Nikki Sharp Interview – Stay Sharp & Be Strong Fitness Model Icon!
How Did You Get Started In Health And Fitness?
I’ve always enjoyed running but only started enjoying all aspects of healthy summer 2012 when I decided to do a triathlon. It was then that I started understanding how food affected everything and the type of workouts I did could change the shape of my body.
What Is Your Best Accomplishment So Far?
Starting my very successful company, Stay Sharp Be Strong, and the 5 Day Detox which has sold 50,000 copies worldwide. I had no idea the stress of having your own company, nor the amazing rewards of helping so many people.
What Is Your Workout Routine?
I tried to vary it up every week and don’t really have a set routine. I do this so I don’t burn out on anything and enjoy all forms of exercise. Typically though I try to do the following:
Monday: Morning cardio of 20-30 minutes on the treadmill, elliptical or run outside. Yoga for 60 minutes that night.
Tuesday: 45 minutes doing full body circuit training. No set workout as I like to vary it between using kettlebells for swings, squats, and snatches. Burpees, pushups, situps and jump squats all make it into my routine as well.
Wednesday: typically just yoga for 60 minutes.
Thursday: 20 minutes HIIT cardio on the treadmill doing 20 seconds sprint, 10 seconds jumping to the side. I will then go lift upper body, focusing on both body weight and free weights, instead of the machines.
Friday: Day off.
Saturday: lower body workout mixed in with various circuit training. Either doing body weight exercises with high intensity or weights.
Sunday: 10km run in the park
What Is Your Diet Like?
Having gone through so many types of diets and being very strict as well as not so strict, I am now to a point where I am more enjoying myself while still being healthy. When I’m not dating anyone I typically get a bit more strict both with food and routine, however I have been traveling so much lately and really enjoying being around friends, family and my boyfriend that I love cooking healthy foods for them but I don’t beat myself up if I have a bite of a dessert at a restaurant. I personally believe in clean eating and trying to stay away from things that upset your stomach or skin. For me that is dairy, although I can have it in small doses. I try to eat a plant based diet, however I am not vegan… I really don’t like classifying oneself, I think we should all just aim to eat more fruits and veg and drink more water.
A Typical Day:
Green smoothie or egg white omelette with avocado, broccoli, mushrooms
Snack will be small handful of nuts, hard boiled eggs or a piece of fruit
Lunch I typically do a salad with lots of greens and roasted vegetables, chicken, and quinoa or some form of healthy carbs.
If I am working out after work I will do a banana prior or a few dates
Dinner varies but I try to eat vegan for at least of my meals, so it will be lentils, veggies and some homemade vegan burger or something nice like that.
What Supplements Do You Use?
I take superfood powders, that is all. So spirulina, maca, wheatgrass, chlorella
You Created An Amazing 5 Day Detox Program! Could You Tell Us about This & Why It Is Important To Detox?
I created this because I found there was nothing on the market that allowed you to eat delicious foods with tons of cleansing ingredients for a set number of days and still cleanse your body. All the cleanses I found were juicing or smoothies or calorie restriction to the extreme. I wanted something that didn’t deprive my body and left me feeling amazing in 5 days. It’s important to detox because our bodies are constantly going through the process in the liver, however with all the pesticides on foods, additives, alcohol, cigarette smoke (even if you don’t smoke) and car fumes/pollution our body can’t always handle cleansing itself and important to give your liver and other organs a break, even if for 5 days.
As A Fitness Guide, What Are Some Of The Most Common Questions You Get Asked & How Do You Respond?
How to lose body fat, what to eat instead of carbs, best workouts to get a thigh gap and how to lose weight quickly. These all tie in because one there is no quick fix. You didn’t gain the weight over night, nor will you lose it in the same day. The quick fix diets will make you gain everything back quicker than you lose it. People are also so scared of weight lifting and instead do loads of cardio, which doesn’t tone or tighten the body. I always recommend using your own body weight and doing exercises like lunges, squats, pushups and burpees.
Getting a thigh gap is all about your diet and the type of exercise you do (not cardio). As for food, there is NO reason to be scared of carbs. A cup of lentils is not the same thing as a cup of white pasta. Lentils contain fiber, protein and are high in various nutrients whereas pasta is empty calories. Having a plant based diet (i.e. eating beans, lentils, quinoa, etc.) will help to reduce fat and keep your cravings at bay. Once you begin eating sweet potato and other plant based carbohydrates you’ll find you stop binging.
Give Your Best 3 Health Tips That People Can Implement Right Now:
1. Start enjoying life and stop beating yourself up. Too much we say ‘I’m never going to eat this again’ or we go to someone’s house who made something with (god forbid) gluten and rather than turning your nose up at it I encourage people to try to live with moderation and balance, that way you will never feel deprived or end up wanting to binge.
2. Do high intensity interval training. This doesn’t have to be the hardest thing you ever do, you can start with an easier level but just make sure that every 20-30 seconds you increase the speed or how hard you work to spike your heart rate. That way you burn more calories and more fat!
3. Eat more plants. The easiest way to do this is green smoothies. Starting your day off with my favourite smoothie of: 1 handful kale, juice of 1 lime, 1 cup coconut water, ¼ pineapple will keep you hydrated, full, it sneaks in some greens, is anti inflammatory and high in vitamin C and tastes amazing. Just because you’re eating more plants doesn’t mean it needs to all be salads.
Do You Have A Fitness Or Health Philosophy That You Live By?
Be happy.
I always remind myself of this because if you are unhappy and stressed, no amount of healthy food or exercise will change your mentality. Stress causes cortisol in the body, which makes you gain weight, so I focus on being happy first and the rest will come.
Could You Walk Us Through Your Typical Daily Routine?
I try to wake up around 7.30 (although this rarely happens haha!) so by 8/8.30 I’m up and when I’m in the groove I’ll do 5-10 minutes of sun salutations or I will do some jump squats, jumping jacks and a bit of stretching just to get my body awake. I then have warm water with lemon and 20 minutes later some food (mentioned above). If I’m doing fasted cardio I go after the lemon water, otherwise I try to do the gym around 9am or later in the day around 5pm. I sit down and answer all emails, deal with anything that came up overnight then either create a new recipe or edit a youtube video.
I don’t have a super structured day, which is good and bad. At night I will cook a nice dinner, watch a movie, do a bit of meditation when I remember (haha!) and try to hit bed by 11pm. I have issues sleeping so bedtime is always a struggle. Lately I have had almost no routine because I just moved to Los Angeles from London and house searching has taken a while. I’m trying to just do the best I can each day with lack of set gym/work routine for the moment.
How Do You Handle Set Backs & Bad Days?
I used to eat for comfort but that makes you feel worse! Now that I’m in LA where the weather is always nice I try to go for a walk on the beach, go hiking or just get myself out of the house where I feel I want to eat. I’ve had more set backs/bad days than you can imagine and I just try to understand what happened, why things went wrong and how I can improve everything for next time.
Where Does Your Motivation Come From?
A lot of it comes from just seeing your own progress on your body. It’s such an amazing feeling to be able to see change in 5 days from my detox, and then keep going and in 2 weeks to feel more toned. I also love having my selfie account, which I post my own body pictures on. This helps me to gauge where I’m at during different months and it helps me know when I need to kick my butt into hear.
Other Than Fitness, What Are You Interested In?
I absolutely love the beach, so give me a sunset and the beach and I’m a happy girl. I love cooking and travel is my passion. It’s always a balance between how much to travel versus stay at home and work.
For More Of Fitness Inspiration Nikki Sharp Please Check Out Her:
Follow me on Instagram at: @staysharpbestrong and @sharpie8090
Website: www.staysharpbestrong.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nikkisharplimited
Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/staysharpandbestrong
Twitter: @nikkirsharp
