The 11/11 Getting Happy and Well for Christmas

I decided to share some easy, daily lifestyle tips with you, as we arrive to Christmas, in just 11 days, and shortly after into 2015.  So that we may make this Christmas and New Year Season light, fun, and filled with life energy. 


Stress is among the top 5 things people mention they are experiencing most these days.  Most are simply stressed and stretched beyond limits.  They are drained, weak, lack energy, don't have time for anything.  Only thinking about adding another thing on top, makes them lose their marbles. What to do?
Move.

I know, you don't have the time.  Most people, including me, do not.  Especially not to exercise.  The only solution is prioritizing movement, putting it on the schedule.  Like you would a hair appointment, a doctor's appointment, kids' school play, and so on.  

11/11 is MOVE


Move your body.  Move the energy.  Transfer it from stuck to expended. 

Here are some ways I found worked to create time, and make it happen:

-Wake up 30 minutes earlier, before anything; just get it done
-Find a friend and commit together
-That treadmill or elliptical machine at home, dust it off, remove the clothes you piled on it (after all it is not a hamper-hanger), hop on for 15-30 minutes, first thing in the morning
-Instead of sitting at your work-desk, use a FitDesk, to make calls, Skype, etc, or when spending more time on the computer 
-Have a ton of calls to complete?  Bundle up, and do some of the call while walking outside for 10, 20 even 30 minutes
-Identify the time period in your days, when the stress tends to climb highest.  Schedule lunch, or a 15 min break, around it.  Enforce every day, twice every day even, if needed, and take it outside of your work environment. Go for a walk, go outside, get fresh air, move your body, air things out.  When you return, all the to-do's will be easier to complete
-Don't sit in traffic while commuting to and from work.  Leave earlier or stay later, find a yoga studio near the office, do a class, avoid traffic drive when it is easier to commute. Or take the train, and stand at least half way


In closing, remember.  While it is ideal to have a regular exercise regime, when life calls for pulling out all stops, it is time to get creative. If you are unhealthy, stagnant, your thoughts, emotions, body, will all work as such too.  In turn, this same is repeated in your choices, your entire life, relationships and even business.  It will all reflect this.

For more lifestyle tips follow to my portal, www.monikakovacs.com.

11/11 is MOVE

How to Holiday Eat

This is my take on Holiday Eating. I see nothing wrong with eating with family, company and at the same table eating the same foods. I LOVE Holiday eating.  Every setting will have:

Turkey: pure meat
Veggies: prepped in different ways, I am sure you can get creative to keep it clean and lean
Starches (good ones): a small serving is good
Gravy: I hope I do not have to go there, we don't want it to come here....
Stuffing: I am sure we can live without it....who wants GMO and glue gunk in their intestines anyways....yukkkkk
Salad: of course

Pie, desserts etc: I am sure if you kept it clean a little treat after dinner, wait a while, don't stuff it all in at once, will NOT hinder your progress.  All assuming you have been sanely eating up to this feast.  If not, that is a whole different ballgame I get it. I am human too, learned the best way, on my own skin....through my own journey to and from the self.

The leftovers are great, again, treat it like real food, yourself with respect and love.

Remember when you love something, you care for it, you protect it.  Stuffing yourself sick, and eating fast is not love for food, nor treating yourself.
Enjoy what you Eat.

xo

HAPPINESS Instructions

Love mad
Laugh happily
Dream graciously
Reach for the #Stars
Move your Body
Stay aligned 
Stay active and moving all day, every day
Hold steady--your highest Vision for Your LIFE
Live Awake
Co-Create 
Be Friend and befriend
Stop Trying--Quit, or Do


Never look back!

1%

What's in the number 1?  Everything!
It is New Year. It is exciting, yet scary at the same time. So many possibilities and more than 300 chances to get it right, wit the rolling in of each new day.
I was reminded by someone, who inspires me to a great deal, at all levels, to focus on being 1% better each day.  So that, in 365 days, I will be 365% better.  This was not the first time I heard the 1% advise.  Yet, today, this simple nudge was more powerful, than any big motivational tactic I can think of, that I came across recently.
Thank YOU, my inspiration, for advising me when I needed it the most, in the most subtle yet POWERFUL way possible.

Here is to the POWER of the 1%.
Monika
xo

*ALL OR NOTHING*

*ALL OR NOTHING* thinking IS your GREATEST enemy wrt your diet/indulgences  during this 'week before Christmas.'   You know, the "I will not have lunch, so I can have dessert, and wine at the office party."  Or the, I will skip breakfast, to "save room for dessert,"  and there are many creative ways we can come up with to mess up our hormonal balance, and physiological responses.

To really have a good time, which you should, and don't worry about 2012 for now either, just REALLY be HERE in the NOW, here are a few simple things to help you:
*Eat breakfast + take your VITAMINS every morning
*Keep eating small meals every few hours, that are balanced with CARB/PRO/FAT in each of them
*Drink 2-4 L of water every day

This way you take charge of your hormones, your cravings, and how you feel.  In turn, your experiences ARE going to be [much more] enjoyable, and full of awareness in, and of the season, as it should be :)

To leave you on a positive note wrt the idea of  *ALL OR NOTHING* , check out this video, one of my fav's:

84 /90 Mission 'YOUR 2011 Christmas Six-Pack'

‎84 /90  of  Mission 'YOUR 2011 Christmas Six-Pack'

One last week, I can’t believe we came THIS far, all together, almost 13 full weeks!!!!!  I am so grateful for you, my role models and inspirations and followers and friends.... my first group of contenders.  I want this week to really go WELL for you.  First things first; if you have not already done so, sign up for a FREE profile on TRUESTAR: http://TRUESTAR.TV where I want you to create your own customized NUTRITION plan or DIET for this week.  

This is important to ensure you get to Christmas feeling GREAT, so that you CAN and WILL enjoy your dinners, brunches etc, together with friends, family, loved ones etc.  All while not stressing about calories, not feeling guilty, nothing like that; only pure enjoyment. This is how it will work.

When you sign up for your FREE profile on http://TRUESTAR.TV  and create your own customized NUTRITION plan or DIET for this week, you will see that there will be dozens of options for fast, nutritious, perfectly balanced breakfast options. I want you to ZONE in on these. You know this by now that the stronger the start to your day the stronger the finish, and the stronger each following day WILL be.   Make sure this week, besides waking up 30 minutes earlier for that power workout, you have breakfast.  This will balance out your energy and blood sugar level, and when you get to face the cookies and other festive temptations you will be able to say ‘no’ to them, or simply have just a bite or few, to taste, not to over indulge.  Hormonally balanced meals ARE the key to success in the body game….  More next year, we are not stopping here.

Beat the week, before it beats you.  You have all you need.  Enjoy this week!!

Love love love…..

Monika

74 /90 Mission 'YOUR 2011 Christmas Six-Pack'

74/90  of  Mission 'YOUR 2011 Christmas Six-Pack'

Only 16 days to go, we are almost there.   Are you still on track?   It is getting closer and things are getting busier.  There is less and less time to keep ourselves on our calendars.  

One way to cope is to use pre-made, customized plans for you, for nutrition and exercise.   This way taking out ALL the guess work.  All you have to do is spend 15 minutes the night before, prepare and line up your delicious meals, and another 15 before work to exercise.  That is it.  This way, you can enjoy everything the Holiday Season has to offer, and never have to worry about the exercise, the healthy breakfast etc. you *know* you should have had...  Go to TRUESTAR Health for all your needs to get you up and on with a customized plan for you.  Also, while there, check out TRUESTAR's award winning vitamins and organic supplements to really tweak your performance. 

Winning!

Day 57/90 Mission 'YOUR 2011 Christmas Six-Pack'

57/90  of the Mission 'YOUR 2011 Christmas Six-Pack'

Only 33 days to go, there must be some BIG anticipation built up and even more hunger to finish strong.  Do you want to know the secret to fitness success?  Here it goes.
Those people who look great, carry themselves with strength, grace, and ease, all know the secret.  Those, who seem to 'own the room' as they enter, they are alert, they always seem to have energy, use better language, better word choices etc. share one thing in common: they care about themselves.  They know they need to fuel their days, their performance the right way: through movement.  
The most successful people are likely to exercise first thing in the morning.  They get a strong start, they energize and focus first thing in the morning, while the majority is still snoozing.  The winners are already up paving the way to the success of the given day--no matter what.  They have trained themselves, their minds, their bodies to wake up earlier, work out with intensity, and get out there to seize the day. 


Are you one of them?  If not, start today.  Check out TRUESTAR Health for all your needs to get you up and on with a customized plan for you.  Also, while there, check out TRUESTAR's award winning vitamins and organic supplements to really tweak your performance. 


Winning!

Day 50/90 Mission 'YOUR 2011 Christmas Six-Pack'

50/90  of the Mission 'YOUR 2011 Christmas Six-Pack'

Sugars

With the weather cooling down, we are naturally more drawn to sugary foods for comfort and quick energy.  Which, is most cases, is not so smart.  In addition to causing weight gain, refined flours and sugars can suppress immune-system function. Ie. with flus and colds being more frequent in the air, indulging in more white sugar (cookies, pop, candy, etc.), you're creating the perfect environment for illness to strike.  

Turn to naturally occurring sugars found in fruit for some sweetness.  If you crave chocolate, go for dark chocolate(minimum 70 per cent cocoa), which contains plant phenols that have been shown to lower blood pressure. Cut up squares and store them in your freezer.  Grab one or two when you need a sweet treat.

Even better, try TRUELean Extreme, the Multi Vitamin & Mineral formula, that also supports weight & fat-loss, controls cravings, supports metabolism, so you are *armed* in the face of all temptations-with an edge :)

xo

Monika

Day 23/90 Mission 'YOUR 2011 Christmas Six-Pack'

23/90 of the Mission, 'YOUR 2011 Christmas Six-Pack'

I was sneaking a peak at John C Maxwell's new book: The 5 levels of Leadership:

Maxwell's premise of leadership is of influence.  Substitute the word leadership, to wellness.  I.e. a person's ability to influence determines their level of leadership.  Influence is a learned skill, so is your level of health.  You can realte that to the successful lifestyle one learns to lead, in terms of healthy choices, that ultimately produce a happy and healthy life.  The key here is that success IS a learned behavior, whether of business, or lifestyle.  

No matter what level of health you may be living at the current moment, you can learn anew, you can change that, the minute you decide.  There is help, resources, mentors, coaches, and numerous different resources available for you if you are serious about a healthy lifestyle.

I LOVE the concept: Influence = Leadership.  The quality and level of your authentic choices will determine the quality of your influence, hence the quality of your leadership you command in your life.  INFLUENCE is one's authenticity bluntly and fearlessly put on the outside, for the whole world to see...feel....and be touched by. 

Nothing has changed......

Day 16/90 Mission 'YOUR 2011 Christmas Six-Pack'

16/90  of the Mission 'YOUR 2011 Christmas Six-Pack'
‎This is the third week of the challenge, with some momentum under your belt. No matter your current mind-state, you must know that you HAVE what it takes, because you have completed over two full weeks. Check your progress, acknowledge the strengths, assess the shortcomings, and plan the week. KNOW what day is what workout, make sure to schedule rest days. Time to recover is as important ad the time to give your all. Have an awesome 16th day!!!!!

Day 13/90 Mission 'YOUR 2011 Christmas Six-Pack'

13/90  of the Mission 'YOUR 2011 Christmas Six-Pack'


13 is my favourite number.  For me, it holds a kind of power.  I.e. the power of, 'do whatever you feel is best' with it.  The number 13, typically holds mystery.   It is the symbol of the unknown.  Hence, the number 13 brings with it, the temptation to react and resent it in fear.  It also holds the allure of curiosity, that is asking your inner power to 'stay with it,' move towards it, into it, until you reveal it.  That is exactly like your inner power.  Are you afraid of it?  Are you in touch with it?  Are you aware of it, and able to consciously use it, for your own benefit? 


On this day, day 13, I challenge you to tap into your deepest potential, and yank it onto the surface. Time to team up with the best within.  You can do it!  Actually, you have been doing it!!!!


Nothing has changed.....

Day 12/90 Mission 'YOUR 2011 Christmas Six-Pack'

12/90  of the Mission 'YOUR 2011 Christmas Six-Pack'


GAME-CHANGER-ATTITUDE ADVICE:  * BE *  the diamond in the rough.  So you do not have to be looking for it, you will just recognize the ones like you!!!!!! 


Are you looking for the HOW to do this game of 'Six pack?'  Are you wondering how to succeed?  Are you causing yourself anxiety by simply thinking there are still 79 days left, and you are already feeling overwhelmed, ready to quit?   


Make it easy: BE the success you are looking to achieve.....  STEP INTO the picture.  It is not easy, nor glamorous.  But boy is it doable.  You better believe it!!!!  You better BE it !!!!!

20,000 Green Smoothies!!

Are you ready to kick your kale up a few thousand notches?

It’s your last chance this weekend to join a few hundred of
your closest chard chugging chums as we get ready for the
Live, Full-Support 21-Day Green Smoothie Detox 
starting on Monday!

Green Smoothie Queen

We’ll start this natural detox program with a gentle
transition week, and then we launch into green smoothie
glory!

There will be well over 300+ people on this program,
including the Green Smoothie Girl, Robyn Openshaw.  If
you’re in, and commit to drinking 3 green
smoothies per day for 21 days, together we’ll be guzzling
about 20 000 green smoothies!

That’s a lotta lawnmower pulp!
It’s also a lotta happy livers! 

Green Smoothie Queen

Livers deserve spring vacations too!  So, register now, and

get ready to renew: Green Smoothie Queen

~ your tour guide to the 20 000 green smoothie
trip of a lifetime!

xo

Green Smoothie Queen Monika 

p.s.  There will be menu planners, recipe alternatives,
educational teleseminars, online journals,
and everything you need.  I promise, the only way to fail,
is not to follow along!!!

Commit & Cleanse your way to vitality!!

Food A B U S E

Food abuse, this is a new almost trend we see daily, almost every piece of media will cover it in one form or another. What is it?  Well, any and all for of MISUSE of food-as the term is used nowadays.

As usual, let me come in a little stronger and louder.  Do you know WHO initiated the misuse of foods in the first place, who help us create our own forms of FOOD abuse?  The FOOD companies, the same people we trust to make our foods.  Want proof?  Open your refrigerator, look at the cereal box/bag, pull out the frozen dinner, even the 'ready to eat, frozen oatmeal breakfast' counts.  Look at the ingredient list.  How many of those items can you actually comprehend?  Let alone those you can pronounce and relate to, as to where those may be coming from? Not many.

While food manufacturers control what you will to be putting on your table to a large part, you are the one who actually makes the final decision.  Only purchase from manufacturers you ca trust.  Support your local farmers, and agricultures.  Visit sites, research to ensure even these people take pride and stand behind their products and produce.  Support life, put an end to food abuse. It is your job, it is mine, it is  OUR job.  Stop eating yourself to illness and old age.  Start eating for real, start eating for life, for wellness.  Eat mindfully, eat fresh, and wholesome, and abuse-free foods.  Eat for Life!

xo
Monika

Exercise + Diet

Exercise + Diet = Happiness + Wellness

What if, you substituted the word Exercise for Movement, and Diet for Eating.  It feels so much more attainable, and doable, doesn't it?  It is our nature to do both.  Take the pressure off, daily commit to:

-Movement, and, get up daily, and do a little more than you think you should

-Eating, choose a little wiser than you KNOW you DO.

That is it.

We need to do both, it is our nature--with better quality choices !

52 weeks of bodily bliss, week 28: jUST wALK aWAY

A very simple tool to use to help gauge what goes into your body is through portion control. In North America, we have a very distorted idea of what a serving of starch, protein, not to mention fat would be. For example, when we hear a handful of almonds for snack, how big of a handful are we just talking about? Believe me, it is not a very big one ...


Eating is a numbers game:calories - beyond the taste and nutritional make up. Hence, it can be a varying learning curve, person to person, to get comfortable with it, and be able to use it 'for' us...not against.


My recommendation is to get a great book as a reference tool. Or, work with a professional over a few sessions of basic nutritional counseling, to build the proper foundation of nutrition, and build your castle of physical perfection, from there. For starters that anyone can adopt right now is getting used to walking away from our plates while there is still food on it. This way, it is a definite step towards scraping off excess calories, that would otherwise end up stored. And lets face it even the smartest SPANX designs cant hide the unwanted inches as well as not wearing them in the first place.
Walk away from your plate knowing you are doing that much more for you and celebrate your wellness all around.
xo
Monika

52 weeks of bodily bliss, week 26: quicky on salads

Most people believe that ALL salads are healthy meals.
NOT so fast !!!!

Use caution when choosing your salad.  Adding croutons, cheese, eggs, nuts, fried meat and high calorie/creamy/oily dressing will transform a salad from a healthy meal, to a high fat, high calorie, unhealthy, FAST-FOOD-like, meal.

52 weeks of bodily bliss... week 22: Check in, check on...say "I DO" to YOU!!!!!

I am hungry. Are you hungry?

I coach many clients online and in person changing their lifestyle and small habits that create the overall picture, that at times fall short of what they truly want, and settles them into a life less than they are capable of.  The most gruesome area of all is the diet, the foods to eat, the portions to choose, the cravings to conquer, the plan to stick to, the reason you are watching your diet and I could go on.

When one is on a monitored eating plan, it has to be followed. It is a very simple process.  I assess you, gather any related information you may find important to share with me.  I take a day or two to work on your plan.  All you need to do is stick to the plan follow it from A-Z, and with my coaching, that HAS to be ongoing and accounted to, you get to live the changes you signed up for at the start.

Simple? Very? Easy? Far from it.

One of the challenges that can cause one to fall off the plan, is their hungry nature. It takes time to fall off track it will also take time to get back on the train and ride it to the destination of choice, great overall health, and a beautifully functioning and looking body.

MONKOVACS@GMAIL.COM is my email for all those wishing to put the END on their restless quest for change.  It is possible, it exists, it can be yours--if you are willing to commit to act nothing short of your own interest.

Love,
Monika

52 weeks of bodily bliss... week 17: Rejuvenating Foods for Springtime Part IIRejuvenating Foods for Springtime Part II

Last week we went over why some 'spring foods' do your body great'  This week, I will list a few I personally love, that also hold some amazing nutritional benefits for the body and well-being.

Asparagus: 

• great source of folate, whose deficiency is the most common vitamin deficiency in the world
• 1 cup of cooked asparagus (provides 67% of the daily value for folate)
• essential for heart health and the prevention of birth defects

Apricots: 

• help satisfy that sweet tooth
• rich supply of carotenoids, phytonutrients
• powerful antioxidant 
• rich in beta-carotene and lycopene (important in reducing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, (the cause of plaque build up in arteries) and maintaining a healthy heart)

Green Peas: 

• rich source of B vitamins, including B1, B2, B3, B6 and folate (essential for the proper metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates)
• rich in health-protective carotenoids (lutein and zeaxanthin), powerful antioxidants, that promote healthy vision and protect against age-related macular degeneration

Spinach: 

• rich in vitamin A, important for cardiovascular health
• rish in vitamin K, important vitamin for bone health
• at least 13 different flavonoid compounds, that function as powerful antioxidants and anti-cancer agents
• carotenoids, such as lutein, which are important for preventing age-related macular degeneration

Romaine Lettuce: 

• low calorie 
• vitamin C and beta-carotene content work together to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol
• helps prevent the formation of arterial plaques
• contains chromium, helps in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels

Green Beans: 

• vitamin A (through its concentration of beta-carotene) 
• vitamin C is part of the sine qua non for a healthy immune system. Beta-carotene and vitamin A are fat-soluble antioxidants, while vitamin C functions as an antioxidant in the water-soluble areas of the body. So, between their beta-carotene and vitamin C content, green beans help cover both of the body's internal environments against damage from oxygen free radicals.

Collard Greens: 

• member of the cruciferous family of vegetables, with many unique health-promoting properties
• contain sulfur compounds, that decrease the occurrence of a wide variety of cancers, including breast and ovarian cancers
• concentrate lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoid phytonutrients important for protection against age-related macular degeneration

Avocados: 

• rich source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats (can help lower cholesterol)
• 50% more potassium than bananas, compared in weight

Swiss Chard: 

• one of the most nutritious vegetables
• source of vitamin A and E, two fat soluble vitamins that act as powerful antioxidants, 
• many other vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and protein
• source of carotenoids: beta-carotene, and flavonoids: anthocyanins, help protect cell structures (including DNA) from the damage that can be caused by free radicals

Basil: 

• source of vitamin A, basil contains a unique array of flavonoids that protect cell structures, as well as chromosomes, from radiation and oxygen-based damage

Use these spring goodness foods to enrich your already consciously chosen food items, not only to richen and add variety tot he taste, but also to increase your well-being and give your body and overall health a boost. 

Happy and Healthy Spring!!!!!!!