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...

New Year: New Realizations: New Goals

Happy Holidays! With the craziness of the season, I have taken a break from the blogging aspect of my life. As Christmas has come and gone and the new year is upon us, I feel the need to free my mind and body from excess clutter and to reconnect with what is pure and life sustaining. I have definitely come to some realizations over the past few weeks and have decided upon some goals for the New Year to come.

What I have realized:

If I made a list of what I have come to realize in 2010, this post would be way too long. Instead, I will narrow my "epiphanies" (so to speak) to the last few weeks.

-Saving yourself for that one or two days of holiday binging is not worth the effects it has on the body.

-I function better as a person on whole raw unprocessed foods.

-Christmas is about giving, love and family- not about how many gifts are under the tree. It is about being receptive to a need that a loved one may have and complying to that need.

-No matter what comes your way, remember to breathe. It is the essence of life. When we breathe deeply, we rid ourselves of that which is stale and unnecessary in our lives and we have the opportunity to give ourselves that which is fresh and clean.

-2010 was a year of many realizations. I have made new space in many aspects of my life for growth.

So there you have it. Yes, it's a bit random.

After looking back at my goals 1 year ago, I am so glad to say that I have completed every one of them. I have a good feeling about 2011. Here are my goals:

-I will start the year with a 14 day cleanse and will finish up January by eating 100% raw and continuing with at least 80% raw. I was eating 80-90% raw up until the week before Christmas. Christmas Day was quite a discovery for me. I typically bake a ton of goodies at Christmas. I limited my baking to the day before Christmas this year and made a minimal amount. However, Christmas day came around and I literally pigged out. I am totally ashamed to admit it. I ate so many things that I normally do not ever touch....chips, ranch dressing, cookies, cheesecake, candy. This was a huge mistake....especially the dairy. I haven't touched a piece of meat in a year and a half and I do not struggle with it. When it comes to holidays and dairy, I break. Never again. The day after Christmas opened my eyes. I had the worst food reaction ever. My nose was running. I was sneezing repeatedly. My digestion was way off and I had the worst headache ever. I was tired. It is because of this occurance that I have chosen this goal.

-I want to grow and expand my business. It has been a great few months working with women on weight loss, strength, and endurance. It has been a pleasure introducing them to the wonderful benefits of yoga. I have added some great options to my menu of fitness activities. I have scheduled two morning retreats that include hiking, yoga and lunch. I hope to add motivational guest speakers to the retreats as participants gain interest. I have also added personal training and am excited to continue to help and inspire others this year.

-Join a CSA. A CSA is community supported agriculture in which you pre-pay for a share of fresh local organic produce to be picked up weekly. I have talked about it and thought about it for a long time now and am ready to join in. I feel this is one of the best ways to continue my support of small local farms.


These are my goals for health fitness and community. I hope that by stating my goals, I can begin to inspire others to unleash the power they posses within to do.

"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do." -Leonardo da Vinci

Wrapping up the week...with gratitude

I am grateful for this week that is passing. I often speak in my yoga classes about gratitude and I can't express how important this word is to me and how I hope this can be part of your everyday life as well. Gratitude is being thankful and what a better month to think about this concept. It is defined as "the quality of feeling of being grateful or thankful." I ask my students to offer gratitude for their bodies and what they accomplish during their practice. I make a point everyday to be grateful for all that I am, all that I have and all that I have accomplished. I make a point each and every day to allow this to humble me.

I am thankful for my wonderful family and the journey that we are partaking in together. I really felt a sense of togetherness as my entire family, my niece included, woke up this Saturday morning, had breakfast and went to yoga class together and proceeded to the farmer's market. I can't imagine how this morning could have been more perfect. It's the little things that make me happy and fill my heart with gratitude. The morning was filled with health, life and love. I am humbled by what I have graciously given in my life and my heart is overflowing with the wonderful gratefulness that I speak of.

I am excited to see what the week to come has in store for me. It is my hope that it is a week filled with love and happiness. It it my hope that I can fulfill my duty to my community and help and inspire all those that I come into contact with. Even if it is just a smile, I hope to brighten some one's day. Perhaps trials may come my way as the week unfolds. Whatever comes, will be. This is the rhythm of life for which I am grateful for.

Holiday Boot Camp!

Holiday Boot Camp begins on November 8, 2010.

Let's fight the FAT this holiday season. Think FIT not FAT! I will help you stay focused on your goals as we approach the holidays. Don't wait till New Year's....start today!

Date: Mondays and Wednesdays

Time: 7-8 pm

Where: Murrieta, California

Please contact me for additional information by sending an email to thepowertodogroupfitness@hotmail.com

Blueberry Hemp Smoothie

I'm still on this raw food kick of mine and I am diggin' it. I'm reading Victoria Boutenko's book, "12 Steps to Raw Foods" and I find it really interesting. I'm learning to listen to my body is response to different foods. Anyhow, maybe some more on that another time because today I wanted to share an amazingly heavenly smoothie recipe that I tried from Penni Shelton's Raw Food Cleanse.

Blueberry Hemp Smoothie

2 cups water

1/2 cup hemp seeds

3 tbsp agave

8 ounce package of frozen organic blueberries

1 tsp vanilla extract or raw vanilla powder

1 frozen banana or 1 banana and 4-6 ice cubes

In a blender, blend water and hemp seeds until it forms a milky substance.

Add the remaining ingredients.

High in protein, antioxidants, omegas, potassium and it's delicious!