Some many people know what they want yet their desired reality always seems to be just around the corner. For instance, do you want to lose weight by summer? Do you want to take better care of your body and have more energy? Is it your goal to eat healthier foods?

Those are great ideas but they hardly qualify as goals. Indulge me for a minute and I will give you some fundamental advice on goal setting. But more importantly, I will give you an easy way to do it when it comes to weight loss. I promise, it will be worth the wait. But first, let's set the record straight on what constitutes a legitimate goal.

A goal should be SMART, as in it should address each of the following areas:

SPECIFIC. If your goal is to be eat healthier foods what does that mean? That you put less ketchup on your french fries?

MEASURABLE. If you want to lose weight by summer what does that mean? That you want to weigh only one less pound at some point in the middle of summer.

ACHIEVABLE. If your goal is to lose 30 pounds by Memorial Day, is that really achievable for you?

REALISTIC. Would that 30 pounds by Memorial Day goal be realistic for you?

TIMETABLE. Having a timetable on a goal creates accountability and that is a critical element to ensure success.

We Are All Wired For Success

If your goal is not SMART, it may be a worthy feat to strive for but you would be missing out on your God-given right to achievement. You see, we are all wired for success. Don't believe me?

Let's say for a moment that I will give you $1,000 if you can get your hair trimmed in the next hour. What does your mind immediately do? It begins to formulate solutions, doesn't it? Maybe you thought of the local shop, or your neighbor does hair or maybe you just thought that you could trim your own hair. Regardless of which ideas you came up, the reality is that as soon as you had a goal, your mind began to solve the riddle. That is because we are all wired for success. Once you have a legitimate goal in your mind, your subconscious mind works to make it a reality.

So, do we really have the time and energy to sit down and make weight loss goals SMART? Maybe, maybe not. So let me give you an easy approach to setting your weight loss goals.

See Yourself Slim

How about getting an image of yourself looking slim and healthy. Imagine knowing what you are going to look like AFTER you lose the weight? It would excite you, I promise. But more importantly, it would provide you with the confidence and certainty to stay on your diet or exercise program over the long run. And that confidence and certainty would provide you the courage to make the tough choices. Choices like eating more healthfully and increasing your activity levels.

We All Think In Images

You see, we all think in images. Don't believe me? Let's say that I ask you about your kids, your home or your car? I bet that you cannot think about them for a moment without at least a fleeting image of them can you? You know you can't. That is because we all think in images.

So grab a compelling vision of your future self and let the vision empower you. Add a timeline too it and presto, you have a weight loss goal that is smart. And now your subconscious mind can grab on to it and the world will open up to you consistent with that new image of yourself.

At Empower Me Photo, we revise your photo to show you looking slim and healthy. And we provide that to you in one of our empowering products such as a: Wallet Card, Fridge Magnet or Sticky Back Photo. As you are constantly reminded of how you are going to look AFTER you lose the weight, you are going to be motivated to make the changes in how you eat and in your activity levels. And that leads to weight loss.

Top Healthy Food for Autumn Cooking

As summer comes to an end, so does the availability of British grown seasonal foods such as berries and crisp salads. But foodies shouldn't fear - while Autumn may bring with it long nights and cold weather, it's also the perfect time of year for some of the very best fresh produce the UK has to offer, many of which contain disease fighting nutrients.

Autumn is a great time of year for English apples, and not only do these taste amazing but they are full of flavonoids, potent antioxidants that are known to lower the risk of heart disease, heart attacks and some cancers. They are completely versatile, and can be used in both sweet and savory dishes, including apple pies and crumbles and sauces to accompany Sunday roasts. Apple's aren't the only fruits Autumn gives us - pears are almost as versatile as apples, and are high in fibre, lowering blood cholesterol levels and improving blood sugar control. They can be used on salads or in sandwiches or can be poached for a warm, sweet dessert.

Often ignored until Christmas day, parsnips have a sweet, delicate flavour and are a great source if of fibre, vitamin C, calcium and iron. The best flavour comes from smooth and firm, small to medium sized parsnips, and these can be boiled and mashed together with carrots or steamed, boiled or roasted a side vegetable. They also make a great addition to soups.

Autumn is the perfect time of year for pumpkins and squashes, but too often pumpkins are thought of as a Halloween decoration rather than a food full of beta-carotene, an important antioxidant, as well as vitamin C. Even the seeds of pumpkins are packed with nutritional value, and can be roasted from a fresh pumpkin in a hot oven.
Winter squashes are one of the few vegetables that do not loose quality after picking and can be stored for months on end. In fact, during storage, the vitamin A content increases, making them a great source of heart-healthy nutrients.

Turnips, or swede depending where in the country you live, have a tough outer skin with a white flesh that's bitterer in flavour than potatoes. They are a member of the mustard family and are a great source of fibre and cancer fighting toxins. They can be cooked in a number of ways, including boiling, roasting or mashing.

Finally there's the sweet potato. Not normally associated with British gardens, the sweet potato is easy to grown in sheltered spaces and contains one and a half times the amount of vitamin C found in an ordinary potato. However the name is slightly misleading - sweet potatoes are not related to the traditional potato, and is in fact a root vegetable rather than a tuber.

Firm, smooth skins are a sign of a good quality sweet potato, and as well as vitamin C, they contain four times the recommended amount of vitamin A and are an ideal choice diabetics since they are full of slow release carbohydrates, helping to steady blood sugar levels.

Simple steps to good nutrition

Though the importance of good nutrition has been elevated in recent years, a vast number of people continue to neglect the basic principles of a sound and healthy diet. What we eat and how much plays a great role in determining our longetivity and likelihood of developing life threatening illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. More importantly, this is one facet of the health equation that we are in control of and have the power to change for the better. Just being conscious of important facets of good nutrition are the first step toward a healthier and happier life.

Good nutrition can be broken down into several simple guidelines that most people neglect:

1. Eat a well balanced meal
2. Only eat during the normal times and avoid snacking
3. Take Vitamins and Minerals on a regular basis
4. Drink Water
5. Know what you are eating and make sure it is healthy
6. Monitor your weight and overall health and know that when these two are out of line you need to adjust things

WELL BALANCED MEAL
As we all know by now a well balanced meal consists of the four basic food groups consisting of: dairy products, meat/protein, fruits/vegetables and breads/cereals. Because of individual taste and propensities we often find that one of these is not to our liking. However, they are all essential and if one of the groups does not appeal to you because of taste or a medical condition (lactose intolerance etc.) then you must find another way to get the essential proteins and nutrients contained in that food group. Often it is simply a matter of doing a bit of researching and finding something that you like.

EAT AT THE PROPER TIMES
The first of these has been well known for some time now. Eating meals at the normal times of breakfast, lunch and dinner and avoiding snacks is by far the healthiest approach and leads to a much less likelihood of excess weight gain or unwanted calories. Eating when you are hungry easily turns into a habit and when this happens it is much harder to break than simply being disciplined in the first place. A caveat to this rule is that in some instances snacks are necessary and recommended. This is often found in glucose tolerance/intolerance illnesses such as hyper and hypoglycemia and diabetes mellitus. Check with your Doctor if you feel you may have one of these illnesses.

TAKE VITAMINS AND MINERALS
Vitamins and minerals play an important role in health care because even when following the guidelines of a balanced meal important minerals and vitamins are often left out. Therefore almost all of us will need dietary supplements of some kind. If you want to know exactly what you are deficient in then you should schedule a consultation with a dietician or Physician.

DRINK WATER
Just drinking several glasses of water daily can do wonders for our health and digestive system. Though many like to think other beverages are equivalent to water, this has been proven to be false. There are many views of how much water is recommended for the average person. Simple research and self-monitoring can help you find the right amount.

KNOW WHAT YOU EAT
Most people have acquired the habit of reading the ingredients of the foods they eat. If you have not then it is time to start. You need to know what additives are in your food and how it has been processed and grown if at all possible. Many additives are unhealthy and detrimental to good health. Inquire, ask questions and find out what is in the food you eat and how it affects your overall health. You owe it to yourself.

MONITOR HEALTH AND WEIGHT AND ADJUST ACCORDINGLY
The last step to healthy nutrition is to simply monitor yourself and determine if what you are doing is giving you the results that you want or not. If not then it is likely something needs adjusting. Be aware, that good nutrition is not enough by itself for a healthy life. We also need exercise and other facets of general healthcare that cannot be neglected. Nutrition is a very important part of the picture but don't neglect other aspects of healthcare.