Christa teams up with with a Kelli von Heydekampf for a special Interview/Mind Zoning® combo which will give you the courage to tackle change head-on. In addition to being one of Fitlandia’s practitioners, Kelli is a certified hypnotherapist running West Metro Hypnosis in Minneapolis.
The Courage to Change
Making a lifestyle change is similar to going through the stages of grief, people are faced with uncertainty, worry, and judgement. Generally, it’s easier to simply stay the course, so change isn’t something that people tend to embrace or run towards. While Fitlandia focuses on health, “the courage to change” isn’t restricted to diet, it can be applied to your professional life, your personal life, breaking out of addiction, literally anything that needs to happen.
Often we have an inner conflict with ourselves regarding change. We recognize that we want to be better, but question whether we’re “enough” in our current form. Strong enough. Healthy enough. Ready enough. We are not looking at the word ‘better’ from a comparative sense: it’s not about competition, but evolution. It’s about discovering what our true essence really is.
As humans we have a perpetual desire to see what we can evolve into, and for many people that starts with our physical representation. Letting that focus be on health instead allows us to properly evolve into a sustainable, long-term lifestyle.
Who wants to Play?
Whenever we look at change or self-improvement we tend to view it as work. We see it as one more thing that we have to do. Meal Plan. Workout. Journal. It just seems to add on to our already busy lives. About a year ago Kelli joined an improv group, and they always begin by asking the group “who wants to play?” That surprised her. She hadn’t been asked that in decades, and it became a revelatory phrase for her. Now she approaches wellness in the same way, with a sense of play, curiosity, and wonderment. It doesn't have to be work.
“Pay attention to when your beliefs become your excuses. Your negative thoughts are protecting you.” - Kelli von Heydekampf
Your negative thoughts are protecting you. That aspect of your brain is there for a reason, but sometimes the behaviors that it chooses are not beneficial. You simply need to update those thoughts into ones that will benefit you.
Our thoughts manifest our realities, so would any of us consciously choose negativity? The brilliance is we get to choose. It may not always be easy, but we get to choose. What allows us to be successful is small successes continually built over time. Look at what you’re already doing well and want to maintain, and build on that every day. Even if it’s just drinking one more glass of water than the day before, it all adds up.
“Long-lasting change in an inside/outside job.” - Kelli von Heydekampf
With all that in mind Kelli leads a Mind Zoning® to help us find the courage to change. That’s what this gratitude Mind Zoning® is all about, tapping into the power of the mind and giving you that determination, gratitude, and thankfulness to help you reach your wellness goals. As with our other episodes, this Mind Zoning® is broken down into four key parts:
You don’t have to be “good” at meditation, this is simply a relaxing method to help you along your fitness journey and aid you with making a healthy lifestyle change. Just let your mind follow the voice and allow yourself to take this step in your fitness journey.
Learn about our free 2-week trial membership at www.fitlandiafitness.com
Think you don't have time to workout? Think again! Megan Benedict and Loren Castillo, two of Fitlandia’s partners and the creators of Fit Kitchen Direct join Christa for a breakdown of the HIIT workout.
HIIT
HIIT stands for “High Intensity Interval Training” and is a workout style that’s gained massive popularity in the past few years, and for good reason. Christa, Megan, and Loren are all entrepreneurs which means (among other things) they lead hyper-busy, always-on lives. Unfortunately that also means that simple things like cooking and exercise can fall by the wayside, but HIIT serves as a solution to that problem.
HIIT is a workout you can do at the gym, at the park, or even from your home. HIIT entails the exerciser doing one sort of movement at the highest intensity they possibly can followed by a short period of rest. According to Megan, who is also a personal trainer, “you should be doing it to the point where you cannot talk.”
Megan says that for beginners it’s okay to start out at 30 seconds of high interval training with a minute of rest. Doing that for a max of ten minutes is enough to constitute a rigorous exercise that will keep your blood pumping. In addition to it’s time-saving nature, the great thing about HIIT is that each exercise is extremely customizeable to the individual which means you can build up your timing as you get better. The 7 Minute Workout is an app that’s gained popularity over the past several years though there are plenty of other HIIT-specific apps in every phone’s app store.
Specific Exercises
Mountain Climber
Burpee
High knees
Kettlebell Swings
Jog Sprints
Air Squats
Push-ups
Whatever You Start, Finish it.
Megan’s biggest tip is to make time for exercise and don’t overthink it. The great part about HIIT workouts is that you can do them anytime, anywhere, and without equipment. There’s a wealth of different workouts, apps, and knowledge available online, the only thing stopping you is you. Starting out slow, doing research, and knowing what you’re doing is key. Soon you’ll find movements you like that you can integrate into your routine and you’ll be crafting your own HIIT before you know it.
Special Offer
Megan and Loren also come bearing gifts in the form of a free Fit Kitchen Direct meal on them. Using the code FITLANDIA will get you one free meal out of FKD’s 5, 10, or 12 packs. Check out their delicious meals here and #EatCleanIn2017
Need the perfect complement to your workouts? Get a free, 2-week membership at Fitlandia today.
In the 17th episode of the Fitlandia Podcast Christa is joined by Allison Nichols for a discussion on gut health and how it can impact your wellness.
Healing yourself from the inside out
Allison is a holistic nutrition counselor who works with people to improve their gut health and help them break free of the diet cycle, “healing yourself from the inside out” as she puts it. After graduating from college Allison existed on a diet of Kashi cereal, yogurt, and fruit in an attempt to be as thin as possible. Meanwhile she was struggling with horrible digestion problems to the point where her gut began to control her life. She started to notice that no one else was acting like her. Nobody else was in constant pain, or feverishly keeping track of restrooms for future reference. Allison realized what she was doing for weight loss was actually negatively affecting her body. She realized that there’s more to health than weight, and there’s a connection between what you eat and how you feel.
After discovering Mark’s Daily Apple and she began experimenting with a more primal diet, avoiding grains, legumes, and dairy. She didn’t lose any weight, but she noticed that she was feeling better day by day, and eventually most of her digestive issues faded.
“Realizing that I could eat whole foods and foods with fat in them and not gain weight was a life-changing experience.” - Allison Nichols
No One Size Fits All
No one way of eating works for everyone. Respecting the biochemical individuality of each person is something that’s impossible to fine-tune from a company’s broad dietary plan. That’s why people get frustrated because they try one or two diets and they don’t line up with their bodies or their lifestyles. Fitness is a journey of coming to understand your own body and finding a dietary style that works for you.
Through this realization, Allison realized the importance of food journaling, and removing the attachments that she had with food. Recognizing the consequences that different types of foods have is important, and coming to that understanding is a vital step in the fitness journey.
Once she sorted her own digestive and dietary problems out, Allison wanted to help other people break free from dieting. She set out to help others build a healthy relationship with food and start that process from the mind rather than with the body. It’s an uphill battle because in today’s culture of digital entertainment and on-demand gratification, people want instant gratification and instant results.
Fitness is a Journey, Not a Destination
Together, Allison and Christa outline a few tips for long-term success:
Allison also helps Fitlandians by providing one of the many questions that she asks her clients. Before indulging in a rich dessert, or even eating in the first place, ask yourself “am I physically hungry, or do I just want to eat?” Being able to determine actual hunger and emotional hunger is huge. Sugar, processed foods, and poor diets can muffle our feelings and skew our perceptions of what fullness and hunger feel like. If you are physically hungry, opting for a healthier option is more fulfilling, but the hard part is making those options accessible. If pre-prepared, pre-packaged, processed foods are already there, it’s easy to default to those.
“There’s no such thing as mistakes, only learning experiences.” - Allison Nichols
The two wrap the episode up with a few helpful tips to improve gut health:
Explore more on our site at fitlandiafitness.com and get your free 2-week trial to unlock all members benefits today!
On this very special episode of the Fitlandia podcast, Christa pulls inspiration from real-life as she recounts her tale of a recent speeding ticket and how it impacted her life.
Slow Down
During a trip from Portland to Bend, Oregon Christa was stopped on the highway for going about 20 miles over the speed limit. During the seemingly eternal period while the officer was running her plates, Christa was shaking, her heart was racing, and she was worried about what would happen next. She then took a moment to pause and reflect on what had just happened and she owned it. It was her responsibility, and there was nobody to blame but herself. It then occurred to her that she had an opportunity to check her own perspective, so she took it as a message from the universe to slow down.
After handing Christa the ticket (and giving her a hundred dollar break) the policeman told her “I hope your day gets better” in an apologetic tone. What Christa wanted to say (but didn’t realize until after the exchange) was that her day was awesome. She was alive, the policeman showed her kindness and generosity, and she ended up with a great message from the universe to slow down.
Trying To Find A Balance
So how does that relate to fitness? This experience served as a reminder to Christa that we have choices. Sometimes things happen to us that are out of our control, the only thing that we truly have control over is our reaction to those events. Fitness is no different.
“Life is an experience, but we can choose what our perspective of it is.”
You can look at your body and default to a doom and gloom mindset of ‘this will never get better,’ or you can look at yourself with compassion and mercy. Having the perspective to realize there’s imbalance is an invaluable tool. Sometimes it’s an imbalance of driving too fast and working too hard. Sometimes it’s an imbalance of food and exercise. Sometimes it takes a speeding ticket to grant you that perspective, but the important thing is to recognize it and ask “what can I change to get back into balance?”
Find a way to turn negative experiences into something positive, don’t let them hold you back, let them strengthen you. Learning experiences like these can completely shift how you live your life. If you’ve ever found yourself unhappy with your body or your life, you’re already on the first step towards this shift, and what you do with that new perspective moving forward is the real question.
Explore more on our site at fitlandiafitness.com. Start your free 2-week trial and get unlimited access to all member benefits today.
On this episode of the podcast Christa attacks 2017 head-on. Listen and ready yourself to harness the full power of intention for your New Year’s Resolutions.
The Transtheoretical Model of Change
Before the Mind Zoning®, Christa discusses the The Transtheoretical Model of Change and the stages that it is comprised of. In order to deal with change of any size, this widely-accepted scientific model explains how we prepare, accept, and ultimately integrate change into our lives. As depicted in the above link, the five stages of change are:
While it’s easy to look at a model like this one and see how change works, the actual application is much more difficult. Change of any kind can be daunting. Whether it’s your New Year's Resolution to lose weight, moving to a new city, or dealing with the loss of a loved one, the initial shift is always hard. Because we’re dealing letting go of our old patterns, that can be scary.
Because the model is so multi-layered, this episode specifically addresses the first stage of the model: precontemplation. In this stage you’re just starting to think about healthy behavior, but it’s still further down the road, not an immediate change. At this point in your journey Christa recommends creating a pros and cons list. The “cons” side may be extremely long because there’s that fear associated with the change, and the “pros” may be short because you don’t know or realize the full benefits. Looking at those two side by side you can see how it’s easier to take the “easy” route and not make the change, but as you take in more information (like this podcast 😉) the benefits become more apparent as your knowledge grows into a beautiful state of readiness.
You didn’t fail the diet, the diet failed you
Another symptom of the precontemplative stage is a period of reflection and looking back at past “failures” and patterns. When viewed from a historical perspective like this, it gives us another reason to avoid change because we don’t want to “fail” again. If you’ve visited our website, follow us on social media, or have listened to any past podcast episodes you know we’ve said it again and again: You didn’t fail the diet, the diet failed you. Most traditional dieting platforms aren’t set up for long-term success, and that’s why Fitlandia approaches fitness from a mind-first perspective. That’s what this Mind Zoning® is about, letting go of past judgements and failures that are keeping you locked into old patterns. As with our other episodes this Mind Zoning® is broken down into four key parts:
You don’t have to be “good” at meditation, this is simply a relaxing method to help you along your fitness journey and aid you with making a healthy lifestyle change. Just let your mind follow the voice and allow yourself to take this step in your fitness journey.
New Year’s Savings
This episode also comes with a coupon code to receive Fitlandia Premium for 40% off: Use NYE17 until January 7th at checkout to save.