Back to Back Issues Page
Mountain West Wellness Health Tips, Issue #019
January 01, 2013
Hi

Thanks so much for your subscription to our little newsletter. In this issue we are making a couple of announcements and have a two nice articles. First we want to say thanks to everyone who participated in our Toys-For-Tots drive. It was extremely successful as we collected a huge amount of toys for needy kids. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Our first article is a great little one about what can make weight loss actually a successful endeavor. We are also announcing our new Integrative Weight Loss Program. There is a nice little article about success in goal setting for health. Lastly we are also announcing our next Qi Gong for health seminar. So, lets get to the good stuff...

Yo Yo Weight Loss

It’s New Year’s Resolution time again and you know what that means?  Most of us will make some type of resolution that centers on losing weight.  This is not a bad thing considering that 68.8% of American adults are considered either overweight or obese.  The bad part is that most of the people resolving to lose weight in 2013 made this same resolution last year and the year before that.

While it’s true that losing weight can be difficult, it does not have to be impossible. Unfortunately, many weight loss programs set the dieter up for failure because they lack a comprehensive approach to losing weight that encompasses the whole person.  Humans are multi-faceted and complex beings; emotionally, psychologically, and physically. All of these inter-connected components must to be addressed for weight loss to be successful and permanent.

Just like a puzzle, a weight loss program needs to be intrinsically designed with multiple pieces that fit together to form a solid foundation so the dieter can be successful long-term.  Anyone who has tried to lose weight knows that it is more complex than simply changing the foods you eat.  For example, it is critical that emotional eaters examine their emotional triggers so they can develop the necessary tools to help with the emotional eating cycle. Overeating triggered by stress, boredom, anger, depression or loneliness can sabotage even the most resolute diet or exercise program.

An exercise program that is versatile and effective is a crucial component as well, because as everyone knows, the more muscle you have the more calories you burn. A solid maintenance program is an incredibly important piece of the puzzle that must be in place to support long term weight loss and prevent yo-yo dieting.  The cycle of weight gain and weight loss is as dangerous as being overweight and for many people this repetition ultimately pushes them to give up trying.

No one likes to be considered a failure and this is especially true for people who are overweight.  Sadly, many people do fail at losing weight for reasons that include an improper food program, hidden medical conditions, psychological & emotional blocks and inadequate exercise.  Past failures do not predict future failures, yet it is important to take a long hard look at why successful weight loss has not been achieved.  Honestly ask yourself the hard questions and take what you discover as vital pierces to your puzzle that can help you achieve success. So, if losing weight is on your list of goals for 2013 give yourself the gift of making this the last year that it is part of your resolutions.

Announcing Our Integrative Weight Loss Program

Imagine ridding yourself of physical ailments and emotional baggage that have been haunting you for years. Imagine hearing compliments from others telling you that you look great!  Imagine experiencing life in a healthy, well-balanced body. All of this is possible by participating in the Mountain West Wellness Integrative Weight Loss Program.
This one-on-one program is designed to treat and integrate the physical and emotional components of who you are so that you can lose weight permanently. Led by Jack Schaefer and Nicky Lee our new integrative weight loss program is a unique system for losing weight that includes customized acupuncture treatments, customized herbal formulas, customized diet plans, and a unique hypnotherapy approach to help you lose weight fast.Previous participants have lost an average of 15 lbs over a two month period, had better energy and a better ability to make good choices when it comes to eating.  

How does it work?  Simply, we use acupuncture and Chinese medicine as a method for addressing health issues and metabolic imbalances that are leading to an inability to lose weight.  We use a customized diet and exercise program to help lose the weight, keep it off, and help you feel great.  Next we use a unique approach to hypnotherapy to help people address their cravings, emotional blocks, and issues that create self sabotage when it comes to losing weight.

For more information or to participate please contact our office. Here is what our participants have been saying:

This is the most positive, healthy and successful dieting experience.  The combination of acupuncture & herbs helped me feel good about what I was doing.  The hypnotherapy gave me wonderful tools for everyday life and especially to cope with stress related food triggers.  Kim’s encouragement and support was a great addition as always. What a team! Thank you all so much.  P.A., Superior, CO

Thank you for this amazing, life changing experience!  I could not have imagined when I first embarked upon this program what an extensively transformative experience it would end up to be for me.  Nicky was incredible, tailoring all of my sessions around my specific issues and needs.  It is great to be well in all aspects of my life.  Thank you! R.M., Boulder, CO

This program was a journey of discovery.  The hypnotherapy sessions were invaluable in ending my eating issues.  Along with the food program, I will have optimal health the rest of my life. L.D., Longmont, CO

Goal Setting for Success

It is estimated that approximately 3% of the population has a set of concrete, written goals. If the full impact of goal setting were realized, and more importantly the results it produces, we would undoubtedly see more people engaging in it. In a follow-up study of one prominent university’s graduating class, the 3% of graduates with written goals outperformed the other 97% combined! If you are new to goal setting, here are some tips to get you going. This is by no means a comprehensive course on goals, but should at least serve as a good starting point.

Goals are most effective when they are written down, and although goal setting usually begins as simple lists like to-do lists, a journal dedicated specifically to your goals is a great asset. Not only does it keep the goals in front of you, but it serves as a record of your accomplishments. Drawing on past success is extremely motivating, especially as your goals get larger and more audacious.

In addition to a journal, it is also a good idea to utilize index cards and post-it notes that can be placed anywhere you are sure to see them throughout the day. Some suggestions are the bathroom mirror, the refrigerator, your dashboard, your computer, etc. The idea is to keep your goals in the forefront of your mind and prevent them from getting swept away by the monotony of the day.

When writing goals you must be as specific as possible. The more clear and crisp the image, the more likely you are to achieve it. If you wanted to lose weight, for example, simply stating, “I would like to lose some weight” is too vague a statement to have any meaningful impact. Instead, a goal would sound something more like, “I will lose 25 pounds and reach my goal weight of 119 pounds by August 31.” You can see that this goal is measurable in both weight and in time. Come August 31, you have either met your goal or you haven’t.

Review your goals at least 3 times a day, preferably first thing in the morning, the last thing before bed, and then somewhere mid-day. Don’t worry too much initially about how you will accomplish your goal. When you get proficient at setting goals and continually reviewing them, your mind will come up with the “hows”.

It is about the time of year where the people coming into our office begin talking about how they missed all of their exercise, diet, and other health related goals. When we start talking about it one thing stands out, everyone was trying to do too much too fast. Simply put, we must make our changes slowly. It can take 3-6 weeks to form a new habit. The Russians coined the phrase with their athletes of, “greasing the groove.” Since it takes repetition to really make something stick, trying to do too much only causes us to give up from difficulty. One tip that can really help make your changes stick is to only do one at a time.

Simply put, take your main goal and break it up into smaller pieces. For example, to lose weight by healthy eating you break down what that diet is into multiple pieces. This can be things like stopping soda, eating more vegis, cutting out deserts, cutting out juice, etc.


Next, take those smaller pieces of the larger goal and prioritize them. Once the work begins just make one change every week. If we pick one thing to focus on it is much easier to be successful. Then each week (or two if needed) add the next one.
Realistically you could make fifty two changes. I know this sounds really simple, but for many of the people who have tried it there is success!

Start with small goals that are relatively easy to accomplish and build momentum to bigger and bolder goals. If you don’t hit a goal by its deadline, don’t worry. Just rework the goal, set a new date, and recommit to getting it done.

Start today. As you begin checking off goals in the coming weeks your life will begin to take on new depth and greater meaning.

Qigong Seminar January 19

For months we have been having requests from our patients to offer a Qigong Self Healing Seminar. So, here it is! Saturday January 19 we will be having a 3 hour seminar to teach you one of Jack's favorite self healing forms of Qigong. What is qigong? Learn more on our Qigong web page. Jack has been practicing these arts for 25 years and cannot emphasize how this has impacted his life. The form we will be teaching was taught to him by his teacher Chen Hui Xian. She is an amazing woman who more than 25 years ago cured herself of metastasized breast cancer with Qigong practice. The cost is only $25. To sign up just email or call the office, spaces are first-come-first-serve and it is open to your friends and family.

Become Our Clinic Fan on Facebook

If you are a Facebook user please "Like" us. Just click the box below and you can join. Sometimes we post special deals just for our fans!

You can also follow our blog on our office website at www.mountainwestwellness.com From there you can just click the Blog button
. In addition, thanks for opting in to receive this newsletter digitally rather than by mail. It will help us to save paper and resources, thereby protecting the environment.

Please feel free to forward this newsletter on to anyone that you know who might be interested in the information.

Stay Healthy!

Jack, Kim, Nicky and all of our interns! - Seth, Naomi, and Sara

Back to Back Issues Page