Climbing out of the box

I don't know about you, but the silver lining for me during this economic crisis has been surprising and quite enjoyable - I'm getting more creative. That may not mean much, but anyone who knows me would not describe me as creative. I'm an organizer to the max - linear, analytical, methodical. I live in the box, not outside it!

Not that I can't - or don't - come up with creative solutions for my clients in my business. But you wouldn't call me when you need to come up with an amazing color to paint your living room or ask me where to hang your incredible piece of art. Lately, though I've been blessed with some very creative aha moments both professionally and personally, which I believe have been stimulated by the relatively tougher times we're experiencing economically.

If you subscribe to any e-newsletters at all, you know what I mean. Effective marketing right now means thinking way out of the box - it's more than just cutting prices. To survive in this economy you have to not only be affordable but unique, relevant, and valuable.

When things are going well, we tend to take that fact for granted and we do what we do. We're focused on results, as we should be. But it's easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Recently a friend who owns her own home management business told me she's spending more time finding creative ways to give her customers incredible value.

Maybe it's a little bit of not missing the water until the well runs dry, and that's not always a bad thing. Confucious said, "Consider the uses of adversity." What amazing idea could these tough times birth for you?

Sweat Out the Tough Times!

My prescription for these tough economic times is to strap on your running shoes, pick up some hand weights and work it out! These uncertain times have ramped up everyone's stress level - including mine! And while you can be tempted to become immobilized on the couch, fence, or whatever - you need to do exactly the opposite.

In fact there is no better time than right now to focus your energy on your body and on you - be selfish! I find my mental clarity shoots up several notches after I get those endorphins pumping through my blood. Right now I'm depending on working out to keep me sane. The uncertainty of the economy, business dropping off and the need to be ever more creative and focused place more demands on me than ever. For a while I started feeling like a worm on a hook, wriggling first one way and then another - but still stuck!

That's when I realized that life is simply sometimes just tough. You can't change it, but you don't have to be overwhelmed or defeated by it. Emotional and mental pain can do a number on your health - it will leave you without passion, motivation or confidence. That's why taking care of your health - eating supportively and working out regularly is SO IMPORTANT. It shows us that we do have control over our choices and outcomes. It's a powerful reminder that we can contribute in a constructive way to our own well being.

I believe you feel the most alone and overwhelmed in life when you're no longer participating in something meaningful. What these tough times are teaching me is that I am building a stronger, more confident me! When my lungs are screaming as I run an 8 minute mile, I'm not thinking about the negative and messy parts of my life. I'm building my self confidence and my self esteem. It's a commitment I make every day to keeping passion in my life.

Now it's more important than ever to keep moving! Get off the couch and give yourself the attention and care you deserve. I'm right here to help if you need me.

Confused? Answers to 8 Common Weight Loss Questions

We hear so many weight loss tips it's downright mind boggling. Should you eat after 8 p.m.? Will eating grapefruit help you lose weight? A team of nutrition experts gives you the skinny:

1. Does chewing sugar free gum and eating low cal foods like celery help burn calories?
Hardly enough to matter. This is called the "negative calorie" approach to weight loss whereby chewing low cal foods takes more energy for your body to chew and digest than the calories they contain. At a Mayo Clinic study, it was determined that a peson who a piece of gum every waking hour of the day would lose less than a pound in one month. Bottom line: Stop chewing and get moving if you want to lose weight.

2. Does coffee rev my metabolism?
Resounding yes, if you drink it black. Caffeine stimulates the nervous system signaling the body to release a small amount of energy from its fat stores. When you add milk, cream, or sugar it causes insulin levels to rise which diminish the metabolic effect.

3. Will I gain weight if I eat after 8 p.m.?
It depends. The most important factor affecting weight is the total calories you eat each day, not when you eat them. That said, skimping on meals during the day may set you up to overeat at night which WILL pack on pounds. Research is showing that eating a larger breakfast, a moderate lunch, and a smaller dinner can help you consume fewer calories and reduce the temptation to snack at night. Turns out grandma's old adage was correct: Eat like a king at breakfast, a prince at lunch, and a pauper at dinner!

4. If I'm rushed in the morning, should I grab a donut or whatever's handy or have nothing at all?
A donut is technically better than nothing, but not by much. The sugar, fat, carbs, and white flour are quickly absorbed in the bloodstream making your blood sugar rise so you will be hungry shortly thereafter. Over time this kind of eating may lead to weight gain. Studies at St. Louis University showed that women who eat carb rich meals over high protein ones ate about 400 more calories and had stronger cravings over the next 36 hours. Skip the cream filled and cake versions, and muffins.

5. Should I blot the oil on my pizza to cut calories?
It will help. Blotting a medium sized piece of cheese pizza can remove up to 50 calories and 5 grams of fat. But blotting won't help you if you're ordering cheese stuffed crust, meat-lovers, or double cheese pies which can add up to 800 calories per slicke and contain more than a whole days' worth of fat and sodium. Order with extra veggies and half the cheese and switch from deep dish to thin crust.

6. Does exercising on an empty stomach burn more fat?
It does, but if you're like me, you might not be able to work out as long or as intensely as you would if you had eaten first. A 200 calorie snack about 30 minutes before working out could actually help you lose weight in the long run, because you're able to work out longer. Exercisers who work out on an empty stomach may become so hungry post workout that they make poor food choices. Eat a banana, yogurt, protein drink or bar before working out can give you the energy you need to crank up the intensity.

7. Does eating grapefruit help you flush fat?
Despite the long standing rumors on this one, there is no science behind any food burning or melting away fat. If you lose weight on a grapefruit plan it is probably because you have cut calories by restricting food intake.

8. Does eating carbs, fat, and protein separately help with weight loss?
Nope. Food combining has gone in and out of favor over the last 10 years. The theory is that different food types (proteins, fats, straches, sugars, etc.)require their own digestive enyzmes in order to metabolize properly. The claim was that mixing these groups or eating them at the wrong time could cause weight gain. Recent studies indicate that a balanced diet worked just as well if not better (consuming healthy carbs, protein, and healthy fats at meals) than food combining plans.

Holistic Fitness Program

True wellness springs from a deep connection with the physical, mental, and spiritual. You can't have one without the other. As my own training has progressed, I've learned to tap into this connection in a way I'd never even thought about when I was younger. I started taking better care of my home environment and organized my work load more efficiently so I'd have time to train. I worked on reducing stress and eliminating activities and people who drained my energy.

I took time out to go within (I'm a yoga reject, but I'm learning to love it!) to create more focus and calm the ADD hummingbird that always threatens to derail me. And it worked! When I ran 8 miles in slightly over an hour, I experienced a confidence and power that made me feel on top of my game. At 50 I feel better than EVER!

The way I did it was one simple change at a time. For once I didn't try to eat the entire elephant in one sitting as I've been known to do. I started slowly and let the momentum build. The results have been nothing short of amazing.

There is no better time for you to think about you and to focus on your health. Don't hunker down and cease moving. Begin with one small change and watch the quantum effect it will have on your life.

People First

If you had to step over piles of clothes, papers and unidentifiable "stuff" just to get to your kitchen table, you're not alone. Studies show that although families are smaller, homes are larger than ever. Even with the current financial crisis, we're still taxing our credit cards and filling up our spaces with more. We've been led to believe that things bring us happiness and it's a hard habit to break.

What a good professional organizer must do then, is to uncover what's really going on underneath all the stuff, which can often be painful, but life changing too.

Clutter and too much stuff robs people of so much. It destroys intimacy, it promotes tension and steals playfulness. All of which are key to good relationships. The stuff takes over. It robs you psychologically. You can't be at peace.

If one person in the home tends to perpetuate clutter and disorganization it can be like living with an alcoholic. The family becomes pivoted around the clutterholic and the relationships become strained and tense. At first glance it may not appear as serious as substance abuse, but when you scratch beneath the surface you are likely to find feelings of resentment and lack of respect.

Everyone feels the effects of the clutter. One of my clients complained, "I can't do the things I want to do with my kids because of all the piles. I can't help them with their homework because there's no space. My relationship as a dad is compromised by all the stuff in the house."
Once we get over the fact that we don't need the stuff and that all that stuff is actually hurting our relationships we realize that what we need is each other.
Are you hiding behind all your clutter? Is it a way to avoid intimacy? Take a look in your bedroom before you answer that question. If there's stuff everywhere, ask yourself why. It doesn't matter if you're single or have a partner - you can't nurture yourself or others while you're wading through stuff.
Think about the people you love and what they mean to you. Wouldn't you trade your entire house full of stuff if it meant keeping them with you just one more day? People first. Then things.

Making Peace with Order - and Disorder. . .

Last week I learned a little more about myself and my passion for organization. Or is it a little bit of OCD? My mother was here in August for her annual visit. We got to talking about "the old days" and she mentioned off handedly, "Well, you know what your uncle used to say about my mother's side of the family. The best way they could control their lives was to reorder the towels and make sure everthing was in its proper place. We couldn't even go out to eat until your grandmother had walked through the entire house making sure every room was in order."

Later I thought about that conversation and my possible roots of compulsion that lurked beneath my desire for order. Did I inherit my mother's and her family's belief that if our living space wasn't perfect, everything - not just the house - but our lives - would fall apart?

I think my grandmother and her siblings used the rituals of order to combat the powerlessness they may have felt as Italian immigrants struggling to make a life in a new country while their father slowly died of tuberculosis in the upstairs bedroom. Order was their survival kit, their way to stay in control.

Of course the reverse can also be true. Disorganization and holding onto too many things is a different kind of survival kit, a pattern inherited from the past. We can heed these patterns, but don't have to hold onto them.

If your relationship with clutter is a "living survival kit" - maybe passed to you from another generation or another time in your life, can you afford to let it go? If it's an outdated coping mechanism that makes your life difficult or tough for those nearest and dearest, can you afford not to?

Hungry or Just Mindlessly Munching? Use the Hunger Meter Test. . .

Before you sit down to eat, try this simple test:

1. Take a minute to assess your hunger level.

2. Rate it on a scale of 1 (ravenous) to 10 (totally stuffed).

3. If your hunger is at a 4 or higher, it's time to eat. Waiting until you're at a 2 or a 3 will put you at risk for overeating.

4. Start to slow down when you get to a 6 or 7 and reassess. Are you still eating to satisfy hunger at this point? Or are you eating for the sake of eating?