Discovering and following your own path can be frightening, but conquering fear appears harder than it actually is. Simply facing your fears and forcing yourself to do exactly what your fear is warning you against doing is the biggest step. I tell my clients to fake it till they make it. One day, you’ll find yourself living the life you dreamed of and you’ll realize your fear no longer has a hold on you.
Think of following your goals as you would a road map. If you wanted to get to a specific distant destination you wouldn’t just get in your car and start to drive aimlessly, hoping you’d have enough gas and that you’d figure out the route as you went along. Instead, you would devise the smartest and easiest route and figure out how many hours or days the trip was going to take. With a plan on how to get there, you’d be able to relax and enjoy the journey. If a little detour occurred, no sweat, you’d deal with it and continue on, always checking your map and staying on course.
And to achieve success, your goals have to be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound). Don’t try to do too much too soon, or you will set yourself up for failure. If getting fit is your goal, aim to lose two or three pounds per week. Remember that weight is not the only factor in your fitness, and that a lean, toned body is always heavier than one the same size that is not muscular and fit.
Make your exercise sessions count. Twenty to 30 minutes at high intensity will begin to take the fat off and keep it off. Take a watch with you and every five to 10 minutes check your heart rate for six seconds and add a zero. Are you exercising between 60 and 80 percent of your maximum heart rate? To increase or decrease your heart rate to get yourself in your target “training zone,” simply speed up your pace if your heart rate is lower than your 60 percent or slow down if your heart rate is faster than your 80 percent training heart rate.
As a rule of thumb, you should be able to talk as you exercise, but if you can effortlessly carry on a conversation you need to pick up the pace. If you are currently exercising and are doing more than 30 minutes but cannot seem to loose a pound of fat, you are not exercising at a hard enough intensity. If you find brisk walking or jogging bothers your joints then perhaps lap swimming or cycling would be better choices for you, but again, the key is to take your pulse to make sure you are in your training zone.
If you are exercising well and are still not able to drop weight, you might need to look at your plate, particularly at your carbohydrates. To make this simple for you, I have developed a traffic signal system for carbohydrates:
“Red light” carbohydrates are often processed or refined, meaning they most often come out of a package or can. Usually light in colour, red light carbohydrates such as white bread, white potatoes and white sugar are tough to eliminate initially because they are often our comfort foods.
“Yellow light” carbohydrates are foods that you still want to avoid, but can have small amounts once in a while. They include foods such as nuts and avocados, which while filled with nutrients are also high in calories and fats.
“Green light” carbohydrates are most often unrefined and unprocessed. Most often dark in colour, they are filled with antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins and fibre and will speed your metabolism. They are the energy foods, and they enter your system at a slow, gentle rate and sustain your appetite longer. Opt for a daily green drink to ensure that you get optimal levels of these nutrients.
You must also include palm-size portions of low-fat protein such as tofu, chicken or turkey breast, water-packed tuna, sole, egg whites, protein shakes and soya or dairy products like fat-free yogurt and one percent cottage cheese with every meal.

The column Simply…Woman! which began running in Common Ground last month is adapted from Crystal Andrus’s new book on personal transformation. Crystal will outline one step per month on how to become the woman you’ve always wanted to be. She is an authority on women’s health, a sought after speaker and author of the best seller Simply...Woman! The 12 Week Body/Mind/Soul Total Transformation Program. For 15 years Crystal has worked as a fitness model, health-club owner, personal trainer-to-the-stars and mother of two daughters. She is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Council on Exercise, the Canadian Fitness Professionals and the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. www.hayhouse.com/details.php?id=2247. Crystal will be giving free public lectures January 31, 7-9 pm at Planet Organic, 3995 Quadra St., Victoria; February 1, 7-9 pm at the Parksville Community Centre; February 2, 7-9 pm at Whole Foods Market, West Vancouver and February 3, 7-9 pm at Planet Organic, 2755 Lougheed Hwy., Coquitlam. For more
info 1-800-258-0444.