Hey guys, are you ready to transform your mind so you can transform your life? Coach Mirna brings you one-on-one coaching and expert guests quickly to get you to grow. Because happiness is the progressive realization of a worthy goal. Looking for personal growth?
SPEAKER_02Let's do it. Are you running a business online? Then instantly build a trust with your customers with a domain and matching professional email from GoDaddy. So people know you mean business. And there's never been a better time. Visit Godaddy.com slash G D N O W and you can get a domain and professional email plan for just 99 cents a month for one year. That's a little price for a lot of credibility. Choose the domain that's right for you and a professional email to match. Go to Godaddy.com slash G D N O W and look legit. That's G-O-D-A-D-D-Y dot com slash G D N O W. New customer purchases only. Products auto renews separately. See terms on site. Now in your book, Live Fit from the Inside Out, you introduce six shifts to living your strongest, healthiest, happiest life. Can you break down what these shifts are and how they help people to create lasting transformation?
SPEAKER_01Yes. Um so shifts. The word shift, um, before I get into it, is uh I I go into a story in my book on why I chose that. And then um it was a story on learning how to drive and getting stuck in first gear. And so these shifts are really helping us figure out how to shift to that next gear, no matter what gear we're in. Um typically it's you know, getting out of first gear or just getting going in first gear and then getting into that next gear can be very, very scary. And also where you're just it feels very safe to stay right where you are without taking, you know, that next step into shifting into the next year because maybe we feel like you know something might happen. I was at the light trying to get on to a freeway right when I was learning how to drive a standard and I kept stalling and it was very scary. And so those are the things that you know, thinking about how we approach just fitness and wellness. So um taking the word shifts, each letter stands for something.
SPEAKER_02Welcome back to Transform Your Mind to Transform Your Life radio podcast and television show. I'm your host, Life Coach Minnie Young, and sitting in the guest here today is Nicole Zapoli. Nicole is a fitness and wellness coach, and we're gonna be talking today on the topic live fit from the inside out, the secret to lifelong wellness. Welcome, Nicole.
SPEAKER_01Thank you so much. Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_02You're very welcome. Yes. Fitness is very important. So I'm glad that we are going to be getting into fitness as a lifelong goal. All right, so let me give you guys a brief introduction. Nicole Zipoli is a professional fitness and wellness coach, owner of NZ Fitness, and author of Live Fit from the Inside Out: The Six Shifts to Living Your Strongest, Healthiest, and Happiest Life. With over 25 years of experience, a pro card in natural bodybuilding, figure and sports model, and ranking among the top 5% CrossFit Games open athletes, Nicole is a leading expert in holistic wellness, having trained thousands globally. Her turning point came when at 14, training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, she witnessed peers struggling with eating disorders, which profoundly shifted her mission to help people live healthier, happier lives beyond competition. Throughout her journey, Nicole developed a unique approach to help athletes, busy parents, and professional achieve lifelong wellness through what she calls the shift framework. Awesome. All right. So, um at Nicole, you have openly shared that as a single mom and gym owner, you battled anxiety and imposter syndrome. What was the mindset shift that helped you overcome those struggles and develop unshakable self-control?
SPEAKER_01Uh gosh, it it was a culmination of many things across many years. And a huge bit of that was just the foundation of fitness and wellness in my life and and my background in that. And so when I was experiencing um more anxiety during a certain period of my time, um period of time, I was able to lean into um my foundation in fitness, in wellness, and the things that had um gotten me all the way to where I was. And so just focusing on simple daily habits across the board, focusing on things that are not maybe don't seem like they would make that big of a difference in the long run, but they are the building blocks and the the foundation of what pretty much carried me through and saved my life for the most part. And um, and and then allowed me to thrive and grow and continue to to move forward in all areas.
SPEAKER_02Okay, that's good. So, what were you doing at 14 in the Olympics? Because I know you're into, you know, bodybuilding right now and things like that. But what was your sport at 14 or 8, I should say?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So I I grew up in, I started in artistic gymnastics, and that's the the sport that you think of when you probably hear gymnastics with tumbling floor, bars, vault, vault, beam. And I started in that, and around middle school switched to rhythmic gymnastics. And so I had several friends that had I had grown up competing alongside in artistic gymnastics, and um, we had a a pretty high-level um team in Houston where I lived at the time. And uh they were trying out this sport called rhythmic gymnastics that nobody had ever heard of. Uh, and so decided to try it out. It was so much fun and took every every bit of foundation that I had from artistic gymnastics and was able to apply it towards rhythmic gymnastics. And and that is what I initially went on to the Olympic Training Center for.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, those are beautiful. I love watching that. Yeah, gymnastics is um, I see you've got the frame on the body fork. Um uh, but yeah, gymnastics is um, yeah, I mean, I can and I can see the transition to bodybuilding because you have to be strong to do gymnastics. You've got to be able to hold your weight and carry your weight and all these different things, your body weight. So that's amazing. So, but you also transition to um eating uh disorders. Now, I've got I have here that um uh when you were training at just eight years old, you witnessed um athletes at the Olympic Training Center struggling with eating disorders. So, how did that moment um shift your lifelong mission around health and fitness?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so when I was eight, I definitely knew I was wanting to open a gym, be a gym owner, coach when I grew up. I knew I wanted to do something in the world of fitness and helping people in in, you know, mostly in the sport of gymnastics, but in in fitness in general. As I got older in rhythmic gymnastics and I was at the Olympic Training Center, I did witness uh friends of mine that were struggling with eating disorders, and it really affected me and um broke my heart and was something that also at the same time spurred me on to taking action and figuring out what I could do to hopefully help people so they don't have to go through the same things. And um, the the biggest piece to that was when I was at the training center, they required us to go to nutrition courses. And so that alongside training, fitness training, and you know, being strong, mobile, um, all of the different pieces that that built a strong, um, healthy body was also a huge piece to that was also nutrition and learning about that and how nutrition supports your overall well-being was huge and it really clicked. Um, and from that moment on, I knew that I wanted to do something in nutrition and fitness, helping people live their strongest, healthiest, happiest lives.
SPEAKER_02That's perfect. So what were the um, you know, were they struggling with? Were they struggling with like binge eating and then purging or were they struggling with? Because we know that we have to, you know, as a gymnast, you have to be a certain weight. So were they um uh when you talk about eating disorders, um uh what kind of eating disorders were they not eating? Um, were they overeating? What were exactly where they was happening?
SPEAKER_01So the yeah, so um much of it was anorexia. Uh a lot of times anorexia is, you know, there's bulimia alongside that. And um so some were dealing with both. Some were dealing with just not eating enough and uh and really structured. So they would maybe have allow themselves to have four crackers in the morning or half an apple at lunch, and then maybe you know, five pretzels or a handful of pretzels in the evening. And that's that was the extent of how much they were, you know, allowing themselves to eat, but it was very regimented and and very um there was some some level of organization around it. And so it was it was this level of um, you know, having having that control over their own nutrition, yet it was um it was it was pretty extreme in that way in in some cases. And and one, I I just remember seeing someone, uh a friend of mine that was, she I don't know, but she was on the floor in the bathroom shaking, and I don't think she saw me, but I it scared me and I was very concerned and um you know, and then had uh experienced someone else that had collapsed from just you know not having enough energy in the middle of of training. And so that was really eye-opening and um and life-changing too mentally for me as I you know move forward on my on my path, um, and wanting to help people in that way.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, I can just imagine that if you have, I mean, they're probably weighing in like a like a boxer. You've got to weigh in, you've got to keep your weight down because you're in gymnastics, you gotta be small, and you're thinking that um you've got to eat this small amount of calories, and that's why you're saying it's regimented, but I don't even hear protein in there, and you need muscles. So um uh I mean we're probably gonna get into that later, but that's I'm sure that's one of the things that you um uh started working with your clients with that maybe you can eat healthy and still keep the calories down, right? Was that always that was your intro into it? All right, yes. Yeah, oh I can uh yeah, I can talk so right. So um so for someone that's listening right now, and um uh maybe they're not a a gymnast or an athlete, but you know, I've heard I I have heard people talk about the fact that um they ate a they ate a yogurt and they ran around the parking lot trying to work that off because they were so focused on on the calories. So there's a lot of people that are focused on that. So what would be what would be something that you would tell them? Let's say that you was, you know, a fly in the wall of those 14-year-old gymnasts that wanted to keep their body weight down but eat healthy. What would you tell them to eat?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, protein. Protein, I'm making sure they're getting enough water as well. So water and protein, top priority. And then, of course, complex carbs are also very important alongside your protein because it allows your body to absorb it and put it to use that much quicker and more efficiently. Um, and just making sure that you're getting in enough food to support what it is that you are doing. And, you know, it's very tough to, I think, with um, depending on how we grew up and the mindset and the the the whole um you know approach to just eating in general and um and and the the emotions around food and the all of that is is so can definitely lead us in many different directions. Um so the earlier the better, but at any point in life, we can, you know, we have the power to to change that and to turn that around. Um, and then begin to approach just overall nutrition and fitness in a very healthy way that supports us rather than holds us back or makes us feel restricted in any part of our life. And if we're not feeding ourselves enough food or we're feeling like we have to run around the parking lot to burn off yogurt, um, that's not living a life of freedom and we're happiness. I that just isn't, you know, that doesn't fit that um huge piece of I think what most people want in life is, you know, they want to I I don't know anyone that doesn't want to live um and have that freedom in their own, in their own life, in their own movement, in their own mental, emotional state, you know, in their ability of approaching each day with um living strong, healthy, happy. And so taking the focus as we get older and even as we're younger, laying the foundation for um, especially young gymnasts. Um, but as we get older, and you know, if depending on what our background is, if that uh, you know, whatever that looked like for us growing up, as we get older, taking the mindset and approaching nutrition as this is our fuel and this is what is going to allow us to do the things that we want to do in life. And then what we do as far as fitness, taking the focus off of not necessarily it's not a bad thing, of course, to want to, you know, be able to wear something that, you know, on a special occasion or and feel good in your body. But the the biggest thing I think that really makes a huge difference is taking the focus off of the aesthetics so much and putting it on what our bodies can do and maybe how much weight we can lift, maybe what um skill we're working towards and how we're building strength to be able to do that, or maybe flexibility to be able to do fill in the blank, um, whatever that looks like for each person, but taking the focus on um and putting it more on what it is that we're able to do and the just the gift that that is in general of being healthy and being able to um live, you know, strong. And um, and then and then the aesthetics piece to that, you know, losing body fat, building muscle, um, and and and just feeling good in your in your own body when you are building strength, when you're when you're able to deadlift maybe five more pounds than you were able to a month prior, and you start to see that you're you're getting stronger and you're able to do things that you never thought that you maybe could have or would have ever been able to do, then you start to develop a respect for yourself in a completely new way that is really uh the the biggest piece to it is that that respect that you gain and you really earn through that, um you start to really appreciate your body as you as you are. And then, and then the aesthetics, of course, is is also a great um side effect to building strength and getting fit and eating well and fueling your body properly. Um, but that becomes the not the main focus. And so then we have this really healthy approach um to each day rather than it being so mind-consuming of, well my gosh, I just ate this and I still have so much weight that I want to lose.
SPEAKER_02Lose, right, right, right, yeah, yeah. That is true. I like I like what you say about the freedom, right? The freedom to live a life that's not, you know, like, yeah, you're in a prison if you're thinking that. And you talked about anorexia, because yeah, when you when you have this bad relationship with food, that you think that everything that you eat is gonna make you fat, that's when that that comes. But yes, if you are if you were into fitness and you're a gymnast and you're you know, you know, doing weights, then you're gonna see, you know, the muscle build. And I love the fact that you said, yeah, that you um you're gonna see something like um you're here thinking about you know, gymnasts. No, you're not you're a rim gymnast, uh, but um the gymnast that needs a lot of strength is the ones that are doing the vault, and maybe they can do the vault better and and they can do a whole bunch of things better. So um that's amazing that we, you know, we set the foundation for that. Are you running a business online? Then instantly build a trust with your customers with a domain and matching professional email from GoDaddy. So people know you mean business, and there's never been a better time. Visit Godaddy.com slash G D N O W and you can get a domain and professional email plan for just 99 cents a month for one year. That's a little price for a lot of credibility. Choose the domain that's right for you and a professional email to match. Go to godaddy.com slash g dn o w and look legit. That's g-oddy.com slash g dn o w. New customer purchases only. Products auto renews separately. See terms on site. Now, in your book, Live Fit from the Inside Out, you introduce six shifts to living your strongest, healthiest, happiest life. Can you break down what these shifts are and how They help people to create lasting transformation.
SPEAKER_01Yes. So shifts. The word shift, um, before I get into it, is uh I I go into a story in my book on why I chose that. And then um it was a story on learning how to drive and getting stuck in first gear. And so these shifts are really helping us figure out how to shift to that next gear, no matter what gear we're in. Um typically it's you know, getting out of first gear or just getting going in first gear and then getting into that next gear can be very, very scary. And also where you're just it feels very safe to stay right where you are without taking, you know, that next step into shifting into the next year because maybe we feel like you know something might happen. I was at the light trying to get on to a freeway right when I was learning how to drive a standard and I kept stalling and it was very scary. And so those are the things that you know, thinking about how we approach just fitness and wellness. So um taking the word shifts, each letter stands for something, and the very first one is sleep, um, the next is hydration, the next is I is for intake or nutrition, and then F is for fitness, T is for thoughts or mindset, and then the S at the end is for sunshine, getting out into the sunshine. Um, so each of these I break down, and um the idea is that these six shifts are part of our daily life, and we continue to build on them throughout our entire life, which leads us to living a very full um long-term life of longevity, high quality life. And it's really about focusing on on super simple things that we a lot of times don't really think too much about. Um, and so I break it down and and share different approaches, different ways of tackling these. And then also, you know, depending on the the different daily habits that maybe we do better in some areas, maybe we're, you know, have a harder time in others. And so figuring out ways to set yourself up for success. I um have uh basically my entire coaching approach to how to implement this into your life. And um, and so it lays the structure and the foundation to those six shifts and how we build on it, no matter where we're at in our fitness and wellness journey. You could be a you know, former professional athlete, maybe current professional athlete, maybe transitioning out of the military, maybe you've never done any fitness um in your life or stepped into a gym before. And it is really for any person at any point along their journey um to shift into that next year and and figure out how to continue to move forward um with courage and uh and a solid foundation.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's great. I love the because I I mean a lot of people didn't know how to drive a stick shift, but I understand totally where you you're talking about getting on the freeway installing. I mean, I spent about half an hour at a stop sign because it was it was on a it was on a slight heel and I couldn't shift out and and do the clutch at the same time to make the car go. So I understand, but um uh your first ass asleep. So that doesn't sound like first gear to me. Um uh can you can you give a little bit more example about how we're shifting from you know first gear to second gear to third gear to fourth gear, and even if we're in fourth gear, we want to go to fifth gear, how does that work? I mean, how does the shift? And I love the mindset piece. To me, that would be the first part, but obviously we're going by the the acronyms, but yeah, mindset to me is the foundation. So explain how we're shifting gears with this.
SPEAKER_01So and the yeah, the whole idea behind the the shifting gears. Um, you know, when we get more and more practice shifting gears, shifting to higher gear, maybe shifting all the way up to fifth gear, we're not gonna be able to stay in fifth gear forever, right? We were gonna have to shift back um maybe down to third, maybe second, and then back into first, back into two, back, you know, and we learn how to move us more smoothly and more efficiently through those gears and not get stuck anywhere along the way. Um and and so, and then it just becomes second nature. We're not really thinking about what we're having to do. We already know how to do it and we have confidence doing it. And so that's kind of the approach to this. And what I I want to give people is first the hope and also the confidence um to be able to implement these things. Um, so the the idea is here with the the order of these shifts, they're in no particular order. Everybody's in a different place at each of these. Mine it my most challenging one for sure is sleep. Not that I don't, I I once I'm when I finally make myself go to bed, I am like can fall asleep in two seconds. Um, but it's it's the actual making sure that I'm keeping a consistent bedtime routine and going to bed to make sure that I am getting the maximum amount of sleep that I possibly can and the quality of sleep that I can get in as consistently as possible across um the way. I will continue to do and work and do things all the way, you know, until I um am way past my bedtime. So that that is um the one thing that I have to be very aware of in my own life and just keep, you know, boundaries um up and around. Um stuff like hydration, maybe that's the first place that you're gonna want to look at and and really focus in on, making sure that you're getting in enough water during the day, or even just focusing on getting the minimum amount of water that you need each day. Um and doing that consistently. Fitness, maybe it's you know, making sure that you're getting in your a consistent training session or even just a walk outside consistently across um each day. Uh, and and however, you know, this is gonna look super different for each person. Maybe someone's overtraining, maybe someone is is going too hard too often and not taking enough rest days, or maybe not getting in an active rest or active recovery day. And so taking a look at those things and making sure that we're training um intentionally and intelligently and and not um not creating more issues for our body along the way. We want to be feeling um, you know, fully recovered and able to continue to build um from session to session, maybe not fully recovered from session to session, but you want to be able to allow yourself to have that ample recovery time. And then um, you know, the biggest thing here, I think, is the mindset. Um, and that really is across the board. Um, we could say that about all of these things, but I I definitely think mindset is super powerful and the way that we approach all of this is um very much, you know, it starts with our mindset. And that is something that that we continue to um grow over time and we get better at um the inner voice and being able to to channel productive um thoughts and and actions um into our life, starting with that mindset. And a lot of it definitely um comes through fitness, and fitness is a great way to train your mindset um in those, you know, whatever it is that you're doing that's uncomfortable, making yourself doing something that's a little bit out of your comfort zone or maybe uncomfortable, um, maybe something that you wouldn't, you know, do on your own unless you were working with a coach. And so something that is is pushing you a little bit more than what you might be doing on your own is, you know, that's also really training your mental capacity and how you're approaching other tough challenges in your life and obstacles, things that we maybe look at as obstacles, but that we can start to look at as opportunities, like in a in a tough workout, thinking, oh man, this is so hard. I don't think I can finish it. Or why am I doing this? Um, this, you know, this really hurts, or this is not um pleasant. Um, but then reminding yourself, this is my opportunity to get stronger and to get fitter. And this is, you know, I'm gonna be, you know, that much stronger tomorrow just by showing up today. Um, so all of those things we carry into other areas of our life. And and so the biggest thing I think is mindset. Sunshine is super helpful with um so people only get it a couple months a year.
SPEAKER_02I'm in Florida, so I get it 12 months. But yeah, nice. Where in Florida? Where in Florida are you? Four Myers.
SPEAKER_01Cool.
SPEAKER_02Yes, yes, so great. But that's great, but that's what I thought. But you know, I know that mindset because it's the operating system and it's in our foundation, but you also gave me a couple of of new ways about mindset just now, because yes, I mean, but and and that's probably because you're you're into the bodybuilding. The bodybuilding, you know, you've got to like if you're doing um uh you know a set of 10 or something, when you get to eight, you're not you're gonna want to stop because it hurts so much, but then you've got to push yourself to get to yard of two. And if you've got a coach, that coach is gonna say, Come on, you can do it. If you don't have a coach, you'll probably stop. So that's great. And and and when you do it, you're building that mindset. You're telling your body that, yeah, I can do it. And then you're right, when something hard that has not to do with with fitness comes around, you're mentally tough. And I never thought about the the fitness mindset portion before until you mentioned that. So that's that was great. And of course, yeah, I see what you mean, but the you know, uh, the sleep. A lot of people, you know, yeah, uh for instance, I was talking to my son-in-law the other day, he's going to bed at two o'clock, and I'm saying, you know, hey, you know what? Your body repairs between 10 and 2. And if you keep going to bed at 2 o'clock, then you're gonna get sick, you know, things like that. You know it, that you've got to have the proper amount of sleep. And then when you're sleeping, you have to have, you know, REM sleep and you have to have deep sleep. And you know, I'm not wearing my Fitbit now, but I I I only I wear my Fitbit 24 hours a day, and I'm checking for all those things. And of course, the hydration, you didn't say how many water you should drink, but it's a lot, and most people don't get there.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yes, the water, the water is very, very important, and uh um that you want to at minimum want to be getting in half your body weight in power.
SPEAKER_02Maybe the people in the fin uh in the Olympics do. Yeah, when I heard that number before, I read Tom Brady's book, and that's what he was talking about. And I and uh yes, yeah, it's like eight glasses or something. So yeah, I know, but at least if you're drinking at least half of what you're supposed to drink is good. But some people don't even drink a glass of water, but yeah, hydration is very, very important. Now, you also talk about uh something that is basic and that most people overlook. So, um uh what is the biggest result that can come from mastering small consistent shifts and and something as basic that people would would um we know that if we're gonna use the driving analogy, getting from stop into first gear is the hardest thing to do. And after you get into first, you're moving. So you're gonna move along, you know, third and fourth and fifth is is very easy, right? So, what is the basic thing that people can do to propel them from stop to start?
SPEAKER_01Yes. Um, the very first thing I have my clients do and what I talk about in the book is starting with one to two daily habits. I I pick them in uh the resources that I put together an entire um shifts tracker, but you really, I mean, you can do it on your own and decide on your own. Um, that is just a guide for you. And um, but I I typically have people choose one to two new daily habits. So maybe that's starting with water and focusing on getting in half the amount of water that they want to be getting in by lunchtime, and then finishing the other half by dinner time, and you know, and starting with that and sticking with that for about two to three weeks, maybe adding a second um daily habit in a new daily habit. So maybe they're they don't have any fitness routine happening or it's very inconsistent. So starting with even just 10 minutes of walking, getting outside, showing up for those 10 minutes each day, and and just focusing on that. Maybe it's focusing on water and protein. So getting in one to 1.5 grams per pound of body weight each day. Uh, this is you know the probably the biggest thing that we want to be looking at in nutrition as far as just the intake portion of this. And um, and that can be very almost can be overwhelming for some people, if especially if they're not getting much in to begin with. And so figuring out how to break that down into small meals throughout the day and making sure they're getting in their adequate amount of protein and doing that on a consistent basis and just getting that down. So they're, you know, that becomes a habit and they're not really having to think about it as much, and they can smoothly shift into the next year of maybe adding in their water intake, or maybe that 10-minute walk, or maybe an hour session with a coach or trainer, or 30-minute session, whatever that looks like. But they're you know, choosing just one to two at a time to focus on, get you know, feel really confident and comfortable with doing that and implementing it across two to three weeks, and then they get to add a new daily habit.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's still fantastic. That's a perfect answer to go from stop to moving along, right? Yeah, you give them something small bites, right? Yes, and and and of course, it's basic water and protein. The protein is another thing that um I remember when I was at my health coach, you know, he was talking about that. Um you need to get 170 grams of protein or something a day. Yeah. So I mean, yeah, a lot of people don't understand how important protein is, and they don't understand how important water is. So those are those are perfect things to to just get started with. You're not telling them that they gotta go and do um uh get to their veal to max. Yeah. Right, or something like that, right? Now, you know, maybe that's in fifth gear or something. But that's that's beautiful. It's something that everybody can do, right? So amazing. And I like the fact that you um, you know, you you're coaching in your book and also you have clients. So um before we get to the book, I have a question here about um fat diets. You know, you've seen firsthand why people fall victim to unsustainable fitness trends and fat diets. From your experience coaching thousands, how can we break the cycle of fad dieting? I mean, because it's very bad for us, right? It's like yeah, it's like stalling into the first gear, right? You just just pulling it back.
SPEAKER_01Exactly. It new so yeah, dieting. I the the word diet, um, I don't even prefer to use, but more of looking at food. Food should be an enjoyable thing, and it should also be something that we're looking at as a way to fuel our life. And it gives us energy, it allows us to do the things that we want to do and do them with more energy and you know, more emotional and hormonal regulation. Um, the the support that nutrition gives us um throughout our life and throughout our day is is just so important. Um so the idea behind fad diets and kind of shifting your mental um, I guess, mindset around nutrition in general, food, is looking at it as it's fuel. Um there are ways to keep it very simple. It doesn't have to be, it does not have to be a complicated thing. Um, although that also doesn't mean that it's easy, especially in the beginning, to kind of shift the mindset behind it, especially if there's a lot of emotion around food in general. And so to kind of stepping back and looking at food as a tool that we use in our life to help get us to where we want to go. And how looking at it as how are we going to use food to help support us in what it is that, you know, how we want to live, how do we want to live our day-to-day life? Um, what are the things we want to be able to accomplish um five years, 10 years, you know, 30 years from now? And and and it all really starts with fueling our body properly. And that really does start with hydration and protein. Yes, of course, right? But um, but yeah, looking at it as that um if you really just broke down how much protein you needed and and portioned out four to five small meals during the day with with equal amounts of protein, complex carbs, sweet potato, whole food. So something that you enjoy eating, um, fresh vegetables from your garden, whatever that looks like. And then your protein, your source of protein can be really, you know, that's up to you. Um, but as long as you're getting in that adequate amount throughout the day. And that's all you, I mean, that that right there is a great place to start. And, you know, if you can do that and do that consistently, you're gonna see amazing results. And it's, you know, that's something you can do for the rest of your life. The other thing I do talk about too is allowing yourself, and this of course depends on each person's goals. So if someone's training specifically for bodybuilding, probably not during season, um, but for life in general, of just living uh, you know, a strong, healthy, happy life with sustainable nutrition across the board, allowing yourself a treat meal once or twice a week that is either planned um on your active recovery or rest days is is super helpful. It gives you, you know, a an something to kind of look forward to. You can plan it out and it's it's you know, a special meal that you get to eat during the week that you're gonna be a lot less inclined to, you know, go grab something uh, you know, that that yeah, it satisfies the cravings, right?
SPEAKER_02Right, yes. I've heard about that, right? Yes.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And um, and then meal prep, and that's like such a it. you know, if you have even just an hour or two to just batch prep um food at some point during the week and then you just have your stuff ready to go. And then you're, I mean, it really saves a lot of time during the week and a lot of uh just all, you know, all sorts of um stuff that can come up during the week where, you know, if we're out doing stuff and you need to be able to have food ready or, you know, that would be a lot less um likely for you to have to go grab something that you wouldn't normally eat. But having that prepped out, ready to go, it just is super helpful. And um and then, you know, it's just very it's simple, sustainable nutrition. There's not anything that, you know, it's not like you're gonna be doing some, I don't know, there's a lot of I've heard a lot of crazy stuff. I know there's there's a lot of crazy stories.
SPEAKER_02And you're right, when you're hungry too, that you're gonna grab something that's not nutritious or good for you. But yeah, what I'm getting across from you is because you're you um you've been training for the Olympics and you you've had this disciplined life that you you know you um uh it it it shows up in your you discipline for fitness and it shows up in your daily routines because yeah what you're you what you're sharing is is how we can be you know have a disciplined life because it's it's always better for you when you're you know you're not living in chaos and you have things planned out like you talk about prepping your you know understanding what your goal is and and and piecing it out during the day and I love the fact that yeah that you know I drink most of my water in the first half of my day um maybe I should start you know adding some at the end of the day too. So you know things like that. That the you know that's great advice. You know you plan it out you're conscious of it you live you live with awareness.
SPEAKER_01All right so tell us about your book Live Fit from the inside out why did you write it and what do you want readers to walk away with after reading yes um yes this my book um very nice I um I I really wrote this I mean it was a a lifelong goal of mine and I got to uh a few years ago or several years ago I was um I had the opportunity to be a co-author on another fitness book and so that was um something that was just a a personal goal professional goal of mine um but more than anything I wanted to be able to give the gift of hope um and the ability to just that that freedom and ability to live the life that you want to be able to live um we all have um we all have it in us and we can uh but you know a lot of a lot of that comes with just being able to shift from neutral into first gear and knowing how to do that and and and setting ourselves up with the best support possible around us. And sometimes depending on what we're going through or what we're in or what our background is or what is happening currently we can get really stuck and we can get stuck in that first gear even stuck in neutral and not going anywhere um and almost paralyzed with either fear or um you know just the what ifs or feeling like we're not good enough. And so the this book kind of tackles all of those things and and from my own experiences from um my clients experiences different things and challenges that that each of us have overcome um the one thing I did uh another um story in in the book and in um one of the chapters is on self-confidence for self-worth and you know why does that even matter in a fitness and wellness book and it's just such a you know it's the foundation of you know living fit and healthy and so getting this right and and here too is it's all connected and that's really our foundation and so taking a look at our self-worth and and then figuring out what the difference between that and our self-confidence is um I talk about my truck again of the truck I was learning to drive a standard on and um this was an old truck that you know was salvaged that my dad had salvaged and he had been working on and it had a very the paint drop was very dull and um you know it would have been very easy for me to have gone and you know gotten it repainted or just not even done anything about it. But one of my neighbors showed me a way that I could um break through the that film and that that um oxidized you know film that was on the top of my paint on my truck and it was uh very tough but I worked in little tiny sections and it was a lot of uh two full days of just wax on wax off of removing this film and really uncovering the shine and so that's one of the stories I tell about but really I mean I I it looked like it had a brand new paint job but it was already there and this truck that looked dull and kind of old and nothing really the golden Buddha story. Nothing like but yes yeah and um and so just that that satisfaction of you know it was it was uh not easy to remove that top layer but getting down underneath all of that and just kind of uncovering the shine that was um such a it was it was a really cool experience in my own life of the um I guess how we approach life in general but our taking care of ourselves as well. And you know there's a lot of things that we can do outside to help you know uh you know make a science.
SPEAKER_02Yeah and then but when we really tackle um you know and getting working on kind of breaking through that that top layer of of whatever it is um self-doubt or you know um feeling not good enough or past traumas or stuff that holds us back and when we start to really work on those things and take action in our own life it's not easy and it it does take work but when you do that and you put that work in oh my gosh the shine that comes through that and and what you uncover through that and you know you discover that that was already already there underneath it's already there yes we're born with it all you just have to uncover it amazing all right well your book sounds amazing um yeah I can tell that from your experience in life and how you live your life and you know um we are all the testimony so if we've learned something we've mastered something then um it's great to share it and help others so um I know your book is on Amazon to um uh let us know if you have a website um anything about your coaching program your social media handles so people can follow you yes my book is on Amazon it is also um about to launch on audible as well and um so there's a a Kindle paperback hardcover and then it is on my website as well my website is nicolezapoli.com and then I am on Instagram as well and it's just my name at Nicole Zapoli. Okay um that's okay go ahead yeah yeah I um I do one-on-one remote coaching and I have several different uh nutrition and fitness resources different um online products to help support your goals whether that's working one-on-one with me um remotely uh or um on I have uh a body composition and nutrition app which is uh super super cool just launched um recently as well and uh lot of helpful support in that area as well sounds great so um you're gonna send me the links to the app so I can put it in the show page or you want to mention it here um it's all on my website oh it's on your website okay um but I can I'll send you the links too yeah so I can put it in the show page that's amazing all right well um Nicole this was a fantastic conversation um I got a few little nuggets from you regarding um uh you know the shifting and um yeah that was uh that was great and um uh because I also learned uh to drive stick shift I can relate and I can understand so um and then of course being a my mindset coach I also understand about um about you know having the right mindset and when you're coming from a a fitness um uh if you're if you're uh um especially if you're up you know you were in a high level like you know we're you know um uh you know fitness for your country and Olympics or those type of high level sports you've got uh the fitness mindset that's that you've been building you talked about since you're eight so um yeah it's great to help people to understand you know you use the word consistency a lot you know you you do things consistent you plan it out and um and then you'll you'll see you'll see the difference in your life so that's amazing so I will have a short um summary of my conversation with um Nicole on the Shook page which is myyoung.com and um I will link out to her book I will link out to her website and her app so that you can go ahead and um yeah get some of her knowledge and you know um uh and work with it. I mean uh I love her uh getting from neutral to first gear where you pick two things and you know we discussed water and protein but it can be something else for you you know two things like getting to bed on time right or getting up on time you know what whatever it is for you I mean I'm pretty sure it's customizable so Nicole um it's been a pleasure talking to you so as we wrap up do you have any last words um thank you so much for having me I I'm so happy to be here yeah thank you you're very welcome and it was you know great talking to you um and picking up some nuggets for myself so all right guys well listen thanks for tuning in to this week's episode of Transform Your Mind so you can transform your life today we were talking about live living fit from the inside out you know uh Nicole ended about with the story about getting the shine that's already there so yeah if you live fit from the inside out you're gonna uncover your shine great metaphor all right so thank you Nicole thank you guys for tuning in until next time Nameste