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

Why Food Journal?

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

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

Tips for Easy Journaling

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

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

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

Fitlandia Upcoming Events

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

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

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

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

The most common problems are:

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

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

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

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

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

Food Journaling

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

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

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

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

April works with people who want to:

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

Proper Fueling for Exercise

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

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

What is a healthy carb?

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

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

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

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

Standing Up for Carbs

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

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

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

 When and What to Eat for Pre and Post Workout

1. Morning Workout

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

2. Mid-day

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

3. Evening

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

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

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

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

April’s Pro Tips

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

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

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

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

Background

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steps to Transform with Tapping

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

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

 The Tapping Points

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

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

Side of the eye (on bone)

Under eye (follow bone underneath eye)

Underneath nose

Underneath lip (at crease between lip and chin)

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

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

Top of the head

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

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

Continue to give a voice to the craving.

Eyebrow – This craving for this wine.

Side of the eye – This craving in my chest.

Underneath the eye – This intense desire for wine.

Nose – I really want it right now.

Chin – I’m craving this wine.

Collar bone – My whole body wants this wine.

Underneath the arm – This intense craving is so strong.

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

Repeat and affirm reasoning

Side of hand – It’s been a long day.

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

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

Nose – With or without the wine.

Chin – I give myself permission to relax.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Childhood Patterns That Shape Our Adulthood Behaviors

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

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

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

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

Carbs, Sugar, and Alcohol

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

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

Tapping Into Childhood

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

Techniques How to Identify and Shift These Patterns

Anya focuses on:

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

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

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

Now it’s your turn (guided hypnotherapy)

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

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

Tune out visual stimulus and wiggle into a comfortable position

Feel the solid support beneath you

Begin to get in touch with your breath

Paying attention to your breath and the words

Notice any tight spots you’re holding tension

Feel the deep breaths in the bottom of your lungs

Feel the power of your muscles as you consciously inhale

On the exhale surrender into gravity

Trust the solid support beneath you

Keep deepening your breath

Tune into yourself

You’re the most interesting entity in this moment

Tune attention inward so you can fully benefit from your focus

Accept your focus

Let that be a possibility

Have unconditional acceptance and focus

You deserve it

You can take up space

Begin to move attention

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

You’re at the top of the staircase moving down

You see a big beautiful tree

So big it has a doorway

Walk around the tree

Walk up to the door

Behind the door is your childhood

A place where you were safe and felt good

Put your hands in the doorway and step through

Step into a place where you were much younger and smaller

Go into that place

How do you feel?

Notice the quality of the air

Notice who’s there

Where you are

That you’re okay

That you’re still in your imagination

Notice that this childhood mind is still in you

Notice what does this child want

Do you want to play?

Explore?

A hug?

Look at your childhood self and ask a question

“What do you want the most right now?”

“What are feeling right now?”

“What do you need?”

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

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

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

Want More? Click below and subscribe to the Fitlandia Podcast today and have a healthy commute everyday!

Background

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

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

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

Get healthy on purpose and lose weight on accident

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Known inflammatory foods  

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

This includes:

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

 Anti-inflammatory foods to enjoy

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

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

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

What to expect when transitioning to an anti- inflammatory diet

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

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

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

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

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

REGISTER TODAY! 

(THANKS FOR LISTENING! Save 20% and enter EPISODE30 at checkout)

Want More? Subscribe to the Fitlandia Podcast today and have a healthy commute everyday!

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

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

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

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

So, what is gluten?

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

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

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

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

They Don't Make 'Em Like they Used To

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

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

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

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

Tips on Reintroducing Foods Back Into Your Diet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How do glutens affect autoimmune disease?

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

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

As you start reintroducing foods look for:

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

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

Here are some helpful tips:

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

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

REGISTER TODAY! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jen’s Story

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

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

How and Why EFT Tapping Works

What happens with stress?

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

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

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

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

How Did Modern-day Tapping Start?

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

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

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

The Meridian Points – Where to Tap 

Karate chop - side of hand

Eyes - between the eyebrows

Side of the eye

Below the eye

Below the nose

Chin between your lip and chin

Below your collarbone(s)

Under the arm (lady’s bra strap)

Crown – top of head

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

The Mantra Statement

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

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

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

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

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

Christa’s mantra statement would be something like:

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

Let’s Put it All Together 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tips:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ready to milk your own nuts?

Here are the ingredients needed for basic nut milk:

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

The Basics of How to Milk Your Own Nuts

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

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

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

Lizz’s Pro Tips

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

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

And we’re done!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Motivated by Health Concerns 

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

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

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

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

Now About Those Veggies

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

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

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

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

Practical Tips

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

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

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

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

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

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

The basic foundation of a great salad includes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Final Tips:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Listen today and get all of her tips!

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

Just email us at info@fitlandiafitness.com.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The 5 categories of nourishment:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Deep-Rooted Pain Blocking Weight Loss Efforts

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

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

"Traumas can get stuck in our mind."

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

Using Your Dominant Hand to Find Answer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Apogeo Fitness

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

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

Enter Apogeo Fitness...

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

Gym Memberships

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

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

Personal Trainers

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

Diet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Walk by the Lake 

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

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

Training the Brain

"I enjoy fruits and vegetables"

"Look forward to walking"

"I choose things that are good for my body"

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

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

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

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

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

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

Christa teams up with with a Kelli von Heydekampf for a special Interview/Mind Zoning® combo which will give you the courage to tackle change head-on. In addition to being one of Fitlandia’s practitioners, Kelli is a certified hypnotherapist running West Metro Hypnosis in Minneapolis.

The Courage to Change

Making a lifestyle change is similar to going through the stages of grief, people are faced with uncertainty, worry, and judgement. Generally, it’s easier to simply stay the course, so change isn’t something that people tend to embrace or run towards. While Fitlandia focuses on health, “the courage to change” isn’t restricted to diet, it can be applied to your professional life, your personal life, breaking out of addiction, literally anything that needs to happen.

Often we have an inner conflict with ourselves regarding change. We recognize that we want to be better, but question whether we’re “enough” in our current form. Strong enough. Healthy enough. Ready enough. We are not looking at the word ‘better’ from a comparative sense: it’s not about competition, but evolution. It’s about discovering what our true essence really is.

As humans we have a perpetual desire to see what we can evolve into, and for many people that starts with our physical representation. Letting that focus be on health instead allows us to properly evolve into a sustainable, long-term lifestyle.

Who wants to Play?

Whenever we look at change or self-improvement we tend to view it as work. We see it as one more thing that we have to do. Meal Plan. Workout. Journal. It just seems to add on to our already busy lives. About a year ago Kelli joined an improv group, and they always begin by asking the group “who wants to play?” That surprised her. She hadn’t been asked that in decades, and it became a revelatory phrase for her. Now she approaches wellness in the same way, with a sense of play, curiosity, and wonderment. It doesn't have to be work.

“Pay attention to when your beliefs become your excuses. Your negative thoughts are protecting you.” - Kelli von Heydekampf

Your negative thoughts are protecting you. That aspect of your brain is there for a reason, but sometimes the behaviors that it chooses are not beneficial. You simply need to update those thoughts into ones that will benefit you.

Our thoughts manifest our realities, so would any of us consciously choose negativity? The brilliance is we get to choose. It may not always be easy, but we get to choose. What allows us to be successful is small successes continually built over time. Look at what you’re already doing well and want to maintain, and build on that every day. Even if it’s just drinking one more glass of water than the day before, it all adds up.

“Long-lasting change in an inside/outside job.” - Kelli von Heydekampf

With all that in mind Kelli leads a Mind Zoning® to help us find the courage to change. That’s what this gratitude Mind Zoning® is all about, tapping into the power of the mind and giving you that determination, gratitude, and thankfulness to help you reach your wellness goals. As with our other episodes, this Mind Zoning® is broken down into four key parts:

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

You don’t have to be “good” at meditation, this is simply a relaxing method to help you along your fitness journey and aid you with making a healthy lifestyle change. Just let your mind follow the voice and allow yourself to take this step in your fitness journey.

Learn about our free 2-week trial membership at www.fitlandiafitness.com

Think you don't have time to workout? Think again! Megan Benedict and Loren Castillo, two of Fitlandia’s partners and the creators of Fit Kitchen Direct join Christa for a breakdown of the HIIT workout.

HIIT

HIIT stands for “High Intensity Interval Training” and is a workout style that’s gained massive popularity in the past few years, and for good reason. Christa, Megan, and Loren are all entrepreneurs which means (among other things) they lead hyper-busy, always-on lives. Unfortunately that also means that simple things like cooking and exercise can fall by the wayside, but HIIT serves as a solution to that problem.

HIIT is a workout you can do at the gym, at the park, or even from your home. HIIT entails the exerciser doing one sort of movement at the highest intensity they possibly can followed by a short period of rest. According to Megan, who is also a personal trainer, “you should be doing it to the point where you cannot talk.”

Megan says that for beginners it’s okay to start out at 30 seconds of high interval training with a minute of rest. Doing that for a max of ten minutes is enough to constitute a rigorous exercise that will keep your blood pumping. In addition to it’s time-saving nature, the great thing about HIIT is that each exercise is extremely customizeable to the individual which means you can build up your timing as you get better. The  7 Minute Workout is an app that’s gained popularity over the past several years though there are plenty of other HIIT-specific apps in every phone’s app store.

Specific Exercises

Mountain Climber

Burpee

High knees

Kettlebell Swings

Jog Sprints

Air Squats

Push-ups

Whatever You Start, Finish it.

Megan’s biggest tip is to make time for exercise and don’t overthink it. The great part about HIIT workouts is that you can do them anytime, anywhere, and without equipment. There’s a wealth of different workouts, apps, and knowledge available online, the only thing stopping you is you. Starting out slow, doing research, and knowing what you’re doing is key. Soon you’ll find movements you like that you can integrate into your routine and you’ll be crafting your own HIIT before you know it.

Special Offer

Megan and Loren also come bearing gifts in the form of a free Fit Kitchen Direct meal on them. Using the code FITLANDIA will get you one free meal out of FKD’s 5, 10, or 12 packs. Check out their delicious meals here and #EatCleanIn2017

Need the perfect complement to your workouts? Get a free, 2-week membership at Fitlandia today.

In the 17th episode of the Fitlandia Podcast Christa is joined by Allison Nichols for a discussion on gut health and how it can impact your wellness.

Healing yourself from the inside out

Allison is a holistic nutrition counselor who works with people to improve their gut health and help them break free of the diet cycle, “healing yourself from the inside out” as she puts it. After graduating from college Allison existed on a diet of Kashi cereal, yogurt, and fruit in an attempt to be as thin as possible. Meanwhile she was struggling with horrible digestion problems to the point where her gut began to control her life. She started to notice that no one else was acting like her. Nobody else was in constant pain, or feverishly keeping track of restrooms for future reference. Allison realized what she was doing for weight loss was actually negatively affecting her body. She realized that there’s more to health than weight, and there’s a connection between what you eat and how you feel.

After discovering Mark’s Daily Apple and she began experimenting with a more primal diet, avoiding grains, legumes, and dairy. She didn’t lose any weight, but she noticed that she was feeling better day by day, and eventually most of her digestive issues faded.

“Realizing that I could eat whole foods and foods with fat in them and not gain weight was a life-changing experience.” - Allison Nichols

No One Size Fits All

No one way of eating works for everyone. Respecting the biochemical individuality of each person is something that’s impossible to fine-tune from a company’s broad dietary plan. That’s why people get frustrated because they try one or two diets and they don’t line up with their bodies or their lifestyles. Fitness is a journey of coming to understand your own body and finding a dietary style that works for you.

Through this realization, Allison realized the importance of food journaling, and removing the attachments that she had with food. Recognizing the consequences that different types of foods have is important, and coming to that understanding is a vital step in the fitness journey.

Once she sorted her own digestive and dietary problems out, Allison wanted to help other people break free from dieting. She set out to help others build a healthy relationship with food and start that process from the mind rather than with the body. It’s an uphill battle because in today’s culture of digital entertainment and on-demand gratification, people want instant gratification and instant results.

Fitness is a Journey, Not a Destination

Together, Allison and Christa outline a few tips for long-term success:

1. Everyone is different, finding out what’s right for you is a learning experience.
2. New Patterns. Bacteria in your gut causes cravings, you can reprogram your mind to crave alternatives like exercise.
3. Be a Mindful Eater. Food is comforting, and you can feel better when you eat certain foods. If you’re eating from a conscious place, then it’s okay.

Allison also helps Fitlandians by providing one of the many questions that she asks her clients. Before indulging in a rich dessert, or even eating in the first place, ask yourself “am I physically hungry, or do I just want to eat?” Being able to determine actual hunger and emotional hunger is huge. Sugar, processed foods, and poor diets can muffle our feelings and skew our perceptions of what fullness and hunger feel like. If you are physically hungry, opting for a healthier option is more fulfilling, but the hard part is making those options accessible. If pre-prepared, pre-packaged, processed foods are already there, it’s easy to default to those.

 “There’s no such thing as mistakes, only learning experiences.” - Allison Nichols

 The two wrap the episode up with a few helpful tips to improve gut health:

1. Slow down your eating experience
2. Hydrate, but don’t drink water with meals
3. Keep a food journal to learn about yourself 

Explore more on our site at fitlandiafitness.com and get your free 2-week trial to unlock all members benefits today!

On this very special episode of the Fitlandia podcast, Christa pulls inspiration from real-life as she recounts her tale of a recent speeding ticket and how it impacted her life.

Slow Down

During a trip from Portland to Bend, Oregon Christa was stopped on the highway for going about 20 miles over the speed limit. During the seemingly eternal period while the officer was running her plates, Christa was shaking, her heart was racing, and she was worried about what would happen next. She then took a moment to pause and reflect on what had just happened and she owned it. It was her responsibility, and there was nobody to blame but herself. It then occurred to her that she had an opportunity to check her own perspective, so she took it as a message from the universe to slow down.

After handing Christa the ticket (and giving her a hundred dollar break) the policeman told her “I hope your day gets better” in an apologetic tone. What Christa wanted to say (but didn’t realize until after the exchange) was that her day was awesome. She was alive, the policeman showed her kindness and generosity, and she ended up with a great message from the universe to slow down.

Trying To Find A Balance

So how does that relate to fitness? This experience served as a reminder to Christa that we have choices. Sometimes things happen to us that are out of our control, the only thing that we truly have control over is our reaction to those events. Fitness is no different.

“Life is an experience, but we can choose what our perspective of it is.”

You can look at your body and default to a doom and gloom mindset of ‘this will never get better,’ or you can look at yourself with compassion and mercy. Having the perspective to realize there’s imbalance is an invaluable tool. Sometimes it’s an imbalance of driving too fast and working too hard. Sometimes it’s an imbalance of food and exercise. Sometimes it takes a speeding ticket to grant you that perspective, but the important thing is to recognize it and ask “what can I change to get back into balance?”

Find a way to turn negative experiences into something positive, don’t let them hold you back, let them strengthen you. Learning experiences like these can completely shift how you live your life. If you’ve ever found yourself unhappy with your body or your life, you’re already on the first step towards this shift, and what you do with that new perspective moving forward is the real question. 

Explore more on our site at fitlandiafitness.com. Start your free 2-week trial and get unlimited access to all member benefits today.

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

The Transtheoretical Model of Change

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You don’t have to be “good” at meditation, this is simply a relaxing method to help you along your fitness journey and aid you with making a healthy lifestyle change. Just let your mind follow the voice and allow yourself to take this step in your fitness journey.

New Year’s Savings

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

This episode of the Fitlandia Podcast Christa talks to Caren Marre who has been a part of Fitlandia since before the platform’s official launch. Caren has long been conscious of health and fitness, but (like so many of us) life got in the way and her self-care ended up taking a backseat. After a long period of feeling sluggish following a series of surgeries she started gaining weight and ended up in a spot ready for change. She was ready for a new start and eager to get her first step going. At that time Christa came to Caren with Fitlandia and offered the guidance, structure, and healthy path she needed.

Mindfulness

When first starting out the single word that helped Caren was “mindfulness,” keeping track of what foods went in, and how your body felt after that. When Caren started out, it was a simple two-second filter to ask herself if she should eat something, and now it’s become a habit and she barely has to think. Just by paying attention she started to notice things and was able to successfully get healthier. It’s truly a lifestyle change.

One of her biggest hurdles, in the beginning, were the physical cravings. We so often default to “oh, I’m hungry, I want something” but to remind yourself “I’m trying something new” during that introductory phase is definitely a block. She used self-talk “remember, you’re doing this for yourself, Caren” to keep herself on track and leave her previous bad habits behind.

Mind Zonings®

Caren goes on to explain how influential Fitlandia’s Mind Zoning® Recording were in her journey, and how she couldn’t wait to get to bed just so she could set her daily worries aside and take a moment of relaxation and reflexion. Taking time for yourself is huge, and it seems hard, but they allow you to be more efficient, more effective, and more energetic. You’ll use your time better when you have the time to eat better, relax, and move more.

Something Caren did when she was starting out was to integrate her new changes into parts of her life that she was doing already. She went to bed half an hour earlier just to listen to Mind Zonings® and have that time of reflection. What she found was that when she started to self-assess her life and think ‘where could I possibly fit this in?’ she found that she was collectively wasting a good amount of time throughout the day. Whether it was zoning out watching TV or absent-mindedly scrolling through Facebook, she realized that she was able to trim out that excess and find the time.

Priorities

As  “Queen Bullet point Listmaker” Caren has an ongoing list of things that constantly need to be prioritized, and now that she’s incorporated these healthier tasks into her life it’s much easier to get everything done and lead a healthier lifestyle. Everything gets easier as you build that skill of paying attention to the priorities in your life.

“What resources do I have within myself that I don't even acknowledge?” - Caren Marre

Caren ends the episode by sharing her mantra “I have everything to look forward to.” The best is yet to come, and harnessing your energy, health, and spirit to take the fullest advantage of each day is the ultimate motivator.

On the lucky 13th episode of the FItlandia Podcast Christa is joined by Carrie Billings of carriebillings.com for a discussion on goal setting. Carrie is one of the expert practitioners on Fitlandia’s site as a behavioral health counselor and a certified health and wellness coach.

Goal Setting

While some resent the idea of New Year’s Resolution quick fixes, there is simultaneously something beautiful about the collective intention to better ourselves. Goal setting is important because it’s having a plan. If a resolution is broad (eat healthy, lose weight) it is possible to get there, but planning it out in little steps is a necessity.

“Our goals can only be reached through the vehicle of a plan” - Pablo Picasso 

When setting goals, it’s important to think about what you will do as opposed to what you won’t do. A goal like “I’m going to stop drinking soda” or “I’m not going to eat sugar” are very hard to measure, but even harder to stick to. Instead, Carrie recommends positive goals replacing “I’ll quit soda” with “I’ll drink a glass of water instead.” Don’t come into your new healthy lifestyle viewing it as deprivation, because that isn’t sustainable.

How Do I Make This Happen For Myself?

It’s easy to set goals when you’re excited, but if they’re vague and without planning, it can “fail” and lead someone directly back into their old lifestyle. There’s good in resolutions because they help you get in touch with what you want deep down, but they if they lack a plan then you’ll end up fumbling around. Asking ‘how do I make this happen for myself?’ is important.

Components of Effective Goals

Carrie follows the SMART Goal framework which stands for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Timley

Once you’ve set a goal it’s important to take a look at it and evaluate it based on your confidence that you can achieve it. The next step is figuring out how to improve your confidence in those goals you’re not sure about, and making sure you’re gentle with yourself, not beating yourself up if you don’t do something perfectly. The great thing is that once you start eating healthier and moving more, you’ll be amazed at how more efficient you are at all of your other tasks, and then you’ll be able to handle everything with more confidence.

Another strategy Carrie recommends is to have multiple timelines. Have a goal for where you’d like to be three months from now, and then set smaller weekly goals that will all help you get there. Reevaluating every week, enjoying something different, and feeling progress every time until you reach that bigger goal is the key to keeping your forward momentum.

Trial and Correction

One final piece of advice is to stay away from viewing our efforts as failures if we don’t reach our goals. Often people view goals and resolutions as trial and error when it should be viewed as trial and correction. Looking back at your challenges, seeing what worked, and what didn’t allows you the chance to rewrite it into something different and make it work for you.

“It’s a learning experience every week.” - Carrie Billings

Carrie ends on a note of bite-sized goals. She says starting small (but stretch a little bit) is the single best way to approach your goals. You don’t have to jump straight to running a marathon, a walk around the block is a great goal. Additionally, writing your successes down, and keeping yourself accountable to at least one other person are great motivators for keeping yourself going.

On the 12th episode of the Fitlandia Podcast Christa sits down with Larry Dukes to discuss his story of fitness transformation. On discussing his tipping point, Larry talks about how he reached a peak weight of 315 pounds, but didn’t even realize how big he’d gotten. After a trip to Thailand last year the heat started to get to him, and he wasn’t able to do some of the same activities that other people were. In November of the same year he was visiting friends in upstate New York when they got caught in traffic following a Giants game. As they tried to push their way into the train someone yelled “better watch out for the fat guy!” He turned and said the only thing he could think of which was “you’d better be careful kid ‘cause the fat guy is hungry.”

That experience stuck with him, and eventually he got home and it really began to sink in. He wasn’t able to wear a lot of the clothes, he had trouble fitting in airline seats, and his own weight was keeping him from doing things he wanted to do. His family had a history of Type 2 diabetes, but when a doctor diagnosed him with gout he decided then and there that something had to change.

See Ya, Sugar!

By January 14th he started, and the biggest thing was cutting sugar. He was drinking 64 ounces of soda a day, and decided to flip that relationship and replace that with 64 ounces of water. He got a Fitbit and became obsessed with it. From there he got rid of cookies, brownies, and sweets and completely changed his relationship with food.

 “This is not a journey you can take with somebody else forcing you. It doesn’t matter who’s nagging you, if you haven’t bought into it nobody can get you in that frame of mind but yourself.” - Larry Dukes

Larry goes on to discuss his weight loss and how the initial wave of losing so much water weight was a great motivator. That slows down and plateaus, but he says instead of continuing to try to lose weight he focuses on maintaining that weight and lifestyle. There’s tons of great food out there that’s unhealthy, and he still enjoys them, but it’s now all about moderation. That’s key for him. It is about a healthy change, but “sometimes ya gotta eat Grandma’s cake.”

The important thing is being able to maintain your choices. There’s all sorts of pre-packaged food diets, but what happens when you have to go to a party, or a restaurant, or stop your subscription? Are you going to be able to do that? You have to make smart changes that you know you’ll keep. Food is still going to be a part of your life, so make sure it’s a change you can make.

Larry’s life has changed since that diagnosis, he’s lost 80 pounds, his resting heart rate and cholesterol are way down, his blood pressure is impeccable, and his gout is nearly gone. His doctor is “jumping up and down” with his changes. Larry is now feeling better with himself, feeling better physically, and feeling better emotionally. His story is a prime example of seeing a change that needs to be made and committing to it wholly. Change is possible, you just need to want it.

Ready to learn how you can make your own transformation? Visit www.fitlandiafitness.com today and start your free trial. Podcast listeners using the code PODCAST at checkout get 30-days FREE and 10% off for the life of their membership.

On this episode of the Fitlandia Podcast we’re looking forward to 2017 with this third installation in our series on New Year’s Resolutions. Joined by Rebecca Van Damm of Food Mood Coaching, this episode focuses specifically on getting yourself into a good mood for resolutions.

1. Eat breakfast
2. Drink water
3. Sleep
4. Nutrient-dense meals
5. Cooking at home more

Another thing to notice is how you’re consuming your food. After talking health tips Rebecca brings up the fact that being mindful and enjoying your food slowly is paramount. Additionally, noticing what else you're consuming while you eat is important. You’re putting your body into a receptive mode when you’re eating, and everything is being digested, experiences, conversations, media, etc. so when you’re putting your body into that mode, make sure it’s something that’s supportive and positive.

On Compassion

Whenever New Year’s comes around, there are also a lot of resolutions naysayers, people that say they never work, or complain about the influx of people at the gym. Harnessing that power of intention is a beautiful thing and only serves to build the greater fitness community. Embrace the fact that these people are trying to be as healthy as possible, be a part of their journey.

Episode 10 - What it means to be a Fitlandian?

What does it mean to be a Fitlandian?

1. We are Positive (we get better and better at catching our negative thoughts)
2. We are Resilient (whenever we find ourselves in a rut we come back to our resolve to be healthy)
3. We are Committed (committed for the long haul. For Life.)
4. We are Strong (we are strong mentally and physically)
5. We Inspire (openness to share our struggles and how we overcame)
6. We Motivate (we motivate others and ourselves)
7. We Connect (honest, open, vulnerable, connection)
8. We Give (we give up ourselves, we give our experiences, we give our support)
9. We Receive (we are open to ask for help and open take it in)
10. We Thrive (how does your body feel when it’s thriving? How is your mind operating when it’s thriving? We identify that state and fight relentlessly to get there)