Welcome to episode #98 of the Fitlandia Podcast. Today my guest is Frank Gjata from Conscious Ink founded in Bend, Oregon. Today, we are going to talk about why manifesting your dream life by aligning your true self is important for your building a positive mindset.

Highlights

8:28

It's one of the things I say when we do this practice of reframing negative thoughts into positive is that you don't have to believe the statement, but imagine what it would feel like the emotions that would come up if you believed it fully and completely.

15:02

And so the invitation again is just to allow those feelings to breathe and allow them to go through. Now you're making a big shift right then and there and it will open up space for the new thought pattern to be put in.

20:27

Take three deep breaths and just literally imagine like this elevator coming out of your mind and but down below your throw and literally into other parts of your body and just start to notice what you feel like.

30:44

It's just setting you up to have you listen and make a choice that is a much more enjoyable choice, which is living in alignment of your true self, not your false self, not the one that is made up of these old behaviors and habitual patterns and you know, negative identities.

Welcome to episode #97 of the Fitlandia Podcast. Today my guests are Erin Moone and Dionne Del Carlo from Starcycle, founded right here in Portland, Oregon. Today, the three of us are going to talk about why taking a break from tech is so important for your mind.

Highlights:

10:17

…this sense of urgency that we all have that is really inflated and exaggerated and not real. So it’s giving ourselves permission to say that’s going to wait. We’re not brain surgeons.

12:24

I know for myself I will eat quickly and not really taste what I’m eating and just getting it down and onto the next thing, but if I put my phone away, engage in conversation, listen to the laughter, then I’m taking in all those senses and actually tasting my food. It does taste better because I’m paying attention.

13:30

So related to the classes we run, our bodies are physically moving quickly and we’re working really hard and our heart rates are up. But because we’re disconnecting from any distractions, we’re able to have that meditative state where you really can acknowledge your thoughts and acknowledge how you’re feeling. You can feel your body where we’re working, what we’re doing and you’re just so much more present, rather than just looking at a number on the bike and trying to beat this number that somebody programmed into the bike. That really doesn’t mean anything to you personally, right?

28:04

I know for me I have two kids and we try to have dinner together every night. And then we put our phones away and close down technology and engage in conversation.  So it’s easier now for us to put our phones away at night and we’re also empowering them to make these positive choices. We’re teaching them how to run a business, teaching them how to manage people, teaching them how to show up and be responsible.

Hey everyone! Welcome back to episode number 84 of the Fitlandia Podcast. We are rounding out the month with the announcement of The Mind Zoning Academy. If you are having ANY challenges with mental obstacles, then this is the place for you. Every single month I am doing a LIVE webinar with me that is one part focusing on a mental obstacle, one part guided meditation, and one part group coaching so you can learn how to apply these principle and strategies to your life and keep moving forward on your fitness journey.

To sign up, you can head over to fitlandiafitness.com/mind-zoning and you will be able to register for either the webinar version or the in person version with me held in Portland, Oregon. Everyone that registers will get a playback of the webinar itself, as well as professionally mixed Mind Zoning session so you can listen to it over and over again whenever you need it. TODAY, I am going to talk to you about Ending Body-shaming and Fat-shaming so that we aren’t hating and self loathing anymore, which really prevents us from getting all the health benefits we are looking for. With that, on to the show!

My goal with today’s episode is that I give you enough education and insight to start intellectualizing more what is happening in your body with food and movement and mood and end the body and fat-shaming cycle that is NOT serving your fitness goals...it is really holding you back.

When people come to 30 Days to Thriving Program, I would say that every single one of them have the intention of weight-loss. I like to make sure that they leave the program more focused on health and vitality and improvement in all areas of their life. Whether that is their resting heart rate or their blood pressure or their blood sugar levels, whatever it is that is also going to support them, rather than simply focusing on weight loss. But inevitably, we still live in a culture that is very much focused on body image and the shape that we are in and having ripped abs and being cut...and even I myself find that I am pinching and poking at myself. It is not something to hide from, but something to explore and understand what is really going on.

More importantly, I hope that you can start to end body and fat-shaming today because really, our bodies are miraculous and beautiful and incredible and we come in ALL shapes and sizes! And part of our journey is accepting that.

What I first want to start out with is a little bit of understanding about when we fat-shame someone. We’ve all heard it or done it. Whether it is something like, “Hey, put the cookie down,” or “Go for a walk,” or “Quit being so lazy.” I just want to say this first and foremost: to anyone who has been fat shamed, I am SO sorry that that has happened to you. I know that it is a very painful experience, I’ve experienced it myself, even people yelling out on the street to me, and I just have to say this: they are ignorant...they are completely ignorant. Not only is that a cruel thing to say something but they also lack the knowledge to understand what is happening in the body.

So let’s back up a little bit first and talk about out of control eating, emotional eating, and what leads us to a lot of weight gain. We have this beautiful part of our brain, our reptilian brain, that is always trying to keep us safe. Then we have the prefrontal cortex that says, “Hey, I know I need to be moving everyday and I know I need to be cooking healthy meals.” But then there is that part of us that just can’t execute on it, right?! All of our good intentions, at the end of the day, is to cook a healthy meal and we are grabbing a cupcake or grabbing a bottle of wine, whatever it is! And that is because our primal brain is literally just trying to keep us safe. We have a lot of stress in our day, we have a lot of emotions that many of us haven’t dealt with, traumas and triggers from childhood that haven’t yet healed, and so our primal brain is kicking in to make us feel safe. And the ways that it knows to do that is to fire up the pleasure center in our brain and that usually comes in the form of sugar, refined carbs and alcohol. Whatever kind of addictive behavior that means. For some people, it’s drug abuse, for some people, it’s gambling or a sex addiction...but our brain is trying to find a way to serve us.

But bringing it back to Fitlandia and my audience, most of us are struggling with an emotional connection to food. What we also don’t realize is that a lot of the processed foods that we consume are actually geared to make us addicted to it...and we might not even know that! For some of you, this might be the first time that you’re hearing that processed foods are made to be addictive and make us crave more of them. So when I say that it isn’t your fault, it truly isn’t your fault if you lack that knowledge and don’t know how to get out of it, then you can’t blame yourself for it, you can’t shame yourself for it, you can’t hate on yourself for it when your brain is designed to keep you safe.

So, that’s just one tip of the iceberg, we could do a LOT of education in food addiction alone to help support you, but now it’s the “What’s Next?” right? What do I need to do to move forward on my journey? If I have this one little sprinkle of knowledge today that my brain is trying to keep me safe so I’m craving and firing up that rewards center in my brain and oh, by the way, what I’m eating is keeping me in an addictive pattern...now what? And that’s where my 30 Days to Thriving program comes in. We actually do a food elimination program of the commonly addictive foods, the inflammatory foods, that are going to help you do a body reset. But I also call it a nutrition and mindset program because we also help you reshape your thoughts around craving a lifestyle of health that is sustainable.

So during that process, and the program while you’re learning how food is processed in the body, how to make good choices, how to break that craving cycle, that addiction cycle, learning how to starve the bad bacteria in the gut so you get out of this incessant craving need. Also comes this opportunity to really love on your body as it is TODAY...and I know for a lot of you, that’s a really tough one to swallow. We are programmed to hate on ourselves...we motivate ourselves through this shaming process and I want to get us out of that because when we shame our body, we actually keep it in this same state that it’s in. Many of you have heard the quote, “What we resist, persists. And where our attention flows, that’s what we create.” So if we are constantly looking at our body, looking at what we don’t like, we are actually feeding our brain to maintain that.

So what I’m going to be teaching in the Mind Zoning Academy for July, is actually how to end that shaming cycle. It doesn’t matter what weight you are at, what your shape is, where your goals are and what you want to achieve, I’m going to walk you through a beautiful meditation that teaches you how to really appreciate your body as it is today. And I can’t stress this enough...it is a critical component in long-term weight loss, health, and vitality. Being able to accept your body today, while at the same time, lovingly release the weight, the guilt, the shame, the triggers, the trauma, everything, that got you to this point.

So, I’m going to speak to the exercise that you can do at home BUT I hope you’ll all join me for this Mind Zoning Academy, because when we are in that relaxed, focused, meditative state, our brain slows down and we are actually able to access our subconscious mind much more readily so that we CAN start to change these thought patterns. So YES, do this exercise everyday, but also sign up for the Mind Zoning Academy at fitlandiafitness.com/mind-zoning so that you can also experience the meditation BUT you will also get a professionally mixed version of the recording too so you can play it over and over again.

Okay, so here’s how it works:

Stand in front of a mirror every morning, make it a habit, let’s say, when you are brushing your teeth. Usually, we are in the bathroom brushing our teeth, most of us have a mirror in front of us, it’s a great time to look yourself in the mirror, look at yourself in the eyes and say, “I love you today, as you are, while we are making these changes. I accept every part of you, today, while we make these changes.” And then do a scan from head to toe, focusing on gratitude, and being mindful of everything you love about yourself and your body. And it goes something like this…

“Oh, I LOVE my forehead, and the wrinkles that are there just show the joy that I’ve experienced in my life. I like the color of my eyes. I am grateful that I had braces in my teenage years for a straight smile. I love the development I am getting in my shoulders for the strength that I have. I love that my arms are getting stronger everyday to lift more and feel muscle tone and strength, but I accept where it is today. I love my core and my torso, even with my rolls and the extra fat and tissue that I have, I love that my body is still moving everyday, that I have growing flexibility and strength. I love my hips, that I can get out on a dance floor and shake it! I love my quads, that are SO strong. They are the strongest part of my body. That get me out of bed everyday, that get me moving, that walk me to every task that I do. I love my calves that are also getting stronger and connect my quds to my ankles and my feet. And my feet, ah my feet! That bear the load of my entire body and still keep me moving forward. I thank you body, I honor you body, as you are today and as we are moving forward to grow our strength and vitality.”

So that is how the exercise goes. Like I said, when we are doing this in the Mind Zoning Academy, we will take time to get really relaxed. We will do a progressive relaxation technique that helps us loosen the muscles in our body and really get into it and FOCUS on this wonder that our bodies are! That we get to move everyday! That we get to celebrate what IS good about our body and end the fat-shaming and the, “I wish I was this, I need to be that, I hate that I’m this.” We need to END that and make a practice of it, so that it isn’t holding us back to getting to our ideals and goals and dreams that we have for ourselves. Because really, we are a walking miracle everyday. OUr heart is beating, our brain is thinking, we are seeking new opportunities and we are executing action in our lives and THAT is something to celebrate in our lives.

So, I will leave you with that positive energy. I can’t wait to see you all in either the webinar or live in Portland for ANY of the Mind Zonings because we are going to be doing this every single month so head over to fitlandiafitness.com/mind-zoning, sign up for the the next Mind Zoning Academy and I will see you all soon!

Welcome to episode number 83! We are continuing our series on the Mind Zoning Academy and today I am going to talk to you about a New Year’s Resolution Revival! I know you are all going to love it but before we jump into it I want to invite you to head over to fitlandiafitness.com/mind-zoning. You can enter your name and email address and get the meditation “End Self-Sabotage and Harness Your Superpower.” Alright! On to the show

Okay so today I am going to continue talking to you about the Mind Zoning Academy. If this is your first time listening to the podcast, a warm, warm welcome to you! If you are a regular, then you probably already know about the Mind Zoning Academy which Fitlandia launched in April! SUPER excited! Our first topic was on End Self-Sabotage and Harness Your Superpower and so I’m working on this series in the podcast to announce the first few Mind Zoning Academy topics, give you some insight into the techniques used, and offer a little bit of history on why we do what we do! 90% of our behavior comes from our unconscious mind. I’m here to help you shift those thought patterns to make getting healthier and living a healthy lifestyle faster and easier.

So, let’s talk about June’s Mind Zoning Academy topic: New Year’s Resolution Revival. Okay, so what that all about? If you are familiar, I am a BIG fan about harnessing the power of intention around New Year’s Resolutions. The problem is, it becomes a really short term goal because so many people are focused on things like, “let me lose 20 pounds really fast,” or “I want to start exercising more,” but they don’t realize that there are still unconscious thought patterns that need to shift for success.

I also recall through all my yo-yo dieting time (I’m 45 now and stopped my cycle around age 41), that every single year it was the same thing: the New Year came, I set my resolution, I’m going to lose 20 pounds, and what happens? Things are going great, I’m in about 3 or 4 months in and then something stress inducing will happen and knock me right off my game. I would ditch the diet and the movement and fall back into my own patterns of relying on sugar, refined carbs, and alcohol.

The point of the June Mind Zoning Academy is to teach you how to stay with your resolution. I know for many of you listening, you had a goal set January 1. Here you are, coming into spring and summer, and around 75% of you have not achieve your goal or have stopped working at it all together. It’s all about REVIVING the energy of that resolution. I want to share with you some of the tools you NEED to reach and stay motivated toward your goals. I want to give you hope, enthusiasm, and reignite your resolve to achieve your goals! Not only in fitness but also in life! (Though I always remind you of the very important four cornerstones of fitness...daily movement, healthy eating, mindset, and community connection...so that you never diet again).

In the Mind Zoning Academy, you are going to learn how to envision your future...how to create a visual blueprint in your mind’s eye so that your body and your actions can go and execute. Our brain is like the architect crafting the blueprint for our body to go and execute, like a construction team. We are going to begin our session in June with talking about staying motivated, vision boards, and manifesting. Shoutout to John Assaraf because when I really took hold of this idea of creating a vision board about 10 years ago, I went all out and through a party with friends to create vision boards and both some of them and me saw some MAJOR shifts in our lives.

But there is a missing component to just creating a vision board. You need to make sure your mind is in it as well so that you can realistically take action to make the visions a reality. So we are going to talk about this idea of the need to have a constant visualization to remind yourself that “YES, this is what I want.” And we will then work with some amazing Mind Zoning techniques to help you step into the energy of what it feels like to have already achieved your goals fully and completely. It is one of the most POWERFUL techniques that I teach...stepping into that energy! You have probably heard all about manifesting and envisioning your dreams from various motivational speakers...but attaching that emotion to it is what really moves you forward.

The best part is that I am going to lead you through a step by step guided meditation to help you get all the details aligned, embracing the vision, and calling into action the tools and resources you will need to achieve it and THEN...experience what it feels like to fully and completely achieve all of your goals. So that goal that you set on January 1st which you may not have reached quite yet...there is no shame! But this time we will reset your thought patterns along with the goal so that you can truly achieve it.

What you get with the Mind Zoning Academy is first part: education on how the brain works and why we do what we do, then a guided meditation to help you revitalize your goals. The last part of the workshop is open for group coaching questions and answers so that I can help you tackle your obstacles. I am a firm believer that there is a solution to every problem and that every obstacle is actually a lesson to help us get to everything we are envisioning. I’m going to guide you through all of that and more.

As a BONUS, whether you come see me in person in Portland, Oregon or whether you connect with the LIVE online webinar, you will get a professionally mixed Mind Zoning Meditation session which you can listen to over and over to help remind you. It is mixed with gorgeous spa music and it will be a delicious escape which you can enjoy whenever you are feeling you need to reconnect with your goals...use the power of your mind!

I would love for you to head over to fitlandiafitness.com/mind-zoning where you can sign up for the May session of the Mind Zoning Academy: Resolve Inner Conflict, but you will also be able to find the June New Year’s Resolution Revival session as well! It is NOT too late to achieve all your goals and I can’t wait to see you all there.

When you head over to the website, as a little extra invite and bonus for all you amazing listeners, you can put in your name and email and actually get the mixed Mind Zoning End Self-Sabotage recording! Go grab your bonus and start thinking about what you want to manifest in your life. Do some daydreaming, offer some energy to those ideas, and come prepared in June for our REVIVAL!

Next week, be sure to tune in for the announcement of the July Mind Zoning Academy session... I am so excited to share it with you all. I’ll see you next week!

Have you ever experienced wanting to change one part of you, yet another part of you resists? Today we're teaching you how to harness the power of your mind to resolve inner conflict through our Mind Zoning Academy. Feel the power of positivity and listen in now!

In fact, in the Mind Zoning Academy, yes, I have a passion for fitness and creating a healthy lifestyle, BUT, these techniques can apply to any area of your life! It’s really great information and after you listen to the show, I want to make sure that you share this episode with your friends and family and anyone who is struggling with change and motivation! THIS is the episode for you and for them.

PLUS, I’ll be delivering the full live meditation during the webinar and in Portland live in May.

So, let’s get right to it and talk about resolving inner conflict! If any of you listening are feeling stuck in your fitness routine or you are having a hard time making healthy food decisions, you may know if you are a regular listener that I have a program called 30 Days to Thriving. We help you end the craving cycle and reliance on sugar, refined carbs, and alcohol, but we also work very much with your mindset. We teach you to dig deep into your thought patterns and your habits and teach practical and effective techniques to create all new thought patterns so that you can sustain a healthy lifestyle!

I LOVE breaking through obstacles. It truly gives me so much joy and with the 30 Days to Thriving program, you get to work with me on a call every single week as well as in the secret Facebook group so that I can help YOU break through your obstacles. I truly believe there is a solution to every problem and I’ve been blessed with this natural sense or desire to be a problem solver and the amazing thing is, EVERYONE has the capacity to do that, to uncover your obstacles and to break through them. The power is already in your mind.

Today we are going to break down some of the concepts involved with resolving inner conflict. So first of all, what does inner conflict look like? For any of you listening that say there is a part of you who wants to do something, but not all. Bingo. There is some inner conflict. Part of you wants to make the change but there is another part of you that is really holding on. There are root causes of all of this...but when we notice this difference, we can usually dig in and uncover the resistance.

What’s come up again and again when I’ve worked with clients with Mind Zoning, is that the part of you that is resisting change is only doing that as a way to serve and protect the identity of YOU. When we go through a major lifestyle change, we are going to be challenged! Not only do our habits and health chance, but the people around us tend to change as well and sometimes that can be scary. Subconsciously, we already know that is possible, so part of you is just trying to protect you.

There is a really cool hypnotherapy technique called “Parts Therapy.” This allows you to separate those two conflicting parts and gets you to put one side away from the other to understand them both without getting confused. And it’s easy to get confused! It happens to us constantly. This inner battle continues and doesn't go away until you understand it. This technique is great for doing two things: 1) Gives each side of your conflict a voice and provides some validation to each. We help separate the battle and truly explore piece. 2) It helps you come together in a common goal. Where can your conflicts agree and both feel comfortable?

I don’t want to give too much away here because I want you to attend the Mind Zoning Academy, where I will actually be leading you through all of this. Plus, if you register, you will get a downloadable, professionally mixed version of the Mind Zoning for free, as well as 50% off the next 30 Days to Thriving program! Not only that, but you will also have access to a LIVE coaching group call with me where I will answer your questions and offer any advice that I can give to help you on your journey. The Mind Zoning Academy and the 30 Days to Thriving program are truly incredible and help you take these techniques to the next level and make lasting change. The webinar costs only $17 and the in person delivery is $17. It is a step into your support and your lasting change and to overcome your obstacles.

Back on the note of inner conflict, I want you to know this: this is normal, this is natural, this battle in your brain is actually a normal part of making healthy changes in your life. Part of you knows why you want to do it! We just need to confront that other part that is trying to keep you where you are at for your safety.

Here’s a little way you can start at home: get yourself into a relaxed state by taking a few deep breaths so you can better listen to what is going on inside. Picture your goal or desire in one of your hands. For example, if you want to exercise more, imagine that goal is resting in your left hand. And now imagine that the other part, the part that is resisting and saying, “No, I don’t want to get up early to go work out,” is on its own in your right hand. You are holding them separately. Then what you will do is visit what is going on in your right hand...let it speak its excuse and fear and control. After you give that side the opportunity to fully express itself, you can imagine going over to your left hand and let it respond to what it just heard from the right hand. This is not only very validating, but also helps to get these two parts in a better alignment. Once that side has fully expressed itself, you will come back to the right side. And you keep moving back and forth until both sides start to come up with this beautiful compromise and this agreement about what the next steps are.

It is one of my favorite techniques to us...one that I’ve used with every single private client no matter what the conflict. Parts Therapy helps break through the noise and gain clarity. Not only do you discover where the resistance is coming from, but you also learn more about why you want to make the change and the benefits of doing so. If you are having trouble imagining or completing the exercise, don’t worry! Sign up for the webinar or in person Mind Zoning Academy for May and I’ll be sure to walk you through it bit by bit. We will help you end the argument and find new goals!

I’d love to hear from my listeners! Head over to iTunes and leave a comment if you tried this technique and how it worked for you! What was your conflict? What were your opposing sides? And what goal/compromise did the two sides come up with? Head on over and leave us a rating and a review along with your comment!

Thank you all for tuning in for this quick episode and I can’t wait to see you all in the Mind Zoning Academy!

We all know dieting doesn't equate to making a permanent healthy lifestyle change, but self-sabotage gets in the way. In order to end the yo-yo dieting cycle, you first have to change your mindset. And today's show is going to help you do just that. Welcome to The Mind Zoning Academy.

For those of you who are new to Mind Zoning, on fitlandiafitness.com I have these audio guided meditations to help you create new thought patterns so that living a healthy lifestyle is not only easy, but it sticks!

Some of the feedback from my 30 Days to Thriving group is that sometimes they just want me around to lead them through a Mind Zoning, so I’ve listened and I am just thrilled to launch the Mind Zoning Academy. If you live in the Portland, Oregon area, I’ll actually be at Cloudability on April 11th to do a workshop all about Ending Self-Sabotage from 6:00 - 7:15 PM. Here is a link to sign up! And all of you listening should go ahead and use the code FFF50 to celebrate the launch and save 50% off. I want to encourage you to think of 3 people in your life that you want to help end self-sabotage with and go ahead and share this with them.

If you aren’t in the Portland area to attend the in person event, I want to invite you to join our webinar Mind Zoning Academy on April 12th! You can sign up for the webinar here. You will not only get an audio file of what we talk about in the live session, but you will also come away with a professionally mixed version of the guided meditation that I deliver! Even if you can’t attend the webinar go ahead and sign up because you will still get the mixed version of the meditation and a recording of the conversation. Go ahead and register to help you keep moving toward your goals!

If you register and attend either event, you will also get a FREE Q&A session with me! Not only will you get to hear a powerful Mind Zoning meditation, but you will also have the opportunity to share your experience with me and ask about any questions about how I can help you break through your fitness and wellness obstacles. PLUS, anyone who registers will also get a code for 50% off of the next 30 Days to Thriving Program as well!!

Now, let’s talk about breaking self-sabotage. I’ve been talking about and delivering this meditation for the past 6 to 8 weeks because I am truly passionate about it. Sometimes we make excuses, we procrastinate, we put off what we know we are supposed to do! Everyone listening knows the basics...eat more vegetables, cut down on processed foods, cut down on sugar, carbs, alcohol, you KNOW all that. But why don’t you do it?!

This is basically the foundation of Fitlandia. I help you create new foundations and new behaviors and thought patterns by tapping into your subconscious mind. Self-sabotage can mean a whole gamut of things. For example, if your brain is telling you you don’t have enough time to work out because you’ve overcommitted, that is something you can CHANGE, but your brain finds signals to tell you otherwise and won’t let you make the change.

Another example on the other end of the spectrum is this deep lack of self-worth. I’ve seen this time and time again working with clients and also with members in our secret Facebook group and in the 30 Days to Thriving. When you explore your relationship with food and alcohol, sometimes these deep ideas of self-worth come up. Sometimes we sabotage our fitness efforts because we have a deep and unconscious belief that we are not worthy of success or good health or vitality. This technique will help you uncover the root of self-sabotage and it actually helped me identify with basically something that I was doing to myself, a punishment, where I didn’t see I was deserving of living a healthy life and feeling the joy that comes with having a fit body and mind.

I have now talked about this on a few different podcasts and even have written a few blogs about it and love delivering it because this technique is something so easy but so powerful and helps people learn more about themselves. So anyway, I’ll probably bring it up again and again but here is the major premise:

I was working with a naturopath many years ago and I was following a protocol that she had given me to change my nutrition and I was losing weight consistently and then out of nowhere my weight loss totally stopped at 172 pounds. For no rhyme or reason, it just stopped. I was following everything perfectly! I was doing a follow up with her, shoutout to Dr. Premazzi here in Oregon, and she said that sometime happened to you around that weight that could be a stuck trauma that is preventing you from moving forward.

That was the first time in my life when I learned or even thought about the fact that an event or a trauma or a thought could have an impact over my physical body. That just blew my mind. She said she had an exercise for me. She grabbed me a pen and paper and had me close my eyes with the pen in my non-dominant hand. She said with the intention of understanding what is blocking me from moving forward, I should write down any words that come to mind. So i did it! I started to write down whatever words came to mind and there were a few bizarre words at first but then all of a sudden, I started writing out the word “punishment.” It hit me like a ton of bricks. Seriously.

I was recalling that I was punishing myself, holding on to my weight as a punishment, for something that I had deeply regretted. It was incredible that I had come into this awareness. And this is something that all of you can do! What happens when we write with our non-dominant hand is that we are actually tapping into our subconscious mind. We are able to recall those thoughts, memories, and patterns that are actually driving 90% of our behavior. You can use this technique anytime in ANY area of your life. Share this with anyone in your life who may need some clarity and some discovery into how they are sabotaging.

So that’s my little tip for you today...but here is the really cool part! In the first Mind Zoning Academy that launches this week, I am going to lead you through a meditation to not only help you identify the root cause of your self-sabotage but then, I’ll also help you uncover your hidden superpower that will help you break through and move past it!

So sign up for the Mind Zoning Academy today, take advantage of all those awesome bonuses available to you, learn more about what your root cause of self-sabotage is AND your superpower that can help you move forward! I can’t wait to see you all this week! Bye!

Welcome back to the Fitlandia Podcast as we launch one more holiday episode for you to get you pumped and excited to make a healthy permanent lifestyle change before the new year arrives!

We encourage you to harness the opportunity of the new year to launch you into the healthiest you possible. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stuck or even just a little confused on where to start, this is the Mind Zoning® for you. For further encouragement and community to back you up every step of the way as you kick start your health journey, make sure you check out Christa’s nutrition and mindset program, 30 Days to Thriving as we launch January 2^nd!

As with every Mind Zoning® session, it’s important to sit and lay back into a comfortable position and close your eyes.

Wherever you are let your body be fully supported

This is your time to release

To relax

To grow the desire to make a permanent lifestyle change

First, bring your awareness to the top of your head

Notice that you can release and relax

Your scalp

Letting go of any tension in your forehead

In your eyes

And cheeks

Letting your jaw be soft

Imagine that relaxation continuing down the back of your neck

Over your shoulders

Letting go of any tension from the day

Giving yourself permission

For just a few minutes

To truly relax

And embrace a new mindset

Continuing to release any tension in the arms

Or elbows

In the wrists

All the way down to your fingertips

Drawing attention to your chest

The rise and the fall

From inhaling

And exhaling

Releasing any tension in your belly

Letting it be soft

As you find a nice beautiful rhythm in your breath

Continuing that relaxation in your hips

Being fully supported

Through your thighs

Letting your knees relax and be soft

Through your calves

Your ankles

All the way down to your toes

Just imagine as relaxed as you are right now

You can become even 10x more relaxed

Just imagine this beautiful imaginary wave

Cascading over the top of your head

Covering your body, head to toe

Just surrounding you in relaxation

And calm

And peace

Allowing your mind to be wide open like a clear blue sky

Full of potential

Full of possibility

With a deep knowing

That anything is possible

When you engage the deepest part of your mind

And you can access that right now

Think now for a moment

What is it that you would like to change about your lifestyle?

Mentally list of everything that you’d like to change

With full possibility

If you had all the tools

Had all the resources to be successful

How would your lifestyle change?

Truthfully answer the question

What is stopping you?

Maybe you’re afraid to let go

Of a reliance

On sugar

Or alcohol

Maybe food has been a mechanism for self-soothing?

And you’re not sure what can replace that

Maybe you’re overwhelmed with your schedule

And can’t imagine fitting in one more thing

I want to assure you in this moment

That you fold the power in your mind today

To overcome any obstacle

It first starts by growing the desire to change

Imagine now

There’s a tiny seed deep in your mind

That we’re planting today

As that tiny seed is planted

Just like a plant

You can nurture it with water and food to help it grow

And you can best do that with positive thoughts

And as you listen to the words I share

Focus your attention

Visualizing that small seed deep in your mind

Knowing just like a plant with every positive affirmation

Its easy to make time for exercise

You can learn to enjoy cooking

You can find a dietary plan that’s perfect for your body and lifestyle

Just imagine that seed is growing into a plant

With the stems sprouting throughout

The leaves starting to bud

As it gets bigger with your mind with every affirmation

I am worthy of a healthy body

I deserve to put myself first

I am good at setting boundaries

Now notice how your plant is getting bigger

And taller

More leaves begin to fill your mind

This vibrancy and vitality grow with every affirmation

It’s nurturing that seed

Developing it into a strong plant

Roots that extend to every part of your mind

I look forward to daily movement

I love getting inspiration from my fitness tribe

I am successful at achieving any goal I can imagine for myself

And now imagine this plant that started as a seed

With every affirmation, grew its stems

Filling your mind with strong roots reaching out

Getting stronger and stronger

And you notice this desire is growing in you to make a change

Think about one small thing you can do today

That would tell you, “yes I am going in the right direction”

Commit to one thing today

That will serve your goal in growing the desire to make a healthy lifestyle

In a moment, we will come back

But for now, just imagine this beautiful, strong plant

A seed that we have planted

That you can cultivate and nurture and grow in your mind everyday

That only furthers your ability

And desire to change

You have everything within you that you need

Engaging the power of your mind

You may notice in the next couple days

That you have a desire to listen to this session again

And further grow that plant

In your mind

Growing the desire

To make a lifestyle change

Connecting deeply with all the physical benefits

All the emotional benefits

All the spiritual benefits

And the mental benefits that you will gain

By making a permanent lifestyle change

And that just continues to nourish the plant

Growing your desire everyday

When you’re ready take one last deep breath in

Locking in all of this amazing energy

Taking it with you for the rest of your day

Into your sleep

And when you’re ready you can open your eyes

Take a deep breath

Begin moving around

Allow the relaxation to take you into your day or night

Leaving this session feeling calm

And excited

For the potential of what’s to come

We hope you all this use this technique, every day, as we welcome in the new year and all the new opportunities to cultivate permanent, healthy lifestyles! As we foster that desire to become healthy, we will create a thought pattern that it’s easy and fun and attainable.

Christa is offering her 30 Days to Thriving program starting again in January to help you fight the hard battle against our reliance on refined carbs, sugar and alcohol. Make sure to sign up today if you’re ready to meet your healthiest YOU, while fighting against diseases and inflammation. Also, check out this past episode about redefining what it means for us to “diet”.

Leave us an honest review on iTunes and Stitcher and tell what you got from today's show!

Episode 62 - It’s Easy to Take a Break from Alcohol Mind Zoning®

As the holidays roll in we’re granted with an abundance of joys, more time off work, a shift in the seasons and time with family and friends. This for many of us, also includes an overload of comfort foods, sweet treats we’ve adored since childhood and social events surrounded by alcohol. Christa shares she’s been indulging in more alcohol than she’d like to with the stresses and celebrations surrounding the launch of her new book, Strategic Vitality: 11 Small Steps to a Big Transformation.

She explains coming off an amazing high after her book launch party which occurred last Saturday, excited that she could continue to share her story, her struggles and how she works on overcoming them. Christa has always been very open with her listeners about her love for wine and donuts, and is proud to bring more awareness about how common our reliance on sugar, refined carbs and alcohol truly is.

If you have a tendency to relay on booze, Christa challenges you this holiday season to take a break from the spirited beverages alongside of her and husband AJ, as they start a six month sober stretch starting January 1st. With a community backing you up for support and guidance, we will work through the fears and discomfort as we create new, healthier habits and bring on the dreaded social settings, knowing it’s an easy choice to be sober. We know this task can be hard, maybe even unimaginable so we created this Mind Zoning® to make it all a little bit easier throughout the process.

Make sure to find a quiet, comfortable space where you’re not driving or distracted

Sit or lay down, however your body feels most relaxed

Start by taking a few deep breaths in through the nose and exhaling through your mouth

Allowing every inhale to refresh and clear your mind

And with every exhale giving you the ability to release any stress or tension

Let go

Be present here

Allow yourself the opportunity to relax

If you have other thoughts imagine there’s a cloud floating by you can put them on

Trusting that they’ll come back to you when you them need to

Let your mind focus on taking a break from alcohol

We’ll start with a question to ask the deepest part of your mind

Why?

Why are you considering taking a break from alcohol?

Think about all the reasons you want to take a break

Let it all bubble up in your mind now

Maybe you notice it can be a crutch from stress and you want to find healthier ways to manage it

Maybe it’s preventing you from reaching your greatest level of health and wellness

Maybe you notice you don’t like the way you feel the next morning

Maybe you want to invite more focus, greater productivity and all the things that come with taking a break from alcohol into your life

Now for a moment think about all the cons when taking a break from alcohol

Maybe there’s fears

Or concerns

Allow yourself with full honesty to think about all the reasons you wouldn’t want to take a break from alcohol

Are you afraid that social setting will be challenging?

Are you feeling a sense of deprivation that you can’t just eat and drink what you want?

Are you worried about being bound by rules?

Are you just afraid that your relationship with it is so strong that you couldn’t?

Think about all the things that have prevented you from taking a break from alcohol previously

Calling all those cons and all the pros

Imagine the two lists

Do you notice one is longer than the other?

Which one is it?

Studying your pros and cons list, what have you determined what you might want to do?

Are you okay with things just as they are?

Or, are you seeking change?

Are you seeking to connect with an even healthier version of you?

Connecting with that powerful part of you

That wants to connect with all the pros that come with taking a break

Whatever you decide is perfect

And you can decide that right now

If you’ve decided you’d like to take a break from alcohol

Think of how long you’d like to do this

Is it one day?

one week?

a month?

Is it forever?

Ask yourself, what is your deepest desire?

Go ahead and lay down that timeframe

Commit to that in your mind

Whatever is right for you

We Invite you to find strategies that will support you in taking a break for the length of time you’ve chosen

What do you need in place in your life to be successful to take a break from alcohol?

As you continue to think of all the resources to support you

Maybe it’s an accountability group?

Or having conversations with your partner, or friends and family asking them for support?

Maybe journaling your emotions everyday would help you?

Or having a really strong exercise and meditation practice can help calm your mind and ease any stress

Trust that you know the strategies that are perfect for you

Continue to think of those right now

Now for a moment think about the times you want alcohol

Maybe it’s at night or during dinner?

At parties or in social settings?

Think about a healthy replacement you can enjoy in these moments while attaching the same benefit to it

Maybe sparkling water with a splash of grapefruit juice

Or even a flavored mineral water

Or a nice warm tea

Think about something that you can enjoy that supports all the pros that you came up with

In this moment I want you to think about, is there anything else that you need that would help you be 100% successful in taking a break from alcohol?

In a moment we will come back to our day

And our thoughts

The pros and cons

The strategies

The excitement that comes with taking a break from alcohol

All the possibilities

Recall everything that came up during this session

As the days and weeks unfold, you may become even more excitement to take a break from alcohol

You might find it easier

Thinking of new ways to support yourself on this journey

Reaching out to the resources you need and putting plans in place

When you’re ready, come back to the space you’re in

We encourage you now, to write down all the things that came up today.

• What were the pros in taking a break from alcohol for you?
• What are the fears you have?
• What strategies did you come up with for support?
• How long are you abstaining from alcohol?
• What are the healthy replacements you can enjoy?

If you need further inspiration or resources, don’t hesitate and join us in the Fitlandia Facebook group! If you’re ready to not only give up alcohol but also create a new relationship with food, make sure you sign up for the 30 Days of Thriving! In this program we will fight the tough battle against our reliance of sugar, refined carbs and alcohol together. Christa explains this as a “beautiful time of awareness.”

It happens every year, October 31st rolls around and the next 2 1/2 months feel like a roller coaster of battling with food - specifically sugar, refined carbs and alcohol.

It starts with Halloween, creeps into Thanksgiving, escalates to December holiday events and crescendos into the big binge finale of New Years.

You give yourself permission to "enjoy the holidays," but really what's happening is your brain has hijacked your greater desire to stay healthy and still enjoy the holidays as an excuse to go wild with overindulgence.

What would it feel like to enjoy the holidays and still maintain focus on your goals and NOT gaining the average 7 – 10 pounds?

Enjoy a guided meditation today to help you embrace the holiday season with a new thought pattern so you feel in control. Engage the power of your mind today and maintain some boundaries to keep you on your fitness journey!

Christa's bringing you a sneak peak of her new book coming out, "Strategic Vitality: 11 Small Steps to a Big Transformation" as she goes through the 11 steps and reads excerpts from the book due out on 10/17/17.

Excerpt Back Cover of the Book

Does the idea of getting healthy seem overwhelming? Are you filled with a sense of deprivation or even fear about creating a change in your health habits? You’re not alone. I’ve been there before and I’m going to help you move forward.

It is possible to regain your health, get your fitness back on track and make it stick.

This book will help you manage those overwhelming sensations to getting back on track with a healthy lifestyle. When our brains consent that something is easy—when we’re given a clear path with instructions—we can make small, attainable goals, and feel successful, which then leads to us craving more progress.

"Strategic Vitality is a powerful, concise book guiding you through a personal journey of permanent change. Christa shares her passion and knowledge teaching us how to acknowledge our internal challenges, explore self-awareness, release guilt, create new habits and resolve stress. Using simple techniques, she gives us the tools and resources to realign our lives."  Nikki C.   

"No fluff, just what I needed to get my mind clear and back on track. Fitlandia really delivers on the '4 cornerstones of fitness' and I totally get now why this is necessary and how to gain mental strength along the way.” AJ D. 

"Finally, a resource that explains why diets have failed and how to create true, lifelong wellness without it being "all-in" approach that isn't sustainable. This book outlines the value of the 4 cornerstones of fitness and the small steps to integrate them into everyday life." Sarina S. 

Christa King is the CEO & Founder of Fitlandia. She’s also a recovered dieter. After reaching her highest weight of 192, she hit a wall and was determined to crack her own code for a making a healthier lifestyle change. She became a certified hypnotherapist, life coach, and nutritional therapist. By putting these pieces together, she saw what was truly missing in the diet and fitness industry: a holistic approach that starts with strengthening the mind.

FINAL DAYS!

Just a few more days to get your eBook pre-order in for just $3.99 AND get over $800 in bonuses.

Strategic Vitality: 11 Small Steps to a Big Transformation

Show us some love and leave a review. Let us know what you got out of today’s interview! Head over to iTunes or Stitcher today.

Welcome back to the Fitlandia Podcast! Today, Christa treats us with a Mind Zoning® session to help us tackle that “setback bug” once again. As we talked about previously with DeShawn Fontleroy, of Sports Mastery during Episode 45, slip ups are sometimes unavoidable, but becoming aware of the behavior and the reason for why you fell back into an old pattern is crucial. Harnessing the power of your mind through Mind Zoning® and working to forgive yourself helps you quickly recover from a setback so you can continue to move forward towards your goal. Whether you missed a workout or a handful of workouts, gave into those cravings or simply stayed in bed too long and didn’t have the productive day you’d planned, this Mind Zoning® session will help you get back on track, every time.

While allowing your eyes to close, take three deep breaths in and slowly exhale out

Clear away any worry, frustration or busyness from the day

Be at peace in this moment

Tap into that deep knowing of your mind, the beautiful part of you, that knows how to forgive yourself

That knows that in every experience, even the negative ones, there are

insights to be gained and lessons to be learned

In this moment, we are focused on recovering from a setback

Invite the mind to recall a recent setback where it didn’t feel like it was on its path to achieving its goals

Maybe binge eating?

Missing a workout?

Falling back into an old pattern?

Well, you are here today

Call at this time to reengage the mind and move forward in your goals

It’s all about forgiveness and understanding

Reflect on what triggered that event or the old pattern

What allowed you to miss a workout or choose a food that you later regretted?

Reflect on that time

Visualize yourself moving forward

Knowing that was a temporary moment in time

But you’re here now

With everything within you to continue to move forward

You never again have to let a setback take you back to an old pattern

You can trust that you have a deeper desire

A wonderful plan for your mind, body and soul

The growth you’re doing, the fitness that you’re developing in your soul, in your mind and in your body

You can continue to move forward quickly and easily

Recovering from a setback like never before

Honoring what it was and releasing any shame or guilt in this moment

Let it be carried away as if a cloud was absorbing it and moving it further away from you

Honor the essence of who you are

That person who is moving forward

And anytime you need a reminder to release the shame or feel you’ve had a set back

Come back to this meditation

So, you can recover quickly and easily

And continue to give yourself permission to move forward

Seal it with one last deep breath and come back to the time and space of this beautiful day

Feel the awareness you have and the excitement to keep moving forward in your journey

You have everything in you to be successful

Ready to take your health to the next level?!

Enter PODCAST20 now for 20% off our Keto Kickoff: Adapt to Burn Fat!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

On this episode of the podcast Christa attacks 2017 head-on. Listen and ready yourself to harness the full power of intention for your New Year’s Resolutions.

The Transtheoretical Model of Change

Before the Mind Zoning®, Christa discusses the The Transtheoretical Model of Change and the stages that it is comprised of. In order to deal with change of any size, this widely-accepted scientific model explains how we prepare, accept, and ultimately integrate change into our lives. As depicted in the above link, the five stages of change are:

1. Precontemplation (Not Ready)
2. Contemplation (Getting Ready)
3. Preparation (Ready)
4. Action
5. Maintenance

While it’s easy to look at a model like this one and see how change works, the actual application is much more difficult. Change of any kind can be daunting. Whether it’s your New Year's Resolution to lose weight, moving to a new city, or dealing with the loss of a loved one, the initial shift is always hard. Because we’re dealing letting go of our old patterns, that can be scary.

Because the model is so multi-layered, this episode specifically addresses the first stage of the model: precontemplation. In this stage you’re just starting to think about healthy behavior, but  it’s still further down the road, not an immediate change. At this point in your journey Christa recommends creating a pros and cons list. The “cons” side may be extremely long because there’s that fear associated with the change, and the “pros” may be short because you don’t know or realize the full benefits. Looking at those two side by side you can see how it’s easier to take the “easy” route and not make the change, but as you take in more information (like this podcast 😉)  the benefits become more apparent as your knowledge grows into a beautiful state of readiness.

You didn’t fail the diet, the diet failed you

Another symptom of the precontemplative stage is a period of reflection and looking back at past “failures” and patterns. When viewed from a historical perspective like this, it gives us another reason to avoid change because we don’t want to “fail” again. If you’ve visited our website, follow us on social media, or have listened to any past podcast episodes you know we’ve said it again and again: You didn’t fail the diet, the diet failed you. Most traditional dieting platforms aren’t set up for long-term success, and that’s why Fitlandia approaches fitness from a mind-first perspective. That’s what this Mind Zoning® is about, letting go of past judgements and failures that are keeping you locked into old patterns. As with our other episodes this Mind Zoning® is broken down into four key parts:

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.

New Year’s Savings

This episode also comes with a coupon code to receive Fitlandia Premium for 40% off: Use NYE17 until January 7th at checkout to save.

In unsettling times of change it’s more important than ever to pause, take a breath, and re-orient yourself. Change of any kind can feel overwhelming at times, but the power of gratitude is a way to ground ourselves and find the power, will, and strength to carry on. As we gear up for the holidays and enjoy this season of thankfulness, it’s a perfect time to focus on gratitude and be appreciative of what we have around us.

“At Fitlandia, we genuinely believe that gratitude is the foundation of any change.” - Christa King

According to this study done by two psychologists, people who kept daily recordings of gratitude had higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and energy. Additionally, this article by Shape Magazine discusses how gratitude can bring you more energy, increased happiness, and more restful sleep. t follows that if you wake up more refreshed and energized then you’ll be more determined to be fit and healthy. It’s all connected.

Grounded in Gratitude

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. In this episode Christa take you on a four-part meditation:

1. First, we use a progressive relaxation technique which will help you relax your muscles and ease yourself into a relaxed mental state.
2. Next, we invite you to enter your safe space to feel relaxed. Take in the sights and the smells, and absorb how it feels to be in this space.
3. Then we open up and allow ourselves to connect with all the things we have to be grateful for.
4. You’ll leave feeling refreshed, grateful, 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.

We end with a deep cleansing breath to fully-absorb all of our gratitude and move back into our day. Gratefulness can be a powerful motivator, and using it as a tool in your fitness journey will be important in the future.