Get Glowing Liver Cleanse

As you can imagine, in the fitness industry I love to check out all the latest research, learn about the human body, how it works, and how to make it perform OPTIMALLY.

Ever since I struggled with metabolic damage and hormonal issues stemming for over-dieting and exercise I have been even MORE consumed with learning how to make my hormones function optimally and what “true” health is.

 

I have tried different cleanses before, I have even created my own.

However, about 8 months ago I needed PROFESSIONAL help (think DOCTOR) with my wacky hormones.
I met a woman, Dr. Tami, at an event, and right away I could tell “She GETS me.. she GETS MY BODY!!”

Sometimes, as women, we just KNOW that something is off, but we don’t have any exact reason for saying so.

Dr. Tami helped me get my hormones tested and helped me understand what was happening with my body… why my moods and periods were wacky.. why I was tired in the afternoon… whew!!

What I love about her is that she GENUINELY wants to help women feel AMAZING.

She recently posted about her Get Glowing Liver Cleanse and I figured, you know, I have NOT been taking the best care of myself (and possibly having a few too many social drinks) and maybe my liver could use a little jump start.

I could tell, that my skin has been a little less “glowy” and my digestion hasn’t been fantastic, so I got going on this cleanse.

I’m just a few days in, but I can tell you right away some things that I LOVE

  • This doesn’t feel “restrictive”- I still get to eat, I just know I need to clean it up!
  • I feel like I’m really doing SELF-CARE. I love the shower and skin scrubbing part!!
  • It’s pretty easy!! I just take out my supplements for the day and remember to drink more water
  • My skin is already clearing up and feeling less itchy.. yay!

One thing Dr. Tami mentioned to me was the juicing; how it is suggested but not mandatory. She doesn’t want people to beat themselves up for not doing it every day.

I have to say, THAT right there instantly made me feel less guilt, and like I am still doing my body a lot of good, even if its not “perfect”

I feel like I can actually incorporate this into my life maybe once a quarter and there will definitely be enough product to do so!
I’m excited to see and feel the results in the next week and a half!!

 

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)

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 :)

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

FOLLOW on Instagram

LIKE on Facebook

 

Fitness Hag vs. The Fashion Police

FANCY

If you have been following me for a bit, you may have heard me recently whining about my complete lack of style and clothing.
You see, while working in fitness has been amazing in the fact that I have been able to wear yoga pants every day for the past 8+ years, its not that great when I am invited to events, networking, etc. and I look like a complete #fitnesshag (that’s a little hashtag my friend, Rebekah “Bexlife” and I say to each other.. LOL)

FANCY
I recently did a trade with a woman to take me shopping, because honestly… I’m THAT clueless. Do you ever feel like society tells us:
“women LOVE shopping and fashion!”
Well… not this woman!! I hate shopping and fashion perplexes me!
Linda Thomas, owner of A Powerful Appearance, came to my house, looked in my closet to see what we could piece together and stated the obvious:
“You really don’t have anything”
“Duhhh.”
Linda and I scheduled an appointment to go shopping at Nordstroms. The first thing she did was teach me how to figure out my size (I had a quick cry in the dressing room over a number… such a girl!)
Then we got to picking out clothes! I got a few dresses for speaking engagements and events, but they were a little pricey, so I took most of them back!! (do you do this?!?! Nordstrom prices just aren’t my thing!!)
Then…someone on Facebook posted about this website called STITCHFIX and I’m OBSESSED!!
The dress pictured above is from there:) So, now you know!!
So, here’s how it works:You create a profile, with your size, and then you click on things you like/don’t like or would/wouldn’t wear…. THEN your own personal stylist sends you outfits and you get to try them on in your own home!! (no more dressing room break downs!!) and send back what you don’t like!!OMG!! It’s so fun!!(My husband also loved the private fashion show)
They send you 5 different things and you only pay for what you keep then send the rest back in a pre-paid bag.
It’s so easy and fun! After you get your “fix” you respond with what you liked and didn’t like about each piece: size, price, style, etc. so that your stylist gets to know you and picks out something better each time!
I ended up getting so excited about this idea, I bought Bex (my #fitnesshag sister) a gift card for her birthday so we can be new fancy fitness business women together in the “real world”.
I know some of you asked about where I got this dress, so there it is!
If you want to get your “fix” you can use my affiliate link: http://bit.ly/SBstitchfix and share with your friends for your own link to get a credit towards more clothes.I scheduled my next “fix” for September, so I can look forward to an outfit once every other month or so and slowly build up my “Big girl” wardrobe. Let me know if you do this or if you know of something else like it!
DISCLOSURE:
Stitchfix did not pay or endorse me for this post, in fact, they don’t even know that I am a raving fan, so I think I’m going to email them and tell them! Ha! All opinions expressed are that of my own. The links above are affiliate links and I may receive a small credit if a purchase is made. You are also able to sign up as an affiliate if you love them like I do.

Ambassador Spotlight: Crystal Honeycutt/Train Dirty Fitness

TDF

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.

TDF

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/

 

Angelina Jolie’s Choice to have a Double Mastectomy

AJChoice

I was on twitter last night and I saw a tweet from Piers Morgan:

Piers Morgan Tweet

So I clicked… and read her article, entitled My Medical Choice

Personally, I thought it was a very brave and thought-out decision by Angelina. She watched her mother struggle and suffer for 10 years fighting breast cancer. I have seen too many friends and family suffer and die from cancer in my life, I know the pain all too well.

Turns out, that she has a genetic disposition for this type of cancer and her risk is significantly higher than the average person, so she opted to have a double mastectomy to try and prevent it from happening. Here is what I thought… please let me know what you think.. I LOVE to read your comments!

I don’t give a $h!t about Abercrombie!

Abercrombie

It was brought to my attention that the CEO of Abercrombie, Mike Jeffries, made some comments about not making his clothes in size XL or XXL because he didn’t “he doesn’t want larger people shopping in his store. He wants thin and beautiful people. He doesn’t want his core customers to see people who aren’t as hot as them wearing his clothing. People who wear his clothing should feel like they’re one of the ‘cool kids.'”

and while I am ALL about self-acceptance, self-love and being happy at any size… I also STRONGLY believe in freedom of speech and having a niche market and being TRUE to yourself…
So.. my response to Mike Jeffries comments:

I.D.G.A.F

Here’s why:

(and if you agree please share with friends and SUBSCRIBE to my emails so you dont miss whats next!)

 

Me Day

Me Day

Me Day

“Me Day”

I’ve had discussions about this “self-made holiday” on Facebook, I’ve mentioned this in the newsletters and I recently spoke about it on a radio show, but I realized I never composed a blog about it!

See, at the end of December 2012, I started to think about “resolutions” and all of those things we tend to do at the end of the year…. memories from the past year and hopes for the New Year… and I’ll be honest, I was not happy with what was going on. I had been dealing with metabolic damage and adrenal fatigue for the better part of two years, and I had started to make some GREAT headway, and then, POW I lost it!

How did I lose it?

STRESS.

I started staying up late again, I started taking on more projects than I could handle, I started putting myself last and others first… you know the deal.

I realized that the THINGS I was doing to feel better, ie. taking care of me, getting to bed early, meditating, relaxing, eating regular meals, taking my supplements, etc.

I had completely stopped….and I was feeling terrible.

In fact, I told my husband, I just want to rent a car and go stay in a hotel ALONE for a few days. (ok maybe a week!)

He was obviously hurt… but that’s how I felt!

I felt as if I was being pulled in a million directions and I needed an escape… NOW!!

So that is where the “Me Day” idea came from.

I decided that for 2013 ONE DAY out of every month, was a day for ME.
RULES INCLUDE: 

  • no phone
  • no computer
  • no alarm clock
  • I can do whatever makes ME feel good– massage, reading, napping, eating
  • no “shoulds” or “have tos”
  • no work

and so, I took out my phone and blocked out the last Sunday of every month for my year long experiment.

Well, January, something came up, the Dani Johnson First Steps to Success seminar was on “MY WEEKEND” so, I just rescheduled for the next weekend! I took my Sunday (it was Super Bowl Sunday) and got myself a massage, read a book and took a nap. I can’t say that I didn’t get on the computer or ditch the phone.. but it was a start.

So my February day came and my husband knew it was my day, but he needed me for a few things, and I have to say  it was kind of ruined. He apologized and it was no biggie… who knew this would be so hard?!! I thought, “maybe this will be better on a week day!”

March came and went, I traveled to 3 states in 3 weeks and there was no time for me, again and here we are, mid April. I have a day scheduled THIS weekend. Hubby’s out of town and I’m disappearing!! For the rest of the year, I moved my “Me Day” to a Friday. Its easier when hubby is at work to BE ALONE.
The moral is: be flexible, be adaptable, but put it in the books.

I’m not perfect. I don’t have children, however, I have a very busy life because I give a lot and a lot of people depend on me. I understand how hard it is to have a day for you. BUT its still SO important. I urge EVERYONE..

I CHALLENGE YOU—-> DO IT NOW.

Schedule your “Me Days” for the REST of 2013 (there’s still 8 months left!!)

Then CLICK TO TWEET IT: I’m taking a day just for me!! #meday #becauseImworthit @SweatyBetties

even if its a “Me Half-Day” — take 4 hours for YOU. I promise you will be less bitter about the things you “have to do”.
Don’t tell me that you can’t, that you don’t have time, or can’t find a sitter…

Don’t be a b!tch. 

Lets just DO THIS…. and then come back and tell me what you plan on doing. Here are some ideas:

  • sit at the park
  • read a book
  • have coffee with a friend
  • sleep in… late
  • watch a movie marathon in your pajamas
  • get a massage
  • get a mani/pedi
  • hang out at Whole Foods
  • Sun bathe
  • sit in a car alone for 4 hours (I’ve totally done this)
  • go on a hike (but please tell someone where you’re going)
  • take a bath
  • take a yoga class
  • eat a healthy meal
  • do an “at-home” spa day- paint your nails, do a face mask, etc.

 

 

 

WE DID IT!! Debt Free in 68 days!!

War on Debt

If you were following me back in February, you may remember that I made a statement that I was on a FINANCIAL FREEDOM PLAN and I planned to be debt free by the end of May. Well… I was wrong.

It happened YESTERDAY.

My husband and I managed to pay off $18,000 worth of debt in 68 days, because we were “faithful with the little things
If you didn’t get a chance then to see my webinar, please take an hour and watch it, because you will really understand and realize HOW BIG of deal this really was to our little family. If I had not come across Dani and her program, I can confidently say, I would have continued to pay $200 a month on my student loan for the next 12 years. (and paying a lot more in interest in that time) and holding my credit card balances for at least another year!
I was tired of being a SLAVE and not keeping my OWN money!!

So, in my webinar, I was extremely honest about my money, what I had made last year, being on food stamps and losing our house and what we were now earning and spending. My husband and I attended Dani Johnson’s First Steps to Success Seminar on January 26-27th and we realized that weekend how much money we were WASTING. We made an immediate budget and a plan to be out of debt by May 17th (her next event)

I gulped and we kind of laughed because I thought “There is NO WAY we can actually do this”

We BLEW. OUR. OWN. DAMN. MINDS.

Not only did we pay off nearly $18k, we also saved close to $3k and GAVE AWAY over $1500!!!
I’m actually in tears writing this.
I feel nervous about posting this because I don’t want it to come off as bragging. I hope that people can realize how being faithful and following a plan can WORK.
For all the people that purchased the WAR ON DEBT program with my link, we created a small supportive Facebook group, and I’ve learned how to cut my groceries even more, we’ve supported each other on credit card pay offs and I’d LOVE to have a few more people in there

So if YOU are ready to break free of the bondage—-> Spend the $99 that will pay you back 7-fold and get in our group and lets succeed together. (purchase War on Debt and email me your receipt to [email protected])

Below are screen shots of my ACTUAL Student Loan Pay off

DEBT PAYOFF-- (they said the $3.14 would drop off in 30 days)

TOTAL DEBT as of FEBRUARY 1, 2013

Credit Card#1– $1670.67

Credit Card#2– $4274.37

Student Loan $11,810.69
TOTAL DEBT:  $17,755.73

 

TOTAL DEBT as of April 10, 2013

Credit Card#1– $0

Credit Card#2– $0

Student Loan $0
TOTAL DEBT:  $0

 War on Debt