Mindset Monday – 5 Things Happy People Do

1. Happy people are resilient. 

Life knocks everyone down, but staying down only leads to misery. Have your day of wallowing and then get up, dust off, and try again.

2. Happy people are open. 

Being hurt makes you never want to feel pain again, but if you want to be happily successful in life you have to open yourself up to new opportunities—and the chance to get hurt again.

3. Happy people know sadness is temporary. 

Viewing the snowstorms—and occasional blizzards—that we all go through in life as showers before the sun shines is a must. Yoga teaches us balance. Call it yin and yang, light and dark, because whatever you choose the meaning is the same. Unfortunately, we all have to experience negativity in life. How you deal with it is where the true challenge lies.

4. Happy people choose to be happy. 

Here’s another thing my physical yoga practice teaches me—how I react to stress on my mat is a choice. I can be angry and frustrated or I can choose to lighten up and take it one breath at a time. Sometimes that’s all you can do in life off of your mat as well—smile, breathe and choose to see the world as a generally good place that occasionally flat-out stinks.

5. Happy people fake it. 

When I was waitressing, I had to put on a smile and be kind even if I just had a terrible fight or some other personal distress in my life. The way I looked at it was that for all I know, this could be someone’s special anniversary or birthday and who am I to spoil it when my job is to bring these people food and a good experience? That carried over into the realization that misery doesn’t have to love company, and that sometimes simply pretending to be happy makes you feel better. I’m not suggesting that you hide your feelings—I’m big on communication and sharing. What I am suggesting is simple—sometimes you have to fake it to make it.

Happiness doesn’t have to be some pie-in-the-sky dream that we only see in movies, but the thing is that we often have to work at it. We see these happy, successful people and assume that they are “born that way” or “lucky.” The reality, though, is that like most wonderful things in life, happiness is mindset that for many of us takes—wait for it—practice. Learning that we have the ability, more often than not, to deal with a situation in more than one way is liberating because it gives us some semblance of control over things that we have no control over. So when life hands you lemons, try making some kick-butt limoncello—and try choosing to be happy during the process. I think that’s step one.

Drew  

Ayurveda for Beginners – What You Need to Know

The ancient healing practice offers a holistic approach to combating common health conditions, including allergies and digestive problems.

The Basics: The ancient Indian practice of Ayurveda, considered to be one of the world’s oldest systems of medicine, has been healing people for centuries with its unique holistic view of the individual. Ayurveda teaches that good health comes from a balance of the body, mind and spirit, and that a body out of balance signals its needs through symptoms.

 “In the Ayurvedic perspective, the body doesn’t ever create a symptom without a good reason,” says Dr. John Douillard, an Ayurvedic and chiropractic physician and director of LifeSpa Ayurvedic Retreat Center in Boulder, Colorado. “Every symptom is an attempt by the body to heal itself.” Ayurvedic treatments restore balance with therapeutic combinations of diet, exercise, yoga, massage, mediation, breathing, detoxification and healing herbs. Ayurveda isn’t a one-size-fits-all treatment.

The ancient healing practice classifies individuals according to three life forces, or doshas: vata, pitta and kapha. Each dosha corresponds to dozens of characteristics, including physical build, digestion, health strengths and weaknesses, and even personality. Identifying your dosha—or your combination of doshas—allows you to tap into a wealth of Ayurvedic knowledge about your body. Vata types, for example, are usually thin, quick-thinking, creative, and may experience cool, dry skin and nervousness. Ayurvedic teaching recommends warm, grounding, heavy foods for vata types, along with calming physical exercise like yoga and Pilates.

Ayurveda teaches that one symptom can have several different causes. For example, heartburn can signal acid reflux or be a sign of emotional distress, Douillard explains. The practice also takes into account the interaction between mind, body and spirit in each patient to arrive at a diagnosis. “We are constantly looking at the individual who has a condition [rather than] the condition itself, then backing into the cause,” he says.

Scientific Support: Ayurveda has been a successful form of medicine for thousands of years, so it’s no surprise that scientific support for the practice is strong. Recent studies back the effectiveness of several herbal remedies traditionally used as Ayurvedic remedies, including turmeric, which is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant; Boswellia serrata, which has been shown to reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis; Shilajit, which is rich in fulvic and humic acids that produce cell energy; and Terminalia chebula, which has anti-ulcer properties.

Complement to Western Medicine: According to Douillard, the goal of most Ayurvedic doctors is to support the body’s natural healing ability, while eradicating troublesome health symptoms as quickly as possible, which may mean treating patients with a blend of Ayurvedic and traditional Western therapies. “I definitely look at a condition and its severity and sometimes make the judgment to work in concert with a medical doctor to make sure a patient is out of harm’s way and to be as conservative as possible,” says Douillard. However, Ayurveda can be a first line of defense for many non-threatening conditions since it supports the body in self-healing. In some cases, additional treatments may be needed, such as more aggressive naturopathic therapy to eradicate the symptoms, followed by a course of Western treatment. “What is happening in our country is a great morphing of these systems working together,” Douillard says.

To find a qualified Ayurveda practitioner, look for one with a doctorate or bachelor’s degree in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery, earned through training in India, or a practitioner with a two-year certificate of study from a Western Ayurvedic school. The National Ayurvedic Medical Association provides a directory of sanctioned practitioners.

What it’s Best For: Ayurveda functioned as India’s only form of medicine for thousands of years and is designed to treat any health concern. “There really isn’t anything that I don’t look at through an Ayurvedic lens,” says Douillard. The therapy helps treat both chronic and acute problems, including allergies, digestive problems and skin conditions. A meeting with an Ayurvedic practitioner can also uncover an imbalance that has been brewing for 10 or more years, even if the symptoms have just appeared, explains Douillard.

The Beauty Connection: Ayurveda is all about restoring balance. When it comes to beauty, the focus is on healing the skin from within and draining the lymphatic system, which is closely tied to the skin’s appearance. “[In Ayurveda] we want to make the skin function well,” says Douillard. “If skin functions well, it radiates. Skin not only lines the outside of your body, it also lines your intestinal tract, your heart and your arteries. So if the skin on the outside is unhealthy, toxic, sagging and lacking luster, the skin on the inside will be the same. Ayurveda cares for skin on the outside and inside.”

Source: Youbeauty.com

Reality Check (Challenge)

I was just out doing some last minute Christmas

Shopping and everyone was in a panic. Have you been

out there?

Everyone is walking around like a bunch of seagulls…

Fighting over parking spots, cutting in line…trying

to get to the newest toy for the kid before the other

OCD parent could get their hands on it. 

It’s a good thing, I bought all the Black Ninjago

Dragon Battle stations before the rush came…

Phew…

No, seriously though…many people have lost track

of what this holiday is really all about.

Most people look forward to opening the gifts and

stuffing their faces with fattening food. 

I’m going to challenge you…

I don’t think you are like most people. This holiday

season I want you to focus on what it really is all

about.

The reality of this holiday, is a reminder to us how

we are constantly born, each and every day as children

of the most high.

No matter who your God is.. you are made in the image

and the likeness.

Therefore you don’t need any material gifts added on to

you… you have everything already within you.

I challenge you to start to operate from this paradigm.

HOLIDAY CHALLENGE:

 Give a non-material gift.

1. Call three people and tell them how much they mean to you.
2. How grateful you are to have them in your life…

(Make it 3 people, you don’t talk to everyday.)

The funny thing is, when you operate from this level…

MORE of the silly material stuff naturally comes to you.

Weird, I know.

It took me a long time to realize this.

We’re in this together,

Drew

PS. Leave a comment in the Facebook section, letting me know how it went.

QA Tuesday – Purpose

Your work is to discover your purpose and then with all your heart to give yourself to it. – Buddha

Sitting on the airplane, feeling immense gratitude after a long weekend in Maui.

This weekend was the once a year AwesomenessFest. Have you heard of it?

Truly one of the best events I have ever been to. Imagine going to a giant family reunion where all your relatives are around your age and into everything that you are.

Self development

Health and wellness

Reading and Writing

And…. Let’s not leave out taking advantage of what life really has to give you.

1 year ago this month I started Fit Life TV.

Can you believe it? (1 year)

It’s amazing how much one can get done when living in purpose.

I never would have imagined having one of the most successful transformational coaching business in the country in the area of health and mindset.

Or…

Speaking at AwesomenessFest about what I truly love.

Or…

Having the Mind. Body. Business event in January with people like Lisa Nichols, Bill Phillips and many more awesome transformational experts.

Or…

Taking my personal health to a whole new level.

Or…

Writing a game changing book on Juicing and healing your body and mindset.

Having so MUCH more has happened because I decided to let go of “safety” and “comfort” and follow my dream.

People thought I was an idiot quitting my other companies with nothing as back up. I knew intuitively to find my way I had to let go of everything that was serving me.

People would say, “Drew…. You should keep your other companies and then work your “dream” job part time.”

I knew doing anything else other then my dream was a distraction.

We must all get to a place where we are living, breathing and working on our dream daily.

Let me tell you something… no matter what your dream is… there is always a way to make money doing it. Money will fall down on you like rain… when you tap into your true purpose. Almost like this picture.

Let’s you and I start getting more creative, shall we?

What does your dream job look like? Leave it in the comment box below. The more you can describe it the faster and more real it will become.

Much Love,

Drew

What’s Really Keeping You Out of Your Swimsuit This Summer

What’s Really Keeping You Out of Your Swimsuit This Summer

This is a great article on self talk, how to confront those feelings that are not contributing to your highest good. Many of our 6 Week To A Slimmer Stomach clients go through this. It’s important to change your thought paradigm around the type of language you use when describing yourself internally.

To join our 6 Weeks To A Slimmer Stomach…Click Here <--

The 4th of July weekend carried a strange theme for me this year. It started when I was driving my 10-year-old niece home from a family pool party and she asked me, puzzled, “Why do so many people hate the way they look?” I realized that she was referring to comments she’d overheard while happily playing in the pool from several swimsuit-clad adults sitting poolside.

Later that weekend, I took this same niece and her cousin shopping for new dresses. As they tried on clothes, my niece commented, “Nothing looks good on me; Sabrina looks good in everything.” It surprised me to observe such a young girl expressing such a poor body image and comparing herself unfavorably to her cousin. And yet, the very next morning I myself was a witness to a similar discussion between two friends of mine. One, a woman who is enviably slim and fit, casually complained about feeling fat in her bikini at a recent beach party. The other, a man with a near-perfect physique, joined in, saying that since he hit 30, his body was getting “soft and round.”

All of this left me marveling at the prevalence of negative body image. With pool parties, beach trips and shopping excursions in full swing, people were naturally showing more skin. To me this marked a moment of summery celebration, yet for many unlikely candidates, this started a spiral of negative thoughts. Temperatures were rising, while self-esteem was dipping to new lows. The sad truth is that, in peeling off the layers of our wintry wardrobes, we expose ourselves to a whole new world of self-critical thoughts.

People’s views of their bodies are not only cruel but inaccurate. A friend of mine recently told me how down on herself she feels about getting older and confessed how she continually compares herself negatively to “younger, prettier girls.” She showed me an old picture of herself, of the “skinny and youthful” woman she once was. When I asked her how she felt about herself at that time, she remembered that the very day the picture was taken, she’d felt fat, ugly and full of the same self-hate she felt today. It was obvious that her perception of herself as a young woman was as flawed as her current self-image. What she really needed to address wasn’t the wrinkles under her eyes or the grays in her hair, but the underlying feeling of shame that’s long kept her from accepting herself as the attractive woman she truly is.

So what is the underlying cause for the damaging thoughts that we harbor about our bodies? What is the reason for the discrepancy between the critical way we see ourselves and the realistic view that others have of us? Our basic self-perception is shaped by both positive and negative programming from our past. For example, when a parent or other significant adult persists in looking at a child’s face critically, that child will begin to incorporate the thought or believe that that there is something inherently wrong with him or her, particularly his or her physical self.

Early experiences that we never imagined would have impacted our way of seeing ourselves remain the deep-seeded sources for inaccurate self-criticism throughout our lives. People who face issues of low self-esteem can trace them to feelings of humiliation, rejection or disappointment they suffered in childhood. When young children search for the reasons and explanations for these feelings, they often look within themselves rather than finding fault with an adult they are dependent on. One of the easiest places for them to lay the blame is on their physical appearance.

Throughout our lives, many experiences can feed into the deep, old sense of shame that sources from as early as our first few years of life. We continue to assign this ongoing feeling of shame to parts of our bodies that we see in a negative light. Everything from humiliations in front of a classroom, to hurtful break ups, to career failures or even minor mistakes can be attributed to not looking right and add to our inner well of self-hatred.

Too often, we go from feeling negatively about our appearance to actually avoiding certain activities and events, because we’re ashamed to be seen. Thoughts that we are too short, tall or out of shape can keep us from going for a swim or even taking our shirt off at the beach. Our negative body image can also keep us from more meaningful courses of action. For example, we may assume someone we’re interested in is not attracted to us, or we may avoid intimacy altogether, because we are insecure about how we look. When we lose confidence in ourselves, we may resign ourselves to familiar activities and situations instead of pursuing what we really want to do; for instance, staying at home and avoiding a party, because we feel like we are not as attractive as other people who are going.

Each of us harbors our own unique prescription for self-loathing. Therefore, even as we gather in droves at local beaches, parks and summer hotspots, we’re often sheltered in our own bubble of shame, coached by an inner critic that tells us we are different, flawed and lesser than those around us. We even project these self-attacks onto others and think they are critical toward us or not attracted to us. We may notice that our self-attacks get a lot louder in situations where we become self-conscious of our bodies like getting out of the shower or going out at night.

This Critical Inner Voice gives us instructions to hide our bodies. It’s the one that is telling us to leave on our tank tops at the beach. It’s the one whispering to us that, since we are flawed, we should drive ourselves beyond reason to achieve perfection or just give up on ourselves. Even though it may instruct us to exercise or diet, the same voice lures us to take it easy or have that second cupcake. It then punishes us by calling us “weak” or “failures” in a vicious cycle that perpetuates the voice process.

Our bodies are often the biggest target of our Critical Inner Voice. No matter where we stand in life, it informs us of our many imperfections and keeps us from fully enjoying ourselves or relaxing in our own skin. We can choose to starve or feed, hide or reveal ourselves all based on the faulty advice of this inner critic. A colleague of mine, Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute, Dr. Daniel Siegel, poses that the only appropriate attitude to have toward ourselves involves four necessary elements: being curious, open, accepting and loving. In this approach, accepting our bodies is key to accepting ourselves and challenging our Critical Inner Voice is key to accepting our bodies.

When we do decide to challenge our inner critic, we can expect to face some serious anxiety. Acting against these thoughts is not just about confronting a few surface criticisms. Rather, it involves awakening a great beast long-fed on the belief that we are inadequate in some way. This beast may be cruel, but it has also grown familiar to us. Acting against its will by taking our goals seriously and feeling confident in our bodies will rouse this inner critic, which, for a time, will get louder.

However, like the Wicked Witch melting in the Wizard of Oz, the voice will eventually fade into the background. So when it tells us to leave on that tank top, it is important to throw caution (and clothing) to the wind and to remember that this act isn’t just about shedding layers of clothing. It’s about stripping yourself of years of self-hatred, shame and misplaced criticism that just doesn’t belong in the here and now.

To join our 6 Weeks To A Slimmer Stomach…Click Here <--

Think. Feel. Become.

Arnold Schwarzenegger – Motivation Part 1 – Fit Life TV

Great video from Arnold Schwarzenegger. Regardless of his personal life… you have to “look up” to his success here in America.

He didn’t listen to what people thought he should do… he followed his passion.

Created a vision board…

Still persisted…

Made it happen!

Rule #1 – Trust Yourself
Rule #2 – Break The Rules
Rule #3 – Part 2

Developing “Rock Solid” Sustainability In Exercise

“It was your character that got you out of bed, commitment that moved you into action, and the ongoing discipline that enabled you to follow through and reach our destiny.” Drew Canole

When I first started my exercise transformation, my body fat was a solid 16%. My exercise transformation started with going to the gym twice daily, pushed my body to the limits and maintained an amazing diet, which resulted in trimming my stomach to a lean 12% in 90 days. However when I started juicing daily, my gains increased substantially, continually lowering my body fat while building lean muscle.

Once the juice transformed my body’s reception of nutrients, it enabled me to press out the water and toxins holding me back from my ultimate goal. This eventually allowed me realize my potential sustainability of a body fat at or under 7%.

Maybe having a low body fat percentage is not your ideal goal but optimum health is. If this is the case, the juice will help. However, exercise is a must! Even if it’s just walking at first, you must take action. The hardest part for most people in the beginning of a regimen is to build up sustainability in doing so. The following 5 actions have helped me tremendously with my discipline and ability to take action.

Stop being a Victim

Everyone that has a problem with their weight, overall physical health, or the way their body looks, more often than not has something outside of themselves to blame it on. I’m this way because of this…. __________________ (Fill in the blank).

Bla Bla Bla…

Do you often find yourself saying, or thinking these insignificant thoughts?

It’s a hard pill to swallow when you realize you’re the creator of everything that comes into your experience. Once you take ownership of it, you will begin to free yourself from all of the restrictions you’ve come up with in the past.

By not taking ownership you rationalize everything. For example, those extra three cookies you had Sunday after dinner you might rationalize by saying, “It’s ok, I’ll just do more cardio in the morning.” The morning comes and the cardio never happens, sleep was too important, besides you have an extra long day at work. Etc. Etc.

You must take ownership and responsibility of the time you have in the present moment. Once you master this discipline you can get outside of your physical body and move this discipline to higher realms. Until then, you will be stuck on the island of blame with no escape.

Don’t let yourself be a victim. Far too many people have the victim mentality. Don’t rationalize why you are where you are right now. Admit to yourself that you are in the situation you are in it because of what YOU’VE done and no one else. Take control of your life. You can’t go back to the past, but today you can start to create a new healthy, enduring and vigorous life.

Put Your Workouts on Automation

Wouldn’t it be great to have your Avatar venture into the gym every morning for you? Sorry, we are not on Pandora. For me personally, I have a morning routine I follow. Here it is. WATCH VIDEO <–

5:30 WAKE UP! (10 Minutes of Gratitude – Drink 1 Liter Of Water, Grapefruit Juice – All of my clothes are laid out ready to go. The easier I make it the less I will fail)

6:00 Gym Time (I have a timer set to give me 1 Hour in the gym)

7:-7:15 – (Back Home – Juice Time! Giant Green Drink)

7:30 (Meditate and read for 1 hour)

8:30 (Netti Pot, Steam, Shower)

9:00 Time To Play (This is when I get to go to work)

The point to the automated morning routine, is to form life-long habit of doing this. I call it a success ritual. When I miss a day or I’m traveling, I miss my success ritual.

It didn’t always use to be this way…I must admit, there was a time in my life that I DID NOT look forward to going to the gym, or even getting out of bed for that matter.

Set a Goal

If you really want to take your game to the next level, create urgency in your situation. Set a goal to run a race or some other type of competition. Far to often we have no goals or a plan and we fail. Create a plan and stick with it. Write out what you would like to accomplish. Even if it is walking to the mailbox in two weeks, write it out.

Change Your Environment

It has been said that if you hang out with wolves you will become one. Or you will get saved by a vampire… wait, wrong book. No, seriously if you lie with dogs you will get fleas. In any type of new regime some of the people in your life could subconsciously be holding you back. Understand that this behavior is not them, it is their own ego that is doing this. I’ll make a bold claim, I can tell a persons fitness level by 5 of the people they hang out with in their lives the most.

Who are you spending your time with?

Every cell in your body craves homeostasis or in other words balance. When you start to do something that is outside of the norm, some of the people in your life may not approve. Let’s face it, not many of my friends crave broccoli and carrot juice at 6 am before a workout on a Saturday morning.

What do you do when faced with this situation?

This is the best part, you make new friends. You don’t have to get rid of your current friends; you just supplement them with these new individuals. In doing so, make sure they are the type of people that love broccoli and carrot juice, or accept you for you.

Turn It Into a Game (Advanced Tactic)

One of my favorite things to do is to turn my routine into a game. I have a Gym Boss interval timer that I use to monitor my time. This puts me in a mode of “watching the stop clock.” Similar to the way a basketball player watches the clock at the end of each quarter and through the game, increasing their chances to win. The timer sits right next to my bed and as soon as my gratitude moment is over, I jump out of bed excited and ready to take on the day.

Throughout my time getting ready I’m cognizant of how much time I have to get to the gym, juice, gratitude, etc…. This makes it fun, each morning attempting to get more in, and smash my time. The timer also causes me to focus 100% on what I’m doing right then and there. Many people multi-task. When we multi task our brain function decreases by 45%. This is a sure-fire way to keep you engaged in one single activity, ensuring your success.

Intrinsic Value System

Once the habit is formed it becomes part of your overall lifestyle and in turn, your habits transcend into your values. If you can set your standards up to this level then you’ve got it. Having sustainability once you cherish and value this new routine should make it next to impossible for you to fail. There will be times when you just can’t make it to the gym or go for a walk, run, jog, yoga etc… DO NOT beat yourself up for it. Always honor yourself for your courageous discipline and enjoy the day off.

The great news is, once you manage to master your physical body you can use this same process in all other facets of your life, spiritual, finances, relationships, communication, and so forth.

Conclusion

We can sit here and debate calories vs. carbs or circuit training vs. long slow running all day. But decidedly, if you don’t have the mindset of the person you want to be, then you will never change.

Real, long term change comes from within. Change your mind, change your body change your life.

Upward and Onward,

Drew Canole

FitLife.tv

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How To Get Rid Of Anxiety

Fitlifers!

In this video I want to show you a fast and easy way to erase anxiety from your mind. Imagine Yoda teaching you this and not me, it will have much more of an impact. This is an NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) tool that I frequently use before speaking on stage, a stressful event coming up or anything else that could cause anxiety.

Many of my students have been using this same technique and are getting phenomenal results. The imagination doesn’t know what is “just the imagination” or really happening. If you can create it in mind first, the rest will manifest in your waking experience.

This is a tool you can use even before going to the gym. Imagine the workout and the end result, what does that look like, feel like, etc… Arnold Schwarzenegger used this all the time when lifting weights. The power of visualization is huge!

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Instant Manifestation: How to Get Things Fast: Program Your Subconscious Mind

Your mind has amazing potential! This is a tool that you can use at all the time to expedite your results. This is a tip I learned from think and grow rich and switched it up a little bit to make it fit your schedule, in setting your goals in 2011.

Drew

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Visualize Your Way to a New You

Hey FitLifers!

Don’t just hope you get where you want to go, VISUALIZE it! Drew is going to show you how to harness the power of your mind to help you reach your goals. It doesn’t have to be fitness related either. You can use this tool to help you in any and all aspects of your life.

See yourself as thinner, in a relationship with that special someone you have had your eye on, or getting that big promotion at work. The only limitations are the ones you put on yourself. So go ahead, start visualizing the future YOU want. Keep it up for three weeks and it will be come a habit that will definitely improve your life!

Share the video with friends and let us know how visualization works for you with a comment below!

Drew & Brooks
FitLife.tv

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