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!

Chad’s Journey to Sobriety

Although Chad grew up in a Mormon household, he had five generations of alcoholism passed down to him. Chad’s first “infatuating buzz” was at age 18 and he spent the next ten years chasing that exact feeling, resulting in a cycle of binge drinking and heavy daily alcohol consumption. In 2013, Chad injured his back, which left him with a herniated disk and paralyzed in bed. The doctors told Chad he must attend physical therapy sessions and have steroid shots before surgery could take place to repair the disk. After five months of limited activity, on OxyContin, although not drinking; Chad found he was severely depressed. He was finally able to have a successful surgery on his back, but by then he was addicted to opioids. It was during this time that Chad turned back to alcohol to ease the discomfort of opioid withdrawals and the associated insomnia. During one irrational drunken night, Chad found himself locked out of his house. He drove out to the desert where he laid with a bottle of vodka and a bottle of Nyquil. Chad describes this night as one of the darkest times of his life. Something or someone pushed him forward through it and he somehow managed to text his brother for help.

Chad returned home, sobered up and got honest with his wife and doctors about what had been going on. It was a false start though because after a few weeks of not drinking, Chad thought things had returned to normal and that it was okay to start drinking again.

For the next two years, he drank a fifth of vodka a day. Chad knew his drinking was a problem when it wasn’t fun or relaxing anymore but a necessity. He says, “I just didn’t feel like a normal, functioning person unless I had alcohol in my system.”

Chad worked hard at protecting his addiction. Chad says his family and friends knew he was a big drinker, but did not know to what extent. At his sister’s wedding, Chad thought he played the part of the “functional alcoholic” well, but to his surprise, he learned he had not. Chad’s wife and brothers were worried he was going to die, so they intervened with an invitation for him to attend The Riversource Recovery in Arizona. After much arguing, Chad complied.

While in rehab, Chad learned about his illness and he connected with some of the most genuine people he had met in his life. His counselor at The Riversource Recovery Center is now his Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor and a dear friend. Chad continues to work day by day to be sober.

What Have You Learned from Transitioning Back into Day to Day Life?

• Learn to mourn the loss of the life you lived.
• It’s nonsense to mark when you’re going to change, tomorrow, next week or at the beginning of the year. That’s our primal brain’s safe way of saying, “Oh good, I don’t have to change yet.”
• As it states in Newton’s First Law of Motion (the law of inertia): “An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.” Chad relates this to people struggling with addiction since very often someone will remain in the same motion until something tragic happens that stuns them enough to move forward.

In recovery Chad says he’s learned, “The beautiful thing about being a human is we don’t have to hit that brick wall to be moved. We can be moved by being inspired to change and to change our path.” That “bottom” is wherever you decide to stop digging and if you decide that bottom is today you can start to make changes.

Release the shame and guilt of your disease. It’s important to understand you are still that amazing person but was struggling with an illness bigger than you could have handled alone.

Christa says, “You must love yourself as you are today and know that just because you want something else in your life or for your body, you are not broken.”

In September 2016 at one year sober, Chad’s brother introduced him to the ketogenic diet. Chad embraced it, immediately felt better and has dropped 65 pounds while inspiring thousands with his openness and vulnerability in the Keto Connection Facebook Group where he met Christa!

Continuously focusing on a lifestyle of recovery from food and alcohol addictions, Chad knew the last piece of the puzzle was to give up cigarettes. During a family trip he discovered he was upset and raging over things he didn’t need to be upset about. He took a step back and realized that his subconscious mind was throwing a fit because it wanted a cigarette. Chad thought, “Why would I give my brain a cigarette because it’s throwing a fit? I don’t give my toddler everything he wants.” This is when Chad quit smoking!

He explains, “You have to exercise your willpower like you exercise your bicep. It doesn’t get better or bigger unless you put it under pressure.”

Now realizing the freedom he’s gained from getting healthy, Chad says he never realized how gross he felt for so many years but is grateful for even the dark years because coming out of it he was able to make little changes that were sustainable.

We’re all struggling with something whether it be food, alcohol or drug dependencies but with the Fitlandia community you are safe, welcomed, cherished and honored. Please leave us a review on this podcast with some gratitude and let’s all continue to celebrate new beginnings, vulnerability and sobriety!

Need some support and guidance to take a break from alcohol? Sign up for our 30 Days to Thriving program and get early bird pricing for the January program when you sign up before November 30th.

 Subscribe to the show today and leave Chad and I a review on iTunes, letting us know how today's episode has helped you!

Today we have the pleasure of introducing Ashley James to our Fitlandia podcast! Ashley is a massage therapist, Reiki Master, a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) master practitioner and trainer, and does Time Line Therapy Hypnosis and Coaching. In addition to all this, Ashley is the bubbly podcast host of Learn True Health, where she interviews holistic health experts and doctors of Naturopathic medicine.

As a reformed dieter herself, Ashley says she spent her time beating herself up about her weight until she concluded that, “Diets don’t work because they go against our physiology.” As humans, for much of our history, we were hunter and gathers and now we’re supposed to cut our calories? It doesn’t make sense because our physiology tells us we have to eat and gain weight to live; it’s what we were designed to do.

“Diets don’t work because they go against our physiology.” - Ashley

After many years of stressing over her weight, Ashely was finally able to let go of the associating negative feelings and beliefs and now is excited to share with the world just how good it feels to eat healthy. She says, “When you’re excited and motivated to fuel your body with whole foods, your health will improve and that weight will eventually fall off.”

Life coach turned health coach, Ashley had to let go of the idea, or excuse, that she had to be a size 6 in order to pursue and inspire people as a health coach. She knew how important holistic medicine and nutrition had been in her life and she wanted share that with others. Holistic practices helped Ashley reverse her diabetes, eliminate chronic adrenal fatigue and monthly chronic infections and improve her fertility. After reaping so many of the benefits of Naturopathic Medicine, Ashley started pursuing it more seriously and began her podcast.

Not only does Ashley learn and benefit from the information shared by people she interviews, she says,“That it’s amazing to see the positive health shifts in her listener’s lives and it makes her excited for what they’re doing to reverse and/or to manage a variety of chronic diseases.” Bringing life to holistic health, Ashley found herself in a place of intense study of the mind and how it creates our behaviors and reality.

For years, Ashley has been dedicated to breaking the stigma that your body size and weight is a direct reflection of health. Instead, Ashley says she’s working to reinforce the blueprint with our brain for what we’re manifesting in our life instead of being solely interested in being skinny.

Ashley says, “If we are trapped in our mind, we will stay there no matter whether you’re a size 6 or 16. When we shift our mind and focus to be about health and not about weight and staying positive (no matter what the scale says) is what leads us to make healthy decisions. “

You have to be happy now and then celebrate when we have our results instead of waiting to embrace our lives and bodies when we are that size we think is right.

So, how do we reduce or eliminate anxiety?

Ashley explains that anxiety is often seen as a negative emotion like guilt, fear, sadness or anger which the feeling can be experienced again by thinking of a past situation that brings up these emotions. For example, being sad about the loss of a pet can make you feel upset even after the fact. However, with anxiety, the feeling cannot be re-experienced because it hasn't already happened. It is not a negative emotion of the past but a completely different kind of emotion. Ashley describes it as, “the check engine light of our spiritual dashboard and our unconscious mind.” Anxiety can act as a survival mechanism and it’s a message from our unconscious mind to warn us of possible dangers. Our brain can’t differentiate what is imaginary and what is real and when we begin to think about a worst-case scenario of a situation, our body responds as if it is truly happening.

Ashley's Technique to Completely Eliminate Anxiety Whenever You Feel It

Pick something in the future that you have anxiety around

On a scale 1-10 notice your anxiety level when thinking about this activity or thing

Close your eyes

Float up above your time line (past is in one direction and the future is the opposite)

Float 15 minutes PAST the successful completion of the event and look down at it

Imagine that you’re 15 minutes past the completion of what you were worried about and see where your anxiety is now

If anxiety persists, ask yourself if you focused on the successful completion and did you look forward 15 minutes past the successful completion?

If you didn’t - do that now

If you did - ask yourself what you are anxious about now and if it’s a deeply rooted issue

Repeat technique again

Ashley says, “We can consciously interrupt the pattern that will rewire the conscious programming of our brains.” This not only relieves anxiety but also allows your brain to do brilliant work when that event occurs because you already gave your mind that positive programming.

Like with Mind Zoning®, Christa says, “You don’t have to believe it or understand why for your brain to adopt it and for it to start manifesting in your day to day life.”

This time line therapy technique is amazing for rewiring your brain and you don’t need to have anxiety to use it. Ashley says she practices it while “habit stacking” where she adds a new activity to a series of activities she already does religiously every morning in order to make the new habit stick. While making her bullet proof coffee in the morning, Ashley imagines the successful completion of her day. Whether it’s a simple day of grocery shopping, a workout and making dinner, she imagines everything going perfectly. “If you’re continuously focused on the best-case scenario, your unconscious mind, the reticular activating system, will delete and generalize information in your favor so that you start to see the little times in your day that go right when you couldn’t before because you were running on an old belief system that deleted it.”, explains Ashley. “Your life will get better with this technique because you’re actually looking for the evidence to support it!”

Make sure to follow Ashley’s podcast, Learn True Health, and give these ladies a 5-star rating and review on iTunes and Stitcher and tell us how you’re using this to change your life!

FINAL DAYS for the Pre-Order. Order the eBook, "Strategic Vitality: 11 Small Steps to a Big Transformation" today for only $3.99 and get $800+ in bonuses.

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.

We are thrilled to welcome Katherine Feeney to the Fitlandia Podcast this week! Katherine is a certified holistic nutritionist and the mastermind behind The Dieting Redefined Summit. She has a drive to educate and empower others to create a positive relationship with food, revolving around whole foods, intuitive eating, and kicking calorie counting and restricted mindsets to the curb!

What does it mean to redefine dieting?

Kat has been working on refining dieting by moving away from the traditional diets we’ve all tried, failed and felt frustrated about. She helps her clients understand and connect with their body resulting in a customized “diet” that works to fuel each person properly which ultimately allows them to reach their goals. Just like here at Fitlandia, Kat’s mission is to end the cycle of yo-yo dieting; the feelings of shame and guilt that come with restricted eating plans or calorie counting; and get back to a place of nourishment and empowerment.

“It’s really about finding that positivity that can actually be reached in the process,” Kat says.

Diets v. a Holistic Approach to Nutrition

Many people may be confused when it comes to the “anti-diet” chatter with all the Paleo and Keto programs that are popular today. Holistic programs are designed around adding more whole foods in, followed by the elimination and reintroduction of certain food groups so that you can find what works best for your specific body. Discovering which sensitives, dependencies, cravings and even food allergies you have can be a huge step in getting you closer to how you want to look and feel. Instead of traditional dieting which consists of calorie counting, quick fixes, and that new detox you just have to try, these holistic approaches to nutrition are focused on sustainability instead of restriction.

An example is Christa's 30 Days to Thriving, providing guidance and support as you work to eliminate legumes, grains, dairy, gluten, soy, refined sugars, alcohol and even fruit. Her intention is help others release their reliance of sugars, refined carbs and alcohol to create a lifestyle that fits you. This helps people find what what their food triggers are for pain, mood disorders, inflammation and digestive issues.

Christa explains, “I’m not a proponent of diets, I’m a proponent of eliminating inflammatory foods and bringing them back one at a time.”

This gives us permission to explore and enjoy the journey of finding what dietary plan works for our specific body and the freedom to enjoy a slice of birthday cake when celebrating with friends - or that glass of wine, all while keeping our goals in mind.

Tips to Focus on Holistic Nutrition More Than Traditional Dieting Mindsets:

• Reframing what you’ve been told vs. what is true.
  Fat for example, has been seen as a diet no-no for years when in fact, healthy fats are what balances hormones, produce abundant energy and focus for our brain, boosts metabolism and more.
• Mindful eating vs. obsessive thoughts.
  Kat encourages her clients to ask themselves, “How can I feel my best and be healthy without necessarily having to strive for a particular number on the scale?”
• Say goodbye to calorie counting.
  It’s not as simple as calories in and out, but instead what macronutrients and micronutrients we’re fueling our bodies with. The quality of the food is what’s important!
• Look for the excitement in a health journey that will give you lasting results instead of focusing on “quick weight loss."
  Discover what works best for you - long term!
• “Detoxing” or “Cleansing” should focus on a break from toxins to improve health v. quick weight loss.
  Eliminating processed foods, sugar and alcohol for a period of time will improve sleep, boost energy and create a healthier digestive track while decreasing cravings and dependencies.
• Remember, one step at a time!
  Kat encourages us all to unfollow the blogs, Instagram accounts and dieting books that make us feel down or unworthy and starting looking and reading things that make you want to further transitioning your healthy mindset.

Let us know what you thought of this amazing anti-diet duo and give a rating or review on iTunes and Stitcher! Also, make sure you check out Kat’s website for blogs, private coaching and the Dieting Redefined Summit!

CRAVING MORE? PRE-ORDERS NOW AVAILABLE!

Order the eBook today for only $3.99 and get $100+ 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.

Episode 54 - Manage Your Stress by Calling upon Your Parasympathetic Nervous System

Welcome Fitlandian’s to Episode 54. We have another exciting guest with us today, wellness consultant and life coach, Cheri Anderson and she's going to teach us how to use our parasympathetic nervous system to manage our pain and stress.

As a wellness consultant, Cheri provides services in three areas which are focused around helping people live a lifestyle of wholeness. In order to accomplish this, Cheri says it’s necessary to first locate where constraints exist within a person’s “whole being.” The whole being is made up of the body, the spirit and the soul. When there are incongruences in one of these areas, there will be some type of mental, emotional, or physical conflict occurring.

“My passion is identifying those incongruences and then creating solutions” Cheri explains.

One way Cheri helps her clients find solutions, is through the practice of Holistic Biomechanics™. Holistic Biomechanics™ are the mechanics of all of the systems of the body working together as a whole. Cheri works one on one or in small groups helping people understand the biomechanics of movement in their bodies through sensory work with their nervous systems.

The nervous system has a parasympathetic (rest and digest) function and a sympathetic (flight or flight) function. When a body is in a parasympathetic state, it’s functioning in an optimal way; the way it was designed to work at that moment. However, when we get in our head about a pain we’re experiencing, our mind jumps to worry and judgement, thinking things like, “Will it always hurt like this?” and/or “Why is this hurting and will it last forever?”

This internal fight or flight dialogue continues to trigger more flight or fight type responses in the nervous system for protection, but never truly realizes the pain for what it is. By doing this, Cheri describes it as, “reinforcing the patterns of protection out of a false place.”

But when you stop, observe and recognize the pain, it creates sensory awareness in that area giving your brain more of a concrete answer instead of letting your mind wander and worry. It is our brain’s job to execute what we are telling it to do and with better instructions of what’s happening in the body it allows the nervous system to automatically shift to a parasympathetic state where it can calm and heal itself. Simply, when we have specific information that our brains can be sensory around, it allows our body to do what it is designed to do.

How Do We Sustain This Parasympathetic State?

When contacting Cheri for a private session, you’ll find there are different methods she uses depending on the client’s needs. When working with Christa, Cheri chose compression which consists of light touching of the skin. By lightly touching and engaging a specific area of the body, that area opens up and becomes available to give and receive information. While gently pressing on Christa’s neck and shoulders, Cheri facilitated more information being sent to Christa’s brain instead of letting her nerves try and gather the information. While creating more “chatter” in that specific area, it creates new pathways and gives Christa’s brain clearer feedback, allowing her nervous system to do what it does best.

Cheri’s Tips on How to Escape Your Brain's Food Loops:

• Sense your body - “mapping” is when our brain has two points of reference and creates a line between the two, making it clear how they connect. This practice helps us to understand exactly how our bodies function and what is happening inside.
• Notice thought patterns - every thought and feeling is a physical motor pattern. When you’re saying “I’m sad” or “I’m happy”, there is a physical pattern that takes place. When you associate feelings with your body, it aligns with exactly what you’re telling it.
• Acknowledge thought patterns - when acknowledging a specific thought pattern or giving into a food craving, notice how your physical structure shifts when the flight or flight response is relaxed. For example: paying attention to how fast you consumed the food instead of going straight to judgement or shaming.

Cheri's Easy 4-Step Process When Dealing with Stresses, Pain or an Obsessive Food Loop:

1. Notice your thoughts and allow your attention to come to them without trying to come up with an immediate fix-it solution
2. Give your mind a list of options of what you can do
3. Make a decision
4. Embrace your structure after whatever decision you chose without shame or regret

These simple but not easy tips are extremely effective in helping us create a lifestyle of wholeness!

Are you ready to restart your own journey to living a life of health and vitality? Sign up today for exclusive pre-launch bonuses, discounts and VIP access for

“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.

Background

Lainey always loved and wanted to own goats while growing up, but never lived in a place that could house them until she built her No Regrets Farm located in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon. Lainey tried breeding first, but after one round, she realized that wasn’t the road she wanted to follow. She then began adopting and now owns 11 goats, most of them rescues.

Following her divorce Lainey discovered she was feeling extremely tired and sick with pain in her hands leading to her elbows. After many different tests, she was diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome. According to the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation, this is "a systemic autoimmune disease that affects the entire body. Along with symptoms of extensive dryness, other serious complications include profound fatigue, chronic pain, major organ involvement, neuropathies and lymphomas."

Struggling with extreme fatigue that debilitated her, Lainey wasn't able to do much, but she vowed to sit outside with the goats every single day. The goats made her smile and laugh and gave her relief her from her pain, more so than she felt from any medication.

Lainey explains, “It’s impossible to think about yourself and your problems and your issues and your stress when you’re surrounded by that energy.”

This is how “Goat Happy Hour” came into existence! Animal assisted therapy (AAT) is used to improve a person’s social, emotional or cognitive functioning and has been proven to reduce anxiety and produce calmness. All types of animals can be used for AAT but goats are especially therapeutic. Even when chewing their cud, Lainey says, “They go into a meditative state and are truly present in the moment.” Humans get an overwhelming calming sense just being around them - happiness, joy and calm. The goats wander around the class and might sit on your mat, lick your face or even jump on your back when you’re in a table top pose.

After starting with Goat Happy Hour, Lainey was auctioning off a kid’s birthday party at the farm for charity when Heather Davis, a yoga instructor said, “You should let me have a yoga class here!” Little did anyone know that a couple promo shots and videos later, the yoga class with goats would have over a million views. People loved how the goats romped all over the yogi’s and although the session was extremely fun, it was also very relaxing. Lainey was interviewed by Modern Farm Magazine soon afterwards, and then by The Oregonian Newspaper. She has now gone international with Australia just launching their first goat yoga session this month.

“The world needed a happy distraction and it happened at the right time” Lainey says.

So, Why Goats?

Lainey discovered a special connection with her goats early on and when Goat Happy Hour came along she saw others found it impossible to feel sad around them as well. Lainey says videos and messages have poured in from around the country about how powerful even watching the videos of the goats have been for people suffering from physical and mental pain. The calmness and presence of these adorable, friendly and loving animals transfers over to the viewer.

What Science Says Animal Assisted Therapy Can Do!

For Mental Health:

• The simple touch of an animal automatically makes humans feel relaxed
• Decreases loneliness
• Improves comfort and increases mental stimulation
• Boosts mood, social and emotional development

For Physical Health:

• Decreases anxiousness, helps with deeper breathing, lowering blood pressure and improving overall cardiovascular health
• Reduces physical pain and can result in less medication
• Increases physical activity and therapy sessions because of the bond with an animal

Lainey is dedicated to providing people with the same therapy that helped her bounce back with Sjogren Syndrome. She will be doing Goat Yoga at Hanson Country Inn in Corvallis where she hosts annual events but Lainey will also continue to focus on small therapy groups doing Goat Yoga in a nature place for healing.

What are your tips for listeners feeling stuck?

• Nothing will change unless you make it change. Don’t let your health being taken from you be the final straw for you to start making those changes to give yourself ultimate happiness.
• Take small steps that make you uncomfortable.
• Create a life with purpose and never with regrets.

If you want to get your goat on, check out Lainey’s website and hurry to sign up for one of her events before they sell out! You can also sign up to receive her newsletter with updates on holiday goat yoga, special events and pictures of these beautiful creatures when you can’t make a yoga session.

To stay in touch with Lainey and the goats, follow No Regrets Farm and Your Daily Goat on Facebook for a behind the scenes look at goat life.

Are you ready to restart your own journey to living a life of health and vitality? Sign up today for exclusive pre-launch bonuses, discounts and VIP access for

"Strategic Vitality: 11 Small Steps to a Big Transformation."

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

From Struggle to Success, Learn How to Reset Your Life.

Today we are ecstatic to welcome VH1 celebrity, designer, and life coach and superhero mom, Christina Johnson to the Fitlandia Podcast! After seeing the Starting Over TODAY segment on the Today Show, Christa knew she had to share Christina’s health journey and resilience to overcome extreme obstacles with her Fitlandia listeners.

Born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Christina characterizes her upbringing as being “turbulent,” being a teen mom born to a teen mom, struggling with being abandoned by her father and growing up with a misconstrued definition of love. After having two girls by the age of 20, Christina moved to Atlanta and worked briefly in the nursing field. She left that job to work for Steve Madden and soon after, met and fell in love with the artist CeeLo Green. During their five-year marriage, they shared their mutual love for artistic expressions, launching Christina in a successful interior design career and consulting company, InnerPiece Designs (IPD).

During this time, Christina experienced weight gain and later was diagnosed with Graves disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid gland. This is when, she explains, “the reset started” and she began her weight loss journey. Amidst her divorce Christina had a defining moment as she sat in the parking lot of a McDonalds wolfing down more junk food than she ever had eaten before. Breaking down in tears Christina told herself, “I don’t know what you’re hungry for Christina, but it’s not this. Something is going on internally.”

While still living with her ex-husband, and trying to save face for their children, Christina knew she was crumbling on the inside and had to make some changes for herself. To push her be consistent and disciplined, Christina called her trainer and soon dropped 40 pounds. Moving into her new home she started yoga and dug into loving herself from the inside.

Her message to woman is to make sure you make the time to love yourself, forgive yourself, forgive your past and the mistakes you’ve made.

She says, “The weight isn’t just about the fat our body is holding, it could be about past issues we’re holding onto.”

During her near life-threatening struggle with Graves disease, Christina relied on the promises of faith and with the power of gratitude and affirmations, her health actually shifted. By tapping into her inner wisdom and forgiving others and herself for past doings she exclaims, “I’ve learned to turn my pain into compassion.” This is what drives Christina and allows her to help others during the process.

When asked about the show, “Atlanta's Exes”, Christina was extremely hesitant to participate because as a hands-on mama bear, she didn’t want the opinions or actions of others to manipulate her family dynamic. Instead, she used the show as fuel for inspiring other woman and daughters who may be suffering from domestic violence, struggling with an unhealthy habit or battling a disease. Christina’s experiences and how she worked to overcome her challenges has helped many women conquer their own fears and obstacles.

Today, Christina has learned exactly how to listen to her body and fuels it with an 80% plant-based diet but enjoys a well-deserved celebratory meal or glass of wine on occasion or at events. When doing so, Christina makes sure she rises early the following day so she can hydrate and begin to work towards her goals again and doesn’t get in a physiological craving spiral. Her extreme gratitude for her body and its healing abilities motivates Christina to always keep herself well rested, hydrated and property fueled.

If you struggle with getting out of bed early and starting your day off productively, make sure to include this rising early Mind Zoning® into your daily routine!

Hungry for the Reset?

Here are Christina’s tips for the person who still hasn’t experience their “defining moment” but is itching for change:

• Do the work. Look into your past and face the hardships so you can move forward.
• “If you still have a pulse, you have a purpose.” If you want something, believe you are enough to achieve it.
• Forgive yourself and know we’ve all made mistakes. Being vulnerable is necessary for change.
• Start with small daily changes - affirmations, gratitude journal, reading a great book.
• Get uncomfortable and step out of patterns of self-loathing or shutting down emotionally.
• Vulnerability makes you beautiful
• You Are Enough!
• Take a look at your life and what changes you can do to make yourself and the world better. “It’s so worth it.”

“Let go of your always and become something new”

If you’re ready to reset your life, make sure to connect with Christina for personalized life coaching, videos and retreats through her website, or follow her on Instagram @christinajohnson_ and @InnerPiece on Twitter!

Are you ready to restart your own journey to living a life of health and vitality? Sign up today for exclusive pre-launch bonuses, discounts and VIP access for

"Strategic Vitality: 11 Small Steps to a Big Transformation."

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

This is part 2 of our two part series of top tips from the fitness experts attending the IDEA World Fitness Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Michael Boccio & Mike Soster

Michael runs BeachFit Long Island in Oceanside, NY, a small group TRX studio and Mike Soster runs Functions of Life out of Broadview Heights, OH where they specialize in American Ninja Warrior training for children 6 though 12.

Top Tips!

• Start moving. Using a TRX System at home can be used by anyone
• Get going with even a small step like doing a chore or going for a daily 5 min walk
• Keep your thoughts positive!
• Reframing thoughts through the power of Mind Zoning
• Engage the power of accountability
• Connect with the Fitlandia Facebook group for accountability
• Reinvent yourself and your relationships
• Change something about your routine

Shelby Stratton

Shelby is a yoga and group fitness instructor in Ft. Collins, CO and owner of the blog Live Fierce Wellness. Christa again asks what her top tips are to get over the hump of getting started with a healthy lifestyle. It’s no surprise she reinforces the common thread the others have:

• Start with small steps – like reduce sugar v. going cold turkey cutting it all out
• Try out the No Fools Detox to simply become aware of what you’re eating and how you’re feeling as an easy first step
• Honor our personal approach to change, not one way works for everyone
• Use yoga to develop a breath-work practice and to get out of your head and into your body for an emotional and physical cleanse
• Take time for yourself to move – even if it’s just a for a few minutes as you build upon it
• As Todd Durkin suggests, clear your mind first thing in the morning to start the day off right

Elizabeth Skwiot

Elizabeth is the founder of Cirqueit Fitness to help people get Fit, Fun and Done in 45 Minutes and bring the playground back to fitness. Her philosophy is that you can make great use of 45-minutes, focusing on a structured class that goes by super fast so that her clients have the best workout possible. She and Christa bond over their work to revolutionize the fitness industry and break through old paradigms. Elizabeth’s tips to include:

• Take care of yourself and challenge yourself
• You have permission to listen to your body
• Go to the instructor at the beginning of class to let them know you may need to modify exercises
• ADD, DON’T SUBTRACT. Then you can focus on what you can bring into your life to create an “upward spiral”
• Reframing thoughts through the power of Mind Zoning
• Talk to yourself like you’re your own best friend.

What was the “ah-ha” you got from the interviews with the pros?!

Head over to iTunes or Stitcher to leave us a review and tell us what you got out of today’s show!

Today’s Sponsor: Dr.’s Mark and Michelle Sherwood of the Functional Medicine Institute. Check out their DNA test today to help you identify food sensitivities to support your health, wellness and fitness goals.

Welcome to our 50th podcast!  In celebration of this exciting milestone, we are giving you Fitlandian’s an insider’s view of the people and trends from the Idea World Fitness Conference that Christa attended in Las Vegas in July. This two-part series includes interviews from the fitness industry experts she encountered at the conference who focus in the cornerstone areas that Fitlandia is founded on; better nutrition, more daily movement, positive mindset and encouraging community.

Our first guest is Anna Gemma with ChoreoBarre®Fitness. This company was created in 2014 in the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s formatted from Vaganova’s Method, a training devised from a Russian dancer, fusing together elements of Italian technique and traditional French ballet. ChoreoBarre® Fitness involves the entire body using cardiovascular intervals, core stability exercises, ballet inspired moves and can be done at three different levels so it suitable for everyone to try.

Want to give it a go?

ChoreoBarre®Fitness classes are in Danville, California at The Studio, as well as in Livermore, California located at LifeStyleRx in the Stanford Health Care – Valleycare Recreational Center.

Anna’s tips to staying fit:

• Consistency - getting to the gym twice a week
• Nutrition - maintaining a healthy lifestyle by making better eating choices
• Adequate sleep
• Build confidence - you can do it!

Tips when feeling stuck:

• Don’t feel discouraged about past choices - it’s a new day with a new start
• Build confidence and believe in yourself

“We all started from somewhere, you can do it!”

Also at the conference, Christa found some fellow Oregonians, Derek and Shaelah who work in La Grande, Oregon at the Mountain Valley Fitness and Health. This holistic gym and physical therapy clinic has a variety of services they provide including acupuncture, group fitness classes, personal training which Derek has been involved in since 2013, a nutritionist to help with meal prepping and sports performance training to help everyone reach their health goals.

Shaelah, the manager at Mountain Valley Fitness and Health helps people daily face their mental challenges in their health journey by introducing them to other clients so they feel more comfortable in a “transitional program”. When working with his clients during personal training sessions, Derek explains that he focuses on finding what people want specifically from their training and then helps them break down walls and barriers to achieve it.

Tips to keep moving forward and making fitness a priority:

• Setting goals - short and long term goals so you and track progress and reflect on how to adjust
• Functional goals - find what works for you day to day

At Mountain Valley Fitness and Health, they work hard to provide members with the highest quality of individualized fitness experience to maximize functional abilities and improve overall quality of life.

Head over to iTunes or Stitcher to leave us a review and tell us what you got out of today's show!

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!

Although an alarm clock beeping at you at 4:30am may not seem like the perfect way to greet the day, rising early has been proven for many as the most productive and routine way for your body to function. Winding down from electronics and life’s distractions might be hard for the usual night owl but this Mind Zoning® session will help you experience a deeper night’s rest, allowing you to rise early and set you up for a super productive, healthy day.

Take three deep breaths in and exhale deeply and begin to close your eyes, allowing your body to relax wherever you may be

Allowing your mind to slow down in thought

Take a break from analyzing, processing and planning

Let go for a few minutes

Take another deep breath in from the nose and let it out fully and completely

Release any tension from your neck and shoulders

Letting your belly be full and relaxed

Releasing the muscles in your hips and legs all the way to your ankles and toes

It’s that quickly from head to toe you can release, relax and let go

As you tap into the power of your mind

It’s a clear blue sky

Wide open and receptive to all thoughts and ideas you have

Any healthy lifestyle is possible with your mind

You are creating that right now

Appreciating it in this moment

To start a new pattern

This involves waking up

Rising out of bed

And starting your day’s journey

Early

Imagine through that process you’re able to first start by giving yourself permission to go to bed early

To make sleep your number one priority

Trusting how restoring it is

The repair your body will gain

How a good night’s sleep will set you up from a successful, productive day

That night around 8pm you begin to wind down

Wrap up the days tasks

Prepare your mind for sleep

At least one hour before bed, you turn off all electronics

As you climb into bed – think, write or reflect on all the things you’re grateful for

Creating the most beautiful intention to take you into your dreamland

Giving your mind permission to rest fully and deeply

Set aside any worry

Honor the beauty of sleep in this moment

Imagine you easily fall into a deep sleep

Because of this you can rise early

You know all the benefits of waking up early

You know the time that gives you all the space you need

To prepare your mind and soul

For a successful day

To set you up for productivity and peace and joy

You do that through rising early

Every day

Creating that beautiful rhythm in your body now

You’re creating a pattern that gets easier

This energy last throughout your day

Now you can prepare healthy meals when you get home

And then winding down

Preparing for a deep, restored sleep

Creating a longing to get to sleep early and to rise early

When you’re ready, come back to this place

Creating wonderful energy back in your body

And rise for the rest of your day

Ready to put your early rising to good use and get your healthy self back? Join our upcoming Keto Kickoff: Adapt to Burn Fat program launching 9/6/17.

To enroll for this 100% online program, click here, and use code: “Podcast20” at checkout to save 20% off your registration.

Subscribe to the Fitlandia Podcast today:

Have you heard about the numerous health benefits of fasting and might be considering giving it a try? Well then, you’re in for a treat today as Christa shares with us her very own reasoning and experiences during her first extended fast!

Disclaimer: *** DO NOT ATTEMPT A FAST WITHOUT THE SUPERVISION OF YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER. *** Important: this should not be used as a tool for quick weight loss but instead to become quickly keto-adapted or for ultimate vitality.

While already practicing intermittent fasting, a daily eating pattern that cycles between a fasting and eating window, Christa typically eats her last meal around 6 or 7pm and fasts until the following day between 11AM – 12PM. After reaping the benefits from this, she decided to try an extended fast of 72 hours.

What are the Benefits of Intermittent Fasting?

• Increased energy and fat burning ability – this is especially true while practicing a ketogenic diet, allowing you to get you into ketosis quicker and convert fat as an energy source instead of from stored sugar.
• Insulin sensitivity increases for people who are suffering with insulin resistance.
• Boosts the human growth hormone – facilitates in muscle growth.
• Cellular repair – helps to boost immune function extending longevity.

Along with these benefits, Christa experiences a heightened awareness of eating habits and dependencies, a boost in energy and extremely important for her, a deeper, more rested night’s sleep.

Breakdown of Christa’s Extended 72 Hour Fast

Day 1 – While continuing her intermittent fasting pattern, Christa says she didn’t notice missing lunch her first day but did feel a true hunger around dinner time. With the help of Mind Zoning®, (a process of listening to a guided meditation or repeating a positive mantra to oneself), she was able to break through periods of increased hunger.

She explains sleeping deeper than usual, a common benefit, giving your body a much-needed break from being in a constant digestive state.

Day 2 – Getting a break from having to prep meals? “What a nice surprise,” Christa exclaims. Although this may be true, it’s important to maintain hydration and boost electrolytes throughout fasting so packing teas and filtered water for a busy day is crucial.

Recipe for Christa’s electrolyte blend:

• 1 litter filtered water
• 1/2 teaspoon “real salt”
• 5-10 Stevia drops
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar
• 1 drop of citrus bliss essential oil
• Dash cayenne pepper

Day 3 –  Christa explains feeling like she was on “autopilot.”

After successfully completing 69 hours, Christa and her husband listened to their body’s innate wisdom and broke their fast early. This extended fast helped Christa further her intuition of her body’s needs aside from her normal eating habits.

She explains it as, “An amazing ability to trust my body and to learn what it needs while allowing myself permission to listen and end the fast early.”

With hunger decreasing after time during a fast, the thought patterns and actions you have surrounded by food are heightened. With increased awareness and harnessing the power of your mind, you now can create new patterns without linking food with daily stresses or boredom, reach your fitness goals and end the cycle of yo-yo dieting.

If you’re ready to start working towards your goals, no matter what your beginning stage looks like, Christa offers three different stages of programs online to best suite your needs. It’s important not to go from one extreme to another and to be in the right head space to take on any intermittent or extended fast and we’re here to help!

Which Program is Best for You?

• The No Diet Detox consists of exactly what we like, no specific diet that suddenly tells you to eliminate everything you normally eat for 30 days. You simply take pictures of everything you consume to increase awareness.
• 30 days to Thriving – Ready to end the reliance of sugar, refined carbs or alcohol? With a community of others battling the same fight, you can now work to find the perfect balance for your specific body and end food dependencies.
• Ketogenic Kick-Off: Adapt to Burn Fat – A guided program which focuses on using fuel from fat instead sugars by eating a high fat, low carb diet.

If you’re interested in The Keto Kick-Off make sure to take advantage of this exclusive offer as we partner with Dr. Jerome Craig for our 3rd keto program launching September 6^th! While vacations are over and maybe the cravings have crept back in, this is the perfect time to get back on track.

To enroll for this 100% online program, click here, and use code: “Podcast20” at checkout!

Subscribe to the Fitlandia Podcast today:

Today we welcome Maigen Thomas, a personal and professional development consultant, to teach us about strategic vitality and how to create holistic fitness in every area of your life!

Maigen helps people “be and do better.” With a strategy-based approach, Maigen helps her clients:

1. organize thought patterns
2. get clear on goals
3. use only positive words
4. discover core values
5. create plan of actionable steps to receive results

“There’s a difference between being good at what you do and being good at business,” she says. Maigen found herself in a position of transition when she expanded a wedding information business and blog to a business for the wedding vendors to use. This enabled the photographer or the cake baker to focus on their specialty and she handled the business end of things.

As a development consultant, Maigen helps her clients turn their professional life around by building the strategy to get to the next step in a career, or to entirely change a career, to do whatever it is they want to do. From idea to execution, Maigen is very hands-on with her clients as they make their transition to a happy holistic life.

Build the dream, identify the steps, and be held accountable

Christa and Maigen connected several months ago and quickly recognized their similar approach with working with their clients. Christa’s focus is fitness and Maigen’s is business, but their strategies are practically identical. Christa is on the same journey as Maigen with the goal of improving people’s lives not only through health and nutrition but also by focusing on what other areas are in need of a vitality boost.

Fitlandia’s core values incorporate:

• Healthy, nutritious food everyday
• Positive thoughts
• Movement
• Community

Maigen encourages her clients to find someone, a peer, a consultant, or what she calls a “tribe” to bounce ideas off of. These people, or group of people, help to hold you accountable during times of transition depending on what your goals look like in specific areas of your life. These “tribes” may vary based on need or purpose, for example, you may have a tribe for work and a different one for fitness.

Want change? Here are your first to-do’s

• Talk with someone – this doesn’t need to be a coach or a counselor, talk to anyone who makes you feel heard and honest.
• Say “I’m not happy and I’m ready for change”.
• Take in feedback (but with a filter) - recognize where other people are when they give you advice.
• Get real with your goals.
• Give yourself permission to continue down the road of happiness and growth – keep the commitment to yourself!
• Find the supportive people that help you feel connected, safe and completely heard.

Don’t forget to request to be part of the Fitlandia group on Facebook. It is a closed group but is free and everyone is welcome to join our “tribe” of supportive fitness friends!

If you’re looking to make a big career move, pursue your health journey or simply aren’t happy with how your life is currently going, Maigen encourages you “get radically clear” about what you’d like your life to look like, what you want to do and how you would like to interact with the world. If you’re here with us in Portland, she will be talking about this at an upcoming free NedSpace event, “Do What You Love with Maigen Thomas” at 12:00pm on August 22, 2017 at 707 SW Washington St, Suite 1100.

She’s also working on a workshop “What does it mean to do what you love, while doing what you do,” which encourages and guides people to get in touch with their core values and see the reflection those values have in what you do or want to do. These personal core values dictate our friendships, our decisions, our personal and business relationships and subconsciously make those career life decisions for us. Maigen finds it incredibly enlightening helping people get focused on their core values in order to define their ultimate goals.

For her, she describes her core values as being perseverant and determined, with a need to complete service to others. Maigen is happy by helping others reach happiness, protect their legacy and feel truly fulfilled.

Christa, on the same wave length, describes her core values as being a resilient guide for others, helping people tap into their subconscious minds to achieve more than their conscious minds ever imagined while continuously working towards her bigger purpose to help people along their fitness journey’s even when getting knocked down.

How do I determine my core values?

Maigen helps her clients determine the values that drive them and move them forward in life by looking at the setback moments you barely managed to get through, compared to the euphoric seasons where everything seemed to fit in to place. The beliefs or thoughts that carried through each of these times are engrained in you and will continue to move you forward.

If you’d like to learn more and gain more vitality in your own life stay tuned for Christa’s newest project, a book called “Strategic Vitality: The 11 Small Steps to Big Transformation” a collaboration of small things we can do, using strategic approach to help us take action and ownership with our health and wellness goals.

To be a part of the book launch’s first release, send Christa an  email with “BOOK LAUNCH” in the subject line. Also, make sure to stay in touch with Maigen through her website or shoot her an email for any support or to set up your free 20-minute consultation appointment!

Want to be a part of my book launch to provide feedback and get a FREE copy once it's ready? Email Christa at info@fitlandiafitness.com!

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Today we welcome DeShawn Fontleroy of Sports Mastery. Sports Mastery was created to bridge the communication gap of between the student athlete and their parents and coaches. He begins by mentoring athletes first on how to overcome fear and then by making the most of any obstacle or setbacks they may face. All while challenging their sacrifices and social conflicts to help them reach their goals.

DeShawn begins with many of his clients by first explaining the process of fear, followed by a list of everything that they find to be a fear in their own life. Common fears are rejection, criticism, ill health, poverty etc., which as DeShawn says, “Are all taught by our friends, family and environment.” He describes the only true fears we’re born with is the fear of heights and of loud noises. These are fears engrained in us, but not often found when looking at what cripples us on a daily basis.

The true definition of fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous and likely to cause pain or threat.

DeShawn says, “The opposite of confidence is doubt and fear.” Your desire to improve has to include overcoming that fear factor if you truly want to overcome the emotions that are holding you from acting towards your dreams.

Many of us have these fears when it comes to making lifestyle changes or even a taking a break from things like sugar, caffeine, alcohol and refined carbs. It’s easy to wonder if you’re even capable. Well, you are!

Christa’s corner stones to fitness:

• Daily Movement
• Eating healthy
• Positive mental thoughts with Mind Zoning® and meditation
• Community

Life comes with challenges and the brain likes to go back into old habits in these times in an act to keep you safe. If your setback is a place that returns you to community it will bring you back to a place of progression. Being a part of a community, with mentors or what DeShawn calls a “corner man,” that always demonstrates acceptance and inclusion, will make you feel welcomed no matter where you are in your journey. This support will fuel you forward.

Sports Mastery Champion’s Blueprint

• Legacy – This isn’t solely on what your goals look like, but how do you want to be remembered for the work you’ve put in? What are you doing every day which will reflect this?
• Vision – When you have goal, what does it look like when you get there and how is it going to feel? Visualizing this goal will help your brain to follow that specific emotion, making it far more achievable when you get to work.
• Mindset – What systems and strategies are you going to have in place for success and for setbacks? Success intoxication, as DeShawn describes, is when you fall back into an old mindset or set of habits when achieving a goal quickly. Keep moving forward!

The Power of Community

Both Fitlandia and Sports Mastery are deeply ingrained in the concept of community as a fundamental component to success, including the need to be deeply intimate with yourself. This intimacy includes all your accomplishments and your weaknesses. It’s important to know how to recover without feeling guilty when setbacks occur and to have that community of people in that time of need.

Recovering from setbacks quickly:

• Have a plan in place so when you do have a setback, you immediately know what you’re going to do to recover
• Have a couple people who keep you humble no matter how successful you are
• Have a few “cheerleaders” you can always turn to

DeShawn says, “It’s all about planning for success and knowing what you’re going to do when fear creeps in so you can get back to the road moving forward.”

Make sure to list out your fears, work towards your goals by accepting the wins and the setbacks and go to iTunes and rate Fitlandia and Sports Mastery both with five stars! And if you haven’t already, click to join the closed (but completely open to everyone) Facebook group to be welcomed into the community!

For more of Sports Mastery, check out DeShawn’s Podcast and make sure you download his PDF to learn basic definitions and workbook assignments that will help determine your fears and how you feel and deal when challenged or threatened with them. You no longer have to deal with the bear of fear, “You just have to do the work”!

Thank you again to Portland Community College’s Institute for Health Professionals Functional Nutritional Program for sponsoring today’s show! This wonderful program is one year and 100% online making it doable for the busy entrepreneur who wants to integrate more holistic nutrition into their practice or if you’re just starting out. This program can completely boost your healthcare career in nutrition, just like Christa did back in 2015. The course is taught by practitioners who are experts in their fields who teach a science based curriculum; and for a well-rounded perspective, also incorporates traditional wisdom such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. To learn more or to enroll for the next course starting September 25th, check out PCC’S functional nutrition program.

We’re just days away from our next round of 30 Days to Thriving.

Sign up TODAY for just $57 (88% off the normal price of $495). We start 8/1/17.

Never miss an episode. Sign up on iTunes & Stitcher today and leave us your honest review!

Welcome back to the Fitlandia Podcast! Today we have the pleasure of meeting with Thubten Comerford for another inspiring story of weight loss and transformation.

Thubten Comerford has come a long way from his elementary school days when his mother placed him on the Cambridge Weight Plan and he was constantly being reminded he was bigger than the other kids in his class. Growing up active but not athletic, Thubten always struggled with his weight. Upon entering college, he was in the early stages of substance abuse due to conflicting religious boundaries relating to his decision about coming out about his sexual identity. Thubten describes himself at that time as, “a “hot mess.” With no attention being paid to nutrition, he gained the "freshman 50” during his first year of college. He left school soon after and joined the National Guard and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After leaving the military, he went back to his parents’ house for a short time and then returned to school only to find himself living in a fraternity house, which escalated his negative drinking habits.

A few years after college Thubten became a practicing Buddhist Monk. While traveling and still struggling with his weight, he found himself reading Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo’s, Eat Right 4 Your Type and was quickly motivated for change. He soon dropped 50 pounds by eating right for his blood type and after starting a prescribed diet, dropped another 50!

Today, Thubten is 29 years clean and sober, describing it as a yo-yo rollercoaster journey that so many of us can relate to regarding dieting and self-mastery. He has lost another 40 pounds this year, on what he calls “the potato-based coffee diet” and is working to share his impactful story.

Books like, Presto! How I Made Over 100 Pounds Disappear and Other Magical Tales, by Penn Jillette, have inspired Thubten during his transformation journey. He’s learned it’s about finding what works for his body while being aware that things change depending on time and environment. Today he knows how to be mindful of his actions since they are often related to deep-rooted thought patterns and forgiving of himself when working past negative emotions or during a setback.

As an avid entrepreneur, Thubten was searching for his next career endeavor when he asked himself, “How do I do food as a business that is an expression of me?”

With his vast knowledge of business and marketing, culinary skills and understanding of video and YouTube, he recently started producing a cooking show, Thubten’s Kitchen, a 13-episode, multi-segment program that will launch soon on YouTube and be formatted for network television. His Facebook site is live, and has more information, but here’s what each episode offers:

• The first segment is a culinary training program where expert chefs come into Thubten’s Kitchen and teach him (as the student) to prepare their signature plant-based dish.
• The second segment is with a farmer in the field.
• During the third segment, Thubten meets with an artisan making a plant-based cured or fermented ingredient.
• The closing segment concludes with Thubten making a wonderful plant-based dish using all the ingredients from the episode.

The business allows you to pick and choose the cured or fermented ingredients, including Thubten’s own line of products. There’s also a monthly pop-up episode, available on Feastly Portland where Thubten shares his very own recipes and plant-based meal tips.

Stay tuned for the Thubten’s Kitchen website for his great information on weight loss, healthy eating and everything nutritionally plant and nutrition based.

Closing Tips:

• Start somewhere and do something – measure something small that you can feel positive about
• Eat the rainbow and increase your plant based meal options
• Stay connected with Thubten and his favorite canine companion through Instagram for videos, food as they continue to work on launching his show and website!

Feeling overwhelmed on how to break free from a sugar addiction, join our 7-day No Diet Detox challenge for FREE. It starts with awareness. Sign up today!

Huge shout out and thank you to today’s sponsor, Portland Community College and their holistic nutrition program. This 100% online program is 1 year and provides students with science-based principles while integrating in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda for a well-rounded perspective on nutrition to start your healthcare career in nutrition or to supplement into your current holistic program. Christa did this course back in 2015 which launched her into creating what Fitlandia is today! To learn more or enroll for the next course starting September 25th, check out PCC'S functional nutrition program.

This week Christa is joined by Daniel Thomas, CEO of Evolution Eat, to help you release the guilt of a sugar addiction. Daniel is also partner and cofounder of Rich 20 Something, an education platform for millennials and entrepreneurs. Daniel teaches a counter-intuitive strategy to weight loss, dieting and lifestyle transformation that’s all about mindset, habits and skill development. Where self-development meets diet and wellness, Daniel helps individuals all over the world connect with their truest selves to begin a life of control over their bodies, minds and spirits; releasing all guilt from the past.

Daniel didn’t always associate with such positive principles or self-discovery. He describes growing up as a difficult time of being overweight, allergic and inflamed, feeling as if he had no control over his overall health.  With a loving mother who saturated him with love and food, he was quickly tied into an unhealthy relationship with food. Being an only child, Daniel often felt bored and lonely and found a reward loop with food that made him feel loved and entertained but lead to a reliance on food for fulfillment and to displace boredom.

This pattern continued for years after attending the best private high school in New York City, Georgetown University for undergrad, and almost stepping into Law School, as Daniel felt immense pressures to perform. He continued to gravitate towards things like caffeine, sugar and illegal uppers as a dynamic to feel better instead of looking for a solution from the inside.

When discovering the Paleo Diet, (before it was a hip thing), Daniel found it was the first time he had sunk into an “embodiment of control” over his emotions, cravings and old habits. He says that Evolution Eat was created almost by accident when the community surrounding him were so curious about his new discovery that as Daniel taught himself he built his practice by coaching others simultaneously.

Daniel says, “The second you can be honest about who you are, we can actually connect and help each other.”

He dives deep with his clients, as he states on his Website’s About Me, “The process of mastering a skill, diet, mindset, or lifestyle requires relentless effort, deep focus, and enthusiastic concentration. You must go deep to get something out of it.”

This is married with one of his core values of transparency as that it sets the stage to promote change. Being aware and externalizing your fears, guilt, shame or setbacks allows you to objectively look at it and release it from defining you any longer. Many of us live in fictional worlds and are never able to make a change or impact because we’re constantly maneuvering around what others think.

As we’ve discussed in other podcasts, everyone is so different and learning what your triggers are and the emotions that follow them, will continue to vary.

Daniel’s tips on how to bounce back from cravings:

• Be aware and understand your dependencies - it’s incredibly important to be aware of the foods you consume as they may bring you down through addiction or bring you up through health.
• Approach new ways of lifestyle with a new perspective - instead of focusing on the things you must eliminate, embrace the mindset of eating more of the good stuff! When your blood sugar dips, you need to fulfil up with protein and healthy fats, and LOTS of it.
• Treat the journey as a long process and a skill that you can develop. When you make a mistake don’t carry it with guilt but invest in that mistake, it takes time!
• Get out of your fixed mindset - no one is going to be perfect all the time and that’s okay.
• Become curious about what’s happening in your environment when you’re craving sugar.
• Educate! Immerse yourself in self-development of your awareness, mindset, external demands and habits.
• Plan by prioritizing yourself - be proactive while planning food out and stick to it.
• Implement a keystone habit - this is something that is good for yourself that you commit to every morning that brings you closer to connecting with the world from the inside out.
• Meditation - trust that you’re all you’ll ever need to make yourself completely well!

“Living healthily is a skill you can train, it’s not a race to some desired outcome.” Daniel states.

There’s a solution to every single problem and we can change our lives at any second through Mind Zoning® and meditation, connecting with community, healthy eating and daily movement. Daniel does this every day by running down to the beach by his house at 4:45am, meditating for 20 minutes and then jumping in the freezing water. This daily practice sets him up for success, whatever his day may look like. His healthy routine is on his own terms which ensures he’s following his intentions and goals.

To connect with Daniel, make sure you check out EvolutionEat for mini courses, newsletters and blogs, or connect individually by emailing him at daniel@evolutioneat.com.

And, don’t forget to head over to the Fitlandia Podcast  on iTunes and subscribe, rate and review us! Make sure to put in your keystone habit about how you’re starting your day off right. We can’t wait to read them!

Feeling overwhelmed on how to break free from a sugar addiction, join our 7-day No Diet Detox challenge for FREE. It starts with awareness. Sign up today!

Huge shout out and thank you to today’s sponsor, Portland Community College and their holistic nutrition program. This 100% online program is 1 year and provides students with science-based principles while integrating in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda for a well-rounded perspective on nutrition to start your healthcare career in nutrition or to supplement into your current holistic program. Christa did this course back in 2015 which launched her into creating what Fitlandia is today! To learn more or enroll for the next course starting September 25th, check out PCC'S functional nutrition program.

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

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

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

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

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

What has grief got to do with change?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s what JP had to say:

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

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

The Power of Meditation

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

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

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

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

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

End the Shaming Cycle

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

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

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

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

Self-Sabotage and Unresolved Wounds

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

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

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

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

Connect with all of JP’s awesomeness here:

Awaken with JP website

Awaken with JP YouTube channel

Buy the book: How to Be Ultra Spiritual with JP

Follow on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

Gratitude for today’s sponsor!

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

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

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

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

A Little Background on the Subject

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

• Hormones
• Neuro transmitters
• Nutrition
• Lifestyle

Looking at genetics:

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

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

Nutrigenetics – the genes effect on the environment

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

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

Genetic Testing

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

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

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

To change metabolism:

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

How does the genetic test work?  Get specific information here

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

Exercise Considerations

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

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

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

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

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

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

Taste Bud Genes (Phenylthiourea-Phenylthiocarbamide “PTC”)

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

Tasters

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

Non-Tasters

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

Food Addiction

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

Access to Genetic Testing

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

Cost

Less than $500 for the entire package

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

$100 for Skype consultation

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

Final Tips

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

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

Which Food Plan Works Best?

Eliminate the “standard American diet” foods such as:

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

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

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

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

Supplementation

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

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

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

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

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

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

Summertime Traps

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

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

Staying on  Healthy Track

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

Let’s Begin

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

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

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

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

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

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

Maybe your Super Hero would have you:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Truth About Moderation

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

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

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

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

Fitlandia’s No Fools’ Detox

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

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

Stop Saying the “F” Word: “I’m Fine.”

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

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

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

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

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

Occasional

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

Rare

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

Never

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

Final Tip

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

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

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

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

Mehul’s Philosophies

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

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

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

Traditional physical therapies techniques might include:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Mark of a Good Trainer

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

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

Basic Tips for Engaging Your Brain While Strength Training

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

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

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

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

FINAL TIPS

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

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

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

Jeneen Haven – Another Inspiring Story of Transformation

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

Jeneen’s Transformation Journey

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

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

Jeneen’s Beliefs Around Food

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

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

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

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

“How can I put my kids in daycare?”

“How can I not bake for my kids?”

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

“How can I be so selfish?”

Using Weight as a Protective Shield

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

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

Lasting Changes

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

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

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

Not Feeling Deprived

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

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

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

Emotions Drive Specific Cravings

Angry = crave spicy

Stressed = crave salty

Sad = crave sweets

Happy = crave sweets

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

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

Jeneen’s Take-away Tips

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

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

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

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

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

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

Examples in Everyday Life

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

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

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

Kelli’s Book Recommendations

Molecules of Emotion by Candace Pert, PhD.

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

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

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

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

Kelli says this book encourages:

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

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

Kelli’s Healthy Body, Healthy Mind Tips

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

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

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

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

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

Mind Zoning® to Feel Light

Connect to your space within

Maybe a heart space

Your solar plexus

Wherever your space is

Wherever it harbors the space of who you are

Take in fresh relaxing breaths

Let them flow out

Smooth rhythm of your breath

Recognize the rise and fall of your stomach

As your breath moves in and out

Let your awareness expand further than your breath

Feeling of whole breathing

As your entire being were taking that breath in

Exhaling

Every cell collect and inhale

Collectively exhale

Not confining our breath to our airway system

Expand to the whole body

Allow yourself to be breathed

You’re no longer being the source of that breath

Source coming from a place you might not understand

Source that is unlimited

Unlimited in breath

Unlimited in light

Unlimited in love

Message from that source

That you are meant to enjoy your life

Meant to move beyond struggle

Meant to experience love and laughter

Meant to experience health and success, prosperity and abundance

That’s what we are created for

Doesn’t mean we won’t have challenges

Or negative emotions

There is a truth about us

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

Always becoming more expanded than we already are

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

We talked about endorphins

They’re funny looking creatures

These are all over your body

There is a supercenter

Beta endorphins

At the base of your neck

You have the capacity to create and send out these endorphins

Like super endorphins

Letting you feel really really good

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

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

Foundation is the same

As in what feels really good

Feeling light

Light hearted

Acompasses feeling hopeful, joyful, feeling love, feeling competent

Let yourself recreate that experience

As you create

Know your mind doesn’t differentiate between imagine and real

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

When they’re released something amazing happens

Healing is activated

We’re able to have a different outlook on life

Allowing ourselves to move from negative emotions to feeling good

You can move into this state at any time

When you make the choice to do so

Remember the last time you laughed totally inappropriately

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

So joyfully, so freely you laughed

It resonates through your whole body and sends a vibration

As you remember this time

Access those feelings that you’re recreating

This is an inside – outside practice

This feels good

And when you give yourself permission

Where you simply feel light

And when you feel complete

Open your eyes

And feel wonderful

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