Even the best laid plans are interrupted by life. It's been a crazy week, yet I still managed to get my workouts done! I had to do some rearranging, but I managed. It's important to keep your goals on the front burner.. Even when life decides to pile a whole bunch of stuff on you.
My daily workouts are becoming part of my routine. I feel stronger, but more importantly, I feel no pain. I'm starting to get that invincible thought process that I used to have when I was younger. It's quite empowering.. I just need to keep myself in check. I don't want to damage my cape, or tiara;).
Getting in shape has made me come to realize a few things. We don't set out to stop taking care of our bodies. Life carries us along, and somewhere down the line we just forget to do things. Pretty soon we have a set way of life that doesn't exactly include a whole lot of healthy. So why do you expect to become healthy or back in shape over night? Don't stress yourself out!
Simplify your goals. Challenge yourself to make changes, but you don't have to give up everything all at once! It's much easier to cut out one bad thing at a time. If you can revamp your whole lifestyle at once, I give you mad props.. But most of us need to build momentum. It took me an entire year of goal setting to get to this point. I didn't give up on myself, and neither should you!
If you haven't committed to a healthier you yet, please message me. I will help you set goals, and I'll cheer you on to reaching them. Please don't put your health on the back burner any longer. You are only a few challenges away from being healthy. You can do anything you set your mind to! -Nicki
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Monday, November 17, 2014
Set your goals!
I would like to take a moment to talk about goals. Setting goals can help you achieve success in every part of your life. I recommend setting short term goals that you can work toward and hit right away to give you a taste of success. The momentum of achievement will help you work towards your bigger goals!
Write down your goals. I write mine on a notebook that I leave open on the kitchen table. I refer to my goal notes several times a day. Once you have your goals spelled out on paper, write out the steps needed to attain your goals. Let's say your goal is to get healthy.. This weeks goal steps might include things like; take a brisk walk 3 times this week, start and complete the 30 day squat challenge, replace 3 meals this week with fruits, nuts and veggies. You can break it down into smaller steps, or go as far as scheduling your entire day.
Don't just write down your goals and forget about them. Read them several times a day and perform at least one action that will bring you closer to your goal. You can add new goals every week. The longer you take the little steps, the more chance they have to become a habit.
Create a vision board. My goal list is slowly morphing into a vision board now. I have short and long term goals spelled out for practically every area of my life. If you don't have room on a wall to create your vision board, I recommend using pinterest.. I have a pinterest board for everything, and growing by the week. Don't just add stuff.. Look at the things you add and take steps to make it your own!
Every morning, set a small goal that you can achieve that day. Use the confidence that reaching a goal brings to set bigger goals for yourself. Tell yourself that you can do it! Remove the negative thoughts and empower yourself to success! Every single day you are only one small step away from success. Grab it and OWN IT! -Nicki
Write down your goals. I write mine on a notebook that I leave open on the kitchen table. I refer to my goal notes several times a day. Once you have your goals spelled out on paper, write out the steps needed to attain your goals. Let's say your goal is to get healthy.. This weeks goal steps might include things like; take a brisk walk 3 times this week, start and complete the 30 day squat challenge, replace 3 meals this week with fruits, nuts and veggies. You can break it down into smaller steps, or go as far as scheduling your entire day.
Don't just write down your goals and forget about them. Read them several times a day and perform at least one action that will bring you closer to your goal. You can add new goals every week. The longer you take the little steps, the more chance they have to become a habit.
Create a vision board. My goal list is slowly morphing into a vision board now. I have short and long term goals spelled out for practically every area of my life. If you don't have room on a wall to create your vision board, I recommend using pinterest.. I have a pinterest board for everything, and growing by the week. Don't just add stuff.. Look at the things you add and take steps to make it your own!
Every morning, set a small goal that you can achieve that day. Use the confidence that reaching a goal brings to set bigger goals for yourself. Tell yourself that you can do it! Remove the negative thoughts and empower yourself to success! Every single day you are only one small step away from success. Grab it and OWN IT! -Nicki
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Positivity.. It's a contagion, and I'm a carrier.
There's a lot to be said for staying positive. If you think you can do it, you will do it. If you think you can't, you won't. I've always been an optimist. I've actually had people tell me that if I keep thinking that way, eventually I will be let down. But I'd much rather think everything will go my way than to be a negative nancy.
Negative people are a real drag. I will try to bring them to the positive side, but I'm not ashamed to say that I've eliminated negative people from my life. I'm also quite proud to say that I've helped someone very close to me become a positive influence in her own life. Positivity brings an unwavering happiness. I'd much rather be happy than wallow in self pity.
If you doubt yourself regularly, you are undermining your own success. Be the positive force that you need in your life. Cheer yourself on! Surround yourself with other positive people. Your thoughts and actions are a vicious contagion. So use caution when you unleash them! Think about your thoughts and actions. Do you want to be the kind of person that brings a smile to someone's face? Or do you want people to go out of their way to avoid hearing how much you hate your life?
If you say you hate your life, you really hate yourself. You will only attract others that wallow in self loathing. That's a miserable way to live. You are the only person in the world that can make you love your life! The change you crave is inside you. Changing your way of seeing life is in your grasp. All you have to do is stop the negative words in your head from coming out of your mouth. Believe that you have the power to be happy. Take tiny steps to make yourself happy. Don't just kiss the negative you goodbye... Kick her sorry ass to the curb.
Start every morning believing that it will be a beautiful day! Write down a strategy for happiness. Think about what you really want out of life. Be your own personal happiness architect! If you stumble and fall, brush it off. If you fail, reevaluate and try again. Don't stop until you reach your version of happy. Then patent that happy and send it out into the world. Don't be afraid of success. Go after it with everything you have. -Nicki
Negative people are a real drag. I will try to bring them to the positive side, but I'm not ashamed to say that I've eliminated negative people from my life. I'm also quite proud to say that I've helped someone very close to me become a positive influence in her own life. Positivity brings an unwavering happiness. I'd much rather be happy than wallow in self pity.
If you doubt yourself regularly, you are undermining your own success. Be the positive force that you need in your life. Cheer yourself on! Surround yourself with other positive people. Your thoughts and actions are a vicious contagion. So use caution when you unleash them! Think about your thoughts and actions. Do you want to be the kind of person that brings a smile to someone's face? Or do you want people to go out of their way to avoid hearing how much you hate your life?
If you say you hate your life, you really hate yourself. You will only attract others that wallow in self loathing. That's a miserable way to live. You are the only person in the world that can make you love your life! The change you crave is inside you. Changing your way of seeing life is in your grasp. All you have to do is stop the negative words in your head from coming out of your mouth. Believe that you have the power to be happy. Take tiny steps to make yourself happy. Don't just kiss the negative you goodbye... Kick her sorry ass to the curb.
Start every morning believing that it will be a beautiful day! Write down a strategy for happiness. Think about what you really want out of life. Be your own personal happiness architect! If you stumble and fall, brush it off. If you fail, reevaluate and try again. Don't stop until you reach your version of happy. Then patent that happy and send it out into the world. Don't be afraid of success. Go after it with everything you have. -Nicki
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
My Grams survived leukemia.. Using only carrot juice
My Grams is a 30 year survivor of leukemia. Out of pure stubbornness, she said to hell with medical treatment. Luckily, she had met a woman at her Dr. Appt that told her what to do. My Grams embarked on a carrot juice therapy that was unheard of at the time. Back in the 80s, we couldn't just hop on the internet and find all the information we cared to consume. No, we had to talk to people, read books, and sometimes, we had to just take a giant leap of faith.
Listening to Grams talk about conventional medicine vs. natural cures was so scary back then. I didn't want her to die! She reassured me that she was getting the best possible treatment in the world. I was just a kid.. How was a carrot supposed to cure leukemia? Were these special carrots? And what the hell was leukemia anyway? Seriously, I hadn't even heard of it before..
Ah, but these were indeed special carrots. They were organically grown with no chemicals, no pesticides. It was like injecting your veins with nanotechnology that sought out and killed leukemia. My mom helped her juice 5 pounds of these magic carrots every day. It became a religion in Grams home.. I now worshipped the magic carrot. A month and a half into her carrot therapy, she had a Dr. Appointment to check her blood counts. Of course the Doc had been pushing conventional medicine, but after this check up, he told her to keep doing whatever she was doing, as her blood count had improved by 50%.
Over the course of the next few months, we saw all of Grams symptoms just disappear, like she had never even been diagnosed with the L word. Every day that she juiced her carrots she grew stronger. For 6 long months, we worshiped at the juicer. Most people have a difficult time making a once a day commitment to juicing, but she did it all throughout the day. Grams is 83 now, and just as feisty as ever. Her choice to use nature as a cure was the best decision she ever made.
Instead of taking pills, doing chemo or radiation, or both.. Where you break your body down in a race to kill either the disease or you... She chose to heal and get stronger. It seems like a simple choice doesn't it? It is for me. That's why I juice now while I'm still strong and healthy. Why wait until you're sick and broken down to start to heal yourself? What if you 'let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food'? What if eating healthy actually prevented disease? What's that? Eating healthy DOES prevent disease?!
We have known for a very long time that eating right and exercising can catapult you to a healthy long life. So why, OH WHY! Do we eat so much junk? Why put toxic, chemical laden foods into our bodies when we can put healthy, healing foods in them? Why crack open a soda that poisons you when your body is screaming and begging you for water? Let's stop just blindly putting things into our bodies. Instead, let's all make conscious, informed decisions about what we eat and drink. If we just start.. If we just begin to use knowledge, what a difference we can make in our own health. In our families health!
I know that many of you find that making healthy changes can be overwhelming. In fact, I was overwhelmed not too long ago. The secret to getting healthy is to stop thinking about it, and just do it. Even if it's just one tiny change or tweak in your life. Just take that first step. Just jump, and hit the ground running. And never beat yourself up if you fall off the wagon. Dust yourself off and jump back on! You can do this! And I'm here to help you! -Nicki
Listening to Grams talk about conventional medicine vs. natural cures was so scary back then. I didn't want her to die! She reassured me that she was getting the best possible treatment in the world. I was just a kid.. How was a carrot supposed to cure leukemia? Were these special carrots? And what the hell was leukemia anyway? Seriously, I hadn't even heard of it before..
Ah, but these were indeed special carrots. They were organically grown with no chemicals, no pesticides. It was like injecting your veins with nanotechnology that sought out and killed leukemia. My mom helped her juice 5 pounds of these magic carrots every day. It became a religion in Grams home.. I now worshipped the magic carrot. A month and a half into her carrot therapy, she had a Dr. Appointment to check her blood counts. Of course the Doc had been pushing conventional medicine, but after this check up, he told her to keep doing whatever she was doing, as her blood count had improved by 50%.
Over the course of the next few months, we saw all of Grams symptoms just disappear, like she had never even been diagnosed with the L word. Every day that she juiced her carrots she grew stronger. For 6 long months, we worshiped at the juicer. Most people have a difficult time making a once a day commitment to juicing, but she did it all throughout the day. Grams is 83 now, and just as feisty as ever. Her choice to use nature as a cure was the best decision she ever made.
Instead of taking pills, doing chemo or radiation, or both.. Where you break your body down in a race to kill either the disease or you... She chose to heal and get stronger. It seems like a simple choice doesn't it? It is for me. That's why I juice now while I'm still strong and healthy. Why wait until you're sick and broken down to start to heal yourself? What if you 'let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food'? What if eating healthy actually prevented disease? What's that? Eating healthy DOES prevent disease?!
We have known for a very long time that eating right and exercising can catapult you to a healthy long life. So why, OH WHY! Do we eat so much junk? Why put toxic, chemical laden foods into our bodies when we can put healthy, healing foods in them? Why crack open a soda that poisons you when your body is screaming and begging you for water? Let's stop just blindly putting things into our bodies. Instead, let's all make conscious, informed decisions about what we eat and drink. If we just start.. If we just begin to use knowledge, what a difference we can make in our own health. In our families health!
I know that many of you find that making healthy changes can be overwhelming. In fact, I was overwhelmed not too long ago. The secret to getting healthy is to stop thinking about it, and just do it. Even if it's just one tiny change or tweak in your life. Just take that first step. Just jump, and hit the ground running. And never beat yourself up if you fall off the wagon. Dust yourself off and jump back on! You can do this! And I'm here to help you! -Nicki
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
How I love you, my dear sweet sugar.. But it's time I cut you out of my diet.
I have spent the entire day (thus far) investigating sugar. I have been slowly cutting out all processed sugar for a little over a week. It hasn't been too hard yet, simply because I'm replacing junk sugar with a healthy alternative. I'm consuming a ton of bananas and other fruit in sugars place. I'm also allowing myself real maple syrup and honey in limited amounts. I have never cared for artificial sweeteners, and will NOT introduce them into my diet.
When you put processed sugar and it's side effects against artificial sweeteners and theirs, you begin to see there's not much difference. They are all bad choices to make in consumption. So why not just start cutting out the junk and replacing it with fruit and other healthy choices? Why do people think it's so difficult to cut out sweets? You can still have your sweet tooth satiated simply by choosing wisely.
Bananas are my saving grace right now. From peanut butter banana pancakes, to plain bananas.. I'm eating them every day. I haven't craved junk sugar yet. I'm still giving my body it's sugar craving, but I'm not spiking or crashing, which is a huge improvement. Not too mention that if I had any junk sugar at all during the day, I couldn't sleep well at all. I'm sleeping much better now!
I've noticed my craving for sugar is becoming less. I still do not drink my sugar.. Even when I have a cup of green tea. I just drink it plain. I've always had this thought in my head that drinking my sugar is worse than eating it. (Probably because I was told to cut out sugar in my drinks so long ago) I do what I consider to be 'clean drinking'. Plain coffee with just a bit of milk in the morning, after I've had about 16-24 ounces of water. I drink water all day, even if I'm not thirsty. I drink one glass of wine per week, even though I really want one a day.. But the wine wasn't agreeing with me in a favorable manor, so I cut it out. I will also drink an occasional cup of hot green tea during cold months and cold green tea during warm months. Always with nothing added.
I had mostly cut out pre packaged junk food for the past few years. I think I've had maybe one candy bar in the past year, which is really good for me. But, I was still eating my own home baked goodies. On occasion, I will still have a couple cookies, or slice of cake. I've only justified this by cutting back on the amount of sugar in the recipe. I was still experiencing some sugar related side effects.. I was chronically thirsty, and having a hard time getting a full nights rest. This brings me to the here and now.
Gone are the cookies and cake. I replaced any sweets I used to eat with fruit themed desserts and snacks. I try not to eat anything but organic fresh fruit, sometimes embellished with peanut butter and nuts, or coconut and raisins. For that hard to beat sweets craving, I include a small hand full of semi sweet chocolate chips. It's been a full week this way now, and I think I'm gonna make it! I'm
planning a 'cut the sugar' challenge to get more friends and family on board!
Eating for your health is so much easier than people imagine! Taking one tiny step and making it a habit seems to just snowball into the desire to be healthier in other aspects too! If we were to all work together in educating ourselves about healthier choices, eventually, we wouldn't be sick. We'd all have tons of energy. And we'd all have an abundance of happiness. Won't you join me on the road to health? -Nicki
When you put processed sugar and it's side effects against artificial sweeteners and theirs, you begin to see there's not much difference. They are all bad choices to make in consumption. So why not just start cutting out the junk and replacing it with fruit and other healthy choices? Why do people think it's so difficult to cut out sweets? You can still have your sweet tooth satiated simply by choosing wisely.
Bananas are my saving grace right now. From peanut butter banana pancakes, to plain bananas.. I'm eating them every day. I haven't craved junk sugar yet. I'm still giving my body it's sugar craving, but I'm not spiking or crashing, which is a huge improvement. Not too mention that if I had any junk sugar at all during the day, I couldn't sleep well at all. I'm sleeping much better now!
I've noticed my craving for sugar is becoming less. I still do not drink my sugar.. Even when I have a cup of green tea. I just drink it plain. I've always had this thought in my head that drinking my sugar is worse than eating it. (Probably because I was told to cut out sugar in my drinks so long ago) I do what I consider to be 'clean drinking'. Plain coffee with just a bit of milk in the morning, after I've had about 16-24 ounces of water. I drink water all day, even if I'm not thirsty. I drink one glass of wine per week, even though I really want one a day.. But the wine wasn't agreeing with me in a favorable manor, so I cut it out. I will also drink an occasional cup of hot green tea during cold months and cold green tea during warm months. Always with nothing added.
I had mostly cut out pre packaged junk food for the past few years. I think I've had maybe one candy bar in the past year, which is really good for me. But, I was still eating my own home baked goodies. On occasion, I will still have a couple cookies, or slice of cake. I've only justified this by cutting back on the amount of sugar in the recipe. I was still experiencing some sugar related side effects.. I was chronically thirsty, and having a hard time getting a full nights rest. This brings me to the here and now.
Gone are the cookies and cake. I replaced any sweets I used to eat with fruit themed desserts and snacks. I try not to eat anything but organic fresh fruit, sometimes embellished with peanut butter and nuts, or coconut and raisins. For that hard to beat sweets craving, I include a small hand full of semi sweet chocolate chips. It's been a full week this way now, and I think I'm gonna make it! I'm
planning a 'cut the sugar' challenge to get more friends and family on board!
Eating for your health is so much easier than people imagine! Taking one tiny step and making it a habit seems to just snowball into the desire to be healthier in other aspects too! If we were to all work together in educating ourselves about healthier choices, eventually, we wouldn't be sick. We'd all have tons of energy. And we'd all have an abundance of happiness. Won't you join me on the road to health? -Nicki
Day 7, I see the light..
It's day 7 of my challenge and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. After a few years of chronic back and neck pain, I'm pain free and feeling fit and strong. Once my 30 day challenge is over, I will pick a new challenge and keep it going month after month. I'm never going back to the painful life again! I hope to inspire YOU to challenge yourself into a healthy life too!
I have a very busy day today and hope to get a lot accomplished. I've started keeping a notebook where I write down everything that needs to get done so I can be more organized. I'm often like that squirrel from the movie 'Ice Age', that is so consumed by chasing the nut, he causes himself all sorts of problems. I'm scatter brained..
I start a project or a chore and am very easily distracted by shiny things. Everyone has done it at least once in life. You start doing dishes, but the dryer buzzer sounds and you run to hang the clothes before they wrinkle.. The dishes are still sitting there and the laundry that can be folded get tossed aside while you go looking for more dirty clothes to start the next load. While hunting down a full load of towels, I see the bathroom mirrors and counter need wiped down, so I do that, only to hear the dogs fighting in the other room. I run to break them up, leaving several jobs half finished. Then I see that the carpet is messy from the dogs dragging in leaves, so I get the rainbow out.. And it goes on like this all day.
So yeah.. I need to get more organized. What I really need is an app on my ipad that allows me to organize my entire week. If you know of one, please save me! I'm always doing something for the kids who drop in at different times of the day, and helping hubby with home projects, while doing projects of my own. I'm up and going at life hard from 6am to 10 pm.. A little organization would go a very long way.
What do you do to keep your day flowing? I'm open to suggestions! -Nicki
I have a very busy day today and hope to get a lot accomplished. I've started keeping a notebook where I write down everything that needs to get done so I can be more organized. I'm often like that squirrel from the movie 'Ice Age', that is so consumed by chasing the nut, he causes himself all sorts of problems. I'm scatter brained..
I start a project or a chore and am very easily distracted by shiny things. Everyone has done it at least once in life. You start doing dishes, but the dryer buzzer sounds and you run to hang the clothes before they wrinkle.. The dishes are still sitting there and the laundry that can be folded get tossed aside while you go looking for more dirty clothes to start the next load. While hunting down a full load of towels, I see the bathroom mirrors and counter need wiped down, so I do that, only to hear the dogs fighting in the other room. I run to break them up, leaving several jobs half finished. Then I see that the carpet is messy from the dogs dragging in leaves, so I get the rainbow out.. And it goes on like this all day.
So yeah.. I need to get more organized. What I really need is an app on my ipad that allows me to organize my entire week. If you know of one, please save me! I'm always doing something for the kids who drop in at different times of the day, and helping hubby with home projects, while doing projects of my own. I'm up and going at life hard from 6am to 10 pm.. A little organization would go a very long way.
What do you do to keep your day flowing? I'm open to suggestions! -Nicki
Monday, November 10, 2014
Day 6 and the pain of laughter
Ah Monday.. Most people hate you, but I love Mondays. Mostly because my hubby has Tuesday off. Monday starts the week anew and gives me time to clean, organize, and plan our day off activities. We had friends over on Sunday (hubby's other day off) and I laughed so much my face and tummy hurt. We shot a lot of pool yesterday, took turns picking songs and ate chili till we were stuffed. It was a much needed fun day off! Mike and I tend to spend all our free time working on the addition and other home related improvement projects.. So taking a real day off is rare, much needed for sanity, and totally appreciated.
A shout out to Cuban Pete and Stace for coming over and spending the day with us! For those that don't know Cuban Pete, he is a world class air guitarist with an 80s hair bands showmanship flair. We actually stop what we are doing to watch the live performance. (Pool cues make excellent mic stands). Thanks for the awesome entertainment guys!
My Monday brings a little amplification to my daily workout. I'm increasing the reps in my sets, and staying the course with the 30 day squat challenge. I am up to 2 pounds of carrots today in my morning juice. Totally awesome side effect from juicing carrots.. I have a slight tan appearance in my skin! It's only been one week into daily juicing, and I'm getting a bonus in my complexion. I just may be a juicer for life!
Props to my Cousins Kristen and Kelli for recently sharing on the lifestyles page. The two of you are inspirations to others! I'm proud to have such beautiful, strong willed women in my family! I look forward to watching you both grow in your quest for healthier lifestyles. I would like to encourage others to share your story on the lifestyles page. No matter what your battle is, we support your choice to get healthy and want to see you succeed!
Aside from my normal daily schedule, I get to spend time with both of my daughters today! My youngest daughter has the day off, so I will get some much needed girl time with her. She works a lot now, and stays at her boyfriends house most of the time.. So it seems like ages between seeing her when I used to have time with her every day. In the afternoon, I'm going to my daughter Alyssa's home to help install new laminate flooring. Since she works full time, is married, and has her own home.. It seems like ages between visits. She does a great job of calling or dropping by, but I so miss the days of having her home with me!
Laughter is the ultimate drug.. I spent most of my Sunday in fits of laughter.. And yelling over very loud music. I'm so sore! But.. I'm totally energized today. Sometimes laughter can cure all that ails you, even when you didn't know you had an ailment:). Laugh daily friends! - Nicki
A shout out to Cuban Pete and Stace for coming over and spending the day with us! For those that don't know Cuban Pete, he is a world class air guitarist with an 80s hair bands showmanship flair. We actually stop what we are doing to watch the live performance. (Pool cues make excellent mic stands). Thanks for the awesome entertainment guys!
My Monday brings a little amplification to my daily workout. I'm increasing the reps in my sets, and staying the course with the 30 day squat challenge. I am up to 2 pounds of carrots today in my morning juice. Totally awesome side effect from juicing carrots.. I have a slight tan appearance in my skin! It's only been one week into daily juicing, and I'm getting a bonus in my complexion. I just may be a juicer for life!
Props to my Cousins Kristen and Kelli for recently sharing on the lifestyles page. The two of you are inspirations to others! I'm proud to have such beautiful, strong willed women in my family! I look forward to watching you both grow in your quest for healthier lifestyles. I would like to encourage others to share your story on the lifestyles page. No matter what your battle is, we support your choice to get healthy and want to see you succeed!
Aside from my normal daily schedule, I get to spend time with both of my daughters today! My youngest daughter has the day off, so I will get some much needed girl time with her. She works a lot now, and stays at her boyfriends house most of the time.. So it seems like ages between seeing her when I used to have time with her every day. In the afternoon, I'm going to my daughter Alyssa's home to help install new laminate flooring. Since she works full time, is married, and has her own home.. It seems like ages between visits. She does a great job of calling or dropping by, but I so miss the days of having her home with me!
Laughter is the ultimate drug.. I spent most of my Sunday in fits of laughter.. And yelling over very loud music. I'm so sore! But.. I'm totally energized today. Sometimes laughter can cure all that ails you, even when you didn't know you had an ailment:). Laugh daily friends! - Nicki
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