It's natural to grieve your old lifestyle when making a shift into healthy eating, daily movement and positive thoughts. You're forced to look at old patterns and learn how to let go of old coping mechanisms. In today's show, we've pulled the webinar archives to repost this important info. We look at the Transtheoretical Model of Change as well as the 5 Stages of Grief to explain this process so you're better prepared to cope with emotions.

What we can learn from models of change and stages of grieving when setting health goals?

As a Functional Medicine Practitioner working with my patients to overcome their health challenges and create positive change, I have to be aware of mind set and my expectations regarding their wants and needs.

It is never as simple as “tell me what to do and I’ll do it” or “this is the plan and these will be the outcomes.” Creating health is really about changing lifestyle and that involves transformation of not only the physical, but the mental and spiritual practice that we engage in every day.

If you have had involvement with Psychotherapy or studied psychology in school you may have heard of the following two models. While I have not studied these in depth I have used these to help myself and my patients understand where they are in their desire to change. No matter how much we associate transformation with what we do i.e. exercise, diet, sleep, therapy etc there is no denying that how we feel about the process is more telling of our future success or failure.

What has grief got to do with change?

First introduced by American Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her 1969 book On Death and Dying, the 5 stages of grieving has been useful in navigating people through the grieving process. While these stages are not meant to be a complete list of all possible emotions people will experience, they are helpful when facing a life-altering undertaking such as losing 100 pounds for example.

In the transtheoretical model, change is a process involving progression through various stages. When setting goals that are life changing people forget to take into account the process and commitment that is involved. I feel that checking into these various stages can be helpful in committing to the process.

While both models are controversial in their validity I feel that both patient and practitioner can use these stages to gauge commitment and track change so as to best reach their goals.

1. Denial & Precontemplation (Not Ready) – The person is trying to shut out the reality or magnitude of his/her situation, and begins to develop a false, preferable reality. People are not intending to take action in the foreseeable future, and can be unaware that their behavior is problematic. Unfortunately, this is where most people sit for too long until their health affects them negatively daily. For example a patient who is insulin resistant but not yet diagnosed as diabetic – “They have pills for that – I’ll be fine.”

2. Anger & Contemplation (Getting Ready) – People are beginning to recognize that their behavior is problematic, and start to look at the pros and cons of their continued actions. They recognize that denial cannot continue and may become bitter, the patient is very difficult to reason with due to misplaced feelings of rage and envy. The patient can be angry with self, or with others, especially those who are close to them. Certain responses of a person undergoing this phase would be: “Why me? It’s not fair! I don’t want to give up my wine.”; “Why do I have to do this? Jane lost weight without having to do any of this!”

3. Preparation & Bargaining (Ready) – Patients intend to take action in the immediate future, and may take small steps toward behavior change. This often involves bargaining where the patient hopes that they can somehow avoid going down the path the practitioner has chartered for them. Seeking to negotiate a compromise is normal and it is important for practitioner and patient to truly examine whether this patient is ready for the next stage. Example: “OK so I’m cutting out sugar but chocolate brownies made with honey are fine! Right?”

4. Depression & Action – I know this sounds like a stalemate but I often see patients acquiring new healthy behaviors only to withdraw. “What if I succeed in kicking my diabetes?” “What if I really do lose 100 lbs?” Their friends can change, along with their habits, their clothes, even their problems. It is natural to feel sadness, regret, fear, and uncertainty when going through this stage. Feeling those emotions shows that the person has begun to accept the situation. Becoming a different person requires an immense amount of courage!

5. Acceptance & Maintenance – Patients have been able to sustain action for a while and are working to prevent relapse. At this stage they have come to terms that they are better off this way and the changes have become the new lifestyle. This typically comes with a sense of peace, a retrospective view of self, and a calm stable mindset. I often hear “I can’t believe how much better I feel. I won’t go back to the way I used to eat!”

6. Termination – Individuals have no temptation to return to their old unhealthy habit as a way of coping. They are happy with the path they chose to follow and are comfortable with themselves and have been accepted by their peers old and new. This is ultimately where a good practitioner would want their patients to reach. While termination sounds final it is here that a doctor and patient build a lasting relationship built on mutual admiration, trust and satisfaction. It is here where the true reward lies.

So, remember no matter where you are in life, and in health, be aware of your motivation, set a course, create some systems, build in rewards, keep checking in with yourself, be kind to those around you and especially to yourself, be brave, live life, and stay strong.

Need help getting started? Try out our FREE, 7-Day No Diet Detox. That's right - no dieting! Just 7 days of snapping pictures of your food to begin the mind-body connection.

Christa intros JP Sears to the show and jumps right into some nutritional controversy with the American Heart Association’s assertion that coconut oil isn’t healthy. Christa wanted to get JP’s take on the situation since the topic was all over social media.

Here’s what JP had to say:

“From the bottom of my heart, I would dare say, virtually anything the American Heart Association says deserves to be flushed down the toilet.”

Because of the corporate agenda and funding into research, these studies aren’t for the greater good of people, but instead putting dollars into their pockets. Christa concurs. She points out that there is conflicting info in the industry and JP uses the example of the days when margarine was touted as being healthy.

The Power of Meditation

Christa reminds newcomers to the show that Fitlandia is on a mission to end dieting by first helping people change their thought-patterns using Mind Zoning®. Because these are like guided meditations, she explores the power of meditation with JP.

JP provides an amazing suggestion for those short on time or starting out. Personally, he does 10 minutes per day and focuses on a practice he learned from Thích Nhất Hạnh, which is a simple breathing meditation. As you breathe in, say to yourself, “I’m breathing in.” As you exhale, say to yourself, “I’m breathing out.” This is easy and approachable for anyone to try.

“Meditation is a great service we can give ourselves.”

Christa & JP discuss the challenges with life and busy schedules and that we don’t have to be perfect in our health practices. In fact, being aware and open about our triggers can help us keep moving forward.

“I used to shame the living crap out of myself. How I’m shaming myself is probably more toxic than the cookie I ate.”

End the Shaming Cycle

The shaming cycle can take someone back into an old, viscous addictive pattern, but Mind Zoning® can help, as well as being thoughtful about the benefits of that pattern. Looking at things that feel unhealthy always has an element of comfort and provides a sense of feeling in control.

Christa & JP speak on the power of planning for travel and staying healthy on the road and rely on Whole Foods to help stay healthy during travel and even search AirBnB listings to ensure access to being able to cook their own meals.

So what do Christa & JP eat? It’s similar: focus on veggies, higher on the side of healthy fats, and high-quality protein…and most importantly, don’t follow a dogma and instead focus on growing intuitively with what to eat and learning what’s best from how the body feels.

Christa shares a cautionary tale and that if you’re struggling with sugar, refined carb and/or alcohol addictions then tuning into your body could be challenging and her #1 tip: FOOD JOURNAL.

Self-Sabotage and Unresolved Wounds

Together they get heavy with regards to self-sabotage and looking at the root of self-sabotage. JP speaks to childhood experiences and how we reaffirm disempowering beliefs due to unresolved emotional pain.

Christa adds it’s connected to a lack of self-worth and the need to become aware of traumas. She gets inspired to create a Mind Zoning called “The Journey of Courage.” Doing inner child work can be an incredibly powerful process to healing and moving forward.

JP and Christa wrap up the show speaking to the power of vulnerability and community and/or tribe to help guide you through your transition. Also, working with a coach or therapist can have a powerful impact. He mentions Brene Brown’s TEDTalk on the Power of Vulnerability where she talks about connection and its power in our lives.

“Embrace discomfort. Nobody has ever excelled at anything by avoiding discomfort.”

Connect with all of JP’s awesomeness here:

Awaken with JP website

Awaken with JP YouTube channel

Buy the book: How to Be Ultra Spiritual with JP

Follow on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

Gratitude for today’s sponsor!

Portland Community College Functional Nutrition Program Check out their 100% online functional nutritional program today.

If you’re looking for a holistic nutrition program to connect with others, learn how to connect with your body and overcome addiciton for the next 30-day program with Fitlandia.

Christa welcomes back Dr. Michelle Neil-Sherwood, DO and Dr. Mark Sherwood, ND, or as they like to be called, “Drs. M and M without the sugar” to talk about the science of nutrigenetics. Dr. Michele and Dr. Mark own and operate a wellness-based practice in Tulsa, Oklahoma called Functional Medical Institute. Their practice bridges the medical model with the functional model to teach people how to be completely and totally well. Drs. M & M use all kinds of unique and interesting tools to accomplish their mission and have many patient success stories where existing medical conditions have been reversed or eliminated.

Christa repeats Dr. Michele’s opening statement and says, “So it’s not outside of our realm that we can actually be completely and totally well?  I love that.”

A Little Background on the Subject

The functional medicine approach gets to the root cause by looking at:

• Hormones
• Neuro transmitters
• Nutrition
• Lifestyle

Looking at genetics:

• We are 99.9% genetically identical
• The .1% difference is what makes us unique
• That difference makes all the difference in the world – not everything works the same for everybody
  • Traditional diets
  • Workout programs
  • Supplement types and quantities

We’re born with our genes, but the experiential knowledge those genes have with the interaction of environment is called Epigenetics (the environment’s effect of the genes). For example, two identical twins can grow up and turn out a little different from each other because of the environment’s effect.

Nutrigenetics – the genes effect on the environment

• How do our genes detoxify things?
• How do our genes influence what we need to be taking?
• How do our genes handle lipids; metabolize the fats we consume?
• How do our genes handle workouts we do?
• How do our genes handle inflammation?

Simply stated, what we eat could actually influence our DNA and the expression of our DNA.

Genetic Testing

Drs. M & M utilize genetic testing to get the ideal breakdown of macro nutrients for each individual based on their genetic makeup. They formulate a unique nutrition and exercise plan based on those results to optimize body composition for each person. Benefits of testing include:

1. Cutting edge technology
2. Replaces trial and error
3. Unravels the mystery for each person so they get specific, individual plans
4. Optimization of health
5. Saves time by getting to the answers faster

Dr. Mark gives an example of how two people can have different reactions when consuming caffeine late in the day. One person may not be affected by a late afternoon cup of coffee, while the other person may be awake all night. Why? The person who is not affected at night by the coffee has a faster metabolism, so the caffeine is processed quicker. For the person whose metabolism is impaired, the caffeine is not processed as fast.

To change metabolism:

• Reduce detoxification on back end (inside) = nutrigenetic effect
• Reduce toxins on the front end (outside) = nutrigenomic effect

How does the genetic test work?  Get specific information here

• A sample ‘buckle swab’ of cheek cells is taken
• The sample is sent to lab and tested for 80 different genes specific for health, metabolic and exercise
• Results come back within 21-25 days
• Analyzed by Drs. M & M
• An individual plan is designed based on patient’s genetic and lifestyle information
• A sustainable life plan is created for the patient to use for the rest of their life
• Implementation may be either fast pace or a slow transition but results are definite

Exercise Considerations

Most people think that more exercise is necessary to lose weight but it can create inflammation and can be the wrong type and amount for our unique genetic makeup.

Example:  A female patient, in her 40’s, chronic boot-camp person, 15-20 pounds overweight in excess fat, can’t get the fat off, frustrated, going to two boot camp classes daily several times a week, exhausted, and stressed out of her mind!

The patient’s genetic testing revealed that she is of an endurance-based structure. Drs. M & M outlined a new exercise plan including:

• Only two boot camp sessions per week
• Walking, yoga, relaxation to “chill out”

Once she incorporated these changes in her fitness routine, she immediately began to see results by allowing her body to adapt to the way it is supposed to be.

Christa shares her similar story of being an athlete all of her life, being 50 pounds overweight while working out six days a week (but eating and drinking “trash”). She functioned in survival mode with no coping mechanisms to handle stress and no boundaries to shut down work, or do any type of self-care. Christa confesses that she is now more aware to her addictive tendencies towards donuts and wine, but it would have been great to have this type of testing information back then – it would have saved time because it was a long journey for her to figure things out.

Taste Bud Genes (Phenylthiourea-Phenylthiocarbamide “PTC”)

The spectrum of taste is determined by our genetics. There is an inherited genetic component that influences how we taste PTC, a single gene that codes for a taste receptor on the tongue. This gene is known as the PTC gene or TAS2R38. People can be classified as “tasters,” “non-tasters,” or somewhere in between.

Tasters

• Wide taste spectrum
• Appreciates a broad range of tastes; bitter to sweet
• May have a dysfunctional dopamine receptor which indicates that sweet equals happy; therefore, food becomes happiness

Non-Tasters

• Narrow taste spectrum
• Limited taste receptors
• Prefer or can eat more bland foods
• Doesn’t typically link food to happiness

Food Addiction

• Must use caution when opening door to any type of “comfort” or “happy” food because it will cause the door to come flying open, which can activate the addition and lead to binge eating.
• Once the addiction cycle opens that door, it can swing open for a long time.
• Limit the shaming cycle by using Mind Zoning® or other types of mindfulness practices may help shorten the time that we are in the addiction.
• Once we know this information, we are empowered.
• We don’t have to ask for permission or forgiveness if we slip up; it is up to us to use the information and tools we have to be successful in all areas of our wellness journey.

Access to Genetic Testing

It’s not necessary to live in or to visit Tulsa, OK to get this genetic DNA test from Drs. M & M. You can access the information on their website and order your own sample test kit and mail it back for analysis. You’ll receive a 48-page comprehensive report within 3-4 weeks. Then, Drs. M & M spend 45-60 minutes (via Skype) reviewing it with you. They discuss your areas of vulnerability and set forth an action plan to fix those areas nutrigenomically. The plan is emailed to you as a written implementation synopsis.

Cost

Less than $500 for the entire package

$349 + shipping for kit, testing and analysis, written report

$100 for Skype consultation

“We want people to have this so they can unlock the keys and the mysteries to these problems; how do I lose weight and keep it off, maintain muscle tissue and fight against heart disease and diabetes,” explains Dr. Mark. We provide the tools necessary to answer their own healthcare problems so they can manage their healthcare. Investing in yourself and your health saves money. Drs. M & M point out that their goal is to “take away the ignorance button.” Their patients are fully equipped to make educated adult decisions about their health, exercise and nutrition. They own their own healthcare.

Final Tips

• Food is vitally important to health
• Food has changed and our health has declined over time because of it
• Low-fat foods lead to the obesity epidemic
• Using food to prevent disease

Dr. Michele quotes Aristotle, “Let food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food”.

Which Food Plan Works Best?

Eliminate the “standard American diet” foods such as:

• Sugars
• Grains
• Breads
• Corn
• Artificial sweeteners
• GMOs
• Soy
• MSG
• High-fructose corn syrup

Bring your diet back to what we were designed and intended to eat:

• Fresh and raw fruits and vegetables
• Nutrient-dense foods with low sugars
• Nuts and seeds
• Healthy proteins

Drs. M & M encourage their patients to follow an anti-inflammatory food protocol with no limits (just guardrails) so their taste buds never get out of control and dopamine receptors are not stimulated. People who stay on the path don’t tend to overeat.

Supplementation

• Rule of 5 – if you’re taking over 5 supplements, there needs to be a good reason
• Too many supplements can overstimulate your body and can weaken or limit your defenses
• Antioxidants can be oxidative if used in excess
• Cost savings by streamline and identifying targeted supplementation needs

Please check out Drs. M & M’s Anti-Inflammatory Diet from their previous last Fitlandia podcast.

If you're looking for a holistic nutrition program to help break addictive cycles, sign up for the next 30-day program with Fitlandia.

Today's sponsor is the Portland Community College Institute for Health Professionals. Learn more about their 100% online program at climb.pcc.edu/nutrition.

We have a special treat this week as Christa King, Fitlandia’s Founder and CEO leads us through a Mind Zoning® session about envisioning a healthy summer.

If you’re new to Fitlandia, Mind Zoning® is similar to a guided meditation where your brain is invited to relax, slow down and get focused, but differs from meditation because it incorporates the idea of creating a new thought pattern. Meditation is about clearing thoughts and creating peace and space in your mind whereas Mind Zoning® takes it a step further to create new neural pathways designed to support your healthy goals.

Summertime Traps

Summertime can be a trap for a lot of people. It’s the time when healthy patterns of eating and exercise take a back seat to vacations; BBQ’s, parties and fun.

Many people begin the New Year with great energy and hope for a healthy lifestyle. They start losing weight and begin developing healthy habits, but when summer approaches, there’s a mentality of, “Yay, I’m on vacation, I can eat and drink anything I want.” The mindset is to eat and drink while on vacation and then get back on track once back home. The tricky part for those of us with sugar addiction or a reliance on alcohol, is that we may not get back on track and instead this behavior can drive us back to old patterns once our brain realizes how good the sugar or alcohol tastes and feels.

Staying on  Healthy Track

• Be moderate
• Be thoughtful
• Be mindful of what you eat and drink
• Plan activities during vacation or trips with friends, or BBQ’s or gatherings
• Build awareness
• Make good conscious choices that help support a healthy lifestyle

Let’s Begin

(**Caution** Do not drive or operate machinery while Mind Zoning)

• Find a quiet place where you will not be interrupted
• Position yourself in a comfortable seated position
• Taking a few deep breaths, allowing your mind and body to relax
• Starting at top of your head
• Closing your eyes
• Bring your attention to the very top of your head, imagine there is now this beautiful slow-moving cascading waterfall
• It comes over the top of your head so slowly and goes down the back of your hair, over your head and neck
• As it slowly passes by, notice how it is relaxing you and washing away any stress
• Now across your shoulders – leaving behind a completely relaxed body
• Cascading down your arms and torso
• Noticing how you’ve become heavier in your chair or wherever you are
• You’re able to sink further into relaxation
• As that slow-moving cascading waterfall passes over your hips, your thighs and your knees
• Passing over  your calves, your ankles, all the way to your toes
• Noticing this beautiful, slow ever-streaming flow of water
• So comforting, so relaxing, taking you into the most peaceful space right now
• This beautiful wide-open place in your mind where you can release any stress, any chaos of the day
• Letting this beautiful slow-moving water remove it, wash it away leaving a completely relaxed body behind

Now we invite the deepest part of your mind to start to think about your trips, adventures and plans, vacations far away, or nearby picnics and BBQ’s, or a family reunion or a birthday – whatever you have outlined for the summer.

• You’ve been on this journey of health and wellness
• Creating the very best version of you
• Embracing a life of vitality, and becoming more conscious of a daily practice of:
  • eating healthy foods
  • moving
  • connecting socially
  • filling your mind with positive thoughts and goals

As you think of your plans for the summer, call upon that Super Hero in your mind (that part of your brain that can do anything), trusting that if you can think it, you can become it.

Call on your Super Hero now, and when you think of your plans for the summer begin to wonder how would that Super Hero comes into play to help you have the healthiest summer you’ve every had.

Maybe your Super Hero would have you:

• go to bed earlier than ever have on vacation so you can get up early and get some exercise in before you start your adventures
• pop out of bed to get outside in your location for a brisk walk or run
• do a 7-minute hit workout

Your Super Hero helps you come up with ways to help you incorporate movement in everything you do, like:

• taking a hike in one of the cities you’re visiting
• doing a walking tour
• planning a day of shopping where you’re walking the entire time

And now your Super Hero comes in to help you eat healthy for the entire summer by:

• bringing a healthy dish to a potluck
• choosing high-quality proteins to eat at a friend’s BBQ
• finding it easy to forgo those common things like chips, or grains or any kind of processed foods and sugar

Your Super Hero makes it easy for you to make the healthiest possible choices in everything you do this summer.

Its also a good reminder that if you do choose to have alcohol or processed food or sugar; that you release any guilt or shame with that, knowing that it will not serve you. Instead just realizing that there could be setbacks, there could be consequences, there could be delays, but there is no guilt.

As you engage that Super Hero in you, notice how easy it is to have the healthiest summer you can imagine. You’re able to overcome any obstacle at all. If you’re traveling somewhere that is hot, or live somewhere hot, just notice how easy it is to get up early when it’s still cool out and take advantage of that brisk, fresh morning air. When we do that movement first thing in the morning, we set ourselves up for a successful day.

And now I’m going to invite the subconscious mind to connect with your inner Super Hero and call upon them anytime if you need a boost, reinforcement or a nudge of motivation. Your Super Hero is there for you. You might notice how easy it is to call upon them to strengthen you in those moments when you’re challenged. You can call upon that energy and engage in that energy and keep moving forward to have the healthiest summer yet. When you’re ready, open your eyes, coming back to this present time and space, feeling refreshed and energized.

Fitlandia is genuinely on a mission to end dieting and turn that failure rate of 67% into a success rate of 70% or greater by not only being able to create a healthy lifestyle but to maintaining it by engaging the power of the mind.

Head over to iTunes, subscribe to the podcast and give us on honest feedback on today’s Mind Zoning®. Let us know what you”ll do differently this summer and we’ll feature your intentions on a future podcast.

Dr. Jerome Craig is back to talk about the falsehood of “everything in moderation.” This idea of moderation is tossed around so much in the diet industry and they both agree that it’s setting us up for failure.

The Truth About Moderation

• If you don’t want to change, then everything in moderation works great! It maintains the status quo.
• If you want to make health and wellness changes in your life, then moderation is not going to work.
• If you’re using moderation as an excuse for not changing, it’s working – there will be no change.

Dr. Craig provides an example of a patient who is a type 2 diabetic, on multiple medications, life not going well and who wants to change but cannot give up his daily chocolate-coated almonds. Dr. Craig appealed to the patient that he needed to get away from the almonds, that they were a sugar addiction and he needed to give them up.

“The only way to break an addiction to something is to give it up” Dr. Craig explains.

It’s not going to serve you to have only a little of whatever substance you’re addicted to, whether it be alcohol, sugar, refined carbs or potato chips. The substance fires up the pleasure areas in the brain, and releases serotonin and dopamine, so our mood changes, we feel good – and we want more. We consume more, then we crash and feel crappy. We can’t simply have three potato chips or one drink and hope that the addiction stays at bay. That’s why “everything in moderation” truly does not work.

Fitlandia’s No Fools’ Detox

Those NFD focuses on eliminating 5-6 foods for 30 days to  to identify which foods are trigger foods for you, as well as get a clean break from them. At the end of the program, participants are guided to reincorporate one food at a time and track their body’s response so they get a clear sense of which foods work for them and which do not.

During the program members are often faced with their friends and family telling them that elimination diets are just a fad and they’ll be fine as long as they use “moderation.” It just doesn’t work like that. Just as you can’t tell an alcoholic to drink in moderation, you can’t say this to a sugar addict either. She supports them in dealing with these external challenges while they make their break.

Stop Saying the “F” Word: “I’m Fine.”

If you want change you have to take some sort of radical steps to at least get started. The radical changes don’t have to be forever, but moderation is never going to serve you in the beginning. Once you achieve your weight and health goals, you may find that you still have certain foods or substances that are problematic for you.

1. Defining what works for you and your body
2. Understanding what’s happening when we’re back on a ‘slippery slope’
   • Life circumstances?
   • Trying to self-soothe?
   • Not enough exercise?
   • Not enough breath work?
3. Everything in moderation can lead us back to an old pattern

Christa shares her personal struggle with donuts and wine. These are things that she limits to rare instances, but has learned to pay attention to cravings and to take appropriate action, not the substance, if and when they do occur, ask herself, “What’s going on, what am I doing, or not doing?”

Occasional, Rare, and Never: What Foods Should Go Into Which Bucket?

The ideal scenario is that we can have sugar, refined carbs and alcohol “occasionally,” but through your journey you may find that’s just not possible. Start by thinking what each category means and where you might start to identify opportunities to make changes.

Occasional

If you’re not addicted to a food or substance and it is not a problem for you, then a few times per month is fine. (4 x/month)

Rare

A problem food or substance should only be consumed on rare instances. Using food as a reward or a celebration needs be limited to special occasions, but certainly not on a frequent basis. (1 x/month)

Never

Abstain completely from addictive foods or substances. If you’re triggered by a food to the point where you know it isn’t serving your goals, but you can’t control consumption of it and it takes you back to a daily pattern, it’s likely time to release it for a longer period of time (3+ months) or forever.

Final Tip

Become mindful of what foods or substances trigger something in you and takes you away from your goals so that you can be fit for life, and not dieting. The only true possession we have in life is our body so you’ve got to take care of it so it takes care of you.

Use the buttons below to subscribe, rate and review our show. In your comments, let us know what is your “occasional” or “rare,” or “never” foods. If you have additional questions, post them in your review and we’ll answer them on a future show!

Today, Christa welcomes her new fitness buddy, Mehul Parekh. While searching the Oregon Entrepreneur’s Network for connection opportunities with other fitness centers, Mehul came across Fitlandia, and thought, “How can you go wrong with a name like that?!” He connected with Christa and they decided to collaborate on a podcast to talk about how to incorporate your brain into your strength training workout.

Mehul is the owner of Bridgetown Brain and Body in Portland, Oregon. He gave Christa a private training session where they focused on the brain and muscle connection during the workout. She calls the session, “mind blowing” and encourages us to work to reframe how we think of strength training – especially for those of us just getting started.

Mehul’s Philosophies

• injury-prevention
• how to connect the brain to the body
• a technique to prevent future injury

“What we’re learning more and more now in physical therapy, chiropractic circles and occupational therapy circles is that rehabbing injuries cannot just be a bottom-up approach,” says Mehul.

“There needs be brain involvement in how to activate muscles to make a lasting effect.”

Traditional physical therapies techniques might include:

• Movement of injured or limited muscles/limbs
• Holding something heavy (building strength)
• Stretching (increasing mobility)
• Botox injections (loosening muscles)

These therapies can be good, but changes in the physical body won’t be permanent until we connect the brain to the body. In strength training, you can strengthen the muscle all you want, but there is neurological component that needs to be incorporated. It’s necessary to include the brain to create a new neural pathway so we don’t slip back into old patterns. It is a whole-body experience when we connect the brain and the body in strength training.

What’s Different About a Brain and Body Workout? (vs. a conventional personal trainer)

• Not exhausted afterwards (refreshed instead!)
• No shouting, no drill sergeant, no platitudes
• Not a no-holds barred generic one-hour session
• Not the adage of “no pain, no gain”

The main concern with strength training in most gyms is that people are just given workouts – there is no consideration of long term progression and no planning about how the workout may affect your day.

What we do in the gym is supposed to be a carry-over effect for the rest of the day, it’s not supposed to be the end of it. There is no point to a workout if you can’t move afterwards.

It’s important to understand and be respectful of your body when working out, even when training hard. If you’re trying to break a personal record with a certain lift or squat, then it may be necessary to limit other moves on a specific day or when our bodies are giving indications that today might not be the best day.

Christa incorporates Ayurvedic principles with her workouts, and is a Pitta dosha means that she enjoys a good, hard workout. And even though this is her tendency and it feels good, she stays mindful and respectful of her body’s condition.

The Mark of a Good Trainer

1. Has a fitness plan (no ad-libbing)
2. Is flexible (mindful of energy and mobility levels)
3. Crafts a workout for the individual
4. Focused on injury prevention

Mehul’s e-book, Shattered!, is available for download at his website, and talks about how strength training stalls out, plateaus occur and how to break through them.

Basic Tips for Engaging Your Brain While Strength Training

1. Short workout (bursts of exercise, 20-25 minutes daily)

• Sessions with weights should be 46 minutes or less
• Accomplishing a goal delivers a dopamine rush
• Brings a sense of accomplishment
• Helps overcome addiction cravings
• Elevates moods, lessens depression

2. Visualize your workout
   • Engaging in visualization of workout (even without doing it) gives a muscle-building benefit
   • Mind-zoning technique (getting brain engaged as a blueprint)
3. Range of motion
   • Are you moving? Or are you moving a weight?
   • Greater neurological effect when you’re moving yourself through space (a push up, a squat)
4. Changing workouts on a regular basis – incorporating a new move
   • Central nervous system burns more sugar when its learning something new
   • Helps with body recomposition and weight loss

The honeymoon period of weight lifting and resistance training is the first six to eight week – this is when strength is rapidly building. There is a neurological reaction caused by a more efficient recruitment of the fibers and the sensory and motor planning systems in the brain are working harder. This levels off after this time period and then it’s time to incorporate more moves which involve a full-range of joint and muscle movements.

FINAL TIPS

1. Strength is a skill. Thinking about it from a skill-building perspective will change how you workout. Skills take time to learn. Practice consistent, short bursts of application to build the skill in your brain and in your body.
2. Let go of soreness as a benchmark for a good workout. Get over the “it has to hurt” mentality. Soreness is a horrible indicator of a good workout.
3. Create the lifestyle to meet your goals instead of focusing on the goal and not the lifestyle.
4. Strength training is most beneficial when done 3-4 times a week.
5. Eat healthy food every day – for LIFE!

Mehul is coming onboard as one of Fitlandia’s expert practitioners. Look for him in future podcasts as he’ll surely be posting all types of great videos and workout advice.

Want More? Subscribe to the Fitlandia Podcast today and have a healthy commute everyday! Share your comments in a review and we’ll feature you in an upcoming podcast.

Jeneen Haven – Another Inspiring Story of Transformation

Real people making real like changes and delivering strategies and tips. Jeneen found Fitlandia on Facebook as she was looking a support group that aligned with her beliefs of eating whole food, not a diet club, or anything fad-like. She joined the Fitlandia FB group and connected with Christa. Jeneen now works as a holistic health coach and shares her journey of weight loss and what she has discovered along the way about herself and her relationship with food. 

Jeneen’s Transformation Journey

Over 10 years ago, Jeneen and her family moved from the San Francisco Bay area to Boise, ID to start a business. She encountered winter for the first time, the challenges of entrepreneurship and a life that felt out of control. She realized that the one thing she had control over was herself. She weighed 230 pounds, felt embarrassed and ashamed; like she didn’t belong or wasn’t good enough to be with the other moms at her children’s school or at church. It was at that moment she decided that she was done being fat. Jeneen took an honest look at herself and acknowledged that she was obese.

She bought a YMCA membership, made a green smoothie daily, dropped the older kids at school each day and went directly to the gym. She checked her younger ones into daycare and hit the treadmill daily. Jeneen didn’t like the treadmill, but she did like “Law and Order” – and would watch the hour-long show before exiting the machine to get her children from daycare. They would then eat a healthy lunch, vegetable snacks in the afternoon, and a plant-based, protein evening meal with the entire family. She repeated this routine for ten months and dropped 80 pounds. There was no magic – just positive, healthy changes.

Jeneen’s Beliefs Around Food

• Food is love
• We celebrate with food
• It’s a way to connect with her children
• Being a good mother by baking homemade goods
  • Sweet rolls
  • Sugar cookies
  • Granola with honey, oats wheat flour and dried berries
  • Calorie-dense foods
  • Grain-based diet

Jeneen’s health transformation came when she let go of grains and began emphasizing veggies instead. Christa reminds us to, “Make every plate 50-75% vegetables, whether you are eating paleo, vegan or Whole 30.” And the importance of limiting fruits – it’s not the adage of “eat your fruits and vegetables,” its now, eat your vegetables and occasionally some fruit. The fructose in fruits can easily be stored as fat unless we are moving enough to actually burn the sugar.

Your Family Should be Your “Why” and Not Your “Why Not”

For years, Jeneen used her family and being a mom as an excuse not to take care of herself.

“How can I put my kids in daycare?”

“How can I not bake for my kids?”

“How can I not decorate cookies on Valentine’s Day?”

“How can I be so selfish?”

Using Weight as a Protective Shield

Jeneen’s feelings of not being as good, as pretty, or as organized as the other moms were the beliefs that kept her obese. The weight created a buffer to take herself out of the comparison with other women/moms who she felt she didn’t stack up against.

Jeneen’s mother is obese and growing up she felt a connection with her at a core level. She had fear that her mother wouldn’t love her if she lost weight and changed “tribes.”

Lasting Changes

Once Jeneen started to experience the increased confidence and freedom of releasing the weight, she could reap all the benefits of a healthy lifestyle; a few of them include:

• Shopping for clothes in regular stores
• Eating healthy and exercising to get off medications
• Endorphins kicking in
• Exercise increased from walking to weight lifting = feeling strong!

Christa gives a shout-out to resistance training, which supports the brain on so many levels. The benefit we women get with developing our strength and our muscles is so amazing.

Not Feeling Deprived

During Jeneen’s weight loss journey, she allowed herself a weekly treat of boneless buffalo wings. After eating healthy all week, she and a girlfriend would meet and share a basket of wings. This helped her to stay on track while enjoying the social connection with her good friend. She also had a weekly date night with her husband and she would choose a salad and protein. These activities were a testimony that she could still enjoy foods she loved, but in the right proportion.

There are general guidelines that create the highest level of success for most people, but then it’s about creating a lifestyle and an eating plan that works for life.

It’s important to understand what works for you and what your triggers are

Emotions Drive Specific Cravings

Angry = crave spicy

Stressed = crave salty

Sad = crave sweets

Happy = crave sweets

This discovery helped Jeneen realize that not only did she crave these types of foods at specific instances, but that she is now more mindful of using any type of food to numb emotions.

Become curious to when, what, why we are eating. What’s going on? What are the feelings?

Jeneen’s Take-away Tips

• Make your children your “why” and not your “why not”
• Change patterns learned from family of origin and model good behavior
• Set boundaries – don’t sacrifice peace, joy and confidence
• Do it for yourself – I’m worth it, I care how I look and how I feel
• Make fitness and health non-negotiable
• Investing in “me” does not take away from “them”

You can learn more about Jeneen and her work at: http://healmomfirst.blogspot.com/

We’d love to hear how this episode has helped you on your fitness journey! Head over to iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a review with your comments. We’ll feature them in an upcoming show.

Today we welcome back Kelli von Heydekampf, Certified Professional Hypnotherapist and one of Fitlandia’s very own expert practitioners. Kelli is here to teach us how to harness the power of our mind to help with our fitness endeavors.

Many of us have a negative cognition when it comes to thinking or talking about the emotions that are linked to our fitness or health goals. Of course, binge eating from emotional stress or snacking out of boredom is certainly not beneficial, but seeing how these behaviors all tie together helps us mentally and physically.

Stay tuned to the end when Kelli walks us through a mind zoning session.

Examples in Everyday Life

Fostering a new puppy, Kelli has been observing the interactions between her 50-pound puppy and her 8-pound cat. Upon meeting each other for the first time, their physicality didn’t seem to matter but their attitudes and mindset set the tone and it was clear the cat was in charge.

Kelli said she’s also noticed how her foster puppy is learning many “good dog behaviors” from their older dog. The puppy is learning what the rules are and what it takes to be a dog in this new household. By following the older dog, the pup is quickly learning his manners but in return, the older dog is getting reintroduced to the fun of playfulness.

This monitoring and mentoring activity seems to be done naturally by animals and it serves them well. As humans, we can benefit from these similar types of relationships. We might not be familiar with this new fitness lifestyle but with the support of community, we can see what is possible and take joy in it.

Kelli’s Book Recommendations

Molecules of Emotion by Candace Pert, PhD.

Candace, who has passed on, was a trained scientist and studied quantum physics. In her work, she discovered just how connected our minds and bodies are. Her book relates to the newly discovered field of epigenetics.

People who study epigenetics know that our DNA and genetics play a large part of who are and how our bodies may react to certain things but do not agree that we are pre-diagnosed to anything specific, simply based on our genetic makeup.

The science of epigenetics agrees that every cell has this DNA and genetic information stored in it but the bigger and more important picture is how the receptors of each cell react. These receptors act as receivers of information - they’re constantly scanning our cells and our environment for information to tell it what to turn on and what to turn off. Your genetics might say you are predisposed for certain diseases but taking control of your emotions, environment, what you put in your body and what you tell your brain changes how those cells react.

Goddesses Never Age: The Secret Prescription for Radiance, Vitality and Well-Being by Christiane Northup, M.D.

Kelli says this book encourages:

• Ways of accepting the emotions we have as simply being emotions; that they are our part of our core foundation and our body’s way of keeping us safe
• Appropriate ways of expressing emotions instead of suppressing them
• Movement to a place of joy, pleasure and feeling light
• Discovering joyful ways to move our bodies - If you are stuck in a physical routine and you don’t feel joyful, change it and find something new that you do enjoy!

Kelli says, “Both of these books speak to how important emotions are and how we have complete control over them at any given time.”

Kelli’s Healthy Body, Healthy Mind Tips

• It’s important to be aware of your emotions, but not to follow or to become them. It’s often easy for people to fall into an illusion of thinking they have depression because they’ve simply been diagnosed with it.

Kelli states, “A diagnosis is nothing more than a probability and too often we live in the world of probability instead of possibility.”

• We have the possibility to move forward and to make new choices, despite our emotions; we have control and the power to change them.
• No matter what choices you make you shouldn’t shame yourself.

“At the end of the day, it’s so simple,” Kelli reminds us, “It’s not always easy but just ask yourself, is this allowing me to feel light?” If yes, then find ways to repeat this optimistic mindset and transfer it into other areas of your life but if not, ask yourself what you can do to move yourself in that positive direction.

• Whatever emotion or negative thought you’re feeling, try to catch yourself and turn it around. You can choose to react differently regardless if the feeling of desire is there or not. And by overcoming the negative emotion and behavior, you will achieve success that you can build upon for next time.

Mind Zoning® to Feel Light

Connect to your space within

Maybe a heart space

Your solar plexus

Wherever your space is

Wherever it harbors the space of who you are

Take in fresh relaxing breaths

Let them flow out

Smooth rhythm of your breath

Recognize the rise and fall of your stomach

As your breath moves in and out

Let your awareness expand further than your breath

Feeling of whole breathing

As your entire being were taking that breath in

Exhaling

Every cell collect and inhale

Collectively exhale

Not confining our breath to our airway system

Expand to the whole body

Allow yourself to be breathed

You’re no longer being the source of that breath

Source coming from a place you might not understand

Source that is unlimited

Unlimited in breath

Unlimited in light

Unlimited in love

Message from that source

That you are meant to enjoy your life

Meant to move beyond struggle

Meant to experience love and laughter

Meant to experience health and success, prosperity and abundance

That’s what we are created for

Doesn’t mean we won’t have challenges

Or negative emotions

There is a truth about us

Truth that we are meant to get out of life as much as we possibly can

Always becoming more expanded than we already are

This thought of getting control of our emotions and being able to create what we want is such a powerful experience

We talked about endorphins

They’re funny looking creatures

These are all over your body

There is a supercenter

Beta endorphins

At the base of your neck

You have the capacity to create and send out these endorphins

Like super endorphins

Letting you feel really really good

Tap into what it means to you to feel really really good

There is a relationship already built into your mind of what that means

Foundation is the same

As in what feels really good

Feeling light

Light hearted

Acompasses feeling hopeful, joyful, feeling love, feeling competent

Let yourself recreate that experience

As you create

Know your mind doesn’t differentiate between imagine and real

As you create that experience know those beta endorphins are being sent out

When they’re released something amazing happens

Healing is activated

We’re able to have a different outlook on life

Allowing ourselves to move from negative emotions to feeling good

You can move into this state at any time

When you make the choice to do so

Remember the last time you laughed totally inappropriately

You’re tapping into that laugher which originally caught you off guard

So joyfully, so freely you laughed

It resonates through your whole body and sends a vibration

As you remember this time

Access those feelings that you’re recreating

This is an inside – outside practice

This feels good

And when you give yourself permission

Where you simply feel light

And when you feel complete

Open your eyes

And feel wonderful

Want More? Subscribe to the Fitlandia Podcast today and have a healthy commute everyday! Share your comments in a review and we'll feature you in an upcoming podcast.

This week Christa welcomes Dr. Jerome Craig back to introduce us to the serious subject of food journaling. Even though food journaling is something most of us are resistant to do, they discuss the importance of it and offer some easy fun ways to track our foods. Journaling is necessary to build a starting point and a foundation of what foods work or don’t work for each individual person.

Why Food Journal?

• Helps us be more mindful
• Are we under or over eating
• Not calorie counting, but awareness about excessive consumption
• Awareness of how specific foods cause discomfort and what to bring back after elimination
• Builds discipline, new habits, improved processing and better sleeping patterns

Dr. Craig says, “If you’re not aware of what you’re eating and you’re having health problems, food journaling is a good place to start.”

Tips for Easy Journaling

• Don’t complicate it – release the perfection.
• Be curious – “How does this affect my body?” Christa describes food journaling as a journey of self-discovery, figuring out what best works for your body instead of a set of rules.
• Apps are helpful! Christa’s recommends MyNetDiary Pro which links with your Fitbit and tracks nutrients, macros, vitamins and helps you build and save your own recipes.
• Keep your app or your food notebook around you so it’s always accessible.
• Don’t focus on the calories. Jerome says, “Your body doesn’t really care about the calories it cares about the inflammation its bringing to the cells.” It’s more important to be getting your micronutrients than to be counting calories or macros.

“One thing we all do every single day, and probably devote a lot of time thinking about every single day, is eating. So why not make it easier so you can come up with ideas of what really works for you.”, says Dr. Craig. Food journaling helps us come up with meals that work for us to have better health, which includes improved digestion and more restful sleep.

Whatever health benefits you’re trying to reach or if you’re starting a new food plan, make sure you track your mood, sleep, digestion and energy. When you are making a change and have a goal in mind - food journal!

Fitlandia Upcoming Events

May 17^th
Fitlandia is being sponsored for a “lunch and learn” with Garden Bar Portland. Join us to learn the basics and benefits of a keto diet. Garden Bar is providing free keto-friendly salads to all attendees.

Location:               NedSpace is located at 707 SW Washington Street, Portland 97201 (11floor)
Time:                      12pm-1pm

May 31
Dr. Craig and Christa are starting a new 7-week Keto 101 online program: Pumping up your Fitness with Fat. This new program includes one-on-one sessions, educational webinars, access to private forums and the Fitlandia Facebook group, and a one-year membership to Fitlandia.

Head over to the Keto 101 Program for more information. As a thank you for tuning into today's podcast, we're offering 20% off to our listeners. Just enter PODCAST20 at checkout.

The most common problems are:

• People don’t eat enough of the good stuff
• People have a diet, deprivation mentality and a low-carb, low-fat mindset

April states, “We have the answers to our best life; our healthier most wonderful life – if you want to run, jump, laugh, learn, swim, dance and play you need carbs. To lose weight and optimize energy – we need to eat more!”

The dieting industry is a $64 billion industry that has taught us to care too much about what we look like instead of how our bodies function. By focusing more on how we feel, we can let that be our motivation including the benefit of weight loss.

Christa reminds us that cooking your own food can a beautiful meditative process, a great opportunity to slow down, gain balance and is an act of self love.

April offers tips for healthy easy meals to cook at home, that you can put in the freezer for the week. Check out her website for recipes that are simple and healthy,

Food Journaling

Everyone’s individual needs vary but most nutritionists agree that everyone should do food journaling. Here's why:

• Quicker time to discover what foods work or don’t work for your body
• Paleo, vegan, raw foods aren’t for everyone – different digestive needs
• Removing all sugars to break from that additive cycle

Keeping a food journals helps us see how our bodies react to certain foods, which is the science of Nutrigenetics; how actual nutrients influence our genes at the molecular level.

April helps to design a balanced, maintenance diet for people who are past the elimination phase of these foods by overcoming their addictive components. This creates a healthier lifestyle which is sustainable; and fuels our bodies sufficiently for exercise.

April works with people who want to:

• Fuel with whole foods
• Optimize blood sugar
• Get their fat off
• Have a little fun
• Don’t like diets

Proper Fueling for Exercise

Fueling for Exercise “recreational exerciser” (more than walkers, but not marathoners)

1. Have their macros optimized – balanced carbs, fats, proteins
2. Fill in the gaps with healthy fats and healthy carbs

What is a healthy carb?

• Whole foods - you won’t be able to read grams because “anything that is a healthy carb doesn’t have a “label”
• Starchy vegetables – nutrient dense types such as sweet potatoes, peas, legumes, parsnips, turnips
• Whole grains - brown rice and low glycemic index options such as basmati rice and quinoa

Look for foods that give you carbohydrate energy that is slow and sustaining. The goal is to optimize blood sugars and stay away from anything refined.

Refined is when heat is added and it breaks down the substance. For example, steel cut oats are cut in four ways but not modified, whereas “instant” or “quick” means it has been processed down to a level that will impact your blood sugar.

“Stay close to the farm or the field, and as far away from as you can from the factory”, April suggest

Standing Up for Carbs

Let’s not lump all types of carbs together, healthy carbs are nutritious foods.

Whole fruits are carbs, the fruit sugar/ fructose provides carbohydrate energy. There are bio-active chemicals that haven’t been named yet which exist in whole fruit and vegetables that have amazing functional properties.

Christa offers a favorite quote from her colleague, Dr. Jerome Craig, “Those occasional treats that we have, there is no guilt, only consequences.” She says those consequences may lead to food cravings or increased weight, but we shouldn’t feel bad about it

 When and What to Eat for Pre and Post Workout

1. Morning Workout

• No need to eat before exercising if properly fueled from the day before
• If you are starving when you wake up, eat something small and wait a short while before exercising

2. Mid-day

• You want to be properly fueled throughout the day for optimal performance
• If more than three hours have passed since your last meal, have a snack including a small amount of protein and a slow digestive carb like a piece of fruit
• Watch your fats before a workout or run because of digestive distress

3. Evening

• If you’re going to work out within 2 hours of your evening meal, there should be no need to refuel before exercising

Within 30 minutes after cardio you need both carbohydrate and protein, usually around 200 calories total with optimal 100 calories from protein and 100 from carbs. It’s necessary to restore the glycogen lost during the workout. The challenge might be to grab a healthy choice like:

• a handful of fruit and nuts
• greek yogurt
• a whole grain rice cake with peanut butter

Try to resist reaching for the ice cream in the freezer or chips in the pantry as these will decrease your results and lessen the effectiveness of your workouts.

April’s Pro Tips

1. Properly fuel your body every 3-4 hours
2. Sufficient proteins are important, but the body can only process 30-40g of protein at one time. This is why it is important to have a balanced amount of macro nutrients in almost every meal
3. If you want to work out at your peak performance level you need to have healthy carbs in order to do so

We'd love to hear how this episode has helped you on your fitness journey! Head over to iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a review with your comments. We'll feature them in an upcoming show.

Christa gives us a massive treat with this week’s podcast by welcoming Jessica Ortner to the show! Jessica Ortner is a Stress Reduction and Weight Loss Coach, New York Times’ best-seller and producer of the documentary, “The Tapping Solution.”

To celebrate Jessica’s contribution to our Fitlandia community, Christa is offering a 20% discount for the next round of the No Fools Detox. Go to the Fitlandia Store website, put the No Fools Detox in your cart, and enter the code “Jessica20” at checkout to receive your discount. The next round launches on May 15th with only 12 spots available so make sure to not miss out on this deal as you learn the techniques to help you succeed on your health and fitness journey.

Background

When Jessica was introduced to tapping by her brother, Nick Ortner, she was absolutely blown away by its effectiveness. An “over thinker” since childhood, Jessica describes how she struggled to use positive affirmations and other techniques to shift her brain’s way of thinking. Like many of us, the anxiety and worry that clouded her mind not only affected her brain but she felt it throughout her whole body. Since tapping helps to relieve the physical symptoms associated with anxiety, Jessica found that it worked to quiet her mind but also to calm her body and reduce the corresponding physical stress. She and her brother became proficient in using tapping and eventually filmed a documentary where they brought in experts and followed ten people to chronicle their success using this technique. This video documentary has been widely used by tapping followers to demonstrate how it is done and to teach and inspire others.

Jessica explains, “Tapping is a stress relieving technique to do while focusing on what’s causing you anxiety while tapping on acupuncture points”.

Our ancestors needed to have that flight or fight response to stay alive; producing physical strength and increased cortisol. Then we evolved, and although our fears are normal everyday things like our jobs and family life, our bodies continue to react in the same way as our ancestors did – with a physical reaction. Our heart begins to race, we start sweating, our stomach might start to turn and our whole body will be in a stressed state. Although our mind will usually start to rationalize with a positive outlook, it is the body’s natural reaction is to keep us safe, so the physical symptoms remain. “We are wired to have a negative bias to keep us safe”, Jessica explains. We need to train both our body and our mind that it’s safe to relax but first we must get clear on what is causing the stress and access the pressure points at the same time to help us relax.

When we tap on these acupressure points, it calms us physically. Naturally, we do things with our hands when we’re anxious anyways. For example, when we’re tense and press our fingers in between the eyes at the top of the nose or on our temples, we do this to comfort ourselves. Now we’re using these points and stimulating them by tapping and while doing so, we focus on a thought, it sends a calming signal to our brain that tells us it’s okay to relax.

From the age of 14, Jessica struggled with her weight. She was “brainwashed” by believing the only way to lose weight was by diet and exercise. She was caught in an endless cycle of Yo-Yo Dieting and what she calls a “Pattern of Panic”. The panic state would be caused by an unflattering photograph or an upcoming event that would propel her to start another fad diet or exercise program. She would follow a strict set of rules about what to eat and actions to follow but this structure was exhausting and Jessica would always find herself resorting back to her old self-sabotaging and rebellious behavior. She explains, “The panic does make us take action but it is never sustainable. You don’t have to be in a state of panic to make changes like many of us have been taught to believe. It’s when we completely accept ourselves that change becomes sustainable.”

Jessica had an epiphany when she realized that she had achieved success with her tapping education and her books, but this success did not carry over to her struggle with her weight. It was then she realized that she had been using tapping for everything except weight loss.

“When you make weight the excuse to not be happy, sometimes we don’t want to let go of that excuse. Doing new things is still scary, expansion doesn’t have to be so terrifying that you freeze but there’s a level of vulnerability when you do something new. When you hold onto an excuse your whole life there comes a moment when you begin to sabotage yourself because success becomes scarier than failure”.

Jessica concluded that her weight was not the boundary but more importantly it was her self-loathing and condemnation she had about her body image. She shares two important concepts:

1. It’s easy to take care of something you value. The more you hate on your body the more stuck you are in that. Many times, we think of food as a reward but when you value yourself, you’ll pay a lot more attention to what your body needs. It’s okay to indulge in wine or chocolate on occasion but to do it in a loving nurturing way and not to escape an emotion.
2. Diets have a time frame – 30 days for example, but what happens on day 31? Its makes much more sense to be on an “experiment”. The difference between a diet and an experiment is that an experiment is continual and flexible, but a diet has an end date or an “I’m exhausted date”. It takes experimentation to get your body adjusted off the inflammatory foods while working on the mind so that you can make healthy choices moving forward. Our bodies are continually aging and changing, and we need to adapt and learn what works for our bodies every single day. Every body is different; what works for one person may not work for someone else.

“If you’re waiting for someone to give you the answer for your perfect body, you’re never going to get there”. Jessica says, “You have to go within.”

Jessica points out its important to know that foods are designed to be addictive so we need not blame ourselves entirely. There’s a physical component of course but we’re sometimes looking for comfort or a familiar connection that makes us think we need to eat or have that daily glass or bottle of wine. Our brains are wired to have a positive outcome – to take care of us now; that is why we sometimes act in ways that bring a negative outcome even when that was not our intention. These acts which we think are going to be enjoyable, often create the opposite result.

Jessica offers a great quote by fellow tapping practitioner, Brad Yates, “Self-sabotage is simply misguided self-love”.

When people understand where they’re at and can be present in that stress, they can use techniques like tapping to free themselves of their negative behaviors. “It’s easy to focus on what’s not working but when we make it fun we can make it last; happiness is an adventure”, Jessica exclaims. We must intentionally reverse our brain’s natural reactions to make positive, sustainable changes.

Christa recommends an awesome book on this subject, Presence-Process-Healing-Journey-Awareness, by Michael Brown.

Steps to Transform with Tapping

Jessica leads us in a tapping demonstration (view the video for a visual instruction).

• Tap on a craving
• Think about what makes your mouth water (salty chips, sugary chocolate, wine?)
• Let the craving intensify and notice where you feel the craving (mouth, chest, stomach?)
• Rate the craving level from 1-10, with 10 being the highest most intense level
• Set-up Statement: helps neutralize judgement. “This is how I feel and it’s okay”

 The Tapping Points

Side of the hand (doesn’t matter what side of hand)

Eyebrow (right on the bone on the inside where the hair begins)

Side of the eye (on bone)

Under eye (follow bone underneath eye)

Underneath nose

Underneath lip (at crease between lip and chin)

U-shaped bone on collar bone (tapping with whole hand on your chest also stimulates that point)

Underneath the arm (hand with underneath the armpit, at bra strap for ladies)

Top of the head

Begin with the side of the hand and make an affirmation statement like:

“Even though I’m craving this wine, I accept myself and how I feel. Even though I really want this wine because it’s been a long day, I accept myself and how I feel. Even though I’m really craving this wine, that is okay.”

Continue to give a voice to the craving.

Eyebrow – This craving for this wine.

Side of the eye – This craving in my chest.

Underneath the eye – This intense desire for wine.

Nose – I really want it right now.

Chin – I’m craving this wine.

Collar bone – My whole body wants this wine.

Underneath the arm – This intense craving is so strong.

Head – I’m fighting this craving I feel like I am losing, I really want this wine. It’s been a long day and I really want this wine.

Repeat and affirm reasoning

Side of hand – It’s been a long day.

Eyebrow – I have a lot to think about and have a lot on my plate right now.

Side of the eye – I give myself permission to relax.

Nose – With or without the wine.

Chin – I give myself permission to relax.

Collar bone- Even though it’s been a long day.

Head – I give Permission to relax now and to take a break.

Take a deep breath in and while tuning in to your solar plexus notice has this craving shifted and do you feel still the same tension? Most often, the craving is reduced or lifted completely!

When you’re in a relaxed, focused state, that’s when you can access all the wisdom you already possess. Through tapping you can access that connection you have with foods or alcohol which many of us are usually just not aware of those patterns. From where you are you can’t see it, but when you’re relaxed and not in a panic state you’ll recognize and understand what drives your cravings and learn how to not allow them to control your behavior.

What an informative and exciting interview! Be sure to check out Jessica’s website (including guided tapping meditations for morning and night) her book, Tapping-Solution-Weight-Loss-Confidence and also her Adventures in Happiness podcast on iTunes.

We’d love to hear how this episode has helped you on your fitness journey! Head over to iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a review with your comments. We’ll feature them in an upcoming show.

Today we are excited to have Christa’s colleague and certified hypnotherapist, Anya Drapkin here to teach us how to tap into our childhood through Mind Zoning® to understand why we make certain food-related choices in adulthood. Stay tuned to the end, when Anya leads us through a ten-minute Mind Zoning® session!

As with any Mind Zoning® session make sure you’re taking a break from distractions, outside of your car, and have a space to “zone out” and let your mind unwind.

Childhood Patterns That Shape Our Adulthood Behaviors

During Anya’s educational training, she discovered how crucial the first seven years of life is for us when it comes to how we behave later in life. This time period serves as a template for how we relate to our environment, nature, our homes and even our food choices. This imprint period has been shown to directly shape our patterns, but is also the root which determines how our habits are formed. These engrained behaviors are unlikely to change unless we tap into them.

Our culture places a big importance on food and although we don’t want to shame the treats used in celebrations, such as birthday cake, we do need to be mindful of how these celebratory foods make us feel. From an early age, we are taught to associate food with comfort and happy times, and this relationship typically continues into adulthood. We “self-soothe” with food.

Anya points out that a child’s first interaction with their mother is being brought to the breast to be fed. The child feels loved, reassured, and the sweetness of the milk fills the brain with pleasure and there is a bond that forms over this encounter. This intimate moment is a core time that shows that love flows from mother to baby. This first nourishment soothes the brain for years and emotionally attaches the child to the food and the human it comes from.

As we grow, we don’t always get the same emotional support from humans that we can find from food. We may find ourselves using food, sugar or alcohols as a way to soothe and comfort ourselves – so this becomes a critical point where we need to analyze these patterns and behaviors we’ve brought into our adult lives.

Carbs, Sugar, and Alcohol

These substances in particular are to blame since they “fire up” the reward center in our brains. If you’ve ever tried to give up all or one of these things for a period of time, you’ve surely realized the emotional and physiological connection associated with these substances.

It makes better sense when we look back to the caveman stages of humanity (primarily what the paleo diet is based from) our brain is wired to keep us safe. When we eat sugar, it fires up our brain’s reward center and suddenly we feel happy and safe. In today’s times, it’s important for us to realize that our brain is simply trying to fix itself. We consume these foods because we are hardwired to do so. This realization may help to release the guilt we associate with consuming these substances that we know are not good for us. Although the brain is trying to recover that feeling of safety and comfort, it is actually creating havoc in our bodies. It’s important for us to create new patterns as a brain safety mechanism. Getting off the reliance of sugar, carbs and alcohol gives our bodies the freedom to create new neural pathways.

Tapping Into Childhood

Anya states that most people struggle with changing lifelong behaviors towards food and alcohol simply because of the ritual they’ve created around it. Patterns are built through repetition. We associate a lot of our eating habits with situations with emotional components and that we want to cherish and repeat. Many of these patterns ‘make us feel good’ and many times we use these habits to help us feel good in a pinch. We not only need to learn how to break the ritual but also the brain connection we have with it. Anya encourages, “We have to create a different, healthier way to get our means."

Techniques How to Identify and Shift These Patterns

Anya focuses on:

• Diving into the emotional state – We simply cannot address the inner soothing we need by giving ourselves quick sensations. Food doesn’t work on the cognitive level.
• Empowering to use imagination – In our society we are trained to use our more logical left side of the brain. This is the product-driven, performance-based part that controls behaviors that make us successful. To evolve as humans, it’s important we pay more attention to the right side of the brain. This is the emotional, holistic part of us that makes up the meaning of life.

“Nothing has meaning other than the meaning you give to it.”

Anya asks her clients to envision and use imagery to tune in at this time, the conscious mind will go to what is most relevant. She says, “The power is about what the client’s subconscious needs to complete and it will soothe what the deeper being wants to receive." Anya goes on to tell us, “The mind zoning space will bring you what’s missing and what the solution will be for you, outside of food. Sometimes it’s community or support and to engage in the people who want to support and love you.”

Now it’s your turn (guided hypnotherapy)

Find a safe space that you can relax and take a couple deep breaths

Know that you have all the talents and skills to get relaxed

Tune out visual stimulus and wiggle into a comfortable position

Feel the solid support beneath you

Begin to get in touch with your breath

Paying attention to your breath and the words

Notice any tight spots you’re holding tension

Feel the deep breaths in the bottom of your lungs

Feel the power of your muscles as you consciously inhale

On the exhale surrender into gravity

Trust the solid support beneath you

Keep deepening your breath

Tune into yourself

You’re the most interesting entity in this moment

Tune attention inward so you can fully benefit from your focus

Accept your focus

Let that be a possibility

Have unconditional acceptance and focus

You deserve it

You can take up space

Begin to move attention

Open your inner eye to a place where you can imagine things

You’re at the top of the staircase moving down

You see a big beautiful tree

So big it has a doorway

Walk around the tree

Walk up to the door

Behind the door is your childhood

A place where you were safe and felt good

Put your hands in the doorway and step through

Step into a place where you were much younger and smaller

Go into that place

How do you feel?

Notice the quality of the air

Notice who’s there

Where you are

That you’re okay

That you’re still in your imagination

Notice that this childhood mind is still in you

Notice what does this child want

Do you want to play?

Explore?

A hug?

Look at your childhood self and ask a question

“What do you want the most right now?”

“What are feeling right now?”

“What do you need?”

Anya asks us to think about, what would you tell your childhood self that would comfort them and give them an opportunity to grow and soothe their inner worries during that moment? These answers are the very things that we carry with us into adulthood.

For more information about Anya and her practices check out her website My Oasis for Healing.

If you enjoyed this Mind Zoning® session make sure you listen to Mountain Escape, on the Fitlandia website. You can sign up for a FREE, 2-week trial and unlock access to the entire collection and all the other member benefits for 2-weeks.

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Background

Dr. Michele Sherwood began working in functional medicine after she began noticing that she addressed her patients more by their specific medications or diseases, instead of by their names. She had earned a naturopath degree before medical school and was now realizing she was simply prescribing maintenance medicines to her patients; a type of “band aid”. She discovered a dramatic improvement in her patients and in her practice when she began to look at the root cause and their life as a whole; including nutrition, activity level, hormonal balances, stress, and sleep patterns which can feed into sickness and disease.

Mark and Michele, besides being married, also have a wellness-based medical practice. They work with genetics, excessive fat reduction, medication reduction and improvement of muscle tissue and texture. Simply put, they’re working to eliminate self-imposed choice driven sickness and diseases from the planet.

By helping to get the focus off obsessing over weight and transitioning to eating whole foods and being healthier overall, Mark and Michele are hoping to work themselves out of jobs.

Get healthy on purpose and lose weight on accident

Mark states, “Anytime we talk about a program where weight loss is included, it’s important to remember, you cannot lose muscle tissue.” Muscle tissue is the way we move our bodies, without it, we’re dying. When we focus on maintaining muscle, we lose fat and overall body composition and our longevity improves.

When focusing on overall body composition it’s a good ratio for 10%-20% body fat for men and 18%-28% for woman. When this is normalized, physical health and emotional health improves.

In their practice, they use an analysis called Bioimpedance for examining body composition. This is different than BMI (Body Mass Index) that measures below, in the middle or above a certain range for body composition but doesn’t actually measure the actual body mass. Conversely, Bioimpedance evaluates lean body mass; how much is withheld, fat inflammatory mass, intracellular and outer cellular water and basal metabolic rate. This is a more accurate measure of cellular health.

This is used as a base line evaluation of a body’s composition and how many calories are necessary to be properly fueled. Mark and Michele use this to study and develop individual plans for their patients. They’re also working on point specific genetics dealing with metabolic health and sports components. Stay tuned for a future podcast where we’ll dive into this information on what chronic inflammation can do this to our bodies and techniques like these that can be used to target solutions.

Now, how does our food inflame us right into disease?

Inflammation, when acute, is how we heal. When it becomes chronic is when it becomes problematic and is the first signs of sickness or disease.

Roughly 80% of the inflammation in our bodies is coming in through our mouths.

When we eat foods that inflame our system, they’re disguised as macronutrients when in reality, they’re simply just macro calories. If we have an efficient, healthy body when we eat foods with good macro nutrient quality, we can get the micro nutrients out of these foods. If not, our bodies start to get inflamed and break them down one organ at a time which can result in hormone imbalances, weight gain, back pain, digestion issues, brain fog, etc.

Known inflammatory foods  

A good pneumonic for these foods is, S.A.D. which stands for the Standard American Diet.

This includes:

• Fried Foods
• Sugars, Artificial Sweeteners, Soda
• Processed Foods and Preservatives – including processed sandwich meats
• MSG – fillers found in dressings, cookies, spices etc.
• Excessive Caffeine - 200-300 milligrams more than daily amount
• Excessive Alcohol – 1-2 drinks a week
• Corn, Soy, Yeast, Grains and Bread
• Anything found in a box or package
• Any foods with added ingredients to change the foods nature or preserve it

 Anti-inflammatory foods to enjoy

Anything that grows in the land, aside from certain food allergies, is going to be much easier for the body to identity and digest. Including more of these types of foods will start to improve your health and mood in as little time as a week!

• Raw fruits – lower glycemic so you watch sugar levels, but also include nutrients and vitamins
• Vegetables - no limits to greens. Vegetables help alkalize the system and help with digestion, they also provide lots of minerals and fiber.
• Hormone free, grass-fed meat
• Pasture raised eggs
• Fish – fresh cod and farm-raised fish like trout

Pro Tip: 75% of your plate = vegetables and then make healthy fat choices for the remaining 25%.

What to expect when transitioning to an anti- inflammatory diet

• Increase in energy which helps release brain fog
• Better digestion which boosts weight loss
• Look out for perceived fatigue because of blood sugar dropping – don’t quit - have a piece of fruit, and let your mind and body start to adjust.
• Don’t focus on depravity but welcome the new journey of releasing toxins and overcoming the brain, gut connectivity we have to certain foods.

It’s helpful to stay connected and you’ll be three times more successful with support and accountability partners. Here at Fitlandia we have an amazing group of people who will help you every step of the way.

Mark states, “Don’t dabble in your health, it’s not a part time job but a full-time life.”

Ready to try out an anti-inflammatory diet and reclaim your health with both mental and nutritional support?

Our next No Fools' Detox starts on 5/15/17. Only 15 spots available! A FREE, 1-yr membership to Fitlandia is included ($228 value). Our listeners get 20% off. See below for details.

REGISTER TODAY! 

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This week we bring back regular guest, Dr. Jerome Craig, to teach us all about living a gluten free lifestyle. As you may know, Dr. Craig is the voice, vision and wisdom behind many of our Fitlandia webinars.

Today we’re talking about being gluten free and asking if it is just another diet fad or truly beneficial for our health. If you’ve listened to previous Fitlandia podcasts you know we’re passionate about bringing credible, science-backed information to our listeners - no more fads, no more diets, no more quick fixes. So, this gluten free thing is a hot topic right now, and was initially thought to be healthy. But now there’s a backlash about the research, or lack thereof about the health benefits of eating gluten free.

So, we posed this question to Dr. Craig, “Do you believe being gluten free is a diet fad?”

He tells us that it’s become a very popular way of eating. The statistics show that 20 million Americans are eating gluten free and a third of those people are trying to avoid gluten. It’s very much front and center in today’s culture.
So, is it a fad? Yes, no and maybe. It is a necessity for everyone? Yes, no and maybe. Dr. Craig states, it’s important to look at the science.
It’s hard to say, one way or another, exactly what being gluten free or not will do for your body but a diet concentrated mostly on any grain isn’t going to be the most nutritious. The best thing about grains is how much fiber they provide. Fiber is good for us, helping to maintain blood glucose levels but also creates digestive distress for many people and that’s when the gluten argument gets a little foggy.

So, what is gluten?

Typically, we know of gluten as the protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Gluten is made up of two molecules that are added together; a larger, polymeric glutenin and a smaller protein, gliadin. When combined, they create a lot of stickiness. As wheat is ground and kneaded into dough, it becomes very elastic which is popular in bread making. The air molecules within the dough are trapped, making the bread strong and fluffy.

This is where the science and the argument come in - the gluten free market place is a huge industry now. Dr. Craig tells us, “The gluten free market has more than doubled in sales between 2011 and 2016 and today is a $15 billion market.”
Although thriving, these products are not necessarily better for you, just because they are gluten free. Most of these baked goods are corn or rice based and don’t provide us more nutrition.

Gluten Free Society posts a variety of glutens. Their argument is with 400 glutens occurring in nature; only 40 of those exist in the human food supply. Most seeds are made with components that are meant to be protected and not digested. These seeds are grown so animals eat and spread them to reassure regrowth of the plants. For optimal health and digestion, it is recommended to not only watch wheat glutens, but all grains because every grain has gluten in it.

That’s right; gluten is not just in wheat, rye and barley but also rice, corn and millet which are used in gluten free foods. These all have a group of plant storage proteins, called prolamins, which for most of us are not easily digestible. If we look back at traditional ways of making breads, they used to ferment it. These grains required time to absorb water and the fermentation process gave the bread the gluten-like texture we know and love.

They Don't Make 'Em Like they Used To

Today, however, commercial bakeries use a gluten concentrate in creating doughs. This modern way of milling flour strips the nutrients, leaving the starch and then the concentrate is added to make the bread fluffy again. This is why eating “gluten” causes intestinal distress for so many people because our immune systems and guts are reacting to it. Additives such as coloring, sweeteners, shortening and bleaching agents are added to commercial bread products and are not usually labeled because they’re not technically food ingredients. No wonder our bodies are inflamed!

One of our big issues with gluten today is with studies of Celiac; a serious genetic autoimmune disorder. Celiac provokes problems with the immune system if gluten is consumed. Most celiacs have to follow a strict gluten free diet. Even non-celiac people may have sensitivity to wheat/ gluten because many ingredients in wheat can be problematic. The best way to feel better is to avoid eating these types of foods for a period of time, and there are certain probiotics that may help people digest gluten.

Dr. Craig points out, “If you eliminate all grains from your diet, you’re going to change your body’s microbiology. This colony changes when you change what you eat, and when a certain food is eliminated and then brought back into the diet later – there is likely to be difficulties with digestion.”
Studies do show people who suffer with gut inflammation, leaky gut or IBS greatly benefit from a grain free diet. Eliminating grains not only helps us cut out wheat glutens but we naturally incorporate more fruits and vegetables into our diet instead of processed foods. This gives us greater health benefits by increasing our nutrients and helping to manage blood sugar levels.

It’s not about replacing the gluten with other non-gluten baked goods but transitioning into more of a “paleo style” way of eating by removing all flours and adding in more root vegetables and nutrient dense foods. We need to listen to our bodies. When we slow down and pay attention to how our body feels, we can use that as a guide for dietary choices. The easiest way to see what might be causing you inflammation is to take a break from it, see how great your body feels, and introduce it back slowly later if you choose.

Tips on Reintroducing Foods Back Into Your Diet

Grains for example:
• Look up fermentable ways to make your own bread so you know exactly what you’re adding in to it
• Start with consuming small amounts and see if you feel any gastrointestinal distress
• Probiotics which help with digestion – some in the bacillus or lactobacillus family or any lactate fermenting will help break down these foods.

With so many people suffering from gut inflammation and borderline immune dysfunction, its no wonder that being gluten free has become so popular and is seen as a trending fad.

People who experience food disorders or GI distress tend to benefit from a low FODMAP diet. A low FODMAP diet, or FODMAP elimination diet, refers to a temporary eating pattern that has a very low amount of food compounds called FODMAPs.

The acronym, as described by co-creator Sue Shepard, stands for:

• Fermentable – meaning they are broken down (fermented) by bacteria in the large bowel
• Oligosaccharides – “oligo” means “few” and “saccharide” means sugar. These molecules are made up of individual sugars joined together in a chain
• Disaccharides – “di” means two. This is a double sugar molecule
• Monosaccharides – “mono” means single. This is a single sugar molecule
• And Polyols – these are sugar alcohols (however, they don’t lead to intoxication!)

This way of eating is primarily beneficial for people with GI problems because any fructans, the fructose molecule found in wheat are removed as well as plant fibers which lead to bacterial overgrowth in the gut.

Leaky gut can also be caused by a gluten dense diet resulting in a buildup of antibodies to the hormone, Zonulin. This hormone, which acts like a border control in the gut, opens up gap junctions allowing large particles to pass through. However, gluten stimulates the release of Zonulin which can promote leaky gut.

How do glutens affect autoimmune disease?

Protein molecules that define a grain may be mistaken by our immune system to look like the digestive tract called molecular mimicry. Hyperpermeability, or the increase of permeability (leaky gut), is at the heart of immune dysfunction. Protein leaks out of the digestive tract directly into the blood stream which creates a negative response in our bodies. This can be caused by food particles or toxins that make it across the bacteria that lines the gut. Our bodies become hyper-vigilant and when the immune system dials in with an unrecognizable substance in the system, our bodies can start attacking its own cells. To help with this, we want to broaden the spectrum of probiotic foods in our diet, since we tend to miss out on nutrients if we eliminate food groups for long periods of time.

For people who are trying to reintroduce foods back to their diets, Dr. Craig suggests starting with fermented foods which are easier to digest. A small amount of toxins help to keep our immune system alert and makes it easier to adjust after detoxification.

As you start reintroducing foods look for:

• Family history (especially celiac) to try and avoid gluten and grains
• Gut inflammation (heart burn, IBS) correlations with food allergies
• Intestinal permeability (many food sensitives) you will start to react to more foods
• Skin issues (eczema, psoriasis, discoloring, bruising)
• Digestion (gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, heartburn)
• Brain function (brain fog, hard time concentrating, fatigue after meals which are all associated with immune function and a difficulty regulating blood sugar and insulin levels.
• Anxiety / Depression – inflammatory process which grains tend to feed into this response

For more on how grains affect our neurological health, check out Grain Brain by David Perlmutter.
If you’ve experienced any of the symptoms we’ve talked about or are curious about eating grain or gluten free, it’s worthwhile to try it for your body. Our food controls every function of our bodies; our mood, energy and our digestion.
When you look out for your gut, your gut will look out for you!

Here are some helpful tips:

• Focus on understanding how your body feels – food journaling is beneficial
• Use framework of how you’re doing with eliminating or reintroducing foods (Christa uses a scale 1-5)
• Look at avoiding pesticides and glyphosates in commercial foods which damage the gut microbiome
• Be confident in your journey in finding what best works for your body

Do you love Dr. Craig as much as we do? You can join his online Nutritional Ketosis program that launches April 23rd. A FREE, 1-yr memberhsip to Fitlandia is included ($228 value). Our listeners get 20% off. See below for details.

REGISTER TODAY! 

(save 20% and enter LOVEKETO at checkout - good through 4/14)

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Long-time (30 years!) friend of Christa, Gina Robert and her husband Kris, join the Fitlandia Podcast to talk about their incredible lifestyle overhaul. They'll share how they managed to make amazing healthy changes in spite of both of them having full-time jobs and 4 children, 2 of them under 10! This episode is filled with laughs as they all speak openly about what it takes to make a permanent lifestyle change.

The show opens with Christa cracking up as Gina says, "She looks just like she did in high school, except without the bangs." After the ladies recall they've known each other for over 30 years, first meeting in high school, they settle in to talk more about their collective fitness journeys. Through the power of Facebook, they've been able to watch each other's transformation over time.

Kris shares his story of growing up in sports and how he started to lose his healthy fitness habits in college to focus on his studies. He also notes the typical college lifestyle of not-so-healthy food in the cafeteria and drinking. As a teacher he found he was stress eating too. He would make attempts over the years with Weight Watchers and/or brief stints at the gym.

Kris was  diagnosed morbidly obese and found it increasingly difficult to find clothes that fit. He knew he had to make a change.

Gina then brought to his attention a challenge at Fit Body Bootcamp where they both signed up! Feeling a bit skeptical at first, Kris then became hooked through their challenges where he's now

• lost over 60 lbs since September 2016
• has all normal blood work, including cholesterol for the first time in his life
• lost 15% body fat
• inspired now to help others on their own fitness journey
• reversed digestive issues

Gina was personally motivated after her daughter turned 2 and after having a c-section, she wanted to get her body, especially her stomach feeling fit and doctors told her to reactivate these muscles. Well that inspired her to look at her total body the same way - that it was time to reactivate ALL of her muscles to get fit.

Previously, they would let their healthy food spoil so now they are saving money by making time to cook and using the healthy food they buy. Gina's gotten very creative using spices and veggies to change up using base proteins like chicken - and even her kids are gobbling it up!

Kris and Gina then go on to talk about their #1 tip: PLANNING for meal prep.

Sunday is their big prep day together and they'll take the time to get all of their veggies prep. When they do need to eat out, they just make healthy choices.

Christa, Kris and Gina commiserate on the negative attitudes they hear from others on how hard it is to give up X or they don't have enough time for X. It's just a matter of changing habits. Christa then talks about the power of Mind Zoning® to change the neural pathways in the brain.

Together they all discuss how unhealthy foods are a part of our culture and how to integrate the occasional treat. They are sticking with their new diet because they finally know what it feels like to feel normal and how that outweighs that brief moment of indulgence with cake. Kris wraps up with his favorite tip to have your favorites on hand. Try new things, yes, but when you're really busy, have your go-to meal available. Final thoughts from them all - have positive thoughts! Get the Mind Zoning® app free here.

"Focus on what you're gaining and not what you're giving up." - Christa

Show Gina & Kris some love and head over to iTunes or Stitcher (click below) to download this episode, give us a rating and tell us what you got out of hearing their story today.

Episode 27 – Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT Tapping) Releasing Yourself From a Stressed State of Mind

Today we welcome Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Therapist Jen Richards, founder of Matrix Rejeneration, who is here to tell us about Emotional Freedom Technique, also known as EFT Tapping. EFT Tapping, or “tapping” is an effective self-help technique which combines cognitive and exposure therapy with acupressure in the form of fingertip tapping on 12 specific meridian points. At the end of the podcast, Jen outlines the steps for us to follow to practice tapping so we can benefit from this quick and simple technique.

Jen’s Story

From her earliest days, Jen suffered with her body image, and by age 17, she had developed anorexia which eventually transformed to bulimia. For next 15-20 years, she lived in limbo not knowing how to eat or nurture her body in a healthy way. She battled depression and her thoughts often felt chaotic when it came to eating. Jen eventually tried tapping and saw immediate results. She says, “I understood why I had developed patterns with eating and the unhealthy relationship I had with food.” This practice can release us from past emotional traumas, stress, or pain and replace those emotions with a state of well-being, giving us back a life of love and healing.

With the success Jen had experienced herself, she knew she could help others by becoming an EFT practitioner and coach, especially to women suffering with body issues. “Once we heal ourselves, we then can inform and inspire others,” she exclaims. Jen has witnessed many triumphs using this technique, and her mission is to empower women so they can step up and step forward into the person they’ve always wanted to be.

How and Why EFT Tapping Works

What happens with stress?

Our bodies are designed to survive and evolve, we are naturally programed to look out for dangers that would interfere with that process. When we encounter things we’re afraid of, or a certain stress, our body goes into a fight or flight mode. We simply can’t digest food properly in this stressful state because our energy is being used for the body to be in survival mode.

Our autonomic nervous system unconsciously reacts and regulates bodily functions such as heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate and other reactionary responses. The amygdala part of our brain, which recalls memory, decision-making and emotional reaction warns us of danger. This causes our body to release an overload of hormones like insulin and cortisol, which are not only fat-storing hormones, but also play factors in weakening our gut bacteria, causing food intolerances and digestion issues. Our thyroid stops functioning properly and even the mitochondria in our cells are diminished, limiting the effectiveness of the metabolic systems we need to burn and digest foods correctly.

These negative thoughts we have about food, ourselves or our actions, set off these hormonal responses and with 37.2 trillion cells in our body, we send those cells into action.

“When we get afraid, it neurologically transforms us.”

How Did Modern-day Tapping Start?

In the 1980’s, clinical psychologist, Dr. Roger Callahan, was working with a woman with an incredible fear of water. This woman’s fear was so great that she was unable to even bathe her children. Without finding success in any current remedies, he read about a similar technique used in ancient Chinese medicine. Pressure was applied (by touch or with needles) to the meridian points that flow through the body. These channels are like energy highways through our systems, commonly referred to as “Chi”.

He discovered when we have a sick feeling in our stomach there’s a meridian point that corresponds with the stomach just under the eye. Dr. Callahan started to have his patient tap on her eye and as she focused on the feeling, eventually the feeling started to leave her stomach and she overcame her phobia. To this day, she is still not afraid. This is when Thought Field Therapy, or TFT, was born.

Dr. Callahan worked along Gary Craig who developed EFT, expanding the practice of tapping. The fundamental difference with TFT being, silently thinking about the problem whereas with EFT, the statement is verbalized.

The Meridian Points – Where to Tap 

Karate chop - side of hand

Eyes - between the eyebrows

Side of the eye

Below the eye

Below the nose

Chin between your lip and chin

Below your collarbone(s)

Under the arm (lady’s bra strap)

Crown – top of head

Work from top to bottom and don’t worry about getting it right, even if it’s not perfect, you’re doing some healing in an energetic way!

The Mantra Statement

Besides the physical tapping motion, we incorporate the cognitive piece by developing a mantra statement. This type of exposure therapy gets us talking about our emotions and keeps our energy flowing so we can begin to release them.

Start with how you are feeling, “Even though…”

When acknowledge a craving, for example, start with how strongly you’re feeling it, where you feel it in your body and associate the feeling with a shape and a color.

“Even though I have this craving for _____, this _8/10 craving for _____, and it’s all in my ______, this big _____ _____, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

For example, Christa has a lot of stresses in her life, a busy job, home life, finances, etc. She feels the stress in her stomach, and she visualizes it as a big red blob. She ranks the level of her craving as 8/10. When she feels this type of stress, she tends to crave a glass of wine.

Christa’s mantra statement would be something like:

“Even though I have this craving for wine, 8/10 level craving for wine and it’s all in my stomach, this big red blob, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

Let’s Put it All Together 

Use your mantra as the set up statement, and begin with the side of the hand – the karate chop.
(Repeat 2-3 times)

“Even though I have this craving for wine, 8/10 level craving for wine and it’s all in my stomach, this big red blob, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

Then, starting at the top of the head and moving through each pressure point, verbalize the “feelings” part of your mantra statement. (Repeat 2-3 times per point)

“This craving, this craving in my stomach, this craving this big blob, this red blob in my stomach, I so want a glass of wine, so want this glass of wine, this craving of wine, this 8/10 craving, I feel it all in my stomach, this craving for wine, this 8/10 craving, I feel it in my stomach, this craving, this big red blob, this craving for wine, this craving.”

Breathe a big deep breath in, let it out and check back in with yourself to see if the craving level has lessened or changed.

Focus on the detail of the feelings at each of the points to release the intensity of the craving.

Tapping helps us discover why we’re really craving something, and to recognize the corresponding emotional reason(s) behind the craving. This is a great tool to use in the moment to decrease our stress level. It gives us access to the frontal lobe of our brains so we can start thinking more logically.

Try to journal while you tap to write down any awareness’s and follow the journey of releasing yourself of your connections you have with food. When we write the issue down, we bring it to life and can see how it may have been restricting us. We can give these thoughts love and not continue to let them control us. “Write it down, and give them the light and the love they actually deserve so you can invite the lesson back to you so you can work through it and grow,” Jen comments.

Your brain is trying to serve a positive function when you crave sugars, alcohol and/or refined carbs. It knows it makes us happy but applying tapping instead will remove that guilt, frustration and shame that follows from performing those behaviors. Now you can create a new pattern that follows and serves your greater good.

“When we shift the brain to gratitude we shift the energy so we shift our biology,” Jen explains.

It all comes down to our thoughts; our thoughts create the blueprint of our reality. The amazing thing to note here is that we have the power to reprogram our DNA by changing the energy flow within our cells.

Jen highly recommends this book, The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles by Bruce Lipton.

Tips:

• Tap whenever you need to, try to get into a relaxed state and then start tapping through the points.
• Use EFT to start focusing on loving yourself. Gratitude is the best state for relaxation and it is this state that our body is in a positive place to work in it best nature.
• Don’t wait until you weigh less to start loving yourself.
• Give yourself a break!

Subscribe to the Fitlandia podcast and post up your comments on how you'll use EFT in your fitness routine. We’ll feature your comments in a future post!

This week we are in the Fitlandia Kitchen with Lizz Hampton, CEO of GOODNUSS, a ground breaking milk-innovation company. Today, Lizz is going to show us step-by-step how to make our own nut milk. (Watch here).

The commercial nut milk we buy in stores is typically watered down and pumped with fillers. Instead of getting the nutrients that are naturally derived, synthetic vitamins and preservatives are added by the nut milk manufacturers. While these additives help keep the price down, it is at the higher cost of a product with little to no nutritional value. The only way to guarantee we’re getting all the nutrients out of nut milk is to cold press it ourselves.

“If we really want nutrients, we have to drink something that actually has nuts in it,” Lizz explains. “The average commercial nut milk product contains less than 2% nuts.”

In stores, many nut milks have carrageenan, which has been linked to ulcerative colitis and connective tissue disorders. Carrageenan is derived from seaweed and has no taste, smell or nutritional value and is added to many nut milks, yogurts, juices, puddings and salad dressings. Many of the vitamins being added to these nut milks are fortified the same way as cow’s milk to mimic taste.

Homemade nut milk is fresh and can be customized to our individual taste but it also helps us be completely sustainable. We can use the leftover pulp for baking, desserts or even a homemade face scrub.

Here are some clever recipes on how to reuse your pulp:

• Three Creative Uses: Bread, Hummus, Chocolate "Fluff"
• Vegan Paleo Crackers
• Face Scrub

Ready to milk your own nuts?

Here are the ingredients needed for basic nut milk:

• Almonds
• Dates
• Goji berries
• Cinnamon
• Vanilla powder
• Himalayan sea salt

The Basics of How to Milk Your Own Nuts

• Soak the nuts overnight. This starts the sprouting process and makes the enzymes more bioavailable so they’re easy to digest. This isn’t a necessity but helps break down the antinutrients from the nuts so we can get all the good stuff from them.
• Throw 1 cup of nuts into blender
• Add in 3-5 dates
• Combine equal amounts cinnamon and vanilla (about 1-2 tsp each)
• 2 tablespoons of goji berries to complement the dates. These berries are loaded with beta-carotene, a pigment that helps promote skin and eye health.
• Pinch of sea salt to taste
• Pour in 2-3 cups of water. Texture is customized based on how much water added.
• Blend

1 cup of almonds makes 24-32 ounces of nut milk. For skimmer milk add about 4 cups of water.

Next, we’re going to take our nut milk bag, a nylon mesh bag and strain the milk over a bowl.

Lizz’s Pro Tips

1. Synch the bag up at the top as you get started
2. Point one of the corners down and strain the milk into a wider bowl
3. Close your drawstring bag

The milk will have an orange tint, don’t worry it’s just the goji berries.

And we’re done!

These mesh bags can be found in most grocery stores or from the DIY Kit on the GOODNUSS website. Lizz also recommends Earthwise nut milk bags which range around $10 on Amazon.

Keep a look out for more products coming soon from GOODNUSS, including a device that allows you to strain into a cup for a single serving size. Their “Nut Buster” is a manual cold press device that you pour the pulp into and twist to enjoy immediately or to store for later. Both of these products are sure to be a hit for busy health nuts on the go.

Learn more about milking your nuts and all the innovative products available.

Milking your own nuts is a smarter way to drink milk and is completely Paleo, Vegan, Whole30, gluten free and dairy free. Christa says, “The flavor is like nothing I’ve ever had!”

Join us and get a free two-week trial so you can download the Whole 9, 74-page food guide and enjoy milking your own nuts.

Never miss a tip, inspirational story of an expert interview; subscribe to the Fitlandia Podcast today. Leave us an honest review and we'll feature YOUR comments on a future podcast. Or comment below to get the conversation started.

Explore more on our site at fitlandiafitness.com

This week Christa meets with Certified Health and Nutrition Coach, Monica Metz, to discuss how to get more vegetables onto your plate while making them taste great. They’ll be providing some helpful tips and tricks about how to prep your produce and make healthy eating easy for anyone.

Motivated by Health Concerns 

As most people would attest to, a plate full of steamed broccoli doesn’t quite get the mouth watering and doesn't seem to satisfy most. No different than the rest of us, Monica was an occasional salad eater and wasn’t thrilled by filling up her plate with mostly vegetables. After years of struggling with migraines, high cholesterol and a pre-diabetes scare, she started to look into ways to make a change for her and her son.

Monica became curious and starting looking through blogs online. This is when she became mesmerized by raw foods. Not only are raw foods extremely appealing to look at (color is key), but she was also able to follow how others were incorporating these foods in their everyday lifestyles.

"Most people are motivated by some weight loss or some sort of diagnosis like high cholesterol..."

Like most of the bloggers Monica followed, she then turned her passion into getting her certification online from the institute for Integrated Nutrition based in New York. Now, she primarily helps people online through group teachings and calls to actions through different health plans and detoxes. She has created a platform that helps teach the lifestyle for healthy choices and positive changes. With daily accountability calls and a system built as more of a “healthy food retreat” than a diet plan, Monica guides you to a lifetime of happiness in a much happier body.

Now About Those Veggies

Most of us know we need to eat more veggies, but with busy schedules and processed foods so accessible, what’s an easy way to get more of these greens in?

It’s important to start with asking yourself how many vegetables are you eating currently?

We’ve all sworn for a period time, we’re only going to eat salads and veggies, to only find ourselves pulling up at a drive through or being unhappy and hungry by the end of the day. We don’t want to create an emotional resistance against these foods by simply adding in more vegetables than we are currently consuming. Eventually, we can get to that ideal 50-75% of your plate being vegetables but that takes time. If we make an effort to add in a little more plant based foods every day these small wins will start creating healthier lifestyles.

Don’t worry we’re not getting to the part where we tell you to only eat kale salads because they’re going to start tasting better than a burger. Although, salads are an amazing way to pack in all kinds of veggies. The body and brain likes variety, so salads are a great way to get it all in! We’re talking about real foods here, which are meant to be enjoyed. If you have a topping you enjoy, as long as most of the salad is veggies, add it and ENJOY IT!

Practical Tips

Another reason many times we frown about salads is because of the store-bought dressing. These dressings are usually packed with unhealthy fats and refined inflammatory oils and sugar. Not to mention, they just don’t taste as good as the ones we can make at home.

Here’s an easy way to make dressing at home:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Sea Salt/ Pepper to taste

Add a touch of lemon or Dijon mustard for a full-flavored dressing that you know is healthy.

Preparing your dressing and veggies ahead of time sets you up for success and a healthy meal. Here are some other prep tips that Monica likes to use:

• Frequent, short trips to the store
• Rinse and spin greens in advance
• Use a food processor

The basic foundation of a great salad includes:

• Chopped veggies such as: peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, carrot and celery
• Savory nuts, seeds, olives
• Healthy fats like avocado and olive oil

Another great way to pack in some nutrients are with green smoothies. Experiment with adding in some of Monica’s favorites below:

• Romaine - different from iceberg that lacks nutrients, romaine has mild flavor and mixes well with berries.
• Frozen beets – buy it cubed and leave frozen. Beets are great for blood pressure and help with oxygen efficiency so they make for a great pre-workout snack! Mix with berries or cherries!
• Mix in some carrots, cucumber, zucchini, or even left over sweet potato. Try it out!

If raw vegetables are hard for you to digest, try some of these roasting tips:

• When roasted veggies, try to mix in raw coconut oil or avocado oil for baking/cooking instead of extra virgin olive oil.
• Roast 45 minutes to an hour with oil, salt & pepper. Sprinkle with rosemary or garlic for more flavor.

Roasted broccoli or cauliflower are great to add into sauces later in the week or to make a salad dressing. Simply puree and add in some citrus, garlic, tahini (add warm water), or cumin. Drizzle on some veggies or salads to mix it up.

Another way to transform your cooked veggies after the fact, is to toss them in with some coconut milk, tahini or softened nuts with homemade chicken broth which makes for a full-flavored soup!

An Instantpot pressure cooker will make this a life changing way to transform these veggies with a quick, easy way to make rice or black beans to complement them. Although having all the nice equipment helps, the right ingredients are all you need.

Final Tips:

• Simplify.
• When you go grocery shopping, start in the produce aisle, pick what calls you and what you get excited about it. You can too, can be an intuitive cook.
• Big batch cooking will save you time for your busy schedule but most importantly, when you reframe your vision about cooking it will become more fun.
• Appreciate the food and it will start to feed your body, as well as your goals.
• Cooking is a beautiful practice, embrace the idea that this is your time with your food.

Ready for some deep support on transitioning into a healthy lifestyle?

Sign up today for the No Fool's Detox and save $125 when you register before 3/16/17.

We'll get you loving your veggies and your body in this 30-day support program.

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Fitlandia continues its global reach as Christa sits down with Caroline from the U.K. What makes Caroline's story compelling is how she finds the resolve to prepare healthy meals to combat a heinous commute.

While her intense work schedule would leave anyone worthy of "excuse-making," Caroline shares her drive to focus on being well-prepared to keep her on track with a healthy lifestyle.

Listen today and get all of her tips!

If you, or someone you know, have a Story of Transformation that should be told, we'd love to schedule an interview to be the next guest on the Fitlandia podcast. 

Just email us at info@fitlandiafitness.com.

And don't forget to download today's episode and leave a comment in the reviews for us. We'll feature you on a future podcast!

For support on how you too can make a lifestyle change, access all of the member benefits at www.fitlandiafitness.com. 

Fitlandia being the anti-dieting site and really honing in on the power of the mind to transform the body, we also want to talk about how to bring in the heart and soul into a living a truly healthy lifestyle. So today, Christa King and Fitlandia Expert Practitioner & Certified Hypnotherapist Kelli von Heydekampf get together again to talk about the ways we can holistically nourish ourselves. It's not just about what we eat! Hang on to the end where Kelli provides a Mind Zoning® you can enjoy right now.

The show opens with Kelli sharing the wall in her office that features clients' transformations they've experienced after a session with her. Check out the YouTube video to watch the interview.

As a culture we're overstressed and under nourished in our heart and soul.

"We are one complete system. Our mind is part of that. Our physicality is part of that. Our soul is part of that. Our heart is part of that."

It starts with harnessing the power of your sense of self-worth. You're entitled to the abundance of health. First realizing you are worthy of a fit body, mind and soul is the very beginning. Until then, you will sabotage your efforts to be in a state of health; unconsciously. Secondly, look at the full picture of health. When we take a holistic approach, we can bring in true nourishment: to bring in substances necessary for life and growth - not just physical, not just food.

We talk about the sense of satiety too, which means to provide with enough. Looking at both nourishment and satiety, we can start to analyze the 5 categories of how we are doing at nourishing ourselves adequately.

The 5 categories of nourishment:

• Metabolic (food & water)
• Physical (movement, closeness to people, intimacy, sex)
• Mental (intellectual stimulation, learning, creativity, hobbies)
• Emotional (connection & relationships)
• Spiritual (life purpose, identifying/utilizing gifts)

Kelli and Christa get deep on the power of the energetic connection with our thoughts and what we are able to manifest for our fitness using thought. The idea is that we are either in a state of expansiveness or constriction. We are in one state or another. When we sense that we are in a constrictive state, an easy tip is to engage the act of identifying all that you're grateful for. While in a state of gratitude, it's impossible to remain in a constrictive state, which can then release that constrictive state, limited your goals.

The key is to moving into a place of feeling the gratitude, not just creating a checklist.

Kelli goes on to share the story of a client who has been managing difficult emotions with food to self-soothe. The brain only wants to protect us and keep us safe so it will drive one to resort to what it has learned over time will make us feel good. The purpose of looking at whole-life nourishment, is that we can then find other options to make us feel more positive. We can look at providing more nourishment for us mentally, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually v. trying to get all of our nourishment from food.

"The brain in fundamentally trying to nourish you with food because there is a lack of nourishment in one of the 5 categories."

Taking it a step further, we can become aware that food is even used as a reward so much so that we feel that we deserve certain foods and/or alcohol when we've accomplished something. But what would happen is we expanded that reward list to include a good workout, meditation time, a massage, or a new book?

We can find other ways to not only manage stress and difficult emotions, but also ways to reward ourselves so that our brain can start to see healthier alternatives to living a holistically healthy lifestyle.

This is all critical in creating a permanently healthy lifestyle and to end the viscous dieting cycle.

Kelli's homework for you is to write down a rewards' list that doesn't include food.

We'd love for you to share your "rewards list" with us in an iTunes review. We'll feature your tips on a future podcast!

This week Christa shares an incredibly personal account about hitting a plateau and how she engaged the subconscious mind to overcome it. This quick-tip is just right for when you're in a rush and need a great nugget of info to help you put an end to dieting and make a permanent healthy lifestyle change.

Deep-Rooted Pain Blocking Weight Loss Efforts

Christa found herself working with a naturopath, trying the controversial HCG Diet.  Limiting herself to 500 calories per day, while taking an injection to stimulate a hormone that uses fat stores as fuel. The diet promotes 1 lb. of weight loss per day.

At day 15 she noticed the weight loss just stopped and this continued for 3 days. After being concerned, as she still had 30+ lbs. of weight to lose, Christa checked in with her naturopath to see what might be going wrong.

"Traumas can get stuck in our mind."

Her doctor told her she may be stuck at a weight where she experienced trauma and she'd need to work through that before she could release the weight again.

Using Your Dominant Hand to Find Answer

Christa was able to tap into her mind to get answers on what was causing her to be stuck and how to move through them, as she describes in this episode. You can use this technique, as well.

So how does it work? While using your non-dominant hand, you're accessing the part of your mind that holds subconscious memories because you're slowing your mind down to a relaxed, focus state - much like in meditation, hypnosis, and Mind Zoning®. Here's a step-by-step guide to use it yourself:

1. Find a quiet space where you won't be interrupted
2. Grab a pen and a blank sheet of paper
3. Take 3, long deep breaths, releasing any tension
4. Ask your mind to prepare for you the insight that you need to help you on your fitness journey
5. Ask a specific question for which you're needing an answer
6. Use your non-dominant hand to write out the words that come to mind - without any judgement
7. Identify your learnings and determine next steps
8. Take action!

"The very next day I started losing weight again."

Plateaus aren't always about our bodies getting used to certain foods and/or exercises. Sometimes they represent stored trauma in the fat cells that needs to be released.

Did you try the exercise? Leave your comments and a review for us on iTunes or Stitcher so we can share how it helped you too.

Sign up for your FREE 2-week trial membership today.

Heather McDaniel, CEO of Apogeo Fitness, joins Christa this week to talk about how the diet and fitness industries are ultimately betting against you. They discuss the business of gym memberships and personal trainers; as well as debunk some of the diet trends and buzzwords.

Apogeo Fitness

It turns out that Heather and Christa have a lot in common -- both were stressed out, overworked career women who compromised their health for their businesses. Struggling to find balance and justification to take time away from growing a business, Heather found herself overweight and unhealthy. She played soccer growing up and always identified as an athlete, but she felt like her body was not representing her true essence.

It took a while for Heather to identify the unhealthy patterns and overcome her mental obstacles. Those deep rooted habits needed to be changed, this is why Mind Zoning® works to shift those thoughts and habits to create a sustainable lifestyle change. Once she found her groove, Heather was in the best shape of her life at age 41. She was living proof that you CAN get fit over 40!

Enter Apogeo Fitness...

Apogeo means peak and culmination of a process in Spanish. Health and fitness is a journey. There is no quick fix to getting fit; it requires small and sustainable changes over time. Apogeo offers a 12-week online program that involves fitness, nutrition, and coaching. Heather concentrates on the experience, depth and convenience of the program to set it apart.

Gym Memberships

Let’s say a gym membership is about $10/month and the gym can reach a capacity of 200 – there’s no way that gym can pay all the bills and wages if only those 200 people visit. So they are constantly signing up members with the intention that most of those people are not going to show up. They are betting against you, hoping you continue to make that $10 gym donation each month without ever walking in the door.

Since there is a low barrier-to-entry to join a gym, most people do it as their first action towards getting fit. The problem is that these gyms are not able to offer the deep level of support that it takes to sustain a lifestyle change. They are businesses that wants to make money and there is no problem in that, but to actually help people achieve their goals and change their lifestyle takes a more holistic and personal approach.

Personal Trainers

What started out as ripped people helping other people get ripped, is now a profession. There are several certifications and schooling to become a legitimate personal trainer, but the catch is that anyone can go through this process. Most people enter this business because they genuinely want to help others; unfortunately, the way the business is set up forces them to be sales people. The gyms are not providing them with the resources to REALLY help people long term. Trainers are seen as a revenue stream by selling sessions and memberships, and are paid a low wage.

Diet

When people want to lose weight they connect with keywords like “diet,” “quick weight loss,” “detox,” etc. They give in to the marketing of weight loss shakes and current fad diets. In reality, everyone's macronutrient needs are different so what works for one person may not work for another.

Christa and Heather break down the shake theory. They will mess up your body and your metabolism. If your body is not getting the nutrients it needs then it will crave more food to make up for the missing vitamins and minerals. One rule of thumb if you want to enjoy a protein shake regularly is to make sure you can pronounce and understand the ingredients. And don't give in to any erroneous marketing tricks like low-fat or low-carb -- in fact, our bodies need healthy fats and carbs to stay energized. Read here about healthy fats!

Calories in/calories out is debunked as well. Read here about how not all calories are created equal.

When it comes down to the basics, Heather and Christa agree that we must eat more whole foods. Whole foods are not processed at all, as close to how it came from Mother Nature as possible. You can find all the whole foods on the perimeter of the grocery store.

A call-to-action for the fitness and diet industry: to re-think the way they serve their clients, try to offer a more holistic approach to this very important lifestyle change, and build positive communities.

The main takeaway is to gently and lovingly release the idea that there is a quick fix -- humans are far too complex. And go to the gym if you have a membership!

Sign up for your FREE 2-week trial membership today!

Positive thinking and affirmations led Queing Jones down the path to a full body and mind transformation. After a pivotal moment by the lake, she made a promise to herself to be better -- to change from the inside out. Fitlandia and Mind Zoning® helped her realize that lasting change starts with the mind.

A Walk by the Lake 

Growing up, Queing was uncomfortable with her size. She would cringe at the not-so-cute clothes in the plus size section as a little girl. In college, she compared herself to the other girls in her dorm. The more she focused on the number on the scale, the higher it seemed to go.

During the summer of 2014, Queing was experiencing several unfortunate life situations at once -- she lost her job, was moving, going through a breakup and living off her savings to get by. One day she went for a walk by the lake next to her new place; the water made her feel calmer. She thought about how her conversations with herself were always so negative, which led to more unfortunate circumstances. So in that moment she decided she was going to be better. She wanted to look back on that day and remember that was the time when her life changed. Her new motto became -- "I cannot say anything to myself that I wouldn't say to my best friend!"

Training the Brain

"I enjoy fruits and vegetables"

"Look forward to walking"

"I choose things that are good for my body"

These are a few examples of what Queing tells herself. These positive thoughts are what began her weight loss journey -- not an expensive program, special diet, or magic pill. It truly is an inside job; if you think that weight loss starts with diet and exercise then it is not going to last. People ask her, "Well how did you stop eating fast food?" and she says that she now prefers to prepare her own wholesome meals because that is what makes her feel good.

Queing and Christa emphasize that this is a constant training of the brain. We must recognize when we have a negative thought, stop that thought pattern and then turn it into something positive. Queing says that the body is a good servant, but a terrible master. The mind and the spirit agree on what they want and then have a conversation with the body to tell it what to do.

Biggest takeaway: Catch yourself in negative thought and reframe it with a positive. Be thankful for what you do have and what you can do.

Queing enjoys hardcore group bootcamp workouts with other women. She learned what is fun for her and what will keep her motivated. Christa and Queing recognize that it takes a lot of courage to first walk in to the gym or a fitness class, but just remember that everyone was a beginner once. You cannot compare your journey to anyone else's.

Join the Fitlandia Facebook group to keep up with Queing and the other Fitlandians on their journey to holistic health and wellness. It is a private group where we support, share and love on one another.

Sign up for your FREE 2-week trial membership today!

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:

1. First, we use a progressive relaxation technique which will help you relax your muscles and ease yourself into a relaxed, inward-looking mental state.
2. Next, we invite you to enter your safe space to feel relaxed. Letting your thoughts pass through your mind as you progressively look deeper and deeper.
3. Then we sink deeper you’ll notice as your body becomes more relaxed, your mind opens to new learning, suggestions and insight. In this state you’ll harness the power within yourself to embrace change and become your healthiest self.
4. You’ll leave feeling refreshed, invigorated, and ready for your next healthy step.

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.