Keep Going!

Keep Going!

Here we are...16 days into this new year.  Remember how motivated you were as that ball dropped?  Remember that shiny sparkly new year that lie before you and all of the plans you had... for your health and wellness?  Are you still as motivated?  Have you hit a wall?  Do you have a plan?  A buddy?  Well I am here to tell you... don't give up on yourself!!!  You are worth it and you can do it.   Keep Going and watch out world!!

The year is yours....

I'm a little late with this post, but the sentiment is still sincere...


2015 is still shiny, sparkly and new...what are your plans?  Did you make a resolution?  A list of resolutions? Have you started any?  Will you keep them?  Please share them with me.
2014 was a big year for me.  I feel like I accomplished a lot but still have a way to go to be the best version of me that I can be.  Is that your goal too?  This year, instead of making empty promises in my head as the ball dropped I decided to make a list not so much of resolutions but things to do, thoughts if you will.  I went to my trusty Pinterest board and started pinning (and continue to pin)...things I want to learn...like knitting and paddleboarding.  Things I want to do ....like run a half marathon, run the LBI 18 mile again, commit to yoga and plant a veggie garden.  Books to read and plays to see.  I also included inspiration...thoughts to keep me going and remind me how far I have come.
In 2014, I took my health back and found myself in the process.  I plan to stay healthy and hope to inspire others to take back their health and find themselves too.  I have big plans for this year....what about you?

:-) Lisa

Watching your Waistline

Watching your Waistline

Let me start by saying that I am by no means an expert.  I am not a nutritionist.  I am not a doctor.  What I am is a 41 year old woman who began to take back control of my health and wellness.  I am educating myself, like so many of you, about the best ways to feed my body and stay healthy and strong for many years.  So, with that being said, I have people ask me all the time what I did to lose 36 pounds....how I run....what I eat.  After completing a 30 day cleanse during May 2014, I knew that it would be important to keep the good habits that I formed in those 30 days.  I continue to have a power packed shot of adaptagenic herbs and minerals every morning along with a delicious protein shake full of organic nutrition.  Those are two things I will not do without.  Besides that, I try to eat as clean as possible, I have something every 2-3 hours that has protein to keep me satiated, I drink at least half my body weight in water, and I exercise daily.  So if you are watching your waistline and trying to be healthy for life here are some tips:

*Purge the junk (in your pantry and in your head)
 - As much as possible, get rid of the "junk" in your pantry - you know the sugar laden, processed "foods" and replace them with healthy, whole food options.  By the same token, get rid of the "junk" in your head... you know that voice that says you "can't" or it's "hard"...replace that junk with healthy, positive options.  :-)

* Be prepared!
  - Plan your meals ahead.  Have snack options in the pantry and refrigerator.  Never leave the house without some almonds and water....Don't let yourself get to the point that you are so hungry that you make a bad choice.

*Drink up!
 - You should be drinking at least half your body weight in water every day.  Get yourself a water bottle that has the ounces labeled so you know how much you are drinking. Fill it up and whenever it's empty, fill it up again.  Take that water bottle with you everywhere you go.  More often than not we mistake thirst for hunger.

*Keep track...
  - A food journal is a great way to keep track of not just what you are eating but how you feel after you eat.  Take at least two weeks and write down everything you eat, journal a bit as you go along.... this keeps you accountable for everything you eat and gives you an idea of the best foods to fuel you.

*Find your inner Julia....
 - In other words, get in the kitchen and cook.  Try new things.  Read recipes.  Experiment.  Learn to enjoy food.  Use fresh ingredients.   Take the TIME to plan, cook, and eat meals.....Bon Appetito! ;-)

*Find your balance
 - I don't subscribe to the theory of eat well all week and then go to town on the weekend.... I also don't subscribe to the idea of a permanent "diet".  You need to find a happy medium... you need to make health a priority and a lifestyle.  You also have to LIVE.  I am not saying never have a dessert.  I am not saying store away your wine glasses.  I am saying make your health a priority in your life and make healthy choices and understand that there is a time for a slice of cake or a glass of wine with friends.  Find your balance.

*Last, but not least, MOVE
 - Exercise if important.   In some way, every day, MOVE...get out there and sweat.  With the right nutrition, you will have the energy.  Now get rid of the excuses...there is nothing else holding you back.  :-)

It's as simple as that

It's as simple as that

I love this guy.  We have been together for over 20 years.... from college days to newlyweds, newborns to carpooling, from NJ to MD to WV to PA and back to NJ.  We have been together for, let's face it, all of my "adult" life.  There is NO ONE I would rather be on this crazy journey with than him.  He makes me laugh and smile every day and together we are even better than we are apart.  We make a great team.
Back in April when I decided to make a change for my health and wellness and begin a nutritional cleanse, he was my biggest supporter.  When I began to start feeling the effects of better nutrition he cheered for me and watched in amazement as I stopped using my allergy medicine, started having more energy, and generally started feeling better.  There has never been a time in 20 years that he hasn't told me I was beautiful.....I don't always believe him but he has never faltered.  So when I started to lose pounds and inches he was happy that I was happy but he was mostly thrilled that I was feeling better inside and out.
After several months of clean eating, wonderful shakes, and continued good health he decided that he wanted to give this a try for himself.  Like I said, we are a team and he wanted to feel as good as his teammate..... :-)  So he joined me on this health and wellness journey first with a morning shake, then with some of my "secret weapon" first thing in the morning.  Within days, he was boasting of his increased energy and how great he felt.  Even days in which he taught several surf lessons in a row he would come home feeling energized.  His knee, which gives him chronic pain after several surgeries years ago, started giving him less problems.  After a session of soccer with our boys, his knee was not swollen and sore like it normally is after such activity.  I always think this guy is handsome...for more than 20 years he has made my heart skip a beat... but there is something about good health on the inside that radiates to the outside.
Yesterday we had a wonderful date day together...not something this team gets often with three kids.  But yesterday, our kids all went with friends for the day and we got to go out to dinner with some great friends and then spend some much needed time together.
I realize as I type that truly a picture speaks a thousand words..... I can explain to you how nutritional cleansing and good health has changed us, made us better versions of ourselves.  I can tell you how good we feel, how the weight has melted off, how we feel younger than we have in years.  I can tell you how a simple decision has paid off in spades...  a simple choice to put good nutrition in our bodies was simply the spark that ignited the fire of wellness - inside and out.  I can tell you all of that and more.. or you could just look at this picture.  I think this "selfie" captured it all.  Good health on the inside shows on the outside - it is as simple as that.

Before and After

BEFORE Nutritional Cleansing

AFTER Nutritional Cleansing 

Before I started on this journey of health and wellness, I would sleepwalk through my morning, barely dragging myself out of bed to get the kids off to school and wait impatiently for the cup of coffee that I thought I needed to start my day.  That Tinkerbell mug was my favorite and the sentiment on the back was pretty spot on.  Mornings were certainly not magical.  They were exhausting and irritating and even after the "blessed" cup of coffee I would find it hard to focus and muster the energy for the tasks of the day ahead.  

When I decided to do the first 30 days of nutritional cleansing and I read that it was preferable to abstain from coffee to get the best results, I was game.  I was concerned mind you... for my family...and their welfare.  I wasn't sure that everyone would survive if I didn't have my recommended daily dose of caffeine.  But more than that I was determined.  Determined to make a change for my health and not be tied to this coffee mug like it was the last lifesaver on a sinking ship.  So, I gave up coffee.  (insert gasp here)  And I survived.  More importantly, so did everyone in my family.  :-)  

My mornings now are so much better.... I wake up more rested and I am ready to take on the day.  I continue to take my Ionix first thing in the morning and then a delicious, filling, and nutritious Isalean shake.  Poor Tink has been in the cabinet for almost two months now... I have no need for her. I have more focus for the days' tasks, more determination for my workouts (which have increased quite a bit since beginning this journey),  and more energy for the day than I ever had when I was practically hooked up to a coffee IV.  

Before nutritional cleansing I was sleepwalking through life... thinking that I was making healthy choices... thinking I was doing the best that I could do... thinking that I couldn't combat the dreaded 4-0 - that age had taken it's toll and I just had to deal.  After nutritional cleansing, I am wide awake!  I feel better than I have in years, I look better than I have in a long time, I am making healthier choices - striving to do better than the best I was doing before.  I am a month from turning 41 and ready to rock another year of my 40's. 

I have a friend who says - "This is not a dress rehearsal!"  She is so right.... we don't get another chance... another life.... another body or mind.  This is the opening night - the big show.... Are you ready for it? I know that I am. 

I would love to share my "secret" with you.

I have been a "Pinning Machine" lately.... I admit that I LOVE Pinterest.  Instead of binders full of recipes, design ideas and other miscellaneous ideas, I now have Pinterest - one of the best inventions of this technological age.  I don't get sucked into online games...there was a short stint with Angry Birds but that didn't last long.  But I can spend hours on Pinterest and lately those hours have been spent finding healthy, clean, delicious recipes.  There is only one problem, I keep pinning these awesome ideas but don't always try all of them.  I think the board looks pretty and yummy though... don't you think?  

 But it is high time that I start attempting these new recipes.  I think a Pinterest Recipe Party is in order.... I know I am not the only one with one of these "pretty" boards full of great ideas.  We need to start cookin - bring a dish and a recipe and let's taste test these yummy, healthy pins!  Seriously, there are great resources out there to help you "clean up" your recipes and add some delicious, healthy options to your family meals.  Whether it's on Pinterest, facebook pages, or great websites, there is a world of possibility out there for healthy eating.
Almost two months ago I began a nutritional cleanse program and those first 30 days were a game changer.  I started feeling fantastic - I continue to have incredible energy and stamina, my workouts have improved, I lost weight and inches that I didn't think possible, and this has truly become a lifestyle for me.  I continue to use the support of some great products from a company based on organic wholefood nutrition.  I have also started looking more closely at the foods that I eat and give my family.  I am feeding my body happy with foods and nutrition that fuel me properly and the possibilities are endless!!! Today for snack, I had some yummy fresh green beans, rice crackers and hummus.  So yummy!

If you are ready for a "game changer", want to embrace a healthy lifestyle and feed your body happy....let me know.  I would love to share my "secret" with you.  Join me and be "beach healthy".

Lisa xo

A lesson for my daughter....

A lesson for my daughter....

My daughter is 11 years old.  She is so much like me in so many ways and so much better than me in others. I like to think of her as my 2.0 version.  She was born with more innate confidence than I ever had.  When she was just a wee little baby, my mother said she was intimidating. HA!  She was a tough little cookie and remains one today.  She is the athlete I wish I had been my whole life and continue to strive for.  She plays soccer, she runs, she surfs, she can do most sports if she tries.  She is, of course, BEAUTIFUL and I don't just say that because she is my daughter and I don't just say that because she looks that way on the outside. While she is a brown haired, blue eyed beauty, she is also beautiful on the inside - she is smart and caring and kind - funny and curious and adventurous.
We had a conversation the other day about the word "skinny".  I don't like that word. While I have been doing a nutritional cleanse and using the support of some awesome organic superfoods, I have been very careful to remind my daughter that I am not "dieting" or trying to be "skinny".  I am improving my lifestyle, learning to eat better foods to fuel my body properly, and trying to get and remain healthy so I can have a long life to annoy I mean love and be around for her and her brothers.  I told her that being "skinny" doesn't necessarily mean someone is healthy.   We talked about the healthy foods that we eat and why that is important and I reminded her that all of the sports she plays are great exercise that hopefully she will enjoy and participate in for a long time.
She is 11 - so I hope what I said got through.  I hope she heard me and hears and sees my example everyday.  I hope that she doesn't strive for "skinny" but instead strives for healthy, active, happy, and well... perhaps a little badass too.  Because there is nothing wrong with that.  ;-)

Lisa xo