Tuesday, December 12, 2006

The Environment Diet

I learned something last night reading my daughter's homework assignment. It was for her personal finance class and they had to read an article by sales expert Jeffrey Gitmor titled "The environment you create will dictate your success.”

When I say success environment what do YOU think about? He is NOT referring to the retirement destination of luxury living as a mark of success environment but rather "your surroundings; both mental and physical"

Your mental environment begins with a positive attitude and grows to your acceptance of new things, new people and new ideas -- your mental willingness to see the bright side of everything and your mental ability to turn obstacles into opportunities.

If your environment isn't set up for success, it is YOUR responsibility to make it a better one.
I LOVE this article! Now, like most things in life, it got me thinking about weight loss and how what I just read could apply to our journey. It applies perfectly!

In my book "The Vice Busting Diet" (http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/), I talk about the need to get rid of clutter -- cleaning up your house, finishing projects that are lying around undone, finishing what you start, etc. I can’t tell you how many people write me and ask what that possibly has to do with losing weight and I will tell you what I tell them it has everything to do with it.

If you live in a chaotic environment, your life will be chaotic. If you live in a messy environment, your life will be messy. If you live amongst clutter and unfinished projects, YOU will be just another piece of clutter-filled unfinished junk with a lot of potential but no results. Ouch!

Hey, the truth hurts, but sometimes it’s just the kick in the butt that we need to kick it in gear!So what are the truths we can apply to weight loss?

If I asked you what success meant to you, what would you think of? WRONG! It is NOT reaching a specific measure on the scale, yet that is what universally comes to mind when thinking of a successful weight-loss journey.

How many people, including yourself, do you know who have lost weight, been “successful” on their weight-loss journey reaching their goal weight only to gain it all back and then some? HOW is that success? WHY should we continue to measure our success by the one tool that continually hinders real success? I am talking about the scale and pounds.

The true environment of success for a lasting, successful and healthful weight-loss journey is based on the actions of healthy living! A life that consists of adequate daily water intake, a healthy well-balanced diet, regular exercise, an active schedule and a positive attitude are essential for lasting weight loss. If you bring to your weight-loss journey an old and tired defeatist attitude -- "this isn’t going to work" -- you will be right. If you think that you can keep doing what you have always done, eat what you have always eaten, but in this case somehow realize different results, you are only kidding yourself.

If you think you can get to a predetermined measure on the scale and then revert back to your old habits, you are going to get whiplash as the yo-yo string reels you back to your starting weight.

While a healthy diet is one aspect of this journey, and certainly pounds lost is a goal, who you become along the way is the real measure of success. The real goal should be becoming a person who has a healthy lifestyle, who exhibits healthy actions at all times and embraces health not for pounds lost but for the gains in preventing future illness and disease, for movement, flexibility and stamina, for a zest for living.

That is who you should strive to become and what your new environment should be like.

EDITOR'S NOTE: You've seen Julia on the QVC home shopping network and the Wayne Brady Show, in USA Today, The National Enquirer, Glamour, Bride's and more! She's been called "America's weight-loss Cinderella, someone with the passion of Tony Robbins, enthusiasm of Richard Simmons and the humor of Jerry Seinfeld." To get your copy of Julia's blockbuster motivational book, Awaken the Diet Within, From Overweight to Looking Great -- If I Can Do It, So Can You! click here. Email Julia with your comments at julia@juliahavey.com. You can also visit her website at http://www.juliahavey.com/ or http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/.

No comments: