a greater connection between food and body wellness, and a greater understanding of the language their unique body uses to communicate with them.
When we begin to make different choices based on how our body feels, we capitalize on the body’s ability to restore and heal itself and experience a greater sense of wellness and vitality.

In the arena of weight loss, mindfulness is mandatory for sustained success.

When I first started setting everything aside to enjoy my meal, I found it boring. Painfully so! I wanted to rush through my meal so I could get back to whatever seemed more pressing at the time.
Then I slowed down even more, focusing instead on the food that was in front of me — the gloss of the dressing on my spinach leaf, the sensation of biting into a crisp bite of apple or celery, the feel of different textures and tastes in my mouth as I chewed. I became aware I only chewed about 6 – 10 times before swallowing, so I tried to quadruple that and I found I needed to take smaller bites. Then I noticed I was full long before my plate was empty.

So I started putting less food on my plate…   You can see where this is going.

Multi-tasking is registered in the brain as stress; inducing a fight or flight response because the brain is divided between important duties.  The adrenaline kicks in to increase our attentiveness, but ultimately this has negative impact on our short term memory as well as our overall health and well-being.

When we multi-task while eating, we do not pick up on the very food cues that initiate digestion. The smell of food, even the thought of food starts our systems preparing for digestion and assimilation. Chewing begins the process of tearing down a meal and key enzymes located in saliva are responsible for digesting carbohydrate.  The sight of our meal cues the hormonal cascade that lets us know we are full 20 minutes after we begin eating.

When stressed or distracted, our digestive system takes a backseat. The body isn’t interested in extracting vitamins from an orange when it’s white-knuckling it through a stack of emails or preparation for a board meeting.  Consequently, digestion is impaired and stomach troubles,  fat storage, and blood lipids increase while the ability to detoxify, extract vitamins and minerals,  feel full and be satisfied decreases.
Simply sitting down, looking at your food, and paying attention to how it feels will make you feel more satisfied. Make it a habit and you’ll likely drop some weight, improve your digestion, and you may even find out you don’t actually like the convenience foods you’ve been eating all this time. (it’s happened before!)

Give it a try for one meal a day for the next 10 days and let me know what the effects are.  I’d love to hear back from you.

More information:

The Pitfalls of Multi-tasking

Why Being Mindful Matters

There is no arguing that the obesity epidemic in this country is caused by multiple factors. Among them is our increase in calories — mainly coming from refined sugars.
Candice Wong, a UCSF cardiovascular epidemiologist and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association says, “The average American caloric intake has increased by about 150 to 300 (daily) calories in the last 30 years…it’s coming from processed foods, half of it from sugared beverages.”

While lack of movement is also a strong contributing factor, our sugar intake is finally getting addressed in a powerful way. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom recently suggested that San Francisco become the first city in the United States to charge retailer suppliers of sugary beverages.
Also, for the first time ever (and at least a decade behind, in my opinion) the American Heart Association has taken a stand and called for a cap on added sugar consumption — with recommendations that most women limit their intake of added sugars to only 100 calories a day and that men take in only 150 calories a day. (Added sugars are those that aren’t naturally found in foods like fruits and plain dairy products.)
For a majority of women, that equates to less than one 12-ounce can of soda; men could have the soda plus a very small chocolate chip cookie.

The biggest single contributor to added sugars is high fructose corn syrup, which became a big hit with manufacturers in the 70′s.  Back then,  Americans consumed about 9 teaspoons a day of fructose, according to a 2008 study. By the mid-1990s, consumption nearly doubled to 14 teaspoons a day. Today, the average American guzzles about 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day, mostly as fructose, according to the National Cancer Institute. Tragically, the young consume the most – teenage boys average about 34 teaspoons of sugar every day (that is over 2/3 cup of added sugar).

What does this mean?

High fructose corn syrup is extremely unhealthy, disrupting metabolism and cellular communication in a way that is believed to be linked to metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and diabetes. In a study of more than 6,000 people (the Framingham Heart Study), people who drank at least one soft drink daily had a higher risk for developing metabolic syndrome compared with people who did not often have a soft drink. The Nurse’s health study supports the negative effects of soda, demonstrating soda drinkers to average ten pounds heavier and be twice as likely  to develop diabetes over an 8 year time span.

Think diet soda is a better option? Think again. Diet soda drinkers tend to weigh more than regular soda drinkers, according to a study conducted at Perdue.

Unfortunately, even eschewing sodas doesn’t mean you’ll effortlessly keep sugars at bay.  Manufacturers cleverly slip sweeteners into all sorts of products you wouldn’t think of — crackers, spaghetti sauce, chips, sauces on frozen or packaged entrees, and almost anything they can get away with. The sweet taste is one that has a powerfully alluring effect on human beings, and food manufacturers make the most of this fact.  It truly is a case of “Buyer Beware” out there; label reading is an essential skill in navigating a grocery store these days.

Meanwhile, Mayor Newsom and others are looking at making it harder for us to get our hands on sugar. While suggested limits and taxes may be helpful, a nation addicted to sugar won’t be so easily dissuaded.

If obesity, diabetes, hypoglycemia, metabolic syndrome or other blood sugar diseases run in your family, it is important to begin to get savvy about your food labels to prevent a similar future. Make it a priority to eliminate high fructose corn syrup from your home, and be mindful that common dishes such as the pancakes and sweet and sour chicken you order will likely contain added sugars as well.  Become a sleuth at detecting hidden sugars and keep your intake of sweets down whenever possible.

Sources: Seattle P.I. October 12, 2009 (click the source for a list of the amount of calories from sugar in several food items)

Here in San Diego, the heat just got kicked up a notch.

What I mean is, we went from baking to broiling.

Thermometer wise — it’s only in the high 80′s and 90′s. But here in the desert, in an area with no trees, in a city constructed of cement, no amount of ocean breeze is cool enough.

Being predominantly Pitta dosha (Check out your Ayurvedic body type here) the heat has aggravated my already fiery nature. I find myself cranky, listless, tired, very easy to overheat, and have been having difficulty completing my morning runs, even if I am up before the sun is.

So I’ve gotten a little creative, had to reach out a bit further and stretch a bit more to keep my body in balance so I can do what I love to do.

Here are some tips I have used (and one – at the bottom – I am trying this afternoon) to stay cool in the hottest days of summer. Give ‘em a try and let me know if they make a difference. Also — please share your personal favorites!

• Eat cooling foods: cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe, berries, lettuces all come into season during the hottest days for a reason! These juicy, cooling vegetables can help keep us chilled and smiling even on the hottest of days. There is a reason they say, “as cool as a cucumber”! Pair these treats with cooling herbs such as mint, dill, cardamom and avoid heating, stimulating foods such as coffee, cinnamon, and red meats.
• Carry ice on you! I put my water bladder in the freezer with about 1 cup of water and let it freeze before using. This gives me a long-lasting ice block to carry with me and keeps the water that I place inside very cool and refreshing.
• Sleep with the fans on and an ice pack at your belly. I’ve taken to sleeping with a ice pack at night on the hottest days so I can sleep through the night. This gives me enough energy and motivation in the morning to get my run in before the sun comes up and it gets too hot.
• Mix it up! Hit the gym and try the group exercise classes or lift some weights instead of being outside. If the season is short and you want to make the most of it, take the bike out for your cardiovascular activity instead of running or walking. The self-generated breeze can prevent overheating.
• Keep the Coolness Close to You. I missed my morning run and it is already in the 90′s. So I am going to slather on the sunscreen, ice my water bladder and while I am at it, I’m going to freeze my sports bra. We’ll see how this one goes! Experiment results are going to be posted in the comments section.

Keep cool out there!

For all those in, near, or frequently visiting Seattle, these sustainable and ethically minded restaurants are a must-hit for dining out. Supporting these restaurants — and telling them why — is smart voting with your dollar.

See how it’s being done, and demand your favorite restaurant do the same!

Not listed is Mashiko’s, my favorite sushi bar of all time. Mashiko’s recently announced that they are moving to a strictly sustainable seafood menu as of August 15th. My love for them has deepened! Read more about the exciting news here!

There’s always a big push to lose weight for the summer, and then we engage in all sorts of activities which encourage weight to come back on — heavy BBQ’s, travel to new and exciting places, summer parties and celebrations all centered around lots and lots of food.

The unscheduled nature of summer interferes with routines which keep weight more easily managed, and often people notice a couple of extra pounds in preparation for the winter months.

Given that we don’t opt to hibernate, this extra weight isn’t necessary! Here are some of my top tips to avoid gaining weight when traveling and enjoying summer festivities:

1) Grill It! Use your grill for good, not evil. Instead of ribs and hot dogs, grill a variety of vegetables, chicken kabobs and use a cedar plank to grill fresh fish. Use exotic spice blends for flavor and BBQ sauce on the side to dip your chicken in if you are sensitive to sugars.

2) Bring a healthy dish to potlucks so you can ensure a healthy option is available. Others will appreciate it as well!

3) Crowd out caloric drinks with water: Summer slushies, cocktails, and blended coffee drinks can have as many calories as your main meal. Keep caloric drinks to a minimum, and when you do have one, have a tall glass of water (with lime for flavor) before and after you have your high-calorie beverage.

4) Plan you vacations to include healthy options and physical activity: If it’s very hot, exercise in the morning or evening – stroll the beach at sunset, play in water parks with the kids, hike in the shaded woods. Pack picnic lunches, utilize grocery stores for healthy snack options, and plan ahead whenever possible. I often research restaurants in locations I am visiting to get an idea of options available to me. For road trips, this post may be useful to you.

5) Keep tabs on yourself! Don’t turn a blind eye. If you are prone to overdoing it on vacation or during the summer, keep tabs on your size with a specific pair of pants or measuring tape. Some clients find it helpful to keep a food log in high-risk situations to keep them honest and accountable. Do what you need to without sacrificing the joys of the summer months!

Joy is a choice.

Yes, a choice.

The mundane can be gleeful, and even the frustrating things in life can hold gems in them that lift us a little. That is not to say that we still won’t feel angry or sad, but recognizing that there may be something positive in any difficulty can keep us from getting submerged in the emotion, numbing it out with food, or acting out in other ways that may not be in our best interest.

With the economic and employment troubles affecting most everyone on some level, our national levels of stress have been stimulated, to put it mildly. Yet even in the most stressful times, we can minimize the harm of high levels of stress by seeking moments of joy that exist all around us.

Below are tools to create greater joy in your life – whether you are working through a personal difficulty or simply wanting more of what you already have.  These tools were shared with me in The Solution Method. Wired for Joy, the initial 6 week introduction to the Method, will be starting July 6th, 2009. Please email or call me for more details!

Conscious Attention: Mindfulness is key. When we are aware of what gives us joy, we can recall these memories at will.These memories can affect the brain chemistry as strongly as the  when the experience happened. Make a list of things which you know give you an emotional boost. Then be on the lookout for the day-to-day joyful experiences so you can add to your list. See mine below for ideas. No item is too large or too small!

Intention: having an intention of happiness and joy sets our compass in the direction we wish to head. Having the intention increases our chance of success – whatever the goal. Research backs this up – in the laboratory as well as through historical documentation (Napoleon Hill comes to mind). Add joy, pleasure, and intention to all that you plan on doing to the day. Don’t just intend to go to work, bu intend to go to work and have a positive experience there. Begin seeking joy in your life and expecting it to come your way and you live out your life.

The Earned Rewards in Life: Gratitude has been shown to be one of the best tools to shift one’s mindset from neutral to joyful. When we express gratefulness for what has come to us we not only increase our joy but become receptive to receiving more. Those who express gratitude not only are healthier, but live 7-9 years longer. Our left prefontal cortex is flooded with feel-good hormones when we focus on what is positive; the end outcome being flooding our brain with endorphins. Negative thinking activates the right prefontal cortex and floods the system with fight-or-flight response hormones that deplete us and can eventually lead to stress-induced diseases such as depression, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease, among others.

Make it a Daily Practice — take a deep breath settle in – what are three things I am grateful for in this moment? Ask this question daily. If you are experiencing more stress than usual, ask it several times throughout the day. Set an alarm on your computer or phone to remind you!

When you ask this question, what comes to mind? No pressure. Think of what you can in this moment. Feel gratitude in your body and acknowledge it. Just a small practice such as this can increase your joy and when you share it with others you can give it to them as well. JOY IS CONTAGIOUS! This is the reason why I always include Bragging Rights in my monthly newsletter.

Aimee’s List O’ Joy

• fresh juice

• spring flowers

• seeing fruit on the tree

• hiking in a forest

• a good joke; I am particularly fond of puns and intellectual humor.

• irony

• synchronicity in daily life

• warm bathrobes

• a cool, cloudy day

• Rain!!

• watching my turtles eat

• ripe, fresh berries

• farmers’ markets

• traveling

• airports

What brings you joy that you haven’t done in awhile? What have you planned to do to treat yourself that you haven’t done yet? Make a note of the ones you do regularly and set about the intention to experience focused joy around that area. I love spring flowers, but right now they are in abundance and I have become a little desensitized. So I am going to recommit to focusing high joy on the flowers that stop me in my tracks. Rather than walk by, I may stop and examine them closer, bring some home with me, or take a photo.

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Taken from notes: 3 June 2009; Teleconference with Judy Zehr LPC. MHRM

Also – The Strength of Goal’s Intentions Affect Outcome and UC Davis Study on Gratitude and Thankfulness

To learn more on the science of gratitude, you may wish to read Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier

To learn more about rewiring your brain for less stress and greater joy, visit www.thepathway.org