Who's the Boss of Your Weight Loss?

Across U.S. 70% of all business employ less than 20 employees. Nearly three-fourths of them are what is known as microbusinesses, mom and pop shops and / or solo-entrepreneurs who do not have a single employee on their payroll. These entrepreneurs drive our economy and create the majority of our nation's new jobs, products and services. The odds are you fall into this category, you're are the boss. Your actions directly impact the quality of your life, your job security and your company’s bottom-line.

As the boss, you set priorities, make hard decisions and either enjoy or suffer the consequences of these decisions taking the whole company with you.  Have you considered how these decisions impact your overall health, well-being and weight? Are you factoring healthy lifestyle choices during the work day such as healthy food, exercise breaks, and meditation? Or is your day filled with unhealthy habits such as skipping breakfast, working through lunch, sitting at your desk all day then stress some more? All the decisions you make to be more healthy or less healthy not impacts your production, it impacts how your clients see you, your company’s performance and not in a good way.

Have you ever thought about what would happen to your business in the dawn of your poor health? Poor health brings reduced work days, low productivity, costly medications, doctor visits and treatments. Then there’s the cost of undeliverables deadlines, and production costs related to falling behind. The economic consequences impact your business bottom line by as much as 10 – 15% in out of pocket expenses and as high as 30% productivity reduction. Not many companies can afford to throw away money and even if you could would you want to?

This begs the question … who’s the boss of your health, well-being and weight loss? Do you boss yourself healthy like you boss your business to success? If not you might want to you know what they say time is money, the clock is ticking and you health is slipping away. Now is a great time to put yourself back in charge, be the great boss you can be and keep all the money you make instead of giving it to the health care system.

It's time to employ “corrective action” measures on your health and wellness performance by correcting mistakes that are getting in the way of you achieving your desired business goals in this case your well-being, over all absence of chronic illness and weight management. A good place to start is by asking yourself a few questions about breakfast. Such as "What did I eat for breakfast?  Could I make an healthier choice in morning beverages? Do I make an effort to eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables every day at every meal? 

Boss your breakfast! You may be wondering why many experts say that the habit of eating breakfast can lead to a smaller waistline, when you find yours is getting larger? Yes, by not eating breakfast your are saving some calories, extending the time you are fasting, and slow you down however studies show breakfast eaters: 

• eat healthier all day  
• have other healthy lifestyle habits such as exercise
• lower risk of several chronic diseases
• more fiber and micronutrients  

So, for breakfast, don’t simply rely on bagels, cereals, breakfast bars or fruits for your source of energy and nourishment.  Make sure to eat more protein and reduce the quantity of carb-rich food.  This way, your body’s blood sugar response will remain more balanced and you will remain satisfied until lunchtime. To be able to obtain the best energy-giving breakfast, ensure you are eating approximately 20 grams of protein. You can obtain this from 3 eggs or 1 cup of oatmeal. Smoothies are very popular because you can drink in protein on the go, using soy milk and protein powder yields 20 grams of protein. The protein drink we recommend is Juice Plus+ Complete Protein mix (plant based, whole food).  Check it out here www.wholefood4you.com.

Boss your beverage choice? If you are someone who believes that drinking something labeled calorie-free can help you achieve your weight loss goals, you may be in for a surprise.  Diet soda contains artificial sugar that can also stimulate the same metabolic and hormonal responses that occur when real sugar is being taken in. However, your body is only being prompted to release more insulin, unfortunately causing you to eat more and gain more weight instead of losing it. Grab a bottle or glass of water, flavor it with 3 – 4 wedges of lemon and sweeten it with stevia or agave nectar and voila lemonade! Looking for more ideas to dress up your boring water? click here 

Boss your food choices? Fruits and vegetables are real sources of nutrients that can help you achieve a healthy weight and keep it there. Since fruits and vegetables come with a hefty dose of herbicides and pesticides which impact the weight gain weight loss cycle it's best when you can, if looking to maintain a healthy weight go with organic as much as you can.   If you can't grow your own, then organic can be a bit more expensive. If you can't afford organic the health benefits out weigh the risks of not eating fresh produce at all. 

The USDA recommends eating 9 –13 servings for adults (6 cups) every day to maintain a healthy weight. If you can’t eat this many continue eating fruits and vegetables every day as much as you can and supplement with whole food nutrition we recommend www.wholefood4you.com

These are examples of dieting pitfalls that may seem trivial but in reality they can greatly negatively impact your weight loss regimen. Take the time to appreciate the effects of different foods on your body, your weight and your energy levels. Everyone is different, so do what is best for you like a good boss. You be the boss of your health, wellness and weight management you will be glad you are! More great news once you boss yourself back to health your employees will see you as their health champion and become more engaged in a healthy lifestyle. It’s a win-win.

Your partner in health,

Cindy Cohen RN, BS BA 

Wellness Consultant

Certified Health Coach

WELCOA Faculty

C2 YourHealth LLC

Founder

C2 Your Health Women's Initiative

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