So, WHAT does the Wellness Training Institute do? Hard question. The best way I can describe it is by telling you WHO we are.

One of the things I hear the most often from both our program members and those who attend our Wellness Dinner Seminars is that they’re startled at how happy everyone is.

Which, is great!

It’s also true!

Our members are happy. So, the next question is: Why?

There are two main reasons.

First, our team is happy. They’re fantastic at their jobs and living into their purpose. Each of us loves helping others reach their health goals. We love guiding people out of sickness and disease all the way to health. We love seeing the transformations that happen on a daily basis within our community. And why? Because we’ve all been there.

Second, and maybe more important, is that our programs work.

After all, it’s hard to be happy when you’re sick, depressed, and on a laundry list of prescription meds. Feeling terrible is no fun.

It’s a sad fact that a lot of program members, past and present, didn’t even know they felt terrible when they first stepped through our doors. Before the program, they just thought being sick, broken, and exhausted were the norm. They thought it was their fate. They thought that feeling terrible was just what happens as you age.

But as they begin to build habits that promote life and happiness, they soon realize what “good” really feels like… even what great is. Your body, when you give it what it needs, naturally begins to repair itself. Knowing what to eat—and why—gives you peace of mind. You’re able to confidently create the life you want. You’re no longer a slave to all the things that are slowly killing you.

And once you know not just what it feels like to feel good but also why you feel that way, happiness just naturally follows. Our members understand that the work they put into taking back their health serves a higher purpose than themselves. It might be so that they’re around for their kids or grandkids. It might be because they want to travel. It might be because they want to volunteer.

That higher purpose is different for everyone. But our members are happy because they understand what it means to them.

Happiness is kind of weird. We think of it as a destination, but it’s usually actually found in the process of working your way to where you want to be. What our program offers, maybe above everything else, is a map for that journey. Everyone’s path forward is going to look different, but what we’re great at is charting the way to that destination.

There’s also something to be said for how our expectations shape our happiness. If you come to us looking to lose 50 pounds by next week or want a magic bullet solution to your health issues, you’re going to leave disappointed. We’re in the sustainability business. Changing the trajectory of your health—and your life—is a long process. It’s simple, but it’s not easy. It requires that higher purpose to help drive you through the tough parts. If you’re overweight, have type 2 diabetes, and rarely leave your spot on the couch, that didn’t happen overnight.

Likewise, reversing those issues doesn’t happen with the snap of your fingers.

It takes work. It takes time. It takes a community. It takes building new habits that push out the old, bad ones.

But I can make you a promise. In that journey, you’ll find happiness. You just have to start… and then stick with it.

And we’d love to guide you along the way!

The post Why We Have So Many Happy People in Our Programs appeared first on Wellness Training Institute.

March 1, 2018

Fad diets don’t work… but here’s what does.

What always shocks and frustrates me as a practicing cardiologist is that if all the peer-reviewed medical and nutritional data that’s become available over the last two decades were accurately relayed by the mainstream media, it would spell the end of the fad diet craze.

Why?

Because fad diets don’t work. You might lose a little—or even a lot—of weight. But only for a short time.

The weight almost always comes back.

(As evidence for this claim, see this article in Scientific American that compares a number of studies that show this is true. I don’t agree with all of the conclusions made by the “expert opinions” contained in the article, but the results of the studies themselves are telling.)

Instead, the media takes a snippet of information from a study, blows it entirely out of proportion, bends it into whatever shape is going to get the most eyeballs on it, and spreads the confusion far and wide.

But even beyond that, “skinny” doesn’t equal “healthy.” You can be as thin and trim as physically possible and still have incredibly serious medical issues that aren’t outwardly visible.

How to be Healthy

As a medical professional, I can personally attest to this fact; I see it all the time in my office.

The only way to truly get healthy is to focus on your overall health. When you do that, weight loss just happens.

We say it all the time: The only way to get healthy is to swap out your bad, unhealthy habits for new, healthy ones. The problem with this universal law is that we as impatient Americans don’t want to believe it. We want instant results.

Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. But this inaccurate way of looking at our health isn’t your fault. Not at all. We’ve been sold this lie for our entire lives.

The truth is that when you’ve spent decades building unhealthy habits, they’re not going to disappear overnight. It takes time. It takes effort.

And most importantly?

You need a plan.

That’s why I created the Wellness Training Institute back in 2009. I would see patient after patient come through my cardiology practice and 99% of them had serious conditions that shouldn’t have been inevitable. Their conditions were all a result of lifestyle choices.

And I wanted to do something about it. I wanted to help them beyond just handing out pills or putting in stints. I didn’t want to just manage their conditions anymore. I wanted them to find true and lasting health.

Healthful Evolutions

Our Healthful Evolutions program is designed to do just that.

We provide a plan and process that takes you from wherever you are now in your health journey and move you, step-by-step, toward health… more health… and even MORE health!

When I’m asked how exactly the process works, I can describe the process. I can give you the bullet-points. (I can even point them to this post by our Wellness Director Nicole where she lays it all out in detail.)

But here’s the thing…

We know what works. We know what steps to take to get you healthy and live your best life.

But, after having thousands of members pass through our Healthful Evolutions program, we know that no two experiences are going to be the same. You are unique. You might need to focus on one area of your health far more than someone else, even if your conditions are virtually the same.

Because of that, I suppose you could refer to Healthful Evolutions as “the program-less program.” Don’t get me wrong, there is a definite structure to our programs, but we get great results because every part of our program is tailored specifically to you.

It’s also a program you can go through while you live your life. Again, it’s all about habits, and those new healthy habits need to happen within the scope of your day-to-day existence. It also needs to happen within a supportive community.

So, What Does This Mean for You?

Now, let me ask you a question:

Why wouldn’t you want to go all in on your health?

You only have one life, and you are worth it to live that life to its fullest.

There’s a TED talk from last year by a guy named Jon Bowers who makes a compelling argument for why we should strive for perfection in our lives. He manages a delivery truck service and gives this example: What happens when his drivers only give 99% effort? Someone dies.

So, take stock of where you are in your healthy journey and decide today to take the dive. Go all in on your health.

On your happiness.

And ultimately?

Your one and only life.

The post The Program-less Program: Why Healthful Evolutions Works appeared first on Wellness Training Institute.

February 23, 2018

So, what’s the Healthful Evolutions Program? Here’s the gist…

One of the most common questions we get here at the Wellness Training Institute is how, exactly, our Healthful Evolutions Program works.

It’s a good question. Not because what we do is complicated, or even all that hard to describe. It’s actually pretty straightforward.

The question comes for another reason: Our Healthful Evolutions program isn’t like anything else most people would be familiar with.

Here’s How We’re Unique

It’s not a diet like Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers or one of the million weight loss programs out there. There are no crazy, restrictive rules. It’s not something that promises overnight success. It’s not a gym. And we don’t believe supplements are the ultimate cure.

Instead, it’s a strategic, personalized plan that’s designed to replace all the bad habits you have—the habits that are slowly killing you—with good, life-affirming ones. It’s a tried and true process that gives you back everything you put into it—and more! And although it can be hard to shift away from the habits you’ve had for a big portion of your life and none of the benefits of these changes manifest overnight, Healthful Evolutions provides something that very few other “health programs” can offer. Which is: True and lasting change.

Our program is based on science, years of research, and experience working with people. We’ve learned what works—both in terms of short-term benefits as well as how to create changes that last for the rest of your life. We are constantly innovating and enhancing our program. When we learn something new, we want you to know it too! The world we live in is constantly changing— which means we need to learn how to respond to it. We need to learn how to face new challenges. The biggest advantage we have in getting people truly life-lasting results is that we set a foundation that allows people to face challenges that come up in life and give them the tools to choose health… even in the worst circumstances.

So, now that we’ve hit the 1,000-foot view, here’s how the program works…

How We Work

Most of our members come to the program through one of our free Wellness Dinner Seminars, where we eat a meal together and both Dr. Dangovian and I offer a ton of great information on how to get healthy… and stay that way for good.

The next step is to schedule a consultation. During the seminar, you get to know us. The goal of the consultation is for us to get to know you. We want to determine if we’re a good fit. We want to know if our program is right for you. Our program isn’t for everyone, so we also need to discuss if you’re ready to make the changes necessary for getting healthy.

Here we’ll sit down, learn about you—your goals, your challenges, and how you got to this current stage in your health, wherever that might be. We run you through a thorough Wellness Evaluation, where we’ll ask a lot of questions. Many of these questions are ones that you’ve never been asked—but should’ve been. We want to get a clear picture of who you are and what your body needs to be healthy. We’ll also have you bring any recent lab work.

If we find that we are a good fit for each other, we will talk about financing options at this stage. (Insurance doesn’t cover our program, but we haven’t had any problems helping our members with financing.)

From there we take our program and adapt it to you. There are five pillars of health — nutrition, fitness, detoxification, hormone testing and attention to reducing stress and supporting your nervous system—and our program focuses in on each. It’s a simple equation and I’ve seen it work a million times: Build up those pillars, and health just happens.

We’ll walk you through orientation, order blood work panels, and begin to talk about nutritional transitions.

We start with nutrition because it’s what the other four pillars primarily depend upon… you can’t, for example, start getting active without a good nutritional foundation. It’s like trying to run your car on an empty tank. So, we do a six-week pre-detox preparation followed by a 21-day detox. This process resets your body, allows it to heal, and eliminates all the toxic stuff our current American lifestyles expose us to on a daily basis.

The Name of the Game

Throughout all of this, support is the name of the game. The program lasts anywhere from three to nine months, and during that time, we offer tons of sessions designed to get you results.

We have five yoga classes per week. We have a recipe club. We also have group cooking days and an interactive Q and A called “What’s for Breakfast?”, both of which are designed to show you how to prepare great-tasting food that’s also great for you. Plugging into the community here at the Wellness Training Institute is probably the most rewarding part of the program for many of our members. So, you’ll be spending at least an hour every two weeks here building healthy habits and finding the support many wouldn’t otherwise have.

Some of our members have opted for our virtual program. Folks who travel for work, for example, can get the same level of support from us through email, training videos, bi-weekly check-ins over the phone. Plus, our whole team is available at any time, whether you’re physically here or not.

The goal of everything we do here is to get you well so that you can live a better life. We want this season of your life to be the best.

The process works. But, here’s the deal… it won’t work by itself.
Probably the most critical element of your success in our program is, well, YOU.

YOU are the one that does the work. YOU heal yourself. We are simply your guide.

You need a guide. You can’t get healthy alone. And you need someone who understands the overall strategy and can adapt the program to your specific needs.

Everyone is different. My experience going through the program is going to be wildly different than yours. Why? Because our bodies need different things. I can anticipate a lot, but not everything. Because of that, we usually try to keep our members in the program for a minimum of six months, because it usually takes that long to really figure out how to maximize your health. To find your lasting success.

Which, as I said before, is the whole point!

What You Deserve

You deserve to be healthy. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to live your life to its fullest.

And if you’re ready to take that next step? We’re ready and waiting… and super excited to walk alongside you on that journey!

The first step, as I mentioned before, is to come to dinner!

Have more questions? Visit our FAQ page here.

The post How the Healthful Evolutions Program Works appeared first on Wellness Training Institute.

December 7, 2017

A good detox, a detox that works, is one that provides nutritional and emotional support in an effort to let the body reset.

Detoxes seem to be one of those things that people either love… or love to hate.

You’ll see a lot of people in the medical profession speak out against detoxes, and they’re not always wrong.

The problem we all run into with detoxes is that there are some serious misunderstandings about what a detox does, as well as how it works.

A detox is not about mixing a bunch of things together (lemon, cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar, to name just a few of the most popular DIY ingredients). It not about choking the resulting concoction down. It’s not about starving yourself and using a stimulant to rev up your digestion to “clean” yourself out. There’s no magic potion that you can drink that takes all your toxins, gathers them together, and then flushes them out of your system.

When you hear criticisms of detoxes, this “magic potion” myth is generally what they’re talking about.

As someone who’s both done a lot of detoxes, and helped hundreds of others through the detoxification processes, I know how effective they can be…

As long, of course, as you understand what’s actually happening during a detox.

Here’s what a detox is really all about.

What a Detox Actually Does

At its simplest, here’s what a detox does FOR your body:

A detox is a process of cleansing your body and bloodstream of the toxins that we’re surrounded by each day. Here are some of a detox’s benefits:

1. Your body’s natural detoxification systems reset
2. Free radicals are eliminated from your body. (Free radicals can radically speed up the aging process, among other nasty things.)
3. Your immune system gets a big boost.
4. Your organs start working better.
5. Your overall health improves.
6. You get rid of some of your old bad habits and start with a clean slate to begin building newer, better ones.

But what is happening inside your body when you’re going through the detoxification process? How does a detox work?

Glad you asked.

Enter the Ninjas.

The Three Phases of Detoxification

Detoxification happens in three phases.

The first phase is when the body, given the proper food, generates the proper water-soluble intermediaries that will, in the second phase, help turn the toxins inside your body into neutralized, water-soluble substances, which the body will, in the third phase, easily move along the GI tract and out of your body.

It’s kind of like your body trains up the ninjas in phase one, deploys them upon the enemy in phase two, and then provides the plan for eliminating those enemies once and for all during phase three.

Again, criticisms about detoxes coming from the medical establishment generally point out that the body already detoxifies itself.

And, they are partially correct. But I also think they misunderstand that the body needs a ton of nutritional and emotional support throughout the process. It’s not something that you can do over a weekend. It takes around three weeks for the process to complete and allow your body to reset.

A good detox, a detox that works, is one that provides nutritional and emotional support in an effort to let the body reset. Again, the liver does a lot of the heavy lifting, so just drinking a bunch of lemon juice laced with cayenne pepper isn’t going to “flush” the toxins out of you just like that.

A good detox instead focuses on supporting the body’s natural detoxification processes, feeding them what they need and eliminating what they don’t.

A good detox takes all three ninjas, gets them prepped, and lets them loose… leaving a trail of health and happiness in their wake!

Watch more below!

The post Releasing the Ninjas: What a Detox Really Does for Your Body appeared first on Wellness Training Institute.

November 21, 2017

The holiday season is synonymous with food… and lots of it! So, with all the events you’ll be attending this season, how do you keep from destroying your health… and actually lose weight?

Whether you’ve been trying to take back your health for a while now, or are just starting out during the last months of this year, the holidays can be daunting. Food—most of it bad for you—can feel like it’s everywhere. Holiday parties, big family meals, all those extra boxes of calorie-packed treats Dorothy at the office keeps leaving in the break room… it can feel inescapable at times.
But, here’s the thing…

It’s not inescapable. The temptation to indulge—or, more likely, to overindulge—doesn’t have to be irresistible.

Here are five surefire strategies for tamping down the temptation and holding on to your health this holiday season.

1. Understand What You’re Up Against

Your health starts with one thing, and one thing only: Awareness.

When you understand where your bad habits have their roots, you can make healthy choices. You can say “no” to death and say “yes” to life.

It’s no different when it comes to your health this holiday season. Understanding what you’re up against will go a long way in allowing you to make the right choices for your health.

So, what exactly are you up against? What, exactly, do you need to be aware of?

First, understand that holiday overindulgence isn’t a real thing. Instead, it’s the primary message of a marketing campaign you’ve been subjected to for your entire life. The holidays can mean a lot of things, but NONE of those things are overeating.

We have this vision of huge, calorie-packed meals—and the lethargy that follows—because that’s what they’ve sold you. You hear a lot about the over-commercialization of the holidays when it comes to gifts. But it’s the same thing with food.

Notice the commercials on TV this time of year… In an attempt to sell you french-fried onions, for example, they’ll show those onions posed within a square acre of “holiday food.”

You won’t just see Acme Turkey gravy.

No, you’ll see it poured over a metric ton of meat, stuffing, potatoes, and who knows what else. Those big meals aren’t there by accident.

Toy companies target your kids. Food companies target everyone.

Second, you’re up against the idea that everyone eats terribly during the holidays. It’s social pressure 101. Because it’s “just a thing people do,” it makes it much easier to indulge yourself. Despite the fact that no, not everyone eats terribly during the holidays.

Third, know that eating is never an isolated activity. It’s rooted in emotion. Around the holidays, it’s also rooted in the feelings we have about traditions. Apple dump cake might be tempting. Grandma’s apple dump cake, though, is on a whole different level.

Traditions are powerful. So are emotions. Understanding those connections—and building awareness around their existence—can go a long way in keeping you healthy—and happy—during the holidays.

So, awareness is the starting point.

2. Don’t Look Forward to New Year’s

New Year’s is a tough animal to tackle. Because, while it’s good to feel like you have a fresh start, and equally good to set healthy goals for yourself, too often it tends to have the opposite effect.

It can be easy to overindulge during the holidays when you “know” that you’re going to get your health in order on January 1st. That day has become more of an excuse than anything else. It’s easy to see it as a chance for a do-over… even when you know, in the back of your mind, that most, if not all, of your resolutions will be broken and forgotten by the second week of January.

It’s human nature to want to improve yourself. It’s also a noble endeavor. But New Year’s Day isn’t the time to do that. For one, there’s a ton of added pressure. And secondly, just like a lot of people wrack up credit card debt buying gifts during the holidays, there’s also often a “health debt” that comes due once the holidays are over. Overindulge for the last two months of the year, and you’re setting yourself even further behind the eight ball, health-wise.

Also, look… The truth is, there’s no good time to start making healthy lifestyle changes. The fourth quarter of the year is problematic because of the holidays, right? But the first three months of the year are inconvenient because, well, it’s cold and no one wants to leave the house to go to the gym. The second quarter isn’t great because you’re busy and vacation is coming up. And the third quarter? It’s hot. You’re trying to pack in more summer fun before the leaves start turning brown, and honestly… after the holidays you’ll get things in order.

All of which combines to mean one thing: Because there’s no “good” time to start taking back your health, any time of the year is the best place to start.

Don’t let your excuses get in the way of everything you can accomplish.

If you’ve already started taking back your health by slowly replacing the bad habits with good ones, then take this holiday season as an opportunity to continue.

If you haven’t started making those changes, start today. Now is as good—or bad— a time as any.

Either way, let New Year’s Day be a celebration of everything you’ve accomplished so far instead of the starting point.

3. Have a Plan

No one’s ever done something good for themselves in a sustainable way without a plan. So, as you tiptoe through the minefield that is the holidays, go in with a plan.

This plan doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as making sure that you’ve filled up on a healthy meal or snack before you go to a holiday party. Or it could be just making a promise to yourself that you’ll drink water instead of punch, or pop, or eggnog.

You know yourself. And because you’ve built up that awareness about what your triggers are going to be back in step 1, you’ll be able to come up with a strategy that works for you.

4. Bring Your Own Food

Part of that strategy might be bringing your own food to meals and other events. Make something healthy… and make a lot of it to share!

Thanks to the internet, there are tons of super healthy holiday recipes right at your fingertips. Here are a few to get you started. 

Choose one, take it with you, and share it. You can even decide not to tell anyone it’s healthy. See how they feel about it before you tell them it’s the only dish on the table that won’t cause a coronary.

Be an inspiration to others.

5. Remember What the Holidays are Actually About

Finally, take a step back. Take a deep breath. Let it out slowly. And then think about what the holidays REALLY MEAN.

Your answer is going to be your own. The holidays mean as many different things as there are people who celebrate them. Family, faith, togetherness, joy, thanksgiving… for you it can be about any combination of these deeper meanings.

But what this time of year is NOT ABOUT holds true across the board.

The holidays are not about spending more money than you have on gifts that no one needs.

They aren’t about raiding the shopping mall at midnight on Black Friday.

They aren’t for stuffing yourself until you pass out on the couch in front of the football game.

So much of what is marketed AT you this time of year are lies, plain and simple. Those huge meals you see in the commercials? Most of the time, that’s not even food.

Everything you see is an idealized—and FALSE—expectation that you’re being psychologically manipulated to attempt to live up to.

Take this holiday season back for yourself. Build that awareness. Understand your own reason for the season.

And above all, choose your health. Choose your happiness.

Choose life.

Watch more below!

The post How to Actually Lose Weight During this Holiday Season appeared first on Wellness Training Institute.

November 14, 2017

We get this question all the time… How do you get your mind calm, free of those racing thoughts, and allow yourself to just be? Here are three steps to achieving just that!

Our world is a hectic, noisy one. And although you’ve probably heard that it’s healthy to spend time each day in meditation, knowing where to start can be a challenge. So here are three ways to dial down the world around you and just BE…

1. Know that it’s not always easy to do

I’ll admit it. Even after years of yoga and meditation training, and I still have problems turning off my brain sometimes. I tell you that as encouragement. Things get busy, stressful, and your mind starts racing.

Sometimes even thinking about meditating, if only for a few minutes, just feels like too much. Like that silence is impossible to face.

So, even when you know all the techniques, it still takes practice. And again, if I can learn to do it, so can you!

2. The Body Breath

Try this exercise:

1. Take a big deep breath. Inhale and then hold it. Notice where your center of gravity is located. For most people, that center of gravity will be high up in the body (a “face breath”), making you more top-heavy.

2. Now stand up straight, with your feet four inches apart and flat on the ground.
3. Push your feet into the floor and squeeze up— squeeze your ankles, your calves, thighs. Pull your belly button in and continue squeezing up— through your lower back, middle back, upper back. Your body will naturally inhale.

When your lungs are full, pause. Be aware of what it feels like to be full of this life force. Be aware that taking this breath is the most important thing you will ever do.

Now, reverse the sequence and squeeze down, focusing on each part of your body as you do, from your upper back down through your ankles and into the floor. Your body will naturally exhale.

Pause for a moment at the bottom of your exhale, and notice how it feels not to breathe.

Wash, rinse, repeat. Continue to do this and, with practice, your mind will clear, and you’ll have far greater control over your thoughts.

3. Label Your Anxieties

So much of your health starts in your head.

We have a member who is prone to having a feeling like she is going to pass out. We found that if she says it out loud—”I feel like I’m going to pass out”—whenever the feeling comes, just putting words to it is enough to allow the sensation to pass.

Your mind is a fantastic instrument. It’s capable of far more than you probably give it credit for.

When you need to shut your brain off, just breathe. Just be okay with what’s happening. Put a label on it.

Say, “My thoughts are going crazy. There’s no reason for it, and it’s okay.”
Saying it out loud can have amazing effects. Reducing the anxiety to what it really is—a tiny worry, a moment of panic, a thought that won’t stop running through your head—puts it in its place and makes it small enough for you to handle.

So, the next time your brain just won’t shut off—no matter what you do—pull up this post. Recognize that what you’re feeling is normal. That everything is okay. Do a few deep grounding breaths. And then put a label on those thoughts. Put them in their place.

Then relax…

And just BE.

The post Flipping the Switch: How to Turn Off Your Brain… and Just BE appeared first on Wellness Training Institute.