Wednesday WOOT! Factor!! (on Thursday, oops!)

Hey Y'all!! Welcome back to the Wednesday Woot! Factor. OMG so clearly, I'm running behind because I'm putting up Wednesday on a Thursday, but whatevs!! So many of you have asked for it, so I am BRINGING IT! BOOYA! And who is this cutie?? OMG Love Ms. Nicole Culver of Making Good Choices. She is also one of our Fabulous FitFluential Ambassadors, because....she is awesome. So check out her bloggy goodness and check out my interview with her below! 

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Wednesday WOOT! Factor Questions

When did you first start working out and why?

I started working out when I was 16. I joined a women’s only gym with my mom and fell in love. Although, I can also remember doing Denise Austin and Tony Little VHS’s when I was even younger with my mom. I started working out because I stopped playing tennis on a team and needed a way to keep it moving. I instantly fell in love with working out and how I felt after. The workout “high” continues to keep me going workout after workout.

Are you at your “Happy Place” right now – meaning more of a maintenance mode, or are you still in a weight loss mode?

I definitely am at a happy place. I’ve always been around the same weight in my adult life except when I gained those dread freshman fifteen (freshman twenty for me) twice. I worked hard 2 summers in a row and lost the weight on weight watchers and have kept it off since. I had to learn that college WAS NOT a free for all and you need to reel it in, while still having fun. Pizza, beer and buffet was there day after day and I had to realize I didn’t need to eat it ALL in one day/night.  It was basically a great life lesson.

If you are in maintenance mode, do you feel that you work just as hard to maintain your level of fitness as you did to lose it?

I do work hard at the fitness almost everyday. When I was trying to lose weight, I basically worked out the same as I do now, I just was working on cleaning up my diet. Don’t get me wrong, there are days where I skate by on the elliptical or go for a walk, but 90% of the time I am working hard. And by hard I don’t mean hours in the gym, 30 minutes to 1.5 hours MAX is all I spend.

What does your current workout “routine” look like now?

My current workout routine involves 3 days of running anywhere from 3-6 miles. 3 or 4 days of weight lifting and some kickboxing, yoga, cardio class mixed in.

What do you do for cardio? How often?

Running is my main form of cardio 3 days a week. 2 days a week I usually either do classes that are cardio based or I’ll do 20-25 minutes of HIIT on the elliptical.

Do you workout at home or the gym?

I LOVE working out at home with free weights or dvd’s when I don’t feel like going to the gym. I do like working out at the gym because they have more equipment. I LOVE the bosu, heavier free weights (that I don’t have at home) and the tricep dip machine. I wish I could have it all at home and never had to leave, but that’s not a reality (right now!)

What do you say to those that haven’t gotten fit and complain that they don’t because they “can’t get motivated”?

To people who aren’t motivated, I say 2 things. The first thing is that, it doesn’t take much. 20-30 minutes at the gym or moving is plenty to get started! I think people are so intimidated and think they need to go 0-100 right away. Every little bit counts! The next thing I tell people is find something you LOVE to do and do it. Not everyone is meant to be a runner or spinner or biker. Try different things and stick with what gets you going, may it be Zumba, weight lifting or a Core Fustion DVD.

What about any/all of the excuses like “No time”, “No money”, “no gym”, “no support”?

Just like you schedule your hair appointments or dinner with friends you have to schedule your workouts. If you wait until you “have time” it will never get done. MAKE time. As far as no money, there are so many ways to workout for free. Start with putting on your sneakers and doing some jumping jacks or walking around the block. There are so many great websites like Tone It Up or BodyRock that are FREE and use minimal equipment.

What is your "diet" philosophy?

I eat a plant based diet. My philosophy is to eat REAL foods that come from the earth 95% of the time. With that said, I don’t restrict or guilt myself and  I eat whatever I want. Luckily most of the time I want healthy foods, but trust me I am a daily chocolate eater and love to eat dessert.

What changes have you made over the past several years in your diet and/or workout approach and why?

 Over the past couple of years my diet hasn’t changed much. I’ve always been obsessed with vegetables from when I was little. I have made an effort to buy only organic meats and incorporate many meatless meals throughout the week.

I love running and that is basically a constant in my life. The weight training programs I do change every couple of months to switch things up. For awhile I was only doing Jillian Michaels or Bob Harper DVD’s, then I switched to Body For Life workouts and Tone It Up. Now I’m currently very intrigued/obsessed with Jamie Eason’s 12 week trainer.

I also try and make yoga a part of my week at least once. It gives me clarity while helping me stretch my tight muscles!

What is your food weakness?

Oh, food. Bread. Bread is definitely my weakness, but very specifically homemade, warm out of the oven bread. Makes me weak in the knees.  I can easily pass up bread that isn’t fresh or look good to me, but if it’s warm, I’m eating it. If I made it, good luck to me because I can’t put it down.

What is your favorite healthy breakfast?

Depends on the time of year. In the winter I love oats with lots of peanut or most recently, almond butter. In the warmer weather I love smoothies. 

When did you start blogging and why?

I started blogging in 2009 as a way to keep track of healthy recipes and healthy living tips. My family and friends would call me for recipes and I was always emailing them. My sister FINALLY convinced me to start a blog after a couple months of trying to get me to do it.

How has blogging enhanced your fitness efforts?

Blogging has definitely enhanced my fitness efforts simply in the way it’s opened new doors. I’ve learned of SO many different fitness things through other blogs and blog friends. I could go on forever, but just to name a new I learned about SoulCycle, Core Fusion, Body Rock, Tone It Up and have entered races just because I felt extra motivated by my blog friends, especially my FITFLUENTIAL ones!

What is your Twitter/FB/Email?

Twitter: @nicoleculver

FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=17603431

Fan page: https://www.facebook.com/MakingGoodChoices

Email nicoleculver1@gmail.com

What haven’t you done (fitness wise) that you’d like to try?

Definitely definitely definitely  the TRX. I want one so bad, but haven’t laid down the cash to get it!

What motivates you to keep at it?

Didn’t we just talk about this on twitter? J The feeling after a workout is done absolutely 100% keeps me doing it. There is nothing like how you feel on top of the world after you just kicked butt.

Are you a morning workout person or evening or lunchtime?

Morning, morning, morning. Although now that I make my own schedule it’s started to creep into lunchtime.

What is YOUR biggest excuse that you find yourself battling in not wanting to workout a certain day?

My couch and a cup of coffee is my biggest excuse…especially on the weekends. SO easy to just sit there forever. Good thing my husband gets me moving most weekends.

Do you weigh yourself or measure yourself?

I never, ever weigh or measure myself. I go by how my clothes fit. If they don’t fit, I know that bread addiction has gotten out of control and I need to lay off for a couple of days. For me the scale just opens a can of worms. I get obsessed with a certain number and that’s totally against what I believe in, so no scale = happy me.

Living a healthy life DOES NOT have to be hard, but you do have to make it a choice. If you choose to put your health and fitness first that is the number one best thing you can do for yourself.  It’s not always easy, but it is worth it.

If you need help getting motivated, sign up for twitter and start following some healthy peeps, that ALWAYS gets me going!