Two Sides of “Together”

Part of the reason it’s hard to change your diet is that food in our culture (and most others, for that matter!) is such a communal activity. Sunday dinners with grandma. Christmas dinner with the whole extended family. Your first date at an Italian restaurant. Even at the office, people tend to congregate… that’s why we have something called “the lunchroom.”

All of which is fantastic! It’s a pillar of tradition, of how we do life together.

But when you’re making big dietary changes and no one else around has made that decision for themselves, it can be difficult not to stand out. Not to have them look at you a little funny. Not to have them question what you’re doing.

Another big part of this difficulty draws directly from human nature. When we see one person making a big life change in our group, our natural response is, first and foremost, suspicion. People tend to look at their own habits and get a little defensive.

Like, “Who are you to say that there’s something wrong with the way I’m living my life, including the food I’m eating?”

As humans, we want change. But, we also want that change on our own terms. And when someone within the group makes a change, it can be seen as a direct criticism of the group itself.

It’s a natural response. A human response.

And here’s the thing…

It’s going to happen.

Preparation is key

That’s the first thing to know when you’re making a big change. You are, one hundred percent of the time, going to get some degree of blowback from your friends, family, or co-workers.

Going into those situations with your mind in the right place will allow you to stick to your plan and also diffuse most of the conflict that might arise.

The other side of the coin, though, is that you can’t get healthy alone. You need a supportive community around you, pushing you forward, living through the journey with you.

Find a community that has your best interest in mind, people who can guide you. It’s key to your success.

The post How to Handle Resistance When You’re Making Positive Changes appeared first on Wellness Training Institute.

The Why

For example, a lot of what we eat doesn’t come from a place of nutrition. Instead, what we eat tends to have a lot to do with how we feel.

When we’re happy, we eat a brownie.

When we’re sad, we reach for the whole tray of brownies.

It doesn’t matter if we’re hungry or not. We eat. And a lot of people (and I used to be this way, so don’t accuse me of getting preachy on you) just eat out of simple boredom.

A brownie, for most of us, is often legitimately just something to do.

Being mindful about WHY you eat, on the other hand, puts the nutritional factorial back into the equation. If you are upset and start reaching into the snack cabinet, take a breath, and ask yourself: why?

The Power of Habit

Eating mindfully is one of those habits that can make a big difference very quickly. Honestly, most of our program members come in never having given a second of thought as to WHY they eat what they eat. And once those roots are uncovered, you can see the revelation almost visibly on their faces.

And this principle is never so powerful than during times when you’ve fallen off the wagon. If you go to a party and eat something you shouldn’t, ask yourself, “Why?” Why did you eat that? Did you intend on eating that thing the whole time on the drive there? Or did something specific trigger the urge to break your diet? How much of it had to do with who you with? Or was it for another reason?

Whatever that reason is, use the little failures as bricks, one by one, to build your huge successes. Again, it gets back to one of life’s most important lessons…

It’s never about perfection.

No, it’s always about progress.

And you can’t have progress without little hiccups on the way. When you’ve fallen off, take a moment to find the reason behind the fall, dust yourself off, and then climb right back onto that wagon.

After all, you have an amazing journey ahead of you!

The post Why Falling Off the Wagon Can Actually be a Good Thing appeared first on Wellness Training Institute.

I recently got back from my first trip to Europe. I had a lot of apprehension about a number of things. At the top of that list, as someone who’s on a completely plant-based diet, was… what was I going to eat?

Here are five things I learned about how to maintain your dietary transition while you’re traveling.

1. Plan Ahead

There are two main elements to this step. First, mentally, remember why you are eating the way you are in the first place. What’s your “why” for making—and continuing—healthy changes in your life?

Secondly, you’re going to need to eat, so you’re going to need an actual, actionable plan. Failure will rarely happen if you’ve got your mind right, and part of your preparation may take a little research and list-making.

Just go in prepared and you should be good to go!

2. Research restaurant/menu options

In all but a very few cases, you should be able to find something healthy on the menu to order either as is or with slight modification. But it’s always a good idea to prepare ahead of time and make sure you go in with a plan.

At a restaurant, order fish or chicken with no sauces or breading (if you’re eating meat, at all) and steamed vegetables. Even better, you can just load up on vegetables!

You can also order a salad with no cheese (substitute avocado), processed meat, or dressings. Make your own dressing by asking for olive oil and vinegar or a lemon, and then season with salt and pepper.

Also: Don‘t be afraid to ask for your meal to be prepared the way you want it.

3. Buy and prepare your own food

If farmers markets or grocery stores are available—this will depend on where you’re traveling, of course!—do your shopping there. If you’re in the grocery store, stay to the periphery of the store where the fresh, organic food is. Avoid the processed foods in the aisles. And if you’re in a place with new-to-you fruits and vegetables, get a little adventurous. Diving into the local (healthy) food is often one of the best ways to explore a new culture.

4. Stay hydrated

A lot of the time, people snack because they’re actually just thirsty. So, make sure you have plenty of water available, no matter where you are.

Also, your body needs water. So, drink enough of it.

Avoid sodas or sugary drinks at all costs.

5. If you mess up, don’t beat yourself up

This one is pretty self-explanatory, but I want you to hear it anyway. If you fall off your diet, pick yourself up and do it better again tomorrow. Part of the joy of traveling is entering into the unknown, even if it’s just a little different than normal. So, because of this, you’ll find yourself in situations that might not be entirely conducive to maintaining your nutritional plan.

If you fall off, don’t let it ruin your day. Just get back on, reaffirm your “why,” and go back to enjoying your trip!

The post 5 Ways to Maintain Your Diet While Traveling appeared first on Wellness Training Institute.

Tony Robbins has identified six basic human needs, divided up into two categories, physical and spiritual. Physical needs include certainty, variety, significance, and love and connection. The two spiritual needs are growth and contribution.

This list teaches us some important things about our total health.

We all need a certain number of them more than others because we’re each unique. Some of us may need more certainty than variety, while others might pursue significance above connecting to others.

But, what do we all have in common? We’re complicated animals, but each of these needs has to be met in one way or another. That’s why health needs to address every part of who you are.

This is why fad diets don’t work. Or, if they do, then it’s only for a short time. You might lose weight, but more times than not, it’s going to come back. And even if the weight stays off, that doesn’t mean that you’re any healthier.

The Symptom

The weight is a symptom. It’s an indicator that other, deeper issues are at play. And any plan that doesn’t address these underlying issues just isn’t going to be sustainable.

Taking back your health has to address all your needs—physical and spiritual.

Just cutting out the bad stuff from your diet is a great start. But it’s certainly not the end. Instead, you need to dig deeper and figure out the “why” behind your relationship with food.

Same thing with your connections to friends and family. Your relationships are a big part of your overall health.

Too often in our culture, our health is compartmentalized. We think of “diets” involving just food. We think of “exercise” as something that is only good for us physically. But, really, it’s all connected.

How Getting Healthy Works

And that’s why our Healthy Evolutions program addresses each facet of your health.

Health is more than weight loss. In fact, weight loss is really just a tiny part of it. If you’re ready to make the changes you need to make, and you do the hard work of making the changes you need to make, of course, you’re going to lose weight.

But the benefits don’t end there. In fact, that’s just the start.

You’re going to take a journey that will change you forever. And along the way, you’ll find happiness, life, health, and community.

If you’ve tried everything else—with little or no success—and are truly ready to take back your health, I’d love to connect.

Just click here to come to one of our free Wellness Dinner Seminars (if you’re in the Detroit-Metro area) or schedule a Discovery Call to chat about your goals and see if our program is a good fit for you. After all, you’ve got nothing to lose—and a whole world of health and happiness to gain!

The post The 6 Human Needs, and Why They Matter to Your Health appeared first on Wellness Training Institute.

1. Ask your existing friends

Often the best place for starting your search for a community is within the social circles you already revolve inside. For some people, this is incredibly easy. For others, it may not be.

But if you seek out friends and ask for their support and tell them, “Hey, I’m starting to take back my health and I’d love if you could support me,” very few true friends are going to turn you down. The key is to be open, honest, and to let them know “why” you’re taking these steps.

Another tack is to invite them to join you. Accountability groups can be an effective way to grow as a community and also replace those bad habits with good ones. Plus, it’s easier to move ahead as a group, helping and supporting each other, than it is to go it all by your lonesome.

2. Facebook groups

Now that a significant amount of our communication happens online, Facebook groups have come to be convenient ways to find niche communities. This holds for groups dedicated to plant-based nutritional support as well. While certainly not as intimate as meeting in real life, for many people who can’t find a supportive community around them, Facebook groups might be a good option.

There are two key points to keep in mind here.

First, make sure the group is truly focused on holistic, plant-based nutrition. If the group appears to promote one or a number of fad diets, keep searching. Same thing for any group that seems to be peddling certain products or that tries to get you to sign up to sell things yourself. You’re smart, so do your due diligence.

The second key is to find one that is truly supportive. Nutrition is one thing. A very important thing. But there are a number of other elements that are key to your health, and toxicity isn’t one of them.

3. Join our program

Want a guarantee that you’ll be surrounded by people who care about and support you, while also providing a nutritional and wellness plan that fits your unique needs and lifestyle?

If so, then our Healthful Evolutions program may be just the place for you.

We provide a plan and process that takes you from wherever you are now in your health journey and move you, step-by-step, towards ever-increasing levels of health.

The simple truth is this…

We know what works. We know what steps to take to get you healthy and live your best life. And we surround you with a caring team of staff and members who are taking the same journey you are.

Also, our program is designed to work within your current life. No retreats, no weekends spent somewhere outside your home. It’s all about habits, and those new healthy habits need to happen within the scope of your day-to-day existence. And, again, it also needs to happen within a supportive community.

So, no matter how you find your community, I hope this at least gives you a good start. The key, of course, is to find a community that loves and supports you in your journey forward toward complete wellness and true happiness!

The post 3 Ways to Develop a Supportive Community to Help You Get Healthy appeared first on Wellness Training Institute.

Most everyone wants to lose at least a little weight. But fad “diets” aren’t the answer. Instead, you have to start in a completely different—and deeper—place to find real health.

I recently had a woman come to one of our Wellness Dinner Seminars. She’d been struggling with her weight and some other serious health concerns for a number of years. She was skeptical if anything would ever work for her, but she was desperate for a change. When she left the seminar, she was excited and ready to enter our Healthful Evolutions program.

But a few minutes after walking out of our office, she walked back in with a worried expression on her face.

When I asked her what was wrong, she said that she thought we had a great program but she was going to try to solve her health issues in another way. When I asked what she meant, she said that she’d talked to some people outside (who had just come to our seminar for the first time as well) and they had convinced her to try a diet they’d just read about. I didn’t press her very hard… but I did want to know what she was going to try. And honestly, I was worried she was heading down a path that would not get her to her goals.

“It’s called the Plant Paradox Diet,” she said. “My friends said it’s supposed to work.” I wished her luck and told her she was always welcome back.

That encounter has stuck with me. Honestly, it makes me sad. Why? Because I know she’s not going to find success with that—or any other—”diet.” (As an aside, if you’re interested in Dr. Stephen Grundy’s Plant Paradox Diet, as well as all the various “lectin blockers” he sells at a premium on his site, watch this—and then read this—first.)

All fad “diets” promise only one thing. That you’ll lose weight. And, often, people do lose weight… but only for a little while.

But, let’s actually dig a little deeper here.

Can losing weight help you’re overall health? Sure, in certain situations. But, does just losing weight mean that you’re healthy?

Not at all.

And that’s what made me so sad about this interaction with this woman. She needed to lose weight, of course. But the weight was just a symptom of deeper issues. And the “diet” she chose to pursue isn’t going to help with any of those underlying issues. If anything, in her situation, that fad diet is probably going to only exacerbate her underlying problems.

When you’re looking to get healthy, to be around longer for your kids, to find happiness and live life to its fullest, weight loss can never be your primary goal.

Why?

For two main reasons. First, going on a fad diet doesn’t work to begin with. And second, that’s not how we’re built as humans.

Reason #1: fad diets don’t work

For evidence why this first reason is true, take a look at the following statistics (all pulled from here):

• The average adult American attempts a fad diet four times per year
• One in four Americans give up after less than two weeks
• More than 97% of people gain the weight back within three years
• 65% of people who even “finish” the diet end up regaining at least as much back

From all of these statistics, a couple things become clear. First, Americans go on fad “diets” a lot. Now, couple that information with the fact that we are only growing more and more obese. Add in the following statistic and you’ll begin to get an idea of why weight loss can’t be your only goal:

The diet industry pulls in $61 billion annually.

Why don’t fad “diets” work? Because they’re marketed to us constantly… and then designed to fail. Every time.

Because, what would happen if they worked?

For one, we wouldn’t be, on average, trying a new one every three months. And, what’s maybe even more telling, we certainly wouldn’t be spending tens of billions of dollars on them if the first one got the weight off and kept it off.

Reason #2: Here’s How we, As People, work

For the second reason as to why weight loss can’t be your main goal when considering your options, let’s just take a quick look at how we all tick.

First, know that I have been there… so no judgement! Newton’s first law of motion goes something like this: For people sitting on the couch dipping into a family size bag of Sour Cream and Cheddar Ruffles, something has to make them get up and decide not to live that way anymore.

(I’m paraphrasing the physics here, of course, but you get the point.)

Meaning: There needs to be a reason you want to lose the weight. We need to connect to a purpose to give up the chips. Otherwise, why not? They taste good!

Now, let’s take a look at some of those potential reasons. For one, maybe summer is coming up, and you want to go to the beach. Or two, maybe that 35th high school reunion is just around the corner, and you want to shed some of the extra pounds before you see your old classmates. Whatever it is, there are plenty of (perfectly legitimate!!!) reasons to want to lose a little weight. Nothing at all wrong with that.

But here’s the question: What happens when that event is over? Nine times out of ten the answer is that you regain all the weight you lost and you’re no better—or healthier—for it.

Why? Because your goal had both a time limit and an expiration date. Once both of those are exhausted? You have no reason left to keep the weight off.

By the way, that’s what the diet industry is counting on. They love the short term. The myopic makes them tens of billions of dollars each year.

Getting back to Newton, the way we as humans work is that to change, we need a reason. And for long-term, life-long change to happen? That reason needs to be a big one.

Going on vacation matters. I totally get that.

But it’s not your ultimate WHY.

WHAT WE DO AT THE WELLNESS TRAINING INSTITUTE

That’s really what separates what we do in our programs here at the Wellness Training Institute from every other program out there.

First, we find your WHY.

And second, we focus on every part of your health. Health is more than weight loss. In fact, weight loss is really just a tiny part of it. If you’re ready to make the changes you need to make, and you do the hard work of making the changes you need to make, of course you’re going to lose weight.

But that’s not ALL you’re going to get. That’s honestly just the start.

Instead, you’re going to take a journey that will change you forever. And along the way, you’ll find happiness, life, health, and community.

Going on vacation matters. I totally get that.

But it’s not your ultimate WHY.

You’ll get out of the dieting loop. You’ll have the freedom to know what your body needs—and why.

All without depriving yourself of anything. All without having to starve yourself.

And all without having to finish your next fad diet only to have to start the cycle once again—and feel the shame the diet industry knows will bring you back, once more, with your wallet open.

You need a plan. You need support. You need a guide.

That’s how real change happens. And that’s what we offer.

The post Why Weight Loss Can’t be Your Only Goal 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.

If you’ve checked the stats lately, you’ll already know how grim the obesity epidemic has gotten—even over the last decade.

And if you haven’t seen the numbers, you’re going to be shocked.

According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 70.2% of Americans are either overweight or obese. 37.7% of us are obese, including a whopping 40.4% of women. Almost 8% of the population is considered extremely obese. Even worse? One in six children ages two through nineteen are considered obese.

That’s bad, guys.

Like, really bad.

Because obesity leads to all sorts of major health problems. Heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, strokes—and hundreds of other maladies are direct consequences of obesity.

And, what’s worse, those stats aren’t trending down. Instead, it’s getting worse.

So, how did we get here?

Are diets not working for you? We have a weight loss plan designed just for you! Learn more at our next FREE Wellness Dinner Seminar by clicking here.

Well, while it’s easy to oversimplify the causes of obesity, here are some factors that, in combination, can lead to obesity.

Genetics

While your genes do play a part, they don’t play nearly as large a role as you might think.
Genes, according to a recent Harvard study, only influence who might become obese. Environment and lifestyle choices determine how many people actually become obese.
Yes, genes (by definition) run in the family. But so does diet.
Obese children come from obese parents mostly because they all sit around the same dinner table.

Habits are passed on far more readily than genetic coding.

On top of that, your genes aren’t your destiny. You can change your genetic pathways, which genes are “turned on” and which ones aren’t, by changes in lifestyle and diet.

Diet

Not surprisingly, diet is one of the biggest factors in obesity. Consuming large amounts of simple carbs like sugar, drinking sodas, and ingesting the massive amount of non-food chemicals and preservatives in processed food… All of these contribute to the obesity epidemic in profound ways.

We look back to our grandparents and what they ate for breakfast—thick cut back-strap bacon, eggs, and large amounts of heavy dairy products—and it’s a little confusing. All of those things are supposed to be bad for you, right? But time and time again you hear about grandpa eating that every day and living well into his nineties. Those foods are, of course, bad for you… But at least they are REAL FOOD.

Honestly, though, this isn’t your fault. You’ve been targeted since birth by the big food companies who, especially since the late 1970s have been waging a processed-food arms race against each other. And we’ve gotten caught in the crossfire.

That bag of Doritos in your cupboard? That’s less a bag of flavored corn chips than it is a scientifically engineered attack on your brain chemistry. They’re designed to be consumed, and consumed, and then consumed again.

(Lay’s doesn’t even hide this strategy.. their branding is essentially an overt, cynical shot over the bow signaling that they’ve cracked your taste buds’ code and are preparing to ruin you.)

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. TV commercials, billboards, internet pop-ups, and disgustingly blatant ad campaigns aimed specifically at children under ten… It’s a constant and strategically designed attack on your senses.

Find your energy to change your life right now… watch this!

Lifestyle

We work in offices. We spend the evening on the couch in front of multiple screens. We’ll wait for 15 minutes idling in the car for a parking space that won’t require us to take more than ten steps to get to the scooter-cart at the grocery store.

As humans, we evolved to move. To chase down our food. To escape lions.

Now that we no longer have to move, we don’t.

So our hormones slip out of balance. We don’t deal with stress in healthy ways. All our energy just gathers inside us. And with no outlet, all these things have no choice than to make more room for themselves.

In light of this current epidemic, we’re seeing the results of that strategy bare its massive teeth.

Lack of Community

I’ve seen this happen over and over. Without a healthy, supportive community, people can become isolated. Things build up inside them, and in their loneliness, despair sets in. Their health slips. And instead of living their lives, life just starts happening to them. Bad habits develop, and without that supportive community around them, it’s very easy to move down the path to obesity.

You can’t get healthy without a supportive community. But you can definitely get obese in its absence.

Lack of Knowledge

Perhaps the biggest cause of obesity on this list, lack of knowledge is a huge issue.

It’s not that we don’t know we should be eating healthier. We do. And it’s not that we don’t know that we should move every day. We know that too.

But I’m not sure it’s common knowledge how all those different pieces fit together. We have the abstract, thousand-foot view, but the details are blurry. We know we should exercise, but we might not know what kind of exercise we should be doing. We know we should eat healthily, but what makes something healthy? Sugar-packed yogurt is sold as “healthy,” but in reality, it’s one of the worst things you can eat. Diet pop is surely better than regular, right? It has “diet” right there in the name! (Answer: No. No it’s not.)

If you’re confused about what to eat, that’s by design. After all, it’s hard to make money shilling kale.

That knowledge gap also comes into play in when people aren’t in touch with what’s going on with their bodies. They don’t know what’s happening inside themselves because, to be honest, most of the time they don’t want to know.

It’s easier to stay distracted, to leave the issues that they sense might be worsening for their future-selves to deal with.

It’s a natural response, of course. We all do it.

But in this case, it can have deadly consequences.

The Skinny on Obesity

And maybe that’s the moral of the story here. The obesity epidemic isn’t going to go away on its own. Honestly, even trying to tackle the problem at a macro level is probably a fool’s errand.

But if you educate yourself, and then take action on that information, that’s how we’re going to reverse obesity.

Your health is yours. It all begins with you.

Watch more here:

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The post The Obesity Odds: What You Can Do Today to Avoid the Epidemic appeared first on Wellness Training Institute.

October 3, 2017

If you view a change in diet as something you “get to” do, as opposed to something you “have to” do, you’ll be much more likely to one, stick with it and truly feel the benefits, and two, enjoy yourself as you go through the process. Here’s what I mean…

I once had a patient who had an eating problem. He had some serious health issues, and he was in and out of the hospital pretty regularly. But what triggered these episodes was his habit of going out and eating so much he’d end up on a ventilator by the end of the night. He would eat so much that he could no longer breathe on his own.

I remember one instance where he was in the hospital for a few weeks. We were attempting to get his symptoms alleviated enough for him to go back out and live his life. He was making progress, and finally, he was discharged.

Not two nights later, I saw him again. At a local steakhouse. When I made my rounds the next morning, I was not surprised to see he was back.

It’s All About Perspective

It’s a sad case, but it’s not an isolated one. Many Americans are stuck in a pattern of this kind of self-destruction. It’s not only limited to diet, of course, but the whole idea of eating ourselves into an early grave is alarming to me.

Why?

Because, for one, we know which foods are bad for us. It’s not a mystery. A 20-ounce steak served with butter, a deep-fried onion dipped in fatty batter, and a loaded baked potato? That’s not good for you and you know it.

Secondly, part of what makes those foods so bad for you is that they cause inflammation inside the body. And these staples of the Standard American Diet— aptly shortened to SAD— aren’t just bad for your heart, or your arteries, or your liver. They’re also terrible for your mental health. A recent study showed that out of a group of 120 women, the ones who ate more meat and refined grains and drank more soda were far more likely to be depressed a decade later.

This vicious cycle is one reason why the the SAD diet persists. You eat it, it makes you physically and mentally sick, and to alleviate that feeling, you eat more.

And the crazy part? This state of affairs is what “normal” looks like. It’s how most people eat. And it’s impossible to be happy when what you’re eating is making you actively depressed.

So How Do You Break the Cycle?

This might sound a little overly simplistic, but what I’m about to say is true.

Happiness, at its core, is about perspective. It’s a choice.

You can be eating a huge steak and get a lot of pleasure out of it. But you could also eat a stick of celery and, depending on how you view your life and health, be equally happy. Or, more likely, even happier.

If you view a change in diet as something you “get to” do, as opposed to something you “have to” do, you’ll be much more likely to one, stick with it and truly feel the benefits, and two, enjoy yourself as you go through the process.

Ready to take back your health? Connect with us at our next FREE Wellness Dinner Seminar. Just click here to learn more!

Now, the patient I referenced up top was probably in a spot where it was going to take a lot more work than the average person on his end to shift his view of life. He didn’t get that way overnight, after all. But you’re probably in a much better place. And just changing the angle at which you look at things can have a massive impact on both your health and your happiness.

Learn more about breaking the cycle in your life in this video!

Or listen below…

The post Is Your Diet SAD? appeared first on Wellness Training Institute.

September 7, 2017

Caught in the yo-yoing cycle of fad dieting? Here’s how to shed those pounds and keep them off!

Anyone can lose weight. It’s a simple process: Use up more calories than you take in.

But, ask anyone who’s tried out a fad diet, and they’ll all tell you the same thing. “Yeah, it works. But only for a little while.”

Yo-yoing is the term people use to describe the process of losing—and then regaining—weight. If fad diets have anything in common, it’s that most—if not all—result in this drop-and-gain cycle.

It’s a disappointing process, really. You work really hard at a diet, achieve your goals, and then… you go back to square.

So, why is it so hard to keep the weight off?

THE WHY

For a lot of people, it has a lot to do with their “Why.”

Why are you trying to lose weight to begin with? To look good in a bathing suit? To fit into a particular dress for a class or family reunion?

The problem here is that often those things have an expiration date. Once vacation is over, that motivating factor is no longer present. And with it goes the “Why.”

The other issue with fad diets is that even when they “work”—and by “work” I mean that you lose the weight, at least initially—most of them are so bad for you that yeah, that bathing suit might fight, but you’re unhealthier internally than you were before.

Along those same lines, belly fat isn’t just an outer, physical problem. It’s a sign of what’s going on inside you. It’s a symptom of an unhealthy lifestyle.

(For example, it’s not uncommon to find people who look “thin” on the outside but have all sorts of insulin resistance and belly fat issues inside their bodies.)

Here’s how it works.

When your body is working as it should, your gut microbiome—the hundreds of millions of microscopic plants, animals, bacteria, and other tiny critters that live in your gastrointestinal tract—produce chemicals that improve your bodily systems. They are nutrifying your body.

But, when they’re out of balance, the secretions lead to sickness. And why do they fall out of balance?

It’s all lifestyle. It’s what you put into your body, along with how you handle the inevitable stress in your life.

A lot of times, this imbalance is a major factor in belly fat accumulation.

So, how do you get the weight off and keep it off?

The first step is to find your “Why?”

Ask yourself, why do you want to lose the weight? What’s the primary reason for it?

Are you ready to lose weight… FOR GOOD? Register for our FREE Wellness Dinner Seminar and learn how here.

For a lot of our members at the Wellness Training Institute, the decision to lose the weight and get healthy happens after a major medical event. An accident, a heart attack, a cancer diagnosis—or worse.

For some, it’s realizing that your family, kids, or grandchildren want them to be around for longer than their current lifestyle choices would predict.

For others, it’s merely reaching the point where enough is enough. You have one life, this is it, and you deserve to be happy. But without your health, happiness just isn’t going to happen.

FIND YOUR WHY

So, no matter what your reason is, find it. The important thing to know as you search for it is that it’s there. Sure, you might want to fit into a smaller size, but that’s rarely the real reason. I mentioned symptoms earlier, and a lot our external, maybe shallower impulses, tend to have roots deep within our selves.

Finding yours might be just what you need to get rid of that belly fat, regain your health, and grab that happy life that’s waiting for you just beyond your choice to take that first step forward—and then keep going!

 Watch and listen to more below!

The post How to Keep the Belly Fat Away… For Good appeared first on Wellness Training Institute.