Cleanse. Detox. Reset.

Most of us have done or have heard about these master cleanses; diets that claim to drop weight in just a few days!  Diets such as the Hollywood Master Cleanse, Lemonade Diet, Juice Cleanse, Cabbage Soup Diet, and Tea Diet are quick fixes to many people.  These diet promise to increase energy, drop weight, and rid the body of toxins and chemicals. 

These diets can also result in headaches, irritability, dizziness, fatigue, colon damage, diarrhea, dehydration, and join and muscle pain.  Yes these diets do cleanse the body of toxins and chemicals but also cleanse the body of valuable vitamins and minerals, leaving the immune system weak and you often sick. 

Prolonged use or frequent dependency on these diets can lead to calcium loss and a sharp decrease in metabolism (starvation mode). 

Yes these do result in weight loss.  But that weight is actually your lean muscle breaking down; your body now uses that for fuel!  So all that hard work you have put in at the gym was basically a waste!  Plus many individuals binge eat after the completion of these crazy crash diets; leaving you weighing more than you did before the diet.

Additionally, many of these crazy cleanses require you to purchase special vitamins, juices, or packages of the actual detox; a money maker for them and a waste for you.

So basically detox diets are a waste....well not quite.  Fasting has been apart of human history for centuries and actually does have "cleansing benefits".  But they must be done the correct way and for the correct length of time.  Dr. Oz released his 48 Hour Weekend Cleanse a few weeks ago.  This cleanse focuses not on losing weight but on detoxing the liver, colon, and kidneys.  These organs are vital to our survival and to having an efficient digestive system.  His 48 hour cleanse consists of foods that are primarily detoxifying for those specific organs.  This cleanse also eliminates caffeine, preservatives and sugar; all of which are hard your digestive system.

I completed the Dr. Oz cleanse this week and faced a few headaches from the caffeine elimination but overall I slept amazing, my skin look incredible, and my stomach aches vanished.  Moreover, this cleanse has helped me to eliminate late night snacking, sugary cravings, and excessive caffeine.  Basically putting me back on track!  Perfect for after the holidays!  I do recommend you do this on a weekend.  It's fairly a lot of stuff to prepare the first time around and you are tired (lack of caffeine and in the cleansing process your body is finally able to take time to work internally rather than working so hard externally).  So stock up on moves, books, Epsom salts for a warm bath; stay away from Facebook, and minimize the cell phone use.  Make this detox work for not only your body but your mind!

You can find the complete Dr. Oz Cleanse here: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/48-hour-weekend-cleanse

Good luck!  Take care of that body!

Looking for a sweeter breakfast?

This Greek yogurt parfait is the perfect sweet breakfast, dessert, or mid-day snack!  Give it a try and your taste buds will thank you.  This is also a great substitute for that sugar fro yo splurge.

Serves: 1


Ingredients:

• ½ c non-fat plain Greek yogurt (one serving)
• ¼ c blueberries
• ¼ c sliced strawberries
• 1 tsp flax seeds
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds; shelled

Directions:

1. In a bowl layer ¼ c Greek yogurt, blueberries, flax seeds, ginger, remainder Greek yogurt, strawberries, sunflower seeds, and cinnamon.
2. Enjoy! Simple as that!

Food Journaling

Summer is at an end and the clouds are here but that doesn't mean you don't want to keep that summer body.  Fall and winter bring parties and holidays as well as heavy and sweet foods.  What to do??

Take up food journaling!  Eating is a habit and for some individuals a good habit (with good food choices) and others a bad habit (with bad food choices).

Journal contents:

1. Time of meal/snack/drink
2. What you are eating and how much (think portion control with nutritionally dense food rather than calories or points)
3. What you are drinking and how much (this includes water, sweet drinks, caffeine, alcohol and soda)
4. Amount of exercise
5. How you feel at the end of the day emotionally and physically
6. How you would like to improve tomorrow
7. Amount of restful sleep (continuous sleep; record if you are tossing and turning)

Is food journaling worth the time?:

• Accountability- this helps you put that extra cookie down; forcing you to really decide if you need it.
• Unhealthy patterns and habits- many of us eat in front of the TV, force food down while working on the computer, scarf those tortilla chips and salsa over a table with friends without paying attention to what we are doing, EATING.
• Lack of fluids- sometimes we feel hungry when we truly are dehydrated.  Pay attention to the amount of caffeine and alcohol you consume; each one of those removes that much water from your body.
• Feelings- this part is so important because so many of us are emotional eaters and don't want to admit it.  Journaling will help you see that.  Once you do, start creating a "safety net"- things to do (other than reaching for the chocolate bar or burger) when you feel stressed, upset, sad, alone, or even happy!
• Sleep- not getting adequate sleep causes most of us to ingest more sugary carbs or caffeine just to keep those eyes open, make the time (no more- I will sleep when I die).  Some of us struggle with sleep because of what we eat before bed- eating too late, too heavy, too many carbohydrates, too much sugar,  too much caffeine?
• Nutrition that fits for you- journaling will help you find the eating patterns and habits that work best for your body.  Every individual is different externally and internally; some people operate best on a higher complex carbohydrate diet, others higher protein diet.  Weigh yourself once week; same time, same scale, same clothing. 

After a month go through the journal and find the patterns of eating that work best for you; the days you feel best emotionally and physically.  Think of your diet journal as a means of experimentation with recorded results...obviously searching for the strongest results!  Once you find those results you can let go of the journal; but don't be afraid to begin again if you begin to feel of track....remember life happens and sometimes we need those guidelines to keep us on track.

Healthful Tuna Melt

Most diner versions of this sticky treat are loaded in fat and greasy calories. But no worries you can still enjoy this rich meal without all the guilt!

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 whole wheat tortilla (La Tortilla Factory 100 calorie)
• ¼- ½ c sliced spicy almond cheese
• 1 can drained albacore tuna
• ¼ c salsa
• ¼ c chopped spinach
• ¼ c chopped baby tomatoes
• 1 chopped green onion

Directions:

1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 375 degrees.
2. Stuff a whole wheat tortilla with almond cheese, tuna, salsa, spinach, baby tomatoes, and green onion.
3. Place in oven for approximately 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
4. Cut. Serve with additional salsa for dipping if desired.

Peanut Butter: natural vs originial

The peanut butter question used to be restricted to Jiff or Skippy??  Yet now with a rise in health and nutrition the shelves are literally littered with varieties of these original childhood staples.

What to look for when on the peanut butter hunt:

1. no added sugar (found as the second ingredient in our original Jiff and Skippys)
2. no added salt (we all don't need that extra bloating)
3. no added oils (the natural peanut oils are enough fat on their own)
4. no added preservatives (refrigeration should be the only preservation method; the body never needs unnecessary chemicals)

My cheap recommendations: Trader Joe's Crunchy No Salt Added and Walmart's Adam's 100% All Natural Creamy; both are under $3!  Remember health doesn't have to be expensive.

Some great on the go snack ideas:

• Whole wheat toast with all natural peanut butter and no sugar added apple butter (quick breakfast)
• Apple with peanut butter (afternoon snack)
• Whole wheat tortilla wrapped around a banana and peanut butter (perfect post workout snack)
• Many of my other snack ideas ;)

Rich Chocolate Chewy Brownies

Who doesn’t love a rich chocolate brownie?? But notice how we always feel so guilty after? Now you can enjoy the brownie, hey even two, without the guilt! This recipe contains 3 variations: (1) plain, (2) crunchy, (3) walnuts and coconut dressed.

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans (15 oz), rinsed (removes some sodium)
• ½ c cocoa powder
• 3 egg whites
• 3 tbsp whole wheat flour
• ¾ c agave
• 1 tbsp smart balance
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• **optional- ¼ c walnuts, ¼ c shredded unsweetened coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 baking pan with smart balance.
2. In a food processor combine beans, cocoa powder, egg whites, and whole wheat flour. Blend for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add agave, smart balance, vanilla, and (variation 2 add walnuts and coconut now). Blend 2 minutes.
4. Pour batter into prepared baking dish (variation 3 top brownie mix with walnuts and coconut). Bake for 10 minutes, rotate, and bake an additional 10 minutes, rotate, finish for 5-8 minutes (until fully cooked).
5. Remove from oven, allow cool, place in fridge for approximately 2-3 hours or until brownies are set. Cut into bars.

The Power of Positive

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”- Winston Churchill

Have you ever noticed that people who are successful are often very happy and positive? This isn’t just a coincidence.

Your personal self-talk contributes directly to your growth, success, and achievements. You are your own radio tower; emitting negative thinking and negative self talk will bring you just that.

With the fall of today’s economy it is even more important for our personal success to own this way of thinking.

Start training your subconscious in a positive light by first taking control of your conscious thoughts. Try these tools:

1. Make a goal board. Visual images are powerful and become even stronger when they are seen every day; especially those rough days. Make a collage, take pictures, draw, find quotes and place them on a poster board….I know we are all busy but taking the time to do this will lead you to those ultimate goals even sooner.
2. Surround yourself with positive people. Ever notice how negativity can be contagious?
3. End your day by writing down at least one good thing that happened. Use your Facebook or Twitter as your forum… spread the positive energy.
4. Develop a plan of action, “safety net”, for those more difficult days. How are you going to get yourself out of that mind set?....call a friend, look a fun pictures from the past, use your goal board (keeping the big picture in mind), reading a favorite quote or part of an uplifting book. We also face fallbacks; the ones that get up the fastest are those with a plan of action.
5. Fill your home, office, car, and bedroom with positive light. Keeping the areas you spend most of your time positive will remind you to keep your positive attitude during illness, injury, arguments…basically when you face anything challenging you have a place of refuge. Use your favorite fabrics, colors, photos, memories to decorate these areas….it should be hard not to smile when you come to your place of refuge.
6. Read positive books to increase the positive learning transformation….”The Secret”- Rhonda Byrne, “The Power of Positive Thinking”-Norman Peale, “The Power of Self Coaching”-Joseph Luciani, “You Can if You Think You Can”- Norman Peale, “Unlimited Power”-Tony Robbins

Started your positive successful life this evening! Don’t wait any longer! Put the extra training time into the tools now for the next few months and watch your life and happiness change drastically.

Live life well…you only get one!