Happy Friday!  It has been a great week in my world, thanks in part to two people: Bethenny Frankel and Ramit Sethi. 

No, I am not cool enough to be friends with either of these fabulous people in real life.  BUT, I am cool enough to read their blogs and take their advice seriously on two of most peoples biggest stresses: fitness and money.

What I learned from Bethenny Frankel this Week

I got to work on Monday and decided that my sedentary eat-whatever-you-want slump was OVER.  I stopped saying, “I need to go to the gym” and said “I am going to the gym today” instead.  Getting back on the wagon of healthy eating and going to the gym is the hardest part for me.  Once I get back on track, I’m easily hooked (albeit not always for long!).

Thankfully, Katie (roommate and best friend) sent me this great article by Bethenny Frankel on realistic exercise.  Bethenny recommends adopting health and fitness as a lifestyle, not as something you “have to do.”  Once you feel you “have to” go to the gym or “have to” eat salads, there is a negative association with the task and your motivation isn’t genuine.

In her article, Bethenny also recommended another simple adjustment: do exercise you enjoy.  If you hate spinning classes and running, then don’t do it!  You will never make it a lifestyle if you hate it.

I shifted my thinking this week and asked what I want my long-term lifestyle to look like.  I thought about what I’ve done in the past that doesn’t last long and I decided to go on a different track.  So far I’m loving it and craving fruit instead of fries- weird!

What I learned from Ramit Sethi this week

Ramit Sethi-in my opinion- is a true hero.  Ramit is another twentysomething Gen Y blogger who has blown it out of the water.  His blog (and book) I Will Teach You to be Richis way more than a personal finance blog.  Like Bethenny, Ramit focuses his teachings on lifestyle instead of  dramatic cuts. 

As part of his earn1k class emails this week (that class looks absolutely amazing, by the way) Ramit went on a rant.  He encouraged his readers to stop focusing on cutting costs and focus on making more money instead.  He says to “go for big wins” and to “stop wasting your time cutting out $3 lattes”.  Ramit believes in spending money on what you love- even if that is world travel, $200 jeans or spending $30,000 a year on going out.  Ramit’s advice is the opposite of what 99% of personal finance bloggers will tell you, but it is actually the smartest advice.  

Like Bethenny said, adapting a lifestyle means creating a system that works for YOU.  When you create a lifestyle that you want, your motivation is genuine and it is no longer something you “have to do”.  This means you will have a healthy relationship with fitness and finances.  It means you don’t beat yourself up if you eat an ice cream cone or splurge on something at Nordstrom once in a while.  If you’ve set up a system for yourself that supports your lifestyle, occasional splurges aren’t a huge deal. 

Lastly, Ramit makes one of my favorite points of all- people don’t get rich by cutting lattes, they get rich by cutting out what they don’t value and making more money.

I hope this post gives you some food for thought as you end this week and go into next.  Hopefully by Monday you will think of one or two things in your own life that you can adjust to fit your lifestyle instead of what you are “supposed to do”.

• How has making “cuts” financially or in your diet affected you?  Did it last? Why did you make the cuts initially and why did you stop?
• How do YOU motivate yourself to stay healthy both physically and financially?
• What systems do you put in place to account for “splurges”?

It’s almost the end of 1st quarter already-whoa!  For those of you in sales- good luck hitting your numbers during the next week or so.  For accountants- our thoughts are with you during busy season.

Many of us started 2010 with a few goals 

We wanted to make this year better than the last.  We wanted to lose weight, pay down our debt, quit smoking, get a new job, etc.  How are you doing on your personal 2010 goals? Have you lost sight of these goals completely?  Have you “quit” your goals? 

You’ve all heard it before, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”  It’s funny how we never think of ourselves as insane but, according to this definition, most of us are.

This year I had to face my own insanity and break the madness.  I’m hell bent on achieving my #1 goal: paying OFF my debt.  I imagine my battle with debt (although still well below that of the average American’s) is similar to those who battle with their weight.  It is very psychological and at times hard to control. 

The Change Process That Has worked for me

I’ve used the following process to help me make a big change in my life.  It can easily be applied to losing weight, saving money, or searching for a new job.   So far it’s working really well for me. 

Confession to yourself.  It started with looking at the number instead of ignoring it.  Really facing it.  Hating it, but facing it. 

Confession to Accountability Partners.  My anxiety was eating me alive, so I finally told my parents, boyfriend and best friend the number-all parties are strongly against keeping balances on credit cards.  Confessing was where it really began for me. 

Now I have a team of cheerleaders encouraging me to “get ‘er done”!  Plus, I can’t suddenly appear with new things and go out all the time anymore because they are watching.  It’s also easier for them to understand when I have to say no to stay within the budget.

At the end of each month I check in with Katie and tell her how much I paid off, and what I did good and bad. It has led to much progress.

Taking Action. I only had 3 credit cards, and I cut them up one by one.  It was really hard for me to let go of that last one.  It was my security blanket.  So my boyfriend cut it up while I wasn’t looking…

Getting used to discomfort.  I’m not cut out for credit cards.  I never bought anything too extreme when I did use one, just some trips to TJMaxx, Target, and those “but it was on sale!!” purchases that add up over time. 

Thanks to my credit card, I had never allowed myself to feel the discomfort of saying NO.  Crazy, isn’t it?  The more I face the discomfort, the easier it gets.  I still don’t like it, but now I can tolerate it.  I think getting used to discomfort is the best thing you can do for your life, your career and your goals.

Create systems that work for you.  I’m on a cash only system now.   Who wants to shop en masse with cash?  No one.  If I get tempted, it’s easy to look in your wallet and say, “I truly cannot buy this.”

I stay out of stores.  Sometimes this requires closing my eyes while walking past (you should see all the awesome stores around my office-they are my enemies).  I know, it’s ridiculous but its true.

I also plan  far ahead.  Again, so basic but something I wasn’t doing.  I always figured it would “work itself out.”  I spent a lot on gifts and said yes to every dinner invitation. Not anymore.  I have to plan ahead for my hair appointments, wedding gifts and car maintenance. 

Make sacrifices.  I decided to move out of my 25th floor Gold Coast apartment to move into a less glamorous neighborhood with Katie. I’m doing this because it is helping me reach my goal faster.  It is also a factor of admitting that what I was doing wasn’t working.

Rinse and Repeat. With the help of your cheerleaders and a bit of focus, you will get comfortable being uncomfortable.  Being uncomfortable is what leads you to change.  Create systems that don’t allow you to fail.  Keep it up over time.  Review (and celebrate!) your progress regularly.

Let us hold you accountable

• What were your 2010 goals? 
• What systems did you create for yourself to avoid temptation and falling back into your old habits?
• Are you afraid of changing in order to get yourself to where you want to be?
• If you fell off the wagon this year, why did you?  Do you plan on getting back to your goals?

As part of Extra’s “3pm Snackdown Challenge” (Pick up a pack, put down that snack!- love it) I was invited to get on a call with Bob Harper, celebrity trainer from The Biggest Loser.

I’ve been on these types of calls before. I fully anticipated being one of 97 bloggers packed on to the line, all vying for the chance to ask even one generic weight loss question at the mercy of an unenthusiastic moderator. So I was confused when I heard a man with a slight southern accent say, “Hey Nicole!”

Um… Hi Bob!

Since I had 40 fabulous minutes to myself with Bob (oo la la!) I had the chance to ask him questions about the types of things we discuss here on mscareergirl.com.

How Bob Harper’s Career Began

Bob Harper didn’t go to college and said it wasn’t even an option for him. He started his career working at a bank and feeling very out of place there. After realizing this career path wasn’t for him, Bob took the initiative to get certified as a personal trainer.

Bob knew if he wanted to make it big in personal training, he’d need to go to L.A. so he packed his car up and moved from Nashville to L.A. to become a celebrity fitness trainer. I asked him how people in his life reacted to this career shift. He said some people thought he was crazy but as soon as he started being a personal trainer he knew he found his life’s purpose. As Bob approaches his 10th season on The Biggest Loser, it’s apparent that ignoring the naysayers in his life was a great choice.

Fitness and Weight Loss

Of course we did talk about fitness and weight loss too. Although Bob has trained some of Hollywood’s finest, he said that he much prefers to train the average person rather than someone he needs to get from a size 2 to a size 0. He thinks of himself as their cheerleader and says he needs to “constantly ram positivity down their throats until they start to believe it themselves.”

I asked Bob if he thinks a lot of The Biggest Loser contestants have genetic issues contributing to their weight issues. He said, “Very, very rarely” and believes that most of the folks he sees have an unhealthy emotional relationship with food. I did confirm that contestants receive psychiatric evaluations before coming on the show, and have access to a therapist throughout.

And what about all the controversy surrounding life after the show?

Bob says that has been one of his biggest challenges over the years. He gets so close to the contestants while they are on the show and tries his hardest to stay in touch with all of them after. He said he thinks of himself as an ER Doctor and said, “I try to give them as many tools as I possibly can to get them back into their normal lives.” He feels that after the show it is the individual’s responsibility to take what they have learned and apply it each day.

One of the tools trainers like Bob suggest is Extra’s 3pm Snackdown challenge.  Rather than reach for a snack when you feel hungry, chew sugar free Extra gum instead. Bob says it is a great way to avoid mega calories because it puts something in your mouth and gives you a little bit of sweetness.  The calories you save really add up. It’s a trick they use a lot on the show apparently.

The major takeaways I got out of my conversation with Bob Harper are:

• Follow your passion no matter what anyone says.
• Weight loss is not rocket science, but it is a choice, a lifestyle and something you have to work at every single day.
• Replace snacks with Extra Sugar Free Gum.

Bob also asked that you all enter to win a trip to The Biggest Loser Resort in Utah along with a personal training session with him for you and a guest.

Now for the fun part!

Extra has sent me tons of gum to give away to you guys! I’m going to split the free gum up between 4 readers. Please comment on one of the 4 items below and I will randomly pick one winner from each and send them some Extra gum!

1. Have you made a new years resolution to lose weight or get healthy this year? If so, what have you done to stay on track? Be honest, it’s OK if you say “nothing”!

2. Did you have an aha moment that made you realize you were working in the wrong field? What did you do about it?

3. What other tools do you use to ward off cravings and hunger pangs? Have you ever tried the gum trick?

4. Have you ever thought about switching fields but been too afraid of what others may think?

Next Wednesday (1/13/2010) I’ll be on a call with celebrity trainer Bob Harper from “The Biggest Loser!”

Bob Harper and Extra Gum have teamed up to create the “3pm Snackdown Challenge.”

For those of you who work in Corporate America, you’re probably familiar with the typical 3pm slump: sugar cravings, lethargy and perhaps even a little boredom-snacking to get you through to the end of the day.

I love the tag line for the 3pm Snackdown, “pick up a pack, put down that snack!” According to the snackdown site, “experts say that even small decreases in calories can have a big impact in the long term. Chewing Extra^® gum, at only 5 calories per piece, can be a useful behavior modification tool to help manage calorie intake.”  Sounds good to me!

The site has a cool little calculator which shows common fatty snacks that some of us reach for while at the office.  I picked my personal favorite- a chocolate chip cookie- and learned that a cooke is about 190 calories.  If I ate one per work day for a year, that is 9,620 calories.  This habit would add up to an extra 2.8lbs.

So, now what I need from YOU!

Wrigley has offered mscareergirl.com readers tons of free Extra gum just for asking Bob Harper your questions about fitness and weight loss.  Please put your questions for Bob in the comments section below.  I will report back with his answers to your questions after the call.

I will randomly select winners in the follow up post after our call!

By, Nicole Crimaldi

I started using my new salad container this week and I love it!  The concept of this type of container is great!

There is an ice pack built into the top and you can put your dressing into the dispenser so you don’t have to bring a separate little container, eat a mushy salad or risk making a mess in your work bag when the dressing inevitably spills everywhere.

Now that I have this nifty container it’s much more enjoyable to bring a salad to lunch each day.  Just dispense, shake and enjoy a healthy lunch!