Pending tasks weigh you down like a pocket full of rocks as you carry on throughout the day. Completing all these little pesky tasks earlier rather than later actually relieves stress, alleviates the feeling of being weighed down, and immediately boosts your self-esteem.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Accept the fact that no one does everything flawlessly. To err is human, they say. Mistakes are perfectly normal. It’s up to you to make the most out of every experience, and choose to learn from it. Having an mature attitude about mistakes and learning will improve your self-confidence significantly.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Rewarding yourself does wonders for your self-confidence because it makes you realize what your capabilities are, and it motivates you to reach your goals. Feeling a sense of accomplishment on reaching your goal will further give you encouragement to reach your next goal.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Indulge yourself with a long hot shower and shave, or a relaxing bath. Feeling great about how you look in the mirror is a big boost to your confidence,

Grooming yourself is a great pick-me-up for days when your confidence is at its lowest. Don’t hold back on things that you want to wear. If that extra bracelet or necklace makes you feel prettier, by all means, wear it! Keep yourself healthy by exercising, eating a balanced diet, and sleeping right. Being sick is not going to help you feel confident about yourself, so make sure that you stay in tip-top shape.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Having a positive mindset lifts away the heavy burden of expecting failure, and it opens up your mind to possible ways of achieving success. Good results start with imagination. Imagine yourself being successful and everything else will follow. When you have a clear vision of success, it will boost your self-esteem and it will give you the confidence that you need to go after your goals.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Boost your self-confidence by learning the skill that you’ve been wanting or meaning to learn for a long time. The key to learning is making the first step. Just TRY. It will do wonders for your self-confidence if you are able to sign up and take the first step. Read up on books you find interesting, or watch instructional videos on YouTube. The more you know, the more confident you become.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Passion is to confidence as fuel is to fire. The more you’re passionate about something in your life, the more confident you’ll be. Chase your passion.

Whether it’s a hobby, work, charity, or music: Going after your passion will do wonders for your self-esteem.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Go through your To-Do List, and make sure you’re good to go. Being prepared isn’t just simply trying to avoid someone catching you off-guard; but it also builds your confidence by feeling a sense of accomplishment by having completed something on time, and being ready for whatever may come.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

People with low self-confidence tend to be overwhelmed by big tasks and responsibilities.

it’s effective to take the larger or more complex tasks one step at a time. The idea is to look back at each milestone you’ve achieved and reaffirm to yourself that you can do the task at hand. Every big task is just a series of steps that you need to take. Don’t overwhelm yourself by looking at the big picture. Challenge yourself to take one step further, and once you’re done, look back and see what you’ve accomplished.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

When you’re feeling down, or when you feel like doubting yourself, take a look back at the times when you were able to overcome your own obstacles, rise up to the occasion, and make something happen. Recall that distinct feeling of invincibility, the feeling that you can make anything happen just because you were able to overcome your self-doubt. Remind yourself that you are a resilient person, and that you’re able to overcome adversities. You have proof, because you’ve done it before. At some point in your life, you were backed into a corner and didn’t give up. It’s just a different ring, but you’re facing the same foe. You can make it happen again.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

 There’s a fine line between modesty and low self-esteem.

Having a low self-esteem however, is being dismissive of compliments regardless of the weight of your achievements.

The first person to realize your achievements will always be you. Off-handedly dismissing a compliment, whether you mean it or not, has great impact on your self-esteem.

“Thanks! I’m glad you appreciate it” or “Yes, I worked hard on that” not only makes you realize your own efforts, but it reinforces your belief in your abilities.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

 Having an empty wallet can drag your self-confidence down. It’s tough to keep your self-confidence high on days when you struggle to pay your own bills. Saving up is not just for rainy days, it’s to keep you from the burden of worrying about financial problems. You can’t build much confidence if you know that there are money problems to worry about. If you owe someone, make an effort to pay them outright. Once you’re done paying your debts, you can start saving up to prevent having to borrow from someone again. Having savings provides you with the security to ease up your worries, and it consequently builds your confidence altogether.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Unless you can definitely determine that it’s your fault, do not over think something that you might have done to upset other people. The point is, you’re not always the reason for everything wrong in this world, so don’t act like everything is on you to make it right.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Give yourself much-deserved time alone. Unwind at your local bookstore, or go to the movies alone. It may be a refreshing experience for you and you may rediscover your own confidence, and not the kind that you get whenever you’re with your friends or your significant other. Venturing out into the open world alone is a scary experience at first, especially if you are used to going out with your friends or your partner. But going out alone will give you a feeling of independence and self-empowerment. Conquering a new experience alone not only improves your self-confidence, but it also improves your self-esteem as well.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

The most common habit of healthy people is that they wake up early every morning.  

 Your body will thank you for it – our bodies were designed to sleep when it is nighttime and to be awake during the day when the sun is up. Getting up earlier, around the time the sun rises, is more in sync with our natural circadian rhythms.

Better sleep leaves you more able to deal with the stresses of the day. By not getting enough sleep, you are putting stress on your body and more cortisol is produced.  

 More cortisol means two of the hormones that help regulate appetite – Leptin and Ghrelin – begin to function ineffectively.

ACTION PLAN

1.  This is best started immediately. If you have a big day coming up or are worried about being tired, schedule it to start over a weekend instead.  
2. Decide on what time is early in your part of the world and count back 8 hours from there. This is your new target bedtime.  
3. About an hour before bedtime, you want to switch off your laptop, TV and cell phone. If possible, dim the lights in the house. (If you don’t have a dimmer, wear a pair of sunglasses – yes, seriously!) Artificial light is very stimulating to the brain and interferes with your body’s production of melatonin – the hormone that makes you sleepy.  
4. Do something relaxing leading up to bedtime like reading a book – just not a best seller.
5.  Go to bed when you are feeling sleepy – if you do not fall asleep within about 15 minutes either get up and start reading again (don’t forget the sunglasses) or, if you are able to, just relax in bed. It is important not to get caught up in how much sleep you are getting.  
6. Set the alarm early and disable the snooze button.  
7. When the alarm goes off, jump out of bed, open your curtains and bask in the sunlight. If possible, go outside for five minutes as well.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Most people skip breakfast. This is the worst health and dieting mistake that you could possibly make.  

EAT BREAKFAST!

ACTION PLAN  

1. Plan ahead – read up some more about low-GI foods and research some breakfast ideas that appeal to you.  
2. Do any prep work that you can the night before – I will get together all the ingredients that I need for the smoothie and measure them out ready for the next morning. NO excuses. Make it as easy as possible to make your breakfast.  
3. After your workout finish preparing your breakfast.  
4. Sit down and enjoy.  
5. Take some time to eat – try not to eat on the run unless you have to.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Pile on the protein at breakfast.  

Do you want to lose weight?  

Do you want maximum energy?  

Do you want enhanced mental function all day?  

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you need to eat a big portion of protein for breakfast. More protein with fewer carbs or no carbs at all is what you should be aiming for, especially if you are trying to build muscle.

ACTION PLAN

1. Think about how you can incorporate more protein in your breakfast starting tomorrow. Protein is very filling so you should consider cutting down the carb content.  
2. Make it easy for yourself – boil a few eggs to keep for tomorrow and the next day – hardboiled eggs will store well in the fridge for a couple of days.  
3. Reconsider dinner portions as well – cook extra meat so that you have some for breakfast.
4. In the morning, after you have exercised, eat breakfast as usual but with the added protein.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Drink a cup of green tea in the morning.  

Green tea is the best health drink that there is. It is high in anti-oxidants and other nutrients and will help to, amongst other things, increase the amount of fat lost, reduce your risk of developing cancer and increase the level at which your brain functions as well.

ACTION PLAN

1. Go to the store and get some green tea.  
2. The choice between tea bags and tea leaves is a personal one and the studies haven’t indicated that there is any difference in results. Personally, I prefer tea bags – they’re less messy.
3. Either way, make it as you would normal tea. Allow it to brew for at least 5 minutes for the full effect.  
4. Add a little honey if you want for flavor. Personally though, I think it tastes fine as is.
5. Sip slowly.  
6. The used teabags are great for the compost heap so dispose of them by tossing them in there.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Weigh yourself in the morning!  

There is a lot of information out there on the Internet and in the media about how you should only weigh yourself once a week so that you aren’t as obsessed with your weight.

The key is to weigh yourself at the same time EVERY MORNING – that is the only true way to keep track of how you are progressing.

ACTION PLAN  

1.  An electronic scale is more accurate and weighs parts of kilograms as well. If you do not have one, try and get one.
2. Start showing your scale some love. Dust it off and put is somewhere that you’ll notice it first thing in the morning.  
3. Do make sure that the scale is on a level surface.  
4. Don’t put it where you can stub your toe or injure yourself – scales can be hard on toes.
5. Download a fitness app that allows you to track your weight. I personally like “Calorie Counter” by FatSecret. It is free and easy to use and it never forgets - I have stats going back two years on there. There is a whole lot more it can
6. Alternatively, go old-school and buy a notepad to record the results.  
7. It is important to write them down immediately or you will forget. It’s not so hard to remember that you weigh 85kg, for example. But is it 85.6kg or 85.8?  
8. Yes, the differences matter!

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Take a fiber supplement in the morning with your breakfast. It does not matter whether or not this is in pill form or as a drink.   

You are probably not getting all the fiber that you need from your diet, especially not if you eat a lot of refined foods.  

Fiber supplement that contain psyllium (like Metamucil and Konsyl) are safe for everyday use.  

Fiber is essential if you want to lose weight and maintain the weight loss. If you are not getting enough fiber, you can have as much as 4-8lbs of undigested food sluggishly moving around in your intestines.

ACTION PLAN

1.  Go out and buy a fiber supplement.  
2. It takes time to work so you don’t have to worry about embarrassing accidents at work.
3. Take it as directed every morning.  
4. You can even take it with your lemon water.  
5. Ideally it should be taken on an empty stomach.  
6. You can expect to experience some initial discomfort – gas and more regular bowel movements are common at first.  
7. The discomfort usually passes in a week or two, once your body gets into a proper digestive rhythm again.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

PLAN YOUR DAY.  

Sit down and take a couple of minutes to plan out what you will do in during the upcoming day.  

The most commonly cited reason for people not to stick to their health plan is that they were caught unawares.   If you have a plan set up, you are less likely to fail.   By planning when you’ll eat, what you eat, etc., you can make sure that the resources are in place when you need them.  

Planning healthy meals, snacks and activities will ensure that you don’t wolf down the contents of your fridge at night because you forgot to eat lunch.  

Planning for what to do when trouble strikes is good insurance as well. How will you distract yourself if a craving strikes?  

Make a plan every morning and hold yourself accountable for it.

Commit to it for that day – taking it one step at a time is used in recovery programs because it works. Committing to one day is a whole lot easier than committing your entire life.

ACTION PLAN

1.  Think about the day ahead and what you will be doing.  
2. Are there going to be any potential risks to your health plan?  
3. How will you deal with them if there are?  
4. When are you going to have your meals and what are you going to have to eat?  
5. What other actions will you take today to improve your wellness?  
6. You can write the list out if you like and sign it or you can just commit to it mentally.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Fill up your water bottle for the day ahead.  

Having the water ready to drink is not only a visual reminder of how much you need to drink throughout the day but it makes it a lot easier for you as well.  

If the water is in front of you, you are more likely to drink it. If you have to remember to go get it, you will probably forget.

Our bodies are made up of 70% water. You can go for a couple of weeks without eating but you won’t last 3 days without water. Not being adequately hydrated can makes your brain send signals to your body. The problem is that we often mistake this as hunger and eat.  

A lot of the time, what you think is hunger is actually a sign of dehydration. When your body is short on water, it hangs on to what it’s got.   That’s why you so often lose so much weight in the first week of the diet – the body is better hydrated so it let’s go of the water it has been retaining.

ACTION PLAN

1. Get yourself a bottle to drink out of now. I prefer glass bottles – they keep the water at a more even temperature and the water seems to taste better out of glass.  
2. Start with a 500ml bottle of water and work your way up from there.  
3.  Fill it up and take it to work with you.  
4. Leave it on your desk or somewhere that you can always see it.  
5. Drink a glass of water whenever you remember to.  
6. If it’s very hot, I often put my bottle in the freezer overnight – just don’t fill it completely - the water expands when frozen. When you take it out in the morning, add some water to get it to start melting - you’ll have nice cold water for most of the day.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Make healthy snacks for yourself throughout the day and keep them on hand.  

You are bound to feel hunger pangs between meals, plan ahead and have healthy snacks ready for these times.  

Healthy snacking is actually great for weight loss – it balances out your blood sugar levels and gently stokes your metabolism.

Keeping your blood sugar levels constant is going to help you stick to your healthy eating plan.  

It is the sugar rushes from eating the wrong foods that causes the subsequent energy crash and the need to eat more.

ACTION PLAN

1. Make a list of healthy snacks that you can keep with you. Nuts and seeds are great ideas. Real fruit is also quite filling. Dried fruit is technically better for you then sweets but it still has too much sugar in it.  
2. Watch out for snack bars that are labeled as healthy – check the ingredients, a lot of them are laden with sugar and fats.
3. If you can discipline yourself to do so, you can have a couple of PIECES of dark chocolate – not slabs, pieces. Make sure that there is at least 80% cocoa in them.  
4. Olives make a nice snack.  
5. Keep an emergency stash in your drawer at work at all times.
6. Make sure that you always have at least two snack packs handy all the time.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

If you’re going to eat carbs, eat them in the morning.  

You need to stick to complex carbs that release a steady stream of energy. Anything that has a G.I. of over 50 is out.  

Complex carbs have three or more sugars and have a high fiber content. Simple carbs are mainly made up of two.  

Sweetness is usually a fair indication of how complex the carb is. Complex carbs often taste blander, although this is not always the case.

 The best way to tell is to check your energy levels and hunger after eating the carb.  

If you get a sudden rush of energy, it is more likely to be a simple carb. If you feel hungry again a couple of hours afterwards, despite having eaten your fill, it is definitely a simple carb. 

Examples of Good Carbs:  

• Whole grains
• Plain oats
• Nuts, seeds
• Brown rice
• Quinoa Barley
• Most vegetables  

The fiber content in complex carbs is what makes them so much healthier – this slows down the rate that the sugars in the carbs are absorbed into the blood stream.  

They will also help you to feel full longer and they are heart healthy. If you are battling to manage on breakfast until lunch, add some complex carbs.  

It is not a good idea to eat them later in the day – your body needs time to process them.  

ACTION PLAN

1. What simple carbs are you eating now? Check everything that you currently eat for breakfast and see what the G.I. rating for each food is.
2. Choose from the list of healthy carbs. They should not compose more than a quarter of your daily diet.  
3. Evaluate how you feel after eating them – did they give a rush of energy. Are you reaching for more a couple of hours later? If so, they are probably simple carbs.  
4. Slowly try to cut carbs out of the diet. Do eat vegetables but start to cut back on grains. Current thinking is that our digestive tract cannot digest grains properly because they are a relatively new addition to our diets.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Rebound every morning for 5 minutes after waking up.   Rebounding is fun and very good for you.

It will:  

• Get the blood pumping and make you feel energized.  
• Help with the circulation and drainage of lymph and toxins.  
• It is good cardio exercise and is a lot easier on your body than pounding a pavement when it comes to impact stress.  
• It helps to improve stamina and endurance.  
• It revs up the metabolism.  
• Did I mention that its fun?  
• It counts as exercise, seriously.  

You get more bang for your buck – because you are basically defying gravity, you get a more intense workout than you would from running. Five minutes on the trampoline is equivalent to about double the same time running hard.

It’s relatively quiet and doesn’t take up too much space.  

The trampoline itself doesn’t cost a lot – meaning no more wasted money on a gym subscription you don’t use.  

 You can do more than just bounce around – you can run in place, skip, jump – get creative, it will never get boring.

There are even workouts DVDs that you can get to go with it.  

ACTION PLAN  

1. Get yourself a mini-trampoline.  
2. Place it where you’ll see it first thing in the morning – maybe next to the scale.
3. Climb off your scale and onto your rebounder – before you have your lemon water or anything else.  
4. Five minutes is harder than it sounds. Keep at it.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

1. Wherever you are–standing, sitting, leaning, driving, crushed between passengers on a commuter train–wiggle your fingers and toes. Bring your attention to the very tips of your fingers and toes until you can feel them.

2. Next, consciously stop swallowing for a moment, and let your tongue float down to the bottom of your mouth. Keep it there–you’ll experience some extra saliva gathering.

3. Now go back to wiggling your fingers and toes.

 4. Finally, breathe. Breathe as deeply as you can until your whole belly fills like a balloon, and then slowly let the breath go, making a sound as you do (if possible)–as if you are blowing out a candle. Repeat this ten times: fill the low belly with air, as deeply as possible, like a balloon, and slowly exhale. Notice the shift in your stress level.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Just take a moment to notice everything around you with all five of your senses: touch, taste, smell, sound, and sight.

Action Steps: Begin to notice what’s around you. Answer the following questions:

1. What am I tasting right now? Is it bitter, sweet, salty? (Bitter and salty usually indicate we are under some kind of stress; sweet is a sign that we are relaxed and calm.)

2. What am I smelling right now? Is it clean, crisp, perfume or pine, several scents and odors at once?

3. What am I seeing right now? Notice the four walls around you, their color, any images or artwork on the walls; notice the windows, the people, your own clothes, how and where you are sitting.

4. What am I feeling right now? What is literally beneath my fingers? Maybe I am touching the slightly rough texture of denim or running my hands through my hair, which feels soft. Notice.

5. What am I hearing right now? Children playing outside, music on the stereo, voices down the hall, my own breathing, or my cat purring.

When you can take a moment, using all five of your senses, to really be present, you drop out of stress mode, and right into this very moment.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Resisting, fighting, or arguing with any reality can keep us from living well, can create tension and stress in the body, and can keep us from what we truly want.

Just remember, you’re not in charge of everything going the way you want it to all the time. Sometimes all you can do is be you, allow, and breathe!

Action Steps: 1. Whenever you are feeling discomfort, ask yourself, “What is happening now?” The answer may be “I’m mad that I can’t go to the party tonight” or “David never called me back.”

2. Simply sit still for a moment and see if you can be with what is by breathing deeply into your belly, feeling your fingers and toes, (grounding and getting present) and noticing–the moment, your surroundings, your senses. Ground yourself into this moment by observing that this is where you are now. Likely safe, likely fed. Probably warm. Alive. And that you have the power in you to find peace in any situation. You’ll learn more about this in the section called “Find Peace.”

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Action Steps:

1. Once you have practiced the step of allowing in your life, and you know how it feels in your body and have seen how much freedom it provides you, then you can acknowledge the impact this circumstance has had on your life and acknowledge your own feelings Then it’s time to do something that will help you release your feeling of disappointment or grief–rest, talk to a friend, or go for a run.

2. Decide what outcome you would like. Be clear about this.

3. Practice acceptance by finding actions with which you can move ahead.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

1. Begin to notice your thoughts. You can do this by first grounding yourself using the breath work you’ve learned here. You can also stop and notice. And as you notice your senses, notice your mind–what is it sharing with you? What is it judging? What is it fired up about? Tuning into your thoughts takes some practice and is a little like finding a clear channel on a staticky radio. Slow down and really listen, then get to know the voice of your inner self. What’s it telling you about what’s happening?
2.  Another way to notice your thoughts is by going in the “back door” and figuring out what you’re feeling. From there, you can do some detective work and see what thought may be creating the emotion. For example, I’m feeling panicky. Once you can identify the emotion, see if you can look to the area of your life that you think the panic may be related to.
3. Once you can begin to do these steps with more regularity, you will begin to notice your own thoughts more clearly and easily. And, from here, a world of possibilities opens to you. You can let go of your thoughts and “lose” the story, or change the story, or even just simply notice it, which gives you infinitely more power than you had when it was beyond your awareness and you were living, instead, in unconscious reaction to it.
4. Put your thoughts through the Self Coaching 101 model created by Life Coach Brooke Castillo, to see how your stories create the life you are living.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Action Steps:

1. For five minutes a day, bring your awareness to whatever it is that you are feeling in that given moment. This alone is a step that takes some practice. We are not used to asking ourselves “What am I feeling now?” and then noticing. Sometimes words will come up; often, you will notice sensations in your body, like tension across your shoulder blades or throbbing at the back of your head.

2. Next, simply “be with” the emotion or feeling of discomfort in your body by allowing (see Allow above) the emotion to be present, and breathing into it. You become a clear channel for the emotion to pass through.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Action Steps:

1. To bring yourself back to the moment, practice the step of noticing. Settle down, feeling your fingers and toes, letting your tongue float in your mouth, and breathing deeply. Begin noticing your surroundings and allowing your feelings to be present and also to pass.

2. With your eyes closed, look down into the inside of your cheeks, and let your vision continue to travel down to your jaw, down your throat, and into your chest.

3. Breathe into the energy of your heart. Notice the space around your heart. Continue breathing into and out of your heart, with your vision turned inward. Rest there for a moment.

Please refer to the book for more details on this activity.

Think of something nice or relaxing for a few minutes. You could also think of things that are unrelated to your work. Of course, you need to choose your timing for this since you don’t want to phase out at inappropriate moments.

Please refer to the blog for more details on this activity.

Schedule 30-45 minutes of gym time, 3 times a week to provide you with optimum results. If you’re too busy to go to the gym or jog, you can do the following:

• Take the stairs whenever you can.
• Avoid sitting as much as possible.
• Walk whenever the chance presents itself.
• Do jumping jacks or squats or stretches when on a break from work.

Please refer to the blog for more details on this activity.

Having a properly functioning body is also great for dealing with stress. The only thing remaining after exercise would be healthy food.

For sugar rush, you can turn to fruits and juices or even dark chocolate with over 70% cocoa content. For caffeine, you can drink tea or drink black coffee with coconut sugar or Agave syrup.

Please refer to the blog for more details on this activity.