Thursday, February 20, 2014

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 ~










Wednesday, February 19, 2014

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!
 

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

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?

Monday, February 17, 2014

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!

Sunday, February 16, 2014

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 :)

Photo: 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 it's only been available for 2 days!!!! INCREDIBLE!!!

I don't believe that counting calories/carbs/points is really any way to live your life- how do you enjoy food when you're stressing about your points for the day? This new way to learn about portion control is going to be so freeing!

Oh, plus the 30 min workouts are going to be perfect!!!
My accountability group is filling up FAST!!!!! If you are having a hard time deciding if this is worth it, let me see if I can help you:

-You get the entire program: workout dvds, workout schedule to follow, nutrition guide, and food containers, PLUS one month's worth of Shakeology® for only $140. That is about $10 more than the cost of shakeology ALONE!!! Yes, I said TEN DOLLARS!!!

-This month there is FREE SHIPPING too!

-Lose up to 15 pounds in 21 days! It's not crazy. That's just what happens when you combine healthy, well-balanced eating with daily exercise. It's science.

-Sign up as a coach and I'll waive the $40 sign up fee! You get to become a coach for FREE and get discounts on all products (including shakeology)!!

THERE IS NO reason NOT to do this!!!!

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. 
Bristol Stool Chart Is Your Poop Normal? 
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.