3 Gifts to Have a Sweeter Holiday Season

For many of you, the holiday season is filled with anxiety, stress, financial worries, loneliness, family arguments, gift-giving concerns, many irritations (from flight delays to family squabbles) and many tasty temptations — mostly high-calorie and sugar-filled that you find hard to resist but that pack on the pounds, sap your energy and ruin your moods.
In fact, many people leave the holiday season feeling drained, deprived and 5 or more pounds heavier.
But I’m here to help you lose weight, get organized, become more organized, joyful, calm down, look younger, plan a vision for the future, attract abundance, and much more.
In other words, my goal is to bring you peace of mind, happiness, and super-simple cool tools to start using so you can have a Sweeter Holiday Season.
Therefore, it’s my pleasure to give you three special gifts.
All three gifts were the opening programs in last year’s much-acclaimed Sweeter Holiday Season, which featured a whopping 38 programs featuring a Who’s Who in the fields of health, wealth, fitness, personal empowerment, feng shui, organizing, happiness, Law of Attraction, and so much more.
So here are the gifts you’re getting now:
Your First Gift with Law of Attraction Guru John Assaraf
John_assaraf_150pxwidthFor your first gift, you’ll get inspired and educated by the remarkable John Assaraf, one of the stars of The Secret, founder of several multi-million dollar companies, a Spiritual Entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author.
In our special program, John — who is also a Law of Attraction expert and certified life coach — will help you ll discover:
* What’s blocking you from abundance.
* How the super-successful John didn’t come from a family of scholars or multimillionaires, but somehow he managed to learn about quantum physics and neuroscience and build several 5 multimillion dollar companies and write a couple of New York Times bestselling books along the way.
How oceans and stars are not the last frontier for mankind but the human brain is.
Why some people achieve enormous business and financial success while others don’t.
How there is an inner game to wealth and success and an outer game.
Why it’s so hard for people to change.
What are the exact steps people can take to change from the inside out so that their results are 5,10 20 times better in the next 12-24 months.
How some people settle for less than what they can achieve and how you can easily break free from that pattern, achieve huge transformations; and become incredibly confident.
How to find out about John’s super-sophisticated, amazing brain training program (which I love).
Your Second Gift with America’s Relaxation Expert Darrrin Zeer
Darrin-zeerFor your second gift with Relaxation Expert Darrin Zeer, you’ll get some very simple, fast techniques to tame your stres.
For instance, you’ll discover:
* How to do what Darrin calls “The Bear Claw.”
* How to calm down with “The Ragdoll Pose.”
* What to do if you get headaches.
* How to do “Keyboard Calisthenics.:
* How to do something called “Email Meditation” (yes, meditation!)
* How to do the “Really Fun Laughter Exercise.”
Your Third Gift with the Renowned “FlyLady” Marla Cilley
Flylady_toonThen, your final gift — also from the Sweeter Holiday Summit — comes from the renowned “FlyLady” Marla Cilley, who will give you tools galore to help you get through the holidays. For instance, Marla will reveal:
* How to change your life in 15-minute increments.
* How to crisis-clean your home.
* What to do which days of the week so you don’t feel so overwhelmed.
* How to avoid last-minute, gift wrapping challenges.
* What to do before you go to holiday parties.
* How to put the fun in your cleaning and decluttering endeavors.
* How to give “action” gifts.
* How to go on a “cruise” this holiday season.
* And much more.
These three programs were all part of the Sweeter Holiday Summit, last year’s amazing program, during which You’ll also get one bonus gift on “How to Relieve Holiday Stress.”
In this program, with Love Hypnotist Debra Berndt, author of Let Love In, you’ll get easy ways to calm down quickly, no matter where you are.
To get your three exciting gifts (and the one bonus gift, go here:
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Email
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How You Found Us
Make sure to tell me how you like your gifts and what A Hah moments you’ve had. Just talk to us on my Facebook fan page.

Megan Confronts Cake in a Letter

Often, when I’m coaching clients to kick their sugar addiction, I’m hit by moments of intuition as to what may help people. (In coaching school with iPEC, they taught us to honor, respect and look for those flashes.)
So last Wednesday, during one of my Break-Free Group Coaching sessions, the idea hit me out of the blue that members might be helped if they wrote a letter or poem to their favorite sweets.
I then asked members what they thought of the idea of doing this. (I never give assignments.)
On Friday, Megan Bozman, one of our members, ran with the idea and wrote a brilliant, insightful, poignant letter while tempted by a cake at work.
She then confided to us (the group members and me): “B-day cake, vanilla with white icing is one of my #1 fav sweets — and that happens to be EXACTLY what is in our conference room right now, about 5 feet from my desk. So I figure it’s a good time to write that letter to my fav sweet (which, as of Wed night, I was already planning on making white b-day cake!)”
White-cake Here’s how Meg confronted Cake — a letter I’m republishing with her permission:
“Dear Cake,
“It’s not you; it’s me. I am aware this is cliched, but it is the truth in this case. You are not an evil entity.
“While you are a nutritional wasteland, you are not evil in moderation. I still plan to welcome you into my home to celebrate my son’s birthdays and other such occasions.
“Again, it’s not you; it’s me. Something in me doesn’t react well to you & I realize this. You are fantastic during the too-brief time I get to enjoy you. Ecstatic & wonderful.
“But too often, before I even finish swallowing the last bite, I just want more! Then, I still want more and more and more. That is where the evil comes into play… it is in large quantities that you become evil.
“And I won’t waste time elaborating on why large quantities of you are bad. That doesn’t bear repeating.
“When I get ensnared by your addictive properties, I feel terrible; both physically & emotionally. The feeling of being hooked is dreadful. For one thing, it’s just simply embarrassing! It also has a negative effect on my self-esteem (really, I can’t `just say no’ & only eat a moderate amount?! What is wrong with me?)
“I don’t have some of the negative effects some experience such as stomach pains, yeast infections, skin problems, & blood sugar crashes causing a rapid decline in both energy & mood. However, I feel bloated, fat, and, well, gross. Feeling fat & gross makes me feel ugly. It’s just bad; just all around bad.
“So there you sit in the conference room. I’m sure others will enjoy you — don’t fret. Cake rarely goes uneaten in any office. But for now, I’m 10 days sweets-free & intend to go another 11 days for a round 3 weeks. At that point, I’m thinking I’ll stick to a serving of dessert or sweets once every 3 weeks.
Ta ta,
Meg”
Megan then told us that she shared her Letter to Cake with her husband, who came back with a hilarious response. He wrote:

It’s International Coaching Week: Call Me Friday 3 to 5 pm EST

It’s International Coaching Week through Feb. 13.
In honor of this week-long global celebration of the coaching profession, I’ll be taking calls and giving YOU complimentary 20-minute Strategy Sessions for 2 hours this Friday, from 3 to 5 pm EST.
(If you call during that time and I’m busy, I’ll call you back by the 13th, when International Coaching Week ends.)
That’s right — YOU can call me, and I’ll call you right back so you can get a taste of coaching and how it can help you.
In your FR*EE Strategy Session, we’ll zero in on your goals and dreams, whether it’s kicking sugar, writing a book or finding the love of your life.
To get details on how to reach me for your complimentary Strategy Session, join my Facebook Smart Habits Fans page.
Originally founded in 1999 by ICF member Jerri N. Udelson, MCC, International Coaching Week is “a designated time each year for coaches and clients to educate the general public about the value of working with a professional coach and to acknowledge the results and progress made through the coaching process.”
This week is a “perfect time for coaches to get out in their communities and show people what coaching is and how it can benefit their lives.”
As my clients have found, coaching has been proven “to help people attain their personal and professional goals and those who use it can expect to see a solid return on their investment.”
Talk to you Friday from 3 to 5 pm EST? To learn how to reach me, get details at my Smart Habits Fans page on Facebook.

Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction, etc. & Be Happy With Me in 2010!

Wishing you very happy new year to all you wonderful Sugar Shock Blog readers.
May your 2010 be the year in which you fulfill your fondest dreams and wishes.
Now, I invite you to start the year on a very happy, liberating note with me!
If you’re in New York:
* Please join me New Year’s Day, Jan. 1 at 1 pm, for my free inspiring talk where I help you to Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction and other Bad Habits at the JCC in Manhattan (334 Amsterdam Avenue at West 76th Street).
* If you can’t make it then, then join me on Jan. 5 at 6 pm at the New York Open Center for another free motivating talk.
* You’re also invited to sign up for four-week program to help you break free of sugar shock, starting Jan. 12 at the New York Open Center.
* On Fri., Jan. 14, from 12 to 3 pm, you’re encouraged to come hang out with me at Willner’s Chemists at 100 Park Ave. in Midtown, when I sign copies of my book SUGAR SHOCK! (You’ll have a chance to have your questions answered.)
If you’re in another part of the country or world, please join us virtually or telephonically so that you can still get tips, tactics and tempting tidbits.
* On Mon., Jan. 4, I’m on call for you. You can call me anytime from 3 to 5 pm EST for a 15-to-20-minute complimentary Laser Coaching Session to plan strategies to achieve your dreams in the new year. To get details, subscribe to Motivating Morsels at http://www.SugarShock.com.
* Then, you’re invited to on Wed., Jan. 6 at 2 pm on my Gab With the Gurus Radio Show to learn how to be happy with author Gretchen Ruben. You can listen live or later.
* Next, on Thursday, Jan. 7 at 3 pm EST, you can attend a fun teleseminar/webinar with my friends from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.(You can listen later or you miss it live.) Sign up now for the IIN-sponsored call.
* Next, on Mon., Jan. 11 at 8 pm EST, you can join us from anywhere around the world for a complimentary teleseminar/webinar to learn how to make your New Year’s Resolutions a Reality. Sign up for my free Motivating Morsels ezine to get the call-in details.
* On Wed., Jan. 6 at 4 pm EST, one of my Break Free Group Coaching programs resumes. (This one is devoted to helping you to kick sugar. Sign up here.)
* You’re also invited to save the date. On Feb. 24, you can join the Great American Sugar-Out. Details coming.

Sugar Addiction: Get Help to Break Free, Beginning Jan. 5 at the New York Open Center

With the new year coming soon, people often decide that it’s high time to break free of their sugar habit.
And I’m here to help you conquer your habit in early 2010.
Join me on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 6 pm, when you can get inspired and educated during a fun, often-interactive, life-changing free introductory class at the New York Open Center. which is the largest urban holistic center in the United States.
But that isn’t all. You also can sign up for the four-week course at the New York Open Center from Jan. 12 to Feb. 2.
Please note that you get a free gift if you sign up for the Jan. 5 or the 4-week program because of reading about it on this blog.
But first join us for a complimentary introduction on Jan. 5.
In case you’re wondering why you may want to consider kicking sugar, if you do so, you can:
* Lose weight
* Finally feel in control of their habit of consuming sugar and refined carbs
* Feel free!
* Get more energy on a consistent basis
* Become more productive
* Walk your talk by consuming only healthy foods and drinks
* Tap into your spirtuality
* Be unfazed when desserts and sweet snacks abound
* Feel exhilarated and excited about your many projects
* Relish moving your body in a way you’ve never done
* Enjoy more enriching, satisfying relationships
* Boost your libido
* Learn to calmly watch your sugar desires slide away
* And much more
New York Open Center – 04 – Meditation
Here’s the description of the four-week course at the New York Open Center:
Do you “need” a candy bar or soda just to get through the day? Are you yearning to lose weight for good? Would you like to improve your moods, banish brain fog, triple your energy and boost your libido? You can peel off pounds, gain energy and improve your relationships just by kicking sugar and refined carbohydrates. But removing culprit carbs can be challenging.
Join “Smart Habits Girl” Connie Bennett, author of the best-selling book SUGAR SHOCK!, who will show you that breaking free of your sugar habit can be fun, exhilarating and life-changing. In this four-week course, you’ll participate in empowering exercises, eye-opening discussions and coaching scenarios to discover how to identify your tempting triggers and well-meaning saboteurs; how to soothe and nurture yourself in healthy ways; how to use the “5 Ds” to squash your cravings; how to save money on food; what to eat; how to “say no with sass”; if you should quit cold turkey or phase out sweets; how to find hidden sugars; how to release your bingeing-self-loathing cycle; if sugar substitutes are safe; and how to find sweetness naturally.
Hope to see you there! Remember, if you sign up for the course because of learning about it on this blog, you get a free gift from me.

Free Shopping List, Free Sugar Shock Quiz & Free Talks in New York

You don’t need to feel imprisoned by your addiction to sugar or refined carbs!
Rest assured, help is here. To help you break free of your sugar habit, I’ve been compiling lots of goodies to give you.
Did you know that when you visit my Sugar Shock website, you can get all kinds of FREE STUFF?
For instance, you can get a free shopping list.
You can take the free Sugar Shock Quiz.
You can download a sneak peek of my book SUGAR SHOCK!
You also can sign up for my free, weekly Motivating Morsels ezine (formerly called Stop Sugar Shock Minute).
And to help you get in a lighthearted mood about skipping the sugar, you can learn to Say No With Sass!
And if you need to find a nutrition-savvy M.D. or naturopath, you can get help to Find a Doctor.
Plus, you can chuckle at cartoons. (The one to your left is part of a larger one.)
So get your FREE STUFF now.

Connie’s Confession: I’m a Health Hypocrite! Help Each Other

Normally, I don’t reveal my vulnerabilities here, on this Sugar Shock Blog. Nor do I share a personal plight, but today, I feel a need to confess to you that I feel like the ultimate Health Hypocrite.
Sure, I eat healthy, wholesome, real foods. Yes, I religiously avoid sugary foods and carbs — and have since 1998 with only a handful of very minor infractions. I don’t even smoke anymore. (Inhaling two packs of cigarettes is a thing of the past.) What’s more, I’ve been shunning caffeine since a doctor suggested I do so more than a decade ago. And I don’t even chew sugar-less gum or eat candies with artificial sweeteners anymore. In addition, I’ve triumphed over my diet soda slugging. Plus, I’m huge exercise aficionado. But feeding my body well and moving just aren’t nearly enough.
Sleep My body craves — as does yours — ample sleep. We desperately need those zzzzzz’s.Otherwise, I’m headed for sniffles, sneezing, coughing and congestion.
Well, lately — especially in the last week — I haven’t walked my talk. Despite the fact that I know about the wonders of a good night’s sleep and I’m even mentioning it as a “Smart Diet Habit” in my next book, I skimped on sleep myself last week. Now that I’m a health coach, I’m not going to indulge in self-blame. Rather, I’m going to use this realization as an opportunity.
The irony is that lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about and striving to do excellent self-care, because of my training as a health counselor and life coach and because I’ve been completing Cheryl Richardson’s fabulous book, Take Time for Your Life, which was required reading for my life coaching program through iPEC.
I even just bought Cheryl Richardson’s latest book, The Art of Extreme Self-Care, this weekend at this remarkable Hay House ouse Movers & Shakers conference. Both books have motivated me to think a lot about how we all will benefit if we devote ourselves wholeheartedly to treating ourselves with respect and reverence, even it it means we have to let go of current projects and disappoint people.
Well, despite my commitment to treating myself right, last week, I neglected my needs when it came to snoozing. You see, I felt compelled to help you you a lot this month.