STYLEnosh

STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT YOUR THIGHS! (WATCH THIS VIDEO FROM THE TODAY SHOW)

Who among us hasn't joked about the size of our butts? It's become so common to engage in this type of humor that it's almost expected when a group of women hang out. Remember that episode from Sex and the City where the ladies were having lunch and lamenting about what they would change about their bodies. And after Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte finished their complaints, they all turned to Samantha and wondered why she wasn't chiming in with her on negative body quip. Instead Samantha simply said something like, I love my body. I wouldn't change a thing. Love that!

I'm a big advocate of improving your body and making it better. And if you're out of shape or not engaging in healthy habits like eating fruits and vegetables and working out regularly, adding those changes to your life can dramatically boost the way you view yourself.

But all those little comments about your stomach being flabby or your butt being ginormous are not only NOT funny. They're NOT helping you be better. Everyone thinks these jokes are just jokes. But each time you make a so called funny about your thighs, you're really feeding your brain another negative thought that keeps you from reaching your goals and feeling about yourself today. And I think that's a goal not worth putting off until tomorrow.

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HEALTHY THANKSGIVING DINNER? COMING RIGHT UP!

Hey people! I hope you all had a phenomenal Thanksgiving. I spent the day with my sister and her family and boy did she surprise me! As many of you know, I've been eating a high raw food for about four months now. (Well it's been longer but for a while there, I didn't quite understand that eating raw eliminated the notion of pancakes for breakfast.) And while I do eat cooked meals for dinner, I wasn't sure what expect from my sister who doesn't any cooked food anymore. Here's the video she made talking about our Thanksgiving feast. It was healthy (sugar and butter free) and absolutely delicious! See, you can have healthy AND enjoyable holiday meal.

A LITTLE BIT OF FUN: "BACON IS GOOD FOR ME"

As many of you know my sister, Joy, and her family were on Wife Swap earlier this year. Joy and her husband, Sarge, run a fitness boot camp company and they were swapped with a family who had no interest in fitness or healthy eating. The other family also had an eight-year old son who pretty much ran the house. So he and my sister had an immediate power struggle that is wonderfully captured in this video. Hi-lar-i-ous!!!

BOOTCAMP BEGINS TODAY & A RESULTS UPDATE TOO!

Today began another exciting, challenging cycle of 4 weeks of boot camp. I've been so busy the past few weeks that I forgot to post an update on my results at the end of the last boot camp.  So here it is:

I have been diligently eating raw fruits and vegetables during the day and then cooked veggies and fish (or whole grains) at night. Combined with 5 days of tough boot camp in 4-week increments, I'm finally starting to see some phenomenal results. In the last 4 weeks, I lost 9 lbs and 2% body fat.

Why did I adopt this way of living? Well, I wanted to be truly healthy and reduce my high body fat percentage, which in April was way too high at 28.8%! (Now I'm at 24.4%.) Back in July, I lamented about my slow results and then it hit me: you can't expect your body to shed fat if you keep scarfing down potato chips. (No matter how "healthy" the package claims to be.) And surprise, surprise, I don't miss the chips. I can definitely thank eating raw for that.

As you may have guessed, I'm pretty psyched right now. There is still work to be done and I'm doing it! How's your workout going? Are you eating food out of your refrigerator or are you still sucking down sodas everyday? Don't wait til January to pledge your allegiance to fitness and healthy food. There's no better day than today to get started!

DRINK YOUR FOOD INSTEAD OF EATING IT

I've been juicing/blending for 3 days and I have to say, the increased energy is amazing! I did the same thing a couple of weeks ago and I was blown away by how well my body responded to drinking my food instead of eating it.

Here's a pic of my typical lunch when I'm doing a juice/blend fast. 

I take the mango, frozen papaya, 1 green apple, kale, and cilantro and I blend it all up to make this:

I know it may look a little odd, I mean really, who drinks green goo. But it's rather tasty. The sweetness of the mango balances out the bitterness of the kale. 

I usually have a juice before or after the smoothie. The one I had today was beets, carrots, apples, orange pepper, cucumber, and a pinch of ginger. It had a rich red color and it was absolutely delicious! The key to surviving a drink only meal plan is to sip your drinks slowly over an hour or so. It took my 2 hours to drink my juice this morning.

So why do it?

OMG! There are so many phenomenal reasons to juice in particular. Check out this link to get detailed information. The main I do it is to get all those lovely vitamins and minerals that are deposited into your body without going through the process of digestion which metabolizes the stored fat lying around in your body. I can definitely use this benefit after eating cooked food all weekend. Juicing/blending for a few days gives my body a break from digesting food. It's the perfect mini detox!

BOOT CAMP UPDATE: STILL GOING STRONG!

This is week three of boot camp. I actually don't feel as sore this time around, so it seems that workout consistency is definitely paying off. Do I love boot camp? Yes, I really enjoy the challenging workout and the camaraderie is more motivating than I ever thought possible. But it can still be tough to make it every day. 

Here are the challenges I face every day and how I manage to bust through them.

Waking up at 4:30 am: This little task is the biggest issue I face no matter how much sleep I get the night before. I've never been a proponent of getting up early. And cracking my eyes open when it's dark and early can be painful. To propel myself out of bed, I roll over and turn on music videos. Hearing Kings of Leon or Beyonce or Kayne West in the morning, gets me moving. And on the way to boot camp, I drink a supplement that increases energy and alertness without causing a crash later. Most mornings I'm ready to hit it by the time 5:30 am strikes and camp starts.

Daily workouts: While I do enjoy working out, I really don't care to do it 5 days a week. But Monday through Friday, you'll find me out on the field with 50 other women ready for that day's sweat (and sometimes tears). Why do I commit to 5 days a week? One reason is I want my body to get used to working out on a regular basis. Going every day ensures I'll keep going and not get lazy by missing a day here or two days there. And again, knowing that by not showing up those other women will be missing my presence is a huge factor. Because whenever someone doesn't show up, their absence impacts the rest of the group.

Soreness/Injuries: Being extremely sore or worse, nursing an injury can be a major workout deterrent. It's so difficult to fathom running or lifting weights when you can barely lift your legs out of bed. And add a muscle pull or other injury and one can't help but think that skipping a few days is a good idea. Unfortunately, the best way to break through that soreness is to keep working out. I know, not the answer we like to hear but it's true. And if you're injured, grab that ice pack and consistently ice that pain throughout the day. 

The bottom line: Keep working out. Keep pushing through the apathy and the pain. It gets better. And you'll feel better too.

What keeps you motivated to workout consistently? Pass on your tips to help someone else get motivated too!

FINDING YOUR FITNESS FOUNDATION

Yesterday we were back at boot camp. Dark and early at 5:30 am, baby! We had a two-week break in between the last boot camp and I'm certain that not working out at all last week is going to prove to be a bad idea. And after day two, I'm moving a little slower today. 

While I enjoyed not getting up at 4:30 am, I really feel like something was missing these last two weeks without boot camp. It's like working out with the strength and intensity that these workouts bring, sets the foundation for my health and fitness. I guess it's akin to what saving a certain percentage of your income does for your financial stability. Many people say that they need groups to keep them motivated to work out regularly. I've never felt that way but now that I sweat and push myself through a hard exercise program with 50 other women by my side, I definitely see the value in being in a group. 

Do you have something in your life that serves as your fitness foundation? Do you play tennis or take swim lessons? Or do you belong to a running club? There's a plethora of fitness methods to choose from. You just need to pick one.

Picture caption: Smiling through the pain.

BOOT CAMP 4-WEEK UPDATE

Well, I finished my first boot camp!!! And I feel great! I'm a little bruised (rolling around on concrete will do that), but overall I feel pretty energized.

I've seen a little movement in the weight loss department. I lost a whole inch off of my hips! Everything is pretty much the same.

I'm learning that the secret formula for purging weight, and stored fat in particular, is all about what you eat. Please don't think you can workout 4 hours a day and lose weight if you continue to consume a high sugar, high sodium, high fat, and high processed food diet. I'm just saying...

Just in case you forgot what I looked like four weeks ago, here's the 'before' post.

And of course, I'll be monitoring my progress and posting another update at the beginning of September. The next boot camp starts August 10th. So if you'll excuse me, I have to go workout so I'll be ready for the fun!

RETIREMENT CEREMONY: BLUE DRESS

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned in a post that I was starting a new fitness boot camp and back to eating at least 70% raw foods. Well, it's the half-way point of the 4-week boot camp and this picture accurately displays the impact of my actions. This dress looks like it's hanging on me.

So it is with a wee bit of sadness and a lot of excitement that I retire this lovely blue dress. Due to its roomy capacity and paper bag-esque quality, I can no longer wear this dress and feel confident that I look good. (Even tying a scarf around the waist didn't the situation.) Its future home shall be with a dear friend or a charitable organization.

The bad news is I love this dress and I hate that I can no longer wear it. (And the silk material doesn't make it the best candidate for alterations.) The good news is it only cost around $8 and some change from Target. I got about 4 wears out of it. That means it cost a little over $2 per wear. I'd say that's not a bad deal. Oh, and the even better news is someone else will benefit from me losing some extra fat. Sounds like a win-win to me!

IT'S TIME FOR BOOT CAMP, BABY!!!

Yesterday began my first full, 4-week boot camp session. And this is what I look like on day one. Notice anything different?

I've talked a little bit in the past couple of months about working out with my sister's boot camp company and the dietary changes I've implemented under her guidance. So now that I'm in Florida and all wrapped up in the business, it's time to monitor my progress. This is my before picture. And at the end of July, I'll post an after shot. Since I'm back to eating at least 70% raw foods, we should definitely notice a reduction in size and stored body fat.

If you're looking for phenomenal information on fitness ideas and eating tips, check out my sister's blog at Winner-or-Whiner. She makes a point of diseminating new information about health and fitness with the goal of pushing you past the same stuck place you continue to find yourself in. A don't be surprised if reaching your fitness goals causes you to excel in other areas of your life.

Oh, I almost forgot. I found this army green dress at Target for $6.24 on the clearance rack. It's the perfect piece to buy when you're losing weight and your clothes start to get a little too big. Later this week I'll talk more about how to deal with that fantastically annoying problem.