Transformation Takes Time

My coach shared this on her page yesterday and I keep looking at it in kind of an awe. I mean really, that was me? And now THIS is me? Wow!

There were days and weeks and...let me be honest...even MONTHS where I wondered if what I was doing was moving me forward AT ALL.

But I didn't stop! I didn't stop because even when the OUTSIDE didn't seem to be changing, the INSIDE was.

Eating better, having my shake daily and working out daily made me FEEL good and improved my overall health. I've been sick very rarely and when I was, it passed super fast and was very mild compared to others who had it. I have energy and a better attitude because I feel good. I work off life's stresses with my fitness routines. I work out instead of eat my stresses away now. Much healthier choice, I think. This is a lifestyle that I will continue the rest of my life.

By taking it one day at a time and doing my best to do those three things every day I have TRANSFORMED my life! Not just my body but my life. It is worth every struggle I went through to get here.

Struggles? Yes! I struggle just like everyone else. The mind is a powerful thing. We have to feed it the right way, too, or it can stop you from reaching your goals and living a joyful life.

There are many days that I don't WANT to work out. There are many days that I don't WANT to eat what I should and crave what I should stay far away from. Sometimes I let my thoughts get negative instead of feeding my brain positives. I know you probably struggle with those very same things.

Can you still make progress? YES! Just take it ONE DAY AT A TIME. Evaluate each day and decide the night before what you will do tomorrow. Get it in your head just like a to-do list. Then stick to it. Put one foot in front of the other each day as you get closer and closer to your goals. Celebrate your small successes as they come. Together they will add up to something that blows your mind! Just like me!

We are all different and we each have to find what works for them. There are certain foods, even the healthy ones, that I can't eat. You have to learn to listen to your body and adjust accordingly. There are some exercises I can't do so I've learned how to work those muscles with what we call a modification. That doesn't mean I'm working any less, it just means I'm working it differently. I work towards doing the moves without the modifications as I get stronger but there are some that I may never be able to do. That's OK.

I believe, with all my heart, that by doing those three things DAILY anyone CAN transform their body and their lives. If you are interested in learning more and working with me as your fitness coach, message me and we can get started on your transformation TODAY!

~Helping Transform Lives One Day At A Time

My Journey Part One

We all tend to judge things by successes and failures. But true success is measured by our failures. Let me explain. If someone never fails then that means they never tried. Don't be afraid to fail. A successful person isn't someone who has never failed. They are someone who NEVER GIVES UP!

You might be wondering WHAT "success" I want to talk to you about today. After all, I do run a successful kid care and preschool and have for MANY years. I've been married to the same wonderful man for over thirty-three years. I have given birth to four children and raised two of them to adulthood and the other two are about to embark on that journey, one in a year and the other in three. Those are all things a lot of people would count as successes. I know I do. But those aren't the ones I am here to talk about today.

Today is for a different type of success. One that is just as challenging and rewarding as the ones mentioned above. But this one is a personal journey that is just about ME. This is about my fitness success. Those who know me understand that when I say FITNESS I am talking about more than exercise. Fitness is exercise, diet, our mental fitness and our spiritual fitness. Sometimes those get off balanced and we have one on track but the others fall to the way side. Balance is important when it comes to fitness.

In order to tell you about where I am today on my fitness journey, I need to give you some background on where I started. I was born in the mid 60's. I was not a chubby child, in fact in some of my pictures I look kind of like a stick before hitting puberty. I was an extremely active little girl. I was always outside running around, riding my bike, climbing trees or playing on the swing set. In the summer I was ALWAYS at the public pool. My grandparents spent a lot of time on the golf course so I was doing that, too. I've looked back to try to figure out when that changed and why. It may have been because school got more involved and harder. It could be because I spent more time watching TV. It may have been because puberty changed my attitude and I just got lazy. We were required to do sports and PE in school instead of recess and that may have made it seem less "fun". I'm not sure what the commercials were back then but they COULD have been the beginning on the body image issues that plague us still today.

I grew up in a time that the new aerobic fade came around. Fitness Centers for women were popping up in the late 70's in our small city.. I don't know if women always worried about their weight or if it didn't matter as much because they worked hard around their homes to take care of their families and didn't have time to think about it. But I remember that my grandmother was unhappy with her size 14 clothes and struggled to lose any weight until she got in her mid 70's and 80's and the weight just wouldn't stay on her body. I was not a thin girl after I reached puberty but I wasn't really big, either. But I FELT like I was. It bothered me that I wasn't as small as I "thought" I should be. I can tell you right now that those thoughts were very harmful to my self worth and it has caused me many challenges over my lifetime. I don't remember if I had other people say things to me about weight or if I saw things in movies, TV shows or read it in books. But somewhere, somehow, I got the idea that I was FAT. But when I look back at pictures of myself during those years...I was NOT fat. I was NOT overweight. I was NOT unattractive. I have read my old diaries from my teen years and I was dieting and trying to lose weight ALL.THE.TIME. The more weight I put on the more diets I tried. I lived a yo-yo life with my weight.

My journey just got harder and more complicated as I got out of high school and got married followed by children. Check back for Part Two of the story.

Helping Transform Lives One Day At A Time

My Favorite Thieves Products with Young Living

Thieves products have become some of my favorite items that I use daily. There are so many but I will try to share just a few. Let me tell you a little about Thieves Essential Oil Blend. "This unique Young Living blend is a carefully crafted balance of Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary essential oils and is infused into home and body products you can safely use every day. Our Thieves line offers the versatile products you need to clean your home effectively and to support your family's wellness."

The Thieves Essential Oil Blend is a must have oil for me. I diffuse it with other oils to promote a healthy balance and leaves the room smelling great. If I feel like I am coming down with a cold or something like that, OR I am going on a trip and I want to promote good health while I am on my trip, I put a carrier oil (either coconut or almond oil) in my hand and add a couple of drops of Thieves oil and rub my hands together. Then I rub the oil onto the bottom of my feet and put socks on at night. I make sure I wash my hands with soap to get the oil off my hands because cinnamon is a warm oil and it can burn if it gets in you eye. If it does, do not try washing it out with water. Put a small amount of carrier oil in your eye to get it out with. 

The Thieves Household Cleaner is a must in my home. It is concentrated and you add two cap-fulls to a spray bottle with water. It goes a long way and cleans great. The kids love it because it fills the house with a wonderful cinnamon and lemon smell. I love it because it cleans well and isn't made with harmful ingredients that can ruin clothes or hurt the kids or myself if we breathe it. The little bottles of Thieves Spray are great for taking on trips because you can spray doorknobs, handles, etc. 

They came out with the Thieves Laundry Soap not long ago and it is my second favorite product. I have a front load washer and no matter what soap I used my clothes and towel just didn't smell that great after coming out of the dryer. since using this laundry soap they smell great no matter how long they are in the cabinet and even hanging in the bathroom after one use. It is a small container but it takes so little to do a load that it will wash 64 loads of clothes. You just need 1/4 of a lid. 

The dish soap has Thieves, Jade Lemon and Bergamont essential oils. Jade Lemon is one of my favorite oils! This dish soap cleans well and fills the room with a wonderful smell. No harmful ingredients getting on your hands or on your dishes. 

If you are trying to get away from harmful products you are probably trying to buy healthier foods. The fruits and veggies we buy tend to have pesticides on the outside of them. Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak and Spray are designed to safely and effectively wash produce with the cleaning power of Thieves essential oil blend. It works great. When I do a big grocery run I fill up a tub and put the Thieves Soak in it and add my produce to soak. Then I put them in the fridge ready to eat. I take the spray with me on trips so if we are out and about we can use that to clean our produce. 

One cleaning product I haven't put a picture of is the Thieves Foaming Hand Soap. I got the 3 pk and then bought the refill bottle. I keep one in each bathroom and one in the kitchen. When we go on trips I take one with me. It is easy for the kids to use in the bathroom and goes a long way to help save money. 

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When it comes to my oral care it is Thieves all the way! It got tired of all the harmful ingredients in oral care products at the store. I was thrilled to find Thieves Aromabright Toothpaste. It has Thieves, Peppermint and Spearmint essential oils. It doesn't take a bunch and I think the taste is pretty good. It actually helps whiten your teeth. The Thieves Fresh Essence Plus Mouthwash is a great thing to use after each time you brush. It floods your mouth with the ingredients to promote healthy teeth and gums. And what is oral care without a great dental floss? Thieves Dental Floss has the Thieves and Peppermint. 

So there you have it! I love my Thieves products so much. They have replaced so many harmful products in my home. If you are interested in learning more about them, please feel free to let me know. I love talking about them!!!

​Helping transform lives one day at a time.

10 Tips for Living Fit in a Busy Life

My friend, Nicole O'Dell has written a wonderful blog post about 10 tips for Living Fit in a Busy Life. I don't know about you but my life IS SUPER BUSY! Most people I know would say their lives are busy. And that tends to get in the way of them doing the things for themselves. They don't realize that we could better serve in the areas we are called to, be it a wife, mom, friend, employee, etc. if we make that time for ourselves. I read her article and just couldn't help asking her if I could share it with you. So here you go....

By Nicole O'Dell @ Fit and Busy Life

10 Tips for Living Fit in a Busy Life.....

I’ll be the first to admit that living fit is difficult when you’re smack dab in the middle of a busy life. You already know how busy I am. I have five kids still at home, a full-time job, church activities, grad school, book writing, blah, blah, blah. All the day’s minutes? They are used up. Your story may be different than mine, but I’m sure you feel no less busy than I do. So how do we find time to make things like working out and eating healthy food possible?

I’ve learned by trial and error how to prioritize fitness in a way that doesn’t make me feel guilty or selfish, and so it doesn’t get pushed aside in the hustle. By making it work, I feel healthy and invigorated, which translates into more productivity and better moods throughout the day. Everybody wins!​..........

Follow this link to see the entire article. 

Helping transform lives one day at a time.

Eat To Live

Here is a question for you to think about.

Do you LIVE to EAT  OR  EAT to LIVE?

I've seen a few posts on social media that are telling people it is a GIVEN they WILL make poor choices on Thursday so just go workout or whatever. Is that true? NO!!!!!!! It is NOT a MUST that we make poor choices on a holiday or anytime of the year. 

When we focus our lives around food we will struggle to eat correct portions and with eating foods that are better for us. If it is all about food then we allow those foods that have addictive ingredients in them to control our lives. Many foods contain them. Our bodies have built up an addiction to foods with salt, fat and sugar plus unhealthy chemical additives that make us think we are still hungry, but we aren't. Although, if we are ONLY feeding our bodies those foods, our body is screaming for the foods and nutrients it needs but have no room for them in our stomach. We are over fed and under nourished. Our bodies were created to be fed certain foods. What foods are you feeding your body? 

And it isn't just about what foods but how much food. Why do we stuff food into our bodies without thought? We pile our plates high with so much food and then want to have seconds and thirds because it "tastes so good." Or when we eat out we get large everything or think we need to order very large plates of food. It's OK to enjoy your food. But it isn't a good feeling when we are so full we can't even keep our pants buttoned. I used to live like that. Many, many people do. 

THAT does NOT have to be your Thanksgiving this year. You can eat some delicious food and have a great day. But choose them in the right portions. A smaller amount of potatoes and stuffing is OK. A bigger helping of fresh salad or vegetables is great. Then pick a small piece of dessert, like a thin slice of your favorite pie. It doesn't have to be huge to taste wonderful. And you don't HAVE to have some of every dessert at the same meal. You could spread it out over a number of days so you can enjoy each one IF your like us and tend to make more than one kind of dessert. 

Have no regrets this Thursday. Don't give up on your goals for one day, for one day of food. 

But you say..."Can't I just workout extra hard before and/or after?" Well, I do recommend that you DO keep up your workouts as if it is just any day of the week. I try to workout between 5 and 7 days a week. I do SOMETHING active each day. But when it comes to fitness and weight loss, if that is your goal, it is 80% diet and 20% exercise. Done together will get you the best and fastest results. 

I'm not here to judge your Thanksgiving meal. I'm not here to judge you exercise habits. I am here to support you in your fitness choices and encourage you to make more healthy choices than you do unhealthy ones. We are human and can't do everything just right all of the time. But we can set our goals, figure out what it will take to reach those goals AND stick with it!!! Don't let anything get in your way of reaching them, including yourself and the temptations that come along every day for each of us. 

That is my job as a personal coach and trainer. I want to help you find motivation to set and meet your goals. I want to help you find food choices that you can enjoy and not just tolerate. I want to help you find exercise that you LOVE to do. I have found that if you love to do it you will want to do it more and won't like it when you miss a day. I have free groups that help with different areas of food and fitness. I also have groups that require a commitment to fitness program to be a part of. In those groups you get even more of my attention and support. 

I am here to help and encourage as I am on my own journey. I am real and upfront. I share my struggles and my successes. I don't sugar coat it. I am human just like you. I give you REAL advice to help you make REAL steps forward. I have a FB page that I post many things on the subject, videos and links to my challenge groups. Click on Fitness Fun on this page and it will take you there. You can also sign up for me to be your free coach on my website. There are ways to track your fitness goals on my website and much more. 

Let's finish 2015 strong and start 2016 even stronger! 

~~Helping Transform Lives One Day At A Time

New Game Plan

The past couple of months have been crazy busy in almost every area of my life. It usually is but I'm talking really crazy busy. I've been working on my kid care business, doing my best to fill the open spots and the ones that will be opening this summer. I have 6 wonderful kids graduation from our school. That will leave a huge hole in our hearts as well as our income, unless I get them filled. I do special things for the kids that are graduating and I have been getting those things together. I was also working really hard with those 6 kids to make sure they finished up the reading lessons before the end of the year. I am proud to say that they can all read, plus one 4 year old that isn't graduating until next year. If you know of anyone looking for kid care or a good preschool, send them to my website. 

Last week, I started a challenge to drink 1 to 2 ounces of NingXia Red every day. That stuff is wonderful. It has helped me keep down the cravings for foods I shouldn't have an abundance of. I have more energy. I don't feel like I am ready to call it a day after lunch. I feel like I could just keep going and accomplish so much. It is so worth investing in it for all the benefits you get. If you are interested in that, just let me know. I love my YL and my NingXia Red!!! We have been using our oils and our household products like crazy and loving the lifestyle with less chemicals and a healthier us. If you want to read more about it, you can check out my fb page here. You will find lots of great articles plus links to find out more about the products and company. 

I have let some personal areas of my life go during the past several months and it is time to get back on track. I know from experience that when I am eating right, sleeping enough and working out my whole day goes smoother. Sunday afternoon my youngest daughter and I cleaned out the cabinets and fridge before heading to the store for groceries and supplies. We got a few items to help organize our kitchen better and lots of good foods to make. I really had no rhyme or reason to what I bought, other than I wanted only good foods in my home. My oldest daughter came over on Monday and helped me in an enormous way. She knows how to prep and precook foods and plan meals for the week. She does it all the time for her and her man. She is also MY Beach Body coach. 

Together with my younger daughter, we managed to prep, store and plan for every meal this week, including the meals we serve the kids. We portioned out salads for me for lunch and made a HUGE bowl of salad for my husband and teens to eat. We made a huge bowl of mixed fruit and portioned it out for me but left a huge amount for the family and preschoolers to eat during the week. Extra fruit was washed and bagged to be eaten by itself when we need a little something or don't want the mixed fruit. My hubby grilled chicken and burgers on Monday. I made a huge bowl of rice and mixed in green onions, carrots, green, red, yellow and orange peppers. Each day at lunch I take three cups (1 for my hubby and each teen) and reheat it with some olive oil in a skillet. Today I added some boneless pork chops that I sauteed with olive oil and spices to make a main dish with veggies included. Other options this week for the rice will be seasoned hamburger meat or grilled chicken. We made the salad dressing from scratch. It is a bit tangy so we might work on that or just use less. My lunch is the salad with two hard boiled eggs for the protein. I am staying away from a lot of grains right now. I am making our bread to keep us away from all the added ingredients and I may or may not have a small slice with dinner from time to time. But I am limiting myself to that amount IF I feel the need to have a slice. At least I know it is healthier than the things we used to purchase all the time.  

For snacks we have fruit or nuts, or a healthy granola. I started dinner around 5 before heading into the den for my Turbo Fire workout. Some options for dinner this week are baked salmon and asparagus, steak and new potatoes, skillet pizza, and spaghetti. Any leftovers are put in a container or a baggie and available to add to one of the other meals. At the end of the week we may decide to have a combo meal with everything we have left over so it doesn't go to waste. 

I will be doing my shopping on Saturdays and my food prep on Sundays late in the afternoon each week, when time allows for that. I am going to be flexible when needed. Depending on the time I make it to the store on Saturdays, we COULD grill the meat and some veggies on a Saturday afternoon and then I would prep it to put into meal plans on Sunday afternoon. 

 I set timers to go off on my phone all day long. I had a timer for each meal and snack, for the workout (I need to change the time because I really like working out earlier rather than later) and for cooking. It was GREAT! I stayed ON TRACK, I ate well and I got my workout in. I know for me, planning and prep is KEY. I HAVE to have that, always. Today, the first day of this plan, went off like clock-work. My family ate the food I put on their plates and seemed to enjoy it very much. 

If you are interested in learning more about meal planning or Shakeology or great workout videos, let me know! I would be happy to help you any way I can. If I don't have the answer to something, hang on, I will ask someone higher up and let you know. I am super excited about this journey to better health and I would love for you to join me. If you want to check out my fb page on fitness it is here. 

Now for a really cool surprise.....drum roll please...... 

I decided to become a Beach Body coach. I did it for several reasons. I know a great deal when I see it. I get 25% off my BB products by being a coach. Who wants to purchase full price on something they purchase every month? I sure don't. I don't have all the details yet, but when I do, I will fill you in. While you are waiting, why don't you check out my pages and let me know if you have any questions about anything. We have monthly online and in person YL parties to share more about different oils. There are monthly challenge groups for BB that keep you inspired and excited. 

My goals for the rest of this year are pretty simple. I will get into a size 8 jean/dress again. I will get back to running in fun races all year long, maybe one a month, maybe more in the cooler months and less in the really HOT months. I will become an expert at every Turbo Fire workout PLUS PiYo. I am looking forward to the NEW Cize workout that is coming in July!!! I can't wait to get my hands on that one. I know my younger daughter and I will have super fun with that because she is my dancer. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and reading my update. I hope to share with you more often, as my life allows. I love the fact that it is full. When my teens are all grown, I don't think I will enjoy the quiet and I will miss them deeply. 

Changing my life one day at a time.

Essential Oils Introduction

I am so excited to announce that I have become a Young Living distributor. I have a website and a FB page! My FB page is named after this page, Changing My Life A Day At A Time. I will be sharing how the oils have helped our family. I will be holding classes and informing people of online classes they can attend in their own home. This is a new journey for me but it is one I am very excited to be on. 

I still have my FB page called Changing My Life One Day At A Time for running, biking, fitness, juicing, and other food or activity choices. I may even post some oily news on there from time to time. But my YLEO page is JUST for that.  

I hope you will join me on this journey. 

Changing my life a day at a time. 

I've Been Super Juiced

I can't believe the 28 days has gone by already. What an amazing journey it has been. I have learned so much about myself and my body. I have to say I did not LOVE every single juice I had but none of them were so terrible I couldn't drink it. I knew I was giving my body something it needed and I was full afterwards. There were quite a few that I LOVED and some I liked a lot. If you are interested in more information about what I did, check out the Super Juice Me website. I watched the documentary online and then I purchased the app for my phone. I love how it has all the videos, grocery list and recipes plus videos of him making the juices all on the app.

Today was day 1 after my 28 days. I am able to eat whatever I choose to eat now. I juiced three times today and ate a very small amount of food at one in the afternoon. I had some mixed veggies and a turkey patty that I made for my family for lunch. Compared to my juices it tasted bland. It did not sit well in my stomach and made me feel less than my best. I think it was the frozen veggies that did it. I should have had my other choice, a fresh green salad with some fruit on the side. 

  

Some of the changes besides my weight were my skin. I didn't have any large issues with breakouts. My feet, which are terribly dry and rough have become a lot smoother without me doing anything to them. Usually they are only slightly smooth if I have a pedicure. I am really pleased with this. I must be much better hydrated now. Also, my nails are growing and look pretty nice. They feel a bit stronger than they used to. I am hoping that will continue to increase as I juice more. My thyroid seems to be working better, too. My period was a lot lighter this month and really wasn't bad other than I felt like going to bed a little early to rest. My allergies have been doing great since I started doing the ginger shot each morning, which is an apple and a piece of ginger juiced. It has quite a kick to it but I just drink it fast and follow it with some water.  

I got up this morning and measured, weighed in and took pictures. Those are all on my before and after page. But I wanted to share some of it here so you can SEE them side by side. If you look closely you can see my neck is different. I should have measured there. My waist is a big difference because I went from wearing size 12's that fit very tight to wearing size 10's loose. My actual weight loss was 15.7 lbs and 16.75 inches in only 28 days. I am super happy about it. I had to change the shorts I wore in my pictures because the ones I wore on day one were just too big to show what I had lost. I am wearing the same shirt and I plan on doing that each time. Notice how much farther down the shirt goes because my waist is smaller.

My goal from here on out is to keep juicing at least 3 times a day with most days being 4 times like on my 28 day plan. I have broken it down into 28 day increments. Every 28 days I will weigh, measure and take a picture to see my progress. I am doing that all the way up to November because I turn 49 at the end of that month. I am super excited to see what my body is going to look like then. Hang out with me on my journey and see where it takes me.

Changing my life one day at a time.  

Super Juice Me Day Three

Day Three

Today's schedule was different from my usual one. We went to the homeschool book fair so I knew I would not be home at 10 to juice. I drank my juice an hour early. But the rest of the day was at the regular time. I had my tea at normal time. I had the Ginger Shot at 8:45. 

The 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. juice is called Sweet 'N' Smooth Veggie Blend. It has half of an avocado in it but I don't think it was ripe enough because it didn't blend well. I had chunks of it that I had to chew as I drank. That is NOT the point in this drink. You are supposed to be able to save your stomach the trouble of "chewing" the food. It did not make for a pleasant drink. Make sure your avocado is ripe so it will blend well. The one I had on a different day was great and added so much to the drink. 

My 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. juice was called Digestive Aid. It tasted good but had the kick after taste because of the ginger that was in it. I am hoping I can learn to "like" the ginger kick more than I do now. I know it has wonderful things in it for my body. THAT is the reason I am doing this. That is the reason I am changing the way I eat and drink. This is NOT short term. Yes, I will go back to eating whole foods and not just juices. But I will be eating ones that don't have additives and chemicals in them. I am working on my mental image of how I will eat even now.

At this point, how I see myself eating AFTER is this: 

Breakfast: My Healthy Smoothie, possibly some toast and an egg with a slice of tomato or something like that. 

Snack: Giddy Up and Go Granola or some fresh fruit

Lunch: This will be our large meal of the day with some type of meat, chicken or fish plus fresh veggies and healthy bread. Possibly a healthy dessert, too.

Snack: Fresh fruit and peanut butter or other healthy snack

Dinner: One of the thick juices from the Super Juice Me plan

I will adjust it as I see the need. It is my hope that as my stomach shrinks to hold less food I will be able to handle my portion control during the day much better than I do now. That is the main issue. I eat too much at meals and tend to want to snack, too. I want to eat a good sized meal at lunch with many healthy foods in it that taste wonderful to take care of my want to chew and taste each day. But I need to keep my portions small enough to keep the weight off and to continue to loose after I am finished with the 28 days. I am confident I will be able to do that as long as I keep it in the forefront of my mind daily. I have to remember my WHY for the change. 

I didn't really have craving struggles today. I let my family go eat a burger while I stayed home and drank my juice. And I really felt OK with that. I wasn't wishing I could go with them and eat. I remembered the scales that showed I had lost weight already after only a couple of days on the plan. I got on the scale again tonight, I don't recommend that but I just couldn't seem to stop myself, and I am just barely under 180. I never would have thought I would be so happy about that because I hate being in the 170's. But when you get past the point of what you hated before it doesn't seem to look so bad. With extreme effort and willpower I am confident I will loose a good amount during the 28 days on this. How could I not? I will be eating only healthy foods and I do NOT plan on going OFF the plan during this 28 days for any reason. I will find a way to make it work the entire time. It would be lovely if I could loose a whole 28 pounds but I am not sure that is realistic. I will be happy with whatever I am able to loose as I learn to take better care of my body. My final weight goal is not clear in my mind yet. I don't know if it is realistic to WANT to weigh what I did before I ever had kids 27 years ago. I was 120 pounds before I got pregnant the first time. Can I get to that weight again? Should I even consider it? I really don't know. What I know is I am going to eat healthy and exercise. Whatever comes from that is what I will weigh and be happy with it. If I know I am eating the right foods and staying active then I will be happy with the weight I am at. 

Changing my life one day at a time.

Super Juice Me Day One

Day One:

My routine is not exactly what I want it to be yet, but I will be working on getting it on track each day. Today when I got up I drank about 8 ounces of water. I have the 16 oz. Flylady stainless water bottle that keeps water very cold. I fill it up before I go to bed and put it on my night stand. During the day I put a hair tie around it each time I fill it up. That helps me keep track of how much water I am drinking every day. My goal is between 1 and 2 liters a day, which would be 3 or 4 times. 

I made some herbal tea in a large mug around 8:30. Sometimes that will be earlier, when I get up earlier. I used my k-cup Lemon Zinger. I'm glad I can still use my Keurig even though I am not drinking my cafe mocha anymore. I then drank the other half of my water.

Around 9:45 I headed into the kitchen to start my morning juices. I forgot to take a picture of the first one. Every morning I will have a "shot" which is a small amount of power juice to kick start the day followed by a regular glass of juice. The one for today was called a Ginger Shot. It contains an apple and ginger. The ginger is like a kick in the pants, spicy. But good. You just drink that down pretty fast. 

Then I made my Protein Rich Powerhouse "thicky", as they call it. It is thick like a smoothie but it's not full of any thing but fruits and veggies. I actually made and drank this one twice today, once at 10 a.m. and once at 7 p.m. I decided I would use my special Disney glasses that I purchased long ago just to make it more fun. They are very sturdy glasses but we never use them because we didn't want them to get broken when the kids were little. The GLASS works great because plastic cups retain the smell of the juice from smoothies and things like that. Glass cleans up very well. This one tasted great both times. I added ice to them to chill it a bit more. You can also put it in the blender and crush it like a smoothie but I think this works fine. This one had things you needed to blend in the blender AFTER you finish juicing. So you pour your juice in the blender and then add the ingredients like avocado and banana plus hemp protein and seeds. 

I have to tell you that the pulp from it is a LOT. And I didn't have my bucket exactly right so it flew out all over the place. I corrected it by pulling the plastic bag OVER the spout so it couldn't fly out between the two. Worked GREAT. I juiced four times today. I am counting the shot and the first full glass of juice as one because I did not clean it between the two since there was really no need to. It was very easy to clean. I think it would be extremely difficult to clean if you did not do it right away. It would give the food a chance to stick and it wouldn't rinse off like it does fresh. So my advice is to make sure you take a couple of minutes to clean your juicer and blender after you finish using them, before you drink your juice. It really is quick so you don't have to worry your juice will get old before you're done. 

I made the Breath of Fresh Air juice at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. That one has a strong aftertaste because it has ginger in it. It also has beets. Make sure if you have large beets you cut them down to size and don't use a whole beet or it will be overwhelming. I had large ones so I cut them into four pieces and used one each time. The juice is a pretty deep red color and tastes good with the exception of the kick at the end of a drink. I drank lots of water during and afterwards. It helps get the taste out of your mouth pretty easily. The drink wasn't horrible so I won't dread it when it is time to have it again. 

At 9 p.m. it is time for an evening hot herbal tea to help with sleep. I am going to bed early tonight, as soon as I finish drinking my tea and going through my evening routine of washing my face, brushing my teeth and putting lotion on my dry skin. I also take the time to put some Thieves essential oils on the bottom of my feet to help me ward off illness. For me, fitness is a whole body experience, inside and out. It is time for me to start taking care of my body the best I can. It is the only body I will ever have. If I don't take care of it then I won't be able to walk around much longer.  

Speaking of walking, I got up late this morning because of being up late last night. I didn't get my morning workout in but fully intended to workout this evening. I didn't expect to break my little toe this morning and render myself unable to even walk without serious pain. I have it wrapped and that seems to help some. I am applying ice, too. It is my hope that it will be much better even tomorrow. 

I hope this encourages you to follow whatever plan you have decided is best for you. But do something that will help you get/stay healthy and live a more productive life. It isn't really about being super skinny or being on a diet. It is about only putting GOOD things in and on your body so that it can be the way God intended it to be when He created us.

Changing my life one day at a time.

Super Juice Me 28 Day Super-Juice Detox

My oldest daughter and I have started a 28 day super juice detox in order to flood our bodies with all the good stuff to heal it from the damage we have done to it with all the chemicals and bad things we have put into it over the years. We are really excited about the results we are going to see when we are done and how it is going to change the way we live and eat. 

I purchased a juicer and it arrived yesterday! It is pretty quiet compared to the one my daughter got but they both work. Mine is stainless steel. I just felt it would be better quality than plastic. I have heard the one I got gives you more juice than most others. We will see how it holds up.

Juicing gets pretty messy but it was very easy to clean up. I am doing the juicing and drinking it right away instead of making it ahead of time and storing it. Since I am at home I feel that is a good option for me. If there are times when I won't be at home, like on Sunday mornings, I will juice my 10 a.m. juice ahead of time and take it with me. My daughter does her juicing for the whole day the night before. She is at work all day so this helps her be ready to go in the morning. Do what works for you and your schedule. 

We watched the whole documentary on Super Juice Me's website. They no longer have the entire thing to watch for free. It was a real eye opener. It is an hour and a half long. We decided to give it a go. After all, nothing about the plan was chemicals or things unhealthy. It has ALL the vitamins and nutrients we NEED to live and thrive, despite people thinking otherwise. We looked at the different options for purchase of the program and felt the app for our phone was the best and most cost effective. It is a GREAT app. It has everything; videos, menus with times, shopping lists for a week at a time or the whole 28 days, and a lot more. The videos help SO much. I use the video while I was making my juices. I am sure I will get to where I won't have to use it while I am making it but for now, it is a great thing to have. I watch the videos the day before, too. There are so many great tips that you need to spend some time watching them. And if you are like me, take notes. 

If this is something you are interested in, check out the documentary on their website. You can even download the app, it is just over $15 with tax. You can follow my progress on here or on my fb page where I will post links to my blog posts and other tips. Make sure you clean out your fridge before you go to the store so you have room for all your produce when you return. It takes up a LOT of room. But just think how wonderful you will feel after eating all of those healthy foods. 

I am super excited to be super juiced. I am picturing myself well on my way to a GREAT summer, feeling and looking better. I have so many great summer clothes that I "out grew" that are practically brand new. I will be spending the next 85 days working on not only my eating habits but training for my next half marathon. It is my goal to be in super shape and much stronger than I am now in time for my race. It is my goal to post each days foods and my struggles on here daily along with pictures. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me here or on fb. But please, no negative comments. This is a blog about positive change. Thanks!

What are your goals for summer? 

Changing my life one day at a time. 

Healthy Food Choices

On my search for healthy foods, I have been lucky to find some things that taste good and are good for you. I want to share those with you as I find them. Today I broke my fast, I did a three day cleanse, with a healthy meal before my workout. I had a piece of toast with peanut butter and jelly on it plus a banana. 

The bread I have found is wonderful. It is a local company called Heartland Bread Company. They have different types of bread and we have tried all of them. The one I had today was Grandma's Perfect White. The ingredients are so like what I use to make bread, simple. It has untreated, unbleached wheat flour, water, pure cane sugar, salt and yeast. That's it! I have searched for a store bought bread that didn't have extra ingredients in it for the past 10 years or more. I found this on at my Tom Thumb store. They have signs under products that are local, like this one. I buy three or four loaves and freeze all of them but the one we are eating. They don't have preservatives so they won't keep like the other breads that are full of things we shouldn't eat. My kids love it.

The peanut butter is Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter Creamy. It contains peanuts and less than 1% salt. I don't have to put it in the refrigerator but I do have to stir it. I am OK with having to do that since it tastes good and is better for me. I love to eat it on toast. 

I just found this jelly, Smucker's Natural Strawberry Fruit Spread. NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. YAY! It contains strawberries, sugar, fruit pectin and citric acid. It tastes really good and it comes in four flavors, strawberry, grape, raspberry and orange. I love the strawberry but I am sure the other flavors taste good, too. 

I can't wait to share more healthy products with you. I post some healthy recipes on my other blog. I just posted my bread recipe. I have made rolls with that recipe, too. 

Changing my life one day at a time.