Category: Health & Fitness

It’s no secret! I have battled with my weight for years and years. I recently received some health news that rocked my world a bit. So I decided to join the JJ Smoothie Detox. Twelve days later,  and I’m HOOKED! What can I say??? I LOVE them!

Before journeying down this “Smoothie Road”, I went to the doctor for a checkup and to share with her my desire for a healthier lifestyle. She gave me the “thumbs up”! In ten days, I replaced two meals per day with a smoothie from JJ’s book. I snacked on healthy foods and ate a salad or chicken and veggies for dinner (ummm… let’s not talk about that shrimp, taco, and homemade pizza I snuck in in-between, lol!!!).

Along the way, I suffered from a few hiccups. Overall,  I’m proud to say I am 10 pounds lighter and I feel great!💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽 Each of the smoothies have a green leafy vegetable as its base, mixed with a fruit or two, water and flaxseeds, then you’re out the door!

Three reasons why I chose the green smoothies:

They are packed with all the good macronutrients our bodies need and desire. In my daily routine, I never eat enough veggies or fruit for the day. This new eating regimen is the perfect way for me to get my daily veggie and fruit!

I am a junior high school teacher by profession with a new infant, so I needed to find a way to gain more time in my day.  I teach back-to-back classes and breast pump during my school breaks and lunch time. Most days leaves with me zero time to stop and eat. The smoothies are a quick and nutritional way for me to have the best of both worlds!

My third and final reason, which is the best part for me is…… drum roll please……. MY KIDS LOVE THEM!!! My girls wake up in the morning anticipating which smoothie I will blend for that morning and what will it taste like! The hubby even offers suggestions!

This is a win win for me! While the fam are enjoying the smoothies, I am enjoying them! Yes!!!

After the detox, I discovered more amazing smoothies to try as well.

I want to share with you some of my fam  favs for you to try. They are amazingly ‘delish’!

NOTE: I usually add flaxseeds because they are loaded with Omega-3s, which promote a healthy heart and are filled with “Good Fats”. What other healthy and great tasting smoothies would you recommend?

 

Stay tuned for my weight loss journey!!! #teamhealthy

 

DISCLAIMER:  This information is not intended to offer any advice, but intended for entertainment and informational purposes only.  These are only our suggestions.  We do not advocate any particular service or site.

 

 

Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit sluggish and lethargic.  Most days I try to eat well, but in the past two months, not as much.  Who else is guilty of this?  Yes, I see your hand, and yours, and yours, and yours, lol.

I tend to eat “badly” when I’m stressed, unrested or depressed.  Can I be honest?  Since the beginning of this year, I have been all three.  So, I decided not only would I increase my spiritual feeding, but also I was going to “on purpose” make better eating choices.

To start, I am adding the following ten foods as staples to my every day meal plans to kick start my way to better eating habits and build a stronger, healthier me.

Just so you can see some of the benefits each food item possesses, below is a brief description. They are as follows:

Almonds – Contains Calcium, Fiber, Magnesium, Iron and Vitamin E. Almonds have more Calcium than any other nut.

Apples – It is a great source of pectin, a soluble fiber that helps lower cholesterol and glucose levels. It is a good source of Vitamin C, an antioxidant, which keeps capillaries and blood vessels healthy. Vitamin C is also a water-soluble vitamin, which means your body does not store it.

Bananas – A great source of Potassium, which is a mineral that helps your muscles contract, regulate fluids, maintain normal blood pressure, among so many other things.

Blueberries – The Phytonutrients in blueberries may help prevent urinary tract infections.

Broccoli – Has an abundance of Beta Carotene and is thus one of the best foods you can eat or drink juiced. It is also a powerful cancer fighter.

Beans – A good source of Iron, Magnesium, and Potassium. It is an excellent low-fat calorie source of protein and dietary fiber.

Beets – It is a powerful cancer fighting agent, an excellent source of B Vitamin, Potassium, Fiber, Vitamin C, Magnesium and Iron.

Spinach – It contains Vitamin A, C, B6, Calcium, Iron, and Magnesium. It boosts the immune system and helps hair and skin to be healthy.

Sweet Potatoes – High on antioxidant Beta Carotene, which converts to Vitamin A in the body; a good source of Fiber, Vitamin B6, C, E, and Potassium. It is low in calories. A small sweet potato is about 54 calories.

Wheat Germ – It is the tiny part of a wheat kernel that is extremely high in protein, Vitamin E and Potassium.

Here’s to your health!  Cheers!!!

DISCLAIMER:  This information is not intended to offer any medical or otherwise any other kind of advice, but intended for entertainment and informational purposes only.  These are only our suggestions.  We do not advocate any particular remedy, service or site.

The power you need to accomplish anything is found within!!  Although it is hidden from the natural eye, it exists. What is this unseen power?  It is your heart.  It is MIGHTY and can frame your world by what you put in it and what you allow to come out of it.

Let’s take a closer look as I build a healthy heart.

Where do I start?  With faith. What’s that?  Faith is having a dead lock confidence in something I previously hoped for.  Real faith lies in the heart and not the mind or body.

Even if I have doubts in my head, what I am confident about (i.e. faith) will still work for me if what I believe is in my heart.  It’s heart faith that gets the job done not head faith.

“Protect your heart purposefully and intently for out of it flows success or ruin”.

Leah, who loves life and seeks good days, let her keep her tongue from “speaking” evil words and from “eating” harmful foods.

If I constantly eat and don’t exercise I will grow fat and flabby. If I don’t feed my faith by continually speaking lively, wholesome, and beneficially good things then my portion of faith will grow weak and leak (yes my faith leaks–for another blog).  If I don’t exercise my faith daily, then my heart muscle hardens too.  Have you ever heard someone say, “Her heart has been hardened with bitterness…”?

If I don’t fill my heart with words and objects that are pure, lovely, just, and of good report, then my mind and body will not benefit positively from these either. The heart, mind, and body must all agree in order for me to be complete and whole.

My heart is a hidden “man”. The “real” me unseen.

I must remove doubt and fear, which can also keep my heart unhealthy.  “I will have what I ask for if I do not doubt in my heart”. Remember, this works for what I believe and pronounce negatively and positively; right and wrong; helpful and harmful; good and bad; etc.

With the heart a man believes or disbelieves. Faith and what I believe is of the heart.

What are my motives for having a healthy heart? If I want to get and stay healthy, I must know why it is important to me. What drives me will also be a beacon of light to help me navigate to my destination.

More to share on this Matter.  Your heart depends upon it…

DISCLAIMER:  This information is not intended to offer any advice, but intended for entertainment and informational purposes only.  These are only our suggestions.  We do not advocate any particular service or site.