Your Living Health: Recent Episodes
Carly Lucchesi, RD
Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, a UC Davis trained Registered Dietitian and Life Coach. Here we will be covering everything from your brain to your genetics. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun. You ready?? Let's Go!!
In this episode, we're bypassing typical New Year's resolutions to focus on reducing chronic inflammation and mastering your mindset. We delve into the fear of making decisions and the freedom it brings when you commit. I share personal experiences, like weekly fasting and cold plunges, to illustrate the power of strong decisions in finding peace, confidence, and pride on your journey. Discover how to overcome indecision and embrace the magic of strong choices!
How many of you have those moments during weight loss of complete defeat? Those moments of "why bother?" Today I want to talk about the struggles we often go through when losing weight, and how to use those struggles in a way to gain the upper hand over the struggle. Today... let's make weight loss peaceful. I hope you'll join me!
Following a well thought out and intentional food plan may be something you're ready to do. You want to reach your goals, you want to do it in a way that is kind and graceful. BUT... you keep stumbling and self-sabotaging. What is going on? Today let's better understand and anticipate diet trauma.
Do you have trouble with over-indulging when you go out with friends or have a special occasion to attend? Is it hard to be in the same room as appetizers or cookies and not secretly obsess over them? If you want to confidently attend special events and know without a doubt how to stay on track, give this episode a quick listen. See you there!
Explore the mysterious world of your emotions with the Emotion Ladder. By uncovering hidden layers of thoughts and feelings, you’ll be able to finally see the subconscious rules guiding your choices. Discover why your brain often opts for anger over curiosity, and learn how mastering emotional control can lead to reduced stress, improved health, and lasting results. Join me in this episode of self-discovery and transformation with the end goal of life balance.
In this episode, we explore the powerful yet often intimidating concept of unconditional love. We dissect the difference between unconditional and conditional love, examining real-life scenarios with family, friends, and partners. This episode will challenge you to embrace the vulnerability of unconditional love, highlighting that it's a conscious choice with immeasurable rewards. Are you ready to change your life in a powerful way? Learn to choose love unconditionally, and you might just achieve it.
Are you clear on your beliefs, or do you find yourself doubting God’s plan? How is your quest for weight loss and inner health ties to your spiritual journey? Join me today as we explore the point behind life’s challenges and discuss why, despite the hardships, there might be more to this human experience than meets the eye. Are you a woman wanting to lose weight but have chronic inflammation? Check out this free mini course! https://yourlivinghealth.com/freecourse
Do you feel like you’re always chasing happiness? Like the life you want is right around the corner and if you just push a little harder things will get easier? When you lose the weight… then I’ll be happy. When I just know what to do… then I’ll feel peace. Today we’re going to talk about wanting, and in a way that will help you to love the journey. Are you a woman wanting to lose weight but have chronic inflammation? Check out this free mini course! https://yourlivinghealth.com/freecourse
Too often, life can feel like you’re trapped in a whirlwind of overwhelm, resentment, anxiety or defeat. Negative and un-useful emotions are the background energies that fuel your actions. Today I want to walk you through an exercise that will help you stop the spin and begin creating energy on purpose. You ready to lose weight and reduce your inflammation? Use this exercise as a good place to start. Are you a woman wanting to lose weight but have chronic inflammation? Check out this free mini course! https://yourlivinghealth.com/freecourse
Are you drinking a little too much lately? Have you started to notice a little more aches and pains in the mornings, a little more brain fog and fatigue? Maybe you’ve noticed you used to drink just on the weekends, but it’s started to move more into an everyday thing. If you have noticed a trend towards overdrinking, we’re going to go over some red flags that will hopefully be your prompt to consider a pulse check. But I’m also going to talk about reasons why you should keep drinking. See you there! Are you a woman wanting to lose weight but have chronic inflammation? Check out this free mini course! https://yourlivinghealth.com/freecourse
Are you drinking a little too much lately? Have you started to notice a little more aches and pains in the mornings, a little more brain fog and fatigue? Maybe you’ve noticed you used to drink just on the weekends, but it’s started to move more into an everyday thing. If you have noticed a trend towards overdrinking, we’re going to go over some red flags that will hopefully be your prompt to consider a pulse check. But I’m also going to talk about reasons why you should keep drinking. See you there!
Are you a woman wanting to lose weight but have chronic inflammation? Check out this free mini course! https://yourlivinghealth.com/freecourse
The post E53 – Alcohol first appeared on Your Living Heath, LLC.
When you’re feeling stuck and not knowing what to do next, it can be far too tempting to look outside of yourself for those answers. Today I want you to learn how to tap into the part of yourself who has all the answers. This version of you is packed full of wisdom, and it’s about time you began using it. Are you a woman wanting to lose weight but have chronic inflammation? Check out this free mini course! https://yourlivinghealth.com/freecourse
When you’re feeling stuck and not knowing what to do next, it can be far too tempting to look outside of yourself for those answers. Today I want you to learn how to tap into the part of yourself who has all the answers. This version of you is packed full of wisdom, and it’s about time you began using it.
Are you a woman wanting to lose weight but have chronic inflammation? Check out this free mini course! https://yourlivinghealth.com/freecourse
The post E52 – Tapping into the Wisdom of your Future Self first appeared on Your Living Heath, LLC.
Automatic negative thoughts are present every day whether you’re aware of them or not. If you are beginning to hear them, they might scare you because you really don’t know what to do with them. Today I want to go over four common mistakes I see surrounding ANTs, and I want to teach you how to use these thoughts as beacons moving into your future. Are you a woman wanting to lose weight but have chronic inflammation? Check out this free workshop! https://yourlivinghealth.com/workshop
Automatic negative thoughts are present every day whether you’re aware of them or not. If you are beginning to hear them, they might scare you because you really don’t know what to do with them. Today I want to go over four common mistakes I see surrounding ANTs, and I want to teach you how to use these thoughts as beacons moving into your future.
Are you a woman wanting to lose weight but have chronic inflammation? Check out this free workshop! https://yourlivinghealth.com/workshop
The post Episode 51 – Automatic Negative Thoughts first appeared on Your Living Heath, LLC.
Are you tired of not creating healthy habits over the years? There seems to be this all or nothing, perfectionism mentality that is hard to keep when life gets in the way. You want to be done expending mental energy on losing weight and being healthy, but this is all you know. I want to introduce a concept your brain might fight you on. But if you commit to this action every single day, your life will only be better for it. Are you a woman wanting to lose weight but have chronic inflammation? Check out this free workshop! https://yourlivinghealth.com/workshop
Are you tired of not creating healthy habits over the years? There seems to be this all or nothing, perfectionism mentality that is hard to keep when life gets in the way. You want to be done expending mental energy on losing weight and being healthy, but this is all you know. I want to introduce a concept your brain might fight you on. But if you commit to this action every single day, your life will only be better for it.
Are you a woman wanting to lose weight but have chronic inflammation? Check out this free workshop! https://yourlivinghealth.com/workshop
The post E50 – How to Create New Habits Using a Minimum Baseline first appeared on Your Living Heath, LLC.
When you’re stuck not being consistent with your diet or exercise plan, there’s only one thing to blame. It has nothing to do with time, energy, kids, priorities, or any of the other things you consistently claim. Not taking action consistently is leaving you powerless, and unable to finally just lose this weight for good. Ready to figure out how to change things? Let’s go!
Want to know how to lose weight when stuck with inflammation? Check out this free workshop! https://yourlivinghealth.com/workshop
When you’re stuck not being consistent with your diet or exercise plan, there’s only one thing to blame. It has nothing to do with time, energy, kids, priorities, or any of the other things you consistently claim. Not taking action consistently is leaving you powerless, and unable to finally just lose this weight for good. Ready to figure out how to change things? Let’s go!
Want to know how to lose weight when stuck with inflammation? Check out this free workshop! https://yourlivinghealth.com/workshop
The post E49 – Why You Haven’t Been Able to Do Things Consistently first appeared on Your Living Heath, LLC.
How many of you find yourself repeating “I don’t know” as the answer to many of your daily questions. Big or small, you shrug your shoulders in a confused daze, giving away all your ability to solve your problems. Confusion is something that plagues so many of you, so today let’s learn where it leads, and learn how to catch yourself in the act.
How many of you find yourself repeating “I don’t know” as the answer to many of your daily questions. Big or small, you shrug your shoulders in a confused daze, giving away all your ability to solve your problems. Confusion is something that plagues so many of you, so today let’s learn where it leads, and learn how to catch yourself in the act.
The post E48 – When You’re So Confused first appeared on Your Living Heath, LLC.
Bariatric procedures are often used as a last ditch effort to lose weight when nothing else has worked. These procedures can be riddled with embarrassment and shame years after the fact. I want to show you the truth of this approach, and help you to see that there is a factor under the surface that will determine whether it is successful or not. Whether you’re considering it or have had it done already, join me today as we dig into surgical intervention as a form of weight loss.
Bariatric procedures are often used as a last ditch effort to lose weight when nothing else has worked. These procedures can be riddled with embarrassment and shame years after the fact. I want to show you the truth of this approach, and help you to see that there is a factor under the surface that will determine whether it is successful or not. Whether you’re considering it or have had it done already, join me today as we dig into surgical intervention as a form of weight loss.
The post E47 – The Case for Bariatric Surgery first appeared on Your Living Heath, LLC.
Counting calories, points or macronutrients seems to be the gold standard when it comes to weight loss. We’ve all done it at some point, and most of the time it is successful. Then why doesn’t it ever stick? What about these methods causes additional weight gain once you’re done counting? Join me today as we break down the good and bad of counting methods for weight loss.
Counting calories, points or macronutrients seems to be the gold standard when it comes to weight loss. We’ve all done it at some point, and most of the time it is successful. Then why doesn’t it ever stick? What about these methods causes additional weight gain once you’re done counting? Join me today as we break down the good and bad of counting methods for weight loss.
The post E46 – Using Counting Calories, Points & Macros to Lose Weight first appeared on Your Living Heath, LLC.
Today we're talking inspecting the reasons why you are or aren't in the gym. Exercise is an impactful tool to reduce inflammation and increase longevity. But many of you aren't using it correctly, and I'm not just talking about your action. Tune in and see where you stack up. Is there something you should be focusing on more? Or are you right where you need to be?
Today we're talking inspecting the reasons why you are or aren't in the gym. Exercise is an impactful tool to reduce inflammation and increase longevity. But many of you aren't using it correctly, and I'm not just talking about your action. Tune in and see where you stack up. Is there something you should be focusing on more? Or are you right where you need to be?
The post E45 – Why you Should (and Shouldn’t) Exercise first appeared on Your Living Heath, LLC.
Elimination diets seem to be the natural progression when you have IBS or other food related issues. Many of you have used elimination diets for symptom reduction, or even for weight loss. Let’s talk about the ways these diets may have been harming your results, and let’s talk about ways you can use an elimination diet strategically in your future.
Elimination diets seem to be the natural progression when you have IBS or other food related issues. Many of you have used elimination diets for symptom reduction, or even for weight loss. Let’s talk about the ways these diets may have been harming your results, and let’s talk about ways you can use an elimination diet strategically in your future.
The post E44 – Elimination Diets, Good or Bad? first appeared on Your Living Heath, LLC.
Tired of not knowing what to eat? Always thinking you’re missing something, or that someone else knows something that you don’t about how to eat to lose weight. You might not be missing anything, you might just need to develop your own food plan. Want to learn how? You’re not going to want to miss this in depth guide for how to do just that. Let’s Go!
Tired of not knowing what to eat? Always thinking you’re missing something, or that someone else knows something that you don’t about how to eat to lose weight. You might not be missing anything, you might just need to develop your own food plan. Want to learn how? You’re not going to want to miss this in depth guide for how to do just that. Let’s Go!
The post E43 – Developing your Food Plan first appeared on Your Living Heath, LLC.
When you are stuck in confusion and overwhelm, making decisions is the only antidote or cure. But there are many reasons why you aren’t making decisions, or else you wouldn’t hesitate to make them every single day! Let’s go over what has you stuck in indecision, and let’s talk about what will be opened for you when you finally decide to decide. Ready to get your time and energy back? Listen today!
When you are stuck in confusion and overwhelm, making decisions is the only antidote or cure. But there are many reasons why you aren’t making decisions, or else you wouldn’t hesitate to make them every single day! Let’s go over what has you stuck in indecision, and let’s talk about what will be opened for you when you finally decide to decide. Ready to get your time and energy back? Listen today!
The post Episode 42 – Making Decisions first appeared on Your Living Heath, LLC.
Ready to uncover the hidden mystery of willpower? Today let’s dive into why willpower often fails, how it’s tied to your thoughts, and why it can feel so exhausting. We’re going to explore an alternative energy source that will instead of draining your energy, it will lead you on a sustainable journey towards weight loss and reduced inflammation. Ready for sustainable change, let’s go!
Ready to uncover the hidden mystery of willpower? Today let’s dive into why willpower often fails, how it’s tied to your thoughts, and why it can feel so exhausting. We’re going to explore an alternative energy source that will instead of draining your energy, it will lead you on a sustainable journey towards weight loss and reduced inflammation. Ready for sustainable change, let’s go!
The post Episode 41 – Willpower first appeared on Your Living Heath, LLC.
Get ready for an exciting journey as we dive into the final step of changing your behaviors. Imagine a world where you can build a loving relationship with yourself and unlock endless opportunities. Step 3 is all about intentionally believing new things about yourself, your capabilities, and the circumstances you face daily. It won't be easy or quick, but by challenging negative thoughts and gradually embracing empowering beliefs, you can transform your actions and emotions.
Get ready for an exciting journey as we dive into the final step of changing your behaviors. Imagine a world where you can build a loving relationship with yourself and unlock endless opportunities. Step 3 is all about intentionally believing new things about yourself, your capabilities, and the circumstances you face daily. It won't be easy or quick, but by challenging negative thoughts and gradually embracing empowering beliefs, you can transform your actions and emotions.
The post E40 – How to Change, Part 3 – Thinking Intentionally first appeared on Your Living Heath, LLC.
It’s time to dig into step 2 on this 3 part series on regaining control over your mind. Last week we explored the brain dump, and how you can reveal the contents of your brain’s subconscious space. This week join me as we go over what to do with this daunting information. Gain the courage to open Pandora’s box and strategically gain authority over the thoughts you reveal. You won’t want to miss this!
It’s time to dig into step 2 on this 3 part series on regaining control over your mind. Last week we explored the brain dump, and how you can reveal the contents of your brain’s subconscious space. This week join me as we go over what to do with this daunting information. Gain the courage to open Pandora’s box and strategically gain authority over the thoughts you reveal. You won’t want to miss this!
The post E39 – Changing Yourself, Pt 2 – Declutter first appeared on Your Living Heath, LLC.
Ready to declutter your mind? Discover how unmanaged emotions can trap you, hindering your progress and robbing you of simple joys. Learn the step-by-step process to regain control, identify the root causes, and shift away from unhelpful emotional tailspins. Through powerful exercises like the brain dump, you'll uncover deep-seated thoughts and beliefs, creating space for change and growth. Don't miss this life-changing series—listen now and share with others!
Join me in today’s episode as we explore the profound impact of desire on our lives. Discover the two distinct types of desire that shape our existence: conscious desire, emerging from the depths of our being, and subconscious desire, driven by primal instincts. Learn to harness the power of conscious desire to unlock your true potential and silence the relentless urges that hinder your progress. Don't let urge driven desire dictate your life—take back control, and today let me show you how!
Are you tired of fighting and resisting acceptance? Discover how resisting acceptance drains energy, while true acceptance empowers growth. It's not surrender, but a grounded and empowering mindset that focuses on what we can control. Don't mistake giving up for acceptance; find peace and clarity through genuine acceptance. Join me today so that you can learn how to avoid self-deception and embark on a journey of empowered transformation!
Discover how to overcome self-doubt and confidently commit to personal growth! In this episode, we dive into the nature of self-doubt, learn to turn down its volume, and embrace discomfort. Turn self-doubt into fuel for success, and unlock your full potential. Tune in and transform your life today!
In this episode, we delve into the crucial difference between self-love and loving oneself, and why it matters. While self-love is rooted in trust, acceptance, respect, worthiness, and kindness, loving oneself is characterized by pride, egotism, narcissism, hedonism, greed, and self-deception. Learn how to differentiate between the two, and how to practice self-love in real-time situations. Listen in and reflect on your behaviors towards yourself and others, and choose to create the energy that will benefit and serve you in the long run.
Do you feel that peace and relief is always out of reach? The traditional idea of peace and relief is that it can only be achieved through external means, such as achieving a goal or changing our circumstances. However, today I want you to challenge this belief and learn to adopt the reality that true peace and relief can only be cultivated internally through intentional practice. You can find peace within yourself no matter what is happening around you. Want to learn how? Let’s Go!
Are you feeling constantly tired or dealing with frequent headaches, skin rashes, or digestive upset? It could be that you're experiencing adverse food reactions or food sensitivities. While these reactions can present themselves in many different ways, one commonality is that they often stem from chronic inflammation. However, identifying the root cause of your food sensitivities can be tricky, and traditional IgG-based testing may not provide accurate results. With the right test a carefully designed elimination or oligoantigenic diet, you can start to identify which foods to avoid or limit. Want to learn more about how to address your adverse food reactions? Tune in today!
Want to feel your best and reduce chronic inflammation? It all starts with micronutrients! These little powerhouses keep our bodies running smoothly, but they can be easy to overlook. Don't let the boring name fool you - micronutrients are essential for optimal health, and deficiencies can lead to a host of unpleasant symptoms like brain fog, poor recovery, and even weight gain. But here's the thing: not all micronutrients are created equal, and over-supplementing one can actually cause deficiencies in others. Ready to learn more about these hidden gems? Tune in today for an easy to understand overview!
Unlock the full potential of your body with the power of cold exposure! In this episode, you'll discover the incredible benefits of this impactful tool that helps your body adapt and optimize itself. From reducing inflammation and boosting metabolism to improving skin health and enhancing immune function, the rewards of cold exposure are too good to ignore. Learn how to over-ride your body's stress response and experience the release of natural chemicals that induce euphoria and energy. It only takes a few minutes of discomfort to reap the incredible benefits for your body and mind. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to take control of your health and wellness. Tune in now and discover the transformative power of cold exposure!
Are you tired of everyone around you not meeting your expectations? All you want is peace, but nobody is doing what they’re supposed to do and now the burden falls on your shoulders! If you’re tired, stressed and burned out from the people in your life not behaving, this episode is for you. It’s time to regain your emotional authority, and begin to enjoy your life and relationships again.
When it comes to your significant other, there can be many heated arguments and situations that lead to a top-down inflammatory response. Over time this can create elevated blood pressure, plaque formation, and many chronic conditions that just aren’t fun. Today let’s focus our attention to an area that was recently difficult in my relationship, and study how to create connection and health from conflict.
Last week we learned about pursuing discomfort, but this week we will spotlight when enough is enough. Your primal brain seeks to knock you off track so that you can fall back into your old behaviors. For all you over-achievers and go-getters out there, I know you are falling for this trick and you will want to listen up. Being onto yourself here might be the thing that changes everything for you.
There is nothing enjoyable about the experience of emotional discomfort. Your brain will subconsciously run from it every time if you don’t actively stop it. But running from discomfort will only lead to chronic inflammation, disease and doctors visits. Today let’s unpack the different types of discomfort, how you’re escaping this experience, and exactly what you can do to use discomfort to achieve your dreams.
Have you ever been curious about your genetics? And I’m not talking about where you’re from either, I’m talking about the many systems and processes that impact your longevity and overall health. Today I’m going to be breaking down genetics into a simple and easy to understand metaphor that you’re not going to want to miss. I want you to understand genetics in a way that is not intimidating, but instead is usable and actionable. Let’s dig in!
Fasting is a powerful tool that many of you may be using, but not using to its full potential. There are multiple top-down as well as bottom-up reasons to fast, all of which result in reduced inflammation, improved mental control, and longevity. Today we’re going to go over reasons why I fast, and how to incorporate this more in your day to day life.
Spending time in your future is one of the most powerful ways to maintain momentum as you move towards achieving a goal. There are many ways (I bet even today!) you’ve accidentally used the future against yourself. But I want to offer 3 powerful ways that you can use your future strategically to create the life of your dreams. You ready to step into your future? Today is that day.
Reaching the autopilot phase of behavior change takes a willingness to put in the work. It’s not easy developing new neural connections within your brain. But once you’ve reached autopilot, there is a physiologic sigh of relief. There remains challenge, but there is a reward here that you may not have felt before. Tune in today as I explain what is possible as you live into this higher version of yourself. I promise, it is something you have never even considered, but I’ll explain how to make it possible.
- The challenges you will continue going through despite “arriving” at your goal
- What it means to have your back as a default
- How to achieve true freedom within behavior change
- The inescapable evidence that you will never fall off the wagon, ever again. Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietitian and I’m also a life coach. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun.
You ready? Let’s Go!
Hey there! Welcome back! Today we continue with the finale of our four part series about the actual stages of behavior change. Over the past 3 weeks we have deeply looked into the challenges of deciding to change, early stages of doing new things, and common tricks your brain uses to keep pulling you back into your old ways. Each of these phases has their own unique challenges, but with each phase there are tools to strategically overcome each obstacle. If you haven’t yet listened to the previous three episodes, I recommend that you come back to this episode once you have. Because autopilot can only be achieved once you’ve endured the growing pains of behavior change. But today we get to dig into exactly what to expect during autopilot. This phase is not void of it’s challenges (of course), but today we get to talk more about the rewards versus the struggles. This episode is to paint a picture of what autopilot should and can be like, but only once you’ve been diligent to take back authority over your brain.
So, I first want to talk about the inevitable discomfort of autopilot. Remember, the fact remains that even in autopilot life remains 50/50. It will still be uncomfortable half of the time, regardless of these new behaviors you have, the results you’ve achieved, or what your body now looks like. This discomfort will live both in the space of your emotions, AND your actions. But nothing has gone wrong, this is just part of the journey of being human.
The first discomfort is always being stuck with your toddler brain. There is never enough mental authority to silence the desires of the primal brain. And remember, your primal brain only wants three things: comfort all of the time, the avoidance of any pain or discomfort, and to be efficient with energy expenditure. Your brain will forever just want you to stay home, eat delicious snacks, and watch a good movie. Period. And your brain does this in an effort to keep you safe, because nothing is going to hurt you when you’re safe at home watching TV and eating snacks, right? This is complete toddler logic, because with our adult brains we also know how incredibly small and unrewarding this life would be. Sure you’re safe, but you’re also stuck. You’re not living into the person you can be, giving back to the world in the unique way you are able to. So just remember, when you’ve made an intentional change to your behavior, and you’ve reached autopilot, your primal brain still will be humming in the background wanting the same three things. There is no escape. So even in autopilot, you will have thoughts that sound like “this should be easier” “life was better before” “I can’t live like this” “why is this so hard? For others it’s so much easier”. These thoughts are just toddler logic, and we all know toddlers make no sense a majority of the time. These thoughts will just be in the background, and the more you allow them to passively be there, the quieter they will become. But just remember, they will never go away. And that’s 100% normal. And it’s 100% ok. Nothing has gone wrong. You’re just a human.
The second uncomfortable thing you will have to endure in autopilot is that you will have to continue doing the actions that got you there in the first place. With weight loss, what this will look like is having to eat the same things that you had to eat as you were losing the weight. Autopilot is not the point where you get to finally eat the things you want because you’ve arrived at the destination. No, you get to eat the same things as before, exercise the same amount as before, do thought work as much as before, etc. I think it’s kinda funny, but really, the actions of autopilot look NO DIFFERENT than the actions of phases 2 and 3. And if you want to remain with these new results, you’ve gotta continue with the same actions. For some of you this might be the worst news ever, but hopefully for most of you I’m just confirming the suspicion you’ve had all along. That even autopilot takes work, but that’s ok. This discomfort of work is far superior to the discomfort of inflammation and chronic disease, right?
But now let’s get to the good stuff. I want to explain the benefits of autopilot in a way that you’ve never heard or potentially never even experienced before. There is a freedom and comfort within this phase that is impossible anywhere else, and it’s where you truly get to live into a higher version of yourself. There are two rewards of this phase I want to show you, and I promise the second reward is what will keep you grounded in autopilot.
Let’s start with the reward of being able to fall back into behaviors you’ve learned during phase 2 and 3. What this will feel like is beginning to have you back as a default. You have done the intentional and uncomfortable work to develop these new neural network connections that leads to new TFA cycles feeling normal and natural. These Thought-Feeling-Action cycles were once foreign, and once felt very uncomfortable and un-natural. It took intentional and planned bridge TFA cycles to even begin believing some of these new thoughts. But you have put in the work, and now the reward of that work is your brain having this new pathway in place so that it feels natural and normal to think, feel and act in this new way. This new TFA cycle will feel so natural that it will transition into your zone of comfort. And the more you think these new thoughts, the more you will believe them, and the more factual this new reality will become. It will look like you just simply knowing that you are a person who loves having dried fruit for dessert, and you will be able to cheerfully look forward to this action instead of the intentional redirection away from the cookie. You will as a default grab the handful of dried fruit, and savor each bite knowing that it is actually what you want, not what you have to have because you’re on a diet.
And now, this example beautifully leads into the sweetest reward of autopilot, FREEDOM. There is freedom in autopilot because there is finally choice. In phase 1-3, there was continuous redirection back to a new behavior. You are in the trenches making new neural connections, choosing what to think on purpose, and likely choosing to take actions that feel difficult and restrictive. Once you’ve reached autopilot, you finally have the freedom to make whatever choice you want. And sometimes that choice might look like choosing an old behavior, sometimes you might choose the cookie over the dried fruit. But when you’re in autopilot, you’ve done the work, and you are no longer victim to the false desires of sugar filled sweets and the giving in to indulgence. You are no longer trapped by the siren call of the unintentional TFA cycles created by your toddler brain. You have stepped into awareness, and can fall back onto these new neural connections you’ve established showing you that dried fruit for dessert is actually on an equal platform compared to cookies. One is not better than the other, they are just unique. You get to choose, freely. Sometimes you’re going to choose the cookie, just simply because you love cookies. You are going to come into this decision knowing that you are going to want more than one, that it is going to potentially cause symptoms, and that it might make those toddler thoughts a little louder temporarily. But that’s ok, because you just want to enjoy a cookie. And other days you are going to choose dried fruit, just simply because you prefer the dried fruit. You love the taste, and maybe even more you love the way the dried fruit makes you feel. You don’t have excessive cravings for more, you don’t have any symptoms, you just get to enjoy a sweet for the simple pleasure of sweets. You get to choose, knowing 100% that you can have whatever dessert you want on any given day because you are a grown up. You are free to do whatever the heck you want. And often it looks like you choosing to have your back and live in alignment with the future you want to have instead of the instant gratification promised by a cookie.
But there’s more than just freedom. This next reward is the most valuable and most difficult space to enter in autopilot. Once you’ve reached this point, I promise you there is absolutely no way you’ll ever slide backwards again. When you have the freedom to choose the cookie or the dried fruit, you’ve finally arrived in true autopilot when neither decision impacts your relationship with yourself because you love you regardless. If you have the cookie, you love yourself for that decision. You love that you get to enter into the experience of having that cookie, truly savoring and loving every single bite. You love that future you has your back, and loves you as she goes through whatever weight was gained or symptoms developed from that cookie. Future you agrees that that cookie was freaking amazing, and that the experience of it was so worth it. You continue to love you, no matter what decision you choose to make. You love you when you choose the dried fruit, because you love that you chose to take care of your body over indulging in your taste buds. BUT, you equally love and support you when you choose to indulge in your taste buds over taking care of your body. Autopilot is reached when love can be equally felt to matter what you choose. You refuse to beat yourself up, no matter how you feel, or how many cookies you accidentally indulged in. You see these actions as neutral, and you choose to think thoughts that keep rooted in the protection of love. From true love, you get to choose with true freedom.
What I have found is when you’re rooted in this space, you are no longer seeking comfort because you are the one creating comfort. You are creating this bubble of love and protection for yourself that not even the comfort of a cookie can penetrate. You are no longer choosing the cookie for this false sense of comfort and reward, you are just eating the cookie because you like cookies. And then you’re eating dried fruit because you like dried fruit. You refuse to make any of these decisions mean anything about you as a person, because you love you no matter what you choose on any given day. This means you can never “fall off the wagon”, because there is never a wagon to fall off of. There is just the destination of longevity, and the path you choose to get there. Some days that path may look a little rough, but when your actions remain rooted in pure love it doesn’t matter the path you take. Your actions will always 100% of the time, lead you to the destination of longevity.
If you are feeling stuck, or frustrated that you’ve never been able to reach the reward of autopilot, I ask you to head over to yourlivinghealth.com and book a call with me. Let’s chat about where you’re getting stuck, and what YOU can do to begin moving forward. YOU have the ability to permanently lose weight AND finally take authority over your chronic inflammation. Thank you for your interest in learning how to do that, and your willingness to do the work required. I’ll talk to you next week, bye!
The third phase of behavior change can feel so rewarding, but equally hold its unique challenges. Momentum and payoff is marked with victories, tangible changes, and success!! But without a knowledge of these 5 challenges, it can be easy to fall right back into your old ways. Let’s continue to dig into behavior change, and strategize a path for inevitable and predictable mind blowing results.
- What to anticipate when you’ve made it through complete disconnect
- How to know you’re right on track, and nothing has gone wrong
- Five inevitable challenges you will find yourself facing. You can’t escape these.
- How to continue moving through phase 3, and not fall off the wagon again. Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietitian and I’m also a life coach. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun.
You ready? Let’s Go!
Hey there! I hope you are loving this four part series on behavior change as much as I am. I, just like you, often get stuck in each of these phases. Each week it’s been super helpful (even for me!) to take time to unpack each of these phases and better understand them so that I don’t find myself spinning or going back to old behaviors. So, my hope is that you are finding LISTENING to these episodes as useful as I am in DEVELOPING them.
In quick recap, we have gone over the lightbulb moment which is phase 1, and complete disconnect which is phase 2. We’ve gone over exactly the tricks your brain uses to keep you stuck spinning in these areas, and how it’s easy to fall back into old behavior, or never decide to change in the first place. But now we get to move past the hard parts of behavior change into the sweet rewards of momentum and payoff. This phase is refreshingly filled with new emotions, such as pride, relief, excitement, motivation, and discipline. But, we want to be careful to unpack exactly what is going on when you reach this point, so that you don’t find yourself falling back into complete disconnect, or find yourself giving up completely. My goal is to keep you moving forward, steadily passing over the void between old behavior and impossible goals. So, let’s dig in.
I want to start with what you will be feeling within the phase of Momentum and payoff. There are 5 beliefs, behaviors and results that I commonly see, all things that you have likely felt before. When you reach phase 3, you will FINALLY physically see results of your hard work. Using the example of weight loss, this is where you are seeing the result of your body changing. I want to emphasize something really quick about your results in this phase. Your results here are NEUTRAL, and void of emotion until you have a thought about them. Results you will see in this phase include a lower number on a scale, inches dropped from your waistline, clothes fitting differently, energy levels increased, less time spent in the bathroom, lower amounts of medications being needed, lab values improving, and so on. You are seeing changes in objective measurements, and you are freaking stoked about this. From these neutral results come the next thing which is you will have A TON of very uplifting thoughts from what you’re making your results mean about you. Thoughts will flood this phase like “you’re doing it” “it’s working” “Holy crap, this is awesome!” These thoughts will feel much more natural and effortless compared to the redirection and intentional thinking that was leaned on during complete disconnect. Instead of having to believe from your future what’s possible, you will be able to use your current results as evidence of what is possible. From the results you see, and thoughts you think about these results, you will FEEL all the good feels. You will feel pride, motivation, relief, excitement, inspiration, energy, thankful, and other emotions that feel great and keep driving you forward. With the energy and results, it is easy to believe that this change is finally possible. Slowly the doubt you held space for within complete disconnect is beginning to melt away as you watch your body change into what you’ve wanted for so long. Now you will step into true belief that this is possible. It will feel much more real, more like stepping into this new version of yourself vs. feeling like you’re playing the role of a character like an actor in a movie. The actions you take will be less from an energy of just simply trusting the process, and more from the energy of determination, discipline and grit. You will begin acting from thoughts like “This is who I am” and “This is just what I do”… This is what it will internally sound like as you step into this new version of yourself. For example, In complete disconnect, your actions of having dried fruit for dessert will be driven from thoughts like “I know we want to cupcake, but let’s just have some dried fruit instead”. Those actions will feel like they require more energy of you, and much more intentional redirection of your thoughts. But in phase 3, your action of having dried fruit for dessert will be driven from thoughts like “this dried fruit is so yummy!” Notice this is the same action! But when you’ve reached phase 3 your actions will feel much more in alignment with the person you are versus the person you want to be in the future. It will take much less energy, and much less thought redirection. Your actions will begin to feel natural, like this is just who you’ve been all along. Momentum and payoff is filled with sweet relief and the rewards of hard work and dedication to the process.
But even when you’ve reached phase 3, you’re going to want to be careful of where you can stumble and get knocked off course. I want to now shift our focus away from the benefits, and focus a little more on the challenges that will inevitably arise as you continue to move through this big change. The first thing I want to point out is that you will forever be stuck with your same brain. You can’t escape your brain, it doesn’t matter how many changes you’ve made or how goals you’ve achieved. Your darned old brain will always be there thinking thoughts in the background. Want to know what some of these thoughts will sound like? They will sound like “this should be easier” “If you were actually changing, then this would be easy and it’s not easy yet.” “Other people got these results in half the time you did, you are doing something wrong” “Other people don’t struggle with temptation like you, see, they don’t even want the cupcake and you still do. You’re doing it wrong” Notice that even when you’ve reached phase 3, you will still have your toddler brain in the background trying to offer you a sales pitch to pull you back into your old ways. You get to CHOOSE what you want to believe, and from a space of awareness you get to CHOOSE to kindly listen and observe. But if you don’t you might accidentally… or blindly believe those thoughts and fall into old feelings that will lead to old actions.
The next stumble is that you might think that once you’ve reached phase 3, it’s all rainbows and daisies, and magically your toddler brain gets on board with this new version of you and magically transforms into your new cheerleader. Check it out, this is total BS and it will never happen. Life is never rainbows and daisies, and you will never be happy all of the time. Success and behavior change is not characterized by being happy all of the time, this is a lie that you might have subconsciously hoped for all along. But when you’ve finally done the thing and made the changes, you might even feel disappointment and a little angry that it’s still hard work even when you’ve gotten the results you’ve wanted. Son of a gun!! Life doesn’t get easier after all!! This can cause some of you to fall back into old behaviors, and adopt the “screw it” thoughts that lead to screw it actions. So, what might keep you moving forward is knowing ahead of time that it isn’t better there than here. Life is still 50/50, even when you’re at your goal weight. You’re not doing it to feel better about yourself, you’re doing it because you want this result in your life. Period. If you want to dig more into this concept, I encourage you to listen to episode 15 where we go over life’s 50/50 in detail.
The next thing that will make most of you fall off track is that when you’ve reached momentum and payoff, this is where the universe will step in, and life will happen. You will get sick, you will have a big vacation, there will be an unexpected thing happen at work, with your kids or finances, you will have some challenges arise in your marriage… All the things will happen here. It’s just a law of physics. You will come into momentum and payoff thinking life will be rainbows and daisies and magically become easier, and then BAM! Life will happen. And then you’ll act like you didn’t see it coming. I just want to offer you insight to the reality that life will ALWAYS happen right when you reach momentum and payoff. Plan on it, wait for it, laugh about it when you see it unfold. Thought awareness will be very useful here, and using the skill of intentional bridge thoughts that you gained in phase 2 will be the thing that keeps you moving forward. Subconscious thoughts in this phase will sound like “you’ve got to be kidding me” “I don’t have time for this right now”. But the real toddler brain strategy at play here BEGINS when you believe thoughts like “you don’t have time for this right now.” When you believe that first thought, it is so much easier to believe the sales pitch of your toddler brain when it offers the REAL plot of “a coffee sounds good” “I need a drink” “I want a donut” or whatever thought your brain will use to create desire for instant gratification. Don’t fall for it! Know that it’s coming. Know that the universe will cause life to happen in some way, and know that when life happens your brain will want instant gratification. Have a plan in place ahead of time, have thoughts to think on purpose, remember that this change you are making is not optional. This change is inevitable. Keep moving forward by using thoughts that create grit, determination and resourcefulness.
Next you will plateau. For weeks or even months. You will be doing all the right things, and you will feel like you’re nowhere closer to your goals. But this is where you get to redirect your brain to the measures of success you choose to focus on. Your brain is just trying to trick you into focusing on objective results as measures of success… that you should measure your success based on a number on a scale, inches off your waistline, energy levels, clothes fitting different, and so on. DO NOT BE FOOLED! Remember, it is FAR MORE USEFUL and FAR MORE VALUABLE to measure your success based on your actions and not on your results. If I am showing up for myself every single day, choosing to think thoughts on purpose, choosing to be aware of my brain, choosing to keep living into this new version of myself with each action I take… that is the mark of success. That is where you should redirect your brain to focus on. When your brain is like “yeah, but all this effort hasn’t been worth it because you haven’t even lost a pound.” You are at a crossroads. You can choose to focus on your results and allow your toddler brain to use those results to pull you back into your old ways. OR you can choose to focus on your actions, and use THAT to continue driving you towards your inevitable success. You WILL plateau, and that’s ok. Remember that you get to interpret your results with your thoughts, and I want you to become curious about your plateau’s instead of resent them.
And finally, when you reach momentum and payoff, you will begin your identity crisis. You will be very resentful when you find yourself taking two steps backwards right back into the old patterns of complete disconnect. There might even be a little fear and anxiety, a little PTSD when you’re once again having to hold space for your toddler brain and hold space for believing thoughts that this isn’t possible anymore. You will once again feel like a crazy person because you will have tangible results in front of your face, but also belief the thought that this isn’t impossible. That it’ll never stick. That this isn’t who you REALLY are. This is when you will begin the challenge of living through your self-induced identity crisis. Phase 3 is where you are finally believing that it is possible… but it is not yet who you are. You still identify as the person you used to be, and your brain will continue trying to pull you back into those old behavior patterns, thought patterns, and feeling patterns. You have established new neural pathways and YOU’RE EVEN FEELING THE DIFFERENCE WITHIN YOURSELF, but those pathways are not quite as developed as the neural pathways that represent your old behaviors and old thought patterns. This is totally normal, and I want you to anticipate it instead of falling off track because you didn’t see it coming. Momentum and payoff is only phase 3 of behavior change, you are not quite done yet. There are still challenges and obstacles to strategically overcome. But then, there’s the sweet victory of phase 4 which is auto pilot. We’ll talk about that much more next week.
So in summary, momentum and payoff will feel beautifully different than phase 2, but not void of it’s own unique challenges. The challenges you will encounter will include being stuck with your same toddler brain no matter where you go. There it is, always trying to keep you safe and keep you seeking instant gratification. The second challenge will be this subconscious belief that it’s better there than here. And when you get there and realize that it’s not rainbows and daisies it can be incredibly disappointing. Remembering that life sucks half the time and is great only half the time… no matter what… will help you to stay grounded and continuing to move forward. The third challenge will be the universe stepping in and causing life to happen. But check it out, of course life will happen, life is never smooth. Anticipate this and listen clearly when your brain is offering you a sales pitch that instead of doing what you know works, that you could use a drink instead. The fourth challenge will be plateaus. WHEN you find yourself feeling discouraged, know that this is your cue to reassess what you are measuring your success on. Consider that you might need to shift your focus away from short term results, and more towards the actions leading you towards this inevitable change. And finally, the fifth challenge you will find in phase 3 is that you will begin your identity crisis. You will not yet have the neural network to support the belief that this is just who you are. You will only believe that this is possible. There will likely be some discomfort present that feels like you’re falling right back into complete disconnect. But I promise you, you’re not. You are not falling off the wagon or moving backwards. You are right on track, and right where you are supposed to be. If you find yourself going through these challenges, know that auto pilot is right around the corner.
So for those of you who are continuing on the path to behavior change, you’ve got this! You are amazing, and capable of so much more than you can imagine. If you use the tools discussed in these past 3 episodes, I promise nothing is impossible for you. It’s time for you to blow your own mind. For those of you wanting to start your own journey of weight loss and inflammation reduction, you’re going to want to book your free consult right now at yourlivinghealth.com. Sometimes it’s easier to change when you’ve got someone there leading the way. Like a shortcut to your success. And who doesn’t love shortcuts! Without lab testing, it can be hard knowing where to focus your attention. And without life coaching, it can be easy to get lost in your own brain. And without a dietitian, it can be easy to fall into the conflicting world of nutrition advice. Want to embark on a journey that is backed with a guarantee? No risk, a total win-win? Book your free introductory consult today. Alright, you’re the best, and I’ll talk to you next week.
The second phase of behavior change is by far the most challenging. In fact, most people never make it through complete disconnect. Today we’re going to go over 6 truths you will want to notice as you trudge your way through complete disconnect, and each of these truths will serve as awareness and as a tool to keep pushing you forward. You want change to be a little easier? You’re not going to want to miss this.
- Why complete disconnect is so challenging
- Where it’s easy to stumble, and how you can pick yourself up along the way
- Learn to clearly see your challenges so you can attack them with confidence
- Bravely decide to lose weight, and understand the truths you will want to embody along the way. Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietitian and I’m also a life coach. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun.
You ready? Let’s Go!
Hey there! Today we get to dig into the second phase of behavior change. BUT, for those of you who haven’t yet listened to episode 17 I ask that you stop now! And go back and listen to the previous episode first. We are doing a 4-part series to better understand each of the phases of behavior change, all so that we can really own this area of our lives once and for all. Behavior change can be quite difficult, and the most difficult part of behavior change is absolutely, without a doubt, no questions asked… complete disconnect. This is the part where giving up seems like the smart thing to do, even though you want nothing more than to make this change. But I also want to offer you the sweet reality that there is nothing more rewarding than moving through phase 2 and being able to arrive at phase 3 and look back over what you’ve conquered. As a quick recap, phase 1 is the lightbulb moment where you have finally decided to make a change and you’ve set a timeline you want to achieve it in. There are 4 common pitfalls you can fall into, but also 4 useful tools you can use to keep yourself moving forward. Now comes phase 2 of behavior change which is of course, complete disconnect.
This is where the change you’re trying to accomplish seems downright impossible. Let’s say you’re trying to lose weight. You’re decided to make a change, you’ve moved past the honeymoon period of excitement and momentum, and now you’ve landed right into complete disconnect. This looks like stepping on the scale and seeing your weight plateau despite doing everything right. This phase sounds like your brain relentlessly telling you “screw it, I’m never going to lose this weight anyway”. When you’re in the heart of complete disconnect, it’s likely you’ll lose hope and give up completely. You’ll passively fall back into old behavior patterns despite all the work you’ve invested. It just seems too impossible, and no longer worth your time and stress. Lies will litter this phase, sounding like “I’ll do it later” or “it won’t matter if I…” “nobody will notice” “It’ll be fine if I skip today, I’ll just pick back up tomorrow”
There are 6 different truths of complete disconnect I want us to focus on today. My hope is that if you come into complete disconnect already knowing what to expect, you will be able to normalize and better be able to manage your mind as you trudge your way through. So let’s begin with brutal truth number one that when you embark to do something you’ve never done before, you will not believe you can do it. It is likely you will lie to yourself when you begin, firmly telling yourself that you know this will work this time, that you’re finally committing 100%. But your hope behind this bold statement is that you can trick yourself into believing yourself. Maybe if I say it confident enough, or often enough, I will finally believe it’s possible. But unfortunately, lying to yourself rarely works. And saying affirmations you don’t believe, don’t do much good either. The nasty truth is that you will doubt your future possibilities because your brain will be using evidence from your past to determine what’s possible for your future. But you’ve never been able to do this in your past, so your brain from the start is setting you up for failure. Whether it’s not reaching the goal at all, or having the ability to stay at the goal long term. You will come into complete disconnect subconsciously and unwillingly holding a belief that this isn’t possible, especially not for you.
Truth 2 will be a challenge, mostly because it will cause you to feel completely insane most of the time. This is because as you move through complete disconnect, you will need to learn the skill of holding two beliefs at the same time. You will need to hold space for the truth that your toddler brain believes, and hold space for what your adult brain believes, both at the same time. Because coming into this phase, just remember and accept that your brain will not believe you can do this. And seriously, that is ok, no need to lie or beat yourself up. BUT, the trick is also deciding (with your adult brain) another truth you are also going to believe. If you’re trying to lose weight, you will come into this phase holding space that this weight loss is impossible, but at the same time 100% possible. And this will make you feel like a complete lunatic. Most days you will be bouncing between belief and disbelief, practically in the same sentence. But here’s the trick, and here’s why holding space for both is extremely important. When you acknowledge that your toddler brain might be right, you’re no longer resisting this thought. But you’re also not indulging in it either. It’s like you’re taking your adult brain and patting your toddler brain on the head saying “I know this is scary, but it’s going to be ok.” Your toddler brain will forever be offering up thoughts from your past, trying to convince you that it’s not possible. And all this work is just it’s attempt to get you to give up ahead of time. But you are a person who is also equally holding space that this weight loss result is 100% possible. AND most importantly, the adult brain has the capacity to override the toddler brain. But how you override the toddler brain will make all the difference. You will want to soothe the toddler brain, while intentionally choosing to keep moving forward. You will begin to talk back to your brain with words like “I know this doesn’t seem possible, and you might be right, but let’s just see what happens.” Do you feel that energy shift?! This is a beautiful bridge thought between “this isn’t possible” and “this is possible”, you’re lovingly holding space for both to be true, AND you’re deciding which belief you are going to take action from. Successfully moving through phase 2 of behavior change will be littered with opportunities to soothe your toddler brain, AND decide which belief you are going to take action from. Both thoughts will feel equally true in this phase, that you can’t do it and that you can. You get to choose which thought you want to take action from.
Truth 3 will be fully accepting and understanding that you have no systems or processes established to do what you are trying to do. You will fumble, try one thing that sucks, try another attempt that you don’t like, try something that’s great but still feels awkward. You have never done this thing before, which is why you don’t know how to do it yet. Be kind to yourself as you fumble and stumble your way into a system that works. Nothing has gone wrong when this path doesn’t feel smooth, that is because you get to decide how you want to get there, and you get to decide what works best for you for the long term. BUT you will try every single other thing in the process of finding this easier path. Don’t get mad, this just is the journey through behavior change.
Truth 4 as you stumble through behavior change, will be fiercely loving yourself each time you fall. There are so many opportunities to love yourself as you move through behavior change, equal to the opportunities there are to beat yourself up. You will need to choose to offer love instead of judgement. Your adult brain has boldly decided to pursue a goal you’ve never been able to do before. Your toddler brain will be trying to sell you out of this goal at every corner, your systems and processes will lead you to stumbling and falling most days, and you won’t yet have any results to use as momentum to keep pushing you forward. But you have a secret power hidden in your back pocket. This power is to relentlessly love yourself and catch yourself through the chaos of complete disconnect. Love your toddler brain’s attempts to get you to quit, understanding that your toddler brain is just trying to keep you safe. Love yourself as you make mistakes, because if there were no mistakes then you wouldn’t be taking enough action. Love yourself as your results aren’t exactly what you anticipated, because if you knew what to expect you would have used that as your goal. You will fall back into old patterns, you will start again the next morning, you will hammer an entire bag of chips…. This is just inevitable with weight loss. BUT, you get to decide to love yourself despite the stumbles, AND you get to decide what you’re going to make these stumbles mean. When I’m making behavior change, I am careful to not allow my results to mean anything about me. Good or bad. I think it makes loving myself easier if I’m not allowing my results to mean something about me as a person. Loving yourself will be a super-power skill as you move through complete disconnect, and this skill will continue to serve you even after this change becomes the new you.
Truth 5 as you move through complete disconnect is a willingness to KEEP TAKING ACTION. Inch by inch, hour by hour, day by day, you will need to commit to taking action towards this goal. Your action will look different each day. Some days will be a huge leap forward, most days will feel like you’re barely making any changes at all. The most valuable action you will take will be the little things, where you’re more stepping into alignment with this new version of yourself vs. making some dramatic change to who you are as a person. When you’re losing weight, the action that will be the most impactful might look like deciding to put your shoes on. Then deciding to allow an urge. Then deciding to fast for one more hour. Then deciding to choose some chicken instead of chips. Then deciding to love yourself even though you ate the chips. Then deciding to say tomorrow will be better when you step on the scale and you’re 1 pound up. You will need to be taking action from the TFA cycle you are intentionally choosing from your adult brain. The TFA cycle that this is possible, while comforting your toddler brain saying, “let’s just see what happens”. Most of the action you take will feel burdensome, not feel like enough, and not seem worth it. But that’s ok, you get to choose to keep taking action anyway, even when your brain is trying to sell you that this isn’t possible. You get to keep taking action, while just repeating to yourself, “Let’s just see what happens.”
And finally, truth 6 will be re-evaluate how you will measure success. Coming into this behavior change, it’s likely that you will measure success based on how much closer you are to the end goal. When it comes to weight loss, usually success is measured by a number on a scale. But this is a marker of success that will not serve you most days. If you use objective measurements to determine how well you are doing, you are deciding to make this journey an emotional rollercoaster doomed to fail. You will want to re-evaluate how to measure success based on factors you can control, and on factors that matter. You cannot control a number on a scale, it just is. But what you can control, and what matters 10,000% more, is how you show up for yourself every day. What if you measured success based on how you talked to yourself when you failed? Or what if you measured success by how many times you followed through with action even when you didn’t want to? What about measuring success by laughing at the attempts of your toddler brain to knock you off track? How different would your weight loss journey look if these were the things you looked at to determine if you were closer to your goal? When I’m losing weight, it is so much more valuable for me to have loved myself when I stumbled, vs beating myself into weighing ½ pound less on a scale. When I commit to action even when I don’t want to, then next day I trust myself more. Those are the measures of success that matter, because those are the characteristics that remain in alignment with this new you, even when the goal has been achieved.
So in summary, there are 6 truths you will want to know about to make getting through the phase of complete disconnect a little easier. The first truth is that you will not believe you can do this, and that’s ok. The second truth will be learning the art of holding space for two beliefs at the same time. Believing in tandem that you can’t do this, but that you also you 100% can. Truth 3 will be embracing that you have no idea what the heck you’re doing. You have no systems, no processes, and most days will look like stumbling through a dark room with lots of furniture. And this is ok too. Truth 4 will be fiercely loving yourself as you stumble and make mistakes. If you beat yourself up when you stumble, chances are you will hesitate to keep moving forward. Truth 5 will be a willingness to keep taking action, even when those actions seem trivial, stupid and not good enough. You get to decide to keep taking action anyway, always seeking to be more in alignment with this new you that you envision for your future. And finally, truth 6 will be to re-evaluate from the start how you measure success. Make sure you are measuring your success based on things that matter, not on objective measurements that you cannot control. You know you’ve got this, make sure to give yourself plenty of Atta girls and winks in the mirror along the way.
For those of you who are already embracing phase 2 of behavior change, you are amazing. Phase 2 is probably one of the hardest things you will ever do, and that is why most people fail. But use this information to arm yourself with the skills to keep moving forward, inch by inch, until you finally fall into the space of momentum and payoff. We’re going to dive into phase 3 of behavior change next week, and I hope you’ll join me there. Don’t forget to book your free consult at yourlivinghealth.com, space is limited. Enjoy your day everyone, bye!
Hey! Change is hard, and doing it without professional guidance can make it seem impossible. If you are willing to do the work, I can make your path to longevity straight and strategic. Take the first step and head over to yourlivinghealth.com and book your free consult so we can chat about your unique situation. And please, take a second or two and leave me a review. Thank you for your interest in reducing your chronic inflammation, and I’ll talk to you next week!
Behavior change is never easy, even the process of deciding TO change. But by consciously watching and maneuvering around common pitfalls, and strategically using the tools of your adult brain, you will be able to do things in your life you’ve never dreamed possible. Join me as we dig into common pitfalls stopping you from making a decision to change, and tools you can incorporate every day to ensure your inevitable success. Let’s today learn all about the first step of behavior change.
- Why making a decision to change is hard
- What your brain does in the background to keep you from deciding to change
- How to step into a more evolved version of yourself
- Learn 4 common pitfalls, and 4 incredibly useful tools to help you through Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietitian and I’m also a life coach. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun.
You ready? Let’s Go!
Hey there! Welcome to the new year everyone! We just ended 2022, and are welcoming 2023 with all of it’s excitement and possibilities. It’s hard to think of the new year without thinking about what changes you want to make, or reflect on what changes you made possible in the previous year. Last week we talked about why changing any behavior permanently is so hard, and what goes on behind the scenes leading to easy frustration when trying to do new things. This week, I want to take a closer look at phase one of behavior change which is the lightbulb moment. It seems all too fitting with today being January 1st, but equally necessary with your end goal to reduce inflammation and lose weight. There has to be a moment when a decision is made to change. But when you make the decision to change, this is just the finale of this phase. Instead, I want to help you understand what you are going through prior to this first step of change.
And it all starts with desire.
True to our subconscious TFA cycles, often the clearest hints we will receive about our internal desires is from the presence of an emotion. It is easy to feel emotions, even when we don’t yet hear the thoughts that created them. But sometimes there is desire when we don’t even know why yet. Like a pit in your stomach, or a twinge of excitement laced with fear. Maybe this certain desire is hidden deep inside, like a hidden gem waiting to be uncovered. Maybe this desire is more obvious, like a goal you’ve put off for years. There are many desires that we can hold at one time, we aren’t limited to just one. There can be a desire to change something physical about yourself, coupled with a desire to change the way you show up for your marriage. Or you can want to make more money this year, and be a better mom for your kiddos. We are not limited to only holding one desire at a time. BUT, what triggers these desires to come to the surface is what we want to notice. And even more fun is when a desire is felt when we don’t even have words to what we want to achieve. I’ve seen this often with my clients. When we work through the clutter in their mind and life, what can be revealed is a deep desire for a lifelong dream. Maybe it’s volunteering at a local pregnancy center, opening an in-home senior daycare, open a photography business, or even leave work to become a doctor of psychology. These lightbulb moments are filled with pride and excitement, because it’s like they’ve finally uncovered their purpose. What they want to do, and how they have been uniquely gifted to be able to serve those around them. Those lightbulb moments are the best.
But the more common lightbulb moments are those complete with the emotion of desire, and already knowing the result you want to achieve. For many of you, this looks like a result of weight loss, feeling better, getting off medications, or reducing the number of chronic disease diagnosis you have. You see the result, you feel the desire, and then it’s the elusive moment of finding the courage to decide when this will take place. This is where New Years resolutions take hold, or where wedding deadlines, landmark birthdays, or even reunions with classmates or friends provide the external drive to make a change. But the problem isn’t in using a certain day as motivation to begin a change, the problem comes around not being properly aware of the problems you’re up against in the first place. This is where I want to transition this conversation into highlighting the struggles that you come up against as you try to achieve completion of phase 1.
Achieving completion of phase 1 would like you’ve decided on a result you want to achieve, and you’ve committed to a timeframe. But many of you get stuck between deciding on a result you want to achieve, and coming up with a timeframe you want to achieve it in. Pitfall one looks like waiting for an external stimulus to trigger change to an internal problem. What happens here is that we’re passively waiting for a reason, or a certain ending of a chapter and beginning of a new era to occur. This is the previous example of waiting for a pretty day to begin a change. This can be the start of a new year, after a birthday party, after a holiday, or even as simple as “I’ll start on Monday”. It’s like we expect there to be more energy and motivation to exist if we wait for a particular day or season. But there isn’t, because we know phase 2 is right around the corner. We know that motivation and excitement quickly fades, but we hope by deciding on the “right” day to start, that we will more likely have the motivation to reach the goal. So pitfall one is waiting for a certain day instead of consciously deciding upon a day to start.
Pitfall 2 will be the consuming pit of overwhelm and confusion. Your brain LOVES to keep you stuck in this space because it is indulgent and void of action. From overwhelm and confusion, you never take steps towards the accomplishment of a desired result. Instead, you’re much more likely to buffer with snacks, TV and alcohol instead of consciously enacting change. Pitfall 2 will be believing the subconscious TFA cycles that are creating overwhelm and confusion. Thoughts that litter this area sound like “I don’t’ even know where to begin!” “This is going to suck.” “I have to do this.” “It’s now or never.” “I don’t know what to do.” Pitfall 2 keeps you stuck in indecision, but can conveniently lead you right into pitfall 3 which is habitual consumption. This is where you are obsessed with figuring out how you are going to make this change. This is where you’ll find yourself listening to every podcast episode, reading every piece of research, asking all your friends what’s worked for them, reading every magazine article or blog post, researching every possible supplement, and spinning in what the “right” thing to choose. What’s interesting is the hidden TFA cycle you’re believing that if you don’t choose the “right” thing to try, that you’ll be setting yourself up for failure. What if Pitfall 3 is just another way your brain keeps you stuck in indecision and too afraid to take action.
From here, you will easily fall into pitfall 4 This is where you’ll look to your past to decide to determine what’s possible for your future. Your brain will offer up to you thoughts of what’s possible, self-limiting caps on what results to expect, emotions to feel, and steps to take. Your brain might be using your past to create the “screw it” mentality of why bother. Or your brain might be using your past to set limits on how long you’re willing to take action, and set limits on what results you should expect to achieve. If you’ve only been able to lose the weight and keep it off for 2 months in the past, why should you be so stupid to expect it to stay off longer? Your brain will set into place internal defense plots to cause you to sabotage yourself before you even begin! Pitfall 4 is sneaky, but quite easy to fall into if we are being lead by the tricks of our primal brains.
So in recap, there are 4 pitfalls that your primal brain will use to keep you from making your way through phase 1 and into phase 2 of behavior change. Pitfall 1 will be the need for a particular day to create the motivation and energy for this change to occur. Pitfall 2 will be the overwhelm and confusion of not knowing what to do. Pitfall 3 will be the desperation of researching the “best” way to move forward. And finally, pitfall 4 is looking to your past to determine what’s possible for your future. And remember, all of these tricks are simply tricks of your primal brain to keep you stuck where you’re at in life. Your primal brain knows that enacting change means pursuing pain, expending energy and denying yourself pleasure. And quite honestly, this TERRIFIES your primal brain. But this is where the beauty of decision and awareness can be used to help you to pursue what you truly desire in life. Let’s go over what tools you can use to help you get through these pitfalls, and into the completion of phase 1.
The tools you use with intention to pursue a desired future will ALWAYS come from your adult brain. This is because it’s only with your adult brain that you even think about your future. Your primal brain is stuck in instant gratification, and stuck in living for the moment. Your adult brain is beautifully designed to plan for the long game. Tool 1 of the adult brain will be to consciously gain awareness of the hidden TFA cycles your primal brain is using to keep you stuck. When you take a step back and simply listen to your brain, it can be astounding what you hear. Some thoughts will sound like facts, others will sound like questions, some will just be bold faced lies or mean comments. But if you don’t hear these thoughts with intention and curiosity, you will never be able to decide if you want to keep thinking them. Awareness is imperative, and tool 1 will help you gain this. Tool 2 to help you move forward will be the art of asking the right questions. This will be not only asking your brain the right questions, but also deciding to hear and respond back consciously. Your brain is a fact finder, it will find you answers to whatever questions you ask. Your brain loves to be right, so it is very good at finding answers and proving itself tur. So if you ask poor questions like “why can’t I lose weight?” It will be quick to find you all the reasons why. BUT, if you ask the right questions, it can be used as a powerful tool to find evidence for your inevitable success. Questions like “How can I lose weight for good, and enjoy the process?” Asking quality questions will be incredibly valuable, but equally valuable will be a willingness to talk back to your brain. When you brain says, “this is never going to work,” you get to kindly respond back, “ I know this seems like it won’t work, but let’s just see what happens.” Or when you brain tries to be mean with comments like “You’ll never be able to do this.” You can consciously respond, “We don’t talk like that to us anymore.” Tool 2 is an incredibly valuable tool that will become easier the more you use it. Talking back to your brain is not intuitive, but when this becomes your normal, you will naturally shift into a higher and more evolved version of yourself.
Tool 3 is deciding ahead of time to have your own back. I did an entire episode on this concept, back in episode 11. I highly recommend you listen to it if you haven’t already. When you have your own back no matter the outcome, it will allow you to courageously decide to make decisions, set timelines, and move out of the first phase of behavior change. If you haven’t consciously decided ahead of time to have your own back, you will 100% of time fall into the behavior pattern of beating yourself up when things don’t go the way you planned. You will make your results mean something about you as a person, and there is no upside to that whether the results are good or bad. Your worth is not tied to any result you achieve. Period. So when you decide to separate your results from your worth, what happens is that you stop the cycle of beating yourself up, and decide to have your back no matter what. This will allow you the confidence to boldly move out of phase 1 into phase 2 of behavior change.
And finally, tool 4 is to decide ahead of time that the timeline you set means everything, but nothing at the same time. When you set out to lose 50lbs in a year, and come month 11 you’re only at 25lbs, you have the power to extend the timeline. Fascinating, right? AND you can also have this extension mean nothing about your success or failure. Adjusting the timeline does not give you free reign to sandbag, because the timeline is everything! It sets the tone for your intentional action steps to get this result. However, the timeline also means nothing because you have no idea what this journey will look like. You’re just taking your best guess, and with guessing most of the time we’re dead wrong. When you come to adopt the idea that the timeline is everything and nothing, it will give you the space to confidently set goals, adopt timelines, and willingly step into phase 2 of behavior change.
I have given you a lot of information in this episode, and hopefully it has helped you to better understand the challenges with the first step of behavior change. It seems so simple, you’re just identifying a problem you want to solve, and setting a timeline for when and how you’re going to accomplish it. But now you understand a little of what’s going on in the background. Behavior change is never easy, even the process of deciding TO change. But by consciously watching and maneuvering around common pitfalls, and strategically using the tools of your adult brain, you will be able to do things in your life you’ve never dreamed possible. I hope you’ll join me next week as we dig deeper into phase 2 of behavior change, complete disconnect. I’ll talk to you next week, bye!
Changing behavior is a ruthless journey. Your brain will fight you at every corner, and most of this battle will unfortunately reside in the space of your subconscious. If you feel like you’re white-knuckling it during your attempts at change, you are missing this one crucial step that we will go over in depth. Today learn what the actual phases of behavior change look like, and how you can conquer change once and for all.
- Why change is hard
- The actual phases of change, not the BS traditional model of change
- What steps you will need to use to traverse phase 2
- What behavior change will look and feel like if you’re making sustainable changes. Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietitian and I’m also a life coach. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun.
You ready? Let’s Go!
Hey there! Today, I want to know how each of you are doing. Let me know in the comments section or show notes. What has been your response as you’ve applied these new concepts to your life? Are you beginning to notice symptom reduction? Maybe even more awareness and control over why you’re having symptoms? We are 15 weeks in, and that is enough time for anyone of you to make jaw dropping changes to your life. Where are you at?
Today we are going to focus on understanding TFA cycles and become a little more clear what sneaky tricks your brain uses to keep you falling back into old behaviors. For many of you, change isn’t the hard part. You are more than capable of losing the weight, feeling better, exercising more, whatever is needed. But the problem that you keep coming up against is life getting in the way. You lose the weight, then it just creeps back on. You have an exercise routine, then one day you notice it’s been over a week since you’ve gone. Changing behaviors for the long haul is not the easiest thing, so today my goal is to help you understand what’s going on so that you can focus your energy where it matters.
Let’s start with going over the four stages of behavior change. But this is a much different approach than your classic pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance model. I personally think that explanation of change seems far too clean, don’t you think? It really doesn’t seem to capture the challenge that occurs as you intentionally change your behavior. This model more explains what “should” happen, without divulging what’s it’s actually going to be like. But you and I both know, change is anything but clean and easy. It’s freaking hard! Why is it so hard? Because you’re intentionally rewiring your brain to think different, perform different, perceive different, and live a different life. Of course it’s not easy, and of course your brain is going to pull you back into old behavior patterns. So let’s talk about what the actual stages of change will feel like, and what’s going on under the surface to pull you back into your old ways.
Behavior change starts with the light bulb moment. This is the moment where you know what’s wrong, you know you WANT to change, and you’ve finally made the decision for when. You don’t know the how, but you probably have some ideas for what your first steps might be. From here, you’re already onto step two. This is the step many of you never make it past. Step two is complete disconnection. This is the phase where nothing makes sense and everything feels intensely cumbersome. Complete disconnection doesn’t happen right away, there is a sort of honeymoon where motivation and excitement are running the show. But we know that doesn’t last, motivation and excitement only last for days, weeks or months for a lucky few of you. But inevitably, along comes the phase of complete disconnection. And this phase feels freaking awful. You don’t have processes nailed down, you don’t have the belief that you can do it, you don’t have full awareness of the tricks of your primal brain, and you’re just seeming to white knuckle it most days. This is the phase where your brain is literally fighting change. You have a hardwired neural network for your current behaviors, and your brain LOVES to conserve energy whenever possible. Change takes effort, your brain will not want to change. This is why it feels so awful! This is where TFA cycle awareness will be very important. I will go over this more later, but I want to finish with the other two phases of change first. Once you get through complete disconnection, you will finally feel the momentum and payoff phase take hold. You have been holding on through the misery of disconnection, and now you have slipped into the sweet relief of new neural connections. Finally, paths have been wired where this new behavior feels normal. When your brain tries to pull you back into old patterns of thinking, you recognize what it’s doing and kindly redirect to the new path. Your journey into this change feels good, even though you’re not yet at your goal. This is where you finally have confidence that getting the end result is inevitable if you just keep going. And the final step in this behavior change model is auto pilot. This is the phase where even your brain is on board with the new you. There has been so much dedication to hardwiring these new neural paths that going back to old ways of thinking feels foreign. You doesn’t feel weird, cumbersome, or tiring to think and act in this new way that has you living into this new person you desired to be. You just are, and it’s wonderful to have arrived. But this is where your brain will trick you into thinking that you’ve done something wrong because there aren’t rainbows and daisies when you’ve reached your goal. But it’s ok, because even with new neural networks and new behavior patterns, life will still remain in a 50/50 balance, and that’s ok. It doesn’t mean something has gone terribly wrong, it means everything is going perfectly right.
So in summary, the actual phases of change are the lightbulb moment, complete disconnection, momentum with payoff, and the final phase is auto pilot. (LCMA)
Let’s spend a little more time in complete disconnection, because this is where 95% of you lose hope. This phase is brutal because everything is so new, it doesn’t feel right, and your brain will be fighting you at every corner. I want to spend some time talking about what tricks your brain will be using in the background. If you’ve listened to episode 12, you remember that it’s through your thoughts that you create feelings, and from your feelings you have the energy to drive action. These are called your brain’s TFA cycles, and you have about 70,000 of them consciously and subconsciously every single day. During the phase of complete disconnection, your brain will be offering up to you many TFA cycles that no longer serve you. Thoughts in the past that might have served you, but are now more errors than anything. Thoughts like “that sounds good” or “one bite won’t hurt” “I deserve this” create an intense feeling of desire that is easy to fall into the action of indulging in the thing you don’t actually want. When you’re trying to lose weight, you’ve decided ahead of time that you don’t want the cinnamon roll, not even the perfect bite in the middle. But your brain doesn’t know that yet, it just knows that the bite in the center of a cinnamon roll tastes amazing, gives a hit of dopamine, and just sounds delicious. This is the heart of disconnection because you are believing two TFA cycles at the same time that conflict one another. One TFA cycle has you believing the thought “that sounds so good” leading to desire, and another TFA cycle with the thought “I don’t want the cinnamon roll” and the feeling of willpower. When your TFA cycles are in conflict with one another, and your actions don’t match your desire, that is when you will be tapping into willpower. This is exactly what you don’t want to do, because this is what leads to feeling like you’re white knuckling it, or treading water with no hope of rescue. The secret to conquering complete disconnection will be to learn the skill of holding space for both TFA cycles to peacefully co-exist while you gently redirect to the TFA cycle that best serves you. This will first require awareness of the thoughts your brain is offering up that is creating the desire, then a gentle redirect that might sound like “of course a bite of cinnamon roll sounds good, but today we are not going to have any and that’s ok.” A bridge TFA cycle is very valuable to hold space for the truth that the cinnamon roll does sound good, and hold space for the truth that you don’t want one. You will have to sit with an urge driven by your brain as it tries to get it’s fix of brain chemicals. That’s ok, they usually only last 5-10 minutes, and if you keep the bridge TFA cycle consciously on repeat, that urge will quickly dissipate. Complete disconnection will be filled with countless subconscious TFA cycles trying to get you back into your old behaviors. And for those unconscious to these thoughts, permanent change will be impossible. You will remain in an energy of willpower and white-knuckling it. You will likely get results, but these results are built on a foundation of resistance to your true desires instead of building pathways supporting new desires. Creating bridge TFA cycles is how you will change your behavior from the level of desire upward. If we focus on changing what you desire, any result is possible and sustainable.
If you’re ready to change, I encourage you to head over to yourlivinghealth.com today and book your free consult. If you want 1:1 support, an in in-depth dive into your body’s microbiology, and coaching though behavior change, you’re not going to want to miss out. Space is limited. But as always, thanks for listening today, and learning how you can reduce your own inflammation through intentional top-down and bottom-up changes. I’ll talk to you next week, bye!
Life is 50/50 meaning that it sucks half the time and is great the other. We get to choose our 50% discomfort, and choose ultimately where this discomfort will take us. BUT, I challenge you to consider that if you don’t choose your 50%, chances are we will be victim to it. Tune in today as we unpack the 50/50 paradox of life, and how you can ultimately use it to your advantage.
- What it means to be in discomfort 50% of your life
- How to choose your emotional experience
- What happens when you embrace the 50/50 paradox
- How you can create inflammation as an accident Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietitian and I’m also a life coach. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun.
You ready? Let’s Go!
Hey there! Welcome back! Today we are going to continue focusing on the top-down approach to managing your chronic inflammation. As we know from previous episodes, inflammation can be caused by two different sources. There is bottom-up inflammation which is triggered from environment exposure, food, genetics or micronutrients. Bottom up means that the inflammation starts from a trigger in your body, then moves to tell your brain to generate inflammation. Then there is top-down inflammation which can be triggered by a lack of intentional brain management. Top down means that the reaction starts in your brain, then cascades down to your body to create inflammation.
Today is a beautiful day, and why this day is beautiful is because we are going to think on a higher level. We are going to gain clarity over some life truths that aren’t talked about enough while growing up. We are going to focus on and gain perspective of the reality that life is great half the time, and sucks the other half. This is the paradox of the 50/50. It doesn’t matter how much money, education, talents, friends, or love you have, the inevitability of life is that 50% of it will be uncomfortable. The only difference will be the flavor of discomfort you find yourself in, or better yet, the flavor of discomfort you choose.
There are about over 300 words to describe the various emotions that we feel, and each of these emotion words help us to describe the unique ways that we feel emotions. What I mean by that is each of these emotions releases its own unique chemical cascade that affects everything in our body differently. Rage feels different than angry, excitement feels different than delight, shame feels different than guilt. Where and how it feels different is going to be unique to you, because your brain releases its own chemical cascade, and your body reacts to that cascade in different ways. But more importantly, I want you to notice that some emotions feel comfortable, and some emotions feel uncomfortable. Anger feels less comfortable than happy, right? This is of course an obvious example. But there are many more emotions that aren’t quite so black and white. Emotions like courage, patience, acceptance, or even shock aren’t quite as potent on the discomfort scale as rage or anger, but even still they remain in the flavor of discomfort versus comfort. This is just part of the 50% of life that is inevitably uncomfortable.
For example, when I’m about to go on stage to give a presentation to a room full of people, and I want to be in the emotion of courage. Courage for me feels quite uncomfortable. I experience knots in my stomach, sweaty palms, racing heart, brain fog, all the things. It kind of sucks to be in this emotion, to actually lean into this feeling. Courage is definitely not rainbows and daisies. But I do notice that courage feels a little more comfortable terror, and I’m still residing in the category of discomfort, so it’s a favorable swap. Seeking the discomfort of courage is actually the thing that benefits me in this moment. It helps me to be alert and focused, and helps me to acknowledge that there is fear, but with courage I know I can support myself through it. This emotion serves me, even though it is part of the 50% discomfort of life.
Then there are of course flavors of emotion on the positive side. Elated and delight is much more potently positive than satisfied or invigorated. There are different levels of comfort just like there are different levels of discomfort. And each of these different intensities is grounded in the unique chemical cascade your brain releases in response to a thought that you think.
But now I want you to tune into the actions that each of these emotions’ drives. When you are operating from the energy of anger, what are your actions? And how different are these actions than when you’re operating from the energy of… say… acceptance? Notice how each of these actions you choose to adopt can be useful or un-useful. Energy of anger resulting in the action of yelling at your spouse, probably not that useful, right? It creates a result of disconnect when you might want connection and understanding instead. But intentionally generating the emotion of acceptance may feel equally uncomfortable, but will create the action of open communication and the result of connection and understanding that you may be desiring. The paradox of the 50/50 of life is inevitable, but the beauty lays in the arena of choice. We get to choose how we feel, 100% of the time. Sometimes anger is the exact emotion that I want to create, because I want to be angry when I smash my finger with a hammer. I know that acceptance is available to me, but in that moment, I WANT to feel angry! Just like when I go on stage, there are many emotions available to me. I could choose fear, I could choose hesitant, I could choose anxious, but the emotion that I WANT to choose in that moment is courage. Because the actions I take from courage look very different than the actions I’ll take from fear. Each are uncomfortable, and trigger similar feels within the systems of my body, but courage drives me to useful actions that drive me closer to the person I want to be.
So knowing that life is inevitably 50/50, and that you get to choose your discomfort, why not try to tip the scales a little and seek more of an 80/20 balance. If you choose your emotions anyway based on your thoughts, why not just choose happy thoughts? Well my friends, then you come across very weird and creepy instead of genuine and sane. When I smash my finger with a hammer, I WANT to choose angry. I want to choose discomfort. I know happy is available to me, but how weird and creepy would I be if I smashed my finger, and forced the thought “I love smashing my finger! This is my favorite!” Lies, right?! Not only will you seem weird to others, you will be weird and untruthful to yourself. The truth of the situation is… it sucks to smash your finger. It’s the part of life where I’m like… yup… this sucks. And when I accept that life is 50/50, I’m no longer as resentful at the situation. I’m not thinking thoughts like “this shouldn’t happen! I never should smash my finger!” I’m more resting in the truth that smashing your finger sucks, and I’m going to just lean into this suck embracing that the 50% positive is right around the corner.
But I also want you to tune into some other personalities that instead think that life is more of a 20/80 balance where life is mostly uncomfortable and sucky. We all know these people, the glass is half empty and bad things always happen to me type personalities. This is where the 50/50 paradox is the truth I want you to lean on. Know that life only sucks 50% of the time. If you want to choose to tip the scale to the side of comfort, you might appear weird and creepy and maybe a little desperate. But also know that if you think that life is 20/80, remember that this is something you are choosing. Life is 50/50 by default, any other percentage is by choice. You have the choice to find evidence for anything you believe, and if you choose to believe the thought that life sucks MOST of the time, guess what you will find evidence for? EVERYWHERE YOU GO. If you choose to think that life sucks most of the time, I promise that you will create the reality that life sucks most of the time. Your brain will go to work finding all the evidence in every situation, in every encounter, and in every experience. But it is also available to instead find acceptance and peace in the truth that life only sucks 50% of the time. And if life only sucks 50% of the time, asking yourself where you’re choosing to make it suck for the other 30%? Asking questions like, “What other thoughts are available to me in those specific situations?” Maybe when I smash my finger, the 50% inevitability is that smashing your finger hurts! And it happens sometimes! Ugh!! But you CAN add another 30% suck by adopting the thought… “this always happens to me” “Nobody else smashed their finger today, of course I’m the one that did” “Cool, today I smashed my finger, tomorrow I’m going to smash my finger again… of course I have to do things involving a hammer. I can’t have an easy life that doesn’t include hammers” You see how you can spin life to include another 30% suck? Thoughts that might keep the 50% clean would be “Crap, I hate smashing my finger!” and leaving it cleanly at the truth of it. You hate smashing your finger, but it doesn’t mean that you always smash your finger, and it doesn’t mean that you’re going to do it again, or that you’re less than because you have to have a hammer swinging job. It just sucks to smash your finger. Period.
So how does this impact your chronic inflammation? You guessed it. Your thoughts create your feelings, and your feelings drive this chemical cascade that often results in system stress. This system stress is a good thing… in moderation. 50% of life sucks type moderation. If we keep this cascade checked to the 50% of life, chances are your body will be in balance and use that 50% negative emotion for our good. It will use this stress to promote cellular cleanup type activities. BUT, if you choose thoughts that create 80% negative emotion, notice that your chemical cascade will be on chronically. This is where you can get yourself into trouble. But the good news? You are 100% in control to recalibrate your life sucks scale back to it’s 50% default. The power is in the awareness of what thoughts you are choosing to think. What questions you are asking your brain. And what evidence you are asking your brain to find for you. Sometimes even just simply being onto yourself when you are looking for the discomfort can be what changes everything for you. There is no escaping the 50/50 paradox, it just is part of being a human. There is no escaping it, so why add more pain by not accepting it. And life doesn’t suck more than 50% of the time, so why create pain and chronic disease when it doesn’t need to be there. The choice is yours, and I hope you choose to accept what is. I’ll talk to you next week everyone, bye!
Self-sabotage is the problem that always seems to stand between where you currently are and where you want to be. Whenever you have the courage to set a goal, it seems that self-sabotage is close behind. Why is this such a common problem? How can you gain authority over self-sabotage. Tune in today as we understand and overcome self-sabotage.
- The three thought groups that cause self-sabotage
- Why it’s easy to fall into this pattern
- How to overcome each thought group with ease
- Understand simple steps to gain authority over self-sabotage Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietitian and I’m also a life coach. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun.
You ready? Let’s Go!
Hey there! How are you? I’ve been receiving great feedback about this podcast from you all, so I want to say thank you, and it’s good to know I’m on the right track! My goal is to help you understand the things that are causing your inflammation, and present them in a way where you can impact and improve your own health. If I am helping you, please leave me a review and let me know!
Today we are going to dive into self-sabotage. This is a mysterious and complex topic, and hopefully I can do it justice. I think I can make simple something that is often viewed with much confusion. So first, let’s define what self-sabotage is. It is the conscious or subconscious performing of actions that halt forward momentum towards a desired result. I also like to think of self sabotage as an impassable void between your current state and where you desire to be. It looks like you can jump right over the void, but when you jump that void just gets wider and wider making impossible reaching the other side. I think an important thing to notice about self-sabotage is that it is an action. If you were passively observing your life, you could tangibly watch self-sabotage happen with either action or lack of action. Notice that self-sabotage is not a thought or an emotion, self sabotage is instead FUELED BY thoughts and emotions that drive the action of self-sabotage. This is a very important thing to notice.
So what causes self-sabotage? In simple terms, self-sabotage is caused by believing a thought. When we believe thoughts, we create emotion which drives action. This is the basics of how our brain functions. So if we want to better understand and gain authority over self-sabotage, we need to focus our attention on what thoughts we are choosing to believe. These thoughts can be grouped into three different categories, all of which result in the action of self sabotage. Let’s dig into what these three groups of thought are.
The first is believing the sales pitch of desire. You operate from two different brains, your primal brain and your adult brain. When you set a goal, you are operating from your adult brain. That is where you make decisions with intention and future focused thinking. BUT, your primal brain’s mission is to keep you safe and comfortable. That is where thoughts are generated from your past experiences, and operating with the consistent goal of chasing pleasure, seeking efficiency, and avoiding pain. Because you have thoughts being generated from different areas of your brain, this can lead to an internal dialogue that appears in conflict to itself. This is where you can desire the goal of losing 20lbs, but strangely the next desire you have may be to indulge in a cupcake. How can these two desires be coming from the same brain?! This must be because you hate yourself and never want to see yourself succeed, right? Wrong. There is nothing wrong with your brain generating a thought like “that cupcake sounds so good right now”. Of course your brain is going to generate thoughts like that, it has a primal goal of seeking pleasure, and a cupcake is filled with pleasure! But the problem only arises when you believe the sales pitch of desire. When you hear the thought “that cupcake sounds so good right now” and you adopt it subconsciously as fact, suddenly you find yourself engaging in the action of eating the cupcake, almost against your own will. This can appear like self-sabotage because you are ALSO holding belief in the thought “It’s time to lose 20lbs”. This is the first thought pattern of self-sabotage, passively adopting the sales pitch from the primal brain as fact.
The second thought pattern that can result in self-sabotage is to subconsciously believe a set of rules that you’ve adopted in the past. This set of rules is otherwise known as a belief system. As a child growing up, it is your brain’s job to understand and make sense of the world around you. Through experience, it comes up with thoughts and perception, and these perceptions help you to make future projections. Maybe you grew up watching your mom’s weight fluctuate all the time. She would lose weight, then gain it right back. It was just a cycle of diet, weight loss, weight gain. As you watched this, your brain may have offered the thought “keeping weight off is hard” to better understand what was happening. Your brain wants to create rules, that way it conserves energy and expends less energy having to understand future things. As you become an adult, that thought you believed as a kid remains in the background like a rule of life… keeping weight off is hard. And because your brain loves to be right, it has been finding evidence to prove itself correct since you’ve adopted that thought as a young kid. How can this thought pattern result in the action of self-sabotage? Because our thoughts create our actions. If you have a rule in place from your childhood that keeping weight off is hard, and you’ve never inspected this rule to determine if you want to keep it, your actions will always be to prove your thoughts true. That keeping weight off is indeed… hard. This can result in actions like eating a cupcake, because when you believe the thought “keeping weight off is hard” it generates an energy of defeat ahead of time resulting in the action of eating a cupcake to make you feel better, thus proving the fact “keeping weight off is hard”. This is the second thought pattern of self-sabotage, subconsciously believing a set of rules that you’ve adopted in your past.
The third thought pattern of self-sabotage is to subconsciously avoid discomfort. Your brain will offer up thoughts like “this sucks” or “this isn’t worth it” or “this is hard”. Again, notice that all action is taken from believing a thought. Your primal brain has the goals to seek pleasure, avoid pain and conserving energy. So when you are in an experience of discomfort, your brain will automatically offer up thoughts to get you out of discomfort. “This sucks” is a thought I often fall for, because it’s so easy to find evidence for it’s truth. Because often, life does suck. And when you subconsciously or passively believe the thought “this sucks”, what are the actions you’re going to take? Chances are, you’re going to prove yourself true and make sure this sucks! In this example, eating a cupcake could be the way to prove two truths correct. The first, that it sucks not being able to lose weight. And the sneaky second truth you are proving yourself correct is that “keeping weight off is hard”. And your brain is winning bigtime here because not only is it proving itself true in two ways, it’s also getting the reward of indulging in the pleasure of a cupcake. Win-Win.
So in summary, the three thought groups of self sabotage include: Believing the sales pitch of desire, subconsciously believing a set of rules you’ve adopted in the past, and subconsciously avoiding discomfort. And the unifying characteristic of self sabotage is that your brain loves to keep these thought and action patterns in the subconscious space. If your thoughts remain subconscious, then making behavior change from action always taps into willpower, and willpower is limited. Your brain loves to keep these thoughts subconscious because It’s easy to stew in confusion and frustration if you seem to be acting against your own will.
So how can you change your behavior in a way that you gain authority over self-sabotage? Easy. Well… not easy… but easier than you might think. The only thing you need to do is bring to the conscious many of these thoughts you are believing subconsciously. When your brain offers up a thought like “that cupcake sounds freaking amazing” I want you to hear this thought instead of just passively adopting this thought as your own. Then (and only then!) you can simply answer your brain “I know YOU want that cupcake brain, but I don’t, not right now” When your brain offers up “this sucks”, answer your brain “I know YOU think this sucks, but this is exactly what I signed up for. We can do hard things” There is magic when you hold space for your brain to be a toddler, but answer with love as an adult would a child. And finally, there is even more magic when you parent your toddler brain by asking questions, thereby uncovering what your toddler brain may have YOU believing that YOU no longer want to believe. Incorporate simple questions like… is this true? Do I want to keep believing this? What’s the upside to keeping this thought? Knowing this thought is 100% optional, is it bringing me closer or further from who I want to be?
Increasing awareness of these three thought groups will gain you authority over self-sabotage. Remember, self-sabotage is not a real thing, it is just evidence of a brain that needs a little parenting. Focus on these tools I’ve given you, and you’re going to blow your mind with what you can do. And if you need to, listen to this episode again! Some of these concepts may be new and need to sink in a little. Alright everyone, that’s all I have for you today. Do this work, and if you want additional guidance don’t forget to book your free consult. I’ll talk to you next week, bye!
The fear of failure is a paralyzing reality in our culture. Failure means you’ll be found out, others will realize you’re less than, unworthy, just another waste of life. But what if failure is something that could be confidently pursued. What if instead of running from failure, you ran towards it? Failure is possible, but it’s not what you think. Join me today, let’s learn to risk failure confidently.
- What it actually means to fail
- What our brain twists failure into
- What failure is not
- How you can use failure to your advantage, and flip the conversation
- Learn to love yourself through failure, while having your back the whole time Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietitian and I’m also a life coach. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun.
You ready? Let’s Go!
Hey there! Welcome back, I’m hoping with each episode you’re gaining new insights that help you identify what may be causing your inflammation, and how you can improve your own health. I’d love to hear your stories or “aha” moments, you can leave them in the comments or email me direct at carly@yourlivinghealth.com. Today we are going to be talking about failure, because failure is something that is on our mind a lot of the time. Failure is the thing that limits us from taking action, stops us from wanting to try again, and makes taking chances in life a heck of a lot more painful. Or at least that is the story your brain has been telling you all these years. I want to you to right now answer the question, “what does it mean to fail?” Take a minute and really consider this, because every one of us views failure differently. Some might thing of physical accomplishment, like failure means not reaching a certain number on a scale within a certain period of time. Or failure means just simply not achieving a desired result despite your best efforts. Others may view failure as more of a feeling, for example meeting your weight goal, but not having the positive change to your life like you anticipated. Some of you might view failure as an external thing outside your control, where someone’s opinion of your achievement means everything. Say you met your weight goal, but you don’t receive the compliments or approval from loved ones like you expected, and suddenly that goal isn’t good enough anymore. Failure can mean many things to many people, and that is why I want to dig into the concept of failure a little deeper.
The primary definition of failure is the omission of occurrence or performance. Further down there is “a fracturing or giving way under stress” and “a lack of success or falling short”, but I want to focus our attention on the primary definition of failure which is… The omission of occurrence or performance. Notice that failure is MORE about lack of action then it is about the results achieved. Let that sink in for a second. So often we attribute failure to not achieving a desired result, but the fascinating is that when you look at what failure is, it doesn’t even mention results in the primary definition. If failure is more about LACK OF ACTION, aren’t most of you already living your worst case scenario? Paralyzed and unable to pursue a goal or dream simply because of the fear of failure? Just notice the tricks our brain is able to play when left un-parented. Your brain is subconsciously protecting you from failure by causing you to fail ahead of time. How crazy is this!! But in addition to failing ahead of time, your brain is also working subconsciously to protect you from something so much scarier… emotions. Shame. Embarrassment. Humiliation. Guilt. Regret. Fear. Nervousness. By fearing failure, your brain is protecting you from the potential of emotional discomfort.
Ok, so we know that true failure occurs simply by not taking action. And we also know that your brain keeps you fearing failure to protect you from the possibility of future emotional discomfort. Perfect… now this leads us to ask some more high quality questions to uncover what’s another layer deeper. When you perceive that you have failed at something, WHAT are you making this failure mean about YOU? What is the internal dialogue when you set out to achieve something, and don’t quite meet the expectations of yourself or others? Have you ever listened to the words your brain comes up with? What do they sound like? Let’s say you set a goal to eat 100% within your food protocol for the week. Tuesday comes, cookies present themselves, and you find yourself indulging in one after a particularly stressful day at work. In this situation, what is your brain saying… about you? Maybe thoughts like “I knew you couldn’t do it” “Here we go again” “You’re such an idiot” “You’re so weak… it’s only Tuesday and you already failed” When you blindly believe stories like these that your brain comes up with, the perception of failure can turn into an awful experience. It’s no wonder you don’t want to take action!! You know the terrible beat down session you have with yourself if you don’t get EXACTLY what you set out to achieve. Is this resonating with any of you? So where do we go from here?
I want each of you to go with me somewhere, and I want you to open yourself up to a possibility you maybe never considered before. What if everything you’ve made failure out to be until this point, was all just illusion. What if “failure” is 100% optional. What if it’s all made up anyway. Goals, success, failure… All of it. All story. What if you had the option to make falling short of a goal mean something completely different? Right now, the story you’re choosing to tell IS NOT serving you very well. Berating yourself, feeling awful, being scared to take chances in the future… all not super useful. And remember, this is all just optional story you are choosing to believe. What if you took time to shine light on what you’re making failure currently mean, and then asking yourself what you want failure to mean in the future? Do you even want to use the word failure? Do you want to instead say that you fell short of a goal? And if you fell short of a goal, what do you want this to mean about you? If you know you put your 100% action into achieving a goal, and you missed the mark, what does this mean about you? YOU CHOOSE YOUR OWN STORY! But me personally, I choose to tell myself what a badass I am for putting myself out there. I choose to tell myself kudos for aiming for a goal so high that despite my best efforts I couldn’t quite reach it. I choose to look at the person I’ve become in the process of trying to reach this goal, and admire how far I’ve pushed myself. I choose to make missing a goal mean ABSOLUTELY nothing negative about me because I want to have my back and continue rooting for myself to take chances in the future.
But don’t misquote me either… If I know I didn’t give something my 100%, and because of the lack of effort I don’t quite reach a goal, this is pain that I will definitely allow. I will allow thoughts like “you could have done better” to be there. I want the disappointment, because that story will serve me in my future. That story may be the kick in the butt I need when things get tough. But the story I refuse to believe is the story of me being less of a person because of a result I didn’t achieve. I will never believe lies about my worthiness and potential because of a missed goal. Those stories only seek to tear me down, and there is simply no upside to doing that.
I want to (really quick) go over a practical example. Let’s change it up and use a work example where people are relying on you to get something done. Let’s say you are asked to finish a project by 4:00 on Friday. You work diligently towards the goal every day this week. You showed up on time, stayed until the end of your shift, and did well with time management. There were a few times when you found yourself distracted or putting out other fires that seemed more urgent, but every chance you got you were plugging away at this project. But come 4:00 on Friday, this project was not quite done. It needed another 6 hours of your time. This is the point where you are presented with an opportunity. You could easily believe that you have failed. Your brain will begin coming up with stories of how it perceives what is happening. You can believe that you failed, that you should have gotten the project done, and that you let everyone down. That is 100% a thought you could go with. But I want you to ask yourself… how does this story feel? Does this story serve you, or will it instead hold you back? For some of you, letting others down is the emotion you use to drive you to never do that again. But for others of you, that emotion of let down spins you into a spiral of shame, guilt and disappointment. For those of you that tend to spiral when things don’t go as planned, what other story may be equally true, and serve you 100% more? What if the dialogue sounded more like “Hey love, I noticed we missed the mark this week. I wonder where we can clean up our day to be more productive? Let’s do what we know we can do, and knock it out of the park next week”
Failure is NOT when you decide midway through to pursue a different direction. But failure IS when you silently give up, and choose to stop trying without having that conversation with yourself.
If failure is just a story you make up, why not make this story a productive one? Why not intentionally create a reality that builds you up instead of leaves you spinning in shame? Today I want you to notice the stories your brain offers up when you miss the mark. I want you to notice the stories your brain offers up when you have a dream or goal that is something new, challenging and exciting. I want you to hold your brain captive to the lie of potential failure it whispers in your ear. Decide to courageously respond, “not today brain”. If you are a human, you are going to fall short. You are going to miss the mark when you do new things. You are going to miss the mark when you aim for the stars. But the only time you actually fail is when you give up, or when you don’t even have the courage to take action. The only time you fail is when you believe the lie that you falling short of a goal makes you less worthy, less of a person. You are an amazing badass, capable of pursuing and achieving greatness. Today is the day to start, because you know that failure isn’t even a possibility if you just keep going.
If this has been helpful to you in any way, I ask that you leave me a review so that others can have easier access to this information. For those who have comments or ideas for future episodes, please take a few minutes now and type them out, I promise to read every single one. If you’re looking for some 1:1 guidance, head over to yourlivinghealth.com and book your free introductory consult. Again, thanks for your support of this podcast and I’ll talk to you soon.
Today we are digging into what it means to change. Achieving permanent change is something that has proven impossible for many of you. You might know how to do it, and get temporary results, but nothing sticks around long term. Why is that? Today we are going over EXACTLY what you need to do in order to achieve lasting results, and you won’t even need to rely on your depleting supply of motivation or will-power. Don’t miss out!
- What the components of change are
- The missing component of change you were never taught
- Why change is so hard
- How to coach yourself to results when things get tough
Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietitian and I’m also a life coach. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun.
You ready? Let’s Go!
Hey there! I want to start this episode by saying a huge thank you for taking the time to listen to this podcast. Each week a spend a lot of time investing into this work, and I love that you’re willing to invest in yourself by listening and (my hope is) applying these concepts we go over. I’m going to be annoying and ask that each of you take a moment to leave me a review. I know it’s a pain, but it really does help me get this info out to more people. So thank you to those who are willing to pause this episode and do that really quick, but now let’s begin today’s episode about why changing something about yourself is so hard.
So, I want to start by unpacking what it means to change. Change sounds like a simple thing, but we all know it is something very difficult to do. I want to start by looking at what I see as the four universally accepted components of change. First there is a problem that needs to be identified. This can be losing weight, getting rid of chronic symptoms, improving eating habits, exercising consistently, being a better wife/mom/sister/daughter, or even learning how to cope with work pressures. Boom, you’ve identified a problem that you want to solve. Then the second component of change is determining the “how”. How are you going to get this done? This is when you decide on which set of instructions you want to foll
This episode is pure gold and guaranteed to change the way you view your life. We will be discussing what will be required for you to confidently and effortlessly achieve your goals. We will be going over tools that are not intuitive, and tools that you have likely never used before. Today we are boldly learning new things so that you can boldly transition into a new and better version of yourself. A you who can lose weight, live healthy, and feel amazing. Let’s Go!
- A new skillset to transition into a better version of yourself
- How you can confidently face unexpected challenges
- How to lean into discomfort instead of tapping into willpower
- Two very accessible tools to use when things get tough
Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietitian and I’m also a life coach. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun.
You ready? Let’s Go!
Hey there! Today is a beautiful day, not only because every day has beauty in it, but because today we are going to talk about having your own back. This episode is going to be gold my friends, and I hope it will change the life of at least one of you out there. This is not something that is taught in school, this is not something that is intuitive, and this is not something that is easy to do. You will have to fight to hold space for this and you will have to aggressively seek to find within yourself a clean space of awareness.
So let’s start by unpacking this concept for a bit… having your own back. I like to think about it like YOU’RE the one to catch YOURSELF when stuff doesn’t go the way you planned. I want you to transition into being your own best friend. You get to be the one to call in the middle of the night, you are the ultimate safety net, and you are your own partner in crime. I like to use examples, so here we go.
Let’s say that after a week of dieting, you hop on the scale and the scale is up instead of down. Ugh, right… freaking unbelievable. BUT, having your own back would look like looking in the mirror and saying to yourself, “hey there love, I’ve got you. I wonder what didn’t work for us this week. But don’t
Many of you type A personalities take pride in your to-do lists. You love to check boxes, take action and do all the things you know you have to do to achieve success. But what if I told you that taking action was not the most important step? What if it more mattered on the energy behind your actions. Join me today as we unpack this concept and how you can begin applying it to your life today.
- Why action is over-rated
- What you will need to focus on for your actions to be sustainable
- How to achieve long term success while doing the same actions
- When to stop and reassess your actions
- How to get 1:1 support
Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietitian and I’m also a life coach. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun.
You ready? Let’s Go!
Hey there! How’s it going? I’m having a great day so far. The sun in shining, and I’m super excited to talk with you today about the energy behind your actions. BUT, if you didn’t tune in for last week’s episode about losing weight vs. gaining health, I’m going to ask that you listen to that right after you’re done here with me. There are such foundational and important concepts that were talked about, and I really don’t want you to miss out. But today, this week, we’re going to focus on the energy behind your actions.
I’m especially talking to those of you out there who are my people pleasing, type A, overachievers. You are the ladies who focus on checking boxes, doing action, getting stuff done. You are the ladies who focus on action in order to get results, because this is how you think results are obtained. Action. Pure and simple. But the thing you’ve been missing in this equation is that action may equal temporary results, but action does NOT equal behavior change. Action may lead to losing weight quickly, but gaining back even more all said and done. And I think each of you out there will give me a quick head nod when I say that you’re done with the temporary fixes. It’s time to figure this out for good so that you can move onto other things in your life.
You will instead want
Losing weight is a goal many of you have. This goal seems worthy, objective and understandable. But what if this goal was actually the thing holding you back from your true desires? What is it that you want to achieve from losing weight? Join me today as we discuss losing weight vs gaining health.
- How having a primary goal of weight loss is holding you back
- What happens when the blinders of weight loss are worn
- How to achieve weight loss as a side effect
- How to synergistically work with your body to achieve a common goal
- How to get 1:1 support
Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietitian and I’m also a life coach. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun.
You ready? Let’s Go!
Hey there! Today I want to go in a different direction with this episode. We’ve been talking a lot about what you can do to feel better, mostly because symptoms are annoying and it’s nice to know how to feel great when you want to. But for today I want to shift our focus to what it will LOOK like when you’re on the path to gaining health instead of losing weight.
Losing weight is really catchy. Sure, for some people there’s a lot of dread, overwhelm, frustration… But the possibility of losing weight is really quite exciting. There a decisive point when you decide enough is enough. There is a search to figure out how you’re going to lose the weight. You get to choose what foods you’re going to eat, how much you’re going to eat, when and how you’re going to shop and prep all of these things so that you don’t fall back into old habits. Then once food is settled on, you focus your attention to exercise… how much you’re going to exercise, what types of exercise you’re going to do, when you’re going to fit it in, what equipment to buy, walks to take, friends to go with. At the beginning of a weight loss adventure, there really is a lot of anticipation and decisions to be made. There may even be the excitement of the last day before your diet, right? The day you get to splurge because tomorrow you’re going to start. Your dopamine (which is the brain chemical of motivation) is really present at t
Chronic anxiety is a condition that can easily take over much of your thoughts. Anxiety is a common emotion, but it can quickly lead to a symptom filled life created by the fight or flight defense mechanism. Together we will go over where anxiety originates from, and the what you can do to protect yourself from a life of being stuck in defense mode.
- Where anxiety comes from
- How you currently process anxiety
- A powerful tool for dissipating anxiety’s intensity
- How you can achieve peace WHILE experiencing anxiety
- How you can receive 1:1 additional support
Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietitian and I’m also a life coach. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun.
You ready? Let’s Go!
Hey there! Today I want to talk about anxiety as a physical symptom that many of you experience on a day to day basis. But In addition to the physical sensation of anxiety, I also want to shift the way you think ABOUT your anxiety.
And where I want to start is by getting more clear on what this sensation IS in the first place. Anxiety is a feeling, and feelings are created by thoughts (or sentences) that we generate in our brains. Anxiety is a very common feeling, and when CREATED, it triggers the release of many chemicals, neuromodulators, neurotransmitters and hormones such as cortisol, dopamine, serotonin, thyroid hormones, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and more. Just like all feelings, when your brain thinks a thought… it creates a feeling. Then that feeling is FELT systemically through the process of your brain releasing a chemical cascade that works its way through every system of your body. Some emotions are intense, and others are mild, but each are felt through this same chain of events. Circumstance triggers thought, thought triggers feeling, and feeling triggers action.
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If you suffer from stomach or intestinal cramping, bloating and gas pains, this episode is for you. We are going to be summarizing the 10 most common culprits that cause cramping. This episode is meant to be an overview instead of a deep dive into specific triggers. Cramping is one of the most complex inflammatory symptoms to decode because it is a symptom of MANY different conditions. Together let’s discuss what might be causing your cramping so that you can strategically target a specific culprit to put an end to your daily pain.
- The various types of bloating and what they might mean
- The 10 common culprits of cramping
- How to troubleshoot this complex condition
- What to look out for, and what your next steps should be
- How to get 1:1 support to decode your cramping
Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietitian and I’m also a life coach. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun.
You ready? Let’s Go!
Hey there! Today we are going to continue with our recurring theme of helping you achieve symptom relief. And for many of you our there, the thing that plagues you most is stomach and intestinal cramping. Often this has an element of bloating and trapped gas too, but the symptom most often complained about is the painful cramping. The cramping can also have some
If you suffer from brain fog, you must tune into this episode. Brain fog is a symptom that is often ignored, but that alludes to a scary process unfolding under the surface. Brain fog can easily be equated to a poor nights sleep, busy days or just getting older. I want to help you understand what is actually happening.
- What it means to have brain fog
- What is causing your brain fog
- Why this shouldn’t be ignored
- What you can do starting tomorrow to profoundly reverse this process
- How to get 1:1 support for your inflammation
Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietitian and I’m also a life coach. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun.
You ready? Let’s Go!
Hey there! You ready to keep learning about the s
Have you ever wondered which foods might be causing your headaches? Although there are many causes of headaches, many can be induced by the chemicals you’re eating or drinking every day. This episode will explore obvious culprits like hydration, but also dives into which specific foods to be aware of, and exactly what you can do today to decrease the frequency, duration and intensity of your headaches.
- Why you aren’t drinking water like you want
- What common foods can cause changes to your blood vessels resulting in headaches
- Common triggers of chemical warfare, and what you can do to steer clear
- What to do when you are in the midst of a headache (it’s not what you think!)
- How to get more help or 1:1 guidance
Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietitian and I’m also a life coach. Together let’s coach through the science of inflammation, but in a way that is simple, purposeful and fun.
You ready? Let’s Go!
Hey there! Today’s episode is going to focus on the frequent headaches that seem to plague many of you. There are many things that cause headac
Today’s episode will be focusing on all things weight loss. I will dive into why the calories in, calories out equation consistently fails you. We will also focus on popular dieting methods, and discuss the missing ingredient that each fails to include. Then, I will uncover 4 important factors that if addressed will result in effortless weight loss and long-term weight maintenance.
- Uncover key mechanisms that limit your ability to release calories
- Learn why the calories in equals calories out equation is failing you
- Discover 4 key components of an effortless weight loss strategy that will lead into long term weight maintenance
- Obtain actionable steps for EXACTLY where you need to start losing weight
- How to receive additional support
Welcome to Your Living Health, the podcast where we talk about real life strategies to reduce chronic inflammation. Each episode will uncover tools for you to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I’m your host, Carly Lucchesi, I’m a UC Davis trained registered dietit
Your brain is terrified of feeling uncomfortable emotions, and will do anything to secretly help you avoid feeling them. What if feeling them was exactly the thing required? When you don’t feel your feelings correctly, this can lead to behaviors resulting in chronic inflammation. Here you will learn a technique to stay present with your emotions, and uncover how you can gain authority over them.
- Learn the common ways that you may be processing emotions
- Uncover how processing emotions ineffectively may be creating inflammation and additional symptoms
- Transform into a person capable of feeling any feeling without it negatively impacting your future
- Learn a three step process to help you stay present with your feelings
- How to receive additional support
Episode Transcript: Hey there, welcome back! Today’s episode will be all about transitioning into the watcher of yourself as you live through the emotions of your day. So many of us get swept away by our emotions. Overwhelm, busyness, frustration, shame, these can very much become the thing that ruins our day. But, when you transition into being a watcher, you are able to come out of the place of indulging in emotion and instead view a situation from a clean space of watching what is happening TO you. The goal will be to transition in and out of this space when you feel yourself consumed by a robust emotional experience. What I don’t want you to do is remain forever in the space of being the watcher. I in no way want you to remain this passive bystander in your own life, just watching your life happen to you. Instead, my challenge for you is to learn how to distance yourself from the FEELING of an emotion, so that you maintain a space of acceptance of what is instead of frustration how thi
In this episode, uncover how your mind may be unintentionally deceiving you, and how you may be creating inflammation with your mind. Here you will gain an understanding of how your brain perceives the world around you, and where you have the power to gain authority over it.
- How you might be creating inflammation with your mind
- Uncover how to gain authority over your emotions
- Learn where your mind might be deceiving you
- Choose with intention how you want to perceive your circumstances
- How to receive additional support
Episode Transcript: Today’s focus is on becoming aware of your own mind. In episode one we touched on how you can experience physical symptoms from how your mind perceives the world around you. That if you pull back the layers and present this concept in its purest form, your thoughts can actually CREATE inflammation. We’re going to go into what I mean by that throughout today’s episode. We’re going to better understand the importance of managing your mind, and learning how you can gain some authority over it.
The mind is a space often overlooked because it’s not a tangible change. To remove a food from your diet, include more exercise, buy organic foods, all of these you can feel and see. When you are beginning to manage your mind, it can feel very woo woo or even silly. This is the space where the changes you make will not be physical in nature, but the results you see will be. When you first start this work, it can be challenging because it will feel like you’re not doing enough direct work to fix your problems. You might even feel like you are working on a completely unrelated problem. For instance, how can you possibly lose weight by looking at what thoughts you’re thinking instead of how many calorie
In this episode, learn how to identify, understand and reduce your daily evidence of chronic inflammation. Inflammation if left unchecked can lead to numerous chronic conditions that limit quality of life.
- The effects of your physical inflammation
- Root causes of your inflammation
- Actionable strategies to feel better today
- How to fix inflammation from the source, not just place another band-aid
- How to receive additional support
Episode Transcript: Today’s focus will be on the physical impact of inflammation. We will be discussing what types of symptoms these can be as well as uncovering what is going on under the surface causing them in the first place. Additionally, we will be discussing what symptoms may associated with your inflammation. And at the end, we will be going over an actionable strategy you can implement to reduce your physical inflammation.
I think a good place to start is answering the question why you should care about better understanding the effects of inflammation. Many of you might say something like “I want to have more energy or ache less during the day” and this is true, but I challenge you to consider a reason a little deeper. I personally like to view physical symptoms as the unique language my body speaks. Every day my body is telling me a story through the only way it can communicate with me, and that is how I feel. Some days it looks like brain fog, other days it’s more around insomnia, bloat or fluid retention. Often difficult weight loss or anxiety come up, and sometimes by body is quiet and content just being a silent partner in my life.
What I find fascinating is how little many of you tune into or listen to what your body is telling you. I hear “oh I’m just getting old