ISSUE DATE: November, 2005

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Ø STRESS, SLEEP, WEIGHT AND THE PRICE WE PAY!
Ø ARE YOU LISTENING TO THE VOICE IN YOUR HEAD?
Ø ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT HOLIDAY GIFT?

STRESS, SLEEP, WEIGHT AND THE PRICE WE PAY!

It started innocently enough. I'd been working longer hours, spending more time at the computer, eating the wrong stuff on the run, and not taking the time to exercise. When I called my friend CJ and told him I was certain someone was shrinking my underpants in the middle of the night, I finally faced the fact that I had to do something about it. I had gained weight and it was no longer something I could ignore.

Maybe some of you can relate to this.

Then, I got a call from my financial advisor asking me for help with his weight problem. He'd been going to a lot of social gatherings and eating as he went, to the point that he was uncomfortable with the weight he'd gained. As we talked, he told me that when he sits down to eat he can hear his mother's voice telling him to eat everything on his plate, and that he couldn't go out to play until he ate everything.

Ah, the power of the programming we received between the ages of 0 and 8 is amazing. Those voices can still ring loud and clear in our minds.

About a week later I got a call from a dear friend asking me if I could help her with - guess what? - releasing some weight that she'd gained!

Before I go any further, I'll tell you what I did. I created an audiotape with new positive belief statements to program the subconscious mind for success! This is a powerful technique that anyone can use for any area of their life, and it is particularly wonderful because it can be adapted to any goal as you move forward. (For more information, see the article that follows to find out how you can create your own audiotape!)

It was no surprise, then, when I was at dinner with a friend last week and he told me about the research that shows that sleep deprivation is a cause of weight gain.

So, here's the bottom line: STRESS leads to SLEEP DEPRIVATION which can lead to WEIGHT GAIN.

Now, as we move into the holiday season many of us may be feeling stress on many different levels. Places to go, people to see, things to do. Or not. Maybe the Hallmark family isn't on the card at your house or perhaps you've gone through a transition and your family has changed. Maybe you're going to parties where there's lots of food and drinking, and your normal patterns are different. Excitement and anxious anticipation can both cause stress.

And, yet, it's important to remember that you have a choice. It's essential to remember that your thoughts, your feelings, your expectations, create the experiences of your life. You ARE in control.

In the process, though, you need to take the necessary steps to support your body in supporting your mind to create the life you love to live! It's important that you honor yourself, your body, your emotions, your mind, your spirit with the essential ingredients for a life that is full and fulfilled! As you take the time and give yourself the gift of a full night's sleep, reduced stress, and a healthy body you are affirming that you count, that you are worthy and that you deserve to BE, HAVE, and DO all the very best in life!

It's well known that researchers have found that stress is a contributing factor in 80% of all major illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Obesity also increases the risk for these conditions. So, too, does sleep-deprivation.

Interesting enough, insufficient sleep and stress are interrelated. They each cause each other, based on the research, and the symptoms are nearly identical once we get beyond the weight.

Here's the skinny (so to speak!) on the research on the effects of sleep deprivation:

• Too little sleep can make you fat.
• It increases levels of the hunger hormone (ghrelin), which makes you feel hungry.
• It decreases levels of the hormone that makes you feel full (leptin), which increases your appetite.
• The most sleep-deprived subjects in one study craved carbohydrate-rich foods, including cakes, candy, ice cream, pasta and bread.
• Sleep-deprived people eat more because they're hungrier and are more sedentary, burning fewer calories, because they don't have the energy they need.
• Growth hormones that control the body's proportion of muscle to fat are reduced, so there is a tendency for the body to store fat.
• Sleep debt causes insulin-resistance, a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes.
• Sleep deprivation causes a reduced ability to fight off infection.
• Insufficient sleep has been linked to high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, and arthritis.
• Increased stress hormone (cortisol) which can be an indicator of internal damage to your organs long-term
• Daytime drowsiness and unintended sleep episodes, including car accidents
• Reduced immunity to disease
• Reduced creativity, vocabulary and communication skills
• Upset mental processes with confusion, memory loss, irritability or emotional highs and lows, and reduced productivity
• And, of course, it causes stress.

Now, 65% of Americans are overweight or obese. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 63% of American adults don't get the sleep they need each night. Which means there's a lot of stress out there, too, even when we're not in the holiday season. And, getting enough sleep is the foundation for managing it all.

Sleep is essential for your mind to process and resolve the events from the day, and for your body to renew and restore so that you can wake up clear, energetic, refreshed, balanced and ready for the new day ahead. It's an essential tool that you need to be physically, mentally, and emotionally prepared to greet the moments that lie ahead as you consciously create each day full of peace, joy, love, and plenty!

Here are 10 suggestions for getting a good night's sleep:

1. Lay the groundwork for your success. Have a regular exercise program of at least 20 minutes 3 - 4 times a week. Develop a meditation practice or listen to a good hypnosis CD that will relax your mind and your body. Hypnosis and meditation have been shown to reduce the effects of every day stress, and actually condition the body and mind to enter a relaxed state easily. (To purchase my CDs, click here.)

2. Don't watch television in the half hour before you go to sleep. Get to bed earlier to give yourself plenty of time for a full 7 to 9 hours of sleep.

3. Give yourself a positive suggestion for a good night of sleep. Here's one of my favorites: "Tonight when I sleep, I sleep quickly, calmly, soundly and very deeply. When I wake up in the morning I am wide awake, alert, well-rested, energized and looking forward to the new day ahead!"

4. If your mind is "busy" with problem thoughts from the day, create a box on a shelf in the closet of your mind to put those thoughts into while you sleep. You can open the box in the morning if you choose, but the thoughts have a place to stay while you have this time to rest, renew, and restore.

5. Another practical tool is to create a "God Box". Any box will do. Write out any problem, worry, doubt or fear and place it into your God box. Once you've turned your problem over to God, it is no longer any of your business. Know that your problem is being handled by a higher Source and trust that everything is being handled perfectly.

6. If you are hypoglycemic (prone to low blood sugar) it's often helpful to eat a small slice of turkey (fresh cut, please, not the processed varieties!) or a piece of cheese and a small glass of milk before you go to bed. This protein can help stabilize your blood sugar levels and allow you to experience a good night's rest.

7. Practice deep breathing as you lie in bed to oxygenate and relax your body. Focus your attention on the rhythm of your breath, the gentle movement in and out.

8. Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and has a comfortable temperature. If you choose to listen to music, choose soothing sounds that help you feel peaceful.

9. Before you go to sleep, do some evening journaling. Write out 10 good things you've done that day or good things that happened for you. Write out 10 things you're grateful for. Write out one thing from your day that you would do differently if you had the chance to do it again. Then, write a full page of affirmations to send your mind to sleep with wonderful thoughts.

10. As you drift off to sleep, run the mental movie of what you choose for your life as if it is your reality now. Allow the thoughts of what you choose to drift through your mind as you drift off to a peaceful night's sleep - love, joy, peace, prosperity, health, freedom, happiness, success, great relationships, fun. The very best of everything that life has to offer!

YOU deserve it!

To your wealth and success,

Debbie Friedman, C.Ht.

"The one thing that is clear is that during the holidays people should sleep as much as they can and not get too stressed out. That could prevent some of the holiday weight gain." - Thomas Wadden University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia

ARE YOU LISTENING TO THE VOICE IN YOUR HEAD?

Has anyone out there ever had a negative, critical voice talking inside their head? You know, the voice that says "You can't", "You're not good enough", "You'll never succeed", "You don't deserve" or sometimes simply "Who the heck do you think you are to ask for so much?"

Are you ready to change it? Would you like to have your mind constantly feeding you loving, nurturing, supporting, endorsing and encouraging words of wisdom that make you feel powerful, positive, successful and free?

You can do it! One powerful way to change that inner voice is to change your self-talk. It's easy to do and it works.

Before you begin, remember that your subconscious mind does not know fact from fiction, fantasy from reality, true from false. It does not have a sense of humor. All it knows (and acts on!) is what you tell it!!!

Remember, too, that your mind does not like to "lose" anything. The idea of losing sends your mind into a panic, so it will go out to find what you've lost and more so you never have to worry about losing it again. Release, let go of, gain freedom from, but never lose.

So, you can start today to program your mind for success by telling it good news about what you choose to experience, how you choose to feel, and what you choose to believe about yourself and your life! Based on a technique shared by Shad Helmstetter in What To Say When You Talk To Yourself, you can do this for yourself by creating your own self-talk tape of 20-30 minutes, and listening to it often so that your mind has new beliefs to operate from. You'll be amazed at the results!

Here's how to create your own self-talk tape:

1. Make a list of 15-20 statements that support you in reaching your goal. These statements should be powerful, positive, in the present (as if you've already received) and in the first person "I". It is best if these statements give your mind specific directions or results that you expect to achieve.

Painting an entirely new picture for your subconscious mind is the key! Be clear, definite, and specific so that your mind knows exactly what you expect.

Instead of saying "I have more energy", use something like "I am full of natural energy that powers me through my days with ease and allows me to enjoy everything I chose to do." Instead of saying "I am exercising", use "I enjoy exercising and I really like the way it makes me feel. I look good and I feel good, and daily exercise keeps me that way." Instead of saying "I weigh 140 pounds", use "I find it easy to reach my goal weight of 140 pounds in a healthy way. My body, mind, and spirit support me fully and I see myself now at my perfect weight of 140 pounds."

2. Record as you read each statement 3 times, one after another, with a short pause in between.

3. As a final step, read each statement 1 time as a "You" statement.

4. Listen to this tape frequently. The best time to listen to the tape is in the morning when you're highly suggestible as you're moving about to begin your day. Another great time is when you're driving in the car and your mind is ready to drift. Just start playing your tape and program your mind for your great success!

YOU deserve it!!!

"Obesity is as much a mental/spiritual problem as a physical one. I have known men and women who have dropped weight effortlessly and permanently after making changes in how they thought about themselves and perceived their bodies." - Dr. Andrew Weil in Eight Weeks To Optimum Health

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