Finding Balance & Complete Wellness

Balance. A word we all talk about and strive for but don't always find.  Over the past 6 months I have had plenty of time to contemplate my healthy living journey.  When I fell in love with fitness and clean eating, I fell totally in love. Loved the way I felt, loved the way I looked, loved everything.

I continually took it to the next level through diet and my workouts. At one point I was in the gym twice a day 4-5 days a week, and once a day every other day. I consistently deleted options from my meal plan. I ate chicken and spinach mainly. Passed on that amazing glass of wine the majority of the time.  Still somehow I never felt like I was quite there. I basically lived in "competition prep mode" year round. With no intention of ever competing.  I started to lose that love and feeling for my routine. The passion was gone.  I began to struggle. 

I realized I was forgetting the "living" part of the healthy lifestyle. I eased up. I accepted and enjoyed the happy hour invitation. I ate an off plan meal and learned to let go of the guilt and remorse. I learned to live again and live a healthy lifestyle. I still look back at those early pictures and long a bit for that body. But trying to maintain that year round is impractical. 

It's been almost 6 months since I touched a weight. I have realized that I had been slacking on my mental strength and endurance. I've learned to relax. Learned to meditate. Learned to calm my mind. And what I have realized is although I love weight training and will continue that moving forward it will only be a piece of the puzzle for me.  I intend to incorporate yoga into my new routine so that I truly have #completewellness rather than just physical strength. 

Welness is a constantly evolving subject and I truly believe to find that balance you must continually strive to achieve #completewellness which is body, mind and soul. That is the perfect recipe for long term success. Does it all happen in the gym? No! It happens through whatever means work for you. For me it's a happy hour with my sweet hubby. The smell of essential oil diffusing in my home. The daily practice of gratitude. So many things I have learned to enjoy.

I am very much looking forward to being healed and starting on my new plans. I strive for simpler, healthier, better lifestyle. And although I have attended many yoga classes, I want to fully understand and take it to the next level. I would love to hear from any fellow yogis out there with tips and advice. Cheers to the future!

How much exercise do you really need?

This week's newsletter is up!  You can check it out here.  Have a fantastic Sunday!

Sunday Newsletter - Finding Your Peace

Happy Sunday  - Newsletter is up here!  Have a fantastic evening.

Gym Bag Monday - Post Workout Recovery

In my gym bag this week I am featuring one of my post work out favorites. If any of you have ever followed a Stoppani program you know one of the post work out tricks is 30 gummy bears or pixie sticks.  If you haven't followed one of his programs you may wonder what this is all about. 

In short, during workout you deplete muscle glycogen so one of the first things you want to do post work out is replenish that glycogen with a fast digesting carbohydrate. I used gummy bears for this for quite a while but realized eating candy seemed to mess with my mindset and I felt the need to eat off plan more than usual. This may not happen to everyone but was a problem for me. 

Enter Post Jym fast absorbing carbs. I can achieve the same result by throwing this in my post work out shake but I don't affect my mindset in doing it. Perfect for someone like me. You can check out Stoppani supplements on bodybuilding.com. I love all of them that I have tried. They are clean and actually have all the ingredients listed on the label which is rare! 

Cheers to a fit week! 

Need a quick at home workout? Today's newsletter is for you!

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Getting Bikini Ready??

Getting bikini ready?  This weeks newsletter is for you!  

Two For Tuesday - Headphones - Wired or Wireless?

Happy Tuesday!  Two for Tuesday today features headphones - wired or wireless?  I have used both and at times still do depending on my mood or type of work out.  I wear Beats wireless headphones the majority of the time.  For one reason, I find people are a lot less likely to interrupt my workout when I have them on.  For some reason people don't seem to mind, at all, asking you to pull that one headphone out of your ear to chat but that is not true with the much larger wireless Beats. Since I keep myself on very short rest periods between sets, that is a HUGE plus for me!  Another plus of wireless headphones is I never catch them on a weight rack or weight stand and rip them from my ear!  Oh if I had a dollar every time I had done that with wired headphones.  Another big plus!

The upside of wired headphones is they are a lot smaller, your hair does not get totally trashed and they are not hot like the wireless set I use.  So if I am only doing cardio or something that does not involve weights I will wear wired headphones at times.

As far as my Beats - I highly recommend them.  They are awesome as far as the sound produced and the noise they cancel out and they stay put on my head during the work out.  Love love them. If you are in the market for headphones, check them out.

Cheers to a fantastic day!

What's In My Gym Bag - Coconut Hand Sanitizer

Happy Monday!  Today from my gym bag I am featuring a product I always have on hand - The Body Shop coconut hand sanitizer.  I have used several different brands and scents but this is my absolute favorite.

I really cannot think of anywhere that is dirtier or has more germs than a gym.  Everyone is handling the same equipment and let's face it, if you pay attention most people are not very sanitary!  That's why I never leave home without this.  I get the travel size so I can keep it in my gym bag and my purse.  It is an awesome product.  You can check it out at the link below:

Cheers to a fantastic Monday!

Sunday Newsletter - Do You Really Need to Stretch??

Wondering if you really need to stretch?  This weeks newsletter is for you!

Friday Faves - 21 Day Fix

Today my Friday Fave is my favorite "kick it in gear" workout program.  If you have fallen off the wagon, just starting your fitness program or need to kick it up a notch, I highly recommend 21 day fix, or 21 day fix extreme depending on your goals and fitness level.  I love 21 day fix for several reasons:  it comes complete with an easy to use, effective meal plan, the exercises are 30 minutes or less and they are well worth the time! If you stick to the plan, you can also see some amazing results in only 3 weeks.

Since I am a long time fitness enthusiast, I started with the extreme version.  It does not allow for cheat meals during the 3 week period.  Longest 30 minutes of my life!  I absolutely felt the intensity of the workouts and it was an awesome addition to my lifting routine.  I love how the exercises focus on building your glutes and creating beautiful legs.  There is also plenty of variety as far as the exercises go.  You are not stuck doing the same routine every day.

If you are looking to shake things up, be sure and check out 21 day fix!  I love it.  If you have any questions I can answer, just shoot me a message!

www.beachbodycoach.com/nicolelarcenaire1