www.ginaheart.com

Xoxo,
~Gina

www.ginaheart.com

www.ginaheart.com

Heather was falling asleep at the wheel, but she lived a perfectly healthy life. In fact, a particularly healthy life: she ate a whole food diet, went to work as a personal trainer and taught yoga in the evenings. Somehow Heather found it excruciatingly difficult to keep her energy levels up, to the point where she was a hazard to those driving next her on the street.

3 years ago, Heather was diagnosed with hypothyroidism: when your thyroid is not making enough of the thyroid hormone – which controls the way your body uses energy.

Other symptoms and signs of hypothyroidism include:

• Feeling tired, weak, or depressed.
• Dry skin and brittle nails.
• Not being able to stand the cold.
• Constipation.
• Memory problems or having trouble thinking clearly.
• Heavy or irregular menstrual periods.

Falling asleep at the wheel was not an option for Heather, but her Dr. said there was no other solution than to take a synthetic prescription for the rest of her life. She took synthroid for 2 years, and experienced symptoms like hair loss and extreme fatigue (when it was supposed to ease her fatigue). Heather started doing her own research and even discovered that gluten is a culprit for hypothyroid and gluten was a filler ingredient present in her prescribed medication.

She comments, “Living in CA I have learned to do my research and not be afraid to question Western medicine. I decided I would give a more natural approach to healing my thyroid (which the doctor said was impossible). I knew I was way to0 healthy to be on a synthetic medication for the rest of my life. I eat very clean, I mean VERY clean, and I am very active.”

“I told my Dr. I would no longer take synthroid and I would take a journey down a different path.” Heather declared.

She took a leap and tossed out all her medication and made an appointment with Dr. Chin in Rolling Hills, CA who practiced Eastern medicine. At her first session, Dr. Chin pressed firmly on different parts on the soles of Heather’s foot and recommend 8 sessions and some herbal medicine to heal her hypothyroidism. Heather was skeptical.

Every session, Heather would lay down on a table and Dr. Chin would perform foot reflexology, pushing painfully against certain parts of Heather’s foot for about 15 minutes.

He would touch one part and say “your brain function is good” and touch another “but you have lower back pain and it seems you also have poor digestion.” His accuracy melted away Heather’s doubts.

By Heather’s 6th session, Dr Chin said, “You are done. You are healed, don’t come back.” When Heather got her new blood test results back, her thyroid levels were in healthy range….AMAZING.

This story is a perfect example of the mission behind Gina Heart; one about self-discovery, healthy living, and finding solutions that fit your own unique body. I hope that sharing Heather’s story encourages you to always ask questions, seek your own solutions, and fight for a healthy mind and body.

Here are some words from Heather:

“I wanted to share my story because I want to inspire others to do their research so that they may create a better and healthier life. We often live under limitations that doctors or others set for us. It’s a very empowering feeling to exceed those limitations by doing your research and never giving up or settling. I had to be very patient and committed during the process of healing my thyroid – I still have to work hard on it. I take 5-10min every morning and night to practice adrenal breathing. I also put a lot of research into finding foods that are harmful to hypothyroid and others that have thyroid healing properties. I am so grateful that I had the ability and strength to seek a different path in healing my life and I hope this story can help you do the same for your beautiful life.”

Lots of Love, Gina Heart

I hope you are doing well! I am finally settled into my new apartment and job in San Francisco. It’s been long overdue that I write you this letter because I’ve been wanting to thank you ever since I came to your first yoga class.

I hope you can bare with me because I have quite a lot to say. There are a few people in this world that have really changed and impacted my life. Some include my high school art teacher, my competition dance coach, my college adviser and now you.

I took yoga maybe once or twice before I came to your class and I never really understood why people loved it so much. To me, it was too slow, slightly boring and didn’t feel like an exertive workout. But classes with you not only changed how I felt about yoga, but it changed how I felt about myself and the world around me.

You taught me to always set an intention. Breathe at times of difficulty. Thank those who have helped me or give love to those who need it. You taught me that I am much stronger than I thought I was, and that taking a moment to myself wasn’t an act to be guilty of. You taught me to shine my heart and always stay tall, especially when I didn’t think I had the strength to. You taught me to relax and embrace myself. You taught me to be thankful of others and myself for doing good things for our soul. I cannot thank you enough for these valuable life lessons.

You may not have known, but when I started your class I had just graduated from UC Berkeley and moved back home to PV. My family had a trip to Antarctica planned, so I had about 6 months to relax or find something to pass the time before I got a real job.  I had been working on my wellness blog called Gina Heart Lifestyle and I took it extremely seriously, working 40 hour weeks to build a brand and business on my own. My family didn’t quite understand why I spent so much time on the computer and I felt trapped in a cave, trying to turn it into a castle. I spent a long time applying for jobs and each response made me question my worth. Compared to most people in the world, I’d have to say I’ve had an extremely privileged and lucky life. But somehow, those few months were the worst moments I can remember and you sparked something in me that turned it all around.

I always felt like I was growing and improving in your class. I loved how you corrected my postures and pushed me to go further and try harder. After every class I felt accomplished and strong but also unafraid to be vulnerable and continue learning. I realized that no one had believed in me during those months as much as you have. Though it may just be yoga, you helped me appreciate something that I had lost touch of: myself.

I spent the days creating content that would please my followers and the nights spending time with my family. In my heart, I wanted to move and become independent and build a brand I would be truly proud of. Somewhere in there, yoga helped me follow my dreams.

Long story short, I got a job, moved to San Francisco, and have been looking for a yoga instructor, hopefully half as good as you. Though it was terrifying to pick up my life and move away from my family, I find that one of the things I miss the most, is your yoga class.

So I just wanted to say thank you.

Thank you for all those lessons that I still actively use through my days. I breathe, I am thankful, I always set an intention, and I believe in myself to be stronger as each day goes by. I know this all sounds cheesy and deep, but I am speaking honestly and from the heart.

Now that all that chessy talk is over, I found an instructor who teaches extremely similar to you! Her name is Stephanie Ring and I asked her where she was trained. She worked with Jay Co in Santa Monica, is that who you worked with to?

Not to mention, your class at Bionic Body is amazing! You are a magnificent instructor and trainer and I hope you continue to inspire others and change lives.

Thanks again for everything Heather. <3

All the best, ~Gina

only 8% of people succeed in completing their New Year’s Resolution.

It’s a sad percentage, but I’m here to make sure you’re on the winning team when it comes to your health and fitness goals this year.

  So your goal is to lose X amount of weight, or develop a workout routine (that you’ll actually stick to) or just eat healthier in general. Whatever it may be, you know it won’t be easy. But here’s the secret: make it easy.

Often, forcing yourself to wake up early to hit the elliptical will sooner or later make you want to…well, hit the elliptical. But remember the time when you went to that dance cardio class and loved it, only to go back for more? Or went for an afternoon jog outside only to fall in love with the sunset view? That moment when you start to enjoy the perks of why you made a resolution to improve your health and happiness – those moments are your tickets to success.

Any lifestyle goal calls for a lifestyle change, and we all know that it doesn’t happen overnight, or even sometimes over a few months (but who gets sick of sunsets?). It’s like learning a new language. You add a new vocabulary word each day, and soon enough going to the gym on a regular basis will be as easy as chatting with the taxi driver in Italian, capisce?

Now it’s time to set yourself up for more happy moments. No more staring at that Oreo feeling bad for yourself, only to come back, shove it in your mouth, and feel even worse. Here are some tips to becoming fluent in fitness or hungry for healthy.

Start with What You Love

• Don’t like running? Don’t do it. Don’t like kale? Don’t eat it. Begin with foods and activities that interest you. Maybe you’ve always wanted to try a yoga class or cook your own quinoa – start there. Be curious and enjoy yourself. Easy enough right?

Food Facelift

• Give yourself a week, rather than a day to undergo a pantry makeover. Sometimes allowing yourself time to slowly part from your Wheat Thins (which don’t have much wheat and don’t make you thin) can be an easier and less painful way to breakup with junk food. They never treated you well from the first date and you know it.

Get in the Mood

• Make yourself a playlist that inspires you to be active or reminds you of a movie montage where the main character (you) runs, sweats, cooks, struggles, and fights to your well-deserved success. Mine looks something like Jennifer Beals in Flashdance, leg warmers included. Play your mix as often as you can (let’s say every morning when you wake up) to remind you of your exciting journey. And if you don’t know where to begin, I always start with “Eye of the Tiger.”

Flaunt What Your Mama Gave You – Mother Earth, I mean.

• Change out that candy bowl for a fruit bowl, and those energy bars for hard-boiled eggs. Nature has every form of sugar, protein and anything else your body needs. Put everything unhealthy out of sight and when you’re hungry, that apple will look oh so delicious.

 Go Shopping! Yes, I give you permission. 

•  Who says your pantry is the only thing that gets a make over? Invest in some new gym gear that encourages you to hit the gym or run past all your neighbors’ houses. Feeling confident can boost adrenaline, thereby helping you push through the toughest I-want-to-give-up part of your workout. Remember, if you feel great, then you look great.

 Strong Weak Ties

•  Your family and friends are the people you spend the most time with and know you best. But these people also share your lifestyle habits and may not be your source of motivation; they may even question your new habits. Befriend new people who live the lifestyle you want. Maybe someone who cooks healthy recipes on a regular basis or someone who has a strict workout schedule that you can match your own to. When I befriended a yoga instructor, I realized that going to class every other day wasn’t crazy or burdensome, it just something we both did– like brushing your teeth, simple!

The Skinny on Social Media

• Utilize the growing trend of social media to your advantage. Follow Twitter personalities and Instagramers who offer free advice and inspiration such as @foodbabe @Fit_Motivator or me at @GinaHeartLife! Check out this article on how you can build your own social media platform for even more success.

Google It

• Your smart phone laying on the dinner table can be utilized to spark healthy conversation and change the way you look at food. This tip was a life changer for me. Pick any ingredient in your meal and search

“benefits of _____.”

• Let’s try, say… fennel. Turns out fennel is high in fiber which helps ease digestion and eliminate bad LDL cholesterol. It also contains potassium and vitamin C, which increases brain function and boosts your immune system. Now you’ll forever look at fennel for all its goodness and doesn’t it sound delicious? Let the person across from you Google “benefits of Oreo cookies,” and you’ll learn even more – gross.

You ARE the Success Story

• It wasn’t until I started blogging and tweeting about healthy living that my lifestyle really changed. I had to truly believe and understand kale was a super food before I suggested it to others. Talk about all the positives of your healthy transformation and you can be an inspiration to others starting today. When I started teaching my family how to read food labels, they began to do the same and even warned me before I put something in my shopping cart. The more you share, the more you set yourself up for communal happy success.

So here’s to a New Year filled with sweat, sunsets, fennel, and some 80’s dance music. And feel free to reach out to me as your weak tie (ginaheartlifestyle@gmail.com), I’m always open for more inspiration. Let’s raise a wheat grass shot and cheers to making 2014 the year you conquer that resolution!

Best of Luck!

Love, Gina Heart <3

The Foolies Website: http://www.thefoolies.com/

Lydali is a website that sells beautiful ethical products from all around the world.

Since I’m an avid traveler, 55 countries & counting, I was interviewed for their Travel Blogger Series. Check out the Interview HERE!

Lydali’s mission is to share beautiful, ethical products and the stories of the artisans and designers who make them.

Visit their site and shop around at: http://www.lydali.com/

I came across a great comment about healthy lifestyles under my “DIY Rose Petal Earrings” Video. Peiji, an avid follower of Gina Heart wrote, “I am always learning and it doesn’t matter how little you are doing, as long as you are trying every single day to make a difference! :)”

Peiji of course won the free giveaway of my handmade Rose Petal Earrings. I’m so glad she liked them.

Click here to see her blog post and beautifully shot pictures!

Dedicate one social media platform to your most important health goal.

• Want to work out every other day? Tweet exactly what you did and for how long.

Just finished a Blogilates HIIT class! My body feels like jelly, but I feel Oh So Good!

• Want to eat healthier? Instagram your food. (And yes, you’ll have to be that person who pulls out their phone in the middle of the cafe to take a picture of your food. People won’t judge you when you’ve regained your health and lost weight. And if they still do, you’ll most likely live longer anyways.)

• Want to cook healthier meals? Pin all the recipes you’ve completed on a special Pintrest board and link it to your Facebook. Yes, so that everyone you know can see.

“Gina, won’t people feel annoyed?” Trust me, they most likely will. But soon enough, it will become a part of how you represent your lifestyle, not just a fake extension of yourself. When I started blogging about healthy living, I found myself encouraged to order that salad and pass on the side of fries because 1. I could post about my healthy meal and 2. I’d feel guilty ordering the fries and leaving them out of the picture. I’ve never ordered fries since, and it’s been almost 2 years. Now reason 2 about lying and hiding bad habits from your followers is up to you. How much do you really care about your health?

This technique works for many goals and passions you may have. One of my loyal followers on Instagram is Photoballerina10111 and she loves ballet, you can tell by her consistently awesome pictures! No doubt that people around her support her ballet passions and that she will get recognized one day.

And here’s the BEST part of using social media to hold your health and career goals accountable: People will cut you some slack. Dieting is always hard because your friends may want to go to that burger joint for lunch or someone asks you to skip your workout to take you to happy hour. If you are consistent with your posts, you’ll find that people start to acknowledge what really matters to you and respect your dedication to that goal.

Ever since Gina Heart become a part of “me” nobody ever made fun of the quinoa cakes I made for dinner. In fact, they encouraged it, putting pressure on me to uphold all my posts and public persona. People respected the time I dedicated to working out, and everyone knows not to disturb my 8 hours of sleep. How nice is that?

So try it! If it’s a lifestyle change that is important to you, there is no harm in making it public. In fact, it will only help you. Post your platform username or #hashtag in the comments below and I’ll be sure to follow you and watch you improve! :)

Love,

~Gina Heart

See, I obviously eat my spinach. #youknowit