by Carmen Ohling | Sep 5, 2019 | Live.
Have you read or seen the interview on YouTube about Kim Kardashian pursuing a career as a lawyer? I know not everyone may be her fan, but you can’t neglect the work she is putting in when it comes to wanting to be and do more. It is awesome to see her being unapologetic about who she is and going after what she is being called to do.
Here, as we see it a celebrity who has it all but feels she hasn’t truly fulfilled her life’s purpose. It is empowering to know that our soul will always crave more and that we are all capable of achieving all that we desire.
We all have those few things that not only excite us about life but ultimately give us life. Those things that allow us to vibrate on a higher level making us contagious to those around us, so contagious they want to know what we are doing so they can feel the way we do!
Here are some things that excite me in life:⠀
- Doing what I know I am called to do which is empowering women to become obsessed with their own lives⠀
- Living simply, with love, kindness & freedom ⠀
- Taking the steps to reach my dreams and live my best life, unapologetically and on my own terms ⠀
- Empowering myself to fully shine every day, which empowers other women to step into their power and fully shine. And then, the BEST part, magically the ripple effect of those gorgeous women empowering the amazing women in their lives. ⠀
Ask yourself right now, what truly excites you? If you have a hard time answering that question then try answering, what are the most important things in your life?
It is time you pursue something you love that is purposeful and authentic.
It is okay to sit down and think about your future, set goals, and visualize what you want your path to look like. Your future and the path you visualize must resonate with your heart and not someone else’s version of success or happiness. Your life, your success, and your happiness are all in your hands.
After you figure out what excites you, see how you can make it your reality. Remember from my last blog, you don’t need to have all the knowledge on how to make this happen. Simply taking any action – regardless of how messy that might be – is the first step.
Is more romance in your marriage exciting to you? Maybe finally putting that date night you’ve been wanting on your calendar is the first step.
Is getting a certificate or degree in an interesting area of study exciting to you? Perhaps researching a few top or local programs for your area of study and reaching out to get more information from admissions is something you can do.
Is the idea of having a circle of like-minded women you can count on exciting to you? Maybe going to women-centered work out classes or book clubs is the way you can start connecting with them.
Whatever it is – take action. Because here is the thing about pursuing things that excite you… your whole life starts to change.
You might notice that it’s easier for you to jump out of bed in the morning because you have things to look forward to. Your mindset may be more positive because of the confidence you’ll gain from actively creating a life you love. You will feel stronger and more powerful because you know you’re the one in control of your own life!
I am so excited for you to begin your journey of what excites you and gives you life. If this blog resonated with you, email me at carmen@carmenohling.com and let me know what action you’re taking to create excitement around you. Also remember, I am always here to help so if you need some ideas on how to move forward, shoot me an email as well.
Sending you a ton of love and light today,
Carmen
by Carmen Ohling | Aug 29, 2019 | Eat.
Have you ever wished that eating healthy could just be simple? *insert raised hand emoji*
Sure, there are many cookbooks, recipes, diets, etc. out there offer so much information, but for someone who is just trying to get started or get back on track, that can be pretty freaking overwhelming.
Even after years of experience in nutrition, I choose to keep eating simple.
Here are my four personal guidelines that I think can help you.
1. Focus on These Four
Focus on having veggies, protein, and fat at each meal and then add carbs as needed based on the days’ activities. Here are a few of my favorites in each category –
Veggies
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Brussel sprouts
Asparagus
Mushrooms
Carrots
Protein
Chicken breast
Turkey breast
Eggs & Egg Whites
Flank Steak
Fat
Avocados
Almonds
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Carbs
Sweet potato
Rice
Beans
Fruit
2. Gut Health
Add fermented foods and flaxseed or chia seeds to 3 meals a day. (Gut health is important!)
Kimchi
Kefir
Sauerkraut
Miso
Yogurt
3. Flavor is Your Friend
Which essentially means that seasonings are your sidekick. Don’t be afraid to add a ton of flavor to your meals! Healthy eating still means that your food can be delicious! Use seasonings, kimchi, salsa, hot sauce, fresh citrus fruit and fresh herbs. Here are a few seasonings and herbs that are my pantry staples:
Seasonings
Sea Salt and Pepper
Garlic
Onion
Chili Powder
Cumin
Curry
Store-bought/pre-packaged seasoning blends are also great but be sure to do a quick label check and make sure there are no added sugars.
Herbs
Thyme
Basil
Rosemary
Oregano
4. Be Your Own Chef
Try your best to cook at home for the majority of meals during the week focusing on real, whole food. I know, grabbing food to go may seem faster, but hear me out… batch cooking is the way to go. Not only does it actually save you a shit ton of time and money, but it ensures that you are eating foods that give you energy, are nourishing to your body and make you feel good! (I wrote this other blog on batch cooking so you can learn how – trust me, it’s so doable.)
I know this blog post will be helpful for you, but if you want to take it a step further, you can join my 28 Day Clean Eating program that delivers recipes, shopping lists and weekly doses of inspiration straight to your inbox. (You can currently get 7 days totally free – that’s 7 whole days of meals already planned out!)
If you’d like more help on getting started on your nutrition and wellness journey, I’d love to help! Feel free to reach out to me at carmen@carmenohling.com.
Wishing you a ton of light and love,
Carmen
by Carmen Ohling | Aug 23, 2019 | Live.
If we’re being really honest here, the fact is that most people know –
- What foods are nourishing to their body.⠀
- That they should practice daily movement.⠀
- That they are super overwhelmed and should reduce stress.⠀
- They numb out with food and alcohol and this is an issue.⠀
- They should save more and spend less money.⠀
- Know what they need to do to reach their goals.⠀
The list goes on and on…..⠀
The biggest problem that prevents people from meeting their goals, and pretty much the real cause of their daily suffering, is that they are not able (or willing) to take action on what they know. Or, perhaps they do take some sort of action, but it’s an action that is a non-essential one and is not going to actually help them move forward. Here’s a classic example…
Have you ever decided you wanted to start a workout regimen? You might have gotten this big wave of inspiration and felt like you were really ready to stick it this time so the first thing you do is… buy a new workout outfit. Then, that outfit maybe sees itself through one or two workouts before getting tucked to the back of your closet. Does this sound familiar? For many, it does! Dishing out money in order to feel like we’re making progress is the easy part. Sticking to workouts that leave you drenched in sweat and out of breath, not so much.
There could be many reasons why the example above fell through though. Maybe being at the gym surrounded by people who look like they know what their doing while you fumble your way through a few machines is intimidating. But that still doesn’t change the fact that you know you should be putting in the work.
Maybe you’re going through a period of burnout at work and you know you should try to take a day off or not work late into the night, but the thought of letting go or missing an important email is stressful! But that still doesn’t change the fact that you know you won’t be able to maintain that workload forever.
We all know what we need to do, but we procrastinate, make excuses and let our fear of failure and judgment cripple our action.⠀
Enough is enough.
Simply knowing is not enough.
You must take action in order to get to where you want to be in life. So tell me, what are you going to choose? What is your next step?⠀
Not sure where to start? Feel free to send me an email at carmen@carmenohling.com and I will personally help you develop your first step!⠀
Sending you a ton of light and love,
Carmen
by Carmen Ohling | Aug 16, 2019 | Eat.
With summer still in full swing, it’s super common that there’s a lot of travel going on for everyone! Travel can often be a big stress point for people who are trying to keep up a healthy lifestyle regime and let me tell you, I get it. Maintaining healthy eating while traveling is still a work in progress for me! However, I’ve come to understand I can approach trips with one of two mentalities… and one is an absolute game-changer.
Diet Mentality (aka NOT the game changer)
It’s possible that you have found yourself here before… Restricting yourself before your trip, then going all out eating and drinking whenever you want, often in large quantities, and it ends up making you feel like shit. So then you restrict and over exercise when you get home all while feeling guilty about your choices during your trip, and dwelling on negative self-image thoughts.
How freaking miserable does this sound? I’m not for it. So instead, I’ve been focusing on feeling good.
Focus on Feeling Good Mentality
Focusing on feeling good has been my new approach to eating healthy while traveling. It’s actually been my approach to eating healthy in general! Instead of having a mindset focused around restriction, I eat foods that nourish your body and that I enjoy daily. I choose foods that allow me to feel good daily (this could be a big ass salad or a piece of cheesecake) but do so in normal quantities and I eat foods that keep my energy high. This all leads me to feeling amazing and refreshed when I return home.
Here are two things to consider so you can adopt this as well –
- Consider the idea that you can enjoy food, enjoy your life and feel good all at the same time. What this means for you is that you get to choose.
- Prior to eating, ask yourself, “How do I want to feel?”
- Then ask yourself, “What foods will help me feel this way?” If you can focus on feeling good and having energy daily you will find so much more confidence, excitement, and joy in all of your life experiences.
As I said before, this is still a work in progress for me. The summer tends to be a huge travel season for me and nourishing my body has not been on point every day, but the reflection on how I feel propels me to keep figuring it out!
Here is what I have learned over time:
- Vegetables are a non-negotiable for me daily.
- Traveling with ground flax and magnesium is also a must because it helps me poop daily… otherwise, things are not moving!
- Alcohol is OK, but not every day. Everyday consumption leads to inflammation, water retention, and low creativity.
- How I eat is HOW I EAT and nobody else’s business. I focus on what makes ME feel good.
- Limiting snacking and focusing on satiating meals is the way to go for me. (One day, I ate two Quest Nutrition bars, chocolate, and a salad. I did not feel good the next day)
- Trying new foods, experience and flavors is fun, but knowing what works best for me makes meal planning easier.
When is your next trip? Want help? I’ve just recently launched my Monthly Meal Plan program that is complete with recipes and shopping lists so it takes all of the guesswork out of healthy eating! Over time, it’ll become easier and easier for you to cook your own food that is healthy, gives you all of the energy and makes you feel amazing!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at carmen@carmenohling.com
Sending you a ton of light and love,
Carmen
by Carmen Ohling | Aug 9, 2019 | Live.
Do you have a morning routine? I get so many questions about my morning routine and the biggest challenge that I get from most people is time…..⠀
I am calling BS on that old-time excuse.
We all have the same amount of time in a day, it all comes down to how you prioritize your time and protect your energy. Yes, I said Protect Your Energy! The more energy you have in a day, the better you feel, the bigger you can show up and the more you can accomplish.
My own morning routine consists of –
- Waking up and drinking a full glass of warm lemon water
- Spending time reading
- Spending time journaling
- Meditating
- Moving
Why these four things?
It allows me to set my intentions for the day, start the day aligned with my highest self, prepare my body for nourishing foods and movement and gives me energy! Building your own personal morning routine can do the same for you.
It Might Be the Big Secret
If you currently don’t have a morning routine, I encourage you to give it a try. Morning routines just might be the secret to having an incredible day and the amazing thing about them is that they are extremely personal. Here’s how you can get started –
Pick 1 habit and start it tomorrow. You can add more in later, remove the ones that you aren’t loving and you can swap them out from time to time. This initial list does not have to be permanent!
Here are a few that you can try out – pick any that resonate with you –
- Drinking a cup of coffee or tea
- Practice yoga
- Meditate
- Take a hot or cold shower
- Go for a walk or a run
- Visualize your day
- Write/say your affirmations
- Read
- Journal
- Practice gratitude
- Deep breathing
- Stretching or walking
- Getting outside for a quick hit of Vitamin D!
If You Aren’t a Fan of Mornings
Some of you may be thinking that you hate mornings and are convinced that will never change. But here’s what I’ll tell you – from my own experience and that of many people I know who have chosen to have a morning routine as well – you can do anything you want, regardless of what you believe to be true of yourself.
Building a morning routine all starts with your mindset. It begins with making a conscious decision that you want to start having a freaking incredible day, that you want to be happier and healthier, that you want to be more productive and feel in control of your day. With that commitment, you can overcome the “I’m not a morning person” belief that you have been telling yourself for years.
With this practice, you’re on your way to learning that when you are in control of your mindset, you will become even more obsessed with your own dream life!
Ready to start?
I can’t wait to hear how your morning routine goes. Whether you’ve had one for years or are starting one tomorrow, I’d love to hear how you’ve built yours. And as always, if you need any help, feel free to reach out to me at carmen@carmenohling.com.
Here’s to a freaking awesome morning tomorrow and an even better day!
Carmen
