Forget About Dieting - Try Wellness Coaching Instead

Unlike exercise gyms or Weight Watchers which motivate and encourage you to change only a single unhealthy habit or lifestyle, wellness coaching helps and supports you in putting all the pieces together: the nutritional, health, fitness, stress and weight management aspects altogether for a vision of overall wellness. Borrowing from executive coaching models of change and hand in hand with psychology, wellness coaching is booming as a whole new approach to our long-term well being and good health. So before, do you spend a lot of energy, time and guilt thinking about food? Or do you feel disconnected and alienated from yourself, unsure, undecided and unhappy-why? And have you ever tried to lose weight in the past, just to throw the white flag after a few weeks, or even days-and why is that? Okay, so try to push the pause button on that self-defeating tape recorder playing in your mind and right now visualize a new and blissful life for yourself from now on.

In it, you're totally energized by your work, passionate, inspired and absolutely at peace with yourself and free from worries regarding your weight. Now, sit still with that scene for a moment. Looks and feels fantastic, huh? Wellness coaching is not merely for individual adults, yet also for teenagers, couples and even families in need of guidance on nutrition. Most clients usually say that time and again that they did not quite know what to expect, however, once they got started already, it all just made so much sense. And most of them normally consider wellness coaching to lose weight.

Wellness coaching also aids people in dealing and addressing relationship and career issues, get more sound sleep, manage stress better, start working out, quit smoking, re-connect with one's faith and even minimize clutter. Wellness programs generally run in 3-month duration and are comprised of a set of conversations on a weekly basis (most sessions are performed by telephone) between the coach and the client. Wellness coaching does not take a sudden approach to weight loss; your struggles are entirely different and distinct and so your solutions would be, too. Thus, the man-to-man individualized attention. Prospective clients are typically surprised whenever they hear what wellness coaches will not do: they would not force or compel you to exercise, plus they will not tell you to diet.

Wellness coaching is after all, is not just an ordinary weight loss program, and it is a well known fact that weight loss is not that simple and easy. But rather, your personal coach would-guide you and listen to you, to make a plan and create a vision, and take action every week toward building and developing better behaviors which would be realistic for you to continue on your own. Your wellness coach will point out your strengths and support you to accept yourself with goodness while also challenging you to get hold of the best life you deserve. They will not do the work for you, but they would be there each step of the way, ensuring your life's triumphs along the way.

The author of this article, Amy Twain, is a Self Improvement Coach who has been successfully coaching and guiding clients for many years. Go here to learn about essential motivation techniques for your success. Alternatively click here for Amazon's Kindle Edition.

Easily Burn Stomach Fat Just Like Body Builders and Fitness Models

To start to burn stomach fat there are just a few things to remember. Things like watching the calories you eat and cut out some carbohydrates. Including natural foods in your diet.  Ab machines are not the first choice in exercise for burning stomach fat.

It is real simply to start a plan in burning calories. Just start cutting back on a few calories in each meal you have. One example is to cut out cheese on any thing you have, its easy to do. Making healthier choices like this is easier than you think. Instead of a candy bar or a bag of chips have an apple. A bag of processed carbohydrates like potato chips will just leave you hungry.

Eat natural foods, I am talking about unprocessed food. Stay away from prepackaged foods like microwave foods. If you are eating unprocessed food they are lower in calories. Eating these foods is the way to a flat stomach.

Watching meals are only half of it, the other portion is exercise. An ab machine is not what you want to use. There is nothing wrong with them but there use is for after you have a flat stomach. What you are looking for is cardio workout to burn fat from all over your body. This will give you the best results in burning stomach fat.

Start including unprocessed foods in your meals to lower your calorie intake. Pick apples and grapes instead of candy bars. Cardio workouts burn calories from all over your body, which will flatten the abs.

Visit review on diet that some have burned stomach fat with. Learn how some have ate for a "ripped" body. Go to: http://bodybuildingtraining.weebly.com/

Can Losing Weight Be Fun at All?

Lets face it, losing weight typically involves things you would not do otherwise. Or put another way who would enjoy having to cut down on his favorite dishes? Likewise, forcing yourself to make it to the gym on a regular basis may not come with a lot of positive emotions.

So what can we do to make the whole process of losing weight more enjoyable? Firstly, you can try to substitute these boring gym visits with something more fun. Why not go climbing with friends? Or how about a nice bike ride on a sunny Saturday afternoon? Everyone has different preferences but I am sure there is some kind of exercise out there for you that will create some positive energy.

The other issue is your eating habits. Many people simply cut out meals but do not change their nutrition plan. Others change their whole nutrition but remain sad having to eat foods they do not like. The main problem here is that you will have to find a sustainable model of what you eat and you most likely will not achieve that by being extremely unhappy about your food.

My suggestion is to find a good balance of healthy nutrition and rewarding yourself once in a while. Why not run that extra mile and let yourself have something with some more calories afterward? Granted, it is not as efficient as sticking to your diet the whole time but it will keep yourself entertained and motivated to continue your journey to a healthier lifestyle.

If you are interested in more tips on how to cope with your goal to lose weight in a fun way find out right now. What else there is to do!

The Shocking Truth About Celebrity Endorsed Diets

There is no doubt that we love our celebrities.

Just look at the number of tabloids at the checkout line of any market.

Consider the entertainment magazines available including People, Us Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, Star Magazine, and so many more.

Entertainment TV shows include E! Entertainment Television, Entertainment Tonight, and others.

Then you have shows all about the Kardashians and similar "celebrity" oriented programs.

We seem to love watching "stars" shine and stumble with shows like Dancing With The Stars.

The list seems never-ending.

And, if you still have doubts about how much we love - even idolize - celebrities, consider how much you're willing to shell out for tickets for live performances or even just to go a movie these days. To do what? Watch celebrities.

What Do You Have In Common With Celebrity Dieters?

What on Earth do you think you have in common with those celebrities?

How do they go about losing weight?

Are you really the same as the them when it comes to health and nutrition and dieting?

Are they good role models for your weight loss efforts?

Here are just a couple of differences between you dieting in real life and them dieting as "spokesdieters" for mega million dollar dieting programs.

I suppose the biggest difference between your real life and their celebrity life is that they have entourages and staffs and chefs and personal trainers at their beck and call to help and support them to stick to their diets and exercise programs.

You, on the other hand, have yourself. OK, maybe, if you're lucky, you may have one or two family members supporting you, and maybe a friend or two. But your supporters are not being paid by you, are not there for you 24/7, and let's face it, at the end of the day, they aren't truly invested in your success.

In reality, the celebrities are surrounded with support and encouragement and you are pretty much alone.

The second huge difference between you and your favorite spokesdieter is that the famous celebrity is getting paid handsomely not just to endorse the diet, but also to try to convince you it actually works - their "job" is to lose weight.

You, on the other hand - unless you are incredibly unusual - don't have a soul on Earth who's going to pay you millions to lose a few pounds.

The celebrities have a huge incentive to stick to the diet beyond good looks and good health. An incentive that you'll never have. A massive financial incentive.

We could go on with this list of differences between you and the celebrities endorsing diets, but I think you get the idea.

But one truth to take away is that they have a level of support and a huge financial incentive that you'll never have.

What You Can Do

There are 2 big things you can do - as a mere mortal not a celebrity - to help yourself in your weight loss efforts.

First, don't delude yourself. Of course you're exactly like the celebrity spokesdieters in the sense that you're human and so are they.

But just because they can make a diet work with all the paid support they get and all the pay they receive for doing it, doesn't mean it's actually any easier for them than it is for you. That's a good truth to keep in mind.

And, another important truth is that even with the paid support and the pay they receive, even they can't or don't always make it work.

Case in point: Kirstie Ally as the celebrity spokesdieter for Jenny Craig a few years back.

If you remember, Ms. Ally lost something like 80 pounds right before our very eyes on television.

And then, after quitting Jenny, every one of us saw her all over the tabloids, entertainment magazines, and entertainment television shows 80 or more pounds heavier within about a year.

The truth and the lesson is that celebrities are human, too. And, if you don't stick with your diet and healthy eating, of course it's not going to do you a bit of good any more than it will do them a bit of good if they don't stick with it.

Sticking to it. That's the key. That's the truth.

Which brings us to the second big thing you can do for yourself. Follow these 6 simple Guidelines to help you stick to your diet, weight loss, and healthy living plan.

6 Guidelines

1. The More Natural The Better.

When I say "more natural" it's about 2 things.

First, what you eat and drink.

Simply knowing that the more fruits and vegetables as opposed to packaged goods and salty snacks, the better. The more water as opposed to sodas, beer, wine, or anything else, the better. The more "healthy" oils/fats (olive, canola, salmon, avocado, nuts) and the less trans fats (shortening and margarine) and saturated fats (red meat and high fat dairy) the better.

It's pretty simple when you break it down and become just a little bit conscious and aware of what you're doing. You don't need to become a health food fanatic. Just a health minded eater.

The second thing I have in mind when I say "more natural" is YOU. You being more natural. You following your natural tendencies more.

We'll look more in detail about this as we go along, but for now, just keep in mind and that you are not Valerie Bertinelli, Carrie Fisher, Sara Rue, or Jason Alexander on Jenny Craig's payroll. You are not Jennifer Hudson or Charles Barkley being paid by Weight Watchers. You aren't Marie Osmond, Dan Marino, Janet Jackson, or Terry Bradshaw raking in a bundle to endorse Nutrisystem.

The truth is that you are you. The more you get tuned in to your personal strengths, weaknesses, preferences, likes, and priorities, and the more you diet in ways that are comfortable for your natural self, the better.

2. Listen.

Listen to you. It's not about listening to what others have to say, certainly not the celebrity spokesdieters with whom you have almost nothing in common except being human. It's not about listening to the advice of others who don't know or "get" the real, natural you. It's certainly not about listening to the criticism of others. And naturally it's not about listening to the marketing hype that surrounds the entire weight loss industry.

The point here is to listen to yourself.

Listen to you when you are feeling good about how you're managing your weight loss and health goals. Listen to your natural personality. The truth is that it will tell you how you should go about doing what you're doing to manage your weight and health and looks and lifestyle in ways that will help you accomplish your goals.

At the end of the day, you are your own weight loss guru and it is your responsibility to listen to yourself if you want to be effective. And, if you listen to yourself, any diet can and will work for you just fine.

3. Eating Is Complex.

We Americans have many, varied, and complex reasons to eat what we eat. And way too many choices.

Here are a few reasons that you may have to choose to eat a particular food:

Curiosity - you just want to know what that huge piece of Aunt Sue's homemade chocolate pie tastes like.

Emotions - we've all experienced emotional eating whether it's to sooth hurt feelings, work ourselves out of depression, or celebrate a nice promotion at work.

Pleasure - you just feel like treating yourself to something sweet and gooey - to spoil yourself - for the sheer pleasure of it.

Nutrition - this is where you make the choice to eat something more nutritious and healthy in order to lose some fat or maintain a healthy weight, improve your energy, enhance your long term health, look better, feel better, and live longer.

As you are getting ready to make a food or drink choice (and remember, it's always a choice) just take a split second to ask yourself if you're going to choose out of curiosity, to soothe some emotional turmoil or to reward yourself for some emotional victory, just for the pleasure of it, or are you going to choose something to promote your health and good looks?

By the way, these food choice motivations are not mutually exclusive.

As you do this on a conscious basis for a little while, and if you're serious about losing weight, you'll notice that you will automatically start making choices that are more oriented toward good nutrition. It just happens naturally. Your body wants to be healthy if you just get out of its way and let it.

This as a another example of being your own weight loss guru - first asking yourself what you're doing and then giving yourself the right answers. The truth is that you know the answers. Sometimes you just get distracted from them.

4. It's Your Life & Your Personality.

The truth is that there is no diet on Earth, no matter which celebrity is acting as it's spokesdieter, that is going to fit you perfectly.

Diets are designed in general. None is designed exactly for you. None is personalized precisely to match your unique personality, temperament, and behavioral preferences.

The problem most people have when trying to lose weight is an inability to stick with the diet long enough to achieve their goals.

Why don't people stick with their diets? Why don't you stick with yours?

Because you try to change yourself to fit the diet. That puts the diet, which was not designed specifically for you in the first place, in charge of you. And it gives you a ton of dieting related stress. Who wants that?

The solution is simple. Personalize the diet to fit you. Instead of changing your natural self to fit the diet, change the diet to fit your natural self. Personalize it.

That doesn't mean you should change the diet fundamentally. It encourages you to use the diet as guidelines rather than a set of laws that you have to follow perfectly or you'll be arrested and go to jail or something.

Here's another truth. No matter what you are doing in life, including dieting, the more you do it in ways that are consistent and compatible with your own unique personality and behavioral preferences, the easier those things are for you to accomplish, the more fun they are for you, and the more successful you will be at them. It's a law of nature. You do best at what you like best. You like best those things that are most natural for you.

5. Moderation.

Moderation is interesting.

Mark Twain said, "...it has always been my role never to smoke when asleep, and never to refrain from smoking when awake."

And for many of us it seems we have the same philosophy when it comes to food...we never eat when asleep and never refrain from eating when awake.

If you're overweight now, as 70% of Americans are so you're certainly not alone, one thing you're not used to is eating in moderation.

I suggest you go back for a moment and review our 3rd Guideline - Eating Is Complex.

If you become aware - consciously at first evolving into automatically - of what the purpose of your food choices are with an emphasis on nutrition whenever possible, you'll automatically develop the moderation habit without having to use a lot of will power. It will lead you, without a lot of conscious effort or stress, to your weight loss and fitness goals.

6. Reasonableness - Common Sense.

Going hand-in-hand with the idea of moderation, is your desire and ability to face the reality that you are not going to be a super model and are not likely to ever become a highly paid celebrity spokesdieter for any diet program.

That does not mean that you cannot easily be as slim, trim, fit, healthy, and active as you want to be.

You can be. You have a right to be. And you deserve to be as healthy and as happy as you want at any healthy weight without ever appearing on national television, without ever adorning a magazine cover, without enviable, photogenic six pack abs, without bulging biceps, and without ever fitting into your skinniest ever jeans.

Don't get me wrong.

I am an advocate of lofty goals.

I am also an advocate of realistic goals.

I am an even bigger advocate of using common sense in all things, especially in how you manage your weight which is directly related to how you manage your health which is directly related to how you look and feel.

The Bottom Line

So yes, we Americans love our celebrities. But let's not give them god-like status. They are just people. If they do not stick to their diets, they will get fat just like you and me.

The truth is that Valerie Bertinelli, Jennifer Hudson, Marie Osmond, and all of the others smile their celebrity smiles and in 60 second spots make it seems like it's easy. But they have to work at their diets like you and I do.

However, they have staffs that are paid handsomely to help and support them and they are being paid ridiculous sums to stick to their diets.

If you are serious about losing weight, you have to do the same thing as the celebrities. Stick to your diet. Unfortunately, you have to do it more on your own than they do and without making millions in the process.

Instead of having a cash payment from a big diet company as an incentive to stick with it, your main incentive is to look in your mirror and feel proud of yourself. It's to look your best, feel your best, and be your best as you accomplish your goals, achieve a healthy weight, and maintain that healthy weight and lifestyle forever. No cash. Just a sense of accomplishment.

Use the 6 Guidelines outlined above and you'll find that your weight loss success will be easier and more successful than you have ever experienced before.

Whether you like Valerie Bertinelly, Jennifer Hudson, Marie Osmond, or one of the celebrity spokesdieters, you are not them. You will not diet like them. You will not lose weight like them.

Luckily for you, you are you. You are unique. You have an individual personality, strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and behavioral preferences. The more you use those traits and characteristics to your advantage to personalize any diet you choose, the more successful you will be at weight loss and long term weight and lifestyle management.

The way you attack your diet plan, your weight loss efforts, and your long term weight management is up to you and you alone.

No matter what diet you choose and no matter what celebrity may currently be endorsing that diet, the truth is that that celebrity's job is to try to get you to buy their diet instead of a different one. Period. He or she is not going to jump out of the TV or off the magazine page to actually help you lose even a pound in your real life.

Whether or not you actually lose weight, personalize your diet, and stick with it is entirely up to you.

The better you get at being natural, listening to yourself, sorting through the complexity of food choice motives, using your own natural personality, relying on your own common sense, and having realistic goals, the more likely you are to get exactly what you want from your weight loss efforts.

With zero help from any celebrity spokesdieter.

Dexter Godbey is the Founder of Dieting Laws. For over a decade he has worked with individuals, businesses, athletes, and sports teams in the effective recognition and use of the power of personalities to achieve goals and get what you want in simple, easy, effective, and successful ways.

He has developed a FREE Dieting Color Profile: http://www.DietingLaws.com. It takes less than 2 minutes and is based on your unique Personality. It's how to use your Personality to lose weight. Scientists are now proving that your Personality may be the most important factor in your ability to lose weight and keep it off. Not genetics, not will-power, not the diet you choose. Your Personality.

This is a revolutionary approach to weight loss. Discover your unique Dieting Color Profile for FREE and how to lose weight more easily and successfully than ever before - regardless of your diet - once and for all...by personalizing any diet you're on to suit your own Personality. http://www.DietingLaws.com

The Joys of Being Healthy

It is amazing to be able to say I am a whole, happy, healthy, loving woman. I was sick for the first 40 years of my life. Like millions of other human beings I grew up immersed in the family disease of alcoholism. For generations it has plagued my family. The unbalanced life I led is so common in our society; I didn't know anything was wrong. I was a participant in the chaos, confusion, neuroses, pain and suffering which is present in dysfunctional families. I call it The Dance of Death.

I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri in the community of Clayton. The only memories I have of my father are when he would beat my brother and me with his belt so severely my clothes would cling to the bloody strap marks on my legs. He would make us wait for our punishment in our room before he dealt the ugly blows. My mother closed her eyes to what was happening. Both of them partied on weekends where I would find empty highball glasses scattered all over the living room. I had holes in th e soles of my shoes while my mother would model a new diamond cocktail ring, winnings from a weekly poker game. My dad was also a compulsive gambler. He died at the age of 45 when I was nine years old.

My mother attracted another alcoholic to her life soon after my fathers death. They had a symbiotic, codependent and addictive relationship. Every ten days they would consume a case of scotch which was delivered to our apartment from the local liquor store. My mother never appeared drunk but she was distant, selfish and narcissistic. My step fathers disease had progressed to the point he was visibly inebriated most evenings. His attitude was condescending, nasty and self righteous. He was verbally abusive and drove his car while intoxicated on many occasions. When I think back to that period of my history I remember keeping my personal life secret!!! I was ashamed of their behavior. I pretended all was well and I began developing neurotic habits for self preservation.

In my teens I danced several days after school, participated in theater groups, worked in a department store and had creative life in my head. I imagined the way I wanted my world to be and was in denial as to the truth in front of me. I became obsessive, compulsive and an over achiever. Because I worked so hard I accomplished a lot for a young girl but the reality was it was inspired by fear, insecurity and a need for control.

In college I devoted myself to art and earned a B.S. in Education and a M.A. in Painting and Ceramics from the University of Missouri. I was hired as a college instructor soon after graduate school. I felt happy for a time because I was away from home and involved in teaching. I took my job very seriously but the loneliness I felt when I was by myself was debilitating.

I longed for love... any kind. I didn't realize it at the time but I had never felt affection. I became preoccupied with thoughts of men. I had guys on my mind constantly! I was popular and had many choices but I picked the ones who I thought needed me. Most often they were from dysfunctional families. I dated a lot of drunks during my 20s. It felt familiar. In spite of my success as an artist and a teacher, I had low self esteem and I knew something was wrong with me.

In l969 I began a new life in another city. Within a week of moving to Boston, Massachusetts, I was brutally raped and hospitalized. I never received help with this trauma and didn't properly grieve until years later. I pushed down the pain and was then, more than ever, resolved to create the perfect life for myself, (as if it were in my hands?)

This was made easy for me when Joey Haudel entered my life. He filled the position of my Knight in Shining Armour, albeit, distorted. He was young, handsome, and alcoholic and had just been released from prison. We needed each other like ducks need water. We bonded in a codependent relationship that lasted 12 years.

Our experiences together were astounding. What I learned about myself was profound. Our journey is almost unbelievable. I have told this story in a dramatic narrative, I Survived: One Woman's Journey of Self Healing and Transformation on DVD. It is filled with the dark world of illness and moves to the light of wellness. I reached my bottom after years of suffering. I was contemplating suicide but was saved by the Grace of God and the dear voice of a telephone operator who kept me on the phone for over an hour.

I spent years in recovery; beginning with Al-Anon meetings in 1973, several series of Adult Children of Alcoholic Therapy Sessions, individual therapy with numerous therapists and devouring self help books. I had the courage to look within and face the demons. It wasn't easy and many times I wanted to quit. I often felt I was too depressed to get well. One step at a time I forged ahead and never looked back! I visualized a healthy prognosis. Today I am living that beautiful picture!

I am happily married to a man 19 years my junior. What makes our relationship extraordinary is that my husband was born in 1960 the year after I graduated from high school. I am older than his mother. We recently celebrated our 17th anniversary and continue to share the most fabulous life. The secret of our success is our deeply committed love for one another. We enjoy a passionate romance. I wish what Bryan and I have could be sprinkled over the world like angel dust.

We met in 1985 during a rainy winter in San Francisco. We were neighbors on a tiny street near the historic Mission Dolores. The worst storm of the season was on its way and my roof was leaking profusely. I was in dire straits financially, having been newly divorced. I was preparing to fix it myself. Unfortunately my ladder wasn't tall enough. I needed help. None of the folks I knew were home that Saturday morning but I noticed an open door directly across from my house. I hurried upstairs to the second story flat in the azure painted duplex and walked down the long corridor to the living room. There on the sofa was a guy watching the football game on T.V. I introduced myself and then proceeded to ask for his assistance. He looked at me like I was nuts. The silence was deafening. How often does a stranger enter your apartment with a request for help with a major repair? I was flushed with embarrassment but was in too deep to recover. Fortunately he agreed to help me.

This uncommon beginning signaled the magic that lay before us. The sparks flew. We went on our first date within days of this meeting. Bryan's car was broken so we took the bus across the city to an authentic Moroccan restaurant where we sat on paisley cushions and ate with our fingers. I remember clearly how primitive this felt and how natural it was to be with him. He didn't seem the least bit concerned about my age. I, on the other hand, was more sensitive. I was still healing from the codependent relationship of 12 years and had never experienced true intimacy. I wasn't sure it was the proper thing to do but I couldn't help myself; I was falling in love. I was scared because these feelings were coming so quickly.

Bryan moved in with me within weeks of our first meeting. I remember thinking if it didn't work out it would be easy to ask him to leave because all he owned was a T.V. For Valentines Day he created a hanging wire mobile in the shape of intertwined hearts and presented it to me with flowers and chocolate. This type of thoughtful gesture is typical of Bryan. He has never missed a special occasion and has often surprised me with jewelry when he returns from a business trip.

One evening in the spring we were waiting to board a dinner train in Mendocino. A drunken man approached us and said, How come you two are dressed up? Are you getting married? Bryan looked at me and said, Yes, we are aren't we? That was his proposal. It was decided we would plan a wedding for later that year. But, first I needed to meet Bryan's mother.

Just the thought of it terrified me! Bryan and his mother, Sharon, have a rare bond. He insisted he would not tell anyone about our engagement until she and I met. We drove to southern California where Sharon was visiting her sister, Bryan's aunt. I felt sick the entire trip. I knew in advance he was going to take his mother shopping the next morning alone to break the news to her. I couldn't sleep at all that night. What felt so right to Bryan and me was unusual, especially in the eyes of a parent. When they returned from their excursion Sharon looked like she had just come from a funeral. Fortunately, for me, Aunt Toby accepted the situation and eased the tension by giving me a white angel ornament. His mother is a wonderful woman. In spite of her disappointment, she welcomed me into their family. Over the years our relationship has evolved into a unique friendship, a cross between a peer and a sister.

December 7, 1986, dressed in an ivory colored Victorian gown, I was driven to our wedding in a horse drawn carriage. I remember the sensation well. As I heard the clip-pity clop of the hoofs hitting the pavement I felt it was the happiest day of my life. The ride was several miles long and I enjoyed cars honking loudly at every turn. When we arrived at the elegant Alamo Square Inn Bryan was waiting to escort me inside to the nuptials. It was a good thing he took my hand, for as I exited the carriage, my knees collapsed from shaking so hard. The day was spectacular marking a lifetime of love.

Both Bryan and I had always wanted kids. By the time we met my biological clock had run out. He told me he would rather marry a woman he loved deeply than to wait for someone to bear his children. For several years we were content to be a unit of two. After my dear Aunt Letha died in 1992 I longed for a child. Bryan agreed to adoption. It was an arduous experience requiring patience and resilience. We had several birthmothers who changed their minds for different reasons. This process took three years and a great deal of money. Ultimately we were blessed with a baby girl we named Mariah. Our daughter is now 8 years old and the light of our life. I am grateful I am able to be a good parent and I relish every moment I spend with both of them as a family.

Bryan continues to be my rock, strength and loving support. During our years together I have had many tragedies including: my brother Johns suicide in 1988, my ex- husband Joeys death from alcoholism in 1989, and my girlfriend Debra's suicide in 2002. I was hospitalized with a potentially life threatening blood clot in my lungs in 1998. Bryan stood by me through all of these. I married a great guy! I am a fortunate woman to have found true love in the heart of a younger man.

Each day I thank God for the gifts I have been given. I see my world as peaceful and balanced. My mission is to inspire people to their own healing and recovery. It is truly possible to find serenity, joy and love. If I can do it, so can you.

To learn more about Kay Kopit visit: www.isurviveddocumentary.com

Contact: Rhonda Boudreaux

Office: 510-236-2668

Mobile: 510-236-2668

Family Health: How to Help Your Children Stay Fit and Healthy

As a parent, we all know the importance of providing our children with the best possible start in life. But that isn't something that is confined to possessions; giving them a healthy lifestyle that encourages them to stay healthy is of much greater importance. But how is it done? These 10 steps should give you some pointers as to how you can do something productive about your family's health.

1. If you're children can't name more than three different vegetables, yet have a thorough knowledge of the menu of most takeaway restaurants, you need to make a change. There's nothing wrong with a takeaway once in a while, but keep it as an occasional treat and avoid it becoming a habit.

2. Ready meals aren't much better, so it's best to avoid them. Instead, find the time to prepare home-cooked, healthy meals for your family. Take it in turns with your partner, if possible. And if you don't yet have the culinary skills, why not take a cooking class or ask your relatives for tips and advice.

3. That may also require you to find new recipes to help your little ones stay healthy. There are many books, magazines, TV programmes and online portals that offer healthy family recipes for you to try. By introducing your family to new, healthy foods, you can expand their diet but ensure it doesn't just include fast food.

4. With each meal, why not introduce them to a new vegetable? Many people grow up being dismissive of certain foods without ever having tried them. By instilling a passion in your children for good food and encouraging them to try before deciding, they should grow up with a healthy outlook on what they eat.

5. These days, children can get borderline obsessed with computers and video games, but it can get in the way of more healthy pursuits, like playing football or riding bikes. By limiting the time your children are allowed to play on these technological wonders, you may be empowering them to be fit and healthy.

6. Whatever you do, when your children are young, don't put a TV in their room. Not only does it create anti-social behaviour, but like computers it could be having a negative impact on their health.

7. If you're guilty of living a lifestyle that's far from healthy, you could be setting a very bad example. As the most significant role model in your children's life, it's important that you don't walk in from work, put the TV on and sit down for the rest of the evening. Stay active and your children might just follow.

8. Take part in healthy activities together and it could lead to the whole family getting healthier. Why not take a bat and ball to the park or head to the local tennis courts together? Or, you could invest in bikes for the entire family and head to the local forestry to explore your surroundings.

9. Open up their world to new sports and hobbies and see if something takes their fancy. There are so many interesting pursuits, from popular options such as football and cricket to karate and ballet.

10. If they do find a new hobby or sport, make sure you encourage them but don't get pushy. It's important that your children make their own decisions and do it because they take pleasure from it.

If family health is your number one concern, finding healthy family recipes and identifying new activities for you to enjoy can be the best way of ensuring your children stay fit and healthy.

Secrets of Low Carb Dieting Part 1 - Get All the Benefits of Low Carb Dieting With No Problems

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If you examine the list of possible side effects and disadvantages of low carb dieting then this may be enough from stopping you ever reducing your carbohydrate intake. However most of the issues arise when using a conventional low carbohydrate diet where you strip out all of the carbohydrates completely from your diet. ( A good example of this is the Atkins Diet.). However people such as bodybuilders, fitness models and many actors who are looking to get perfect bodies with very low fat levels do things a little differently and more importantly without the negative effects of traditional low carb diets.!

For most people who get super lean I would guess that they are controlling their carbohydrate intake but not completely cutting out carbs altogether. Now to do this and get all the benefits of low carb dieting without the side effects there are three secret techniques you can use. The first technique we are going to discuss in this article is a very simple one and is known as carbohydrate tapering.

This is the practice of basically eating the majority of your carbohydrates early in the day and fewer or none at all later in the evening.

The carbohydrate tapering technique for maximum fat loss

If you have read much about nutrition and in particular nutrition strategies for fat loss then I'm sure you have heard of eating regular meals throughout the day. Some people may advocate 5 some as many as 7 but the basically it is all about consuming food every three to four hours while you are awake.

On its own this strategy is very successful as long as you are eating within your calorie allowance. However these meals do not all have to be the same size so if you want to speed up your fat loss (who doesn't) then a quick and simple way to achieve this is to reduce the size of the meals later in the day.

As I mentioned before this this technique is known as "calorie tapering" or "carbohydrate tapering." All this means is leaving out the starches (potatoes, pasta, bread, rice etc) in your evening and late afternoon meals, and just having your green fibrous carbohydrates, lean proteins and essential fats.

A good example of such meals would be a large green salad and chicken breast with olive oil & vinegar dressing or a piece of salmon with broccoli or asparagus.

Just by this simple method you are now shifting the rations within your diet towards less carbohydrates and higher protein that if used in conjunction with a good fat loss program of exercise can cause massive increases in your results.

Howard Standring is a Personal Trainer who runs Energia Fitness based in Southern Spain.

click here to find out the other two low carb dieting secrets