I was just talking with a client, Cami Krueger, who has totally transformed her body, mind and pretty much her entire life in only the past 12 weeks.  She has lost over 32 pounds and way too many inches to count. 

But honestly, it's not the weight loss that is so remarkable, it's the TOTAL change in her mindset.  So I asked her, "If you had to sum up the reason why you have been able to do so extremely well in such a short period of time, what is it?"

Her answer, and I quote, "I'm Worth it! Finding out that you're worth what it takes to live your dreams...The effort transforms into energy and it feeds you!"

Cami is tearing it up like no other I have seen in a long time.  She has been put into many difficult situations over the past 3 months where her healthy eating and workouts could surely have taken a backseat to the momentary pleasures, but she rose above it all and remained committed. 

What clicked?  Like so many others, Cami could have found a million reasons to slip and slide backwards but she didn't.  Why?

I will argue firmly that her mind is no longer the same.  Once she made the decision that her body and life was worth more than lazy afternoons on the couch or greasy slices of pizza, it all made sense internally.  It clicked!

Far too many people fall short over and over again because they never make the decision to choose what is really going to give her lasting rewards and not fleeting ones. 

Yeah, pizza tastes good...for the moment.  Yeah, ice cream dripping in caramel tastes delicious :)..., for the moment.  But then what.  What happens when the food is gone and you must look into the mirror and tell yourself another lie about how "tomorrow" will be a new day.  It's always "tomorrow".  Well, eventually, the tomorrows run dry.  The anatomy of a fallen mind is permeated with endless tomorrows.

It's time to make a change.  The change starts NOW.  Not tomorrow or even later on tonight.  NOW is the time.  NOW is all there is.

The lies of the mind begin with, "If I could just ____ _____ ___...."  Fill in your own blanks. 

It's all about finding excuses that take the responsibility off of YOU and YOUR choices.

Cami went on to say this to me, "Choosing to move in the right direction of my heart and passion, no matter the obstacle...there is always choice in the matter."

The mind will begin to run in the right direction AS you begin to make the right choices immediately. 

Consider the following mindset pitfalls:

1. I'm No Good

We always want to equate our self-worth with our successes or failures.  If we seem to be doing well, we feel worthy.  If we seem to be struggling, we feel unworthy.  Bottom line is this: You MUST always own your decisions--both good and bad--but they are not made in a vacuum.  You can make every bad decision null and void by following it with 10 right and empowering choices.  If you fail, stand up against the black rain (as I like to call it) and run harder.  Don't fall into the victim mentality.  If you feel like a failure, you will live like a failure. 

2.  The Finger Pointer 

This is a great one.  Many want to point the finger at everybody but themselves.  "oh, if my trainer would just give me more carbs and some pasta, I would feel better and not cheat."  Sounds good, right.  But, in the real world, that same person will NOT ONLY eat more carbs and the pasta, but then top it all off with MORE unhealthy carbs.  I've seen it 9 out of 10 times.  I give them what they want and they still fall.  Why? It was never really about the food.  Sure, in some cases, you may need more carbs.  You may very well need a pizza :)  Sometimes that is my exact prescription to my clients.  However, that is just not the real answer in most cases.  

More finger pointing would be; The gym is too far.  I don't have the time. The weather is bad.  My husband is a jerk.  Whatever!  Blaming external factors makes it easier to avoid taking responsibility for your own choices.  

3.  I Hate my Body, my Belly and my Butt!

Day and night you agonize over the different body parts that are lagging or don't match up with your "perfectionistic" desires.  You say things like, "Well, if I only had her thighs or buns, I would be happy." Or, "If I had that guys chest and guns, I would be complete."

Sorry, but no you would not.  It's not about the outside.  Your problem is all about the inside.  You not only need to love who you are, but you MUST if you want to succeed and get better. 

Honestly, when I see a guy with a bigger back or more defined body part, I don't lament about how I wish I was like him.  Nope.  Instead I say to myself...next time I see him, my body will blow his away in ALL areas.  I see it all as inspiration and motivation instead of reason to whine about my shortcomings.

Truth is, God only made one of you.  Think about it.  Nobody else could ever be you.  Why not be the BEST YOU that YOU can BE!  Stop comparing yourself to others.

Once you loose the "bones" of what I call the Anatomy of the Fallen Mind, everything begins to fall into place.

I close with a quote.

"Two men look out the same prison bars; one sees mud and the other stars." - Frederick Langbridge

Which do YOU choose to see?  Cami sees the stars!

The Past few days have been some of the toughest of my life--no doubt.  Watching my bestfriend--my Dad---fight for his life has been a battle.  My dad has overcome some serious adversities, but none more challenging than his health-related tribulations in recent years.  You see, although my father always took great care of his body by exercising almost every single day since the time he was a small boy, he wasn't always doing the right things nutritionally or regarding his lifestyle.  My dad was a big smoker.  His reward for years of smoking--throat cancer and lung disease.  It's the lung disease that he fights right now while on the ventilator in the ICU. 

I want to take a moment to thank so many of my clients and friends around the world who have been texting me and emailing me all week as they heard via the internet or my Twitter account.  Your thoughts and prayers mean the world to me and I thank you.  I know I have been a little taken away this past week as I have been in the hospital day and night at the bedside of my father, but your words encouraged me--thank you!

I put this post up because I believe life is precious and too many of us take it for granted.  I believe when someone does something they KNOW is unhealthy and they just blow it off as, "Hey, I'm going to die anyway, so why not go out doing what I love", they really are not thinking about how reality may play out in time and space when they pass away.  Yes, we are ALL going to die.  But, you can leave this world loving your last few moments or painfully fighting for them with every last breath.  We all need to do our best to take care of the bodies and minds we have. And, it's not just the obvious unhealthy pleasures that we need to be aware of such as drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes.  Every single day we put foods into our bodies which contain very harmful additives. 

Please, beware of these and stay aware from them.

1. Sodium Nitrate

This is not one we should be fooling around with or ingesting at all.  It is used commonly in hot dogs, lunch meats, ham, bacon and even smoked fish.  It's used to stabilize the color of the food and also add flavor.  However, although as a preservative it can prevent the growth of bacteria, it has been linked to cancer!  "This would be at the top of my list of additives to cut from my diet," says Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., M.P.H., R.D., L.D.N., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "Under certain high-temperature cooking conditions such as grilling, it transforms into a reactive compound that has been shown to promote cancer."

I have read numerous studies which come to the same conclusion and with even greater certainty.  Stay away from this stuff!

2. BHA and BHT

Butylated hydrozyttoluene (BHT) and Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) are bad news. They are used to preserve common household foods by preventing them from oxidizing. They keep fats and oils from going stale and are found in chewing gum, cereals, chips, and vegetable oils, but there is concern that they may cause cancer. "The structure of BHA and BHT will change during this process [of preserving food], and may form a compound that reacts in the body," BHA and BHT are not stable or inert. They're not just hanging out and being excreted by the body."  " says Gerbstadt, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

3.  Propyl Gallate

Avoid this one!  It is used to prevent oils and fats from going rancid.  Studies on animals link it to cancer.  It's used in vegetable oil, meat products, potato sticks, chicken soup base and chewing gum, and is often used with BHA and BHT (see below).  It can be found to be touted as "healthy" or "natural" by some.  I think we will be finding out much more in this one in the coming years and it will NOT be good. Stay away from it.

I have watched many close to me die from the horrible disease of cancer.  I personally believe in my heart that it is, in many cases--not all--but many, directly related to our lifestyles and eating habits.

This is a post that gets to me.  I hate to see people suffer and I hate to see people down and depressed.  It's something I have watched attack family and friends over the years and in some cases with horrible implications. 

When you feel like life is no longer worth living, there's only one way to go from there and it's downhill.  For some, it's deep down and painful and can seem impossible to get out from under.

So, as if being depressed wasn't bad enough, more and more studies conclude that there is a direct correlation between depression and obesity.  If you're doubting whether there is any real connection...don't!

There is no doubt that depression can lead to an increase in body fat.  In fact, the only question really worth asking is how much weight will you gain while depressed. 

Of course, there are a host of reasons why this is so.  They range from hormonal and biological to physiological and social iissues.  This is not an area where we just give someone a happy pill and send them on their way.

The University of Alabama did a very extensive study that spanned 20 years and over 5100 people both male and female.  Yes, the study revealed that the depressed people not only gained weight but gained it much, much faster.

Interestingly, the depressed people also gained more "belly" fat.  This was probably due to the rise in the stress-related hormone cortisol.

Okay, where do we go from here.  Well, this is not something we throw some magic dust over and watch get all better.  But, there is hope.  If you battle depression, here are some things to consider.

1.  Nutrition-  Believe it or not, you eat the junk food because you think it makes you feel better but it actually contributes to the mental anguish.  This is why you should try to eat as many clean, healthy foods as you can.  That "CARB COMA' meal that you plan on having so that you will pick up your spirits will only drive you lower into depression.

2.  Supplementation-  Some studies found a deficiency in Omega-3 fatty acids and depression.  Add healthy fats to your daily regimen.

3.  Social Sphere-  Listen, I know many hate to hear this, but if you're hanging around with negative, depressed people all of the time, do you really think that they're NOT going to influence you?  Surround yourself with happy, positive people.  People get frustrated with me sometimes because I laugh in the face of bad circumstances.  Fact is, I will continue to do so until I die.  You can CHOOSE to be strong and positive or you can choose to stay down.  I know, I know...lot easier said than done, right :)

Are you struggling with depression?  How deep is it?  I have a lot more I can say and a lot more I want to share.  But I want your thoughts.

In the end, let nothing and no one steal your joy.  Trust me, I've been there and it's not worth it.

Dedication!  The act of being devoted or committed to something.  Are your dreams worth more than a bag of Doritos or a glass of wine?  Would you consider a body that is ready for ANY magazine cover to be much more highly valued than a greasy cheeseburger?  Is losing yourself in a pint of ice cream really worth throwing away all of your physical and human potential?

In the pictures above, you see the beautiful body of Ellen Sinclair.  One of our most devoted DreamBodies team members and a competing figure competitor.  If you look closely at the before/after photos above, you will see a body completely transformed and almost re-created.  If you could see the after photos in a bigger size, you would see a gorgeous female body that could not possibly be any harder, tighter or leaner.  Absolutely magnificent!  That's why we will be doing a full story and pictorial on Ellen soon with a range of pictures for you to enjoy.  So, please be on the lookout for that.

You can take ANY magazine you want from Oxygen to Shape, and she is MORE than ready to grace the covers of any of these publications.  This begs the question, how did she get that body? 

That answer is not one that we can give you with just one word.  Yes, she followed the DreamBodies program to the lettter.  Yes, she worked the nutritional protocols and metabolic trickery well.  Yes, she kicked the incredible workouts designed for her.  But if it had to be defined succinctly and with only one word, let's say dedication sums it up.  By the way, this is the program that she used!

Ellen overcame challenges, emotional struggles, cravings and all of the other things that come up as you follow your dreams.  No dream comes for free.  But, she saw her dreams as being much bigger and more valuable than anything else in this world.  Can you say that?  Are you giving your goals and dreams that kind of commitment and devotion?

Let NO one lead you astray and tell you that other things are more important.  Those people should be considered Dream-Killers because that's what they do...they KILL dreams. 

At Dreambodies we say that Dreams build bodies and bodies build dreams.  Why? Because once your body becomes brand new, you dream and achieve things in all other areas that you never thought possible. 

Congratulations to Ellen and all the others who make momentary sacrifices for BEAUTIFUL, EVERLASTING REALITIES!  Think about it...isn't that the truth?