MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY

If you have goals, dreams and desires and never start the actual goal or take the first steps towards obtaining your goals, dreams and desires you really do not have ANY right to complain that something has not happened.

For instance..I dream, I desire and I want abs! I work hard at the gym, eat extremely clean but lack cardio sometimes and I honestly know I can push myself harder but do I?

Well...sometimes...but right now I am on a mission to get these abs I have always dreamed for and desired! 

I stopped complaining and am now on a MISSION to eat organic, healthy foods and explore my natural surroundings while pushing myself EXTRA hard at the gym and adding more cardio to my lifestyle.

I hate the treadmill, elliptical etc. so I switch it up every 10 minutes at the gym but STILL ugh! 

So now I am off to a new LOVE of hiking, and exploring Cabo San Lucas by foot. 

Today I went off with two of my girlfriends and hiked (scaled) LOVER'S BEACH

 For those of you who have yet to experience the MAGIC of Cabo San Lucas need to come to this beach! You either have to hike (scale rocks) to it or you can take a water taxi (which I always have)

Little girl in a huge pile of rocks!

The man pictured here has so much swag it became photo worthy! Socks and snorkeling! 

Ashley and Nickie about to Scale Rocks

By the way I am BAREFOOT on rocks YES!

I did it!

I felt so accomplished and just super connected to my spiritual, natural self which is always good :)

My challenge to myself is to start trying new things and explore my element and explore just ME more!

I love the fact that I spent time with my girlfriends, worked out, checked off a ( I have never....) and began a new routine for myself.

As the quote above says...Begin NOW so start today....

MAKE THAT LIST RIGHT NOW!

and start checking things off...

What is stopping YOU from starting your new beginning?

Why?

THIRSTY THURSDAY

 My liver hates me right now (5 days of partying) so I have been extra gentle and eating my liver cleansing super foods and of course avoiding alcohol, processed foods and fatty foods as well as these foods are hard on the liver.

The research I have been doing for a huge project coming out in the next 3-4 months has taught me ALOT about the liver and how vital it is to the digestive process so taking care of your special little liver is very IMPORTANT! I mean it!

You can make this as a smoothie by adding some frozen berries or ice cubes but I have been blending it as a juice because I am working on adding juices to my diet instead of just smoothies all the time.

• Coconut Water- hydrates, potassium and provides you with electrolytes lost during boozing!
• Kefir (unsweetened)- puts back those good bacterias lost while drinking while providing you with a healthy source of protein and calcium
• Berries- yummy antioxidants and excellent flavor agent! I love the taste of berries 
• Celery- if you can believe it celery contains sodium which is lost while drinking as well so fill up on celery for a refreshing dose of vegetables and vitamins/minerals
• Beet Root-the ultimate liver cleanser: beets thin the bile and enable it to flow easier through the liver and small intestine but do not eat to much as it can be overwhelming to the body
• Chia Seeds-helps lock in the moisture from all these delicious ingredients, gives your some fiber, omega-3's and helps with inflammation (drinking is bloating as we all know)
• Raw Honey- for taste and provides you with some natural sugars which will hand you a small dose of energy and can help with stomach aches and constipation

This is a great smoothie, or juice to drink for a few days after a crazy trip (vegas, river, ANYWHERE) with of course hot water and lemon right when you wake up!

Mine this morning! YUMMMYY!

I love this color in the morning its so beautiful! Filling my body up 1 juice at a time :)

 

Take care of your body and I promise it will take care of you :)

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY

Cravings are tricky and really severe cravings are signs your body is sending you to tell you about other problems you may be having. So again, yesterday I mentioned you need to LISTEN to your body and I mean it! For those of you who have a hard time doing so there may be some stress or emotional imbalances you need to take care of first! 

When your body starts craving breads for instance (like "I NEED BREAD NOW") you may be lacking nitrogen or you simply could have a yeast problem or maybe you did not eat enough that day and your body is craving a high energy source (calories are units of energy). If this is a constant battle the first two are most likely if you are not in a stressed, emotional imbalance.

Foods that contain the most nitrogen are provided in the chart above so get eating!

Eat small frequent foods throughout the day but NEVER force food just because its TIME to eat. That always drove me crazy and I learned that eating when hungry, slowly, calmly and nutritiously dense has given me the best results. There are days where I have a bit of breakfast, a snack a bit later and lunch than a snack and than dinner! Some days its just the 3 meals, I NEVER force myself, I LISTEN. Listen to your body and ask why certain cravings occur, ask questions to certified specialists or go for it and research it yourself (pubmed.com) 

I hope all of you have an AMAZING SHINING SATURDAY

FABULOUS FRIDAY

Time to get FABULOUS! Sorry to keep talking about this but its a BIG deal to me..wedding in 8 days!!

Went out last night and stuck to my NEW cleanse! One glass of Malbec Red Wine and a Vegan Meal! Thank you Bar Esquina for making it possible for me to eat an amazing healthy meal :) I ordered a pear, pistachio, arugula with cherry tomato salad. The dressing was an amazing vinegar reduction that I ordered on the side of course, no dairy was in the dressing so I was able to eat it!

Me with my girl Crissty Santana our for her birthday! The theme was GRAFFITI NEON so we had fun rocking our colors! 

Fabulous Friday is all about ways to be fabulous using natural products! Today I wanted to talk a bit about acne. I have been talking with people a ton about how they have such gorgeous porcelain skin and most of the time, unless you are extremely lucky and I envy you, they say I used to have ACNE like you could NOT believe! I than of course ask...How did you change that? Most of the time they say, I figured out I had an allergy! AN ALLERGY! Something as simple as eliminating a chemical or food and they have gorgeous skin! Allergies can also be an allergic reaction to chemicals in your makeup, sunscreen, facial creams even shampoos, conditioners and hair products. You really got to do some kind of elimination of one thing at a time and see what happens.

The best thing to do is an elimination diet. An elimination diet is eating the same as you always do but cutting out all dairy products (for example) for three months and seeing what happens. I say three months, because it takes some time for your body to get rid of all the past dairy. It can be difficult for those dairy addicts but its worth the gorgeous skin you may receive and cheaper than any laser treatment you could ever come across! Than come back start slowly eating dairy and see what happens. If your skin does not clear up move on to something else like something from the list below.

Dairy is not the only one there are also several others:

-Citrus

-Gluten

-Caffeine

-Shellfish

-Wheat

-Nuts

-Eggs

-Alcohol

-Additives 

-Chemicals like food colorings

-The list goes on...check out http://www.acne.org for more information

I used dairy because I am allergic and get severe acne explosions, if I come across it and I am pretty good at knowing if there is butter on any of my food at restaurants!

Your body is your best friend! I swear to you, it talks to you, you just have to LISTEN!  Your body sends signals when it has a hard time digesting something, it sends you signals if it is allergic to something just take the time to listen and you will be much happier in life! Allergies go beyond into why you may have a hard time losing weight? You could be consuming those amazing eggs that are so healthy but could be severely allergic to them! 

I recommend getting an allergy test every 5-10 years. This is important because your body changes as you get older. Some people get adult acne or adult allergies!

Enjoy your weekends and Shine like Stars :)

THIRSTY THURSDAY

A martini...I could use one... :) 9 days until my wedding and I am still cleansing! It gets easier as I go a long and I think about some of the things I gave up (sugar-free gum, gum, meat (except for one day), and alcohol (except for 1 day)) Not bad :) The gum was the hardest for me..I know how bad it is for me but honestly sometimes it feels so good to just chew (I must be an addict) someone save me

But giving it up for 11 days has made it so I do NOT miss it. Honestly it really has not hit me at all until right now when I started writing my accomplishments in my journal! I believe looking for praise is usually a disappointment and that you should just be proud of yourself and reward yourself in that manner. I love sitting and boasting how wonderful I am in my journal and especially writing about my accomplishments whether super small (I drank 1 more glass of water today) or huge!!

Here is a recipe I came up with for Thirsty Thursday! It uses some of Ashley Armstrong amazing Baja Super Foods! I swear this stuff is so amazing! I am HOOKED! The bag is supposed to last you a month but um...is it bad that I like to eat it by itself? haha Grab some at Baja Super Foods (click the link)

So 9 days...getting a bit stressed but I keep looking at pictures of my girlfriends and its making me SO very excited to recreate some of the memories pictured below :) (I know I have HOT girlfriends ;))

Some of my girlfriends I have not seen in 2 years (ie Tiffy) and the rest its been about 8 months ;( but I am so happy they ALL are able to attend my special day! It makes it that much more exciting and we all have SO much to catch up on!

P.S: My cleanse is still going well! The stuff thats coming out of my nose is scary (sorry for the picture)

P.P.S Anyone doing Tuesdays Tip ? Comment and let me know what these last few days have brought you?? Click the link if you have yet to check it out!

Hope you all are having an amazing day!

FABULOUS FRIDAY

Sesame Oil? Vitamin E Oil? What is with all the oils!?!

Fabulous Friday is all about the oils today!

SESAME OIL

I have been using Sesame Oil in my mouth! 

I have been taking a tablespoon of this nutty tasting oil and swishing it around in my mouth and through my teeth every morning before I brush my teeth.

What it is supposed to do is latch on to all the germs, tartar, bacterias and toxins and removes them when I spit it all out. Because of this technique, your teeth will become whiter, gums pinker, cleaner teeth and protects the immune system!

The best part is, ITS WORKING and way cheaper than Crest White Strips! My teeth are really starting to look better and I really like the taste and the way it feels in my mouth (is this just me?)

*Tip: Spit it out in the toilet as I have been doing it in my sink and its starting to hold onto dirt more because of the oil

The only thing is, you must swish for 20 minutes! It takes forever, but I promise you the benefits are WELL worth it! I started this technique because of an article I read online at http://www.everydayglow.com This technique was practiced in India as part of the Ayurvedic technique. I really enjoy doing this every morning and I am loving my teeth more and more everyday! I head to the dentist on Thursday and I will see what my new dentist says! I also really like this technique because Crest White Strips and other products as such contain SO many chemicals such as aluminum which can't be good for you!

After about 1 month of Oil Pulling

VITAMIN E OIL

My skin has been so dry and I have so many FABULOUS bug bite scars since I guess I scratch at night! I started wearing socks on my hands which has helped tremendously! The other product that has helped my scars is Vitamin E Oil. I got my bottle at Trader Joe's and I really love it because I am starting to see a big difference. You can also purchase Vitamin E in capsule form and from what I have heard its much cheaper! You just need to poke the capsule with some kind of sterile needle.

My goal is to get rid of these "beautiful" scars ASAP since I am getting married in 15 days and who wants to see a bride with red scars all over! I put the Vitamin E oil on with a cotton swab randomly all day. According to ehow.com, it takes about 2 months for the scars to really fade. I have been practicing this technique for about 1.5 months and already see results so hopefully in the next few weeks they are totally gone!

Have you tried either of these oils? Let me know what you think and comment below!

THIRSTY THURSDAY

I am cleansing away and counting down to my wedding day! 16 days and counting...I am so excited just been stressing a bit! Its crazy having a destination wedding because not only are you doing the wedding part, but you kind of start worrying about everyone feeling comfortable in a new place. Many of my friends and family have never been to Cabo San Lucas, MX which is exciting for them because Cabo is so beautiful with a ton to do, it just makes me nervous to spend time with everyone who has taken the time to fly out to my wedding! It means so much to me that they are taking there own time and personal vacation from work just for my wedding! I wish there were more hours in the day, but thankfully all of them are staying in one place! I get to see some friends I have not seen in over 8 months which will be fun and get to show them where I have been living for the last 8 months..in paradise...:)

I thought I would share with you my cleansing strategies. Everyone cleanses differently, depending on there own personal lifestyle. I applaud those who can do the master cleanse, its tough especially if you work a 9-5 pm job where you need to be 100% awake and ready for anything. I have done it before and I will tell you it is WORK, but very rewarding at the end. Instead of that type of cleanse, I do something a bit different. It works with my lifestyle, I can exercise still and I get the same benefits. The only thing is, it takes longer than the master cleanse.

My cleanse lasts about 12-14 days depending on how I feel. Its all about how you feel! I am doing this to cleanse out my Hong Kong trip and start the next chapter of my life with a clean body!

First thing in the morning I heat up some water and squeeze lemon into it.

About 30-45 minutes later depending on how I am feeling I enjoy a super smoothie:

Check back for more recipes!

I drink the same smoothie maybe adding a bit more veggie or maybe another fruit about every 3-4.5 hours, it all depends on how I feel of course.

For dinner I have a vegan cooked meal.

Last night I had:

Baby bella mushrooms, spinach, pine nuts and 2 cloves garlic. At the end on low heat I drizzle a dash of olive oil and this is the result. 

Garlic is great for the immune system and since I am cleansing I try to include garlic into my cooked meals.

Olive oil provides me with the fats needed to move the toxins along my digestive tract. Olive oil helps "grease" up everything.

Mushrooms and pine nuts provide me with some proteins and other vitamins.

Pine Nuts are also my new favorite food and have a bit of iron as well, help with fatigue and help alleviate muscle cramps.

Spinach provides me with a bit of iron and of course green does wonders as well all know :)

Some people enjoy there cooked meal at lunch since they work and its hard to stray away from a nice vegan cooked meal. I do mine at night, as my workout is at night and I like to make sure I have yummy fuel to fill my muscles!

Of course before trying any cleanse or diet change please consult a doctor. 

Comment and let me know what you think of my cleanse! I am having fun with it and have already seen my body de-bloat and watching my fat disappear! Although a bit cranky, I just say its my negative toxins coming out and after these 14 days, my body will be clean and have only positive energy (which is needed for a wedding :)

SUGAR THE DEVIL

This picture has been all over my Facebook lately, and I thought I would add to the horrible effects of SUGAR. We all love it and studies show that Americans eat 22 teaspoons of sugar a day! 22 teaspoons! Thats horrible especially when you find out why you should avoid that stuff.

Ok..so sugar sucks but what else can replace that awesomely sweet taste? I could say instead of sugar dose your body with artificial sugars but to be honest that is even worse. Things like Splenda, Sweet n Low and Equal just cause cancer and who knows what else.

Its time to look at things like Stevia, all natural honey, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, lime, lemon, fruits anything else just not sugar :) Learn to live without it. I bet you if you cut out that soda or that energy drink you will be surprised at your new abs :)

FOOD CRAVINGS

Last night I was craving chocolate BAD so I went into my lovely brain full of knowledge and reminded myself that my body must be screaming for MAGNESIUM! That's right..sometimes your body sends signals to your brain telling it that it is lacking a certain vitamin or mineral. Instead of running to the liquor store for your favorite Hershey's bar try a handful of raw nuts or seeds, grab a piece of fruit or add some black eyed peas to your dinner. This should help tame the beast without pilling on the calories.

Fruits Highest in Magnesium

Papaya

Grapefruit


Legumes Highest in Magnesium

Lima Beans

Cow Pea

Raw Nuts and Seeds Highest in Magnesium

Cashews

Brazil Nuts

Sunflower Seeds