Nicole Mejia is going for a run in her workout gear. In a new social media the fitness influencer gets her sweat on while pounding the pavement. “Running has always been a challenge for me but that’s what makes it good therapy,” she writes across the Instagram Reel. “go take a run. 🤙🏽,” she adds in the caption. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.
1. Daily Exercise
Nicole once revealed her “approach” towards fitness in an Instagram post. “I’m focusing on moving my body for a minimum of 30 minutes/day, whether that’s with yoga, walking, or sweating it out in the gym with weights. Just like with food, I’ve been trying to pay attention to what my body needs instead of working out to achieve a certain ‘look’ or physical goal. I feel that focusing on how things feel, and giving my body what it needs, has contributed to a new ‘look’ for me that feels balanced and sustainable. I still love weights and plyos; I’m just now incorporating them into a more holistic approach to my fitness. Still got my heart-shaped booty, still rocking my curves, but now with a more sustainable body fat percentage and improved mobility and posture,” she said.
2. Yoga
Yoga is one of Nicole’s go-to workouts. “Morning flow,” she captioned this post. There is a laundry list of reasons to do yoga, explains Harvard Health. “Researchers found that people who practiced yoga for at least 30 minutes once a week for at least four years, gained less weight during middle adulthood,” they said. “People who were overweight actually lost weight. Overall, those who practiced yoga had lower body mass indexes (BMIs) compared with those who did not practice yoga. Researchers attributed this to mindfulness. Mindful eating can lead to a more positive relationship with food and eating.”
3. Hikes
She also enjoys hiking. “Sunrise hikes,” she captioned a post. “Once you get past the waking up at 3:30am thing, of course. Next hike’s mission: to see the changing Aspens!” According to the National Parks Service, the physical benefits of hiking include:
- Building stronger muscles and bones
- Improving your sense of balance
- Improving your heart health
- Decreasing the risk of certain respiratory problems
4. Strength Training
Nicole does strength training workouts. “I wrote and did this workout yesterday, and after wobbling out of the gym, I thought, the only thing that could’ve made that workout MORE Fit and Thick-esque, is if there were 3 sets of 24 walking lunges superset with weighted wall sits. IYKYK. 😏Try this workout and let me know if we hit the nail on the head. I used heavy dumbbells for both circuits,” she says in a post. “This workout took me 40 minutes but if you want the full hour and you’re feeling spicy, add those walking lunges and wall sits.”
Circuit 1:
- 30 sec low plank hold
- 10 low plank to dolphin shifts
- 15 sumo squats
- 15 sumo deadlifts
- 12 straight leg lifts per side (on cables or with bands)
X3 with 60 seconds rest between sets
Circuit 2:
- 15 sumo rdls
- 20 elevated Glute bridges
- 12 bent leg donkeys per side (with dumbbell behind knee)
X3 with 60 seconds rest between sets
5. Running
Nicole discusses her relationship with running in her latest post. “I’ve never been a consistent runner, but it has been a tool that I revisit time and time again when I’m in certain seasons of life. There hasn’t been a major life transition that I haven’t run through—besides pregnancy, I suppose. I’m grateful for the perspective that I don’t need to be consistent with all the tools all the time for them to still have potency in my life,” she writes. “Because for me, to force myself to be consistent with all the tools all the time makes them more of a checklist to get through rather than practices that meet me deeply. I remember a time where I needed to get through my 8 part morning routine to feel grounded and pleased with myself. Now, I check in and ask myself what I need that day. Sometimes it’s all the things, but most times, it’s something simple.”