How does your diet make you feel?

Do you feel lethargic, tired and sick most of the time?

OR ARE YOU BURSTING WITH ENERGY.....

 

WITH SO MUCH ENERGY, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT ALL?

 

No matter what age you are, you can be abounding with energy!

 I have done my own experiment for a few months now and even got my parents to join me for a full 7 days with some pretty neat results. (For those 7 days we did all raw fruits and vegetables with 1 meal cooked of just vegetables, we also juiced carrots, apples and different greens).

Since the beginning of September to near the end of October I lost 10lbs, lost my spongy feeling (cellulite) in my skin, my skin started having a healthy glow, lost my bloat feeling (my tummy was even starting to look flatter...even after having 3 kids) and I felt like I had an abundance of energy to spare.

My parents results were pretty amazing too. My mom's allergies started clearing up, her eyes were clearer, her skin started having a glow to it, both my parents started sleeping better and they started having more energy.

HEALTHY VS UNHEALTHY



 

 

Then off and on I kind of fell off the band wagon with some things that came up and went back to the SAD's (Standard American Diet) and became bloated again, spongy, fatigued, got a sore throat, and just felt yucky.

 



 It's amazing how our bodies break down the fuel we put into it, whether it comes from raw fruits and vegetables or from junk food. If we consume mostly a plant base diet our bodies can break it down more efficiently and use it more quickly then if we consume junk food and animal products.

Take for instance, if you were to put water into your gas tank for your car to run on as fuel, your car will eventually end up dying pre-maturely because it was never meant to run on water. It was meant to run on gas. Our bodies on the other hand were meant to run on water, fruits, vegetables. (Amazingly, you can get protein from plants).Most of Americans are malnourished and don't even know it....we're one of the most wealthiest nations in the world yet we are have the most obese, sick population.

Our Nation is sick and we keep getting sicker and more unhealthy.

Prescription drugs are not the answer to better health.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”
― Hippocrates

I did find out that I had to make sure I planned ahead on a raw fruits and vegetable diet but was well worth it. Our bodies can break down and digest fruits and vegetables a lot quicker then other foods I usually had to make sure I was having a snack every 3 hours or so. 

But I also filled up a lot quicker too.

With consuming fresh juice and a lot more water it helped flush the toxins out and I didn't feel weighed down. (that's where a lot of the spongy feeling in our skin comes from "or also known as cellulite")...the excess toxins from our foods we consume and our personal care products makes our bodies overly toxic. (Personal care products will have to be another blog considering they allow over 80,000 chemicals in our personal care products now days).

My goal is to eventually get on a high raw food plant base diet after doing a detox. What is a "high raw food diet"? 85% raw with 15% cooked. Yes, this is against what most of the people around me consume but I know how much of a health benefit it is and I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I love having extra energy to keep up with my kids and having the best health possible to enjoy playing with my kids. And what the raw menu provides is endless...it's not just plain old fruits and veggies you get to create amazing dishes being creative and having fun. I will post some of those fun dishes as I put meal plans together and as I try them out I'll let you know how they are.

 





Replenish A Must Read for Mama's

I loved this book, a must read for mothers. It has very practical exercises at the end of each chapter to help you become a better mom, wife and friend . I have 3 little ones and I look forward to implementing these exercises in my daily routine so that I will be a more calmer and at peace with the stress that is thrown my way everyday with running a home business, Starting to work outside the home part-time soon to become full time, and taking care of the household, my husband and my 3 little ones.
For all you amazing mamas out there who desire to better yourself for the ones you care about most when you read "Replenish" and implement the exercises in your daily routine, you will feel replenished, more at peace and be a more calmer mama, wife and overall person.
           Enjoy becoming a better you.
Go check it out at http://www.amazon.com/Replenish-Experience-Radiant-Vitality-Everyday/dp/0615855989/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378567141&sr=8-1&keywords=replenish

The Importance of Detoxing Part 2

I sometimes am a "ALL" or "NOTHING" type of person. I was going to jump start my healthy living January 1st of this year and I was doing good for the first few days but then being a mama of a nursing baby I began to notice my milk supply started dropping quickly. I've nursed 2 previous babies before my third daughter and didn't really have a problem but I'm guessing I cut my calories to quickly and so therefore my milk supply dropped too. So even though my hearts desire is to do as I say in this blog about detoxing I will have to wait to be able to do a full detox and body cleanse once I am all done nursing my little princess=}

My little Kaylee Joy

(I would love to hear from anyone who has been able to do a detox and how you have felt afterward....

feel free to leave a comment so others maybe encouraged to take the plunge and get their bodies back to excellent health).

In the meantime, I will give you a few suggestions on different detoxes and 

also why it's so important to detox for our health. 

Our body can regenerate itself in 2 years. 

That's why we want to clean it out at least once a year so that it can regenerate with healthy and strong new cells. (It's like if you have a drain clogged, you can pour stuff down your drain and pipe so it will help loosen up the clog a little. But, it's not until you take the substances that is clogging your drain and pipe up will the water flow smoothly through the pipes once again).

It 's quite simple : If you aren't cleaned out of toxins, you can down all the vitamins, herbs, and antioxidants you want but you won't see your health turn around if your colon and rest of the elimination organs are filled with putrid toxins or if your liver can't clean toxins out of your blood and perform its daily functions.

Sorry, I know that sounds kind of gross but we live in a very toxic world

 and our bodies are not functioning at top levels. 

You may wonder where all these toxins come from... here's a list you can see we are surrounded by a toxics.

·        The air we breathe is toxic with carbon monoxide, lead, ozone, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides. - Air pollution: Car exhaust, smog, cigarette smoke

·        Our water is contaminated from chlorine, pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, which contain nitrates. The toxins from chemical waste sites dump sites, and landfills will eventually seep into our water supplies and contaminate them. Chlorine is added to water to kill microorganisms, but when the chlorine combines with organic materials it forms trihalmethanes, which are cancer-promoting substances.

·        Our food supply is bombarded with steroids, antibiotics, pesticides, hormones, dyes, and waxes that are used in and on our food. It is also filled with chemicals to give it longer shelf life.

·        The dangerous chemicals found in personal care products have been found to cause liver damage in laboratory rats.

·        The prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications along with vaccines have so many side effects that they actually do more harm than good.

·        Food and Drink: Processed convenience foods, caffeinated drinks, sugary snacks

·        Radiation: Computers, televisions and mobile phones

            Stress: Inhibits our body's ability to absorb our nutrients, rest and repair itself

That's why its so important to detox our bodies at least once a year if not twice. We want to make sure as our bodies regenerate it has healthy cells to replace the dying off cells.

THE BENEFITS: you will gain from a detox are immense,

·        Increase in energy and concentration

·        Clearer skin

·        A more positive outlook

·        Increased productivity

·        Improved digestion

·        Weight loss

·        Lowering of cholesterol

·        Lowering of blood pressure

·        Decreased body fat

·        Improved sleeping patterns

·        Less muscular aches and pains

WHERE TO BEGIN

Detoxification demands a lot from our body and the more we can support it the easier it will be.

1. Nutrition: your body is literally made up of what you eat- whole foods (fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts and seed: preferably organic).
2. Sleep
3. Exercise
4. Oxygen and Nitric Oxide: Take deep breaths, and you can calm your nervous system instantly.
5. Water: drink a lot to keep things flowing.
6. Reduce intake and increase elimination of toxins.
7. Eat  more fiber
8. Balance Personal Hygiene and products you use.
9. Work towards positive mental health.
10. Learn good stress management.

I also try to teach a class once a month on the importance of detoxing and if you are in my area you are more then welcome to join me for this class. Or if you are unable to attend just email me and let me know if you want more information on detoxing. You can reach me at sonshineonus@hotmail.com. You can also email me for when and where my class will be at. 

The Importance of Detoxing Part 1

Do you have any of these symptoms?

This checklist of symptoms is a signal it may be time for a reliable "body cleaning"

* Do you experience fatigue or low energy levels?                     

* Do you crave or eat sugar?

* Do you experience brain fog, lack of concentration and /or poor memory? 

* Do you experience frequent headaches?

* Do you experience recurring yeast infections, jock itch, or foot fungus? 

* Do you have bad breath or excessive body odor?

* Do you have less than two bowel movements per day? 

* Are you overweight?

* Do you drink processed coffees and colas during the day? 

* Do you experience depression or mood swings?

* Do you take prescription medications, sedatives or stimulants? 

* Do you have food allergies or skin problems?

* Do you live with or near polluted air, water or other environmental pollution 

* Do you feel sleepy after meals, bloated or gassy?

* Do you experience indigestion/acid reflux after eating? 

* Do you have arthritic aches and pains or stiffness?

*Do you eat fast food, fatty foods, pre-prepared foods or fried foods more than three times a week?

These are all symptoms that our bodies are over-loaded with toxins. Just like dusting your furniture and cleaning your bathrooms, the human body needs to be cleaned, too. These are a few ways we become over-loaded with toxins. Especially if you have a diet that includes packaged foods, hydrogenated fats and oils, white flour and sugar, or if you are exposed to:

• Second-hand smoke 
• Fertilizers
• Garden pesticides
• Vehicle fumes 
• Dust
• Mold
• Mildew 
• Animal dander 
• Electrical devices
• Household cleaners 
• Photocopiers Pollution
• Smog 
• Smoke 
• Heavy metals
• Paint fumes 
• Dry cleaned clothing 
• Rain

If you want to feel more balanced in your whole body with more energy being able to sleep better, then check out Part 2 in the Importance of Detoxing. It will have a plan that will help you detox with food I will blog on it later this week.

30 Day To a Healthier New You in the New Year

The New Year is upon us again and it’s time to set goals and resolutions. I’m starting a 30 days challenge group for all who would like to join. You can choose how fully committed you want to be but it is a way to help be accountable and be more successful in setting your goals and accomplishing them. I will be setting up a Facebook group for anyone who would like to take up this challenge with me.

You may be asking what does these 30 days challenge entail…well I’m glad you asked.

It’s a way to

• Get healthier
• Lose weight
• Eat more real food
• Replacing items in our diet
• Limit our chemical exposure

It’s a new beginning to a New Healthier You in the New Year.

What I will be doing, and you are more then welcome to follow along the same plan or if you want to email me at sonshineonus@hotmail.com or at lauriena.cruz@facebook.com I would be more then happy to chit chat with you and come up with a plan that suits your needs and your budget. I’m looking forward to starting the Arbonne 30 day fit kit. 

The full kit for the 30 days vegan certified products that are free from harmful chemicals, artificial sweeteners and artificial flavors. (They help fill you up and clean you out.)

• 2 bags of Protein Shakes (chocolate or vanilla)
• 2 boxes of detox tea
• 2 bags of fit chews (that suppress your appetite and curb your sweet tooth)
• 1 bag of fiber boost (flavorless and dissolves quickly)
• 2 boxes of Energy fizz sticks (citrus or pomegranate)

You can also add

• Nutrition snack bars (fruit or chocolate flavors),
• Antioxidant & Immunity Boosters (because as our bodies detox these will help you from getting sick).
• Metabolism Boost 
• 7-day body cleanse (that will help flush out your elimination organs).
• Colon Cleanse (if our colons are clogged up of toxic overload then the nutrients in the food we do consume does not break down allowing us the receive those nutrients they just get flushed out of our bodies)

 

I was going to do the Arbonne 30-day fit kit last year in February but then found out I was pregnant. So, now all the more reason for me to do this plan. I need to still loose about 25lbs of left over pregnancy weight cleansing out my system limiting as much toxins that I consume so I can get more nutrients I consume.

I will be sharing what to do while on the plan and also let you know what I’m able to do, (since I’m breastfeeding my almost 3 month old baby I will not be able to do part of the plan which includes the detoxing products).

If you are pregnant or nursing you should not participate in the detox product because the toxins will cross your placenta (if you are pregnant) or your milk (if you are nursing). 

One of the reasons the Arbonne 30-day fit kit does work so well is because it cleanses out our system of toxic build up of chemicals that we consume in foods, drinks and even our personal care products. (Hair care, skin care, lotions…etc.)

Here is one of my friend who has done the full 30 day fit kit twice. She is down 35lbs and counting=}

Doesn't she look amazing...great job Stacie!!!

As for myself I will be doing the Protein shakes, fiber boost (fiber helps clump toxins together and eliminates them limiting the amount of toxins that would otherwise get in our bloodstream.) I will also be taking the Energy Fizz Sticks from the 30 day fit kit. Once I am no longer breastfeeding a baby or pregnant I want to completely detox my body and do the 7-day cleanse, colon cleanse along with the full 30 day fit kit.

What you do while on the plan you…

1. Clean Out: Highly processed foods, sweets, high in fat & sodium, white refined sugars and flour. Cut out fast foods during these next 30 days. (These items are low in nutrients, vitamins and minerals our bodies need, making it hard for our bodies to function properly eliminating the toxins and chemicals these products are full of.)
2. Stock Up: On healthy food and snacks (this will encourage healthy eating choices)
3. Cleanse: We want to prepare our bodies for a healthier new way of life and maintaining this lifestyle for the long-term. (if you are in the same boat as me...breastfeeding or find yourself pregnant you can drink extra water to cleanse out your body).

 8 Helpful Hints:

1. Stay Hydrated! Drink plenty of water to flush out your system. (A good rule of thumb consume 1 ounce of water for every 2 lbs of body mass…easy way to calculate how much to consume, weigh yourself and then divide by 2.)
2. Slow down! Take your time when eating. Fill up on more raw veggies and fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains. (Preferably organic and grass fed…limiting chemical intake)
3. Avoid bad sugars! Stay away from refined sugar found in (sodas, sweetened teas, coffee creamers and sweet foods and drinks).
4. Give in to a little cravings! This is where the fit chews and nutritional bars and healthy snack come in.
5. Stay on track! This is where accountability is so nice to be a part of a group. We get the encouragement we need from other to help us stay focused in completing our goals.
6. Exercise! This will increase your weight loss and increase your energy. It will also help you flush your system of toxins.
7. Get some rest! Most people need an average of 7-8 hours of sleep. If we don’t get enough sleep we have a tendency to over eat (and usually it’s the wrong kind of food). Our bodies also don’t function as well; we need to get rest to function at its optimal level.
8. Stay Strong! Take one day at a time. The first 2 weeks are going to be the hardest, but don’t get overwhelmed. You will see the results if you stick with it. (Just ask my friend Stacie) =}

In the next 30 days I will be blogging helpful tips, recipes, healthy ideas, the importance of detoxing, why what we consume and put on our bodies is so important in our overall health and just the encouragement to keep going for these next 30 days.

I look forward to these next 30 days with all who are looking to becoming 

a healthier new you in this New Year.

Happy New Years!!!

How much are you into your LABELS?

I know some are into Name Brand labels, some are into food labels...Today I'm going to take a closer look into Food Labels and then my next blog will be looking into Product labels that we use on a daily bases. Do you know what you are actually consuming?

A favorite of many. I know I've enjoyed cheetos myself...but do we really know what's in these crunchy orange flavored snack? 

Ferrous Sulfate: it is a type of iron

Niacin: is a B vitamin

Thiamin Monoitrate: Is a synthetic form of vitamin B1 (synthetic product such as they use in vitamins are hard to break down in our bodies and therefore we never actually get the nutrients we need.)

Riboflavin: is a form of vitamin B2

Hydrogenated Soybean Oil: is a chemical process where the liquid soybean oil is heated to high temperatures after adding a catalyst and hydrogen is forcefully passed through the liquid. _{(if it has any chemical processing in the making of the product our bodies have a very difficult time breaking down the food in our system therefore the food is devoid of any nutrients and we become nutrient deficient)} 

Maltodextrin: is a polysaccharid that is used as a food additive. It is produced from starch.

Monosodium Glutamate: is also known as sodium glutamate or MSG, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid.

Lactic Acid: is also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in various that plays a role in various biochemical processes.

Citric Acid: is a weak organic acid that is a natural preservative/ conservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour taste to foods and soft drinks.

“Believe it or not, most artificial flavorings are derived from pretroleum. They have been shown to affect the RNA, thyroid, and enzymes. Most have never even been studied for safety or toxicity. They are all synthesized chemicals that don’t even have common names. Most artificial flavors actually contain many chemicals are volatile.

Sadly, the FDA doesn’t require manufacturers to list color or flavor additives on ingredients left, as long as they are recognized as safe. Some of these can cause allergic reactions in intolerant people, and these folks can find it hard to avoid those substances. Many times the ingredients will simply say “artificial flavors” without mentioning which ones. http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1533006

If you want to read more on the dangers of artificial flavors and colors check this above article out at the http: address. The FDA also allows pink slime in some ground beef and in McDonalds chicken nuggets. http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/pinkslime-ammonia-ground-beef.htm

So hopefully this blog will help be a bit of an eye opener to find out what really is in your food and encourage you to read the labels. If you can consume whole foods at least 90% of the time you are on the right track at getting your health back on track.

Is Ignorance really BLISS?! Part 2

I wonder if people really know the cost of the typical american ignorance to what they feed themselves and their little ones.

USATODAY says, "By Robert Preidt HealthDay

The total economic cost of overweight and obesity in the United States is $270 billion per year while the cost in Canada is about $30 billion a year, a new study shows.

The $300 billion total cost in the United States and Canada is the result of: increased need for medical care ($127 billion); loss of worker productivity due to higher rates of death ($49 billion); loss of productivity due to disability of active workers ($43 billion); and loss of productivity due to total disability ($72 billion), said the Society of Actuaries (SOA)."

The George Washington University did a report that found out "The high price of a high BMI: After tabulating various costs associated with being overweight or obese, the researchers found that being an obese individual in the U.S. costs $4,879 for women and $2,646 for men each year. The overall annual costs of being overweight are $524 for women and $432 for men. The researchers defined “obesity” as a body mass index (BMI) higher than 30, and “overweight” as a BMI between 25–29. Adding the value of lost life to these yearly costs makes the price tag even higher: $8,365 and $6,518 for women and men, respectively."

Those are some scary statistics... And that's just financially. What are the risks of being overweight and obese health wise? being overweight go way beyond the ones we usually hear about, like diabetes and heart disease. Being overweight can also affect a person's joints, breathing, sleep, mood, and energy levels. So being overweight can impact a person's entire quality of life. Here is a list of things of how it impacts our lives.

· Blount disease

· Arthritis

· Slipped capital femoral epiphyses (SCFE)

· Asthma

· Sleep apnea

· High blood pressure

· High cholesterol

· Gallstones

· Fatty liver

· Pseudotumor cerebri

· Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

· Insulin resistance and diabetes

• Depression

Who wants to live with those kind of complications day in and day out. You may not have all these symptoms but we all need to take a good look at where our health habits stand because the habits we have formed over the years will impact our future and what our futures hold. I want to live a long, energetic life. But the only way I can do that is if I start today and turn my bad eating and exercise habits into daily good habits.

Let's begin this journey together so that we can be healthy and strong for ourselves and our loved ones.