If you say that you are, you are. It's that simple. I once heard Tony Robbins relay a story of two men who attended one of his seminars. One felt very unsuccessful; the other man, just the opposite. The "unsuccessful" man was wealthy and very fit (among other things). We should all be such losers! But, it wasn't enough for him. His net worth needed to be higher and his body fat lower. The other man said that any day above ground was a successful day!

Of course you want to have goals and hold yourself to the standard of being your best. But what if you could feel successful in everything that you do? You can. It's up to you. Even with flat out failure, if you learn a lesson and use it, you can deem yourself a success. Just look at Thomas Edison!

These days most people want to reduce their body size - not a bad goal. But what if your efforts don't produce the desired result? When done properly, exercise and supportive eating don't always bring weight loss right away (sorry!). Reaching your body's ideal weight is bound to happen with consistent habits, but it is a side effect, not the first thing to occur.

Feeling successful in the meantime is critical, otherwise it's tempting to throw out the baby with the bath water and discontinue all your fitness efforts or worse yet, yo-yo diet. Take the focus off weight loss and put it on your success. Is your blood pressure down? Your cholesterol? Can you go up and down stairs easily that used to wind you? Do you feel better throughout the day? Are you stronger, more balanced or more flexible that just a month or two ago? Have you learned a new sport or finished a 5k? Have you not gained weight?

Set your own rules for success. If you focus on all the wonderful changes your body is making and continue your healthy habits, you will get to your ideal weight. That's what the body wants to do - it just needs your help and a little patience!

Have you ever had so much to say that you don't know where to start?

I just returned from a 17-day journey with my church to Turkey, Greece and Italy. When asked what the highlight was, I have a hard time explaining it. One thing that constantly struck me was being surrounded by the past. Seeing the Parthenon, built in the fourth century B.C., was amazing. The newest church in Rome is 400 years old. My home was built in 1975 and, by California standards, it's far from new!

I return with a better understanding of history (I hope), a respect for what those who have gone before me experienced, and, especially, a reawakened appreciation for all that I have at home: freedom, my husband and, yes, clean "facilities".

I also have great empathy for frequent travelers. I flew back into LAX on Friday and went straight to a conference. After a solid night's sleep on Friday I was feeling rather cocky on Saturday, that I had completely adjusted to the time and "made up" my sleep. Suffice it to say I was very wrong. My friend Kathy travels frequently to Europe on business and while I think how exciting it is, I now understand what a toll it takes on the body. My hat is off to you Kathy - I don't know how you do it!

And the best part - I became an aunt and god mother while I was gone. Samantha May Johnson was born on October 30th and I can hardly wait to meet her next week!

And after a whirlwind of several weeks, it is good to be home and back to work. I am forever thankful that I love what I do everyday. It makes coming back from vacation a welcome treat.

To your health,
Heather Moreno
PeopleFit USA , President

If for one week all you had available was 10 minutes each day, you'd get in 70 minutes of exercise and burn hundreds of calories. Not too shabby for just 10 minutes! Try these quick workouts:

1. Jump rope
2. Walk/jog interval outside: 1 minute jog / 1 minute walk (4 times), flanked by a 1 minute warm up and 1 minute cool down.
3. Eight minutes of any exercise video, flanked by a 1 minute warm up and 1 minute cool down.
4. Alternate a minute of jumping jacks with a minute of side touches.
5. Walk up and down stairs.
6. Walk the dog - briskly!
7. Dance - non-stop - to your favorite up-beat music
8. Alternate strength exercises, with some side steps in between. Try: lunges, pushups, crunches, bridges and triceps dips (these can all be done using body weight only.)
9. Sweep the garage or outside patio - non-stop!
10. Use indoor cardio equipment - 1 minute push followed by a 1 minute recovery (4 times), flanked by a 1 minute warm up and 1 minute cool down.

This is a terrific exercise that can adjust to the beginner and advanced exerciser, with little or no equipment at all. It works your hamstrings (back of the thigh) and glutes (derrière), while your inner and outer thighs, back and abs stay tight to stabilize.

If you've never done the bridge before, start with the basic move:

Keep your repetitions (reps) slow (2 seconds up, 3 seconds down) and do not completely rest on the ground between reps. Focus on pressing through your heels so that you feel it more in your glutes and keep your knees in line over your toes. Remember to breathe. Do as many as you can with good form.

Once you master the basic move, you can move to one of two variations. The first is the single leg bridge:

Keep your hips square - do not let the hip (in this picture, the right hip) drop.

The second one is the ball bridge:

Go slow and do not rest completely on the ground between reps. The ball is unstable so your back and abs will come into play more and your arms can help to balance you on the ground.

Have fun with the bridge - and let me know if you try it!

As always, safety comes first. If you feel pain or unusual discomfort, discontinue the exercise and seek professional direction.

By Lisa Kinder, RD

It's funny, when most people find out that I am a dietitian, they say things like, "I bet you never eat dessert" or "Does your husband ever get to eat a cheeseburger?". I find these comments amusing, and I usually respond by saying that I believe all foods can fit into a healthy lifestyle. So in my home you will find a variety of food: yes, there is usually some form of chocolate around, but there is always a bowl of fresh fruit on the kitchen table too.

You may get a sense that moderation is important, and you are right. For preventing heart disease, small changes can make a big difference. If you are overweight, a weight loss of 5% can improve your blood cholesterol levels. This means that a person weighing 200 pounds may see an improvement after losing only 10 pounds. It's not "all or nothing" when it comes to eating. You don't need to cut out all fat or lose 100 pounds to make a difference. Here are some "small" ideas to help you eat for a healthy heart:

1. Add soluble fiber: oatmeal, oat bran, avocado, sweet potatoes, apricots, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds.
2. Add B-Vitamins: spinach, cantaloupe, turkey, skinless chicken breast, asparagus, kidney beans, beets, wheat germ.
3. Decrease saturated fat: replace whole milk with skim or soymilk, use part-skim cheeses, replace ice cream with soy "ice cream" (Soy Delicious brand is great!), use extra lean ground beef or turkey, use skinless chicken breast.
4. Incorporate healthy fats: olive & canola oil, avocado, soy, walnuts, almonds, fish.
5. Make a fruit smoothie: banana, orange juice, tofu, ground flaxseed, strawberries.

A heart-healthy eating plan can do much more than help prevent heart disease. You also get the bonus of helping to reach a healthy weight, and preventing diseases such a cancer and diabetes!

For more information on heart healthy eating, join Healthy Life Nutrition's "Heart Healthy Eating" Telephone Seminar on Tuesday, November 16, 2004 at 7:15pm. For more information, contact Lisa Kinder, RD at 714-356-7558, lisa@healthylifenutrition.net or visit www.healthylifenutrition.net and click on Tele-Conferences.

Butternut Squash Soup

I just love a cup of warm soup in the fall. This recipe for butternut squash soup is a good source of plant protein, fiber and antioxidants. Ready to try something new?

• One carton of Imagine brand Butternut Squash Soup
• One 12 oz. can coconut milk
• 1-2 cups of cauliflower (ground in a food processor or Vita Mix)
• Thai red curry seasoning packet (found in the Asian food section of your supermarket.) Use as much or as little of the seasoning packet as you want, depending on how hot you like your food.

Add Cauliflower and Thai Seasoning to already heated soup mix and coconut milk. Heat through.

Top your soup off with rainbow veggies and sprouts!