nutrition Archives

The Critical Link Between Health and Success after age 50.

Have you ever found yourself putting in a lot of effort towards self-improvement, trying various techniques like coaching, therapy, and more, yet still feeling like something’s missing? Especially if you’re over 40 or 50, you might have noticed that the transformational journey isn’t as smooth as it used to be. This blog post dives into a game-changing realization: achieving your goals and finding peace and joy is intricately tied to how you treat your body.

The Turning Point: Resetting Your Approach

Despite all the inner work, a crucial factor often gets overlooked – how you nourish and care for your body. The foods you eat, the liquids you consume, and how you move your body play a pivotal role in your transformational journey. It’s no longer about age-old methods of pushing through; it’s about resetting your entire approach.

A Matter of Input: What You Consume Matters

What you put into your body becomes the building blocks of your energy and overall well-being. Over 40 and especially over 50, your body undergoes significant changes, making it far less forgiving of unhealthy choices. Processed foods, excessive sugar, artificial additives, and trans fats wreak havoc on your body’s delicate balance. These substances are foreign to your system and can lead to various health issues.

Exercise: More Than Physical Fitness

Physical activity is not just about looking fit; it’s about igniting your body’s natural rejuvenation process. As you age, circulation and metabolism slow down, making regular exercise vital. It’s not about running marathons; even simple movements can stimulate sweat glands, detoxify your body, and improve your overall vitality.

The Foundation of Transformation: Health

Picture your health as the solid foundation on which the house of your dreams stands. Just as a shaky foundation affects the entire structure, neglecting your health can hinder your personal development journey. Whether your goals involve relationships, wealth, energy, or well-being, health is the cornerstone. It’s the catalyst that propels all other parts of your transformation forward.

Introducing the 8-Week Health Reset Challenge

Imagine a program designed to empower you to take charge of your health, regardless of your lifestyle. Whether you’re a traveller, nomad or a camper-dweller, this program accommodates everyone. It’s not another impractical diet plan; it’s a toolkit for shifting both your body and mind towards positive transformation. By aligning your health with your goals, you’ll witness the layers of inner work peeling away faster than you thought possible.

Embracing Holistic Well-being

Chasing quick fixes and relying on chemicals (think pills!) can lead to more harm than good. Instead, consider the wisdom of holistic well-being. Your body has an incredible capacity to heal and balance itself when provided with the right conditions. One example is…Why resort to risky medications when you can holistically manage cholesterol and heart health by making simple dietary adjustments? The same applies to weight, hormones and energy

OK….what now?

Your journey towards realizing your goals and finding inner peace doesn’t have to be a complicated maze. By prioritizing your health, you set the stage for holistic transformation. The 8-Week Health Reset Challenge is your ticket to a revitalized mind and body, accelerating your progress in EVERY area of your life!

** Remember, transformation begins inside of us, and your body is more than capable of responding positively if given the right conditions. Don’t wait; take the first step towards a brighter, healthier, and more peaceful and joy-filled you in only a few short weeks.

Are you ready to go on this transformative journey?

Reach out to me now on social media or email at support@dianegudmundson.com to join the upcoming 8-Week Health Reset Challenge. It’s time to kickstart the mind and body cleanup process that will definitely lead to rapid and profound changes in every part of your life.

HIIT and Lift your Way to Health (…with me!)

The beauty of HIIT workouts is that you can do a very short workout and burn a tonne of fat! In today’s world, things are so busy and it feels like were all so short on time… So, we need a workout that’s going to give us maximum benefit in the shortest amount of time!!

Ideally, a workout program would include some weights and some HIIT to maximize muscle building as well as fat burning all in one short and sweet workout!! Now wouldn’t that be awesome?

It was like a dream come true when I heard about a new program coming out that is exactly that!! Just what I was looking for!! …

A program that provides structured workouts involving weights and HIIT all in one and… In a short workout only four days a week! No seriously… That sounds so doable and awesome! Don’t you think?

Starting in mid July, I have made the decision to lead a small group of motivated busy people through this new program by setting up a private accountability group. As a very busy grandma and professional, (and business owner), it is ultra important to maintain energy and health not only for myself and my patients… But also for my little grandson who is full of energy at three years old and who wants a grandma that he can go play with outside who won’t get tired out after only a couple minutes LOL ?

In order to be effective at coaching and leading you through this program (including nutrition), I am going to limit the participants to 10 to 12. Those interested in joining this exclusive coaching program will need to apply to join and show that they are truly committed before getting accepted.

As a bonus for being part of this special program, you will learn to develop a success mindset, learn the benefits of keto as well as how to maximize the power of momentum in your life. (not to mention prizes for completion and participation as well!)

For questions about this program, comment in comments for this post or send me a private message! The time is ticking, so we need to have our group set up within the next week! Deadline for applications is June 30 and we need to have time to order in our supplies for a July 16th start date!

APPLY HERE to join this exclusive group… PLEASE NOTE! Only apply if you are truly committed to transforming your life!

Health and Fitness for You (Yes You!)

Day 10 of 80 of current fitness challenge is officially complete!✅.

These workouts are definitely powerful at toning and sculpting the entire body from head to toe! Totally loving this 80 day challenge! After doing 60 minutes of booty work yesterday just using an exercise band, I am amazed at how sore those butt muscles are today!

The biggest challenge for me in any program is to follow the nutrition system for a program 100%. So far, I am keeping up with the nutrition plan about 60% but I need to improve on this. For the next 10 days, I am going to try setting some short term nutrition goals and see if that helps me out. The nutrition plan I am on now with the 80-day challenge is designed so that you eat certain food types every 3 hours during the day. I am finding it challenging to stay on point being on the road doing house calls since I have no way of heating up a meal in my car. Thus, I am feeling kind of stuck having cold food choices which I am getting tired of. I have to find some new cold food options for myself to keep me going! What is your biggest challenge in sticking with a program? What are some good cold healthy food choices (besides salad)?

I have 70 more days to go to complete this program. I know I can do it! The support and accountability group we have around us is amazing! What are you doing to improve your health and fitness? Are you looking for a new program that will get you to your goal?

“Decide. Commit. Succeed”. Is what our program is about and people are getting great results with the support network we have for participants. There are programs for every level of participant from beginner to advanced. From tai chi and yoga to muscle building, toning programs and intensive cardio. We have room for you in our program to help you change your life if you are feeling ready?

I heard a quote recently that is really helping me a lot as I go along in my health and fitness journey. The quote says “Focus on Winning the Day”. This quote was a good one that woke me up to really focusing on being successful and doing my best for today so that you can be proud of what you have been able to accomplish today. Sometimes if you focus too far in the future about what you “need” or “want” to accomplish over 3 months, it may be challenging to stick to the plan. A daily goal of winning the day seems more satisfying and doable as I go along. What do you think?

#decidecommitsucceed #programsforyou #superfood #fitness #support #athleticgrandma #over40andfit #NOWisthetime #wintheday

Life is like that (but loving my workout partner)

This mornings yoga cardio was topped off by a little participant during the final stretch. Feels great to have him close and he boosts my motivation!

This boy was the big reason why I shifted and realized my health had to be #1 in the first place! I had decided 3 years ago that if I was going to be a Granny, that I better pick up the pace and get into shape! I wanted to be a fun and energetic granny that can run, play soccer, travel and enjoy life with the grandkids and not be old and sick in a chair.

Being on a structured program that taught me better nutrition habits and gave me hundreds of fun and effective workout options was great! I dropped 40 pounds at that time and WOW what a difference in how I felt. I had a little falling off this year with work stress and an illness, but I am back at it and feeling much better!

Life is like that, isn’t it? Get thrown curve balls, challenges …like life has to test you… to see how you react. ?

Regardless, I am so happy I am back on track and feeling happy and positive and energy is climbing! I have my little sidekick here to smile and cheer me in which helps too!
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Have a wonderful Monday!!

Loss of self-belief is destructive (I did it to myself)

Little did I know, everything I needed was always inside me!

I really did it this time. Putting myself on the back-burner and focusing on developing a new business to help others with their medical care. For months, I was not focused on my health or fitness whatsoever, had huge stress at work (the JOB) and ended up sick with pneumonia and 20 lb heavier. YUP, not smart.

I started a new business back in March 2017 with a focus on providing medical services to clients in their homes or offices and even through telemedicine. It was super fun and I was VERY focused on getting people the care they needed with top notch quality. I found out that when I took my focus off my health at the same time, I ended up on a downward spiral with my health that just kept getting worse. I was snacking more to keep awake, I was sleeping less, drinking more caffeine, too tired to get up in the morning to work out, just a vicious cycle I was in and could not snap out of it even though I was feeling crappy and knew what I needed to do.

I had a lot of stress at my “JOB”, since, when I started a private medical service in March, there was bullying that took place and, even though I knew I could not work in that environment, I hung onto it because of seniority and the fact that I could retire with my magic 80 after only 5 years! It kept me going, but only hanging on by a thread. I was working hard to stay positive, but the bullying got worse and even continued once i resigned from the position. I felt strong through it all, but once it was over, I felt a heavy weight on me that held me down and made me believe less in myself overall. I realized after it was all over that I really should have resigned MUCH sooner!

My Pneumonia knocked me flat for 6 weeks in July and August 2017 (which was likely from significant stress from work that had knocked out my immune system)…after that, my energy would just not come back at all. My digestive system was shot, I had no energy at all, my whole body was sore and I started to feel demotivated and depressed. Now that I am looking back, I can see what a horrible state I was in, yet I just kept going and helping others since that was the only thing I felt good about.

My mental and physical health seemed to be on a continual downer over September and October as I was not consistently exercising, was still sore all over and was just not sleeping well. I was really feeling rotton and had no belief in myself at all! I felt that the only thing that made me worth anything was to provide excellent care to my patients… It was fine when I was out on the road seeing patients, I laughed and smiled and enjoyed my work, but when I would get home, its like reality would hit again and I would feel down, and eat crappy food again.

I had booked an event to see Tony Robbins in November (UPW) earlier in the year and was not even excited about going to that. Before I left, I was trying to pump myself up and feel good about it, but I was feeling guilty about not being available for housecalls while I was away, and just didn’t feel happy. While at the event, I felt hope creeping back and the intense work we did at the seminar to rediscover the belief in ourself was helping me to re-discover that everything we need to have a happy and fulfilling life is right in side us already. It is just a matter of finding it and expressing it. Well, I felt my positive energy climbing and totally participated and did the work. It felt awesome!

Then, we came home and I felt bloated and icky from all the eating out and snacks…so I weighed myself and realized I had packed on 8 pounds in just one week while i was away. This really sent the belief in myself down the tubes again. I felt tired, gross and my whole body hurt. I made a decision to do a 10-day complete nutrition reset 3 days ago. I got rid of all snack foods and unhealthy bits from the house and was eating only veggies, healthy proteins and fruits. The first 2 days of this were very difficult! I was so tempted to quit because of the severe headaches and body pains i was having.

However, I woke up this morning and could NOT believe how much clearer my mind was! I was able to get up, do a HIIT workout and then did 30 min of YOGA which was super tough, but I felt a strength inside me that I really could do it!! I was feeling belief in myself coming back which was very powerful! It was this morning that I truly realized the power of self-belief and with my renewed energy, am feeling that I will be truly unstoppable from now on. I decided I will never let myself get sucked into that stress vortex again without exiting PROMPTLY from the situation for my own health. Sometimes we make excuses for not leaving such as we “need the money” or “don’t want to lose our seniority”….bah to that. I left 27000 seniority hours and Magic 80 retirement plan behind. To heck with it. Being stuck in a stressful scenario is VERY destructive to our health and I was on that downward spiral myself, so I know how it feels! I could hardly stand myself being like that, but could not snap out of it.

If you are feeling stuck and stressed and not believing in yourself…. seriously, consider doing a nutrition reset for yourself, get OUT of the stressful situation(s) you are in (get out quickly, do not wait!) and just feel the positive energy start to flow. The belief in yourself will naturally start to happen! Ask me if you need help with this!

I am feeling very encouraged today and ready to start sharing my health journey again with a new start and I hope that you will continue to follow me and learn from my mistakes. We are human and do make far too many mistakes, but as long as we learn from them, we are still growing as a person. Just KNOW that everything you need to have a happy and fulfilled life is inside you RIGHT NOW.

I am going to start today by re-educating myself on the key tips to achieve SELF DISCIPLINE. I have put a copy HERE for you as well!

Focus on The Vision (It’s The Only Way to Get What You Want)

What you focus on is what you get. I have slowly learned to focus on what I want to achieve instead of focusing on why it is not possible or why it can’t be done. No more of that crap for me!! I now focus on the positive outcome I want and it just happens…by doing this, my vision naturally pulls me along!

The way it used to be was that I would always be telling myself what I “should” be doing and groaning at how difficult it was. This is NO way to get motivated at all because the focus is all wrong!

I started focusing on feeling positive, energized, toned, chiseled and happy with some muscles, having a passion for life and what I am doing and this kind of vision just pulls me along with a huge smile and energy!!

Having a positive vision with strong associated passion works for no matter what you want to achieve!! A healthy body, incredible work life, great friends, a happy family, a great living environment etc…it is worth it to learn to make this mental shift and seriously working on personal development is the only way to get there!

Get fired up and happy with your life! If you would like some suggestions on where to start, don’t hesitate to message me. It is totally life changing and I am proof of that! I have now overcome a very rough childhood past and all of the emotional baggage that comes with that and divorce, and much other crap I have been through! None of that gets me down anymore…I am now thankful I had those experiences to build on the strengths that I now have today…totally a better feeling to have than being dragged down with anger and self-pity!!

Have a fabulous and thankful day today! Day #11 of my 91 day fitness challenge complete!?

To download a FREE document that helps you with 7 ways to improve your self discipline, enter your name and email address!

Preparation is Key to Success (Let’s Do This!)

All set for a healthy day today!!! Dynamic strength workout done which now has all of my muscles fired up and roasting a tonne of calories that will increase my metabolism all day! The calorie burn all day is a real bonus! Once we are over-40, our metabolism really needs a kick!

My healthy food is all ready for the day to carry in my trusty cooler that includes mixed greens salad, 0% plain Greek yogurt, raw unsalted mixed nuts and seeds, apple, orange, and a spare scoop of superfood shake in a ziplock baggie just in case I notice any cravings later in the day. I will also have some eggs with pepper for breakfast for extra protein before I head to work!

All set for a healthy day! It helps to get started right every morning and to have some preparation done the night before!

Day 8 of my 91 day Challenge is done!

Have a fabulous, active and healthy day!!

#accomplished #granny #achievegoals #preparation #exercise #metabolismbooster #cleaneating #healthis#1

TO download a free report and worksheet about 7 ways to increase your self-discipline, be sure to CLICK HERE!

The Mind is What the Mind is Fed (Its More Than Just Food)

Feed the body AND the mind what it needs every day.

Having my superfood shake after a good MMA Plyo workout this morning… I started thinking about how important nutrients are to our body. Superfood nutrition is essential for maximal energy, to aid weight loss and to boost sense of well-being. Nutrients we take in are only part of the story for the health of our mind though. Our mind needs healthy information fuel as well!

They say “the mind is what the mind is fed”.. mind food doesn’t come in packages though and you can’t buy it at the store. Mind food is your environment–all those countless things that influence our conscious and subconscious thought. The kind of mind food we take in determines our habits, attitudes and personality.

The mind reflects what its environment feeds it just as the body reflects the food you feed it.

Is this really true?

Habits and mannerisms that we have are typically picked up from other people. Just try to find one that isn’t! Even weird little things like the way we walk, words we use, hold a cup, the way we dress, preference for music are all influenced by what we experience and pick up from others.

The most important point here is that even the size of our thinking, our goals, attitudes and personality are formed by the environment. If we have associations with negative people, it makes us think more negative! If we have associations with petty people, it will also develop petty habits in us too! On the other hand…association with people who are big thinkers and ambitious people, can bring those things out in us too!

Certain types of people tend to discourage others and tell them that what they dream of cannot be done. These types of people usually are unsuccessful and are often only mediocre in terms of what they have ever accomplished. Don’t let these type of people discourage you from your dreams!!

The late Jim Rohn, a mentor of mine, states that we become the 5 people we spend the most time with… and if you think about environmental influences and how they affect our behavior and habits, its totally TRUE! “Birds of a feather flock together”…and since how we think is directly affected by the group we are in, be sure you are in the flock that things right!

Besides being around the influence of people, the kind of information we feed our minds every day is also important and influences our brain chemistry, positivity, and belief in ourselves and the world. Watching world news and reading the newspaper full of negativity can be draining on our emotional energy (and we do not realize just how much!). Spending time playing mindless video games, reading fiction and watching extended amounts of TV shows all waste mental energy and all have an impact on our thinking and our potential for success.

So, what would good mind food be?

Listen to motivating podcasts, read inspirational books (or listen to audio books) about how to think bigger and to improve yourself and read inspirational stories of success. Use these stories and books to inspire you, to throw all of that thought poison out of your environment…to help you stay positive and to be a good person. Learn positive ways of being and have your new attitude be your ally towards a happy and successful life and to encourage others! Making the switch to positive mind food for me has completely changed my life, my relationships, my attitude, my belief in the world and myself …and my zest for life!

Overall, clean eating and superfood nutrition are essential for our physical and mental health, to have a healthy weight, avoid chronic disease and to have healthy energy levels. We often forget that the food for our mind is just as important to feel happy, accomplished and positive. Take some time today to think about what you can do to rid yourself of negative influences and to implement some more positive habits to feed your mind in a good way and work at being a good example for others.

COMMENT on this post in the REPLY section of this page with your thoughts!

As a reward for joining the Athletic Grandma community, get a free download containing 7 tips to help gain more self-discipline in your life, CLICK HERE!

P.S. A couple of great starter book ideas for you!

“The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy

“The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz

Defend Your Health (How to make the Healthy Choice Easy)

As I was doing my defensive moves this morning, I had this sudden thought about how important it is to vigorously defend our health in today’s world.

If I think about all the things that potentially could interfere with our health, there are so many! There is life stress, food additives and chemicals, environmental pollution, lack of exercise, lack of proper nutrition and nutrients, past life experiences affecting our emotional health, very busy and demanding life (rush rush rush), and more…

So, I was thinking about how much dedication and focus it takes to be healthy. Because, if you think about it, what are the easy choices now days? Yes, the easy choice is reaching for processed food, the quick answer, the pre-made type foods (all bad stuff!). Then I was thinking about how it takes effort and intention to make the healthy choices in our life the easy choices… We may not be able to control the environment, but we can control what we put into our bodies!

So, how can we make this easy? …

Some ways to make the healthy choices the easy choices are to prepare some simple healthy food ahead of time especially before a busy week. I do not like cooking, so I needed to find a great and fast way to throw stuff together. For example, I cook up a tray of healthy proteins for the week on Sunday…takes me 5 minutes to throw frozen chicken breast on a wax paper covered cookie sheet, paint them with hummus and bake in the oven. I can get a lot of other work done while those suckers are cooking! These chicken breasts through the week make good fast meals either being cut up on top of a salad or heated hot with some frozen veggies that I toss together. I alternate the chicken with cod, other types of fish, boiled eggs and ground turkey recipes. It works great, is never boring, and you are always prepared for nutritious eating and it makes healthy the easy choice when it is ready to grab from the fridge!

A few other ideas I use to prepare for a healthy nutritious week…

I always have 0% greek yogurt and low fat cottage cheese in the fridge which makes good meals with raw unsalted nuts and fruit (and no cooking required!). I spend only 15 minutes every 2-3 weeks making up 15-20 ziplock baggies of 1/3 cup raw unsalted nuts and seeds so they are easy to grab and go. Fresh fruit always available (apples and oranges because they don’t go bad). What other ideas for healthy easy snacks can you come up with? Please COMMENT on this post with your ideas!

What about when I get the munchies? (yes, we all do!)

I have Ryvita Bread (Muesli crunch is my favorite) on hand for those times when I feel the munchies come on. I can put a little smear of peanut butter on one or two of those, and its a great healthy snack that satisfies my munchies. Better to have this kind of thing readily available than salty popcorn, chips, or other unhealthy chemical-filled snack foods around. Be sure you are well-fed before heading to the grocery store and you will be less likely to buy junk food! Avoid having crap in the house, otherwise it becomes an easy choice to eat junk food and we do not want that!

Some Research is worth the time…

Get to know what types of foods are actually healthy. Stick mostly to the perimeter of the store to do your shopping because thats where most of the real whole foods are. Peek at the labels and if there are more than a few ingredients or a bunch of chemical names, stay away from it. Join clean eating groups to learn which foods are and are not healthy. Learn some new simple recipes to keep your nutrition interesting and delicious.

Are you familiar with the value of superfood?

It is important to know that the nutritional value in our foods and veggies are NOT what they used to be. There are vital nutrients missing that help to fight against oxidative damage that can lead to disease including cancer. This is where the use of superfoods can make a HUGE difference in our health. The superfood shake contains phytonutrients, cellular nutrition, antioxidants, micronutrients, natural herbs (and ZERO artificial ingredients) that increase body efficiency (including hormones) and is our best defence against disease, promotes weight loss and kills cravings. Having superfoods in a shake form, is not only convenient for on-the-go, but contains a large number of superfoods in just the right mix and balance to optimize their benefit!

DEFEND YOUR HEALTH! By far, optimal nutrition and regular exercise is the best defence we have!

PAY ATTENTION to what you’re putting into your body because what we put into our body equals the health that we get out. You could be a healthy eater in general, but if you snack on or add in high fat, salt or chemical-filled garbage foods, this will totally zap your energy and take your body weeks to get rid of it! Remember, these chemicals interfere with our body’s fine signalling processes, interfere with hormone balance and interfere with our body’s ability to function efficiently to keep our arteries clean, fight infections, control fat deposits and have energy!

Don’t forget that daily exercise is critical to keep muscles healthy, heart strong, maintain balance and helps our body to use energy efficiently. Set aside a time each and every day where you can consistently get your exercises in…schedule it and make it a non-negotiable! I keep a blank printed out calendar handy beside my TV in the rec-room and every time I do a workout or exercise, I document it on the calendar. This is a great way to track activity and you can look back and see how much you have achieved and where you can improve. Its a great technique and increases motivation too!

Yup, it just hit me this morning as I was exercising about how it takes effort, focus and intention to maintain health and so important to have a simple sustainable plan and the easy choices readily available to grab and go. Taking the time to learn the simple ways to do this is worth it!

TO join the Athletic Grandma Community, enter your name and email HERE and receive a FREE download about how to be more self-disciplined in your life!

Do What Exercises you Love (Be Happy While You Lose Weight!)

It is so important to find a workout that you love and enjoy in order to have long-term success in health and fitness.

If you are trying to make yourself do a program that you hate, it is going to be very difficult to complete it and to be successful in the long run.

I tried quite a few programs before I found one that I truly LOVE that gives me a full body workout, nice muscle tone and that I feel I can really connect with. This MMA style fighting program is right up my alley and makes me happy, smiling, sweaty and feeling killer awesome every single time!! It’s not easy, but it comes with a simple nutrition plan, I love the challenge and it keeps me moving forward with great motivation!?

Check out my MMA Power from this morning! 🙂

If I think over the last 3 years and the vast number of programs I bought in order to find “the one”, it is crazy how much money I spent.

What is an easier answer to this?

Guess what? There is no need to buy a bunch of programs any more!! There is a new option available where there is ONE fee per year that includes every single program in the system! This will allow you to pick the one you love without having to buy each individual one to test them out! What a great concept! See more info below on this!

Enjoy your Monday and work at finding a fitness program you LOVE! It is so worth it, it will change your life and help you to achieve your fitness and weight loss goals much faster!

I am feeling accomplished this morning! Day 15 out of 30 of my MMA challenge is complete! ?

The beauty of an all-access system is that it includes EVERY program through digital streaming that has ever been created from Tai Cheng to Yoga, to Insanity and P90x and also includes the newest programs such as Hammer and Chisel as well as Core de Force (my favorite!).

LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!! Have a good one!! 🙂

To become part of the Athletic Grandma Community, be sure to enter your name and email address HERE and get a free download of the 7 ways to improve your self-discipline!