We spent an entire month last year sharing ideas and thoughts on the topic of discipline and today we have another idea to share with you - Crazy And Without A Doubt Discipline is Empowering - Here Is Why.  

Now, you may think that developing discipline is about limitations. In fact, this is what I thought years ago when I was living a very undisciplined life. I was unhealthy, overweight and life was out of control. This thought has probably been reinforced by previous attempts at changing your bad habits. 

What we have found is the exact opposite and, it can be very empowering to develop discipline. Think back to when you managed to make a change in behaviour that was successful, how did you feel? When you overcome obstacles successfully that have been in your path, and accomplish something with consistent work, you feel like you can do anything. 

 When you are not self-disciplined, you often do not accomplish your goals and feel like you are not worthwhile. You tend to put yourself down more and in general, have a more negative outlook on life.  You may set yourself up for health challenges and issues, in particular those related to obesity, or have trouble in your relationships with friends and family. 

Successful people do not get there just because of luck. They make goals, plan how to achieve them, and then develop the discipline to accomplish those goals and plans.  They do fail, they do have obstacles, they may even modify the goals or go in a different direction based on working on those original plans. 

If you want to succeed, you must develop the practice of self-discipline to allow yourself to be free of those bad habits that cause you not to live your best life. You may want to get rid of bad habits like smoking, inactivity, and overeating. You may want to form good habits and practices such as exercising, reducing clutter, reading more books, watching less television, or saving money. You can accomplish these habit changes if you focus on one or two at a time, and consistently act on those goals over time. One is best, though if you are working toward a goal such as getting healthy, you may find it better to combine dietary changes with exercise. 

The biggest obstacle to discipline is not a lack of willpower, but a desire for immediate satisfaction. Especially in modern society, everything seems to be focused on having things done quickly. People eat instant oatmeal or cold cereal instead of having a cooked breakfast. You grab a burger at a fast-food restaurant instead of bringing a healthy real food lunch to work. Your T.V. and the commercials you watch tell you that you can have this or that right now if you pay by credit card. The problem with that of course is the interest you later must pay on those purchases. 

You can improve things where you are not in debt, are healthy and fit, and have stable relationships, but it will require giving up the desire for instant gratification and adopting self-discipline. It will not always be easy, but you will find it quite empowering to achieve your goals for a better life. 

If moving more and moving well is something you want to develop discipline in we have an article we wrote for you here - https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/blog/simple-tips-to-start-weightlifting-for-your-best-life

Be sure to connect with us and let us know how we can help you. 

Share any ideas, comments or questions below

Learn more about us here – https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/

What we do and our resources to help you - Holistic Lifestyle Coach

The other day I was listening to a very powerful presentation by Dr. P. Osborne titled 7 Essential Habits of a Gluten-Free Warrior and it has inspired this post today because it made me think about the essential habits for better health, we must create for ourselves. The presentation made me wonder if we are aware of how we are making better habits around our health. 

 Before I start, I want to share a couple of quotes from the presentation:

"People spend half of their life spending all of their health to acquire wealth and the second half of their life spending more than their wealth trying to get their health back"

"The #1 cause of bankruptcy and financial stress are costs related to health problems.  So, it's simple - make health your 1st investment"

"What do you mean organic food is too expensive.  Your health is not a place to save money. You'll spend 10 times as much later at the hospital.  (On drugs and surgery)

And I have always heard that "Prevention is better than treatment".

So, what is my point today? Living with good health and well-being is a life-long essential habit in our opinion. We feel it is much easier to take control of your health and well-being early in life rather than wait until daily life is a struggle.  Once that is done everything becomes much simpler. Thinking, sleeping, exercise, nutrition, hydration, breathing are the six pillars of wellness.

Here are 15 Tips To Help You Create Essential Habits For Better Health:
1. Make your health a #1 priority-invest in you
2. Exercise every day! Especially on those days when you don't want to - your body will thank you – We recommend The Home Workout Revolution System - https://bit.ly/33tvHg9
3. Drink Water - 1/2 your body weight in ounces each and every day - your body and mind will thank you
4. Laugh often and deeply
5. Have gratitude for what you do have in your life now
6. Meditate/pray daily 
7. Eat Real Organic Vegetables and Fruits, Pastured Meats from local farmers whenever possible
8. Eliminate toxins - Use organic/natural personal care, home cleaning products 
9. Eliminate wheat, grains, and gluten
10. Ask for help if you need it
11. Take time to learn the lessons in what you have been given
12. Be careful what you allow going into your body and mind - thoughts are things and impact body and mind
13. Educate yourself on better health and well-being – We recommend the Brave Heart Emotional Training Program — International Training Institute of Health 
14. Be present in your life
15. Play - it can be a magical way to live

It would be excellent to hear which of these essential habits for better health tips resonates with you that you will implement into your daily routine starting today?

Be sure to connect with us and let us know how we can help you. 

Share any ideas, comments or questions below

Learn more about us here – https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/

What we do and our resources to help you - Holistic Lifestyle Coach 

It has been snowing here most of the night, so we are basically indoors today. So, I decided to create this video to help you improve your mood.  If you’re feeling a bit blue, you might be surprised to hear that are lots of ways to lift your mood in less than a minute. Skeptical? Try these and see!

1. Put some drops of lavender and orange essential oils in a diffuser. These oils have been shown to help with anxiety and to promote calmness and positivity.
2. Have a snack. A handful of nuts or a square of dark chocolate will send endorphins flooding into your brain and lift your mood fast. 
3. Get some sunshine. Go outside and get some fresh air and some sunshine, Studies have shown that people who have significant exposure to light have less depression, fewer sleep problems and are even more productive. If you can't make it outside, go and look out of a window.
4. Go for a walk. Even walking around the block will help to lift your heart rate and energy levels. 
5. Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Breathe in and out deeply three times. Focused breathing lowers your blood pressure and calms the mind. 
6. Lift your shoulders up to your ears and then let them drop. Do this three times and feel the tension ebb away. It’s easy to hold onto a lot of tension and stress without realizing it. 
7. If you’re feeling nervous before an interview or presentation, go into the stairwell or the restroom. Breathing in, open your arms wide, breathing out give yourself a big hug. It’s almost impossible to do this without smiling. 
8. Smile! Smile and make eye contact with a colleague or the guy in the coffee shop or the person serving you at the deli. The physical act of using your smile muscles can genuinely make you feel happy. And it's contagious. Chances are you'll make them smile too and improve their day.
9. Stand up straight, lift your head and throw your shoulders back. Adopt a Wonder Woman or Superman pose and feel the change in your energy. 
10. A cup of tea or coffee will instantly lift your mood. You probably know that caffeine is a stimulant, but even low or no caffeine hot drinks will give you a boost or calm you down whether it’s chamomile or green tea, a chai latte or hot water and lemon. 
11. Listen to music that you love. You can choose custom mood music, or play your old favourites. Music has been shown to have a powerful effect on mood.
12. Ask for a hug. Probably not from your boss, but a family member or friend would love to give you the instant comfort of an embrace.

Let us know if you practice any of these 12  Ways to Improve Your Mood in Less than a Minute.

Share any ideas, comments or questions. Be sure to connect with us and let us know how we can help you. 

Learn more about us here – https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/

What we do and our resources to help you - Holistic Lifestyle Coach

Today we would like to introduce you to the idea of Why Train With Kettlebells? Old-Looking Unfit People at the Age of 50...and here is our idea. 

We have been using kettlebells as a part of our fitness practice for years now. And yet it was only in the last 2 years that we began to train 95% of our time with kettlebells. Consistent training to be clear. And what happened for me is nothing short of remarkable. My weight has reduced by about 50 lbs., I feel great and continue to train with kettlebells. 

Here is another idea about the benefits of kettlebell training for you to consider. 

Have you ever noticed that people age at drastically different rates?

This is especially apparent as someone hits 50.

This meme captures perfectly...

(Wilford Brimley was 50 in Cocoon and Tom Cruise was 56 when they filmed the newest Mission Impossible movie.)

In 1985… 50 years old WAS considered old. People not only looked old, but they also moved like old people as well. When you age one of the first things to shrink is your type 2 fast-twitch muscles fibres.

This will eventually cause you to move at a snail’s pace.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Strength training can help you retain these muscle fibres. You DO need to be careful with exercise selection. Barbells and machines can work, but there is one potential issue.

The prime movers (main muscles) get worked… but your joints and stabilizer muscles don’t get trained at the same rate as your muscles. The less balancing that is required from the stabilizers...The worse this issue becomes.

Strong muscles combined with weak stabilizers can cause serious problems over time.

A prime example of this is the leg press machine. This can greatly increase leg strength...But the lower back and core don’t have to work at all (this is asking for an injury).

This is where the kettlebell comes in. Kettlebells are almost the EXACT opposite of this.

Your joints and stabilizers have to become strong FIRST before you have the ability to do a lot of the exercises.

This is one reason that special forces units and the military use kettlebell training. This type of training creates a strong injury-resistant body.

Kettlebells strengthen connective tissues at the same rate as the muscles. This in one of the biggest strengths of the kettlebell compared to many traditional “gym exercises”.

Chris Lopez and Rusty Moore have created a Kettlebell Home Workout course that requires just one-single kettlebell.

This is a 3-month program aimed specifically at torching body fat and creating a lean, strong and injury-resistant body.

Kettlebell lifts require full-body coordination.

(Chris Lopez lives in Costa Rica and all of the workout and exercise demonstrations are filmed right on the beach where he lives.)

Chris is one of the world’s top kettlebell experts and has been training with nothing but kettlebells since 2003.

This course was just released in the Fall of 2020.

Visual Impact Kettlebells - If you are training from home, this course gets my highest recommendation.

P.S.

There is a thing in the kettlebell community called the “What the heck effect”.

Here’s a quick description.

People will do kettlebell-only workouts for 3-6 months (or longer).

When they go back to things like the bench press, squat, deadlift, etc.

They quickly surpass their “personal bests” on these lifts.

I believe it is due to the connective tissues and joints becoming healthier from kettlebell movements and catching up with muscle strength.

Makes sense to me.

Visual Impact Kettlebells (Home Workout Program) 

Let us know if you are working out at home and get in touch with us for how we can help you make the most of your training.

Do you work out at home? Let us know if your if you are ready to learn how to train with the Visual Impact Kettlebells Home Workout Program today? 

Share any ideas, comments or questions. Be sure to connect with us and let us know how we can help you. 

Learn more about us here – https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/

What we do and our resources to help you - Holistic Lifestyle Coaching Programs and More

We started out many years ago training at a gym and absolutely loved the experience. It was lifechanging at the time. In the past fifteen years or so that has changed and now we absolutely love working out at home. We train mostly with kettlebells however over time we have invested in many different tools for our home gym. How about you? Where to you train? If you are curious about training at home this post if for you.

Now, here’s the deal, we all know that must be a regular part of our daily lives to life a fit life. This practice alone provides an enormous number of benefits to virtually every facet of not only our bodies, but also our quality of life in general. Hopefully, by now we can all agree that this is a fact. Today we would like to share the 3 benefits of workout out at home to live a fit life. 
 
Another fact that probably won’t be considered controversial is that most of us are so busy that the idea of cramming literally anything else into our daily schedules seems out of the question. Or is it? 
 
Today we are going to propose a solution that serves as a middle ground between these two facts: working out in your own home. As I said at the top of this post wWe have been working out at home for years now and we have helped many others learn how much they can accomplish by working out at home. Fitting in an exercise practice in the comfort of your home comes with many benefits.
 
Here are 3 examples of how the home workout practice can finally provide you with a way to manage the craziness of day-to-day life, while also keeping your body healthy and fit.
 
Time Efficiency
 
So, lack of time is one of the biggest excuses people use for not working out, right? Well, when it comes to going to the gym, there can be a lot of time required in the process besides the actual workout. For many people, the commute to and from the local gym can often take longer than the actual workout! This is especially true if you are in the practice of working out right after work, 5 o’clock traffic is a real drag in most big cities.
 
This fact alone keeps many individuals from even attempting to establish a fitness practice. Time, especially in our world today, is a precious commodity. The last thing most of us can afford is to dedicate several hours of our day to workout for, at most, an hour.
 
Working out at home is the solution to this issue. There is not extra time involved (you’re going home anyway, and zero time spent waiting for a piece of equipment or rushing to make it to a group exercise class on time. When home is your gym, everything you need is already right there waiting for you any time you are ready!
 
Cost Efficiency
 
While having access to the large array of equipment included in most commercial gyms is neat, it is certainly not a necessity required to get an effective workout in. Even without buying a single piece of equipment, you can easily get the job done.
 
Your body alone is capable of a ton of things. One of these things is serving as your own personal set of weights. You are probably already aware of the usual bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, squats and burpees. These fundamental movements alone can whip you into shape. However, there are many more creative exercises you can literally perform in your living room using alone your body.
 
Even if you decide some equipment is required, the price you will pay for a few items such as resistance bands, a jump rope or even a couple of kettle bells will still cost you less than a membership at many gyms. We recommend investing in a couple of kettlebells and the Visual Impact Kettlebells (Home Workout Program) to get the most our of your home workout training using kettlebells https://bit.ly/33whO0j  (if your purchase through our affiliate link you are helping support our work here) 
 
Whether you decide to build a fitness practice around bodyweight exercises alone or pick up a couple of kettlebells, working out at home certainly saves money in the long run! I have made the investment of equipment over the past twenty years or so and still have it all in my home gym. Where a gym membership is an ongoing expense month after month, year after year. 

We use the program and have in our home fitness toolbox The Home Workout Revolution System and highly recommend it to anyone looking to get the most out of their home training program using a mostly bodyweight training practice  https://bit.ly/3g78Hqc  (affiliate link)
 
Free Of Distractions and Insecurity
 
Two common factors that keep a lot of people out of the gym are the annoying patrons that hog the equipment while they incessantly check social media and the feeling that other people in the building are judging them.
 
Needless to say, making your home the gym solves both of these annoyances automatically. In the home environment, you are able to enjoy a focused workout in which challenges your body and improves your physical fitness.
 
Let us know if you are working out at home and get in touch with us for how we can help you make the most of your training.

Do you work out at home? What Benefits Of Working Out At Home To Live A Fit Life have you found are best for you? 

Share any ideas, comments or questions. Be sure to connect with us and let us know how we can help you. 

Learn more about us here – https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/

What we do and our resources to help you - https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/healthfitnessresources.html

We are in week 2 of the New Year. How are you doing? Have you set out some plans and goals for your year? Have you taken action on those plans? Today we want to help you to Live Your Best Life Today By Practicing These Momentum Actions.

You’re on the way, right? You have a goal or two in mind for this year, and you’ve begun working hard to get there. It might be you’re after something personal. It might be you’re concentrating solely on your health and fitness right now. Whatever it is you want, you’re hungry for it. You can’t wait to see the culmination of all this hard work. 

…only everything seems to be moving so slow…Can you relate?  Well, there is a solution. Check it out: 

What you just might be lacking is momentum. Momentum is what pushes you to take action. It speeds you up as you work the steps and keeps you going.

 "Actions kills procrastination and creates momentum to keep yourself motivated to keep moving ahead.” - Dani Johnson

So, what do you do when momentum is lagging? Easy. You find ways to build it. Consider these quick tips and ideas to make things happen:
​
Visualize the Future
Take some time to consider where you’ll be in six months. What about next year or the next five years? Seeing yourself in the future is a really positive way to keep your momentum going. If you can get excited about you of tomorrow, you’ll find yourself fighting to become that person right now. 

Get Up and Do Something
It’s so easy to grow stagnant. Rather than binge-watch the latest Netflix sitcom, how about getting up to create some mischief of your own? Go workout, take a walk, or make a real food home-cooked meal from scratch. Do inspirational things to fill you with enthusiasm.

Learn Stuff
An active mind is a creative mind. The act of learning, even in small increments such as 10-15 minutes a day, will still improve cognitive function. In short, by keeping your mind active, you will pick up momentum.

Act When You Don’t Feel Like It
If you’re waiting for the muse to strike, stop. There will never be a perfect time to work. Momentum means keeping going, even when you don’t feel like it. 

Put Your Phone Away
Giving yourself the gift of uninterrupted time does wonders for momentum. By turning off your phone for an hour, you’ll give yourself the freedom to relax, recharge, explore, and forge ahead.

Quit
When it comes to momentum, if you’ve found you’re slowing down, it might be because what you’re doing just doesn’t work. In this case, sometimes the smartest thing to do is to stop. Don’t waste time beating your head against a wall when you could be making progress elsewhere. The point is not to quit for long, just for today. Take the time to get back to the beginning to clarify your WHY now and get back on track tomorrow. We wrote about clarifying you  WHY here with our blog post Implement The 5 WHYS Method To Energize Your Best Life - https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/blog/implement-the-5-whys-method-to-energize-your-best-life 

Do Something Scary
It’s the challenge that pushes you to new limits. When you do what’s easy, momentum lags. This is why it’s so important to challenge yourself to do the things you never thought you would.

Remember, whatever you can find to help keep the momentum going, embrace! The most important thing you can do for yourself is to clarify your WHY. Be sure to do this first, we know for sure you will be happy you did. 

Other ideas that might help you are: If affirmations help, post a bunch of them everywhere. Put on music to get you moving. Create a social life around people who support you wholeheartedly. You’re the one in charge of your destiny, it’s up to you to act. 

Let us know if you are willing to Live Your Best Life Today By Practicing These Momentum Actions in the comments below. 

Share any ideas, comments or questions. Be sure to connect with us and let us know how we can help you. 

Learn more about us here – https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/

What we do and our resources to help you - https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/healthfitnessresources.html

Happy New Year! Well, there I said it. And over the past few weeks, I have said this as a greeting to many people and it made me wonder if most people are happy today.  Are You? Happy that is. Let Happiness Be Your New Normal For Your Best Life is our topic today.  

"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions." - Dalai Lama

As we begin the New Year, we believe that being happy is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. So, we ask the question of you today, did you know you can control your happiness? 

We have noticed that being unhappy seems to be the new normal. So many people have their faces stuck in their phones that they’ve lost the ability to enjoy their lives. So many have lost the desire to participate in their life fully. Please don’t let that be you.

“So, what do I do?” you ask. You make use of the chemicals, hormones, and neurotransmitters in your brain.

These natural substances work together to help out with certain bodily processes. Their other function? They regulate our moods.

When you have a better understanding of how these chemicals work, you learn how to regulate and adjust them naturally.
In this post, we’ll share ideas to increase these happy chemicals in your brain.

Let’s get started.

What Are Happy Chemicals?

Our brain stimulates certain glands to release dozens of different chemicals. They’re sent out into the bloodstream and get to where they need to go.

These chemicals, aka hormones, are involved in various bodily processes. There’s a hormone for managing digestion, heart rate, and reproduction. Basically, anything your body does is regulated by one hormone or another.

They also have the ability to make us feel joy, sadness, hunger, or pumped up with energy. They’re usually referred to as ‘feel-good’ or ‘happy’ hormones.

These chemicals fluctuate throughout the day. This is why you feel lethargic mid-afternoon or excited for an upcoming party you’re attending.

Below, you’ll find the main happy chemicals in our bodies. Then, in the following section, we’ll tell you how each one affects our moods.
• Dopamine
• Endorphins
• Oxytocin
• Serotonin

Ways To Increase Happy Chemicals

The great thing about these happy chemicals is we have power over them. We can either increase or decrease how much of them are released through the choices we make each day.

Let’s explore how you can take full advantage of these natural happy chemicals of yours.

Find Time To Exercise

Exercising has so many health benefits. The most important benefit is that it affects our emotional and mental well-being.

Studies show that when you exercise for at least 20 minutes, your body releases endorphins. The science behind it is that they induce a sense of euphoria.

Have you ever heard of the ‘runner’s high?’ Guess who’s behind that? That’s right, endorphins! https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Release-of-Endomorphin-Hormone-and-Its-Effects-on-A-Rokade/d9d6a77f113bb866ea1588edf646a60e25ca1755?p2df 

Endorphins are also popular among athletes because they can block pain signals. They do this by binding to opioid receptors in the central nervous system. As a result, your feeling of pain is considerably reduced.

To take full advantage of your natural mood stabilizers, exercise outdoors. You’ll get some serotonin coursing through your veins in addition to endorphins. Plus, working out with a group provides even more benefits than going at it alone.

If you can find some friends to exercise with, that’s amazing! Yet, if all your friends are busy, join a class and exercise with strangers. Who knows? You may end up striking up a conversation with one of them, which your brain will reward you for with a shot of oxytocin.

Cook A Meal With A Loved One

In theory, preparing a meal and enjoying it with someone you love can activate all four happy chemicals! Let’s take it one feel-good hormone at a time.

First off, there’s the bonding and sharing special time with a loved one. All those feelings tell the brain it’s time to produce some oxytocin, the ‘love’ hormone.

The great thing about oxytocin is it doesn’t specify what type of love. Your brain will release it when you’re with your partner on a romantic night out or when you’re shaking someone’s hand.

Now, let’s talk about endorphins and dopamine. These are released whenever you’re eating something delicious.

Having someone special to share the meal with just boosts their levels even more. Don’t forget to laugh, as well. Studies show that laughter is truly ‘the best medicine’ because it triggers endorphin release. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/laughter-is-the-best-medicine.htm 

Finally, there’s serotonin. One way to get some is by eating certain foods that restore your gut health, especially those that contain tryptophan.

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid. It’s vital for your health, but your body can’t make it. So, you have to find foods that contain this amino acid, which your body transforms into serotonin.

Eating prebiotic foods is also a terrific way to support healthy gut bacteria. By taking care of your microbiome, you can regulate your mental and emotional health.

So, eat right, be happy. It’s that simple. Fascinating, right?

Check out just a few of the foods that help maintain a healthy gut microbiome. Some of them contain tryptophan as well, so it’s a win-win!

Enjoy The Sunshine

According to research, spending about 10 to 15 minutes outdoors works wonders for our moods. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2290997/  It can help stimulate the production of not one, but two, happy chemicals: endorphins and serotonin.

Even if it’s a bit cloudy out, take a few minutes to enjoy being outdoors. Getting a breath of fresh air as you walk around the block can do wonders for your mood.

If it’s sunny outside, then all the better. Just make sure you take your sunscreen along.

The reason? When you’re outside, your body absorbs Vitamin D from the Sun. This activates the production of an enzyme that converts tryptophan into serotonin. How cool is that!

Not only that, but the natural light from the sun cues certain areas in our retinas to produce serotonin. This phenomenon explains why many people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in winter when the days are shorter.

Get Enough Sleep

Everyone knows they need anywhere between seven to nine hours of sleep each night. However, few people recognize the link between sleep and their hormones. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need

When you don’t get the sleep your body craves, you create an imbalance of chemicals in your body. Dopamine is especially affected, and accordingly, you wreak havoc on your mood. You start suffering from mood swings, lethargy, and lack of focus.

This flows onto your mental health and you begin spiralling towards feelings of despair. It can even lead to depression. Not surprisingly, your physical health will start to suffer as well.

To prevent all that, all you have to do is get some quality sleep. Just those few hours can really make a world of difference.
First off, they can help regain the balance of happy chemicals you need to feel good. You’ll also be able to manage stress better and improve your concentration skills.

There are tips and tricks you can try to get those invaluable hours of sleep each night.
• Don’t drink anything with caffeine at least twelve hours before bedtime
• Avoid heavy meals several hours before going to bed
• Turn off all screens an hour before bedtime
• Reduce the lighting and noise in your bedroom
• Set up a schedule where you go to bed and get up at the same time, even on weekends – It is best to be in bed at 10:30 pm each night for the best rest and repair for you

How will you Let Happiness Be Your New Normal For Your Best Life?

Be sure to share your thoughts, ideas and comments below. 

Let us know how we can help you. 

Learn more about us here – https://wendybottrell.weebly.com/

What we do and our resources to help you - Holistic Lifestyle Coach