Ageless Energy

Improve Sleep with Shawn Stevenson is what’s going on in this episode of Exploring Mind and Body. In this interview Shawn is going to offer all kids of valuable information regarding ways to improve sleep habits, quality of sleep and more all backed by research. And at the end of the show and this post I’ll share at least 3 of Shawns best tips to improve sleep b ased around his book Sleep Smarter: 21 proven ways to a better body, better health, and bigger success.

Shawn Stevenson is a bestselling author and creator of The Model Health Show, featured as the #1 Nutrition and Fitness podcast in the world on iTunes. With a university background in biology and kinesiology, Shawn went on to be the founder of Advanced Integrative Health Alliance, a successful company that provides wellness services for both individuals and organizations worldwide. Shawn is also a dynamic keynote speaker who has spoken for TEDx, universities, and numerous organizations with outstanding reviews. To learn more about Shawn, visit TheShawnStevensonModel.com

Show Notes

* Almost before the interview even started Shawn started talking about your environment. This was super cool for me to listen to because I so strongly believe our environment affects our life in so many ways. There’s no doubt, environment also affects our sleep habits.

* Turn sleep habits in to sleep rituals

* CREATE A SLEEP SANCTUARY

Some cool facts Shawn shared in the show:

* Couples have 50% less sex that have a TV in their room

* More sleep will improve more results (ie. burn more body fat)

Top Tips Shawn Shared from his Book:

#1. Exercise in the morning (in some way) – Shawn references research proving better sleep is linked to exercising in the morning

#2. Black out your room – car lights, street lights, sunshine, and more all hinder your ability to get a restful sleep

#3. Turn electronics off 90 minutes before bed – studies show the improved sleep by not being on an electronic device within 90 mins of sleep. Shawn offers to read a book, or talk with you spouse for other things to do.

Thank You

I was so humbled to have the opportunity to have Shawn on the show. He has so much valuable information, bring a fresh approach to the health industry and one of truth which is a breath of fresh air. Thank you so much for you time Shawn, I’ll look forward to working with you again in the future.

 

Results are born outside of your comfort zone because when we become complacent, when we do the same activities, when we eat the same foods, day in and day out our body adapts to what we’re doing. This is where muscle confusion comes in. We need to continue to change our methods so our body continues to stay confused which is where we find most of our results.

Humans are creatures of habit

So here’s the issue, as humans we are creatures of habit. We sleep on the same side of the bed, we eat breakfast in the same chair at the kitchen table, and I’d imagine most of us even park in the same stall even if we have the choice to park wherever we want.

Change up workouts and nutrition

This is no different when it comes to workouts. Many times we do the same workout routines time and time again. Day in and day out nothing changes, so our body doesn’t change. When it comes to nutrition, this is no different. Sometimes we don’t address nutrition at all. We figure working out is good enough. And other times we eat the same amount of foods, at the same time of day and wonder why we aren’t seeing changes.

How to see changes

By changing the frequency of your workouts meaning how many times a week, this could help you see more results. Now when I say results are born outside of your comfort zone, this is what I mean. We think we don’t have the time, we’ve don’t the energy or effort, in which all cases I’d say, then you don’t have the time to get the results you want.

You don’t always have to do more, you can do less and change up your intensity. So regarding duration, which is another great way to see results, instead of working out for an hour of slow consistent intensity, shorten up your workout to 20 minutes and workout just a bit harder.  And maybe that will make a difference.

And when it comes to food, it’s absolutely essential you try different meals at different times of the day, different quantities. Have breakfast for dinner once in awhile, who said there’s something wrong with that? Whatever you doing change it up and live outside of your comfort zone.

One big experiment

It all comes down to this. Your body is one big experiment. You need to continue to guess and test to see what will work, what doesn’t, what is and what hasn’t been. What most people don’t want to hear is, the guessing and testing will never end (which is what I love about it). You body is always changes, aging, growing new cells and more. Which means it doesn’t mean if you’re a beginner exerciser or seasoned vet, changing up your routine, continuing to guess and test and figure out what works when is something you’ll need to accept and welcome with both arms if you want to make this your lifestyle and see the results you’re after.

Today we have the pleasure of talking with Tracey Russell who is the author of the Best Green Smoothies on the Planet!  Tracey has an interesting story of how she got into making green smoothies and it all started off with her first of all not enjoying green, salads in particular and then experimenting with her own creations.  There is so much to take away from this book and interview but before we get into the show notes here is more about Tracy.

Tracy Russell has tried just about every fad diet and expensive “superfood” supplement out there. It wasn’t until she discovered the green smoothie that she lost 40 pounds, lowered her cholesterol by 50 points, and started running—marathons!

Tracy is one of the foremost experts on green smoothies and nutrition. She shares her wealth of first-hand information, research, and experiences with tens of thousands of people every day. Tracy is the author of one of the largest green smoothie websites on the Internet, Incredible Smoothies, which she launched in 2009 to help others achieve a healthy lifestyle.

Show Notes

Some of the topics we covered in the interview include:

* The nutrition tips under each smoothie listed

* What GMO’s are and how to stay away from them

* Iron packed smoothies

* Calcium packed smoothies

* Smoothies for energy

In the interview I told Tracy, about how when I first picked up her book, quite honestly it looked like a regular smoothie book but when I started to flip through the pages and then read some of her content I couldn’t put it down. There was so much information, so much to take away and so much value offered.

I loved the health tips, how the book was separated into chapters and over 150 recipes to choose from!

Just a quick thank you to Tracey for coming on the show and Benbella Vegan for setting up the interview.

If you’d like more information about Tracy, what she does or how you can join her FREE 21 Day Health and Fitness bootcamp you can click here.

In this post I talk about be careful for what you wish for because many times we have exactly what we want and aren’t able to appreciate it.

More times than not we have lovely homes, a wonderful family, a good job and nice car but we still want more. Now I’m not saying there is anything wrong with going after what you want out of life and I’m not saying there anything wrong with wanting more but I do think if we aren’t able to appreciate what we have then we’re missing out on a whole lot of happiness life has to offer.

In the show I also talk about the ‘side affects’ of having bigger and better things, like taxes on a big house, without privacy if you’re on the beach; insurance and others’ perspective with a fancy car. It doesn’t matter what it is, if you’re not ready for ‘bigger and better’ in life whatever comes your way that is ‘bigger and better will be hard to deal with.

In the show I talk about Julianne Moore’s speech was moving and how she didn’t talk about all the money she had, she talked about her family and friends and how they meant so much to her. I think we’re so interssted in rags to riches stories, we miss out on what those that have ‘a lot’ appreciate. Those with fame and money, more times than not recognize what’s close to them more than anything else.

Show links:

Nettie Pot

My Online Coaching

Show Notes!

Dealing with controversy is a hot topic. We all deal with controversy on different levels. Some of us avoid dealing with controversy and don’t realize how much stress it causes. Some of us look for controversy and others aren’t sure what to when it arises. In this show I’m going to openly talk about controversy, how to deal with it and even suggestions on how to prevent.

 

Controversy – just on different levels

* What brings up controversy/where does it come from

* how to deal with controversy

* How to address the stress it brings upon us

* And even how to prevent it

We all deal with controversy – just on different levels

* Work place

* Home

* Friends

* Sports

* Social media

Doesn’t matter where, it’s always here. I’m not sure we realize how much stress controversy puts on us.

When controversy arises

Where does it come from?

* Misunderstandings

* Lack of communication

* Difference of opinion – there’s nothing wrong with diff of opinion

COMMUNICATE

* Try not to judge

* Act irrational

* Impulsive

* Try to look from the other persons shoes – good intentions, may not have been said properly/come out properly

When controversy arises

* Where does anger stem from?

* Ask yourself ‘where does this anger come from’ – exploringmindandbody.com/releasing anger

Where is your focus?

* Depression –mind set in the now, past or future?

* We dwell on a thought emotion or memory

* What words or part of the conversation or action is really bothering you

* Don’t ignore pay attention

Squeaky Wheel

* Old mind set

* The loudest one gets the most attention

* Why do we focus or pay more attention to what didn’t happen well instead of what did

* Be thankful or grateful

* Release anger

DO SOMETHING

* Must take action to reduce stress

* Don’t keep anguish inside

* Friend

* Talk

* Exercise

* Write (http://trueformlife.com/10-day-love-yourself-detox/)

* Get away

* Experiment to see what helps you reduce stress

* Change your environment

Wrap up

* What is the controversy that causes stress in your life (don’t ignore it)

* Communication is key

* Where is your focus

* Squeaky wheel

* Find a way to move on, don’t keep it stored up, these stresses cause major dis-ease

 

Accepting mediocre is a mind set, one that we don’t have to accept if we’re looking to improve our situation in life. I think many times we feel like this is just the way it is, not realizing we can change our circumstances.

Eye Vision

How come we simply accept our eye vision to decline as we get older. Some of us don’t know we can actually improve our vision as we age but we think it’s normal to wear eye glass when reading or when driving, because ‘that’s the way it is’.

Typing on a Computer

Have you ever thought about your typing speed on a computer. The majority of us never get better after we reach our normal which to me is accepting mediocre. If we’re always on a computer, if we’re always typing why don’t we get better, why don’t we expect more from ourselves?

Reading

Reading is no different than the previous two examples when it comes to accepting mediocre in our lives. We could read better or quicker or more efficiently if we taught ourselves to. There’s a great book that actually DOUBLED my reading speed called Evelyn Wood’s 7 Day Speed Reading course.

 

We all know what it’s like to be stressed out at work. We know what it’s like when a boss, coworker or even employee stresses us out. So I put together this show to help you better understand how to reduce stress in the work place.

Stress plays such a vital role in our overall health. If we don’t reduce stress in the work place, other health issues are sure to arise.  Here are some of the main topics I covered in this show.

#1 Processed Food

If we don’t start paying attention to the toxins we’re putting in our body that is only increasing our stress levels and weakening our body from the inside out we won’t be able to reduce stress in the work place.

Packaged food, those with lists of ingredients that take up the entire back of the package usually entail ingredients that we shouldn’t be consuming. Our body has difficulty recognizing, processing and utilizing these substances therefore more stress accumulates on our body.

#2 Cosmetics

Our skin is our biggest organ, therefore at times we absorb toxins through our skin at a rate equal to consuming toxins through food. If we want to reduce stress in the work place it’s absolutely essential we start paying attention to what we’re putting on our body. We need to start reading ingredients on packages of cosmetics the same as we do food.

#3 Environment

I’ve talked about environment before, in this case, especially concerning how to reduce stress in the work place, we need to pay attention to what kind of environment we have in the work place. Who is stressing us out, why, how can we make the situation better. By ignoring the issue, by not taking action, we’re missing out on how to reduce stress in the work place.

#4 Hydration

Hydration is one of the best ways to flush out the toxins in your body that is putting more stress on you. Look to filtered water, and don’t be afraid to flavor water with herbs and fruit to change it up.

#5 Dangers of Stress

If we don’t take action to reduce stress in the workplace we’ll soon deal with a number of health issues that include:

* Self confidence

* weight gain

* dis-ease

* headaches

* allergens

* sleep issues

* pain/inflammation

* high blood pressure

* stroke

* heart attack

Related Links

Show #103: How our Environment affects our Lifestyle

Show #171: Holiday Health Tips

 

This show about Valentines Day was actually cut out from show #79. I did a separate intro and extro talked about my thoughts about V Day. I also have a new 10

Day Love Detox to share with you.

Seems a little crazy that over 2 years ago I have content to share with you.

I wouldn’t say it’s all that romantic, just remember this is my opinion which doesn’t mean it’s correct just mine.

I really think there is so much pressure around Valentines Day, I mean I know it’s the day of a love but when people can’t afford fancy gifts, or even flowers I think it’s easy to feel inadequate. Given there is so much pressure to spend money I think this ‘holiday’ could actually cause more stress than do good.

I also feel that we shouldn’t just share our love on one day of the year, it should be everyday which is what would make a relationship special

Happy Valentine’s Day to all you wonderful ladies out there!

 

Today on Exploring Mind and Body Jamie-Dee Marshall will be joining, a fitness professional that will be talking about designing a fitness program specific for your needs. Many times we show up at a gym and don’t know what to do, we get the mind set of ‘I need to get in better shape, and I will get in better shape’, but we’re not sure how. It’s important to widen our scope of success and do everything we can to set our selves up for success.

There are many ways to setting and achieving goals, increasing your success rate and creating the lifestyle of health we’re talking about, which all begins with designing a fitness program specific for your needs. I like how Jamie-Dee says, if you’re not exactly a fitness type of person and you’re not exactly a morning person, why set a goal when you’re just start out that’s along the lines of, ‘I’m going to start working out every morning at 6am’. This certainly won’t help you find your success in health, so that’s what this show is all about.

It’s about helping you find ways to set yourself up for success when it comes to designing a fitness program, living a healthier lifestyle and creating the life of your dreams, all directed towards health.

Who is Jamie Dee?

Every day my two kids ask, “What are we doing today? Where are we going?” Hmmm… I wonder where they get that from??? I LOVE everything I do! I have been teaching group fitness classes for 20 years. I am active with my kids’ activities and passionate about modelling a healthy lifestyle for my family. I cook and bake for my family – okay, sometimes I just use them as the excuse to bake. I try to instill realistic, simple practices in regard to physical energy, emotional well being and healthy lifestyles. I gain energy from others, however I have also learned to gain perspective and focus from within.

I hope to share some energy and knowledge with participants in a fun, challenging manner; life is about balance!  I provide various different approaches to breaking down barriers and prioritizing fitness and wellness.  The following links provide more information on classes, retreats and a high-quality home training program (including equipment):

Fitness and yoga classes, held in Olds, AB

* Spring and Fall fitness and yoga retreats in Banff and Canmore, teamed up with fitness expert Pamela Moberg

* TRANSFORM by MoveBALL 30 Day Fitness Challenge, by Fitness Matters, a partnership with fitness expert and creator of the MoveBALL, Anita Parker.  *This is the key to at-home workout success!

 

Show Notes

Here are some of the topics Jamie Dee put together for us, in prep for the show. Some we cover and some are questions she asks her clients and questions you should ask yourself when thinking about designing ...

Did you know the most successful people in the world have morning routines? Personally, the only time I have a set routine in the morning. I follow my morning routines religiously and recommend if you’re looking for success you develop and stick to yours as closely as possible.

In this show, I welcome you into my morning routines and let you know how I wake up in the morning.