CONSISTENT by Primal Potential

I spent the last couple weeks going through my email to identify where MOST people are running into the most trouble reaching their goals. The two words that jumped out at me most often were "motivation" and consistency". I started thinking about the process of creating consistency and motivation and how I could really help you hone those skills. Ultimately, there's no food rules or goals that are valuable without recurring consistency & motivation. In today's episode I share 3 very specific strategies for creating consistency and motivation. One of them is related to what I'm calling a "Motivation Mixtape". http://primalpotential.com/136-creating-consistency-and-motivation/ This minisode is all about creating consistency & motivation. I start by sharing what is known as The Paradox of the Growing Heap or the Sorites Paradox. It goes like this: If ten coins are not enough to make a man rich, what if you add one coin? What if you add another? Finally, you will have to say that no one can be rich unless one coin can make him so. When it comes to fat loss, we see our choices as that one, insignificant coin. We justify excuses and exceptions by telling ourselves that this one small choice or action doesn't matter. It's just one cookie. It's just drink. It's just one day. But, if we shift our perspective to consider the growing heap, we understand that we have the opportunity to grow our heap or not. We have the opportunity to reinforce good habits or bad. In an of itself that one choice might not seem significant. But without that one choice, you can't accumulate the consistency you need for results. Here's the challenge I have for you: Get a large jar Every time you make a choice that moves you towards you goals, I want you to add one item to the jar. You can use a grain of rice, a dried bean or a coin. Every time you make a choice that moves you away from your goals, I want you to remove one item for your jar. Here's the theory behind that: we humans like to see immediate results. Unfortunately, with health & fat loss, we often have to generate consistency before we'll ever see results. If we don't see immediate return on our efforts, we'll often give up. Then we're sure to NEVER get there. This jar will be the visible, tangible representation of your efforts, or lack thereof.

It's been too long since I've done a Q&A episode! Let's fix that! I get a lot of emails from people who are struggling with lack of momentum and feeling unsure how to get "back on track" after a rough day, week or series of weeks. In today's listener Q&A podcast I'm going to share my thoughts on listener questions related to lack of momentum, feeling stuck in a rut and battling cravings. Don't forget: if you have questions or you need a bit of encouragement to get moving in the right direction - please don't hesitate to reach out for help! That's what I'm here for! http://primalpotential.com/135-lack-of-momentum/

Sometimes we get stuck in this trap of focusing more on consuming information than on implementing it. And often, we get a false sense of affirmation from all this learning, as if we've actually DONE something and we haven't. Information is awesome. Learning is wonderful. But there is no value in it without implementation. In today's episode I want to help you bridge this gap between learning and doing. Between knowing more and doing more. I want to help you overcome information overload so you can take what you know already and what you continue to learn and use it to improve your health, your physique, your finances or absolutely any area of your life. http://primalpotential.com/134-overcome-information-overload/

Let's talk about 5 common mistakes with carbs and cravings. I think we'd all agree that motivation & willpower can only go so far. If we're battling cravings, fat loss is a lot harder than it needs to be. I have ZERO doubt that cravings can be eliminated. And if you're striving for fat loss & health, they should be. In today's episode we're going to talk very specifically about 5 common mistakes & misunderstandings I see related to carbohydrates and cravings. I want you to understand that carbohydrates are not bad. They aren't. In fact, if you look at my average meal plate (or that of most of my clients) you'll find that the majority of my plate is carbohydrates. What?!?! Yes! Non-starchy vegetables! Vegetables are carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are not the enemy. They do not need to be eliminated for fat loss. It's not the carbohydrate that is the problem. It's lack of control of blood sugar & insulin that is the problem. When we don't control blood sugar, we set ourselves up for fat storage, low energy, cravings and hunger. http://primalpotential.com/133-common-mistakes-with-carbs-and-cravings/

I think that most of us, weight problem or no weight problem, are overfed and undernourished. We focus on foods that deliver an imbalance of energy & nutrition. We get plenty of energy in the form of calories but we starve our bodies of the nutrients they need for both proper & optimal function. Specifically, in this overfed and undernourished 2 part series, I want to talk about 5 nutrients I feel most of us aren't getting enough of. I'll dive into why they're important and how we can get more. Did you miss part 1? No worries - you can listen to it here. http://primalpotential.com/overfed-and-undernourished-part-2/

I think that most of us, weight problem or no weight problem, are overfed and undernourished. We focus on foods that deliver an imbalance of energy & nutrition. We get plenty of energy in the form of calories but we starve our bodies of the nutrients they need for both proper & optimal function. Specifically, in this overfed and undernourished 2 part series, I want to talk about 5 nutrients I feel most of us aren't getting enough of. I'll dive into why they're important and how we can get more. http://primalpotential.com/overfed-and-undernourished-part-1/ We have an unfortunate tendency to rely on processed foods that deliver energy without nutrition (or with little nutrition). This leads to "malnutrition of affluence" or a situation of being overfed and undernourished. We simply aren't giving our bodies the raw materials they need to function optimally. This leads to: Obesity Fatigue Inflammation Chronic disease Instead of looking at health & weight loss through the lens of restriction and deprivation, I'd encourage everyone to focus on equipping your body to function optimally so it creates a state of leanness, energy and vitality. When making food choices, ask yourself: Is this energy & nutrition or one without the other? In this series, I want to focus on 5 things I feel we need more of. In part one, I'll be focusing on essential fatty acids & vitamin D. In today's episode I'll focus on essential fatty acids and: What they are What they do The problems related to deficiency The problems with the Standard American Diet & essential fatty acids How to consume more The difference between omega 3s and omega 6s How to reduce omega 6s How to increase omega 3s Related to vitamin D, this episode addresses: What it is What it does The problems related to deficiency 3 ways to increase vitamin D Sunshine Food Supplementation In the next episode of this series we'll tackle Magnesium B Vitamins Probiotics

We need to have a little chat about starting strong versus staying strong. I've been getting a lot of emails lately from people saying that they need a fresh start, the new to begin again, they need a clean slate. Do you need to reset? Does that make sense? Or might that be the exact reason you're not seeing the progress you want? I actually think that the resets, fresh starts and do-overs are actually in the way of progress and today I want to tell you why. http://primalpotential.com/starting-strong-versus-staying-strong/

I was recently inspired by a Motley Fool article on successful investing that talked about the importance of mindset. I immediately knew that these principles were intimately related to success in all arenas of life, including weight loss. Today I'll share 7 ways to avoid failure based on success strategies that have the power to transform absolutely any area of your life. I've talked before about the link between financial transformations & physical transformation and today I'm going to take that a step further. Don't miss the full episode! http://primalpotential.com/7-ways-to-avoid-failure/

Dairy is a highly debated topic, especially as it relates to weight loss within the Paleo, Primal and whole foods communities. Does dairy slow weight loss? Is it fat loss friendly? Does it increase blood sugar? Does it influence insulin, the master fat loss hormone? Some of the answers might surprise you and we're going to answer all your questions & then some in today's episode! In today's episode, I'll be going through the following 10 statements in more detail. Don't miss the full episode! The intended purpose of milk, from any mammal, is to deliver nutrients to and accelerate the growth of an infant Milk & most milk products contain sugar in the form of lactose. Though "sugar" might not be listed on the label, that does not mean there is not sugar within. The carbohydrates contained within come from this milk sugar. Any sugar reflected on the label is added sugar in addition to the lactose. Though dairy products (excluding those with added sugar) don't produce much of an increase in blood sugar, they do elicit an insulin response. Typically, glycemic index and insulin index are similarly impacted but this is not the case with dairy products. They have a unique insulin reaction that I explain in this episode. Individuals who are insulin resistant should consider limiting dairy for this reason. The hormones produced by the mammal which produced the milk are often still contained within the milk. If you drink the milk, you ingest said hormones. This is, of course, a dose-dependent relationship and the hormone content depends on many different factors including the quality of the product, the type of product and the hormone levels (natural & artificial) of the animal. Casein, the predominant protein in milk products, is a major allergen for many people. Not all animal milks are created equal. Goat's milk, for example, is higher in fat and lower in casein and lactose. Nut milk is not milk. While this seems obvious to many, it is not to all and is worth a discussion. Whether or not you can or should tolerate dairy products depends in large part on your individual gut health/permeability. Your bacterial balance (or imbalance) will have a lot to do with your body's response to dairy consumption. Lactose content, casein content and insulin impact depend on the type of dairy consumed. If you are concerned about calcium intake, consider these non-dairy options which are good sources of calcium: Canned salmon Sardines Kale Oranges Almonds Seaweed Sesame seeds http://primalpotential.com/does-dairy-slow-weight-loss/

Most of the people I talk to feel overwhelmed. They want to take control of their health & their habits but they're overwhelmed by life. They're taking care of family, working, maintaining their home. It's a lot. That's what this episode is for. I want to help you understand how to reduce stress and get more results by simplifying your environment, your mind & your life. I've created a free guide for you so you can take the concepts in this episode and implement them into your life. Visit the show notes page for this episode or go to PrimalPotential.com/simplify to get your free guide! But definitely make sure to listen to the entire episode! I know it will be incredibly helpful for those of you who feel stressed, overwhelmed & life you just don't have enough time or bandwidth to achieve your goals. http://primalpotential.com/how-to-reduce-stress-get-more-results-through-simplification/ How To Reduce Stress Identify what is important to you Eliminate the rest Simplification isn't just about your schedule or your thoughts. We can simplify many areas of our lives as we consider how to reduce stress & accelerate progress towards our goals. It's easier to keep up than it is to catch up - stay on top of recurring tasks if you can't eliminate or outsource them Understand & respect Parkinson's Law - tasks will expand to fill up the time you allot to them. This is where they phrase "If you wait until the last minute it only takes a minute" comes from. Assign a fixed amount of time to complete a task and then focus exclusively on that task for the pre-determined interval The simplification guide will help you simplify each of the following categories with dozens of suggestions for how to reduce stress by making changes in each of these areas Environment & Space Time Mind