“We have to choose between what is right, and what is easy.”

In the last week, I have learned a lot about choices. Some choices are more difficult than others. When it comes to food people tend to have an extremely difficult time making the RIGHT choices. I was able to introduce lean meat back into my diet...I CHOSE to add only fish and eggs back. Why not other lean meats such as chicken and red meat? I am feeling so so so amazing without them in my diet and don't see a need to add them back in my diet. In addition, I believe that it is more difficult to find chicken and red meat that has not be injected with antibiotics and other not so great additives thus, I am sticking to a diet as clean as possible. My diet may not be the best for you because again, not one person is made up the same way and some people may not react well with a diet that consists of soley veggies, fruits, nuts, fish and eggs. Some may need red meat and/or chicken.
One of the more difficult, or so I thought, choices I had to make this past week was when I went out to eat. I tried to avoid eating out during the first 10 days because I was trying to get in the habit of making proper choices. Eating homecooked meals allowed me to control what went into my food. When eating out in a restaurant, I have a lot less control of what actually goes into my food--what goes into my body. Last week, I finally felt ready to try eating out. As I looked through the menu I heard my mom say " always ask what's in the food" and I did just that. I asked the waiter what exactly was in my food whether it was fish or salad dressing, I wanted to know what was in it. If the waiter didn't know, I had him find out from the chef what was in it because I did not want to take the chnace of infecting my CLEAN body.

Friday night I went to a restaurant called Rocco's Tacos in Fort Lauderdale. They are known for their tacos--DUHH, but I was not going to give in! While my friends ate chips and guac (they were so kind to move the chips out of my vision), I just ate the guac by itself and it was AMAZING.  For dinner, I asked for grilled Mahi and extra veggies instead of the rice that came with it. I enjoyed my delcious, nutritious, and healthy dinner OUT AT A RESTAURANT. I was so satisfied and enjoyed every minute of my dinner.

The power of choice is amazing yet sometimes difficult. It would have been so easy to take the night off my purification and eat whatever I wanted, but I decided when I started this purification that I was making a life long change. So instead of taking the easy way out, I did what was right for me!

It's All About the Perimeter

The perimeter is something that is taught to us as early as grade school and it has never occrued to me until recently how relevant it is in our everyday lives (I will explain more later)!

It is finally day 5..I'm feeling EXCELLENT; light, energetic, happy, and no more bloating. It is my one day off of the week so I decided to take advantage of the rainy day and stay home and cook. Before I started cooking my feast, I went over to Whole Foods and Publix to make sure I had all the delicous and nutrient-rich foods I desired.

So you may be asking (or maybe not) why perimeters?---GOOD QUESTION...When do your shopping you should really focus on the foods that are found on the perimeter of the grocery store; FRUITS AND VEGGIES. Have you ever noticed that? Foods that are found within the aisles of the grocery stores are typically that ones that are packaged which contain a large of amount sodium, refined sugars, artificial flavorings, trans fats, hydrogentated oils, etc..the list is ENDLESS. Why do you think these foods can last so long on the selves....you can answer that for yourself. Why even shop in those aisle in which we know what will be entering our bodies will slowly (sometimes even quickly) damage us internally and eventually externally as well. filling your grocery carts with the proper foods, mainly found on the perimeter of the grocery store is one step closer to a properly balanced diet. Think about it next time you go to the grocery store...

I hate to judge, but it is a perfect opportunity to use this following story as a learning tool. As I was checking out of publix(take a look at my shopping cart on the right), there was a guy in line behind me--I would say late 40s--his shopping cart was packed with EVERYTHING from the inner aisles: diet sodas, packaged soup, frozen dinners, the list goes on...It made very sad to see that this guy (extremely overweight) didn't know that he was slowly killing himself because of the foods he eats. 

This was a very important lesson for me (and hopefully for you too), that even if my shopping cart isn't 100% from the perimeter, I want to be able to be proud of the foods that are packed in there, bottom to top.

Willpower is Essential to the Accomplishment of Anything Worthwhile

This fabulous quote stated by Brian Tracy was how I recap day 4, and as you keep reading you'll understand why...
Day 4 started off with the same routine: wake up, prepare lunch and make shake--which I have almost mastered! My morning went well as a mid morning snack I had blackberries, apple slices, and a few almonds--it has become a favorite of mine because it not only tastes great, but keeps me satisfied. For lunch, was eggplant, 1/4 sweet potato, and guac with celery! I'm trying not to eat so much sweet potato because although it is absolutely delicious, it is high in calories. I went to box after school and once again was shocked with the amount of energy I still had from my lunch.
The real test of my willpower came later that night....for dinner, I had a shake, which I have learned to enjoy--even the slight greeny taste that comes along with them--and then went over to my greatest friends house (Suzile and Pizza Pie). As I walked into their house, The smell of all the delicious foods took over--in my head I kept asking myself how am I going to do this?!!? Everything looked SOOOOOO DELCIOUS, but I was determined to keep my purification going strong...and I DID...and then dessert came out--chocolate cake and brownies--TO DYE FOR...so I settled (I guess not settled because it was delicious) for some beautiful fruit salad. This was the first REAL test of my willpower and at the end of the night I was so so proud of myself...everyone at dinner was super supportive of my purification and encouraged me to keep going STRONG!!!

Keep on Keepin' On

Days 2 and 3....
As busy as I have been this week, I have still been working hard to set aside time to prepare my meals to help keep my body satiated and my life  A WHOLE LOT EASIER. One of the most amazing parts of all of this is that I have not craved anything yet...YET...I still can't believe it. So far, everything that I have eaten has kept my body satisfied!!!
Let me recap day 2....woke up and went to the kitchen to make sure I had plenty of food for the entire day because it was going to be a loooonnnggg day; after a full day of teaching, I go straight to work at lululemon (good thing I love being there and I am obsessed with each person that works there!!!). Of course, I made my shake--this time I was sure I was going to master it..unfortunately--NOT YET..don't get me wrong it was BETTER, but not 100% yet. Today, I did not have to snack on any almonds or apples in between meals...I think my body is getting used to this! Lunchtime came around and I had eggplant, 1/4 sweet potato and some more of my delicious butternut squash soup. After school, I had a little time before I had to go to work and decided to go by Whole Foods..I bought some of their fresh guac (AMAZING), fresh salsa (UNBELIEVABLE), and decided to treat myself with some fresh orange/carrot juice--not a daily recommended choice of drink if losing weight is the goal. I had the juice and a little of the fresh salsa before work--I filled my fresh peppers with the salsa--TALK ABOUT YUMMMM...and that was all I needed to give me plenty of energy to be energetic on the floor at work! My break was from 6:30-7PM. For dinner, I enjoyed 1/4 sweet potato, eggplant, and soup--DELISH!. To me, it was incredible that although I was eating less than normal, I felt more energetic and satisfied than usual. Day 2 was another great day!!!

Now let me recap day 3...by now, you should get my morning ritual--wake up, gather my food for the day, make my shake, and leave for work. I am starting to get used to the greeny taste in my shake, but still not an expert shake maker--I am determined to gain that title soon! For lunch, I had some sweet potato, portobello mushroom with tomato and garlic, and some apple slices. I have never been a mushroom fan, I think it is because of the texture, but when cooked properly, I have learned to enjoy them and their health benefits :).  Lunch gave me enough energy to head to box immediately after school--I have become more advanced in boxing and need a lot more energy! It still blows my mind that I am able to do such an intense workout and not feel the slightest bit faint! LOVING MY VEGGIES! For dinner, I decided to have another shake because I was not very hungry, but knew it was important for me to give my body the proper nutrients to recover from my workout. This shake I added 1/2 banana, mango, strawberries, pineapple, lemon, peaches, spinach, carrot, and celery (and the powders)...NOW THIS WAS DELICIOUS--I HAVE ALMOST GAINED MY TITLE WITH THIS ONE! The shake was able to satisfy for the rest of the night and I did not crave a single food. Something I did feel different, Dr. Doman warned me, is I began to feel bloated. I was not uncomfortable, but I was aware that my body was starting to realize my diet was changing. Overall, I had a wonderful day--high energy, good mood, awake, but a little bloated by the end of the night. 

A Hard Beginning Makes a Good Ending

So it's day 1 of the purification...I am going in with a positive mindset--willing to try new veggies and mixtures that may not have been my choice of food in the past.

So into the blender goes...frozen berries, 1/2 banana, spinach, cucumber, the powders, ice, and water. It looked absolutely delicious...so I tasted it and it tasted a little less than delicious...uhoh..regardless I have to drink it! Dr. Doman warned me--I'll mess up a few, but eventually I will be a MASTER SHAKE MAKER--and really..what better title could I ever get???

So it's halfway through the morning--feeling great! I want to keep the momentum so I have a small handful of almonds and a few apple slices to hold me over until lunch. WHO KNEW APPLES AND ALMONDS COULD KEEP YOU SO FULL..I had an idea, but never truly understood. This makes me :-D

OH AND BEFORE I FORGET....I have been drinking so so so so much water to help flush my system...I never allow my bottle to be empty..it's neverending!

As lunch was approaching,I started to heat up my lunch, which consisted of half a sweet potato, 1 cup of butternut squash soup, and asparagus. Not only did the smell take over my classroom, but it tasted even better than it smelled--again, who knew HEALTHY food could taste so delicious???

One thing I was worried about when beginning the purification was my energy level because I am an extremely active person...A typical workout week for me is: Monday: Rest ( I usually work at lululemon) Tuesday: Box (1.5hours) and run at least 3 miles, Wednesday: varies (I sometimes work at lululemon) (Orange Theory, Bikram Yoga, Dr. Steve's Yoga Class), Thursday: Box for 1.5 hours and Bikram, Friday: Box for 1.5 hours, Saturday: Varies (Run, Cori's Beach Bootcamp, Yoga), and Sunday: Varies (Orange Theory, Run or Yoga). So as you can see being active is EXTREMELY important to me.

I went to box (Pro Thai Boxing Center with Alex Desir --AMAZINGGGGG!!!!) after school and I was so so so happy to find not only did I have energy, but MORE energy than normal. Boxing is not an easy workout--probably the MOST intense workout I have ever had, and to have MORE energy than usual was unreal to me.

My lunch held me over until dinner. I felt great all day; no headaches, no cravings, not starving-what more could I ask for? For dinner--another shake and this time it was much better. I think it's because of the apple I added!

If I had to sum up my day based on how I felt and  if I experienced any physical effects I would have to say... Felt great, high energy, satiated, good mood. No physical effects as of yet! Preparation had a lot to do with my success..wihtout it I believe I would have had a much more difficult time. So overall...I give this day an "A"!

"For Every Minute Spent Organizing, an Hour is Earned"

My fab friend, Meghan, and I decided to do this 21 day purification together. We both have 2 jobs, which means our time to cook is extremely limited so we knew that doing this together would be the best option.--we are able to both support each other and cook together. I told my self when I decided to do this that I was going to do it right and the number one key to success is PREPARATION! So after the gym, I went straight to the grocery store to buy all the neccesary fruits and veggies for the upcoming week. Meghan met me at my house and we decided our meals for the upcoming week would consist of butternut squash soup, sweet potato, asparagus, and pineapple and tomato salsa. It was unbelievable how amazing my entire house smelled and even better--all such healthy nutrient-rich foods!

You Are What You Eat

It's that moment when that french fry or piece of cheesecake touches your lips that your body starts to scream!  Refined sugars and grease may taste delicious at that moment, but minutes later you're paying for the damage you are slowing doing to your body. Not just you...but me too. Our bodies are an amazing machine and when we start to feed it the wrong foods, it begins to shut down. Shutting down doesn't have to be an immediate outcome, but worse than that it is a slow and tormenting process. Everything from allergies to cancer can be a red flag that what we are putting in our bodies is a BIG NO NO. So this leads me to why I started this blog...some of you may or may not know that I am currently studying to became a Health coach at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (what an amazing experience I am having). Through school, I am learning about all different types of eating lifestyles and I decided that I have to "walk the walk" for my future clients to feel that they can trust my word. So...a great friend and an AMAZING chiropractor, Dr. Sandy Doman (she helped me get back on my feet--literally, after a terrible ankle sprain), mentioned to me that she is going to start to carry this wonderful purification as a supplement to her practice and thought that I would benefit greatly from it. It's a 21 day purification that will reset and detox my body! And the most amazing part of it is....wait for it....YOU CAN EAT!!!!! Everyone who knows me knows how much I enjoy all types of foods. So this is how it works...Days 1-7 consist of unlimited fruits, veggies, and nuts (more veggies than anything) with supplement pills and powders that consist only of whole foods(no..not the store) and veggies. On days 8-21, I continue the supplements, but I will be allowed to introduce lean meats. The whole idea of this purification is that you are not supposed to be hungry and it teaches you how to eat properly for the rest of your life. Most people wonder--will I ever be able to have that piece of chocolate or slice of pizza? The answer is yes (in MODERATION), but an even better answer is that you may never want to have it because of how great you feel from the inside out.
So as I am going through my 21 day journey to reset my eating lifestyle (I will continue to blog after--don't you worry), So...PLEASE join me as I embark through this life changing journey to finding a new, healthier, and better ME.