Robyn Spurr

Personal Health and Weight Loss Coaching For Women

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Three Movies to Lift Your Spirits

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The holidays can be the most difficult time of year for many people. It’s not always jingle bells and mistletoe and gleeful family gatherings.

I’ll keep this post short – because we’re all overwhelmed with cluttered inboxes + requests + way too long to-do lists in December.

If you’re feeling stressed out, disheartened, a bit blue (or all of the above) – you’re not alone.

Which is why I want to share three documentaries I’ve watched recently that reminded me of just how much good there is in the world.

That we can overcome our challenges and rise up.

That we can take this precious life we’ve been given and choose to be a force of good.

So grab a cozy blanket and a hot mug of tea and enjoy…

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Buck 

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Mister Rogers & Me 

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Happy 

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Wishing you love and peace and health this holiday season.

XO

~Robyn

I’m all booked up for private Weight Loss Coaching through the end of 2015. If you want to work with me in January, let’s schedule a Discovery Session and find out if coaching is right for you.

I work with fun + smart + courageous women who want a healthier body and a more delicious life! No calorie counting required.

Robyn Spurr is a Once Obese Chick, Eating Disorder Survivor, Certified Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. She help​​s women learn to manage their emotions without food and reach their healthy, natural weight without all the diet craziness.

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Is “I’m Fat” In Charge of Your Life?

Thoughts swirl around in our minds all day long. And not all of them are rose colored.

I started keeping track of my non-rosy thoughts this morning (knowing that I would be writing this post)…

  • My hair is a mess.
  • I should have worded that email differently.
  • She’s so much fitter than I am.
  • I should get up earlier.

…and it’s only 10:00.

It’s normal to have a wide variety of thoughts. What a relief, right?

The key to creating desirable outcomes has nothing to do with eliminating all of our negative thoughts + feelings. That’s im-fricken-possible! It’s about being able to step back and witness our unproductive thoughts + emotions without letting them run the show.

When you can see the thought + not judge it + not buy into it, then you get to choose how to act – instead of flying on autopilot.

Let’s use, “I’m fat,” as an example.

So many of my clients let these two little words drive their behavior. When your mind starts playing the, “I’m fat,” recording – notice how you act.

Does the thought help you be the person you want to be?

Does it help you do the things you want to do?

My guess is N-O no.

Most of my clients truly want to treat their bodies with care and respect. They want to exercise and make healthy choices. They value self-care.

Now imagine if I could wave my magic wand and just like that, “I’m fat,” no longer had any power over you. Imagine if it didn’t cause you to feel bad or not good enough.

Let that really sink in for a moment. I’m fat = totally unaffected. Did that blow your mind?

How might your life be different if you didn’t have to carry the burden of your thoughts with you?

When we get all tangled up in our story…

  • I’m fat.
  • I have no willpower.
  • I’ll never be healthy.
  • I don’t have the discipline it takes.
  • I’m a failure.

…it doesn’t help us live our values.

Instead we usually avoid socializing + feel bad about ourselves + plan our next restrictive and cruel diet while binge watching the Netflix show du jour and eating Doritos.

Why do we do this? Our beliefs drive our behavior via the feelings they create. And I’m fat usually creates feelings of shame + insecurity + self loathing.

It doesn’t matter if the thoughts are true or false. The question to ask is,

Does it help me to hang on to this thought?

There’s a simple way to lessen the impact of these thoughts.

When you notice the thought, don’t challenge it or dispute it. Don’t try to push it away or replace it with something positive. Simply replay the words with, “I’m having the thought that,” in front of them.

I’m having the thought that I’m fat.

I’m having the thought that people think I’m lazy.

I’m having the thought that I don’t have what it takes.

See the thought for what it is – a thought. Then ask yourself…

If I let these thoughts guide what I do, does it help me be the person I want to be?

​XO ~Robyn

I’m all booked up for private Weight Loss Coaching through the end of 2015! If you want to work with me in January, don’t wait to reach out. Contact me now to get on the waitlist.

Simply click here to schedule a free Discovery Session or email me directly at robyn@chickadeeweightloss.com. Let’s chat and see if we’re a good fit.

I work with fun + smart + courageous women who want a healthier body and a more delicious life! No calorie counting or elimination of food groups required.

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Training Your Brain to Focus on the Good

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My beautiful and wise friend Cindy sent me an email a few weeks ago.

She registered for a 31-day mindfulness summit and thought I might be interested. It was free – as long as you watched each video the day it was posted.

I’ve been experimenting with mindfulness practices lately – particularly mindful eating, so I signed up.

We met for breakfast a few days ago – and I had to admit I didn’t watch a single video. It was day 15 of the summit. Sigh.

That night, I bought the all access pass and watched the first video.

The benefits of mindfulness and meditation are innumerable. If drug companies could turn mindfulness or meditation into a pill and make a profit, we’d see adds for it splashed everywhere. And the side effects – nada!

Then why are we so resistant to practicing mindfulness? Perhaps we think it means chanting OM while sitting cross-legged on a cushion in a monastery.

Truth is – mindfulness is quite accessible and can be easily integrated into our daily lives.

Stay with me.

Our brains are hardwired to pay more attention to negative events. 

Psychologist and brain researcher, Dr. Rick Hanson explains this concept beautifully.

He says…

Our negative experiences stick to us like velcro, while our positive experiences slide right off like teflon.

Researchers have found it takes numerous positive experiences to overcome a single negative one.

Think about it. What do you tend to stew over at the end of the day?

  • The friendly interaction with your coworker?
  • The kind woman who held the door for you?
  • The sweet text from your love?
  • Or the rude checkout clerk at the grocery store?

You can train your brain to focus on the good. This is especially important if you tend to stew over the negative stuff – and then eat as a way to cope.

Here’s how (without having to sit for one single second in meditation).

At the end of every day (or anytime you like), take a moment to think about at least one good thing that happened that day. Write it down. That’s it.

This Cherokee parable sums it up brilliantly…

“One evening a Cherokee elder told his grandson about the battle that goes on inside of people.

He said, ‘My son, the battle is between the two ‘wolves’ that live inside us all. One is Unhappiness. It is fear, worry, anger, jealousy, sorrow, self-pity, resentment, and inferiority. The other is Happiness. It is joy, love, hope, serenity, kindness, generosity, truth, and compassion.’

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, ‘Which wolf wins?’

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Which wolf are you feeding?

XO ~Robyn

I work with fun + smart + courageous women who want a healthier body AND a more delicious life! No calorie counting required. Simply click here to schedule a free Discovery Session or email me directly at robyn@chickadeeweightloss.com.

Robyn Spurr is a Once Obese Chick, Eating Disorder Survivor, Certified Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. 

She help​​s women learn to manage their emotions without food and reach their healthy, natural weight without all the diet craziness.

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Chickadee Kitchen: Fun Fall Recipes (Beyond Butternut)

We’ve got another warm and sunny weekend in store for us here in Colorado, but the snow will be flying soon – and I can’t wait. My poor grill is worn out and I’m itching to get back in the kitchen. Bring on the El Nino!

In the meantime, I’ve been soaking up the sun while I can and scouring the internet for fun Fall recipes. Thought I’d share a couple with y’all that I can’t wait to whip up…

The one ingredient I want to include more of in my diet are beans. Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) are packed with fiber and are an excellent source of molybdenum, manganese, folate and copper.

Check out this Spaghetti Squash and Chickpea Meatball recipe. Might just give it a whirl on Sunday.

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My friend Dani over at Clean + Delicious just posted this Sweet and Savory Acorn Squash dish. Hearty + healthy + yet another reason to buy more of the gorgeous squash I’m seeing all over.

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XO ~Robyn

I work with fun + smart + courageous women who want a healthier body AND a more delicious life! No calorie counting required. Simply click here to schedule a free Discovery Session or email me directly at robyn@chickadeeweightloss.com.

Robyn Spurr is a Once Obese Chick, Eating Disorder Survivor, Certified Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. 

She help​​s women learn to manage their emotions without food and reach their healthy, natural weight without all the diet craziness.