Normally, I don't reveal my vulnerabilities here, on this Sugar Shock Blog. Nor do I share a personal plight, but today, I feel a need to confess to you that I feel like the ultimate Health Hypocrite.
Sure, I eat healthy, wholesome, real foods. Yes, I religiously avoid sugary foods and carbs -- and have since 1998 with only a handful of very minor infractions. I don't even smoke anymore. (Inhaling two packs of cigarettes is a thing of the past.) What's more, I've been shunning caffeine since a doctor suggested I do so more than a decade ago. And I don't even chew sugar-less gum or eat candies with artificial sweeteners anymore. In addition, I've triumphed over my diet soda slugging. Plus, I'm huge exercise aficionado. But feeding my body well and moving just aren't nearly enough.
My body craves -- as does yours -- ample sleep. We desperately need those zzzzzz's.Otherwise, I'm headed for sniffles, sneezing, coughing and congestion.
Well, lately -- especially in the last week -- I haven't walked my talk. Despite the fact that I know about the wonders of a good night's sleep and I'm even mentioning it as a "Smart Diet Habit" in my next book, I skimped on sleep myself last week. Now that I'm a health coach, I'm not going to indulge in self-blame. Rather, I'm going to use this realization as an opportunity.
The irony is that lately, I've been thinking a lot about and striving to do excellent self-care, because of my training as a health counselor and life coach and because I've been completing Cheryl Richardson's fabulous book, Take Time for Your Life, which was required reading for my life coaching program through iPEC.
I even just bought Cheryl Richardson's latest book, The Art of Extreme Self-Care, this weekend at this remarkable Hay House ouse Movers & Shakers conference. Both books have motivated me to think a lot about how we all will benefit if we devote ourselves wholeheartedly to treating ourselves with respect and reverence, even it it means we have to let go of current projects and disappoint people.
Well, despite my commitment to treating myself right, last week, I neglected my needs when it came to snoozing. You see, I felt compelled to help you you a lot this month. I really wanted to:
Last week, I wanted to find time to:
- Work on the book proposal for my next book, The Smart Diet Habits of Highly Successful Losers.
- Promote my 6 talks (so far) in January -- the one on New Year's Day at the Jewish Community Center in New York City on the Upper West Side, my free introductory talk on Jan. 5 at the New York Open Center and the four-week program, beginning Jan. 12, also at the New York Open Center.
- Finish the 5 book reports, which are required to complete my certification from iPEC as a life coach. (I'm almost done.)
- Coaching and counsel my wonderful clients, who seek to lick their sugar addiction and create a better, more fulfilled life.
- Change the content on my autoresponders that automatically go out to you when you sign up for Free Stuff from my website.
- Connect with you more and build my community on Facebook and Twitter, as well as in our Stop Sugar Shock social network, so I can offer you valuable tips and inspiring messages.
- Educate you with Sugar Shock Blog posts about new studies such as this scary one about soda, pregnant woman and diabetes. (More posts are in the works when I bring someone on board to help. See below.)
My goals also are to:
- Help support a friend or two, who is doing valuable work. This week, I spread the word about Donna Sonkin's event tomorrow, which unfortunately I may not be well enough to attend now.
- Send send out an email blast to my mailing list about the exciting programs offered.
- Plan the 2nd annual Great Worldwide Sugar-Out Challenge in mid January, which includes lining up top experts to join in our 24-hour twitfest and inviting them to add their names to a press release that will go out to members of the media as it did last year.
- Send a pitch to The Dr. Oz Show suggesting a show about sugar addiction in January and to invite the producer to book both Stephen (Dr. Sinatra) and myself as well as other sugar experts and sugar addicts to appear on a much-needed episode. (Please help me suggest that we come on as guests to The Dr. Oz Show. And if you're a sugar addict in need of help, feel free to recommend yourself, too.)
- Plan my radio shows for January. For example, on Wed., Jan. 6 at 2 p.m., you'll get valuable ideas from Gretchen Rubin on how to be happy. She is author of the new book, The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun. I'm also lining up shows tips with Gary Ryan Blair, the Goals Guy and author of the new book,Everything Counts: 52 Remarkable Ways to Inspire Excellence and Drive Results; and Annette Fix, who will give relationship pointers to use in the new year. (Stay tuned for details.)
- Clear clutter in my apartment.
- Buy a new printer, because my previous one broke down.
- Take time to exercise, meditate, do creative visualization, read inspiring passages and lay the groundwork to manifest a loving relationship.
Wow, I'm exhausted just reading my list. Clearly, last week, I overworked, didn't work out enough and ignored valuable sleep time. One day I even put in about 20 hours. Or was it 22?
Clearly, I know better! For goodness sake, I'm both a health counselor and a life coach. People even dub me as the "Smart Habits Girl" (on Twitter), "Smart Habits Coach" or "Sugar Liberator."
But skipping sleep sent me straight to a sore, scratchy throat, hacking cough, a stuffy head and sheer exhaustion. Ironically, recently, I began to research the subject of sleep deprivation for my next book by reading articles such as this one and this one. 
Now I have to miss two holiday parties tonight because of being sick.
While I'd rather be sleeping now, I'm writing because I really need your help. In return, I will help to bring out the absolute best in you. With your assistance, I could get more sleep, help more people, have more fun, be more energized, take more time for me and lead the kind of balanced life that I help my clients to achieve.
...So I'm currently seeking several part-time independent contractors (2 to 10 hours a week). My goal and intention is to find:
- An assistant producer for my Gab With the Gurus radio show (a fun gig!);
- Several people to help build my community through social media -- especially my new Facebook fan page and Stop Sugar Shock social network on Ning (also fun!);
- 2 health writers or bloggers to research, write and post pieces about recent medical studies and other health and lifestyle developments on my Sugar Shock Blog and radio show updates on my Gab With the Gurus blog. The writers also would prepare press releases about upcoming programs to submit to ExpertClick.com (another fascinating project);
- A marketing consultant, who can make suggestions about expanding my reach so I can help the people who most need my expertise;
- 1 or 2 assistants to warmly greet attendees at my talks, make them feel welcome, pass out fliers at a variety of places in New York (or wherever I'm booked) and help line up more talks. (Right now I'm seeking people for my January talks -- you just need to be warm, friendly and into serving others);
- A tech-savvy person, who can do website updates (on Microsoft Front Page) and/or possibly move my entire Sugar Shock website to Wordpress. This person also would set up my new Smart Habits Blog on Wordpress before I add too much content on its current site.
At present, don't have a budget for these independent contractors. The good news is that I do have a BIG desire to help you live a better life. Plus, I have superb training from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), as well as my own experience being the Bad Habits Babe. I also have a proven track record, along with testimonials from clients about my ability to motivate, guide and coach people to break free of their self-sabotaging habits. (Check back here soon for more client kudos. I've been too busy coaching to get more testimonials.)
Even if you're free of destructive patterns, we can still swap services.
I can coach you so you'll finally realize your dreams. (I can help anyone, but I do specialize in health, wellness and personal empowerment, and, in particular, I work with sugar addicts, stay-at-home moms, small business owners, authors, writers, health counselors, marketing experts.)
In addition, if you need writing or marketing services, I'm your gal.
Here's how it will work. You would devote a designated amount of time each week to help me in one of the above areas. In exchange, I'll either coach you in health, wellness and writing, or I"ll help you to write and/or edit something. Depending on how many hours you work for me, you would get either private coaching or you would be part of one of my Break Free With Connie group coaching programs.
Sound intriguing?
If you're a fellow health expert, please join in the discussion here and on Facebook. Do you, too, feel sometimes like a Health Hypocrite? How? How have you overcome this? I'd love your ideas to improve. (Plus, I'm working on a story for several sites.)
Enough writing. My shoulder and arm are very sore from typing, and I need to sleep, drink liquids, finish my chicken soup, take herbs and supplements and recuperate.
Hope you will take advantage of this amazing offer to help you set and reach your goals, tap into your inner purpose and passion and connect that with your outer goals to achieve extraordinary and sustainable results.
In the meantime, I'm now committing to you, dear readers, that I will conquer my destructive sleep deprivation habits. I need to live up to my "Smart Habits Coach" title. Besides, I know that I can lick this bad habit just as I have all my other bad habits over the years. But feel free to wish me luck!
Please spread the word about this offer -- and feel free to share your thoughts here and on Facebook about my unhealthy hypocrisy!
New Year's Resolutions: 10 Simple Steps to Stick to Them
Even if you've already broken them, that's no reason to throw in the towel. You can still pick yourself up and create smart habits to better your life.
Many of you are seeking, for instance, to shed excess weight and release such health-harming habits as over-consuming sugar, coffee or diet soda. Many of you want to quit procrastinating, smoking, being habitually late, obsessively checking emails or biting your nails.
Before you begin to make positive changes, it's helpful to focus on the Benefits of Breaking Your Bad Habits or what I call “Babits™.Let's take the case of quitting sugar. As I learned back in 1998 when I cut out out sweeteners and refined carbs on doctor’s orders, ALL 44 of my baffling ailments, from crushing fatigue to brain fog, completely disappeared, as I recounted in my book SUGAR SHOCK!,
For instance, licking sweets (pun intended) and other health-robbing substances and unproductive habits from caffeine overloading to diet soda guzzling can help you to:
In short, when you remove sugar and other negative patterns, you leave room for positive activities to take their place and you can begin to get a Life That Rocks!™. Here are 10 smart steps, which can help you break free of your babits™ (bad habits) so you can to replace them with smart habits.
1. Congratulate Yourself. To begin your journey to health and wellness, I invite you to pat yourself on the back. You may wonder why you would want to do that, especially if you’ve spent years abusing your body. You want to applaud yourself, because the mere fact that you’re beginning to look at your sugar addiction or other bad habit is big! The first step to break away from sweets, refined carbs and other babits™ is to NOT beat up on yourself. Granted, you may have gobbled or guzzled high-calorie nutrient-poor sugary foods and drinks over the years, but now is a time to be gentle with yourself, to treat yourself with compassion and to take pride that you’re taking the much-needed first step to treat your body with love and care. Go ahead: Lavish some praise and kudos on yourself now that you’re finally confronting the bad habit that’s been plaguing you—perhaps for years. Share your excitement in your journal or in a heart-to-heart conversation with a loved one. Then imagine that you’re at the starting line of a race like a runner athlete and that you’re ready to make a massive positive shift. Please also remember to acknowledge and celebrate your every little accomplishment. For example, when you make it through a meal without sugary foods, diet soda or caffeine—or if you at least consume less of them—take pride and applaud yourself. After all, each time you make healthier choices, you get closer to more energy, a trimmer body and a better life.
2. Move With Your Mind & Mantra. Before you begin to try to kick your sugar addiction or another babit™, it’s time to embark on Seven Smart Starter Habits (through Step #8) to cement your confidence that good health, inner calm and new patterns await you. That’s because whenever you seek to remove an old habit and replace it with a new one, your work begins before you even try to make changes. In other words, before you begin to “diet” or make important lifestyle changes, you want to convince your mind that you CAN succeed. Begin each day knowing in the depth of your being that you’ve already licked your unhealthy habit. To get both your subconscious and conscious mind to accept that you’ve succeeded—or are on the path to succeeding—create an easy-to-repeat phrase, affirmation or mantra such as “I, [Your Name], choose only nourishing foods and drinks, which keep me slim, toned and healthy.” Repeat your positive statement at least 30 times a day. Make sure to say it in the morning, right after you wake up, and in the evening, before you go to sleep. Repeating it about 10 to 20 times before meals also can help. Back in 1998, when I finally kicked sugar, repeating my mantra enabled me to succeed. Now, my clients find this technique effective, too.
Continue reading "New Year's Resolutions: 10 Simple Steps to Stick to Them" »
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