FREE Personal Training Contest

Ok, I am going to be holding a contest to win 2 months free personal training with me. If you are ready to get healthier or get in better shape this contest is for you.
You must be ready to make a change and follow all advice given to get the best results from this. It is mandatory we meet 2 days a week for up to 45 min each session.   I will start out with a body assessment, talk about your fitness goals and set up fitness exercises for you to follow.

Here is how the contest will work:
1) Private message me a short message why you should be picked to get free personal training for 2 months.
2) I will post these short messages in another blog anonymously by number
3) People will go onto the blog and vote for who they think should win.
4) Whoever has the most votes wins!

You have from now until January 1st @ 11:59pm to enter the contest
Contest voting starts on January 3rd @ 12:00am
Voting stops on January 10th @12:00am

Please private message me why you should win to bbongiorno18@gmail.com or Private message me on facebook.

** must be willing to let me take pictures
**must follow all advice given and do all fitness programs given
**must be able to meet 2 day a week for 45min
**must be willing to do fat measurements for accuracy 
** names will be kept anonymous 
**no pictures of the individual go on my blog or facebook

Salute to living healthier!!!

Carbs for energy

Most of you heard of the low to no carb diets right?.....Well I'm here to tell you do not cut carbs out of your diet.  Sure you might lose some wieght by doing it but its not a healthy way.  It is a short term diet and afterwards you will just gain the weight back.  To lose weight the correct way you must make a healthy change in your diet by adding healthy well balanced foods......not taking them away.
Now I'm not talking about going out and eating a whole bunch of unhealthy carbs.  The carbs I'm talking about are your whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, legumes, ect...
Your daily intake should be between 45% - 65% of carbs.  (This is true if you are trying to gain or lose weight!) By taking in the correct amount of carbs you will have more energy and make your workouts more productive.  After a workout it is important to replenish the supply, so within 30 min after a workout, eating a carb food is a great way to replenish the energy supply.  Plus, complex carbs are high in fiber.  Fiber helps collect toxins and fat to eliminate them out of your body!  Fiber is known to lower cholesterol, reduce risks for certain cancers, reduce heat disease, reduce risk of diabetes......lots of benefits!
Remember there is no magic pill or diet that will make you lose weight and keep it off.  It is all about the balance of nutrition you are fueling your body with.  You need to feed the body to make it run efficiantly not stave it of important nutrients. 




Salute to living healthier!!!!

A little tip about protein!!

So most of you have heard you need to eat protein protein and more protein.   You have heard to lose weight by supplementing meals with protein or to bulk up with taking in extra protein right?  Well the truth is your body doesn't need lots of protein and will just get rid of the extra unwanted protein or stored it as fat!!!
Our body's like to run on carbs and fats.  When you tap into your stored protein your body has to break down muscle to get the energy from protein.  You don't want your body doing that!!!  When you supplement your meals with a protein shake you fill up on the supplement instead of getting real food with nutrients in your body.  Total protein in 1 day is a small amount .08g/kg per IDEAL body weight.  Extra protein will also put strain extra strain on your kidneys.  You can get your daily amount just by eating the right foods.
(Plus a lots of different brands of protein powders have toxins in them which over time will make you sick or keep you from your fitness or health goals!)
I know this is hard for a lot of you to hear but you want to eat more carbs!!!  Complex carbs that is like fruits, veggies and whole grains.  This is what your body really likes to make energy from.  When you don't eat correctly or train your body correctly you can't get the results you are looking for.   So remember protein is for muscle recovery so you don't want to take in extra because it will be stored as fat!!!




Salute to living healthier!!!!!

1st week of Personal Training school with picture blog

My first week of classes went great.  We start the day in the classroom learning anatomy of the body and muscles.  Its a lot to cram in but as the weeks pass I know it will make more and more since.  It already is.  We also are touching on nutrition which we will go into more as the training goes on.  The second half of the day is up in the gym. The first week of gym was intense with a 12 circuit at 45 seconds each exercise with 30 second rest in-between and we had to do it twice.  Let me just say they def. were not easy on us even being our first week and I loved getting  my butt kicked.  We are learning correct form and correct ways to workout.  I am so in love with it and it is exactly what I want to be doing.

I have decided to do a picture blog from my 1st start of NPTI to the end.  I want to be able to see the change and results from proper workout and eating.  So here is my start pictures.

My 1st day of class at NPTI (National Personal Training Institute)

Side shot with some Tricep action 

Frontal 

Back

Protecting loved ones from preventable sicknesses and diseases!

Its up to us as parents to protect our children from dangers and give them the knowledge and the tools to succeed in life.....right!??   Then why is it then that we allow people to put dangerous chemicals in our everyday products which in turn is making ourselves/children sick with diseases that could have been prevented.  I know a lot of people say well that is how I grew up and my parents and so on and I'm fine or they were fine..........  but things are made so different now than when we or our parents/grandparents grew up.    The information is out there to back up all the findings about how bad and how much toxins are around us.  It is time to make a stand and get this crap out of our products so we can all live healthier.

Check out this link and make changes to to keep your family safe and healthy.  Do it now before you or a loved one gets sick from this crap that you could have prevented!

http://www.chej.org/publications/PVCGuide/PVCfree2012_1.pdf

My hope is that next time you are out shopping you make a more educated and healthier choice on the products you buy!



Salute to living healthier!!!

Life change ahead of me.....

More changes in my life are happening and it all seems so right and falling into place so nicely.  All 4 of my kids will be starting school soon so I have decided to go back to school.  The hard part was where to begin this new journey of mine. Most of you know how much fitness and health means to me so,  my decision was to go to school for fitness, nutrition or natural medicine to help others with their health and fitness goals. The hard part was which one do I do first.

My research began and after some searching I came across NPTI (National Personal Training Institute) of Charlotte.  I decided to make an appointment to visit the facility and see what it was all about.  Well needless to say I loved everything about it.  They train in nutrition, anatomy of the muscles and understanding how muscles work, body building, exercise physiology, weight management, weight training and personal training.  The best part to me is that the training is all hands on.  

Starting in October I will be a student at NPTI to become a personal trainer.  I'm so excited for this awesome new change. Being able to help others become more healthy and help them reach their fitness and/or health goals will be such an amazing feeling for me.
This is my new change. What happens next I'm sure will be just as exciting.  Whether it is learning more about natural medicine or more about nutrition......it will only get better and better from here.  I finally figured out what I want to do after all these years of people saying what do you what to do when you grow up : )  

Salute to living healthier!!!

My favorite night time drink

I am on the go all day with the kids and housework.  By then end of the day I use to need some wine just to settle down and slow my mind to fall asleep. Even though I would fall asleep quick I wouldn't have continuous sleep.  When I started my detox I couldn't have any alcohol so I decided to tried Celestial Sleepytime Green tea decaf (100%natural).

I totally fell in love with this stuff.  It doesn't make you drowsy, just relaxes your mind and body.  I have been taking this almost every night and get such great sleep.  When I don't take it I toss and turn at night and my mind goes on and on about things to do.
Here are the healthy ingredients: Chamomile,  decaffeinated green tea, spearmint, lemongrass, natural lemon and jasmine flavors along with other natural flavors, tilia flowers, hawthorn, orange blossoms, ascorbic acid(vitamin C) and rosebuds.
Here are the benefits to each one:
Chamomile: This is the ingredient that relaxes you.  It also helps with stomach problems.
Green tea: Contains the highest concentration of powerful antioxidants called polyphenols.  Antioxidants are substances that fight free radicals -- damaging compounds in the body that change cells, damage DNA, and even cause cell death.  Improves heart health, helps heal wounds, promotes digestion and even protects against cancers.
Spearmint: Along with the awesome aroma it helps relieve stress, headaches and even respiratory and digestive problems 
Lemongrass: Aids in digestive health (especially in children), pain relief, helps relieve the common cold and flu, even if rubbed on your skin will be a bug repellent
Natural lemon: treatment of throat infections, indigestion, constipation, dental problems,fever, hair care, skin care, internal bleeding, rheumatism, burns, overweight, respiratory disorders, cholera and high blood pressure 
Jasmine: the aromas appear to have sedating and relaxing properties.  Also a mood booster
Tilia Flowers: Used as a calming agent, relieves indigestion, the common cold and  colicky pain in the abdomen
Hawthorn: Used to promote the health of the circulatory system.  Helps strengthen  blood vessels, vascular insufficiency and blood clots, restoring the heart muscle wall, lowering cholesterol and to aid digestion.
Orange blossoms:  helps relieve mental and emotional stress
Ascorbic acid: is a potential antioxidant .  It helps the immune system, Cellular health, colds, allergies, cataract prevention and even healthy gums
Rosebuds: reduced symptoms of depression, calmed nerves, increased circulation and improved digestion



Salute to living healthier!!

Today is 1 month since my (3) hernia surgery.  I'm feeling pretty good and my healing is coming along very nicely.  I am still taking Gotu Kola, Milk Thistle and an antioxidant to help with my recovery. My scar is very light already and that makes me very happy.  I have been putting fresh aloe on it (for the most part) 3 times a day.  Some times my days get so busy I forget......
Since today is my 4 week mark and this is the second surgery I have had in 1 1/2 months I decided I need to do a light detox.  I want to get the toxins out after all the medications from the surgeries and get back to feeling more like myself with more energy.
I started the cleanse yesterday.  I'm taking detox tea 3 times a day along with 2 fiber pills 2 times a day.  I have cut out dairy, carbs, preservatives and basically all very clean eating.  For breakfast I will have a protein shake.  Lunch a salad with LOTS of veggies with a homemade lemon garlic dressing and for dinner small piece of meat with lots and lots of veggies.  
I have to say a big thank you to everyone who helped out during my recovery and all the well wishes I recieved!!!


Salute to living healthier!!

Update 2 post hernia surgery

The days have been very uncomfortable.  I have been sleeping in our loft on a very comfortable sectional because it is lower and easier to get on and off.
Day 2 was still a painful day.  It hurt to sit up, sit back down, to walk and really just to move.  I was on pain killers during the day on schedule and that seemed help relax and ease the pain.  I'm also taking an antioxidant with a probiotic also, I started taking Milk thistle today.  I will continue the Milk Thistle everyday for a couple weeks.
I did get up and walk around some.  I even finally went downstairs to hangout with everyone.  The doctor told me the more I'm up and moving around the faster the healing process with be.  That's what I'm doing but not pushing the limits. I get tired faster too.
Day 3 was a little better.  I was able to slowly maneuver off the couch in less pain and walk around with less of a slump.  Still need to walk slowly but getting around is easier.  I have been doing very good listening to my body and when it says rest I rest and when it says I need to get up and move around I do.  I'm still in pain but have only taken ibuprofen every 4 hours.   I stayed most of the day in our garage (which is set up as a living space with a bar) catching up on sappy girl movies.  I did try to go for a ride to the store with my husband but couldn't make it out of our community.  Every bump hurt and my husband told me he's not driving 2 mph just to get me out of the house and go to the store.  So I got dropped back at home.  Later that night I was able to sit and enjoy a bonfire with the family and eating marshmallows : )
As the day went on the more pain I was getting so I took a hydrocodone before I went to bed.
Day 4 - So far so good.  I woke up in very little pain and got off the couch with no problems.  The swelling on my abdomen went down a lot and is left with yellowish brusing all around my belly button.  I have been icing my abdomen on and off every day.  I have a feeling that is where a lot of my pain was coming from..... all the swelling I had.  I'm getting around so much easier and it feels so good to know I am getting better and that I am healing.  I'm still getting tired quickly, even with not doing much.  but I will just be lazy and sit around and let my body heal.

My family has been so great with all of this.  I think my husband has a new outlook on what I actually do all day long.  He has been great and has done it all.  He has cleaned floors, taken care of me, taken care of the kids, doing dishes, making dinners,breakfast and lunch for all of us.   Plus, still working his job at times and lots more!  So it has made it a lot easier for me to rest and take care of me.


Salute to living healthier!!!

post surgery - day 1

Yesterday was my hernia surgery.  I have been preparing myself for this by concentrating on extra abdominal exercises to strengthen them up.   My hope is it will make recovery faster.
I went in for a 7:45am surgery and everything was on schedule.  When my surgery was over the doctor went out to update my husband. He told him surgery was a success and that there was actually 3 hernias he had to fixed instead of the original thought being 2.
I woke up great to the anesthesia and they numbed up my abdomen so I was feeling ok.  On the way home I could feel the numbness wearing off and every bump in the road was starting to feel uncomfortable.  We filled my pain medication and went home.
Getting out of the car was starting to hurt and as for waking I couldn't wait to get inside.  My husband helped me get upstairs to my bedroom. Once I finally made it upstairs I realized I won't be going back down anytime soon.  As the night went on the more the muscles in my abdomen hurt with every move.  My husband had to help me get up, he basically just lifted me so I didn't have to use any muscles. It hurts so much just to stand up straight to walk.  Man, you don't realize how much you use your ab muscles with every move until you can't. I'm using an ice pack for swelling (which by the way feels so good) and I am taking ibuprofen and hydrocodon on schedule. It seems to be helping a little. The hydrocodon seems to just help relax me so I can get comfortable.  I am also taking some antioxidant with a probiotic to help my immune system.
This morning I was able to get up on my own carefully by maneuvering around to a sitting position then using my leg muscles to push me to stand. I was able to walk around slowly, get dressed and brush my teeth myself.  Still hurting lots but I'm determined to get better soon and to stop using medication and using the gotu kola.
So another day of healing begins.........its going on just 24 hours since I had surgery.

Salute to living healthier!!

Pre- Double hernia surgery

Well its time to fix my double umbilical hernia tomorrow morning.  I'm nervous because I have never been cut open before and it is going to be a longer recovery. They need to make a small incision above my belly button and sew the 2 hernias together.  Then the doctor will insert mesh to help prevent a hernia from happening again.  I will not be able to lift anything heavier than 10 lbs for 2 weeks and no working out for 4 - 6 weeks.  No working out for that long is going to be the hardest for me.  But I plan on doing a lot of reading on fitness anatomy and natural /Alternative medicine during that time.
After surgery I want to get the healing process started fast.  I'm going to have more anesthesia in me and loaded up with other meds. so, I want them out of my system quickly.   I will start taking an  antioxidant with a probiotic to help with my immune system.  Then I will be taking Gotu Kola to help speed up the recovery process and Milk Thistle to help remove the toxins from my liver.

Gotu kola is an herb that is commonly used in Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine.
Gotu kola is used to treat bacterial, viral, or parastitic infections such as urinary tract infection (UTI), shingles, leprosy, cholera, dysentery, syphilis, the common cold, influenza, H1N1 (swine) flu, elephantiasis, tuberculosis, and schistosomiasis.
Gotu kola is also used for fatigue, anxiety, depression, psychiatric disorders,Alzheimer's disease, and improving memory and intelligence. Other uses include wound healing, trauma, and circulation problems (venous insufficiency) including varicose veins, and blood clots in the legs.
Some people use gotu kola for sunstroke, tonsillitis, fluid around the lungs (pleurisy),liver disease (hepatitis), jaundice, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), stomach pain, diarrhea, indigestion, stomach ulcers, epilepsy, asthma, “tired blood” (anemia),diabetes, and for helping them live longer.
Some women use gotu kola for preventing pregnancy, absence of menstrual periods, and to arouse sexual desire.
Gotu kola is sometimes applied to the skin for wound healing and reducing scars, includiung stretch marks caused by pregnancy.

How does it work?

Gotu kola contains certain chemicals that seem to decrease inflammation and also decrease blood pressure in veins. Gotu kola also seems to increase collagen production, which is important for wound healing.

(Make sure you do your own research or talk to your doctor to make sure Gotu Kola is right for you)

I will document my recovery and see how natural/alternative medicine along with a healthy diet does for my recovery process.

Wish me luck ; )

Salute to healthier living!!

Coincidence???

Today, I got a call from my doctors office to tell me I no longer have cervical dysplasia and that all the other tests they took during my leep procedure came back with all good results.  All I can say is thank you god.
This leads me to believe that all the stuff I'm doing to get the toxins out of my life is working........or is this just a coincidence?

When I first started removing toxins around me when I got diagnosed with cervical dysplasia.  I already had plans to do a full body detox so I couldn't wait to get that started especially with the news I just received.  I decided to start my detox first then schedule my surgery when the detox was finished.  My surgery got scheduled for about two weeks after my detox.  In the meantime I stopped using toxins in my beauty products (except for my eye shadow), household products, did clean eating and exercise.

During my surgery and they took 3 more biopsies and scraped my cervix. All of it got sent away for more testing.  Today was the day the results were passed to me.  I was told there was no sign of any cervical dysplasia and every other test came back normal.  This brings me to my question......is this a coincidence?......I don't think so at all.
I'm so excited that I started this blog when I did.  Now I am able to show that by getting as many toxins out of your life, exercise and clean no toxin eating will really make a difference in you health and everyday life.
I look forward to seeing more positive changes!


Salute to living healthier!

"new" smells could be toxic

I had America Now on the TV last week and this caught my attention.  It just shows that toxins are everywhere.  They are all around us and making us sick.  The more informed we are on these topics the healthier we can all live.  Click on the link below to read what they found out about the "new" smell being toxic.

"New" smell could be toxic chemicals - AmericaNowNews.com


salute to living healthier!

Pre - 1st surgery

Tomorrow I am having my Leep Procedure done.  I'm not worried so much about the surgery as I am the Anesthesia they will be giving me. Along with any other toxic things they will be giving me.  I want it out of my system as fast as possible.  
This being said, after surgery I will be taking an herbal supplement called Milk Thistle seed. This herb has been used for thousands of years for its positive effect on the liver and gallbladder. 
A number of studies suggest Milk Thistle supports optimal liver function. It helps promote the liver’s ability to regenerate new tissue after damage occurs (which should work really well with all the alcohol I have consumed through the years...lol) Milk Thistle even shows promise in stimulating the liver to produce additional bile for improved digestive function. 
I am choosing this herb for after this surgery because it will help protect the liver from toxins and help detoxify the anesthesia from my body.  On top of taking the herbs I will be taking an antioxidant pill and eating lots of fruits and veggies high in antioxidants to help my body recover faster.  Of course drinking lots of water to.

Thank you to a friend who has helped me with this!!!

Salute to living healthier!!

Homemade Peanut Butter

I have been making my own peanut butter for a month now and my family loves it.  All natural and chemical free!!

Ingredients

• 15 ounces shelled peanuts - I use dry roasted unsalted  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil

Directions

Place the peanuts, salt and honey into the bowl of a food processor. Process for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Place the lid back on and continue to process while slowly drizzling in the oil and process until the mixture is smooth, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Place the peanut butter in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

*You can also use a blender

Salute to living healthier!!

Energy Bites - so yummy and good for you

I am sick of spending a ton of money on protein bars and snack bars .  So I did some searching and found this recipe. It is so yummy I have to use caution because I could eat the whole tub!   

No-Bake Energy Bites Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup (dry) oatmeal
1 cup toasted coconut flakes
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter(I use all natural/homemade)
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup honey(I use raw)

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like.   Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Makes about 20-25 balls

*You can also substitute in your favorite nut butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc instead of peanut butter 

*Some other substitutions for the chocolate chips (or an addition to them) could be:
*chopped dried fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, etc.)
*dried berries (cranberries, cherries, etc 
*chopped almonds, pecans, or sunflower seed
*mini chocolate chips

Here is some interesting health benefits from eating Coconut:

• Lower cholesterol
• Improve digestion
• Ward off wrinkles
• Stabilize glucose levels
• Fight off viruses
• Build cells
• Regulate hormones
• Increase thyroid production
• Lose weight
• Increase metabolism
• Fight infections
• Stave off memory loss
• Kills bacteria

Salute to living healthier!!

Healthy Pizza

This is a must share:
I made this homemade pizza tonight and the crust is made with yogurt.  It was so good.  The kids made their own personal pizzas and eat every piece!!!  


Here is what you need:
1 1/2 cups white unbleached flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Italian seasonings
1 tsp sugar (I used sugar in the raw)
1 1/4 cup plain fat free yogurt
2 tsp olive oil

Directions:

1. 1) In a large bowl combine the first 5 Ingredients and mix well.
2. 2) In a seperate bowl mix together yogurt and oil.
3. 3) Add yogurt mixture to flour mixture; mix until well combined and a soft dough forms. 
4. 4) Knead dough lightly, about 1-2 minutes. add more flour if needed
5. 5) Roll out or press dough evenly in a lightly greased pan.
   6) bake at 400F for about 7 min with no toppings
6. 7) Add toppings and bake for about 10 min.
   
   
   This is one of the pizza's we made
   
   

   

   Ingredients are all natural pizza sauce, tomato pesto sauce, green peppers, red peppers, garlic, portabella mushrooms, low fat mozzarella cheese and turkey pepperoni.
   
   

   
   

   We also made an all veggie pizza and a calzone out of the dough : )

   SOOOOO good!!

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Salute to living healthier!!!!

   
   
   
   

Getting a garden ready

I am so excited to be growing a garden this year and having my own fresh veggies! The soil I'm using is organic mushroom compost.
In the years past I have grown tomatoes and cucumbers.  I have tried others but they just didn't grow.  My husband dug out a big space in our backyard for our garden.  I am going to try to grow the following (and take note I said TRY) Tomatoes (big boy and roma), cucumbers, zucchini, squash, asparagus, garlic, green peppers, sweet peppers,lettuce, spinach, strawberries and blueberries.
There is this really cool/easy way to start your seeds.  We found this at Lowes:

Jiffy Greenhouse

All you do is water the soil and let it sit until the soil grows. Fluff up the soil and add your seeds.  Cover and wait for your plants to grow.  The instructions were so easy!

Just after 3 days you can see some of them growing!!

Everything is nice and labeled : )

You can see how some didn't even sprout : (

Before I started this, I used an egg carton and some plastic shot cups and tried to start my plants from them.......only a couple grew and none of the seeds in the egg carton grew.  See why I say I will TRY and grow this garden : )

I'm also "trying" to grow herbs. 

 Growing carrots in a large bin.  I saw this on pinterest.com and decided to give it a try.

Growing carrots in a large tub!

Now all I have to do is wait and see how they all do.  Wish me luck, Trust me I need lots of it.  I do not have a green thumb!!

Salute to living healthier!!!!

I might be crazy but the easiest way to stay healthy for me is to stay organized.  Knowing what I am going to eat throughout the day keeps me eating and snacking like I should to keep my body healthy.  One thing I love about this is that everyone knows what is for dinner.  As for my husband and I.......well we know what we are having to eat every meal/snack of the day.  This way it doesn't leave you spare of the moment looking for something to eat and settling to make bad food choices.
I would like to share what I do every week to try and keep my family on track : )

Here is an example of how I plan out my meals for the week:

================================================================

WEEK 13

 Monday – Breakfast:  Oatmeal/eggs.    Brooke - shake

Snack: Crackers with nut butter & banana -

Lunch: Seasoned chicken breast wrapped in lettuce/baby spinach and filled with veggies 

Snack: Protein shake

Dinner:  Chicken fajitas with lots of veggies and brown rice

Snack: Baked apple with cinnamon or veggies

 Tues- Breakfast: Oatmeal/eggs.    Brooke - shake

Snack: Banana with natural peanut butter -

Lunch:  Chicken on salad with eggs and lots of veggies

Snack: protein shake

Dinner:  Homemade  personal pizza loaded with veg.

Snack: Baked pear with cinnamon or veggies

 Wed- Breakfast: Oatmeal/eggs.    Brooke - shake

Snack: nuts with choice of fruit

Lunch: Seasoned chicken breast wrapped in lettuce/baby spinach and filled with

Snack: Protein shake              

Dinner: Baked chicken, portabella mushrooms, garlic, onion, tomato

Snack: Cheese with veggies

Thurs- Breakfast: Oatmeal/eggs.    Brooke - shake

Snack: Ryvita crackers w/ nut butter

Lunch: Chicken on Salad with eggs and lots of veggies

Snack: protein shake

Dinner: leftovers

Snack: Baked apple with cinnamon
________________________________________________________________

 Fri- Breakfast: Oatmeal/eggs.    Brooke - shake

Snack: hand full of nuts and banana

Lunch: Tuna wrap/sandwich  &  salad with lots of veggies

Snack: protein shake

Dinner:  Eggplant parm with no meat sauce , pasta, bread

Snack: Choice of fruit with hard cheese and rice cake (veggies/fruit)

 Sat- Breakfast: Oatmeal/eggs.    Brooke - shake

Snack: Apple with yogurt -  Veggies

Lunch: chicken salad on a salad – Salad with lots of veggies

Snack: Protein shake

Dinner:  Steak, sweet potato, roasted bussels sprouts broccoli and cauliflower

Snack: unbutter popcorn, (veggies/fruits)

 Sun- Breakfast: Oatmeal/eggs.    Brooke - shake

Snack: Pear w/ choice of nut

Lunch:  TBD

Snack: Protein shake

Dinner: TBD –

Snack: crackers with peanut butter 

=================================================================

The line in in between Thursday and Friday to separates my grocery list.  I usually shop for food on Friday so,  my list goes from Friday to Thursday.  

This is how I organize my grocery list:

An example of my grocery list.  I have it organized pretty much by department.

Feel free to to use any of these ideas and share my blogs : )


Salute to living healthier!!

Pictures from after Standard Process detox

Here are some pictures after the 21 day SP detox.  Pre-tone up!

Add caption

Had to add the Brooklyn picture in here.  These didn't before the cleanse.......so this makes me very happy!!

I am proud to work hard, stay fit, and to say Yes, I had 4 children!!!!!

Salute to living healthier!!!

Well today is my first day not detoxing.  It is going great! My ear and sinuses have greatly improved and I'm getting a lot more energy.  I'm eating about the same way as when I was detoxing.  I guess once you do something long enough it becomes a habit right?   The only thing different is the 10 pistachios, apples with chocolate nut butter and my antibiotic.   The chocolate nut butter was SOOOO good : )
I'm SO looking forward to getting a great workout in.  Who knows when that will be because by the looks of it I'm going to be having one surgery after another first.  I have to go to a surgeon tomorrow to see what this ball like thing above my belly button is.  I'm pretty sure its a hernia!!! I'm thinking I will probably need to have surgery on it before I start to workout again.........such a bummer!

I have to say, going through the 21 day detox really put thing in perspective for me about my health and the health of the people around me and the direction I should be pointing.  It has opened me up to so many different paths. Not only with my body, but spiritually and mentally.   I have been drawn to fitness, nutrition and natural/alternative medicine for some time now.  While detoxing I found myself wanting to learn more and more about natural stuff and living a more healthier life with less toxins.  I've been feeling such a pull to help others it is unbelievable.  I guess that is why I started blogging  : )

Going back to school is something I have wanted to do for a while now.  I would go back and forth over what it is I really want to do.  It wasn't until now that I realize what that is I need to do.  I need to go back to school to learn everything I can about fitness, nutrition and natural/Alternative medicine.  So, my next step is looking into schools and trying to fit it into my crazy schedule of already being a mom to 4 kids.  I am so in love with the idea of going to school and to turn around and help others.  I'm so excited to chase after this and to get the ball rolling.  So let the research for schools begin!

Salute to living healthier!!

Ending my full body detox

Yay, day 21 of my detox is here! I did it with no cheating at all and stuck to the program.  I have lost 11 lbs and feeling pretty slim.  I'm sure some of my weight loss is probably muscle due to not working out for 21 days.  Best part of my weight loss is I finally lost weight where I needed to lose it (My butt and thighs).   I have been working on that area for a while now and with this detox it finally is working.  Now to tone it all up nicely........I'm so impatient to see results I've been looking for.  Some people will say,"Brooke you don't need to lose any weight".  I just say that I have a goal in mind and sometimes it takes doing different things to try and meet them.  My detox was not intended to lose any weight, but to get the toxins out of my body.  But as you can tell from my experience you will lose weight too.


So last Friday, I started to get an itchy throat.  Pollen is all over and coating everything so I figred it was allergies acting up.  I didn't want to take any store bought medicine to ruin my detox so I settled for some wellness tea. Saturday, my throat was the same way so I loaded up on drinking my tea. Saturday night, my husband and I went and got massages at Banyan Tree Message Studios in Monroe, NC.  You can check out their website at www.banyantreemassage.com I have to give a big thank you to Amanda and Cindy there.  They did an awesome job which left me so relaxed.  Check them out and tell them sent ya.  Massage during a Detox is beneficial because it helps release more toxins in the body.
Sunday morning we had to be up bright and early for my oldest son's baseball game. During the game I started feeling worse. My throat and left ear was really starting to hurt.  I stuck it out though. I'm so close to the end and didn't want to ruin my detox.  When I got home I researched some home remedies I could try to relieve some of my discomforts.  Here is what I found:


For a sore throat, aches and pains,acid reflux, upset stomach you can use this recipe:
2 tablespoon - apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoon - honey (I use raw honey)
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
hot water to dilute it
Drink and gargle   
It doesn't taste that great but it really helped with my throat pain.
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While reasearching I found this out:
Apple Cider Vinegar is also wonderful for pets, including dogs, cats, and horses. It helps them with arthritic conditions, controls fleas & barn flies, and gives a beautiful shine to their coats!
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When Monday morning came around it had moved to my sinuses.  My head was all stuffy, sore throat, ear itching/throbbing and slight headache.  Was this the signs of more toxins being released? I did get a massage a couple days ago and that is suppose to push toxins out faster..... but I decided I was going to stick it out and not give into taking medications.  I continued the above recipe, gargling salt water, neti pot, saline spray and loading up on my wellness tea.  This seemed to be working and I was so excited I didn't use any store bought product to help me feel better.
So Tuesday rolls around and there is no change.  All the stuff I was doing worked to help me get by but I wasn't getting better.  I decided at the end of the day I better go get checked out just to be on the safe side.  So while at CVS Minute Clinic I find out I have a very bad ear infection and sinus infection.  GREAT .....I'm thinking just my luck to end a detox with infections.  But I am glad it happened on the last day and not in the middle of it. I'm also glad I went to get checked out.  Its important to listen to what our bodies are telling us.
So needless to say today.......my last day of detoxing I am taking an antibiotic. Nothing else besides that will change on my last day. 


This has been a huge experience for me with mind,body and spirit!!!




Salute to living healthier!!