Most of you received my email last week about the little mishap I had with my hair. Actually most of the orange washed out after a day or two and after realizing how drab my hair was looking I decided that today was the day I needed to go and get my hair done. So off to the Salon here on the ship I went...

While sitting there and having my hair done, I watched as people came in and out. I was there for quite a while as I needed color and cut.

But it struck me that every single person that walked in looked tired and drug down, or totally preoccupied and hopelessly lack luster...

Here in America it seems bigger is always better.  Bigger car, bigger house, bigger bank account... I agree, that is all great and very welcome. I live in America too and I am all for it, but what I am not in favor of is the bigger portions!

I have to be honest, when I first came to the United States about seven or eight years ago, I was absolutely stunned and I would go as far as to say disgusted with the serving sizes in this country.

I was visiting a friend at the time and he took me out to dinner - we were in Fort Worth Texas - and when the food arrived, I couldn't believe my eyes.  You most certainly get value for your money, but does any human being need to eat that much food in one sitting?

Unfortunately I found out that this is the norm and the thing is that we get conditioned very fast as human beings.  From a young age kids go to restaurants and fast food joints and get served these huge servings... so this becomes the norm - the habit. They grow up with these 'norms' and habits and soon they are dishing up those huge portions at home!

I am on the cruise ship right now as you know, and every day I watch people go through the buffet line and they stack their plates so full that you would think they are never going to see food again... when in fact, they can always go back for a second helping and besides, there will be another elaborate buffet in just a few hours.

The only reason people do this, is because it is habit, not because they are that hungry. We also get conditioned from a young age to make sure we eat all the food on our plates...The result is - we become bigger and bigger, to match our big cars and big houses...

You don't necessarily have to eliminate the foods you enjoy from your diet if you keep your portion sizes in check.  No human needs that much food at on time.

If you are guilty of eating huge portions, start to unlearn this habit by dishing your food on to a smaller plate.  Then the plate will still look stacked but the amount of food won't be so large.

A very good idea is also, when you go out to a restaurant for a meal, ask them to dish half your food in your plate and bag the rest to take home, or do what my husband and I do - order one dish, ask for an extra plate and share.

You will find that once you start doing this, by the time you are done with your meal you feel satisfied, but not stuffed.  You ate the right amount for your body, and there is even space for a little desert to share without feeling guilty!

So remember - bigger isn't always better!

Kind regards

Vanessa Bader

P.S.  Now if you supplement your new healthy eating habits with my great Hot Burning Body Workout, you will never have to worry about what you eat again.  Smaller portions plus exercise equals a smaller, leaner, healthier and happier you! 

Yesterday while dining at a quaint Greek restaurant with an amazing view and delicious food on top of the volcano in Santorini, Greece, I was marveling at how many beautiful people there are. Pretty womanly faces and handsome men everywhere. Bodies that have been worked out and impeccably dressed. People from all over the world - tourists and locals.

Santorini - Greece

But it struck me right away how much more stunning and striking majority of these people could be if only they were just made aware of how they carry and present these beautiful bodies and lovely faces to others.

There are attractive people everywhere, but very few of them have been made aware of the power of their posture and their body language. They are totally unaware of the fact that they can all be even so much more stunning and noticeable. So much more magnetic and appreciated. More respected and cherished by the people they interact with.

Sometimes we just need a little reminder that we are special and that by simply improving our posture we can be even more startlingly eye- catching and impressive.

That is what the Pizzazz Factor does... it puts you in touch again with your greater-self, the part of you that went to sleep and now needs a serious wake-up call. Somewhere along the line the monotony of life kicked in and you forgot that there is a part of you that strives to be noticed, the part of you that wants to stand out and be remembered.

Today I am writing to you from beautiful Sunny South Africa.  It is so good to be home and to see my family... this will be my first Christmas at home in seven years and I am treasuring every moment with my loved ones.

I know a lot of you can't even imagine a summer Christmas, but that is what I am used to - sunshine, beaches and barbeques.

Late this afternoon at sunset my mom and I were sitting outside on the patio drinking tea and chatting like old times.  We were talking about many things but one of the topics that came up was self-criticism.

My mother in her infinite wisdom reminded me how hard we can be on ourselves.  We can be so quick to find fault and criticize ourselves, and the truth is that others very seldom see what we see - we are really our own worst critic.

When you look in the mirror there are a myriad of things you can find wrong with your own appearance. I know I do... or I should say - I used to.

I'm always telling you that you should not compare yourself with others because you are your own unique person, but the other big mistake we make is to judge ourselves way too harshly.

You need to be friendly to yourself - go easy on yourself and remember that other people very seldom see the faults and so-called imperfections that you see when you look in the mirror.

You need to start today - right away - when you look in the mirror, to seek out the good and the beautiful things about yourself, no matter how small.  Focus on those, accentuate those and know that others will only notice those.

We get so hung up on our insecurities that we end up hiding behind them, and when you do that, those insecurities come to the forefront for everyone to see. But when you concentrate on and accentuate your good points, and you concentrate on those - that is what others will see - and believe me, you will also feel a whole lot happier!

Stop right now being so hard on yourself, stop being so critical of your own appearance. -  don't get me wrong, you should look after yourself and dress up and eat healthy and make yourself look the best you can... and once you have done that, you can know that you can feel confident.  Your confidence is what others see. That confidence is very attractive and alluring.



So stop being so critical... you are unique and you are special - when you have that attitude, that is exactly what others notice!

The Pizzazz Factor brings out the best in you... when you walk, talk and live with Pizzazz, those little so- called imperfections fade into the background and all others see is your unmistakable confidence, pride and your powerfully magnetic presence.


P.S.  Practice every day in front of the mirror to see the best in yourself.  Make it your goal to pick one attribute in yourself every day - write it down and see your list grow as the weeks go by.  Remind yourself during the day of that list and smile every time you think about it. You are beautiful!