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.

My ABC’s to Break Free of Sugar Addition, Sleep Skimping & Other Bad Habits (Babits™)

If you’re like most people, you’re trapped by your sugar addiction, sleep deprivation or other bad habits or what I call babits™.
Today, I bring you help so that you can begin to cut loose of your bad habit.
Get some simple tips reading my article on my Huffington Post Blog, “My ABC’s to Break Free of Sugar Addiction, Sleep Skimping & Other Bad Habits (Babits™).
And please let me know if this Huffington Post article helps you.

My ABC’s to Break Free of Sugar & Other Bad Habits (Babits™)

Have you seen my video yet on YouTube, in which I shared My ABC’s to Break Free of Your Sugar Habit and Other Bad Habits?
Here’s a companion article to give you more information and tips to release your bad habits or what I call babits™.
My ABC’s to Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction & Other Bad Habits by Connie Bennett, CPC, CHHC
If you’re like most people, you’re often tempted by gorgeous, mouth-watering, nutrient-poor “treats”—dazzling donuts, colorful cereal or buttered bagels—and other bad habits such as excessive coffee-drinking, negative thinking, procrastinating and obsessive texting.
As I mentioned on my companion YouTube video, It’s certainly understandable if you feel tempted. Wherever you go and wherever you live, you’re inevitably bombarded by unhealthy foods, substances, thoughts and activities.
But I invite you to look inside and decide: Do you feel trapped or imprisoned by your sugar habit or other bad habit (what I call a babit™)?
And are you plagued by baffling health issues such as annoying weight gain, ferocious headaches or even type 2 diabetes?
I’m here to reassure you. You can escape from the prison of a bad habit.
In fact, I respectfully challenge you. Get out from under your sugar habit or other babits™ so that you can have a life that rocks!
You may be wondering WIFY (What’s In It For You?) if you overcome your bad habit. You can benefit in many ways!
You can get more energy, concentrate better, lose weight, become more productive, enjoy better relationships and so much more. And, as many clients have delightedly shared with me, if you cut out sugar and refined carbs, you even may be able to boost your libido!
So let me share my Double ABC’s to Break Free of Your Sugar Habit & Other Bad Habits (or what I call Babits™).(In my companion YouTube video, I share some of these tips. You’ll find more here.)
A is for Assume & Accept.
Just assume and accept that just about wherever you go, you’ll be tempted.
Your favorite aunt will nudge you to eat her favorite chocolate cake. You have to pass that vending machine at work. And no matter what, you’ll be taunted by candies galore while purchasing sundries at the local drug store.
But if you prepare for temptations—ones way more unhealthy than apples in the Garden of Eden—you can be prepared and always have healthy snacks on hand such as edamame (soy nuts), pumpkin seeds, hard-boiled eggs and sugar-free crackers or an apple (preferably organic) with almond butter.

Help for Sugar Addicts: Tips to Cut Back on Sugar

Would you like to lose weight, get more energy and possibly boost your libido?
Just kick sugar and refined carbs!
Admittedly, for many, that’s easier said than done, especially if you feel like you have a sugar addiction or carb addiction.
Of course, as my clients often admit and as I discovered back in 1998, quitting sugar can be quite challenging.
After all, for many of us, we learned to like the sweet stuff in our wombs! (Yes, one fan told me that when her mom was pregnant, she guzzled soda. Seriously, many of us are born hooked on sugar!)
So allow me to help you begin to break free. To get you going, here are three stories full of tips and tactics.
First, I invite you to read my Huffington Post Holiday Health story, 10 Tips to Conquer Your Cravings for Candies, Cookies Or Cakes.
Next, I encourage you to check out my 10 Ways to Kick Sugar article on eDiets.com.
And finally, I recommend that you read nutritionist Jonny Bowden’s fabulous piece, Top 10 Ways to Cut Back on Sugar.
Hope our articles help you. Let us know here. And if you have other tips, please share them with us, too.
For more help, I invite you to join the Smart Habits Fans on Facebook and to check out my book SUGAR SHOCK!

Food Diary Time: Soul-Searching Food Journal™ to Help You Now

At the end of the day, have you completely lost track of what you ate? Are you at a loss as to what sweets, culprit carbs or fatty snacks you’ve put in your mouth? Do you wonder why you’re packing on the pounds or feelingsluggish and unfocused?
Well, research shows that if you keep a food journal, you stand a greater chance of losing weight and achieving better health.
Indeed, people who’ve happily peeled off the weight — “Highly Successful Losers™,” as I call them — report that one of their Smart Diet Habits™ is to “Keep Track of Your Favorite Lab Rat™.
In other words, watch yourself as if you were lovingly monitoring the intake of your ailing beloved pet.
When you Keep Track of Your Favorite Lab Rat™, you don’t mindlessly shove nutrient-lacking non-foods into your mouth.
You begin to think before you eat, because you know you’ll be writing down whatever you put into your mouth — and will preferably (I hope, for your benefit) share it with an accountability partner.
To help you out, I’m sharing a food diary that I’ve created.
Feel free to share The Soul-Searching Food Journal™ with your friends, co-workers, gym buddies, bosses, hairdressers, fitness trainers, loved ones and even frustrating frenemies. In short, spread the link love, as some like to say. (Of course, please provide the proper credit though, as indicated below.)
The Soul-Searching Food Journal™ — © Copyright – Connie Bennett, Smart Habits Coach & Author, SUGAR SHOCK!

Be My Facebook Fan or Friend

Facebook-logo Have you joined me yet on Facebook?
I invite everyone to connect with me now on Facebook.
You can join me in two ways.
Join the Smart Habits Fans (that’s http://www.Facebook.com/SmartHabitsFans) to:
* Get a Smart Habit Tip of the Day to help you kick sugar or break other bad habits (or what I call babits™), improve your life and inspire you, I hope!
* Watch cool videos.
* Receive links to interesting articles and much more.
* Get tasty recipes.
* Connect with me easily.
* Ask questions.
* Get the scoop about upcoming talks, teleseminars and radio shows.
* Find out about how to work with me privately or in groups.
* Tell me what you think of my book SUGAR SHOCK!
Facebook_logo2 You’re also invited to become my Facebook friend — that’s http://www.Facebook.com/ConnieBennett.
When you ask me to be your friend, please let me know how I know you, because I always like to learn more about you first. I love meeting new people!
For instance, when you ask me to be your Facebook friend, please tell me:
* If we met at a conference or at one of my talks.
* If you read my book SUGAR SHOCK!
* If you’re a fellow health counselor, life coach, author, journalist, solopreneur or wellness advocate.
Connect with me now.
First, join the Smart Habits Fans.
Then, become my Facebook friend now. (Remember, please tell me how we know each other so we can make this connection more personal.)

Is Your Sugar Addiction Making You Crabby?

Are you moody, cranky and edgy for no apparent reason?
Well, it could be your sugar addiction that’s contributing to your embarrassing highs and lows.
Hurray to Well + Good NYC for pointing out this not-so-well-known fact about sugar’s effect on your moods.
Gratitude also goes to Well + Good NYC for interviewing me for this story, “Are you just cranky or addicted to sugar? A local expert explains the pernicious side of sweetness.
Do you live in or near New York City?
Please join me in my four-week course, which begins next Tuesday, Jan. 12 at the New York Open Center.
What are your questions or experiences about sugar, hypoglycemia or type 2 diabetes? We’d love to hear from you on the Facebook Smart Habits Fans page.

Sugar Addiction Begone! Kick Sugar With Me This Month

If you’re like many Americans, you want to shed your excess weight so you can fit into your favorite slim outfit, have the trim, toned, sexy body you crave and be healthy.
Just imagine how you’d feel if you had more energy, more cheerful moods and more satisfying relationships.
Envision what your life would look like if you were more productive, thinking more clearly and experiencing a boost in your libido.
All of the above can happen if you eliminate sugar and refined carbs.
But losing weight, getting more energy, concentrating better, becoming happier and having a bigger sex drive are just a few of many benefits you can gain from eliminating sugar, as I pointed out in my book SUGAR SHOCK!
In fact, when I quit sweets and refined carbs on doctor’s orders in 1998, a whopping 44 ailments disappeared and I felt reborn!
But, let’s face it, cutting out sugar or those “culprit carbs” can be challenging for most people.
Let’s face it, you didn’t develop a sugar habit overnight. So let me educate, inspire and guide you to become joyously sugar free.
Kick sugar cartoon Join me Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 6 pm for my fun, interactive, life-changing free introductory class, “SUGAR SHOCK! Breaking Free of Your Sugar Habit” at the New York Open Center. the largest urban holistic center in the United States.
On that one night, you’ll get some tips and tactics to begin to break free of your sugar habits.
But, as you can imagine, since you’ve probably had a lifetime of being overly attached to sugar, one hour with me is isn’t enough to change your destructive patterns for good.
That’s why I’m also teaching a 4-week course at the New York Open Center, which begins next week, from Jan. 12 to Feb. 2.
In this four-week course, I’m sharing proprietary techniques that I developed and which worked for me when I removed sugar from my diet in 1998.
In addition, you’re getting dozens of tips that have helped my clients. Plus, you’ll receive many ideas from a variety of health experts, who kindly shared them with me.
For instance, in my 4-week course at the New York Open Center, you will:
* Discover the 10 reasons people fail when making New Year’s resolutions or when breaking a sugar addiction or other bad habits (what I call babits™).
* Get 7 Smart Starter Strategies so you can conquer your sugar habit for good.
* Find out 5 ways to save money on food and beverages in this economy but still make healthy choices.
* Find out why this course has the wrong title! (But we had to name it “SUGAR SHOCK! Breaking Free of Your Sugar Habit” so you’d know what you’re getting.)
* Receive 50 simple, effective tips and tactics to squash your sugar cravings.
* Get a helpful, comprehensive sugar-free shopping list and sample meal plans.
* Discover what 3 empowering questions to ask yourself whenever sugary foods “call out” to you to stop your destructive cycle.
* Find out how you can use “failing” or being human (i.e., imperfect) to your advantage.
* Have fun discovering tasty, sugar-free desserts.
* Taste delicious sugar-free treats from 2 local chefs.
* Find out which 3 foods can drive away your “sweet tooth.”
* Get educated about 20 cutting-edge research studies, which reveal the dangers of sugars and refined carbs.
* Receive a list of more than 100 ways your sugar habit is killing you.
* Learn how you can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes, cancer, infertility, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
* Be trained as a “Savvy Sugar Sleuth” so you easily unmask sugar’s many disguises and read food labels in the grocery store.
* Get invited to one complimentary teleseminar. (This is one of many bonuses you get by signing up for my 4-week course.)
* Learn to identify 10 surprising foods that contain hidden sugars.
* Get inspired by successful “Sugar Kickers,” whose sour-to-sweet tales you can listen to at any time via complimentary audio downloads.
* Determine how your sugar habit is harming your health, weight, moods, relationships, work, spirituality and ability to get things done.
* Uncover your 5 “W’s” that drive you to sweets and refined carbs.
(And many more.)