Nikki Sharp's Blog: Nikki's Thoughts, page 10

29 Life Lessons I’ve Learned In 29 Years

Today I turn twenty nine, and looking back I have learned a great deal during this journey. You all have inspired so much love and growth within me and today I want to share 29 life lessons I have learned in the past 29 years.

Do things for you. 
Make YOU time a priority. 
Get off technology and talk to people in person. You spending more time on your phone talking to your friends will not make you feel connected with people, it will have the opposite effect. Keeping your phone away when you are with others is a sign of respect and will make you enjoy your time together far more.
Have a routine. We are creatures of routine, so keeping a schedule will make you more productive and leave you feeling more accomplished each day.
Never underestimate yourself. You will always be your own biggest critic and you are capable of so much more than you think.
Value having a good support system. No matter how independent you are, you will always benefit from having friends and family members behind you.
Realize you are always loved, even when you think you’re not. We all go through times thinking there is no one who understands us, who gets what we are going through, or can handle what we are going through. You will have support as long as you ask for it because those around you really love you unconditionally.
You’re never given more than you can handle. 
You’ve done more than you think you have. You might focus on what you have yet to accomplish, but try to see your accomplishments from someone else’s point of view.
Money doesn’t buy you happiness. One of my favorite quotes is ‘some people are so poor all they have is money.’ All the money in the world won’t give you health, wealth, or happiness- this comes from being grateful, giving your time to others, and trying to become a better person than you were yesterday.
No matter how much might not see eye-to-eye with your parents, know they love you with all their heart.
Be compassionate to everyone. You never know the struggles they are going through, just as they don’t know yours.
Travel as much as you can, even when you think you don’t have money for it. There are always ways to travel and you will get so much more out of it if you do it without staying at 5 star hotels. Take at least one month off in your life, go alone, and travel to parts unknown that will challenge you. This will be the most rewarding thing you do in life.
There’s never a perfect time to start. Instead of waiting around for that perfect time that won’t come, make the most of the moment you’re in.
Getting pissed off about traffic or being late, won’t get you there faster.
Eating a healthy diet will make you feel good. Even if you find your self craving comfort foods, the healthier option will always have you feeling better in the long run.
Live in moderation. Never listen to someone that tells you to follow extreme ways of living.
Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Experiences are far more valuable than possesions.
Be proud of who you are. All of your life experiences have brought to this moment and you are pretty amazing. It’s really easy to think that we are never enough, but you are perfect exactly the way you are, in this exact moment.
Don’t ever let your passion die. It might change throughout your life and take different shapes, but never give up on what truly drives you.
No matter how busy you think you are, you should always make time for your life. There will always be another email to answer, order to fulfill, blog post to write and more. Don’t let the ‘I-need-to-do-this-right-this-second-otherwise-my-company-is-going-to-fall-apart-right-this-second’ mentality take over. Life is not what your phone, computer, emails, text messages or social media tells you. Life is what happens outside of this all.
Stop worrying about the destination and just enjoy the journey. We don’t know where we will be a year from now, let alone 10 years, so stop trying to control everything. Instead, be present with where you are in your life and be grateful for all that you have. Read more of my thoughts on this here.
No matter what job someone is doing, treat them with respect. Everyone deserves it just the same.
Be grateful for everything in your life. You will not experience the best times of your life without going through the worst, so learn to love the harder moments knowing they will take you to better ones.
Life is actually pretty freaking amazing. Yes, life might throw you a curve ball or two (or a lot), but when you realize that you have the power to change how you think about it all, things become a lot easier and more fun.
Stop comparing yourself to others. We each have our own journey and each shine in our own unique ways.
Putting someone else down won’t ever lift you up.
Your self worth is not defined by how many followers you have. Having a lot of followers or engagement doesn’t equate to being a nice person, nor does it mean you are happy. Spend your time trying to help others and being present in your life, not on your phone and you’ll find that you’ll be a lot happier everyday.

Thank you all for the birthday love and I can’t wait to see what year 29 has to offer.

Let me know what you think and share something you’ve learned in the past year.

Love,

Nikki

The post 29 Life Lessons I’ve Learned In 29 Years appeared first on Nikki Sharp.

How to Tone Your Tush in 3 Easy Moves

May 30, 2016

by Dana Poblete for Thrive Market

    

First it was J. Lo. Then it was Kim K. Now, Blake Lively. Our cultural obsession with derrieres is serious.

But even for those not quite genetically blessed in the tush department, it’s still possible—and pretty easy—to give it a boost. No weights? No gym? No problem. In this video, wellness expert Nikki Sharp shows three quick moves to tone your backside. Just do three sets of 10 reps on each side, three or four times a week. Her promise: “maximum gluteus maximus results.” Get on it!

How to Tone Your Tush in 3 Easy Moves
Around-the-world lunge

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Raised-leg bridges

Knee pulses

The post How to Tone Your Tush in 3 Easy Moves appeared first on Nikki Sharp.

The Only Butt and Arm Workout You Need!

Want to get in shape quickly? Read more to learn about this butt and arms workout that you will love/hate me for making you do…

Since getting to Thailand, I’ve had the awesome opportunity of working out with the two instructors for the MK courses, Celia and Julia, which has made it so much more fun. It’s also been challenging me to come up with new and butt-kicking workouts; something I love doing.

You all seemed to really enjoy when I post my workouts on snapchat (if you ain’t following me, you probably should as I post some pretty awesome shtuff there –> @nikkirshap) as they are my most screen shot thing I post. I promised you all that if I got enough engagement on my snap stories regarding the workouts I would post them on my website for you. Well, you all shouted loud and clear that you want them, so I’ll try and post them over the next few weeks for you to do. Don’t forget to comment on which ones you try so I know how to modify them. Each workout I post I have done and some will challenge you for speed, some will make your whole body cry and some are more focused on specific areas to tone up.

Today’s workout was one that I randomly came up with and it is KILLER. You end up doing 210 squats and 210 pushups, but forget I told you that because you shouldn’t know until the end when you finish. When you get to round 14 you’re going to want to quit, but keep going. I promise this one will leave you feel sweaty, challenged, yet really proud you continued it! I don’t get sore that often but this one definitely me feeling it the next day.

FEEL THE BURN WORKOUT ROUTINE: Butt and Abs

The basis is that you have two exercises:

squats
pushups

Remember to keep good form when you do the exercises, so don’t try and rush through them, forgoing form. Do as many pushups each time without your knees on the ground (even if it means only 3), then finish the round with your knees on the ground. Try to minimize your rest after you finish each round. You’re not going for time here, but you do want to keep your heart rate up.

If you find it’s too easy, then start doing jump squats counting from 10 down to 1. (I did this, and yes, you’re welcome. Your butt will hate you, but you’ll thank me later!)

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Hope you all love this workout as much as I did! Comment below and let me know when you try it!

Tons of love,

N

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DIY Face Mask: Glowing Skin With 3 Ingredients

I decided to create an awesome DIY face mask: glowing skin with 3 ingredients and here’s why…

Being in Thailand, it’s super humid and sadly my skin does not like this weather. And when I say does not like, I kind of mean hates it. The first week I got here my skin got that dewy, glow-y look that made me feel super pretty. I am pretty sure this was caused from having jet lag and going to sleep super early, meditating each morning, plus my daily gym sessions and the steam room. Cut to the end of week three and my skin has been fu-reak-ing out! I’ve never done well in super humid climates because I’m from Colorado and my body and skin just loves the dry. That being the case, my face has decided to really break out. Awesome.

I don’t think I can fully blame the weather though. I’m pretty sure it’s a mix of not washing my face enough considering it’s so hot, going from super hot and humid to air conditioned and cold throughout the day, recipe testing which means trying lots of sauces, which have an abundance of salt and sugar in them, and not eating enough vegetables. The culinary school has been super interesting and I am learning sooooo much, however we are definitely not here to detox. That is a whole other blog post that I could (and might) write, because we all assume that vegan/plant based food is super healthy and that you can’t gain weight, get skin issues, or digestion problems. Yea….wrong.

Vegan absolutely does not mean that it’s going to be super healthy or detox your body. And alas, this course is seriously magical and the concepts are amazing, but tasting cookies, pastries, various nut cheeses and sauces, then eating all the food you make doesn’t leave you feeling super light.

Okay, I digress. We are here to talk about SKIN! And how to clear up acne and breakouts and get glowing skin. But first, let me go back to my point above. There was a reason I brought it up, I promise! Acne is mostly caused from within, so the foods we put in our body, the water (or lack of) we drink, and sleep. I always advise my clients to change their personal routines before going out and buying supplements or expensive creams, as this will normally do the trick.

However, being in cooking school, there is only so much I can change about what I’m already doing. So I decided to make a really easy face mask with ingredients you will have where you live.

Here’s why this works:

Papaya contains vitamins A, C, E and is very high in antioxidants as well as alpha hydroxy acid, all of which help to hydrate the skin, reduce blemishes, and naturally exfoliate.

Honey is anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory, meaning that it can help to clear up acne and reduce redness.

Oatmeal absorbs oils from the skin and helps to relieve dry, itchiness as well as reduce any irritation. It’s a great base to mix in with other ingredients, lending itself to be extremely versatile yet effective.

DIY FACE MASK: 3 INGREDIENTS

Ingredients:

1/4 cup papaya
1 tbsp raw unfiltered honey
2 tbsp oats

Directions:

In your blender, add the oats and pulse so a flour like consistency is reached. If you don’t have a blender you can mix this all by hand, just be sure to really mash the fruit.
Add your honey and oats and blend until smooth. I personally like to chill the mixture after this because it gives a cooling effect to the skin reducing redness.
Apply liberally and keep on your face for 30 minutes. Wash off with luke warm water and a face towel.

Afterwards, add coconut oil to your face and go to sleep. Be sure to drink lots of water and get a good nights sleep and you’ll find that your face has not only cleared up, but is glowing the next day. Keep the mixture in the fridge and feel free to use this mask everyday!

For the mask I used: papaya, honey, and ground oats. You can swap out the papaya for any other fruit, so try banana, strawberry, cherry, or even use no fruit and add in some lemon juice instead or spirulina. Think about anything that is considered a superfood going into your body- you can also add this to a mask to make your skin glow from the outside as well.

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Hope you all love this mask! Let me know if you try this and what the results are. Comment below and share YOUR favorite mask!

Lots of love,

Nikki

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Interview with McKel from Nutrition Stripped

Since starting my Instagram account I’ve come across some absolutely amazing people that inspire me in so many ways. One person that I have been following for ages is McKel, the founder of Nutrition Stripped. I was immediately drawn to her profile because of the beautiful food photos that she posts which then led to me becoming a dedicated fan of her website, where she shares countless information on nutrition, recipes, being vegan/plant based and how to make food into an incredibly decadent art. McKel’s philosophy is to make nutrition simple by sharing easy recipes that involve plant based foods, all of which will heal the body, give you more energy and satisfy your tastebuds. I was very honored that McKel was willing to do an interview with myself, so please read below for her answers to some questions I think you’ll find very interesting.

Nikki: I find it’s always interesting to know how you got into the health world and if you were always healthy. Did you grow up already interested in eating well or did it come to you a bit later?

McKel: I’ve always been a foodie (I say that laughingly) as I’ve loved eating all kinds of foods from a very young age- my parents were great at having a balance of healthy foods and “normal” flexible foods like pizza etc. We had a garden growing up and I have vivid memories of the connection between our food and the nourishment it provided our bodies. In college and towards the end of high school I become really into fitness/sports/weight lifting and that was the initial kick start into nutrition. I also suffered from migraines as a teen and was able to treat my migraines with changing my diet completely to focus on whole foods that were right for me (i.e. dairy/gluten free). My health has improved immensely since living a predominantly plant-based lifestyle with no dairy/gluten(again this is for my needs). I generally have energy all day long to carry out my work and be present with my clients, engage in workouts, and feel great. I continue to practice a plant-based (mostly vegan), gluten free diet and of course that’s only half of the equation- I love to workout lifting weights, boxing, doing hot yoga, practicing meditation, art, being with friends, family and most of all living out my passion.

N: What inspires you when you are creating a new recipe?

M: I get inspired by different cultures, flavor combinations, textures, what’s in season, what I may be personally really into that day; and of course challenging myself to make healthy food into something delicious and a pleasurable experience versus what many people may think is just “boring”.

N: What is your favorite type of food to make? You are so well known for your green smoothies and they all look amazing, but do you prefer creating more sweet or savory dishes?

M: As much as I do love my Stripped Green Smoothies, I LOVE savory foods with loads of flavors, different combinations of textures, and especially meals that incorporate spice/heat. I really enjoy foods that have bitter, spicy, and bold components more so than sweet. Don’t get me wrong…I do love my chocolate!

N: There is so much conflicting nutrition advice out there of what is best to eat and when, how to lose weight, if vegan is better than eating meat, etc. What are some common misconceptions that you always hear and anything you would like to clear up?

M:

Carbs make you fat- this simply is not true, too much of any one macronutrient can aid in weight gain. It’s all about being strategic about carbohydrate intake, knowing when and what to have to meet your goals. I coach my clients on this all the time and I’m amazed at the results!


Don’t eat carbs past 3pm (or some other silly time)- see above explanation, ha!


Everyone should be vegan, raw, gluten free- this is totally dependent on the individual and nothing else. There is NO right way of eating other than eating whole foods! Gluten free doesn’t work for everyone nor is needed for everyone’s lifestyle, same with any other “diet” out there. We all have to find out what works for ourselves and forget about what “so and so” is doing to make their health optimal.


You have to do 2 hours of cardio and eat very low calorie diets to get results- simply not true. You have to optimize your metabolism, incorporate weight training for most of us, and be smart about your diet! Getting a solid plan and being consistent is so crucial when it comes to changing body composition.

N: If you could give one piece of nutritional advice what would it be?

M: Eat more plants! Whole foods should be the foundation and root of all of our diets.

{Click here to visit Nutrition Stripped recipe index for all the recipes featured above}

N: When you get a sweet tooth craving what sorts of foods do you have?

M: My go to is high quality dark chocolate or my Dark Chocolate Avocado Mousse. It’s full of healthy fats, fiber, and that rich chocolate taste, love it!

N: I know that you are dairy free/gluten free. How long have you been eating this way and do you ever stray away from these if you’re at someone’s house for dinner?

M: I’ve been eating dairy-free and gluten-free for 6 years or so. 99% of the time I’m gluten free and dairy free besides the 1% as you mentioned, when let’s say I’m home for the holidays or there’s a meal prepared for me that contains something with dairy or gluten. I know how it’ll make me feel the next day, but I also recognize the need for flexibility in life. It’s not going to harm me long term because I get right back on track! If anything, I come from a household of amazing cooks and they typically use ingredients I don’t often use and I still enjoy their meals.

N: You have accomplished so much and there is such a touch of elegance and love in everything you do. What advice do you have to people going into the health world or wanting to become a dietician?

M: First, thank you so much for that! And second, this is such a great question and probably the number one question I get emailed (besides how to lose weight!), I wrote an entire blog post to answer some questions about that here. In general we live in such an instant gratification society where we all want it now or else we don’t want it at all. This is the biggest mental road block that will keep anyone from succeeding in the health and fitness field- it takes a lot of hard work, long hours, making sacrifices, strong will, determination, and of course passion for what you do! Business success especially when you’re working from the ground up solo, takes tremendous amounts of patience and hard work- you’ll get there if you’re determined, follow your passion, and have your own unique voice!

N: Are there any other accounts on Instagram that you enjoy browsing? Anyone we would be surprised to find out about?

M: I LOVE fashion/design accounts- as much as I’m a foodie and fitness fanatic, I do this for a living and the majority of my day is spent talking, writing, photography all about food- I need a break from it! I love @songofstyle, @aninebing, @madewell, @rag_bone, @apartmenttherapy etc.

N: Tell the audience something interesting that no one would guess about you.

M: My first career choice was art (this was also in high school that I decided that), then in college my first major was psychology, then marine biology, then I found my true calling nutrition! To this day, I still have a passion for art and animal life- much of which I’ve been able to integrate into my current lifestyle.

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I hope you all enjoyed this interview with the absolutely lovely McKel! Check out her website and Instagram account for more inspiration and amazing recipes.

xoxo,

Nikki

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What I Learned From Not Hitting The New York Times Bestseller List

Just over a month ago I released my first book, The 5-Day Real Food Detox nationally and it was a pretty tremendous achievement. Like most authors, I had my sights set on the New York Times Bestseller, which is kind of like winning an Oscar, but for authors. When I went into the planning of the launch, my entire goal was revolving around hitting the List and there was very little that would stop me. When I told my editor and PR team from Random House, they kept advising me not to get my hopes up to high and to just focus on getting books sold. The two really went hand in hand to me: sell a ton of books and get on the List. Get on the List and sell even more books.

As most authors will say about their own work, their book deserves to be known by the masses, and I’m not different when I state this sentiment. To me, the book I wrote really is a game changer because it’s a plan that works on so many levels, and it’s not just a plan, it’s a little guide of all things health related that can change your relationship with food. I’ve had nothing but great feedback from the book and those who have done the detox. So it wasn’t out of the ordinary when I really thought that I was going to hit NY Times.

But I didn’t.

The first week, which is the most important to any author, came and went and I had good sales, but nothing worthy of making the List. Second week came with more great sales, but still no List. Then the first month passed and I realized that it wasn’t in the cards to hit the List right now. Which got me thinking, if I could share anything I learned about not making the New York Times Bestseller List, what would it be?

I did a LOT of research about marketing a book and how to hit the List. I listened to every podcast, bought books on how to market your book, spoke with my PR team at my publisher a ton, spoke with my agents, read as many blog posts as I could… I felt like I had a lot of knowledge. Nothing prepared me for what happened though.

Here’s what I learned from not hitting the New York Times bestseller list:

Do your research. Like all things in life, if you want to become better at something you must learn about it. This is why we go to school for such a long time, why we study to get our Master’s, and why read books on happiness, how to make money, and all sorts of other topics. In order to do better, you must learn something you didn’t know. And so for me, learning all that I could about the New York Times was imperative. I asked my publisher and agent countless questions and didn’t give up until I felt I fully understood. I read as much as I could (in a short period of time, more on this in #5), looked at all different sources, asked around to people I knew who had hit the list if they would give me advice, and then I took notes on everything that stood out for me. Reading lost of books and listening to podcasts are great, but if you don’t actually take notes, write down your action plan, and put your thoughts on paper, doing all the research isn’t worth half as much.
Set your sights high. I truly believe that simultaneously we can celebrate what we have today, while trying to go for what we want tomorrow. I was able to be completely grateful for the fact that I even had a book deal, yet I chose to push my sights to something that is pretty unattainable. In aiming for the list, I was pushing myself far outside of anything I’ve ever done and it scared the crap out me, yet at the same time, pushed me more than anything ever has. My thoughts on this is that if you never push yourself out of your comfort zone, you will not learn all there is be learned, nor will you see if your dreams can actually become reality. Some of your hardest battles in life and they longest journeys will lead to the most rewarding of times, so be prepared for the long haul if you are aiming high.
You will never see a positive result with negative thinking. I started planning the book launch about two months in advance and each day I was stressed out, exhausted, cranky, and not a very fun person to be around. One day I had a light bulb moment and realized that hitting the list is a very positive thing. Yet I was ending each day with so much stress and feeling overwhelmed, which is very negative. The epiphany came when I understood that my daily stress (negatives) was not going to add up in two months to the List (positive). It seems really simple, yet so many of us allow our days to be ruled by stress, when we are trying to live happy lives. As soon as I understood this, I was able to change my daily negatives into keeping track of how many little positives I could have. I began meditating daily, even if only two minutes. I wrote in my gratitude log. I made a lot of time to do “Me” things like working out, going out to dinner with friends and whatever it took to enjoy my day. The outcome of this was that each and every day I started feeling more little positives, that it almost became a game of ‘how many positives can I add up today.’ To make this more simple, think about your stressors in life, each one is a (-), so imagine if you have 3 days of really stressful days (-)(-)(-) à this is NOT going to somehow end it a (+). Yet if you can change your attitude towards your day you will have more (+)(+)(+) = +
Enjoy the journey no matter what the outcome might be. When I changed my way of thinking and turning my negatives into positives, I realized that each day was becoming better than the previous. The two months flew by and I can’t really tell you what I did each day, but what I do know is that I enjoyed almost every moment of it. I really, truly had an incredible launch and wouldn’t have changed a thing about it (except #5). When you let go of your attachment to whatever outcome you are trying to achieve, you can start to appreciate the day-to-day moments a lot more. And this goes for everything in life. That’s not saying don’t aim for the moon, it’s just saying that when you set your sights high, plan for it, try to get there and appreciate every moment, but make your focus on all the things leading up to it, not the actual journey. This has been one of the greatest lessons I took away from the book launch, purely because we all hear that quote so often “it’s not about the journey, but the destination” yet it’s incredibly hard to actually take a moment to appreciate what it means. Really, it means slow down, smell the roses, maybe get stung by a bee, but know that when you did, it’s because you were taking time for something beautiful. There is no such thing as only good in life, we have to experience pain, hardship, and a lot of BS in order to experience some of the best moments of our life!
Plan, plan, and plan some more. Ah, now this one. Of course. Let me tell you one small secret: if you don’t plan for whatever your dreams are, you probably won’t achieve them. So while I don’t want to change anything about my book launch, the only thing I would have done differently is to start planning way in advance. It’s taken me a bit of time to process why I didn’t plan the book launch further in advance and I’ve come to understand that it was fear. A lot was riding on me for this book and I went through all the emotions of feeling like I didn’t deserve a book, that my publisher messed up giving me a deal, and more and I believe subconsciously I allowed this to slightly sabotage my efforts. Now understand, I’m being completely transparent with you all right now and sharing something pretty scary. It’s not easy to admit that deep down you don’t think you deserve success (although most of us have this rooted in us). That being the case, it is completely in your hands to be able to change this and plan for your future to create the success you want. If you want to buy a house, you wouldn’t try to “find” enough money a few months before; you would save up for a long time. The same goes for taking a test, getting your dream job, or in my case hitting the List. I slightly freaked out and left it until I had two months left, at which point I did everything I could, which was still a lot. I had a gallant effort we’ll say. But please take my word for it; if you want to achieve greatness, you have to plan it out!
Don’t let other’s fears affect you. When I started telling people that I was trying hit the List, by far the biggest reaction was “Oh gosh! But what if you don’t hit it?! What will you do?” Let me share a little secret: that is other people’s fears hiding inside that sentence. We are all programed to react certain ways because of what has happened in our life. Our minds think more negatively, which is natural and for most when we have bad things happen in our life that is what gets set subconsciously over all the good moments. This isn’t necessarily bad, but you should be aware of it. Naturally, I understand the question because people wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to go jump off a bridge or go into a deep depression if I didn’t hit the list. I get it, I really do. Now I also had a few people say, “Wow! That’s awesome! I know if anyone can do it, it will be you!” Want to know about the people who said this to me? They are all individuals who have become very successful in their own fields because they don’t let fear control them. They are the ones who believe that when you put your mind to something and have a plan you can do it. Of course, there were more people asking me the “what if” question than telling me I could do it and I had to learn to let go of any thoughts associated with the ‘can’t do it’ statements. I set my sights high, I planned (to an extent), I knew I had a good product, and I went about my days turning them into positives. All of these made it easier to not be bothered by people asking me a question that is actually very caring, and instead just go about doing what I needed to do.
Have faith in the universe/unknown. I didn’t hit the List and do you know what? I’m not upset about it. I really, honestly am not. I know there are things that I could have done differently (again, such as planning!), but I’m not mad about not hitting it. I have let go of my association with this “thing” and instead I enjoyed every moment. I realized going into my book launch that if I did everything I could in terms of work, was positive throughout the journey, and still didn’t hit it, that the universe had some other plan for me and that was okay. The scary thing about life is we don’t know what’s next. We don’t know when we might get in a car accident, when we might find the love of our lives, or if we might be laid off. All we can do is know that we are going into each and every day filled with gratitude, love, kindness and compassion. When you do these simple things, you will find that trusting the universe, god, Spirit, or the unknown (or whatever you call the power beyond us), it all becomes a lot easier. Life is full of beautiful surprises, crazy life lessons, hardships, love, loss, anger, pain, happiness, and every other possible thing we can experience. We cannot control any of it. All we can control is how we handle our own mind and to trust that what is meant to be, will be.

So as you can tell, there were a lot of lessons that came out of launching my book. What I learned from not hitting the New York Times bestseller list was a lot of really incredible things and quite honestly, it’s a really beautiful thing for me to be able to put these onto paper and express them to you. Maybe you are trying to hit the List yourself, maybe you are looking for your dream job/partner/house, or even life. No matter what your goal is, what I’ve shared above can be applied to anything and I truly believe that when we take a step back from what we “think” is what we should be doing, and instead let our intuition, love, and compassion lead us, everything begins to make sense.

With love,

Nikki

 

 

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My Life Is Perfect…?!

My life is perfect.

That’s what most people seem to think when they look at my social media channels. The beautiful photos I post on Instagram tell a story that I get to jet set across the world, that my career keeps going up and up, and that life is pretty magical.

Now I won’t disagree with a lot of that because I DO get to go on amazing trips, stay at incredible hotels, and I am a lot further in my career than when I started. Yet there is a sadness in the background. It’s something that I’ve been dealing with for a while now and I typically keep my mouth shut and play into the ‘I’m super happy’ vibe. It’s not that I’m lying; it’s just that I choose never to dwell on the bad, because there is a learning opportunity from all things, especially the harder times in our life.

So let me explain a little bit about why I write this:

I’m in Thailand at the Matthew Kenney Culinary academy, a program that I’ve wanted to do for over a year. I finally made the plunge and decided to come out here, which has been an incredible decision. I’m loving every single moment of it. (Check out a bunch of the vlogs I’ve been doing here, here, and here.)

Every moment except all the ‘crap’ that keeps coming up in my own mind. All those deep rooted fears that have been hiding and decided to come out when I’m alone and really taking time for ME. All those little fears that keep telling me I’m not good enough, that I don’t deserve anything, and that I am not making a difference with my life.

It’s one thing to have the fears that we all have, yet it’s an entirely different one to sit with them day after day in a country by yourself, where you don’t get to talk to your friends often because of the time difference and you have a lot of time to ‘think.’ Thinking can be both good and bad. Thinking too much about your fears is not good, but acknowledging them and working through them is good.

I’m finding myself getting incredibly jealous of other people in my industry that their careers are going up faster than mine. I am seeing that I am putting myself down because my social media engagement is pretty bad. And I notice that there is a constant sadness which is starting to literally weigh me down and make me feel heavy, like I’ve eaten a huge meal at all times of the day. (If you don’t know about how emotional stress affects the body, google it, because it’s one of the biggest reasons why you might not be losing weight or having other health concerns!)

I’ve been chatting to my mentors about this and all these feelings and I am grateful to have their love and support. Side note: it’s so vitally important to be able to get perspectives on your own situation from others who love and care about you, so never feel ashamed about asking for help or sharing your feelings. In fact, I did this tonight on snapchat (follow me @nikkirsharp) and went on a little bit of a rant talking about how sad I am and that I don’t think I’m making a difference in this world and my followers were amazing- they have been responding with the most beautiful messages.

I can say that for the first time in my life I’m grateful to be able to acknowledge these crappy feelings, because it means I can look fear in the face and understand that it’s something that my mind is creating for no other reason than to challenge myself- to make me stronger and to help me grow. We all go through craptastic times and wonder why God/The Universe/ Spirit is making us feel so unhappy. Why me? Why did I have to go through this?! (Sound familiar?)

I’m learning that through my sadness and all the jealousy BS I’m experiencing, that it’s making me challenge my way of thinking and doing. Clearly I need to make a change to evoke a change. I cannot keep doing the same thing and expect a different result.

So really, I share this all for two reasons. Well, three. The first is that I will always be honest with you all, no matter how tough it is. I hold myself back a lot of times because I see all these other bloggers never sharing their tough times and it makes me think I shouldn’t either. But then I remember that I do what I do to help others, so of course I will share what I can. The second being that by sharing I am acknowledging what is going on and I can now make a change. I could sit here and keep wallowing in my own sadness, or I can take tomorrow as a new day and really dedicate the rest of my time in Thailand to figuring out what will make happy again and doing it! And last, I share this because I think that we all go through bad times and it’s really important to know that you are not alone. We are all in this together and if I can help at least one of you with this post then I will be grateful I shared my story.

With that, I’m going to take a little bit of a social media break. No emails, no phone, no laptop, no snapchat, no Instagram…just me, my fellow classmates, Thailand, delicious food and lots of yoga and meditation. Back soon though!

In the meantime, I’d love to come back to a bunch of comments from you all. Are you going through anything similar? Do you have any words of wisdom for myself or the other readers? Comment below!

Love you all!

Nikki

The post My Life Is Perfect…?! appeared first on Nikki Sharp.

Fashion To Look and Feel Your Best

Ever wonder why that perfect outfit sometimes only looks so perfect on the store mannequin? Let me tell you what I have learned from the fashion industry my loves – sometimes it seems to forget that we don’t all look the same. And I don’t know about you, but I am so glad we don’t! How boring would that be? It’s time we feel comfortable in our own skin, and finding the fashion that makes you look and feel your very best is the perfect place to start.

As a model, I got used to being handed an outfit and being expected to rock it – whether or not it was necessarily the best style or shape for my body in particular.

The truth is – the same article of clothing IS NOT going to look the same on different women of all shapes and sizes. Even though models are expected to be thin, that doesn’t mean they are all shaped exactly the same, now does it? I am a firm believer that EVERY body shape is beautiful in its own way and we should each be able to celebrate our uniqueness. How uninspiring and dull would the world be if we all looked the exact same? So fashion shouldn’t treat women like we were all molded from the exact same cookie cutter, now should it?

That is why I am currently in love with the suits of South Beach Swimsuits. A few weeks ago I did a shoot in this bandeau style one-piece South Beach carries from designer Gottex and it made me feel absolutely amazing!

South Beach does something I find to be revolutionary – they help women find the style of suits that compliment THEM and their beautiful, individual selves. I’m pretty tall, and though I carry a lot of that in my legs, I have a long torso as well. South Beach Swimsuits explains on their website that a dynamic bandeau style neckline and horizontal prints are perfect for those rocking the long torso like myself. The Gottex Costa Brava Bandeau One Piece was exactly that and I LOVED IT. This suit was designed by Gottex, which uses cultural influences in the design of every suit. You all know how much I love to see the world, and I also love to see how the world can inspire fashion. I so recommend taking a look on South Beach Swimsuits for your newest summer addition to make you feel your best.

No matter where you may be in your fitness journey, you should feel beautiful in the skin you’re in RIGHT NOW. Even if you have weight you want to lose or muscle you want to gain, know that you ARE beautiful and rock the fashion that makes you feel your best! As you continue to reach your fitness goals this satisfaction will continue to grow, but we move forward best from a place of loving ourselves, not punishing our bodies!

What makes you feel beautiful? Is there a type of fashion or beauty product that has you feeling your best? I would love to hear your own personal beauty secrets, share in the comments below

Photos by my awesome friend: Kaelan Barowsky

Love,

Nikki

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What Am I Doing in Thailand?

As I write this to you, I am sitting in a car for a three-hour ride on the last leg of a very long journey from LA to Thailand that began yesterday. My journey getting here really started about a year ago…so let me take you back to July of 2015.

I’m walking into Matthew Kenney’s brand new culinary school that he had recently opened on Abbott Kinney. The marble stone tops, students listening to a lecture by Brendan Brazier about sports nutrition, food in the dehydrators, and an incredibly inspiring atmosphere stood before me. It was at this exact moment that I realized I wanted to go to the Matthew Kinney Culinary School and learn more about plant based cooking.

Cut back to right now, May 1, as I sit in a traffic jam leaving Bangkok after two long flights (and missing my original flight the day before). I’m going to Evason Six Senses hotel in Hua Hin to study Fundamentals of Plant Based Cooking for the next 27 days.

If you know anything about me, then you know that I love cooking. However, it was not always like this and I basically learned to love it by trial and error. I never went to school, never learned the proper chopping techniques by a teacher, and have never felt super confident in cooking for large parties. Yes, I’m great at making food look pretty and taste great, but I’m not great at feeling really confident in making recipes outside of my comfort zone. So there’s this, paired with the fact that I love to learn! Any chance I get I will take a course on anything food or health related, yoga, and now cooking.

Matthew is a good friend of mine and I expressed interest in going to his Thailand school. He was a bit surprised I wanted to do this one over Venice, however for me, it was an incredibly unique opportunity to study plant-based food in a place that I love. Random fact: I used to live in Bangkok when I was modeling. If you want to check out what my modeling days were like, click here.

It was about a month ago that I finally decided to pull the plug and commit. (Another random fact: I have a hard time committing to things past a few weeks out.) So here I am, sitting in this car in Thailand about to go do something that I am insanely excited about.

The day before I left, one of my friends said, “I could never do a journey that long.” It made me laugh because I realized in that moment: the longer and harder the journey, the more rewarding it will be. So to have left my cat, my apartment, my friends, and travelled a very long 25 hours to get here, I know the journey of letting go will be worth it. This is exactly the break both mentally and physically that I need after my book launch. It’s exactly what I need in terms of stepping up my cooking game. And it’s exactly what I need to have the creativity and inspiration to start writing my second book.

Check out my first vlog of the trip!

So when you ask, why am I in Thailand for one month? My answer is simple: to experience all the beautiful things that life has to offer. To meet new people, make new connections, to rest and rejuvenate my mind and body, oh yea, and to go to one of the coolest cooking schools there is (at least to me!).

I’ll be posting a lot on my website about my experience, as well as doing some vlogs on YouTube, and of course my usual Snapchat (@nikkirsharp) and Instagram. So if you’re curious to see what Thailand is like, what the course consists of, how the COOKED course is different than the raw and if it’s worth it to take, then I highly recommend subscribing to the blog or any or all of my various social media channels.

It’s gonna be an exciting month and I can’t wait to share this all with you!

Lots of love,

Nikki

PS- Have any of you taken any of the MK Culinary courses? Would love to know your thoughts on if you’ve done his, or any others of if you’ve been looking into a class like this. Comment below so I can learn about it!

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Join the 30-Day Sharp Challenge!

Hi my beautiful peeps…..

Want to get a jumpstart on getting into the best shape of your life just in time for summer? It’s time to tone up, slim down and be the wonderful happy beings we should be. If this sounds as amazing to you as it does to me, then I have big news for you! Now over a month after the release of my book, The 5-Day Real Food Detox, it’s time to put it to good use TOGETHER. I’m hosting my first ever 30-Day Sharp Challenge, and I want you to join me! The first 5 days will be the detox and then we will incorporate recipes from the Sharp Lifetime Diet, short workouts, happiness exercises and more.

You will see amazing results to your body, mind and spirit, as well as join an amazing community and support system with others participating. I have LOVED seeing #sharpsquad all over IG. To join the challenge leave me a comment and post your photos with the hashtags #sharpsquad #30DaySharpChallenge or #realfooddetox and follow other detoxers using the same hashtags.

I am so excited for this journey with you all. This past month since my book released has been like a dream and thank you to all of you amazing lovelies who have purchased my book and helped to make my dream a reality. If you don’t have it yet – get your copy of The 5-Day Real Food Detox today to join the Sharp Squad on the 30 Day Sharp Challenge.

To get started, check out the various workouts and recipes on my website for ideas on how to make the most of the challenge. If you need outdoor workout ideas, I gotcha covered HERE and if you’re looking on how to meal prep for success, learn how I do it HERE.

DOWNLOAD THE CALENDAR BELOW, just right click and save it to your phone or computer.

Can’t wait to do this month long journey with you all!

Tons of love, Nikki

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