Picture for a second what you will feel like on December 26th...   The day has just ended, you've been to at least 4 parties by now, ate tonnes of chocolates and sweets, been on your annual pub crawl and visited with friends and family.   Better yet...you still have at least four more alcohol and dessert filled parties to go before it's all over.   Yikes!   This is just about the time when you start to feel tired and ashamed of your behaviour over the last month. You know that you haven't done anything good to your body, you're scared to see the number on the scale and you just can't stop.   No wonder losing weight and joining the gym is the #1 most commonly set goal for the new year.   It doesn't have to be that way.   Is it possible for you to have your cake and eat it too?   Is it possible to go to your parties, have fun, drink, eat and be merry while not gaining all that weight and feeling bad about yourself?   That's what we cover on this week's podcast.   We want to help you understand and apply the vital steps to having fun this holiday season without derailing your health and physical appearance.   It's easier than you think.   What we covered:

• It all starts with your mindset and what you want to accomplish. Learn why at least 50% of your success is how you view the holidays.
• Learn a more powerful approach to will power. Make no mistake, will power is vital for success in your life, but to blame your desire for having another drink or eating another treat on it's lack is ridiculous. It will only hurt your self-esteem and make you feel bad about yourself.
• How habits, schedule and accountability are the key to your success in any situation.
• Learn which habits you need to have.
• Learn what you need to do before you add something to your schedule.

It's not every day that we're shocked by what we read but today was that day. Every week, while putting together the information for the Life By Design Podcast, we do a lot of additional reading and learning.

We try to pick things that are current, exciting, and most importantly, beneficial to you.   This week we were floored by the article 7 Things That Happen When You Stop  Eating Meat.   Here is what we were told: 1) Meat causes diabetes. 2) Whole grains reduce your chances of diabetes. 3) If you stop eating meat, you will get the right amount and the right type of protein.
Some pretty bold statements...   What we cover:

• A step by step review of this article, covering all seven reasons, including our analysis of the good, bad and the ugly.  
• Why you need to beware of ALL nutritional research.
• Why knowing basic human physiology is vital to understanding when someone is trying to pull-one-over on you.

Kim John Payne, a clinical psychologist, conducted a study where he simplified the lives of children with attention deficit disorder. After four months of this new, simplified life, he noticed that 68% of the kids went from being clinically dysfunctional to functional along with a 37% increase in cognitive aptitude.

Is this something you should be doing with your child?

What we cover:

• How the concept of requirements and strategies applies to the least understood part of the human body - the mind.
• What are the requirements for a child's mind to grow up healthy and strong?
• Does this simple parenting strategy make sense?
• Simple action steps that you can apply right now to help your child grow and develop into the person you want them to become.

Are you tired of dealing with that annoying (sometimes brutal) low back pain that can send numbness and tingling into your legs?   Are you tired of not being able to sleep, stand, sit, play with your kids, go to work or doing anything because it feels like you have a knife stabbing you in the back?   Are you sick of thinking you're finally out of the woods only to be back in pain instantly and out of the blue?   Sciatica is misdiagnosed most of the time and this misdiagnosis leads to the wrong actions and poor results.   What we cover:  

• What causes sciatica?
• What every single person with sciatica has every single time, and what you need to pay attention to in order to start fixing this problem.
• Some hidden problems you likely haven't considered that are intensifying your pain and making your sciatica even worse.
• Why surgery should be last resort, not a first step, in helping your sciatica. 
• Why there is no short cut for fixing this potentially long-term problem.

What if there was something simple you could do that would help switch your body from fat storing to fat burning?   What if it only took 10 seconds a day?   What if there were other amazing things (like better hair, younger looking skin, better concentration and improved mental function) associated with this ‘miracle’ cure.   To end the suspense I’m speaking specifically about fish oil.   Here is what we covered:

• Why fat is your body’s preferred fuel source
• The purpose of fat and how we’ve had it all wrong
• What types of fat you should be eating every single day
• How a quality fish oil supplement can speed up your fat loss goals

Are you busy, working hard trying to achieve something in your life?   Are you trying to achieve weight loss and a body that will finally make you proud? Are you trying to fix your health and solve a long-standing problem that has taken away far too much of your life? Are you trying to learn a new skill that will help you earn more money?   Whatever it is you are trying to be successful at...believe or not, success has a formula.   Do the right thing. Do the right thing consistently. Do the right thing consistently for a period of TIME.   The challenge facing most is that things always take WAYYYY longer than you think they should...and as a result, most people quit before they ever reach success.   What we covered:

• The blueprint for success. How to leverage your desire so that you can stay motivated.
• How to apply the success formula to your life and make sure you are on the right track.
• Tips to combat the frustration of the time factor and push through the most difficult times.

Many lives have been ruined by alcohol consumption. No, not alcoholism… but the long term effects of drinking alcohol. Things like diabetes, cancer, heart disease, weight gain and hormone problems are all potential negative side effects.

So when a study claims that exercise can cancel the negative effects of alcohol, we perk right up and take notice.   Is the information legit?   What we cover:

• The basic physiology of why alcohol is actually bad for you.

• The basic physiology of exercise and the gold standards. 

• Learn if you can actually out exercise your alcohol consumption?

Sorry about the swear word but it’s not us… it’s our guest.   He has just written a book that we think you will love so we brought him on the show to talk about the it.   The book is about how to live a better life.    I’m talking about Mark Manson, author, blogger and entrepreneur. Mark writes about personal development and has a lot of people reading his stuff… so check it out.   What we covered:

• Why most people seem to be continuously stuck and unhappy.
• What you can do to become unstuck and start living a healthier and happier life.
• Mark’s book "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F***" and how it’s different from all of the other stuff that’s out there.

It is with great sadness that we announce the end of summer...but as they say, all good things must come to an end.   I'm sure some are actually happy about September, but are you ready for it?   When September hits, it's often a frenzied month...   Homework, sports, clubs, and shopping all bring less time, more stress and shortly after...illness.   What would it feel like if you could seamlessly transition your whole family into September with minimal stress and no hiccups?   We discuss how to do just that on today's podcast.   What we cover:

• The planning process. How knowing what to expect and planning for it, is the most important part of success.
• Why your family's values matter and how to make sure they come first.
• Learn the factors involved in whether your kids get sick or not. FYI...it's not just more bugs!

 

Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympian EVER, caused a massive stir this Olympics with the small circular bruise marks that were found all over his back…

“OMG he uses cupping?” Said with joy.

or

“OMG he uses cupping?” Said with bitterness.

Based on these responses, we decided it was worth a revisit of the concept...alternative therapies.

What We Covered:

• What your body needs and what you should do about it IS the only question to answer because this will tell you if something is good for you or not.
• The power of the placebo effect. Why the use of a placebo, especially with interventions that have no down side, is a good idea.
• What does an ‘alternative therapy mean’ and why is it associated with such backlash from the ‘scientific' community?