Eat, Pray, Love....and be HEALTHY

May I Offer You A Drink To Start With?

This morning while doing my mile run Rihanna's song Cake came on and all I could think about was the red velvet cake I had from Cake Man Raven's Bakery  and Momma Barnes' "melt in your mouth and slap a baby" pound cake.  As I started to run faster I heard people clapping and cheering me on, only to realize it was my thighs rubbing together and my booty clapping.  Ugh, the horror!  So I scrolled up to Beyonce's Move Your Body  tune and went for the gold.

Bon Appetit!

 

                                                             Appetizer

Although I love to dine out and cook, finding a healthy balance and fitting exercise into my schedule is also very important to me and my fellow Din-HER Club girls.  I gained my freshman 15lbs at 26 years old instead and although my metabolism wasn't in agreement with my new fitness and eating promise, I went for it!   I love to eat and I will never be my college size 4 again, but I will not let myself go either.

 

Side Note:  Congratulations to my favorite TV Cooking Queen, Mrs. Paul Deen on her recent 30lbs weight loss! Although her battle of diabetes made her tighten up, it was better late than never that she decided to take off the weight and started exercising and making healthier choices for HER. So if she can do it at 50 something, so can I!

#inspiration #motivation #go-girl!

 Like many I have tried all types of dieting from; The Lemonade/Master Cleanse, Sadkins, Acupressure and simply eating just air.  None of these have worked for me and if I did lose a pound or two from it, I gained it right back times three when I started eating normal again.  So I learned to come up with realistic healthy meal choices and exercises that work for ME.

I indulge and stuff my face twice a week, which is usually on the weekend, but Monday through Friday I stay away from certain carbs like pasta, white rice, bread etc.,  I also stay away from fried foods, red meat and the skin on chicken.  I add flax seeds to my oatmeal or my egg white omelet.   I use olive oil to cook with, purchased a Foreman grill and drink lots of water.  I use a great app on my phone called My Fitness Pal  to help me keep track of my calorie intake and weight loss progress.

 I love workouts like spinning, cardio kickboxing, zumba and other high intensity cardio workouts. When I do not feel like going to the gym, I either run a mile and do some burpees and squats or pop in my favorite workout DVD that I have a serious love/hate relationship with...INSANITY.   I love the Insanity workout because unlike other workout DVD'S,  this 12 piece set is not boring and you feel like the Instructor Sean T is literally in your living room yelling and motivating you.  You do not need any equipment or weights because you use your own body weight.  The workouts are gruesome and hard! You would think it would get easier over time, but it doesn't! Although you build up your endurance, you still sweat like a pig and pass out like a drunken frat boy when it is over.

 
 

Entree

Outside of my regular diet, I have recently decided to do a  fast 5 out of 7 days, every week until my birthday in August. There a different variations of fasting, but this one is MINE.  It is also partly spiritual for me as well to sacrifice some things and pray more throughout the day.

I start with a saltwater flush when I wake up in the morning.  This process helps me to eliminate any waste and toxins in my body and BOYYYYY DOES IT WORK!  I cussed out my friend Marissa for not warning me how fast this process works. I will not go into any details, but just don't plan on going anywhere for a hour.

Salt Water Flush Instructions: 2 Bottles of Purified Water, 1tbsp Sea Salt, and 1 tsp of Lemon Juice. 

Mix it, shake it all up and drink!  I am not going to lie, the taste is horrible from the sea salt, so I chase it with a shot of my mango smoothie (don't judge me).  They say for better results to lay on your right side for a few minutes after drinking the mix.

Then throughout the day I will drink water, green tea with honey, make fresh smoothies (no protein powder) or drink the premade Bolthouse  brand smoothies (in moderation).  It is a challenge so if I do crave a solid I will eat a banana or my infamous black bean and corn guacamole, since it is mushy and easily digestible. (Hey, it's better than the Five Guys burger I was craving yesterday). WARNING: when you decide to stop any detox or fast be sure to gradually reintroduce your body to normal/processed foods, by eating soup, salads and yogurt and fish or else your stomach will do flips.

 Tori's Black Bean & Corn Guacamole Recipe (copyright) : 3 Avocados, Fresh Cilantro, 1/2 of a Red Onion, 1 Lime, 2 Plum Tomatoes, Can of Goya Black Beans,  Mini can of Corn, 2/3 tsp Minced garlic, Sea salt,  Honey, 1 tbsp Chardonnay Wine .  

- Blend or mash up the avocados.  Dice up the onion, cilantro, black beans & tomatoes. Mix everything together then add the minced garlic. Sprinkle in the sea salt and Chardonnay (to your taste). Squeeze in some lime juice, add a little honey & mix it all up again.

  

Dessert

While my Din-HER friend Shawniel is the one in the group with the diamond encrusted halo and caution sign AND I'm the friend of the group with the black liquid spandex yelling "YOLO " (You only live once).  I promise I mean well!  I just like to have some good wholesome fun and be spontaneous, but like many, especially my belated grandmother my goal is to become a servant of God and be more like him. 

So during my detox I sacrifice my wants and focus on my needs.  For instance; I need to eat, but I do not need a burger or cupcake, although I want it, a banana will do me just fine.  God gave up so much for us so it is only right that we try and do the same.  I won't go into the details, but in the Bible  fasting is a way of doing so.  I also spend more time praying and simply having talks with God, read inspirational quotes (God Promises Daily Devotional) and do some bible reading on the word. 

I know religion is touchy for some and not everyone believes in God like me, but if you're just a spiritual person, you can enjoy the beauty of nature while taking a jog, doing yoga or reflecting at the beach like I do.

I am only on day 4 and although my patience has only gone from only a 0 to 2.5,  I am absolutely more in tune with myself , peaceful and thankful. 

Like I mentioned in my latest blog, I have had a few rough weeks recently, but yet  I have this internal peace of mind and since of trust that everything will be just fine.

My two friends said it best:   

Bryan Deliz  in his recent blog:  " Though at times I lose it for a day.  I wake up and every morning it’s like God places it right back into my soul.  I still wonder, plan, and hope. However, I find myself questioning my life a little less and less and feel myself living it more and more.  Just living, loving, embracing, forgiving, and discovering a path full of righteousness and fulfillment.  Walking towards freedom and purpose, without questioning the journey."

Adwoa A. - God Promises Daily Devotional:  "God did not promise that we would not grow tried and frustrated as we strive to reach our heavenly goal.  Nor did he promise we would not experience setbacks or failure.  He promised to give us an eagle's strength and to rise above our circumstances and go the distance."

Cited Links: 

1. June 2012/Bryan Deliz - http://bdeliz.tumblr.com/post/25799881218/the-truth-about-me-is

2. 2012/Adwoa E. Ansah -  God Promises Daily Devotional

http://www.amazon.com/God-Promises-Daily-Devotional-ebook/dp/B007WZTI18/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340917207&sr=8-1&keywords=god+promises+daily+devotional