Mind – Page 3 – Nixie Dee

Thrive Forward Program

Main-Marquee-Surf-WITH-FADE1 — Thrive Forward

I want to help you in every way possible. Something great has come along that is assisting me and I want to spread the joy.

Brendan Brazier has launched a fully FREE, educational, video series to teach you everything you need to know on leading a healthy plant-based whole-foods diet. It reminds me of taking an online course in college, yet everything is free and well organized! The forum is Twitter and Facebook

A little about the creator:

“Brendan Brazier is a former professional Ironman triathlete and two-time Canadian 50km Ultra Marathon Champion. He is now a successful performance nutrition consultant, the bestselling author of the Thrive book series and formulator of the award-winning Vega line of plant-based nutritional products

Recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities on plant-based nutrition, Brendan has dedicated his life to spreading the word about an ethical, environmentally-friendly, and healthy lifestyle through plant-based foods. Brendan currently works with elite athletes all over North America, including athletes in the NFL, MLB, NHL, UFC, PGA and several Olympic athletes. He has appeared on CTV and CBC in Canada, and NBC, ABC, and FOX in the United States.

Thrive Forward, Brendan’s latest endeavour, is the next generation of Thrive in 30— his original free online program that helped over 70,000 people harness the power of clean, plant-based nutrition to feel their best.”

This program is not about counting calories, worrying about your weight, or fretting over a latte. It shows you a complete step-by-step overhaul to your health, from how to shop to how to sleep. The subjects are as follows:

I highly encourage anyone and everyone to watch these videos, read the references, and make the recipes. Share this with your family and friends. Share it with the world. We need better nutrition, facts, and myths busted out there. These videos will do that. I’ll be posting my personal experiences on Twitter, so keep an eye out for my photos of shakes, trail mixes, kale chips, and more. If you look now, you can see plenty of links already!

Have fun!

Best Health,

Nicole

rainbow salad — Rainbow Salad – Click for Recipe

How are you thriving forward this year? Are you trying to eat cleaner, increase your energy, or buy locally?

Inspirational Quotes to Make You think

Here are some quotes that made me think about weightloss. They can be generalized for any situation in life, but they sparked my thoughts about you. They’re from A Place of Yes by Bethenny Frankel. (I haven’t finished the book yet, but was inspired to share this with you.) More posts to come!

Did you have a recent set-back? If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. We must always keep in mind and have a plan of what to do, if things don’t go our way, and what to do when that happens. We’re human. We have to be real with ourselves. Don’t lie to yourself. Be honest. If you know yourself well enough, and can examine your history, make sure you make a plan for what you usually fail at. This doesn’t guarantee you will do the same mistakes you always do, but you will have a back-up plan, just in case. Now…so many days later… you fail. Read below to figure it out.

Figure out why you did what you did, you’ll be less likely to make the same mistake again.

Why did you do it? Why did you eat that cookie, ice cream, pizza, and cheeseburger? Why did you pig out before bed, during that movie, or at that work party? Was someone pushing you? Were you not disciplined enough with yourself? Did you feel out of control? Answer these questions so you won’t make the same mistake again.

Every crisis is an opportunity for self-examination.

Examine yourself. Re-examine. Don’t just make statements. Truly take a moment to examine your actions and why you got the result you did.

Instead of beating yourself up about it, figure out why it happened.

Beating yourself up will do nothing to take you to success. It will actually take you even further back into that mess. You will feel less secure, think you can’t do it, and continue on that path of mistakes. Instead, figure it out logically, like a math problem, and find a solution.

Often, you will discover what’s true after making a mistake.

What is true about your situation? What is false?

The people around you will always want you to do what they want. That’s human nature. Unless you know what you want, you’ll be making decisions and living your life on somebody else’s terms.

Just because your best friend, spouse, parents, or boyfriend is eating pizza and watching Netflix when you get home does not mean you have to join him! Get your workout in, make a healthy meal, and put yourself first. They will slowly start to understand and may even decide to join you.

It can take a few swings of the axe before you actually sever the links.

You may not succeed the first time, but try, try again. You will get the hang of it. And for each fail, you will learn something more. You will take that lesson and knowledge into your journey, and do better the next round. Something punch you down? Now you know how to block that punch.

To have a future, you have to let the past be past.

If you keep doing what you’ve always done…life will be the same. Leave your bad habits, eating connections, and emotional boundaries in the past. Let. It. Go. And you will be able to grow.

Make your pain your identity, then that’s what you become.

You become what you think. Your thoughts are who you are. If you think you are a sad, fat, depressed, troubled person -then that is what you will become and stay. Start thinking of what you want to be. A strong-willed, disciplined, fit and healthy, woman. A fun person. An active person. A person who loves hiking, skiing, running, dancing, socializing, -whatever floats your boat. Imagine the person you want to be and keep that image in your head. That is what you will become.

Make Sustainable Resolutions

When making your resolutions this year, don’t focus on 30 day weight loss programs, limited-time only classes, or restricting yourself 100% from one thing or another. Don’t just focus on January; focus on the entire year.

Make short term goals of 30 days, medium goals of 90 days, and long term goals for year’s end. (I’m personally making a 12-slide slideshow and making a goal for each month. Each slide contains photos, details, quotes, and other inspirations. I don’t have them all filled in yet, and that’s important. Goals change depending on what you accomplish as you go.)

If you want your health resolution to last, make it something you can follow for the rest of your life. Don’t do some stupid challenge that only lasts 30 days; what will you do after? Find what entertains you, exercises you, and stimulates your mind. Stick to that, and watch it work its magic.

Don’t completely cut out a food group like carbs or fat, because those are essential for life! Just focus on the healthy versions, like whole or sprouted grains, and plant-based fats from nuts and avocados. Here is a great pdf by Brendan Brazier on clean eating: Thrive Forward 101

You see all over the net… “These 3 Moves Will Sculpt Your Arms” … “30 days to a Ripped Body” … “Get a Rockin’ Booty in 10 Easy moves.”

These things are falsely-marketed fitness plans. You won’t do them every day for the rest of your life. You may attempt the first two weeks, and then you’ll be too sore, crawling on the ground, crying from pain, and not try again until next year. This is why you need to find what works for you.

Being healthy and fit is a lifestyle, not some 30 day program to lose 10lbs. When people finish diets and lose their weight, they go back to their old habits and ways. They think that since they lost all that weight, they can go back to their favorite fatty, fried foods.

If you keep eating that way, your body is going to stay that way.

Chances are, if you keep telling yourself, “I’m so unhappy, fat, and stressed.” Then you will stay that way. What you think; You become. Mind over Matter. You must make up your mind before trying to change your body.

You have to CHANGE what you are doing forever to get sustainable, lasting results.

All of these pins, articles, and tweets you see are just blowing smoke up your ass! You’re not going to get a six pack in a month if you are 200 pounds. You’re not going to be shredded after a 30 day diet and workout program if you’re more than 20lbs over weight. Those “7 supplements” are not going to burn fat if you’re sitting all day, munching on pretzels and vending machine crap. That commercial about the new “Lose Weight Fast” pill isn’t going to help you just because they show a skinny actress. Research weight loss pills scientific articles. The fine print always says, “Results show with proper diet and exercise.” Guess what? A healthy diet and exercise is helping you, not some caffeine pill (that gives you jitters and makes you pee every 30 minutes!).

It takes hard work, dedication, a plant-based, low-calorie diet to seriously change your body. Scarfing down pounds of chicken and white rice is not going to get you where you want to be. Take it from someone who personally reads and tests these bizarre diets, workouts, and claims! It’s all false.

How did I get to the best shape of my life? Five – six days of weight lifting and cardio, burning 500+ calories a day, eating salads as meals, organic proteins, and forgetting about sugar and desserts. It’s not so hard to lose weight, but to be truly fit, you need to stay consistent. If I go one week, only 7 days, without a hard-hitting routine that makes me sweat and burn, I’ll become weaker, slower, and fatigued.

Health and wellness is a commitment. A Lifestyle. A dedication. A daily task. Like brushing your teeth, you must think and “do health” everyday. Sure, I have dessert, lattes, and pizza. But I always fit them into my health plan. I don’t get extra cheese. I always opt for the “sugar-free skinny soy” latte, and make sure my dessert fits into my overall calorie goals. Even my cocktails are “skinny.”

You can enjoy life. No doubt about it. I love food and drinks. But if you truly want to be healthy, happy, and fit this year, you need to change your attitude, toughen up, and grow some courage. Stop believing myths like “Carbs are bad” and “Weights make you bulky” and that it only takes 30 days to be a skinny mini. Everything depends on where you start, your level of dedication, your daily diet, and your ending goal.

Contact me if you need some help. It’s always free.

New Year, New You

It is officially that time of year we all make promises to ourselves, express our goals, and then slowly but surely, forget about them. Then come next year, and we make the same ones all over again. Why don’t we keep our goals? Why don’t we reach them? Or why do we reach them, fall back on them, and have to start all over again? Here are some simple answers:

Keeping Goals, Reaching Goals

You don’t reach your goal because you are truly not committed to it. You are not ready for change, although you wish you were. You’re in the “pre-contemplation” stage where you are thinking about being/doing (Enter Goal Here) ie: healthier, but you’re not planning for it. Every one else is doing it, you know you need to, but you’re just not quite ready yet.

Want to reach your goals? Get ready.

Falling Back on Goals, Set Backs

So you made the goal to lose weight. You joined a gym in January, you started going every day, and even ate salads for dinner. You were losing weight fast and you felt great. Then, you ran out of time. You got lazy. You made excuses. And you gained it all back. Darn, just in time for bikini season! Looks like it’s t-shirt time and sarong.

Don’t fall back on your goals. Make a real commitment and stick to it. Reward yourself with a movie or fancy new tech toy for each milestone. Reward yourself with a new bikini that you always wished you could wear with confidence. Keep setting goals after you reach one. Lost the first 10lbs? Now try and lose 5 more. Next, sculpt your muscles. Then, attempt 5 pull-ups. Keep going on your journey (whatever it may be) and don’t make health or weight loss, or happiness, a destination. Make it a lifestyle.

If you’d like FREE virtual help losing weight, getting healthier, eating cleaner, or sculpting your body, contact me today.

That Hole You’re In? It Ain’t All That Mighty!

Dear Reader,

Don’t let your current struggle define who you are. Don’t let it define your entire life. Are you overweight? Depressed? Jobless? Or just can’t find your place yet in this world? Don’t worry, it’s not so hard to climb out of that hole.

You are a wonderful person. You work hard. You mean well. And you speak your mind. You’re not afraid to be you. So whatever has got you down, know that it’s only for a limited time.

It’s not permanent.

We can always change our circumstances.

All it takes is a little dedication and work to get out of this hole. Learn what it takes, whether it be a lifestyle change, a new way of eating, a new way of connecting to others, a novel approach to your dream career, or even starting a new hobby. Create something with your hands. Go for a walk. Gaze at the stars. Write a poem.

Don’t simply sit around and let this hole be a sinking sand. You are better than this hole. You are the shovel. You are the ladder that drops down into it. You are the rungs that support your weight. You are the ground in which the hole is dug. I am the hand reaching down to help you out. Grab hold. Now show that hole who’s boss and get out of it, fill it with cement, and never go back.

Love,

Nicole

Day Dreams Made Into Reality

What makes you happy? What is your life goal? When you’re sitting there working super hard and daydreaming, what is that dream?

My dream is to be able to spend as much time with my family and friends, without worrying about bills to pay, laundry to do, and shelves to dust. I want to live a worry-free life, where I can help others who truly need it, rescue all the animals I see fit, and eat locally-sourced organic food.

What is yours?

To reach this goal, I will have to make a commitment, be in control, and have courage to go beyond the limits of normal.

I want to find my bliss and you should too. It’s not unrealistic. You can’t fail if you keep trying. So start today.

Start by being mindful of every moment you have. Are you wasting it? We all waste time, but why aren’t we using that time? Why aren’t we spending that time; after all, time is money. A lot of us know what we dream of, but don’t quite know how to get there. I fall privy to this very evil almost daily. I want so much, attempt to do the very thing I think will bring me to my bliss and don’t quite reach it. But I try, try again. Because at least if I’m trying, I’m not failing.

We must connect our mind, our will power, our inner strength to push our bodies to the place we want them to be. What will it take? Find that out, write it down, and start working on it.

Miracle Weight Loss Results

Miracle Weight Loss Results Do Not Exist. It takes time and hard work to lose weight, build muscle, and get the dream body you want. The health industry markets hundreds of thousands of pills, herbs, and supplements that make us believe we can lose weight faster by just taking that pill, drinking that shake, or sprinkling that powder. But when you read the fine print, it has an asterisk that says, “with proper diet and exercise.”

And guess what? It’s NOT the pill/supplement that you’re taking that is making you lose weight. It IS the diet and exercise you started! I admit, I’ll be honest. I’ve had weight issues my whole life. But the real way to lose weight and get fit is HARD- FREAKIN’- WORK!

I’ve done P90x, Insanity, Personal Training, Dance, TRX, Yoga, Kettle-bells, Spartacus, Kickboxing, HIIT, and so on. Exercise was my passion long before it was my job.

Guess what works the best? Eating fewer calories and working harder at the exercise. Choose which ever one you like, and do it to the max. For weight loss purposes, the higher the heart rate, the more calories you burn. Most of the time this is cardio-related, but you can turn weight-lifting into interval training and get the same calorie burn. Choose what interests you, is fun, and is exciting. Choose an exercise that you can look forward to, smile about, talk about, and share.

Some people are Yogis, kick-boxers, dancers, cross-fitters, and so on. They choose what they love, they do it almost daily, and they invite their friends and family.

Right now, my personal joy is weight lifting combined with some interval cardio. On rest days, I dance like nobody is watching. What type of exercise excites you? How often would you do it?

Are you trying to lose weight right now? Fitness and health is a lifestyle, not a destination. If you seriously want to look good, reduce risk of disease and illness, and live longer and happier, you need to change your mind about food. You need to change your outlook on life and your emotional connection with food. You became overweight for a reason. Find that reason and address it. Fix your mind, your psyche, and gain some courage to become the person you’ve always wanted.

You know, that person who gives more, works harder, smiles often, and laughs daily; that person you admire and say, “I wish I had that life.” Make that your life. Change your life today for all the tomorrows.

Trial Fast 101

It is easy to forget what true hunger feels like. You feel hungry every day, but is it physiological or psychological? Is the hunger coming from your body or is it coming from your head, hormones, or emotions?

Our bodies run on internal clocks. We psychologically get hungry at the time that we usually eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even if we have a larger than normal breakfast, we will still think we are hungry when lunch time rolls around; although, our bodies probably don’t need more calories yet. If fed more calories, it will just store them as FAT.

My solution to figure out the difference between these cravings and real, empty stomach hunger, is to do a Trial Fast.

Now let me tell you some facts right now:

You will not starve.
Your body will not eat your muscles.
And you won’t die.

You Will Figure out:

How to tell when you are truly in need of food.
Your triggers that make you crave food.
How much food should be in your meals.

It is essential to know what hunger feels like so you know not to freak out (and pig out) when ever you feel it. You know how to manage it, like any other issues in life. Hunger is a daily issue, you just have to decide if you want to handle it as an educated person or otherwise.

How To

This is very simple. All you have to do is not eat for 24 hours. I would choose a relaxing day where you have no work or errands, like Sunday. Eat a regular dinner on Saturday night. Brush your teeth after and do not eat anything during the day on Sunday. Just have a small snack (200 calories or less) and go to sleep. I suggest a piece of fruit or raw vegetable plate.

So lets say you finish dinner at 830pm on Saturday. Simply don’t eat again until 830pm on Sunday. Have a snack and go to bed. Simple as that.

During your day Sunday, relax, meditate, and learn about yourself. Try some yoga. Read up on clean eating, nutrition, and fitness. Stay busy, but relaxed. Do some crafts. Drink some green tea, yerba mate, or herbal tea, all plain. Focus on yourself and realize what you want out of your life and your body.

Do not overeat on Monday to “make up for” the calories you didn’t eat on Sunday. This is a lesson. Go back to your normal eating style. Or better yet, introduce the lessons you learned about yourself and implement them into your eating style. Maybe this means eating less, eating less often, or eating healthier choices.

Contact me if you have any questions! And comment below or on Facebook telling me how it went. I would love to know!

Fast Fact

Your body only “starves” after 72+ hours without food. This is when it will start to turn to proteins to keep a nitrogen balance in your blood.

Note: I am not a doctor, medical professional, or licensed dietician. I am an experienced and certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Always contact your physician before starting a new diet regimen. Do not attempt if you are a Type 1 Diabetic.

Fitspiration Versus Thinspiration

After my post about intermittent fasting, I started searching for people who lived this way. After typing in the hash tag “Fasting” into twitter, I got a bunch of twitter accounts of girls with eating disorders. They post pictures of anorexic girls, tweet about how little they are eating, and post their low weights and BMI’s. It was pretty disturbing to see those images, but it’s the truth.

Because of the many forms of media that promote “thinness,” girls all over are constantly trying to be skinnier. I have to admit, when I was younger I wanted this too, but now I know better. There are websites devoted to thinspiration photos. And sometimes these two new words get confused. You’ll see fit girls on these sites, and then super skinny girls too.

Why isn’t there a media craze about being fit and strong?

Looking good is about being fit, strong, and sexy- not skinny, boney, and thin.

I can see why people relate fasting to anorexia; that is all they know and see. If you don’t eat, you’re starving yourself. You’re punishing yourself. You’re cleansing your sins. But really, you can fast for fitness. And that is what I’m now attempting to do.

You must be lean to see your sculpted muscles. You can lift all the weights you want and chug all the protein drinks down, but you’ll only be able to see the results if that fat layer is gone. And when it comes down to it, less calories equals weight loss, and weight loss equals less fat, and less fat equals visible muscles. So get out of the kitchen and focus on other things in life that bring you joy.

Fitspiration should be the only inspiration to young ladies. Girls on magazine covers should be healthy and fit, not skinny and boney. This is sending a negative and evil message to young girls. I was one of them! I know the feeling. When a woman is on tv or a magazine cover, we automatically think they are put there to be an idol, an example for what a lady should look like. They are praised for their looks and body, so we must make ours look similar.

I’m here to say, instead of actually starving- educate yourself. (This website is a great source to start.) Instead of wanting to be thin, want fitness. Exercise extends your life. Eating healthy extends your life. Enjoy your life, extend it, and live happier. Don’t torture yourself. Don’t fall for gimmicks. And don’t take diet pills. Just do what works for you and remember the science before trying the latest trend.

Why People Hire A Personal Trainer

Most people hire a personal trainer for weight loss. Of course I have special cases where some are looking to improve their athletic performance or train for a marathon, but most people (including those) want to lose weight.

The one thing I can’t control as a personal trainer is what my client eats. And what grinds my gears the most is this very concept. The number one myth about personal training and getting your butt kicked 3+ times per week is that you can eat what ever you want and not worry, because you worked it off with your trainer. WRONG.

Here is the secret to being healthy. It’s not a 6 minute shake weight video. It’s not a HCG pill. And it’s not even a cleanse. Spoiler Alert…

It’s DIET AND EXERCISE. You see that “and” there. You can’t have one without the other. If you want to be thin, fit, healthy, you need to combine a healthy diet with daily exercise.

A high 90% of weight loss is due to changing your diet. And when I say diet, I don’t mean a 14-day salad meal plan. I mean the diet you eat every day for the rest of your life. You must change this to lose weight. And you can’t ever “go back to normal” because your “normal” got you where you are now – fat and probably sick.

Being overweight is connected to a plethora of diseases, including the number one killer: Coronary Heart Disease. By sticking to the Standard American Diet (SAD) you are killing yourself by every morsel you put into your mouth. So stop it!

When you eat food you have two choices: to shorten your life or to extend your life. With my help, you can extend your life, lower (or obliterate) your risk of disease and illness, and feel amazing. You will gain energy, clear your cloudy thoughts, and heal faster. You will get sick less often, diminish headaches, and pretty much everything else that is bugging you. Constipation, indigestion, heart burn, frequent colds – all of that can be cured by changing your diet.

Now I could be like one of those stupid commercials or video pop-ups you see everywhere on the internet that goes on and on about how they have the secret to help you lose weight but you have to buy their product first to see how.

Stop watching those videos, and listen right now. It is simple to lose weight. It is simple to get healthy. All you have to do is use your common sense. Eat food that your great grandmother would recognize as food.

No more genetically modified crap. No more factory-processed nonsense. Grow a garden to see where REAL food comes from. And start eating it.

Stop filling your body with pesticides, poisons, and medications that are only truly making you sicker. You think that high cholesterol med is helping you? Nope. It’s just putting a band-aid on something that is never going to heal unless you change today.

No more gimmicks. No more games. No more pills. Contact me today to change your life for the better. Stop dieting. Stop “trying everything out there” and not having it work. Stop it! And start email me.Right.Now. Check out my nutrition page and look at my services. Decide to become healthy today.

Do it for yourself. (You deserve it!) Do it for your family. Be a role model for your kids (or future kids). And let Me help You.

Best Health,

Nicole