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  The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's always doing both.
  
  ~James A. Michener

• Recent Posts

  • Course Correction (Weekly Maintenance Call)
  • It’s Not Your Fault - Free CD
  • Fitness is Not a Bubble Bath
  • Medifast Scones (Recipe)
  • New Clients: Your First Medifast Order

• Archives

  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
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The TSFL weekly maintenance calls are focused for those clients who are in Phase II of the TSFL weight loss program - they’ve reached their goal weight, and are implementing the BeSlim™ philosophy to keep it off.

This week’s host, Nancy Pettit, is a client and health coach with a lot of personal experience - five years ago she lost 130 pounds with TSFL (in 7 months) and has been maintaining her healthy weight ever since.

The theme of this call was tempering yourself. Nancy offered the analogy of speed bumps placed in her neighborhood to slow down the vehicles that exit the nearby freeway. The speed bumps were for those drivers who, accustomed to driving 70 mph, get stuck in a “highway state of mind” even when they are on residential streets. In addition to speed bumps, a roadside reader board was placed in front of the school - it clocks the speeds of cars going by so that drivers can self-correct as necessary.

Nancy pointed out that when you’re trying to stay on the healthy front, you have to implement “speed bumps” and reader boards for yourself. You have to create a plan for yourself that makes it easy for you to make the right choices (speed bumps), and frequently taking a note of what your reality is (reader boards).

For example, Nancy and her husband, Terry - who lost 60 pounds five years ago - walk 10,000 steps (five miles) a day. They also do some weight bearing exercises. In addition to that, they eat several Medifast meals per day. These are their speed bumps, which help their weight stay within a healthy range.

An example of a “reader board” might be a pair of well-fitted pants you like to wear. If you start noticing that the pants are getting more and more snug, that doesn’t mean it’s time to buy new pants! That’s your cue to look at the amount of calories you’re eating, your stress level, how well you’ve been sleeping, exercise habits, and so on. Then, you adjust as necessary.

To sum up, be mindful of two things:

First, have a plan - what are your speed bumps? What are the habits you’ve set up in your daily life to help you stay on course? Make it easy on yourself to be successful - keep those shakes or bars handy in your purse or car when you’re at work and on the road, and make physical activity a daily part of your life.

Secondly - create a way to receive objective feedback - otherwise, how will you know where you’re at? It’s easy to become so busy that you skip a few gym sessions in a row. Then you forget that you missed them! Having those honest reader boards - the tailored pants, or a daily journal that you review weekly - will help you keep tabs on the situation before it becomes overwhelming.

Tip: When was the last time you did a BeSlim Assessment? It’s a great self-monitoring tool!

“The food industry is not your friend.” ~Dr. Wayne S. Andersen

Sometimes a person who has gained or is gaining weight thinks, “What’s wrong with me?” And sometimes they think the problem is them, that they’re “lazy,” or that they just lack “will power.”

Well, this just isn’t true! In a 23-minute audio CD, Dr. Wayne S. Anderson, who is the Medical Director (and co-founder) of Take Shape for Life, explains why It’s NOT Your Fault that you find it so easy to gain weight in our modern society of “unparalleled plenty and physical ease.”

In clear and conversational language, Dr. Andersen lays out:

1. how to eat with your body’s energy-storing techniques in mind
2. why the medical industry is focused on sick care instead of health care
3. the reasons most diets don’t work
4. a proven, practical, simple and healthy way to lose weight

To receive a free copy of the audio CD, It’s NOT Your Fault, complete the form at the Contact Page and be sure to request It’s Not Your Fault in the main message box. Supplies are limited, so contact me now!

Is your lifestyle pretty sedentary? By that I mean, are you spending the majority of your weekday sitting at a desk or behind a counter - and then running errands from your car on weekends? If so, this post is for you.

Once you’ve decided that physical fitness is a priority in your life, it’s necessary to evaluate what you are doing right now. So let’s begin with an honest question: What physical activity have you done today?

Don’t consider what you did yesterday or earlier in the week - nor what you’re planning to do later. That doesn’t count for today. What have you done today? Now, if you have done some exercise today, congratulations - that’s fabulous! If you haven’t, let’s look at what opportunities you might have overlooked.

For a lot of folks who aren’t physically active on a daily basis, lack of time is the big culprit. The important thing to remember is that moving your body doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Having a gym membership is great if you use it, as is attending a dance class, or going for a hike. But those are not always things that people can do every single day. What are you other options? If you need to lose weight or increase your strength and muscle mass, you can’t really afford to just wait until your designated “day(s)” to work out. Especially if you’re not being particularly religious about those days, and are skipping those yoga classes or swimming sessions because life keeps you busy.

If this is a problem you’re having, you need to make movement a part of your life, so that it becomes as habitual as … say, brushing your teeth. Is there ever really a day that you’re simply too busy to brush your teeth? To take a shower? To comb your hair? No, these are things that we do for our bodies and for a sense of well-being. Although they are technically optional, we don’t really see them as such. Now once in a while, you may take a hot bubble bath instead of a shower. That’s great. That’s a wonderful luxury, but if you didn’t bathe unless it was a bubble bath, we’d all be in trouble.

So imagine exercise not as an optional luxury or weekly event, but as a daily shower. It’s something you are going to do. Those visits to the pool and bike rides while on vacation - those are your bubble baths. Now what are your showers?

At what points today could you have gotten in ten or fifteen minutes’ worth of physical activity? When could you have walked instead of driven? Do you have a bicycle? Were you sitting still while watching television? When you took your dog out for a walk, were you walking with your dog? And could you have been out there a little longer? When you checked the mail, could you have spared a few minutes to circle the block two or three times?

I’d love to hear from you about this! Do you have suggestions for others, or did you come up with ideas for yourself? Really think about this. The key to life-long health is daily health. Feel free to comment below or send me an email via the Contact page. Stay tuned for a follow up post!

A few weeks ago I wrote about the scones that Chef Joe Blanchard cooked up at the health coach convention. Unfortunately, I don’t have that recipe yet, but Lana Batishev, my health coach, played around in the kitchen and came up with this! Stay tuned for my photographs!

Medifast Scones

2 packets of Medifast Blueberry Oatmeal
1 packet of Medifast Scrambled Eggs
1 packet of Medifast Banana Pudding
1 cup (8 oz) water
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp Splenda (sugar substitute)

Combine all dry ingredients; add almond extract and water and mix. Spray a cookie sheet or Chefmate sandwich maker with a nonstick spray. If baking in the Chefmate sandwich maker, cook for 12. If using a conventional oven, pre-heat to 350F degrees and cook for 20 minutes. Note: you can also use a muffin tin to prepare these.

Makes four scones/muffins - four Medifast meals. Enjoy!

A common question among first-time clients is, “What meals should I order?” Medifast offers over 50 different products, and while one could simply order several of everything, that’s probably not the best recipe for satisfaction. In my opinion, there are a couple of ways to go about it, depending on your current eating preferences, and your lifestyle. I’ll try to break these down into several, very general categories.

1. How About … Everything? - Some people love lots of choices, and aren’t averse to risk. Is it the anticipation of trying something new? The shiny, colorful packaging? Or a totally not-picky palate? Whatever the reason, going with the variety packs works for a lot of folks, and there are often some savings or freebies to be had there, too (which could be another factor, come to think of it). For example, order a five week variety pack and get that fifth week of meals for no extra charge after the promotional coupon.
2. Keep it Simple -For some people, it’s not about the food, it’s about the fuel. They might lack the interest or the time to stand in front of the cupboard and ask themselves, “What should I have for my fifth meal today?” One client I have drove a delivery truck all day; he didn’t have access to a microwave, and he wasn’t going to try to eat a bowl of soup while driving! He needed quick and accessible, so his orders were strictly Ready-to-Drink (RTD) shakes and bars.
3. Cautiously Optimistic -These folks aren’t necessarily picky eaters, but they tend to know what they like and stick with that. Some would call that boring, but they’d call it having their favorite every day. Hey, if it makes you happy, right? For a person like this, I’d suggest creating an order of the most popular staples - shakes and bars - and then supplementing with a few boxes of something a little different, just to get a taste. Maybe the Chai Latte if you like nutmeg and cinnamon. Or the Scrambled Eggs if you really love eggs. In this way, you’ll have those fundamental meals that satisfy you, but can explore a little when you’re feeling adventurous.
4. Need to Know - People who have specific dietary requirements tend to be cautious and thorough about what meals they choose. And for good reason! It doesn’t matter whether it’s for religious, moral, or medical reasons, if it’s important to you, it’s important to me. For these clients, I like to know what they can/cannot eat, and we work together to review the nutritional information of any product they intend to try before it’s ordered.

Regardless of where you might fall in (or out) of those categories, the key to a successful first order is communication. As your health coach, I’ll be asking questions to figure out what you’ll be most happy with. And for those situations when taste and taste buds simply cannot be reconciled, there is the meal exchange program.

Have questions about your order? Contact me!

There was a significant article about Take Shape for Life in the Direct Selling News several days ago. It’s mostly an overview of how TSFL was created, and the role of the health coach. In the article, Dr. Wayne Andersen talks about his original vision:

“… I wanted to help people—by coaching them in creating health—and I decided to go out and build an innovative company that was centered on helping people who wanted more in their lives; first to get themselves healthy, then to become coaches to help others experience what they were feeling.”

So what do Health Coaches actually do? The article quotes Mike McDevitt, the 30 year old CEO of Take Shape for Life, for part of the answer:

“It depends on what the client needs …. Some want a sponsor, someone to call when they want to eat a candy bar. Others want a drill sergeant!” Coaches also recommend exercise programs, provide nutritional support, and offer encouragement information and direction as often as necessary.

Me, a drill sergeant?! Only if I have to be. LOL!

During a trip to Atlanta in June (for the United States Social Forum) I experienced serious feelings of self-doubt. Although I was surrounded by so many passionate organizers - many of whom could have used my help - I was reluctant to talk about the health benefits of Take Shape for Life. My world and interests just seemed … inconsequential. During one late night phone conversation, I confided to my fiance: “I feel so useless!” For the whole of the trip, I kept asking myself, “What am I doing? What am I doing to change the world?” I had a real crisis of faith in myself.

Eventually, after long talks with several good friends and Michael, I came to accept (again) that everyone has roles to play in making our world more compassionate, healthy and just. What’s more, a person’s role may change numerous times throughout the course of their life.

Wasn’t it true for me that my involvement with TSFL meant less energy expended on being sick, less money spent on medical expenses, and more time doing things that mattered to me, and others?

Today I was gratified to receive an email from a woman I just met a few days ago. She and I are part of a group that’s looking at ways to create a more caring economy in the Portland/Vancouver area. Her email’s signature quoted Howard Thurman (1900-1981), an African American philosopher and theologian who met Ghandi, and mentored Martin Luther King, Jr. He was an academic, a minister, and a man who did make the world a better place. Imagine my surprise then, when I read this quote attributed to him:

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs - ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.

This reinforces for me what my fiance has already told me numerous times before: the best way to help others is to be excellent yourself. You don’t have to show others the way - each person has to find their own path.

But as evidenced by my feelings in Atlanta, I was still holding on to the idea that I needed to look for something good to do for others. Of course, I felt immobilized because there are thousands of causes that need advocates. How does one choose?

It’s funny how many times I need to hear the same thing said in different ways, over and over: Choose what makes you come alive.

One of the highlights (for me) of the Take Shape for Life Convention was the general session titled, Good Lookin’ Cooking, presented by TSFL’s Medical Director and Co-Founder, Dr. Wayne Andersen, and Executive Chef, Joe Blanchard.

Dr. Andersen started off the evening by referring to the McDonald’s arches as “weapons of mass destruction.” If you think that’s an exaggeration, let me point out that the sign outside the Mickey D’s near my house proclaims that “over one billion” have been served - if that’s not “mass,” I don’t know what is!

Dr. A. then spent some time discussing habits of health - good strategies for making healthy choices on a daily basis. Choosing a salad today won’t have a detectable consequence tomorrow; but choosing a salad today, tomorrow, the day after, and so on, will have a cumulative effect. The same goes for activities, like choosing to walk for 30 minutes.

“Remember,” Dr. A. said, “You could be thriving a year from now based on what you do today.”

He introduced the audience to Joe Blanchard, an Executive Chef who sometimes prepares meals for Dr. A.’s family. Joe has lost 240 pounds (and counting) via TSFL, and is a new health coach. Below are some photos of Joe’s weight loss progress over the last year.

I loved Chef Joe’s manner and style. He was humble, down to earth, and possessed a kind sense of humor. If only he had his own  tv show, I’d watch it regularly. His presentation was so compelling that my significant other, Michael, put away his laptop! Seriously - Joe was the only person to accomplish this over the weekend!

Although he’s currently on the 5&1 (Phase 1) himself, Joe started off by discussing meals for folks in Phase 2 (maintenance). At this point, they would still be eating every few hours, but will have added dairy, fruits, starchier foods, and grains to their diet. His guidelines for a healthy, non-Medifast meal:

• Begin with a shallow, 9-inch plate (not including the rim). This plate may seem small to some people, but really - it is the appropriate size for a meal. Don’t go bigger.
• One-half (1/2) of the plate should be designated for fruits and/or vegetables.
• The other half of the plate should be split evenly into two parts:
  • One part for starch (e.g. potato, bread)
  • One part for protein (e.g. fish, lean meat)

Dr. A. piped up at this point and suggested that when you serve food, serve it on the plate from which it will be eaten; don’t bring the whole platter of meat or pot of potatoes (for example) to the table. These tips - plate size, dividing up the plate, and serving up plates (not pots) - will help you and your family keep to good portion sizes.

I have to say that later on for dinner, I put this 3-part plate into practice. I’m currently on the 5&1, so skipped the starch and just put a little bit of extra veggies on the 2nd quarter of my plate. The salad greens and veggies filled me up well enough that I barely finished eating my protein.

Before filling the plate, try to visualize the 3 sections first.

Chef Joe proceeded to cook very tasty looking meals using only a blender and a small griddle device (called an Express Cooker 101). He made about half a dozen meals, including blueberry muffins - which looked like scones! - made from Medifast oatmeals and scrambled eggs. The recipes for the dishes he prepared will be in Dr. A.’s upcoming book, Habits of Health (but if anyone out there has the recipes jotted down and sends them to me, I’ll be sure to post them). Chef Joe focused on meals that could be prepared in 5-7 minutes. You can eat well, and at a low cost - without spending all day in the kitchen.

During the cooking demonstration, Dr. A. also talked about the glycemic index (GI), and choosing foods that have low GI. Rather than go into that now, I’m going to dedicate a separate post to the glycemic index because it’s such an important subject. Low GI foods (such as olives) are those which create minimal fluctuations in your insulin and blood glucose levels. For the moment, I’ll just say that donuts do NOT qualify as a low GI food.

And that concludes the recap of the Good Lookin’ Cooking session with Chef Joe Blanchard and Dr. Andersen. It was fun, and if you weren’t there I wish you could have been! One last thing: Chef Joe pointed out that he’s a good example of someone who people might have been hesitant to talk to about the TSFL. After all, he is a chef! He’s around food all day long, and yet he’s been able to commit to the 5&1 Plan, stick with it and successfully lose weight.

Check in soon for more information from Good Lookin’ Cooking, recipes, and - in the Fall - a review of Dr. A.’s new book.

News for Health Advisors (HAs) and prospective HAs.

On the morning of Friday July 26 (Day 2 of the General Convention), Allison Nipper, Vice President of Field Operations, and Rod Heckman, who recently joined the Executive team, took the stage to unveil enhancements to eight or nine areas of Health Advisor services. I will briefly outline them below:

Client Acquisition: There is now a business brochure that you can give to prospective health coaches. The front reads, “Create the life you’ve always imagined,” and inside will be a basic explanation of what a health advisor is and does for other folks. These will cost $1.80 for a pack of ten.

Sponsoring: The current co-branded TSFL website (tsfl.com) is undergoing a major overhaul. It’s not ready to be rolled out yet, but what you’ll eventually see is two sites - one for clients and one for clients who are transitioning into advisors. The sponsor site was billed as being “for those teachable moments when the client isn’t right with you.”

Shopping: This will be a completely re-designed shopping experience. When this is released (due date January 1, 2008), Allison says we’ll find new features that are “vastly superior to our current shopping experience. Specific examples shown were the ability to select flavors and quantities via drop-down menus, and one-click functionality for things like changing quantities and viewing nutritional guidelines and product claims.

BeSlim Club and Rewards: This is being streamlined, with a projected release of January 1, 2008. You can look forward to a BeSlim Club that can be easily set up and EDITED online. (The applause of the audience at this point indicated this is a long-awaited feature.) Also mentioned was BeSlim Rewards, which is a points-for-dollars-spent program. Accumulate a certain number of points and you can redeem them for bonus Medifast meals, apparel, exercise equipment, spa trips and more.

Virtual Support: A review of Support in Motion (tsflsupportinmotion.com), the online tool clients can use to track their progress and be in community with other folks making use of TSFL for optimal health. We were told that “not everyone is using it or promoting it to their clients.” I would count myself among those not utilizing it, but I’m making a commitment to use it every day for a month. If there are reasons why you’re not using it, talk to your health coach - and consider offering that feedback to the HelpServe line and/or TSFL Health Advisor services.

Recognition: There is now a publication called “Success” that recognizes the work and achievements of all health coaches, nationwide.  This appears to be a quarterly, high quality newsletter.

Back Office Functionality & Ease of Use: As with the website and shopping experience, it will be a while before we see the new upgrades to Back Office; however, you can look forward to enhanced Downline, Frontline and Bonus reporting (with the latter being able to print out on one sheet for tax purposes - this garnered much applause). Account Inquiry will also be revamped to allow “snapshots” of your business at different stages. You can also expect to see training videos - between 30-seconds and 2-minutes in length - embedded within the Back Office; if you’re trying to figure out how to use a new feature, with one click you can see a demonstration. It will be a while before we see all of these changes, and Allison is working on enacting changes to the current platform in the meanwhile.

Financial Support: A major concern of those pursuing TSFL as a career is the lack of “benefits.” TSFL has partnered with PRO Insurance, an independent insurance broker, in order to offer competitively priced comprehensive health insurance. There are also options for short term medical coverage, travel insurance, student health plans, direct seller liability, dental, vision and life insurance. In addition to this, there is a new matching program for retirement. Qualifying National Directors who invest in a standard or ROTH 401K can receive a matching investment from TSFL for up to $5,000 a year. Information on this should be available soon in the TSFL Benefits section of your Back Office.

I’m in the airport now, headed back to Portland, Ore. after the Take Shape for Life convention. Wow! What a great experience! I’m definitely renewed in my commitment to “getting America healthy.” I took copious notes throughout the convention, and am compiling these notes into digestible posts for all of you. There was a lot of information and some wonderful speakers. I’m also excited to tell you all that TSFL is in the process of enhancing its business services for health coaches, including - *drumroll* - new health care benefits!

Check back tomorrow as these reports roll in. In the meantime, there’s a new photo gallery for your enjoyment.

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  Welcome to my website and blog, where I chronicle a journey of Optimal Health - achieving a healthy body, healthy mind and healthy finances.
  
  

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