Win Cool Stuff: A FREE boudoir Shoot with Christina Gressianu

Come to SimplyLive and you could

Win a FREE Boudoir Photo shoot With our Friend and Amazing Photographer Christina Gressianu

($250 value)

We know you are Beautiful, But we Want you to show yourself

Health Misconception: I just don't have the time!

No one said being healthy was going to be easy, but it does not have to be terribly difficult either! That is what this workshop is all about, making healthy living "simple." I am going to give you something to think about and to work on that may help you create space for a new lifestyle rather than adding things to your already busy schedule. Speaking of schedule, why don't you pull yours out and take a look at it.

Does it seem like you have no time to take a break and breathe?

Do you get sick and tired just thinking about your schedule? Well guess what?

YOU made your schedule!

The good thing is, you can "un-make" your schedule too. Please don't feel like there is no hope for you or begin to feel guilty because life seemed to get away from you. The first step in creating a better lifestyle for you and your family is the awareness that something has to change. The word lifestyle means, "a way of life or a style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group." What is your lifestyle saying about you? How do you want to improve it? What needs to change?

For me, I needed balance in my life. I needed to set boundaries so I could create the healthy balance I needed in my life to show up as the best me everyday. So how did I do this? Well you still have your schedules out right? I want you to get a couple of highlighters and choose a color to represent the following categories:

1. You time (ex. workout, massage, reading, date night, etc.)

2. Family time (if this applies to you) - anything that has to do with kids (sports, classes, meetings, etc.) or family activities (church, rec center, out to dinner, etc.)

3. Work/Business - anything revolving around your business (lunches, meetings, networking groups, seminars)

Now I want you to go through your schedule for the past month and put highlighter boxes around your activities with its respective highlighter color. If you have more categories, please add them. After you do this, flip through the weeks and you will see one of two things;

1. I have a balanced life and no color is overpowering OR

2. I am unbalanced and the color ___ is running my life.

When we add a new "thing-to-do" in our busy schedules we look at our full plates and wonder where in the world am I going to fit that in? We are only given so many hours in the day and days in the week. Are you spending your time wisely or not? What can you take out of your schedule? I know that family time is extremely important, but not if it's making everyone crazy running around trying to get everything crammed into a 24 hour window. We need to choose activities that are nurturing and beneficial to every member in the family, such as exercising or helping with the meals. There is no law that says that only one person in the house should get dinner ready. How much time could you save if everyone helped in the kitchen from cooking to setting the table to cleaning. This allows you to spend time together as a family. I hope this helps you look at how you are spending your time and whether it is serving you! It is important to remember to make time for the important things in life. Have fun creating your health lifestyle!

Blessings,
Dr. Audrey

Win Free Stuff: The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook!

 

Big giveaway number 2! We are so excited to be able to give away one of our favorite gluten free culinary genius’ cookbook. Elana Amsterdam practically saved my life in my Paleo kitchen when she brought baking back to me. When I heard about her book and saw her blog it took me about .2 seconds to buy the book and go online and order some almond flour so that I could start baking away.

Most of Elana’s recipes are also dairy free and some are vegan, which is an excellent plus! Her blog has a wealth of recipes as well and both Audrey and I visit it regularly for ideas.

Another reason I love Elana is because even though I know she probably gets tons of emails a day it took maybe a week for me to get a response from her when I asked for a copy to give away at our workshop. Thank you so much Elana for your recipes, donating this book, and keeping it personal… I am sure that is why your fan base continues to grow.

For great recipes check out Elana’s Blog and my personal blog empower fitness, where I post a lot of recipes I try from Elana, other blogs, and some of my own creations.

How do you win this and our other prizes? COME TO OUR WORKSHOP!

Here is some info on her book:

It is estimated that three million Americans have celiac disease, one of the most under-diagnosed diseases in the US. A gluten-free diet is imperative for celiac sufferers and also enormously benefits those with diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, heart disease, and IBS. Almonds are a long acknowledged
superfood: high-protein, low-glycemic, low-cholesterol, full of fiber and antioxidants, and so nutritious they are now considered a recovery food for cyclists and other athletes.

Most importantly, they offer great nutrition without sacrificing flavor. The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook features delicious recipes made with nutritionally dense and readily available almond flour. When Elana Amsterdam and her son were both diagnosed with celiac disease, she was inspired to develop tasty gluten-free recipes her whole family could enjoy. She embarked on a personal journey in which she combined a lifelong interest in nutrition and holistic living along with culinary training to create a variety of wholesome gluten-free meals. Almond based products, most notably almond
flour, became the key ingredient to her success.

Featuring quick and easy recipes that are highly nutritious, rich in vitamins, minerals, “good” fats, and flavor, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook will satisfy both discerning “foodies” and those on restricted diets alike. From breakfast favorites to comfort entrées and baked goods, this full-color
collection of 95+ no-gluten, low-sugar almond flour recipes (the first extensive collection of almond flour recipes ever available) breaks down the invisible wall between those with food restrictions and those without, making it possible for all to enjoy the wholesome goodness of great food.

ELANA AMSTERDAM has been profiled in Fortune Magazine and the Wall Street Journal for her business ventures. When she and her son were both diagnosed with celiac disease, she was inspired to develop gluten-free recipes suitable for everyone. A popular food writer and cooking teacher, she lives with her family in Boulder, Colorado, and is available for interviews.
Visit www.elanaspantry.com.

I really want to get healthy… but I need to get healthy first

This phrase sometimes makes me want to punch things: “I really want to start working out with you or come to one of your classes, but I need to get in shape first.”

Really, when I hear this it’s sort of like in a Tarantino movie when the heroine first sees those who have betrayed her and that alarm noise comes on as if she’s about to explode.

OK maybe that’s too extreme, but I think you get the point. This phrase is an absurd statement. It’s like saying, “I really want to get healthy and I want you to help me, but give me like 6 months to get healthy first and then we’ll talk.”

While I completely understand where it comes from, this is also more where my anger comes from. The idea that people are so worried about what other people will think of them working hard to get healthy and reach a goal that is important to them that it would hinder their ability to move forward in life is just sad.

When someone tells me this I can figure out a few things:

1) The person can’t think of a better excuse to say they don’t want to work with me

2) The person is very self conscious and there are some inner things around that we need to work on before we can get to the real meat and potatoes of a fitness goal

3) The person would like to work with me, but part of them is a little afraid to go to the previously mentioned place in order to move forward.

4) The person has tried to achieve this particular goal many times before and is afraid of failure or has lost the belief in themselves that they can actually achieve this goal.

Usually, it’s a combination of all of these things. The overlying thing here is FEAR. And I am willing to argue it’s not so much fear of failure, it’s FEAR OF SUCCESS!

Why? Why would someone be afraid of succeeding? There are lots of reasons. Humans just have a tendency to limit the amount of pleasurable things we can feel and receive. Feeling great about your body and health is definitely on that list, and a huge road block for people because the truth is, being overweight and eating foods that are unhealthy keep people unconscious, keep them “safe”, and keep them feeling psychologically comfortable.

So if you find yourself saying to people that you’d like to start working out or eating better, but you “need to get healthy first”…. PAY MORE ATTENTION TO YOURSELF. Your body is crying out for you to do something. It might not even be to exercise or to eat better. There are many steps you can take to begin living a more healthful life like

· Focusing on sleeping better

· Go for walks outside when it’s nice and enjoy nature and life

· Working with a life coach/energy coach etc to help you move forward ( i.e. I do this sort of thing as well as fitness training)

· See a wonderful B.E.S.T. practitioner like Dr. Audrey

· Focus on doing one thing a day that makes you happy

· Hang out with friends and family

· Stay present

· Cherish life

I could go on and on. So, YES, exercise is an important part of feeling healthy and YES, eating well is also key, but the biggest factor is YOUR WILLINGNESS TO JUMP INTO THE UNKNOWN AND BE OPEN TO CHANGE AND POSSIBILITY. No expectations, no rules, no shoulds, no thinking, no efforting, all you have to do is be open to change and know that your openness will bring you the answers, messages, and guidance you need to get your body where it wants to be.

Win Cool Stuff at our Workshop! Born Fit

  

That’s right ladies, Audrey and I not only want to give you some great tools from us to help you live simply but we also wanted to give away some of our favorite things to help you get started!

The first giveaway we are super excited about. Bornfit is a athletic wear company based in Colorado that makes great workout clothes for busy women, mothers, and mothers to be.

They have generously donated the Princeton Crop Pant and the Bliss Torrey’s Full Zip jacket ( over $150 value!). Check out their website.

We’ve got more giveaways up our sleeves so stay tuned!

The Simply Live Workshop is Feb 19-20.