Nutrition specialist Drew Canole is the founder of superfood brand Organfi and FitLife.tv, where he shares videos about the transformational power of healthy eating and conscious living. Today we’re talking to him about reclaiming your health and wellbeing in the midst of a pandemic.
Q: COVID-19 has created an opportunity for everyone to hit pause on life. What was that pause like for you?
Drew Canole: Before COVID-19 I was still in the mental rat race, on my phone every day for six or seven hours thinking I had to hustle more, grind more. And then I realized that what really matters in life are my personal connections to loved ones. It’s been a huge wake-up call.
Q: Throughout the pandemic, some of us have picked some unhealthy habits, such as eating or drinking more. Can you talk us through getting back on track?
Drew Canole: It’s helpful to identify what’s behind that unhealthy behavior, and replacing it with something positive. Say you’re eating more because you’re stressed. Try adding a positive action, such as meal prepping so you don’t binge; and building some relaxation into your schedule.
Q: My biggest fear is that we come out of this pandemic and go right back into the rat race. How do we maintain this new balance?
Drew Canole: For me, a morning ritual is key. I meditate for 20 minutes every morning, then write down what I’m grateful for and visualize my perfect day. What do I want to create today? What are the three things I need to get done to move the pendulum forward?
My big thing is being a living, loving interruption to wake people up so that they can live their soul’s purpose. Right now, more and more people are waking up.
Q: It’s huge. So as people start to wake up, how can they boost their immunity to feel more comfortable in this new state?
Drew Canole: I have four things I do to boost my immunity. Humans are water beings, so I hydrate with sole, which is a mixture of pink Himalayan sea salt and water.
We’re also solar beings. We need to get outside and plant our feet on Mother Earth. If I’m not out in the sun, I’m in my sauna, letting those infrared rays penetrate my skin.
Thirdly, get moving. So, whether it’s the gym, yoga, barefoot hiking or Tai Chi, movement is super powerful.
Finally, look at your food. You can try superfoods and adaptogens, along with organic whole foods. Minerals are key. I’m eating a lot of organic veggies and medicinal mushrooms, which contain prebiotics for good gut bacteria, and loading up on high-quality vitamin D. If you do those things consistently your immune system will be rock solid.
Q: Many people are paralyzed with fear and not ready to venture out. How do we reset and get away from this negative mindset that everything is horrific right now?
Drew Canole: I use the power of visualization to remember a time when everybody was out hugging each other without masks. And the more I picture that, the more peaceful I feel, which allows me to be bolder and step out there. The easiest way to stop fear in its tracks is to be in the present moment, by breathing deeply through your nose and focusing on one object in front of you.
But if you’re scared, know that it’s completely normal. During the first flu pandemic, it took 32 summers for people to get back out there. People are afraid. And that’s okay.
Q: You mention the benefits of nature – what plants do you like to have around you?
Drew Canole: Fig leaves are awesome to add texture to your environment. Snake plants are great for eliminating impurities, and I love vines and orchids. Rose medicine is super powerful – taking a few rose petals and putting them in your bath energetically cleanses your whole vibrational field. Herbs are also good – sage, basil, cilantro.
Q: You’ve talked about the life-changing effects of using a sauna. Can you describe that experience?
Drew Canole: The sauna is my time to return to my center. A daily infrared sauna session has changed my entire outlook. My skin glows, my lymphatic system loves it, my circulatory system loves it. After a sauna session, it’s game on for my clarity, my creativity, my cognitive ability. I recommend to my clients Sunlighten’s infrared sauna for its high-quality components and leading scientific design. It’s the only sauna on the market with Solocarbon® 3-in-1 infrared heaters that can produce near, mid, and far infrared wavelengths combined with low EMF technology.
Q: So Drew, how should we do things differently in the future?
Drew Canole: The more we focus on individual change, the more we can change the world. Ask yourself, who would I like to be? And becoming that person is simple. You just step into it, and you live it as if it’s already happened. You start visualizing that person before that person exists. You start seeing the world as healthy, whole, and complete before the world becomes healthy, whole and complete.
This patriarchal society we’ve been living in has prevented us from honoring the Divine Femininity of Mother Earth. We’re now waking up and realizing we have to give back as much as we put out. That’s super powerful.
Q: Anything else you want to share?
Drew Canole: We’ve never gone through something like this collectively before. If you send out positive, loving, kind thoughts, you will attract more kindness, more love. And that’s the world we get to live in. There’s a big shift happening. There are always breakdowns before breakthroughs. And if you need a guide, reach out. We’re in this together.