Insanely Fit and Fabulous

Celebrate 40 Years of Earth Day

This week we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day so I thought I would leave you with a few tips on how you can celebrate and reconnect with mother earth: 

Go for a hike

Camp out

Take a walk through the park

Sit by a lake or go to the beach

Go on a picnic

Go bird watching

 

Adopt or plant a tree --- keep our oxygen flowing

 

Go green by using recycled bags when you go to the grocery store

Go outside for a bit when it’s raining --- it’s okay to get wet,

    you may even find it refreshing

 

Enjoy the warmth of the sun on your skin --- just remember to wear sunscreen

 

Stargaze on a clear night and appreciate the millions of shining star

I know a lot of you (I am too) are working out and exercising to get your body in shape so you can look good on the beach this summer, wear your wife beaters aka tank tops, and halter dresses (my favorite). Share with me what you are doing. What's working, what's not?

Somehow I was able to peel myself out of bed after working out for an hour and a half last night. Month 2 with Insanity is... well insane. The workout has jumped from 40 mins. to 60. Oh you say what's an extra 10 minutes? Let’s just say it's the longest 10 minutes of my life lol Help! Why can't I just say some magic words like "fat be gone" and it just disappears? My day 36 fit test results will be posted this evening.

The best stuff on earth.... well may not, but if you're like me and love pizza the way I do I'm sure you'll agree. If there was a pizza diet, I'm I would lose 30 ibs in a month. DC has one of the best places to eat pizza at. Ella's, if you've never been there you must try it. What I really love is that it's practically guilt free pizza. At your request you can have gluten free crust with soy cheese. Every now and then I reward myself. And this how I do it. . http://www.ellaspizza.com/

Antioxidants and Super-fruits

Want to melt away pounds in your diet naturally? Boost up your antioxidant intake. Did you know that antioxidants fuel the body and causes up to 60% more weight loss? It true. Antioxidants fight fat and can literally transform your overall health. According to expert Keri Glassman, R.D. antioxidants can dramatically reduce fattening problems caused by hormonal glitches and regular weight gain.

So what are antioxidants anyway? Antioxidants are phytochemicals, vitamins and other nutrients that protect our cells from damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that react easily with essential molecules of our body. Free radicals destroy cells and are formed by poor diets and aging. They flow through the body causing chronic inflammation which is then followed by joint pain, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer (Chinese Cancer Prevention Study,1993). Antioxidants neutralize those free radicals. Many studies show that almost every antioxidant has anticancer properties. Scientists say the more antioxidants, the better our chances in lowering cancer risk. Also, antioxidants could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by protecting the heart.

So want to know where you can get these "antioxidants"? You can get them in fruit and dark leafy greens. But you can also find them in this awesome drink called Le'Vive. Le'vive has the worlds top 5 super-fruits, pomegranate, goji, acai berry, noni, and mangosteen.

Lets talk about the benefits of each super-fruit:

Pomegranate     

One of the worlds oldest fruits known to man. Rich in vitamins A,B, & C, potassium phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, sodium and fiber.

Goji   

Considered miraculous since ancient times. Rich in polysaccharides; with 18 amino acids, Vitamins A, C, B, & E, 21 minerals, proteins, fiber and Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils.

 

Acai Berry 

You've heard all the buzz these day about the acai berry and how it causes weight loss. It's gown in Brazil and is a legendary fruit from the amazon that contains 10 to 33 times more antioxidants than grapes used in red wines.

Noni

Used as a medicinal plant for thousands of years to help different conditions. Contains polysaccharide-based nutrients, organic, acids, vitamins and minerals.

Mangosteen

An Asian native that has caused a commotion with its splendid flavor, known as "The Queen of Fruits" possesses high levels of xanthones.

Reason to drink Le'Vive

• Tastes great
• Is good for the entire family
• Keeps your skin and hair healthy
• Helps fight fungus, virus and bacterias
• Increases energy level
• Helps maintain healthy blood pressure
• Improves digestion
• Helps with gastritis, reflux, and ulcers
• Helps maintain normal cholesterol levels
• Helps improve your memory
• Control inflammation and arthritis
• Keeps your joints healthy

Le'Vive is organic, all natural, and has no added sugar. You can experience the awesome benefits by clicking here: Le'Vive 
 

So Shaun T likes call this week the recovery week. Humph! Just kidding this week the workout is much more relaxed. This entire week I will do the cardio recovery and balance workout everyday. This workout is at a moderate pace, but don't believe for one minute that you will not be sweating. It's still a good workout, just not as much jumping around. I'm actually afraid of month two. I was reading the paperwork that came with my set of DVD's it says "Max Interval Plyometrics: Power and plyo to the MAX. Your legs will be begging for mercy". Why would they put that on there?!?! I can do this! Yes I can!

WHAT'S THAT YOU'RE EATIN'?

Another big part of exercising is nutrition. You can’t expect to lose weight just by working out alone. You have to incorporate good eating habits as well. There is no “one” diet or eating habit that works for every single person. I chose to eat raw foods. While I’m not 100% raw (I’ll explain later), I eat enough so that I can see the results and feel them as well. I’m not just talking about weight loss here. A raw food diet consists of uncooked, unprocessed plant based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, and dried fruit. On a raw food lifestyle, food is not cooked above 116 degrees as it is believed that cooking food above this destroys enzymes. These enzymes help absorb and digest food. Raw food eating isn’t just a diet. It’s a lifestyle. You don’t have to eat 100% raw food in order to reap the benefits. Eating a diet of at least 75% is enough to allow you to start seeing results. For example, you could eat a smoothie for breakfast that has 3 to 4 different fruits such as bananas, strawberries, blueberries, and pineapples, a salad for lunch with lemon, and olive oil, and a normal dinner. I chose not to consume beef, poultry, pork, dairy, and little to no processed foods. However, I do still eat fish.

Why a raw food diet?

 

For me it’s what works. I actually started out with a vegetarian diet. Not because I wanted to lose weight, but because I was having a lot of digestion issues. I talked to my doctor about my concerns and unfortunately, they didn’t have very much advice. What they did offer didn’t help.  So I began what I call the process of elimination. I started with dairy. I cut out all dairy and I listened to my body. It helped some but the aches in my stomach still continued. So from there I stopped eating pork and beef, and eventually chicken and turkey.  Upon further research, I discovered that your blood type has a lot to do with what type of diet and foods you consume and their effect on your body. My blood type (I’ll talk about this in detail another day) just so happens to thrive off of a vegan/vegetarian diet, and I concur! Not only did the weight just fall off, I felt great, and I was full of energy and my skin.. wow! As you can see, this is what works for me. After taking a nutrition class I further learned that there are some vitamin deficiencies with this diet. Vitamin deficiency is normal when you eliminate and entire food group. So in order to keep things rounded and balanced, I occasionally eat brown rice and grains (and chocolate..shhh!). In addition, I drink liquid multivitamins and organic antioxidant drinks daily such as Le'Vive which has the worlds top 5 superfruits.

 

With any diet it is important to educate yourself about nutrition. You have to find out what’s good for you. Trendy diets come and go and eventually so will the pounds. Finding a balance and making a healthy lifestyle change is your key to weight loss success. I encourage you to find your own path. Vegan or not, tell me what’s working for you and what isn’t. Lets go on this journey together and better our own health.

 

Disclaimer *I am in no way discouraging anyone from consulting a doctor*