VOTE - Best Workout Song

Eh hmm. I need your attention please. Kindly take your eyes off of my man for just one minute. :)

I am compiling a list of the BEST workout songs for us to enjoy going into 2014. Which song or even songs do you think absolutely need to make the list? What really gets your heart pumping? (We are still talking about music here.)

Before I completely lose your attention, please share this post using the icons below so we can enjoy the best list possible. We are all going to be working hard in 2014 to get our best body yet....right? REALLY good music (and this photo) will help get us there.

* While staring at Mr. Tatum, did you happen to notice anything different about his body?

Are you a LIAR?

Well, are you? It seems that each year we say that we are going to be healthier & we may even promise ourselves that we will lose weight. EACH & EVERY YEAR. So we all pack into the gym for about two months & then little by little, we drop off. When that first sign of spring or summer hits.....forget it. We have "better things to do". We get caught up in social activities, vacations & a whole bunch of excuses.

What I find ironic about this is that we are normally working on our summer body. So why do we throw it all away as soon as the weather gets a little nicer? When we start our new plan, we are working off what we gained the previous summer & over the holidays. It is a terrible roller coaster of losing a few & gaining a few more. Possibly more than we even started with. Resolution fail.

I have been sick of this for a long time but never sick enough to break that darn cycle. Does this sound familiar to you too? Until this year. Since I began my journey to become a holistic health counselor, I have been researching on a weekly basis what dietary theory is best for me, my body & my goals. Did you know that there are over 100 dietary theories? If you are like me, you have unsuccessfully tried at least 5-10 of them. You know, Low Calorie, HCG, Weight Watchers, Body by Vi, Starvation, Cabbage Soup, Paleo, Nutrisystem, etc., etc., etc. You just end up frustrated and sometimes even worse off.

One week you hear about a food & all of the great things about it, the next week you hear that it will kill you. It can become very confusing. Not to mention that one person's food is another person's poison. A diet that may have worked really well for a friend of yours, may be the complete opposite of what will give YOU the best results. Since YOU are the most important person here, that is who we need to focus on.

It really takes knowing your body, being open to trying new things, having the correct information & having a support system. If you don't think that you have a support system, eh hem......you've got me! I will be your biggest cheerleader.....every step of the way. You do NOT have to do this alone.

How do we get started? Well, I have put together an amazing, FREE health seminar that anyone....anywhere can call into. This seminar will give you the tools that you need to make this year different than all of the others. This year will be a resolution SUCCESS. So, I am sorry to tell you that for 2015 you will have to come up with something new. :)

All you have to do is click the photo below & register. The entire process will take you about 60 seconds (all you have to give me is your email address) & you will receive some delicious recipes to your inbox as a gift from me.

Be sure to have a notebook handy on the evening of the event because there are going to be some amazing tips & information that you will want to share with your loved ones.

Please feel free to use the icons below to pass along this post, post a link on your FB wall or any other social media. Give your loved ones the biggest gift this season that you possibly can & help them to become a healthier version of themselves.

Give it up already!

Did you know that our taste buds change every ten days? It's true. 

If you have ever given up something for any length of time (that you really wanted to change), you might have found that that food/thing didn't taste the same to you when you tried it again. Well, because it didn't taste the same. 

I can personally vouch for this. I used to crave white carbs ALL of the time. I always said that if they ever came out with the all carb diet, I could stick to it. (There actually is a high carb diet but we will get to that another time.) Anywho, I loved bread, pasta, potatoes, etc. Now that I rarely eat those items, I don't crave them anymore. Certainly not daily. 

I have also found some really great replacements that I don't have to feel guilty about "indulging" on. Brown rice pasta for example.... DELICIOUS. My kids both had seconds & they couldn't even tell that it wasn't regular ole, white, cheap pasta. I even made my own healthy sauce. It went something like this - tomatoes that were going bad in the fridge, garlic, onion, carrot, coconut oil & basil that was getting a little scary. Simmered for two hours, blended & enjoyed! Easy, right? Have you considered that there is most likely a healthy & guilt free version of just about every unhealthy thing that you can think of? 

Have you ever noticed that foods you hated a few years ago, you love now? Yeah, you remember. For me, it was tomatoes. Pizza sauce, yes. Tomatoes, no. I am enjoying tomatoes more & more these days. Once you start eliminating the junk (in all aspects of your life really), you have room to enjoy new & better things. 

So here is my challenge to you. Give up ONE thing for the next 10 days that is not healthy for you. No cheating, no tasting it & try not to think about it. It is only 10 days so you don't have to obsess about missing it. Trust me, I have done this before. I know that your mind is already sabotaging you & you are considering pretending that you never met me or read these words. But wait! You CAN do this. I am here to cheer you on & support you. 

What is it that has a hold on you? Soda, fried food, chocolate, caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, etc? Give it up for 10 days. See how you feel. See if you can "live without it". I am here to tell you that you don't need to wait the 10 days to see if you make it. You can AND will. 

If you want to tell us what you have chosen below, please do. Maybe for you, saying it "out loud" defines your commitment. Tomorrow - Day 1 

Raw Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

Post by Eating Deliciously Healthy.

For the recipe, check out one of my favorite websites - http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/2013/09/give-me-chocolate-almond-butter-cups.html

I can't believe that I am about to.....

Tomorrow I will be turning 39 years old. I can barely believe it. Well, since I look 29 & all. :)

I have been thinking a lot about the events that have led up to today. How I have gotten here. I have had some amazing times & some utterly devastating times. Each & every one of those have molded me into who I am today. 

This past year has been one of the greatest in terms of my personal growth. My children & I have continued to strengthen our bonds. I took the kids on a trip to the Bahamas that I planned & paid for myself. I traveled pretty extensively myself. I rebuilt my financial life & started to save. I learned how to put myself first & to not settle for relationships that would alter who I really am, my beliefs, my dreams, & my relationship with the two most important people in my life. Dare I say that in many ways, this has been the best year ever?

Where do I go from here? Well, tomorrow begins my, "Road to 40". I am pledging to make this year the very best year ever. I am going to start marking things off of my bucket list. All the while, I will be taking you on the journey with me. (If you haven't subscribed to these posts, you will want to do that in the top left of the blog.)

What do I have planned so far?

1. I will visit my cousin in Orlando. 

2. I will attend MULTIPLE concerts/festivals this year.

3. The kids & I will celebrate NYE in Times Square.

4. I will become a graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. 

5. I will attend the Woodstock Fruit Festival. 

This is honestly the tip of the iceberg. I am going to LIVE this year like I have never lived before. So pull up your chair, the Road to 40 is going to be AMAZING!!!!

Committing Suicide?

Have you ever donated money to a "cause" before? I have. Have you ever wondered where that money goes? How much of your dollar actually gets to where it needs to be?

Where SHOULD the money go exactly? Often that money goes to finding a "cure". Well, what if we could prevent getting cancer in the first place? Shouldn't we be pumping money into the AWARENESS of how to prevent getting cancer all together? Not just how to get rid of it. Or, try to get rid of it. Not to mention the effects of chemo. I won't pretend to know what it is like to watch someone go through that. But I have heard enough from loved ones to know that the other way is the better way.

According to the AMA, regardless of whether a person enters a doctor's office at stage 1 or stage 4, less than 30% of patients survive for 5 years when using chemotherapy, surgery or radiation. Therefore, more than 70% DIE. To make things worse, the 5 year survival rate for cancer patients remains unchanged for the last 4 years. So are our donations to these causes really helping anything? Has it ever? I am not sure about you but over 70% of patients dying doesn't sound like a win to me. Not when the answer is so darn easy!

Did you know that eating just 10g of mushrooms a day will reduce a woman's risk of breast cancer by 64%? That is just ONE button mushroom! One a day.

Now add green vegetables & green tea to your daily regimen & you are looking at an 89% reduction in the risk of breast cancer. Why is it that women everywhere do not have this information accessible? Why isn't this on Time magazine or the NY Times......daily? I mean, talk about TRUE awareness efforts.

Let's talk about onions. The highest consumers of onions in their diet see a:

56% reduction in their risk of colon cancer

73% reduction in their risk of ovarian cancer

88% reduction in their risk of esophageal cancer

71% reduction in their risk of prostate cancer

50% reduction in their risk of stomach cancer

What else? What other foods are best to consume for cancer PREVENTION?

Green Vegetables

Onions

Mushrooms

Beans

Berries

Seeds

Now, let's face the facts here. What I am about to say, most of you (including myself) do not want to hear. You will doubt it, ignore it, justify it & maybe even completely close your mind to it. I get it. I was right there with you. But if you really care about your health & the health of your spouse, children, parents, & friends.....you will start to listen & research for yourself. Don't trust me. Go out & find the information, read it yourself. I am just a vehicle to help get your thinking about the changes that are best for YOUR family. 

Medicine isn't making this problem better but our food choices can. It really is that simple. If there are foods that can help prevent cancer, you can bet that there are foods that help to cause it. Those top 5 foods are:

Animal Products

Milk

Sugar

Alcohol

Stimulants (caffeine)

Yes, I have in the past few months given up meat. Do I still crave it from time to time, sure. Do I give in, almost always.....no. I never loved milk, thank goodness. But that one is an entire blog post on it's own. Sugar - ah, delicious & addicting sugar. Except for the natural sugar in fruit (which is my primary food & not the kind of sugar I am referring to), I have cut it out. Alcohol, although tough in the occasional situation, I haven't had a drink since Memorial Day. I did love a nice cup of coffee from time to time but green tea can easily replace that one. I can drink it hot or cold & it reduces my risk of breast cancer. That alone tastes better than any cup of coffee ever would. 

I have found that I am extremely passionate about this research. I will be continuing to write about this topic because it needs to be heard. I am reaching an age where getting sick is almost "normal". Screw that! Our health is in our own hands significantly more that we think. For most, they just don't know that there is a better way. For some, you know (well, you all know because I've now opened the door) but you will or already choose to ignore it. 

I am begging you. Please, click on some of the links below, ask questions, watch the movies, & educate yourself. The information that I have shared with you today was shared with me by a doctor. Just because he isn't Dr. Oz (or any other high profile doctor) & on the television in front of you doesn't mean that it isn't accurate information. 

So now that you know, if you just ignore it completely & never even consider for a second that is true. If you continuing eating these foods that are proven to cause cancer....aren't you just committing suicide? Or are you just hoping & praying that you will be in the LESS THAN 30% that survive? Doesn't sound like a good gamble to me.

http://www.drfuhrman.com/disease

http://www.thechinastudy.com

http://www.anewdayanewme.com/dr-fuhrman-gombs-superfoods-reverse-disease-lower-cholesterol-prevent-cancer

http://www.forksoverknives.com

http://www.oprah.com/health/Can-a-Plant-Based-Diet-Cure-Cancer/1

A New Beginning, a Recipe and a Favor......

Good morning everyone! I have been patiently waiting for today for over a month. Today is the day that I begin my studies at the Institute of Integrated Nutrition or IIN. To say that I am totally stoked would be an understatement. The program is a year long, but I can start seeing clients in six months! I can't wait to learn, to share & to grow. I am exactly where I want to be right now.

If you want to know how I came to this decision, I made a video that tells you all of the things that went into play. It was certainly one of those moments that hit me like a ton of bricks. Check it out here....

If you have EVER considered creating the career of your dreams around health & wellness, now is the time. I have a full time job, a part time business, I am a single mom AND I can pull this off too. Trust me folks, I am not super mom. If I can do it, you can too. Click on the photo below for more information & feel free to ask me ANYTHING. Most of you already know that I am an open book. 

 
 

For those of you that follow me on Instagram, I also promised a recipe today. :) Talk about mouth watering delicious!!!! Check out my yummy Watermelon Juice.....

You are looking at 160oz ounces of pure deliciousness right there. It conveniently worked out to be the juice from one watermelon. We actually bought two yesterday so we could eat one & drink the other. Watermelon is so absolutely refreshing & should be consumed as much as possible. 

Fun fact - Did you know that the seeded watermelons are actually sweeter & that is why they often cost more? Good news! With this recipe, you can buy the seeded if you want. You will figure out why if you watch the video. Or you can comment below or email me to ask.

Kristina is amazing & I love so many of her recipes. FullyRaw.com is one of my go-to sites. Check out her video, make this recipe & let me know how you & your family & friends like it. I don't think these 5 jars will make it past today. 

Can you do me a favor? Can you post a link to my blog on your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google +, or whatever platform is your preference? (Or even all of them if you don't mind.) Getting the message out on health & wellness is important & I can't do it without you. Not to mention all of the absolutely delicious recipes that I share!! I am extremely passionate about helping you and your friends, family & coworkers to get a little, or a lot, healthier. Let me share what I learn over the next year with everyone that you care about. 

Thank you for your continued support. I look forward to you coming along for the ride.