GETTING TO the BEST YOU: Small steps toward lasting changes that empower women to restore health, vitality and happiness.

By Laurie Rein

Do you want to feel better, but aren't sure where to start or whether you can succeed? This book will help you with a realistic, practical, gentle, and very effective way to begin. Starting with the smallest steps you are ready to actually do, and building on this success every day, you will achieve your wellness goals. So whether you need t

• Language: English
• Publisher: A3D Impressions
• Release date: Mar 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781732728516

Laurie Rein

Laurie Rein has been a fitness and health enthusiast for most of her life. She started ballet at age eight and continued dancing through college at the University of Arizona. At the UA Laurie earned her BFA in Dance and Theater and continued her dance career in Santa Barbara, California. Laurie's dad, a physical therapist with a long history of working with polio patients and performing charity work, encouraged the family to eat healthy, exercise, and help others. He bought the family a juicer in 1973, before juicing was a fad, bought the book Aerobics by Kenneth Cooper, when aerobics was barely in our vocabulary and introduced her to the world of fitness and weight lifting at the age of fifteen. After college, Laurie taught ballet and modern dance for children and adults while performing in ballet companies. Laurie was later hired as a fitness specialist at Canyon Ranch Health and Wellness Resort in Tucson, Arizona, and taught ballet, aerobics, stretching, weight training, and pool aerobics. She was promoted to Director of The Life Enhancement Center where she designed individual fitness programs and worked with a team of physicians, psychologists, and dieticians to help guests implement lifestyle changes. Laurie has maintained a personal training/health coach business for over 30 years. Because of her dance background, Pilates was a natural fit and she became a Certified Pilates Trainer in 2007. She went on to receive her Health Coach Certification as well as being a Certified Nutrition Specialist both from ACE (American Council on Exercise). She believes wellness is a way of life, not just following popular programs. In her spare time, Laurie enjoys theater and performing, weight training, long walks in Sabino Canyon in Tucson, Arizona, and rescuing animals. She is most proud of her son Matthew and his vision to make the world a better place.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.

— Socrates

This is a book about making simple everyday steps that change the course of your life. Even if you haven’t been on a healthy path, I will show you the first steps to getting there. We will start small, maybe just a few minutes of moving each day, and discuss how to eat in a way that supports your well-being.

This doesn’t mean all your health problems will be fixed overnight. But it is about learning what the right small steps are that lead to big changes over time. It is about changing and choosing – everything from what you put in your mouth, to how much you get moving.

I am 61, and love being 61. I am in good health and do some enjoyable movement or exercise almost every day. I make really good choices about what I eat—at least 90 precent of the time. And when I eat something that is not so good for me—I really savor it, like ice cream with a friend, and enjoy it fully. I don’t feel guilty, because I am committed to doing what is right most of the time.

It hasn’t always been easy. I struggled with weight and eating disorders in my late teens and early 20s. I was a ballet dancer and had to weigh in every week, and this set me up for a lifetime struggle with my eating habits. I tried every diet on the planet, diet aids, and every quick-fix fad that crossed my path. Finally, I discovered healthy habits and self-care, and this is what I am sharing with you.

I believe you can get healthier at any age. You can have a quality of life even if you are over 60—if you are willing to take the right steps.

Self-care is the most important skill to have, especially at our age. This means paying attention to what is going on in your body, what foods help you to feel energized and satisfied—and what foods might bring a temporary thrill but take you down lower in the long run.

Everything that I say here is based on my experience with working with clients for over 30 years. I see what works. I have worked with professionals including doctors and nurses, counselors, physical therapists and teachers and people of all ages including clients in their nineties. And I have heard all the excuses. I know it isn’t easy to get started. So, we are in this together. You and me—and all that I have learned as a personal trainer and health coach for decades.

Are you ready to change your attitude about your body and your life? We all need attitude adjustments from time to time. Like a mental cleansing process where we let go of old ideas about who we are and what we are capable of and reach for a healthier life. So, this means we are going to change some old habits that no longer serve you. But I know you can’t just get rid of an old habit (maybe one you’ve had for decades) just with a snap of a finger. What we will do is identify which habits are not good for you—and begin to create new, healthy habits that lead to a long life with good energy and enthusiasm for living.

Are you feeling unhealthy or overweight? You are not alone! According to author Michael Hobbes from the Huffington Post, who cites the statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nearly 80 precent of adults and about one-third of children now meet the clinical definition of overweight or obese. More Americans live with extreme obesity than with breast cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and HIV combined.

Fruits and vegetables have natural nutrients—that nourish you. On the other hand, so much of processed foods are without these essential nutrients that we can even question whether they should qualify as food. According to Mark Bittman, in his wonderful TED Talk The Food We Eat, 40 percent of food in supermarket aisles do not qualify as food. If you use this definition that food is actually nutritious—you can see how much of the products in packages in the store are not really food. Because of its overly-processed, chemical additives and non-natural origins. Donuts do not grow in the ground.

So, you can see, this is a social issue, not just a personal one. We are offered so many delicious and unhealthy processed foods every day, everywhere, and we’re bombarded with commercials for fast food. A report from NPR says that American kids see, on average, three to five ads for fast food per day. And about 50 percent of all ads directed at children are for food. This is not just an issue of willpower; our brains have been saturated in saturated fats. Our grandparents ate nutritious food from healthy soil, made most of it themselves at home, and processed foods were minimal. The fact is—it’s not your fault if you are feeling sluggish, or overweight, even though you have tried everything. This book is not about personal blame or preaching that you have to use more willpower. I know firsthand from working with hundreds of clients that it is not easy to change your lifestyle. But it gets easier if you will consider making one small step in the right direction.

Change will not be easy or instant. You didn’t get to your current state in 30 days. And I do not promise a quick-fix like some of those ads you have seen. But I will promise you that if you stick with my plan, you will get results. Maybe you will start losing about a pound a week. Six months later this could mean being 24 pounds lighter. But more important than the number is the fact that you will keep these pounds off. You will feel better because this is not a fad diet, this is about changing your lifestyle, the small choices you make every day. Rather than getting overwhelmed with having to change everything you do all at once, let’s make one change. That is not so hard to do. Making one small change, such as not adding as much sugar to your coffee, can lead to big changes. If you need to add sweetener, my favorite one is Stevia, because it is a natural zero-calorie sweetener from plants.

I offer you suggestions, but you are the boss of you! This book is about listening to what is right for you and adjusting the suggestions to match your needs and personal goals. You are in charge! I want you to take ownership of your wellness process. Always do what is right for you.

It’s your body. It’s your choice! So, let’s get moving to the Best You!

The secret to getting ahead is getting started.

— Mark Twain

WHY DO YOU WANT TO GET HEALTHY?

It is important to have a goal to help you stay motivated. This goal can be as simple as wanting to feel better, fitting into your clothes or getting new ones, having the energy to do things with your friends and family. Or looking good at your high school reunion. Or perhaps your doctor has given you a strong talk about taking your health seriously. Take a moment to reflect on why you want to change. This is going to be your fuel, whether it is the fuel for getting started, taking those first healthy steps, or staying on course when you have a bad day.

And we all have bad days. We all fall off the healthy wagon. The trick is to not beat yourself up for a slip, but rather just commit again to start back on the new healthy regime tomorrow.

Are you doing this healthy change for yourself? Or did somebody try to talk you into this? The point is to understand whether you have an internal motivation or an external one—such as a tough talk from your doctor. Either can work, it is just a matter of understanding your own personal psychology of change.

My Philosophy and Methods

While I don’t believe in quick fixes—I do believe that change is possible. And, yes, I do mean you! I have worked with women in all shapes and conditions—and all of them have made progress. Some more than others, as you get out of the healing journey what you put into it. But all of my clients experienced more vitality, self-respect, and pleasure in gaining a certain amount of personal discipline.

As with all journeys, you will have ups and downs. Making changes in behaviors is not a linear process. We make progress in one area, such as moving more, and then we slip back when it comes to comfort foods. We’re human. But the best news is now you have me to help you, and we are in this together.

HOW DO YOU WANT TO FEEL?

How do you want to feel next year? In three years? Or five or ten years? What is your goal for yourself? As you think about this big picture of wellness, it will help you realize we are in this for the long haul. Even if we have relapsed into old behaviors, every day is a new day, and we can make a new choice.

Nothing happens until the pain of remaining the same outweighs the pain of change.

— Arthur Burt

Around three months, many of my clients start to notice real changes. Little changes have lead to bigger ones, and before you know it, there is a big change that you and other people start to notice. Little steps lead to big growth. So, it is not all or nothing. If there is some naughty food you love, and you can’t give it up, keep eating it. But maybe just a little less of it. And then eat it less often, and so on.

I am not proposing any specific diet. I am giving you a lifestyle plan you can follow for the rest of your life. It will be manageable small steps. And it will work. If you work it.

So here’s how it works—

PICK ONE SMALL THING YOU ARE READY TO CHANGE.

Then next week add one more small thing. It could be walking up one flight of stairs a day. Next week if you always have two cookies in the afternoon, only have one. If you always sweeten your coffee with a teaspoon of sugar, have half a teaspoon. The point is to make small changes you can manage, and to which you will commit. Don’t try to change everything all at once, because that will lead to backsliding when you get too overwhelmed.

It all begins with the first step. Just move a little. Then move a little more. Then increase intensity and duration. Before you know it, you are feeling so much better. So, don’t let fear of failure stop you.

You will fail.

But that is a chance to reaffirm your commitment. Don’t let fear of failure, doubt, self-judgment, or anything else get in your way. I have so many clients tell me they won’t exercise because they don’t want to go to the gym. They assume the skinny people are judging them. Guess what? You don’t have to go to the gym.

You just have to start. Start moving your body. Go slow. As slow as you need to at first. Then move it a little more.

Ready?

Ready or not… here we go!

And I will be with you all the way.

PART ONE

GETTING

STARTED

Making healthy changes today will have a greater impact than any other time in your life.

— AARP

Chapter 1

GET MOVING, KEEP MOVING, ENJOY MOVING

The first step toward getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.

— J.P. Morgan

Movement is life. Everything that lives and thrives is moving, whether it is birds flying, trees billowing in the wind, rivers flowing—life is movement. In cave woman times we were always on the move, hunting and gathering. So, how did modern humans become so sedentary? Many jobs today involve hours of sitting, then couch potato syndrome sets in when you get home, tired from a long day of sitting! Then the only movement you feel like you can deal with is pushing buttons on a remote or typing on a computer. But let’s not waste any more time talking about how we got so sedentary.

Are you feeling sluggish? The solution is to get moving!

Are you somebody that likes to move—or that used to like to exercise when you were younger? If you love to exercise, you are lucky. But for many people when they even hear the word exercise, they begin to resist. It sounds too much like work, Marianne, a client, said to me, And I hate to sweat.

If you are not somebody that gets wide-eyed, rosy-cheeked, bushy-tailed, and titillated when I say, Let’s exercise!—don’t worry. There is still hope for you.

I’m going to make this simple:

JUST GET MOVING!

Notice I didn’t say Let’s go run a marathon! If you haven’t been moving your body much, other than functionally—your first and next step is just to get moving.

Simply move.

Start with five minutes of anything you like to do. You could dance to your favorite music in your PJs. You could walk the dog a little farther around the block. You could march in your bedroom for five minutes. You could park in the farthest spot at the mall. You could take the elevator to one floor below where you are going and walk up one flight. It doesn’t matter what you do. What matters is you choose to do it—and then you actually do it.

And the next day, you add one more minute of doing it! Increase whatever movement you are doing by just one more minute!

Let’s do it now.

KEEP MOVING

Let’s review. The first step is to get moving. Did you do that? If you did that, YEAH! If you haven’t done it yet—we’re just getting started. Put down this book and walk or dance for five minutes.

Did you do it? Or did you just think about doing it? Either way—just start. And that brings us to the second step. You can’t expect that if