Can you REALLY think yourself thin?

You may already know about stress and belly fat. . .

“There are special receptors on the fat cells deep inside the abdomen which are specifically intended to hook up with stress hormone — and stress hormone stimulates them to accept fat,” said Peeke, a former senior scientist at the National Institutes of Health.

A Yale University study shows that even non-overweight people are vulnerable to gaining belly fat when under stress. Abdominal fat puts you greater risk of heart disease and diabetes

“We also found that women with greater abdominal fat had more negative moods and higher levels of life stress,” said Elissa S. Epel, Ph.D., lead investigator on the study she conducted while at Yale’s psychology department.

What does that have to do with thinking yourself thin?

Because your unconscious mind doesn’t make a distinction between what is real and what imagined, simply thinking a stressful thought can trigger stress-related responses. That means your adrenal glands produce cortisol which creates belly fat, and also shifts the body from a fat-burning mode to a sugar-burning mode i.e MORE fat. (If you’ve experienced sugar cravings when under stress, you know understand why)

Part of the problem is that the brain can’t tell the difference between survival stress and chronic, daily stress. Thus, when it comes to weight gain, regardless of how they act on the outside, people who FEEL “stressed out,” or worried, are often storing MORE fat than people who approach their day relaxed or in a better state of mind.

But conquering stress alone, won’t solve the problem

Stress is only one part of the weight equation. Eating, exercise and self-image are obviously important too. With the right mental strategies you can “re-program your self-image,” learn to find exercise pleasurable, and painlessly change how and what you eat.

So yes, you can in fact “think yourself thin” but it involves more than wishful thinking.

In my online weight loss and fitness program that begins this Wednesday, I will be showing you how to counter ALL the causes of weight gain, including those mentioned here and a lot more. You will learn a systematized approach to identifying and breaking all your destructive habits – and replacing them with healthy behaviors that serve you better.

For more information visit http://www.silvabasictraining.com/resultshops/self-hypnosis-weight-loss

“Get-in-Shape, Lose-Weight and Have-the-Body-You-Want Program” .

Blessings for the New Year!!

P.S. If you want to register for the FREE Prosperity Programming Workshop on January 14, 2012, there are only a few spaces left. Please register ASAP to guarantee your space here . http://www.silvabasictraining.com/events/free-power-programming# .

In my last blog, I talked about people putting too much on their plate and  the need to exercise discernment– if you truly want to get the most from life. Here are a few practical suggestions for how to do that:

1.    Prioritize

When it comes to getting appointments with clients, potential employers or business prospects prioritize your list and make your calls in order of importance. Call the biggest prospects or most important people FIRST. Most people just start at the top of the list and work their way down, or they begin with the easiest calls (which are usually low priorities). As a result their best prospects and clients often fall to the end of the line, where there is no room on your plate. Your best prospects are usually the busiest. So doesn’t it make sense to call them when you can easily accommodate them in your schedule?

2.    Baby Steps

Begin the day by identifying what three baby steps (i.e. single actions) you can take to get to your most important goals. All big accomplishments are simply a series of small single actions that take less then five minutes to complete, such as finding a phone number, writing an email, reading a memo, or brainstorming an idea.
Then take those three steps – BEFORE you get thrown into a whirlwind of daily activity.
Because success breeds success, creating momentum at the beginning of the day makes the whole day more productive. Even if the rest of your day is lousy, you can still feel great at the end of it, when you look back, and recognize that you made progress toward your most important goals.

3.    Clarify

Go into every situation clear about the outcome. Get very specific about how you will know if you were successful. Dig deep until you have something specific and concrete. Doing this on the front-end, forces you to think things through so you don’t have a whole lot of “woulda, coulda, shoulda” when its time for dessert.

If for example you will be attending a networking function, decide what outcome you want such as meeting three qualified prospects, or to connect with a certain decision maker. If you are cleaning your office, decide which piles will be cleared before you are done. Visualize the outcome first and you will be more likely to succeed. If you are having dinner with a close friend, decide how you want them to feel by the end of the evening, or perhaps what issue you want to resolve. This type of outcome-oriented thinking, backed by your actions will not only help you feel more accomplished, it will also have a very positive effect on your confidence and self-esteem.

4.    Unwind

Give yourself time every day to unwind, relax and be. Time to center yourself is not just important for your physical, mental and emotional health, it is actually the key to sustaining achievement.  You can unwind with a lot more ease if you have implemented the steps above because you will have a sense of accomplishment.

5.    Say “YES”

Whether you need a friend to help you clear clutter, a mentor to inspire you, a coach to hold you accountable, a workshop to acquire new skills, or seminar to nurture your spirit, get the nourishment you need. Say “yes” to getting help!  None of us can do it alone.

The old saying: “if you keep doing what you been doing, You will keep get what you have been getting,”  is true. Chances are, that if you COULD do it alone, you would have already done so.  Getting outside assistance can give you the kind of perspective that is impossible for people to gain when working alone. It does not mean you are incompetent or incapable, it means you are smarter and more conscious than most because you realize your limitations. You will be surprised how much more effective  you can be when you focus more of your time doing what you do REALLY well.

Setting priorities and having defined outcomes do not inhibit your ability to be spontaneous, in fact, it encourages it. That is because when you have identified and completed what is important, it gives you a sense of accomplishment which frees you to do what you want to do. The baby steps keep you moving forward and prevent overwhelm and procrastination.  Top that off with periods of deep relaxation to rejuvenate mind, body and soul. Then sprinkle with meaningful connections, growth and connection with others.

It is recipe  for success that works every time.

Have you noticed what happens at buffet brunch?

Most people start at the beginning of the line, indiscriminately scooping food on their plates. By the time they get to the really good stuff, their plates are full. As a result they either end up with indigestion or a lot less of what they truly desire.

It is arguably how this country got into the budget mess we face and it is how many of us live our lives. Even though we may “know better,” we pile too much on, and don’t leave enough room for the quality that makes life truly joyful, rich and fulfilling.

How do you change that?

In ancient Vedic mythology, the symbol of wisdom, is the Kala Hamsa, a black swan-like bird with a snow-white belly.   What makes this bird so exceptional is its ability to drink milk, by extracting ONLY the cream, leaving the water behind.
THAT quality, the trait of discernment, is the kind of wisdom we need to pursue, to get the best out of life.

Regardless of what you do, what the economy is like, how many obligations you have, the quality of your  life NOW depends on what you discard as what you keep.

Whether it is clutter in your physical environment, unnecessary stress, the tasks you take on, the invitations you say “yes” to, relationships that drag you down, the unconscious habits, or the outmoded thinking patterns, beliefs and feelings; the key to your success, is your ability to let go. THEN the challenge is to be mindful of what you put on your plate

Start now to discriminate between the people, places, things, behaviors, feelings and thoughts that support you and those that drain you. The discerning person doesn’t put a scoop of everything on their plate. Or just accept what is handed to them. Instead, they filter out what is important and take action based on true priorities. Some people spend so little quality time getting in touch with themselves, that they don’t know what their true priorities really are. Others know, but they don’t have the discipline, tools or skills to live life by their own design.

It takes consciousness to KNOW what will nourish you, and what to discard. Following through, takes skill, ability and often, outside help. For those of you joining me in in the next month for either the Mind to Succeed Coaching Program (via the web) or the Silva Intensive Retreat (Delray Beach, FL), I guarantee you will make huge progress in these areas.

In the meantime, start with a list of assets and liabilities. Include habits, relationships, thinking patterns, emotional baggage and the things that really make life worthwhile. The first step to solving a problem is to identify it and decide on what you want instead,

Maxwell Maltz, the plastic surgeon who wrote the mega best-seller, Psycho cybernetics, said that the single greatest characteristic of successful people is immunity to criticism.
Perhaps he is right.
But what do you do if you aren’t so thick skinned?

History is filled with people who overcame a chorus of critics on their way to creating massive success but what if you are a bit more sensitive to what people might think or say about you? What if it hurts when people say that you’re wrong? Or that your ideas are dumb? Perhaps you are afraid that people might think you are too old, too young, too fat, too thin, too smart, too stupid, too bald, too hairy, or …..
We all know that it’s not the actual criticism that matters; it’s how you react to it—or the possibility of it.
While I agree with Mr. Malts that immunity from criticism is a most valuable asset,  I think we need to look deeper to see WHY we react the way we do, if we are to find real solutions for people who aren’t necessarily bullet-proof.

Whether it is career, money, health, relationships or public speaking, I find that your ability to break-through self-imposed barriers and go beyond previous limits, comes down to two things:
1.    How you deal with fear
2.    How you cultivate confidence
Interestingly, there are some very easy and effective mind-tools that can make an immediate difference in how you deal with these two aspects.
Those attending my advanced ResultShop Monday night will have three distinct experiences of moving out of fear and into confidence. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of your worst fears literally shrivel away   You will be amazed…

Did you know that the number of overweight and obese people is higher than ever?

Some estimates put the number in the USA alone, at 97 million, or 1 in 3 people! That number has nearly doubled in the past two decades.

Interestingly, the number of books on HOW to reduce weight is ALSO higher than ever!

If information alone were the solution, we in the United States would be the healthiest, trimmest people in the world.

But we are NOT, and there are some very good reasons why…

It is not that people don’t have enough motivation.  Considering that:

• 33% to 40% of the population is “trying” to lose weight at any given time
• Being overweight is a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, arthritis, breathing problems, and some forms of cancer
• Americans spend over 33 billion dollars a year on weight reduction products,

There seems to be plenty of motivation to get in shape. And we haven’t even begun to factor in ALL the other reasons related to self-image, self-esteem — or how about just feeling good in your clothes.

So if people KNOW what to do and have lots of REASONS to do it, what IS the problem?

Well for one thing, food companies spend billions of dollars finding ways to maximize their profits, and they recruit the best and brightest minds to find ways of making YOU eat more of their foods. The more addictive the better.

Am I saying that your excess weight or lack of fitness is CAUSED by ruthless marketing of snack-food companies?

Of course not.

Am I saying that you need to move more and eat less?

Maybe. If that is the case though, you probably don’t need me to TELL you that!

Or is it more a matter of your relationship to food and your body:

WHEN you eat, HOW you eat and WHY you don’t make it to the gym as often as you should?  I imagine, you KNOW THAT too.

So what is the sticking point?

Getting and staying in great physical condition, has a lot more to do with SELF-MANAGEMENT: the skills, tools and ability to control your imagination, focus, emotional response to stress, physiology, and YES, knowing HOW to motivate yourself, when you just don’t feel like doing what you need to do.

Willpower alone, cannot sustain fitness — if your imagination and/or emotions are not under your control.

Have you ever done this?

If you’ve ever rebounded from rejection with a jar of crunchy peanut butter, taken passionate pleasure in a sensual fling with Cherry Garcia, or been slowly seduced by chocolate cake, you have a pretty good idea of what I mean. (And if you haven’t, perhaps you ought to try it sometime! Just kidding. )

That is why fad diets don’t work and so many people are trapped in a never-ending cycle of yo yo dieting.

So then, why is exercise so darn hard for people, when it can make you feel and look so good? Not just physically, but mentally, emotionally and energetically too.

For most people, this too is a matter of focus and imagination. If you are associating exercise with being hot, sticky, out-of- breath and uncomfortable, you probably won’t be doing much of it. But if, instead you associate exercise with fitting in to your skinny jeans, the wonderful feeling you have at the end,  and the idea sparks images of YOU with the energy, vitality, longevity and body you want — it is a whole different story.

Knowing how to shift your focus and consequently the energetic polarity within you, is like having a key to your metabolic engine. It makes the journey a lot easier.

Do you have what it takes?

Frankly most people simply don’t have the skills to easily make positive, permanent change in their weight and fitness. Usually it takes a devastating loss or life-threatening health challenge , to shock them into creating the change they need.

Even people who have spent tens of thousands of dollars on weight loss products and surgery eventually fall back into their old patterns unless they deal with the REAL issues.

But honestly dealing with the crux of the matter, is a lot easier than you think — WHEN you POSSESS and MASTER the skills that can help you get and stay thin, fit and fabulous –forever.

How the heck do I know?

It’s hard to admit… I was anorexic as an adolescent with a dis-functional relationship to my body and food. I literally starved myself in the hopes of achieving the body image pop culture deemed “right.” Then after a very traumatic incident at sixteen, I swung the other way, going on wild food binges, and literally cocooned myself in layers of soft, comforting cushions of fat, perpetuating the vicious cycle of crash dieting and emotional turmoil.

I am NOT saying that everyone who has a few pounds to lose, has emotional issues, or is as screwed up as I was.  Not at all.

What I am saying, is that despite the fact that I had all that craziness going on, I was able to break though my food addictions, the resistance to exercise and get myself in shape. And if I did it with all that craziness, and hundreds of my students have done it — with or without extenuating circumstances, then so can you.

You see for the past twenty-five years, I have maintained my ideal weight, shape and size — WITHOUT DIETING!!

I’m VERY grateful that at age 50,  I’m in better shape, with better muscle tone, strength and flexibility than I had at twenty-one.

“”Without Dieting” does not mean that I eat massive quantities of fatty junk food. It means that I don’t NEED a diet because the way I NOW naturally eat, my daily habits, the foods I now prefer and my love of exercise, all work to keep me healthy and in shape.

There are very few secrets when it comes to health and fitness. But HOW you get yourself to do (let alone ENJOY) the things that actually work for you, is a big one.

What exactly is the big secret?

My secrets have little to do with WHAT I eat or HOW I work out. But they do have a lot to do with the things I’m going to talk about in my ResultShop Monday night, such as how:

• Habitual thinking patterns influence weight and vitality. How to change yours.
• How to IMMEDIATELY ERASE DESIRE for something you don’t want — but find impossible to resist. You know that chocolate cake or favorite ice cream you can never say no to? Well not any more!
• How to change a habit in just 5 minutes
• Why most dieters actually PUT ON weight. What you need to do differently.
• Self-image affects behavior. Change yours.
• To find the ideal food and exercise plan for you
• Quickly and effectively get yourself motivated and energized
• Increase vitality in just five minutes a day
• And so much more

The program is Monday, August 15, 2011 at 9PM Eastern. And it is only Ten bucks. What do you have to lose?
Perhaps a few unwanted pounds ? You can register at
www.Silvabasictraining.com/resultshop

Jean Henri Fabre, considered by many to be the father of modern entomology, was perhaps most famous for the experiment he did with processionary caterpillars in 1855.

As you might guess, these caterpillars follow each other very closely, forming a column that moves in a procession. When they go out in search of food,each one excretes a silky substance that creates a path they can follow on their return.

One day Fabre placed some of these caterpillars around the rim of a flower pot.  In the center he put their favorite food. But the caterpillars just marched around and around the flower pot on their comfortable road of silk, doing what they have always done,  never straying from the path. Exhausted, hungry, worn out, they blindly followed their comrade in front of them while only a few inches away in the center of the pot was the nourishment they needed to live a long, healthy, prosperous life.

For days and days, the caterpillars marched around the pot, never leaving their silken path, until one by one they fell off the rim and died —never breaking their paradigm.

With all our intellect, abilities and gifts, most human beings are not all that different. We all partake in unconscious patterns that often keep us stuck in at least one aspect of life or another.

Around and around we go, following our past programming, outdated beliefs, destructive habits, behaviors that are no longer congruent with who we want to be as human beings.

Following the same pattern can be very comforting because it feels safe.

Sometimes it can be deadly as in the case of the caterpillar.

Mostly it provides a false sense of security and robs us of our vitality and our potential for extracting the best from life.

The wonderful thing about being human is that we can change!

Especially if we have the right help, a sound, proven methodology and the openness and to engage fully in the process.

If you are a little weary of getting what you have been getting, doing what you have been doing, I invite you for a break through. . .

4 Secrets to Getting the Life You Want, Wed, June 1, 9PM EDT. Free Web Class

Summer Retreat June 30 to July 4. Break thru your barriers to health, wealth and happiness and become a better, happier more fulfilled person – guaranteed. http://www.SilvaBasicTraining.com/retreat

The next SLS 6-week web course begins June 8. More details at: https://www.silvaminds.com/MBE/slsweb.htm

While there is a little less talk in the media about economic woes, I still hear a good deal about it from almost all my clients.  In working with them I keep going through these 8 ways to take advantage of the current economic times to increase your bottom line.

1. Develop your sales and negotiation skills. Always ask for a better deal – what do you have to lose? Remember that whatever you save goes right to the bottom line.
2. Double, triple or quadruple your sales and marketing activities. You will maximize results now because so many people are convinced no one is buying that they have stopped trying . . .
3. Demand more value from the media you are working with.
4. Consider repackaging your products and/or services (More on this next week.)
5. Go through all your processes and procedures. Do you have benchmarks that serve as indicators to see what is working well and what needs to improve? Define measurable targets for each area in your business and set improvement goals.
6. Do you have operational holes that drain resources and need to be plugged? Make sure you are not losing time or money unnecessarily.
7. Block out an undisturbed hour to take a critical look at your processes. You will be amazed at the difference a little thought can make to how you do things. For example, a financial planning client was able to increase revenues by 20%, simply by changing the order in which they scheduled their clients for reviews: They moved away from scheduling the easiest clients first to scheduling their wealthiest and best clients first and working everyone else in between those plum appointments.
8. Often thousands of dollars can be saved by simply focusing your attention on reducing seemingly fixed expenses. For example, a call to your delivery, telephone or credit card company can get you on a better plan that puts hundreds of dollars back into your pocket each month. You have nothing to lose!

What do you think? Can you spend at least an hour over the course of the next week trying out a few of these ways? Let me know how it goes for you by leaving a comment below. And if you have any other ways to take advantage of the current economic times, please feel free to share your thoughts below.

In a previous post we mentioned that a low cost or no cost marketing tip was to use vendors to find new customers. Here are 4 more reasons to build better relationships with your vendors.

1. Vendors control your costs (money saved on vendor-expenses goes straight to your bottom line – which is why the question “Is that the best you can do?” is something to ask about EVERY price quoted to you.)
2. Vendors know if your competitors are in trouble, and can help you find out if there is there an opportunity to buy a business at a discount.
3. Vendors want you to succeed AND can refer you business.
4. They will often supplement your marketing dollars, provide promotional giveaways and/or sponsor your events

Can you think of other reasons to build vendor relationships? You can share your tips by leaving a comment below.

I know that it seems counter intuitive, but do you realize that relaxation can actually make you MORE successful?

That is because the foundation of all true success is the skill of mastering your personal energy.

Being able to deeply relax means mastering your mind and body through the right use of your attention. Mastering your attention means mastering the use of your brain. The wrong use of attention often leads to lethargy and failure. The right use of attention energizes your whole body and catapults you in the direction of greater success.

Here are six things you will find when you have cultivated the ability to deeply relax:

• Your productivity will increase.
• You will feel better.
• Your memory will improve.
• Your mental faculties will be faster and sharper,
• Your immune system will function better and better.
• All of your relationships will be enhanced.

Being able to relax deeply whenever you want to is easiest when you have a trigger. One of the most powerful triggers of all is your language. A trigger is a conditioned response, like Pavlovian conditioning.

Human beings have bigger brains and can learn habits much faster. Do you have triggers that help you relax physically and mentally?

What you focus your attention often determines what you feel. How you feel determines what you do, how you do it and consequently the results you get. And the best results are those achieved with relaxed focus.

Relaxed focus is a learned response that comes when you learn to stop worrying and concentrate your attention on the RIGHT things. I will be discussing HOW you do that in my tele-seminar on April 20th. (STOP Worrying and START Living! )

Imagine your world without worry– where truly soothing, comfortable states of mind and body propel you away from problems and toward success in all the areas of your life. What are the possibilities?

How To Get Into A State Of Relaxed Awareness

The Silva 5-1 Method

(We will teach you how to set up these automatic triggers in the Silva Life Systems Seminar in May)

5 – Eyelid fatigue
4 – Closed eyes
3 — Physical relaxation
2 – Mental Relaxation
1 – Relaxed Focus

The Silva 3-1 Method
3 — Physical relaxation (Take a deep breath and while exhaling visualize and mentally repeat the number 3 three times.  Create a wave of relaxation from your head to your toes)
2 – Mental Relaxation (Take a deep breath and while exhaling visualize and mentally repeat the number 2 three times. Visualize tranquil  scenes.)
1 – Relaxed awareness

The Three-finger technique

A shortcut or trigger to achieving a state of relaxed focus in seconds.

When you “install” it, it works as follows:

• Eyes open or closed
  
• Put your thumb and first two fingers together of either hand or both hands & disconnect for a second
• Disconnect for a second
  
• Experience relaxed focus
  

Do you like these techniques? Learn more on my FREE Teleclass on 4/20.

Last week we talked about ways to leverage your existing marketing dollars and today we’ll look at 10 low cost or no cost ways to market your small business.

1. Ask for referrals from existing clients
2. Offer yourself as a speaker to groups in your target market. (If you havent already done so, post your “speaker profile” on http://www.freespeakerbureau.com a site I set up to connect local experts with nonprofits and associations looking for speakers  for their meetings and events. )
   
3. Participate in networking groups AND get involved in the organization
4. Write articles for trade publications that reach your target market
5. Send press releases to your local media
6. Compile a mailing list to send informative emails and/or blog entries
7. Host a free internet talk radio show in which you interview industry experts on your website (a great way to get traffic to your business website)
8. Create some videos answering the 10 most frequently asked questions regarding your business and post to YouTube
9. Post your services on Craig’s list and other places that offer free advertising
10. Let your vendors help you grow. Always be helpful and gracious to your vendors, and remember that they are a supremely valuable (and often overlooked!) resource

Can you think of other low-cost or no-cost marketing tips? Please share by leaving a comment below.