Personal Goal Setting

Celebrate January-International Creativity Month!

January 9, 2013 By Debbie Leave a Comment

cardinal in the tree

Happy Tuesday! I meant to write this yesterday but didn’t get to it and I think it was meant to be because I took this picture late yesterday afternoon. I was talking on the phone looking out the window and this bright happy cardinal was just sitting there wanting his picture taken! And it fits with what I want to talk about.

I love January-way more than December. December is somewhat stressful and busy for me-I need to enjoy it more. It is hard for me to slow down in December. I love January because it is fresh, all about reflection and then new beginnings-which is exactly what Happy First is about. I love setting goals for the year and thinking of new possibilities and planning it all out. I love the fresh start of a new year.

I’m really loving my new word FOCUS for 2013. And one thing I want to focus on is my creativity. I have gotten so busy running a business that I haven’t nurtured my creative side. Last year I read the book “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron . It is a 12 week workbook designed to help you find your creativity. It suggests taking “art dates” with yourself and doing something creative once a week. So I will keep you all posted and I would love to hear ways you all do creative things.

Anyway, I was reading the Sunday paper this past week and came across Harvey Mackay’s article in the business section. I love reading his articles. This week it was entitled “6 tips to help fuel creativity”. He talked about how creativity and imagination are vital for business and personal success. And he also said that January is International Creativity Month-didn’t know that! How fun is that? He talked about how being outside and spending time in nature spurs creativity. That is so true for me. I love to run and that is when I do some of my best brainstorming. I haven’t been outside so much because it has been so cold. But yesterday as I was on the phone I was gazing outside and saw that cute little bird and it made me think how good it is to slow down and enjoy nature. We live on some acreage so it is always so beautiful just to take the time to look away from the computer or some task inside and just to look outside!

Harvey Mackay’s 6 tips to help spur creativity-

1. Gather information – research-don’t think about the solution initially, just delve (love that word-was my word for 2012) into the subject.

2. Let it simmer-do something else and let your subconscious sort it. (that’s when I run!)

3. Brainstorm-take some time to create more ideas from the information you’ve processed. (I sleep on it! In fact, that is how I would prepare for a test in college. I would study and study then nap right before the test)
4. Share your idea-Run it by some friends for feedback. (I’m always asking my creative and stylish friends for input)
5. Accept Mistakes-try things even if you’re not sure they will succeed.
6. Copy other Ideas-Don’t steal other ideas, but look at what’s done and try to do it differently. (I am always looking at trends but want to put my original spin on it).

Then, I love this, he had what he calls “Mackey’s Moral”– and this one is “Creativity, not necessity, is the true mother of invention.”

Wow, I get so inspired just reading what he has to say! I have so many ideas for 2013. I just need to FOCUS and corral all my ideas and give myself time just to have fun and create.

What do you all want to create? What helps you get in the creative zone?

What’s your Word for 2013?

January 1, 2013 By Debbie 6 Comments

Happy January 1st my friends, and Happy 2013! As you know, I love to celebrate firsts and new beginnings! I love the start of a new year, it is so fresh and fun and full of possibilities. I view life as a big adventure and I love to experience new things.

I’m spending this week reflecting on 2012 and planning for 2013.

Yesterday on my Happy First facebook page I asked the question- Does anyone make resolutions? The first response came from a dear friend who said she doesn’t make resolutions, too much pressure and she doesn’t want to be disappointed. Someone else agreed. Wow, that is so foreign to me, I am constantly setting goals. I am so Type A, have trouble slowing down. And I look at this dear friend and wish I was more like her, so balanced and calm.

But we have to work with who we are right? And that is what makes everyone so fun and different and that is what is great about having friends and a spouse that are totally opposite of me. They keep me in balance!

So back to my Type A goal setting-ha ha. (By the way, check out my earlier blog post about setting goals) Every year for the past few years I have chosen a word to embrace for the year. It started in 2010-my word was Create, 2011 was Pursue and 2012 was Delve (delve in 2012). I encourage you all to think of a word and frame it so you can see it every day. This year I am putting it on my desk.

Before I tell you 2013’s word, let me reflect on 2012. I chose Delve. I wanted to learn new things. Well, I did learn new things, but I think my word should have been Explore for last year, because I did so many things on the surface but didn’t really delve or get good at any of them. I looked into classes at our local community college and took all of these classes last year (I dragged some friends with me too to these classes)-Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Indesign, a 5 week photography class (I got a digital SLR for my birthday and wanted to learn how to really use it) and a jewelry stamping class!

I learned new skills and met fun people, but this year I want to really FOCUS so that is my word for 2013. I have said that before, I am spread too thin. I want to be super business owner and super mom and super volunteer and experience everything! Well, I can’t be good at everything if I am overextended. I am really going to work on my schedule and say no more and when I am working I am focusing on work-no distractions-and when I am doing family things I am with family. I love Yoga-one of the things they are always saying is BE PRESENT-so I am going to work on being present!

Some other ideas I came up with for some good words-be LEAN in 2013-that can be like lean in being fit or lean in your business. I had New Year’s Eve dinner with cousins last night and I was asking them their word ideas and my cousin Ralph said Lucky 13 for 2013. So maybe 2013 will be your lucky year! (as you may know, I have a lucky chick tee and I wrote about Luck).

But I digress, I must FOCUS on my word FOCUS. What is your word for 2013? I love hearing everyone’s ideas! Let’s inspire each other! Happy 2013!

focus ps-I tend to want to make everything perfect. I could have spent hours choosing the perfect font or drawing up something to frame. Instead, I just chose to keep it simple! So it is not perfect, but it is already sitting on my desk.

Be a Lucky Chick!

March 5, 2012 By Debbie 6 Comments

My newest tee is the Lucky Chick-I thought it would be fun for the Spring, my favorite season! It’s available in our popular long sleeve burnout and a short sleeve gradient lime tee. It’s designed with green in both tees so you won’t get pinched on St. Patrick’s Day, but I think you can be a Lucky Chick all year long! (Someone said they will be wearing it to the casino, didn’t think of that one-but that works!)

What is Lucky?

I looked up Luck in the dictionary and it said “success or failure brought by chance rather than one’s actions”. I am not really a believer in that kind of luck. Yea, you can be in the right place at the right time, but I agree with what my friend Kim Fuller said on my Happy First Facebook page-she’s a “make my own luck chick”! I love that! I believe that we all have the power to change our future based on our choices. And I know things happen in life, but it is the attitude we have and how we handle circumstances that creates our destiny.

I believe I am lucky because I am here! I went through Hodgkin’s Lymphoma 17 years ago and am happy to be here! (And have you seen that Happy to be Here tee?) I feel blessed with my family and friends and just all the opportunities and adventures that are all just waiting for me. I knew in my heart when I was going through treatment that something good was going to come out of my experience. Through creating Happy First I have met so many incredible people and am making a difference! I have met other entrepreneurs, survivors and patients. My newest friend is undergoing treatment from Hodgkin’s and she lives in South Africa. She found me through my blog. You never know where your experiences can take you. (By the way she is doing great!)

Find your Passion and Pursue it

In an earlier blog post, I wrote about finding your passion and pursuing it. It doesn’t mean you have to quit your current job or anything. Just figure out what you love to do and start doing it. You never know where it will lead you. Some of you know my story, I started out in college as a fashion design major and then switched to accounting because I was so good with numbers and thought I would make more money being a CPA. But I was miserable; I didn’t like it-it wasn’t my passion.

When you decide on a path, it is like things and people just start appearing and falling into place. “Leap and the net will appear”. A word that keeps popping up with me recently is synchronicity. That word showed up in 2 different studies (below) I was doing on the same day! The dictionary defines synchronicity as – the simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection .

Some would say it is coincidence, but I like to think that things are not really coincidences. I have really been delving this year (my word for 2012 is delve-check it out). In January I signed up for both the Baron Baptist 40 days to Personal Revolution and started reading a book “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. That book has been sitting on my shelf for years-I don’t even remember who told me to buy it. I started these studies on the same day and it is weird (or synchronous) how these two go hand in hand. I am going to to tell you more about both in another post-what a creative journey!

Anyway Baron Baptiste talks about having a vision shift -he said “our greatest power to change ourselves is found in our ability to see beyond the veil, to see with an enlightened vision. He said a vision shift calls for attention, intention and faith. He quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson- “Once you make a decision , the universe conspires to make it happen”. He mentioned the word synchronicity.

in her book Julia Cameron said “Take a small step in the direction of a dream and watch the synchronous doors flying open”. Another quote she included was by Goethe “Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do , begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it.”

I’m not trying to be weird or voodoo here, I am just saying, once you decide and commit to a path, things fall into place.

Finding Synchronicity

I feel like I experience synchronicity almost every day. People are just coming into my path. A couple of weeks ago I had coffee with Judi Groves, founder of Breast Impressions and Turn Tulsa Pink. I thought we were meeting really quickly so I could give her her Super Chick tee. Anyway, 2 hours later we were still talking! She is contagious. She loves life and helping others and has a huge vision. Then last week I went to a friend’s party and met Kayce Hughlett. Kayce wrote a book that I bought on the spot that night-As I lay Pondering Daily Invitations to Live a Transformed Life. We immediately clicked – we are kindred spirits. She just included me in her blog-Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds– I am honored!

Both of these women and I talked about how you are never to old to start pursuing your passion. All your experiences and circumstances are leading you up to what you are supposed to do now.

I want you to realize that YOU too are created for greatness. I want you to find your passion and pursue it! I truly believe that every one of us is supposed to do something with our talents.

What is your passion? Remember, each one of us can be a “Lucky Chick!”

What’s your word for 2012?

January 1, 2012 By Debbie Leave a Comment

Happy New Year! I love January, it is another new beginning! You can live a life you love-make choices to get you to where you want to be! You can do anything you set your mind to! One thing that helps me in goal setting is to pick a word for the year.

Last year my word was Pursue. 2010 was Create. I encouraged others to think about a word for themselves for the year and frame it and put it in a place they will see every day. I chose my bathroom counter. This year’s word for me is DELVE – as in “Delve in 2012”! I looked up Delve and it means to search for something, or the research or making painstaking inquiries into something.

I have trouble focusing, saying no, over volunteering. I’ve been spread too thin. It has kept me from delving into the areas and relationships where I really want to spend my time. I feel the need to go deeper. Delve. So this is my year.

As I have said before in my Goal setting series, when you set goals for yourself, be specific rather than general. So that is what I am going to do. I encourage you all to think about some things you want to change or learn this year and take steps to do it. I divide up my goal setting into home, business, creative goals and fitness goals. For creative I am going to learn Adobe Illustrator. I know enough to be dangerous! I am going to master it this year through tutorials and mentors. In 2010/11 I ran 2 half marathons with Team in Training to San Francisco and San Diego. Then I got injured over the summer and couldn’t run for 13 weeks. But it was a blessing in disguise because I really got into Yoga. So I am so excited- I have already signed up for the 40 Day Revolution at Inner Peace Yoga in Tulsa starting January 8. (Yoga 6 days a week for 40 days!) I’m Type A, I have to have goals like this. Oooh, maybe that means I really need yoga, huh? For home I plan on having every room in our house reorganized and decluttered by March 31st. That’s a tough one because home organization is ongoing. I am also setting new goals for my business.

So I guess since I have told you a bit about my goals, I have to be accountable, right? It really helps to be accountable to someone. Last year a friend and I were accountable to each other with our weight goals. So feel free to be accountable to me if you want, or a friend. What are some of your goals? It is inspiring to see what everyone comes up with! I am going to be featuring some of my friends soon and their words of wisdom!

Oh, and what is your word for 2012?

An Organized Closet

May 30, 2011 By Debbie 15 Comments

I mostly live in tees, since I own a tee shirt company!

I did it! I finally cleaned out my closet! I worked on it all day yesterday. It has been bothering me for months and I just couldn’t (or wouldn’t) get to it. Having an organized closet makes me so happy! It was frustrating me because I am in my closet several times a day and when it is messy it takes longer to find things and to get ready!

In an earlier blog post-Organizing your Home– I had mentioned dividing in 3 boxes-put away (to go in another room), throw away, and give away. Yesterday I divided “give away” in two-to give to charity and to take to consignment. I hung the consignment items on a portable hanging rack, they are clean and now all I need to do is steam them and take them to the consignment place.

I had my timer with me and kept going in 15 and 30 minute increments. Sometimes I took breaks when the timer went off. I had pandora.com on to listen to music. I even sorted all of my jewelry and polished the silver pieces. I found earrings I forgot I had! I took the time to try clothing on-many items I didn’t even like any more or they didn’t fit right. So out they went!

Closet Organizing Ideas

skinny velour hangers (you can get the Real Simple brand at Bed, Bath and Beyond)- they take up less room and things don’t slip off of them

jewelry organizers-a tackle box, even egg cartons will work! I got mine from the Container Store-they stack and also are lined with a velour to prevent tarnishing (got them on sale!)

organize your clothes by activity-for me I have golf clothes, yoga, running clothes each in their own area. I have a drawer that has golf accessories (tees, balls, etc) and running accessories-carb chews, running headbands, etc.

Organize the rest of your clothes by season- short sleeve tees, dressy short sleeve, long sleeve, skirts, pants

Items I have folded on shelves-jeans, sweaters, yoga clothes, sweatshirts

Items in drawers-running clothes, pj’s, panties & bras, swimsuits, socks

Within each category, sort your clothes by color, light to dark- have you heard of the acronym roy g biv ? (it is putting in this order- Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet-i put white/creme at the front end and brown/black at the other end)

Have a spot or basket in your closet that’s items to go to the cleaners or alterations

Use cute baskets or even shoe boxes to hold things-I had knitting projects that were just thrown in bags in the closet, looks so much cuter in the baskets!

Next time when shopping, even if on sale, really ask yourself if you really love and need it. Too much is overwhelming.

I love the blog- simplemom.net – she has great organizing ideas!

What ideas do you all have? Please share!

jewelry organizer from the Container Store

flocked hangers by Real Simple

What is the Happy First Blog all about?

April 13, 2011 By Debbie Leave a Comment

happy first logo Today I wanted to write about what I envision for the Happy First Blog. I want you to know where I am going with this. I decided to blog so you can get to know me and my brand. Happy First is so much more than cute tees! It is a philosophy, a movement, a way of life. It is living your life to the fullest, living out your potential. I am so happy to have a second chance at life and I want everyone to realize how precious life is and how special you are! I want to inspire you to pursue your passion. I want to challenge you with goal setting ideas.

I want to portray the fun happy life we can all live. I will be featuring inspiring and entrepreneurial stories. I have met so many wonderful people that I have quite a list of people I want to feature! If you have a story, please email me at debbie@happyfirst.com .

Part of the fun life is having hobbies and entertaining friends. I love to have people over and cook, so I will be sharing some of my favorite recipes and other ideas.

I love fashion and style, so of course I will be talking about that too! And I will be telling you the story behind some of my tees. Some have meaning and some are just plain fun! I hope that by wearing my tees and accessories you will smile and be lifted up. I hope that you give Happy First as gifts to spread the happiness!

Also, there is a cause behind Happy First. I give a portion of Happy First profits to leukemia and lymphoma research. I also have become involved with Team in Training, which raises money for LLS by running half and full marathons, triathlons, and other endurance events.

I envision Happy First Blog to be a warm, happy place you can come to and find friends and exchange ideas. I love to surround myself with outgoing, optimistic and driven people! I think we can help each other in our life adventures!

So, there’s my vision so far. I can’t wait to see where we go with this.

Seize the day!

Live in Full Bloom

April 4, 2011 By Debbie Leave a Comment

It’s Motivational Monday again! Mondays come so quickly! I am trying to write this with a spoiled Jack Russell Terrier on my lap. We went for an hour run this morning so she is tired!
Today I want you to think about Living in Full Bloom-living out to your potential. Finding what makes you Happy! Doing what you are meant to do! Again I want to ask you, what is your passion? What do you like to do in your free time? I believe each and every one of us have special talents and creativity inside waiting to burst out! (That is one meaning of the Happy First egg) I think sometimes we repress it because we either don’t think we have time or are afraid to take the plunge! I think we are happiest when we are creating and doing something we love to do! Make yourself take the time to do something for you. It will make you happier in other areas of your life. Take some time by yourself to just be still and reflect on what you would love to do. Your passion might be something that you just do for fun or it may become a career for you.
I am now reading for the second time an awesome book; it is “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin. Gretchen spends a whole year researching happiness and does some new things each month to boost her happiness. She has a theme for each month. My favorite month is September which she titled “PURSUE A PASSION”. I love it-we think alike-my quote I put on my website in 2007 when Happy First launched is “Find your passion and pursue it”.I love this-in this chapter she says-“But whatever your passion might be, happiness research predicts that making time for a passion and treating it as a real priority instead of an “extra” to be fitted in at a free moment (which many people practically never have) will bring a tremendous happiness boost”In an earlier chapter (March) she said this about passion- “I’d become convinced that passion was a critical factor in professional success. People who love their work bring an intensity and enthusiasm that’s impossible to match through sheer diligence.”
I guess I relate so much to Gretchen because she was an accomplished lawyer but didn’t love it so she decided to pursue her love of writing. I was a CPA that didn’t love it so I dove into my love of fashion and encouraging others. The time just flies for me when I am working on Happy First. I get lost in it! I love it!
Pictured are two of my favorite tees- the “Live in Full Bloom” tees. They are perfect for this time of year- one is a chocolate cap sleeve tee. The other is a v-neck A-line organic tunic (great with jeans or leggings) in a red chili color.
I want each and every one of you to Live in Full Bloom! Be the wonderful You that You were created to be! You are unique and have talents no one else has!
What is YOUR passion, something that you would like to do or already do?

Goal setting for your business

March 28, 2011 By Debbie 2 Comments

Happy Motivational Monday! I am typing away at the Albany, New York airport. I had the best time with some really good friends in Saratoga Springs, New York and so enjoyed speaking on Saturday at the Heart Centered Business Summit.
We had quite the adventures, I think we created new material for our friend Maria Munane’s next book. More on that later! I will write about these friends soon.

I want to continue my goal setting series today. Today is about setting business goals. Let’s break it down into figuring out what you want to do, writing a business plan, studying your financial statements and setting projections.

First, as my good friend, Linda Waters, owner of Confidence Beads and Back to Business, says- you need to “quiet down and trust your process”. Sit down and start figuring this all out.

What is your business?

If you are not in business yet, you need to decide what you want to do. Do you have a product or a service? Refer to my prior blog posts about figuring out your passion.
You don’t necessarily have to come up with something entirely new, just put your own twist on it. Jo Khalifa, owner of MoJo Roast (the very best coffee!) found her niche in a very saturated market-coffee. She just made the decision to personally touch each and every customer with her made to order fresh roasted coffee beans. Her business is booming! I love that she is the one that answers the phone when you call and tailors coffee just for you.

Business Plan

To get going, you should have a business plan- it doesn’t need to be formal. I didn’t do this on day one, just charged ahead. And that is ok, but you will save a lot of time if you take the time to write out a plan. Tory Johnson spoke at her Spark and Hustle conference and had some great tips. She said the ideal business plan should be just one page. Just have this page be a total focus of what you what to do. Be concise about what you want to do or make, who you do it for-your target market, and how much money you can make from this. She also said to think of what your medium will be-a newsletter, website, etc.

Study your Financial statements

If you have been in business a while, take the time and study your profit and loss statements from prior years. It is key to see how your business is doing. In January, I studied my costs figured out where I was spending too much money and what I needed to change. This is key to help your business evolve. You may decide to market in a totally different direction after doing this. It is so obvious when you look at your year’s activity on paper this way. You may think you are doing great, because you have a big sales number, but if your bottom line (income-expenses) is not cutting it, then you must change. What really matters for making money is the bottom line! So don’t fake yourself out.

Also, it is a good idea to look at your balance sheet-Your assets minus your liabilities equals your equity. Study your assets-are you carrying too much in inventory? Do you have too many uncollected receivables? Too much debt?

I really enjoyed listening to Marley Majcher speak-she wrote the book “But are you making any Money”. She was working long hours at her catering business, had celebrities using her, had big sales, yet nothing in her bank account. Things turned around for her when she analyzed her financial statements.

Set financial projections

Next project your next year. Write out a financial statement with your projections. Project what you want your sales to be-be realistic but also set a good goal out there. Then list every possible expense category you can think of. For me some of my costs are tee shirt costs, trade show fees, legal and accountant fees, design fees, website fees and website help costs, travel costs, photographer fees, charge card costs.Those are just a few of my costs! And then if you give to a charity, (I give to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) project that too. Project how much you think these costs will be and then work on staying in budget. Have a miscellaneous expense category for unknown costs (kind of like a buffer). Then look at what your bottom line will be.
Once you project your sales, break down how you will get to that number by how much in sales you need to have per month, per week, per day! Think of what you can do each day to reach those goals. Refer to your projected profit and loss statement often!

Also set goals in other ways, for example if you have a business Facebook page, how many fans would you like to have at the end of the year? How big do you want your email list to be? What can you do to get there?

In conclusion, setting a business plan, studying financials, and setting projections will really help your business grow with focus!

I hope these tips help you, I would love to hear what others are doing! It is so great when we can share with one another and help each other out!

p.s.-am doing this fast-about to board the plane, so if there are typos or anything, will fix later! Just wanted to get this out to you all! Happy Monday!

Fun Fitness Goals!

March 14, 2011 By Debbie 1 Comment

It’s Motivational Monday again! This is part two of my health and fitness goal setting.

Last week I focused on a healthy diet, this week I want to focus on exercise goals.

I love to work out, I just was in a rut last year and needed a challenge. I was running some and doing videos that I had dvr’d on FitTv on cable. My favorites are Cathe Friedrich and Total Body Sculpt with Gilad (I think he has been around at least 20 years!) but I needed to change it up. I still do their workouts from time to time; if you already have FitTv on cable and can dvr, this is a great free option!

Choose a fitness plan

I needed a new fitness plan to follow: a new goal to work towards and check off each day. The following are some fitness ideas.

P90x workout

I started out with p90x workout. I love it because you can do it from home using their videos. I love the variety. One day is lifting weights focusing on arms, chest, back or legs, the next day is yoga or kenpo (kickboxing) or plyometrics (jumping). Every other day includes a great abdominal If you want to start with a version that is not quite so extreme, try the Power 90 . P90x can be an hour+, the Power 90 is 30 minutes. Check them out.

Running

About 6 weeks into p90x I decided I wanted to get involved with Team in Training (TNT) because they contribute to my cause, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) and I love to run and wanted to be outside. I decided to train for my first half marathon, which I completed in October. I did the San Francisco Nike Women’s marathon. It was incredible!

So even though p90x is a 12 week program and I only did 6 weeks, it is ok to switch goals as long as you are doing something! After my October run, I switched back to p90x this winter because I don’t like to run in the extreme cold. Now that it is warming up I am running again, training for the San Diego Rock and Roll half marathon in June with TNT.

I am not saying jump in and train for a half marathon. Set small goals like running a mile and then entering a 5K-there are lots of runs to choose from. Find a buddy to run with or join a running group.

Yoga

Another form of exercise I do that is essential for me is yoga. It is a great workout and just the balance I need. I need some stretching to balance the running and the weights. I go to Inner Peace Yoga in Tulsa (they carry the Happy First line!) and their classes are wonderful. They have a variety of classes for every level. Another thing I love about yoga is it is nonjudgmental. You focus on what you can do and don’t worry what the other person is doing. Every one has their own journey. Inner Peace has a happy atmosphere! It is fun to see familiar faces; the friends there keep me going.

Golf

I also love to golf. I love to be outside and have fun with friends and work at getting better at something (I have a long way to go with golf, but still love it!) I started out with some friends that were at the same level as me and we took lessons together. We have a blast.

Fitness Club or group

There are many good fitness clubs out there. My friend Lori loves Gold’s Gym because there are so many classes (spin, weights, yoga) to go to. She also likes the pool since she is training for a triathalon. My friend Erica owns Fitbootcamptulsa in Broken Arrow, OK. A group of moms meet at 5:30 am every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and have a different challenging workout each time. It is great to have a group to be accountable to and have fun with!

Pick a form of exercise that is fun and works for you. Set some goals within that plan. Get out there and do it! You will feel so much better!

What fitness ideas do you have?

Healthy Weight Goals

March 7, 2011 By Debbie 7 Comments

Happy Motivational Monday! Lately I have had a goal setting series on my blog on Mondays. This week I am going to talk about health and fitness goals.

Getting to and maintaining a healthy weight.

I think we are the happiest when we feel and look our best. I know when I am working out regularly and eating healthy foods I have more energy and feel so much better. When I am at my target weight I feel more confident too! Now I am not saying you have to be skinny to be happy, just at a healthy weight that is just right for you.

In an earlier blog post I mentioned you should have measurable goals. For my weight goal it is a target number and for my exercise goal it is having a program to follow or a goal (for me it was a half marathon).

I have been wanting to be back to a certain weight for about 3 years so I finally committed to doing that this year with a specific date to be that weight. I think we have to have a healthy lifestyle and eating habits to maintain our goal weight. I can work out a lot, but if I don’t eat right, the weight won’t come off.

The three things I want to talk about with regards to weight loss are some weight loss programs, simple tips from friends, and enlisting help from a buddy.

Weight loss programs

When I want to lose excess weight, what works for me is cutting out the sugar and simple carbs. I like to follow the South Beach Diet. Some of you may think it is hard at first because the first 2 weeks you cut out all pasta, bread, rice, fruit, and alcohol. That may sound extreme to some of you but if you read the book you will see the whole purpose of this is to change your mindset and get your body off of all the excess sugar. I have felt so much better doing this. I eat about 5 times a day, 3 meals, and 2 snacks (love nuts, have them in my car). I lost 5 pounds in my first week. After the first 2 weeks you can add back complex carbs. They have lots of good recipes. Just cutting out the sugar is amazing.

I have heard really good things about Weight Watchers too. Some people need the accountability with a group and portioned meals. There are many programs out there to help you lose weight. Just make sure it is not a bunch of processed food. Fresh food is the best. Grass feed natural meat is better for you than grain fed. Organic fruits and vegetables are best. Soon it will be spring and there will be farmer’s markets where you can find locally grown food. Again, it is all moderation and what works for you. Just set a goal and get the mindset and do it! I think that is the secret.

Simple Tips for Weight Loss

Here are a few tips from friends and me. Do what works for you.

My friend Lori, who is super fit, wanted to shed a few extra pounds and she decided to cut out her unhealthy afternoon snacks and eat dinner before 6 pm. She also went with smaller meals. She didn’t deny herself any certain foods, just ate less.

My friend Pam reduced her portions, drank green tea and got eight hours of sleep a night. Studies have shown that when you are sleep deprived you eat more.

I feel better when I don’t eat until I am full. I don’t like that full feeling anymore. I also don’t like to eat late anymore. I like going to bed feeling just a tad hungry. I feel so much better when I wake up. And I am a big believer in breakfast! It is my favorite meal! I have read that if you eat breakfast, you won’t eat so much throughout the day.

Get a weight loss buddy

It really helps to enlist the help of a buddy to be accountable to. My friend Lori and her friend would text each other when they had a craving and then they would talk each other out of it. What I did was get a friend that also has a weight goal and we email each other each day with our daily progress. It really works!

And don’t get discouraged, just keep going. I had lost 8 pounds (my goal is 10) but then recently went on a girl’s trip to Scottsdale, Arizona and then the next week I went to Dallas. Even though I ran while out of town, I had gained some of it back, but now that I am back home with more planned meals I am losing it again.

I hope these suggestions help you get to where you want to be in getting to and maintaining a healthy weight.

Next week I will tell you my fitness goals.

What ideas do YOU all have that works for you as far as health and fitness? I love new ideas!

thank you Michelle Kiss for your cute photo! You are truly talented! http://www.flickr.com/photos/michellekiss/4490112160/