Volume 5, Issue 3: March 2004

Persistence and Determination

Message from the President

Portion Control--Yuck!

Success Story

Granola Pancakes--Yummy!

Un-Dieting

F*r*e*e Teleclass

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; un-rewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." - Author Unknown

Persistence and Determination

If you happen to know who this quote is from I would truly like to know. I heard it recently while at a lecture and thought instantly how it applies to exercise (you will come to realize, if you haven't already, that I can relate almost anything to exercise.)

Persistence + determination = results. If you think that to get the best exercise results you need to be a natural athlete, think again. I can think of a talented athlete or two (or three…) who after receiving big signing bonuses could not deliver what their team paid them for, and where are they now? Who knows? Talent was not nearly enough. The successful ones are persistent and determined.

How many books have you read on exercise? How many fitness magazines do you subscribe to? I talk to dozens of people every month that have more knowledge than they know what to do with. And, you know what? They end up doing nothing with it. Or they jump from program to program, idea to idea, never giving enough effort or time to any one of them. Eventually they have to "just do it" and be persistent.

It would be ridiculous of me to say that knowledge is unimportant or that talent is useless. If you have a particular talent, capitalize on it. And yes, you do need to get the right information to get the best results and exercise safely. Those are ingredients to your lifelong success. It is persistence and determination that put these ingredients together in a meaningful way to get the end result.

Message from the President

I recently read a quote from Marie Dressler that I really love: "It's not how old you are but how you are old." I couldn't agree more. How are you old? Have you ever thought about it?

When it comes to fitness, one of the prizes that I keep my eye on is just that aspect. I mean yes, it's great to look good and fit well in my clothes. I'm not saying that doesn't matter to me. But it's "how I am old" that matters most.

You've seen people who are 50 that look and act 40, haven't you? There are also those 50 year olds who look and act 60. Which would you rather be? Whatever the age, you always see people who seem much younger and those who seem older. For me, knowing that I have a choice and control over the matter is quite comforting and empowering.

To your health,

Heather Lynn Moreno
PeopleFit USA, President

Portion Control--Yuck

I really hate that term. I like the intention behind it but it sounds horrible: restrictive, punitive and counter-intuitive.

I'm not naïve. I know in this country that we tend to eat too much. Here are a few statistics quoted in the LA Times Magazine on June 9, 2002:

• 7-Eleven introduced the 32-ounce Big Gulp in 1976. Later followed the 44-ounce Super Big Gulp and then the 64-ounce Double Big Gulp. To contrast, the human bladder's top capacity is about 13.5 ounces.
• In the mid 1990's, the restaurant industry used a standard 10½-inch plate. Today the standard is 20% larger. One Italian restaurant chain is noted to use a 15-inch plate for its large pasta servings.
• A croissant in France is 2 ounces, 215 calories. In the U.S. it is typically 4 ounces, 430 calories.

When you realize that your stomach is about the size of a medium-large or large potato, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that most restaurants (I think "most" is even an understatement) serve meals that are too big for us to eat comfortably. But I don't think they would be offering it if we weren't eating it…

So back to that ugly term, portion control. How can you look at it differently? The next time you watch a young child or even an infant eat, notice when the child stops eating. When satiated, right? Unless a child is told to clear his or her plate (because of the starving children… not wasting food, etc.) the child stops eating when he or she is comfortable.

Children don't need to learn "portion control" and I claim that we don't either. We simply need to wake up, notice that we're getting full and say, "Enough. I can have more tomorrow, at dinner, in a few hours, etc." If we remind ourselves that there is plenty of food to go around and that we can eat the foods we want, maybe we can be satisfied with what our stomachs can hold, comfortable in the knowledge that we get to eat again soon. Imagine. No more portion control.

PeopleFit USA Works!
Client Success Story:

Client: C. Diane Christensen, Palo Alto, CA
Biggest Challenge: Improve fitness levels
Goals: Fitting exercise consistently into her busy work and travel schedule.

Her Story: Before becoming a Fitness by Phone® client, I basically had given up on my exercise program. After hurting myself a couple of years ago on a machine at the gym and seeing my personal trainer move away I just didn't feel like exercising anymore. I came to realize that I really needed the extra motivation provided by checking in with someone on a regular basis.

What I like most about Fitness by Phone® is the flexibility. Checking in by telephone allows me to maximize my time exercising rather than spending time arranging and going to and from appointments with a personal trainer, as I did before. I still have the incentives that come from being accountable to someone on a regular basis, and in this case with a really knowledgeable and supportive fitness coach who can answer my questions and give me expert advice and guidance.

Fitness by Phone® provides me with a mechanism for reassessing my goals from time to time. And it is really fun due to my coach's personality and approach! Fitness by Phone® has shifted the responsibility to me of maintaining the consistency of my fitness training in a way that didn't happen when my exercise was dependent on meeting with my trainer. Also, my coach encouraged me to explore different ways of exercising, not just the same old routine at the gym. It makes exercise a lot more fun for me.

I recommend Fitness by Phone® to just about everyone, especially people who are motivated to get going on a fitness program and are ready to take the responsibility for doing it. I say 'try it, you'll find it is something that will support you to make fitness a permanent part of your life.'

C. Diane Christensen
diane@manzanitamgnt.com

Susan's Healthy Hints

Granola Pancakes
Makes 4 pancakes

Though Valentine’s Day has come and gone, you’ve got the rest of the year to show your family and friends how much they mean to you. A great way to show them how much you care is to prepare healthy meals year round.

Why not surprise your family this weekend with a delicious pancake breakfast? Here’s a healthy twist on the old favorite that is sure to please everyone. Your family will thank you for your effort and you can feel good knowing that they are getting the day off to a healthy start.

Serve with maple syrup or honey – skip the butter. Use your favorite granola cereal, with our without dried fruit and nuts.

4 to 5 cup Flour
4 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Salt
1 cup Buttermilk
1 tbsp Canola Oil
¼ tsp Vanilla Extract
1 to 1½ oz. Egg Substitute (or 1 egg)
1 cup Ripe Banana (mashed)
1 cup Granola Cereal

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Stir together buttermilk, oil, vanilla and egg. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Fold in banana. Heat skillet and spray with PAM. Using a 1/8 cup scoop, add batter and top with 1 tsp. granola cereal.

Calories 369 Fat 6.5 G Protein 11.1 G
Carbohydrates 70.4G Cholesterol 47.6 Mg Sodium 639Mg

Nutritionals will vary depending on choice of granola

About The Author:

Susan Johnson is the founder of Susan's Healthy Gourmet, which provides fresh, nutritionally balanced, and calorie-controlled meals that are individually prepared and packaged to order. To learn more you can call 1.888.396.3257 (EZ-MEALS) or visit them on the Web at www.susanshealthygourmet.com (be sure to mention Heather Moreno & PeopleFit USA when you call). You can also register for Susan's the popular online monthly newsletter, Susan's Healthy Lifestyle, at http://www.susanshealthygourmet.com/newsletter/default.asp

UN-Dieting Special Offer

Would you like to:

Lose weight without dieting? Eat your favorite foods without binging and feeling guilty? Take back your power from the Diet industry?

Good news - you can! I'm thrilled to offer "UN-Dieting," a 2-CD set that reveals:

• How diets are the leading cause of weight issues;
• How you can find your natural body weight;
• The psychology of Weight Management;
• How self esteem and communication skills can be at the root of your weight issues.

Done with dieting, restriction and the like? Then this information packed CD set will get you on the road to naturally reaching your body's ideal weight - for good! Call (714) 848-4102 or email me at Heather@PeopleFitUSA.com to order this month and receive F*R*E*E shipping! I am confident that you'll love UN-Dieting If you don't, simply return it within 60 days for a 100% hassle-free refund.

F*r*e*e Teleclass

CAUTION! Dieting May Cause Weight Gain!

Join me for a live teleclass designed with the unique needs of women in mind: "Caution… dieting may cause weight gain" on:

Wednesday, March 10th at 6:00pm PST (7pm MT, 8pm CT, 9pm ET).

See my website for more details. TO REGISTER, Email me at Heather@PeopleFitUSA.com or call me at (714) 848-4102 to enroll and you will receive the details and your specific PIN code for this call. Don't wait, as space is limited for this popular call. Enroll now to ensure your spot! I guarantee you'll get such valuable tools and information that you'll want to pay me anyway (just kidding!)