It's a Lifestyle: 24 Day Challenge - Part I

We are about to start our 2nd Advocare 24 Day Challenge. Aboy and I are already getting into mental readiness mode. 

The challenge starts on April 6th. 

For the first 10 days, we will do the cleanse portion. It's not a violent or volatile type cleanse... it's more of a gentle scrubbing of the flora in our digestive track. This helps prepare the body for the "Max" phase which is high in nutritional intake and absorption. 

Healthy Beverages: Watermelon, Pineapple and Ginger

I needed a snack this morning and wanted to mix it up a little bit. Aboy had left a 1/2 watermelon, we had picked up a fresh pineapple and there is always fresh ginger in the house. I also have some cucumbers, oranges, blueberries and other produce... so, I wanted to find a juice that would be my "snack" but yield some health benefits too.

Google is my friend and I typed in "Watermelon Juice"... pages of stuff came up and I was able to find something for almost every ingredient that I have available. 

This morning I chose the Watermelon, Pineapple and Ginger juice.

Health Benefits:

1. Watermelon: Among all the vitamins and health benefits - 1 cup of Watermelon only has 45 calories. 
2. Pineapple: There is a long list of health benefits but adding Pineapple also makes everything sweeter. A half cup of Pineapple has 50 calories. 
3. Ginger: I love Ginger because it has proven over and over to me to be an anti-inflammatory. Yous know I have a trick hip and I'm not getting any younger... Ginger helps reduce swelling and inflammation. 1 TBSP (about a thumb size) has 5 calories. 

I blended this up in my NutribulletRX and after putting in all the ingredients, added filtered water to the Max Line. It yielded a nice size pitcher and it is very "juicy" not "pulpy". I added some ice. It is very tasty, too!

You can find the recipes that I have tried by following me on Pinterest. I frequently update my boards because there is so much to try and only so many meals in a day!

My New Favorite Toy #2

If you read my post about my New Favorite Toy you know that idle time, a credit card and info-mercials are a deadly mix! 

In saying that - my New Favorite Toy #2 is my NutribulletRX.

It's much bigger than the regular Nutribullet and has some additional bells and whistles that "sold" me. 

1. The motor is a set it and forget it. I just plop the canister on the motor and it accelerates, then slows then re-accelerates until it's finished.
2. It makes SOUP!  No bullshit - I can put in all the ingredient and in 7 minutes I have fresh soup. It makes a great base of thick creamy soups and then I can add any extras like beans, more vegetables or a meat - for texture. 
3. It yields less pulp (well, I think it does). If I'm looking for a smoothie, I want pulp - but if I'm looking for a juice, I can add more liquid (water, almond milk, coconut water) to make it more like a "juice". It also pulverizes the fuck out of a chia seed! 

Then it does the regular things that the regular nutribullet can do - like make peanut butter and smoothies.

Clean up is a dream. I wanted to move away from my traditional juicer because of all the waste and clean up is a PITA. This, I can run it under water or just quickly run the scrub brush over it and it's clean. So. Much. Easier. I mean, life is hard enough. Clean up should be easy! 

If you're not into heavy juicing or are just starting to get your feet wet, we also have the regular Nutribullet - which works great, too. Aboy keeps his on the truck and it has really made it easy for him to have a quick healthy drink when he wants something more than water. 

Another "toy" that I am pleased with. 

I give it 2 snaps!!

New Year, New Me...

2014 will go down as a "ehh" type of year. I had many accomplishments, but there were also some disappointments that I should have had better control of.

2015 is going to be different, by design.

I think it's safe to say through adulthood, I've approached life as a journey. I hold on to lessons and try to get better. I really, truly aspire to be a better person today than I was yesterday - everyday of my life.

I also try to lead by example... I'm not really (and never really have been) a person that preaches "Do as I say, not as I do". It was a lesson I learned from childhood from simple displays of behavior from my parents. They would tell me not to do one thing, but were doing the exact things they instructed me not to do. It sends the wrong message and develops into trust issues and lack of respect.  Trust and respect are very important to me.

So, in saying all that - I am going to embrace 2015.

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It's actually taken me a long time to put my thoughts into this and to get it "on paper"... I've been all over the place in setting my "goals" (not resolutions) for this year. I started thinking about what I wanted for 2015 in November of 2014. I didn't make frivolous or impulsive decisions about what I wanted to happen this year.

I have some standing goals, that most of the time I do achieve. I renew them from year to year.

• Be more mindful of my words and actions
• Read at least 10 books this year (5 personal interest, 5 self-improvement)
• Learn a new skill
• Show appreciation professionally and personally
• Help others (write resumes for unemployed friends and family, donate time, share knowledge, etc...)

These are usually easy to keep, because they are who I am and what makes me get better as a human.

Then I have my variable goals that change from year to year (some samples would be):

• Say no to things I don't want to do (sometimes I really struggle with saying no to people)
• Straighten out some accumulated debt
• Lose weight
• Make healthier food choices

These are usually a little harder to achieve because:
1. They take you out of your comfort zone
2. Circumstances may not always be ideal to achieve them
3. Life happens

For 2015, along with my year to year standing "goals"... this year I've got a lengthy list of little goals that interlock with each other.

1. Manage my time & schedule more effectively. My career is very demanding and at times stressful. Although I work from home - I found in this past year, I was becoming a slave to my desk. I really had very little time or energy to do things for myself that I needed or just enjoyed doing. That will not happen in 2015.

2. Make time for me. This falls right into my first goal. I have committed to not working more than 10 hours in a day. I know there will be exceptions to my 10 hour rule... but for 2015 they will be exception, unlike 2014 where it was the rule.

• I signed up at the YMCA.
• Aboy bought me knitting needles, yarn and a sewing machine for Christmas - I am going to use them.
• I am going to have a bigger garden this year.
• I will be getting chickens.
• I am going to coupon at least once a week.

These things take time and a mental focus. Lucky for me (as yous know) - everything I do is with a passionate motivation... now I will have the time to achieve what I want to do.

3. 50 pounds by 50 years. I have been working on this since I was 47 and next year I will be 50. I have lost a few pounds over the past few years - but my weight has fluctuated up 10 and down 10 since I started that journey. I have come to the realization that I am venturing into middle age. I want to watch my grandkids have grandkids. This year I'm fully committed to losing it.

4. Build physical strength. This fits into #2 and #3 because 3 of the 5 things I have listed in #2 require a level of physical strength to perform the requirements of the tasks. As for the #3 part of it - why would I lose the weight and have flabby skin from the weight loss? It just makes sense to commit to this.

5. Take better care of my husband. So, these are not in any particular order because this would really be #1 on my list, but without achieving #1 through #4, I could not be any good at completing #5. Everyone knows how much we care for each other. As we enjoy the empty nest, I want to make sure as we journey through our golden years together - I make it as memorable and enjoyable as possible.

6. Cook and eat healthier. I am going to expand on my experimental recipes and try to eat a predominately plant-based diet. I love making my own breads and I am determined to accomplish consistent successful brown rice on the stove!

7. Eat out less. Last year I made a commitment that if I were to eat out - that I would eat at family owned establishments more often than corporate driven restaurants. I want to support our local economy and although I may pay a little extra to do so, it's worth it. I believe corporations are vital to our economy because they do provide jobs for many (me included) - but, living and buying local is helping someone that chose to live outside of that box. Most local businesses offer much healthier choices, anyway. It's something I enjoyed and I am going to continue for 2015.

8. Be more social. I work from home. Facebook is my social life. I am a social person. I need to get out more. Right now, the Y has become that outlet. I plan to build on that as I start to accumulate local friendships.

9. Blog more. Everyone has a story. I want to document mine. I am committing to at least 2 blog posts per month (this makes 1!!).

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I've got some other personal goals that I am working on (not for public discussion)... they also fall within and interlock with what I have listed.

2015 is my year; because I said so.