Be happy in your own skin – We talk all the time about leading a healthy and fit lifestyle, setting realistic goals, and believing there is a better YOU out there. Something that goes hand in hand with all of that, is learning how to be happy in your own skin.

Being happy in your own skin means finding satisfaction in where you are as a person. That can mean anything from how you look and feel about your appearance – even if there are things you want to work on – your season in life, how you are with your family, and your relationship with God.

Being happy in your own skin also reflects your ability to cope with whatever challenges life has for you, and how long it may take to reach your ultimate goal.

But too often, we – and when I say we, I mean us busy moms out there – struggle with being happy in our own skin. Our society places a ton of emphasis on appearance and what beauty is suppose to look like, and a pitfall of that is when we compare ourselves to others. How many times have you been worried about what you are going to look like at the beach in that bikini? Or what you look like when you workout? Maybe you pay too much attention to the super models or movie stars?

Stop comparing yourself to others! Be happy – and recognize that it’s OK to be a work in progress.

When I find myself falling into this trap, I’m often reminded of this passage from one of my daily devotional books:

Look Up and Sing

When you are tempted to look down in despair, may you instead look up and declare, “My God is for me, who can stand against me?”

When you are tempted to whine and grumble, may you instead dance and sing.

When you are tempted to gossip or be petty, may you instead pray and intercede.

God wants to bless the world through you!

Look up today and rejoice. All of heaven is on your side.

That pretty much sums everything up for me. I have that page bookmarked and I keep it with me wherever I go just to remind myself that the temptation to fall into a pit of despair will never be as strong as my own will power to overcome and rejoice in who I am as one of God’s precious treasures.

I am a loving wife, a proud mom of three beautiful children, and no matter what struggles I have faced in the past, the point is, they are in the past. I will be confident in myself, no matter what the future holds.

Look, I wish I could say all the transformational stories I’ve shared about myself, my clients, and other fellow coaches on my team will happen overnight. But they don’t. If it were that easy, everyone would do it. But in the meantime, you must face down the mental barriers that keep you from accepting who you are – and be happy in your own skin.

Here are 5 tips to be happy in your own skin:

1. Use your intelligence – Being happy in your own skin may be easier said than done, but it’s not rocket science, either. Surround yourself with positive people and eliminate the ones who aren’t. Model your life on a can-do platform, accept criticism for what it is and maintain a flow of good energy.

2. Only worry about that which can be controlled – We hear this all the time, so don’t sweat the small things that went wrong today. Who cares what anyone else thinks. I love this saying; “When God’s blessing, the Devil is messing.” Don’t cave into the devils evil to steal you of your joy!

3. Live passionately – Dive deep into your relationships … whether they are with your spouse, children, parents, and co-workers. And don’t forget about God. Live passionately for all of them, surround yourself with that positive energy and adore who you are.

4. Stay active – Working out boosts endorphins, your mood, increases your mental focus, and gives you an energy boost. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve felt better about myself – and my day – simply by getting a quick workout in. Even if that workout is a simple walk or jog around the neighborhood. I challenge you, the next time you are down on yourself, stand up and jump around… laughing, jumping, being silly is the BEST way to be happy in your own skin!

5. Drop the excuses – Pretty self explanatory. The only thing in your life that you should never make time for are excuses. All they do is get in the way of your happiness. There’s no time like the present.

Don’t miss the conversation and AMAZING story I shared about positive affirmations over on my Karma Nelson Fitness page: Fill in the blank on what you tell yourself: I am _____.

Thanks for reading!

The post Be happy in your own skin appeared first on Karma Nelson Fitness .

Source: Healthy Life

5 Reasons New Year’s Resolutions Fail – While meeting with a friend a few weeks back for lunch, our conversation quickly shifted to New Year’s resolutions and the unfortunate trend that most people lose sight of goals a month or two into the year. In my opinion, there are 5 Reasons New Year’s Resolutions Fail. I will explain more on that in a minute.

I’ve seen various stats online suggesting more than 40 percent of Americans usually make New Year’s resolutions, but according to a Forbes article in 2013, only 8 percent follow through. Even more thought provoking, Statisticbrain.com said 38 percent of Americans never commit to resolutions, which is to suggest people are thinking, “Why bother? I’m not going to keep up with it.”

The friend I mentioned earlier, who is a diehard gym rat, said it’s interesting to see how packed gyms are in the first few weeks of the month. Those same gyms look like ghost towns by the end of February.

What it boils down to is this: Despite good intentions, the majority of people fail miserably at goal setting.

And those failure can really be about anything. Check out this survey by Nielsen, (www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2015/2015s-top-new-years-resolution-fitness.html) which shows fitness – staying fit and healthy – was the No. 1 resolution last year. Other resolutions ranged from staying organized to traveling more, enjoying life and spending more time with friends and family.

So I have to ask, now that we are well into the new year, how are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? Are you succeeding, and if so, what is your secret? Make sure to leave a comment below with your personal success stories! On the flip side, if you have fallen off track, why?

5 Reasons New Year’s Resolutions Fail .

1. You are doing it alone, with no support
2. Extremely lofty goal setting
3. Poor time management – no planning
4. Not putting enough meaning behind your goals
5. No will power

If you are one of the many who have lost hope, you know it’s not too late to reclaim your goals, right?!!?

That’s where I come in! I want to help you create a better and healthier YOU, whether your goals are to lose a few pounds or find ways to overcome some of your biggest fears (anxiety, depression, etc.). It’s all about making change from the inside out.

I want you to feel amazing, not overwhelmed or deprived. To do that, we must continually set smart goals. From the list above, I believe the No. 1 mistake people make when they settle on what they feel are rock solid New Year’s resolutions is that they make those goals too lofty – almost unattainable, even.

You can’t go into a new year saying you want to lose 150 pounds by running on the treadmill every day for 30 minutes for the first six months of the year. That’s just not realistic. What about first sitting down and recognizing how you got to this point in the first place? What foods will you need to eat? What’s your plan?

By February, it’s not wonder you are burned out! More than likely, you haven’t seen any results.

So make your new year’s resolutions BULLETPROOF!

Check out my eBook, Being Your Best Self, which breaks down how to set your goals from A to Z, living a new life with new goals and loving the goals you set all year long. My website is also chock full of first-hand experience stories, workout routines and tips and our world-famous BeachBody 21-Day Challenge.

Are you ready to live YOUR best life possible? Don’t be a statistic! Resolutions weren’t meant to be broken … they were meant to be achieved!

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Source: Healthy Life

5 Easy and NATURAL Ways to Get Rid of Headaches – We all get headaches from time to time. From a health perspective, typically there is nothing to be overly concerned about when you get one – but boy can it ruin a perfectly good day! So wouldn’t it be nice to have an easy, and natural, way to eradicate headaches?

This is especially true if you are one of those unfortunate souls that get headaches often… like me.

According to WebMD there are 150 diagnosed headache categories (yes, you read that right). The most common are migraines, tension headaches, sinus headaches, and chronic progressive headaches, and they can be brought on by anything from allergies, eye strain and loud noises to sickness, anxiety, and stress.

One way to get past a horrible headache – some of you out there think what I’m about to type is the only way – is to pop a few Tylenol or Advil and breathe a sigh of relief. But is that the answer? I say NO!

I have long been a proponent of avoiding medication when possible and instead choose natural ways to get through whatever is ailing you. I know this is sometimes easier said than done, but I also know our society tends to rely too heavily on medication.

I’m here to tell you there are 5 Easy and NATURAL Ways to Get Rid of Headaches.

For the purposes of this blog, I’m going to stick with the Top 5 Easy and NATURAL Ways to Get Rid of Headaches. These ARE remedies you can do right in the comfort of your own home. There are some wild remedies out there – one I read preaches the use of cow’s butter – and if you want to check those out, follow this link (http://everydayroots.com/headache-remedies).

But again, Im my busy life, I need to keep it simple and effective, so here are some easy ways to naturally get yourself back on track:

1. Take a nap, silly!

Oftentimes, a headache is spurred on because you are mentally and emotionally exhausted. So if you have a chance, take a nap! Find a quiet place to lie down – maybe on the bed or that comfy couch – turn off the lights, shut the blinds, and doze off. Try some relaxation therapy like deep breathing and prayer. Even if it’s only a 30-minute cat nap in a back room at the office, the results are often quick.

2. Take a warm shower/use a cold pack

Sometimes when I’m really stressed out and tense, I’ll take a warm shower because the heat of the water helps alleviate muscle tension that is likely the underlying cause of the pain. You can get the same effects from placing a cold compress on the top of your head, over your eyes, or on the back of your neck.

3. Drink more water

There are more health-conscious reasons than I can count for all of us to stay properly hydrated, and one of them is because it helps avoid and overcome headaches. Drink plenty of water as soon as your head starts to hurt, and continue doing so throughout the day to ease the pain. Eight glasses (8 ounces) of water per day is always a good rule of thumb.

4. Exercise, Exercise, Exercise

I know! The last thing any of us feel like doing when we have a splitting headache is to go workout. I’m not suggesting running three miles or doing 100 squats. A simple quick walk around the neighborhood can release enough endorphins and get your blood pumping in the right way to help ease the pain.

5. Massage

Sort of goes without saying, right? Massage naturally improves circulation and relieves tension. So gently massage your temples, your face, the top of your scalp and/or the back of your neck. It might not be a bad idea to combine this technique with taking a nice hot shower!

THE BEST OF THE REST

There are plenty more natural remedies out there to not only overcome an existing headache, but avoid it all together. Some that didn’t make the list above – but are worth trying – include:

1. Aromatherapy
2. Avoiding caffeine
3. Acupuncture
4. Meditation
5. Drink ginger tee

Lastly, I am not a doctor. No one knows your body like you do, so it’s important to keep that in mind and know when it’s time to seek medical attention if you aren’t suffering from your garden-variety headache.

“I used to suffer from several migraines per month and after drinking shakeology regularly, I now only have about 2-3 migraines per year.  I owe it to this awesome super foods shake to keep my body as natural as possible.” -Karma

The post 5 Easy and NATURAL Ways to Get Rid of Headaches appeared first on Karma Nelson Fitness .

Source: Healthy Life

I’m sure many of you have experienced this at some point in your weight loss journey:

You’ve just found the magic solution to losing the extra weight and keeping it off forever…You figure out what to eat on the plan outlined, buy the groceries needed to adhere to it, and adopt the exercise regime it recommends. You follow the program strictly for two weeks, and guess what? You lose some weight, you feel better, and you like how your clothes fit. Success!

Then ___________ happens.

There was birthday cake at the office. Your partner left you. Your boss reprimanded you. You went out to lunch with your coworkers.

Before you know it, you’ve had a “snack-cident.” It crept up on you without your conscious knowledge and drove your head into a bag of potato chips.

After your snack-cident, then comes the wall of shame that sends you into a pit of despair and self-loathing. You ask yourself: “Why did I do that? Now I’ve really blown it!”

Feeling like a failure, you ditch your diet and fall back into your old patterns. The weight you lost soon comes back, along with a little extra.

Why does this keep happening? Below are 3 of the common pitfalls that set up unrealistic expectations and can lead you to fall off the healthy weight loss wagon. I’ve also included 5 tips on how to develop an approach that will stop you from engaging in that unhealthy cycle you know all too well and that will help you ultimately reach your goals.

Pitfall #1: New beginnings
Human beings enjoy things that are new and exciting. It may sound strange, but sometimes it’s fun to start a new diet or exercise routine. You get to try new recipes and new workout routines and there’s all these gadgets that track all your metrics. But, once the initial excitement wears off, we tend to get bored.

Pitfall #2: Short and sweet
We also tend to have short attention spans and want immediate results that don’t require a lot of suffering on our part. Suffering doesn’t have to be physical pain – though the soreness you might feel when starting a workout routine could count – it can also be the annoyance of not ordering your usual unhealthy coffee beverage or avoiding the fries or preparing healthy meals ahead of time instead of vegging out on the couch.

Pitfall #3: Unrealistic expectations
If it were possible to lose a huge amount of weight in a short amount of time and keep it off for the rest of our lives, none of us would be in this situation in the first place. Sustained, healthy weight loss and maintenance takes time, endurance, and patience.

Now it’s time to avoid those pitfalls and set yourself up for success! Here are 5 tips to stop falling off the weight loss wagon!

1. Focus on the Big Picture
Acknowledge the desire for novelty and meet these needs in other areas in your life before the newness of the diet and/or exercise routine wears off. For example, you could try a new sport or hobby. Also, look at the rest of your life and what realistic, sustainable changes or allowances you need to make to meet your goals. Include special occasions like birthdays, meals out, and vacations into your overall plan.

2. Become a Mental Endurance Athlete
Think of weight loss and maintenance as a marathon rather than a sprint. If you reflect on your struggle with weight, you’ll probably discover that it took you years to get to where you are today. Similarly, it may take years to find success in your weight loss journey and to stay there in the long run.

3. Be Realistic About Human Nature
Accept your weaknesses. For example, if you know that an upcoming family gathering will be stressful and it will be hard to stick to your food plan, work around it by planning ahead. Consider what you will eat ahead of time and figure out a way to de-stress afterwards that doesn’t revolve around food.

Remember that being healthy is hard work and doesn’t come easily and you may not always enjoy the process. Expect tough times when you are bored of your meal plan and feel like rebelling or resent having to work out because you just don’t feel like it that day.

4. Celebrate Your Successes
We tend to flourish and succeed at goals when we are praised. Instead of giving yourself a label like “failure,” when you go off-plan, tell yourself it’s okay and accept that you’re “a work in progress.” Stay away from extreme labels that make you feel hopeless (“failure” is one of them), or set unachievable standards (like “looking like a supermodel”).

5. Develop a Strong Support System
Many people find that they are more successful with long-term weight loss when they involve others in the process. How could your partner, family, or friends support you in your goals? Could your share healthy meals or exercise together? Or could they be a support line? If you’re feeling like skipping your working or eating something you shouldn’t, could you text or call them to help you get motivated to stay on target?

Invest in counseling. There is a tendency to slip back into old eating patterns after an initial weight loss due to how we deal (or don’t deal) with our emotions. A therapist can help you pinpoint patterns when faced with upsetting emotions and help you address problems when they arise instead of stuffing them down with food.

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Source: Healthy Life