Moving My Blog

Hello friends and followers,

First I want to say thank you for your dedication and following of this blog for over the past few years. Content has always been changing and taking on new shapes and forms and I appreciate your dedication with reading, the comments and emails with your questions, and just the support from the community in general.

Effective immediately I will be moving this blog's content over to my official webpage for Nicole Murray Fitness (nicolemurrayfitness.com)  I encourage you to bookmark or favorite that page. Posts will continue to be on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule and continue to offer content to help you change your life through health, fitness, and positive thinking.

In addition, my website will be an easy place to find product information, as well as ordering information for those products. The idea is to make it a one-stop-shop for you all (the website is still being designed currently; however, the blog posts are continuing to be updated live as this process is taking place).

Thank you again for all of your support and I hope to see you over at NicoleMurrayFitness.com

Ultimate Reset Week 3

I DID IT!!

The girl who loves food almost as much as her husband has completed The Beachbody Ultimate Reset. Booya.

It was a great challenge as my first for 2014. It definitely helped me to learn a lot about why I ate and helped me to recognize boredom versus hunger. I find myself even now, 48 hours past the end point, looking at how a food that I put in will fuel my body, rather than simply satisfy my pallet. Although I will not lie: Last night I had an apple dumpling with ice cream and that fueled nothing, but overly satisfied the pallet :) All in moderation, all in moderation :)

Bought these to "celebrate". I have no desire to even eat them.

So the end results! I lost ten pounds and dropped from a Size 7 in jeans (junior's sizes) down to a Size 3 (I haven't been a 3 in quite some time). I have yet to take my measurements, but will update this post as I do so. But beyond the physical transformation, the full body transformation is what was most exciting to me. The clarity, the mood regulation, how I feel on the inside (not just emotionally but physically) is enough to make me happily take on this challenge a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. time. I think it will definitely become a yearly tradition, with maintenance being a Shakeology 3 day cleanse once a quarter. I loved it and would highly recommend it to everyone that I know.

Now, post Reset with the food...

Naturally after being limited after 21 days you get really excited about certain foods post Reset. I have yet to have pizza (surprisingly since that's my favorite food), but I can tell you that first protein shake that I had gave me a rockin' headache that lasted all.damn.day. Since I haven't had any sugars besides the kind that occur naturally from the fruits on The Reset, the sugars in the shake just crushed my brain! Felt like it was in a vice all day. Happy to report that today I did not get that headache after the protein shake. In fact, today I feel AWESOME, super productive and just amazing in general. I actually brought back my Reset favorites for lunch! Roasted root medley and zucchini cashew soup! Yum!

Coffee: I have no desire to have it. Now this is coming from someone who was having upwards of 4 cups a day pre Reset. I love(d) coffee. It's taste, THE SMELL, the warmth of the cup between my hands. It always calmed me down and just brought me back to summer. Now? Eh, I could have it if I wanted it but I don't need it. My energy is through the ROOF without any caffeine - I'm not even taking my pre-workout supplement and rocking my workouts so I have decided that coffee is now going to be looked at the same way that cakes and cookies are: a treat. I don't want to go back to the place of "Oh, I feel tired. Time for a cup of coffee". Because let's face it, after a while it doesn't even wake you up anyway. You just drink it because that's what you are supposed to do when you are tired!

The infamous bday cake

I notice that body is now craving healthier options. It cheers on the inside when it is time for my daily Shakeology and after lunch today it felt very rejuvenated. No 2 o'clock feeling for me! Even when I had my coveted birthday cake that my sister saved for me, I could only have a few bites before the sweetness was no longer desirable on my taste buds. So I had a tiny slice and then was able to put it away. The old me would have crushed it, asked for more, gave it 20 minutes and then gone and had a slice of pizza. I cannot stress to you all how much of a complete GAME CHANGER The Reset has been.

I am going to be making a YouTube video answer some of YOUR questions on The Reset. If you want your question answered, either leave a comment below or shoot it to me in an email to nik4213@gmail.com.  Names will not be revealed, just the question read. I look forward to hearing from you all and answering all of the questions that you may have!

Thanks for following my first journey of 2014!

The Ultimate Reset: Week 2 Review

Week 2 of The Ultimate Reset is OVER! I made it and am in the final stage of the reset: Restore

"During the restore phase you will eliminate grains and legumes to focus on a simple, cleansing fruit and vegetable based diet."

Sounds a lot like rabbit food, but I'm going to do my best to stick to it.

Week 2 was difficult. I did not care for some of the food listed, but I am a picky eater to begin with. In order to substitute, I went back to Week 1 and pulled the fully vegan options that were given during that week, such as the roasted root medley, zucchini cashew soup, and black beans and rice. I rotated through those all week and lost another 4 pounds. The detox supplement wasn't too bad. Check out the video below that tells you more about it.

Overall, I feel wonderful..fantastic...AMAZING if you want to go there (and I do). The Reset has given me not only some great recipes that I will keep in my life, but also a backbone against food. I now KNOW that I can say "No" to certain food that finds its way in front of me. I can portion things out better as now I know what a cup of rice looks like. I have also found that having fruit in the morning makes me feel FANTASTIC and very clear. Protein is needed in the afternoon though as a way to help me power through.

Also, the taste buds have also been revamped. Flavor EXPLODES from everything now. Before food just tasted like food....now its magnified by about 100 times. Even my Shakeology tastes dreamier than usual and that's saying something because that stuff's always delicious.

I would recommend The Ultimate Reset to everyone and anyone who wants to consider trying it. It has changed a big chunk of my life, helped me lose weight, find clarity, and all around just have a better sense of myself and my body which is so valuable going forward. I have gone from emotional eater, to conscious eater. I have gone from not caring and eating as much as I want, to making conscious efforts to take in the proper amount of portions. I have gone from the basics, to beets and crazy green soup! AND I LOVE THE CHANGES.

Please, if you have ANY questions just shoot me an email with "Ultimate Reset" in the subject line to nik4213@gmail.com

Ultimate Reset: Day 6 & 7

Not much to report with Days 6 & 7 of the Ultimate Reset besides the fact that they were worlds better than Day 5. Ugh. I will admit though, at this point in time I am getting really sick of microgreen salad ahaha, but I plan on making the creamy garlic dressing which I think is going to help flip my tastes buds around and make things interesting again.

Day 6 I actually found myself substituting a breakfast meal in for a dinner meal(which you can do, but it probably shouldn't be the high fruit breakfasts). It was just one of those days where it would have been easier to call for a pizza. I had leftover beans and rice to do the wrap, which was the plan all day long until I got home, took my supplements and my husband happened to mention that the wraps were now gone (he used the last two for his lunch). Just one of those days where I wanted my wrap all day so having just the beans and rice wasn't going to cut it for me, and at that point I didn't want to spend time chopping and cooking so I took out two eggs and did the scrambled eggs with spinach and toast. Since it was my dinner I added in some chopped chicken, about 1/4 cup, for some added protein and chickeny goodness. It filled me up and left me satisfied. No complaints there!

Day 7...WOOHOO END OF WEEK 1 and what a surprise I got when I stepped on the scale! I lost just about 7 pounds which I was NOT expecting (but yes, secretly hoping that darn scale would move). I would love to lose some weight on The Reset but the real reason I am doing it is for knowledge purposes. I am a real emotional eater so for me this is a challenge and a battle against emotional eating. I just don't want to do it anymore! I want to be able to enjoy the foods that I enjoy in moderation and not stuff my face every time I have pizza like its the last time I'm going to have it in my life! Hopefully by the end of the 21 days I'll be able to do that.

For now I am happy with what I am learning. Water consumption is up to about 10-12 glasses per day, which is way way more than I am used to but I am loving it! My stomach bloat seems to have gone away, I feel happy (most of the time..there are some mood swings in there), and I haven't had coffee in about 13 days and I feel amazing! I may never go back to a coffee habit! We'll see!

Be sure to check back on Friday for a recap of Days 8 & 9. I will be doing this blog in 2 day recaps now, unless one day is just out of this world different.

Ultimate Reset: Day 3, 4, and 5 Review

The Ultimate Reset has been more than just a strict diet, it has been an adventure through many various avenues of my life that seem to have been closed off for some time, as well as a huge learning experience when it comes to food. Before you read this entry I want you to know, that despite all of this I would STILL recommend this 21 day journey to anyone.

Days 3 & 4 were largely uneventful, if I'm going to be honest. Beside a small swing in moods on Day 3 early in the morning, nothing out of the ordinary occured. Day 4 I felt very light, very happy, and found myself still anxious to explore certain feelings or thoughts that I was having. It wasn't until the night of Day 4 that things took a turn for the worst.

Bought some "relaxation techniques"

I was tired, very tired, so I laid my head down hoping that I would get a good night's sleep as I FINALLY had the night before. When I laid down, fear crept into me surrounding my business. What if I failed? What if I screw up? What does that mean for me and my family? Now, usually I can push these thoughts aside and use them to fuel my fire for greatness; however, this night they were NOT letting up and getting the best of me. The Ultimate Reset book that you receive with your package says that this is normal, and it is best to just explore these thoughts and work through them. Often times, thoughts and feelings that we have supressed find a way to show themselves during the 21 days. As our body detoxes, so does our mind and often times it is these thoughts that we push aside, but they end up building up. The book said to just experience them so I started texting my husband. Naturally, his loving words made me feel much better and I did eventually go to sleep.

Yeah..that's not good.

That was until the morning hit. I was exhausted. The dogs were keeping me up at this point so I asked my husband to let them out. He did and he never came back to bed. When I went downstairs I found him playing a video game and became enraged. Yes. Enraged. I yelled and screamed and ended up kicking one of my dog's ceramic dishes across the floor. It crashed into a railing in my kitchen, smashed into a million pieces and landing all over my door (who did nothing wrong). I stopped and it was as if I woke up from a trance and I ran to my husband, sat on him, and hysterically began to cry. It was that moment that I thought, "That's it. This Reset is OVER!"

Him being the saint that he is carried me upstairs and talked to me about what was really going on. I started talking about things that have bothered me for a while, but I just haven't admitted (like the video game playing more frequently than I would like - It made me feel like I wasn't a priority over the game), or issues about the dogs, etc. etc. It was a TERRIBLE day. I HATED.....HAAAATED myself and the only way for me to escape was to just sleep. I wanted nothing to do with myself or the day at all.

Dinner was DELICIOUS!

When I woke up I decided to do some P90X3 Pilates (which were great, by the way) and that helped me to feel a bit better. I cleared my mind as I prepared a delicious meal from the Reset and began prepping for the next day. Later that night, while guiding my dog out the backdoor so she could use the restroom (she's old and has trouble) she fell, rolled down the steps, and just laid on the patio looking up on me. Again, hysterics. I felt like the worst pet mom ever, and still sort of do today. Then the feelings of "She's not going to be with us much longer" crept in, which caused more issues. All in all....TERRIBLE EMOTIONAL DAY. But I am hoping that the release of these emotions will help me to move on from them.

Writing this it is now Day 6, and I can tell you that I did sleep last night, I did wake up refreshed, and while I do not feel 100% happy still, I am worlds better than I was yesterday. I am hoping when I check in tomorrow it is a better day to report.

Ultimate Reset: Day 2

I feel blessed that my Day 2 was not as horrible as I was prepping it to be. I have read a lot of blogs, and watched a lot of videos from other coaches where their Day 2 was very debilitating; however, mine wasn't too terrible.

I woke up EARLY, hopped right out of bed and felt very well rested, even though I couldn't fall asleep the night before and probably only had, at most, 5 hours of sleep. Seriously, I felt great...which if you know me in person you would know that mornings and I just do not work out well. I went to the grocery store before heading to work (weird) and picked up some more supplies that I could need, like distilled water.

The day was okay. I will admit, I was tired and it would have been a great day to spring for a cup of herbal tea, but I resisted. Any other day I would have gone straight to Starbucks for a Venti Gingerbread Latte, but today I just decided to ride the wave.

After lunch is when things sort of nose-dived just a little bit. I got a pretty bad headache that was just annoying, and starting around 3pm I got nauseated, to the point where I thought I might be sick. I took my Alkalinize (which is the nasty green stuff) and almost lost it in the sink..but I kept it down. I remember going back into my office and sitting in my chair with my eyes closed thinking, "I can't do this"...10 minutes later, I felt great. No headache. No nausea. Felt awesome and went and played with my dogs.

What I did notice during Day 2 was my cravings were OUT OF THIS WORLD. Stuff I never crave...like loaded nachos or pulled pork sandwiches were suddenly all I could think of. And this is no exaggeration..but my husband was making himself his lunch to take to work that night and he had Land o Lakes American cheese slices from the deli (which I love). I caught it out of the corner of my eye while I was preparing not-so-fun lentils for the next day..but he had a piece and broke another piece between the two dogs. I cried. I cried and in between tears said, "I'm the only one who didn't get a piece of cheese!!' You can probably imagine the look I got as I went and pouted in the other room.

So yeah..biggest thing from yesterday was the sickness mid day, and the cravings. Other than that pretty business as usual.

Oh! And in case you are interested, there are much more detailed reviews each day on my YouTube page. Check it out and show some love!

Ultimate Reset: Day 1 Review

Oh gosh, where to begin! Well perhaps I should explain why I am actually going through Beachbody's Ultimate Reset for 21 days.

I won't lie, originally it was so I could use the supplements before they expired! (oops) but as these past couple of months have gone on, I have GREATLY neglected both my health...AND FITNESS! Now don't get me wrong, I still worked out usually 3 times a week but this girl is usually an every day kind of girl. And my nutrition, while maybe not SPOT on, typically isn't horrible. Let me tell you: pizza weekly, hoagies, WENDYS...it wasn't good. Throw in Thanksgiving and Christmas in there and you have a recipe for disaster.

And disaster struck: 11 pounds of disaster in just two months time. I found this out yesterday as I stepped on the scale for the first time in a while. I was expecting maybe 5 at most, but after the number flashed on the screen..I just sort of stared. How..did I let this happen. From that moment on the Reset wasn't just to use supplements before they expired, it now became a MISSION. I had to find out why I was re-addicted to junk, needed to get my mind right as well as my body. Game face came one (until I took my before photos, then it was a frowny face yet again).

Day 1 went alright. The foods are something new to me as I am not one to do a lot of meal prep; however, I just kept thinking of the results others have had and it inspired and motivated me to take every meal with a positive attitude. I have all of the ingredients I need so there was a lot of chopping, packaging, and bagging things going on in my kitchen.

You take 3 rounds of supplements during the day, with an additional supplement of Alkalinize in the afternoon before dinner. After my first round of supplements I was alright until around noon ( I took them at 9), then I became very fatigued. My brain was a big fuzzy. I wanted to concentrate, but I couldn't...so I took a nap. Couldn't fall asleep for about a half hour, but when I did it was a good sleep - only lasting 20 minutes long! But I felt reinvigorated!

Emotionally I seemed to be alright...until my husband started helping by putting all my "yummy food" in a box and hiding it somewhere in the house where I wont find it. We came across a pack of reduced fat Oreos. There were 2 left. He put his back to me and shoved them in his mouth, running to the refrigerator to grab, what else?, milk. I started to cry. I kid you not I started to cry.


Around 9 PM I was done for the day. Exhausted, I just laid on the couch and watched Dance Moms (love that show!) When it was time to go to sleep however, yet again I could not fall asleep. This time it took 2 1/2 hours. It was very frustrating but I felt like I was sort of sleeping but not during that waiting time. It didn't feel like 2 1/2 hours..but it didn't feel like sleep either. Woke up this morning and felt REFRESHED. Only hit the snooze 1 time and that was more because I was so nice and cozy and not to get more sleep. I woke up, got dressed and....went grocery shopping???

Yeah. 7:30AM on my way to work I decide to go grocery shopping. The things The Reset will do you...


All in all I'd say Day 1 was fine. Meals were DELICIOUS, supplements not bad (Alkalinize is gross but pinch your nose and down the hatch it goes. Its only 4 ounces. You'll live) reactions weren't horrible.  The thing about The Reset is it is different for everyone. Stay tuned for Day 2

 recap!

Are You A Lighthouse, Or A Storm Cloud?

Every day you are going to find yourself in situations that involve other individuals whether it be at work, with your family, in the market, or even on-line. People feed off of people. We feed off of the other energies that are present around us, and yes, even through the computer screen. Have you ever been a round a group of people and you leave feeling like all of the air was sucked out of you? You don't leave feeling revived and upbeat, you leave feeling deflated and miserable! Or have you ever been around a group of people where you leave you feel like you are light as a feather, can't stop smiling, and it is one of those times where you have been away for them from five minutes and you are already texting them planning the next meeting?

Since we feed off of one another, each encounter YOU have YOU need to make the choice: am I going to be the lighthouse, or just another storm cloud?  Don't be that person in the group that is negative or cynical. Don't be the person who drags the rest of the group down and ruins the situation. Be the lighthouse! The one that shines THROUGH the darkness, the one that people LOOK FOR when times get tough! When you change your attitude to a positive one and consistently share that attitude with others, you will help them to create a more positive live thus creating a ripple effect.

Try it!

Bite Your Tongue!: How Words Can Change Your Life

Hey there! Welcome to another blog entry. I hope when you are done reading you feel just a bit more fulfilled and uplifted than when you began :)

We always hear that words have power. Do you remember that saying from when you were little, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me"?  It's a crock of crap. Words hurt. Words get into our psyche without us even KNOWING it...they are like stink bugs! Infesting the world around them.

But here's the really awesome thing about words: the negative ones can totally infest your life, take you to a dark place, and affect the world around you and turn it into a more negative place...but the positive ones can also totally infest your life, take you to a light place, and affect the world around you and turn it into a more positive place. So we need to learn how to pick and choose the words that fill our vocabulary.  Even JOKING about our appearance or our life can negatively affect our reality if those words are negative.

Gabby Bernstein sums it up beautifully (as always). Make sure you check out this video. Comment below on how you can start incorporating this practice into your own life. And while you are at it, make sure you subscribe to her YouTube channel

GabrielleBernstein

No Sugar Banana Bread

I LOVE BANANAS! which means I also love anything banana flavored.

There is just something about banana bread. I think I love it so much because it reminds me of my grandmother. We would always make it together and the smell of banana bread would fill her house. I can remember always turning the oven light on just waiting for it to be ready.  When it was pulled out, she would let it cool and then sprinkle it with powdered sugar. Nothing will ever beat grandma's banana bread.

But if you are like me and watching your sugar in take, Grandma's recipe might not be for you! But this one is, and it tastes PHENOMINAL!

Ingredients

 
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar free applesauce
3/4 cup honey
2 eggs, beaten
3 mashed overripe bananas

Directions
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together applesauce and honey. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Tried it? Comment below! What did you think!

Check back every Friday for a new, fabulous, DELICIOUS, healthy dessert!

How to Achieve Goals through Forced Efficiency

There is a lot that can be said for your surroundings. It is not just about the people that you surround yourself most that will determine your success in life, but also what you surround yourself with in your personal work space.

The goal is productivity. This can be said for a white collar job, a blue collar job, a network marketing job, a sales job, etc. Productivity takes preparation no matter what line of business you are in. Just like a surgeon has all of their tools in front of them prior to that first incision, so must you prior to sitting down to finish what you are working on.

Forced efficiency means an arranged desk, pens, pencils, a notepad, a calendar, etc. It means having everything where everything needs to be. It means that things literally need to be within reach, in eye sight, and in the proper place. It means being free of clutter. It means tapping into your OCD side just a wee tad.

Try this: the next time that you sit down to finish a task, take everything off of your desk. Go through the pile and return only those items that are ESSENTIAL to what you are currently working on. By only having the essentials on your desk you focus remains on the task at hand, and distraction is less likely to occur.

Prepare yourself for success, and you shall achieve that success.

Chocolate Mug Cake

So I have this Fit Thru the Holidays challenge group that I am running that consists of 40 women pledging to stay true to their health and fitness through the holidays. It's not easy! Especially with all the temptation lurking around. I found this mug cake on Facebook and it looked AH-MAZING, so naturally I had to try it and it lived up to its reputation. Check it out!

 Ingredients

1 scoop Shakeology
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
- mix well in mug
Add in 1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg whites)
3 tbsp almond milk
- mix well
 

Take a big scoop of peanut butter and push down into the center of the mug
Microwave for 90 seconds
Top with more peanut butter

OMG! Fantastic! Delicious! MORE PLEASE!

A Life Change Through Friendships

I always grew up believing that old saying, "When you get older you will only have one or two good friends". I was anticipating my friends to dwindle and fall off each passing year of my 20's, until finally in my 30's it was just me, my husband, and my dogs. I was expecting to live a boring life, maybe do some gardening on the weekends (which is a joke because I kill any plant I touch), and just be "normal".

Well I'm on my way to 29 and I have seen some great friends leave my life over the past 10 years: I wish them well. But on the other hand I have had many people find their way back into my life, as well as made some new friendships that I never saw coming. So to say that the old saying is true, would be a lie.

Having the mindset that I do now, it is hard for me to sit here and think back to being 20 and basically accepting a way in which my life was going to go. I didn't even question it, I just accepted that is how it was going to be.  That's how I have been for the majority of my life is just accepting of "life's ways".  "It is what it is" is something you would always hear me say. I certainly wasn't building myself up to be anything great. An average life was just fine.

Then I took this leap of faith and decided to be a Beachbody Coach. I had no idea what that meant, or what I had to do, but I heard the word "discount" and figured why the hell not. I was hoping it wasn't in-home parties, or passing out catalogs, delivering product, or storing it in my house. Honestly..I just wanted my damn discount!  I was so relieved when I learned it was nothing like what I had pictured it to be. But I was pleasantly surprised as I stuck with it and began to see what it was becoming.


Beachbody, as corny as it sounds, has brought old friends back into my life and new friends into my life that I hold very close to my heart. And these aren't just friendships with lack of meaning or bond between them, these are solid friendships - the kind that you had with your B.F.F in 4th grade where no matter what, you were there for each other. There was a glue there, and there is a glue now with the friendships that I find in my life.

Quickly my world began to change. No longer was it "friends" complaining about this that or the other, or "friends" listening to a vent session and then running and telling someone else, it was finally friends that were FRIENDS. Friends that held respect for one another, and held each other to such a high standard that they refused to sit back and watch one another fall on their face. These are the friends with muscle behind them; the kind that can lift you up no matter how down you can be.

Being someone who has dealt with depression in the past and some really poor friendships, this new breed lifted me higher. This new group of friends took me to a place where I didn't accept anything less than amazing in my life (so whether or not you are a Beachbody Coach, if we are friends you must be pretty damn awesome). Through friendships I learned how to live a higher quality of life, and how to expect and accept only the highest quality for my own life.


I know this is a very corny post, and I'm not typically like this; however, all of the "thankful" posts on Facebook made me think of what I was very thankful for and that's for my friends. Honestly, if it wasn't for you guys I don't know what kind of life I'd be living. So THANK YOU!!

How to Achieve Your Goals by Considering the Consequences

Everything that we do in life involves consequences. There is a great quote that says, "You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequences". The same can be said for the consequences behind not doing daily activities that move you closer to achieving your goals.

The obvious consequence is that the goal won't happen; however, for some people that is not enough to get them moving. And if that is you, that's okay. There is more that you can do.

Tony Robbins always says that anything we do, or seek, in life is a method for avoiding pain and increasing pleasure. With that being said, the consequences of you not achieving a certain goal can become a lot more serious when you think of the pain it could cause yourself and those around you.

Let's take the example of a woman who needs to lose a good deal of weight as prescribed by her doctor. She puts it off because she doesn't enjoy working out, and she loves food. She has a vacation to Disney World coming up. She has two little girls age 7 and 9, but mom can't ride any of the rides with them because she can't fit in the seats. In addition, mom chooses not to go in the pool with them because she doesn't feel like putting on a swimsuit. The family vacation that the girls were looking forward to is now greatly reduced in meaning and fun because the mother could not take the actions necessary to better herself. Her inaction has caused pain not only for herself by constantly being denied the ability to ride the rides, but by seeing the look on her girls faces. There's a little bit of embarrassment there, resentment, regret. The girls aren't having fun because mom can't join in and they are jealous of the kids around them that have parents playing with them.

As you can see, that example is full of a lot of pain. The consequence is not just, "If I don't watch what I eat I will not lose weight or become more healthy". Now the consequence behind the inaction takes on a much more serious role that dives into the emotions of not just the person not taking the action, but all of those around her.

This is what you need to think of when you consider inaction towards a goal you have. Not just what is the obvious consequence if it doesn't happen, but how does that affect those around you. How does that make you feel? How does that make them feel? How does lack of completion push you forward?  After you have permitted yourself to explore those emotions, turn them around. Think of what happens when you DO achieve your goal. How will that make you feel? How will that make those around you feel? What can you provide them with now that you have accomplished what you set out to do? What can you now push yourself to do that you couldn't do before? Take those emotions, and run with them.

Healthy Pumpkin Cookies

 I'll admit, I'm a pumpkin-holic. I love all things pumpkin: coffee, bread, pie, and now...cookies! And now I can enjoy them at about 52 calories a pieces, which is LOADS better than the kind at the grocery store! Take about 30 minutes out of your day to try this amazing recipe. You're taste buds will thank you :)


Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp. sea salt
1¼ cups pumpkin puree
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup raisins (or unsweetened dried cranberries)
¼ cup chopped raw pecans

Click here to get loads more delicious recipes!


 Preparation:
1. Preheat oven for 350° F.
2. Lightly coat baking sheet with spray. Set aside.
3. Combine oats, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a medium bowl; mix well.
4. Add pumpkin, maple syrup, raisins, and pecans; mix well.
5. Drop by rounded Tbsp. onto prepared baking sheet; flatten cookies with a spatula.
6. Bake for 14 to 15 minutes or until firm.



Nutritional Information (per serving):

Calories: 103

Fat: 3 g

Saturated Fat: 0 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 67 mg

Carbohydrate: 18 g

Fiber: 3 g

Sugar: 9 g

Protein: 2 g

Leaning Out through the Holidays

As November starts tomorrow, me and some of my friends have planned a Fit Through the Holidays challenge group. I'm very excited for this group, because this is typically the time of year where I go hog wild on sweets and comfort foods. I cannot help it, I love to eat. Guilty as charged!

But one thing that can get me on the right track is the accountability of others, and that is what this group is set out to do. Each person who has joined can expect uplifting accountability from the others within the group, motivational support at every hurdle they may face, meal planning, recipes, contests, fun activities, and discover ways in which they can make changes that will positively affect their life even after the 60 day challenge group is over.

Our goal is not to be sitting around binging on New Year's Eve claiming how we are heading to the gym the next day to sign up for a year membership, or how we are going to take on Crossfit. Our goal is to be sitting around on New Years Eve telling others how we have already done that and how we plan on bettering ourselves even more throughout 2014. We plan on bragging (maybe a little bit) about how we have already been practicing healthy eating and fitness for the past 60 days and how we are ready to take 2014 by storm without having to make a resolution to lose weight.

For this challenge I am going to be taking Brazil Butt Lift on for the second time. The first round, I achieved AMAZING results. I won't lie, I have remained VERY active and workout 6 days a week, but my day job leaves me sitting on my butt ALL-DAY-LONG. I swear it's getting flat and ain't nobody got time for that!

I'm excited to see what this challenge is going to bring me in the form of increased awareness, fitness, and friendships. Can't wait to report back in!

Want in on this challenge? Shoot me an e-mail at nik4213@gmail.com for details for entry!

How to Achieve Success through Reverse Engineering

When I share my vision board for a new year in January to my social media audience, it is most commonly met with cheers of support from my friends. I mean, that's only natural right? You always want to support your friends and their goals. What surprises people the most, however, is when I post the vision board again at the end of the year showing what I had accomplished, and what still is left to be taken care of.

The difference between goal attainment and dreams is action taken on part of the individual. You can plan for hours, days, or even months on how you are going to develop a life that you feel that you deserve, but it will never amount to anything or go anywhere without action by YOU.

So how do I achieve everything I set out to do? I plan and I permit myself to have some fun in the meantime.

Life doesn't have to be so serious all the time, that's why my vision boards always contain business strategic goals, and fun little goals for myself.  But regardless if it's a business goal, a personal goal, or just a fun goal that you have set for yourself you need to plan.

The first step is writing down exactly what it is that you want.  What do YOU want? I'm not asking what other people want FOR you, I'm asking you what you want. This is not a list you have to show others, you can keep it to yourself. But get honest about it.

The second step is putting a date on it. When do YOU want it by? Now, some people will say go way outside of your comfort zone with this, but this is a step that I usually spend the most time on because I want my goals to be challenging, but not so much so that they seem impossible. When creating a goal, think about what you have now, what you will have in the future, and the amount of time you have to work on achieving it.  Most importantly, and this can be hard, but how much heart do you have behind it, because that is going to determine a lot of what you are willing to sacrifice to get there.

The third step is to write down everything you can think of that is needed to achieve that goal. This is called reverse engineering and is a step that is most often skipped, but one of THE MOST VALUABLE steps to take. This lays it all out for you. This gives you a clear picture of EXACTLY what you need to do. It is the rough draft of the story that you are about to create. After doing this, you might need to adjust your dates a little bit and that's okay, just make sure you are not laxing on yourself to the point where you will get lazy.

The final step: take action. Take massive action to make it happen. Take one goal at a time, look at it reverse engineered, and think of how you can take one step per day (or more) towards achieving those small items on the to do list of your goal. 

At first it's overwhelming, but practice makes perfect. Not to mention, every goal you mark off is a boost to your own self confidence, and your own belief in yourself which will push you further through life to achieve things you never thought possible.

Quality vs. Quantity: Getting the Most Out of What Matters

As you may have noticed, it has been almost a month since my last blog post. A lot is going on in my life right now, which has taken me away from some of my normal and enjoyable priorities.

My last entry was about doing what you love, and what you love becoming just another j-o-b. For me, that is what a lot of things were becoming largely because I had overloaded my plate with activities. I would be lying if I said my plate was not still full; however, after taking some time off to re-evaluate what I was doing, how to do it better, but more importantly how to do it efficiently while also being effective, I believe I have found a good formula.

After talking with one of my best friends last night, she made mention that sometimes when we are very busy we begin to do tasks just to do them. Our brain begins to go on autopilot, and there is not much thought or heart put behind what we are doing. We are simply doing it to get it off of our To Do list so we can move on to the next item and if we are lucky,finish them all that day.

The problem with this method is that your quantity may remain high in the period of stress; however, the quality of what you are doing begins to be negatively affected. When your quality of work goes down the drain, the time (be it short or long) that you spent working on it was largely a waste of time. When you are extremely busy, the best thing that you can do for yourself is make the time you are spending on tasks WORTH your time. After all, your time is valuable and clearly if you are at this point there is not much wiggle room...so if you are going to do it, do it right.

This might mean scaling back, even if you are like me and that idea scares the crap out of you. Sometimes we need to give ourselves a bit of a break. This does not mean quitting, rather re-evaluating where you can offer the most value at the given time with your given responsibilities and obligations. This idea falls back on the 80/20 rule: 80% of your results are going to come from 20% of your efforts. The trick that lies before you is deciding which tasks are your 20% that will yield you the highest results.

Here's how to do it: List your activities for the day and look them over. Which one of them will have a domino effect on other parts of your life? Which ones will move you in a positive direction towards your goals? Which ones MUST you do because they are an obligation?

My suggestion: If you have an obligation that stands in the way of you doing the activities you need to do to move you towards your goals (for example: grad school paper), get that over with first. It is the ugliest, probably most un-enjoyable item on the list, but if you get it done first the feeling of accomplishment you will have will propel you to dive into your next, hopefully more enjoyable tasks with heart.

In addition, once you have picked out the 20% of activities that will give you 80% of your results, work those next. And don't just do them to do them. Remember, the other tasks are not giving you 80%. Sure, they contribute here and there but they are not the "head honcho" of things you need to do. So rather than looking at them and thinking "I must get these done!" Stop. Breathe. And work on your 20% with a lot of thought, effort, and heart behind it. Put your time and effort into these tasks and watch it payoff...then you can go do the other small activities if there is time. By always focusing on what matters most, you can continue to move in a positive direction even when times are tough

Nicole's Method: I use the Reminders app on my iPhone for my daily To Do list. I write everything in there that I need to do for the next day (clearing out my brain before bed) and then when you click on the little "i" icon, you can add a priority to those items. My ugly obligations get highest priorities because I want them out of the way ASAP, then my 20% items get the next highest priority, and the trivial tasks that I would LOVE to get done, but if I don't it won't push me further ahead or make me fall behind get the lowest priority. I hold myself accountable to this list and resist the urge to go to the lesser priority items until they are the only ones showing on the list. I have found this works for me.


Do any of these ideas work for you? Do you have other ideas that you would like to add? Feel free to comment below and don't forget to follow me on Pinterest at Nicole Murray Fitness for various boards pertaining to how you can better your health, your fitness, and your life.

Make today awesome!

The Difference Between Your Passion and a J-O-B

I like to educate myself on the things I do, and while reading a blog titled, "10 Lessons Seth Godin Can Teach You About Blogging" by Neil Patel on quicksprout.com the difference was brought up between blogging because of your passion or blogging because of the money. This got the wheels turning for me...

What you do in your life, are you doing it because it's a passion or because it makes you money? If you are lucky enough, then whatever you do does both of these things, but for many of us that's not the case. Many of us hear the word, "passion" and feel like any passion has been sucked out of us. We don't even know what it means to have a passion or a dream anymore. Or! We know what a dream is: it's a dream. Something nice to think about, but the odds of it happening? Ehhh...not great!

And this is where we lose any chance we have of achieving anything that we want. The moment we succumb to the feelings of doubt, especially doubt in our own abilities, is the moment in which we have admitted defeat, stop trying, and barely find a reason to get out of bed in the morning other than to go sit in rush hour traffic on the way in to work. And if this is you, it's okay. It happens. I've been there. Totally fixable.

Find your passion. Go with it.

I'm not saying quit your job and go be a juggler because juggling is your passion, but hey! if you can get a business going with that and it can support you, by all means, my friend. Do yo thang!

Being real though, a passion creates a fire inside of you that keeps you moving forward towards your dreams when it feels like you can't. A passion gets you through those days at the office where you just want to throw your monitor out of the window. A passion can even get you away from that terrible office if you play your cards right, work hard, and get committed to it.

But there is a word of caution: your passion must remain your passion or you are doomed to fail. This isn't easy, especially once you start doing what you love full time. There needs to be a balance between keeping your passion your passion, and not doing too much that it becomes another J-O-B.

See, you should never want a vacation from your passion. It's what drives you. When you wake up in the morning, it is what you set out to do no matter what! It is something that FULFILLS some need inside that you have. And it does this without obligation, without stress, and without procrastination. That's your passion. Anything else is a job. And if you have turned your passion into a job, and it feels like a job, take it back to its roots. Why was it a passion in the first place? There's meaning behind what you are doing..you just need to find it.

The best way to keep it fresh? Always be learning about it. Always be challenging yourself in new ways to reach new heights with it. Always keep your eye on your "prize"...and while your eye is on it, throw in an added obstacle that you need to clear to REACH it because the more you push, the more you learn, the more you conquer, the stronger you become. When you are strong in an area, nothing can hold you back from achieving your dreams except yourself.

Do you have some crazy, amazing, uuber awesome dream but you aren't sure where to even START! Shoot me an email and let's talk nik4213@gmail.com

Les Mills Instructor Training: What to Expect

As I was setting off on this journey myself, searching for resources about what to expect at a Les Mills instructor training, I found nothing. It was a bit frustrating because I am one of those people who loves reading reviews prior to setting out to do anything. I had heard a lot of wonderful things from friends of mine who were instructors, but I wanted MORE. So I wanted to type up this quick little blog to give you a tidbit of what you can expect at a Les Mills (LM) Instructor training as I recently attended Body Combat for two days and it blew my mind (yes...they are THAT good).

An LM Instructor training can be summed up with 3 words: Empowerment, Strength, and Friendship

Empowerment: Have you ever just wanted to be yourself? Sure, you might preach that you are always your own person, but I would be willing to bet that there has been a time or two when you have tucked "yourself" away for fear of being judged by others. This was the first atmosphere that mixed a variety of people together where I think everyone felt safe being who they are. I know I did. The shyness wore off VERY quick and it seemed like after lunch that first day you would have thought we all had known each other for years, and not a mere 5 hours.

Beyond getting your true self out there for others to experience (because let's face it...you're awesome) the LM training left participants feeling empowered to follow their dreams, be amazing at whatever they set out to do, and left us all with a mindset that if we want it, we can get it. I know personally, that on my 2 1/2 hour drive home through the high mountains of Maryland and West Virginia that I felt on top of the world (literally and figuratively). I wanted to write a blog, post a video, and tell every stranger I could about the experience that I just had. In fact, I went to pick up some food and treated  myself to a beer while waiting, and it took a lot to not start gushing to everyone at the bar and showing them how to throw a proper punch (no, no, no! Strike surface is the first two knuckles!). I figured that might be TOO much, so I just silently sipped my beer and continued to reflect on the amazingness from the weekend.  If you go to a Les Mills instructor training, be prepared to come out feeling like you are on top of the world.

Strength:  There are two areas of strength that are going to improve by attending one of these trainings: physical and mental. In order to prepare for your training you will be provided with the most current release from your program. For some releases you must memorize all of it, and for others you are designated certain tracks. You should be practicing this every day, multiple times a day, for the two weeks leading up to training. At training itself, it's a 10 hour day full of physical activities designed to perfect your motions and get you comfortable with teaching the LM format.

Here's the crazy thing, though: on a typical day, could you go to the gym for 10 hours, enjoy every moment, and continuously push yourself to a new limit? Unlikely. But at an LM training YOU DO! If you read my blog, follow me on Instagram (@Nik4213) or on Facebook, you know that I am a huge advocate of positive thinking to achieve positive results, and my training proved that theory. I'll never forget, there was a section where we all had to stand in a circle, arms around each others shoulders, and practice our roundhouse kicks for one minute (which we will all agree, it was longer than that!). Each of us was relying on the others to keep a strong core and balance (because you never put that foot down). We were exhausted, sweat was dripping, but we just kept talking to each other and at one point we all started singing the song that was on at the time. It was probably one of the highlights of the training for me, because in that moment we really all came together as one tribe, with one goal. We refused to allow any of us to fail, and if you did see someone starting to go not only did you encourage them to stay strong, but you got a little bit stronger for that person. If you go to a Les Mills instructor training, be prepared to come out mentally and physically stronger than you have ever been, with a new meaning and feeling of respect when you think of the word "teamwork".

Friendship: I have been to quite a few instructor trainings for programs that are not LM. I have been to seminars, networking meetings, and rallies and at these you can typically find a "buddy" to hang out with if you are by yourself. If you come with a group, most likely you might stay within your group. This is not the case at an LM training. Within my group there was a group of girls that all taught at the YMCA where the training was located. At first, being the only one NOT from the state of Maryland I thought that it might be a very long, very lonely weekend. Again, within the first few hours we were all one tribe. There was no division based on who taught what, where you taught, or where you were from. I'm not sure what it was (perhaps just an amazing instructor) but the entire room just ... meshed. Positive comments came in abundance after each practice of a track, we built each other up when we thought we were at a place where "up" was not a reality, and if you ever got the feeling of "this might not be for me", the group reminded you of why you showed up, your abilities, and why you SHOULD be a Body Combat instructor. Never in my life have I experienced such a situation.  This wasn't just friendship for the weekend, this felt real. Two weeks later I still talk with at least one of the girls every day. Though we are separated now, and some are lucky enough to practice together, we are still pushing each other and cheering one another on through the computer screen. I know that these friendships are something that are going to last a long time, and continue to have a positive impact on each of our lives as we continue through our LM journey. If you go to a Les Mills instructor training, be prepared to leave with some new, quality friends that are more like a family.

I cannot say enough about this experience. This blog does not even begin to do it justice. I struggled, I ached, I laughed until I almost peed my pants (thanks, Anne). It was 20 hours of hard work, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Stay with the fight!