When I turned my back on fitness in 1983, I was a fitness leader and pioneer. The daughter of Bonnie Prudden, the nation’s foremost fitness authority and co-founder of The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, I was known as the fitness guru; a fitness celebrity.

Leaving the field of “exercise,” I started studying the mind. It was, and still is, truly fascinating to me. I never wanted to go back to teaching fitness. I moved forward into guided imagery, spirituality, body/mind technology, nutrition and hypnosis. I wanted to leave “Suzy Prudden Fitness Guru” far behind. So far that I even allowed myself to become over weight and out of shape.

There’s no way I’ll go on television in a leotard today.

So here we are. If this blog grabbed your attention, you’re probably thinking, “So what do I do?” I can tell you to go on a diet and exercise. But you’ve heard that your whole life and you’ve probably tried every diet (and they worked while you were on the diet). You’ve probably joined gyms, hired personal trainers, bought hundreds of books and videos and promised to exercise on a daily basis. You’ve probably lost the weight and periodically gotten into pretty good shape. AND, you’ve probably gained the weight back (plus) and stopped exercising and lost the momentum you had.

You’re sick and tired of trying to stay fit. It’s almost as if it’s okay to be overweight and out of shape. Trying to do all the things you have to do in your life, AND stay fit and trim is just too hard, too time consuming and too frustrating. I agree.

Okay, so you’ve had a few days to consider if you really want to do this. My guess is, you do… and you don’t. It’s easy to stay overweight and out of shape. And your experience from the past is, it’s difficult to lose weight, get in shape and stay there. And you’re right. So let’s change that right now.

The first question you have to ask is: “Am I tired of being overweight and out of shape?” For most people the answer is, “Yes.” Or, “Yes, but…” Yes, but means “No.”

So my question to you is, “What do you need to get to ‘Yes” without the “but?”

The answer is really simple. You need to change your mind. The only real way to change your mind is to talk to your subconscious mind. You can do this through guided imagery, visualization, meditation or hypnosis. I am working on a guided imagery process you will be able to use to help you change your mind so you will truly want to make the changes you need to make to get beyond being overweight and out of shape.

What’s the first thing you should do to stop being overweight and out of shape?

The first thing I did was to stop drinking Diet Coke. Yes, Diet Coke has no calories but the chemicals in Diet Coke causes fat to adhere to the cells. Fat is in your body to protect your organs. Diet Coke is all chemicals. Diet anything is all chemicals. The fat in your body holds the chemicals (toxins) to protect the organs from the toxicity in the Diet Coke.

Do you remember TAB? It was one of the first diet drinks. I think it came out in the 60’s. I loved it. Do you know what T A B stands for? Totally Artificial Beverage! And we drank gallons of it. Well, Diet Coke (diet anything) is the same… it’s totally artificial. (I’ll get into more of that later).

(I have to confess….. between my fourth post on being Overweight and Out of Shape and this thread… I digressed. I went on two back to back business trips and indulged in two diet cokes while I was on the road and only exercised 5 days out of the 12 I was away. That’s called “Life,” and it will happen. I’m not a fanatic – I’m just working on making the changes I need to make.)

 And today, I’m back on track. That’s what this is about. Make a commitment you can keep. If you fall off the commitment, notice it, and get back on track. There is no make-wrong here.

It’s time to stop making excuses for being overweight and out of shape. It’s time to get your body back (or your body the way you want it to be for the first time).

Income? Did she say income? Yes, income.

Did you know that overweight and out of shape people earn less money doing the same job than people who are in shape and at their ideal weight? It’s true.

Did you know that overweight and out of shape people get passed over for promotions (regardless of how good they are at their job) for people who are in shape and at their ideal weight? It’s true.

Did you know that people who are overweight and out of shape are taken less seriously than people who are in shape and at their ideal weight? That’s true, too.

And, did you know that people who are overweight and out of shape are treated more rudely in almost every situation than people who are in shape and at their ideal weight? If you’re overweight and out of shape you probably already know this, but you’re pretending it isn’t true.

The people in your world: whether you like it or not; are not going to change. You have to. If you don’t mind being overweight and out of shape, and you don’t mind earning less money, and you don’t mind being taken less seriously, and you don’t mind when people are rude to you, and you don’t mind the health risks, then stay where you are.

During the course of this next year I am committed to creating programs for you that will help you get your body back, increase your energy and your intelligence and, if you want to, get a better job and make more money. Remember, it all starts in your mind. Your body is the vehicle that gets you there. It’s up to you to take care of vehicle.

Between now and my next post, write down what you are going to change that is doable for you. You don’t have to ask anyone for advice. You know exactly what you’re willing to do. Keep a notebook and copy these posts in it. These will be your guide while your program comes from you. I will make suggestions. If they work for you, do them. If they don’t wok for you, don’t. This is about you.

I am creating a five minute guided visualization processes from wanting to exercise to exercising each part of your body. These will help you continue with whatever you decide to do. They’ll be up soon, so stay tuned.

Here’s what I recommend you do today:

So, how do you feel? Do you notice anything different?

I’ll tell you what I’ve noticed about me. Let me remind you that, I too, am overweight and out of shape. And for me, that’s a terrible thing to admit. After all, I’m Suzy Prudden – formally known as “The Fitness Guru” 30 years ago.

Since I started this blog I’ve been walking at least 5 minutes and sometimes even 15 minutes a day. I have more energy and find that it feels better to increase my walk when I have the extra time. I’m also drinking more water. My body likes it. Some of you may find that you have to get up in the night more often to go to the bathroom. This is a good thing. It means your body is dumping toxins.

Keep a glass of water by your bed and drink a little more before going back to sleep, even if it’s 3:00 am. You’ll find you’ll sleep more deeply than if you just try to go back to sleep. Your body likes water. And, 3:00 am is when your liver is dumping toxins. Help it. Drink more water.

What other changes are you willing to make? Do you belong to the clean plate club? Are you willing to relinquish your membership?

Most of us were trained as children to finish everything on our plate. And as adults, we still do this. It’s engrained in our subconscious minds. That’s why so many of us are overweight and out of shape.

Would you be willing to leave 10% of the food that you are served on your plate?

Your eating the food will not feed the children that are starving somewhere else in the world. Finishing the food on your plate “because you paid for it” will only cost you MORE when you have to take the weight off because you gained it finishing everything on your plate. Try leaving food on your plate. If you find that it is not possible, make it easier on yourself. If you serve yourself, take a little less than you normally do. If you’re at a restaurant, ask for a “doggie bag” before the meal and put half your meal in the bag before you start. You can then finish everything on your plate and still eat far less than you would have. You can eat what’s in the “doggie bag” for lunch tomorrow. Notice, you’re probably satisfied long before you finish the meal anyway. That’s when to stop.

Note: Some of you may believe you’re wasting money if you don’t finish everything (even the kid’s food, sometimes). Some of you may not like to eat leftovers for lunch and find you’ll just throw the food out and that’s wasting money.

The question I have for you is: “How much money has it cost you in the past or is costing you now to lose the weight you gained because you didn’t want to waste the food because you paid for it?”

Think of the diets you’ve done, the clothes you’ve had to buy, even the diseases you may have created for yourself by being overweight ant out of shape.

When you change that habit, you’ll notice a difference. I promise.

Change Your Mind, Change Your Life!

Suzy P