This is me

I have been debating for months putting up progress pics and debating if I should put this one up or not.  This is one of the hardest things for me to post. This picture of me was taken the week my second baby turned 6 months old.  Its not photoshopped in anyway.  I didn't do it to show off or make people feel bad but for me this is a huge step forward.  Being raw and putting myself out there takes a lot of GUTS!  I have been working so hard to get to where I am at and I wanted to prove to people, especially those mommies out there, that you CAN look your best if not better after having kids.  I am tired of hearing "Well I have had kids and my body will never be the same"  Its a lame copout honestly because I know so many moms who look better after having kids.  Its a mentality you don't have to settle for!  Sure, your hips might spread and never go back down, like mine.  You might be torn from your chest to your knees, like me.  You might have a kangaroo pouch as I call it, like me.  Hence why my pants are pulled up to hid my sagging skin. You might be like me and never be in a bikini again but who CARES!!!!!!!  I am over it really, I know that I can't fix my skin or my hundreds of stretch marks so I just own it.  Like I am owning this picture of me, it doesn't get more real than this!  I am trying to prove a point that no one is perfect and I am right up there with soooo many of you.  But its time to feel confident with what you have until you achieve your goals!  Fake it till you make it lol.  But seriously, I am shaking getting ready to post this picture because I sure as heck don't look like I do crossfit or workout 3 hours a day but living a healthy life can get you things you might not have ever thought you could have.  I have never been so lean in my life, even when I weighed the same in high school, my body is so different!  So prove to yourself that you can do it because you are worth it!!  I really hope this just helps inspire one person, thats what this whole blog is about!!  =)

Food food food....

Why does food have to be my enemy?  I HATE it but LOVE it and I gotta have it.  Doesn't this truly just suck? haha literally, finding the balance between what we should eat, when to eat, what we can eat, it the balance question of life.  I have been doing lots of research recently on food being medicine.  It really only makes sense, because like I have said before, real food is living just like us.  So lets heal our bodies the right way!!  I could be on a dozen meds right now with all the doctors diagnoses they have given me over the years, but slowly I have eliminated almost every one.  Meds just mask the true issue and usually just give you more problems which leads to more meds.  Just take the right route straight to the source and get rid of it forever!  Sounds good to me but many of you probably are saying well its just not that easy.  Of course it wont be easy, but its a heck of a lot easier than living an unhealthy miserable life!  So check this out, this lady at the gym was talking to me about some health issues she has.  First thing that comes to mind is a hormone imbalance.  Immediately I start telling her more symptoms she is probably showing and sure enough she had them.  If you really want to find out what is wrong, do your research!  There are tons of different supplements, herbs, oils, and natural remedies to cure many issues we all face today.  They usually are looked at as weird or underground voodoo magic but really most of them have been around for thousands of years but are over looked by what we think is an easy route to the cabinet.  Food can be our alley but it is also has us figured out.  Food cravings have been shown to release the chemical called dopamine which we know is the "happy" drug.  I was watching the show the doctors a couple months ago and they were saying food cravings are a serious thing.  If we don't act on them we could end up binging which is way worse.  They said instead of trying to avoid them, give in but if it isn't healthy don't go crazy.  When we see food it can trigger old memories we have had that have made us happy in that moment.  Like me, growing up we always ate pizza friday nights, so when I see it I usually get all excited and remember those family nights together.  Just embrace it but don't let it control you!  Watch when you eat.  Many many studies have shown that eating at the wrong time of day can not only cause weight gain but it can double it!  Anything I have ever heard says to not eat after 7 pm.  Personally, I think it depends on when you go to bed.  I try not to eat a couple hours before so its not just sitting in my gut.  If I know I am going to be up late there is no way I can just not eat for hours!  Thats just me though, it wakes me up at 3am if I haven't eaten and I am starving, no bueno.  I have heard of people losing crazy amounts of weight just by changing the way they eat at certain times of the day.  NEVER ever skip breakfast.  It makes your metabolism slow way down and it goes into fat storing mode.  The Ayurvedic diet, which I have blogged about before, says your metabolism is the highest during noon hours so thats when you should consume most of your calories.  Makes sense, thats usually when I get the hungriest.  But, if you are a late night eater, which I tend to be, just snack wisely.  Thats usually when I bust out my gallon size bag of veggies or dark chocolate so I feel like I am treating myself without packing on the pounds like I would eating chips.  I could go on and on about what food can do for our bodies or what it isn't doing.  Bottom line is, you are what you eat.  Obviously you won't literally turn into broccoli, like I thought I would as a kid, but the longer the shelf life the shorter yours will be.  3 out of 4 Americans are obese.  It is a choice to change and not be part of that statistic!  Good health is priceless so arm yourself with it and there is nothing you won't be able to do =)

FINALLY DID IT!!!!!

Look at what the scale showed me today!!  Finally hit my pre pregnancy weight and a little under.  I am not telling you to brag but to show that you CAN hit your goals and anything is possible when you eat right and exercise!  I gained 45 pounds with Gage and 45 with Talon and I started at 140 with Gage and 111 with Talon so for having a 10 pound and 9 pound baby I am pretty proud of myself for weighing 110 again!!  Push yourself and don't let anything get in the way of what you really want most!  Remember too, its not always about what you see on the scale.  120 pounds of fat and a 120 of muscle looks a lot different!  Keep a measuring tape close so the weeks you don't see the weight coming off it might just be the inches instead!  =)

Cut the crap, bury the fat. Emotional healing inside and out!

It's time to dig deep and find the root to the madness!  Everyone has a reason why they hold their extra weight.  Most of the time it is because of something long ago that triggered some cell in your brain to start holding on... on to weight you never wanted but that is hard to lose.  We all have a reason but most of us don't know why, where, or when it started.  If you never find that little trauma you will never be able to make a full change and better yet, maintain it for life!  Everything in life worth having is hard to find, hard to get, and hard to maintain.  For example, I searched and searched for the love of my life.  When I  finally found him I knew it wasn't going to be easy.  I was in such a horrible, low, dark place in my life I knew I had to change in order to get him and KEEP him for life.  Since I did that 180 change I find myself wondering why?  Why did he choose me over everyone else, especially when I was so broken.  But, because he could also see my potential he knew it would be worth the fight!  This event in my life changed me forever.  Joe and I will always have to maintain our strong relationship but it wasn't easy, and at times it might be easy, but there is always that force pulling the opposite direction and you have to find your weaknesses before it does!  You need to find your own strength to overcome ANYTHING negative, ugly, or broken that will try to tear you down.  Being healthy is most definitely an emotional, spiritual and physical battle daily.  You have to be strong in all areas to constantly succeed and continue day in and day out.  Once one starts slipping something else will.  So with me, I had to sit down and really evaluate what was broken in each of my areas.  I am not trying to preach here and say I am perfect at any of them but I am learning how to balance and keep the 3 strong.  The 3 referring to emotional, spiritual and physical aspects of life.  Start with one, dig deep, and FIX IT.  Only you can do this, only you know what will push you.  Keep moving forward to mend and heal one area at a time to where it is balanced for your life.  But I am telling you from personal experience and talking with so many others who struggle with being fit for life, all areas have to be working together so you feel your best.  I have always been a very confident person, but that doesn't mean I have always "loved" myself or felt like I deserved certain things in life.  I still look at myself in the mirror, as most women do, and ask myself if it will ever be good enough?  Will I ever be thin enough?  Gorgeous enough?  But for who... I truly have found that once I eliminated the X factor of what everyone else might feel about me, I could move forward with how only I felt about myself.  Make sense?  I truly only care about how I look and feel for me.  Obviously my husband and those I love play into it but at the end of the day its all me and what I want.  Find that confidence in yourself.  Tell yourself you ARE worth it, you CAN do it, you will be that person you want to be.  Because without the self love, you can't truly love yourself let alone others!  Being fit and healthy doesn't mean we all have to look like models.  It means we have to look in the mirror and see ourselves as one.  Even with the stretch marks, even with the moles or scars or gray hair.  There can always be that day you love the beautiful reflection you see.  Start healing yourself now and find your broken links in the chain of life.  Nothing can stop you but yourself.  As I tell my sisters when I want to get super pumped up.... OORAH!!!!!!  Do it, you can I know it =)

Calorie and food comparison with BLUNT honesty!

This is a huge deal I tell you what!  Sooooo many people have it all wrong when it comes to justifying what they eat.  For example, I was talking to a loved one of mine who proceeded to tell me why eating a twinkie like cake was good for them.  "It has eggs, flour, whey, low fat and carbs.." etc.  I was blown away by the seriousness of this person.  So I pulled the package out and said, "Ok, now lets really look at all these ingredients.  Yes there is flour but its bleached processed flour.  There are artificial colors, flavors, high fructose corn syrup, saturated fat oils, shortening, and all these other ingredients hardly anyone knows what they are!  Now please tell me how this is good for you..."  I still can't wrap my head around peoples rationalization for PROCESSED ARTIFICIAL foods.  Around 75 percent of americans are obese.  Nearly 20 percent of children are obese which has doubled since the previous year.  Diabetes is rapidly growing and heart disease.  It KILLS me to hear all these facts and statistics on our blessed country killing itself with food.  We all love food, who doesn't.  It is time we all start educating ourselves on how our body should be getting taking care of.  There is a huge misperception I think of the health food world.  We all know that eating right is what we should be doing, yet those that live this life style are so heavily scrutinized?  Why?  Its because so many are afraid to dive in and dedicate themselves for life so they mock it.  Just like anything else.  But its time to start living what you know to be right!  Educate yourself with as much knowledge as you can for yourself and your family.  I believe it is one of the most important tools you can pass on to your kids.

  KNOW what you are eating.  Read the labels and ingredients.  Just because it is in the health food section doesn't mean its good for you!  Recognize the difference between processed and whole food.  Here are some simple little things that companies are making a killing off of.  Make sure your food is WHOLE grain.  Whole grain is better for you then multi grain because it is not processed.  Unless of course it specifically says whole grain of the multi grains in it.  Zero calorie drinks and food are packed with crap to keep it tasting good like aspartame, artificial colors and flavors.  Real sugar and butter are better for you then fake sugar or butter.  Just because it might have that stamp "Just good for you" or "heart healthy" doesn't mean it is!  There might be a few things in it that are but most are packed with preservatives and artificial crap once again.

  Like I have said before, if you are calling this a "diet" then you are not ready to lose the weight and keep it off for life.  Make the commitment to eat like this forever so you stay healthy and live longer so you can be around and do things with your family!  Like I said, everything in moderation.  I still give my son candy because if I don't when gets older he will hoard it and have issues with it because he never had it.  It is a treat or to keep him quiet lol but I buy him organic suckers and fruit ropes.  I still give him gummies or mm's but not very often.  Just give and take and find a healthy balance for you and your family.  Make MOST of the foods you eat each day the crazy healthy ones and once a week you get a bad day so you don't feel like you are depriving yourself of old foods you love, portions are everything!  Small people eat small amounts throughout the day.  It is the quality of the calorie!  A 100 calories of veggie soup is obviously way better for you on many levels then a 100 cals of oreos.

Keep exercising daily and find fun ways to do it, involve your family and most of all your kids!   Rarely do you see obese children without obese parents... lead by example and they will follow!  You don't have to look like an olympian to be healthy!  Push yourself hard and the work will show.  GOOD LUCK!!!!!

Clean out your Liver!!!

I have been doing so much research recently on the Liver.  I watched a mini seminar from a doctor about losing weight and if your liver isn't cleaned out you won't lose weight like you want and you hold weight around your mid section.  Interesting huh?  Well, I just went to the Chiro a few days ago and needed some major therapy on my body, after getting acupuncture I was told my liver is full of crap because my feet were yellow.  Anyways, so now I am on this road to cleaning out my liver.  I just found this awesome article for a healthy liver detox.  I have talked about my liver detox tea from Traditional Medicinals and I highly recommend it, I am starting to drink it religiously again.  But, I am going to post basically the whole thing because it is amazing and everyone needs to detox, especially with how many toxins and chemicals are in our body.  Cleanse your liver with me and I promise your skin will love you, your organs will love you and you will see so many benefits.  Here it is!

"Do you Need to Detox?

Unfortunately, we live in a fairly toxic world, and even those of us who are committed to living clean and eating healthy are very likely to ingest, inhale, absorb or produce our own fair share of disruptive substances - substances that our body would be better off without and may need help in unloading. All of the following may be signs of a body in toxic distress (keep in mind that they may also be symptoms of other serious health and medical conditions, some of which could require professional care; when in doubt, or in the case of chronic conditions, consult your doctor or health professional).

- Acne, blemishes, hives
- Discoloration in whites of eyes or red, swollen, teary eyes
- Hormonal imbalances, PMS
- Heat in the upper body, such as warm face or hot eyes
- Difficulty perspiring
- Bad breath or offensive body odor
- Gas, bloating, belching and nausea
- Constipation or loose stools
- Colitis or diverticulitis
- Hemorrhoids or varicose veins
- Bruises or wounds that don't heal
- Multiple food allergies, sensitivities to fragrances, odors and fumes
- Weight gain, even when controlling food intake
- Feelings of tiredness or sleeplessness after eating
- Frequent coughs, stuffy or runny nose

Your liver is your largest internal organ, and it’s responsible for an astonishing variety of life-sustaining and health-promoting tasks – including those that make healthy weight loss and weight management possible. Integral to countless metabolic processes, the liver supports the digestive system, controls blood sugar and regulates fat storage. It stores and mobilizes energy, and produces more proteins than any other organ in the body. It also regulates your blood flow and, if you’re a woman, keeps your menstrual cycles running smoothly.

One of your liver’s most important functions, though – and the one most crucial to your weight loss – is chemically breaking down everything that enters your body, from the healthiest bite of organic food to the poisonous pesticides that linger on your salad; from the purest filtered water to a glass of wine or a cup of coffee; from your daily vitamin and mineral supplements to your doctor-prescribed blood-pressure medication.

It’s your liver’s job to distinguish between the nutrients you need to absorb and the dangerous or unnecessary substances that must be filtered out of your bloodstream. But when the liver is clogged and overwhelmed with toxins, it can’t do a very effective job of processing nutrients and fats. So if you’re concerned with managing your weight, remember this important point: The more toxic your body becomes, the more difficulty you’ll have losing weight and keeping it off.

Diet Difficulty

Ironically, many of the low-carb diets that people adopt to lose excess weight only make matters worse. By encouraging us to eat a lot of meat (much of which is laden with toxins), and discouraging us from eating enough fiber-rich, water-dense fruits and vegetables, such diets can slow elimination. By loading us up with so many proteins that our stomachs can’t produce enough acid to digest them all, such diets can inhibit proper digestion, overloading our liver and intestines with a stream of nasty, internally produced poisons such as indican, ammonia, cadaverine and histide.

Fortunately, the liver, in its infinite wisdom, produces bile, a crucial substance for detoxifying our bodies. Bile lubricates our intestines and works with fiber to prevent constipation. Bile is also where the liver dumps all the drugs, heavy metals, xenoestrogens, excess sex hormones from the Pill and hormone replacement therapy, medications, pesticides, industrial chemicals, and other toxins, so they can eventually be eliminated from the body.

One of bile’s other main duties is to help our bodies break down the fats we need and to assimilate fat-soluble vitamins. Without bile, we couldn’t convert beta-carotene into vitamin A, nor could we use calcium. But when our bile becomes overly congested with the toxins it’s trying to filter out, it simply can’t function properly. It becomes thick, viscous and highly inefficient in breaking down fats. The result: You are more likely to gain weight and to have greater difficulty losing it.

Cleansing the liver helps it produce better, more efficient bile. That helps your body flush toxins and break down fat more effectively. It also makes more energy-giving nutrients available to your body and reduces strain on your digestive and immune systems. Your elimination improves, and your colon is relieved of unnecessary burdens. The net effect: You look and feel better, and it becomes far easier for you to achieve and maintain your ideal weight.

The Fast Track: A Three-Stage Process

Ready to give your liver a healthy boost – and give your entire system a thorough spring-cleaning? I developed a Fast Track Detox program for just that purpose. It is a proven, highly effective detox and weight-loss system that offers a simple, safe and effective way to drop excess pounds, to clear out toxic gunk and to improve your health and vitality.

Described in detail in my book, The Fast Track One-Day Detox Diet (Morgan Road Books, 2005), this program is, in reality, less a diet than a multipart program for healthy living. It has been carefully tested in a clinical setting.

Although the fasting part of the detox plan is just a single day (making it very safe), the complete process calls for both a seven-day preparation and a three-day follow-up phase designed to properly prepare your system for the liver-cleansing juice fast and then help extend and compound your healthy results.

This three-part detox process can dramatically improve the state of your liver and colon and help clear tissue throughout your body – all while eliminating bloating, improving your energy and assisting you in dropping unwanted weight. It can also help you appreciate the advantages of improved nutrition and encourage you to adjust your normal diet for the better.

Best of all, unlike water fasting and long-term juice fasting, this program is safe and gentle enough for you to employ any time you are feeling loaded down, sluggish and needing more vitality. I personally do Fast Track Detox fasts three or four times a year, usually around the fall and spring equinoxes, and whenever I feel myself to be on overload – physically, mentally or spiritually.

The Fast Track Detox program is simple to work into your normal life. Here’s how: You spend a full week on the Seven-Day Prequel, eating the Liver-Loving Foods that your body’s major detox organ so desperately needs. You’ll also load up on Colon-Caring Foods to help your colon purge the toxins and waste from your body. Next, you’ll spend one day following a special juice fast designed to flush impurities and stored wastes from your system. Then, after the fast is over, you’ll seal in the results with a Three-Day Sequel that includes additional liver and colon support along with special natural-food sources of probiotics – fermented foods that support the friendly bacteria your system needs to synthesize vitamins and promote immune function.

Many people experience significant and immediate weight loss on this program, but the net benefits for energy and long-term health are every bit as dramatic. So, whether you are looking to slim down or just lighten your toxic load, give the Fast Track Detox a try. You’ll be amazed at what your liver can accomplish with just a little help.

Seven-Day Prequel

Before you begin the One-Day Detox, it’s essential that you prepare your body by strengthening your liver and colon for the work ahead. If you don’t do this, you might end up more bloated, constipated and “toxic” than you were before. You may also inadvertently put the brakes on desired weight loss.

Fasting releases toxins that were previously lodged in your fat cells and shuttles them into your bloodstream for filtration and transport through your body’s elimination channels. But without prior liver and colon support to help these toxins clear your system, the poisons may simply get relocated within the body, settling into any number of sensitive organs and making you feel tired, anxious, headachy and more fatigued than when you started. So if you want to avoid feeling unnecessarily lousy, and if you want to maximize weight loss, follow this simple, six-step program for seven days before you embark on the one-day, liver-flushing juice fast:

1. Each day, for seven days, choose at least one serving from each group of the following Liver-Loving Foods:

• Crucifers, such as cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, broccoli sprouts

• Green leafy vegetables and herbs, like parsley, kale, watercress, chard, cilantro, beet greens, escarole, dandelion greens and mustard greens

• Citrus, like oranges, lemons and limes (avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice, which contain a compound called naringen that can interfere with the liver-cleansing process)

• Sulfur-rich foods, like garlic, onions, eggs and daikon radish

• Liver healers, such as artichoke, asparagus, beets, celery, dandelion-root tea, whey and nutritional yeast flakes

2. Each day, choose at least two of the following Colon-Caring foods: powdered psyllium husks, milled or ground flaxseeds, carrots, apple, pear or berries.

3. Each day, drink half your body weight in ounces of filtered or purified water.

4. Each day, make sure you have at least two servings (the size of the palm of your hand) of protein in the form of lean beef, lamb, skinless chicken, turkey or fish, or, if you’re a vegan or vegetarian, at least 2 tablespoons a day of a high-quality blue-green algae or a spirulina source (available in natural-foods and health stores).

5. Each day, make sure you have 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil in the form of olive oil, flaxseed oil or a “woman’s oil” (a flaxseed oil-black-currant oil blend).

(For specific serving sizes and more detailed guidance on choosing Liver-Loving Foods, see The Fast Track Detox Diet.)

6. Avoid the following “detox detractors”:

• Excess dietary fats, especially trans fats

• Any form of sugar, including honey and maple syrup

• Artificial sweeteners

• Refined carbohydrates, including white rice and products made from white flour

• Gluten, found in wheat, rye, barley and all their related products, such as packaged cereals, macaroni and cheese, pizza dough, pasta, tortillas, pancake/waffle mixes and cookies, as well as in many “low-carb” products, vegetable proteins, some soy sauces and distilled vinegars

• Soy protein isolates, found in many protein energy bars and processed soy foods

• Alcohol, over-the-counter drugs and caffeine

One-Day Detox Juice Fast

The One-Day Juice Fast portion of the Fast Track Detox is designed to flush impurities from your liver and other cellular tissues while supporting your general health and energy.

While I do not advocate water fasts, or even long-term juice fasts, decades of professional clinical experience and research have convinced me that healthy, short-term juice fasting – the kind supported by adequate nutritional preparation for the liver and sufficient fiber for the colon – is probably the best-kept secret around for good health, long-term weight loss and an overall feeling of well-being.

By reducing the amount of work your digestive system has to do, you free up a great deal of energy for healing and regeneration. And while you will be limiting your caloric intake for one day, it is not an extended enough period to suppress your metabolism or set off a starvation response. In fact, every ingredient of the One-Day Detox Diet has been specially chosen to stave off hunger; balance your blood sugar; rev up your metabolism; and keep you feeling fit, energized and trim throughout your fasting day.

Here’s the basic protocol you should follow for your One-Day Juice Detox, and some idea of what you might experience during the detox process (keep in mind that the effects and results will vary from person to person).

Before you conduct your one-day fast, make sure you have completed the Seven-Day Prequel. Then, follow this four-step program:

Step I. Prepare the Miracle Juice (for complete recipe and preparation instructions, see The Fast Track Detox Diet):

• Cranberry Water – unsweetened cranberry juice or unsweetened cranberry juice concentrate diluted with filtered water (be sure to use 100 percent pure, unsweetened cranberry juice that has no sugar, corn syrup or other juices added)

• Cinnamon

• Ground ginger

• Nutmeg

• Freshly squeezed orange juice

• Freshly squeezed lemon juice

• Stevia (a sweet-tasting herb that is widely available at natural-food stores) to taste

Directions:
1. Bring Cranberry Water to a light boil; reduce the heat to low.

2. Place cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg into a tea ball; add to the Cranberry Water. (For a tangier juice, add the spices directly to the liquid.)

3. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes; cool to room temperature.

4. Stir in the orange and lemon juices. Add stevia at this time, if desired.

Step II. Alternate drinking 1 cup (8 ounces) of filtered water and 1 cup (8 ounces) of Miracle Juice during the day. Drink at least 72 ounces of filtered water throughout the day, in addition to the Miracle Juice. Make sure you drink at least a cup of liquid – either the Miracle Juice or water – every hour. Begin the protocol when you wake up in the morning. You don’t have to begin at a specific time, but be sure to have all eight glasses of Miracle Juice in addition to the 72 ounces of water by day’s end.

Step III. Upon rising and at the end of the day, take one serving of a colon-caring supplement, chosen from among the following:

• Powdered psyllium husks (1 to 2 teaspoons mixed in 8 ounces of water or Miracle Juice)

• Ground or milled flaxseeds (2 to 3 tablespoons mixed in 10 to 12 ounces of water or 8 ounces Miracle Juice)

Step IV. Engage in only light exercise – either a 20-minute walk or 10 minutes on a rebounder or elliptical machine.

The Three-Day sequel

Following your One-Day Detox, it’s essential that you follow this sequel program for three days straight. Otherwise, your reentry into normal eating may leave you feeling bloated, constipated and more toxic than before.

Fasting without follow-up support means that toxins released into your bloodstream during the fast may remain in your system, making you feel tired, anxious, headachy and fatigued. Skipping the Three-Day Sequel also sets you up to regain lost weight. So support your body’s natural detox process and seal in the results of your One-Day Juice Fast by following these simple steps:

1. Each day, choose at least one of the following probiotic food sources to restore “friendly bacteria”:

• Sauerkraut (1/2 cup). You can either make your own or buy an organic, raw variety. Most store-bought sauerkraut is processed with heat, which kills the naturally occurring enzymes and microflora, so check the label carefully.

• Yogurt. Nonfat, low-fat or whole-milk yogurt are all fine, but look for plain yogurt whose label reads “live, active cultures.”

2. Before each meal, take one or more tablets of hydrochloric acid in a formula that contains at least 500 to 540 milligrams of betaine hydrochloride with at least 100 to 150 milligrams of pepsin, and at least 50 milligrams of ox bile extract (such formulas are widely available at most health and nutrition stores and at many natural groceries).

3. Follow steps 1 through 6 of the Seven-Day Prequel."

By Ann Louise Gittleman / May 2005

Credit goes to experience life.com  

Just because you are thin doesn't mean you're healthy

When I was growing up I totally thought this because I was in a healthy weight for my height so I thought that I was a healthy person... little did I know!  Like I have said before, my whole life has been riddled with health problems from head to toe, literally.  It was finally after I had kidney stones removed from each kidney and was 30 pounds over weight I decided I had had enough.   I wanted to go off all my medications, lose weight, and heal myself.  Guess what?  I did just that.  No more meds for me!  I was such a skeptical person when I had heard of people going off meds and healing themselves but nothing has changed my life more then simply just changing how I eat.  I weigh right now what I weighed in high school but I am sooo much more healthier it is unbelievable.  Some people are blessed with crazy high metabolisms and can eat "whatever they want" and not gain weight.  Well, it doesn't mean they are healthy!  I know many people who rarely eat fresh whole food but are so thin.  It makes such a HUGE difference putting good food into your body and being healthy overall.  Our bodies are made up of living cells so why not eat living food?  Doesn't it only make sense?  I also know many people who workout 3-5 times a week and still need to lose weight or have maintained for years because they aren't eating right.  Exercise and diet alone can eliminate or cure so many diseases and the research is just piling up about it.  Of course I still take some prescriptions if I am dying or absolutely have to but there are so many healthy good alternatives before you have to resort to this.  The average american is prescribed 12 medications a year... that is insane!!  The saddest part is most people get one prescription for something and then it gives them some sort of side effect so then they start taking a med for that and it keeps going on and on so people are taking tons of drugs daily that they might not even need.  I do research and try all sorts of things before I go to the doctor and I haven't been to a hospital for a health issue in almost 3 years since I have started this journey, and trust me, I went a lot.  I keep finding amazing new ways to heal my body and my families before going this route and we all have been so much happier and healthier doing this, it truly is amazing!  I am thankful for my pediatrician where I live because she really has a good balance between modern medicine and alternative.  She has me try healthier things before resorting to the meds and I am so grateful for that.  She even told me that a lot of kids are being over medicated for things that they don't even need!  Just find what works for you in balancing a healthy diet with exercise with healthier healing choices and it really can change your life.  It has changed mine and it keeps getting even better with the more I allow myself to try!  So people might think I am a crazy health nut and eat only organic food but that is not the case and you don't have to be that way to be healthy.  Just try it, if you have a health issue you want to get rid of, look up ways to get rid of it naturally.  What do you have to lose?  You can save a ton of money too by not going to the doc as much and buying meds each month.  If you don't know where to start at all talk to me about it and I am sure I can help you!!!  Good luck!!!

Interval training!! My workout routine

Your workout routine should never be the same if you want to lose weight fast.  If you have the same routine each time your body starts getting used to it and this is when most people "plateau".  I do different things all the time but some things still stay consistent because I love the machines.  The elliptical is my favorite thing ever and that is what I mainly worked out on to lose all my weight.  I started working out on it again last week, combining just that with catalyst, I lost 2 pounds and quite a few inches!  But when you use that machine you have to use it right.  Your head should not be bobbing up and down.  Keep your hips moving and only your lower body should be moving unless you are on one with arms that move.  I do it for 30 mins constantly changing my intervals.  Every 5 minutes I change it never going down from an incline of 5 and same with the resistance.  I will go up to 7 incline with 7 resistance or whatever I can handle and then go back down and I keep alternating the whole time.  Its killer!!  I keep my strides at least 160-170 or more each time which is crucial,  go as fast as you can the whole time,  I burn so many calories in that 30 mins and go a few miles.  I also follow the body for life program with weight lifting which I posted last month.  Every other day is either upper or lower body and one day a week is full body which I usually do with a resistance band with a pilates workout.  I love to speed walk up and down different inclines around the park for at least 30 mins or a workout from the toneitup website or dailyhitt which I posted before as well.  So pretty much to break it down now since you know how to use the elliptical and always do interval training.  This changes so I don't ever plateau but this is pretty much it.

Sunday- Off

Monday- 30 mins of cardio (elliptical) w/ upper body weights

Tuesday- 30 min cardio (speed walking) w/ full body workout (toneitup, dailyhitt, or pilates)

Wednesday- 30 min cardio (elliptical) w/ lower body weights

Thursday- 2 workouts from one of the websites or one with pilates

Friday- 30 min cardio (elliptical) w/ upper body weights

Saturday- 30 min cardio (elliptical or freestrider) w/ lower body weights

Obviously if the machines aren't open I switch and do the bike for 15 minutes on an interval training setting then a freestrider.  As long as you get a solid 30 min hard workout in your good =)  

Remember- within 30 mins RIGHT after you workout you need your protein.  Thats usually when I drink my EAS protein shake or eat a can of tuna with only a teaspoon of olive oil, red wine vinegar and ms. dash.  Lots of protein!  

I have lots of random stuff in my house but I have a resistance band I use for different at home workouts and an exercise ball, dumbbells, strap on leg weights... these things I use all the time to max out my burn.  

My secret fat burning weapon...

I NEVER workout without taking this product.  It is truly amazing and I am so glad I found this.  I don't sell Advocare products so I have nothing to gain by telling you how much I love it besides the fact that it does exactly what it says it does.  It gives you so much energy during exercise and makes you sweat!  I love it to death and it is worth its weight in gold.  Drew Brees last year endorsed Advocare products because they really work.  I also have taken a few other supplements from them but I love the herbal cleanse as well.  I have one I am going to do here soon.  Without this I know I wouldn't have hit my goals when I did and felt as good doing them.  This stuff rocks and I wish everyone knew about it!!

SWEAT!!!

Went to the gym today and noticed maybe 5 out of 15 people really working out... If you aren't sweating its going to be soo hard to lose weight.  If your workout is easy and you look forward to it than your not doing it right!!  I was sweating so bad today and working so hard that I couldn't wait for my intervals to change.  Now THATS how you work out.  If you have ever watch Biggest Loser those trainers know how to get the job done.  Working out and losing weight shouldn't be a social event or something that comes easy.  Its ok to start off slow at first with walking or biking slow but after a couple weeks max you have to start pushing yourself!!  Unless you have some crazy health problem, obviously talk to your doctor first to see what your true limits are.  Don't sell yourself short!  I have injuries from being in a bad car accident where I totaled my car and chronic pain from having kids but I don't let any of these things stop me, but I definitely know my limits.  PLEASE learn how to use the equipment right... if you don't know what a machine is or if you are using it right ask someone at the gym to show you, you might feel dumb asking but its better to ask than to hurt your body or looking dumb on the machine because you don't know what you are doing!!  My biggest success in the gym is the Elliptical, that thing rocks my world and that with weight training is the only thing I really did to lose all that weight.  BUT I did interval training on it... I never once got off the machine without a bright red face or my legs about to collapse beneath me.  That is a true workout and your body needs to sweat to lose weight!  Remember, protein within the first 30 mins AFTER you workout.  Its crucial.  And make sure you have high quality protein, not the walmart brand.  Do your research on what works best for you.  It should never be easy but it will be totally worth it!!!