Disrespecting Our Bodies

Today is a GREAT day! The day began with me waking up early because I couldn't sleep. This NEVER happens to me. Well I guess it does since it did today but this was a first. Honestly, I hope it is not the last either. Now I did still get a good amount of sleep. I feel well rested. I got up and got right on my treadmill. I walked at a good pace for 3.5 miles while I lifted some 5lb dumbbells. While I was walking I like to listen to my Integrative Nutrition courses. Today's message really resonated with me. The speaker said something to the affect of, when you eat something that is not good for your health you are disrespecting your body. WOW! When you put it like that it took on a whole new meaning for me. We hate it when other people disrespect us but I fear we are doing it to ourselves ALL the time! And not just with food, but with our self talk. If a friend said some of the things to you that you say to yourself about you, How long would they be your friend? Or if you were constantly serving people proccessed packaged foods when they came over instead of a home cooked meal, How often would they come?
I've been hearing a lot lately about our bodies not being our enemy but our best friend. I know with my own weight issues, up to this point, I have not believed this. But a new light has been put on this. Our bodies are so smart! It can only keep us balanced for so long and if we are telling it how horrible things are then it will help us depart out of the circumstance, therefore bringing on disease and sickness. Food can be a healer or a slow killer. It all depends on what you are fueling it with. I heard a story once from Russell James that there was once a homeless man who was offered a cheeseburger. He graciously declined. The giver could hardly believe it and asked him why. The homeless man said, "If I eat things that will hurt and kill off my body, where will I live?" This struck me deep through to my heart. I believe my body is a Temple given to me by God. It is a precious gift and if I put bad foods and thoughts into it not only am I disrespecting myself but I am disrespecting God and this precious gift he has given me. I am taking this gift of life here on this earth and slowly committing suicide, therefore not achieving the mission he sent me hear to accomplish.
I know this is all pretty deep stuff today that I am speaking about, but it has been an "aha" moment for me. It is times like this that I am able to solidify my goals and my purpose. I hope these insights will help you as well and maybe it won't take you as long to achieve your goals.
Stay positive...Have Happy Thoughts...and fuel your body with the best foods nature has to offer!

Loving Relationships

Do you ever find it harder to eat right and/or exercise if you are having a hard time in a relationship? I know II do. I am definitely an emotional eater. If things are going well then it is reason to celebrate with restaurant food. If things are bad, well then I just deserve a candy bar to help me with the pain. This thinking still comes out of me sometimes but it is much more controlled these days. Or at least so I thought. How about this one.....When one of the kiddos are driving me crazy I have noticed I'm not turning to food like I used to but now it is to my phone and let's just numb the pain or agony by scrolling through facebook or pinterest or email...just one more time today. Then a one minute thing has turned into 30 min or more. So how do we break these cycles. Well I am finding just recognizing and admitting to myself that that is what I am doing has helped. So my goals for this are to try reading a scripture verse instead or doing 20 jumping jacks or just closing my eyes and counting to 20. I think the first two would be more beneficial though and help me complete more than one goal at a time.
I've been learning about relationships this week in school and how if we are having issues there then it doesn't matter how good we are eating or how much we are exercising our health will be impacted negatively. Looking back I agree that this has been true in my life. How about yours? Do you agree?
So I have been trying to do things to build up my relationships, knowing if I do this not only will my relationships improve but the eating and exercise and my general health and well being will too. So what have I been doing? Well with one of my sons, I have a really hard time. He is very different than me and can't seem to get things done in a timely manner. Drives me CRAZY! So I have been trying to compliment him more. I have been taking notice of the things he does that are great and the talents that he has.
If you are married, you know that strengthening that relationship constantly is important. So I have been so excited this Christmas season to do a 24 days till Christmas little love thing for my man. I got the idea off of datingdivas.com I made up 24 cards. Some have little love notes on them, some are service oriented and others are date night themed. I know he likes it but I think I am getting more out of it than he is just because it is so fun to be the giver.
So my point is that health and wellness can improve through strengthening relationships. What are you doing to strengthen yours?

Always Making Changes

Well it has been about forever and a lifetime ago since I have been in touch. Much has happened. I have traveled more, which was wonderful for the heart and mind but not so much for the physique. I prepared and planned but in the end I just got comfy and dropped the ball. Then I got back on track by taking a raw chef course and making AMAZING dinners every night. Then I fell off again. Then I signed up to be a health coach through Institute of Integrative Nutrition and I was back on course strong and sure for about 2 weeks until the course work picked up and started to become a bit more time consuming. So I'm off but getting back on first thing in the MORNING. Notice I did not say MONDAY! (short version of the story)
The point in case is that 1) I am learning a lot about myself and from other people. and 2) I am completely HUMAN and imperfect. I make a lot of mistakes on this journey I am on, BUT I am NOT giving up and that is what is making the difference.
I was worried about being a health coach if I was having my own struggles with weight and walking the walk 100% of the time. The great thing is I have a bit longer to figure it all out and second the new goal in this regard is to make this weak part of my life a strength. A strength so much so that I can turn around and help others walk the same path.
It is becoming a longer journey than I imagined it would be, but I am learning so much about myself in the process. A journey that is definitely worth it. No I may not be speeding down the freeway like I had hoped but I seem to be getting off at an exit every now and then to experience life in that place and learn and enjoy what it has to offer and then taking what I can from there and getting back on the freeway towards my end goal. I feel like this will be able to help me in my health coaching practice.
I needed to come up with a web address and name for my business this week and what I decided on was this:
Believe and Achieve Health -Inspiring Higher Health
www.believeandachievehealth.com

I chose this because as I am coming to realize reaching our goals is not only about having the knowledge and knowing what to do with it but also about getting in our own heads and listening to what we truly believe about ourselves and what we can accomplish. By making sure our thoughts are positive and uplifting, by breaking down fears and negativity and excuses we can achieve our hearts desire for our health.
I appreciate all of your love, support and comments as I share my personal journey with you and it is my hope that if you need someone to help you and listen to you without judgement that you will call on me to be your strength until you can find your own. Hugs...

At THAT place...

Yes, I am at THAT place. Maybe you know the ONE and have been there too. It's that place where you always get to when you lose weight and then for some reason you just cant get past it. And not because your body is at a plateau but because your mind is. It's the point when you just seem to lose all will power and strength and all the excuses of why you can"t proceed keep slapping you in the face at every meal and at every thought that says I should exercise.
So I need to ask myself, What is going to make this time different? How am I going to pull past this and keep going so I can reach my goal by Christmas? Well I have some ideas, BUT PLEASE chime in with any thoughts of encouragement or inspiration.
I have been pinning short fun exercise routines that I can do throughout my day in between changing diapers and breaking up fights between the kids. I guess I should take those seconds to do them instead of pinning more. hehe
I also have ordered a new raw eating book. 80/10/10 diet and Have printed off and expanded my recipe collection.
I also am going to get back into my netflix food documentaries while I walk on my treadmill, which means I need to get back in the habit of getting the kiddos to bed at a reasonable hour. Did I mention how difficult my children are and how lazy and depressed I get when hubby is away? You'd think it would be easier because I have complete control over my extra time at night and what gets fixed for dinner but it just doesn't seem to work that way.
So I guess what I am trying to say is that I feel like I am drowning and need some extra support to make it to my awesomeness by Christmas. So if I have been inspiring at all up to this point please encourage me and let me know you're there so I can move on to the next place...the I did it completely, not just for a while success phase.
Thanks everyone!
Oh and btw it is really embarrassing to have to tell you that I am at that place BUT I wanted to make this a real truthful journey and by writing this blog and sharing I could get past this place in the road that I always seem to reach and never surpass. ....UNTIL NOW! (positive progress to follow)

Vacations with strengths and struggles

Yes, I know it feels like it has been years...right!?! At least it does to me. After my last post the typical daddy is gone everything must break and go wrong set in. I was so frustrated. I planned a trip out to IL for my sister's graduation and because of all the stress ended up leaving early so I could have help from family sooner. I was prepared! I took bags for everyone full of Larabars, dehydrated fruit, nuts and stuff so we wouldn't have to stop on the road to eat. I also prepped my family on our eating habits so my mom could get proper groceries from her end. I took my juicer with me and my vitamix blender, along with some specialty items for recipes that I knew I probably wouldn't be able to find there. We had a very good time and we did great!
I made sure to have my family try all my recipes. Some they liked and others they did not. I did make an exception while I was there for my two favorite childhood restraunts...Avantis and LaGondola. Which I had planned for months on making that exception. I knew a few things...1) It would taste AMAZING as usual! 2)I'd probably get sick and feel horrible 3) It would probably cause cravings! And that it did....worse than I thought. I will admit that because of this...Yes..I cheated a few more times. Am I paying for it? Yes I am. Should I have not had it? Maybe. But the great thing is is that even though I am really struggling with cravings right now I am back on track. I figured the easiest way to get back on track is to juice and have some smoothies, but no nuts or other major fats like coconut oil. By the end of the week my cravings should be gone and I should be go to go again on my raw journey. My dearest husband is away again so this is the perfect time to really focus in and see how much better I can look and feel by the time he gets back. I have a goal to lose 40 more lbs by Christmas. This would put me at my ideal body weight. I have already told dearest husband that I would like my wedding ring resized for Christmas. It has been over a year since I have worn it because it is too loose. (I had it sized up when I had put on the weight)
On another note. I didnot weigh myself the whole time I was in IL. I was up 4lbs when I got home (probably from the cheats) BUT I am down a pant/dress size !!!!! WOOHOO! I imagine by the end of this week, I will have lost the 4lbs and hopefully more. I got my spiralizer when I got home and I love it!!! It is by far the coolest thing ever! I love how the zucchini noodles taste. I haven't found a topper though that I really like yet. Still playing with that part. So this is my latest update. Because I am juicing again I will keep you posted as to if it is as great as it was the first time. Hope you are all living healthy and happily!

Fast Food and Fast Moves

So I know it has been a while since my last post. I was worried that my posts were starting to all sound the same as I posted daily. Hence the reason for not hearing from me in a while. It has been a bit of a roller coaster emotionally this past week, but more so the past few days.
Last week I exercised everyday....up until Thursday when baby decided he WAS NOT going to go to bed till 10 and/or 11pm. That's the problem with leaving your workout till after the kids go to bed....sometimes it just doesn't happen. It is important to take advantage of those few minutes here and there throughout your day. Which some days I did and other days, my emotions got the better of me and I threw down my lazy card. With this insight I wanted to make sure i had some quick workouts on hand to do. My health coach, Connie Lancaster, found this amazing video a while back and so I reintroduced myself to these FAST MOVES. you can google M-100's (Ninja workout). It is pretty hard core. Now i can't do the jumping burpee thing really well at the beginning so I have modified it to where I step back and up and I believe for my exercise level I am getting the same intensity for me. Does that make sense? You can also google modified burpee and there are some videos on that. I have also been doing  a lot of core exercises. Today I even was able to get in interval training on my treadmill. It was a really good workout day today.
Let's talk FAST FOOD. Did I eat some....YES! I ate the fastest food on the planet. FRUIT and veggies. Did I trick you? I haven't been making very many recipes lately. I told you the boys and I were going for simple while daddy is gone. We really haven't been eating any set meals around here. It has just been grabbing whatever we are in the mood for. Apple? Grapes? Carrots? ect...ect...
I am so excited! I ordered a spiralizer for myself for Mother's day! I know it sounds silly but dear hubby told me to as he can't do stuff like that while he is gone. I can't wait to get it. I hope it comes really fast!!!
I finally went down a pound and lost some more inches! This was Monday that I noticed this. On Tuesday, I was up 1.4lbs. I am fully aware that this could just be a daily fluctuation of 5-7lbs, BUT I did have an increase of nuts yesterday and some coconut oil. I'm really starting to wonder if I need to just stick with avocados as my fat source. Any thoughts? Maybe when I get down to my ideal weight this won't be such a big deal. It makes me kinda sad though because there are so many good recipes with nuts in them.
Did I tell you that I am going to start working on this from the inside out? What I mean by that is that I am going to really strengthen my core tons and exercise as much as I can and even if my weight doesn't change....my pants size, shirt size and appearance of my body will.
On another note, I just have to tell you this! Just a little, no a BIG success! The boys and I went out for groceries today. We had to go to two different places and they were VERY VERY GOOD! It really helped that I told them if they were not that they would not get any tortilla's or Larabars! Yes, I work that way.
so there you have it, Little success. It's all a day at a time. Hope your day is the best!

Conquering negative thoughts and dinner!

I did it! I exercised yesterday! I not only exercised yesterday, but I exercised a lot yesterday and multiple times. So much so that I am sore today. With being at home with the kids I had to kind of break it up. So I took a walk with a good friend and then I jumped on the trampoline with the boys a bit later. I chased them around the yard as well. Then when baby finally took a nap I walked on my treadmill. I turned around after I got the kids to bed and did core exercises and upper body exercises. Then later...much later when my husband called I jumped back on the treadmill again. It wasn't as intense as it probably should have been but the goal for the day was just to start and move and do something. Hopefully today and each day will become a little more intense.
So today I woke up and wanted a juice. I made one and it was delicious. I love this because I can get tons of nutrients packed into a simple glass of juice. It's not as time consuming when I'm just making it for me.
I had these great intentions while my husband is gone of learning all these new recipes and being this gourmet raw chef by the time he comes home. But this is really hard to do when you have no one to eat it with you really. I mean my older two will but the younger two have a harder time. Which means fixing multiple things for dinner. Which I know I was partially doing before he left, but it felt worth it then.  So laziness in this department has set in early in this husband being gone situation. Survival mode with the kiddos has set in and it is only day 2.
This has led to the common husband is gone syndrome of , "I don't want to fix anything for dinner itis ". So I'm not sure that you'll hear much from me on the recipe end of things for a while. I'll probably keep things simple....juice, smoothie, raw fruit, raw veggie, 1/4 cup nuts and so forth. Last night, I was like what am I gonna feed the kids? Especially baby...he doesn't always tolerate my recipes. So I think meals for them may be similar. Hungry? have a cheese stick, have a piece of fruit, grab some carrots...how bout a sandwich or a burrito? cereal for dinner? sure! I don't know why this happens when daddies leave for a while but it just does. I know I am not the only one this happens to. Oh well, it is what it is and simplicity can be good.
I'm doing what I need to be eating wise and exercise wise. But because my scale is stuck and my tape measure hasn't changed in a week and a half,  I've been having thoughts like, " Will I really be able to achieve these goals?  and "What if I do all this stuff and yeah I feel better but my body stays this way forever and doesn't look better and slimmer?!? So with all this fear I think I need to ramp up my positive self talk and my prayers and scripture study so these negative thoughts don't get the better of me before I have really had a chance to try! My mom told me it is like paying off a debt. If you keep paying extra on it, then you know it WILL get paid off. It's just frustrating when you've paid some but it hasn't showed up in the account yet that you have. I guess it is taking this body a bit longer to process my payment.
So here you have it, another day in my thoughts and journey towards health and wellness. Go do something amazing for your body today!

Thoughts and Plans

I didn't post over the weekend because I was spending as much time with my hubby before he headed out. I made a lot of good recipes this weekend. I made a raw lasagna that had zucchini, spinach, tomatoes, walnuts, macadamias and a bunch of herbs and spices. It should have been fantastic BUT the miso paste that was in it was way too salty along with salting the zucchini and spinach to make it soft. I will be making this recipe again because it had GREAT flavor except for the salt. Hubby made a raw strawberry rhubarb pie which was very good. We also had a kelp salad. I had never had kelp noodles before. I expected a slimy sea taste, but was pleasantly surprised to find they are crunchy and don't have a taste at all. Last night though I made the MOST AMAZING thing.......Portobello "Steaks" with spinach salad. The flavor was outstanding! I decided to have this recipe because my husband wasn't home and he doesn't like mushrooms. I kind of wish I had made it when he was here though because maybe he would have tried it and liked it. So recipe wise things are going great. Somewhat time consuming but I have some time right now. I may simplify though and just eat the fruit or veggie as is most days, we will see.
OK so it is Monday and I said I would start working out today so I will. Now that my hubby is gone for 4 months this is my goal. I've been at a standstill on my weight and inches for about a week now. I think part of this is due to my lack of exercise. I also wonder if some of these high in nuts recipes are causing me some issues. It's just kinda frustrating though because there isn't much more I can take out of my diet!!! I'm down to fruits, vegetables and nuts and seeds. I try and limit the nuts, seeds and avocados to once or twice a day. The goal is to be one hot mama and drop at least half of the weight I have left to lose before he comes back in August. So we will see...how this goes. Hopefully my body will cooperate with my brain. And hopefully the kids will cooperate as well. Well I'll keep it short...I need to be moving.

Getting better all the time!

Thursday was a much better day for me! I woke up and I had tons of energy.  I have heard several army wives say, "you take a day to mope and then you get on with what all needs to be done. So that is exactly what I did. Even though I'm sure all the emotions will hit me again when he really walks out the door and steps on the plane. The boys and I cruised through their school day and got our cleaning chores done. I made some amazing recipes yesterday. I have a tendency to eat more fruit then vegetables so I decided to make it a veggie day and so I made a tomato bisque soup. It was very good, BUT if you are expecting it to taste like Campbell's Tomato Soup it doesn't. It was really easy to make and that was nice because some of my recipes lately have been pretty in depth. Then for dinner I made a wilted kale salad with an avocado dressing. It was delicious. I think next time I will not put as much jalapeno though.
We had a hail and farewell to go to last night for hubby's unit. It was an eating event at a BBQ place. I ate before hand, knowing that I was not going to be eating the fare at the restaurant. I was glad I planned ahead for two reasons:
1: The BBQ smelled REALLY good! I told myself though, "Now self, you know that is covered in sugar! Not a good choice."
2. The only vegetable served was coleslaw which I think is gross anyway and I'm sure it is very unhealthy the way they make it.
The amazing thing is that yes it felt kind of funny to have people ask why I wasn't eating, BUT I was content and perfectly happy with the salad I had before I left and I didn't feel deprived at all. It amazes me how much I've changed. Something like this would have driven me crazy before and I would have definitely felt deprived and upset that I was missing out.
Now as far as the exercise....I haven't really started yet. I know I am horrible. I did a few the other day for like 5 -10 min but that really doesn't count. So seriously...I am starting that hard core MONDAY! Seriously! No Excuses!

It's not always Sunshine and Roses

I try to make sure my posts are up beat and positive but real because no one wants to read negative cranky posts all the time. We want to read stuff that uplifts us and makes us want to be a better person. I however do not want you to think that it is always so easy for me and then you get disheartened thinking...Why can't I do that?...because you can. Also I want you to know that today.....
I AM IN A BAD MOOD! I am CRANKY and IRRITABLE and down right SAD. The kids are driving me CRAZY and I am having a feel sorry for myself cause my husband is leaving for 4 months kind of day!!! In fact I have been feeling this way for awhile now and have just tried to mask it in indulging myself in nutrition so much so as to not feel the lose that I am about to experience. Can I just say in my defense that I have been through a year deployment and I am going to go through another one in a year from now so this is all just coming down on me at the moment.
I am an emotional eater. Normally I would just sit down with some good chocolate and junk food and sulk. It's important to realize these things about yourself. BUT I am trying to be different. I am still eating healthy today as I have been up to this point. What has been suffering though is my workouts. I've just been laying around with the kids instead...trying to get baby to take a nap so maybe I could get something done around this house....only to fall asleep with him. I keep making excuses in this department saying to myself, "When he actually leaves I will have more time and I will do these amazing workouts." Let's hope it is true. Hold me to it, will you?
So I guess I need to have a better plan on the exercise front. Exercise is suppose to help your mood. So maybe I should try that today!?! So I guess I need to make sure I do an hour a day.
On a more positive note (My Sunshine and Roses) I lost another pound this morning and a few inches. Also we had another amazing dinner last night. Avocado stuffed peppers and Nori Salad(It was suppose to be Nori rolls BUT I couldn't get the sheets to stay closed and not tear!) So it became a salad. The kids really didn't like this dish but the older two were good sports.
I also want to thank everyone who reads my posts and a special thanks to all my military friends who have all went through deployments and TDY and all those fun contracting jobs were our guys are away. I hope you know you are amazing and I will try and suck it up and not complain so much because I know you know exactly what I am feeling but yet you all have handled it so much better than I do. Love you ladies!
So get out there and move today! I'm going to!

Becoming a Raw foodie

As I have stated previously, I have tried almost every diet and lifestyle change under the sun. I have counted calories, I have eaten low carb, I have eaten high protein, I hate starved myself and countless other things. I have even tried some healthier plans along the way. My point is I am starting to believe that our bodies are all different and what works for one person may not work for another. I also believe that as I begin to learn how to listen to my body, I am starting to figure out what my body wants and needs.
Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we have a code of health that we live by. Most people focus on the points of it that talk about abstaining from alcohol,tobacco, coffee, tea and other drugs. It actually talks about nutrition too. Just like other scriptures, people can interpret different parts of it differently from the next person. In all my previous confusion on nutrition, I decided that I better stick closely to these words of wisdom when determining the path I would follow. I believe it supports a high fruit and vegetable diet with occasional and sparingly used meats and grains. This has been what is working for my body. Sadly I didn't follow this as well as I should of in the past. Partly because I haven't been a big fan of vegetables. Nor did I have the income to eat such a high fruit and veggie diet. This cleanse has reset my body. I like vegetables that I didn't before, like beets!
It is amazing how I can eat when I want to eat. I don't have to count calories. The only thing that I try and be careful about is limiting my nuts and seeds and avocados to 1x/day. I feel amazing and I can see the changes occurring in my body. So this is the lifestyle I am going to choose. Am I saying that occasionally I won't have a bowl of grapenuts or a steak? No way, but for the next four months, I am going to be strictly 100% in my raw efforts. This feels good. It feels right and I can't wait to continue to see the changes occur.
So yesterday I ate several pieces of fruit and juiced some greens. For dinner I made Russel James Tomato and Macadamia Linguine. It was wonderful! The linguine is sliced up carrots and parsnip with tomato and a macadamia and red pepper "cheese" sauce. We also had Paul Risse's apple crisp for dessert. It had apples, dates, cashews and pecans and was very very good. The boys have been gobbling up their food and loving it. Today I am going to make two of Paul's recipes for dinner, Nori Rolls and Stuffed Peppers. I'm sure it will be divine like everything else I have tried so far.
I think it is important to note that I don't feel deprived. My taste buds are changing and when I see the other processed food or we go out and I look at the menu, I think...that is what made me fat and unhealthy...I don't want that.
I hope you all have a healthy eating day and make wise choices. As I start to discover and make up my own recipes I will post them. If you are interested in Paul's recipe ebook or in Russel James recipes you can go to www.paulrisse.com and www.therawchef.com . These guys inspire me and I love their recipes. Also if you are interested in doing a cleanse you can check out www.cleanseamerica.com or go to www.rawfoodrehab.com and order Penni Shelton's book on Raw food cleansing. Penni is amazing as well and meeting her and Paul in person has showed me how much they truly care and believe in our health. Ok, I am starting to sound like an advertisement but this is what has helped me and several of you have asked me for information on this stuff...so there you go.
Here's to health.

Starting a Great New Life

Saturday turned out to be a great day! Like I said previously, I am continuing my cleanse with some juice and some raw food to better fit into my budget for the remainder of the month. My husband and I went on a date to see a movie and go out to dinner. I was a little nervous about how this was going to workout with being raw. We went to Cheddars. Now normally, I would order spinach artichoke dip for an appetizer and then for my meal I would have the Monte Cristo Sandwich with fries. Then the hubby and I would share a big chocolate chip cookie freshly out of the oven with ice cream and hot chocolate on it. I know...I know...that is A LOT of food!!! Did it sound good??? It used to....to me! So I had the plan of going in and ordering a salad without the dressing. Well....they didn't even have a salad that didn't have tons of stuff on it that I couldn't have for this cleanse. So I did what I have never done before EVER...I made up my own salad and told the waitress that's what I wanted. She was so nice and easy to work with! I was glad it went that way this time....making it easy on me. It was one of the best salads I've had. We then went and got groceries while we were without the kiddos. The whole cart was full of fruit and vegetables. The cashier said, "Wow, I wish I could do that!" She asked us tons of questions. It felt so good!
Sunday has been a day of rest and recipes. Church was amazing as usual. Then for a snack for the boys I made Paul Risse's Apple boat Crunch. It has apples, pecans, coconut oil, dates, hemp seeds and goji berries. We all loved it! It tasted so good I felt guilty for eating it! Then for dinner I made Napa Tacos. They are completely raw. They use cabbage leaves for the "shell" and a sunflower mixture for the "meat" then guacamole, salsa and a cashew mixture for the "sour cream". Can I just say that I wouldn't call them tacos but they were FANTASTIC, AMAZING, FULL OF FLAVOR, MOUTH WATERING!!! I told my husband that I ate so good I was worried about gaining weight the food was so good! The boys even ate it and liked it! My husband is making living basil crackers in the dehydrator as we speak. So here is to a new week. A week for health, fitness and new recipes.
I've been thinking today about this AMAZING stuff I said you would see from me in 4 months and I am curious to know what all of you would find to be considered AMAZING as my accomplishments in 4 months? I look forward to hearing from you on the matter. Blessed day.

Rest and Rest and More Rest

So Thursday night ended badly. My little headache turned into a full blown migraine. I was miserable!!! I was in bed by 8:10pm. Friday (Day 12) I was still exhausted and worried about my head because I could tell the migraine was trying to decide if it wanted to come back or not. The boys and I worked very hard though to get the house into tip top shape......until......I sliced through part of my thumb and thumb nail cutting an apple for my morning juice. Ouch...Ouch...Ouch!!! I don't do well with stuff like this! I had to have a neighbor friend of mine come over and help me. She said I looked green. I'm not surprised. The rest of the day was a wash because it is amazing what you can't do cleaning wise with a bandaged up thumb and a head that is trying to decide how it wants to feel today. Friday night was good though. I traveled back up to Stephenville to watch, "Average Joe on the Raw" with Penni and Paul and all the other amazing people that were there....LIKE Seth Hayhurst (the main man in the film) Daniel Hayhurst (his brother who filmed the movie). I also got to meet Linda Heflin an MD who eats raw and has helped me make sure my vegetarian son is getting all the nutrition he needs. In talking to Paul and Penni I am realizing that you don't have to be perfect with this you just need to listen to your body. I am still kinda confused on how to do that but I am trying.
I haven't felt as GREAT this week as last. I think part of that is because it is that normal female time of the month. Which Penni said could have an affect on things. So take note and don't do a cleanse during that time ladies. I also got some disheartening news Thursday which could be part of the cause for me going into a second detox mode. I didn't get home till 12:30am so I am exhausted again today. One neat thing I am learning that I want to share though is this...If you make a yucky tasting juice (like I did this morning) you can always remedy it by turning it into a smoothie by adding some extra fruit!
So my husband and I recognized the hard cold fact this morning that our produce supply has dwindled down to hardly anything and we are only through half of the month and we still need to feed the kids! So I am going to slow down on my juicing and transition to a raw food cleanse for the remainder of my cleanse period that I had earlier stated. I think it is important to make sure the kiddos have enough to eat. I think 12.5 days on just juice is and was amazing! I feel better over all and I am skinnier. I am excited to continue this journey. In fact, I'm not sure why I said this, BUT I told Paul Risse last night that "He could expect Amazing things from me over the next 4 months.".......Geez....What was I thinking??????? Well I guess it is this blog and saying stuff like that, that will keep me moving in the right direction! So I guess I better buck up and stop being lazy on my workouts and get a moving! So I guess the rest of you can expect GREAT and AMAZING things from me too! So here I go, Putting my game face on!
P.s. Remind me of this great attitude and drive I have today when the hubby is gone and I am pulling my hair out wondering what I was thinking!

Insightful days

Today I still woke up not wanting to make a juice, BUT I DID! In fact I made up a new concoction that I actually liked. It consisted of:
Several handfuls of Green and Red Romaine
4-5 Carrots
1 green apple
1 grapefruit

It was tangy and delicious! I've been very tired today. I went to a workshop today up on post about Screamfree Parenting. It was amazing! I just love self-help books and parenting information. I love learning! So I went and I learned a lot! It was nice to get out of the house this morning and I am always very grateful for my friends who watch my kiddos so I can do things like this. so expect a better parent here!
I thought a lot on the way home about my life and what I want and what I don't. I thought about my plans and the direction I am headed. It was nice to take this time to do that. I would tell you what some of those thoughts were but I am not thinking at the moment as I type this because my head is POUNDING! I was starting to think I was about done detoxing physically, but I guess not. I will continue to carry on and have positive thoughts and posts in the process! Maybe a headache is a good thing! What better time to think about all the thoughts and stuff in your head and heart that need to change for the better. Happy Day my friends.

Heading North to Greatness

Today was day 10 of my cleanse. I was super excited because I was getting kind of burnt out on all the time it was taking me to juice. My husband and I made up all the juice we would need for today, the night before. Why??? Because today we were heading north. We were off to visit family that was attending a conference three hours from us. Well I suggested that we stop into the Barefoot Market on our way and meet Paul Risse since we were going north. Right before we got there, I see a car in front of us with Oklahoma plates and I said to my husband, "I bet that is Penni Shelton! I think she is suppose to be in town today." Both Paul and Penni are the visionaries behind Cleanse America. I was even more excited when we got there because I was right, it was her! You are probably wondering why this would be important to me to meet these people? Well let's examine that for a minute.....
1. I have learned that if you want to learn how to do something, you find mentors and people to teach you what they already know from experience.
2. If you want to be great and achieve some sort of greatness then you surround yourself with the people who are like minded and can help you get there.
So here I was....feeling very in adequate but I am on a journey and I am where I am for now but soon I will be where I want to be. So I got out of the car and said, "Hi Penni!" The cool thing was that she actually recognized me from my online photo and was very friendly. We went into the market where I got to meet Paul. They are both exactly as they appear online...kind and compassionate and REAL, and willing to help. So we got talking and I asked Paul and Penni about all the ingredients in the recipes that I had no clue what they were or where to obtain them. I also got to tell them about myself and my journey and introduce them to all my handsome boys. The really super cool part is that they felt I actually had something cool to share. So what happened next I can still hardly believe it, because cool things just don't happen to me. But Paul clearly said that doing a cleanse will change your thinking as well and I have to agree that it is. I then got to meet Daniel Hayhurst who was the man behind the camera in the documentary Average Joe on the Raw. He is so friendly and his smile is contagious. He took our pictures and made a video for Cleanse America of Penni interviewing us as we got to tell a bit of our story! So can I just say I feel famous and wonderful and this is exactly what I needed today. We all had juices there and I bought some of those ingredients that I couldn't find. We had a great time! Thank you Penni, Paul and Daniel for making my day!!!

So after we left we got to see family and that was just as great! We had a great time and got to play catch up. The hard part, but not too hard and not as hard as it used to be was going out to eat and not eating. I brought my juice along and I did just fine. For dinner though they went for Mexican and I didn't have my juice with me and I was so hungry!!! That was hard but I was fine once I got out to the car and could get to my cooler of juice. So I did it!!! I had my juice ALL day long while traveling! It can be done! So here is to new days and new adventures as I continue to keep chugging down the juice!
To check out the video we made : http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dyegvz2tMklY%26sns%3Dfb&h=gAQGicQEwAQFYTMuzU6b7inTbdrEHtko4XPZI65YNDZmGOw
Hope you Enjoy it!

Free smells @ 0 calories!

My family and I had to run to Walmart yesterday to grab a few things. We were way over due for our juice. While we were out, we kept getting whiffs of food. I'd like to tell you that the smell of fried food or baked goods is appalling to me now but that wouldn't be the truth. Normally I am okay, but since I was sooooo hungry the smell was overwhelming to me. My husband loves Jimmy Johns and they have a sign there that says, Free Smells. I could tell he was having a hard time as well so I turned to him and said this along with, "and at 0 calories." It was hard but we survived until we could get home and make a juice. So here is to little success's.
Today has been hard. Again the big problem I am having is not in drinking the juice but in making it. It takes time to pull it all out, cut some of it up and then put it all through the juicer and clean it up. I try and make my kids their food first. Then by the time I am in the middle of making my juice they are right there. Their meal finished of course and saying," Mom, I'm still hungry!Give me this or that."  Or just wanting my juice. Then of course I get frustrated and am like, "Hello, I haven't even eaten yet." The kitchen isn't staying as clean as I would like because I am almost always in there making juice for me or my husband or feeding the kids or cleaning up after all of this....just in time to start over. I am crabby and worn out!
So there you got to here me rant and rave. I keep telling myself, this isn't forever. It is just one more week. So I have decided I need people to come over and juice for me while I take care of the kids. Either that or I need to go live by a juice bar for the next week. So if anybody has any great suggestions for me...let me know!
I feel great physically. They say that this type of cleanse affects you mentally and emotionally too. So I guess I am at that part of the cleanse. This is day 9. My cleanse is through the 18th of April. So I have 9 days left. I am hoping to end on a very positive note.

Day 7 & 8

So Easter Day was so hard! I decided to do my regular LDS fast today since I had missed it two weeks previous and I was teaching in Relief Society and wanted the extra help from the Lord on my lesson. During church I literally felt like I was going to pass out! which is not a good thing when you are suppose to be the one standing up in front of everyone teaching. Well I made in through without actually passing out. Praise the Lord! After church I slept while my husband did Resurrection Eggs with the kids. It didn't feel much like Easter. By the time I did finally drink some juice I was so hungry and tired and fed up, that I was about ready to quit and just eat raw.
It is very time consuming to juice for two adults and make and feed the kids something else. I am just feeling all consumed and like I have lost my ability to balance. They say that during a cleanse you have highs and lows. So I guess I am at a low. I haven't had a bowl movement in two days and so I was a little concerned about that so this morning I did a salt water cleanse. I just want to make sure I am really cleaned out so I can get ALL the toxins out of my body and start healing this body. This is how you do it:
1 liter of water
1Tbsp Sea salt (not iodine salt)

Within 15-30min you'll be on the toilet.
Warning it does taste nasty and makes you want to vomit!
OK so here is the GOOD News....I have lost an additional 6lbs! So since the beginning of March when I started this blog I have lost 16lbs! I have lost several inches as well off my chest, waist and hips. So I was very happy that my weight is falling into sink with my energy levels and how good I feel otherwise. My husband and I have decided to continue to push each other through this and not give up like we usually do.
So here's to more juicing! Happy Monday everyone!

Still Here...Still Juicing!

Sorry I didn't update you on Friday Day 5, my husband had the day off and with Easter weekend upon us we were having family time. Friday was a good day. Did I tell you I have a very supportive husband who has been doing this juice cleanse with me and he has lost almost 10lbs this week and his belly is shrinking before our eyes. Most importantly though, this rashy gross area he had on his leg is healing and looks tons better! He has had it for months and months by the way and wouldn't go see a DR. He is stubborn like that!
We took drank our morning juice and then took some with us in a cooler for later because we were going to be gone a good part of the day. We went to a berry farm and picked our own strawberries. We all had a great time! We celebrate the fun bunny part of Easter on the Saturday before Easter so we can have Easter Sunday be a very spiritual day and really focus on the meaning of Easter. So since our whole family is off sugar this is what I did for baskets. I made homemade candy sweetened with dates and waxed them in wax paper. We also put change and chuckecheese tokens in their eggs this year. They LOVED it! The best part is, that I didn't feel like a bad mom letting them sit their at the table and eat this "candy" before breakfast! It was essentially dates, cashews, unsweetened coconut and coconut oil all blended up and then the other one was unsweetened cacao powder, dates, almonds, water and peppermint oil. I wasn't even tempted to try one even though I have made them before and I know they are really good! I love being FREE from my sugar cravings.
Today, day 6  has been a wonderful day! Juicing is going well. I have decided after several BAD juices, that I better stick with a recipe. I needed to pick up some more produce today because you go threw it like crazy when you are juicing. I think I bought almost every type of produce they sold there. As I looked at the organic prices, I kept telling myself..."It's for your health!" OUCH on the budget! We tried two new juices today that I was kind of worried about trying because one had beets in it. Beets make me gag. I can't help it...they just do. WELL they didn't this time, in this juice!!! That is a successful moment right there! The second juice had  ginger and mint in it and so I was a little worried. BUT it was good too! Yay for recipes!
So I need to go back because I know I am making this seem really easy, but it has had it's moments. Like the one were I was nauseous and couldn't even make my own juice. Also when I thought, this is just too hard to feed the kids one thing and then turn around and juice. Also the moment when I thought, why can't I just eat the strawberry1?! By the way, I did get my workout in on Thursday even though I thought I wouldn't. I don't feel like I am flying like I was earlier in the week, but I have been staying up later with my husband and with the festivities so I am hoping that is why and that it will pick up again soon.
I haven't weighed myself at all this week so I am anxious for Monday morning to come and see how things look on that end of this journey. I initially committed myself through the 18th of this month. I still plan on doing that but let me tell you, the thought has run through my head several times to end at day 10 instead. Don't worry as long as my food money doesn't run out I will stick with it till then. My husband and Iboth agree though it hasn't felt much like Easter. Which is so weird because the only thing that has changed is the food!?! It's so sad that we feel that way. Man were we programmed.
Well I hope everyone has a Wonderful Easter! We are truly blessed. I love the Lord and His help on my journey and His sacrifice on my behalf.

Detoxing Mode

Today is day 4. I do not feel as great today but I am not in bed feeling like death either! I think not having a bowel movement yesterday and having all those toxins released but not going anywhere could be part of the problem.(I know I know...more than you really want to know But hey this is science). So my head feels a little foggy and I have a tinge of a headache that can't decide if it wants to come or go. I don't have as much energy as I have had the past three days but I am still able to do school with the kiddos and function with what needs to get done today. I haven't exercised yet today and really have no desire to so we will see. I may take the day off from that. My body is kind of sore probably because I did A LOT yesterday. After I posted yesterday, I went for a bike ride with the kids that was very hilly! (I pull a bike trailer with two kids in it and I have no gears, so it is all me.) Then we went on a 2 mile walk as a family.
I need to go back to the store and get some other produce so I can make certain recipes. I told you how we got a bunch of stuff last night from a local farmer. Well using a whole turnip in a juice even with a lot of fruit is not a good idea!!!! Today for lunch I tried:
pineapple
cantaloupe
collards
wheat grass
mustard greens

At first taste it was good. The cantaloupe is the main flavor. I couldn't taste the pineapple at all. That was disappointing. Then after a few seconds the mustard greens kick in and BURN your throat. I started double fisting it between my juice and my water. My son thought I looked hilarious and said, "Why don't you just pour water into the juice. So I did and it was better!!! BUT after a while I just couldn't stomach it anymore. I felt that one more sip would cause me to hurl. SOOO because I couldn't waste this juice, I poured it into the blender with some blueberries, strawberries, more water and peanut butter and the kids ate it for lunch! Is that a good mom moment or what?!! They loved having smoothies for lunch and they had fruits, vegetables and protein. It is about 1.5 hours after I drank what I could and I still feel full. These are HUGE glasses of juice that I make.
I have come to the resolve that I need to find some exact recipes that I DO like and stick with those because this experimenting stuff is too risky!!!
This afternoon, I finally was able to use the bathroom and I am feeling a bit better. No constipation either.
So I am counting day 4 as a success. We will see what tomorrow brings!

The Magic Energy Pill

I am on day 3 of  this juicing fast and I must say....I FEEL AWESOME! I am so full of more energy than I almost know what to do with. I realized today the magic energy is not in pill form but in the liquid form of fruits and vegetables. I haven't felt that afternoon slump at all! Instead of not having the energy to workout I have been dancing around thinking up things I can do to burn off some of this energy. Today I did a hand stand because I was maybe in college the last time I attempted such a thing. My son thought I was crazy but we had fun together trying it out. The best part...I DID IT! Did I stay up very long? No..but I did it. Then I stepped up and down on my steps for over an hour while watching Biggest Loser. Then...I jumped on the trampoline with my children for half an hour. The best part is that I still have energy. Amazing!!! I am astonished. When Seth Hayhurst from Average Joe on the raw said he felt like he could fly, he was not kidding! So I am now a true believer that this is the way to go.
On another note, I did have some phlem build this morning in my throat (I knew you wanted to know that). So there is a juice called the De-Phleminator. It sounded gross and it was drinkable but not as good as most juices I have had. It had cucumbers, celery,watercress, lemon, ginger and Cayenne pepper in it. I didn't have any watercress (I'll look for it next time I am at the store) and I forgot the Cayenne pepper. Maybe it would have made a difference. Anyway, It DID get rid of the phlem! Another thing about juicing I am realizing is that even though I love lemons and I love cilantro, I do NOT like them juiced!
So I started reading today, The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan and let me tell you, it is good!!! I grew up in IL surrounded by corn fields and it is interesting to me how many of our foods have corn in them. He talks about them in his book. here is just a tidbit of info I found interesting. When u see the following ingredients on a food label really read the word corn. Here is the list:
modified or unmodified starch
glucose syrup
maltodextrin
crystalline fructose
ascorbic acid
lecithin
dextrose
lactic acid
lysine
maltose
HFCS(High Fructose Corn syrup)
polyols
carmel color
xanthan gum

HOW IS THAT FOR VARIETY IN A DIET? We are told to have a balanced diet but most everything has corn. Very interesting. I'm not trying to say that corn that has not been genetically modified is bad I'm just saying. I was surprised and taken back and thought you'd want to know too. P.s. Even our fruits and vegetables that have been waxed for freshness...it's CORN!

So I am learning tons and will continue to share as I learn and grow and hopefully transform right before you.
So here is to another balanced energy packed juice drinking day!

Juicing it up..Day 2

So I juiced all day yesterday and it felt great! I have NEVER gotten this many vegetables into my diet before! I am NOT a veggie person at all.
BUT with the help of the fruit masking the yucky taste I am getting in spinach, kale, Brussels sprouts, collards, ect...ect...!I was a little hungry at times but other than that,  day 1 was a success and day 2 seems to be going much the same way. I do think sometimes as I am making the kids food, "Man it would be nice to have a taste of that!" But then I remind myself that this isn't forever and that I need to see this through. I believe the further on I go on this juice fast I will need you more and more for accountability purposes.
  I ordered some greens that I have never tried before from a local farmer so I will be adding in mustard greens, swiss chard, beet greens and turnips (all of which sound gross to me!) It feels so good to shop local and the farmers are giving me great deals because I am buying so much from them. Also they are a lot cheaper than shopping the organic markets. These local farmer friends of mine are organic and growing sustainably. I feel so good about this.
Let's talk about my juicer. I purchased the Omega 8600. It had great reviews. It does do a really good job, EXCEPT for on soft fruits like berries. It is fabulous on greens! The thing I LOVE the most about it is that it is easy to clean!!! Take note I do this immediately so it pretty much just needs rinsed out. If you let it set for hours...I make no guarantees.
I have a dehydrator too(Excalibur 9 tray) I love that it is square. I can fit so much on it that way. I love that it has different temperatures for different foods. I made the kids kiwi chips this week and they love them I am the only one who likes the kale chips though. I am attempting right now to make crackers for the kids. We will see how this goes. I must say I am so blessed that my kiddos are willing to try these things and make this life change with me. Hopefully they won't have the issues I have had since they are learning to eat healthy at such a young age.
Well nothing too dramatic or exciting yet.  I will keep you posted. I hear at some point during this your suppose to have some horrible detox symptoms. Let's pray not! I am trying to think positive about this.
Ok enough for today. Hey, GO HAVE SOME JUICE!!!! (Freshly pressed of course)

Juicy Goodness All Around

Last week was a good week as far as eating and exercise. I ate very healthy and I did just like I said I would for the most part and I exercised to my Bob Harper videos 4 days last week and walked the other 3. Not a perfect effort but a good one nonetheless.
It was my husbands birthday on Sunday and we did so good. He made sugar free cinnamon rolls and sugar free cake and icecream. Everything was date sweetened only. It was really good. We have come a long way. We used to make exceptions for birthdays and holidays and would gain 10lbs over the course of a few days celebration. Then we would feel horrible and have to try with all our power to get back on board. It turned into a viscious cycle of it's own. It was interesting though how I still felt bloated and uncomfortable even though I only had 1 serving of each. I think the reasoning is because I have been eating about 50%-70% raw, whole foods.
I have been watching a bunch of food documentaries lately, such as Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, Hungry For Change, Average Joe on the Raw, and Fresh. This has caused me to rethink what I put in my mouth and how I treat my body. I recently joined a movement called Cleanse America.com. It is a 10 day cleanse to detox the body. Even though it is not suppose to start till the 9th of April, my wonderful husband and I have started today. Yes, I am going to do this through Easter because I need to quit having the mindset that the holidays and birthdays are ALL about the food!!!! In the past, I would tell you it was not Thanksgiving or Easter without green bean casserole or deviled eggs or pumpkin and/or pecan pie. Well this is such a skewed perspective! Thanksgiving needs to return to be about gratitude and Easter needs to be about the Saviors ressurection and new life. So it is the perfect time of year to start this cleanse into a new life of health.
I will try to blog more during my cleanse so everyone can get an idea of how it works and all the ins and outs. My cleanse is a juice fast. I will only be drinking freshly squeezed juice from fruits and vegetables. Also to help me over come my food issues I will be making this a spiritual fast as well where I will be praying more than usual and trying to gain inspiration and insight into my weakness's and where I can improve.
For any of you who disagree with my choices please do not comment. It will not change my mind. I have listened to the outside world enough and it has just gotten me fat and unhealthy. Thank you.
I will keep you all posted on my progress. I have taken a before pic and measurments and weight. I can't wait to see my transformation.
By the way, I made a delicious juice this morning given to me by Paul Risse. It consists of Spinach and oranges. I couldn't believe how good it was! So go get your juice on!

Sprouting more Knowledge....and then some

Can I just say it is VERY IMPORTANT to learn some things about sprouting before you actually eat what you sprout. So on Friday afternoon I made another great smoothie. This one I put raw black beans in that I had sprouted so I would have some protien. I drank it up...it was yummy! THEN...about half an hour later I was soooooo sick! I was nauseaus beyond belief and it played out from their. Needless to say I was down the rest of the day. I thought maybe it was that I hadn't used all organic produce or maybe I didn't rinse it well enough first. Oh No...it was the beans! I discovered this on Sunday. I was about ready to mush some into a paste for some bean burritos for my kiddlets when I had the thought that maybe I should look on the internet and see if I need to do anything else with these sprouted black beans first. I couldn't believe what I was reading!!! Kidney beans and black beans and some other large beans need to be cooked even though you sprout them because they can be toxic, lethal and cause major digestive upset. So needless to say, now I know. So if you decide to start sprouting get your info straight first. Here are a few sites on sprouting:
www.living-foods.com/article/sprouting.html
www.sproutpeople.com

So I gave you the downer of my weekend first, now here is the good stuff. I found a farmers market that is open all year long and I met some great people to help me on my quest. Now I can shop local and eat healthy. There is not going to be as much grocery store shopping for me. I will hang my hat (if I wore one :) at the Farmers Market. I also found a dairy goat farmer for my spouse and kidletts and a berry farm. woohoo!
I decided that this week I need to bumb up my workouts because my body is adjusting to my nutrition stuff and I am slowing slightly on my weightloss. I plan on doing my Bob Harper workout tapes this week instead of my usual treadmill routine. I will let you know how it goes. This morning was killer.
Here is to a healthy new week!

Gaining Strength and Momentum

I have been keeping VERYBUSY! Besides the fact that baby won't take a nap to save his life and so there is more of me chasing him around constantly, I have been doing a lot of self studying since I can not yet attend this nutrition school that I want to. So I started out by reading articles that my favorite health coach would put online. Then a good friend recommended a book to me called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, which I absolutely loved. What good insight she had into things I hadn't thought about before. Such things as eating locally so your food doesn't have to travel so far. I have other books waiting for me to read as well about 4 or 5 so far. I have also been watching tons of food documentaries like Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, and Hungry for Change both very good and informative. I am coming to the realization that we are being poisoned with all the processed food and sugar in our diets. This information is really helping me to get rid of all the junk I put into my mouth and also give to my children and start really living and living healthy.
I looked into some products that are going to help me live this new and improved lifestyle. I have a juicer, dehydrator and vitamix blender on it's way. I need to get a couple recipe books as well. Oh...and did I tell you I started sprouting my own seeds!!! I DO NOT have a green thumb at all, BUT I have successfully gotten these little seedlets to sprout enough that I can eat them. WooHoo! It's about the little success's in this house!
So here is my breakfast this morning...I had a green smoothie.
 Here is the ingredients:
Kale, spinach, collard greens, liquid chlorophyll, alfalfa sprouts, wheatgrass, flax seeds, chia seeds, tomato, carrots, red and yellow peppers, kiwi, banana, water and almond milk.

It was soooo good. I gave some to the boys and they LOVED it!!! They were fighting over it!! So today has been a success. Oh and by the way...since March 1st I have lost 10lbs so far. I am so excited.

Week 2 ...we are half way in

Week 1 was a success. I did very well. I walked on my treadmill everyday and I ate healthy. I read the book Animal, Vegetable Miracle by Barabara Kingsolver and absolutely LOVED it!!! I prayed about this but know that I need to do more on that end of it. All of my eating is coming along very well. I have been making sure to get a good variety of foods. My husband and i had a date on Friday and we dropped the kids off and then just came back home to cook our own meal together. It was so nice and the food was good and HEALTHY! Yay! Success!
So week 2 has started out good as well. I have been worried about this week because my hubby is off work and I knew we would be going and doing fun things so I feared everything would go out the window BUT it didn't I stuck to my guns. We went to Sea World on Monday and I had prepacked some fruits and nuts for a majority of the trip. When we did eat out I had salad with NO dressing. We walked around the park all day. The next day we went to the zoo. I was not able to plan as well because we really needed groceries and I was trying to wait till our travels were over. Needless to say I went hungry part of the time because the zoo offered virtually nothing healthy. My husband chose a Mexican Restaurant for lunch. I did not have the chips and salsa that loomed in front of me taunting and teasing me with its crisp crunch I could here all around me and its shiny glimmer from the oil it had been fried in. I kept telling myself, "that is dead food that has no nutritional value that will be good for your body and figure you are trying so hard to get back. " It did make me sad though to see my family partake but this all takes time. On our way home we stopped for groceries and can I just say our fridge and counters are exploding with health!! Today we went on a bike ride as a family and it was so fun! I truly got a workout on a bike with no gears pulling a bike trailer with two kiddos in it up hills!!!
So I want to look into sprouting and having my own herb garden. I want my food to be as fresh as possible. We went to a homemade cheese store yesterday as well where we were able to talk to the man who makes the cheese. What a delightful experience that was. Did you know that the cheese on your grocery store shelves only have to contain 50% actual cheese and the rest can be fillers and preservatives????? So that does it for me! I am sick of  not being in control of my food and what goes in my body!! With all I am learning the food industry is gonna kill us.I saw a billboard for Valera gas station it said something like, " come here for fresh products" EVERYTHING in the picture was in a package that could last for years and years I am sure!  Another billboard said HEALTH CAMP ....burgers and shakes! Are you kidding me? I think our definition of healthy needs to be redefined.
Well I have more I could say but I have more in life to get on to so I will excuse myself and check in later. Healthy Eating!

Monday has arrived....

So it is Monday, when I said I would start and I have. This morning has been slow and I am so tired from my fun but gluttony ridden weekend. The initial plan was to get up this morning and work out and be all showered and dressed before the kiddos woke up. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN! As I laid there I thought for a moment..."Well I guess I guess I can't do this! I must not have the will power or determination or drive or whatever." Then I said "Hey wait a minute..."I can't quit before I even start!"  "I have all day to get a work out in so this is not over yet!"

Normally I have grape nuts with almond milk for breakfast which I still think is a very good start to a day BUT I decided I would have a green smoothie with whey protein powder. It was good and hit the spot. So here is to a successful start!
So I don't know if I said in my last post but I am not going to have sugar at all this year. I will probably make some other major health choices as I learn and discover them but for now this is the first step. I now this will be hard the first three weeks or so but here we go. I anticipate that this will cut out most processed foods, eating out to some extent  and may even hinder dinner party invites. I also need to invite more people to this blog so that I can have more wind behind my sails as embarrassing as this is for me. Here is to a new and improved Healthy Fit Momma!

Starting Monday.....for real this time!

So this is a first for me, blogging. I hope this will help my accountability and I can look back at this journey and see how far I have come a year from now, two years from now and so forth.
Well before we get going I guess we need to look at where I have been...
I don't know when or how long ago but I have always had issues with my relationship to food. I love it. It however doesn't love me! You would think so the way it clings to my body, but no...it causes me more heartache then I can bare sometimes....most times.
Because of this I have about tried it all. I have been anorexic and had exercise induced bulimia all at the same time. I have several degrees in Exercise Science and Physical Therapy. Which is sooooo embarrassing to share but It is what it is and I might as well get it all out on the table. A fact I usually try an hide from people when they are standing in front of this overweight girl! I have had succsesses and many failures with trying to not just lose weight but be healthy. I know so much and am constantly reading nutrition stuff! So why do I look this way????


I have come to the conclusion that I have a food addiction. All of my knowledge is not changing me. I listened to a conference talk earlier this week where Elder Oaks said something to the point of,

Be the person you want to become.

DUH!?! But for some reason this is really making different sense to me. See I lead such a double life. During the week I eat super healthy and exercise and on the weekends I don't. Instead I binge like crazy. Also whenever some eating occasion comes up I choose the easy road of oh I eat whatever. Well not anymore!!!!

So why would starting this blog and continuing to learn be any different then the previous 1000 attempts? This time I am going to evoke the powers of Heaven! So here is my goal plan:

1) Pray and plead for help everyday
2) Always make the same healthy choices, even when with friends, on vacation, or traveling
3. Exercise, exercise, Exercise
4. Keep reading and learning about fitness and nutrition
5) Write it down on this blog once a week

So there you have it! A short, sweet and to the point first post. I will expound on things from the past and future as I get the hang of this.