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Primal Potential

The Primal Potential Podcast is about transformation, not information. So many of us KNOW what we need to do to achieve our goals but we aren't DOING it. There's a continuous gap between our INTENTIONS and our ACTIONS. Primal Potential is a TOOL to help you create massive change in your life and ENJOY the journey!
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Now displaying: 2016
Nov 3, 2016

Do you know what you really want?

I used to be incredibly frustrated with myself & confused: I desperately wanted to lose weight but I wasn't doing the work.

How could I want something so bad yet continuously make choices which sabotaged that desire?

I figured it out: I didn't really understand what I wanted & why.

Today we're talking about values and principles because I strongly believe this is required work if we want consistency & progress.

This is one of my Fat Loss Fast Track veteran webinars where I challenged them to establish their values and principles and showed them how we experience tension & frustration when we aren't thinking or acting in alignment with what we want most.

Values & Principles

Today I'm sharing one of my webinars from my Fat Loss Fast Track veterans group. I hope you love it! Definitely take a listen!

Are these things aligned:

  • What you want
  • What you say
  • What you think
  • What you do

Your values are what is most important to you.

Your principles link your values to action.

Nov 1, 2016

Let's stop justifying indulgences. Let's stop talking ourselves into treats when we want our goals more. Today, I'll tell you how!

You don't have to justify brussels sprouts or chicken, so why do you feel like you need to justify treats?

Beyond that, is the way you're justifying them even true? Are you being honest with yourself with your justifications?

In today's episode I'm talking about HOW you can stop justifying and start owning your choices, whether they're aligned with your goals or not.

http://primalpotential.com/251-justifying-indulgences/

Oct 29, 2016

There are so many things competing for your focus. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and like the deck is stacked against you.

It's easy to focus on what you can't do. Maybe your schedule isn't conducive to the changes you want to make.

Maybe your spouse isn't supportive.

Maybe you're overwhelmed.

Maybe you have a long history of giving up on yourself and you struggle with belief.

I get it. Those are all very real.

But, focusing on those things don't help you and focusing on those things isn't your only option.

In today's motivational minisode, I'm challenging you to focus on this: what you can do.

What you are willing to do.

What step you can take.

What options you do have.

What progress you're ready to make.

Do not miss this powerful motivational minisode!

http://primalpotential.com/250-motivational-minisode-focus/

Oct 27, 2016

Today is about ending excuses, especially that tried & true excuse of, "I'll start tomorrow".

Here's the reality: it doesn't matter how motivated you are, it doesn't matter how great your plan is or how much you want it if you are in the habit of talking yourself into delay, deferral or excuses.

Instead of focusing on what to eat, when to eat or the latest, greatest diet, I encourage you to look at the ways you talk yourself into not doing the work, and focus on overcoming those limitations.

We're doing that together in today's episode. Don't miss it!

http://primalpotential.com/249-ending-excuses

Ending Excuses: "I'll Start Tomorrow"

Yes, tomorrow exists. However, it has nothing to do with what you can do today.

When we put off our plans, when we defer our goals to tomorrow, it's just a way of making ourselves feel better about not doing the work.

We don't want to say "I'm not going to eat healthy" so instead we say "I'll do it tomorrow".

What you can do tomorrow doesn't have anything to do with what you can & should do today.

When you defer the work until tomorrow, you reinforce a pattern of delay.

The more you use that excuse, the more likely you are to continue to use it.

Become increasingly aware of when you're avoiding taking action.

Replace thoughts of what you pledge to do tomorrow with reminders of what you're capable of now.

Tell yourself, "I'm a person of today. Right in front of  me is an opportunity to make progress and I won't pass it up."

Do not delay until tomorrow what can be done today.

Nothing will ever be attempted
if all possible objections must first be overcome.”

— Samuel Johnson

If you look for an objection or reason to delay, there will always be one.

Stop searching for excuses and start looking for opportunities to act.

Resources:

Breaking Barriers: How To Overcome Emotional Eating & Self-Limiting Beliefs

Wanna Help?

If you find the Primal Potential podcast help, it would mean the world to me if you'd take a minute to leave a rating & review! That helps show platforms display my podcast to new listeners! Thank you so much for your support! I can't tell you how valuable it is!

Oct 25, 2016

The other day I asked my Fat Loss Fast Track veterans (folks who have been through more than one Fat Loss Fast Track with me) where they feel strong in their fat loss journey and where they don't feel so strong.

One of the most common areas of struggle was evenings. Nighttime choices. The choices made after work and during/after dinner. I don't think they're alone in that struggle.

Are evenings hard for you? They used to be my biggest area of struggle, for many reasons, and today we're talking about how to improve your evening eating habits and get to a point where you feel confident in and proud of your nighttime choices.

 

http://primalpotential.com/248-improve-evening-eating-habits/

How To Improve Evening Eating Habits

There are many reasons for the evening struggle. Unfortunately, we tend to focus on what's wrong with the evenings instead of focusing on how we can make improvements.

Think about it, it makes sense that evenings are hard.

  • We tend to be more tired in the evening and have more energy in the morning
  • There's more downtime in the evening. Most snacking happens during down time & screen time and there's less of it in the morning
  • We're great at "beginning" - we've started countless diets and beginnings start in the morning, for most of us, so we are just more practiced at improving our first choices of the day than we are improving our last choices of the day. We aren't unskilled, we're unpracticed. 
  • We tend to have less structure in the evenings than we do in the AM
  • We haven't built up trust and follow through

But we have power. We have opportunity. In today's episode I'm sharing several strategies that will show you how to improve evening eating habits, build confidence, accelerate your progress and get results. Definitely listen to the whole episode! Lots of great strategies in there, including:

  • Change your attitude - stop arguing for your limitations and focusing on how hard nights are. Instead, focus on what you can do to make improvements today
  • Practice building back trust in small & large ways (this can be practiced throughout the day by doing what you say you'll do instead of negotiating with yourself)
  • Focus on improvements - instead of being a Debbie Downer and judging yourself for suboptimal choices, look for the improvement. Choose what represents even a marginal improvement for you
  • Finish strong. No matter what happens, decide that you'll finish each day strong, even if it's the last 10 minutes of the day

Resources:

Interested in the Fat Loss Fast Track? The fall group is currently closed but you can get on the wait list for our first group of 2017!

Oct 25, 2016

Totally random episode here! So random it doesn't even get a number or official show notes! Take a listen to this short episode I recorded while pacing in my living room with my new thoughts on all or nothing thinking and what yoga taught me about the on/off approach to nutrition & fitness.

Oct 22, 2016

I'm sure you've heard that comparison is the thief of joy yet most of us manufacture insecurity & shame by comparing ourselves to others.

In today's episode we're talking about why it's so important to keep your eyes on your own work but also HOW to do it. It seems like we almost automatically compare ourselves to others.

Plus, when we stop comparing and pay attention to ourselves, we are often confronted by negative thinking & judgement.

http://primalpotential.com/eyes-on-your-own-work/

Eyes On Your Own Work (And How To Stop Comparing)

In today's episode, I explain the dangers of comparing yourself to other people. Frankly, they have NOTHING to do with you and your journey.

See, when we focus our attention on other people, we can't be focused on ourselves and the opportunities in front of us to grow, improve and take action.

The only journey that matters is your journey. Any time or energy spent on someone else's journey is time wasted.

One of the reasons we focus on others is because we aren't comfortable focusing on ourselves.

When we focus on ourselves and our journey, we often face negativity, shame and judgement.

It feels far more comfortable to judge others than to judge ourselves and face our own challenges.

First, it's dangerous to look away from your own journey.

Second, if you change your attitude about yourself & your journey, you will dramatically change your trajectory.

You must keep your eyes on your own work and you must improve your perspective about your journey.

Don't miss today's episode for HOW to change your perspective on your journey.

Resources:

I get lots of questions about the coconut butter I eat & where to get it. Here's the brand I buy.

The first 3 episodes reflecting on lessons learned about life & fat loss through yoga can be found here, here and here.

Wanna Help?

If you find the Primal Potential podcast help, it would mean the world to me if you'd take a minute to leave a rating & review! That helps show platforms display my podcast to new listeners! Thank you so much for your support! I can't tell you how valuable it is!

Oct 20, 2016

If you feel stuck, frustrated, confused or like you aren't seeing the progress you want, don't miss these 5 dietary changes for faster results.

The key to today's episode lies in not seeking new information but in measuring your own consistent implementation of what you already know but aren't yet doing.

http://primalpotential.com/246-5-dietary-changes-for-faster-results/

5 Dietary Changes For Faster Results

Often, we sift through information evaluating what we know instead of what we're consistently doing.

If we know something already, we gloss over it, whether we're consistently doing it or not.

Today that stops. As you listen to these 5 dietary changes for faster results, I don't want you thinking of what you know or what you don't, I want you evaluating what you're doing consistently and what you're not.

As you hear each strategy, ask yourself the following questions:

  • Am I doing this?
  • Am I doing it consistently?
  • Is there room for improvement?
  • How will I implement those improvements today?
  • How can I practice consistency with that improvement?

While there are dozens of dietary changes you could make to accelerate your fat loss progress or improve your body composition, today we're talking about the following:

  1. Stay off the hot mess express blood sugar roller coaster (especially in the morning)
  2. Slow down on the sweets (the more sweet you eat, the more sweet you crave - this is true whether it's a "healthy" sweet or not)
  3. Dial back on dairy (for more on dairy and fat loss, listen to episode 25 and 128)
  4. Limit labels - how much of the food you consume has a nutrition facts label and added ingredients? Do an inventory of the % of your intake that comes from something with a label and strive for an improvement. Eat more foods that have no label and eat fewer foods with labels.
  5. Stop snacking - snacking is often out of boredom/habit or because your meals aren't satisfying you for long enough. Either improve the composition of your meals so they satisfy you for longer (adding more non-starchy veggies, protein or whole-food fats) or increase awareness of when you're eating when not hungry.

Resources

Q&A 6: How To Make Breakfast A Fat Burning Meal

Episode 115: More on Breakfast

Fat Loss Friendly Lunches

Fat Loss Friendly Snacks

Episode 007: Carb Timing

Episode 025: Pros & Cons of Dairy

Episode 128: Is Dairy Slowing Your Progress

E-Course: Carb Strategies for Sustainable Fat Loss

Wanna Help?

If you find the Primal Potential podcast help, it would mean the world to me if you'd take a minute to leave a rating & review! That helps show platforms display my podcast to new listeners! Thank you so much for your support! I can't tell you how valuable it is!

Oct 18, 2016

I don't know about you, but I used to think that people who reached their goals simply had something I didn't have.

They had more motivation.

More self-discipline.

Better genes.

Whatever they had that made them successful, I just didn't have it.

I was wrong. And if you think that way, you are too.

In today's episode, I want to talk about how successful people think. I want to look at how successful people respond to things that might be a real challenge to you - temptation, setbacks, frustrations - so that you can stop letting those things stop you.

Today is about figuring out how to turn your stop signs into starting lines.

http://primalpotential.com/245-how-successful-people-think/

How Successful People Think

There are two ways to approach your choices:

  • You can blame them on other people and circumstances outside your control (work, time, etc)
  • You can acknowledge that you are totally in control of every choice you make

How successful people think: No matter what happens around them, they acknowledge that they are in control of what they choose and how they think

Everyone faces temptation. Whether the temptation is to hit the snooze button, skip your workout, grab a biscuit at the drive through or have the second glass of wine, we all have temptations.

When you "zoom in" on the temptation, locking in like a laser beam on whatever tempts you, you're less likely to overcome it.

How successful people think: They "zoom out" when facing temptation. They see that there are two things - what they want most & what they want now. They ask an answer the question, "If I say yes to this, what am I saying no to?"

Everyone encounters setbacks. Things don't go according to plan. You drop the ball. You don't get the results you want.

If you focus on the setback, and you harp on what went wrong and how you've failed, you're bound to feel defeated and far less likely to make progress & overcome it.

How successful people think: They look for the lesson. Instead of settling for the setback, they're seeking a solution. They don't focus on what went wrong but rather they look for the next right move.

Remember that if you aren't getting the results you want, add more effort. 

You will get out of life what you put into it.

Wanna Help?

If you find the Primal Potential podcast help, it would mean the world to me if you'd take a minute to leave a rating & review! That helps show platforms display my podcast to new listeners! Thank you so much for your support! I can't tell you how valuable it is!

Oct 15, 2016

Life can be very hard. Many of deal with far too many negative emotions. We get frustrated, we feel lonely, overwhelmed, angry, sad. We focus on fear of the future and shame around the past.

Instead of helping you improve your responses to negative emotions, today's episode will help you overcome negative emotion. Yup, put it behind you. Let it go.

Because honestly, the ROI (return on investment) of letting go of this negativity is far greater than the ROI of practicing a better reaction to it.

If you found this episode helpful, I think you'll really enjoy my self-guided e-course, Breaking Barriers, which is all about overcoming emotional eating, negativity & self-limiting beliefs.

http://primalpotential.com/244-overcome-negative-emotion/

Oct 13, 2016

Let's get back to the basics of metabolism to help you figure out why you aren't losing weight and what you can do about it!

I recently shared with you guys that episode 240 was one of my favorites - we were talking about how your body allows or disallows fat burning and what you can do to control this cellular & hormonal signaling.

Understanding these concepts is really the key to figuring out why you aren't losing weight or why you're always hungry or why you can't get your cravings under control. After that episode, some of you shared that it went a little over your head.

Since this is your show, that's not okay with me! I want every episode to be FOR YOU so we're breaking it down today to ensure that everyone understands these important basics of why you gain weight, why you aren't losing weight and what you can do about it.

http://primalpotential.com/243-metabolism-101-why-you-arent-losing-weight/

Metabolism 101 - Why You Aren't Losing Weight

If you want the detailed science & technical explanations, I've linked to a bunch of those episodes below in the Resources section. Or, you can check out my comprehensive course on Carbohydrate Strategies for Sustainable Fat Loss.

But for today's episode, I want to simplify, perhaps even over-simplify, the process that takes place when we eat and how it addresses why you aren't losing weight.

Just because you don't get immediate feedback when you eat, that doesn't mean the food you eat has no impact.

Just because your jeans aren't tighter immediately after eating cookies or looser immediately after eating a salad doesn't mean the choice had no impact on your rate of fat storage or fat burning.

In fact, I would argue that both choices impact fat burning & fat storage, you just don't immediately see or feel the impact.

Every time you eat, a conversation begins inside your body.

The fuel you consume each time you eat triggers hormones & enzymes to spring into action and consider what should be done with the fuel, if it should be burned, if it should be stored and where it should be stored.

The answers depend on what you ate, how much you ate, if you needed to eat and what you've eaten in the recent past.

In order to respond to & process the fuel you've consumed, your body begins by breaking it down into it's simplest parts. Without first breaking it down, it would be too large to travel through the body.

Only in it's smallest parts can it get into and out of cells to be stored or used as fuel.

In the case of carbohydrates (whether they are from bread, pasta, oats, cookies, crackers, potatoes or fruit), the simplest parts are small, singular sugars.

The conversation in the body changes when the simple sugars hit the blood stream.

Your body must respond immediately because sugar hanging out in the blood stream for too long can be toxic.

Your body sends out signals "blood sugar has risen beyond a stable level! All available personnel come help clear it out"

Metabolizing sugar takes priority because it is toxic.

The primary responder to this blood sugar situation is the hormone insulin.

You see, sugar isn't allowed to roam freely through the body. It requires a chaperone.

The chaperone charged with ushering sugar out of the blood to be burned or stored is insulin.

Insulin is a storage hormone. Insulin begins a conversation with the body which goes like this:

"Please stop all fuel breakdown activities, including fat burning. We have a fuel excess situation and while I'm dealing with the excess, do not break down any more fuel. We are now in storage mode."

This signaling from insulin stops fat burning and initiates storage mode.

But that's not the only signal from insulin.

As I explained in more technical terms in episode 240, when insulin is chronically elevated and running the show due to overeating or consuming too many sugars & starches, it siphons off too much fuel and shuttles it to the fat tissue.

  • Insulin is preferential to fat storage versus muscle storage
  • Insulin diverts fuel to the fat tissue and decreases delivery to the muscle tissue
  • Insulin slows fat burning
  • Insulin triggers the creation of new fat cells so there are ample storage sites available

In today's episode I talk about simple changes we can make to help control insulin and spend more time in fat burning mode and less time in fat storing mode. Make sure to listen to the full episode!

Resources

Carb Strategies for Sustainable Fat Loss - Course

Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes

Carb Timing for Fat Loss

Carb Spillover (And How To Stop It)

Carb Tolerance

Understanding Insulin

Golden Rules of Carbs & Fat Loss

Wanna Help?

If you find the Primal Potential podcast help, it would mean the world to me if you'd take a minute to leave a rating & review! That helps show platforms display my podcast to new listeners! Thank you so much for your support! I can't tell you how valuable it is!

Oct 11, 2016

I'm coming at you with another Motivational Minisode, tough love style!

We're talking about indulgences - the repetitive food & drink choices that are keeping you from your goals.

Here's the thing: despite the fact that you keep choosing them, they're almost never worth it.

Sure, you're in the habit of giving in to temptation, cravings & social pressure so it's easy to say "yes" than "no".

But it's not worth what you're giving up in favor of a minute or two of indulgence.

This minisode is going to bring the tough love to help you do the work, invest the effort and finally leave the excuses behind.

http://primalpotential.com/242-tough-love-almost-never-worth-it/

Oct 8, 2016

Do you find yourself making promises to eat healthy or workout, only to talk yourself out of it hours or days later? I used to do that all the time & it left me feeling frustrated and prevented me from making the progress I wanted desperately!

In today's episode I want to help you stop breaking promises you've made to yourself!

You cannot reach your goals if you are constantly talking yourself out of taking the steps to achieve them. Every choice you make leads you somewhere, either closer to or further from your goals.

http://primalpotential.com/241-stop-breaking-promises/

Oct 6, 2016

I am SO pumped about today's Book Club episode! This might be one of my very favorite podcast episodes! Today we're diving into the book "Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubes.

In this book you'll learn what drives insatiable hunger, what decreases satiety, makes us feel tired and unmotivated and what triggers us to store more fat than we should (and burn less fat than we should).

The book is definitely worth the read and Taubes goes deep into both history & science. But don't worry, if you don't have the time or desire to go through the whole book, I want to share the highlights with you today!

I really think this episode is a game changer packed with super helpful information about how we can store less fat and burn more fat!

http://primalpotential.com/240-why-we-get-fat/

Resources

Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes

Carb Timing for Fat Loss

Carb Spillover (And How To Stop It)

Carb Tolerance

Understanding Insulin

Golden Rules of Carbs & Fat Loss

Wanna Help?

If you find the Primal Potential podcast help, it would mean the world to me if you'd take a minute to leave a rating & review! That helps show platforms display my podcast to new listeners! Thank you so much for your support! I can't tell you how valuable it is!

Oct 4, 2016

If you are looking to take your motivation, consistency or progress to the next level, today's podcast is full of ways to do just that! If you need help setting expectations that are ambitious enough without setting you up for disappointment or failure, you don't want to miss this episode!

A huge part of success in any goal is improving your responses to temptation, frustration, setbacks or emotion.

I'll be sharing lessons I've learned in my new yoga practice to help you set appropriate expectations, avoid comparison, build consistency and fast track your results.

http://primalpotential.com/239-setting-expectations/

Improving Your Responses & Setting Expectations

As I've recently shared on the podcast, after being diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and some stress-related health challenges, I'm making some changes in both my diet & lifestyle to help my body heal.

One of those changes is yoga. I am not a yogi, I do not like group exercise, but I've taken on a legitimate mental, physical and logistical challenge:

45 yoga classes in 45 days.

I've walked out of every single class so far feeling like I've learned something beyond the mat, beyond the yoga pose, and I'm planning to share those lessons with you each week for the next 45 days.

So, I'm two weeks into my yoga challenge and I've learned some good stuff!

Always come back to stillness

In life, more often than not, when we experience tension, frustration, emotion, anxiety or temptation, we react, respond and make things worse.

We do the opposite of returning to stillness.

We kick up a frenzy. We panic. We perseverate. We worry.

Instead of saying to ourselves, "Wait, slow down, take a breath, be still, don’t react",  we eat. We distract ourselves with food. We yell. We make snarky comments, we withdraw. We manufacture drama.

We are an instant gratification society and unfortunately that means we feel like every thing must be reacted and it must be reacted to NOW.

This idea of “come right back to stillness” can be a game changer no matter what your goal is.

When you feel rattled, return to stillness. Don’t react. Slow down, be still and understand that often times, the best response is no response.

However, you can't return to a place you don't know. If you don't know what stillness is or where to find it, you can't go there when you need it most.

You need to practice moments of stillness so you understand where to go instead of reacting. You can practice by meditating, praying, journaling or simply focusing on your breath.

You can practice for 30 seconds or 30 minutes, just practice.

Set expectations based on YOU

It's easy to set your expectations and standards based on other people. It's easy to look to someone who is further along than you are and decide that you need to perform at their level.

Don't.

In yoga, striving to match the practice of someone who is more advanced doesn't mean that you're a motivated hero, it means that you're likely to get hurt and set yourself back.

In fat loss & fitness, setting expectations based on someone who is further along than you are could mean setting yourself to feel not good enough, to feel defeated, overwhelmed and then give up.

Set your standards and expectations based on YOU.

Build consistency to see improvements

The fact that I am practicing yoga every day for 45 days makes it really easy to see my improvements.

Since my last class was just yesterday, when I sit in class today I can easily see what is different and better from the day before.

The daily practice allows me to see my improvements and my progress. If I was going once or twice a week, not only would I probably not make progress as quickly, I wouldn’t recognize as easily.

Both making progress and being able to recognize and observe and notice the progress you make – it’s so motivating! And it drives the desire to continue practice and then you get into what I call the cycle of accelerated returns.

The same is true with consistency in improving your food choices or consistency in your workout routine.

When you are inconsistent, you’re robbing yourself in multiple ways. #1,

  1. You don’t make progress as quickly, of course
  2. You aren't as aware of progress you do make

If you reject temptation every single day, it’s gets easier and easier and you have a closer comparison to have it felt yesterday to be able to recognize that it’s easier today.

Build consistency. Practice every single day.

Don't let your ego get in the way of your progress

Oftentimes, after hearing the same message a dozen or more times, a client will excitedly say to me,  “I know you’ve said that a million times but I finally get it! It clicked today!"

We have a natural tendency to tune out when we think we know or understand something. We don't listen with full attention to concepts we're familiar with.

However, we only retain about 40% of the information we hear (and that's when we're giving our full attention!)

Therefore, don't let your ego get in the way of your progress.

Continue to listen for that one piece you didn't hear last time that could be the thing you need to move you forward.

I'm really excited about the mental & emotional lessons I'm learning on the mat & I'm excited to keep sharing them with you!

Resources

Fall 2016 Fat Loss Fast Track

Join me at ASCEND in Nashville!

Wanna Help?

If you find the Primal Potential podcast help, it would mean the world to me if you'd take a minute to leave a rating & review! That helps show platforms display my podcast to new listeners! Thank you so much for your support! I can't tell you how valuable it is!

Oct 1, 2016

If you haven't listened to episode 237, please start there!.

In episode 237 I talk about the link between the foods you eat & your immune system.

I think it's fairly likely that you're consuming something to which you're sensitive. It's very possible that your fatigue, your trouble with weight loss, your acne, joint pain or constipation are related to something you're eating.

Can we think about this from the common sense perspective for a second? The only fuel your body receives in order to operate comes from what you food, drink and breathe. Your diet is not a supplement. It is the ONLY thing that powers your body. So if something is not working properly, I think it's safe to say that it might have something to do with what you're providing to your body in the form of fuel.

Today I'll be talking about the difference between food allergies & food intolerances as well as the most common foods to which people are intolerant, why they create problems and how you can identify if they are creating problems for you!

http://primalpotential.com/238-food-intolerances-are-you-eating-things-you-shouldnt-be-part-2/

Sep 29, 2016

There is a difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance.

You might have unidentified food intolerances that are impacting your health and your progress towards your goals and not even know it!

And, just because you've tolerated a food before doesn't mean you do now.

Plus, you can overcome your food intolerances!

If you continue to consume a food to which you are even mildly intolerant, you are initiating a domino effect of challenges within your body.

In today's episode I'm talking about the direct connection between food intolerances, your immune system, your fat loss & your health. I'm sharing the impact of genetics, lifestyle and diet on your immune system and what happens when your immune system is compromised.

In part 2, I'll share common foods that trigger an immune response and might be responsible for your symptoms and how you can strengthen your immune system & eliminate your symptoms.

Don't miss the full episode! It's a really important one!

http://primalpotential.com/237-food-intolerances-part-1/

Are Food Intolerances Slowing Your Progress?

To answer this question, we first need to understand the role of the immune system, as food intolerances are based on your immune system's response to food.

Your immune system's primary function is to protect you from toxins, pathogens and other threats.

Because most threats to your health are introduced to your body through your mouth (what we eat, drink or inhale), the majority of your immune system resides in your gastrointestinal tract.

The immune role in the GI tract is to keep out anything and everything that could be dangerous.

Unfortunately, when we knowing or unknowingly consume foods to which we're even mildly intolerant, we break down the protective barrier within the GI tract and create larger problems.

What are the symptoms of a food intolerance or autoimmune issue?

There are so many possible symptoms but the common ones include:

  • bloating
  • gas
  • diarrhea
  • constipation
  • headaches
  • rashes & other skin conditions
  • acne
  • trouble sleeping
  • low energy
  • indigestion
  • allergies
  • depression
  • irritability
  • joint pain
  • slow healing

When we fail to eliminate these food allergens and other immune irritants, our immune system becomes compromised and attacks things it shouldn't, including foods and our own body tissues.

This leads to new food allergies or autoimmune diseases like hashimotos thyroiditis, lupus and arthritis.

The most common autoimmune diseases include:

  • psoriasis
  • fibromyalgia
  • lupus
  • celiac disease
  • hashimotos thyroiditism
  • rheumatoid arthritis

In today's episode I'm talking about how your body's inflammatory response works, what happens when common foods trigger inflammation and how we can quiet the inflammation throughout the body and eliminate your symptoms.

I'll also share one of the primary challenges with convention prescription drug treatments for these autoimmune concerns.

In the next episode I'll be talking about which foods most frequently trigger this immune response and how we can calm our inflammatory response, heal the immune system and eliminate food intolerances. We'll closely examine foods including:

  • sugar
  • caffeine
  • gluten
  • dairy
  • nuts/seeds
  • alcohol

Make sure to listen to today's full episode!

Resources

The Autoimmune Solution by Dr. Amy Myers

Sep 27, 2016

I think we all want to be more productive. We want to be less stressed while making more progress towards our goals.

That can be a tricky thing to balance because we see the pursuit of our goals as demanding that more get done. We see being more productive as getting more done. In both cases, we feel overwhelmed before we even start because we just don't have enough time to get more done!

However, to be more productive, I don't think you need to get more done. To make more progress towards your goals, I don't think you need to get more done.

In today's episode I'll talk about how you can be more productive without doing more and while accelerating your progress towards your goals!

http://primalpotential.com/236-be-more-productive/

10 Ways To Be More Productive Today

While many of these strategies might seem like common sense, I don't want you to discount them on those grounds. Instead, ask yourself, "Am I consistently implementing this?"

Knowing the strategy or being familiar with a concept doesn't matter. Do you live it? Is it yours? Do you have room for improvement? Is it a habit for you?

Don't reject the obvious - implement it. If you want to be more productive, it's not about what you know, it's about what you do and what you do consistently!

  1. Start
  2. Change your language
  3. Question everything
  4. Check your priorities
  5. Stop rushing
  6. Be honest about your distractions
  7. Set a timer
  8. Stop working
  9. Establish a routine
  10. Don't believe everything you read (or hear)

Resources

Fall 2016 Fat Loss Fast Track

Join me at ASCEND in Nashville!

Wanna Help?

If you find the Primal Potential podcast help, it would mean the world to me if you'd take a minute to leave a rating & review! That helps show platforms display my podcast to new listeners! Thank you so much for your support! I can't tell you how valuable it is!

Sep 24, 2016

So this isn't a pitch for yoga, actually. This is about, however, about a personal yoga challenge I've given myself & the lessons I've learned in my first week that will absolutely improve my fat loss, my fitness, and my mindset.

I want to share those lessons with you.

So really, this is kind of like yoga for fat loss without having to go to yoga.

Haha. I actually think yoga is a great thing for almost everyone, but my purpose in this series is to share with you lessons I'm learning in yoga that I believe can & should be applied to our food choices, our fitness, our mindset, relationships and life in general!

http://primalpotential.com/235-yoga-for-fat-loss/

Yoga for Fat Loss, Fitness, Mindset & Crushing Life

As I've recently shared on the podcast, after being diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and some stress-related health challenges, I'm making some changes in both my diet & lifestyle to help my body heal.

One of those changes is yoga. I am not a yogi, I do not like group exercise, but I've taken on a legitimate mental, physical and logistical challenge:

45 yoga classes in 45 days.

I'm not challenging you to do that - my journey is my journey - but I do want to share what I'm learning with you through this challenge.

I'm not necessarily taking yoga for fat loss, but I think there are incredibly powerful parallels between what you learn in yoga and the skills you need to reach your fat loss, fitness and health goals.

I'm doing it because I need to learn to slow down, to be more present, to breathe and to be gentle with my body, my mind and my heart.

Leave it to me to take something like yoga and get all intense with it, haha. 45 90-minute hot yoga classes in 45 days...yeah Elizabeth, way to take it easy...

Hey, gotta make it interesting, right? I'm a competitive person!

I've walked out of every single class so far feeling like I've learned something beyond the mat, beyond the yoga pose, and I'm planning to share those lessons with you each week for the next 45 days.

So, I'm one week into my yoga challenge and I've learned some good stuff!

Stay on your mat

At my first class, the instructor shared with the new people (I wasn't the only one) that the only goal of the first class is to stay on your mat. Don't quit and leave, don't leave the room for some cool air, just stay. It's okay to rest. It's okay to sit down or lay down, just say on your mat.

See, it’s 105 degrees in this room and your moving your body in weird, challenging and uncomfortable ways. (In front of strangers! )

You aren’t weak if you want to quit. It’s not a sign that you’re a failure that you don’t feel like doing it.

But that feeling doesn’t mean you need to leave. The desire to leave is just a desire.

Don’t react. Just stay.

How true is this in life & fat loss? It's okay to stop. It's okay to slow down. It's okay to rest.

But don't leave. Don't drift. Don't let go of your goals. You can always rest, but don't walk away. Don't leave the pursuit. Stay on your mat.

You WILL have times when you want to quit. But that doesn’t mean you need to justify ice cream or chips or cookies or alcohol.

Just stay there.

You’re on this journey. Don’t leave. Just wait.

 

The maximum benefit comes at your depth

In Bikram yoga, which is what I’ve decided to do, there are 26 poses and, in my class, we do each pose two times. As we moved into a particular posture for the second time, the instructor quietly said,

"Keep going. The maximum benefit comes at your depth"

See, she didn't want us to stop when it got uncomfortable. She didn't want us to feel the discomfort and not go past it.

The maximum benefit, the greatest growth, the fastest improvement comes when you go as far as you can.

If she hadn’t said that, I wouldn’t have looked for my depth in that pose.

I would have just done what I felt like I could, held steady when it felt uncomfortable.

But this cue from her, this comment, it sent me looking for my depth. For how far I could go. For how deep I could take it. For my limit. For my best.

How often do we stop at the point of discomfort in life? We do what we're comfortable with and give in when it gets too hard.

But that's not where we improve. That's not how things get easier. That's not the way to transformation.

Think about the times in your life when you've grown the most, learned the most or excelled the most. It probably took going beyond your comfort zone - going beyond what was easy or comfortable.

When it comes to health, food choices or fitness - where is your depth? Are you going there? Are you bringing your best effort? Where’s your limit? How far can you take it?

The maximum benefit will come at your depth.

Pressure is the beginning of the posture

This next one so deeply resonated with me (pun intended). It's pretty similar to the last one but so vivid. I was standing there, waiting for the instructor to declare, "change" so I could release a challenging posture.

You hold the posture, usually struggling (certainly for me as I’m brand new to this) and can release when you hear “change”

Instead of "change" she said,

"the pressure is the beginning of the posture"

She meant that instead of looking to release as soon as it gets uncomfortable, consider that the beginning. Your effort begins, your training begins, your work begins, the posture behinds when the pressure starts. That's when it begins, not when it ends.

It reminds me what Mohammad Ali said once when asked how many sit-ups he had done. He replied,

"I don't know. I didn't start counting until it hurt"

This isn't an argument for doing push-ups through the pain, but I think it has much broader applications to life and the pursuit of our goals.

Think about it - we let up when it gets too hard. When the temptations get too hard we relent. When we're tired, we give in. How about deciding that the pressure is the beginning of the work, not the end.

Temptation is the beginning of the work, not the end.

Emotion is the beginning of the work, not the end.

Stop trying to manage the room

Someone came into the class a few minutes late. The instructor acknowledged her and said,

“there’s a space up front, just one minute”

She'd get her situated once we finished our posture.

A few seconds later the instructor said to the late lady,

“Stop trying to manage the room. Drop your mat and breathe”

We were doing the beginning breathing exercises.

I don’t think the woman knew what she meant and so the instructor said,

“Seriously! Stop trying to mange the room. That’s my job, not yours. Drop your mat, start breathing, I will get you settled in a minute”

This woman was in her head. She was thinking about where she should go, who would have to scoot around to make room for her, where she could disrupt the fewest people

And while she did that, she was missing the posture.

I loved that instruction – stop managing the room.

I know I do that too often, I try to manage the room or the situation instead of just being present in it.

I try to manage other people. I spend a lot of my time thinking about what other people will do, when, where.

I am a natural leader and so at family events, I’m in my head thinking about where people will sit – are there enough chairs? When will we eat – do we have enough for everyone? Is there a parking space for the person who isn’t here yet?

While I’m in my head managing everyone and everything, I’m missing stuff.

A lot of stuff.

We do this at work, at home. We do this when it’s none of our business.

I’ll be sitting in traffic and I see that someone is blocking an intersection when the light turns red.

They aren’t blocking me. I’m a half a dozen cars behind.

But I start thinking and worrying about the people who are at the green light and can’t get through and how frustrated the poor guy blocking the intersection must be because he can’t move.

Dude. Stop managing the room!

This cue, stop managing the room, will remind me to just be present, just do what I need to do, and not worry about what’s behind me, what’s in the future, or what anyone else is doing or should be doing.

I'm really excited about the mental & emotional lessons I'm learning on the mat & I'm excited to keep sharing them with you!

Resources

Fall 2016 Fat Loss Fast Track

Join me at ASCEND in Nashville!

Wanna Help?

If you find the Primal Potential podcast help, it would mean the world to me if you'd take a minute to leave a rating & review! That helps show platforms display my podcast to new listeners! Thank you so much for your support! I can't tell you how valuable it is!

Sep 22, 2016

I think we're all sick & tired of dieting failure, dieting obsession and feeling like we've failed.

It's exhausting!

I don't know about you, but I've tried every diet under the sun.

For years I felt frustrated, confused and like something was wrong with me.

Nothing was wrong with me. Something was significantly flawed in my approach.

Traditional weight loss programs are designed to fail.

I don't think it's you. I think it's your approach.

In today's episode I want to help you understand why dieting failure is so common - why diets are exactly designed to fail in the long term and what you can do differently to ensure success.

http://primalpotential.com/234-avoid-dieting-failure/

How To Avoid Dieting Failure

Diets don't work.

One of the primary reasons they don't work is because they are based on a leader/follower model.

In the leader/follower model, the "leader", whether a person or a company, creates the rules and the structure and you, the follower, step in line and follow their commands.

There are many major problems with the leader follower model and I summarize them into the following categories, which I describe in today's episode:

  • Distraction
  • Doubt
  • Dependance
  • Drifting
  • Depersonalization
  • Deflection

Instead, if we want long term success we should seek the leader/leader model.

The leader/leader model operates based on the premise that some people have great guidance and strategy to offer, but no one knows your body, your preferences, your lifestyle and your results better than you do.

In the leader/leader model, you are creating your own plan based on your body's feedback instead of blindly following someone else's strategy.

In the leader/leader model, you're identify & creating tools that work for you, not establishing a list of rules you must follow.

To watch the full video of this presentation, click here.

Ready to join the last Fat Loss Fast Track of 2016?

Get More Information Here

Sep 20, 2016

Did you listen to part 1 of how to protect & heal your thyroid? If you're wondering how to improve thyroid health, this series is right for you! Make sure you start with part 1!

You absolutely can improve thyroid health. You can protect your thyroid and prevent future problems.

You can & you should!

Your thyroid is about way more than your weight or your metabolism.

Every single cell in your body has receptors for thyroid hormones and your thyroid plays a role in just about every aspect of health.

Your overall health, metabolism and body composition all depend on the health of your thyroid.

In part 1, we covered what the thyroid is & what it does. I shared my recent thyroid diagnosis and the symptoms which preceded it.

In researching how to improve thyroid health & function, I've shared several diet & lifestyle strategies that will make a big difference!

http://primalpotential.com/233-improve-thyroid-health-part-2/

How to Protect & Heal Your Thyroid - Part 2

What is your thyroid?

Your thyroid is a small gland in your throat. It's an endocrine gland, secreting hormones your body needs for nearly every bodily function.

What does it do?

Your thyroid controls the metabolic rate of every organ in the body. Remember that your metabolic rate isn't just about body weight. It's about energy & fuel. Metabolic rate refers to the ability & efficiency of your body to get the energy & nutrients it needs from fuel you consume or fuel stored in your body as well as the ability & efficiency of your body to store fuel in the form of fat, muscle and bone.

Your thyroid regulates & influences countless bodily processes including breathing, heart rate, menstruation, muscle development, fat burning, sleep, body temperature, cholesterol production and more.

What can you do to protect and heal your thyroid?

  • Control your blood sugar by limiting processed foods & following the Golden Rules of Carbs & Fat Loss
  • Minimize stress
  • Support your microbiome
  • Get enough vitamin D via food, sunlight and/or supplementation
  • Cut out gluten and gluten-like components (corn, oats, etc)
  • Identify & eliminate food allergens (even mild ones!)
    Common food allergens include dairy, eggs, wheat, grains, nuts & seeds
    The food allergen test I am taking can be purchased here
  • Consume enough (but not too much) iodine
  • Eat selenium rich foods like brazil nuts, turkey, chicken
  • Eliminate trans fats and limit unsaturated fats

Want to join the Fat Loss Fast Track? Last chance this year!

Get More Information Here

Resources

Chris Kresser's Free Thyroid Report

Fall 2016 Fat Loss Fast Track

Metabolic Effect Adrenal & Thyroid Protocol

Gluten reactions can last up to 6 months (research)

Benefits of reducing iodine

The Paleo Cure by Chris Kresser

The Hormone Cure by Sara Gottfried

Food Allergy Testing

Vitamin D Supplement

Join me at ASCEND in Nashville!

Wanna Help?

If you find the Primal Potential podcast help, it would mean the world to me if you'd take a minute to leave a rating & review! That helps show platforms display my podcast to new listeners! Thank you so much for your support! I can't tell you how valuable it is!

Sep 17, 2016

Here's the deal guys: your thyroid is about way more than your weight or your metabolism.

Whether you have a thyroid issue or you don't, we all must ensure we're doing all we can to protect & heal this critical endocrine gland.

Every single cell in your body has receptors for thyroid hormones.

Your overall health, metabolism and body composition all depend on the health of your thyroid.

Even if you don't have a thyroid gland and you're on synthetic thyroid hormones, you absolutely can & will from many of these strategies.

In today's episode I share my recent thyroid issues and what I'm doing about them along with what your thyroid is, what it does and some of the things you can do to protect and heal your thyroid.

http://primalpotential.com/232-heal-your-thyroid/

How to Protect & Heal Your Thyroid

What is your thyroid?

Your thyroid is a small gland in your throat. It's an endocrine gland, secreting hormones your body needs for nearly every bodily function.

What does it do?

Your thyroid controls the metabolic rate of every organ in the body. Remember that your metabolic rate isn't just about body weight. It's about energy & fuel. Metabolic rate refers to the ability & efficiency of your body to get the energy & nutrients it needs from fuel you consume or fuel stored in your body as well as the ability & efficiency of your body to store fuel in the form of fat, muscle and bone.

Your thyroid regulates & influences countless bodily processes including breathing, heart rate, menstruation, muscle development, fat burning, sleep, body temperature, cholesterol production and more.

What can you do to protect and heal your thyroid?

In today's episode, part 1, we talk about the importance of blood sugar balance, gut health and bacterial balance. We'll go into many more strategies in part 2. For now:

Want to join the Fat Loss Fast Track? Last chance this year!

Get More Information Here

Resources

Chris Kresser's Free Thyroid Report

Fall 2016 Fat Loss Fast Track

Metabolic Effect Adrenal & Thyroid Protocol

The Paleo Cure by Chris Kresser

The Hormone Cure by Sara Gottfried

Join me at ASCEND in Nashville!

Sep 15, 2016

I'm not sure if you're familiar with the shame spiral, but I sure am. Here are the cliff notes: it sucks.

We have this terribly inefficient habit: we keep returning to approaches that don't work.

I want you to really think about this question: do you need a different approach?

That's what we will investigate on today's episode as we explore the shame cycle & how we can break free from it.

 

http://primalpotential.com/231-the-shame-spiral/

Sep 13, 2016

Some of my clients shared recently that they have found the missing piece of what they felt like was a fat loss puzzle.

They knew something was missing - maybe that something was consistency, motivation, focus or the right strategy for their own body - but they've found it.

Today you'll hear from those clients in their own words. They'll share their results, their fears, what they've found and how they found it.

These clients have a few things in common:

  • They all were frustrated with a lack of results
  • They all struggled with weight for their entire adult lives
  • They all felt like something was missing
  • They are now seeing results in fat loss & life in general
  • They're all members of the Fat Loss Fast Track

Some are men, some are women. Some are married, some are single. Some have kids, some don't. Some are older, some are younger. But there's so much they have in common, including results.

If you want to join the last Fat Loss Fast Track of 2016, you can get all the details and your spot right here!

http://primalpotential.com/230-the-missing-piece/

The Missing Piece - Solve the Puzzle & Get Results

Meet Sarah

Sarah is a 40-year-old married mother of children ages 2 to 22. She is also a flight paramedic for an air ambulance service. Sarah’s job requires her to maintain a specific weight, and every month she must weigh in to keep her job on track and in good standing.

Her high-stress career and busy family life left her feeling desperate for stability with her weight.

She turned to the Fat Loss Fast Track to help find the answers within herself.

Here are some of the lessons Sarah has learned that have helped her lose weight and feel more in control:

  • Everything you need is already within you, you just need to look for it and seize it
  • If you slow down & simplify, you'll go faster

Meet Dave

Fat Loss Fast Track is not just for women!

Here are some of the insights Dave gained aside from the weight he has lost!

  • Every choice is a chance - the perfectionist mentality has got to go!
  • Seek consistency & daily effort over perfectionism
  • Mindset drives your choices - focus more on mindset than skillvset

Meet Jen

Jen is a married mother of two teenagers who works as a full-time pediatrician.

Jen has struggled her entire adult wife with her weight and she began to view her weight as a failure in an otherwise very successful life.

Here's what Jen shared about her Fat Loss Fast Track experience:

  • Things get easier when you focus on just one choice at a time
  • It gets easier when you simplify!
  • The Fat Loss Fast Track lessons help every single area of life
  • Her energy is through the roof!

Want to join the last Fat Loss Fast Track of 2016?

Do you want to gain the type of tools and empowerment that Sarah, Dave, and Jen have found? The missing pieces are all there, you just need to reach out and learn to use them! Learn more about the Fall 2016 Fat Loss Fast Track featuring:

  • Weekly challenges
  • Daily coaching
  • Ongoing motivational messages & encouragement
  • 12-week journal
  • Weekly webinars
  • Private Facebook group
  • Workouts for all fitness levels

This is the Last Group of 2016!!!

Get More Information Here

Resources

Fall 2016 Fat Loss Fast Track

Cashew Basil Pesto Recipe

Join me at ASCEND in Nashville!

Wanna Help?

If you find the Primal Potential podcast help, it would mean the world to me if you'd take a minute to leave a rating & review! That helps show platforms display my podcast to new listeners! Thank you so much for your support! I can't tell you how valuable it is!

Sep 10, 2016

"Every vice has it's excuse ready" ~ Publilius Syrus

If you aren't taking action, if you aren't being consistent, if you aren't doing the work, you've probably got a line up of common excuses to justify why.

In today's episode we're going through 5 big buts - the most common excuses for not doing the work required to move towards your goals.

We'll establish the truth behind these excuses to help you clear them out of your way and clear the path towards progress.

http://primalpotential.com/229-common-excuses/

5 Big Buts - Crushing Common Excuses

Know what? I'm not going to give away my excuse-busting tips & strategies here! You've got to listen to the full episode to hear how I suggest you tackle these common excuses! It's a short episode and I know you'll enjoy it so be sure to take a listen!

  1. I don't know where to start
  2. I'm too busy - I don't have time
  3. It's too hard
  4. My spouse/kids aren't on board with changing what we eat
  5. I can't be consistent

Resources

Join me at ASCEND in Nashville!

Wanna Help?

If you find the Primal Potential podcast help, it would mean the world to me if you'd take a minute to leave a rating & review! That helps show platforms display my podcast to new listeners! Thank you so much for your support! I can't tell you how valuable it is!

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