• Featured Article - Five Ways to Fight Food Cravings
• What's New - Sizzling Special - "MyEquilibriumCoach"
• Aerobodies in the News
• Wellness at Work

A Note From Fran

New Year...New You

YEAAAAH... a new year is coming right around the corner. Are you ready? Can you taste it? Fresh ideas, new opportunities, and a blank and open canvas.

I like the idea of starting a new year... but I'm not naïve. I know for many of you (my favorite readers) the idea of starting over, creating new goals and beginning another year of the same old life, makes you cringe.

Okay, so let's say we kick the old you to the curb and start over with a new you. And I can help! I've heard from many of you over the years that you really enjoy retreats and spa getaways. So with the help of a dear friend and colleague, I've decided to kick off the Year of 2008 with The First Annual "New Year New You" Retreat for Women in Hawaii!

Even if you don't feel like a power woman yet, but you could use some R&R, soul searching and mindful coaching, then plan to join Dianna and I on the beautiful island of Maui for this life changing event. Want to learn more? Go here and get the inside scoop.

SHAPE UP & SAVE!!!!

Challenge yourself (and even a buddy) with the MyEquilibriumCoach.com online (MEC). MEC keeps you motivated with 30, 60 or even 90 day challenges to track your daily activities, manage your weight and calories…and reach your personal goals!

Here's what you get with your MyEquilibriumCoach.com Membership:

Track Your Calories

Our extensive database of foods has all the nutritional data you need. Use the drop down menu to enter the foods you eat and we'll update your journal with the calorie content.

Monitor Your Activity

We've got thousands of activities in our database. Just select the activity and the duration, and we'll calculate the calories you burned!

Travel the Country

Tracking your pedometer steps daily will move you across a virtual map route. If you walk the minimum average steps per day, you will complete your route in 90 days or less!

Access a Personal Fitness Coach

Use our bulletin board to contact fitness professionals 24 hours a day!

SIZZLING SPECIAL- Take 15% Off…

By: Natalie Nickerson
Program Manager

Many of us crave different foods and we can't seem to figure out why. Cravings are normally caused by how foods affect the brain. Some of the most commonly desired foods affect the brain like a drug and/or stimulate the brain causing a state of euphoria. This euphoric state can cause the body to want a repeat performance resulting in an addiction or constant food craving.

So how do you reduce food cravings?

1. Begin the Day with Breakfast.
   Start the day off by eating a high-fiber meal which will help prevent binging caused by hunger. Low-calorie fiber helps keep hunger pains at bay longer. Make sure you get plenty of soluble (oats and fruit) and insoluble (whole grains) fiber to help keep you feeling full longer.



2. Remove Temptation. Removing all unhealthy foods from your pantry can be a great first step in the right direction. Keep your pantry well stocked with healthy alternatives that will satisfy your most common cravings.



3. Eat Small Meals. Stop and think about how infants eat. They eat small portions, often. That's the way our systems were designed to function. Eating several small meals throughout the day will help maintain a healthy metabolism and helps keep blood sugar levels at a steady state.



4. Keep a Food Journal. Don't be afraid of seeing your food intake on paper. Journaling creates awareness. Writing down your eating habits can help you gain insight of when and why you get cravings. When writing try tracking the date, time of day, what you ate and serving sizes, how hungry you were before you ate and how satisfied you were afterward. The more you write the easier it will be to assess your eating patterns and help you plan for better eating habits.



5. Get Back on the Wagon. So you have a bad moment and succumb to your craving. Get up and try again! Figure out what went wrong and try to make an adjustment so it will be less likely to happen again. Make sure you give yourself time to make a change and realize it will take time for it to become a habit. Practice your new eating habit and remain persistent. Before long your new ways will become a natural way of life.

Aerobodies in Expansion - Club Industry Magazine

Brent Darden and Fran Dean Bishop are successful, well-established fitness industry experts in their respective niches. Yet, like most highly-motivated individuals, they're both constantly striving to take that next step. Read more.

Has this newsletter inspired you to take wellness to your workplace? Learn more about our corporate programs by clicking here or email us for additional information.