In this episode, we talk to Joyce Laszloffy about how she kicked sugar and optimized her physical, mental and emotional health. Whether it’s an addiction to sugar or other unhealthy behaviors, we often seek something external to appease “the voice” in the head that says, “I am not good enough. I am not enough.” Listen as Joyce and Keith discuss how they overcame that voice and unhealthy behavior to live a peaceful, healthy life.
health
In this episode, Rick and Keith discuss aging and how their thoughts have evolved on the subject as they’ve grown older.
In this episode, Keith welcomes Linda Dias. Linda is an inspiring human being to the nth power. Watch and Listen as she shares how family, community and self-care were the difference makers in her survivorship with cancer and beyond.
Linda’s References:
The Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit medical practice and medical research group based in Rochester, Minnesota with hospitals in Arizona and Florida. The mission of Mayo Clinic is to inspire hope and contribute to health and well-being by providing the best care to every patient through integrated clinical practice, education and research. The organization’s primary value is “The Needs of the Patient Come First.”
Donald Northfelt, M.D., is a medical oncologist and hematologist at the Mayo Clinic.
Michele Halyard, M.D., is a professor of radiation oncology at Mayo Clinic and dean of the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine at the Arizona Campus.
Consistent routines produce consistent results. That’s what the basics are. They are fundamental principles, attitudes and actions consistently adhered to for a desired outcome. I’ve always been the kind of person who can do the same thing over and over without getting bored. I am more motivated by results than variety. And, while I like both, if that’s not an option, I chose sticking with the basics because results always follow. This is true in exercise, nutrition and life.
The basic exercise classes in our community are squats, lunges, pull-ups, core work and cardio. We will include other exercises but these core movements are in every workout. Why? Because they produce results like no other exercises. I like trying new classes and moves. I consider doing so as extra after I’ve done my basic movements for the week. It’s not a question of either or. You can do both. But I encourage you to make basic movements I’ve listed the foundation of your exercise plan for guaranteed overall fitness.
Our nutrition philosophy is simple. Eat healthy foods that support optimal health and fitness. Doing this will produce better health and higher performance physically, mentally and emotionally. Adhere to our proven food recommendations and you will feel and look great. While flavor is a nice bonus, it’s not what’s most important. The basic requirement of all our meal plans, recipes and cooking videos is balance, variety and wholesome ingredients. Do they support better health? We just so happen to have making the dishes taste amazing nailed down. Ask our members about our zucchini meatballs. They’re bursting with flavor and healthy goodness!
Lastly, if you want to be happy, see the good in people and approach life with a positive attitude. Choose to be loving no matter what, and surround yourself with positive people. Being happy is a choice. No person or situation can make you feel a certain way. If you choose to be happy, you will be happy. Set yourself up for experiencing bliss by protecting what you allow into your consciousness. Read articles and watch media that are uplifting and positive. Engage only in conversation that is positive. There are no victims and there are no villains. See people as imperfect beings on a journey. Don’t judge the journey. Observe it and send people love. Be kind in your words, compassion and empathetic in your heart and loving in your actions. Apply this basic principle to everyone; including yourself. If you do this, you will learn a lot about others and yourself. I promise.
The basics are tried and true. They are the fundamentals for consistently producing results and staying at the top of your game of life. They set you up for success and make you a winner in life. Winning is fun. It never gets old or boring. Hats off to those who stay on the path. And for those who’ve taken a break or lost their way, get back to the basics. Extraordinary results await us all if we will put in the work.
Stronger Mindset!
Keith
My friend, Billy, recently sent me this article saying, “Something to do more research on and start teaching?” I love it when my friends can guess exactly what fires me up and what I would LOVE to do more research on. The article discusses the secret to weight loss. You can bet I will be exploring and testing this concept. It makes sense. Everyone wants something easy… a magic pill, per se. I believe it takes hard work (at first) to successfully manage your weight and your health. It can be done. All you need is the desire to make it happen.
Here it is – the stats that get me fired up every time. The average adult is 24 pounds heavier today than in 1960! What does this mean? It means we are in a severe health crisis that is costing our nation over $200 billion per year in health care expenditures! Why isn’t anything getting done? I will save that for another article which will address the fight with big businesses and lack of governmental involvement. For now, we are solely responsible for our health. The following is a weight loss “secret” that is worth exploring.
It has to do with changing your brain and stress! If there was ever to be a magic pill, as a solution to weight loss, it will be changing the “emotional” brain. It’s the areas of the brain that house the circuits that control stress, thoughts and behaviors. These circuits can be rewired, and by changing them we have a chance to address the root cause of stress-related problems. More and more research shows that stress plays a major role in weight gain and many people turn to food for comfort. This is where “Emotional Brain Training” comes in to play — based on a neuroscience approach to weight management. The emotional brain is command central and includes the fear, reward and starvation centers. When the brain is in stress, all three centers promote overeating and weight gain. It is a strong drive to do exactly that which we know we shouldn’t, but we can’t help it! We feel out of control.
So how do we destress the emotional brain? We need to check in several times a day by taking a deep breath and identifying our level of stress. There are five levels of stress and five tools.
- Compassion – very low stress. Feel compassion for yourself, others and all living things.
- Feelings – low stress. How do you feel? What do you need and do you need support?
- Flow – a little stress. Identify the negative feelings and change them into positive to give you the energy to move forward.
- Cycle – high stress. State what is bothering you using the exact words that you are feeling; for example, “I hate that I have to complete that project all on my own”. By listening to these words you can unlock this circuit. Take a couple deep breaths and then change those words to something like, “Completing that project on my own will be a challenge”. Next support yourself. You have changed the circuit to one that you are now choosing the task. With this new expectation, the emotional drives begin to fade and you gain control.
- Damage Control – very high stress. This is where the breathing becomes really important. Say phrases to yourself; such as, “Don’t judge” and “It will pass”.
Once you’ve released stress from your emotional brain, you will find that you are much less likely to reach for food to cope. The rewiring takes time as the brain remembers that food “saved us” from stress, but over time it gets easier. The solution is to move the emotional setpoint so we get the emotional brain out of chronic stress.
Do you reach for food when you’re stressed? If so, I would encourage you to read the full article and give it a try. Seek others within your community to talk to about it and get support. I, for sure, will be exploring this area of training the brain, not the body.
Stronger mindset,
Amy
This past Saturday I was honored to have three very special guests in my TRX class. D’Ann, Joyce, Janet and I had planned it months ago – when D’Ann comes to town we will do a TRX/spin workout at the ToBeRe… Studio. This was just another FUN physical activity to bring childhood gymnast friends together. It’s part of the tough gymnast mentality that wants the activity to be something new and challenging. Past get-togethers included a Tough Lotus class, the Flagstaff Extreme Adventure course, a visit with Olga Korbut (1972 USSR Olympic gymnast who was the first to do a backward aerial somersault on the balance beam), and most recently, a TRX/spin class followed by a fun time building plank pyramids, truly testing our strength and courage.
My friend, Keith, was in awe that I could have friends from 40+ years ago that are in such incredible shape. He was impressed that we have reconnected and now feed off of each other to live into being our healthiest and happiest self. Granted we have all been on separate journeys that have seen us through ups and downs with maintaining a healthy body and image, but the roots had taken hold and eventually we all found strength and direction from that solid foundation to bring us to where we are today.
We share a bond having grown up as gymnasts on the Desert Devil team. It was a lifestyle of dedicating endless hours every week to the gym and sacrificing what most would call a “normal childhood”. My teammates and coaches were my family away from home. The discipline and hard work required of a gymnast, has allowed me to face fears and overcome obstacles. It’s given me determination and confidence with everything in life. Thankfully, the strong values and enduring friendships are forever a part of me. And I consider myself fortunate to be part of a group like ToBeRe… that incorporates discipline, provides accountability and promotes physical fitness in a supportive and unconditionally loving environment. This makes our ToBeRe… community a perfect fit for me! And, now, I’m grateful to have 2BeRe-U to share this healthy lifestyle with you. Together, we will be our healthiest and happiest self while inspiring others.
D’Ann, also fondly known as my “bookend”, just recently told me that she read one of Keith’s blogs about being grateful and it affected her enough to want to reach out to old coaches and thank them for contributing to the person that she is today. She went on to say that she has thanked her “younger self” for making the sacrifices that have made her into the healthier and physical fit person that she is today. We can all do this. What can you thank your younger self for? How can you live today so that in 20 years you can look back and thank your younger self?
So, what’s next for the “She-Devils” (our Desert Devil Alumni nickname)? I’m not sure, but I do know I better stay in shape and keep training because there is no doubt the challenge will take us to the next level!
All in,
Amy