I'm featured on KitchenMonki!!

One of my favorite websites, KitchenMonki.com, is featuring ME on their site!! I've shared my ideas and some of my "go to" recipes!

Take a look!

Become a follower of my blog and leave a comment here, and on KitchenMonki, and I will give you 2 more chances to win one of my favorite books, "Healthy For Life!" The more people who can follow my blog, the more resources we can have to help each other reach our healthy goals!! LOVE synergy!!

School Year Theme and Physical Happiness

This year we decided to have a back-to-school theme. This would help us not only have a reminder for our school efforts, but in all areas of our life and family.

The theme is FOCUS.

I thought this can also be a theme for anyone trying to change their lifestyle to a healthier one.

Without some serious FOCUS, your chances of changing your lifestyle are pretty slim..or should I say...NOT slim?!

You have to have this FOCUS to be able to really stick to a new program, especially in the beginning, when bad habits or addictions are trying to "lull" you back to them.

It is also important to have your FOCUS be on the right things! If you are constantly focused on "I miss eating this...." or "I hate having to exercise..," your FOCUS on the positive attributes of a healthier life are eventually going to succumb to the negative views you perpetuate.

Start with small areas of FOCUS. Maybe it is drinking more water, and less soda. Maybe it is getting better sleep. Maybe it is eliminating one bad eating habit from your lifestyle. Maybe it is simply taking your vitamins. These "small" areas lead to HUGE improvements, and the HUGE consequences of feeling better, looking better, and a better lifestyle in general!

I invite you to join in on the FOCUS of the new school year....or the new lifestyle/body/health that you are looking to achieve!

“It's not what's happening to you now or what has happened in your past that determines who you become. Rather, it's your decisions about what to focus on, what things mean to you, and what you're going to do about them that will determine your ultimate destiny.”
-Tony Robbins

Cleansing 101

(My son LOVES the snack bars I get...I have to HIDE THEM from him!! But, I feel good about him eating them!)

SO...I've decided to do a 5 day cleanse...

Now, before you think of images of drinking disgusting stuff that makes you poop all the time or makes you dehydrated, let me set the record straight.

This is NOT one of "those" types of cleanses!

This 5 day cleanse helps reset your body. It helps you to start ridding yourself of carbohydrate addiction, as well as helps your body to not become insulin resistant...or if it is...it helps you reverse that issue, itself. It also helps you to start supplying your body with important nutrients and fiber that your body needs to function properly. It's like wiping the slate clean. After these first 5 days, you will be able to start a healthier, low glycemic lifestyle.

I've done this 5 day process before. It works! And it is HEALTHY. I've done it in the past for several reasons.

1) To jumpstart my body before I started eating low glycemic. To rid myself of all those nasty cravings I had developed, and to start with a "clean slate."

2) To incorporate with my race training. Anytime I really want to help "fine tune" my body physically, I do a 5 day cleanse before I start training for an upcoming race.

3) To help me commit to stick to a low glycemic lifestyle! Sometimes you just need to "re-charge" your commitment. I did this after the holidays, when I felt I had one too many pieces of those holiday treats!

4) After doing this 5 day cleanse, people generally lose at least 3-5 pounds during those 5 days. That tends to motivate people!

I am doing it now, as the new school year and my new work schedule starts, because you always need to be "on top of your game," but especially when kiddos are starting school, as well as a new work schedule for me.

What do you do for this 5 day cleanse? I will tell you.

The Basics:
You replace three meals with shakes. You have two snacks between those meals. You take your nutritionals every day. You drink a lot of WATER. You incorporate excercise. YOU FEEL WONDERFUL!

Two Ways to do the 5 Day Cleanse:

The easiest and most convenient way is to go here. This will give you all the components you will need in one simple process. RESET comes with all the meal replacements, snacks, daily supplements, and informational DVD, and program guide.

**This is where I interject and let you know that I am simply telling you what I did (remember my title?!) and where I get the products I personally use. I have a passion for them, because they have worked FOR ME. Is it the only way to go about it? No. Do I think it's the best way? Of course, because it worked FOR ME (they are also the products that "my love" Dr. Strand uses in all his work). Is it pricey? That depends. How much money do you spend each month on things that DO NOT re-invest in your own health? How serious are you going to commit to a new lifestyle if you aren't willing to make that investment of your own resources, time and habit? Soapbox finished.

The other option is to try and "make" your own system. This can be tricky, but here is the info. For your meal replacement shakes, you need to find the following criteria per serving:

• 8 grams of dietary fiber
• 15 grams of protein
• Low in saturated fat
• Around 240 calories per serving
• Have around 30 grams of good carbohydrates
• No more than 19 grams of sugar
• Certified/Labeled as low glycemic

For your snack bars/snacks, you need to make sure that they have the following criteria per serving:

• 8-10 grams of protein
  
• 2-3 grams of fiber
  
• Around 150-200 calories
  
• Have around 19-30 grams of good carbohydrates
• No more than 19 grams of sugar
• Certified/Labeled as low glycemic

Nutritionals...This part can definitely be tricky! Dr. Strand recommends Usana nutritionals, due to their high quality, and high manufacturing practices. BUT...you don't need to take our word for it.

In Lyle MacWilliam's "Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements," he reviews HUNDREDS of different nutritional companies, from Costco, to GNC, to NuSkin, to other sources. He rates them on a scale of 1-5. Most people think all vitamins are the same, and that "I can get the same thing for cheaper at Walmart." Wrong. There are only a handful of companies that score a 5. Some companies don't even make a 1! This is an amazing and interested resource to peruse. VERY eye opening! Especially in regards to what you are giving your KIDS.

Why nutritionals? Taking the right nutritionals that your body needs is key! Not only to fuel your body so it functions optimally, but so you don't CRAVE. Did you know that when you crave food, especially the "bad" stuff, it is generally because of two things: You are dehydrated, or you are lacking the right vitamins and minerals in your body, so the body craves them, and we mistake it for being "hungry." Taking the right vitamins will lessen your cravings!! YEAH!

(See why it's easier just to get it here?! LOL!)

Well...that's it! A lot of info, but all good I hope!? I invite you all to join me if you like. I raise my vanilla shake to you! CHEERS!

Low Glycemic Lifestyle...My love affair with Dr. Strand

So after researching (and some heavy duty praying for an answer) I was introduced to a book by a friend.

Life changing.

The book is "Healthy For Life" by Dr. Ray Strand.

I'm not one for fads. I'm not one for "quick fixes." I'm not one for having to eat a separate meal from my family. I'm not one for extremities. I wanted a new, healthy lifestyle, that would benefit my entire family, as well as help me lose weight.

Thus began my love affair with Dr. Strand! He is a "real" doctor (Family Practitioner) who began on a quest to help his wife who had several health issues, feel better. The combination of science, nutrition, and lifestyle he introduces are simple, yet so powerful! A lot of it I find falls under "common sense," with the rest making more and more sense as you learn and implement it in your life. It is a lifestyle that encourages a healthy balance of foods, and giving your body what it needs to function at optimal levels. Once you learn more about what food choices are ideal, the lifestyle comes easily. I never count calories. I never eat the same things over and over (unless I want to!) I feel better because the items I use are fresh, and less likely to be refined or processed. I never feel "ravenous," or crave carbs as I have in the past.

I love how creative I can be with my family's meals. My family loves low glycemic! My diabetes LOVES low glycemic! I have cut down my insulin use by more than HALF! Through this lifestyle, you can REVERSE the effects of insulin-resistance, Type 2 Diabetes, not to mention all the health issues you are preventing your kids and family from being susceptible to. Plus...you just feel AMAZING!!

Low Glycemic Living...WHERE do I start?! Luckily, my good friend Nisha, made a video which has a quick intro to what a Low Glycemic Lifestyle is all about.

Since beginning the low glycemic lifestyle, I have lost and kept off 45 pounds, and I plan on losing another 10-15 by October. My running has benefited from this lifestyle as well!! I plan on running another 190 mile relay race (Red Rock Relay) in September, and the Sundance Halloween half marathon in October. I have such a passion for this lifestyle, that I am a contributor on HealthyMomsKitchen.com, and do a weekly post "What's in My Fridge?"

So...Curious? How about this...I will give away the "Healthy for Life" book by Dr. Strand if I can get 50 followers...Who's game?!

What are YOUR questions? Become a follower, and for each question, I will put your name in the drawing again :)

A little Competition never Hurts

(I look at this picture and think, "Who are these people?!!")

So...In 2009 my husband, Andy, started running. And...in true "man" style, dropped about 20 pounds in the first two weeks...no joke...This did not bode well with me. Wasn't it ME who was the runner in the family? Wasn't it ME who was suppose to lose 20 pounds in two weeks?!

Let the games begin! (Nope...not competitive AT ALL!! Right....)

So...My first run...Sad...Very sad. With the extra weight I had on, I felt unfamiliar with the body I had. I felt slow. I felt sluggish. I felt crappy. This just reaffirmed that something had to be done.

Ask any Personal Trainer, Body Builder, health practitioner, and they will tell you...It's about 75-80% what you eat, and 25-20% exercise.

People often assume that I lost all my weight from running. Wrong! Especially in those first beginning months. I needed to lose the weight so I COULD run like I wanted to!

So, while I continued to "run," I did a lot of research. I started taking nutritionals. I drank more water. I tried to eat "good things." Then one day, a dear friend told me about a book I should read...My life would never be the same!