- Robyn Spurr

February 11, 2013 By Robyn

Reclaiming Your Sparkle

On November 26th of last year, I had foot surgery. My second in two years. I’ve written about it quite a bit, because you know – surgery is a kind of a big deal. Especially when it renders you unable to walk for a month.

But this post isn’t about surgery, it’s about sparkle. Losing your sparkle and reclaiming it.

Let me begin by clarifying my definition of sparkle…

A spring in your step
Your inner light
Effervescence
Feeling vital and vivid and in technicolor
Your bam, boom, kapow and razzle dazzle (like Superman meets Bob Fosse)

When you’ve lost it, things feel a bit of grey and blah. I’m not talking about depression – more like a lack of pizazz.

So, I have a theory. On that cold and gloomy day in November, the anesthesiologist didn’t just put me in a deep state of sleep – he extinguished my sparkle. Bad anethesiologist!

Here’s the thing about sparkle or mojo or whatever you want to call it – it’s easy to lose. Kind of like a power outage – the lights go out “poof” and then they may flicker on and off for awhile before shining brilliantly again.

We all lose our sparkle from time to time – but how do we get it back?

The golden rule of reclaiming your sparkle is that you can’t force it or will it to come back. I know, because I tried. I really, really tried.

Sparkle is a finicky little bugger – it’ll come back when it’s good and ready. However, there are a few things you can do to coax it along.

Don’t disconnect. Feeling a little blah tends to make us want to tune out and disassociate from ourselves and from others. This is a sparkle killer! Spending hours in front of the TV with your face in a bag of chips is anti-effervescent. Even though you may want to sit on the couch in your flannel jammies for days on end – this will not help. I repeat – this will not help.

Create a delicious list. A what? A delicious list. Write down all of the things that make you feel delicious. The things that energize you and fill you up. My list includes goodies like singing loudly to my favorite tunes, cooking, getting massages, doing nice things for others, chatting with my Mom and being around or listening to people who inspire me. Stuck in an unsparkly funk? Go and do something on your list right now – and tomorrow – and the day after.

Be patient. You can’t force your sparkle. The more you try to force it the more discouraged you’ll become. Your sparkle WILL come back. Maybe not today or next week, but one day.

Don’t lose hope. It’s easy to become hopeless – to think that you’re destined to live in a world of feeling fizzled out forever. Try this – think of a time you landed in this state before. Did you stay there indefinitely? No, of course not.

This too shall pass.

January 29, 2013 By Robyn

When Goal Setting Goes Bad

Last July I committed to simplifying my life.

You know – declutter, organize, procrastinate less, create more.

In fact, I wrote a detailed post outlining my plan.

I’ve made some headway and it’s due time for an update – more like a progress report of sorts (eek). Here it goes.

Create a daily MIT list (most important things) – A
Mindfulness – B+
Purge – B
Unplug from the internet – F

Teacher’s Comments: Robyn works hard in class, but doesn’t seem to put much energy behind the subjects she’s not passionate about. Also, she is easily distracted.

Sorry, having a little fun here.

Oh yeah, that big old F.

If you’ve read this blog for awhile, you know I’m not a fan of beating myself up. I prefer to look at “failure” as a learning opportunity.

When it comes to setting realistic goals, we have to (a) want to do what it takes to achieve the goal and (b) believe that we are capable of doing what it takes.

Let’s look at my original commitment:

“I will shut down my computer on Friday night and fire it back up on Sunday morning.”

I’m certainly capable of turning my computer off – it’s (a) that’s the problem. I don’t want to disconnect for 36 hours. It doesn’t “feel” good to me.

Seems my goal was a bit too lofty.

We all do it. We think to ourselves – if I set this grandiose goal, then I’ll achieve it. Wrong!

For example…

I’ll lose 100 pounds this year
I’ll run my first marathon (even though I can’t run down the block)
I’ll start a new business and make 100K the first year

Then what? We deprive ourselves of all the foods we love, we overdo it at the gym, we get completely overwhelmed – and we GIVE UP.

It’s so very important to create goals that feel good and that we believe are achievable. If you dread doing what it takes to reach your goal, it’s not a good goal and you’re setting yourself up for failure Chickadee.

Reaching our ultimate goal is better achieved using baby steps.

Let’s take a look at my goal from last summer one more time:

“I will shut down my computer on Friday night and fire it back up on Sunday morning.”

The thought of shutting down for a day and half still gives me a panic attack.

Here’s a new commitment – one that feels good and that I actually want to do.

I will “unplug” each evening at 8:00.

No more surfing until 10:00. No more checking emails right before bed.

Unplugging at 8:00 may not seem like a big deal, but achieving this small goal will create evidence for success (I did it). And that feeling of accomplishment (I did it) often inspires us to set the bar a little higher. Set goals that allow for success.

Maybe one day I’ll actually want to shut down from Friday night until Sunday morning.

Today is not that day. Or tomorrow. Maybe next year.

Stay tuned.

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January 22, 2013 By Robyn

Who is Showing Up and Why it Matters

A few weeks ago, I sat down in my office, grabbed my yellow legal pad and dialed in to a conference call on self-acceptance. I propped my foot up on a chair and began to think about my recent foot surgery. Here’s a peek inside my head that day…

Can’t believe I had to have surgery AGAIN.
My foot hurts.
Recovery is going to take forever.
This sucks!

Pretty ugly.

The conference call started and distracted me from my thoughts, but they were still there, dancing around in the back of my mind.

At the end of the call, I looked down and noticed that I had jotted about half a page of notes. I hung up and thought – geez, didn’t really get much out of that call. In fact, I posted this comment on one of my coaching forums:

When I visited the coaching forum the next day, I saw a bunch of rave reviews for the call and thought to myself – hmm.

I decided to listen to call again and had a completely different experience. Five pages of notes later, I emerged enthusiastic and enlightened, having learned so much. I couldn’t wait to share it all with my clients.

What changed?

Someone else showed up for that second call. Someone who was excited and curious and open. The way we “show up” in the world can have a profound impact on our experiences – and not just a single conference call, but the course of our lives.

I didn’t judge myself for showing up to the first call in a sour mood. I simply took note and stored the info in my life lessons file. To be honest, I’m glad it happened. Ever since that call, I’ve been so much more in tune with my feelings and how they influence my outcomes.

You can apply this concept to weight loss as well. I’ve worked with clients who approach weight loss with feelings of dread and doubt and others who arrive with feelings of curiosity and hope. I don’t think I need to tell you which clients have better results.

Sometimes we’re going to have bad days and our best self isn’t going to show up. That’s okay and totally normal. I can’t think of anyone who is in a good mood all of the time.

But, instead of blaming the conference call speaker, our spouse, or the person who cut us off on the way to work for our less than fabulous experiences, stop and think about who showed up in the first place.

If judgement was there when you met your new boss – you probably didn’t like her.

If anger got out of bed yesterday – I bet you had a crummy day.

If impatient drove you to work this morning – the commute was likely awful.

You are the creator of your life.

You can make it a great life – or not.

It’s your choice.

January 16, 2013 By Robyn

15 Healthy Small Meal & Snack Ideas

One of the most common “complaints” I hear from clients is that they get bored with food after making the switch to clean eating. While saying goodbye to processed food and the drive thru does indeed limit your choices, there are still plenty of tasty options.

Last week, a client asked if I would consider posting my own daily food journals in our private Facebook forum for awhile. My answer was (of course) a resounding yes.

It’s clear by looking at one of my journals that I prefer smaller, more frequent meals over three squares a day. Not that there’s anything wrong with three bigger meals. If that works for you, by all means, go for it.

Since I’m a refuel every 2 to 3 hours kind of chick, my meals tend to be smaller – in the 200-300 calorie range each.

I’ve listed a few of my favorite small meal and snack ideas for those of you searching for ideas to re-ignite those taste buds.

1. plain Greek or Icelandic yogurt (obsessed with Siggi’s brand) + berries + nuts or seeds + a few drops of stevia

2. cottage cheese on ezekiel toast or a whole grain english muffin with a drizzle of honey

3. hot quinoa (or oatmeal or buckwheat) + 1 tbsp nut butter + sliced bananas + splash unsweetened almond milk (such a yummy breakfast)

4. scrambled eggs on ezekiel toast or a whole grain english muffin with sliced avocado

5. hard boiled egg + clementine + avocado slices

6. sweet potato + a little butter + cinnamon

7. turkey burger + hummus (love Trader Joe’s eggplant hummus)

8. tomato soup + ground turkey + a tsp basil paste or pesto

9. turkey slices (Applegate brand is great) + cheese + apple slices

10. apple + 1 tbsp nut butter

11. greens + diced chicken + strawberries + feta or goat cheese + walnuts + tbsp dressing (love Braggberry)

12. baby carrots + hummus

13. 1/2 avocado stuffed with tuna + salsa

photo credit: brittanypowell.com

14. quest bars

15. cooked brown rice + black beans + avocado + diced tomato + splash lime juice + salt

Robyn Spurr is a Certified Health Coach, Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. She helps women reach their healthy, natural weight and stay there without all the diet craziness.

For more information on Weight Loss Coaching, click here.

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