The Wise Body - Step 1

Take the time now to commit to following the Ten Steps. These are the steps I took to shed a significant amount of body fat and, even more importantly, to keep it off.

Everything I suggest you do in the Ten Steps has a purpose, whether or not it's apparent at the outset. As a Fitness Professional, I was schooled in numbers and logic (energy in, energy out). As a Personal Coach and Counsellor, I understand the communication skills needed to be an effective helper. So I follow a counselling model that goes like this:

• What is actually going on? Where are you currently at?
• What do you need or want? Where are you trying to get to?
• What do you have to do/ change to get there?
• How do you get actual, personal results?

The Ten Step Program begins with a personal assessment. In Step 1, you take some time to think and write about your weight history. It's best if you do this on your computer and save your writing in a file. I'll be asking you to send me an e-mail of your conclusions.

Everyone's story is different and this is your chance to tell yours. In as much detail as possible, I ask you to write out, in paragraph form, or chronologically, the history of your body shape. Were you a chubby grade-schooler? Were you a bean-pole who didn't gain weight until puberty? Did you have an average body until menopause? Tell the story in your own way.

After that, I ask you to write about a time in your life when you felt your body was ideal. What was going on in your life at that time? Were you on the high-school rugby team? the university rowing team? Do your wedding photos show that your body was in the best shape of your life?

Warning: Don't use this exercise as an opportunity to chastise yourself or kick yourself around the block. The practice of telling your story is not about self-flagellation. This is a time to take an honest look at the origins of your concern with your body weight. Reviewing your personal story is very important. It helps you get from where you are to where you want to go...

Lastly, write a summary of your thoughts about the story you've just written. Do you recognize any patterns, did you discover any triggers, was there anything you considered particularly significant in your story?

Once you feel your personal assessment is complete, send me your findings via e-mail at thewisebody@hotmail.com . I'll file this under your name as Step 1, and reply with some thoughts of my own.

Congratulations on making this commitment to yourself and on taking the time to complete your personal assessment. Stay tuned for Step 2...I just know that you can Get Your Body Back...