Thrive Forward With Fitness: Total Body Workout

Free Workouts

At Home or At The Gym

Do you want to work out but don’t have a clue where to start? So many people want to be healthy but don’t know how. Here is a free hint. I’ve made up a home workout session and gym session, to fit all levels and needs. If this is too boring, contact me and I’ll make up a personalized workout for you. What do you love to do? Try this beginners workout and let me know how it goes! It will challenge your balance, make your mind work, and keep you laughing as you crank out that sweat. Have fun!

Home (30 minutes)

Equipment: Jump Rope (optional)

Warm Up

1 Min Straight Kick + Reach w/Opposite Hand
3 Min Jump Rope or Jumping Jacks
1 Min Mountain Climbers

Workout
3 min Squats
3 min One-Leg Triceps-Dips
30 Sec One-Leg Jump Rope or Cross Jacks
Stacked-Feet Pushups

30 Sec Rest
Repeat.

12 Front Lunges, holding a weight on one side.
Do 6 on right leg, 6 on left leg.
1 Min Jump Rope or Cross Jacks
2 Min Cross Body Punches
Repeat 2x.

x.X.x Bonus Round x.X.x

!KEEP ABS TIGHT!
45 secs Disc Mountain Climbers, Wide
45 secs Disc In n Out’s
1 Minute 1-Leg Jump Rope
10 One-Leg Pushups
2 Minute Squat Jumps
30 Sec High Plank 2 Low Plank
Wall Sit until failure

Gym (30-45 minutes)

Equipment: Treadmill or Elliptical, Free Weights, Bench

Warm Up
2 Minutes: Jog: 4.0 speed, 3.0^ <–That symbol means incline!
5 Minutes: Jog Faster: 5.5 Speed, 5.0 ^
2 Minutes: Sprint as fast as possible, 5.5^
1 Minute: Walk, 8.0 Incline

If the treadmill is too hard or you are too heavy, do the same workout on the elliptical. Keep your hands OFF the treadmill, and ON the elliptical hand pulls!

Workout
12 Reps One-Leg Hammer Curl to Press
30 Sec Bench Triceps-Dips
12 Reps One-Leg Hammer Curl to Press
30 Sec Bench Triceps-Dips

8 Reps One-Side One-Leg Lateral Raise
30 Seconds Sumo Squats
8 Reps One-Side One-Leg Lateral Raise
30 Seconds Sumo Squats

12 Reps One-Leg Upright Row
30 Sec Bench Push-ups, Wide Grip
12 Reps One-Leg Upright Row
30 Sec Bench Push-ups

x.X.x Bonus x.X.x
Hop Back on the Treadmill or Elliptical!
5 Minutes Jog
2 Minutes Run
5 Minutes Jog Uphill (5-8 incline)
2 Minutes Walk Uphill (8.0^)

When you’re doing one-side or one-leg, make sure you switch the next time you have to do it! Don’t only work one side of your body. X.x

If you have any questions about form or how to do something, feel free to comment or email me. You can always youtube a move, but there are thousands of variations of things, so I highly suggest just asking!

How often do you workout? At Home or At the Gym?

How To Have A Good-Health Day

Start with alkaline.

First things first. Drink some water. Not just plain water, but a water that will alkalize your body, readying it for nutrients. Add the juice of half a lemon to a glass of water, warmed if possible. Add an herbal tea bag or some dried Goji berries to go the extra flavor mile.
Why? Alkalinity is related to Ph balance. Your digestive system is the main center of your immune system. When your body is alkaline, bacteria, viruses, indigestion, and pain have a hard time surviving. The more alkaline you are, the healthier you are. Lemon may seem acidic, but it actually turns alkaline in your body. Anything that is fresh and plant-based is alkalizing to your body. Processed foods, junk foods, and sugar are acidic. Avoid at all costs!

Hit the road with protein.

The best way to get your hunger under control is to start the day with some plant-based protein. Protein takes longer to digest, and increases your satiety (fullness factor). I suggest a VegaOne shake or smoothie. VegaOne has 50% of your vitamins and minerals, 15g of protein, 6grams of fiber, 1.5 grams of Omega 3’s, Antioxidants, Probiotics, and greens. Plus, it has the super foods chlorella and maca! You won’t only feel full until lunch, but energized and happy. Blend half a frozen banana, one scoop VegaOne, and 12oz unsweetened almond milk or water. If you’re in a rush, you can simply mix a scoop of VegaOne and 8oz water in a to-go BlenderBottle. (Do this at night for a grab-n-go.) The berry flavor of VegaOne is best mixed with water -and nothing else. Vanilla Chai and Chocolate are great with water, or the banana and non-dairy milk.

Why? A mid-morning munchie attack before lunch time can sabotage your calorie count and weight loss efforts. It can also mean snacking on vending machine junk or the cake in the back office. Sound familiar? Candy-dish diving is just going to make you hungrier and grumpier. Be sure to get a smoothie.
Why plant-based? Whey protein digests very quickly and can bloat you. Many people have dairy-sensitivities, which is where whey comes from. VegaOne doesn’t only provide you with protein and satiety- you get most of the greens, vitamins, probiotics, and minerals you need for the rest of the day. Now that’s a good start!

Pack security.

You may have forgot to pack a lunch. You may be invited to go out to a staff lunch. And you will be tempted with that staff pizza party. If you want to be free from guilt, and health-insured, pack some security. I suggest a home-made trail mix, piece of fruit+raw almonds, or non-dairy greek yogurt. Bananas, oranges, and apples are year round fruits that are very purse-friendly. Raw almonds are full of fiber and protein; only a handful will sustain your hunger until you get home. When fruit and almonds are paired together, you will get a healthy dose of carbs, good fats, and protein. Non-dairy greek yogurt, made from coconut milk (Delicious!) is also full of protein and fibers. Plus, it tastes sinful but is actually very good for you.

For more information:

Alkalinity: http://thriveforward.com/lesson/assessing-your-ph/
Plant Protein: http://thriveforward.com/lesson/clean-eating-101-lesson-3/
Snack Security: http://thriveforward.com/lesson/clean-eating-101-lesson-4/

You Are Beautiful

Through our mental, physical, and life journeys, we get down on ourselves. No matter what you are doing, just know in the back of your mind:

You are enough.

You are worth it.

You are beautiful.

You are strong.

You can do it.

You need to take time to rest on your journey, find peace with your inner self, and get your mind straight. Put aside all that food noise, those body image issues, the voice that says you can’t do it, and the childhood that is holding you back. Put everything down and FOCUS on yourself. Take the 4 minutes of this song. Close your eyes. And know that you are enough. You can do anything you put your mind to. So give it some peace and quiet, settle down everything else, and find your center. Find your equilibrium. Tell all those voices to shut up, and just FOCUS.

Truth is, the best time I focus is when I’m running hard, cycling fast, pushing that heavy weight up, or pulling my body past that bar. I focus, tell myself I am strong enough, fast enough, and good enough to do this. And it carries over to every part of life.

No matter what journey(s) you are on, whether it be losing weight, learning how to eat clean, trying to have a baby, trying to start a new career, planning a big move, or just making it through the work week – Find your focus. Give yourself a break. And center your mind.

You are loved. You are worth it. You are enough.

Clean Eating: Grocery Shopping

When you decide to start eating healthy, you have to tackle the monster of grocery shopping. It is daunting with all the fat-free, sugar-free, low-cal, and diet foods. Which vegetable do I pick? And how do I even use it? Well I’m here to help you out! First off, I’d like to say you can always email me from my contact page and I’ll give you free advice and answer your questions to my best ability. And if I don’t know the answer, I’ll research it and get back to you. My main goal is to be a helpful resource for weight loss, fitness, wellness, and overall health. Mind. Body. Soul. Now let’s tackle that shopping cart mess.

I’ll show you what my grocery shopping loot looked like today. Hint: I used the Thrive Forward Food Staples list as a guide. Don’t mind my blurry phone pic.

I shop mostly at Trader Joe’s and go to my local health food store for my specialty items. I don’t have a local farmer’s market so I do the best I can with the budget I have. The list goes as follows, just in case you want to eat exactly what I’m eating haha.

Organic Kale
Organic Baby Spinach
Organic Avocados (4)
Organic Cucumbers (2)
Organic Fuji Apples (2lbs)
Organic Tri-Color Peppers
Organic Naval Oranges
Organic Button Mushrooms
Organic Meyer Lemons (2)
Organic Grape Tomatoes (1lb)
Organic Raw Almonds (1lb)
Organic Unsulfered Unsweetened Mango
Organic Unsulfured Unsweetened Tart Cherries
Organic Bananas (3 Bunches) (Ripen and Freeze for Smoothies)
Chia Seeds
Organic Hummus
Jalapeno Cilantro Hummus
Reduced-Fat Veganaise
Organic Popcorn
Silken Tofu (3)
Spicy Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries (Craving these, not normally on the list)
Organic Roasted Vegetable Pizza (Vegan, Again, not normally on the list.)
Nutritional Yeast, Fortified (Buy once a month or two months, depending on usage)
Organic Green Tea (For Kombucha Home Brewing)
Organic Vanilla (Will last 1-2 months, for Chia Cereal/Pudding)
Gardein Orange Chicken
Gardein Buffalo Wings
One bottle Probiotic Coconut Pomegranate Elixir (Special treat)
3 Cartons Silk Unsweetened Non-Gmo Almond Milk (30/Calories/Cup) -I forgot my almond milk, which I buy from Wal-mart because it’s the cheapest there.

And that’s the gist of it. This will last about two weeks for two people, except for the things like almonds, chia seeds, yeast, mayo, vanilla, and bread. Those will last up to a month or more. The produce will be gone and I’ll eat the frozen stuff and then go shopping again. Total cost was $123.12. So averaging out to under $5/day of organic food for two people. Who says healthy is expensive? Not me!

What Do You Make? I’ll make salads, scrambled tofu, dip the cucumbers in the hummus, snack on the tomatoes, carrots, almonds, and dried fruit. I’ll eat the apples and juice apples/oranges/spinach. I usually roast/grill my bell peppers and put them in a sandwich, wrap (still in the fridge from last shopping trip!), or my salads. I also dip them in hummus. The mushrooms will be grilled up. And that’s about it. Most of my meals are smoothies, salads, sandwiches, wraps, or appetizer plates of raw veggies and hummus! And when I’m feeling junky, I go for the Roasted Veggie Pizza, but even that WHOLE pizza is 750 calories, with very little fat (good fats!). I’m simple. Once in a while I’ll make some crazy recipe, but most of the time I’ll fail at that. I like to just snack on raw veggies, make dinners in under 10 minutes, and use my time wisely on other things. . . like helping You.

Not Shown Here; But I eat daily: For supplements I use Vega One, Vega Sport Protein, Pre-Performance Drink, Maca (starting tomorrow!), and Orange Dreamsicle Super Greens. I try and drink a VegaOne shake each day, either mixed into my breakfast/dinner smoothie or as dessert before bed. It has all the vitamins, minerals, and probiotics to get your digestion going and your body feeling great. I have 3 flavors now but always stay stocked on at least one. I use the protein powder after my intense workouts that last over an hour, or just as a snack to feel full before a meal or going out to eat. I’m starting my Maca powder routine tomorrow, adding it into my smoothie. I drink a smoothie either for breakfast or dinner, depending on how I feel. I attempt to drink one serving of the Orange Dreamsicle greens (seriously this stuff tastes amazing for a wheatgrass/chlorella/etc. blend) every night, but don’t always make it.

If it has a commercial, it’s probably not great for you. Have you seen any of these products in a commercial? No. They don’t need a commercial. You see them and know they are healthy. Kale doesn’t need a low-cal label. Oranges don’t need a “100% Vitamin C in Every Serving” ad. And bananas don’t need a big sign on them saying “great for smoothies and snacking.” They sell themselves, rightfully so.

Thrive Forward: Now if this is all too much to read and you’re feeling really lazy. Just look at the pictures and watch this video.

Busting Protein Myths in a Plant-Based Diet

Clean Eating 101
Busting Myths About Plant-based Protein

You know what really grinds my gears? When people tell me I’m not getting enough protein because I don’t eat meat. They assume I’m not getting enough vitamins, minerals, or iron. They challenge my diet and look down on me because I’m eating a huge plate of vegetables instead of the sausage and potatoes, pepperoni pizza, or burgers and hot dogs. Little do they know, I’m eating a better protein source that has more vitamins and minerals than their plate!

If you’re debating going vegetarian or vegan this year, keep in mind the following truths:

Plants have plenty of protein. In fact, it’s better to get protein from plants than meat. Why? Thrive Forward explains:

Low in saturated fat
Free of the growth hormones and antibiotics found in animal proteins
Alkaline-forming
Easy to digest
Better for the environment

Contrary to common belief, there are complete protein sources from plants, such as quinoa, soybeans, and Savi Seeds. Most of the time (but not always) you can eat a variety of plants to get a complete protein. (A complete protein means it contains essential amino acids. This just means your body can’t produce these amino acids on its own.) When you eat an assortment of foods, you don’t only get a variety of amino acids, but a ton of different vitamins and minerals. This helps you stay nourished, energized, and healthy. It is better for your body to get a rainbow of vegetables. Your arteries do not get clogged. Your fat level stays low. And your plasma stays clear.

“But I’m an athlete. I need 7lbs of chicken a day to build muscle.” This is entirely false. The leader of Thrive and Vega, Brendan Brazier, is an Ironman Triathlete AND a vegan. You can build plenty of muscle using plant-based carbs, fats, and proteins. Look up vegan body builders; they are a whole culture of people who go against this belief.

Apply It–>Show Me How You’re Thriving

I’m challenging you to replace your next meal with a plant-based protein source instead of the animal-protein. Try black beans, quinoa, brown rice, mushrooms, kale, spinach, hummus (chickpeas + sesame seeds), or even a Gardein product. Don’t just take out the meat you’re using and consider that a veggie meal. Replace it with something delicious! Get creative! Take a pic and post a link below.

I love to make a sprouted grain bread sandwich, with hummus, sprouts, and grilled/roasted veggies. Use some fresh avocado or Chipotle Veganaise. Have some chopped raw veggies on the side, like baby carrots, cucumbers, and bell peppers.

Clean Eating: Good Fats and Carbs

I woke up to this beautiful display this morning:

I was inspired to make my own trail mix after seeing an easy how-to chart on Thrive Forward. The Maca and Cacao powder are for my super smoothies and other recipes (which I will feature here later) but the berries and savi-seeds were going in the mix! Honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of trail mix, but knowing I could make it a mix that I enjoyed every part of, I was in. (Usually I have to pick out my favorite parts and the bag is left with all the nasty parts.) Here is the motivating chart to help you make your own mix:

2013-01-09 17.10.55 — My Current Selection

2013-01-09 17.13.35 — Bag up in small portions and add your coconut flakes.

2013-01-09 17.14.31 — Admire and share your “hard” work.

This took all of about 5 minutes, including taking the photos. So order some up, or head to your local health food store that has bins, and mix and match your favorite super foods. You can bring these to work, keep some baggies in your car, put one in your purse, or hand it to a hungry friend trying to be healthier! No more excuses of running to the vending machine for chips, crackers, or candy. You’ve got a healthy snack right in your purse or desk.

Good Fats and Carbs

It’s important to get the right kinds of carbohydrates and fats in your diet. This means getting whole grains and plant-based fats. You may think that cutting out carbs and fats will make you lose weight. WRONG! Eating packaged and bottled fat-free foods and low/no-carb stuff is not healthy. Those are packed with sugar, chemicals, and preservatives to give them proper taste. It’s healthier to eat full-fat avocado than a processed fat-free dressing. A good way to start eating cleaner is to look at this Thrive Forward Food Pyramid. (The order in which the items are placed are not by importance, but by suggested portion.)

Screen shot 2013-01-09 at 6.37.34 PM — A Great Food Pyramid

Figure out your favorite versions of each category and incorporate them into your meals. Click on the pyramid, read the “Reference: Thrive Staple Foods,” and get your health into a better situation today. Throw out or donate all the junk food in your house. Organize your cupboards with healthy foods so that it’s a joy to enter the kitchen and eat healthy, not a hassle or hard task. Make your shelves look pretty by putting brown rice, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit in big, glass, mason jars. (You can get them at Wal-Mart for cheap!) Wouldn’t you love your kitchen to look more like a cooking show than a pre-packaged mess?

Water

It’s important to stay hydrated through out the day. Every action your body does, from digesting food to cleaning your blood, requires water. Without a proper amount, you will feel fatigued, hungry, and uninspired. I like to keep a big bottle of fruit-flavored water or herbal tea around at all times.

2013-01-09 18.01.22 — Lemon+Ginger+Strawberry

Fresh lemon will help your body stay at a good Ph level, which is important for a variety of things. Fresh Ginger root will assist your intestinal tract with proper digestion and decrease the chance of inflammation throughout your body. This is especially important if you plan on exercising, since it will prohibit your soft tissues from becoming over inflamed. The frozen fruit you choose will flavor your water and keep it cool. And when you’re done you get to enjoy a sweet treat. 🙂

I suggest frozen blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, peaches, and mango. You can also place a tea bag in, like a green tea or yerba mate. (Just take off the string and paper part if it has one.) Fresh lemon is best, but if you don’t have local organic ones around, buy a bottle of organic lemon juice and keep it in your fridge. Ginger root is sold at most grocery stores, so go pick one up and start grating!

Answer This!

What is your favorite trail mix?

Do you tend to get the ones with more candy or healthier stuff?

How do you stay hydrated through out the day?

Thriving Forward: Eating Clean with More Kale

2013-01-06 20.13.30 — Delicious Kale Chips – Replace your Lays with these Kays!

It has taken me a while to come around to Kale. I’ve had some experience with Kale in the past few years, but never dared to make it myself. And when I tried, I usually failed and had to pretend it was great. The best recipe I made with Kale (before this salad) was Creamed Kale. But now I want to replace my baby lettuces with Kale more often, and have finally found a way to do that.

I’ve found out that there are different kinds of Kale, and some are better for cooking, like Tuscan Kale, and others are better for eating in a salad, like this Dino Kale. The leaves are less bitter, more pliable, and quite tasty with the right massage! So be sure to get the right Kale for your recipe.

After making the Kale Chips above from Thrive Forward (click on pic for recipe), I wanted more Kale. Since I’ve had Kale Chips before I knew I liked a spicy-cheezy flavor, so I added Nutritional Yeast Flakes and Cayenne onto the original recipe from Thrive. Feel free to use whatever spices you choose. I was tasting it raw before baking into chips and decided I wanted a salad of it for dinner. Here’s the recipe!

2 Cups Dino Kale, washed & de-spined
2 Different Colored Bell Peppers, halved and chopped (Save the other halves for dipping in hummus!)
2 Palm Shoots, Jarred from Trader Joe’s
A handful of Smoked Sun-dried Tomatoes
Juice of one Lemon
Organic canola oil, in Misto Spritzer
2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Himilayan Sea Salt

Turn on your George Foreman Grill or Oven Broiler and place the chopped peppers on. Let cook/warm while you do the following:
Place the kale in a large bowl. Spritz a few seconds of organic canola oil onto leaves. Douse in spices & lemon juice, and dig in with your hands. Massage the kale until it starts to shrink and deflate. It will become softer and tastier. 🙂 Feel free to pick up a leaf and take a bite.
Chop the palm shoots to bite-sized pieces.
Take the peppers off, throw everything into a bowl, and toss.

Enjoy eating clean. Buy a veggie you never have before and experiment with it. Have fun with being healthier. Don’t make it a chore or pain.

Have you ever tried Kale? What did you think? What’s your favorite lettuce to use in salads?

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

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.