Understanding the relationship between people’s expectation vs. their actual performance, or the relationship of people’s beliefs and their behavior, (Albert Bandura, Psychologist, Stanford Univ.1977,1982)… is especially key for weight-loss. Peoples expectations about their future performance is a much better measure of their future behavior than their past performance. Their expectations of how they will do determine the meaning and impact of their performance, and thus, what they will do in the future as a result of it.

People start to form expectations about the rate of weight loss they should be able to sustain. How long, for instance, can you continue a certain rate of weight loss before you need to allow your body to adjust. You can’t lose weight at the rate of 5 pounds per week forever… you eventually reach a plateau. And you might need to stay at that plateau for a while before you can start losing weight again.

While it is possible to lose weight at a rate greater than the 1-2 pounds a week guideline, rapid weight loss programs and shows like the “Biggest Loser” can create unrealistic expectations about how much weight a person can and should lose. At the onset of a weight-loss program, including the 24-day challenge I promote and fully endorse, you will lose weight at faster rate! This is indeed possible. This rate will vary depending on how overweight you are. The Challenge is a “Jump-Start” program in the beginning… continuing on it will produce the life-long habits required for a permanent solution to managing weight effectively. The first 10 pounds and the last 10 pounds are certainly not the same… and even more important… lifelong maintenance requires doing things a lot different than it did to maintain a heavy weight.

When a plateau happens, the rate of weight loss and fat loss eventually tapers off and requires a change of approach – food and or training – in order to keep the progress coming even at a modest rate.

When peoples performance, or the rate in which the weight comes off, starts to lag behind how much weight they expect to lose, they reach the limit of what they are capable of doing at that time. Their expectations are greater than their ability to lose the weight. They don’t compare their present performance of what they used to do, but instead they compare it to what they expect to do.

This gap, or the difference between what one expects to lose and their what they are actually doing to create the change is greater than it was at the start. People begin to feel worse than before, they struggle with the idea that they SHOULD be doing better, and the crisis must be faced (the calorie equation or the process must be re-evaluated) in order to progress. In short, a different set of capabilities needs to be activated to make more progress possible. The old pattern has to be replaced with a new one. The people who are willing to be coached through the 24-Day Challenge by the way, have a greater success rate, because of this.

For success to happen, a person reaching a plateau, struggles a little through the trial and error process of letting go of the old strategy that has been successful up until that point, and moves on to the new one, or the next level of skill.

If a person is able to make it through the period of struggle and the new strategy falls into place… there is again, substantial improvement and sense of satisfaction as their performance comes back in line with their expectations.

The important thing to be aware of when we hit a plateau, is understanding the difference between one’s belief – identity level (“I guess I am just tempting fate. This isn’t really going to work. What ever gains I’ve made are only temporary. It isn’t possible to reach my goal” and on and on…) and the capability behavior level. It has significant implication for managing the process of continually re-adjusting calories in vs. calories out, which are behavior and development skills. When the expectations become lower, so does the performance… and for some easily discouraged individuals in weight-loss programs, they can become heavier than when they started.

At the beginning of a weight-loss program a person is primarily concerned with whether or not it is possible to lose weight, and what he or she is supposed to do in order to make it happen. At the relapse point, the person knows it is possible and s/he is at least partially capable. The questions becomes more whether or not it is really desirable. They will ask themselves, “Do I really want it? Do I really want to do the work and make this a priority in my life? Do I really deserve it?” It becomes more of an issue of beliefs and identity. It is totally different to wonder, “Can I lose weight?” than to ask, “Am I going to be a thin person for the rest of my life?” One has to do with short-term behaviors and capabilities, the other has to do with one’s identity and lifestyle. At the plateau, the issue becomes one of motivation and self-perception.

To keep a full regression from happening, it is important to maintain positive expectations. When people are insecure about their ability, they attempt to fall back to a previous stage of stability and security… the comfort zone. Social support and social accountability either to a coach or a trainer is often most effective for increasing positive expectations to get past the plateau.

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- Purchase of 24-Day Challenge receives 10% discount
(cash rebate after order is placed)

- Any referrals for 24-Day Challenge receives 25.00 cash
(friends/family that may want to do challenge with you!)

- Any order over 200.00 receives your choice of “Women’s In-Home
Workout” or “Easy to Follow Exercises in the Gym” e-Book Free!

-To order your 24-Day Challenge, click on link… if you have any
questions, just shoot me an email with your phone number and some
good times to reach you… be sure to let me know what time zone
you are in as well!

Remember… the 24-Day Challenge comes with a nutritional guide, an
exercise program, and basic core nutritional supplements that will give
you increased energy, burn fat and control cravings. Your direct access
to me for coaching is part of the program and included at no additional
cost.

My outcome is for you to succeed. You are given all the resources you
need to achieve your desired results.

To your success,
Lauren

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I did the challenge and lost 7 pounds 6-1/2 inches… I have continued to lose 3 more pounds and another 2 inches. Even if you do not have a significant amount of weight to lose… or maybe it’s just the last 10 pounds…

…The 24-day challenge is a SYSTEM that will energize your mind and body, feed your muscles and starve your fat as you lose inches, improve health and melt away body fat in a way that will fit into your busy life and be realistic for any hectic schedule.

Does that sound like something you would like to know more about? Then read on, I will try to get right to the point.

This jump start program will teach your body to continue losing body fat and increasing lean muscle, which means, your body composition CHANGES!

If you don’t know or understand what exactly that means, here is a brief explanation:

Many people are overly concerned with what the number on the scale reads when they are trying to lose weight. Replacing fat with muscle is what should be the main focus.

Women take note: if you are not increasing the amount of weight you are lifting or are not engaged in weight training in your workouts because you are afraid you will bulk up… you are missing out on getting a lean body!

Muscle takes up less space than fat AND it weights more than fat. Therefore, you want to be more concerned about your fat to muscle ratio… or your BODY COMPOSITION. This is EXACTLY what it means to “tone-up”.

The supplements are the foundation of the program, providing you with the nutrients you need for optimal health, increased energy, fat burning, and craving control. For instance, did you know that low vitamin B levels have been shown to cause sugar cravings? Did you know that fatigue causes “false” hunger? Do you know how much protein it takes in the morning to most effectively burn fat during the remainder of the day? Do you know which one of our products used as an afternoon snack can burn even more body fat during the rest of the day? And there is so much more than this…

The eating plan was designed by a registered dietitian and elite personal trainer. They incorporate a “zig zag” method of eating. What does that mean? You’ll find out during the program – and you’ll be surprised to find out that your body needs MORE calories on certain days to avoid a plateau. We don’t want you to diet. Aren’t you tired of that already? The eating plan itself is extremely simple for the on-the-go person who doesn’t have time for complicated recipes. In fact,the overwhelming response we get from our clients is, “Wow! Can I do that again?”

Losing weight doesn’t have to be hard. Let us prove it to you.

The cost of the program is simply the cost of your supplements. The eating/exercise plan and coaching with me is FREE! How many supplements do you know come with a professional Life Coach, Certified Personal Trainer and an NLP practitioner as your accountability partner for change?

Contact me or order here: 24-Day Challenge

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What age you “feel” is determined by the exercise you get or don’t get, by the foods you eat or don’t eat, and how you emotionally handle the stresses in your life.

While reaching the “end” of your life span is inevitable, it is ultimately the lifestyle choices you make that will improve the quality of your life.

We can believe a lot of things about ourselves… (they can become excuses), the actions we take will support that belief. In other words, you will get the result of what you believe to be true about yourself. When you have a limiting belief about yourself, (not enough time, too old, too injured, poor genetics, etc.) one of the most powerful tools is to find a role model who will prove that belief to be untrue.

Check out this quick video of 85-year old Dorothy Dale Kloss, the world’s oldest showgirl.

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Yikes! That's me!

As part of my NLP certification (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) we took a ropes challenge course, and I want to share this experience with you.

The course was facilitated by Dick and Lura Hammond and located on their farm in Ponder, Texas. http://www.leadershiponthemove.com/old/

Contrary to what you may think, a ropes course challenge is not all about physical ability. I was one of two personal trainers in our group and while there may have been a natural expectation that we might “ace” the course, this was nothing like the challenges we face in the gym. It was really about the challenges we face in our own head!

Everybody is born with the fear of falling… the common misnomer is “fear of heights”. Fear of falling is a good thing, because it keeps us safe.

Even with all the safety procedures, ropes, helmets, harnesses, spotters… we naturally have an innate fear of falling. The ropes challenge course moves us out of our comfort zone and into problem solving, goal setting, communication and trust. The end result is even though fears may block our personal achievement, we can move into a successful experience.

This powerful experience exemplifies our ability to find resources and make changes when faced with difficult challenges so we can reach our outcomes.

The first half of the day we tackled the low ropes challenge course. This tested our ability to work together as a team.

Everybody participated at every moment. If you weren’t doing the challenge yourself you were there to coach and assist the people who were. Both roles, equally important, worked with synergism and were rich with self-discovery. You found ways to support other people.

A few of the low ropes courses looked easy until you got on them. It would have been easy to give up. Encouragement, support of the spotters, our NLP teacher, Susan Stageman, and help of the facilitators fueled your desire to keep going in spite of the difficulty.

Had the support people not been there, it would have been easy to quit at the first obstacle. They were not going to let you give up or let you fall down.

At times you fell off the wire or log you were walking across, but your spotters put you upright again. You found getting back on wasn’t so bad. You simply picked up where you left off… no big deal! One way or another you got to the destination… or goal.

On the high ropes challenge course we came prepared with a short-term goal and a long-term goal. With those goals in mind, and your entire group reminding you about them, you were all the more motivated to get through the course. If you could get past the fear of the high ropes course, you could probably do just about anything!

The experience paralleled your fears or beliefs that hold you back from having the outcomes you desire. You had to find ways to overcome them.

At the end of the day, you learn to trust yourself, and turn off all those little voices inside your head that say “you can’t do it”. You realize and appreciate the value of the support you get from others to get things done. You learn if you want to change, you have to stop doing what feels comfortable… reach into the unknown, grow, be the best you can be and live life to its fullest.

It might seem the challenge of losing 10 pounds feels about as likely to happen as jumping off a telephone pole and reaching out for a trapeze bar. Maybe you have “fallen off” the diet and exercise plan one too many times.

Do you give up and say, “What’s the use?” or… do you have a coach or a trainer who holds you accountable? Are there people in your network, friends at the gym, family members, best friends from college, office mates who pick you up and keep you motivated when the going gets tough?

Gaining skills from a mentor, trainer or coach holds you accountable. This supports your social network increasing your chances of success exponentially. This is not to say you cannot do it alone… nobody can exercise and eat for you. But with a supportive environment there is no telling what you can accomplish or how fast.

Sometimes challenges start off okay, but then you realize you have to change your strategy… what worked in the beginning no longer works anymore. You have hit the proverbial plateau… your weight, your strength, or your endurance doesn’t seem to change.

When something stops working, it is feedback telling you to change what you are doing in order to continue to create a change in you. Sometimes making that change is hard!

I don’t expect everyone to go out and find a ropes challenge course to help them solve their nutrition or exercise problems. I do think this experience has value for any struggle or problem area in your life. Just like the ropes challenge, many challenges take place between the ears. It is our human nature to find resources from others to help us along the way.

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Together as a team, you can share an amazing journey towards a better, stronger and healthier relationship… like never before.

• Do you approach weight loss as individuals or work against each other?
• Do you sabotage each other with poor eating choices?
• Do you have equal exercise time in your day-to-day lives, or do you hold resentment for the time that only one of you gets to go to the gym?

If this is you, discover how when you support one another, your chances of success are far greater. You can enjoy the many physical benefits that working out and eating healthy together can offer.

When you work together as a team toward a common goal, you will find there will be a lot more benefits than weight loss alone:

• Grow emotionally as a couple as you reinforce good feelings in your relationship by sharing your experience.
• Build trust and improve communication.
• Gain a greater respect for each other .
• Have a deeper appreciation for each other’s needs.
• Face challenges and overcome obstacles together better.
• Keep each other accountable.
• Have a greater sexual attraction for each other.

You really CAN get back your sexy body you desire and at the same strengthen your relationship. As a team you can work together on a common goal. This will become an exciting journey for both of you.

• Having a workout partner is often the most critical link to your adherence to exercise. When someone is counting on you to workout, you have to be accountable to the plan.

• Working towards a common goal will give you much to talk about and will establish a new connection with each other.

• You will be less likely to cheat on your nutrition plan when someone else is feeling a little stronger than you are at a weak moment.

• You will increase your energy as you begin even to make small changes towards a healthy lifestyle. This will lead to more productivity in other aspects of your life. With both of you having unstoppable energy, it will be a win-win!

• Becoming more physical with each other will establish deeper intimacy and you will have a better self-esteem because of it. As you become more fit and lean, you will FEEL much more attractive when you begin to tone up and fit into smaller sizes. When you feel that good about yourself you will want to share your feelings with your loved one.

• If you have children at home you will become a great role model not only for each other… but for them. Whatever age your children are, the best gift you could ever give them is instilling the value of a healthy lifestyle.

So how can you go about doing all this?

As a special VALENTINE gift to you, from now until February 15th, my coaching program is two for the price of one!

If you are willing to work together as a team… then I would like to be a part of your SUCCESS TEAM too!

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1- Keep the momentum – you may miss a workout here and there, or eat junk food in a moment of stress, but don’t let that be a reason to quit… get back in the game as soon as you can.

2- Use positive self-talk – we all have an inner voice that moves us forward towards our goals… or keeps us from achieving them. What does YOUR inner voice say?

3- Have written and clearly defined goals that are measurable and time bound – do not leave this to chance. Be specific about what you want, when you want it and an action plan of how you are going to achieve it.

4- Don’t reinvent the wheel – If something is already proven, backed by reliable scientific evidence, why wouldn’t you want to follow it exactly as it is?

5- Be willing to pay for it – This is not just about the money. It could cost you time, hard work, going out of your comfort zone, and this is where people often give up or use these “obstacles” as excuses. You cannot put a price on your health… it makes everything in your life run smoothly.

6- Run your own race, wear blinders if you have to - Do not let the “nay-sayers” and “sabotagers” get in your way. Stay focused and surround yourself with people who support you and your goal.

7- Make sure you want it bad enough – Is this goal worthy of your best efforts? Have a strong and powerful reason for wanting to achieve your goal.

8- Make sure it is consistent with your values - will this affect your responsibilities? Is it consistent with the way you see yourself?

9- Always buy the best equipment, don’t scrimp – you will end up saving a lot of time and money in the long run if you just do it right to the best of your ability in the first place.

10- Have a large goal in mind but chunk it down into smaller goals. When your goals are achievable you will feel a sense of accomplishment. Set progressively higher goals to keep the momentum.

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It is hard to believe that we are not only closing another year,
but a decade too!

For the first blog post of 2010, I would like to give you some
helpful tips to “master” the art of making New Year’s
Resolutions to create the outcomes you want.

First, consider a few questions:

1- Is your nutrition healthier than it was 10 years ago… or
even one year ago?

2- Have you been doing the same exercise routine year after
year but your body has shown no improvement?

3- Were you better off ten years ago in terms of your lifestyle?

Most people make resolutions. That is only the beginning.
Resolutions are the words you speak. They sound like great
ideas but they don’t really mean anything unless they are
accompanied with a plan of action.

Talk without action is only dreaming about a possibility…
and that’s a good start, because all actions begin with a
thought or a desire. When you make a commitment… and
make the appointment that is written in your schedule and
prioritized, guess what… you get it done, no kidding.

I am re-launching my New Year’s Resolution program from
last year at the same price with more added bonuses…
Because guess what, you will get it done, no kidding and
here’s why… it’s those tips I was going to tell you about…

http://bestbodymakeover.com/newyear/

1. Know what worked. It is important to identify all the
things that have worked well for you in the past. Commit
to them… do them consistently and more often.

2. Pay attention to what you learned. Whether you
reach your desired outcome or not, that knowledge is the
feedback that will help you advance. Then, you can speed
up your results each time around and not repeat the same
mistakes over and over again.

3. Have a plan in advance before you set your goal
rather than make it up as you go along. Without a plan you
will waste time. Setting a goal is just the start, achieving
your goal requires a consistent plan of action for both
training and nutrition.

4. Know what it will cost. Every goal has a cost… and it’s
not just about money. It can cost you time, it could cost
you a relationship, and it can cost you your health if you don’t
do it… Most of the costs lie outside your comfort zone. This
is probably what gets most people into trouble.

People don’t realistically think about the cost of what it will
take to achieve their goals. They are unwilling to pay the
price and quit at the first obstacle.

5. You are worth it, pay the price! That’s right… This may
be tough love but if it’s a goal you want, you need to suck it
up! This is your life and quite frankly you cannot put a price
on your health.

If you cannot honestly say you have improved your nutrition
or exercise habits over the past year or decade; then you can
make the next weeks, months, even decade ahead be different
that the last 10 by making a decision and a commitment to
change no matter what price.

Find out more about New Year’s resolutions and how you can
keep yours by clicking on this link:

http://bestbodymakeover.com/newyear/

You will discover everything you need to succeed: nutrition,
cardio training, strength training, and your motivation to do it
all. You will stay focused on the resolutions you make.

I will be customizing this program for you with personal
one-on-one attention. Nobody else gives you this kind of
support.

There is one catch… because it is important that I give you top
quality attention, it is very time intensive for me, I have to limit
this to 12 people.

As an added incentive to make 2010 a significant year of change
for you, grab this offer before January 6th, and save big time
for a limited time.

http://bestbodymakeover.com/newyear/

All the best in 2010!
Lauren

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Everybody wants the magic bullet. Our culture expects quick fixes. Sadly, when quick changes happen, they don’t last long term. See the diets, amazing ab machines, magic pills or fat-burners for what they are. Save your money and time on all these quick-fix products… they only create false hopes.

You probably already know what you need to do yet… you’re not doing it! Here is the problem with thinking you know everything. If you were told you should drink more water or eat more vegetables, your first response might be… “I know that.”

You instantly shut down your brain when you have heard something before, especially when it involves a behavior change and leaving your comfort zone.

Without being receptive to the learning, a behavioral change will not happen. Change requires not being you. Tell yourself: “If I have to change, I need to stop being me.” You are capable of not being you, but you need to learn how… in consistent small doses over time. That’s how habits change, and ultimately results occur.

The stories you don’t always hear or want to hear about the people who create long-term success, is they got out of their comfort zone, stayed focused, and changed. When they had a setback, they did not stay immobilized, they got up and got back on track.

What keeps these people so driven and how can you create that “do whatever it takes mindset”?

It is important to see the big picture of where you want to be, but your focus should be on what you can do now to get to the next step.

You can see and feel significant change and results in 12 weeks. Those results will fuel wanting more success. This is how an unstoppable mindset and lasting habits are created. When that happens, true learning takes place.

Ask yourself, “What do I already ‘know’ about my health that I am not changing?”

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