MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY

That word...DIET..

It SUCKS does it not?..

Like me I am sure you are getting ready to ROCK your hot new bod at the beach, pool parties or just wearing those hot new summer dresses and short-shorts!

Or if you are not quite ready yet you are working towards it and working hard!

You have cut it out and are so tempted ALL the time but what if there was an easier way to make this diet thing EASIER?

Today I am going to show you how to psychologically lose weight..

Most nutritionists, diet experts and so forth tend to talk about all the foods you CAN'T have...

NO white breads, NO cookies, NO flour, NO candy, NO starbucks, NO alcohol, NO  to all of your favorite foods 

So what happens...

Imagine yourself as a little child..

Me at 3...

Your parents told you "NO, you can't do that or NO you can't have that", so forth...what did you do?

YOU DID IT ANYWAYS because YOU WERE TOLD NOT TOO

You are a REBEL, hey so am I look at that picture....

most likely without a CAUSE..

but when you force the word NO into your mind you are most likely going to eat that "NO" listed food

For most people trying to achieve that level of "perfection"; it just becomes more stressful so that person ends up throwing in the towel and not doing anything about their current eating habits..

Especially since most of the healthy foods they have tried are plain, tasteless, boring, the word NO to the one thing that fulfills that current desire, that current craving, that current YUM (nom nom nom) moment, just seems too difficult to say NO too...

Is this you?

It was me especially with candy...I knew sugar=fat, sugar=diabetes, sugar=the devil, but one taste of Swedish Fish and I was eating the entire box (movie theatre size of course)...and this is because I kept telling myself NO Court you can NOT have these Swedish Fish...

What I learned from what nutritionists call the "90/10" rule is that if you fill your temple (body) up with nutritious, healthy foods your body will no longer crave these "NO" listed foods...

Ok yah whatever I still crave those chocolate donuts even after a filling chicken and veggie salad...

I still crave those swedish fish sister let me tell you...but..the last time I had some was on my wedding day and I had..if I can remember like 5 or 6 and I was happpy..

But wait, I said 90/10 rule which means 10% of the time you can feel free to help yourself to that donut because what's the one goal most of us have? 

It is to be BALANCED...

Start looking forward to those juicy fresh fruits, or that scrumptious vegetable salad with your favorite homemade dressing! I love red wine vinegar and a tablespoon of hummus!

Salad with chicken and shredded carrots! The chicken was marinated in rosemary and dill so good!

Yummy chicken salad with sprouts, sun dried tomatoes, olives and a balsamic vinaigrette 

Soup that tasted like a pizza with some brewers yeast (since I am allergic to dairy)

1 cup air popped pop corn is only 35-40 calories per cup add some coconut oil while popping and you get around 50-60 calories add some Brewers Yeast which will dose you up on B-12 (energy) and add a cheesy flavor to your popcorn and there you are your replacement for cheesy chips!

1/2 a cup of papaya and a drizzle of raw honey takes even that ice cream fanatics craving away and its only about 50 calories depending on how much raw honey you drizzle! If you want more papaya trade the raw honey for some 0 calorie Stevia for that same craving punch and remember that 1 cup of papaya without honey is only 50-60 calories!

Sprouts are living foods which give you a ton of energy and can be added to anything! Add them to your eggs in the morning, toast them and have them as snacks, make a salad out of them! 

Star Systemz Sprouting

Start your day by telling yourself what you WILL be having not what you WILL NOT and I promise ridding of that crap food will become easier and easier! 

Try new foods and make it exciting for yourself and friends by printing out recipes and cooking for each other! Grab your friends and run to the farmers market and pick up some vegetables you have never seen nor heard of! Ask the farmer or seller a yummy recipe it or just even what its called and look it up online.

There are tons of ways to make eating healthy fun you just need to put the words HEALTHY into a positive light and not an ugly, boring, tasteless one!

Remember slow and steady wins the race...

"Adding MORE heathy foods to your plate "CROWDS OUT" all the crap"

How are you going to crowd out the crap?

What are you going to do to make your YES list more exciting?

THIRSTY THURSDAY

I feel like I just posted one of these boy does time FLY!

I needed one of these little JOYS because I have had quite the week...

I used to be super into COMPUTER PROGRAMMING when I was in high school and I could figure out ANYTHING, LITERALLY, ANYTHING

I had the opportunity to do an internship in high school at BOEING and as you can see in this picture I hated it! Sometimes what you are good at (or used to be good at) is not your true passion so therefore you need to find something else...

and now on to Wordpress....WOW..

Working on moving this wonderful blog to an actual website :)

If you have any tips or tricks please feel free to contact me...

BACK to Thirsty Thursday...

Ahhh...and hey I can't complain this is my OFFICE space :)

CLICK READ MORE FOR THE RECIPE

WORK IT WEDNESDAY

I just kicked this workouts ASS!

I need these in my life....

I am preparing for my trip to Playa Del Carmen and CAN NOT wait to share all the beauty there is out in Playa! I hope to show you some workouts on the GORGEOUS beaches and hope to do my stretches out by the ocean (my fitness goals for the trip)

Before I go on any type of vacation I really kick my booty and blast out HIIT's, Tabatas and just fast paced training so I get the mix of Cardio and weight training in one workout :)

Waking up and not hungry for breakfast just yet?

Try taking a small "stroll through the park" or through your neighborhood

This act wakes up your body, gets the blood flowing and can help digest what was not digested from last nights late night snack or large dinner.

SCREW ICE CREAM:

I love scooping a papaya like I would an ice cream carton and drizzling some raw honey inside!

YUMMMMYY....

Ok back to the WORKOUT:

I ROCKED this workout on the tennis courts as I could jog around it for my pre cardio warm-up!

I ALWAYS write down my workout before I hit it because you can easily get distracted when you get to where you are about to workout!

I used some weights to AMP UP the cardio push and used a resistance tube for the sumo squats and side lunges! 

If you do not have this equipment NOT TO WORRY you can still ROCK this workout without it! 

What do you do fitness wise before a vacation or mini trip?

TIP TUESDAY

Are you chewing your food all the way through?

So many of us eat to eat but are you eating because you are actually hungry? Is your stomach sending you those hunger pains? Or are you just eating..

It can be hard to determine sometimes and it can be really difficult to write every single nutrient down and figure out what EXACTLY you are missing vitamin and mineral wise. But what if you did not need a fancy calculator, website, smart phone app and all you needed was that thing you walk around in all day. That's RIGHT your digestive system and brain are the best business partners and deserve a FORBES award you just have to LISTEN to them!

Now imagine biting into a fresh, organic Granny Smith Apple..how does it feel? how does it taste?

Can you answer those questions or are you one of the many who chew each bite 5-7 times on average and swallow?

If you are the many of chew each bite just 5-7 times you need to LISTEN UP!

Eating should not be something you just DO to DO but should have some sort of purpose in your life. 

If you look at many other cultures including the French they dine on the finest foods and are super fit and thin...besides the fact they walk EVERYWHERE they actually sit and enjoy the food that is placed in front of them. They celebrate food..now do not take this the wrong way and think you can have a cake with candles at every meal just because you are willing to chew it more then 7 times a bite.... 

I am saying that when you eat you should be in a sitting relaxed state, eating food because you are hungry, and eating a healthy well-balanced meal to get all the nutrients available to you.

I discovered "Food Mediation" through tons of research and just the plain and simple understanding of how the digestive system works. Your body has to work to digest foods and yes when it works it burns calories and provides you with the minerals and vitamins available from the food you just shoveled into your mouth. But, did you know if you enjoyed every single bite, chewed your food thoroughly and relaxed while eating the food you could actually LOSE WEIGHT?

A simple fact that will change the way you eat a meal hopefully from now on...

Like I said above you can LOSE WEIGHT if you actually chew your food...how and why does this happen?

LINK

• Digestion begins in the mouth..those pearly whites are made to grind the food you provide your body and that gorgeous PINK tongue has saliva on it which signals the digestive enzymes to break down starches into simple sugars
• The saliva also contains lipid (fat) digestive enzymes that help begin the process of breaking fats down. The teeth also help grind the food into smaller pieces so that when the food is finally swallowed (after tons of chewing) it mixes better with your stomach acids (hydrochloric acid).
• The longer you chew your food the taste and smell receptors start to trigger. Once this happens the production of stomach acids and pancreatic juices occurs so your system is ready to roar!
• As you swallow the stomach acids begins to break down the proteins into even smaller digestible molecules and works on killing all that nasty bacteria and pathogens that may be in your food. Remember this...more area to work in the easier it is to get to work so the smaller your food the easier for the body to break it down even further!
• The smaller the food is, the better the breakdown which further leads to more vitamin and mineral absorption in the small intestine. The small intestine is VITAL to star shining health!
• The large intestine is up next and takes what is left of the already digested food (fiber and water). The large intestine sucks up the water and whatever vitamins and electrolytes are left and then creates your best friend :)
• If your friends that come out your back side have food that's undigested or you always have that bloated, gassy feeling this may be a sign of not chewing your food thoroughly.
• I could break this down further but basically CHEW YOUR FOOD for OPTIMAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS

The more you chew the less you eat:

• Hormones (leptin, cholecystokinin) have a chance to catch up and tell your brain "Hey I am full down here, thanks for the amazing nutrients"
• Studies show that slowly chewing your food and making a connection of tasting, smelling, touching, acknowledge (see), and hear your body and what it needs you end up decreasing your food intake by 1/3 at a meal

Ways to work on this is by using Food Meditation! Watch the video above and try it out at your next meal :)

How many chews will you chew today?

How many licks to the center of optimum health?

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY

If you follow me on twitter @c0urtstar, you know I am SICK! I have an inner ear infection and to state that I feel like I am constantly high (not that I would know) is an UNDERSTATEMENT

This quote really spoke to me this morning because even though I have been sick and not truly able to go full force in a workout I have been practicing stretching, Mat Pilates, and lightly walking around my neighborhood when I feel up to it :)

I miss my hardcore workouts and sweating like crazy when leaving the gym and trust me I am dying to go but completely quitting your workout routine is one of the worst things you can do. Trust me, resting and taking rest days are CRUCIAL but if you completely lift the emergency brake on your car it can be more harmful then good! So get stretching sister :)

Eating tons of healthy food helps too :)

Meal for my hubby: Pita, Salad with carrots, pineapple, raisins, and walnuts with some rice pilaf and grilled chicken 

I have been craving sweets and a slice of papaya with some raw honey has done the trick (so far)

Steamed broccoli, green peas, squash and grilled chicken

Thawing out some chicken to prepare for the next few meals

Mix of leftovers (best meal yet)

Update on me:

-I have quit my Lexapro (anxiety meds) and let me tell you its been difficult but since I have been practicing food meditations, deep breathing (through the nose and out the nose), and stretching it has been helping A TON. When a situation comes up where I feel that rush of stress I just breathe and stretch it out of my body!

-I have completely rid of WHEY PROTEIN and I am feeling so much lighter and not so sluggish! I really do believe that you can be allergic to just about anything. Stop and feeling how your body feels after certain meals. Just because EVERYONE hypes about WHEY protein and its health benefits there are tons of other options that work with those with dairy allergies: Hemp Protein, Rice Proteins, Egg White Proteins, Kefir

Sun Warrior Protein is going to be my next trial :)

-Like I said above, I am stretching like a fanatic and have started practicing pilates again (in hopes of abs) and of course better posture! Ladies you know ALL about osteoporosis so start putting those shoulders back, getting your daily calcium requirements and weight lifting!

My Power Pilates Certification Book

What are some changes you have made? Comment and let me know! I love being inspired :)

WORK IT WEDNESDAY

By the way: I am OBSESSED with "Starships" by Nicki Minaj....

I started off with a bit of cycle! It kind of has become my new favorite thing :) I did it from ten minutes although I recommend to just do it for about 2-3 minutes to get your heart pumping!

I started my timer and working out HAPPENED! haha* I left the gym after this cycle (4 times yah!!) sweaty, wet and felt a force of energy ride throughout my body!

P.S If you can't reach 4 cycles than push yourself to at least complete two! I promise one day 4 cycles will become the regular but make sure you build yourself up to this! Make it a GOAL!

My food yesterday! So many people write me private messages and ask me what I eat on a given day! I start my morning off with at least a liter of water followed by a veggie based shake. Snack is either a piece of fruit or a handful of seeds. After a few hours (3-4 hours) I head on over to lunch and usually have something already cooked up in the fridge waiting to be eaten :) Smoked marlin this week because I picked it up at the farmers market saturday! Loving it! For dinner, we went to Mi Casa (top restaurant choice in Los Cabos) and I ordered a salad with dressing on the side. Look at those colors! I also added a side of grilled chicken and cut it up very tiny so my body can easily digest it!

Do you enjoy timed workouts or do you like to count your reps and sets?

TIP TUESDAY

You eat all the right foods, 4-6 meals a day and workout and you still seem to be STUCK! No more pounds falling off, fat still sticks there and you just DO NOT GET IT!

Well SISTER, I am here to help you!

There are a few reasons why this is going on but today we are going to focus on one of the larger reasons: PORTION CONTROL..

That's RIGHT...just because you are eating "healthy foods", :ALMOND's, PINENUT'S, SEEDS ETC. (raw, unroasted, unsalted) does not mean you can eat the whole bag.....

And grains like quinoa, barley, brown rice, whole wheat pastas..etc..same thing! YES you are eating quinoa and you know all of the health benefits but does that mean you should have three servings? NO

These foods STILL have calories! Yes, they are better choices compared to what you used to eat so GO YOU! 

But it is NOW time to look into that NEXT STEP...

You have the right formula, the right foods but those portion sizes are out of control! (trust me I am with you on this one...me and nuts are "frienenemies")

Counting on Nutrition Charts that restaurants and the internet are WONDERFUL but remember these estimates are not EXACTLY what you will be served when you go out to that same exact restaurant and order that same exact dish...WHY? Well half the time the chef is not measuring the amount of oils, butters, and gosh knows what else and could give you a larger slab of meat or even a larger serving than what was given the day of testing. Also this number is usually a "mean." A mean is a sum of all the totals divided by the amount which then gives the approximate result. 

I know you most likely don't have a portable food scale, or a nutritional chart on the back of every single thing you eat so here are so "handy" guides for you to control your portion sizes....

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY

Anything is possible! I mean it!

Truth to that be told and for some it can be harder than others but just know that anything, ANYTHING is POSSIBLE if you put your mind to it!

Since this is a health, fitness, motivational type blog I will focus on that as my "main point" but it really can be APPLIED to ANYTHING in life (love, friends, work etc.)

Women most of the time are looking for a quick fix diet, a way to look EXTRA fit for memorial day weekend, birthdays, that next big trip but go home after all the fun/hardwork and gain it all back and then some (most of the time)

I am about to give you some tips that will transform the way you think about dieting and I promise you there are ways to lose weight without dieting...


THATS RIGHT WITHOUT DIETING

it is called a LIFESTYLE CHANGE...

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY

I have been cooking up a storm since Mr. Bentley has been gone....

My ABSOLUTE favorite blog to grab recipes from is Love Veggies and Yoga

I also use Peas and Thank You but have just been introduced so have yet to try a TON of her stuff!

Averie Rocks :) I have been reading her blog since I was a full blown VEGAN in 2008 and always dreamed of having enough energy to bake or as she says UNBAKE away!

Her website has changed quite a bit and she has added all kinds of recipes so do NOT worry it has non-vegan related and easy recipes which is always a BONUS!

If I don't pull straight from her site I definitely get INSPIRED by her ideas and ingredient mixtures...

My Pumpkin Bars were pulled from Peas and Thank You but will try Averie's this week...

I tweaked the recipe with what I had because of course when I start baking..I start baking (NO STOPPPING ME)

• 1 c. oat flour (ground old-fashioned oats)
• 3/4 c. vanilla protein powder  ( I used Moduvated Vanilla Protein)
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. nutmeg
• 1 t. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 t. baking powder (did not have this but used gluten free pancake mix I had in the back of the pantry)
• 1/4 t. salt (I used sea salt)
• stevia to taste 
• 1/2 c. silken tofu ** (I used the flax "eggs)
• 1 c. canned pumpkin
• 1 t. vanilla extract

*If omitting protein powder, substitute any other flour of your choice or just use additional oat flour

**For a soy free version, substitute 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce or 2 flax “eggs” (1 T. ground flax + 2 T. water = 1 flax egg)

Again this recipe is from Peas and Thank You..

My results were fantastic especially since I added some CAROB CHIPS!!  (before I ate them ALL) I gave them to my client so she can see that you can make your own protein bars at home! Plus I LOVE TO COOK/BAKE/CREATE..

TIP TUESDAY

Back to the drawing board on my videos I quickly made this one I apologize but the info is what is important :) I find that you can workout anywhere at anytime. Some may think I am crazy..I just think I am smart ;) haha

Anyway I take advantage of brushing my teeth and washing my face to add some extra squats, lunges and standing ab exercises into my day. If you ever are talking to me on the phone and your hear me breathing its probably because I am working out. (Sorry for working out) Days like yesterday I was super busy but I promise you while I was waiting for my curlers to cool down I was lunging, when I washed my face before I went to bed I squatted and when I brushed my teeth I was doing side to side ab exercises. I make it happen and you can too :)

Comment and let me know what you added this week!

Last week I asked you all to grow something, whether it be flowers, herbs, sprouts or even veggies or fruits! I sprouted and let me tell you the results were amazing! They started out tiny little seedlings and became a salad and an addition to my smoothies. I have even been sneaking them into my husbands protein shakes for an additional boost to his nutrition!  An amazing feeling came about me as I watched our guests eat my sprout salad at our last dinner party. I added avocado and cherry tomatoes with a homemade dressing (raw) as well. 

The sprouting stages

The greening process: getting sunlight for an added bonus of chlorophyll 

Just my sprouts, cherry tomatoes and some chopped avocado

What did you end up growing?

For more information on sprouting check out these books I found on amazon:
I received these two books as a gift and just sprouted the fourth option below (the alfalfa, brocoli mixture)