Happy Healthy You: Your Total Wellness Toolkit For Renewing Body, Soul, and Mind
256
Happy Healthy You: Your Total Wellness Toolkit For Renewing Body, Soul, and Mind
256Paperback
-
SHIP THIS ITEMChoose Expedited Shipping at checkout for delivery by Wednesday, October 4PICK UP IN STORECheck Availability at Nearby Stores
Available within 2 business hours
Related collections and offers
Overview
Health and wellness: Happy Healthy You is a multidisciplinary approach to reclaiming ultimate wellness. We are all so busy nowadays, and tackling all those to-do lists can leave us drained, worn down, and lacking energy. When you take a deeper look inside, you will also discover patterns, old habits, and past events blocking self-growth. Life coach extraordinaire KJ Landis helps identify how, why, and where we got stuck in the first place, and how we can utilize past trauma and drama as a springboard to becoming our most authentic, vibrant selves. As one of KJ's students enthuses, "She has taught me several tangible strategies to cope with stress...I am using KJ's simple techniques to achieve my lifelong health goals.'"
Stress relievers: Learn to lose the baggage and blame once and for all and step into your better self. KJ Landis herself is an exemplar of the practices she espouses. In her early career as a model, she masked years of abuse behind her beauty. Her journey to health and happiness is remarkable and truly inspiring. So many of us bury pieces of ourselves, never daring to become whole. Landis' work offers a path to wholeness for all. The variety of healing therapies and practices makes this book unique in its contribution to the self-help and wellness world. Each day, we are faced with an immense amount of daily stress. Over time, those stressors may build up to a really big deal in our lives, causing us to go into survival mode. When you are only surviving, you are not thriving. In addition to the day-to-day sources of stress, many of us are exposed to major issues such as neglect, loneliness, abandonment issues, sexual abuse, grieving after loss, breakups, workplace challenges, environmental disasters, hormonal imbalances, and nutritional deficiencies. KJ Landis tackles all the blocks to wellness with excellent practical tools for overcoming and recovering.
Inside this book you will learn:
- the origin of how we remain "stuck" in our lives
- how to use The Negative Thought Pot to rid ourselves of self-deprecating beliefs
- how hormones and epigenetics affect mental and physical wellness
- the role of nutrition in every aspect of our health
- therapeutic movement as a modality in healing
- the power of self-care through restorative practices
- and much, much more!
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781633536234 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Mango Media |
| Publication date: | 08/15/2017 |
| Pages: | 256 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
The Root of the Rut ~ The Inside Out Approach to Healing
What is a life rut? A life rut is like supergluing your feet to the hardwood floor in the gym after your high school basketball game. Everyone else goes home, but you are stuck there all night. You are tired and you are hungry. You want to pee, lie down, and do something different, but you can't. You don't know how. This is all you know until you figure out how to get help and where this gluey mess all started. How do we get stuck in a life rut in the first place? It begins with the subtle or not so subtle experience of feeling less than. Perhaps, when you were really young, like toddler age to seven or so, you were made to feel that you were not good enough at something. It may not have always been expressed blatantly, but you may have perceived this message anyway.
How do we recognize those times in our lives when we are in a rut?
One symptom of a life rut may be that we stay at the same position at work for years, do the work of our supervisors, and do not ask for recognition, a raise, or a new position for far too long. What are we really afraid of? Where does this come from? Another symptom of a rut may be when we make the decision (over and over) to choose vegetables over fried foods when eating away from home, but then within a couple of weeks find ourselves back at the happy hour buffet eating the fried mozzarella with coworkers because we allow ourselves to sabotage our promises to ourselves. Whose path are we on anyway? We are practicing the same negative behaviors over and over again and we are not serving our higher purpose in life, or our immediate promises to ourselves. That is a rut. What and where does the rut come from originally?
* * *
June's Story: feeling unrooted was the root of her rut
My friend June could not keep a job as a butcher. She was a fabulous master carver, and all the chefs in her city loved her sing-song voice and her masterful skills with the knife. They followed her around from butcher shop to butcher shop, because she only worked for the finest places, and the meat she carved was of the highest quality. Truth be told, June bucked authority like no one I had ever seen. She either quit or was fired from 16 butcher shops within six years. Over steaming cups of coffee, I had a heart to heart with June one day, asking her why she could not keep a job she obviously loved so much.
"The root of my rut is I have no roots. I mean, I feel like I have no roots. I was adopted as an infant from an orphanage in Thailand and my parents here kept telling me how lucky I was to have them, how grateful I should be. I am grateful, and I love them, but I feel like something is missing. I don't feel grounded. I know I am in a rut. I keep doing the same thing over and over again. I recognize I am self-sabotaging my career, which I love. I want to find out who my birth parents are. I want to feel my roots or have closure and tie up the roots once and for all. I want to meet my birth parents if they are alive and have a connection. I want to see the orphanage in Thailand, if it still exists."
June saved her money from the time we spoke and within six months she had enough for a one month trip to Thailand to fulfill her dreams. She came back to the United States an empowered woman, after having seen her birthplace and met her birth parents for the first time. They were dirt poor, they had three other children to care for, and had no way of caring for her. They could not afford birth control either, but clearly loved each other. June was born in June, hence the name. She met her siblings for the first time. Two other siblings were born after June, and they too were brought to the orphanage and put up for adoption. She emails her family members regularly now, and has kept the same butcher position with the same company for three years. She feels grounded and whole at last. Even though she is in one place, she is definitely unstuck and out of her rut of either quitting or being fired from jobs. She is at peace with herself because she knows where she comes from.
* * *
Did your parents or teachers imply that straight A's were the only grades worth striving for? Mine did. Were you pushed to be the star athlete, a musical prodigy, or an ace at something? Were you constantly being compared to others in your family who were around the same age? If you didn't live up to those expectations, perhaps you put yourself down internally, even if your elders didn't criticize you openly. If you don't unlock the cause of the emotional distress, you will likely end up chasing your own tail for years. Elements of feeling judged by others ornegatively judging ourselves can have a profound effect on our mental and physical health.
* * *
My Story: food equaled love - and I was loved a lot (the root of my rut)
When my grades were all A's, my parents showered me with food, love, and praise, and shared my accolades with our relatives and their adult friends. The longer I maintained my A average (my entire K-12 education), the more they treated me to meals out, desserts, candies, and treats. Boy did that backfire. At age 12, I stood five feet two inches tall and weighed 173 pounds. Food equaled love. So, when I finally got it together on the food front, emotionally, my mom and dad viewed my clean eating as a rejection of their love, even though analytically they realized it was a smart thing their obese daughter was doing (by changing her eating habits).
I did not want to hurt their feelings and reject their years of love and accolades as I was learning how to eat real food without processed carbohydrates, refined sugars, hydrolyzed oils, chemical additives, and preservatives.
Food equaled love. Let's go deeper into the root of my rut. Specifically, the kinds of foods that were just coming out in the late 1960s and 1970s were packaged convenience foods, made to last on the store shelves longer, made to be cooked in the oven or microwave within minutes, and made to help make a busy, working mom and wife's life easier. My mother was very busy, as I was the youngest of five children.
My parents grew up during the Depression era and they had to deal with less food and more day to day survival issues than I did while growing up. In their eyes, when I rejected their abundance of convenient and modern foods, I was saying no to their success and their struggles of that era. Basically, I was rejecting their memories without knowing it. It felt to them like I was silently belittling their ordeal during those times.
* * *
Our Relationship With Our Body: start here
A common rut in the United States of America is our uneven relationship with our bodies. Our skewed thinking between mind and body becomes our behavior around food. I was not alone in my behavior during the era of the snack food, fast food, convenient food, and junk food boom of the 1970s and 1980s. The root of this behavioral rut may start with our relationship with our body. We may be uncomfortable with the body changes that occurred when we were in our preteens. The hormonal changes made our scent, body shape, hair, and emotions change. We were not in control of our food choices while we were kids. Our parents made all the food choices for us, for our own good (or so they thought). If they were listening to the mainstream dietary advice of the time, they were following the Standard American Diet. The packaged, processed foods included in that recommended eating style contributed to our hormonal, metabolic, and behavioral downfall. Those foods are specifically produced so as to make us want more of them.
When I was fifty pounds heavier, I was so happy to find unusual earrings, or to find shoes that were on sale that fit my size 11 feet. I usually focused on my face or feet in full length mirrors. It was way too painful to look at my entire body in a mirror, head to toe. Coincidentally, my customers at the restaurant always commented on my earrings or shoes too.
After digging deeply into my past, I wrote down my less than perfect thoughts about myself that said I wasn't good enough. I wished I was one of those people who didn't think about food. I wished I was one of those people who forgets to eat. (My first boyfriend was one of those types.) I wished I was one of those people who just goes without food without realizing it. I burned those wishes and thoughts up in the Negative Thought Pot with great satisfaction. Then I was able to move on. I was finally successful in my wellness goals. Months later, I was able to enjoy my full reflection with self-love. Other people reacted to my shift in positive ways too. What I thought about, I brought about.
For me, my downfall and my healing arrived with food. Food was my personal starting point. Why? If I feed every cell in my body with the most nourishing, healing, life-giving, vital foods, the cell centers are fed. That, in turn, feeds my brain and body, and I have energy, creativity, and a positive attitude. I truly feel vibrant and vital, with flexibility, agility, and strength. I make choices that are smarter too. I am reading and remembering facts from my research better. My blood work is now in the optimal range rather than in the normal range. I am a happy, healthy me.
This is an example of one root problem that is causing various ruts in the United States of America and beyond. We are the most obese nation on earth, with chronic diseases and conditions related to obesity, that include anxiety, addictions, depression, and other psychological illnesses. Ironically, we have the most diet protocols and supplements for the problem of obesity. Yet, we remain stuck on the hamster wheel. "If only I lost X number of pounds of fat, my life would be perfect. I would be happy and healthy. Mr. or Ms. Right would fall in love with me and we would live happily ever after."
Please allow me to pop the sugary, sweet, and fake bubble you have been sold by the diet industry. Real food works. When you get off the pills and potions you will have to learn how to transition into a real food eating lifestyle for the long term anyway, so I encourage folks to start their journey to body, soul, and mind wellness by eating real food.
I have devoted years researching up to date studies on fat loss, hormones, and how nutrient dense foods relate to mental wellness and emotions. My recent area of interest is in studying the function of the intestines, the prebiotics that feed the probiotics which live there, and how the rest of our body and attitude is influenced by a happy or unhappy gut. I have learned about the importance of human touch, essential oil therapy, movement, restorative practices, humor, playing, and connecting daily with people we love. I am passionate about teaching others how to build a tribe of support when changing their lifestyle for the better. I encourage others to seek out and build a community of like minded individuals.
During my years as a life and wellness coach I have developed a shift in eating that slowly takes us away from the Standard American Diet and leads us to the most nutrient-dense eating style that I know. This is the real food eating style I mentioned above. I advocate eating food in the form closest to how God made it, without added colorings, preservatives, or chemicals. Foods like cheese puffs, with their hot pink or orange hue, are not found in nature, either in color, flavor, or texture.
This shift is not a diet. There are no points and no calories to count. There are no comparisons of carbs to fats to proteins. As stated earlier, this is a nourishing real foods eating lifestyle for the long term meant to sustain and enhance your total wellness in mind, body, and soul.
This guide will help with cravings for junk food and sugary treats. It may not be easy at first, because it may be different than what you have been eating to live thus far. With time, trust in the process, and patience you will find yourself not wanting the foods of the past. They no longer serve you. There is no time limit as to how long each step may take to master. It will take precision. Each day, be mindful and present with each meal. Be precise. That means focus on just that one day, that one meal, that one moment. Say in your head, over and over again, "Just for today." It will help keep you from feeling overwhelmed. It is entirely up to you. As with any lifestyle change, please check with your health care practitioner before embarking upon Superior Self's Guide to Wellness from Within.
In my first book, Superior Self, I shared a shift in eating called Superior Self's Guide to Wellness from Within. I believe, without a doubt, that if we take care of ourselves with basic, good, real foods, our brains, hearts, and bodies will function in the best way possible for us. This allows us to receive dynamic health and a dynamic life. We will think more clearly. We will sleep better. Our hormonal system will be in better balance. We will heal from drama and trauma with fewer struggles. The intestines, or gut, are now being called the second brain. We need to feed it well. With real food, we may have more of those aha moments. We will be able to reach for our superior selves. We will be happy and healthy.
Superior Self's Guide to Wellness from Within is a system of small shifts toward eating the most nutrient dense foods possible. These shifts can be made weekly, monthly, or you can take as long as you need to take, as long as they are made with 100% commitment. The steps in the guide must be done sequentially, and they must build upon each other in order to be successful. Eat local, organic, and in-season foods when you can find them and when it fits your budget to buy them. Here we go!
Superior Self's Guide to Wellness from Within
The plan can be used week by week (or month by month, or longer).
I suggest:
Step 1- Increase water to a gallon a day. Remember to go slowly.
Here's why: Water consumption lubricates our entire body from the inside. It makes the joints less achy and the skin supple and fresh looking. Water assists the digestive system, moving food and their nutrients through the body. Increased water consumption aids in relieving constipation. Fat cells increase or decrease in size, but most humans still have the same number of fat cells in their bodies that they have had since toddlerhood (unless we surgically remove them). When changing food intake to healthier choices, fat cells may very well shrink. Water consumption helps us sweat and urinate more. The more water that goes in, the more water goes out. Drinking lots of water also rids the body of toxins.
When we drink lots of water, we may find ourselves satisfied with less food and our impulses to eat junk food fade away. With more water consumption, we can identify if we are truly hungry, or emotionally and socially hungry. I add yummy fresh flavors to pitchers of water in order to help get a gallon of water into my body. I put sliced strawberries and mint leaves in one pitcher, sliced tomatoes and basil leaves in one pitcher, sliced cucumbers and cantaloupe in one pitcher, and lemon, lime, and orange slices in another pitcher. I was at Whole Foods recently and saw a sixteen ounce bottle of cinnamon stick/apple slice water for $6.99. I add electrolyte powder or a pinch of Pink Himalayan salt to the water jug to add extra minerals to my day. Sometimes I have to negotiate with my children about who gets the last glass of water because the water jugs are so delicious.
Step 2- Give up all wheat and gluten containing products and continue to drink a gallon of water a day.
Here's why: Wheat and gluten containing products are high on the list of foods that are common allergens to which people are highly sensitive. Most folks do not even know they are sensitive to these foods until they eliminate them from their lifestyle and see remarkable improvements. Wheat and gluten containing products are in many highly processed foods. Most commercial salad dressings have wheat and gluten in them, as well as a host of scientific sounding flavors and additives. Wheat and gluten act like glue in the body and make food "stick to our ribs." Wheat is one of the crops that has been most altered by the farming industries.
Wheat can be inflammatory in the body's systems. Consistent, chronic inflammation from highly processed, gluten-filled convenience foods can cause obesity and conditions related to obesity. Most people are sensitive to wheat, but don't realize it. Yet, when they follow my guide and give it up, they find aches, pains, gas, acne, eczema, and bloating fading away. Here are the most common foods containing wheat and gluten:
• All Wheat Types
• Bread
• Cereals
• Pasta
• Cookies
• Pastries
• Pies
• Commercial Salad Dressings
• Commercial Sauces
• Pre-packaged Meals
• Frozen Complete Meals
• Soy Products
• Couscous
• Crackers
• Beer
• Some Oats
• Rye
• Barley
• Gravy
• Cakes
• Muffins
• Flour Tortillas
• Modified Food Starch
• Some Lunch Meats and Some Hot Dogs
• Some Seasoned Chips
• Some Imitation Seafood and Fish
• Malt
• Matzo
• Some Candies
• Bouillon Cubes
• Some Croutons and Bread Crumbs
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Happy Healthy You"
by .
Copyright © 2017 KJ Landis.
Excerpted by permission of Mango Media, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Foreword,
Preface,
Acknowledgements,
Introduction My Wish and Prayer That You Get Unstuck,
Chapter One The Root of the Rut ~ The Inside Out Approach to Healing,
Chapter Two What Is Trauma Anyway? Trauma vs. Drama,
Chapter Three Sexual Trauma ~ You Can Overcome Anything,
Chapter Four Facing Difficulties Head On ~ Confidence From Within,
Chapter Five Unlucky in Love ... Over and Over ~ Finally Free,
Chapter Six Work Place Challenges ~ We All Have Them ...,
Chapter Seven Humor as a Healer ~ Bring Your "A" Game to the Tickle Challenge,
Chapter Eight Surviving or Thriving After the Loss of a Loved One? Good Grief,
Chapter Nine Silence as a Healer ~ Shut Up Already!,
Chapter Ten Compassion and Imagination to the Rescue ~ Tap Into Your Creativity,
Chapter Eleven Epigenetics ~ Shifts in Potential,
Chapter Twelve Depression vs. the Blues ~ Knowing the Difference Can Save Your Life or the Life of,
Someone You Love Chapter Thirteen,
Loving Relationships as a Recovery Tool ~ Turn to Your Tribe of Support,
Chapter Fourteen Hormones and Wellness ~ The Rulers of Our Bodies We Didn't Even Know About,
Chapter Fifteen Somatic Therapy ~ Body Talk,
Chapter Sixteen Positive Psychology ~ Say Yes to Yourself,
Chapter Seventeen Gifts from My Elders ~ Being Open to Signs,
Conclusion,
Bibliography,
About the Author,
End Notes,
What People are Saying About This
"KJ Landis' newest book, Happy Healthy You is a true gift. In a world which constantly focuses us on the lack, the scarcity, and the negative, she offers a physical, mental, and spiritual guide to living a healthy life from the inside out. This is a must read for anyone who is seeking a path to spiritual renewal, healthy living, and a better life. Truly, an inspirational must-read!" ~Sydney Mintz, Rabbi, Congregation Emanu-El, San Francisco