How To Create HEALTHY BOUNDARIES

Genuine connections are so special + staying plugged into them means being intentional with your time. It's hard to come by considerate , consistent + reliable people so if you have them in your life, share your gratitude + appreciation often.

It's okay to disconnect from the people, places + things that are forced, inconsistent + one sided. Boundaries feel so hard when you're used to putting everyone else before yourself + they were always necessary. Without them, you'll feel anxious, depressed, alone, exhausted + taken advantage of.

The more self aware you become + conscious of how valuable the energy inside of you is, the more thought you will give to where + who you pour it out to in life. It is healthy to check in + always work on ourselves + remind yourself that your energy is valuable + that you will only pour into genuine connections. The rest is not worth your time, worry or concern.

Your boundary need not be an angry electric fence that shocks those who touch it...It can be a consistent light around you that announces:

"I will be treated sacredly."

- Jaiya John

This is a topic that I plan on expanding upon more + also including in upcoming podcast episodes, where myself + others will talk more about creating healthy boundaries with yourself, relationships, friendships, family, partners, co-workers etc. I've been working on my mental health in virtual therapy + I have made a lot of progress creating boundaries with + for myself which, to give you an idea....look like this:

• Having a bedtime

• Deciding what my maximum amount of time I dedicate to work each week looks like.

• Setting limits on my amount of screen time (tv, social media, phone)

• Having an amount of time per week where I do a fun workout or move my body by stretching, walking or dancing.

• Meditate daily (which could be using the Calm app or following a meditation on YouTube or simply sitting outside with a cup of my favorite PIQUE matcha, golden milk or tea listening to the birds chirp +meditate as I look up at the sky)

• Going to doctors appointments (this has been a big deal for me - as I'm sure it has been for others, but I was having severe anxiety + panic attacks deciding if I was going to follow up on check ups, an MRI (for a hepatic hemangioma) or getting blood drawn during a pandemic. I always ask the doctors office to call me in from my car when a patient room is ready, so I don't have a panic attack in the waiting room.)

Don't apologize for your priorities. If it's important to you, be proud of it and don't apologize for it.

There may be situations where you may feel the urge to dampen the importance of your priorities because others don't understand or value what you prioritize. Don't worry, it's natural. In fact, as human beings, there is sometimes a pull that encourages us to make others feel comfortable even at our own expense. Whenever you feel the urge to apologize for your priorities, remember that YOU matter + YOU are of value. Protect your mental health + well being.

Things You DON'T Need To APOLOGIZE For

• Existing

• Saying, "no"

• Setting boundaries that protect your peace of mind

• Not responding to things not worth your energy

• Prioritizing your selfcare

• Disappointing people when you do prioritize your selfcare

• Outgrowing people, places, things

• Outgrowing parts of yourself

• Ending a toxic friendship or relationship

• Following your dream

• Telling the truth

• Your priorities

• Delay in your response

• Asking for clarification

• Needing help

• Crying / Showing emotion

• Asking for attention

• Your imperfections

Now, finish this sentence on your own:

"I'm done apologizing for _____________________________________."

To be clear, unless you've done something intentionally wrong or intentionally hurt someone, stop apologizing.

I'd like to thank YOU. Yes, you the one reading this. I'd like to say a big thank you for your continued engagement. I am so thankful for you being here. Writing (or typing, as it were) has been so therapeutic for me + it makes me so happy to hear from you. Let me know if the above resonates with you in the comments section below. I love hearing from you!

My Dad Talks About His 50 Pound WEIGHT LOSS and HEALTHY LIFESTYLE Journey

The numbers on the scale continued to register higher and higher until the numbers strained to 260 pounds. It is difficult to describe how disappointed I was in myself. How did I let this weight gain get so out of control?

Years of indulging in foods that added to an unhealthy lifestyle + ignoring the fact that I was shortening my life was a true slap in the face. A real life wake up call. As I investigated how I could improve my health + reverse my weight gain, I decided to join Weight Watchers.

Let me be clear, the goal of losing weight was not a case of vanity, but to embark on a lifestyle that will extend my life. Each day was a struggle trying my best to meet my goals + staying away from foods that I always enjoyed.

Using the Weight Watchers app with their food point system, portion control + daily exercise allowed me each week to achieve my health goals. After six months, I am pleased to say I now weigh 210 pounds + I still continue to maintain a healthy weight + lifestyle.

As I said, the Weight Watchers program works on a food point program + I was allowed 26 points a day to achieve my goal of losing 50 pounds in 6 months. The foods included in the program range from 0 points (skinless chicken, turkey breast, shellfish, vegetables, grapes) + other foods ranging from 2 - 6 points. Some examples of 2 point foods would be avocados, a slice of bread, cottage cheese, a slice of turkey. Some examples of 6 point foods include: 1 glass of orange juice, small bowl of cooked brown rice, whole wheat pasta, baked potato. Check out Weight Watchers website for more information. I have linked it below.

Walking is an important component of my success, so I made sure I walk between 10 to 15 thousand steps a day which I recorded on my Fitbit. Before, I moved back to New Jersey, I lived in Orlando, Florida + my walking routine consisted of getting my steps in at The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios + Animal Kingdom. I actually enjoy walking as a meditation tool, so it is a win, win.

My daily routine includes the following:

I start the day with a breakfast that consisted of: Coconut Yogurt (Harmless Harvest), Cereal (Lovebird) + a cup of Organic Green Tea (PIQUE). On other mornings, I would alternate + make a smoothie which consisted of: strawberries, blueberries, banana + spinach. I would also alternate on other mornings + have 1 egg white (Vital Farms - pasture raised) with a slice of toasted bread (Silver Hills Bakery "Mack's Flax"Sprouted Wheat Bread).

Lunch consisted of an Amy's low fat, low calorie frozen lunch entree or Amy's Soup - low sodium + a tuna wrap or turkey wrap or avocado toast with a side of sliced apples. Other days, I might have a salad with grilled chicken (with a squeeze of lemon), tomatoes, garbanzo beans + avocado. I alternate dressings + use Primal Kitchen's Avocado Oil Balsamic Vinaigrette or their non-dairy Ranch Dressing. Enter my 10% OFF coupon code at checkout: DEROSA10

Midday consists of a snack like apple slices with almond butter or a small bowl of grapes, carrot sticks, a slice of non-dairy cheese (Violife) or sugar free jello, small bowl of popcorn (Lesser Evil) which is made with coconut oil.

Dinner consists of either Greek chicken with basmati rice (Lundberg Farms) + a vegetable or a chicken, fig + peach salad with non-dairy ricotta (Kite Hill) salata (salad). On Sundays, my Italian tradition is always a plate of half salad + the other half of the plate, organic whole wheat pasta (Whole Foods or their 365 brand) with marinara sauce (Rao's Sensitive Marinara) + 3 Organic Grass Fed Beef or Chicken Meatballs (Beetnik).

The key of the program is the point system, so that you never feel deprived. Keeping your eye on the points allows you to be flexible in your daily consumption. Don't beat yourself up if you want to have a cookie (Simple Mills) (3 points) or a slice of pie (6 points). Just add it to your points for the day.

It is very important to stay hydrated + drink enough water throughout the day. During the pandemic, we chose to get a water delivery service, which in turn has helped me to consume at least 8 glasses of water a day.

The global support of all the other Weight Watcher members provides you with the determination to succeed. When it comes to losing weight, everyone's needs are different. You can feel confident you are on the right path by sticking to your points on a daily basis. The proven behavioral techniques help you build life changing habits, one small achievable goal at a time.

My wife + daughter are huge advocates of preparing + eating healthy organic foods and they contributed to my weight loss as well. With all the support + my own determination, I will be around for many more years enjoying my amazing family.

To get started with Weight Watchers, visit their website here.

AT HOME FITNESS with KALE and KRUNCHES

Kale and Krunches aka Marlie Cohen is a Toronto based health and fitness fanatic. Marlie didn't always have a healthy lifestyle. In fact, quite the opposite. She grew up keeping active in dance classes but was always reaching for the junk food. It wasn’t until she entered the corporate workforce that her weight and health started catching up to her and she realized she needed a change.

Marlie started meal prepping, working out and implementing small changes into her routine that made a huge difference in her life. People started to take notice – She looked healthier and they wanted to know what her secrets were! Marlie loved sharing her tips and tricks for living a healthy lifestyle that, after 5 years of letting her fear get in the way, she decided to start her Instagram account.

Marlie's account started to gain a lot of traction and she knew she wanted to leave her full-time job to pursue health and fitness but she didn’t know where to start. She kept up with her corporate real estate job all while creating content on Instagram, teaching spin classes before and after work, and decided to get her certifications to become a personal trainer and a certified Holistic Health Coach. Eventually Marlie gained enough courage to leave real estate to pursue fitness full-time.

Those first two years after leaving her job were spent personal training clients, teaching group classes, creating weekly vlogs on YouTube and content on Instagram.

In May 2019, Marlie and her husband welcomed their baby girl, Lily Scarlett. Marlie and her husband are expecting another baby this year! Marlie continues to create content on all her channels where you can workout with her.

Be sure to check out Marlie's website too: Kale and Krunches for more inspiration!

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@nicolederosalifestyle

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