Tag Archives: inspiration

10 A-List Women Who Love Their Bodies Without Your Permission

It is incredibly refreshing to have public figures, celebrities, and actresses who speak out against the body obsession that runs rampant in Hollywood and throughout our country. In this day and age in particular, it is high time we have women to look up to who take care for themselves, but also defy the traditional look of a Hollywood starlet.

Who do we love? Women who just don’t care how they are perceived. Comfortable in their own skin. And they don’t need your permission or approval to do so. Seriously, these are our heroes.

CHRISTINA HENDRICKS

The voluptuous star of Mad Men, which wrapped last night in a blaze of glory, has been praised for years about her very true-to-form hourglass figure. What we know and love about Hendricks is that she is happy, comfortable, and strong in her shape.

“Back when I was modeling, the first time I went to Italy, I was having cappuccinos every day, and I gained 15 pounds. And I felt gorgeous! I would take my clothes off in front of the mirror and be like, ‘Oh, I look like a woman.’ And I felt beautiful, and I never tried to lose it, because I loved it.”

REBEL WILSON

The Australian funny lady is one of the stars of this summer’s box office smash Pitch Perfect 2. Wilson is hilarious, talented, and an extremely important asset to the body image standards conversation. Wilson is not a size 0, and plays a character called “Fat Amy,” so clearly her size is a talking point. With grace and beauty, however, Wilson stands up to the discrimination.

“I don’t really care what I look like that much, and I think women out there should just be happy with the way they look. They shouldn’t really try to conform to any kind of stereotype. Just be happy and hopefully healthy.” (more…)

Posted on May 18, 2024 by Jessica Tholmer

Molly Sims’ 9 Fabulous Ways to Live Like an Everyday Supermodel

Swimsuit model, actress, supermodel…mom, wife, woman…the very real, yet very supermodel Molly Sims has added author to her resume. Her new lifestyle book, The Everyday Supermodel, shares her hard-earned fitness, fashion, and health insights. Before you assume taking wellness and life advice from a supermodel is not your thing, you’ve got to know that Sims’ book is written like she is talking to an old friend. Girlfriend to girlfriend, her advice is realistic, and she writes in a way that is easy to relate.

Here are some of the best pieces of advice from Molly Sims that you can adopt right now to make your own life super!

1. Perseverance can get you anywhere.

Sims introduces her book by assuring readers that she worked hard to get where she is today, initially assuring her audience that she is not just a supermodel.

“There’s an everyday supermodel in each one of us.”

2. Love your body.

This is a message we hear all the time, but it is extra helpful hearing it from a supermodel. Sims discusses how she loved to learn her not stick-thin body, and encourages women to do the same, at all stages of her life.

3. If you look good, you feel good.

Sims’ book is peppered with mottos and motivational quotes. One of the best is:

“If you look good, you feel good–and when you feel good, you look good. So you might as well feel f-ing fabulous!” (more…)

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Jessica Tholmer

Flat Stomach, Flabby Arms, Who Cares? You Are More Than Your Body

PIN THIS!

“Your body is not your masterpiece— your life is.”

This comment from Huffington Post offered some great food for thought.

How often are we bombarded with messages to treat our bodies like a temple because they are all we have? Well they’re not all we have. We have our whole lives: our relationships, our spirituality, ourselves as a whole being, not just a pretty form with thighs that may or may not touch. It is too common to see women, and men too, constantly obsessing over every square centimeter of their body like it’s the only thing they’ve got to offer the world. It’s not.

Aren’t you tired of comparing yourself to every woman you pass on the street or see on TV? Wouldn’t it be nice not to hate yourself a little bit more every time you see someone who has a flatter stomach than you?

Aren’t you tired?

I am. (more…)

Posted on September 4, 2024 by Katie McGrath

Michael Phelps’ Most Inspiring Quotes Could Lure Anyone Back Out of Retirement

Who could have predicted that 22-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps would get back in the pool after retirement? Just about anyone! It seemed too soon for the now 28-year-old swimmer, also known as the greatest Olympian of all time, to end his competitive swimming career, but he did just that after breaking every record imaginable at the 2024 London Games.

ABC News reported that Phelps is headed back to the water. “Phelps will compete for the first time since the 2024 London Games at a meet in Mesa, Ariz., on April 24-26,” they wrote. His coach says he’ll be competing in only three events to “test the waters” and “see how it goes.” His team is downplaying the return, suggesting it’s far from a full-fledged comeback.

Regardless, Phelps fans the world over are rejoicing at the possibility of seeing him compete in two years at the Games in Rio. No one knows better than him that there’s no time like the present to focus and prioritize your training for your goals.

Need a bit of Phelps-mania inspiration? Here are some words taken straight from this athletic giants’ gold-biting mouth!

(more…)

Posted on April 15, 2024 by Natalie K

100-Day Weight Loss Transformation Captured in 2-Minute Video

Remember that post from the start of the year, about 100, the startup that let’s people record their 100-day transformation? I just found this great video from a woman who went to the gym 100 days in a row:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5FkshLcNLQ

(more…)

Posted on April 4, 2024 by Jessica Cassity

Fitness And Health Video Clips that Just May Change Your Life

Some fitness and health shorts may actually motivate you to take action. I can’t help but follow along when Jillian Michaels teaches Ellen new moves; Mandy Ingber’s 4-minute yoga routine makes my triceps burn; and watching the step-by-step instructions for making a (healthy!) bacon, egg, and, cheese stuffed donut is enough to make my stomach growl, even if I don’t actually make a dozen myself.

But there’s another type of inspiring exercise and wellness video out there that’s perhaps even more touching and life-altering: The kind that shares new perspectives, success stories, and hope. Here are some of our favorites, which cover everything from longevity to popping and locking.

Nilofer Merchant talks about how walking meetings can burn calories—and change your perspective:

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Posted on January 24, 2024 by Jessica Cassity

Hiking Everest and 450 Miles Across Spain Helps Kay Cherryholmes Find Her Way to Health

By Kay Cherryholmes

One day I googled myself and I was caught off guard by a blog link that had me tagged as one of his Top 10 Most Inspiring Athletes of 2024! I had met the guy while hiking and considered him a dear friend. At first I smiled; feeling like I had somehow been a positive in his eyes, then almost immediately it read that he met me while hiking in Nepal to base camp of Mt. Everest and that my BMI was that of a mack truck!

Instantly real tears fell. Not tears of his writing, but tears of truth about my struggle to achieve fitness. Who was I kidding? Mostly myself it seems. I grew up a competitive gymnast. I was always on a scale and measured my success based on a number that ranged between 114 and 119.

Fast forward from age 14 to age 44 and I had been married, divorced, raised two children as a single mom, and was completely disconnected from the fitness I knew as a young adult. My mind, however, continued to crave challenges, even in a 230-pound body. For all the struggle that it took to walk up into the Himalayan mountains 80 pounds overweight,it never began to stop me. He wrote that it was my perseverance that got me on his Top 10 Athlete list.

I always describe myself from the shoulders up as a ‘Michael Phelps type‘ and from my shoulders down more of a ‘John Belushi type’. I am part extreme athlete, part party girl. Too much brie and wine and not enough cardio.

After more than a decade of athletic events where I have fought with the struggle of weight in competition I decided that my next adventure would be a 450-mile walk across Northern Spain; the Camino de Santiago. It is a spiritual pilgrimage that took me through the heart of many regions in Spain. Once again I would carry the extra weight on my body and an additional 30-pound backpack with all the necessary gear I would need in my 40 days of hiking.

I wanted to remove myself from all of the excuses at home that get between me and a stronger, more fit body. I left behind the wine, cheese, friends, family, dishes, laundry, job, dog, television and my comfy new couch. They’d all become specks of home reality in my rear view mirror as I landed on Spanish soil. I would be forced in to my own mind and body for hundreds of miles and countless days. I wanted answers and to be accountable to myself. I would have no other choice but to face the dragons in my head, that for decades have defined my mindset and impacted my choices. (more…)

Posted on September 26, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Ali Vincent and Chez Starbuck Live Big in the Present and Get More Out of Life

I can’t tell you how many countless people I have met throughout the years who share their stories of when they were younger or when they were in high school. They speak of the times when they were succeeding in different ways either through athletics, academics, social experiences, young love or all the above. Trust me, I get it. I was probably one of the biggest culprits of starting statements with “When I was younger…”.

I bring this up because last week on Live Big With Ali Vincent we met Chez Starbuck, a man who had a pretty incredible childhood but found as he entered his adult years it was somewhat hard to live up to. As he lived in those feelings the pounds just started to pack on. Chez was a child Disney star. As you can imagine for Chez, it was difficult going from a kid in the spotlight to becoming an adult uncomfortable, even in a group setting, with any eyes on him. He even felt embarrassed because he was supposed to “make it” in showbiz like many of his fellow Disney stars, yet felt he couldn’t because of his weight.

I think like Chez, many of us (at least I’ll speak for myself), feel our childhood experiences were supposed to contribute to us becoming something more than where we might be now. (more…)

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Ali

Yoga Blog Tells Stories of Life Transformation Through Yoga

We all know the health benefits of yoga deliver a mighty punch in the form of increased vital energy, flexibility, and physical strength. Time on the yoga mat, whether it’s the maiden voyage or a decade or more of down dogging, offers mind altering and heart opening experiences for all who surrender to the power of the practice.

These experiences can be extremely transformative. And for some, they bring us from a place of darkness into a place of light, love, and genuine inner peace.

Stories of transformation through yoga are some of the most inspiring to read. From the depths of despair to the heights of bliss, yoga has a way of enhancing the lives of people all around the world. (more…)

Posted on July 22, 2024 by Jill

Add Music to Your Yoga Practice

Traditionally, no music other than the sacred sound of chanting or flute playing was tolerated during a yoga practice. Yoga playlists were certainly not sought after, as secular music did not have a place in this ancient method of self-discovery.

Today there are countless songs, CDs and soundtracks made specifically for the enhancement of a yoga practice, and as the popularity of yoga increases, the range of music played in classes broadens.

In some styles of yoga, music is still not played in class, however it is increasingly more common to hear uplifting tunes that awaken the spirit no matter the genre. While some say this is a distraction, others say this is an integral part of the practice, as music can be a pleasant compliment. Music invokes passion, reflection, empathy and satisfaction, which are some of the same familiar feelings that arise when we practice yoga.

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Posted on September 11, 2024 by Jill

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