You carve your figure with your fork.

In other words:

1)  Body shape is built by challenging the muscle.

2)  Body shape is revealed by creating the body composition necessary to let the shape built in #1 show.  You carve it out with your fork by dietary choices.

Fitness Fantasies will NOT help you

Having a plan, vision, and ideal is one thing. That's goals, not fantasies.  There is a difference.

It is heartbreaking to see women slave away at their workouts, aspiring to perfection in their technique, yet still not achieving their body shaping goals.  It doesn't have to be that way.

Working hard in training – your workouts is important for achieving optimal body shaping.  Don't get me wrong.

But a well trained body carrying extra layers of avoir du pois – fat – is like the light under the bushel.  You may feel it, but you just can't see it.

Stop looking for the magic workout bullet

If you are wishing and hoping that doing JUST the right exercise in just the right way will be the magic bullet for melting away body fat to reveal your hard-earned muscle, it's time for a wake-up call.

Yes, it IS a priority when it comes to shaping muscle, protecting your joints, and building beautiful posture along with health and well-being, that you get your exercise forms right.  This isn't about that.

It's about that desire for a slim, shapely body which gives you the physical confidence you crave.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with this desire and there is also absolutely no reason you need to resign yourself to "healthy at any size" if you don't want to.

Discipline and commitment

To achieve your ideal, it will take a commitment to your vision and dream.

It will take discipline of diet.

Have you been hammering out workouts for years, hoping it'll do the trick?

Then it's time to make a choice.  Get with the program about dietary choices making a difference, or stop torturing yourself.

Vicki's 20 lb. weight loss?  She got off the fence about diet.

Once you get off the fence about this one, your life will change.  Trust me.

Case in point, Vicki.  Vicki was featured here not long ago with her story of dramatic weight loss:  Vicki's new attitude;  oh, and she's down 20 lbs.   Maybe 20 lbs doesn't sound like dramatic to you, but to Vicki it was.  It was life changing.

Vicki was a guest speaker on recent calls for my Mastermind Group as well as Woman's Fitness Blueprint, sharing some highlights of her experience with dietary change and weight loss.  Here are some excerpts from the transcript:

Q: Vicki, what was your biggest challenge in making changes, during and after the Woman's Fitness Blueprint class, that gave you success?

Vicki: Oh, that's easy.  Changing the way I had to eat. That was my biggest problem area.  Because I thought, if I….well, first of all, I thought that I was just going to really miss junk food.  But, I don't.  And also it was going to be a big departure from the way everybody around me eats.    I knew that I had to change.  I really had to work through that.  And I knew that if I wanted to get healthy, that had to change.  And when you told me that nutrition was such a huge part of getting healthy and losing weight and feeling good, it just clicked, and I was like, "OK!" That's the way it has to be!

Q. So what was the biggest change for you?  How did  your eating change?

Vicki: I have gone to eating mostly whole foods.  Lots of veggies, organic, just highly nutritious foods.  Instead of processed foods and junk food, and anything in a box or quick.   It's been a slow change as I've learned new methods, different ways of cooking.  It's going really well.  I started upping my vegetable counts, and that's been huge.  So I really recommend that.

Q. Huge in terms of making the whole journey a little easier?  You're feeling better?

Vicki: It's been amazing, the energy increase that I've had.  I've been sleeping better, and my skin is clearing up.  And I KNEW what I had to do to get my skin to clear up.  I knew it was vegetables!

It's up to you

There is a very small percentage of the population that truly has a metabolic disorder that interferes with weight loss.  And there are those with thyroid issues, deepening the challenge.  But these are not the biggest obstacles to fat loss and achieving desirable weight and body composition goals.

Being trim, fit, strong and energetic are such worthwhile activities for improving the quality of your life.  You CAN have mastery of your dietary choices, and develop the strength of mind to achieve your ideals.

Just remember you can't out train a bad diet, and you do not,  most likely, have the body of your cousin's best friend who can eat whatever she wants and still be thin.

Believe me, once I got that - and it took me a long time, my friend – weight loss success was simply a matter of time!  Embrace your success!

© Lani Muelrath, M.A. All Rights Reserved image: debbie

"Face washing, exfoliation and care should include the entire decollete." ~Carrie Pierce photo:  lensenvy

Skin care and beauty expert Carrie Pierce delivered great content on Tuesday night's Teleseminar, and all listeners came away with some effective tools to put into action immediately.

Here at The Truth About blog, we were first introduced to Carrie's expertise via the article she wrote exclusively for my readers, The Truth About Cellulite.

And if you've been to Carrie's website at menopauserus.com, you know that life changes and all of the hormonal implications are central to her expertise.

She didn't waste any time on the call in jumping right in to give us a basic education – as well as an inside scoop.

As a matter of fact, I didn't even get halfway through the list of questions I had for Carrie to address.

The call went on for an hour with details of peri- and pre- menopause, hormonal changes, and how they can affect the skin.

As skin renewal slows down as we move through life (uh, get older), the skin can lose it's fresher look, Carrie underscored.  Combine that with dead cells sitting atop the skin and you have the makings of a problematic complexion.

Perhaps one of the best, immediate action tips we took away from the call is the direction to not only wash and exfoliate the fact, but to take it on down the neck as well….

Consider the entire decollete

As a matter of fact, target the entire "decollete" when you think of "face" care.

And if you're not sure where that is, it's the entire scoop neckline area.  Evidently though American women have the habit of  washing their "face" (above the neck)  – the French consider the entire area the target for cleansing, moisturizing, and exfoliation.

That's just for starters.  I'm processing the recording of the call right now and if you missed it, there are plans in the works to make it available for purchase soon.

The bad news and the good news

The bad news was we ran out of time for all my questions on the call.

The good news is that Carrie has promised to come back to answer them!

Were you on the call? Please leave feedback and questions for Carrie for next time in "comments" below.

© Lani Muelrath All Rights Reserved

Carrie Pierce, skin care expert extraordinaire, has researched and written this article exclusively for my readers.  What a chunk of information!

Be sure to be on the call I'll be hosting with Carrie on Tuesday, July 14.  It's FREE and you can sign up here:  Carrie Pierce TeleSeminar Signup.

Cellulite, Menopause and You-The Perfect Storm?
By: Guest Author Carrie E. Pierce and Menopauserus.com

Cellulite; the bane of women everywhere  and until only recently- one of the greatest mysteries of the Universe…

Medical Researchers have just begun to unravel cellulite’s dark mysteries in the past couple years, and the findings are both encouraging- and somewhat discouraging.

Cellulite, as we all know, is very common in women – but can even be found in some unlucky men and a few teenage girls. Cellulite also seems to profoundly worsen with the onset of menopause – and it is only now becoming clear as to why exactly this is.

During the peri – menopausal hormone bounce of a woman’s 30’s and early 40’s, the female body prepares for the onset of full-blown menopause. What researchers have recently discovered about cellulite – and Menopause – sheds new light on the subject and provides key insights that were missing from the equation entirely prior to this point in time.

It’s long been known that cellulite can exist in women who have as little as 15% body fat.  Consequently because of this phenomenon it is incorrect to think of cellulite as merely ‘a fat person’s issue’ or that cellulite is just ‘fat’ in general terms.

It’s well documented that cellulite (also known as localized lipodystrophy) is a condition marked by a very telltale ‘orange peel’ dimpling of the skin on the hips, thighs and buttocks of folks suffering from this condition. What is often not known is that cellulite can also form on the chest, back of the neck, stomach and back of the arms.

How does cellulite get started anyway?

But how does this unsightly and unsettling condition begin?

And why does it get worse after menopause?

The body contains three layers of fat. It is the top layer of fat (the subcutaneous layer) that is affected by cellulite.  This subcutaneous layer is comprised of fibrous connective tissue that resembles fine mesh. These fibers are known as septae.

Septae serve to form chambers in the skin that house fat cells and keep these fat cells tightly compacted. This compact fat then serves to provide insulation and structural support to the body.

New scientific findings reveal that PRIOR to menopause, cellulite is actually a condition comprised of two basic issues: 

1) decreased microcirculation deep in the skin tissues- and

2) inflammation caused by free radical buildup and insufficient lymphatic drainage.

There are also other possible conditions and circumstances that serve to exacerbate the condition during this time. Some of these possible factors include:

1) poor diet

2) sluggish digestion

3) no exercise

4) too much exercise and/or

5) undiagnosed food sensitivities.

Post menopause influences

AFTER menopause however, another factor kicks in to greatly exacerbate the condition. This factor being the dreaded hormone imbalances that accompany the menopause process-chiefly excess estrogen.

It’s now thought that excess Estrogen can cause the body’s connective tissues – and septae – to weaken.  This weakening then allows fat deposits to collect and push to the surface of the skin in bundles.  Coupling this excess – estrogen – induced weakening of the connective tissue – with the earlier mentioned poor microcirculation and lymphatic drainage, you have the Perfect Storm scenario for the development and progression of cellulite.

As hormones become unbalanced, a woman’s skin begins to thin. Collagen and Elastin also weaken. This causes further rupture and structural failure of the septae and consequently a profound worsening of the dimpled appearance of the skin as more and more fat bundles push toward the surface.

Traditionally, Cellulite is believed to form in 5 stages:

Stage One - the beginning of diminished blood circulation.
Stage Two – the progressive rupturing of veins and capillaries and increasing pressure mounting in the tissues where leakage is occurring.
Stage Three – the swelling of fat tissues due to fluid accumulation.
Stage Four - the formation of thick fibers due to congealed/hardened septae.
Stage Five - the formation of steatomes due to lack of circulation in the now-congealed septae fibers.

What can be done to improve cellulite?

All is not lost however as new research indicates that certain things CAN be done to improve – though not necessarily prevent – cellulite.

While not all cellulite treatment products such as creams and/or lotions are legitimate, there are some that actually can – and DO – lessen the visible appearance of cellulite. Certain ingredients such as caffeine and key herbs and botanicals when used topically assist in this lessening effect.

Also certain vitamins, minerals and herbs taken internally have been shown to assist in maintaining healthy blood flow and microcirculation.

Body wraps and message techniques also help with moving trapped lymphatic fluid. But without a doubt, taking this newfound understanding of the role hormones play in cellulite formation, and  pursuing medical help to balance hormones during peri-menopause -and prior to the onset of menopause – is truly key in improvement and prevention!

Watch for Part 2…!

Questions for Carrie? Submit them in comments below, and come to the TeleSeminar on July 14 and ask her live!

References:

American Skin Care and Cellulite Expert Assoc publications

Anti-Aging Clinic research papers and discussions

Int’l Alliance of HealthCare Educators publications

Arthritis Trust of America publications for the past 2 years