Morning Glory

I just wanted to share with you an amazing smoothie that has energized me today beyond belief. I was just playing in the kitchen and here is what I came up with:

1/4 honeydew melon
1/2 fresh pineapple
1 kiwi
1 banana
4 large leaves of swiss chard
6-8 oz water
ice

This makes a large amount and can be split between two people if desired.

Blend together and enjoy. These flavors meshed really well together and the light green color was beyond beautiful!

Do Something Beautiful Today...

Do something for you today. Begin to take those baby steps towards a more beautified and healthier you. When you take care of yourself, you can better care for those you love.

Here is a list of baby steps that you can take TODAY so that you may walk or even run towards the healthiest and most beautiful version of you.

1. Go to a fitness class.

2. Go for a walk.

3. Paint your toenails.

4. Make a green smoothie.

5. Journal.

6. Begin a good book.

7. Take a warm bath.

8. Enjoy a few minutes, even just 5 minutes, of the yoga resting posture, savasana. Lay on your back, close your eyes and just let go!

9. Talk to yourself. Say positive things about you.

10. Make a juice with fresh veggies or fruits.

Once you have completed a task or two, be inspired to set a few long term goals. I think one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your family is moving towards healthier and cleaner eating habits. Make a decision to eat locally and more organic foods. Even if you only switch to eating organic apples, make that commitment today. Being more mindful of honoring yourself by taking the best possible care of you (for your family)is the best decision that you can make.

With love. :)

LIVE, THRIVE and INSPIRE

Just as I talked about in my previous post, I am embarking on a cleanse. However, I am taking a slightly different route than I had first anticipated. I was planning on doing the raw food cleanse. After purchasing Rainbeau Mars' DVD, Ra'Yoka, I decided to follow her recommended cleanse in the booklet that came with the DVD. The booklet does not lay out a super detailed plan. Rainbeau actually offers support and a more detailed plan but this comes with a fee. I felt inclined to embark on this one on my own. The first week, which for me was last week, is basically eating very clean and not much different than my typical diet- vegan, unprocessed whole foods. This worked well for me as I had those few splurge days over the holidays. It is amazing how quickly your body can respond to the addictive nature of sugar and bad fat. I just kept thinking about eating and that just wasn't healthy. Week 1 helped me to refocus and essentially by eating just as I should, the cravings subsided. I am now in the midst of week 2: all raw. I feel amazing but of course everything that is cooked looks so good to me. I know that this too shall pass as I dig deeper. I was fortunate enough to purchase a vitamix last week so this has been helpful in making the smoothest and tastiest smoothies and raw soups. Next week is week 3 and I will go on a one week smoothie and juice fast....one day will be fasting on watermelon only. This is the week that counts as you would begin to rest your digestive system and put more energy into ridding the body of harmful toxins as well as healing both physically and emotionally.

Someone asked me the other day, "why do you feel you need to detox if you already eat so healthy, did you do something bad?" It is not so much the food but there are other things that we need to detox from. There are toxins in the environment that we are exposed to. Aside from that, this time can be used to emotionally detox and release feelings of regret, grudges, self-loathing among other feelings that are harmful to a person. We learn to forgive ourselves and others of harmful but unchangeable events of the past. Depending on each individual, we all detox on our own level. For me, the harmful (for me) indulgences that I embarked upon over the holidays taught me a lesson. I am learning again to indulge on a healthy level. We must indulge daily in all things that are healthy and beautiful. This is thriving. We must learn to thrive instead of merely existing. By doing so, we will let our inner beauty shine through to our physical existence. By cleaning out the insides both emotionally and physically, we let our beauty and creativity radiate. It is my hope that by cleansing and detoxing, I can experience both the emotional freedom and happiness and the physical effects like healthy glowing skin and more energy. When we get rid of what is hindering us both physically and emotionally, we can begin to LIVE, THRIVE and INSPIRE. Imagine what the world would be like if we all existed to experience life to the fullest and inspire others to be their greatest...