Your weight and health goals does not stop at the number on the scale.

When we reach that point where we can’t stand our weight any longer and we take action to lose weight we make a very big mistake.

Because we've just reached the end of our tether, there’s an element of panic, and in our panic, the resounding thought in our head is "Get it off me, now!"

We just want the fat to go and we want it to go fast!

So we dive in, boots and all, a calorie-restrictive diet coupled with intensive exercising.

We try to go from 0 – 100 and we change everything and do too much, too quickly.

The problem is, on top of your already busy schedule, working 50, 60, 70, hours a week, under time pressures, deadlines, staff issues, conflict, and burning the midnight oil at home, along with your already depleted energy reserves, very low fitness levels and stress-related aches and pains, this is a recipe for disaster.

Why?

Your mind and body is already living in a state of survival all day every day because, among many things, you’ve already tapped your...

If you're alone through the festive season:

Think about how you can turn that time to your advantage; it's a good time to do something you’ve been putting off all year. Perspective is everything, it might just be the ideal time to start that money making project you’ve been thinking about?

But if you do want more social time and people in your life:

Look through your address book and start phoning people, make coffee dates, have conversations, be confident to let them know you’d like to hang out this Christmas or find somewhere to volunteer and get your happy feelings giving someone else  a happy Christmas.

Laughter really is the best medicine:

Get quick laughter fixes on You Tube or watch funny, light movies. Leave all the heavy, depressing drama and horror on the shelf.

Beat the festive season blues with happy tunes to dance to.

Be adventurous:

Go out and have some fun somewhere and do one thing you’ve always wanted to do, especially if it’s something...

Your body tells you what you need to eat and pay attention to it. Investigate what it is that you're craving.

Is it something that your body needs or something that your body wants because it's your comfort food?

If it's something that your body needs then have a go at it, but if it's something that your body wants to have because it gives you comfort and so you have to have it, then that's a different story.

Take the pressure off of your credit card and bank account:

If people are old enough that they no longer believe in Santa, flying reindeer and elves, feel comfortable to give the gift of connection. This will relieve you of the pressure of gift preparation and the financial burdens that excessive gift giving can create. The best gift is genuine connection: having real conversations with people, listening deeply and giving the gift of loving touch. So many people are never touched lovingly and neutrally by other human beings. Did you know that we need 5 hugs a day for general well-being and happiness?

Take the pressure off of your friends and families credit card and bank account:

Let your friends and family off the hook too and let them know that this year you have everything you need but you can never get enough hugs and filling up your hug account is something you'd welcome over any silly old store bought gift.

Be choosy about what you spend your sanity on:

Embrace the fact that there...

Here are some more ideas on how to ease into a happy and joyful Christmas season with feeling the joy of embracing the happy no.

Be comfortable to say no this festive season:

If saying no isn't something you're particularly skilled at but you'd like to give it a red hot go, try this; 'Wow/Thanks/That sounds wonderful/thank you so much for inviting me/offering that to me, I'd love to/I wish I could/although unfortunately just at the moment I've got so much on, I'm sorry I can't help you/attend your party/fit that in right now, but have fun and thanks for thinking of me but make sure you show me the photos.

Remind yourself that other peoples dramas are all about them, it’s got nothing to do with you:

But of course they may like to put it onto you, and that’s a good opportunity to be comfortable saying no; ‘I know this isn't about me, so what’s it about/what's going on/what do you need help with/are you OK? Be kind always, we are all people doing the best that we...

I've put together a list of simple yet effective ways for you to embrace the joy of Christmas this year.

And in the spirit of keeping it easy and simple, I will roll out the list over the rest of this week.

Lets take a proactive approach to Christmas because it's easier than you think!

Day 1:

Make plans in advance where possible: I know that's a no brainer, but it's surprising how often it's overlooked and especially when it's still November, we just keep thinking we still have lots of time. But the reality is, you have less than 5 weeks and we all know how manic those last couple of weeks can get. So jump in and make your plan now for what you need to do and get started.

If you're not already someone who makes lists, now is a good time to embrace list making. It gets things out of your head and clears up space in there for feeling calm and you'll always remember the important things because you've written them down. The most important thing lists do is allow you to see all the things...

I was always very afraid of guns, I'd never touched one and the only knowledge I had of them was what I had seen on the news or in movies.
 
So when I was invited to join in a Shoot 4 Fun event with the Queensland Rife Association I took the opportunity to overcome my fear.
 
What I learned on that day is that there is nothing to be afraid of, when you know what you’re doing, which in this case was taking careful instruction from the trainer and coaches on the day, anything is doable.
 
I was even awarded a little certificate for being the best shot for a newbie.
 
But what I really got out of the whole day (apart from a lot of fun) was that everything in life is like everything else in life.
 
The key to shooting straight and getting in the bullseye zone is the same for reaching your goals in life:
 
Set up your target - know what you’re aiming for
Prepare your equipment
Settle in
Slow everything down, breathe low and slow
Relax your grip
Focus in on the...

Here are some tips on how you can prevent yourself from backsliding or falling off the dieting wagon.

When I was stuck in dieting hell, the hardest thing for me to cope with was that all the solutions that were available were all focused on food.
 
I already thought about food too much and what I really wanted was to just forget about it, to only think about it as fuel for a healthy body.
 
But no matter where I looked for solutions, it always came back to “what I was or was not allowed to eat”.
 
I don’t know if you can relate, but whilst all the diets and eating plans on offer seemed to work for other people, I knew they wouldn’t work for me. God knows I’d tried them all, but none of them ever took away the desire for the “forbidden foods”.
 
I like fruit, I like toast and Vegemite, I like all vegetables, I like eggs, I like dairy, and I didn’t want to have to cut them out of my life.  
 
I was overweight and I’d been on and off the dieting wagon for 25 years after I had developed a behaviour of coping with...