6 Morning Habits That Will Set You Up For a Wildly Alive Day

Wildly Alive Morning Image (1)

Wildly Alive Morning Image (1)** guest post 

Something I hear from my clients often is that around two or three every afternoon, they start to

feel exhausted. They feel worn down, and they reach for some afternoon caffeine or sugar to

perk them up. Hours later, they feel exhausted again. It’s a vicious cycle. I tell them a secret

I’m here to let you in on today –

 

If you’re feeling worn out every afternoon, it’s because you’re starting your morning off in fight or

flight mode! Think about it – you wake up, you check your phone, and you rush around getting

ready while you run over your mental checklist of all the things you need to get finished that day.

You feel stressed and defeated before you even walk out the door!

 

Here’s the thing – the first hour of your day sets the tone for how your entire day will go! You

want to feel productive? Have energy for that post-work workout? Avoid sugar cravings in the

afternoon? The key is setting yourself up for a wildly alive day within minutes of waking up.

Here’s how both my coaching clients and myself start our days off on the best possible tone –

 

Cuddle your loved ones

When your alarm goes off, spend a few moments snuggling with your partner, your pets, your

kids – whoever you share a bed with! Wake up slowly, soak in the love of the people you share

your home with, and be thankful.

 

Talk with the Universe

Spend a few moments visualizing how you’d like your day to go. Say some prayers for yourself

and others. Mentally review all of the things you have to be grateful for. In my program, my

clients make goal cards that I encourage them to review at this time, but you can do the same

thing by spending time thinking about what your long term goals are, and what small actions you

can take today to reach them. It’s all about putting good juju out for yourself and the people you

love!

 

Keep your phone out of reach

It only adds stress to your morning to begin checking email, Facebook and text messages as

soon as you wake up. Wait until you’ve moved through your morning routine and are feeling

nourished, reenergized and ready to face the day before looking at a screen.

 

Boil a pot of water

Instead of jumping right into your morning coffee drinking, boil some hot water and add a slice of

fresh lemon. Hot lemon water is a soothing, detoxifying way to get your body moving every

morning. For an added detoxifying boost, add some cayenne pepper to the mix.

 

Make breakfast a priority

After going without food for 8-10 hours, your body needs to be refueled! I tell my clients to focus

on eating a healthy, nourishing breakfast within ninety minutes of waking up. If you wait much

longer, your body will begin craving sugars, caffeine and other not-so-healthy foods, setting you

up for a day of poor choices and irritable behavior.

 

Have fun getting ready

Enjoy getting ready for your day by first taking a relaxing shower. While you’re standing under

the warm water, imagine all of the stress of the day before melting off of your body and washing

down the drain. Once you’re feeling clean and refreshed, spend some time jamming to your

favorite uplifting music. Put on makeup, choose clothes that make you feel great, and do your

hair. My clients hear from me all the time that when you feel fabulous, you make fabulous

choices in your day!

 

Nichole Kellerman wants to live in a world where women actually enjoy the process of losing

weight and connecting with their bodies.

When she’s not fearlessly (but lovingly) pushing her clients into the lifestyle they dream of, you’ll

find her laughing with friends, connecting with nature and loving up on her boyfriend and two

dogs.

Her business, Wildly Alive Weight Loss, is for women who want to stop dieting and re-frame

their minds so they can reshape their bodies. Her teachings are like nothing you’ve ever heard.

Discover how you can lose weight by feeling #WildlyAlive at WildlyAliveWeightLoss.com.​ Nichole Kellerman photo shoot 180(3) (1)

GymDoll Giveaway

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WHAT?!?!? It’s in PINK????!! (I need)

OK Ladies… we all know that motivation is hard to come by.
Like Zig Ziglar says:

11-Zig-Ziglar

 

This is why I LOVE the GymDoll apparel.

I don’t know about you, but whenever I have a new outfit, workout shoes or gadget, I’m FIRED UP again!!
I especially love fun tanks with quotes because you KNOW someone is going to look at you, and read it out loud, then you’re gonna go:

“Yup. That’s right.. I’m a Bad @$$!!” 

So, I have this lovely Black & Yellow “Suck it up” tank.. but I want to give away a few as well

so this may be your lucky day!!

Do me a favor and go to the GYMDOLL FACEBOOK PAGE… first “LIKE” them.. and then post on their wall that they’re awesome or that Danny-J or The Sweaty Betties sent ya! Then make sure to comment on MY Picture, that you did it!
That’s it!!

I will pick a winner on FRIDAY and announce it on INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK

Let’s go girls!! SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP!!

How can I get rid of loose skin on my belly?

this picture is more likely a candidate for a tummy tuck ** always consult a board certified plastic surgeon and get more than one opinion**

I get emails with training and diet questions all the time. I also get this question (or version of it a lot)

<<<Q: I used to be a size 18 and now am a size 2. I eat clean, weight train and do cardio, but I still have this loose skin. How can I tighten  my belly?? (or I have loose skin after pregnancy)>>>

these stretch marks will not go away, but her skin most likely will still tighten more

There are many factors

*age

*amount of weight lost

*how long you were overweight

*how fast you gained the weight

*how fast you lost the weight

 

……….and a lot of genetics.

Some people gain and lose a ton of weight and have hardly any issues while others are covered in stretch marks and are trying to fix that sagging skin.

You can cry about it or just learn what you can do and accept what you can’t.

There are tips for preventing stretch marks; like cocoa butter and moisturizing, but honestly, if you’re bodies’ genetics are likely to get stretchmarks, no amount of cocoa butter is going to stop that. At this point, the damage is done. So….what is my answer for what you can do?

Assuming you already eat clean, lift-weights and “do what you’re supposed to”…. you may not like the answer.

Preparation-H does not work.

Saran Wrap does not work.

Crunches, reverse crunches, planks or any abdominal exercise you can think of will not work.

There are a few lasers (usually very painful, expensive, and not largely effective) that are available that MAY have some effect on small areas or small amounts of skin “wrinkling”

this picture is more likely a candidate for a tummy tuck ** always consult a board certified plastic surgeon and get more than one opinion**

 

The only true thing that can actually get RID of loose skin is a tummy tuck.

They actually CUT. IT. OFF.

Even this only works if you have a significant amount of skin…. annnnnnnnd $8-$10k and about 3 months to recover.


Sooooo–  the BEST thing you can do is: love yourself, don’t stress over it (its probably worse in your head) and think of it as a symbol of your hard work or your souvenir of your beautiful child or your hard work on losing the weight.

Surgery is a personal choice but realize that if you aren’t ok inside, it’s not going to fix everything. That being said, if you worked hard, there’s no reason you should be held back because of some loose skin.

Whatever you choose, be ok with that.

I would never judge and I’d be in line for a tummy-tuck if I worked my ass off to lose a bunch of weight and it was really bothering me.  

We don’t all look/stay young forever.

Just be strong, be healthy, be beautiful.
and sorry I wish I had some better tips… but I am here to tell you the truth, not what you want to hear. Please Leave your comments!

you are MORE than some silly scars :)

My 3-Day Juice Cleanse

this was like dessert! The last juice of the day

I was one of those people, whom if you mentioned a juice cleanse or fast, I would say:

“WHY do you need that? Your liver should detox everything… just make healthy choices! Duh!!”

Then…. I saw the movie “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead”

I became a little more open-minded, yet still, strongly skeptical.

In the movie, a man goes on a complete juice fast for something like 90 days! It’s a little extreme, but he explains that he is getting enough calories and the juice is taking the concentrated nutrients from the fruits and vegetables.
I was intrigued enough to want to try it, or at least add a green juice to my daily routine.

However, I looked into juicers and got overwhelmed and then dropped that idea.

Ha!

So… in comes Skinny Limits!!

Two of my dear friends, Rebekah Borucki (Bexlife) and Sarah Dussault (Sarahfit), both did a Skinny Limits juice cleanse and review, and since I highly value their opinions and friendship… I totally asked them on the side,

“sooooo… tell me the truth… what did you really think?”

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They both came back with REAL rave reviews.

Ok, Ok.. let’s do this!

I got ahold of the company and decided that the BEST time for me to try the cleanse was after I returned from Chicago, it would be my last weekend of travel after 3 months on the road. A really good time to detox!!

I chose the TROPICAL 3-Day Cleanse, because I saw that pineapple juice was in it… and… well…. pineapple juice.

So, since it arrived pretty early in the morning, I decided to start right then!

I busted open my first juice… and….down the hatch!!

Mmmm!! Not bad! It was green, but it didn’t “taste green” if you know what I mean?

I stacked all the drinks in number order in my fridge and I was really excited to do this!

I did get a little hungry, but there were 6 juices a day, so I never really felt deprived.

The morning of Day 2, I felt a little achy. I did read that there might be detox-like symptoms; headache, fatigue, etc.

It was to be expected. The hunger wasn’t too big of an issue and I really did enjoy each of the drinks. In fact, I was really looking forward to trying each one, so I kept looking at my clock to see if it was time yet!

Unfortunately, on Day 2…. I got into a car accident on the way home from a hair appointment.
ugh!!! Needless to say, I cried and went to bed skipping the last two juices.

(Note: everyone was ok. My car, the other guys car, ego and bank account were the most hurt)

CAR

Day 3 I woke up a little hungrier (from skipping a few hundred calories) and had to make some calls to insurance.

I ended up going to get my car looked at and had to drop it off for repairs, pick up a rental, etc.
That ended up taking over 6 hours… and, did I bring my juice?
No.

I ended up eating a meal out because I knew I wasn’t going to be home anytime soon.

I felt like I failed, for not doing the cleanse “right”

The good news was… I had some drinks left over for Day 4!!

I realized how much I was really looking forward to my daily juices and I was definitely starting to feel better!

I definitely WILL do this cleanse again and I can see the benefit of having 1-2 juices a day just to add to your daily routine.
I love the convenience of having the juices made and shipped to you (it would be a TON of work, to try this by juicing your own!!)

this was like dessert! The last juice of the day

this was like dessert! The last juice of the day

Conclusions:

I loved this cleanse. I do NOT recommend getting into a car accident while you’re attempting to cleanse. (I also don’t recommend it at any time.. it’s really a bummer)
I will most likely do a FULL 3-Day cleanse once a quarter and also try and get some of these juices going in my daily or at least monthly routine. I think I’m addicted!




*All reviews posted on my blog feature my own views and opinions. There are instances when I have reviewed or featured a product and I have received compensation in the form of product for my personal use or for use in a giveaway, discounts toward purchase for my followers, monetary compensation, or any combination of those three things. I never accept payment for favorable reviews.

 

Routine Refresh Indoor Edition

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I’m in New York City all week at the weather has been pretty amazing, however, I packed ready for the worst! I totally planned on freezing my tush off outside and trying a few indoor classes for a workout.

Indoor cycling or SPIN are one of my favorite indoor workouts. I love classes in New York like Soul Cycle and Fly Wheel Sports that make spin classes a little more fun and competitive.

My friend Rebekah (Bexlife) and I took a Flywheel class put on by the Biggest Loser Trainer, Brett Hoebel.

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Then I headed to Boston for a Blogilates meet up! Blogilates is a company owned by my good friend Cassey Ho.

She had over 450 raging fans waiting to take her POP pilates class. It was intense and FUN. I sweated and I also met a fellow ex-gymnast and we finished off with some handstands 😉 Always a great shoulder exercise!

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I also have a friend, Erin Stutland, who happens to be on of my AMZING, beautiful guests at Inspiration and Perspiration this year and she teaches a class called Shrink Session.

Shrink Session is something you just have to experience!

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I can tell you the basis is that it is a cardio dance class with affirmations, but that makes it sound kind of weird, and it is super amazing and you leave feeling like you’re on top of the world!

 

So what are your favorite indoor activities? What can you do to refresh your routine for the season? I’d love to see your comments!!

adidas Women designs innovative performance products to help women commit to their best self and conquer their fitness goals. We inspire women to look and feel their best – be pretty, be tough & be confident.

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Disclosure: Compensation was provided by adidas via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are all mine and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of adidas

How to Cure Anxiety for good. An interview with Trudy Scott

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I haven’t mentioned too often, that I used to suffer with SEVERE anxiety and depression.

I had been on all kinds of medications and I thought I would be on a life time of pills.

I used to have panic attacks so bad at night that I was even afraid to go to sleep!

I would drive around in my truck until I was so tired, that I would fall asleep in a parking lot.
It was bad!

I was so happy to have the honor of interviewing Trudy Scott, the author of The Anti-Anxiety Food Solution. If you have ever suffered from minor anxiousness to full blown panic attacks, you’ll want to hear of some of her easy tips and DEFINITELY get a copy of this book for yourself! It’s a step-by-step guide, to figuring this all out with, simply, food.

Check it out, leave a comment below and you’ll have a chance to WIN one of five signed copies!

Get your freebies from Trudy http://www.antianxietyfoodsolution.com/freebies/

  • 9 Great Questions Women Ask About Food, Mood and their Health
  • 5 Simple Steps to Reduce Anxiety Now
  • Is gluten one of the foods affecting your mood and anxiety levels?
  • Organic foods, Stanford study, pesticides and the brain
 You’ll also be signed up for her fabulous ezine “Food, Mood and Gal Stuff”

 

Routine Refresh: Outdoor Edition

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If you are on my email list, you know that I just sent an email last week about how I cancelled my gym membership.
This doesn’t mean that I have completely given up training or thrown in the towel, but I need to get a little more creative. I realized that in Texas, the weather is the fall is PERFECT for some new outdoor activities, so I was inspired by adidas Women to write a post about a Routine REFRESH: Taking it outside!! Nothing like a few new pieces of workout gear to get your wanting to move it again!IMG_20130901_103311

Texas doesn’t have a whole lot of mountains, but I did find a hiking trail which was pretty flat but had some beautiful scenery. A nice trail run and a snake.. OMG!! I think I’ll continue the trail runs, but I’m going to carry a stick with me, in case I need a spear next time!

Besides jogging, which to me, gets a little tedious, I’ve been toying with other ideas for cardio. Tennis is a sport I have NEVER played, but my husband and I thought it would be fun to play FIVE YEARS AGO when we bought rackets for Christmas. Needless to say, they sat in the closet… until now!!
We live in a new place with a tennis court and its been too hot this summer to play. The weather has finally gotten cooler so we took ourselves outside and had a blast.IMG_20130902_203024

Who knew tennis was so great for your abs?? (From laughing so hard!!)

I have also found, that living in apartment has more than just the tennis court perks. We have a lovely swimming pool that I have been doing laps in about 3 days a week. I’m a terrible swimmer, but just being out in the sun makes me feel pretty alive! Especially working from home these days, I think this is JUST what I needed.

Then.. when all else fails, I have me, my shoes, and some stairs. I am starting with 50 laps and my goal will be to do 100 laps by the end of the month!!IMG_20130903_120030

So what are your favorite outdoor activities? What can you do to refresh your routine and maybe take it outside? I’d love to see your comments!!

adidas Women designs innovative performance products to help women commit to their best self and conquer their fitness goals. We inspire women to look and feel their best – be pretty, be tough & be confident.

Adidas-Logo

 

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by adidas via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are all mine and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of adidas

Ambassador Spotlight: Namaste Mari

before and after

I guess you could say the one really cool thing about being head Sweaty Betty, is that I get to meet some pretty “awesome-sauce” people. When I got over 200 applications in January to become The Sweaty Betties Ambassador I had my work cut out for me.

before and after
Many of the people I already knew, or I had seen online, this this “Namaste” chick, I had never heard of!! I was intrigued! I stalked her page a little bit, and then I knew I wanted her on the team!
I had to know more, so I asked her to become an ambassador and I’m so glad I did.
Mari lives in Queens, NY and in my last venture to NYC in June, I was able to meet her in person and she was just as awesome!

Here is some of her story, in her words:

I have been struggling with PCOS (Polycystic ovarian syndrome) which is an endocrine disorder that affects approximately 5% of all women, the principal features are obesity, anovulation (resulting in irregular menstruation), and excessive amounts or effects of androgenic (masculinizing) hormones. The symptoms and severity of the syndrome vary greatly among women. While the causes are unknown, insulin resistance, diabetes, and obesity are all strongly correlated with PCOS. 

I was put on Birth Control which I have been on ever since and was also put on Metformin but that really didn’t do anything for me so I stopped taking it. Having PCOS has really destroyed my self-esteem; I have some problems with my body that is directly linked to this. I won’t get into the gritty details but it’s enough to drive me to tears.
workout 2
When I was around 21 I met this guy and we moved in together pretty fast. We were together for about 4 years. He was a big guy and I had the mentality “well if HE is big, I can be too”. All we would do is EAT. I have so many memories of us lying in bed eating huge greasy subs and washing them down with pints of ice ream and chips, this was the norm for us. Before I knew it, I tipped the Scale at 220 lbs.

In the 3rd year of our relationship, my ex suggested that we should move near the beach which I thought was a great idea but I hated the fact that I was far from my family. The rent was pretty steep but together we made it work. As I mentioned earlier my ex was a big guy and he was very unhappy in his own skin. He decided that he wanted to get Gastric Bypass Surgery and I supported him on his decision, in fact I am the one that found his surgeon etc. The morning of the surgery he was crying (tears of joy) but by the end of the day they turned into tears of grief. After hours in surgery, he woke up thinking that his surgery was a success but his doctor informed him that they were not able to perform it. They told him to lose 40 lbs. and they would try again but this time with the Lap Band instead. I nursed him back to health and helped him lose the 40 lbs. and after a few months, the 2nd Surgery was a success. He started to lose weight in rapid speed and here I was still in the 200’s. I decided to start working out and did Weight Watchers; I started to lose weight too but nowhere close to his pace.

After 3 months or so, things started to really change between us and we broke up and I went into a depression. I saw what all my antics were doing to my family and I recognized I had to stop but I knew I could not do it alone. The person that saved my life was my niece; I didn’t want her growing up not knowing the best version of her aunt. I started working out and eating better, and in 8 months I was in the best shape of my life and happier than ever. I now live in New York with my kitty, Namaste Zen and I help others as a health coach! 

mini 10k race

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Ambassador Spotlight: Crystal Honeycutt/Train Dirty Fitness

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crystal

What can I say about Crystal Honeycutt?
First of all, I have to give her credit for giving me the idea to have an ambassador program. I really wanted to find a way to get more women involved in the mission of The Sweaty Betties and share their stories and my ambassadors make me so proud.

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Crystal has quite a story and if you’re lucky enough to know her, you instantly love her.
She is a booty poppin’ Southern Belle who tells it like it is and has a 100 lb. weight-loss story—> sweet southern charm with a little sass!!
Crystal is the owner of Train Dirty Fitness and she and I actually run online group weight-loss coaching together (which will start again in the fall)

Recently Crystal hosted the very first Train Dirty Fitness and Sweaty Betties Bootcamp certification, so now other fitness instructors can be certified to teach her methods.

Training Dirty is no Joke!!

Training Dirty is no Joke!!

If you want to find out more about Crystal’s Programs check out all her links!!

Iron Bombshell 12 week lifting program
http://traindirtyfitness.com/iron-bombshell-muscle-builder/

Bombshell Bootcamp
http://traindirtyfitness.com/bombshell-bootcamp/

 

Whole to Healthy: Ambassador Spotlight

Christy

CHRISTYWhole to Healthy is the name of Christy’s blog, business and page. I fell in love with Christy’s story because she has struggled with something that MANY, many, many women deal with– thyroid issues. Not feeling well, doctors not finding anything wrong, getting prescribed medication for depression, yet knowing there was something else. She is almost done with her Master Nutrition Therapy Degree and will be offering raw vegan and paleo 30-day programs soon.

CHECK OUT HER STORY HERE

Christy

Christy Beauchot Smith, a Certified Nutrition Therapist, didn’t always have the passion for nutrition that she has today.  Her younger years were spent eating large amounts of cookies and candy with no care, or side effects, until she developed Hashimotos Thyroiditis at the age of 25.  What she ate, and how she felt, quickly became a concern for her. Her once thin frame began carrying more and more weight that seemed impossible to lose.  After being introduced to the all natural, whole foods way of eating through a wellness program that she eventually worked for, not only did she lose the weight, but she found her true calling.  Now, a busy mother of two young boys, and the owner of two businesses Whole to Healthy Nutrition, and DipSticks Gourmet Pretzels, she is currently enrolled in the Nutrition Therapy Institute and will earn her Master Nutrition Therapy degree by fall of 2013.  Her love of cooking and helping others, combined with this nutrition degree will give her the tools she needs to help people take back their kitchens, and begin their own healthy paths, without feeling like slaves to the diet world. Christy was also featured in an article about juicing for Shape magazine online and was asked to create 5 heart-healthy juice recipes for Omega Juicers. Beyond the kitchen, Christy loves hiking, box jumps, listening to all kinds of music, hanging with her family and her lovable golden retriever and rescued yellow tabby cat, watching The Walking Dead and Downton Abbey, playing piano, and obsessing over all things monkey-related.