What you do every day matters

It seems an appropriate time to revisit the commitments I made at the beginning of January. New Years Resolutions - who has forgotten about them already?

I seem to have done okay with fulfilling the intentions that I set at the start of the year - to incorporate more spinning, yoga, and boxing into my weekly routine, to cook more and eat out less, to practice forgiveness daily, take one day off each week, and to read something and write something every day. 

Firstly my MOVE related intentions, I have been to yoga twice this month - I would like to do more of this, and can plan to include yoga once weekly going forwards. I would also like to work out when I can fit spinning into my schedule as yet I haven't made it to a spin class! I think a little bit of organisation will go a long way here. Boxing is something that has really been working for me, and I have been loving having a personal training session each week to teach me how to box. I've even found some anger in there somewhere and I'm getting better! Even with my background in exercise and having been a personal trainer for almost ten years myself, boxing was something that was a little out of my comfort zone. I've really benefitted from having an appointment to show up to each week, where I'm pushed and my fitness and skill level tested in different ways than I am used to. I've learned to punch from my hips, and to keep my back foot planted instead of lifting it off the floor like a fairy! Thank you Dan! So grateful for your teaching! 

My NOURISH related intentions involved cooking more and eating out less, and this has been going well, although I have seemed to still manage to enjoy a few meals out each week. I realise that eating out is my social time, and I really love to enjoy that space with friends. I have made the effort to eat breakfast and lunch at home a lot more, and have been cooking up my favourite green veg stir fry on many mornings as the perfect start to my day. Stir fried kale, broccoli, and mangetout, with beansprouts and a green juice! Stir fried with coconut oil, and also sometimes some chilli. It seems like a strange breakfast to have, but when your day starts at 5am and breakfast is at 10am, it's kind of like lunch time already anyway!

The final intentions that I set for myself for January and 2015 were FLOURISH related, and involved practising forgiveness daily, taking one day off each week, and reading and writing something every day. This has actually been one of the most impactful areas of my intentions, and I have really noticed new habits forming as a result. I have practised forgiveness every single day in January, and have made the effort to take notice of how this process has made me feel. The effects have been so overwhelmingly positive, that I am going to keep using this daily practice for February too. I figured that if I set an alarm to remind me to practice forgiveness, that I would make the effort each day to do so, and this has really worked. 

I have had one day off each week, and I am really looking forward to a day off again this weekend. Sometimes my working days have extended from 6am to 9pm, and so a day off each week to look forward to having no plans has been a really valuable thing. I love to cram as much as possible into my days and my life, but I also realise the importance of time to just be. To relax and be still, and be present and unwind. 

I would like to have written more this month, and whilst I have kept up to date with my blog each Tuesday, outside of that I have written little, other than notes and ideas, and to do lists. My February intentions include writing every day - and using a method that I found to be effective for my reading, which is to do just a little every day, even if it is 15 minutes, just to make sure that every day I am making progress. I will be discussing this in more detail in tomorrow's optimallyou vlog. I have noticed that just doing a little of something every single day means that so much more progress is made. 

For now I am going to continue with the commitments I have made, and build upon the habits I have begun to form. I will be focusing more on fulfilling my intention to spin more and write daily, and will see what February has in store! January has been an amazing month and I have so loved everything that has been brought into my life. I have worked with some amazing people already this year and am open and allowing everything else that is on its way. I will love to hear how your positive intentions are coming along for 2015 and so please get in touch by leaving a comment below, or reaching out on social media. 

With Gratitude, 

Niyc xx

Facebook Optimal You
Twitter @optimallyou 
Instagram @optimallyou
YouTube @optimallyou
Spotify optimallyou 

www.optimallyou.com 
(Our new site, launching soon - leave your email to be the first to hear about our launch!)

www.optimalyou.co.uk 
(Current site & online store - order your products and book your event places here!)

Just Show Up

For some reason I have never liked having my photo taken. I feel completely uncomfortable in front of a camera, and have the most awkward smile and stance of anyone I have seen......

Or so I thought until I changed my own mind last week. 

I have needed to get some new photographs for a while, to represent myself and optimallyou as we have evolved over the last few years. I never seemed to have quite the right photo to use within my bio's or within my blog, and I needed some new shots for the new optimallyou website. I knew that I needed to arrange a photoshoot in a studio to get the professional shots, and I think I was putting it off because I was nervous about doing something that I hadn't done before, and because I thought I would feel awkward, and the photos would turn out badly. 

How's that for a positive mental attitude! 

I chatted with a few people and mentioned that I was nervous to do the shoot, and people didn't really understand why. I am so happy standing up and speaking at an event in front of hundreds of people, so what is it about being in front of a camera that brings up this fear? I guess it was potentially the chance of the photographs turning out badly, and the chance of me feeling stupid and uncomfortable, awkward in my own body. It was about how I felt, and what I thought, rather than what was actually happening. Before I had even reached the day of the photo shoot I was expecting for it to be a painful experience, and that just didn't make much sense. 

Why was I worrying about something that hadn't happened yet?

What could I possibly do other than do my best, and enjoy it? 

Thats exactly what I decided to do. I decided to enjoy the process of the shoot, the choosing outfits with the girls the week before, getting my hair done as a tester to see how it would look, and on the day, showing up and having fun with four of my super talented best friends.

In Positive Psychology we talk about having one of two mindsets - fixed or growth. A fixed mindset is focused on the outcome, avoids challenges, and gives up easily, and this was the mindset that I had been stuck in! A growth mindset embraces challenge, and looks for the lessons within difficult situations, choosing to persevere, and focus on and enjoy the journey along the way. This was my new chosen mindset, and the one that meant that the shoot was a completely fab experience that we all really enjoyed. 

I had arranged the shoot to take place with my friends Hannah McGuire on styling, Charlotte Condliffe make up, Jade Watson for hair, and Charlotte Swann for the photographs, and had booked the studio for Saturday. I made sure that I fitted in my morning run so that I felt energised and alive, and then started to get everything sorted ready for the shoot - this meant driving to the gym first with wet hair in a towel turban, grabbing an exercise ball, and wedging it into the passenger seat of my car, and then heading to Jades house to get my hair set into rollers, followed by pick ups, packing, and a team Starbucks run - all with rollers in my hair and wearing prescription raybans because I had left my glasses at home! What a sight! 

We arrived at the studio and unpacked all of the clothes and Charlotte got to work on my make up - this being the first time I had had professional make up done before. Charlotte is fab and has worked for brands such as The Times newspaper, Fred Perry, and The Daily Mail, and being my friend I trusted her completely. The same goes for Jade and Hannah with my hair and styling - it was so good to be around friends and feel like a girl! 

I had decided to show up, work it, love it, and do my best. 

Sometimes showing up in life is the hardest part, and it isn't actually so bad when you get there.

Charlotte was amazing with the camera and has shot for huge sportswear brands in the past, as well as shooting over 50 weddings, as well as studio work - so she knows what she is doing. It really helped that she was bossing me about - though she swears that she wasn't half as bossy as normal on a shoot! 

We shot nine different looks, and had such a laugh doing it.  Imagine if I had have showed up nervous, with that fixed mindset, how different the process would have been. I grabbed the girls for a team photo at the end of the shoot, and then we headed out to lunch. 

We got the shots and the pictures are looking fab! I can't wait to see them up on the site when it goes live in a few weeks time. In the meantime, keep an eye on the optimallyou instagram, twitter, and Facebook pages, and look out for the new Flourish vlog out tomorrow on our youtube channel. 

Thank you to the girls for supporting my vision, and for showing up to make it happen. Love you all.


With Gratitude, 


Niyc xx



Facebook Optimal You
Twitter @optimallyou 
Instagram @optimallyou
YouTube @optimallyou
Spotify optimallyou 

www.optimallyou.com (Our new site, launching soon)
www.optimalyou.co.uk (Current site & online store)


Charlotte Swann Photography on Instagram @charlotteswannphotography
Hannah McGuire styling on Instagram @hmpersonalstyling
Charlotte Condliffe Make up on Facebook "CJC Make up Artist" and Instagram @charlottecond
Jade Watson Hair on Instagram @jadeywig

My Morning Ritual

Last week I led the first optimallyou Power Hour event of the year, at Nood Food in Alnwick. The event was themed "Detox Your Life" and focused on how to detox your diet, environment, relationships, and thoughts. 

One of the things that stood out for a lot of people on the night, was the idea of creating a morning ritual. This is something that I suggest for everybody to try out, as a means of setting the tone for your day, and allowing yourself some "me" time, before getting on with your other commitments. 

For me, my day begins at 5am, when I wake up, and begin working with clients from 6am, for personal training, or life coaching sessions. In order to give my best to my clients, I need to be giving the best to myself, and filling myself up with energy and goodness. I need to be healthy and energised from the get go, and be able to deliver the same for other people.

My morning ritual allows me to do this, and means that I centre myself before heading out to serve others. Your morning ritual may only be five minutes long, or it may be three hours long - experiment and find out what works for you. 

Mine looks like this:

5:00am - Alarm goes off. I set my alarm on my iPhone, and include a message on there to remind me of what I need to do that morning. So if I have decided to do a particular meditation, I will have that noted in there, or if I need to pack some different workout clothes, or "civilian" clothes for a meeting later in the day, then I remind myself of that too. My alarm tone at the minute is Parra For Cuva, Wicked Games.......and I then usually fall back to sleep! 

5:05am - Second alarm goes off, this time to the sound of Madonna, Get Into The Groove (yes, seriously). This time I get up, and head through to the fridge, and drink my morning shot of aloe vera, and switch the kettle on. I slice an organic lemon and squeeze it into a mug, and chop around an inch of ginger, and add it to the mug also. I then fill with warm, but not boiling water, and head back to bed. Hot water with lemon and ginger is one of the simplest ways to integrate a nourishing morning ritual into your life. 

5:10am - This is when I either meditate, or read. One of my intentions for 2015 is to read more, even if it is just 15 minutes a day. I tend to do this either when I wake up, just before I go to sleep, or often when I'm on the exercise bike in the gym. My morning meditation would be one from a selection of guided youtube meditations that I use, depending on how I feel and what I want to focus on. I find that using a guided meditation in this way really helps to focus your thoughts, and is great if you are new to meditation, or find your mind wandering when meditating alone. This is me giving time and attention to myself, to allow myself to feel present and connected with my day. 

5:25am - Shower and get ready. During this time I will play music, usually something I am loving at the time (right now this is Caribou - Your Love Will Set You Free), or some yoga/meditation music which is really relaxed (see the optimallyou spotify for some of this). 

5:40am - Before I head out of the door I make a green juice with almond milk and a scoop of Maximum Vibrance, and take my omega 3 and Vitamin D3 supplement, Quattro Cardio. These supplements are staples in my life, and provide extra nourishment in addition to my daily diet. 

5:45am - I leave the house to head to the gym, and start my day. 

This morning ritual is only 45 minutes in length, and allows me to nourish my body, energise myself, and get ready to feel good for the rest of the day. 

Your morning ritual might involve getting up and going running, or heading out for a morning personal training session, or it might be about creating 30 minutes to sit down with your partner to enjoy a healthy and mindful breakfast, or telling your children that you love them and setting a positive intention for the day with them, instead of rushing, feeling stressed, and getting caught into a negativity spiral that can spill over from morning, to lunch, until you feel like your day has disappeared. 

Consider going to sleep 30 minutes earlier, and getting up 30 minutes earlier, and dedicating that extra 30 minutes in the morning to yourself, to nourishing your body, and creating the day that you want to have and that serves you and others best. 

I am looking forward to sharing the concept of a morning ritual again, when we run the "Detox Your Life" Power Hour event in Newcastle in a few weeks time. 

I would love to hear what your morning ritual looks like, so get in touch and share your ideas! 

In the meantime, you can enjoy this free detox guide that we are sharing this week through optimallyou - just hit the link below and your detox will be sent straight to your inbox. 

"optimallyou 7 Day Detox Guide"



With Gratitude, 

Niyc xx



Facebook Optimal You
Twitter @optimallyou 
Instagram @optimallyou
YouTube @optimallyou
Spotify optimallyou 

www.optimallyou.com (Our new site, launching soon)
www.optimalyou.co.uk (Current site & online store)

Motivation to MOVE

In the run up to the launch of our new optimallyou website, we are explaining the reasoning behind our brand messaging, MOVE NOURISH FLOURISH. We will be releasing a three part blog series through our optimallyou youtube channel, starting tomorrow with MOVE. 

We are dedicating this entire week to MOVE, and have been sharing lots of fitness tips and free workouts via our Facebook, twitter, and instagram accounts. I have also been finding out what burning questions our clients have that are fitness related, so that I can share my answers.....

How can I get in shape for my wedding?

One of my favourite exercises is the plank builder..... a client has recently coined it my signature move, and I swear by it for working your shoulders and your abs. A friend of mine got married a few weeks ago, and in the run up to her wedding had been asking which particular exercises to focus on to help her upper body look good in her wedding dress - plank builders were the answer! I love the shape that this exercise helps you to achieve around your shoulders and chest, and you always feel good after you have done them - they are certainly not easy!

A plank builder starts in a high plank position, with hands underneath your shoulders, and then drops down into a low plank position, one arm at a time. Begin with 5-10 leading with one arm, and then switch to lead with the other arm. Work up to 15-20 reps on each arm, and repeat, for 3-4 sets. 

High plank starting position - move in to a low plank from here, one arm at a time.

I need help to be more motivated.....

Don't feel like doing plank builders? Don't feel like doing much at all? Motivation is a common stumbling block associated with exercise behaviour - the hardest part of a workout is often showing up. These are my tips to help you stay motivated towards  your fitness goals: 

1. Make exercising fun. 

If you don't like cycling, then don't get on a bike. If dancing isn't your thing, then don't force yourself to go to the class. Choose a method of exercising that you enjoy, something that makes you feel good. If you enjoy what you do, you are more likely to choose to do more of it. I love to run as it de-stresses my mind, and allows me to think more clearly. What do you love to do? There are so many ways of exercising now that there is absolutely something for everyone! Whether it be walking, swimming, running, boxing, or working with a personal trainer, or zumba, ballestics, or hula hooping - find your fun and do more of it!

2. Plan and prepare for your workouts ahead of time

Decide on a Sunday, what training you will be doing for the next week ahead. Commit to the sessions you have planned, and own your schedule. If you are exercising in the morning, get your trainers out the night before, set your alarm with a note reminding you that you have a workout to enjoy, and trust that you will feel better after your workout than you did before. If you exercise in the evening, try to pre-empt any dips in motivation during the day by following a healthy eating plan that stabilises your blood sugar, and by preparing a self-talk strategy that can help you to turn things around when the last thing you want to do is workout. Come up with a positive fitness related mantra, and repeat this to yourself over and over again if you find your motivation wavering. You might choose something like, "if it doesn't challenge me it does't change me", or, "I am grateful to be healthy enough to workout" - whatever it is that helps to motivate you and show up for your workout. If you have children, arrange childcare ahead of time, or get them involved in your commitment to workout - ask them to help to motivate you, or even exercise together!

3. Exercise with a trainer or a friend

You are likely to reach your goals more quickly if you exercise with a friend or with a trainer. Being accountable to somebody other than yourself helps you to stay motivated and you are less likely to miss a workout. You will also notice that your workouts are more enjoyable (see point number one!) and that time goes by more quickly - why not share a personal training session with a friend for double the benefits? Exercising with a trainer brings the added benefit of helping ensure you are always exercising with proper technique, and also that you are pushing yourself enough to continue making progress. 

4. Listen to your favourite music

This is something that is so incredibly powerful when it comes to motivating you towards your workouts. Make a playlist of all of your favourite songs, and remind yourself that you get to listen to it when you are working out. Make it something that you look forward to, and attach it to your exercise, so that you know you will enjoy your workout when you are there. If music doesn't motivate you then why not listen to an audiobook instead? 

5. Remember your why.

Be sure to remember why you started. Make a note of where your motivation came from in the first place and refer to it when you feel as if you have lost your way. My motivation is always to build a healthy, fit and strong me, and to energise myself for the day ahead. Your motivation might be the same, or it might be something different. You might want to achieve a certain weight on your squat, or you might want to be able to exercise without knee pain, you might be training to look good in a bikini, or you might have a body fat goal that you want to reach. Actually connecting with your why, and really feeling it, can help you to rediscover your motivation and realise that there is something much bigger that the nagging defeatist voice in your head, and that it has your best interests at heart. 

With Gratitude, 

Niyc xx

Commit to Positive Lifestyle Change

So at the very beginning of January we are all getting ready to get back into the swing of things, and I wanted to share with you my thoughts on New Years resolutions.

It is possible that you may have set some New Years resolutions already, and it is also very possible that you may have broken some already! I think that New Years Resolutions, whilst a lot of people think they are pointless, really do serve a purpose. They're a great way to motivate yourself, and a great prompt to be inspired towards positive change.

Resolutions are a form of goal setting, and a form of committing to something intended to support your greater good.

So this New Year what can you commit to?

Commit to positive change.

Commit to being change.

Commit to inspire change.

Commit to create change.

I am starting off this year by taking stock of what works and what doesn’t work, and drawing my motivation from there, into what I can create going forwards into this year and beyond. My aim is to integrate new habits that stick, and form positive patterns that can be continued J

My resolutions fall into the areas of MOVE, NOURISH, and FLOURISH, which are the three core areas we focus on within optimallyou. 

My MOVE goals for this year are to include more yoga, spinning, and boxing into my weekly routine. I love the feeling and energy you get from a spin class, with the music and the group, and I want more of this in my life. More of what works, less of what doesn’t. Yoga is great for me, as I tend to have a very busy mind and choose to work long days, and it helps me to de-stress, and become more grounded and centred. I am choosing to practice more boxing, to develop my skill level, and to learn better technique. This works for myself on a personal level, and also allows me to better serve my clients when I can pass on new skills within personal training sessions.

In terms of NOURISH goals, I am going to continue with my usual morning routine of an aloe vera shot on waking, with a warm water with lemon and ginger, and a green vibrance or maximum vibrance green juice. I will also endeavor to prep meals at home more as I found for 2014 that I ate out most of the time (which I love as I am a very social eater – one of the great pleasures in life I think!), and I actually really love to create exciting meals and juices at home. I will be sharing these with you through my blog and via the optimallyou vlog, twitter, facebook, and instagram.

The things that have come up for me to focus on for my FLOURISH goals are the ones that are really exciting for me and I am already feeling the benefits from them, as I started practicing them a few days ago. I have decided to work on forgiveness for January, and I have been developing my own practice of releasing emotions and forgiving myself when I get caught in negative thoughts. I am going to do a vlog on this for our optimallyou youtube channel so look out for that one. I have been combining this forgiveness practice with some daily meditations, which I am committing to doing at least once daily. I am also committing to reading something every day, and writing something every day. Finally, I am committing to taking one day off from working each week. This might not sound like a difficult resolution to make, but when you love what you do, it is actually pretty hard! I’d like to spend more time relaxing on my own (reading, writing, cooking, creating), enjoying time with friends, or even just doing nothing!

So these are my commitments to positive change for 2015.

I would love to hear yours J

Leave a comment below and let me know what you are committing to this New Year!

Check out our optimallyou youtube channel where will be sharing lots of exciting new vlogs, starting next week with our three part optimallyou MOVE, NOURISH, FLOURISH series.

See you there!

With Gratitude,

Niyc xx