FrIdAy!

March Application

Apply NOW for my March fitness group: https://joycefollows.wufoo.com/forms/zg637f21j339lo/

Silver Lining

 How To Find Your Silver Lining:

Let's say you are in a situation in which you consider bad luck, karma, waste of time, sucky, miserable... and the list goes on. How many of these things are in your life?!

How do you escape the shitty feeling that comes with those things? By finding the silver lining.

When you are in that moment, ask yourself:

1. How can I use this situation as a gateway to learning something about myself, and then change for the better?

2. How could this positively affect me?

3. How will this make me stronger and better?

4. How does this relate to my life purpose? 

Success is a function of your ability to be at peace with the following truth: Everything that happens to you is exactly what is supposed to happen to you.  

5. What can I learn from this?

 
6. What is the hidden treasure inside this person that maybe others don’t see? What makes this person special?

This SAVES me when I am stuck in situations with people I clash with, it really helps!
 
7. Where is the gift in this? 

You should be able to come up with an honest positive answer to these questions in any situation. If not, you are trying too hard to stay negative.

 REMEMBER: If you can’t think of anything nice to say, you’re not very creative.

Fight Self-Doubt

Self-doubt is one of the major obstacles to living the life you truly deserve. This unhealthy food for the soul drags down your spirit, crushes your ambitions, and prevents you from achieving all that you can. We all have those inner voices inside our heads that tell us we are not good enough, not strong enough and incapable of doing the things we dream of. Often, these feelings of weakness or incompetence stem from childhood and become ingrained in our very being. Over time, self-doubt can lead to problems with anxiety and depression, which in turn can lead to serious physical ailments like weight gain, high blood pressure, chronic fatigue and even increased mortality rates among those with heart disease. 

So let's beat this negativity so that you can enjoy a joyful, productive and fulfilling life.

Tips for Dealing With Self-Doubt 

1. Live in the Present

Most of the time, feelings of self-doubt are attached to memories of times in the past when you failed to achieve something or when somebody else told you that you were not good enough. Don't dwell on those moments. Try to ground yourself and think about the now. Just because you weren't able to accomplish something before doesn't mean you can't do it again. Every day is a new start and a new chance to go for what you really want.

2. Trust in Yourself 

Sometimes we can be our own worst enemies. If you tell yourself that you cannot do something, then you probably won't even try it in the first place. Have faith in yourself, tell yourself that you are just as capable as the next person of achieving your dreams, and stop listening to the voice inside that keeps saying "I can't."

3. Counteract the Negative 

At times it may seem as though the negative voices in your head are stronger than the positive voices. Try to be aware of this when it happens, and make a concerted effort to counteract these negative thoughts with positive energy. When you feel a negative thought coming on, simply remind yourself about the things you like about yourself, your strengths, and all of the things you have achieved in your life and are proud of. Try reciting empowering affirmations. 

4. Find the Source of Your Self-Doubt 

If you find yourself constantly telling yourself you are not good enough, you may want to find the root of the problem. Where did these feelings originate? Was there a specific event that has caused you to harbor such feelings? You can choose to do this on your own or with the help of a professional therapist. Once you identify and understand the source of the problem, you can begin to work toward eliminating those negative thought patterns. 

5. Spend Time With Others

Friends and family are an invaluable source of strength, reassurance and encouragement. In fact, studies suggest that people who have strong social support have fewer cardiovascular issues and lower levels of cortisol, otherwise known as the stress hormone, when compared to people with fewer friends. Even strangers can be surprisingly positive and helpful when it comes to self-doubt. Simply voicing your self-doubt to others can often put it in perspective and make you realize how illogical this negativity can be. In addition, other people can offer advice and support that will motivate you and give you a huge confidence boost.

The simple act of believing in yourself, trusting the process, and trusting that you will know what to do when the time comes can greatly relieve your self-doubt. Practice staying present in the moment and try not to regret the past or worry about the future. 

~ When you get scared or doubtful, just say, "I CAN HANDLE IT" out loud. I still do this at least 5 times a day. I promise it works! ~

Beach Body Coaching

Why do I love to coach?!

It's simple. Have you ever felt the joy of helping someone? It truely makes people happy to help others. Helping others has made me so much further than happy, that's its hard to describe in writing here on this page.

Imagine you put yourself out there, post your feelings in a blog, post motivational and work out pictures on a facebook like page, or talk about your life on your facebook. Then, you link it to twitter, instagram, and pinterest.... You have just hit MILLIONS of people.. viewing your inner feelings, thoughts, and opinions.

Then, imagine you don't get any feedback for months, but you keep trucking because you believe in yourself. Then, all of a sudden, the brave people message you and say:

"Hey, I've been following you since you started posting your story, motivation, and work outs, thank you so much for motivating me everyday"

"Hey, I haven't seen someone this positive in years, thank you so much for the refreshing page"

"You are motivating me to be healthy, and you don't even know it!"

"You are affecting people"

This feeling is amazing. Not only does it help me, it allows me to know I'm helping others!

THEN, when someone let's me be their coach, I get to personally be with them every step of the way of their success, struggles, and transformation. I can share all of my helpful tips and reasons for my failures to help them succeed. I get to be there for them as a friend and mentor... 

THIS is what life is about, I now know why people become teachers, coaches, therapists, counselors now. It's amazing.

Not only this, I get to share my success and my struggles with a whole new community of people who want to be postive and help others too. I'm talking THOUSANDS of people, just like me, who want to make a difference.

To me, this is like hitting gold!! You know how you're supposed to surround yourself with more successful, stronger, and more positive people if that's who you want to be?

~ JUST DO IT ~

Powerful Vocabulary

Sometimes it's ourselves who hold us back.

"I can't" implies you have no control over your life, whereas "I won't" puts a situation in your control.

Your subconscious believes only what it hears. If you tell it you're not in control, that is how it will continue to see the world.

For example, "I can't come to dinner because I have to prepare for a meeting tonight" implies that you are weak and you have no control over your life to your subconscious. And this is not a true statement.

"I can come to dinner, but I am choosing to do something that has a higher priority at the moment" is the truth. So tell your friend, "I'd love to, but I have a meeting tonight and I will feel better about if I prepare for it, but have fun and please invite me again".

"I should" is the same thing, "I could, but I chose not to" is more powerful.

"It's not my fault" makes your mind feel helpless.

SOOOOOO stop saying those things!! Make a change :)

Pain to Power

Pain to Power

If  you think about that statement, it's very powerful itself. How do you go from comfortable to outside of your comfort zone? How do you get out of a rut and get in control? How do you go from pain, depression, and being to victim to powerful, happy, and successful?

Rememebr this book?

Yes, I'm still posting lessons from it, don't worry.

In the book, she talks about a Pain to Power chart, I'm going to summarize:

The kind of power she is talking about is not the negative kind of power, not the egotistical man, the buff gym guy, the abusive spouse, the president, or Hitler. Actually these men (or women) have no feeling of power, that's why they feel the need to control those around them. Their lack of power leaves them in a constant state of fear.

The power she is talking about is about healthy self-love power. The power within the self. This means power over your perceptions of the world, power over how you react to situations in your life, power to do what is necessary for your own self-growth, power to create joy and satisfaction in your life, power to act, and power to love.

This kind of power has nothing to do with anyone else.

No one is more unloving than a person who can't own his or her own power. Such people spend their lives trying to pull it out of everyone else. Their need creates all sorts of manipulative behavior.

A self assured woman who is in control of her life draws like a magnet. She is so filled with positive energy that people want to be around her. Love and power go together!

This is the chart she gave:

 Where do you fall on this chart?

Here is mine: I've updated it a couple times since last summer

I know it's hard to read. It says on 8/2/13, which was when I started this book, I was depressed, had anxiety, felt helpless, stressed, and could not even see my goals. On 11/23/13 I started my Christmas break from school and I felt relieved, felt like I had a chance to gain control, and didn't have anxiety anymore. On 2/22/14 (yesterday), I felt SOOO much better. After all of the personal development and all of the work on myself and my happiness that I did over my break... I can see my future, I have goals, and I feel happy to be alive and to be ME! 

Look at where I am, I can NOT wait to keep going!!! SO excited!!

So you need to:

1. Go make your own! The trick for moving from pain to power is ACTION!

2. Then put this chart on your wall! This will be a daily reminder of where you want to go in your life

3. Look at it everyday and ask yourself, "Do I see myself at the same place, or have I moved?"

4. If you keep in mind the direction you want to go, it will help you make decisions about what you are doing in your life. Before you take any action in life, say to yourself "Is this action moving me to a more powerful place?" If it isn't you will think twice about doing it. BUT if you do something that doesn't help you move forward, don't get mad at yourself. Use it as a learning experience to change what you will do next time.

5. Have fun. Write "angels fly because they take themselves lightly" to remember that life isn't so serious, so don't make yourself go so crazy!!

How To Change - Video

Hey guys!! 

(man, I've lived in the south wayyy too long! I wanted to say, Hey Ya'll!! haha)

I know I talk alot about "Changing your brain" and "Making a change" on this blog. I also know it's really hard to know where or how to start doing this! 

Watch this video. This is a simple, easy, normal experience that shows exactly what I mean by change.  This is me, in bed this morning, stopping myself from getting angry about my next door neighbor's dog walking me up on a Saturday morning!

Change is about changing the way you view yourself, view the world, and look at the possibility of your future.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfOKFxQ1zNg&feature=youtu.be

March 15th Fitness Group

There is no sugar coating it, I AM BUSY: veterinary school, on call clinical rotations, home and pet responsibilities, externships, studying for boards, acupuncture class, senior year planning, job searching, spending time with friends... I never slow down. I’ve also been like this my whole life and I neglected to have time for myself and my health was declining. I wasn’t happy and I was making bad food choices because of convenience, lack of planning, and living on the "GO". My clothes weren't fitting and I was (still am) too poor to get new ones. I felt horrible about myself-something HAD to change!

I participated in an online fitness group led by my classmate Kellie Horton get in better physical shape so that I didn’t feel so awful in my clothes. Little did I know it would change my life! Not only do I feel better about myself, my clothes fit, I make better food choices, and even with my CRAZY schedule still find the time to workout (25 minutes/day)...but I'm HAPPIER, HEALTHIER, and I want to HELP others do the same!! If anyone knows what it's like to have very little time on their hands, it's me! With these groups I learned how to plan my week so that I could get workouts done and eat right, I just needed the guidance to do it! I also found other people who motivated me and understood my struggles, because they were struggling with the same things too. If you think you may be interested in joining me on my journey to a healthier lifestyle, let me know!! Message me or comment on this. I get to do my own fitness group in March, and I’d love for you to be there with me!!

Apply here NOW: 
https://joycefollows.wufoo.com/forms/zg637f21j339lo/

Enjoy Life One List at a Time

Did you know to-do lists make you happy?!

It's not just some miracle that everyone makes them, it's our brain telling us it needs HELP!!

The key behind a productive to do list is writing down everything that you need to remember, and filing it effectively. 

You need to have a tomorrow list, a today list, in 30 day list, in 1 year list, eventually list...

The TODAY LIST:
You need to make the tasks on this list defined by the next action you need to take to progress them. 

For example, take that stubborn item on your "never getting done" to do list and change it:

Instead of "get new passport", you need to write "after work tomorrow, go to CVS, and take passport picture"

Instead of "get sink fixed", you need to write, "call Mr. Cole at 662-418-9955 after work".

TRY IT!! It works. Those stubborn tasks will slowly disappear... and removing things from our to do list makes us feel productive... and HAPPY!

Breaking each task down into its individual actions allows you to convert things into tasks you can physically complete.

Psychologists say that our mind tends to get fixated on unfinished tasks and forget those we’ve completed.

It's also important to have your 1 week, 1 month, 3 month, 1 year tasks and goals planned out!! REACH YOUR GOALS

My lists:

You can only fit so much in your mind at any one time. Having a to do list is a plan for how you'll do things, releases the part of your attention that is struggling to remember each item on your to-do list in mind... Giving you more space to think, relax, and enjoy life!

~ Enjoy Life One List at a Time ~

New Coach Alert!!

New coach alert!!!! I'm so so SOOOO excited about adding this girl to my team! I look up to her as a veterinarian and an amazing person!

THIS is what I'm talking about, making a difference!!

If you want to be apart of my team, enter your email in the contact box to the right, RIGHT NOW!!

WHOOhooo!!

Don't Snooze Your Life Away

I am addicted to my snooze button. How superficial and ridiculous is that?!

It's not just ridiculous, it's unhealthy. Setting your alarm clock too early deprives you of vital REM sleep.

There are two main types of sleep, REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM (non-REM). During NREM (also referred to as deep, or slow-wave sleep) your body and brain relax. REM, on the other hand is very much an active state. During REM your muscles twitch constantly and your brain exhibits high levels of electrical activity.

At night we constantly move between these two states. Slow wave sleep occurs more frequently at the start of the night whilst REM sleep increases as morning approaches. In order to feel sleep’s full restorative benefits you need to get your full quota of both REM and NREM.

If you set your alarm much earlier than you intend to get up so that you can keep pressing snooze, you could be missing out on vital REM in the morning. Because once your alarm goes off, you’ve already disrupted your sleep cycle, and you’re unlikely to fall back into REM again.

The bottom line is, the snooze button can seriously affect your health. Disturbing your sleep in this way can impair your mental functioning throughout the day, affecting memory, reaction time and even your emotional state.

So, if you regularly wake up feeling groggy, your alarm might be going off at the wrong part of your sleep cycle. Try setting your alarm a few minutes later (or getting up a little earlier) and sticking to a regular sleep schedule to get a nice rhythm going.

My favorite tips that have helped me:

 

1. Set a timer so that a bright light turns on simultaneously with your alarm.

2. If you drink coffee, get a coffee pot with a timer.

3. Put your alarm clock on the other side of the room.

4. Set a second alarm on your cell phone, computer, another alarm clock, or whatever you can hear from wherever you need to put it.

5. Consider super gluing your snooze button in order to make it impossible to use.     

6. Heat up your room
7. Schedule something you love as soon as you wake up - I started scheduling my beach body business as soon as I wake up in the morning and it works! I love doing it I don't mind waking up and I don't want to miss out on getting it done!  
8. Put a picture of a sexy girl (or guy) on your alarm clock!!

Did you know you can download a sleeper app on your iphone that wakes you up at the correct sleep cycle so that you wake up feeling more refreshed?! TRY IT!

 

Negative Media

Why are humans attracted to bad news?

Psychologists say that we are in a state of "learned helplessness". Bad news can stimulate a state of depression and people who concentrate on this information will work themselves up emotionally. Even people who don't watch television or read newspapers are getting hit with negativity through social media.

Is the media negative? 

Media studies show that bad news far outweighs good news by as much as 17 negative news reports for every one good news report. 

Why? Because we want it.

Psychologists and neuroscientists say that humans seek out news that is dramatic and negative. These experts say that our brains evolved in a hunter environment, where anything dramatic or dangerous had to be known for survival. So we are no longer defending ourselves against saber-toothed tigers, but our brains are still in defense mode, soaking up all the negative.

Many studies have shown that we care more about the threat of bad things than we do about the prospect of good things.

Our negative brain fires MUCH more than our positive brain. We get more fearful than happy, which turns on our stress hormones more than our happy hormones. This tells the body that we need to increase the speed and capacity of our stress hormones, and doesn't grow the happy area of our brain. Now, next time there emotions, it is much easier for our brains to be negative and produce stress hormones than positive and happiness... THIS IS A HORRIBLE AND UNHEALTHY CYCLE.

WE can change our habits and WE can focus on the glass being half-full. This positive perspective can spread to other people and change the world. YOU need to reprogram YOUR brain first.

Would you rather watch this every morning:

OR THIS

 Helping each other:

Fighting obesity:

Success in this economy:

Most beautiful places in the world:

New ideas:

 Charity:

Sports victories:

Non-profit organizations savings lives:

Newest research developments against disease:

Don't get me wrong, I am not naive. I know we need to be well-informed about what is going on in this world so that we can live informed, educated, and protect ourselves. But there is a ratio that psychologists have studied that we need in our lives to be happy, negativity:positivity ratio.

It's 1:5.

Is 80% of your life positive?

I read a psychology book that was explaining how the generation before mine (baby boomers) used to be allowed to go out with their friends, hang out in the neighborhood, and ride their bikes to the grocery store without concern. My generation was lucky if they didn't have to hold onto the grocery cart as the parents picked out groceries. If we left the house, we were reminded about all of the horrible things that can happen and always told to "be careful". This, along with all the other negativity in our world, has turned this generation into a scared, fearful, and stressed out bunch of people who feel like they have no control.

Now, the real problem is, if I had children, I would do anything to protect them and I would raise them a similar way my parents raised me. This is because my generation is scared. How do we balance this out?

How would your day change if you changed what you watched or listened to every morning? 

Would you be as scared?

Life

Nothing will hit you harder than life, but you have to fight back even harder!!

My friend watches this everyday!! How amazing. Let's start doing it together!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgmVOuLgFB0

Feb 17th challenge!

 

LAST day to order the 21 day fix package to be in my February fitness group!!! GET STARTED BEFORE SUMMER!!!

A 21 Day Fix A meal plan that fits LIFE- with room for some chocolate and wine?? Yes please!

This is the most sales on any beach body product we've had and was sold out in 2 days!!!! INCREDIBLE!!!

THERE IS NO reason NOT to do this!!!! Send me a message if you're interested :)

Is Your Poop Happy?

Is Your Poop Normal, Healthy, & Happy?

Your poop is telling you something:

We all poop.  It’s one of the few reminders we get about our health on a daily basis and we don’t pay much attention to it.  Not only that, but we also don’t like to talk about it.  In our culture, sometimes it’s easier to talk to people about sex than poop.

If you’re not pooping right, something could be terribly wrong inside your body.

Most of us spend the time and money to consume healthy food.  But are we digesting it well?  Are we breaking down and absorbing those nutrients well?  The quality of your poop is a direct indication of how well you’re digesting your food.

If you’re poop isn’t healthy, your digestive tract is either moving too slow or too fast… which can lead to an increased risk of developing chronic health conditions like neurological disease, autoimmune disease and chronic inflammatory conditions.

Think of your poop like the annoying chirping sound your smoke detector makes when the battery is low.  It’s relentlessly letting you know the battery is low… and if you don’t do something about it, your house could burn down (with you and your family in it).

However if you’re pooping well it could be an indication your body is relatively healthy and a good sign you’re winning when it comes to health.

The most important measurements of your poop:

1.  How often do you poop?

The research suggests you should poop every day.  In fact, the range of “normal” is typically 1-3 times a day.  Poop is waste and you need to get rid of it every single day to make sure that you’re properly removing toxins and other waste material that’s gotta go.  Many people have a bowel movements every time they eat. If you find yourself pooping a couple times a week… or going 5+ times a day, you’re at risk of health problems.

2.  Are you pushing too hard?

How easy is it for you to poop?  It’s normal in our culture to take a newspaper or read a magazine for a half hour, battling to win the poop fight.  But the reality is that a “normal” poop shouldn’t take but a few minutes.  It should also be easy.  This isn’t childbirth.  Pushing typically leads to hemorrhoids which are all too common today but not normal.

3.  Does your poop look like a snake?

The most important part of a “normal” poop is the quality. 

 

A “normal” poop is “like a sausage or a snake, smooth and soft.  If your poops aren’t looking 4ish… you’re not normal.

4: Are you getting it all out?

For some people this is a non-issue… but part of a “normal” poop is having what’s so eloquently referred to as a “full evacuation.”  Are you getting all your poop out in one swift motion?  Do you have to keep coming back to finish the job?  Or do you feel like there’s always something left behind lingering and making you feel uncomfortable? A “normal” poop is a complete poop.  If you never quite feel the relief I’m talking about here… you’re not having ideal bowel movements.

Here’s a few helpful tips to improve your poop

If your poop isn’t normal based on the quiz above, we know your digestive health isn’t what it should be.  So here’s a few tips to improve your digestive health and get closer to perfect poops.

1.  Eat Real Food

The biggest mistake we see is people that claim to eat healthy, but they’re still consuming things like fast food, soda, and table sugar.  Stick to eating real food.  It’s one of the most important changes anyone with digestive problems can make.

2.  Eat Good Bugs

Our gut has a TON of bacteria, and a healthy gut flora is critical for healthy poop.  Consume good bugs every single day.  A high quality probiotic is one supplement that can also boost the immune system in the gut and improve digestive health. SHAKEOLOGY is a great probiotic!

3.  Eat More Fat

Fat has a direct impact on peristalsis… the waves our bodies make to get rid of poop.  Fat can be extremely helpful for people who are constipated.  Increase your healthy fats from sources like coconut oil, animal fat, olive oil, and fermented cod liver oil.  Or drink coffee.

Will You Remember Your Life?!

Today I want to talk about something else I learned in therapy. This lesson helped me to get out of depression, but also helps me stay happy, safe, and aware everyday.

The 5 senses. Sight,  Smell, Taste, Touch, Hear.

You're probably thinking, what are you talking about? This is a kindergarden lesson... Well, that's what I thought and I was wrong.

When you go throughout your average day, when do you find yourself zoning out? Going into autopilot mode? Do you ever all of a sudden realize your doing it?

When I was sitting in my therapist's office, he asked me to tell him what I feel, see, smell, hear, and taste. At first I thought that was a stupid question, obviously I was sitting in a moderately lit, air conditioned office, but I didn't want to hurt his feelings:

I could hear the clock ticking and the air conditioner buzzing. I could feel the leather chair, the pillow awkwardly on my back, and the carpet beneath my feet. I could smell the stale tea sitting in the office and the cold re-used air in the building. I could taste the stagnant saliva in my mouth. I could see the therapist's wildly checkered shirt, the detailed paintings on the wall, the weird statue on the desk, the briefcase half thrown on the chair, and the book shelf full of psychology books... and ALL OF A SUDDEN I could appreciate my experience. ALL OF A SUDDEN I had created a full-filled memory.

How many times can you not remember what you have eaten for breakfast? Or not remember that you drove to work?

Not only are we missing out on experiences, but we are not giving our selves credit for what we accomplish everyday. If you wrote down everything you do in one week.... would you be impressed? Then give yourself some credit!! Tell yourself that you did an awesome job!

Imagine all the memories we are missing out on!!!!! Are you going to wish you had these memories if we are sick in bed when we are older?

I took what I learned in that therapist's office to my everyday life. I found that I was the most "autopilot" when I was driving, eating, drinking alcohol, and socializing.

If I can remember I say the 5 senses every morning when I get in my car. Every time I'm outside with my dog, every time I'm in a social situation, and every time I'm eating or drinking.

After months of practice, and trust me, it takes time to re-train your brain (haha, that rhymes)... I could feel myself being ALOT more aware of what I was physically doing. 

I was driving safer! It amazed me how much autopilot takes over when you drive, isn't that scarey?! When you drive it only takes one small mistake and your life could be gone. And MY brain thinks it can just unconsciously take me to work and school!?!? I DON'T THINK SO MA'AM!! Then I started to think, I have had three bad car accidents within the past 6 years and two of them were within two months of each other. Luckily I am fine, however I have some very angry car insurance representatives, haha. Is autopilot to blame for my accidents?

Not only is it dangerous to drive on autopilot, but it's amazing how much we miss while we drive. We see beautiful weather, colorful flowers, wildlife animals, dancing Chicfila cow costumes, amazing marketing strategies, and crazy people dancing in their cars on a daily basis... but we don't SEE it.

I eventually stopped binge eating and drinking. The reason I could binge eat or drink excessively was because my brain was not aware of what I was doing!!! It couldn't stop me, because I was eating or drinking without any conscious thought or effort!! Not only was my nutrition affected, I was overweight, and unhappy  - and I was letting this happen.

I started appreciating the world and the people around me so much more. It's amazing what you can learn about other people just by watching them. I've made alot more friends since I am aware of what is around me.

Did you know that your mind's stereotyping, discrimination, and racism against people or things is autopilot? That you can re-train your brain to not judge so quickly?

It takes practice reminding yourself to say the 5 senses when your doing something, trust me, it took me months to get myself to stop doing "autopilot" and I still do sometimes, but it is so worth it.

~ How do you want to go through life? Do you want to remember it? ~