by Carmen Ohling | May 20, 2020 | Uncategorized
3 Tips For Busy Women to Stay Healthy and Put Themselves First
As we in the United States, begin to transition in phases from quarantine to being out and about more in our communities, it’s extremely easy to get overwhelmed or feel anxious. Especially as women, we are often the caretakers, the shoppers, the controller of finances, and we still want to be our best selves, feel good and be healthy as well! What happens often, I know this was challenging for me when my kids were young, is that women put themselves last. We have all heard it before that we can’t show up and help others unless we are helping ourselves first but somehow that gets neglected. So, I want to share with you today three simple strategies to stay healthy and put yourself first. If you implement these, you will reduce you overwhelm, improve your health, and feel happier overall!
Tip #1: Nourish your body with whole real foods consistently during the day.
You might be thinking who has the time to be cooking and preparing such complicated meals? Well don’t worry- I’ve got your back with some simple, fast, healthy and delicious meals that you can make to improve your energy and feel amazing, even with a busier schedule. Click HERE for 7 simple recipes that I know you’ll love!
Tip #2: Practice daily self-awareness
One of the keys to reducing stress and living a joyful life, is living in the present moment. Specifically, this means not dwelling in the past and not worrying about the future. The key to living in the present is being super self-aware. So how do you do that if you are constantly being pulled in all directions? Here is what I suggest: set aside five minutes in the morning, five minutes in the afternoon and five minutes in the evening to check in with yourself. In the morning start by writing down your intention for the day and how you want to feel first thing in the morning. Then, as afternoon rolls around, check in to make sure your actions are matching your aspirations during the day and then at the end of the day celebrate your wins. Be sure to include what you’re proud of accomplishing and this will help build momentum for the next day.
3: Get 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
Again, we all have heard the importance of sleep, but I am here to tell you that sleep is really the catalyst to everything in life- it’s our bodies time for rest and recovery. And guess what? When we don’t get sleep we’re less effective during the day, we’re less creative, more apt to snap at our love ones around us and we’re more likely to eat non-nourishing foods for our body. And guess what? If you’re trying to lose body fat, it’s not going to happen easily for you if you’re not getting enough sleep. My recommendation is 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, so yes that means that you may have to Netflix less, social media less and get your booty into bed earlier.
I hear you, that’s easier said than done so something I’ve been using it lately is taking a 15 to 20 minute hot bath with a bath bomb from slab mule. Let me tell you- I sleep like a baby every time! Other things that you can do before bed is trying out that five minute journaling exercise that I mentioned earlier, doing some deep breathing or a quick meditation (try googling yoga nidra, do a free video on YouTube that’s my favorite!) Lastly, be sure to put down your constant companion a.k.a. your cell phone at least an hour before bed.
I am the first to tell you that all of these ideas that I’m sharing with you today are simple, but at times they can be hard to implement. So, start with the one that you feel would be most helpful to you and do that for a full week then add another one. With consistency you’ll find that you’re less stressed, more present in everyday life and overall feeling so much better with your energy and your health!
I’d love to hear from you! Which tip are you going to try first? Shoot me a DM on Instgram @carmenohling!
by Carmen Ohling | Mar 27, 2020 | Uncategorized
Cooking healthy & delicious from your pantry & freezer: All with 6 ingredients or less!
If you’re like me, with the outbreak of the Coronavirus across the world, you stocked up on your pantry and freezer items. If you’re feeling stuck making the same old basic tacos, spaghetti and cream of whatever casserole, I am here to help! Today I am digging deep back into my nutrition arsenal of recipes and bringing back some favorites, all with 6 ingredients or less. Don’t worry though, they all taste freaking awesome, are healthy and totally kid and husband approved!
Here are a few tips when cooking at home during social distancing:
- Season your food. Buy simple, single ingredient foods and season them yourself when you cook. Often we are accustom to letting the grocery store help us with this, but guess what? They are added a ton more than just salt and pepper, like: sugar, preservatives and other chemicals to make the foods last longer and encourage our bodies to crave them more. Ya, the food industry is pretty sneaky like that! My favorite go-to seasonings are: sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, chili power, cumin, Italian seasoning (so simple & make everything taste like pizza!), a blend called “Chicago Style” seasoning (for meat), cinnamon, and stevia or monkfruit (for natural no-calorie sweeteners.)
- Start batch cooking, even though you are home all the time. What is batch cooking? It’s basically cooking in bulk foods that you know you like and enjoy and can re-purpose into different meals. I recommend batch cooking 2 proteins (think grass-fed beef into taco meat and grilled chicken breast), 2 carb sources (think potatoes and rice) and 4 veggies sources (think frozen veggies baked on a sheet tray and prepped cold veggies for snacking.) Batch cooking will help you put together meals quickly for your and your family and keep you away from eating everything in the pantry when you tell yourself your “too tired to cook!”
- The key to cooking and eating at home is eating more, not less. Let me clarify here: eating more of the foods that nourish your body and make you feel good vs the foods that make you feel like shit. If you’re asking yourself, what are those food that I should be eating… Okay, I am going to call BS here! You already know! Veggies, fruits, lean meats, healthy fats and non-processed carbohydrates. I recommend to make your plate following this guide, which always starts with 1/2 a plate of veggies!
Click here to grab the recipes!!!
Do you want more recipes like this, but also a full weekly meal plan, shopping list, nutrition info and support and accountability around your nutrition? Well then, I invite you to try my best selling group nutrition program, The Clean Eating Transformation Program FREE for 30 days! No string attached, cancel anytime if it’s not for you- but hey… I know that you will love it!
by Carmen Ohling | Mar 11, 2020 | Uncategorized
🔻I use to tell myself that I wasn’t good at making friends with other women. I shied away from building intentional female relationships and I often put other women up on pedestals, dreaming to be like them. I felt like I could never be, do or measure up to how and what they were as a woman. I was afraid of what they would think of me, of saying the wrong thing, wearing the wrong thing… looking stupid.⠀
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▪️Can you relate?⠀
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🔺Here is what I know now. Creating intentional relationships with other powerful women lifts you up, supports you, and challenges you to be your best. Don’t get me wrong, this shift didn’t happen overnight but as I started to work on my own personal spirituality and growth I was able to begin to cultivate my own authentic voice and step into my confidence as a unique and powerful women of my own. This was the key for me. By cleaning up my side of the street, owning my own shit and and developing my own voice I was able to start sharing vulnerably and building intentional connections with the most amazing women!⠀
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🔺So if you said, YES, I can 100% relate to what I shared- start by looking within. You already know the answer, it’s there. Start shining your authentic light and voice and the women that are meant to be part of your life we come…⠀
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🔺I am grateful for each of the women that have made a huge impact on my life, I thank you and send you so much love today.⠀
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by Carmen Ohling | Feb 27, 2020 | Uncategorized
Question: When was the last time you felt let down?
If you answer this truthfully, it’s most likely the last time that you had an expectation for a person or situation. There is a quote that says “expectation is the thief of all joy.” This could not be more true! Think about it, what if you went into each interaction or experience being completely open. Open to what is possible, held space for others to be their authentic self; how do you think this would change things for you?
Watch this quick video as I share one of the recent times I felt let down and how I was able to reframe my perception.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B2myBtzF_zn/
by Carmen Ohling | Oct 17, 2019 | Uncategorized
I remember when I left my 16 year, successful corporate career.
For 16 years I worked on average 6 days a week, 10 hours a day. I loved my job and I was freaking good at it! So why did I find myself in my car before work one day crying? You know what- I had no idea why I was crying but after that day I was on a mission to find out!
There were a lot of thoughts with me when I thought about what I should do. I should stay in my career because –
- I’ve been here for 16 years
- I’m the primary breadwinner for my family
- My entire community knows me as this career woman
The loudest thought that downed out all of the “should’s” was that I had forgotten who I truly was. There was no congruency in my life and I had no idea what I stood for as a woman. I cried that day that I left my successful career, and I’d love to say they were all tears of joy but the truth is that it was scary to let go of a career that I had established as my identity. It was like ripping off a bandaid and all I kept thinking to myself was, “who the hell am I without this?” Not knowing what was next and heading into the unknown was terrifying but it was what I needed to do.
The New Shift
Fast forward 5 years….. My husband and I decided to sell the home we lived in for 15 years in Oregon, along with 90% of our belongings, and move to Colorado. You’ll never believe this, but the day we moved into our condo was actually the first day I ever saw it. If we had moved 10 years prior, there’s no way that would have happened!
The truth is that today, one of the most exciting things in my life is the uncertainty of the new opportunities that I’m experiencing. I actually like not being in control of what’s happening and rather, being open to the world and what might happen.
The more that I have released my grip on everything in life, the more open I have been to what the world has for me. This has led to more connections and more opportunities than ever before.
Do you want to know why?
The Power of Letting Go
I’ve realized that trying to be in control of everything keeps you playing small because you have less to lose. By releasing your hold on control and opening up, it allows you to experience more, play bigger and see what is possible.
Letting go does not mean letting your goals go, it just means letting go of the outcome. This means that every day, you can take deliberate, intentional action to achieve your goals, but you don’t have to white-knuckle it daily for a specific outcome. Instead, you’ll see the world around you with open eyes and an open heart rather than limiting yourself with tunnel vision.
Does that tunnel vision sound familiar?
It’s okay if it does! As an ambitious, goal oriented woman, I’m sure you’ve made it where you are today by “keeping your eye on the prize”. But imagine what you could create with the world around you if you open your heart to exploring the unknown.
Use This Question to Keep Moving Forward
I invite you to sit down and start asking yourself this question, “What am I curious about today?”
Is this a new book or podcast? Taking a new fitness class? Trying out a new recipe?
When we follow our curiosity, we can really understand what we’re passionate about.
If you can’t think about what you’re curious about today, that is okay! Can you think about what you were curious about 5 years ago? 10 years ago? 15 years ago?
When we were children, we were curious about everything! However, we heard “no, don’t do that” about a million times and it’s become ingrained in us to not do things. But by allowing some time for play and for joy, the creative and curious version of yourself is likely to emerge.
For more tips and to learn more about my story, Click here to listen to the episode of the Why Should I? Podcast where I talk more in depth about why I continue to pursue the uncomfortable and how it’s changed my life!
Wishing you a ton of light and love,
Carmen
by Carmen Ohling | Oct 3, 2019 | Uncategorized
You cannot do everything.
I know, I know… This may be confusing because it sounds like the opposite of everything you’ve ever heard!
But here is the thing… What you have actually heard is, “You can do anything.” In fact, we’ve been hearing this message since we were younger. Now, whether or not you truly believe this is one thing that I’m sure we’ll get into another day, but this one is for my believers. If you truly believe that you can do anything, I urge to be sure that you aren’t trying to do everything.
My main point today is that as we grow in life, we have to make trade-offs and let go of things to allow new things to come into our lives.
Let’s illustrate this. For example, let’s stay that maybe you go to college, become a career woman, get married and have kids. Now all of a sudden you’re trying to be the best mom, wife, career woman, volunteer at your kid’s school all while trying to keep up with your health and squeeze in the tiny amount of time you have left to catch your breath. At the end of the day, you find yourself so unfulfilled, so tired, and actually have no time for yourself because you’re to-do list is on all day, everyday. This is not the way to live!
So, I ask you to pause and figure out –
- Where are you at today?
- Who are you today?
- What do you stand for?
- What is important to you?
Then, you have to prioritize those things in your day. You have to be willing to make significant trade offs if you want to keep growing and striving to reach your full potential.
What This Looks Like For Me
In my own life, I’ve had my own coaching and nutrition business for the past 5 years. I’ve really transitioned into doing more in the online space, speaking at events and all of this really lights me up! But earlier this year, I found myself really stressed and overwhelmed. After some reflection, I realized what was happening.
I was still doing everything that I started out doing and just added more to it. I added on new amazing coaching programs for empowering women, working with them on a 1:1 basis every week, speaking on big sages.
But, I didn’t give up older programs and habits because they were a security blanket for me! So I made some changes. What I’ve done recently is let go some of my old programs to create space for new opportunities in my life and in my business.
This has been such a game changer! I’ve been able to step into who I am as a woman, who I want to be, what I want to bring into this world and how I can share my gifts better with all of you!
You’ll notice that in my own story, there was a resistance to change because of fear. This is not uncommon. People will cling to an unsatisfactory way of life rather than change it to get something better in fear of getting something worse. But remember, the saying we’ve heard all our lives is still true. We can do anything we set our minds to. So try to let go of the old while going all in with the new.
The act of consciously choosing a new way is something will grow into a habit and will be easier to do over time.
So I ask you…
- Where do you want to be?
- What are you still holding onto today that you need to let go of even if it’s scary or feels expected of you?
I’d love for you to share this message with an ambitious woman in your life who you know is striving for something! Then, I’d love for you to shoot me an email about what you’re striving for and what is is that you need to let go of.
We have just around 90 days left in this year! Let’s make some room for great things.
Wishing you a ton of light and love,
Carmen
