Ok, enough about food for now…See I told you I think about it a lot! ;)

5. “I don’t know what exercises and diet plan to follow.” –

There are a million plans out there. Find one that is sustainable for you in the long term. This is a marathon, not a sprint. If a plan claims it’s easy and fast to lose weight, and it sounds too good to be true,…it probably is (a load of bull, that is). Body For Life gave me the outline for the lifestyle change I needed. I’m still workin’ it 21 months later, and it’s a part of my life that I enjoy.

6. “I don’t get the results I want, so why bother?” –

Patience, grasshopper. ;) We live in a society accustomed to instant gratification and convenience. We want it now, and we want it to be easy. It’s really hard to keep up a difficult effort with little visible reward. It may be slow going, but I promise you, stick with eating healthy (no crash diets or gimmicks allowed) and exercising (cardio and resistance training), and the weight will steadily come off.

The best indicator of progress is not the scale, but the tape measure and the way your clothes fit. Take measurements when you start, and before pictures. It may be hard to look at when you’re starting out, but looking back at these as you progress will remind you how far you’ve come, and that’s very motivating.



4. “I don’t want to give up my favorite foods.” –

I think a lot about food. More than what’s considered normal, I’m sure. Rumor has it that some lucky souls eat when they’re hungry and stop when they’re full. Simple right? So what about the rest of us, who lack the fundamental instinct of full/hungry, stop/go, want/need? I got high as a kite on a dark chocolate protein bar today…twice. This experience reinforced the point for me, that food provides a feeling beyond satisfying just the hunger in my belly. It’s this particular desire that drives many people to overeat. Portion control can be learned and will become second nature after retraining your body and mind. It happened to me. True story.

Junk food is tasty, but it isn’t the fuel your body needs. It will actually make you feel worse. That being said, treats are still on my menu once a week for my free day reward. If I enjoy them in moderation, I’m ok. More often than not though, I overindulge and pay the price by feeling ill. I’ve been better at not overdoing it lately. The first 3 bites of something taste the best, so just getting a sample of a treat should be good enough. You really don’t have to eat the whole thing. ;)

I like healthy food now. It’s what my body craves and what keeps me feeling good. There are so many low-fat substitutions and great recipes to make your usual favorite meals health conscious, without sacrificing taste. I make a mean whole wheat, low-fat lasagna for example, and my family likes it just as much as the evil version. Shhh, don’t tell them it’s healthy. That will be our little secret.

SongCircle Music, formerly The New York Songwriters’ Circle, is currently accepting submissions for its fifth annual Songwriting Contest. The “independent music development and A&R community” organization established the competition to discovery aspiring artists whose musical promise warrants a bigger stage. So far, the SongCircle Music contest has helped launch the careers of previous grand-prize winners Kate Voegele (Interscope), Company of Thieves (Wind-Up/Sony), Mieka Pauley, and Reed Waddle.

$25,000 in cash and prizes is up for grabs:

The grand prize winner will be offered a recording, publishing and full-label services joint-venture agreement with SongCircle Music distributed by EMI; $10,000; a Gibson “Songwriter Deluxe” guitar; a slot in one of SongCircle Music’s industry showcases; a performance on New York City’s Q104.3 “Out of the Box” show with DJ Jonathan Clarke; and a 10-hour recording session with Grammy-winning producer Glenn Barrett.

Capturing second place will result in a prize package that includes $3,000; a Martin LX guitar; and a slot in one of SongCircle Music’s industry showcases.

The third place winner will receive $1,500 and a slot in one of SongCircle Music’s industry showcases. Additional awards include the International Winner, who will receive $1,000 and Gibson “Songwriter Deluxe” guitar, as well as the Young Person Award, which will entitle the winner to $1,000; a recording session with producer Steve Greenwell; and rock camp sessions at the Gowanus Music Club in Brooklyn.

Finalists will be notified by November 5, when they will be invited to perform live before the panel of judges as part of the finals event, slated for November 18 and 19 in New York City. BMI is a proud sponsor of the 2010 SongCircle Music Songwriting Contest.

You must be a member of SongCircle Music to enter. Join now, and submit before the October 31 deadline.

Read the contest guidelines and find out more at SongCircleMusic.com

9/6/2010 per Music Industry News