PP 078: The Mental Shift That Changes Everything with Suzz Adhikari

Quick Show Notes – The Mental Shift That Changes Everything with Suzz Adhikari

Suzz Adhikari and Kim Sutton discuss the importance of mindset when embarking on a weight loss journey, how pre-planning helps reach personal and professional goals, and simple changes we can make in our life to start living a healthier life today. Subscribe today!

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Episode Transcription

KIM SUTTON: Welcome back to another episode of Positive Productivity. This is your host, Kim Sutton. Today, I’m thrilled to have guest Susan Adhikari with us from fitbodyandhealthbalance.com. Susan or Suz is a health fitness and confidence educator who educates young female adults on being confident or knew they were trying to become better versions of themselves. Susan, it’s so wonderful to have you here. Thank you so much for joining us.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Thank you so much for having me. I’m thrilled to be here.

KIM SUTTON: You’re so welcome. Could you share more about what you do with the audience? There’s so much more, but I wanted to save the good stuff for you to explain yourself.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Thank you so much for having me. I actually help busy females to find balance and to make mental shift before they start on weight loss journey because I believe that unless and until our mindset is right, we can definitely lose weight. But then we’re gonna end up gaining it back again. And I focus on helping them become the best version of themselves, by taking tours of their health, rather than just losing weight and having to regain it back all over again. So, it’s more about going through mental shift before we start on weight loss journey.

KIM SUTTON:  I’ve heard that just that mental shift alone can start the weight loss journey without even making any significant changes to diet or exercise. Have you seen that happen?

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Yeah, definitely. So, with one of my friend, she always wanted to lose weight but she never believed within herself, that why. Like her why was not strong enough. She didn’t know why she wanted to lose weight. She just thought she wanted to lose weight because she wants to look good, but then, like, once we talked and everything. She figured out that: “Oh, I’m not coming from the right mindset.” So she started shifting her mindset to just maybe doing one simple activities daily. Maybe eating just a regular salad or even a good meal. Just because she cares for herself and she didn’t focus on losing weight rather trying to be healthy. And it came as a byproduct because she was eating good nutrient-dense food and she was also exercising. Exercising in terms of walk, going for a walk or maybe running just 10, 15 minutes by keeping herself active. That turned into losing weight because he was trying to be healthy and byproduct of being healthy is you end up losing weight as well.

KIM SUTTON: I have to admit, I’ve been eyeing those treadmill desks, but with having five kids in the house, that would just not be a good option right now. I mean, my kids would be constantly trying to walk it. Those are always appealing to me, just because it’s so hard to get exercise into the day sometimes with the exception of going up and down the stairs to do laundry.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Yes, exactly. I know.

KIM SUTTON: What are some of the most important, or I should say basic, shifts that your clients know you help? Are there any similarities that you helped them with across the board? 

SUZZ ADHIKARI: In general, it comes to first of all accepting who we are as we are right now because I believe that a lot of us try to get to that end goal and don’t realize that we have to love ourselves for who we are right now. That way the whole process becomes so much easier. At the end, when you achieve the goal that you want, it becomes sustainable and you love yourself for what you are doing. All my clients and friends and family members, everyone I help, we’d like small mental shifts and small daily activity habit changes. For example, we go through with cleaning out your cabinet slowly, one thing at a time. Most of the time, we focus on what we can add-in rather than what we have to take it out. So mentally, you’re not training your brain to be thinking negatively because when you think it’s: “Oh, I can’t eat this. I can’t eat that” then you’re subconsciously training your mind to say: “No.” But when you focus on: “I’m adding this because it’s good for me. I’m adding that because it’s good for me.” It helps you stay on track and that’s what I see consistent with my clients. They focus on adding positive things in their lifestyle such as going for a walk. Maybe just doing at home exercises that you can do at home, or even using stairs going back and forth three to five times. That’s an activity as well. They focus on adding one thing that moves them positively toward their health goal and that’s what I see consistent with my clients.

KIM SUTTON: That’s so great. What type of morning ritual do you have? Do you help your clients design and develop a morning ritual for themselves to help them make this shift?

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Yes, I do. I personally also have a strong morning ritual because I believe that if your morning is right and strong, you start in a strong foundation. Then your day goes along that way, as well. In the morning, I wake up early in the morning and I read a book. I do stretching because I believe that when you let your blood flow early in the morning, it makes you more active and it just helps you regain yourself. I also think it’s so important to do meditation just to clear our thoughts. I help my clients with all of that as well. Since I’m focusing on mental shift, I believe that when you do meditations, not if — it doesn’t have to be long. Maybe just five minutes at the max. When you let your brain just relax, it helps you to be in a center focus. It helps you to go about your day in a positive way.

I also believe that we really have to take a gratitude journal because I think that if we are so grateful for what we have right now. What’s going on in our life. We don’t take anything for granted because I realized, I understand this a bit because I had a health condition. I believe that being able to walk, stand, being able to walk, being able to eat a healthy meal, being able to do normal activities that we don’t even think about, we should be very grateful for that. I make sure my clients feel that way, that way they don’t take themselves and think that, well, this is just normal thing that everybody can do and it’s not a big deal because I want them to realize that making a habit of taking gratitude journal is very, very important. You are being in the right mindset. You’re thinking, you’re appreciating what you have right now in life so that way you don’t take anything for granted. I help them with that so we generally do meditation, do a little bit of stretching, and we do a gratitude journal. If they have time, then read a book. Even if not, personal development is a big, big thing when it comes to changing your mentality and when it comes to being your healthiest self. I focus on helping them to listen to podcasts or maybe Audible at least once a day. That’s my regular schedule in the morning, as well. That’s what I want my client to follow as well because you have to live by example. You have to be your own guinea pig, right?

KIM SUTTON:  Oh, absolutely. When you’re talking about personal development, who are some of the figures that you look to?

SUZZ ADHIKARI: I have been listening to Darren Hardy lately. I love his Audible books, even his daily ritual of Darren Daily because my favorite book of his is The Compound Effect because it helps me be in perspective with how you can take daily acts. One simple step at a time and it will compound to give you a great result. You have to focus on doing one good activity a day so that way you can get the whole picture at the end. I also really liked this book called You Are A Badass. I’m not sure if you have heard it or listened to it. –

KIM SUTTON: Yes, is it –

SUZZ ADHIKARI: It’s not yet –

KIM SUTTON: – Is it Dan Meredith?

SUZZ ADHIKARI: No, its Jen Sincero.

KIM SUTTON: Okay

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Yes. At first I thought, well these are all common sense and everything. But the more I listened to it, the more it gives me a sense of I can do anything. It’s positive, it’s so positive in a way that we are all friends in this earth. That’s what he talks about and it makes you feel like you have a purpose. You’re doing the right thing. Those are my go-to people every time. If I have a negative side or if I need a little mental boost or confidence, then I listen to them a lot.

KIM SUTTON: I love how you said you can do everything and I think it’s also important to remember that. Although you can do everything, you don’t need to do everything today.

SUZ ADHIKARI:  No, of course not

KIM SUTTON: And so many of us try to do everything or way too much in a day and then we get frustrated when we haven’t tackled everything. And that can be, you know, losing ten pounds in a day. It’s, chances are that’s not going to happen –

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Exactly

KIM SUTTON: – or we’re building a whole website or running them. I mean, I was going to say running a marathon, but people do do that. I just don’t.

SUZ ADHIKARI: No. I mean, yeah, they do do that. But then they trained for like, ones and months. So, it’s kind of like leading up to that.

KIM SUTTON: So it’s absolutely the compound effect. Just the little actions that you take getting up to that day, that do it.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Exactly.

KIM SUTTON: I was just going to ask, what does your sleep look like? How many hours of sleep are you getting a night and how many do you recommend for your clients?

SUZZ ADHIKARI: I definitely get in at least seven to eight hours of sleep because I believe sleep is so important, especially if you are being very active. Not even if you’re being active, but you need good sleep in order to function for tomorrow and be your best self. So, I tell everyone that I know, even my client, my family members, even my parents, everyone that I’m closed to, I tell them to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep because sleep is so important. And lot of us think that, like: “Well we’re so busy. So, I’m gonna cut up some sleep to get extra time.” But if you’re not well-rested and your body is not well-rested and we also have to remember that our body recovers when we’re sleeping. So if we’re not well rested and then we’re going to suffer the next day.

KIM SUTTON: Oh absolutely. I actually fell asleep about 9:30 last night, which is really early for me. And then I woke up at 4:30 completely wide awake this morning.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: That’s awesome.

KIM SUTTON: Yeah, it was absolutely awesome because I was able to get up and get a couple of hours of undisturbed work done before anybody in my house started waking up. The clients start waking up later or start contacting me after that. We all have guilty pleasures, we might have those snacks that don’t really have any nutritional value. So, I have a two part question for you.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Sure

KIM SUTTON: What is your guilty pleasure that really shouldn’t be? But hey, I think we all deserve a treat once in a while.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Of course

KIM SUTTON: And what would be your recommended guilty pleasure that would have more nutritional value to help us? As we’re trying to be more productive and positive through the day.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: I’m so glad you asked this because none of us are, like, perfectionist. You know, we are all human. We make mistakes. We like to treat ourselves once in awhile and it’s all about balancing life because if you don’t balance it, then you’re going to crash. So, my guilty pleasure is, I really love frozen yogurt and I know they are not as healthy as or as nutrient-dense. But some of the days, I just have to have it. I just need that sugar going because I wanna enjoy. But then I — some days what I do is, I know that I want frozen yogurt, but I know I can make alternatives. That’s what I teach my clients as well, like swapping supercooled with your normal food that you really like. So that way, you’re actually eating something healthy and at the same time enjoying as well. So, what I normally do is some days I will totally go out and eat like big bowl of frozen yogurt but some days I make them at home. So I just add frozen berries, banana, just a little bit of milk and and a little bit of yogurt and I blend them together. And once it comes out of creamy and thick texture, then I put it in the fridge for, like, maybe two hours at the max. Then there you go. You have your good source of, kind of like ice cream, kind of like frozen yogurt, with sweet craving. That you don’t have to go out and buy in conventional store. And you know, since you’re the one who put the ingredient, you know the benefits. You know there’s no added chemicals to it and at the same time you can enjoy it as well. So that’s what I do.

KIM SUTTON: That’s awesome. I have to confess, my guilty pleasure is gummy bears and my husband, totally doesn’t help me out with that because he brings home bags of gummy bears from the groceries. So, we need to find a healthy alternative to that. I’m sure there’s something, maybe it is just frozen fruits slices. I mean they would still be chewy and they would definitely be a lot more healthy than who knows what artificial ingredients.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Exactly

KIM SUTTON: I really don’t want to know but I probably should know because that would get me off of that cake really fast.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Yeah, I’m sure that I tell everybody to read nutrient label. So that way, they know what they’re consuming. And lot of times, like, even I’m guilty of this because we’re not aware of, like, what ingredient they had put in and lot of time I don’t even understand what they are. And I’m consuming and I’m like: “Oh, I know I shouldn’t be but this is so good.”

KIM SUTTON: I’m actually googling right now. I muted myself while I was typing. I’m googling what’s in gummy bears because I was curious. I probably really shouldn’t be doing it. Well, but again, you said you tell your clients to do that. So, what brought you on the journey to where you are now?

SUZZ ADHIKARI: I have a long story but I’m gonna make it short. So, what happened was, we came from Nepal back in 2004. I came with my parents and in my household there’s nothing about going out to eat for lunch or dinner, or ordering food. My mom cooks everyday. Even till this day, we eat at home. When I come to my parent’s place, they cook every single day. So, I was growing up eating healthy food. Then I went to college and I was doing everything by myself. And I was like a free bird. I was like: “Oh, I can eat anything and everything that’s out there.” So, I started going out more often. Eating out more often because I was like, there’s nobody to tell me: “You can’t eat this and that.” And what happened was, I ended up catching this health condition where my fingers, and limbs, and joints were very numb. And it used to feel like tingle. So it’s kinda like, it had like a tingling sensation and it would move from one side of the body to another. And it got to the point where, like, I couldn’t sleep at night because half of my body felt like I was paralyzed. And so I went to the doctor. And when we did all types of tests and everything, all the results came out normal. So, my cholesterol level was normal there. I didn’t have any diabetes and there was nothing in the urine test or anything. And my doctor told me: “Well, you’re so young, you’re 22 years old, what could be wrong with you? And you’re pretty active as well. So I think it just in your head.” I’m never going to forget this. He just said: “It might be dust in your head and that’s why you’re feeling this, but there’s nothing wrong with you.”

SUZZ ADHIKARI: I did not want to live with that. I did not believe that my life was supposed to be that way. So, I started doing research after research. And after a couple of days I started cutting all the junk food from my diet because I believe that what mother nature is giving us, should be the healthiest versus what we make as a conventional medicine. So, I started eating more natural and wholesome food. I started walking slowly because there was no way I was going to be able to run. But then that help me reverse my condition slowly. And after several months of doing exercise and eating whole food, learning to cook at home, I was completely able to reverse my condition. And I believe that, like, with natural food and doing exercises, we have so much control with our health than we do our lives. And that’s what I want female to learn and educate so that way because I believe that, us as a female, we are the household, take care person. And if we know that we can be our healthiest self and we have everything in control when it comes to our health and wellbeing, then we can teach that to our kids as well. That’s why I started this journey because I believe we can make the change, and be our healthiest self, and we don’t have to go through conventional medicine.

KIM SUTTON: That’s so huge. I have to ask when you started this journey, and I want to ask for today also. Do you drink coffee and were you drinking coffee?

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Back then, I was. But right now, I do once in a while, not always. But when I feel like, I’m going about my day and I’m super tired and I want something. I just add little dash of coffee and drink more. Add more water to it but not regularly anymore though. Back then, I used to be drinking coffee a lot.

KIM SUTTON: Earlier this year I was drinking tons of coffee and soda during the day. I’ve cut my coffee and soda consumption down to maybe one cup on Sunday of coffee and a soda is very rare.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: That’s awesome

KIM SUTTON: I’ve been surprised by the fact that I am not tired during the day because I’m drinking so much water.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Yes

KIM SUTTON: Sorry listeners and sorry Suz. I go pee so much during the day now, so much more than I was when I was drinking all the coffee. But that’s a good  –

SUZZ ADHIKARI: That’s a good thing.

KIM SUTTON:  – Yes, I mean, it’s getting all the impurities out and everything. I’m not tired and the truth is, I’m sleeping better at night because I’m not drinking caffeine all the way up until like an hour before bedtime.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Yes, that’s huge. That’s really huge.

KIM SUTTON: Yes. I’ve even noticed that it’s impacting the rest of me physically. I mean, I’ve lost weight because not drinking all that sugar and my skin has cleared up. There’s just so many more benefits than –

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Yes.

KIM SUTTON: -than just getting the sugar out. I was actually listening to Dr. Daniel Amen, I think.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Yes.

KIM SUTTON: Are you familiar with Dr. Amen?

SUZZ ADHIKARI: I don’t think I know but I would love to know though.

KIM SUTTON: I’ll put it in the show notes. He discusses how caffeine and sugar can actually bring on Alzheimer’s or they feed into it. So, all the actions, I mean, I’m in my 30’s now. Everything that we’re doing now is contributing to our health later on in life

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Yes

KIM SUTTON: Yes, so right now by taking care of ourselves, we can be eliminating or stalling the onsite of Alzheimer’s or dementia, or anything like that that actually does become prevalent in our life by those decisions today.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Yes, that’s for sure because right now I’m listening to this book called, I don’t know if you have heard of it or not, How Not to Die by Dr Michael Greger and it’s amazing. Do you know him?

KIM SUTTON: No, I haven’t, but I do have another book recommendation for you. It’s The Daniel Plan.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Yes. I’m gonna — I’m a bookworm, so I’m gonna definitely read it.

KIM SUTTON: For the listeners, we’ll put all of these into the show notes.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Yes, for sure. As I was saying, the book that I’m listening to right now talks about how any nutrition can change – and even reverse – our condition. Even diabetes or even to prevent cancers and things like that. It’s amazing to me how our nutrient-dense food can be and how, if we really do think about it, how we can take charge of our health. This book is amazing, I wouldn’t recommend to anybody listening to it. Read it, as well. It’s amazing! You will be mind-blown by how we don’t know so much about nutrition and food in general.

KIM SUTTON: No, we absolutely don’t know enough. There’s always so much going out. I’ve seen some of those charts lately, that show the comparison about the number of calories you get from eating a salad versus eating French fries. That’s another guilty pleasure. I do not deny McDonald’s French fries just slip themselves into my mouth even when I’m trying not to eat them and how filling they are with how many calories they are? How much they fill you out and how long those effects of being filled actually are because of the carbohydrates. You get the high but then you crash afterwards.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Exactly

KIM SUTTON: So, that is something that I am still struggling with and I realize I have to be better about it. So –

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Yeah

KIM SUTTON: Yeah

SUZZ ADHIKARI: So, just a quick tip. I don’t know if you are a vegetarian or if you eat meat? But if you do eat meat then I would recommend that if you add enough protein to your diet then that will keep you full for longer. So you’re not going through guilty pleasure as often as you don’t want to, I guess.

KIM SUTTON: Oh absolutely. I do eat meat and I know I need to get more protein in there.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Yeah

KIM SUTTON: So for the people who are listening and they really just want to start making a first shift, say tomorrow, what’s a 10 minute plan that you would recommend for them to get their day started? I know you were talking about stretching and the gratitude journal, but I know some people who are listening are probably thinking: “Well, I don’t have time right now, to make a whole one hour, like Tony Robbins hour of power. I don’t have time for that right now.” So what would be your recommended ten minute plan to get them through week one, let’s say?

SUZZ ADHIKARI: I think I completely understand because all of us are busy and for the most part, I want people to realize that there’s nothing more important than our health. You have to make time. I know we all get 24 hours in a day and it’s all about making priorities. So, you have to make time. But other than that, I would — If you just have ten minutes in a day where you can think about how you can plan your day. Then I would want you to think about what you’re going to eat because your food impacts the most. Forget about exercise right now but just focus on what you’re going to consume for breakfast, for your lunch, for your dinner, and for your snacks. Prepare them in advance, the night before, so you have everything ready and set to go. So that way, you don’t end up eating junk food when you are super hungry and not thinking properly.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: I think that’s the main thing because lot of us end up. Because we don’t pre-plan our day and we ended up eating something that we don’t want to and we feel guilty about it. So, if you want to start from tomorrow, then I would think that if you plan out your day with what you’re going to eat. Even if you can’t make your meal, just write it down. Tomorrow for breakfast, even if you’re ordering from outside, tomorrow for breakfast, I’m gonna eat this. For lunch, I’m going to eat this. And for dinner, I’m gonna eat this because at the end it saves you a ton of time as well. Because when you go try to order food, you’re sitting there, thinking: “Oh, maybe I want this. Maybe I want that.” That’s the time you’re wasting right there as well. So, if you have it already pre-planned then you can go to whichever restaurant. Or whichever, I guess, maybe I dunno, whichever food joint that you normally go to and you know what you’re getting and you know what’s the healthiest and you order in. And you take it to go right away. That saves you time as well. Then if you really want to incorporate exercise, then I think even if you just have ten minutes, then just focus on doing interval training. That’s what I tell everybody, you don’t have to go on hours and hours, long exercises. Just do interval training for five to ten minutes and with that because your racing your heartbeat to the max, it helps you lose calorie even after and throughout the day. And it’s one of the best exercise to keep you in safe, if you are very short on time. So, I would recommend that you plan out your day for your food and do interval training.

KIM SUTTON: Suz, what did you eat for breakfast this morning?

SUZZ ADHIKARI: I ate — this morning I made overnight oats. So, I made it last night. So, I added a little bit of yogurt and oatmeals some nuts and I also added little bit of almond milk and berries. And then I left it in the fridge. I mixed it up and left it in the fridge for overnight. And it was ready for me to eat this morning. So, I didn’t have to think about it. It took me probably, like, five minutes, not even five minutes to make it and have it ready.

KIM SUTTON: That’s so huge and I’m thinking about people who are in a hurry in the morning. And they pass Starbucks on the way to work. But they didn’t think about what they were going to eat the night before. So they don’t — They didn’t think that they were gonna have time this morning but just having to sit in line at Starbucks. I mean, there’s 10 minutes of their day –

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Exactly

KIM SUTTON: – that they could have the time to plan their breakfast.

SUZ ADHIKARI: Exactly, that’s for sure. Even when I used to work back and back, I used to make sure that I made my lunch on Sunday because I know for a fact we have time on Sunday. Because it’s relaxing days. So, even if I didn’t have time or I  felt lazy to cook big meals. I made sure that I made salad and put them in five different containers without putting dressing or anything. That way I have my lunch ready for next day and just put the dressing on the side, if I want dressing. Or put chicken , if I want some protein and It takes literally about 30 minutes if you are creative, to make sure you plan out your whole week for lunch.

KIM SUTTON: Yeah, that’s so huge. What are your thoughts about those frozen meals that you can get, like the Weight Watchers? I have a feeling I know what you’re gonna say but, like, the Weight Watchers and the ones that are supposedly healthy in the frozen food section of the grocery.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: I think, if you can, for me personally, I would focus on fresh foods and vegetables rather than frozen meals because they do market saying that as healthier version. But then at the end of the day, you didn’t make it home. So, you don’t know what they put in and even when you read the ingredients, some of them, you don’t even realize it. What’s in it and plus, like think about this. If it’s frozen and it’s been in the cooler for so long, how do you think it’s healthy? And how do you think that your body is gonna incorporate it? How are you supposed to make sure that that’s healthy? And say that I’m eating a healthy meal? Like, if it’s been in the fridge for so long.

KIM SUTTON:  Right, plus all the sodium and preservatives and –

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Yeah, exactly.

KIM SUTTON: – I mean we’re not preserving ourselves with those preservatives. Well, it has been an absolute pleasure having you on the Positive Productivity today. Where can listeners find you on the Internet and find out more about what you do and get in touch?

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Thank you so much for having me here. And I’m very, very active in my community, in my Facebook group. So anybody listening to, if you wanna come join and get more health tip then you can find me at thebalancercommunity.co or just my website, like Kim mentioned, fitbodyandhealthbalance.com. So I’m very, very active in my Facebook group though and I provide as much support as I possibly can. I answer as many questions as I possibly can. So, if you wanna get ahold of me and if you wanna have one on one conversation, chat about health and wellness, then do come and find me in my group. It’s thebalancercommunity.co

KIM SUTTON: Great. That will be in the show notes listeners, so you can find it right there. Thank you so much again, Susan.

SUZZ ADHIKARI: Thank you so much for having me. It was a pleasure talking to you

KIM SUTTON: And you as well. And thank you listeners for being here for another episode of Positive Productivity. If you enjoyed what you heard and you feel like somebody else could benefit, please share this episode to your social media. We’d also love your ratings and reviews, so head on over to iTunes or Stitcher. And hey, if you feel like it, a five star would be awesome. Until next time, make it a Positively Productive day and week.