We watch celebs go through it, our friends and family members go through it, our co-workers, strangers, and sometimes we go through it ourselves. It’s the realization that we have a choice, we have power, we control whether we follow through with our own decisions. Once we grasp this, the transformation begins!

Jennifer Hudson remembered she has a choice with what and how much to eat and that it is up her to fit working out into her schedule. She sought out Weight Watchers to help her with the structure but ultimately she found her own power. I am not saying this is easy to find and navigate, but it is readily available to all of us at any time.

The biggest question that I get is how do you do this and still have a life? Well, it is easier than you think. It just takes a twist in your perspective.

FOOD:

Here is an example with food: You’ve had a really good day of eating and now your best friend wants to stop at a cupcake shop on the way home and sit and eat cupcakes and have girl-talk time. First, make your choice, do you want to have a bite or 3 of a cupcake? (btw, it is certainly fine if you do). If you do then either ask to share one or order your own and know that you are only going to eat a small bite then toss the rest (or order one of those mini cupcakes instead of a full size). If you don’t want any cupcake, suggest you stop for tea or coffee instead. Contrary to what we might think, your girl-talk time is NOT contingent on eating an entire cupcake. The key is to not make a huge deal of not eating the whole cupcake or not wanting one…instead make that secondary to wanting to hang with your gal pal. Being social is key to our happiness — extra calories and sugar is not.

Second example with food: Business dinners, lunches, or other social obligations that involve eating and drinking. Again, make your focus the social aspect, not the food. Make a choice going in about how much you truly want or need to eat and drink, then follow your own plan but focus on having a good time.

The different scenarios take practice and allowing yourself to have a little bit can be hard but really it all begins with realizing you have a choice. You are never a victim of your circumstance. I don’t really drink alcohol and I don’t eat too much high fat/high sugar foods AND I attend a lot of social functions. However no one really notices either way because I am more focused on being social than making my food and drink choices the center of my attention. You can have firm personal choices without necessarily making them public.

FITNESS:

This one can take practice as well. Us gals tend to have a harder time with it than guys because we are multi-taskers and are socialized to give more than we take for ourselves. Plus we really aren’t that convinced that small amounts of exercise really help us. Let’s put these thoughts aside, shall we?

Here is a challenging fitness example: Recently I have been hosting family in LA and traveling to CT and NY for a number of social functions. My schedule has been off, really whacky, and it has been almost impossible to find time to workout. I had to remember to not be too co-dependent to others that I couldn’t say, “Hey I am going to have 30 min to myself this morning (or evening or afternoon)" then coordinate with others or wake up early, etc…to have my time. I would even do pushups, planks or lunges in the bathroom in the morning or throughout the day when I needed to. Having my phone or iPad was helpful in grabbing quick workout routines. Then I would look ahead in my schedule to plan a longer workout and treat it as an important appointment. I know this seems hard, but you have to do it if you want the results. With a little practice, it is actually manageable.

Bottom line: we have options, we are in control. Give it a try today and this week — see how good owning your power makes you feel!

Good Luck! I am always here if you need me.

-Kristin