Robyn Spurr

Personal Health and Weight Loss Coaching For Women

Awareness

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Finding Joy: Simple Steps to a Happier Life

I’ve recently embraced a new goal for myself: being more joyful. Since deciding to focus on joy, I’ve been noticing signs of it everywhere. In my pottery class, one of the other students consistently forgets my name and says, “I keep thinking it’s Joy, but I know it’s not.” A few days ago, I told her to call me Joy, and I even started signing my pottery with the name. What better way to remind myself to embrace joy than by inhabiting the name, right?

In a world filled with suffering, discontentment, and conflict, it is easy to lose sight of joy. Yet, we can learn to see and appreciate all the little and big ways that joy permeates our life, allowing for more happiness even as we aspire to grow and change for the better.

  • Being surrounded by nature
  • The sound of laughter
  • Growing a perfect garden tomato
  • An elderly couple holding hands
  • Singing along to a favorite song in the car

All of this starts with setting the right intention (which is quite different from setting a goal): an intention to invite happiness into your life. To do this, you must be open to finding and embracing joy in your life.

Ask yourself these questions in an open and compassionate manner:

  • Are you truly open to the possibility of finding true joy in your life exactly as it is right now?
  • Are you willing to allow joy to happen in your life?
  • Or – are you waiting for the magical moment to arrive when you can decide to be happy?

Once you are clear on this, you may start to see all the ways that joy is already present in your life. We are not trying to force joy into our lives or think only positive thoughts all the time. This is simply not possible, and we would fail miserably at this. What we CAN do is set a clear intention and train our minds to create an environment where joy can thrive. You will also find that as you start paying attention to your life, you will notice moments of joy when you least expect it and in the most unlikely places.

I have come to realize that joy is my birthright. Babies are born with it, and all young children express it as an inherent part of their nature. You do not have to create joy; it is already there inside—you simply have to find it again.

💙 Robyn (aka Joy)

Interested in a one-on-one health coaching relationship with me? It would be an honor to work with you if and when the time feels right.

To learn more about Personal Health Coaching click HERE. 

To schedule a Discovery Session click HERE

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Find Your Balance: Practical Tips for Moderate Drinking

What Does it Mean to Drink in Moderation?

When it comes to alcohol, moderation is key. The CDC defines moderate drinking as no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Here’s what that looks like in practical terms:

  • 12 oz of regular beer
  • 5 oz of wine
  • 1.5 oz of 80-proof distilled spirits

This translates to 7 drinks per week for women and 14 for men. Important note: downing all these drinks in one sitting is binge drinking and comes with serious health risks.

Signs You’re a Moderate Drinker

It’s easy for moderate drinking to slip into more hazardous patterns, but if you see yourself in the following points, you’re probably doing just fine:

1. Adherence to CDC Benchmarks

  • Staying within the CDC’s limits is a great start. But remember, moderation can be subjective. If you find that even fewer drinks start to negatively impact your health or energy levels, adjust accordingly.

2. Alcohol Doesn’t Interfere with Wellness Goals

Your physical and mental health should come first. For instance:

  • You don’t skip workouts due to hangovers.
  • You don’t rely on alcohol to cope with stress or sadness.

3. Resisting Peer Pressure

  • Social situations often involve alcohol, but a true moderate drinker can enjoy social drinking without going overboard. If you plan for two drinks on a night out, you stick to that plan, knowing more would affect you negatively.

4. Maintaining Target Weight

  • Alcohol can pack on the pounds, especially with high-calorie drinks like cocktails. Research suggests that moderate drinking typically doesn’t lead to weight gain over short periods, unlike heavy drinking.

How to Maintain Moderate Drinking Habits

Do you feel like it’s time to reign in drinking? Here are some tips to help you stay in the moderate zone:

1. Set Daily or Weekly Drinking Limits

Plan your alcohol consumption just like you plan other aspects of your life. Setting goals, like limiting yourself to 7 drinks a week, can really help keep your drinking in check.

An app like Sunnyside can be a game-changer for this. It lets you set personalized drinking limits, track your intake, and sends you daily reminders. Plus, it provides weekly progress reports, so you can see how well you’re sticking to your moderation goals.

I’ve recommended this app to numerous clients and use it myself to stay accountable and motivated to maintain healthy drinking habits.

2. Maintain Healthy Habits

Healthy habits can prevent drinking from becoming a default response to stress or boredom. Identify your triggers and consciously choose alternatives, like exercise or a relaxing hobby.

3. Have Non-Alcoholic Alternatives

Keep a variety of non-alcoholic drinks on hand. The market for these beverages is growing, and there are plenty of satisfying options that can help you stick to your moderation goals without piling on the calories. One of my personal favorites is light tonic water with a squeeze of fresh lime. It’s refreshing and keeps things interesting without the alcohol.

Moderate drinking is about finding balance and ensuring that alcohol enhances your life without causing harm. By understanding what moderate drinking looks like and adopting strategies to maintain it, you can enjoy alcohol responsibly while prioritizing your overall health and well-being.

Sources:

1. [CDC Guidelines on Alcohol Consumption](https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/moderate-drinking.htm)

2. [Study on Alcohol Consumption and Weight Gain](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22129548/)

3. [American Board of Family Medicine Study](https://www.jabfm.org/content/28/1/43)

💙 Robyn

Interested in a one-on-one health coaching relationship with me? It would be an honor to work with you if and when the time feels right.

To learn more about Personal Health Coaching click HERE. 

To schedule a Discovery Session click HERE

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No Cure For Being Human

Did you know that suffering and flourishing can occur together?

It doesn’t have to be one or the other. It simply CAN’T be one or the other. If you are a human being living on this Earth, you are faced with the delightful, the horrible, the beautiful, the worrying, and the hilarious – sometimes in the space of a single day (or, let’s be honest, a single hour).

I recently finished the ever so witty Kate Bowler’s, “No Cure for Being Human.”

She says life is…

…beautiful and terrible, full of hope and despair and everything in between – and there’s no cure for being human.

Yes indeed, Kate. Yes, indeed.

And then there’s this truth bomb…

Everybody pretends that you die only once. But that’s not true. You can die a thousand possible futures in the course of a single, stupid life.

We all face periods of hardship, uncertainty, and transition. So how do we navigate the churning waters of life when it feels like we’re being tossed around like a rowboat in a hurricane?

Focus on what you CAN control.

I know. I know. You’ve heard this one before.

There is so much we can’t control.

This feels really scary sometimes. We desperately want to know what’s going to happen in the future. (Preferably, that everything will be okay.) It can be really easy to spiral into a frenzy of uncertainty, panic, and/or frustration over stuff we have zero control over. Yet we often have more control than we realize.

There are factors and elements that we CAN control in healthy and productive ways. We can show up for those things, own them, and take an active part in shaping them.

Focusing on those things that we can control can help us feel calmer and more capable of carrying on.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by what seems like uncontrollable chaos around you, try this exercise…

First, validate your struggle. You’re not “wrong” for feeling overwhelmed – there’s a lot going on, and much of it is out of your control.

Next, explore what you have control over. 

For example:

  • Moving your body (using whatever means you have access to right now, even if that means simply going on a walk)
  • Managing your mindset and attitude, or the story you’re telling about what things mean
  • Getting adequate rest (by prioritizing naps or getting to bed on time)
  • What information you allow in your mental space, and what sources it comes from
  • Connecting with people you care about
  • Helping those in need

Consciously commit to focusing on and acting on the things in your control, rather than the ones beyond your total control. And – take a moment to grieve the loss of control if you need to. It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that much of the world operates without us as general manager.

Big virtual hugs to anyone going through a hard time right now. The most “wonderful” time of the year can sometimes be the most difficult.

💙 Robyn

Interested in a one-on-one coaching relationship with me? It would be an honor to work with you if and when the time feels right.

To learn more about Personal Health Coaching click HERE. 

To schedule a Discovery Session click HERE.

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Messing Up is Part of the Process

About 10 years ago, I enrolled in a Weight Loss Coaching Certification program. I was already certified as a Health Coach with ACE, but that program didn’t teach about the mindset of weight loss. The new program was ALL about mindset.

During my certification, I was asked to assess any overeating I did. What did I overeat? What were my sabotaging thoughts?

But, I DID NOT DO IT.

Why?

Because I was beating myself up for not being perfect instead. I was too busy swimming in shame + comparison + judgement.

  • How can a Health Coach possibly make mistakes?
  • I’m supposed to be the example.
  • Who would hire a coach that overate sometimes (or GASP, gained weight)?

I tried SO HARD to do it all perfectly so I wouldn’t have to feel the shame of overeating and the shame of trying to hide it. As you might suspect, that approach didn’t work very well.

Perfectionism is often a symptom of low self-worth. And our self-worth has nothing to do with what we weigh or what we’ve accomplished in life. Low self-worth comes from a story we’re telling and believing.

I believed my own bullshit story about not being enough for a LONG time. Much too long.

Not every woman who struggles with food is a perfectionist, but so many are. The best way I have found to rewrite the perfectionist script is to do the work. I ask my clients to show up no matter how sideways things go.

To post what they’re eating in Ate.

To assess how their day went.

To get on the scale.

I do the same and freely share this information with my clients. Especially when I make mistakes.

If my clients feel compelled to hide, I ask them to simply notice why. Without judgement. With curiosity. Just notice. You can do the same.

What are you thinking that is causing you to not want to post the cookies in your food journal?

What are you thinking that is keeping you from getting on the scale?

What gets uncovered are the bullshit lies we’re telling ourselves that are causing us to feel not good enough.

Once the thoughts are out of your head and on paper, read it back and ask, what could I say that might be more helpful?

A few suggestions…

  • I’m willing to believe that messing up is not a tragedy
  • I might be wrong about not having what it takes to change my behavior
  • I am becoming a person who believes in herself
  • I am someone who is willing to learn from my mistakes
  • I don’t have to believe everything I think about myself
  • I will figure this out as long as I keep moving forward
  • I can choose to keep going
  • I am a person who doesn’t give up on her weight loss goals

The #1 reason we quit on losing weight is not because we ate too much cake or gained 2 pounds. The #1 reason we quit is because we beat ourselves up when we make mistakes and that feels like crap.

Quitting on weight loss means we no longer have to endure the floggings. Quitting offers instant relief. Until — we start right back up with the mental floggings for failing again + being overweight. On to the next diet!

Let’s END THIS CYCLE. 

We WILL make mistakes when we’re losing weight. Messing up is PART OF THE PROCESS. The key to success is learning to process mistakes without judgement.

If you’re not practicing normalizing mistakes, you’re going to keep quitting on weight loss.

Mistakes are not keeping you from losing weight. Mistakes are TELLING you what you need to change to lose weight. When the low fuel indicator light comes on, you problem solve, right? You find a gas station + put gas in your tank + keep going. You don’t beat yourself up about it + ditch the car on the side of the road.

A mistake is simply an action or decision that produces a result you don’t want. It’s not a statement about your ability to lose weight.

Stop believing the pile of lies you’re currently telling yourself about why you can’t lose weight.

You can think (and believe) something new.

💙 Robyn

Interested in a one-on-one coaching relationship with me? It would be an honor to work with you if and when the time feels right.

To learn more about Personal Health Coaching click HERE. 

To schedule a Discovery Session click HERE.