Nikki Sharp's Blog: Nikki's Thoughts, page 9

My Favorite Beauty Products

I gave you guys a look inside my beauty routine and other things I’m loving in the previous blog post, Things I’m Loving In July. Well, its August so it’s time for an update! Everyone is always asking me what skincare and makeup I use, so I wanted to give you a closer look, so here are my favorite beauty products right now!

It’s all about natural products at the moment. You have probably been seeing this trend everywhere, but have a lot of questions or don’t know where to start. We worry so much about what food we put in our body, so why shouldn’t the same apply to what we are putting ON our skin.

Let’s talk about acne. We can all agree that a pimple popping up on your face can ruin your day. I have also struggled with this in life. Eating clean and using clean products have made a huge difference with my skin. These listed below are my tried and true, the products I keep going back to.

My Favorite Beauty Products

Masque Purifiant

This is hands down one of the best mask I’ve tried. You have probably been reading all the benefits of charcoal for skin. I always make sure to include charcoal in my skincare routine. This Purifying Mask gently exfoliates, draws out impurities, and soothes the skin. My skin always looks better after 10 minutes with this mask.

Rosewater Spray

This Rosewater Spray is a total pick-me-up that has become a staple of mine. You will always find this in my office or purse when traveling. One or two sprays instantly refreshes your skin. It can also be used to set your makeup.

Protect all over sunscreen

The biggest anti-aging secret you have probably heard is wear SPF, and for good reason! I never leave my house without sunscreen on. I used to hate wearing sunscreen because it would make my skin oily or breakout. I have found Beauty Counter All Over Sunscreen to work really well with my skin. It blends right in and doesn’t make my skin look oily at all. It also has aloe, which helps to hydrate skin, green tea, which is a great antioxidant and blood orange extracts which fights free radicals.

Skin Tint

This skin tint really is game-changing! We all know how foundation can feel heavy and certain kinds can be irritating to the skin. Once I was introduced to this Skin Tint, I never looked back! The formula really evens out my skintone and looks super natural. You can also apply it for a sheer look or buildable coverage, which I love from day to night. This tint also contains hyaluronic acid, which really plumps the skin. If you don’t know what hyaluronic is, you want to be using it!

Lustro Shimmer Oil

I love using this oil all over to fake that LA tan we all want year round. It is really subtle and makes a big difference. Anytime I’m going to the pool I put this on to have a better glow and a beautiful shimmer on my skin. I really swear this stuff is magic!

Touchup Skin Concealer Pen

This is a really great product! I use this under my eyes and it gives me that awake, fresh look. This can also be used to spot treat or use as a highlighter. I like keeping this in my purse for a light touch-up throughout the day or night.

Lip Sheer

As you can see, I really love the lipsticks. I have them in almost every color! That mixed with the gloss, I’m good to go. Typically I wear more nude colors, but it’s been fun to play around with it and do darker colors at night and corals. They go on smooth and shiny.

I Would love to know your thoughts on these products! Have you tried them? Which brand your favorite. Comment below and share them with me as I love trying new things!

Love,

Nikki

The post My Favorite Beauty Products appeared first on Nikki Sharp.

Live With Nikki- Meal Prep

As you all know, I’m doing the 5-day detox this week, oh boy oh boy is it needed! Last week was a bit of a crazy week, both in terms of work and also I had a lot of friends in town so I found myself having a few more drinks than I would normally like. That led me to being really ready to get my body cleansed and get back on track with working out by this past weekend. Having decided to undergo the detox, I also had a really great idea, which was to do Facebook Live videos all week.

These will focus on everything from meal prep (Live with nikki- meal prep) is the first one, followed by detoxing tips, raw versus cooked, and all my tips and tricks. I’m really excited to share these all with you this week. It’s a new thing for me and I personally find them more interesting than highly edited youtube vids. I’d love to know which ones you like more- FB videos or Youtube?

Anyhoo, enjoy this first video in my little series. I’d love to know what you think!

 

Lots of love,

Nikki

The post Live With Nikki- Meal Prep appeared first on Nikki Sharp.

Comfort Foods Made Healthy- Access Hollywood Live appearance!

Huge news! I was on Access Hollywood Live earlier this week and the segment came out so great! For those of you who follow me on Facebook or Snapchat, I had asked what you all wanted me to make for the show. The theme was summer comfort foods made healthy, which was really fun.

Of all the ideas that you shared with me, I decided to make make sweet potato fries, fried chicken, potato salad, french toast and blueberry cobbler. All of these are absolutely delicious but normally not that good for you. So the task was how to take these comfort foods and turn them into healthier dishes that don’t make you feel guilty. I mean who doesn’t want french toast without the guilt and extra pounds?

CLICK HERE to watch the Access Hollywood Live video!

I’m so excited to share this with you and for the video to be seen. It’s a real fun segment! Also, if you want the recipe for the french toast, check it out here! The rest of the recipes I’ll get up as soon as possible, promise my little love bugs.

Here are my top tips for comfort foods made healthy:

French fries: Swap white potato for sweet potato 

Fried chicken: Swap white flour for oats

Potato salad: Swap mayo and eggs for Greek Yogurt

French toast: Swap maple syrup for heated up berries

Blueberry cobbler: Swap butter for coconut oil

I would love to hear your thoughts on the segment, which recipes you liked the most and what YOUR favorite comfort foods made healthy are! Share below!

Lots of love!

Nikki

PS- If you would like me to come on your local show, radio station, or podcast and share my top health/lifestyle/fitness tips, please email me at info@nikkisharp.com. I really enjoy doing TV segments and other appearances and would love to help  promote your brand!

The post Comfort Foods Made Healthy- Access Hollywood Live appearance! appeared first on Nikki Sharp.

Inspiring Interviews- Carly Zimbone

Today’s inspiring interview is with Carly, a sophomore in college who has found her health and path to happiness after dealing with family turmoil, overeating and sugar addiction. She has developed amazing ways to stay focused on her health and goals every single day! Read what she has to say below.

Xoxo

Nikki

—

Nikki: What is your name and what do you currently do?

Carly: My name is Carly Zimbone, I am a sophomore at the University of Tampa – majoring in Entrepreneurship and Marketing. Presently, I am a passionate lifestyle blogger and a certified Nutrition Specialist, living in Tampa where I am igniting an onward movement filled with perspective, existence, and forward purpose. I created this movement for myself by aligning the intentions of mind, body and soul. Now, I am ready to spread this ideology to other’s in order to positively impact others. I began my blog TheEmpowerist, about one year ago in July 2015 for fun because it is something I am truly passionate about. On campus, I work in the Wellness Center as the Coordinator of the FOODs (Focusing On Optimal Dietetics For Students) Initiative. We are on a mission to educate students about healthy habits in order to create a productive lifestyle. We host biweekly meetings, give back to our community and unite through creating positive lifestyle changes.

N: Walk me through the low points and challenges you have faced in your life.

C: Growing up, my mom worked hard, a single mother who is so passionate in her role at Children’s Hospital Boston. She is such a hard worker and sacrifices so much for me in order to encourage me to follow my dreams. All my life when I felt caught up, stressed, and uncertain – my go-to stress reliever is exercise. In the past, I was able to escape anything thrown my way by exerting this energy into the natural world. My family life was often unstable, but exercise always relieved any stressors running through my body. In high school, running cross country taught me the lesson of limitless potential. I began running sophomore year and I remember how nervous I was because I was unsure I would be able to run long distance. My amazing friends encouraged me to “just do it,” so I did! And over the course of the season, I saw my race times decrease week by week and I continuously challenged myself. I fell in love with running in the trails and proving to myself that I will finish the unthinkable. Senior year, I slowly began working on health and wellness while beginning the college application process. I have learned that individuals undergo experiences that shape them each and everyday. Sometimes, we as humans feel that these experiences are negative. However, the beautiful aspect is that we have the POWER to dig deep and find that lesson. This flips that negative experience into a positive light that grows us like a blooming flower. This is a lesson I learned that I would like to share with you. Originally, I was not accepted to UT. Although I was not accepted, I did not give up I believed I had something to offer this school so I appealed the decision with a vision statement about living a balanced lifestyle. I sat down on a cold February morning and wrote my email to the Director of Enrollment at UT. For me living balanced means harmonizing academics, exercise, work and a social life. Three days later, I received a phone call from my admissions office with the news that they director decided to reverse the decision. Ever since arriving to UT, I have continued to challenge myself each and every day to be the best version of myself. I have created healthy habits since arriving to this state, I have met amazing people, and I have continued to learn the lesson of this limitless potential we are all gifted with – it is up to you, the individual to choose whether or not you would like to discover your limitless potential! Why not try and see where it brings you?

N: How was your health impacted, both mentally and emotionally?

C: Growing up, emotionally I sometimes felt alone because my mom was working so hard. When I was younger, my relationship with my older brother was distant because we lived in separate households. Presently, we have a beautiful and healthy relationship. I was always aware that I was passionate about exercising my body and understood that exercise released any negative emotions. I was lucky to have this as an outlet that often saved me as a shoulder to lean on. As I grew up, I was very in touch with fitness but not very in touch with nourishing my body. I often would choose food as comfort after a long day of school, sports and homework. I was someone who had a love for dessert, ultimately looking back an addiction to the sugar. I did not realize this until I began nourishing my body with foods that compliment my energy and allow me to feel limitless. When I chose to eat until I was, “overly full,” I was often feeling sick, de-energized, and I wondered why I did not feel fit because exercise was such a natural habit for me. I did not appreciate food and the power it has to nourish our mind, body and soul. At times, I felt insecure and going into college I was ready for a positive change and for me that meant aligning my mind and my body.

N: Describe the moment (or moments) when you realized that it was time to take a new path and pursue health.

C: In beginning my new endeavors at UT, I was ready to begin a balanced lifestyle of moderation and gratitude for the foods I choose to nourish my body with. I focused on the goal of living a balanced lifestyle, one day at a time. And I understood, this goal was a positive lifestyle change that will take time. I chose this goal for me because in going off to a new state that is 1,300 miles from home, I feared I would lose sight of my priorities. Each morning I challenged myself to run beautiful Bayshore Boulevard at sunrise before my Microeconomics class that began at 8:30 a.m. I began listening to how my body feels after nourishing it. I lived by the 80/20 rule and my energy felt amazing. My freshman year at UT was so smooth, it was a year of self transformation, a year of becoming in touch with me, and a year of gratitude at a school that I worked so hard to get into. I felt so amazing and I was ready to spread this positive lesson to other individuals that are prepared to begin a new journey of their own, which is the reason I created an instagram featuring the foods I nourish my body with, recipes, and motivational messages.

N: What is one lesson you would like to share with other people who may be dealing with binge eating?

C: One lesson I would like to share to those who binge eat is challenge yourself to find an outlet that makes you feel alive! And choose to touch upon those passions when you are feeling stressed or down. Your mind will be freed if you choose to align your intentions of generating positivity in your life. Create priorities and remind yourself why choosing a healthy lifestyle creates happiness in your life. Discover these outlets, for me I love water color painting, helping other, exercising, reading, writing, immersing myself in nature and cooking bright beautiful meals.

N: What daily challenges do you face and how do you stay oriented toward your goals?

C: As humans it is part of our journey to endure challenges. Without challenges, our journey would not be nearly as eventful. I have learned that challenges are testing the individual to see how committed they are in doing what they love. And when we are hit, it is important to remain authentic, remind yourself why you are where you are, and react in the best way possible. I have learned that we all undergo different challenges at different times in our lives and what is so beautiful to me, is that we undergo these lessons so that we can help others with what we have learned and therefore positively impact each other. Sometimes, I receive doubts from others about my intentions and when I experience this challenge I remind myself that this lifestyle is what makes me feel so alive. It is who I am as a person and I believe we should all follow our passions in order to live the best life possible her on Earth. I also, undergo the challenge of uncertainty. Uncertainty has always played a large role in my life and what I have learned is that if you continue on with gratitude and accept what is, everything will flow into place from these positive actions.

N: How do you work on staying aligned with your goals everyday?

C: In order to stay oriented towards my goals, each morning when I wake up I write down Today’s Gratitude and Today’s Intentions. These simple actions allow me to continuously live a purposeful lifestyle. I also challenge myself to be the best version of myself that day. This often consists of being engaged, being present, and being grateful for a new day.

N: Who or what inspires you?

C: Growing up, my mom worked hard, a single mother with a red lipped smile that is truly contagious. Today, she continues to help children at Children’s Hospital in Boston. She loves her job, her commute, her colleagues and the children. Now, it is my time to be independent and ignite my passions each and every day. When I was five years old I wanted to be an astronaut because this idea of reaching for the stars inspired me. Just ten years later, my career desires shifted in 2013 – I knew I wanted to own my own business, under one circumstance and goal, this business must leave a positive impact on society. This idea of limitless potential forever inspires me. I love keeping options in life open, remaining optimistic  taking risks and seeing what these experiences lead to. This past summer, I completed an internship with State Street Bank in Boston, Massachusetts. In one month I will begin my second summer at this internship and each day I am inspired to learn new knowledge and I practice aligning mind, body and soul over the course of a challenging schedule. Each day I make sure to touch upon my passions in order to continue this journey of balanced living. I am inspired to be the best version of myself every day. A downfall is not a defining moment, what defines you is how you choose to react: let it inspire you and choose to grow rather than allowing it to interrupt your journey. The mission I aim to spread is Stay Empowered!

N: Is there anything else you would like to share that I haven’t already asked about?

C: There are 3 books that really inspired me.

Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
The Power of Small by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval

 

The post Inspiring Interviews- Carly Zimbone appeared first on Nikki Sharp.

Inspiring Interviews- 400 days in hospital

Nikki: Kierra, I’m really excited to share your story because I think it’s going to help a lot of people understand they are not alone when it comes to pain in your life. Can you tell me what the past two years have looked like for you.

Kierra: A roller-coaster. Our beautiful daughter Evanna was born with a rare and extremely complex congenital heart defect. After enjoying a blissful 5 months at home, we handed her over into the arms of our surgical team for her first open heart surgery on October 6, 2014. She went into the surgery relatively “healthy”, and overall we were expecting a 6-8 week hospital stay. While the surgery itself went well, we unfortunately experienced setback after setback and complication after complication that would keep us in the ICU for 10.5 months for a total of 400 days in hospital. I ended up having to take an extended maternity leave so I could be at our daughter’s bedside at all times, while my husband commuted between Edmonton and Calgary to both fulfil his responsibilities as an employee and husband/father. To date, our daughter has now had 9 surgeries – 2 additional open heart surgeries, a major left thoracotomy (ie. heart surgery from the side), 2 diaphragm plications, a tracheostomy, Gtube placement and a sternal debridement, among countless other procedures and tests. She coded 3 weeks after her first open heart surgery, experienced a very scary mechanical valve failure (it clotted in an almost closed position), an acute liver failure episode, and complete Septic Shock episode last July that almost (and should have) took her life. We were finally discharged on November 9, 2015, and have been enjoying having our whole family sleeping under the same roof once again.

Nikki: That is a lot to handle! I can imagine it was pretty tough on your family. How is Evanna doing now?

Kierra: Evanna is doing quite well despite circumstances. Our admission was extensive, and so the “recovery” will essentially take years; however, she is blowing our medical team out of the water and already surpassing their expectations. We were told that a child of her complexities tend to bounce in and out of hospital, but other than a little “bump” this past April, we have remained admission free (“planned admissions” don’t count, because they generally mean progress in my book).

We are also moving on with our life – I’ve returned to work part time (in the capacity we had always planned regardless of Evanna’s medical situation), building a new house, and plans to expand our little family are in the works (while this was all caused by a chromosomal defect, it was not hereditary, so we have been cleared by our genetic team to have more children). As for her future, we unfortunately will never be given a guarantee (but I try to think that no one in life has a guarantee). We believe decannulation (weaning of the home vent and taking the trach out) will happen sometime in the next few years – but it’s Evanna’s “special heart” that will unfortunately be her life time battle (this disease will kill her to say the least). At the moment, a heart transplant is not an option for due to unique anatomy issues (though I must clearly state that a transplant is in no way a cure), and there is only so much our medical team can do – so it’s mostly up to Evanna and her body to keep fighting. My husband and I have decided that we will do whatever we can to advocate for Evanna, and as long as she willing to fight – then so will we. However, if there comes a time that she is done and nothing more that our medical team can do, then we will ensure it’s done in the gentlest way possible, knowing in our hearts that we have done everything we could.

Nikki: What would you say has been the hardest part of everything your family has been through in the past two years?

Kierra: “The Talks”. Probably every parent’s worst nightmare is being told that your child is terminal or be prepared to “let them go”. From the moment Evanna was born and received her rare diagnosis, we have had “the talk” on numerous occasions with different doctors and specialties. Some have been extremely serious – like last summer when she went into Septic Shock and we were told that “this may be it”, to a more casual (for lack of a better word) conversation with our primary cardiologist about Evanna’s potential prognoses. We’ve even had one ICU physician somewhat question why we would pursue medical care in the form of additional surgeries and procedures down the road, if she’s going to be terminal anyways (we weigh each surgery’s risks and benefits, and absolutely take her quality of life into account each and every time).

Nikki: Did you find that your personal health and wellbeing were affected by all of this?

I think the biggest issue has been my diet. While up in Edmonton, my husband and I were given a certain daily allowance to spend on food. It was actually quite the generous amount, and so we lived off a lot of fast food, items from the hospital cafeteria, and the comfort food cooked for us at the Ronald McDonald House by volunteers. Unfortunately, making our own meals fell to the bottom of our “to-do list”, and it wasn’t a priority while our daughter was in the PICU, and so the scale has somewhat reflected this over the past year or so. We have finally somewhat reached a level of stability and new normalcy, so I’m currently trying to figure out the best way to take charge of my personal health and make it a priority.

How did you balance self-care?

Creating balance and self-care kind of evolved over time, and changed depending on where we were (we bounced multiple times between our local children’s hospital PICU in Calgary and the Stollery PCICU in Edmonton). In the beginning, we spent incredibly long days in the PCICU; however, with no choice in sleeping there (it’s an old and open ICU, which means there are no private rooms – unless you’re on isolation), you have to leave in order to get any sleep. I know many parents find this particular issue really hard (guilt being the biggest culprit), but we felt our child was in the best hands, and so this was sort of a nonissue for us. We knew we could call any time of day, the unit was open to us at all hours (ie. visiting hours do not apply to us), and they of course would call if something came up (which unfortunately happened a handful of times, often requiring our immediate presence). While the option to sleep at the hospital became available to us whenever we were transferred back to our “home” children’s hospital, or when Evanna finally came out of ICU and onto the regular floor – we still continued to go home and sleep in our own bed. It was the routine that we were all use too (and Evanna never minded), and so for our own sanity, we continued this practise. Yes there may come a day, when Evanna gets older and may require one of us to stay the night with her during future hospital stays…but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

While one of us was always at the hospital physically (well during the day), we made sure to always take mental breaks whenever possible. The days my husband was not working and up in Edmonton with us, we would both go to the hospital – however he somewhat took over in paying attention to Evanna, so I could just sit back, and read either a book or be my phone. Towards the end of our main admission (and back in Calgary), we decided to each take turns on a weekly basis to take a whole day off. Usually my husband would take the first day after his work rotation off to sleep in (as generally he was getting off his last night shift), run errands and have some leisure time. In return, I usually took the following day off from going to the hospital to also run any personal errands and essentially do whatever I pleased. As parents, we are both equally involved with our daughters care (though once in a while, some nurses would ask where I was, as they assumed he didn’t know much, as in many cases, moms tend to know way more than dads), so our medical team loved that we did this, as it ensured we wouldn’t experience “caregiver burnout”. When Evanna was finally transferred out of the ICU, the hospital also assigned a special volunteer to us that strictly came in two mornings a week to be with Evanna, so we didn’t feel rushed to come in. The volunteer would work on physical therapy and entertain her with books and toys when she woke up, and overall ensuring that her care remained consistent even though we weren’t present.

Taking breaks and prioritizing self-care has continued to remain in practise since we’ve been discharged from the hospital – with just a few tweaks here and there. My husband loves playing board games (it’s a huge hobby for him), and so almost once a week, he will get together with his friends, and they will play for hours and hours. In return, I plan lots of social get-togethers and quite frequently am able to get out of the house to meet with friends and family. While I know this isn’t feasible for many “medical families” (heck, I’m sure as more kids enter the picture, the frequency of this may decrease slightly for us), I can’t emphasise taking breaks enough. Work together as a team and build a support system, as “caregiver burnout” can occur when the responsibilities fall on just one person.

Who or what has been the biggest source of support for you and your family?

For me personally – my husband. He has been my rock and partner through all of this, and continues to be to this day. He continued to work almost full time through the entire admission (only taking days off when it was absolutely necessary), and took over for me at the hospital when present, to allow me a mental break. We have gotten through this as a team, and will continue to moving forward.

As for our family – well it’s been the whole community. From hospital volunteers and strangers at the Ronald McDonald House, to people from our church and local neighbourhood. I also have to mention the entire medical team (at both hospitals); as when they aren’t busy treating our daughter, they also have been so caring and compassionate towards us, ensuring we are well taken care of!

Then of course our awesome friends and immediate family members, who have been there to help where they can, and support us every step of the way.

For other mothers with hospitalized children who may be reading this, what message would you like to share with them?

Take it one day at a time – this is a MARATHON, not a sprint, and so be careful not to burn out (I feel like this has been a theme for this particular questionnaire). I’ve seen comments like “I never left my child’s side” as if it was a testament to how great of a mother they were, but unfortunately it’s a practise that can do more harm than good. When your child is in the hospital for a prolonged amount of time, your role as a parents changes. You have a medical team essentially “kissing the booboos” and making them feel better (ie. pain meds), and your job is to now to advocate for your child’s medical care, be their voice, ensure that things remain constant and that everyone is on the same page (sometimes things can become muddled when you have lots of “cooks in the kitchen”). Being well nourished and rested means that you will remain strong and of “sound mind” – which is what your child needs the most right now.

 

Is there anything I didn’t ask that you would like to share?

I guess I would like to touch on what readers can do to help. From simply educating yourself on congenital heart defects and their prevalence (each year more children die from congenital heart defects than from all childhood cancers combined), and the fact that there is no cure (heart surgery is considered a “palative measure”, and is in no way a complete and total “fix”). Learn about and become an organ donor. While I don’t wish trauma on any family, knowing what you would do ahead of time may help make the decision much less difficult should the situation ever arise. If you are healthy individual, looking into becoming a regular blood donor (to date, our daughter has had over 30 blood product transfusions), as it’s a relatively simple and easy thing to do. None of the above involves money, but obviously if you are in a position to donate towards CHD, do your research, and ensure you are giving to an organization that actually puts money towards congenital heart research, and helping families that are affected by CHD’s.

The post Inspiring Interviews- 400 days in hospital appeared first on Nikki Sharp.

Inspiring Interviews- Matthew Kenney

If you follow me on snapchat (@nikkirsharp) then you know I am dining at Plant Food and Wine in Venice often. It’s the restaurant of my good friend, Matthew Kenney, who has multiple restaurants all over America including Plant Food and Wine in Venice, Miami, newly opened Arata in Maine, and 00+Co in New York. I also had the incredible opportunity of going to Thailand to check out his culinary school. He’s transformed the way we look at plant based food and so I was excited when he agreed to answer some questions about his brand, raw food, and how he stays so fit and healthy. I’m really excited to share this interview with you all…

—

NIKKI: Walk me through how and why you ended up opening Matthew Kenney Culinary.

MATTHEW: Matthew Kenney Culinary was born from our emphasis on education and innovation. When I began opening plant-based restaurants we needed to teach the skills to craft this cuisine, so I started holding classes. The growth of the academy has been incredible, we now operate academies online, in Venice CA, Belfast, ME, Miami, FL and Hua Hin Thailand. We’ve graduated over 3,000 alumni representing more than 50 countries. Our tremendously talented group of instructors, students and alumni  and their accomplishments make me truly proud.

NS: Raw tends to have a certain stigma associated with it – mostly that it’s too difficult or too expensive. What advice would you give someone who may be intimidated by raw eating?

MK: I suggest beginning with one plant-based meal a day. For many, this can be an easy way to transition to a new way of eating, and you will experience an immediate impact in how you feel

NS: So as you know, even the healthiest people in the world have days when you just need to satisfy a salty or sweet craving. What is your favorite indulgent food?

MK: I have a bit of a sweet tooth – I love raw chocolate and take some with me whenever I’m traveling. I also believe a little stone fruit sorbet is the perfect finish to a meal (and palette cleanser)!




NS: Who or what has inspired you along the way?


MK:I’ve always been inspired by Roxanne Klein, who opened one of the first great raw food restaurants, Roxanne’s in Northern California several years ago. I’m also inspired by Chef Scott Winegard who runs our culinary operations, and writes the menus for all our projects, and by our students. Our students join Matthew Kenney Culinary from around the world and bring their personal and cultural culinary repertoires, its incredible to learn so much from those that come to study with us.

NS: Do you have any exciting projects going on right now you’d like to share?

MK: Right now we’re working to bring Arata, our plant-based noodle bar, to Venice for a 11 day pop up at Plant Food + Wine. This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our most innovative work and have fun with a new concept at our flagship restaurant. The pop up will be live July 28-August 7th and we are so excited to be hosting Arata in our west coast home!

We’re also introducing Level IV, our most advanced Matthew Kenney Culinary curriculum, in New York City this October. This course is drawing our most talented students to work on an unprecedented level and reach new heights of plant-based cuisine, in one of the world’s most important food cities.

NS: What has been the greatest achievement to date?

MK: The work we do in education makes me most proud. Everyday we’re teaching our students but also learning from them. Bringing students together from all corners of the globe, and seeing the impact they make on the plant-based world as alumni, is the most rewarding part of my job.

NS: What do you do to stay active and healthy (physically and mentally) on a  daily basis?

MK: I go to yoga several times a week and ride my bike around Venice. I’m taking tennis lessons now, but really my routine is focused on eating well, and I start each day with a green juice.

The post Inspiring Interviews- Matthew Kenney appeared first on Nikki Sharp.

Things I’m Loving {July Edition}

This summer I have been getting a ton of questions about my favorite products; for beauty, recipes and more. So here’s the low-down on the things I’m loving {july edition} including top beauty and health products I just can’t live without this July and where you can find a few of my favorite goodies.

Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil might just be the most versatile summer essential on the planet. If loving coconut oil is wrong, then I don’t want to be right. I use it for just about everything. Its great as a tanning oil, to soothe sunburn (oops!), as a face moisturizer before bed, as a hair mask, and, of course, mixed into my smoothies for essential healthy fats that our bodies need. Not many products are a go-to ingredient AND beauty product. Using coconut oil as your moisturizer will leave you feeling baby-soft, and it’s all-natural, unlike a lot of lotions out there. When you’re looking for the right coconut oil, stick to virgin and organic oil with nutrient-rich ingredients that are free from pesticides or harmful additives. My favorite is Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil and I’ve got you an in for a free bottle from Thrive Market if you want to check it out here. You can thank me later.

Smoothie Bowls

This trend has been blowing up again this summer, and it’s pretty easy to see why. I love the creativity of mixing and matching ingredients to create different flavors and health benefits with each one. Smoothie bowls are a great way to mask in healthy ingredients that may not be your favorite, pack in nutrient-dense foods, and create a refreshing and filling breakfast or snack that the whole family will love. Plus they’re light and hydrating in this intense summer heat! There really is no wrong way to make a smoothie bowl but if you’re looking to check out a new recipe feel free to read up on a couple I’ve made this summer like my Fresh Fig and Cherry Smoothie Bowl or my Blueberry Ginger Smoothie Bowl. Prefer to live life on the edge? Try an experimental smoothie bowl by just tossing together whatever produce and herbs you’ve got on hand! Practice makes perfect.

Spirulina

When I’m on the go during the summer, having a little something extra to help me look and feel amazing fast is just what I need. This nutrient-dense superfood has been one of my favorites this July. Spirulina contains high levels of B vitamins, which help to provide energy, iron which is great for muscle recovery during my outdoor workouts, and protein which keeps me feeling full without getting bloated. I like to add it to my smoothie bowls, and also take it on the go with my wherever I’m traveling. I have been using Organic Burst for years and highly recommend them. Check out more details here.

Charcoal Masks

No one wants to deal with problem skin taking away from their fun in the sun. If you know anything about me, you know I used to struggle with some major skin issues. I have found that if you eat right, and use the right products, you can really change your skin. It’s an amazing feeling. A friend of mine turned me on to the Charcoal Mask trend and I have been in love ever since. I use the Purifying Charcoal Mask by Beauty Counter and its mineral-rich mix of kaolin clay and charcoal is the best summer exfoliator that will still leave your skin feeling soothed and refreshed. This mask has been keeping my skin glowing and free from impurities and excess oil all summer. Check out my favorite charcoal mask of the summer here.

Flowers

There’s nothing better than coming home to a house full of flowers! It brightens my day and makes my apartment look and smell wonderful. I actually think all year round is a good time to be getting flowers, but I especially love them right now because summer is all about bright colors and vibrancy. I love to head to the farmers market and pickup whatever they have in stock, with my go-to normally being sunflowers because they are in season.

If you try any of my favorites be sure to let me know how you like them and what your top essentials are this summer.

Enjoy my beauties.

Love,

Nikki

 

The post Things I’m Loving {July Edition} appeared first on Nikki Sharp.

Chiva Som: My Experience

When you find yourself in Thailand, as you casually do, a place that is likely to come on your radar is Chiva Som. No, I’m not talking about going to Phuket, or doing the full moon party at Koh Samui. I’m speaking of getting away and actually feeling better when you get home from your vacation.

Welcome Chiva Som, the place of all places that will not only make you feel like you actually had a vacation, you’ll return not needing to plan a few days to recover from you last one. How many times have you gone away only to come back feeling tired, worn out, slihglty sunburned and a few pounds heavier? Yup, none of that will happen here.

I was lucky enough to experience this one of a kind resort and I must say that it really is spectacular. I’m going to let you in on a little secret: you cannot use your cell phone or camera anywhere other than your room.

Now wait, wait. Don’t click to another page yet! Let me explain why this is so beyond cool. You are going to get there and want to take 1,000 photos the second you see the property. I mean, everything from the beautiful beach, to the pool, to the healthy and vibrant food is Instagram-worthy. But it’s the hotel’s policy that no cameras or phones are allowed anywhere but your room and I found myself absolutely loving this.

When we go away, it’s really hard to truly decompress and relax. A lot of this has to do with all the social media we feel we need to post, coupled with checking emails even though we have our On Vacation responder on, and the inevitable checking into Facebook and Instagram to see what others are doing. When you are forced to leave your phone in your room, you begin to realize how many activities there are to do, how fun reading a book is, and how much rest your body actually needs!

At least this was the case for me. Although, I was there to specifically take hotel photos and a video, I was able to leave my phone in my room the majority of my time at Chiva Som and it was absolutely amazing. I wish more hotels would do this!

What I loved about Chiva Som

No phones/cameras
‘Talk Table’ which we had at night to promote chatting to fellow guests who wanted to meet others
The healthy food!
Fresh coconuts whenever you want them
Endless amounts of activities including yoga, fruit carving, pilates and so many more
A cloud-like bed that I didn’t want to get out of

 

My overall review: if you are looking for a place to get away that you will truly feel relaxed when you leave, this is your place. This hotel includes an incredible list of activities everyday which are normally added on costs elsewhere, so that’s a huge bonus.

For special deals and rates book through my preferred wellness travel company Wild Wellness Travel at info@wildwellnesstravel.com or my instagram @wildwellnesstravel handle or website www.wildwellnesstravel.com.
(For Chiva Som, Wild Wellness Travel upgrade on arrival, as long as there is availability, one massage (50 mins) per person per day, early check-in/late check-out, additional amenity for min stay of 7 nights in double occupancy June 1-30 & September, 2016: 1 couple treatment for 2 persons per stay, doing the treatment in the same time)

Tons of love,
Nikki

The post Chiva Som: My Experience appeared first on Nikki Sharp.

Look and Feel Your Best this Summer

With Summer underway I have been getting SO many requests for weight-loss tips and quick fixes for that bikini body. You all know I am a big advocate for making health a lifestyle goal – not just a summer goal – but let’s be real…who doesn’t want to look and feel their best in their favorite bikini this summer??

My best summer advice? If you want to go for the quick (healthy) fixes that will make you feel sexy and confident now – do it! But don’t forget that making a lifestyle change can help you to maintain your results and not only look better, but feel better too. 

If you want to slim down, debloat, and tone-up for the ultimate, quick-fix to your bikini bod – I suggest picking up my book or app and hitting my 5-Day Real Food Detox hard. Remember that there is no healthy way to lose a TON of excess fat in just a couple of days. This detox is a healthy way to take the fast-track to the best body you can get by healthy means in just a few days. You will look and feel better than you can imagine in just 5 days.

Want to maintain results? I give a thorough meal plan in “The Aftertox” in my book, but there are some tips for a healthy lifestyle that can make a big difference as well. Follow my tips below to stay on track for long-term goals towards a healthier lifestyle.

Do it for  YOU. Changing your lifestyle is major and you need to be at the center of your motivation in order to have long-term success. Whether it’s for confidence, health, or happiness; find your own inner motivation.
Focus on little changes.  Sometimes trying to makeover your whole lifestyle and daily habits at once can be too overwhelming. Try just trading one sugary drink or soda a day for a water. Or try swapping your unhealthy breakfast for a more filling and health-conscious one like my oatmeal recipe pictured below. Or maybe try taking the stairs instead of the elevator everyday. Even minor changes can add up over time and make the journey more manageable.

Make it enjoyable.  Find a way to become more active that you actually ENJOY, not one that you just suffer through. Eat healthy foods that taste good, not bland foods that you will soon give up on.  You will have greater success if the journey isn’t a punishment, but one of love for your body and your health.
Set realistic goals . Progress takes time. Don’t set yourself up for failure with unrealistic goals. Progress is progress, no matter the pace. Set goals for yourself that you can actually reach and reward yourself with a non-food oriented reward (like a spa trip or new workout gear) when you reach each new goal.
Count colors not calories.  The restrictions of counting calories can make living healthy such a chore! And it shouldn’t be. Fill your plate with a rainbow of beautiful, colorful foods from the earth and, guess what? You have yourself a gorgeous and nutritious meal.

No matter where you are in your fitness journey, remember you are gorgeous inside and out, the way you are right now. Setting goals and working towards progress is fantastic, but don’t let your confidence be dependent on reaching a certain “standard”. Enjoy the journey and go out and enjoy your summer at every stage along the way!

 

Let me know how you keep focused on your fitness journey and comment below how you are enjoying your summer!

Love,

Nikki

The post Look and Feel Your Best this Summer appeared first on Nikki Sharp.

Hawaii Retreat: Total Wellness Made Sexy

I am so excited to announce I’m doing my first ever Hawaii Retreat: Total Wellness Made Sexy. Read further for details on this ridiculously amazing retreat and why it will make you feel better than you ever have…

What’s the sexiest quality a woman can have? Confidence. Confidence in who she is, confidence in how she looks, and the confidence that she is creating the life she wants to live.

I believe living a healthy lifestyle and becoming the best version of yourself is incredibly sexy. This August I’m pairing up with dear friend, yoga and meditation instructor and overall beautiful and inspiring soul, Fern Olivia, to host a holistic Hawaii retreat at the Four Seasons Hualalai, Total Wellness Made Sexy. We will be sharing our passion and personal transformations to help others to grow in their own ability to reduce stress, live healthier, and feel the amazing and sexy confidence that comes with aspiring to be the best version of yourself possible. I am so excited to finally share more details with you all![image error]

At the retreat you will grow through:

Workshops to turn your desires and dreams into reality with an achievable plan, overcome the fear of food while learning how to cook delicious & easy meals, and improve your relationship in both personal and professional life
Tantric & Meditation Practices to create a more fulfilled life with easy practices to do at home
Daily Workouts including yoga and fitness classes to promote wellness from the outside in

We would love to have you at this amazing Hawaii retreat. The retreat is designed to empower you with confidence by giving you the tools to reach your fullest potential and create the life you want. We will teach you how to transform your health and habits and provide clarity surrounding what you truly want out of life. The retreat will address the entire body, mind, and spirit with a complete program including fitness, yoga, meditation, and improving relationships with food, friends, family, and significant others. We will focus on how to change your body and how to properly handle stress and disappointments in life to fully thrive.

The retreat will be hosted at the gorgeous and luxurious Four Seasons Resort Hualalai from August 21st-25th, 2016. This picturesque resort is an experience on its own. It is built into its natural surroundings and it’s a seamless integration of beauty, culture and history. With the striking contrast of black lava rock with towering coconut palms, white sandy beaches and the gorgeous blue sea, your relaxation will begin the moment you arrive.[image error]

We will begin the retreat by creating a safe space to grow together over the five days. The educational and interactive workshops each day will vary in nature but will collectively help you build the tools you need to achieve your best life.

Each morning after breakfast we will practice yoga, meditation or a fitness class on the beach to start our day active and enjoy the beautiful Hawaii weather. The food served will be locally grown, organic meals that highlight the amazing seasonal foods of Hawaii.  [image error]

At the end of the five days you will leave feeling as though you have been on vacation, yet at the same time, gained tools to empower you to navigate life’s challenges in more effective ways to attain the life you want to live.

I beyond excited for this amazing program and I hope to see you there. Check out more information on the retreat from the Four Seasons here and let me know if you have any other questions.

Comment below what you would like to get out of the retreat.

Love,

Nikki

[image error]

The post Hawaii Retreat: Total Wellness Made Sexy appeared first on Nikki Sharp.