Concussions. I instantly relate them to football, headaches, and athletes. I never thought I’d be the one dealing with the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury. For over 8 weeks now, I have been given strict orders (over and over again) to do NOTHING until I feel no more pain. But the pain resides, and only gets numbed by pharmaceuticals that I don’t want to be ingesting in the first place. Continue reading “Post Concussion Syndrome”
Tag: Fitness
Advocare: What’s All the Buzz About?
I have recently discovered an amazing opportunity that I want to share with you. I work full-time as a passionate, caring, and dedicated personal trainer. If you’re my client, you know I sincerely care about your training, health, and lifestyle. I want to know what you eat, how often you workout, and most importantly why. Well here I am to present you with an opportunity to experience the top-of-the-line supplements. No matter what your goal: more muscle, weight loss, or better wellness, Advocare has a product for you.
I’ve been using them for a month now and feel more appetite control, energy, and have even experienced some weight loss, without adding in anymore exercise than I normally do. I’ve been a firm believer that strict diet and exercise is the answer, but I have been wrong. These supplements really help me and I believe can help you too! You can check out my Trusted Equipment and Supplements page for some specific items, and shop from here.
Advocare isn’t only for the consumer though. You can become a distributor and receive 20% off each order! (And I don’t make money for you simply signing up, so go ahead and get your discounts now!) If you need extra income (like most of us do in this economy) Advocare can allow you to reverse your debt, start a college fund, or even just help pay the bills. I’ve just started and am already making money, and you can too! I’m here to help. I know a lot of my readers, friends, and family turn to me for health and fitness advice. You know I care about you. And I know we all struggle at times with money. We want to work less and make more, but it’s hard. Advocare is about to help me tackle this ordeal, and I believe it can help you too. Just dedicate yourself, or simply sign up for discounts, and you will reap the health and income benefits.
Honestly, I’m not trying to be spammy or “salesy” at all. That’s not me. I never get paid for my reviews of products. Well here I am trying to help you. Contact me today for more details and I’ll help you every step of the way. If you’re in the fitness industry, click this link and watch the video. If you decide to become a distributor, my Distributor ID is 130735500. Let me know what you think!
3-Ingredient Protein Hot Cocoa
First of all I want to say, whenever I see a recipe that has less than 5 ingredients, I click on it. No matter what they are, I’m like, “Only 3!?! I can do that!” I’m no chef by any standard. I hardly measure anything and I truly suck at baking 95% of the time. Tonight was a lucky one when I made this concoction.
I was getting bored with mixing my protein powder with cold water and drinking it as if it couldn’t taste good. I knew it tasted well, but underestimated its ability to become a star. Tonight, it became a shining one.
I saw a post about hot cocoa with soy whip by Kathy Patalsky on twitter and thought, “Mmm that sounds yummy.” And since I’m not cool and dandy with a stock of soy whip or one of these, I figured I would turn my protein powder into a hot cocoa. I have raw cacao powder next to all my Vega and smoothie stuff so my hot cocoa was just asking to be made. Here is the simple 3 minute post-workout delicious drink you will never turn down.
Recipe
1 Big mug of Unsweetened Almond Milk, Vanilla (12 oz)
1 Scoop Vega Performance Protein, Vanilla
2 tsp Raw Cacao Powder
Stevia, to taste (a good sprinkle)
Place all ingredients in a mug and stir. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir again. Enjoy!
With 28 grams of branched-chain amino acid protein, only 9 complex carbs, and a hot chocolate delicious taste to warm you up, this cocoa really can’t be beat. Why have it any other way?
Frozen Hot Chocolate: Freeze the prepared drink in an ice cube tray, throw it in the blender with a 1/2 frozen banana. Add extra almond milk (about 1-2 cups) to get the frozen ice and banana to move! Use your Vitamix or high powered blender and stirring tool.
This frozen hot chocolate seriously tastes and looks like chocolate ice cream! But so healthy. (If you don’t have a Vitamix, it will be more of an Icy milk.)
More Info On Nutritional Timing: http://vegasport.com/en/timing
More Info On Vega Sport Line: http://vegasport.com/en/system
Inspire
It takes the smallest word, picture, film, or person to inspire someone to do something great. I dream of being that inspiration for you. It makes me ecstatic to know that I inspired someone to do one thing healthier, pick up a new health food, or even eat a vegetarian meal. Something that has inspired me lately is the Thrive Forward program, which I wrote about here.
I look at plenty of other health, fitness, and wellness sites and find that the personal weight loss stories get the most views. The front page is usually a set of before, during, and after photos of the girl and the website is full of how she lost the weight. People want to know exactly how the person did it: What did they eat? How did they exercise? What supplement did they take? Did they use a weight loss pill, green coffee bean, or ketones? Did they lift weights or do cardio?
That reminds me. People always think that weight lifting and cardio have to be different. They can’t be in the same move or exercise…yet they can! For example, Kettle Bell workouts are weight lifting/strength training and great cardio. You build muscle and get your heart rate to skyrocket. Don’t get stuck wondering if you should be lifting weights or running. Combine moves, use multiple muscle groups, and stay at a medium-fast pace. For example, hold weights and do a squat+ shoulder press. Do them quickly for your high heart rate, and use a heavy weight for the strength. Hint: The higher your heart rate, the more calories you burn, the more weight you lose.
It’s great that people visit these sites and want to know these stories. But I must tell you some truth: What worked for that girl, may not work for you. Any new lower-calorie diet and exercise is going to make you lose weight, but sustainability is what you should be focusing on. What is going to work for you for the rest of your life? What is a type of exercise you love that feels like play?
Personally, I love working out…except most of the time I hate running! I know, I know, a trainer who hates running?! But that doesn’t mean I don’t love dancing, kickboxing, cycling, or any other type of heart-racing activity. I don’t enjoy pounding the pavement or treadmill unless I’m racing someone, doing it for a good cause (Fundraising), or if I’m super stressed (Fight or Flight, right?). If I’m stressed out, angry, or sad- I’ll be glad to sprint on a treadmill for an hour. But most of the time I’m happy, humble, and carefree, and I enjoy doing other sorts of exercises…
It’s okay if you hate something, you don’t have to be obligated to doing that thing. As a Personal Trainer I find out what you love to do, and cater your exercise around that. If you want a personalized workout, contact me. 🙂 I’d be happy to help you! First timers are always free.
My goal is to inspire you, so let me know what you want to see. Do you want to see personal stories? My workouts? My daily food? (I post a lot of that on Twitter!) Tell me if you’d like some help. Don’t be shy. I won’t judge you.
Best Health,
Nicole
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
Nixie Dee 