52 Healthy Habits to #Maximize YOUR Life

52 Healthy Habits to #Maximize YOUR Life

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What is your definition of health? Mine is “Living a purpose driven life, happy and surrounded by family.” I bet mine is slightly different than yours and thats OK. Read the list below and if you want to learn more about each of these items and why they made my list, then stick around. Over the few months, I hope you join me as I will blog on the following 52 Habits to #Maximize your life. My mission is to empower 10,000 moms with the tools to  #maximize her life, grow a profitable biz from home and life a life of freedom. I want to educate and coach women

  1. First thing every morning- drink warm water with ½ a lemon (or 1-2 drops doTERRA lemon oil). Add a pinch of cayenne pepper
  2. Drink clean filtered water with doTERRA essential oils
  3. Get 7-9 hours sleep daily
  4. Get adequate down time/rest
  5. Learn to say “No” (on of my favorite books Boundaries for Leaders)
  6. Eat more meals in a relaxed state (not standing at the kitchen counter…I am guilty of this)
  7. Try chewing every bite of your food 30x (this is a great weight loss tip)
  8. Learn to manage your blood sugar with the foods you eat  (grab my FREE sugar detox)
  9. Find more ways to laugh…Watch a funny video or movie with friends or family or a website like this one i cry laughing every time i look at this!!
  10. Oil Pull (I like to use coconut oil with onGuard or peppermint)
  11. Dry Skin Brush (here is a video to teach you the benefits and show you how to do it)
  12. Spend more time outside
  13. Reduce the toxins in your home (we do this primarily with essential oils)
  14. Get grounded (start your day with doTERRA’s balance on your feet)
  15. Get daily light exposure (Vit D is like a natural prozac and had many benefits)
  16. Get regular body work done (massage, acupuncture, reflexology, aroma-touch (this is a treatment done using 8 of doTERRA’s EO’s to reduce stress, inflammation and improve circulation and restore balance in your body)
  17. Find a workout program that works for YOU and is fun (the more you enjoy your workout, the better chance of you continuing to do it.)
  18. Find the foods you are allergic/intolerant to and eliminate them from your body (#Maximize your life in 28 days program will walk you through this)
  19. Limit your sugar to 5g or less at each meal (this will help with #8)
  20. Avoid ALL artificial sweeteners
  21. Support your liver daily (eat potassium rich foods and supplement with milk thistle and curcumin- which are BOTH in our Life Long Vitality supplements- did I mention this is my favorite product EVER!!)
  22. Add superfoods to your diet every day!! (macca and cacao are great to add in your smoothie)
  23. Learn to think positive…start creating a new belief system
  24. Manage overall stress (prioritize your time …my fav book on the subject is Essentialism )
  25. Do some  personal development daily (see my list of favorite books here)
  26. Download Audible and listen to books while you are taking your morning walk
  27. Poop every day (the quality of your poop is a direct indication of how well your digestive tract is functioning)
  28. Trash the plastics in your life and slowly transition everything to glass
  29. Eat clean unprocessed foods (rule: avoid anything with more than 5 ingredients or if it has an ingredient that is not a real food)
  30. Sweat daily
  31. Learn a menu plan that works for YOU…not me, not your neighbor…YOU!! Not sure how to figure it out? Check out my “Simple 12-step Weightloss and Lifestyle Program”
  32. Learn and practice good posture (especially if you have a desk job)
  33. Never sit longer than 45 min at a time…get up and move (one of my fav apps Pomodoro)
  34. Try journaling… this is a cute little app that reminds us to be grateful…Happier
  35. Eat more raw foods
  36. Eat and drink probiotic rich foods (watch my video on my first try at kombucha tea)
  37. Support your local farms
  38. Eat as organic as possible (print this out and keep in your purse Dirty dozen/Clean15)
  39. Use essential oils to help detoxify your life and boost your mood
  40. Develop a calming bedtime routine ( a hot bath with epsom salts and lavender oil)
  41. Spend time with God every morning…start your day with prayer and meditation
  42. Hug, cuddle and enjoy more touch
  43. Have more sex with your husband
  44. Eat at the right time (scheduling your meals allows for better digestion… ie: 7am breakfast, 10am snack, 1pm lunch, 4pm snack (if needed), 6pm dinner)
  45. Stop worring about calories and focus on your macro nutrients (protein/carb/fat)
  46. Quit feeling guilty about food
  47. Listen to more music, Dance to one song every day (this is my fav on right now )
  48. Learn more about doTERRA essential oils and use them DAILY (see my daily routine here)
  49. BELIEVE in yourself
  50. Find or make a natural skin care regime (see our EOJunkie recipes for DIY eyemakeup remove, toner and face moisturizer)
  51. Celebrate the little things
  52. Find the things that “fill your cup” and do them every day

 

My top #MaximizeHer tips to living a purpose driven life

  1. Time blocking and using the pomodoro timer will #maximize your time
  2. Find your purpose in life and LIVE it!! (The Purpose Driven Life is my all time fav)…this will help #maximize your God given talents
  3. Spend money on good food and supplements…shop at Goodwill for clothes and other things…this will #maximize your treasures
  4. Find the foods and exercise that #maximize your temple

nikkicleary

3 Ways to Avoid Overeating at Meals

3 Ways to Avoid Overeating at Meals

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Sometimes those holiday feasts are just amazing.

And it’s not just the abundance of delicious food but also the people, the decorations, and the ambiance.

It is way too easy (and common) to indulge on those days.

But it doesn’t always stop there.

Sometimes we overeat on regular days. Or at regular meals. Or All. The. Time.

Here are three tips to avoid overeating at meals.

(Psst, turn these into habits and ditch the willpower!)

Water pouring into glass. White background

Tip #1: Start with some water 30-45 min before eating

When your stomach is growling and you smell amazingly delicious food it’s too easy to fill a plate (or grab some samples with your bare hands) and dive into the food.

But did you know that it’s possible to sometimes confuse the feeling of thirst with that of hunger? Your stomach may actually be craving a big glass of water rather than a feast.

Some studies have shown that drinking a glass or two of water 30-45 minutes BEFORE a meal can help reduce the amount of food eaten. And this super-simple tip may even help with weight loss (…just sayin’).

Not only will the water start to fill up your stomach before you get to the buffet, leaving less room for the feast but drinking enough water has been shown to slightly increase your metabolism.

Win-win!

Tip #2: Try eating “mindfully”

You’ve heard of mindfulness but have you applied that to your eating habits?

This can totally help you avoid overeating as well as having the added bonus of helping your digestion.

Just as being mindful when you meditate helps to focus your attention on your breathing and the present moment being mindful when you eat helps to focus your attention on your meal.

Do this by taking smaller bites, eating more slowly, chewing more thoroughly, and savouring every mouthful. Notice and appreciate the smell, taste and texture. Breathe.

This can help prevent overeating because eating slower often means eating less.

When you eat quickly you can easily overeat because it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to know that your stomach is full.

So take your time, pay attention to your food and enjoy every bite.

Bonus points: Eat at a table (not in front of the screen), off of a small plate, and put your fork down between bites

Tip #3: Start with the salad

You may be yearning for that rich, creamy main dish.

But don’t start there.

(Don’t worry, you can have some…just after you’ve eaten your salad).

Veggies are a great way to start any meal because they’re full of not only vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and health-promoting phytochemicals but they also have some secret satiety weapons: fiber and water.

Fiber and water are known to help fill you up and make you feel fuller. They’re “satiating”.

And these secret weapons are great to have on your side when you’re about to indulge in a large meal.

Summary:

Have your glass of water, eat mindfully, and start with your salad to help avoid overeating at meals.

Recipe (Water): Tasty (and beautiful) Pre-Meal Water Ideas

If you’re not much of a plain water drinker or need your water to be more appealing to your senses here are five delicious (and beautiful looking) fruit and essential oil combos to add to your large glass of water:

  • Slices of lemon & 1 drop ginger essential oil
  • Slices of strawberries & 1 drop wild orange essential oil
  • Slices of apple & 1 drop cinnamon bark essential oil
  • Slices of orange and 1 drop peppermint essential oil
  • Blueberries & raspberries

Tip: You can buy a bag (or several bags) of frozen chopped fruit and throw those into your metal or glass cup, thermos, or uber-cool mason jar in the morning. They’re already washed and cut and will help keep your water colder longer.

References:

https://authoritynutrition.com/7-health-benefits-of-water/

http://summertomato.com/the-science-behind-mindful-eating-what-happens-to-your-body-during-a-mindful-meal

Start with your “Why”

Start with your “Why”

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I LOVE TED talks. They are less than 20 minutes and straight to-the-point. When you want to learn about a new topic always check to see if there is a TED talk on it. #MaximizeHer

Simon Sinek the author of “Start with your Why” has perfected the topic and helps you understand the importance of creating a purposeful and heart-felt why. “People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it!!” 

Use this worksheet to help you craft the perfect why for your doTERRA buisness.  “Finding your Why Worksheet” When you start with your why, all the “hows” will fall into place. 

“The purposeful are those who have found something meaningful to dedicate themselves to, who have sustained this interest over a period of time, and who express a clear sense of what they are trying to accomplish in the world and why. They have found a cause or ultimate goal that inspires their efforts from day to day and helps them fashion a coherent future agenda. They know what they want to accomplish and why, and they have taken concerted steps to achieve their ambitions.” -William Damon

  
What is Metabolism?

What is Metabolism?

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This word “metabolism” is thrown around a lot these days.

You know that if yours is too slow you might gain weight. But what exactly does this all mean?

Well technically “metabolism” is the word to describe all of the biochemical reactions in your body. It’s how you take in nutrients and oxygen and use them to fuel everything you do.

Your body has an incredible ability to grow, heal, and generally stay alive. And without this amazing biochemistry you would not be possible.

Metabolism includes how the cells in your body:

  • Allow activities you can control (e.g. physical activity etc.).
  • Allow activities you can’t control (e.g. heart beat, wound healing, processing of nutrients & toxins, etc.).
  • Allow storage of excess energy for later.

So when you put all of these processes together into your metabolism you can imagine that these processes can work too quickly, too slowly, or just right.

Which brings us to the “metabolic rate”.

Metabolic rate

This is how fast your metabolism works and is measured in calories (yup, those calories!).

The calories you eat can go to one of three places:

  • Work (i.e. exercise and other activity).
  • Heat (i.e. from all those biochemical reactions).
  • Storage (i.e. extra leftover “unburned” calories stored as fat).

As you can imagine the more calories you burn as work or creating heat the easier it is to lose weight and keep it off because there will be fewer “leftover” calories to store for later.

There are a couple of different ways to measure metabolic rate. One is the “resting metabolic rate” (RMR) which is how much energy your body uses when you’re not being physically active.

The other is the “total daily energy expenditure” (TDEE) which measures both the resting metabolic rate as well as the energy used for “work” (e.g. exercise) throughout a 24-hour period.

What affects your metabolic rate?

In a nutshell: a lot!

The first thing you may think of is your thyroid. This gland at the front of your throat releases hormones to tell your body to “speed up” your metabolism. Of course, the more thyroid hormone there is the faster things will work and the more calories you’ll burn.

But that’s not the only thing that affects your metabolic rate.

How big you are counts too!

Larger people have higher metabolic rates; but your body composition is crucial!

As you can imagine muscles that actively move and do work need more energy than fat does. So the more lean muscle mass you have the more energy your body will burn and the higher your metabolic rate will be. Even when you’re not working out.

This is exactly why weight training is often recommended as a part of a weight loss program. Because you want muscles to be burning those calories for you.

The thing is, when people lose weight their metabolic rate often slows down which you don’t want to happen. So you definitely want to offset that with more muscle mass.

Aerobic exercise also temporarily increases your metabolic rate. Your muscles are burning fuel to move so they’re doing “work”.

The type of food you eat also affects your metabolic rate!

Your body actually burns calories to absorb, digest, and metabolize your food. This is called the “thermic effect of food” (TEF).

You can use it to your advantage when you understand how your body metabolizes foods differently.

Fats, for example increase your TEF by 0-3%; carbs increase it by 5-10%, and protein increases it by 15-30%. By trading some of your fat or carbs for lean protein you can slightly increase your metabolic rate.

Another bonus of protein is that your muscles need it to grow. By working them out and feeding them what they need they will help you to lose weight and keep it off.

And don’t forget the mind-body connection. There is plenty of research that shows the influence that things like stress and sleep have on the metabolic rate.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to metabolism and how so many different things can work to increase (or decrease) your metabolic rate.

lemon-chicken

Recipe (Lean Protein): Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken Breasts

Serves 4

2 lemons, sliced

1 drop rosemary essential oil

1 drop thyme essential oil

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)

dash salt & pepper

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive old

Preheat oven to 425F. Layer ½ of the lemon slices on the bottom of a baking dish. Sprinkle with ½ of the herbs and ½ of the sliced garlic.

Place the chicken breasts on top and sprinkle salt & pepper. Place remaining lemon, herbs and garlic on top of the chicken. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover with a lid or foil.

Bake for 45 minutes until chicken is cooked through. If you want the chicken to be a bit more “roasty” then remove the lid/foil and broil for another few minutes (watching carefully not to burn it).

Serve & enjoy!

Tip: You can add a leftover sliced chicken breast to your salad for lunch the next day!

References:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-energy-balance

https://authoritynutrition.com/10-ways-to-boost-metabolism/