Loving Vegan Food, Fitness and Yoga

Black History Month- Black Fitness

2012-02-10T09:30:00.001-05:00

Alright... every month is Black History month over here, but I thought I'd throw some things out in honor of the American celebration of Black History.

Look at this adorable Disney video that is airing on the Disney Channel everyday this month. Kennedy LOVES this and so do I. Really watch it. It's short.

Anything is Possible

Okay onto fitness!! This post is to shine light on African Americans in the raw movement and African Americans in fitness. Obviously my focus is on women (duh), and this isn't meant to be an exhaustive list by any stretch of the imagination, but it is set to shine light on the amazing things being done by a few! Feel free to google and email me with anyone else that you find. I'd love to check em out!

Be inspired....I certainly am....

Black Fitness Blog- Okay. I have a new fav destination. This blog is crazy awesome. When I get emails from people who ask me how they can get a "black girl's butt" (I am directly quoting), I give tons of advice and suggestions, but this blog has a great focus on the Black female body. I LOVE this blog. :) Read this article on how junk is in the trunk isn't a bad thing. I certainly like my junk in the trunk lol

Black Girls Run- This site is so cool! As much as I ~~fucking despise~~ running, I know the benefits of it. This site makes me want to run again. Or at least have a brief affair with running. They even talk about juicing and have some vegan recipes!

Beautiful Athlete- A cute blog about a girl's journey from fat to fit. I love her honesty and her realistic look on things. And her hair rocks!

Black Girl's Guide to Weight Loss- Wow...is all I can say. This girl's transformation is outstanding. Such a healthy, REALISTIC vision for her body and life. And of course I have to mention that she rocks because she has a vegan recipe section-I scout out the low fat recipes or look for ways to lower the fat on others.

Determined to Be Fit- Her blog is about running...her life as a mother, wife, and running athlete. I am seeing a theme in fit Black women...hmmm running, shall we date again? :)

Madame: The Journey- This is one of the cutest sites ever! She keeps you up to date on all the celebrity weight loss stuff too. And if you are like me ~~and willing to admit you are interested in it~~ you will love her scoops on celebs and weight loss plans. Also, she chronicles her story. A super inspiring one here!

Run Wifey Run- Love how her kids are runners too. Crazy cool mom who is a running fanatic. Geez with the running already people. lol

The Life Lessons of Rachel Wilkerson- Without a doubt, this blog is JAM PACKED with information and inspiration. From playlist to links to her fav recipes. I loved visiting this site and poking around. Lots to get back to. I love her post on being biracial. While I am not half White and half Black, I do have American Indian heritage and have had people tell me that I am not "all the way Black"...oh my

Thin Thighs and Sweet Potato Fries- Blog by and about a flexitarian diet. Some readers may vibe with her. So I wanted to share!

It is easy to get wrapped in this raw world and forget that BALANCE is the name of the game. You can be 100% raw or 10% raw, be 100% balanced and in alignment. Trust me...that will serve you far better than stressing over every morsel of food you ever eat (so long as it's vegan and cruelty free of course :)

So, over this month, I'll add more blogs I like or have found, but you have enough to get your started and keep you inspired. Now go GET FIT!

This thing Called Life- Healthfood Junkies Series

2012-02-09T13:28:00.002-05:00

Kennedy has been sick :( And as you know,...when she is ill, my world HALTS to care for her. Show her love and affection and heal her little body. So, I missed 3 days of my workout. Gag...But Tuesday I got back on it and have been blazing through ever since.

Actually, I'll note that on Monday I was so overwhelmed and stressed that I stress ate for the first time in live ever. Of course it wasn't junk food or anything crazy, but I had 3 servings of dinner. I wasn't hungry either. I had to go and grab my journal, get Kay settled and take a "time out" to see what emotions were coming up for me that I was trying to stuff down. What I figured out was that this lingering, "Kay gets sick and you must STOP EVERYTHING in order to care for her, so what's the real point" idea was at the root of it. Lightbulb!! Hello...OMG... So the very next day (full belly and all), I got my ass up and in gear and grabbed my My Soulmate Workout TurboFire and did it low impact. My stomach was a mess. UGH... I had eaten too late as well. All of that is a can of spilled beans.

Today for example, I rocked it out at the gym. They may be sick of seeing me. I am NOT fan of going in there, but if they won't let me cancel the membership, I am going at least twice a week. I do my at home workout in there and then hit the sauna and I'm out! I'll make the best of it until my contract expires. I can see the benefits of a membership, I truly can...and I do love the gym, but I'm a single mom and I hate taking time away from Kennedy. UGH..hate it. Sometimes she asks to go...lol.

Okay, here are just some random pics of food I've been eating and below is a fun video series called Healthfood Junkies. Be sure to watch Parts 1, 2 AND 3. I actually really liked it. People say that "these people" give the raw movement a bad name...but whatever. People will take bad away from anything these days. I say be true to whatever philosophy YOU believe and don't worry about what someone else thinks is right. Oh yea, I haven't forgotten the cooked/raw post. I'll get to it promise. I have TONS to say about it. :)

Healthfood Junkies Series

Healthfood Junkies Series Part 1

Healthfood Junkies Series Part 2

Healthfood Junkies Series Part 3

Pix of Eats and Sunday Cooking

2012-02-05T20:13:00.001-05:00

Heyyy Pineapple Poptarts!

I have had a long weekend. Kennedy was off school on Friday and began getting sick. I have opted out of workouts this weekend as I am feeling the beginning of an "itch" in my throat. Ugh. A good nite of sleep
and I will be ready to go.

I have gotten so many emails about eating fruit and eating cooked food. So much so that I will be writing an entire post on it tomorrow. I am sorry if some will find it redundant, but others are struggling. I do not pretend to be an expert on anything, but I have been successfully vegan and into raw for what feels like ever.

Crazy big green ice cream smoothies- using frozen bananas

Big fruit lunches (4 oranges kiwi strawberries blueberries)

Lonely green smoothie in my locker at the ~~boring~~ gym

Ready to go out on the floor!

Soaking strawberries

Soaking blueberries

Omgoddess

And this is ALL the trash it created!

Creamy green smoothie (spinach, blueberries, pineapples)

Fresh pineapple. Only $2.99 rite now! Way more than buying frozen

Juiced all these bad boys today. I have been drinking grapefruit juice every morning with tangerine or orange juice

Marinating mushrooms in hickory smoke and tamari

Fry in marinade

Other mushrooms soaking for marinara

Made lasanga burgers for the week. One day I need to do proper recipes but this is:
-1 c GF oats
-1.5 c black beans
-1.25 c daiya cheese
-oregano, basil, garlic powder
-3/4 c marinara sauce
-mix, shape, bake 375 for 35 minutes

Yummy

So delicious

Chopped pressure cooked apples

In processor...

Applesauce dessert add cinnamon

Meatballs sans meat (brown rice, black beans, garbanzo bean bean flour, all kinds of seasoning)

Add to fire roasted marinara

Take other soaked mushrooms

And minced garlic

Sautee'

Satee' covered

Add marinara

Then add brocolli

Added defrosted frozen spinach ---always add extra veggies to dishes.

Put ot over quinoa and it was so goodddddd

While cooking I grew hungry

Enter : ice banana strawberry- classic

Now I am off to hang with Kennedy and will be getting in bed eay with a book or a movie. Relax time before this big week ahead.

I hope that you are using some of your free time- whether weekend or otherwise- to do things that help your days run more smoothly so that you can focus on what matters: EATING PLANTS!!!!

I love you...

When Your Quads Feel like They Will Pop Off

2012-02-02T13:18:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I was so tired that by the time I got into bed I felt my muscles melting into the sheets.... Ahhh.

I loved using my new Kettlebell. I kinda hit myself in the head with it on the way down from a vertical swing..um yea. WTF? It was ridiculous actually! I am now used to the huge circumference of this one.

At one point, I thought my quads were gonna pop off and flap together like fruit roll ups. OMGoddesss...

Look at how crazy I go with green smoothies!!!

Loading it all up to consume...

Turned into ice-creamy-smoothie-deliciousness

Yup...the perfect consistency

Crazy huge homemade fruit salad...oranges...kiwi...strawberries. MASSIVE.

THEN I took it to the gym after getting my princess from school. After spinning, I was feeling ~~like a psycho~~ strong, so I decided to hit the stairs really quickly. As most know, I believe it is the ONLY cardio machine worth touching at the gym.

Wanted to stop at 13:56...goal was 15:00

At 14:17 my quads were screaming in pain...begging me to get off

Ahhhh Made it to 15:00! 1001 steps...sawwwweeeet. I snuck this pic of the empty side of the gym. All the girls left the machines and ran to zumba. Lol

Today I woke up sorta slow to start, but got my mojo in! This morning I had a date with my Soulmate TurboFire and tonite I'll be hitting the gym (sans Kennedy) for spinning. I certainly hope this instructor doesn't play the slow classic rock like one of the others. I seriously almost got off of my bike and walked out in the middle of class. Come on people! One day I'll be a spinning instructor...ahhhh. Maybe one day soon? shhhh :)
What have you done today to make it a fit healthy one? Drinking lots of water? If you think you are, go drink more. Did you get enough sleep? If not, plan to get more tonite. This is a year of NO EXCUSES. So Define your WHY and let's get going!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love you
Lovingly added by Jayna'

Define Your Why...

2012-01-31T17:08:00.000-05:00

You've heard this mentioned time and time again...but it is so true. You MUST define your "why". Why do you want to get fit? Why do you want to eat better? Why? Why? Why?

Now, not only define it, but make sure it is the real deal. Want an example? Jayna', why do you work out and eat plants? I do it because my daughter has different abilities (disabilities as labelled by some) and without me she doesn't stand a shot at the kind of life I imagine for her.

This means that being fat, lethargic, out of shape, unable to play and assist her throughout her days is a fucking NO-GO. It is an absolute NO NO. I look forward to my Summers when I am the only parent in the neighborhood who is outside with the kids, riding my retro bike

dancing with the fireflies at sunset and painting in my garage with all the kids from the neighborhood. We sit outside Indian style on an old blanket and eat tons of fruit while drinking cold water talking about life. Those moments are priceless.

I know that my hippie ways don't appeal to the masses, and that's cool, but have your own why. You have to have it and own it...truly. So, every time you want to skip a PLANNED workout, you can check back in with yourself and get to it.

For example, today I did My Soulmate Workout TurboFire and for shits and giggle threw in someINSANE Abs. My stomach felt like a tiny baby was jabbing me with pins and needles...seriously. It was torture= I loved every minute of it. What's my point? oh yea....my dvd player was TRIPPING and wouldn't play the workout. So, I could have taken a much wanted nap quickly before getting to work...but instead I decided to try my TV and BAM- picked another workout DVD and went bananas.

Tonite I will be going to the gym ~~to justify the enormous amount of money they take for the fee~~ to take a boot camp class. I just ate dinner (large sweet potato, and GF oats/blueberries/cinnamon) and I need it to fully settle before going in to do burpees, pushups, etc....

NO EXCUSES. Just like this year's Biggest Loser motto: NO EXCUSES. BTW...have you seen the new trainer on the Biggest Loser Dolvett? Really?? Seriously? So, join him and the master trainer Bob Harper in saying NO EXCUSES.

Nothing is stopping you from doing 5 pushups right now.. (okay knee pushups)...5 squats....5 standing abs. Come on!

You have to know your WHY and you have to want it badly enough.

I love you

Preperations and Dream Bells

2012-01-30T19:51:00.001-05:00

Last nite I cooked my ass off. Shocker I know. You know how my Sundays can be. Not before I made a massive juice. If you own a juicer there is no reason for any produce or fruit to go bad! Like ever!

Purple cabbage. Apples. Swiss chard. Red beets. Lemons.

An orange to nibble on as I dance and sing.

Defrosting some lima beans to eat this week (wait I ate em today:)

Ruby- my BFF. My pressure cooker

My bloody beet fingers

Freddy Kruger beet fingers

Ahhhhhh

Look at how gorgeous

Beautiful swiss chard

Washed and ready

Sliced and diced

Looks like I am taking my Twilight obession to a new level.

So beautiful. The thought that all this goodness was going to my cells was overwhelming.

Pretty pulp

How Bella is this? I felt just like her drinking this. The funny part was pulling the small jar out in the movie theatre. Lol.

Made two lasagnas

Made chicken nuggets sans chicken. Put milk and cornstarch in a bowl. Dipped pressed tofu chunks in...

Sliced all up

Dunk it in...

Add to ziploc with GF breadcrumbs and cajun spices

Cooking at 400. My house smelled great.

Total view

Took the ends of old GF bread

Crumbled em...

Broke em up...

Grabbed Peggy the Processor

Processed into breadcrumbs

Laid em out to get crispy

Today I went Costco fruit shopping...yea

Yum

I annilated this orange today :-)

Oh oh. My awesome mom got me a gift!!!!!!

My very own...Shiny...

Kettlebell!!!!!!!!

I am a very happy girl today. I was very snacky. Don't know why TOM is o-v-e-r but hey I ate a bit more today.

It is hard to stop eating whem hungry with all that fruit around!!!

Monday's Grub

*huge green smoothie
*apple and almonds
*2 dates some almonds preworkout
*ridiculous green smoothie post workout
*4 oranges and 1 banana- yes 4
*1 c lima beans/ salad/1 large sweet potato

The only real measure for me is glancing back at my day's menu and seeing plants. Yup. I am feeling good about today.

I am feeling fruity and for the past two weeks I have not seen a ny weight loss but my ass is looking fabulous. So I am sure to stay focused on what is important :-) lol.

So, let's go!!! What can YOU do to make your week go more smoothly? Cook ahead? Prep your clothing at night? What????

Do it. Today!

I love you.

Lovingly added by Jayna'

Throwing Up in My Mouth

2012-01-29T15:17:00.000-05:00

Cheery title right? Okay, let's be honest... today I should be resting from exercise, but skipped Thursday when I felt like a bloated pig on a roast...so today was cardio. CRAZzzzzy ass "you are gonna die" cardio. Who was responsible?? Shaun T. Insanity Asylum. WTF??? I was seriously about to throw up in my mouth. I am NOT barfer. Even when I was nauseous everyday of my first trimester pregnant with Kennedy I didn't throw up ONCE. It just rose in my throat and sat there...gag. That is much worse than just getting it out...but I digress.

Back to the point...I made a workout schedule for next week. I am going crazy cardio next week! It's interesting to read articles about how too much cardio makes you fat. Unless you are a contestant on the Biggest Loser and working out 6-8 hours per day without supervision (don't recommend this either way)...then cardio WILL NOT MAKE YOU FAT. However, if you are already fat and out of shape and want to tone and look fit...cardio won't give you that either. Only only only only weights will do that. I've been saying this for years.

Anywho, this upcoming week (1/30/12-2/5/12) is going to be focused on adding extra cardio, but NOT taking away my crazy strength training. Any takers? lol

I've been trying (without success) to record some workouts. Bear with me as I work out the kinks in my little system. I am adamant about being up and going with my youtube channels very soon.

Alright onto it!

Saturday- Didn't take pix ( I know I know )

Green smoothie: 1 frozen banana, Almond milk, spinach....blend
1 apple, almonds
2 dates, almonds (always preworkout snack)
Crazy Workout at the gym (only went to get out of the house--missed being at home, but the change was nice)

Got into gym...had to fight for a spot on the floor..ugh
Killed my workout

Inverted rows
Reverse lunges
Burpees with vertical swing
Hip thrust
One arm row
Tricep dips
Something I'm forgetting I'm sure

Post workout: 2 frozen bananas, tons of spinach, I cup Almond milk, Nitro Fusion protein, frozen blueberries, blend
1 cup curry lentil soup with quinoa
2 oranges
Ginger Tea-- buy it by the big box. This tea has changed my life...I drink it every single day! Period!

Simple Sunday- My favorite day of the week :-)

Grapefruit juice out of my new Tribest Citristar Electric Citrus Juice (loveeee this thing!)
Green smoothie: Vitamix, 1.5 frozen bananas, spinach, 1 c Almond milk
More grapefruit juice
Green smoothie that I'm gonna sneak in the movies as I go to see One for the Money

Tonite I have a ton of things to get done, but I'll be back tomorrow! Go drink some juice! Don't think it matters? Check out Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. Trust me, you'll want to start juicing immediately!

Want to join me in the crazy cardio??? I'll be writing about it here, but posting all the crazy details over at Coach Jayna' :)

Be fit~ Be fierce~ CHOOSE to be sexy
I love you

Friday Productivity and Eats

2012-01-27T23:38:00.001-05:00

Today was so productive! Well, it is TOM and I was dreaming of spicy warm Indian dishes. So whatdid I do?

I made my menu... went to the grocery store and biught tons of yummies. This week's menu will be kick ass.

Sorry that I am miasing a few picks of my eats. Didn't have my camera with me all day :-(

Lots of ginger tea. My favorite tea right now. Simple. This is organic by Traditional Medicinals. I will post a link to it tomorrow.

2 large green smoothies today.

Apple and almonds...a beautiful combination

Lentil soup. I made this three weeks go and had frozen it. Sprinkled with curry and salt. Yum.

Tonite I went to dinner with a friend. We discussed politics and ate a yummy Thai dinner. I took a photo but sisn't dowbload it yet. Lo siento - sorry.

I did not work out. TOM is a bitch! Tomorrow I will be back .

I am off to read and get inspired. What's inspiring YOU these days? Are you hanging out with people who motivate and inspire you?

Lovingly added by Jayna'

Thursday Eats and Workout- Contest Winners!

2012-01-27T11:31:00.000-05:00

Here is my post from yesterday. Blogger had me feeling homicidal. I was up until 12:30 am...it wouldn't post...wouldn't save. Arg! :)

First Things First.... Winners!!!!!!

Judy
Caroline
Karen

Thanks for all the beautiful, amazing women who sent in responses. You all rock and are totally bad ass. Do not give up on trying to be fit and lean --keep eating plants. It's totally the way! To the winners... YEA! I will contact you by email no later than tomorrow!

Have you ever had one of those days when you just felt like crawling in bed with a good book? Well TODAY was that day for me!! (hi Kay here!)

Kennedy just typed that! Lol my darling daughter made me breakfast while she let me sleep in til the late hour of 6:22 AM...you heard me right people...6:22 is considered late.
Somebody shoot me please!

An orange. Gluten free cereal. And a glass of rice milk.

Butternut squash chickpea soup. Yummmm

Baked turned into this! Crispy outsides..."meaty" tender insides.

Pressed...marinated tofu steak strips.

I made a "Protein Bowl" : steamed broccoli, tofu, quinoa, nutritional yeast, herbs

Portobella steaks, sweet potato, steamed broccoli

"Juice bowl ingredients" apples, lemons, celery, carrots, chard= yum

Juicer BOWL

Costco organic carrots

Pears

KEEP the stems

Raimbow coalition

Pear Strawberry bowl

Nitetime tea. That is my favorite tea pot. It came from Uganda :)

I normally start my day with a green smoothie or a juice. This was the first day in a long time that I didn't. But TODAY I DID!

Workout from Thursday: My Soulmate Workout Turbo Fire !!! I was crampy and bloated and decided to do a "low impact" workout...and my knee has been killing me. I swear if I ever find the kid who threw this pine cone (click here) I am gonna beat his ass. I sure it hasn't helped that as an uninsured American, I've been rehabbing myself via youtube videos.

I'm off to do some training work for clients and enjoy this humungo bowl of oatmeal!

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. -Wayne Gretzky

Let's not miss any shots...come on get in the game and PLAY HARD.

I love you...

Fuck Your Resolutions- by CBear

2012-01-19T12:30:00.005-05:00

Okay..I hope that title didn't offend anybody. If it did...sorry...lighten up :) I am a lover of all things fitness. ALL things...and I love fit chicks. Not skinny chicks, not cardio chicks, bad ass weight lifting, sweating, grunting fit chicks. With that said,I am starting a Spotlight Series in which once a week I will make a post to spotlight a fit chick I admire.

So today I want to feature an article from a website I ~~fucking love~~ admire Beautifully Hardcore. This article is hilarious! I used to feel this exact when I was a total gym rat. Make no mistake, the gym can have it's time and place and hopefully when we see more daylight or when I go down to part-time hours next week, I can have time to make it in there ONE day a week. I like to do a HEAVY LIFT DAY and the gym has the equipment for it. It isn't necessary to say the least...but adds variety. Especially considering I don't have many friends, the gym can be like my social gathering, outing, play date, workout hour :) lol

FUCK YOUR RESOLUTIONS

Not that the ideas themselves are awful, because you’re probably well meaning & optimistic, if ill prepared and unreasonable.

The fault of yours at which I’m looking & discussing is this: you should have started earlier.When? I have no idea, nor do I care to find out.

I’ll use some of the more obvious resolutions as examples, because being truly hard core is never narrow minded.

What made you start now? The New Year means jack shit to most of your goals. You didn’t get fat overnight. You didn’t start smoking yesterday. You were irresponsible with money last month, too. Letting the opposite sex rule your life? I bet that wasn’t a problem just in 2011.

You may have ignored your annoyingly positive fat hippie friend on Facebook each of the 2,341 times they posted and reposted and retweeted this over the last week, but it’s true:

You get to start over… EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

That you’ve waited for an irrelevant chronological event is indicative of your poor resolve and legitimate expectation of failure. You’re fucking awful, or you wouldn’t have waited till now.

“If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it. The more things you do, the more you can do.” –Lucille Ball

Most of them don't really matter.

If you were prepared and motivated to make necessary changes in your life, you wouldn’t have gained that extra 10 (20? 30?) pounds in the first place, and you wouldn’t have overspent at Christmas on people who probably don’t give a shit anyway. If you had half of the self-respect you think you’ll have in March, you wouldn’t have ignored that your boyfriend (girlfriend/husband/wife) has been cheating on you, and handled it appropriately.

New hairdo? See your friends more often? Tell your Mom that you love her? Why wait to do any of those?

Take another week off, maybe two, before you start trying to change anything. Make a detailed list of pro’s and cons, but be honest with yourself. Why have you failed? What will be different this time? In most cases, your bad habits didn’t start overnight, and won’t change overnight, either.

Want to quit smoking? What are you going to do with that extra $200/month? Gym membership and supplements? Pay off credit cards?

Want to save money? Quit going out to eat. This means Starbucks. You do not need coffee that costs as much as a pack of cigarettes, and requires a different language to order.

Want to lose weight? Don’t buy junk food. Make sure you have healthy snacks. (Granola bars and fruit do not count as healthy snacks. Nuts, vegetables, & anything meat-based do count.) Quit drinking soda pop — THIS INCLUDES DIET. Quit drinking alcohol.

Find any excuse to move more, lifting or not. If you’re in control of what goes in your mouth, who’s to blame if you fuck up?

Most importantly: Don’t quit on yourself. That’s fucking awful. Unless you are with Sugar Daddy, you can not logically count on anyone outside of yourself to do what you need to do.

It’s ok to blame yourself, it’s ok to stumble and even to fall, but GET THE FUCK UP. Very few people who make “it” (whatever “it” is) have had it easy. Almost nobody lucks out.

She doesn't look like that by mistake.

Ever watch a two-year-old run? It’s like they’re a drunk midget wearing a blindfold. They fall, and they get back up. Come to think of it, they almost bounce.

Ever watch Usain Bolt? He was once two years old. Used to bounce, now he flies.

Stop talking about your goals. Did you discuss your failures every day while making all of the decisions that brought you here? Probably not. Shut up and get it done. Many people will listen and pretend to care, but will be judging you, expecting you to fail, or at worst, completely apathetic.

Let them SEE the changes you make. Be an example, not a talker.

Every time I walk into my local gym for the next three months, I will cringe and growl at least twice every 5 minutes, and it’s probably at you. If you’re still there in March and April, I may strike up a conversation. In June and July, while everyone else is having a BBQ and we’re still lifting, I’ll answer your question about why I’m doing what I’m doing. In September, I’ll ask why you’re doing what you’re doing, and tell you why overhead squatting on a bosu ball with chains or curling in the squat rack is not a good idea.

And in December, we’ll share dread of the new Resolutioners.

That was awesome! If you have a sense of humor it works. Also, it can apply to those of us who love at home workouts. You see the moms at school dropping kids off in their pilates pants from January to February....but when you're the only mom still in your workout gear come May...you know what's up...

DISCLAIMER: MY USE OF THE WORD CHICK IS IN NO WAY TIED TO THE MALE CHAVUNISTIC USE OF THE WORD "CHICK" LIKE CHICKEN, ETC. I STARTED TO USE THE WORD BITCH, BUT THOUGHT I'D LOSE ANOTHER 10 READERS :) LOL

Making Time for Yourself: Free Coaching Contest Info :)

2012-01-18T12:09:00.000-05:00

Hey peeps!!

I have been super busy lately, but really I've been staying up way too late and not getting/feeling rested...that is no bueno. New phase..this week I am building back up my rest reserves so that I can get up at the ~~butt crack of dawn~~ early to workout. I"ve been getting my workouts in, just later in the day which I ABSOLUTELY FUCKING HATE. Okay even for me that was a bit harsh...

Today I want to share a few things with you... I know that I am 349 days away from the best body/life EVER, but I want to share that I am living in that body and that life that I want...RIGHT NOW. Nothing is holding me back. Nothing is stopping me or WILL STOP ME but me.

Are you taking charge of your 2012? Are you feeling in control and Fired Up???? Are you making time for yourself? Are you practicing The Art of Extreme Self-Care? This book changed my life...totally and completely. It can feel hard to begin the process of taking care of ourselves, but in all honesty...we HAVE to. No one will if we don't.

Onto exciting news....Months ago, I mentioned that I'd like to take on 3 clients to coach for FREE. Well, it's about that time. :) I am soooooooooo amped. As you should know by now, I am a Beach Body Coach Here and HERE and if you buy any of the programs from me, I will coach you ALL THE WAY THRU THEM 100% for free...That is my FITNESS ANGLE FOR NOW but this contest will be for people who want to get started with eating right and don't know where to turn...not sure how to get started or think they are doing all the right things and the weight just isn't coming off.

My mentoring will be:

plant based focused
vegan
high raw
supplementation focused
3 emails a day!
This for That meal switch training
Lots of love! <3

So, to kickstart email me at coachjayna@gmail.com.

I am so excited to kick this off.I am just want you to email me your name, age, weight and why you need a coach. There are plenty of "pay for service" mentors on the web, so if you truly can afford to hire someone, don't apply. Leave space for women who truly can't afford to pay for help!

So, let's get it together....let's continue to actively work to make 2012 an all around rock star, kick ass, amazing year. :)

DISCLAIMER: I AM A CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER AND A BEACHBODY COACH. I AM NOT A NUTRITIONIST. HOWEVER, I HAVE BEEN VEGAN FOR OVER 10 YEARS AND AM SUCCESSFULLY RAISING A CHILD AS A GLUTEN FREE THRIVING VEGAN. :)

50 Ways to Lighten Up and Become Childlike- via Tess @ The Bold Life

2012-01-09T12:10:00.006-05:00

One copied post...cool topic
Two copied posts....flattery
Three or more...total obsession :)

I adore Tess.

50 Ways to Lighten Up & Become Child Like Again

by TESS

GROW

1. Read a book unrelated to your work.

I'm currently reading, "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck. Henri is reading about Thomas the Train and Old McDonald.

2. Give yourself a permission slip to visit a museum, an art exhibit, or a science center.

3. Learn something new. Enroll in an art class, foreign language class, piano lessons or a dance class.

4. Listen to a Ted Talk and become inspired by the wonderful things people are doing.

5. Use your camera. Begin a blog and post a photo and a poem daily. You'll be a great photographer and poet by the end of the year.

6. Watch a foreign film, 27 Hours, or Toy Story 3, five times.

7. Ride in the back seat of a car. Play or sleep on the floor.

8. Take a nap. Wake up with a smile.

PLAY

9. Explore. View a new neighborhood from your bike. Get an ice cream cone after your tour.

10. Switch positions. Hang upside down on the monkey bars.

11. Invite friends over and play board games, cards, or chess.

12. Get involved in sports. Play baseball, basketball or soccer. Join a league and meet new people.

13. Go bowling. After hubs and his siblings left home they would often meet up and go bowling on Sunday afternoons.

14. Be goofy. Remember when you used to get in trouble for goofing around? As an adult nobody cares! Act silly and be ridiculous every once in a while.

15. Play dress up. Wear weird and mismatched clothes. Put on your old comfy sweater. Do your own thing!

MOVE

16. Take the stairs. It's an easy way to burn up to 70 calories. Imagine if you did it for a year.

17. Make exercise fun. Ride your bike, put on your roller blades or walk/run for a cause. Remember when you could run faster and jump higher in your PF flyers? Check out the vintage commercial on You Tube.

18. Take a hike. Invite a few children to go with you. Teach them moving can be fun!

19. Do something that takes your breath away. Henri is two and learning how to jump. His little feet barely get off the ground. You wouldn't know that by his smile. He's soooo proud of himself.

Bungee jump, go white water rafting, take a mule down the Grand Canyon. Cross it off your bucket list.

20. Walk more. Small children don't want to be carried! Walking brings freedom to both children and adults.

SHARE

21. Share your birthday cake. Make someone smile. Serve yourself last.

22. Write a letter and share good news with a distant relative.

23. Pass a hand written thank you note to a coworker.

24. Share your lunch. Give a friend half of your sandwich or one of your cookies.

25. Give books. Give them to someone who appreciates the same books you do.

26. Donate clothes you never wear anymore.

27. Make dinner. Bring it to a shut-in or elderly neighbor.

28. Share your knowledge. If you can help someone, share what you know. We get a long with a little help from our friends.

CONNECT

29. Tell your children you love them. Each one, as often as possible

30. Spend time with an elderly person. You'll make their day by making them feel important.

31. Face to face time. Balance your time communicating with others. Make time to Skype and spend time together without electronics.

32. Invite friends over. Keep it simple. Serve bread, salad, and soup. Relax and have fun.

33. Open your heart. Get beyond surface talk. Speak from your heart. Reveal your deepest longings.

34. Get real. Be your authentic self. Allow others to see your vulnerability. Show your emotions. Cry. Be sad. Be touched.

35. Volunteer. Henri's favorite words are, "I do it. I do it. I try it. I try it." Kids love to help.

Offer your services for free. Work on a trail. Teach someone to read. Arrange a crew to clean up a neighborhood.

CREATE

36. Fun. Dress warm and enjoy the cold and snow.

37. Sketch. Sketch a self portrait, your pet, a flower.

38. Paint. Paint a room, the ocean, a picture, your house.

39. Write. With chalk on the sidewalk, a love letter to someone near and dear.

40. Build. Build a tree house, a bird house or a doll house.

41. Plant. Plant a garden, a cactus, bulbs for next spring.

WONDER

42. Wonder how many horses are on a merry-go-round.

43. Wonder what the next "big thing" will be.

44. Wonder where you'll take your next vacation.

45. Wonder when the tulips will bloom.

46. Wonder how many stars are in the sky.

47. Wonder how it would be to fly.

48. Wonder what it's like to be a fire cracker on the 4th of July.

49. Wonder when you'll play again.

50. Wonder why we ever have to grow up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

9 days down, 356 to go to the BEST LIFE EVER!

Sexy Slow Steady Sundays

2012-01-08T12:06:00.000-05:00

Afternoon Peeps!!!

You know how I love <3 productive Sundays. However, there are days like today when Kennedy is with her dad and I stayed curled up in my comfy covers with a mug of teavana and my journal....ahhhh so delicious. These kinds of moments are priceless. For the most part we are all searching and always DOING something....rarely just BEING.

I am easing up on digestion today....green smoothies and some juice later....lots of tea and water. I am turning my bedroom into a Bikram studio in about 5 minutes so I need to hurry so that I can leave and let the room turn into a sauna.

Later today when Kennedy gets home we are going to do the following to make this week a successful easy one:

Iron all clothes for the work/school week
Make a huge batch of quinoa
Prep my "oatmeal bowls".... 1/2c GF oats/pumpkin or blueberries/cinnamon/water
Make 2 meatloafs
Make a lasanga
Pressure cook some White beans
Put out the trash
Dance in our underwear...was this an overshare? :)

I certainly hope that you are finding ways to do things that make life easier for you. This year is all about simplifying and being at peace in life and love. Join me if you haven't already :)

Btw...I am losing blog readers left and right :( I wonder what's up?? Well, anyway for those that have stuck around. THANKS!

Off to yoga it up! :)

6 Days Down....299 to go. 2012 Rocks.

2012-01-06T13:35:00.000-05:00

Let me get serious. This year is fucking amazing. No nothing MAJOR has happened, unless you consider this massive energetic shift I am feeling :) I am putting so much amazing energy into things right now. I have a clear, decisive vision for my year and for my life and for the first time in a while, I feel simply amazing. Truly.

My diet is simple these days. I have truly settled on a balance. I used to teeter between 100% raw thoughts and my cooked thoughts, but for ME...I love the balance I have created. It's about 75% raw. No I don't follow anymore prescribed concepts like raw til noon, etc...Sometimes I do, but not often. Which brings me to my first point. GEE LIGHT BULB MOMENT...get ready

No one knows the best way for your body to eat, but you!

Oh my goddess...breathe of fresh air! I feel so good saying that out loud again and again. I felt amazing when I was 100% raw...effortlessly slim, tons of energy...but my grocery bill was $1000-$1200 a month. I live on the East Coast in a tiny town without Trader Joe's or Whole Foods or the like and I was having to get tons of things online...with Winter 5-6 months a year...fresh fruit was crazy expensive. I have found that for ME....
eating according to seasons has made all the difference. I work out...I loveeeeeeeeee GF Oatmeal in the morning. I still juice. I still ADORE daily green smoothies (I do smoothies more than juice...shhhh) and ethnic cuisine of the vegan variety:)

I feel so amazing and balanced and calm and SANE. I don't "abuse" nuts anymore...or nut butters, but rather eat them effortless in moderation. All the "stress" weight I gained in those 18 months during and post Kay's brain surgery, I am losing with the help of my Soulmate Workout. And am just happy not to be thinking and concentrating on every morsel of food I am consuming! True I am back to journaling my food (I make better choices when I do) and trying not to eat after 7pm...8 at the latest. I am working on getting 8 MINIMUM hours of sleep a nite. I can accomplish this because I am not in grad school again yet, in the Fall that 8 hour thing will be super hard to do!

My point is (and I hope it is shining through in this post) that I am IN LOVE with myself and my life right now. And it isn't because I am back in my size 2 years (ummmm not quite yet), or because I lost the 30 pounds (you heard me right) that I gained....(although I have lost 15!), but it's simply because I decided to be mega happy right now. I simply decided....this year is allllllllllll about being happy. I am not in a space to apologize for what I want and for being who I am or how I am or the size I am or whatever!

Please join me. Even if the first 6 days of 2012 SUCKED ASS and you want to get started...start today. Just today. Write a contract to yourself saying that you believe in you and want to invest in YOU and then start doing it! Let NOTHING get in the way of your vision for your life this year.

Off that soapbox....This morning I slept in until 7 am...glorious sleep. I worked out for an hour and hopped a quick shower. Got to work and realized I left my lunch at home! Ughhhhhhh I went to a small healthy deli and grabbed something amazing....and realized I lost my driver's licence! I will tear my house apart tonight looking for it.

Speaking of food...I made a beet smoothie today...gag me. It was disgusting. Next time, I will juice the beets and THEN add it to the smoothie. I rarely make things that I can't even FORCE down, but this was totally one. (Beets cooked, carrots, apple, celery, ice). Take my word for it... DO NOT TRY THIS!

Tonite you will find me and Kennedy cleaning up, and watching a cute girlie TV show from Australia and staying up way too late.

I am totally IN LOVE with today. <3

Be FEARLESS in 2012- via Tess @ The Bold Life

2012-01-05T09:30:00.000-05:00

The more I read of her blog The Bold Life, the more I am feeling that my choice to focus on simplicity and personal development in lieu of only focusing on "attainable goals" for 2012 makes perfect sense.

Read these AMAZING tips about how to be fearless in 2012!

How to Eliminate Excuses and Fear in 2012

by TESS

I made too many excuses this year. I wanted to create more videos. I did not. I wanted to be more active on social media. It’s been an on again, off again endeavor.

I wanted to learn photo shop. I did not. Only one thing has stood in my way.

Fear.

I lacked courage and I failed to take action.

The wonderful thing about life is that we can always shift our perception and choose to begin again.

That’s my plan.

The word I’ve chosen to focus on in 2012 is “create.”

I’m going to create everything I’ve been holding back on and more. I made up my mind and I've written my plan.

I’ve taken common excuses and created a plan for you as well. It doesn’t matter what you want to do or what you're struggling with.

Adjust this plan to fit your needs.

It’s going to be a great year!

Read on if you want to create more and fear less.

Excuse # 1: I don’t know how.

Plan: Create courage

Do something brand new. Be open to being a beginner. Experience the different and the difficult. Push yourself. Follow someone’s lead.

Ask questions. Experiment. Try. Fail. Try again. Fail again. Succeed.

Excuse # 2: I don’t have time.

Plan: Create time

To find more time become an early riser or stay up later. Create boundaries. Don’t take on projects that don’t fit your needs.

Create a “yes” so big that you’ll be able to say “no.” You will have time and energy to make room for the impossible!

Excuse # 3: I don’t have the funds.

Plan: Create money

Get your finances in order. It’s the best thing you can do for your fearful self. Record your daily expenses.

Spend less. Earn more. Barter. Collect garbage or clean floors if you have too. Be willing to do what it takes.

Excuse # 4 I don’t like networking.

Plan: Create an offline social network

Get out and be social face-to-face. Go to a grocery store, a coffee house, or a networking meeting and introduce yourself to five people a week.

Expand your circle. Establish new friendships. The more people you know the faster you and your business will grow.

Excuse # 5: Nothing ever goes right for me.

Plan: Create abundance

I have kept a gratitude journal for the past eight years.

When you record the beauty, pleasures, people, and experiences that enrich your life you become aware of your resources, increase your creativity, and increase your well-being.

Excuse # 6: It’s too difficult.

Plan: Create success

Decide to succeed no matter what. Don’t allow anything to get in your way. Act as if your life and happiness depend on it. It does. Never give up, never.

Excuse # 7 I can’t handle rejection.

Plan: Create support

Ask for help. Begin a mastermind group. Expect to be turned down and ignored. People will reject you. Never take it personally.

You can’t see the whole picture. You have no idea what is going on in somebody else’s life. There are nearly 7 billion people in the world, ask someone else. Find your tribe.

Excuse # 8: I can’t focus.

Plan: Create focus

Become driven by what you will gain. Is your benefit financial freedom, travel, saving the lives of others, or leaving a legacy you can be proud of?

When the going gets tough, keep you focus on your “why.” You’re stronger than you think.

Excuse # 9 I don’t feel worthy.

Plan: Create faith

Dump your doubt. When you doubt yourself you feel like you aren’t good enough, smart enough, or talented enough for your place in the world. Don’t get caught in your own drama.

Affirm: “I am enough, I have enough, I do enough. I am worthy of the best in life.” Repeat this each time your doubt surfaces.

Get into the “feeling” of worthiness. Believe your are worthy, speak like your worthy, and act like you're worthy.

Excuse # 10

Plan: Create the extraordinary

Don’t try to be perfect. Don’t copy what others do. Instead put your energy into being exceptional, uncommon, and memorable.

When you want to convey your ideas, focus on your message. Tell stories that people will remember you for and speak from your heart.

Nobody is going to rescue you. Nobody is coming to save you. Give live all you've got…and more.

Please join me in making 2012 a "no excuse zone."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yes yes yes. I am creating COURAGE this year. For sure...

Come on and join me...I'm lovin' it!

60 Ways To Become the Person You Love- via Tess @ The Bold Life

2012-01-03T09:30:00.001-05:00

I love this blog: The Bold Life

In keeping with my 365 Days to the Best Life Ever....

60 Ways To Become The Person You Love

by TESS

photo credit: Niffty..

Only the time and attention we give ourselves demonstrates how much we love and admire ourselves. Self love requires that we place ourselves at the top of our priority list.

Self-nurturing is everything that makes us feel positive, happy and joyful.

When we decide to honor ourselves with the love we need and deserve like the sun we radiate a glow, touching everything and everyone in our lives.

Below are 60 ideas for glowing:

60. Eliminate shoulds.

59. Enjoy down time.

58. Run towards your fears.

57. Be dependable.

56. Embrace self-responsibility.

55. Be completely honest.

54. First meet your own needs.

53. Notice the beauty around you.

52. Open your mind to change.

50. Set attainable goals.

49. Go at your own pace.

48. Honor your individuality.

47. Open yourself to umlimited possibilities.

46. See the humor in things.

45. Celebrate your imperfections.

44. Reward yourself.

43. Be flexible.

42. Be gentle with yourself.

41. Be open to being wrong.

40. Laugh for no reason.

39. Light candles.

38. Enjoy nature.

37. Get a message.

36. Congratulate yourself.

35. Know yourself.

34. Appreciate where you are today.

33. Give yourself space.

32. Breathe mindfully.

31. Communicate your emotions.

30. Learn to relax.

29. Meditate.

28. Say no more often.

27. Experience new things.

26. Take mini breaks throughout the day.

25. Create personal affirmation cards, use daily.

24. Hang out with positively happy people.

23. Schedule fun times for yourself.

22. Make your car a sanctuary.

21. Dress for success.

20. Be impecably groomed.

19. Balance your energy.

18. Recharge your batteries.

17. Refuse to argue.

16. Balance your diet.

15. Sleep sound.

14. Persevere.

13. Feel and express gratitude.

12. Give up self put-downs.

11. Develop your intuition.

10. Learn to hold your own hand.

9. Accept your physical appearance.

8. Keep your cool.

7. Vent in a positive way.

6. Speak kindly of yourself.

5. Be brave.

4. Learn to calm yourself.

3. Listen to music.

2. Make the most of every opportunity.

1. Start fresh each day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seriously, are you NOT inspired????? I certainly am. To be a better mother, friend, daughter...a better more authentic me...

I'm lovin' it :)

365 Days to the BEST LIFE EVER!

2012-01-02T20:08:00.002-05:00

It's no secret that I love personal development and psychology. Hello??? I have 3 degrees in Psych and trying to go for the fourth...I digress.

I got to thinking before 2011 was over...what did I really want to do with 2012?? Of course the standard, "be more fit", "lose the few stress pounds", "save money" stuff came up...but no REALLY Jayna', what do you want to do with 2012???

That's when I decided I would have the best year ever. So today is Day 2...363 more to go.

On January 1st I watched one of my alltime favorite films... The Jane Austen Book Club.
I soaked in all of the awesome inspiration in this film and then I moved on to journaling and simply resting. My goal for making 2012 very SIMPLE still rings true.

Today I woke up at 6:05 am in the FREEZING COLD that is my house...turned on a space heater and got dressed to get my Turbo Fire on! Okay if you don't know what Turbo is... RUN OVER to my Coaching Turbo Love Blog and get inspired. And if you love it puhleeezzzeee grab it from my online Beach Body Store! I can coach you through your use of the program or recommend a program that may better suit your needs ;-)

Then I did some yoga...for about 8 minutes and ran down to make breakfast and head out of the door for Kennedy's school and for me to get to work. I am letting things roll off my shoulders and getting rest.

This year is all about nurturing. Not as much about CHASING down things as I am about walking into grace and beauty...planning for greatness, all the while, enjoying every moment of TODAY.

365 Days to the Best Life Ever...

Physically
Financially
Spiritually
Emotionally

Most importantly, this year I am giving myself PERMISSION to be fabulous :-)

Hello 2012 :)

2012-01-01T18:27:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to say hello to 2012. Ahhhh yes. A cold breath of fresh air.I am excited about what this year promises to bring. I am invigorated...motivated...excited. I certainly hope that you are.

Of course, I am one of those people who makes plans and goals, but truly what I am focusing on MOST is simplicity. Below please FULLY READ this article I found last week that I have been reviewing a few times a week. This article sums up (most importantly) what I am seeking to do in 2012...

60 Ways To Make Life Simple Again ......Find this article HERE

When we were young life was easier, right? I know sometimes it seems that way. But the truth is life still is easy. It always will be. The only difference is we’re older, and the older we get, the more we complicate things for ourselves.

You see, when we were young we saw the world through simple, hopeful eyes. We knew what we wanted and we had no biases or concealed agendas. We liked people who smiled. We avoided people who frowned. We ate when we were hungry, drank when we were thirsty, and slept when we were tired.

As we grew older our minds became gradually disillusioned by negative external influences. At some point we began to hesitate and question our instincts. When a new obstacle or growing pain arose, we stumbled and a fell down. This happened several times. Eventually we decided we didn’t want to fall again, but rather than solving the problem that caused us to fall, we avoided it all together.

As a result, we ate comfort food and drank alcohol to numb our wounds and fill our voids. We worked late nights on purpose to avoid unresolved conflicts at home. We started holding grudges, playing mind games, and subtly deceiving others and ourselves to get ahead. And when it didn’t work out, we lived above our means, bought things we didn’t need, and ate and drank some more just to make ourselves feel better again

Over the course of time, we made our lives more and more difficult, and we started losing touch with who we really are and what we really need.

So let’s get back to the basics, shall we? Let’s make things simple again. It’s easy. Here are 60 ways to do just that:

Life is not complex. We are complex. Life is simple,

and the simple thing is the right thing.

- Oscar Wilde

Don’t try to read other people’s minds. Don’t make other people try to read yours. Communicate.

Be polite, but don’t try to be friends with everyone around you. Instead, spend time nurturing your relationships with the people who matter most to you.

Your health is your life, keep up with it. Get an annual physical check-up.

Live below your means. Don’t buy stuff you don’t need. Always sleep on big purchases. Create a budget and savings plan and stick to both of them.

Get enough sleep every night. An exhausted mind is rarely productive.

Get up 30 minutes earlier so you don’t have to rush around like a mad man. That 30 minutes will help you avoid speeding tickets, tardiness, and other unnecessary headaches.

Get off your high horse, talk it out, shake hands or hug, and move on.

Don’t waste your time on jealously. The only person you’re competing against is yourself.

Surround yourself with people who fill your gaps. Let them do the stuff they’re better at so you can do the stuff you’re better at.

Organize your living space and working space. Read David Allen’s book Getting Things Done for some practical organizational guidance.

Get rid of stuff you don’t use.

Ask someone if you aren’t sure.

Spend a little time now learning a time-saving trick or shortcut that you can use over and over again in the future.

Don’t try to please everyone. Just do what you know is right.

Don’t drink alcohol or consume recreational drugs when you’re mad or sad. Take a jog instead.

Be sure to pay your bills on time.

Fill up your gas tank on the way home, not in the morning when you’re in a hurry.

Use technology to automate tasks.

Handle important two-minute tasks immediately.

Relocate closer to your place of employment.

Don’t steal.

Always be honest with yourself and others.

Say “I love you” to your loved ones as often as possible.

Single-task. Do one thing at a time and give it all you got.

Finish one project before you start another.

Be yourself.

When traveling, pack light. Don’t bring it unless you absolutely must.

Clean up after yourself. Don’t put it off until later.

Learn to cook, and cook.

Make a weekly (healthy) menu, and shop for only the items you need.

Consider buying and cooking food in bulk. If you make a large portion of something on Sunday, you can eat leftovers several times during the week without spending more time cooking.

Stay out of other people’s drama. And don’t needlessly create your own.

Buy things with cash.

Maintain your car, home, and other personal belongings you rely on.

Smile often, even to complete strangers.

If you hate doing it, stop it.

Treat everyone with the same level of respect you would give to your grandfather and the same level of patience you would have with your baby brother.

Apologize when you should.

Write things down.

Be curious. Don’t be scared to learn something new.

Explore new ideas and opportunities often.

Don’t be shy. Network with people. Meet new people.

Don’t worry too much about what other people think about you.

Spend time with nice people who are smart, driven, and likeminded.

Don’t text and drive. Don’t drink and drive.

Drink water when you’re thirsty.

Don’t eat when you’re bored. Eat when you’re hungry.

Exercise every day. Simply take a long, relaxing walk or commit 30 minutes to an at-home exercise program like BeachBody Products (P90X, TurboFire)

Let go of things you can’t change. Concentrate on things you can.

Find hard work you actually enjoy doing.

Realize that the harder you work, the luckier you will become.

Follow your heart. Don’t waste your life fulfilling someone else’s dreams and desires.

Set priorities for yourself and act accordingly.

Take it slow and add up all your small victories.

However good or bad a situation is now, it will change. Accept this simple fact.

Excel at what you do. Otherwise you’ll just frustrate yourself.

Mature, but don’t grow up too fast.

Realize that you’re never quite as right as you think you are.

Build something or do something that makes you proud.

Make mistakes, learn from them, laugh about them, and move along.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In 2012...I have huge goals personally, professionally, and physically. I will remark more on them in the coming days of 2012. But I do want to share he number one goal of mine for 2012: BE FEARLESS.

I didn't realize how much fear had been dictating what chances I did and did not take. Phew. It is like taking a huge weight off my shoulders to drop he fear. It is a process of peeling back layers, but whenever I feel fear creeping up...I drop kick it and go on anyway.

First fearless thing....today the 1st of January, I cut bangs! AND I have a date next week. Yup. Told you...NO FEAR IN 2012!

The Best Sunday Ever

2011-12-19T12:23:00.000-05:00

Okay. I had the best, most productive Sunday that I have had in a long time. It was a snowy day and I have decided that I miss working out at home. I am losing precious time with Kennedy on all that travel to and from the gym!

Before I get to that let me brag about this amazing Sunday we had. Saturday nite I stayed up late snacking :) so Sunday I knew I had to be on the ball. I woke up ready to go!

Here is what I accomplished:

Make 20 ozs of fresh organic carrot juice
Made two organic vegan meatloafs
Pressure cooked a pound of black beans
Made meatballs and organic marinara
Make a lentil veggie stew with beefy mushrooms (to die for)
Made 4 cups of organic brown rice
Made a tofu salad for today's lunch (yum)
Washed Kennedy's hair
Did 30 mins of cardio
Washed/Dried/Folded put away all clothes
Ironed Kay's clothes for this ENTIRE school week!
Watched part of a documentary on 1964

My new Pressure Cooker. A Christmas present from my mom :) Love ya mom!

Awesome protein smoothie after my quick (middle of the day) cardio

Lentils...rinsed...drained and ready to make stew

Brown rice bubbling in my favorite pot from Good Will

Carrot juice shavings...I could have made a banana bread out of this, but was just too busy and didn't have any raisins or avocados!

5 mornings worth of Gluten Free Oats with Blueberries and Cinnamon with chia seeds

My new favorite protein powder! Nitro Fusion. It is so good! It has 21 grams of protein per scoop!! Oh me oh my!!!!!!

Seriously 21 grams!

Check out the cals! And LOW sugar content. I do like Vega Protein, but for $60 a pop..it ain't on this single momma budget.

I am gearing up to make some recipes out of this book. Seriously... if you don't own Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.

I watched Magic Trip. A documentary about the Magic Bus used in 1964 to drive from Cali to NY. I didn't finish it, but I will do so tonite. I loveeeeeeeeeed it. I am such a 60s Flower Child. :) One day I am going to make a Hippie Post. Kennedy calls me the "Ultimate Hippie". I love it!

Today, Monday December 18th 2011 I work up at 7:13 AM after 9 hours of sleep and did a 34 minute at home circuit style workout. I was short on time since I overslept, but I decided to just "get it done!" I was a sweaty beast when done and sooooooo happy to be back to morning workouts.

I previously expressed how much I LOATHE nite time workouts..unless it's my second one of the day.So, we shall see. I have a plan to do morning workouts all this week with some nite time spinning thrown in!

Plan of Action for the Week of December 18 2011:

Monday- Morning Circuits Full Body Evening Cardio DVD
Tuesday- Morning Cardio and Abs Nite Maybe Spinning
Wednesday- Morning Circuits Full Body Nite Yoga
Thursday- Morning Cardio and Abs
Friday- Morning Circuits Full Body
Saturday- DOR. To hang with Kay
Sunday- Morning Cardio and Abs Yoga

Come on join me! Let's get excited about fitness before this year ends. It will be one LESS resolution to make! Let's do it. At home...at the gym...at work...let's go!!!!!!!!!!!

What Are You Waiting For?

2011-12-13T12:52:00.001-05:00

Time to get deep. Yesterday I cried. I cried for missed opportunites. I cried for all the times I have been intentionally hurt by people. These tears were powerful. I have said before that "the issues are in the tissues" and now that I am back to training, and moving my body in all the ways I am accustomed to, I can feel myself spiritually being grounded.

But, Jayna' how can training be grounding? Trust me it is. This wasn't the case when I was 195 lbs, but as soon as I fell in love with sweating, I realized that I had found a life long love in fitness.

The body is a miraculous machine. If you have had a child you know this to be true. I delivered Kennedy without an epidural and I was acutely aware of the power of the female human body.

What are you waiting for? What are you waiting for to start living your best life ever?

Last year this time I was on bended knee crying for my daughter's life. I sat on the couch crying every nite while eating vegan treats unable to be motivated at now. Now a year later, I am sitting here inspired by fitness again...living with a renewed zealous appriach to caring for my body, loving being a woman, and appreciating my curves.

What's stopping you from being present in your life right now?
I love your emails- keep em coming!

Lovingly added by Jayna'

Sneak Peek At My New Gym

2011-12-11T22:17:00.001-05:00

In these times I am finding it better to go to the gym so that I can focus. This gym is seriously lacking in space. No room for separate training. OMG. It leaves much to be desired on the floor, although it is shiny and great looking.

I often want to nap on this bench. Is this bad?

Ahhhhh many a meditation have happened in here.

I study how my ass looks in my tights before going onto the floor.

Pee Station

Kennedy loves the childcare, but she didn't want to go this weekend.

•Monday- Lower Body
•Tuesday- Upper Body and Spinning
•Wednesday- Cardio and Abs
•Thursday- same as Monday
•Friday- Upper Body and Intervals
•Saturday- Spinning
•Sunday- DOR

Lovingly added by Jayna'

Busy Days Turn Into Busy Weeks. My Workouts Lately

2011-12-09T14:24:00.000-05:00

Hi! :)

It has been so cold here and with my going back to work it feels like busy days turn into busy weeks and into busy months. I have to consciously make time for sitting my ass on the zabaton. Seriously. It is so strange that when I have more time, I make time for meditation, but when life is harried and I am busy, I don't make time....hmmmm something is SO wrong with this picture.

So, with that in mind, I lit my incense (a 1000 times a day habit), lit a candle, rubbed lavender oil on my wrists and sat in silence for 20 glorious, uninterrupted minutes. I did this while ignoring the sink full of dishes, the laundry, and other chores. I remember reading in a time management book a long time ago that at the end of life do you need to be remembered as having the most spotless house ever. I definitely keep a really clean home, but I have my priorities in order.

My Workouts:

Okay the new gym is anti-cell phone/camera. Therefore, it has been difficult to snatch a few glimpses for you all. I will just use generic photos from the web. I can however take pix if no one is around. Interesting considering the gym is CONSTANTLY PACKED. OMGoddess.....I can barely get the use of an arc trainer.

So, this week has been busy. My days have been looking like this:

Up at 6:30 am- breakfast for me and Kay
Pack the lunch bags (me and Kay)
Take care of Halo :)
Make beds...minimal cleaning upstairs
Shower...get fancy for work
Drop Kay at school
Get straight to work
Work like a mad woman
Get Kay from school
Home...Dinner for her. Preworkout snack for me
Head to gym about 5:15 (Prime Time I call it) :(
Kay plays in the gym daycare (she loves it)
Home by 7:00
Homework, Dessert for Kennedy, Dinner for me

Long days it feels like! But, I am soooooooo excited to be back in the gym and in the flow. I have some complaints. I can barely use equipment. It is so packed. I mean "Fire Marshall Code" packed. No room to jump rope. This is no bueno in my world. People are consistently NOT wiping off their machines.

There are things I love though :) :

7 day a week childcare
Televisions on some cardio machines
Great variety of classes ( a goal in 2012) is to take more Group X classes
Small circuit room in the back. Crowded, but separate
Amazing sauna

My workout split has been:

MONDAY- UPPER BODY and Intervals
TUESDAY- LOWERBODY and light cardio
WEDNESDAY- CARDIO and sexy abs
THURSDAY- UPPER BODY and Intervals
FRIDAY- LOWER BODY and light cardio
SATURDAY- PILATES DOR
SUNDAY-Yoga and Spinning

I throw in a Day of Rest (DOR) Whenever I feel like it also. I haven't been weighing myself, but my clothes are fitting better. For me as black woman, if my hip to waist ratio is about 10", I am satisfied. As of today, that is the case. I am not going for the tiny look.I am going for the healthy, fit, sexy look. So far...so good. I have a bit left to go though. I am loving the process. It feels harder this time around though.

Question for ya: Are you working out yet? Eating right these days? Nothing is in the way. Don't wait for January 1st, 2012. We have three weeks left of 2011. Let's kill em!

Life Is Short..

2011-12-05T14:58:00.001-05:00

Don't think because I have been absent that I have "fallen" back into bad vegan gluten free habits. Quite the opposite actually.

I stopped posting on Day 3 of the cleanse. I stopped THAT day. Kennedy was having a slumber party and I had a ton of kids over. Two of the kids' mom attempted suicide that night. Her kids were with me and I had no idea what was going on. Her son asked to go home and I called her to send him home. She didn't seem happy about that but I sent her son home anyway--bad move.

Long story short I cried my eyes out and have been super busy. Then, a friend of mine's daughter was battling cancer. She lost the fight recently :-(. My heart has been pouring tears ever since. She was a beautiful soul.

I have been holding Kennedy extra tightly. Thanking God that she survived.

I feel like I can breathe again so here I am.

Just a few things I have been up to:

•eating Ezekiel sprouted wheat bread. Haven't had gluten in SO long but I am doing okay.

•signed up for a very nice gym not too far from my house. About 5 miles. I LOVE the facility. I have yet to go (just signed up yesterday) but will report back tomorrow after going tonite. It is EXPENSIVE-- $50/ month geeeezzzz but seemingly worth it.

•eating soy yogurt. I am looking for ways to make my own rice milk or almond milk yogurt though.

The reason for the changes is that I am aiming to get back into the best shape of my life. That means doing all of the things I did when I was my fittest, healthiest self. That actually was NOT when I was 100% raw. So stay tuned for the many changes.

•I am working part-time now! Not my dream career but just in time for holiday cash!! I will photograph my new shoes tomorrow. This means there is no time to workout at home- hence the gym membership. Also, means I have to workout at nite :(

So, hugs and health. I will blog tomorrow about the new gym and show you some photos. I will have to sneak and take a few!

Lovingly added by Jayna'

Cleanse Days 2 and 3 Recap. Cooked Food Addiction

2011-11-18T17:33:00.000-05:00

and

Yesterday was crazy and I was unable to get a post up. I did wrap the day up with some meditation and deep journaling.

Here is what the day looks like:

Rise without alarm (always did) around 6:30-7am.
16oz water
Hot water with lemon
Juice (yesterday green today grapefruit)
Huge smoothie (1/2 lb spinach, about 3-4 bananas, chia seeds, froz blueberries, and 2 dates
Water
Another smoothie
Another smoothie
Tea
Water

Daily I have been:

Skin brushing/exfoliating
Tongue scraping
Stretching
Journaling
Meditating

Okay so today I wanted to eat. Having the normal cleanse thoughts like, "It's not normal NOT to eat. I mean I AM vegan veteran. Geez, whole foods are good for me. I should just end right now and have some of this GF V pizza."

Speaking of which, Kennedy is having a sleepover tonite and I just made a huge batch of homemade GF pizza...oohhhhhhhhh myyyyyyyyy goddess! Anywho, I realize that the cleanse will have to be shorter than 7 days because I have to actually cook the Thanksgiving dinner before Thursday and will be tasting it, but I am adamant about using December 1-15th for mainly juice (but also smoothies)

So, when will I end this cleanse? Not sure. I thought about ending it today, but I feel too hungry and am afraid I will just overeat because I feel hungry. I need to sit with this feeling of hunger as I think about the famine going on in other parts of the world. When I position my consciousness globally I realize how utterly American and ridiculous my raw vs cooked thoughts can become.

Some civilizations are thriving on rice and beans while working outdoors 10-12 hours a day. And here I am in my centrally heated home with a smoothie complaining...it snaps me back into reality quickly.

Watch this youtube clip about the Somali Refugees Famine HERE.

The Raw vs Cooked debate comes on strong. I have been a part of the raw movement for 7 years now. I have been vegan for over ten. No one led me to the light...my soul searched it out. Read about it my vegan story---> My comp is tripping and won't let me add the link right now :( Sorry!

I am a 100% proponent of a 95% whole foods diet. I know that as I age, I will change that to 100% whole vegan plant-based foods. Cooked or raw to me doesn't truly matter. Let me preface this by saying after years and years of personal research (and watching the lives of many friends) this is what resonates as true for me... I will never eat an animal or their secretions again.

This I know. I will always:

juice
do massive green smoothies
crazy massive salads

I will NOT do:

lots of nuts unless in a raw food gourmet meal every now and then
processed vegan convenience foods
no soy other than tofu every now and again (love the stuff)
be so obsessed with %ages that I forget to savor and enjoy my food

For me food is meant to please...be delicious and wonderful..sometimes sensual. Assigning "good" or "bad" to the food is useless in my mind. The only BAD is animal products for a host of reasons.

I like making my eating time ritualistic (duh..I love rituals- must be the Catholic upbringing :) ). I set my place mat, my centerpiece, my incense, and a candle and give thanks. Then I slowly enjoy the meal. Whether I am alone or dining with Kay or friends.

Gotta love it... Are you raw or cooked? Both? What do you think about cooked food? Cravings?

Off to plan the sleepover! Girls are arriving!

Cleanse Day 1 Recap

2011-11-16T20:17:00.001-05:00

I am starving. OMG. I am thinking about all kinds of things. But I made it through. Thought I wouldnt around 5 pm, but I hung strung.

At 9:00am I had tons of water before downing a huge green smoothie (spinach-bananas- orange)

Later I had FOUR huge green smoothies. All spinach-banana-date-froz blueberry. Thus was soooo goodd. I love dates!!!

I did venture out to the store and snagged some chia seeds. Oh yea I added em to my afternoon smoothies.

Awwww I wanted to chew these apples. But not that fake orange. Things haven't gotten that badly yet!!

Sorry about the poor picture quality. No flash was on. Here are some Costco grapefruit that I picked up for a few days of juice. Grapefruit juice is my favorite juice.

Here is my pantry. Plenty bananas to ripen for this 7 day cleanse.

Best thing about it is that my cleanup is simple!!

Here is princess telling me that I can do it!

It is only 8 pm and I am exhausted. Have been for hours. I am showered and in pajamas. I am going to read the girlie novel I picked up at the library today.

Zero excercise today. No yoga. No journaling. I did meditate but my brain is so foggy, I may need a day or two to adjust. Let me tell you...I am seriously regretting that cheeseburger dinner.

Here is my tip: Time is passing whether you are doing things or not. May as well have time on your side and be doing things you KNOW can help you.

When I wanted to eat veggie chips I said to myself, " 10 mins after they are gone I will feel like shit."

I am ready to be back on the path I have been on for so many years without stress or brain surgery slowing me down. I am ready to be the me that I have alwayd envisioned being. Don't YOU want that???? The only oerson standing in your way is YOU. So join me for the next six days. You can do:

•juice/smoothies til dinner
•1 day cleanse
•go ovaries to the wall (hate the balls to the wall statement) and go 100% like me

Come on!!!!

Time to Cleanse

2011-11-16T10:26:00.000-05:00

Good morning Goddesses!!

I wanted to post last nite, but was so exhausted after 5 hours at the GRE test center (I'm done!!!!!!) and then going out in the rain to the library at Penn State. I was late to see the play I wanted to go to, but hung around to chat with my mentor and new students.

I didn't get to shop for the cleanse, but it doesn't matter. Today is the day! I did eat a GF V cheeseburger and chips last nite however. Because I ate the food so late I didn't wake up hungry. I did wake up rushed however. I was so tired from reading a novel until 1:30 am (good books captivate me like that!)...

Here are my plans for the cleanse:

Upon waking tongue scrape
Drink 16oz-1L of water
I cup of hot water with lemon (~~if I have any~~) or cayenne
Green juice (using whatever I have on hand). Prob romaine/apple/lemon????
Green smoothie (banana, spinach, apple, or orange)
Short light workout (some walking on the treadmill maybe {the weather sucks}; yoga daily; very light weights)
Hot teas (Traditional Medicinals; Yogi Tea)
More smoothies
I'll do blended soups if I have the money for the ingredients
Lots of meditation and journaling
Limited to NO television and lots of reading girlie novels!

The purpose of this cleanse is majorly spiritual. I took time and got into the mindframe of cleansing. I actually came home after dropping Kennedy off an hour ago and started cleaning up. My house is a kinda disorganized mess because I have been so busy with school and such I've been "tidying"
it over. But, today I wanted to just get started on putting things in order.

If you are following the cleanse or starting your own...what is your purpose for doing it? Do you just want a jump start to a clean system? Wanna get rid of some negative emotions? Feel closer to god/goddess?

For me, it's all of the above.

My Cleanse list:

Journal
Fav Penn State Penn
Girlie novels (for when I feel food cravings to escape to)
Spinach and lots of it
Bananas and lots of em
May buy some chia seeds to bulk up the smoothies???
Oranges
Apples
Romaine
Lemons
Celery
Frozen Blueberries
Dry skin brush
Tongue scraper
Organic bubble bath

I am off in the rainy gloom of this Wednesday to clean up a little, balance my checkbook and see how much vegetation I can afford, hop on over to the grocery store and then to Costco for the frozen blueberries and celery and to make my first green smoothie of the day.

I am excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Test Prep and Cleanse Prep

2011-11-13T17:10:00.000-05:00

The day is near. gasp. My GRE is on Tuesday. I have cold feet. I detest the fact that I must take this ~~monstrous~~ exam again..but am eager to get it over with.

News on the cleanse. I am going to do it from Wednesday November 16th to Wednesday November 23rd. I know that is only 7 days, but I would be lying if I didn't intend to eat "faux turkey" on T-giving day. Kay and I are going to a huge vegan Thanksgiving and I am in charge of GF dessert/menu items.

I do intend on doing another cleanse on Dec. 1-15th as well. I have been mentally preparing for the cleanse. I can't afford to do only juice, but will be doing juice and green smoothies for both. Wednesday morning I will list everything that I will be using for cleanse and my daily intake and exercise.

I plan on easing back into my workouts...very slow and steady. Yoga...some jump rope...light weights (lots of reps)...few exercises.

So here is my bed- covered in GRE materials! (I spared you and only showed you a glimpse) :-)

As usual...Halo is obliviously napping

Green smoothie and notes

Banana and dates...a mid-afternoon snack

GRE prep tests. OUCH. My score SUCKED today. You would swear that I wasn't studying at all.

What are you doing today to make for a better tomorrow? I'm studying for the GRE and going to drink some tea and journal before bed. What will you do?????

Websites to visit:

Zen Habits

Crazy Sexy Life

Vegan Action

Lovingly added by Jayna'

Preoccupation to Motivation

2011-11-10T12:01:00.002-05:00

Good morning! It's a dreary East Coast morning. I am a bit preoccupied with thoughts about my lovely VW Beetle :( I'll tell ya more at another time. It literally has me in tears. Moving on...

It's November 10th...my mom's bday is tomorrow! 11-11-11 She will be 55. She is really embracing a healthier lifestyle. She proves that it is never too late to start.

I started this morning with hot lemon water. I only have one lemon left...so tomorrow it may be hot cayenne pepper water!

Moved on about 1/2 hour later to green juice: romaine, apple

An hour later I had a quart of green smoothie: 3 froz bananas, TONS of spinach, 1 honeycrisp apple

Here is Halo napping at the foot of my bed this morning.

I sat at my computer. Yes this is my screen saver! I love this photo. Not because I look stunningly gorgeous, but because I took it in Hershey Medical Center when Kennedy got out of ICU. I hadn't had sleep in days or combed my hair, yet I found reason to smile.

I watched a great video that I love by Philip. A few years ago when I traveled to New York quite often Philip and I had a great conversation after listening to Kris Carr speak about the power of meditating, juicing, and kicking canCer's ass... He said a few things that still have a profound impact on me to this day.

Then I swung by Mimi Kirk's site Young on Raw Food and nabbed a cute recipe for Cheezy Cheese Sauce. I will post her recipe and her picture below. I am certainly going to make this as a salad dressing. I will use less olive oil (if any at all).

Here is a picture of Kennedy and one of her best friends going to see Disney's Dare to Dream on Ice. It was a magical and beautiful performance. I love to see that light in her eyes when she is feeling inspired. It reminds me to seek the same feeling.

Speaking of seeking...is there something you are looking for? Do you hold an image of yourself, but don't know how to "cross over" to embody that image?

The answer is ACTION. Stop thinking about it...planning it...and just DO IT. Seriously, if you always wanted to be a yogi, but don't know how...turn on youtube (hello FREE) and do a five minute session. BAM you are a yogi! Want to dabble in raw foods, but don't know where to start? Eat an apple..BAM you are a raw fooder.

Sounds crazy, but I am dead serious. The only thing stopping you from being who you want to be is to stop thinking and start moving. Maybe you won't be a juice feaster or marathoner overnite, but you will damn sure be closer to one than you were yesterday~

2011-11-09T07:23:00.001-05:00

Thanks for all who emailed to join me for the cleanse!!! I am putting together a small budget to do it now. I am thinking of doing it for 10 days in November and 15 in December.

Here are some pix of how my days have been going.

Juice: everything I find in the fridge! Romaine- collard greens- green apples-lemon

Journaling

Tea. This my fav mug. It says,"Life is all about how you handle Plan B" :-) dont I know it!

Hot lemon water...early cold East Coast morning staple

My beautiful survivor. She is starting to speak to younger kids about how to be strong thru brain surgery. OMG I am so proud of her.

I have been so consumed with stress and my car breaking down that I am waaaay behind on schoolwork. That all changes today!

I am aiming to get in a quick at-home workout at some point today.

Be good to yourself today. Drink some water...plan to go to bed early...take a bubble bath :-)

I plan on doing ALL those.

Lovingly added by Jayna'

Major Shifts and Deep Thoughts

2011-11-06T17:16:00.002-05:00

Lately, I have been going through quite a lot. I am having a difficult time balancing it all sometimes. I am also in the final weeks of applying to graduate school. I am simultaneously overwhelmed, exhausted, hopeful, and happy.

Taking care of Kennedy is always paramount; therefore, there hasn't been much time made for anything else in between applications (long and hard), studying for the GRE (so behind) and cooking/raising her.

It's freezing up here in PA and I am finding myself really wanting soup, tea, and apples. I have probably eaten 20 honey crisp apples in the past week.

My weight/exercise routine isnt' nearly where I want either to be and I am super eager to just get the applying process over with so that I can breathe again.

I have been feeling "stagnant" and feeling a real pull to do a cleanse. Seriously. On a spiritual and physical level. It is really time to "lighten the load". Speaking of which...I have eliminated several family members and friends from my life. This has been no easy feat. One friend I knew for 20 years and the other 14. It was painful, but so necessary.

I am creating space in my life for joy and abundant bliss. I can't remain (anymore) wrapped in patterns of behavior that do not benefit me. So, please send me some good vibes as I go through this trying time. I am so hopeful that plenty of joy will come from this :-)

I'm thinking of doing a 10 day "reboot" in a few weeks. Juices and green smoothies. ~~I simply cannot afford to do all juice.~~ I would love some company along the way. This won't just be about the juice/smoothies, but also about daily meditation, bubble baths, and yoga. So, if you want a guided self-care plan to help you get geared up for the holidays, I'm your gyrl.

If you wanna get inspired, check this out....I've seen it 3 times :)

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead Trailer

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.
Buddha

Late Nite Pancakes

2011-10-08T22:50:00.001-04:00

Today was a beautiful day here in PA. It is a three day weekend and all I can think about is how I am going to get my workouts in!

So, today when Kennedy's dad stopped by for an impromptu visit, I high tailed it to Target for a new teecino maker (see below) and to stop in the gym for 16 minutes of intervals. Haven't been in the gym lately (I quit) but have been missing it like a bad breakup without the proper closure.

I am up late..worrying..and watching old epusodes of Parenthood while making GF pancakes. Because I am going to run tomorrow, can I call these late nite pancakes carbo loading? Loll

Lovingly added by Jayna'

Friday Workout and Morning Cooking

2011-10-07T15:16:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday! <3

Kennedy had a two hour delay from school today so I was able to cook this morning!

Vanilla Cupcakes- made these yesterday and ate two last nite while drinking Teecino and watching Gilmore Girls--fav show.

HUGE pot of quinoa! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack food! Complete protein awesomeness.

Friday nite Pizza. Every week we have pizza and the neighborhood girls over for movies. This month of "Monstober" we are watching scary or Halloween theme movies. Tonite is Hocus Pocus!!!

Today I did a great workout. As I am getting back in my flow I am going stready. 15 mins warmup and then...leg press, chest press, shoulder press, glute kickbacks...

More cardio...great stretches. Ahhhh feels good.

Make sure to move your body today. Even if you turn on the radio and shake your ass for 20 minutes. ;-)

Lovingly added by Jayna'

Tips for Waking Up Early

2011-10-06T11:45:00.000-04:00

Here are some tips for waking up earlier. I honestly believe for me it is a great habit to cultivate if I truly want to live a fufilled, empowered life. I've never been a late-riser, but never and early-riser either. I'm working to change that. I love this list and I love any and all areas of personal development. Hmmmm maybe I'll do a personal development post soon!

I got these tips from : Dave Cheong

1. Have a good reason to get up.
I’ve found this to be the single most important element in being an early riser. Days in which I did not crystallise the reasons for getting up were more likely to result in sleep ins. Now, I make it clear the night before what it is I want to wake up early for. Initially, I found writing things down to be helpful, but this isn’t always necessary, as long as it is clear what the reasons are.

2. Be productive in the mornings.

It wasn’t enough to just be an early riser. If I had committed to waking up early for a reason, I’ve found it was crucial that I followed through. Not following through is like slow working poison. Over time, this has a cumulative effect and makes it harder and harder to rise early. This was a huge drain on motivation for me, especially when I was losing sleep and yet not getting the things I wanted to done. So stick to the plan and be productive.

3. Get enough sleep.

Your body is trying to tell you something if you constantly feel overly tired during the day. I’ve found it wasn’t really worthwhile trying to get up early if I didn’t get enough good sleep the night before. In the short term, I might get more discretionary time because I was sleeping less, which is good for coping with the spikes in workload. However, in the long term, things generally evened out – either because I was tired and couldn’t work as fast or I was sick as a result of a weakened immune system. My advice is to ensure you get enough sleep.

4. Go to bed earlier

One simple thing which helped me get enough sleep was to … well … go to bed earlier. Instead of constantly staying up past midnight and feeling tired the next morning, I now start preparing for bed around 11pm. I’ve found, around this time of night, I’m generally winding down anyway and not engaged in productive work. So shifting the hours around slightly has meant that overall my free time gets used more effectively – which is the primary reason for being an early riser! The amount of sleep needed is different from person to person and day to day. So, I listen to my body when it tells me that it is tired and it is time for bed.

5. Sleep more effectively.

The other thing I noticed about sleep is sleeping longer doesn’t necessarily translate to sleeping better. Somedays I can have 8 hours of sleep, yet feel like I haven’t slept at all. Other days I can be fully alert, productive and cheerful after only a few short hours.

If you find that you are still tired after a good stretch of 6-8 hours, chances are you’re not sleeping well. Most people just don’t need much more sleep than that. Sleeping well can be attained in various ways. I find having a good mattress and pillow with some quiet reading time before bed to be helpful.

6. No more another 10 mins.

I think everyone including me has two conflicting aspects to their personality. There’s the one which is good and generally seeks to self improve and be productive. Then there’s the other one – the little voice in the head urging us to sleep in for another 10 mins. I’ve learned the hard way that this little voice rarely has anything good to say. My advice is don’t ever have a discussion with him or indulge in anything he says! Sleeping in for another 10 mins is guaranteed to lead to another 10 mins and then another. The next time you hear that little voice, just say “No” out loud and …

7. Jump out of bed.

One trick I’ve found to be very effective in being an early riser and to stop myself from rationalising is to simply jump out of bed instantly. Once I am outside the comforts of the warm and cozy bed, I’m more likely to actually wake up and stay up. Someone once suggested to me by leaving the bedroom immediately, you also leave no doubt about your intentions to actually wake up and start doing things. Jumping out of bed and leaving the room actually works. They have prevented me from sleeping in on many a cold winter morning.

8. Use an alarm clock, just not the snooze.

Every day without fail, I wake up before the alarm goes off. I’m tempted to say setting it might not even be necessary! However, I take comfort in the knowledge that it’s there and waiting to go off, so I don’t have to worry about sleeping in. The trick with the alarm clock is to make it loud, annoying and not easily accessible. Try placing it away from arms reach, so that you can’t turn it off or get to the snooze button unless you get up out of bed. For me, this works wonders, because when it goes off, my wife and daughter are both still asleep and I instinctively try to get to it as quickly as possible.

9. Establish a stable routine.

What I recently learned from being a new dad is babies thrive on routine. My daughter now knows that bath time is followed by reading time and then bed time. Initially, she put up a fight resisting the bed. Now, she expects it!

In many ways, things are no different for us adults. I view the body as an instrument which can be trained. I’ve found establishing a consistent routine to be a key factor in becoming an early riser. This means waking up at same time everyday, not just the days I have to. This includes weekends, which typically aren’t as busy as the weekdays. Now, my body doesn’t even remember what it was like to sleep in and being a late riser.

10. Have something to look forward to.

Waking up early can be hard work, especially when you are used to sleeping in. Having a purpose is a good start, but this isn’t always enough. I mean, come one, are you really going to get up early to work on some TPS report for work? What I do in addition to having a purpose is to have a reward or other attractive incentive to get up for. It can be anything. I personally look forward to having time to check my emails in the morning, eat breakfast and drink a cup of tea.

11. Be aware of the consequences.

As I’ve written about previously, when faced with doing something we don’t want to do, we’re generally motivated not just by Pleasure, but also Pain. I’ve found that it was very effective to be aware of the consequences of sleeping in. For me, losing that extra 2 hours in the morning can have a significant flow on effect to my day and the rest of the week. Everytime I sleep in, I have to stay at work later and sacrifice quality time with my daughter in the evenings. This is something I clearly want to avoid, so being aware of this has been really effective in keeping me motivated when the alarm goes off.

12. Remove the option completely.

One trick I’ve found to work well also is removing the option of sleeping in completely. If we don’t have the option to sleep in, we won’t. The best way of doing this is schedule meetings and deadlines early in the mornings. This leaves one with no option at all but to get up because by the time the morning comes round, it is too late to cancel or reschedule a commitment. I’ve found this to be very effective because my actions now impact not just me but others as well.

13. Have a similarly motivated buddy.

Over the year, I have mentioned to various friends my desire to be a consistent early riser. Being encouraged by my example and results, they too have adopted the drive to be early risers. Not only is it gratifying to be helping others improve their productivity and quality of life, but having friends similarly committed helps keep me motivated and on track. Whenever we meet up, we always ask each other how we are doing with respect to being early risers. If anyone has fallen off the wagon, as a group we try to get them motivated again. Your spouse may be a good buddy even if only to kick you out of bed.

14. Keep track of your times.

Have you ever told yourself that you can sleep in just this once because you’ve already been good the whole week? I have. Unfortunately, my perception on how good I’ve been is subjective and often inaccurate. Sometimes I consider sleeping in because I feel that I’ve been good when in fact I’ve already slept in twice this week or six times this month. I’ve found keeping track of the days I have been good and not good to be immensely useful. I review this list periodically and whenever I find I’m falling behind, I use this list to renew my motivation and commitment.

15. Review all the things you got done.

I’ve written about the 10 R’s to success before. If you haven’t read that post, take a moment to do so. One of the more important R’s is Review which describes the importance of looking back on how successful you have been with your goals and what you’ve managed to accomplish. If things aren’t working out or the results weren’t as expected, then adjust your approach. Looking back at all the things you’ve managed to get done in the early mornings is a great motivator to keep you going.

Conclusions

Being an early riser is tough work, but I’ve managed to do it consistently. To be honest, I didn’t realise how hard it would be when I first started. I might not even have tried if I knew better in the beginning. However, I’m glad I did because the rewards are amazing. I get much more done now and my quality of life has improved.

If you want to be early risers yourselves, try out the tips I’ve highlighted. Some of them may not work for you, but I can bet that if you applied at least a few of these, you will see immediate results. Feel free to experiment and refine the process until you find a healthy balance you can sustain.

They Wanted to Kill My Dog- So I went NON vegan...

2011-10-06T11:28:00.000-04:00

Okay. My precious dog Halo has been sick. Very sick. Super very sick. The vet determined that if I couldn't come up with about $2,000 that I would have to put her down. uhhhh....no way. If she were deathly ill...of course I would have wanted her out of her misery, but I felt in my gut that I could help her.

I went out and bought pedialyte, organic chicken, and white rice. I started using a baby medicine dropper to get the pedialyte into her body and boiled the chicken and rice and hand fed her. Within two days, she is responsive, waggin her tail and attentive. If I had let them put her down...we would be without her right now. Yes there are times and circumstances that warrant putting a dog to sleep- obviously- but I used my gut and I know that this isn't one of em!

Although buying chicken was strange...I haven't done it in years, it felt like the right thing to do at the time for my Halo and now she's thriving!
On to life... It is crunch time for the GRE and school apps and with Halo's illness, I am wayyyyyyyyyy behind. The next few weeks will find me studying, writing, reading, and praying :) Wish me luck during this time. The single mommie world weighs heavily on me during times when I have to devote immense attention to things. Does that ever happen to any moms out there?

My goal during the next six weeks is to have daily workouts (short or long). Working out my body keeps my mind in action. I feel really good mentally when I have worked out and taken care of things physically. I started waking up early in the morning to get my workouts over with. I realize that if I wake up at 5:45 am to get my workout done...the house is freezing and it's dark. ugh. not fun at all. Maybe it's a motivation thing too??? Well, a benefit of being unemployed is that I can workout AS SOON as I drop Kennedy at school.

It's been working for me....you wanna get up early? Start trying to get up earlier? I have some tips I found on the Internet I wanna share in my next post. I'll send it out later today

When Kennedy is in the Hospital- The world STOPS!

2011-10-02T20:00:00.001-04:00

Okay...as usual on the single mom front things don't always go as planned.

Kennedy's neurosurgeon is "concerned" with the frequency and intensity of her headaches and ordered a full day of sedation and brain scanning- :(

When Kennedy is being tested everything in my world falls. I am working on it but it is difficult. It is times like this when I wish I had family near...or a life partner. I sucked it up (no other choice) and geared up for the hospital.

Kennedy's spirit is one to be envied. She was singing a Broadway song as the anesthiologist explained the procedure to her.

I can't show the other photos :(

Needless to say my workouts have suffered, but tomorrow I will be back as good as new.

Do me a favor? Give an extra hug to the healthy people in your life. Please remember how health is NOT promised. It isn't a birthright, but rather a privilege. Someone asked me if I thought my daughter would live to be 18....I looked her right in the eye and said, "18?? Honey, she will outlive YOU."

I am off to dry my hair and get prepped for an IEP meeting in the early morning for Kennedy's school. After a 6 am workout! I am going back to getting up early. It is the only way to get everything done!

Lovingly added by Jayna'

A Rough Day and the Yoga of Being Clean

2011-09-21T20:05:00.000-04:00

I am having a tough week and today was a particularly tough day. When I don't make time for exercise (even 10 minutes) my entire day is off. That has happened a few times this week. Today I had 2 GF cupcakes too! It isn't the cupcakes that are upsetting...I don't get mad at food, it is the fact that in an upset emotional moment, I ate them :(

I have class tonite from 9- almost midnite, but tomorrow I WILL be making time for my workout. I guess these two days off weren't so bad because my hip flexors, psoas, and hamstrings were KILLING me from the deadlifts I did at home the other day!

When you are feeling stressed have you ever realized that the energy follows you? From the car, to the house, back outside etc. I found a great article that helped me to put a few things in perspective today....

Saucha - Cleanliness in Yoga - Part I

By Aadil Palkhivala

In yoga, cleanliness is called saucha, and is very important on the yoga path. I hope this article will help explain the reason for its importance.

Why saucha? Patanjali places saucha as the very first niyama, the first step towards self-exploration. Why would Patanjali give this much importance to cleanliness? Saucha is the foundation of niyama, or personal discipline. The reason is energy. When the body is dirty, it is holding onto past energy.

When clothes are dirty, they are holding onto past energy. When the house is dirty, it is also holding onto past energy. It's like a weight that the house caries. I'm sure you've discovered that when you have just cleaned up the whole house, vacuumed it, cleared out the cobwebs, changed the sheets, then it feels lighter, it feels brighter, it feels more alive. That is because you've removed a layer of the past. So, instructing students to be clean is instructing them to remove layers of the past and move into the present. To be cleaner is to become lighter, to become brighter, to shed a layer of yesterday and become more present in the moment.

Also, saucha enhances sensitivity-sensitivity to your own body smell and sensitivity to the negative feelings that dirt brings. These gross sensitivities have to be cultivated for the later limbs of yoga which require extreme sensitivity.

Often we hear the argument that we should not be obsessed with dirt, because dirt is God as well. Although obsession for anything is unyogic and dirt, of course, has God in it, everything in the universe has its place. We would not try to wash our bodies with cow dung, even though cow dung is God, because our skin is not the appropriate place for cow dung to be. In the same way, the appropriate place for dirt is not in the house or on the body.

First comes cleanliness of the physical body. That is, having a shower, making sure the body does not have an odor. No dirt under the nails. Clean hair. It all starts with the body. Number one is body. Number two is clothing--that which touches the body. Not using the same clothes twice if they have been worn for any length of time. Washing clothes constantly. Using clean towels to wipe the body after a shower.

Then comes that which the body and the clothes are in, which are the house and the car. One of the elements of a clean house is not wearing shoes inside it. The reason for this is to keep the sanctity of the home. Shoes bring the energy of the outer world into our home. Another element of a clean home is to rinse our hands immediately upon entering the house to clear the energy of the outer world. Doing these two things, you will find that the house starts to build its own energy--which is a reflection of your cleaner energy--rather than being a dilution of the energies of the outer world. Otherwise these energies of the outer world flow in and out, thereby diluting your own energy when you are in the house.
Aadil Palkhivala©2008
Aadil is the author of "Fire of Love", a book for Teachers of Yoga and Students of Life.

Tomorrow: Workouts :)

Eating and Cooking

2011-09-19T21:06:00.001-04:00

I am so tired today. Phew. Not sure why.aybe it was my single-legged deadlifts yesterday :-)

Basically my diet has been effortlessly simple. Truth is that after years of chasing the perfect diet/eating style- I have found the one for me. Simple- natural- vegan- plant-based eating. As long as it is fresh, minimally processed (think Gluten Free oats) then I am happy. I have no "cravings" and still eat muffins, burgers, fries (think sweet potato).

This way of eating will take me to my 100th birthday. No extra special powders or potions- although I love Sunwarrior Protein Powder- but I don't have any now and don't have any anyway.

Here are some random dinners Kay and I have been having. I can post some recipes in another post. I like to show that you can still eat all the "good" foods while keeping to plant-based low-fat!!

Ohhhhh I am hungry now!

Love,
Your Vegan Trainer <3

I'm Certified Baby!! :)

2011-09-16T13:39:00.000-04:00

Okay. I have a smile as big as the Atlantic Ocean right now. :) I have not forgotten my "daily blog" promise, just know that now if I step away for a day or two it is for damn good cause. I talk about the solo-single-mom operation that I have running over here and that sometimes mandates extra time spent with Kennedy...or she may not be sleepy and thereby my blogging time becomes nonexistent.

Anywho, I have been up day and nite finishing the almost two year process of studying for my training exam....guess what???? Aced it!!!!!!!!! I am so excited. Now I get to certifiably bring the world my awesome tips for how to be lean and sexy. And charge my in-person clients (for now) so that I can provide for my baby girl! exhale....

I tell ya, if you are "behind" on things in your life--Make a plan, map a chart, and start tiny step by tiny step. I am a woman who has had every situation imaginable against me (as some would say) and I have persevered. I have an unwavering faith in myself.

So, regular food/recipe/workout blogging will commence tomorrow. For today, I have to thank my daugther for inspiring me and possibly make some GF pizza from scratch again...hummmmm :)

Try Living Life

2011-09-12T22:33:00.001-04:00

This is a short n quick post. Today I had a blast just living my life. Kennedy and I went outside to ride bikes, use the scooter, run up the hill, and laugh!

Her is Pink Pattie waiting for me to get back on.

Side of my development

I stayed out even as the sun was setting!

Here is dinner. This Lentil Veggie soup was amazing! (recipe tomorrow)

I am getting sniffly so I am turning in early tomorrow is a DOR so I will blog earlier in day.

I hope that you are taking care of yourself. Dis you live life today? Or sis it pass without you?

Lovingly added by Jayna'

Exercise, Eats, and I found YOU a FREE PERSONAL TRAINER!!!!!!!

2011-09-11T21:52:00.000-04:00

The secret is at the bottom so keep reading :)

Today was so insane. I had so much to do. Kennedy has been out of school since Wednesday and I haven't gotten anything done around the house. Without water it is difficult to survive! My heart goes out to those still displaced and trying to make sense of their flooded homes.

Anywho, I did Kennedy's lovely hair (can we say an hour and a half) and then we geared up for the store. I have my menu all mapped out for the week (not sure what day we will eat what on yet), but shopped for all the veggies and school snacks.

Today I did a ton of cooking from (gee guess what) Appetite for Reduction ! You wanna eat plant-based and low-fat that's where to go. Fa real. That brings me to my first point:

EATS !

I have finally, finally, finally, finally found the way of eating that makes 100% sense to me! I am ~~dead damn~~ kinda broke, so I make due with what I have but, the 100% solution for me is: LOW-FAT PLANT-BASED VEGAN! That's right. NO processed:

cereal
GF waffles
GF bread (making my own)
candies
pies
ice creams
etc.

The best thing is that I still eat all of those things! I just make them myself thereby bypassing the processed end of things. This is the diet I will die eating. When I was 100% raw I loved it and felt amazing, but honestly I kinda craved hot soup... rice...etc. I felt like it made me a total ~~loser~~ sellout to go back eating cooked food after so long eating raw. But here is where I found the SECRET that I want to share with you...

The benefits of eating raw is more about what you leave out, than what you add in

=D>

Whoa! I know someone out there is shaking their head saying, "Oh no! She is wrong" And you are okay to say that. I am telling those who have been where I have been, that it's okay. Cooked food is OKAY. :)

Are there a myriad of benefits to raw food??? Duh! But, the truth is that the "so long as it's raw" myth is just that...a myth. I came into the movement believing pie for breakfast and pizza for dinner was the best thing ever. Didn't take me long before I was surviving and NOT thriving on raw.

Every one that I know personally who was heavy in the movement as a 100% raw person isn't anymore. With the exception of Angela and Matt . For me, it makes more sense to eat slightly seasonally, locally when possible, sustainably, and simply. The last word changes it all.

SIMPLE. Don't you want a lifestyle that's simple? I sure do. I don't want to spend my time so obsessed with whether something is raw (oh no it has maple syrup, I can't eat that!) and take my precious time away from doing something important in the world . This leads me to my final point...

I FOUND A FREE PERSONAL TRAINER FOR MY READERS (however few there are :)) )....that trainer is....
ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's right...it's M-E. Jayna' (pronounced Jah-Nay) I am so excited to bring this to you all. I have a few loyal readers who have been checking in with me and I just wanna take a second and say thank you.

As the blog continues and grows (as I made a commitment to blog daily now), you will get to see exactly how strenuous my life and schedule really is. As a single mom of a kiddo with special needs...stuff gets tight. I am super broke and have been unemployed since last June (2010) right before Kennedy's brain surgery. Most companies LOVE me, but don't want to hire me with a sick kiddo. Well, God has been helping me make a way and I've cut tons of corners (doing a post about budgeting this week)...so I want to give back.

I am super busy studying for the crazzzzzzzzzzzyyyyyyyyy GRE, but will take on 3 clients per month. I will be getting started with applications in October and will start the training on or about November 1st! How awesome is this?

If you wanna be trained/coached by me all you have to do is subject a short essay. I will post the question later. So as not to occupy this blog with all of that (all the time) I created another blog where you can check me out then. There is NOTHING on the site now, but if you wanna bookmark it for later it's Coach Jayna'. And don't worry, if you aren't one of the three I choose per month...drumroll...I'm going to be posting vlogs, and youtube videos!!!! Complete with exercises and full workout videos! Yep...that's right! I am so happy to bring this out!

I have 9 years of Psychology training and I want to help women tie the mental and the physical aspects of this journey together. This free training/coaching will be for women who cannot afford training.

I know what is like to be at the end of your rope with nowhere to turn...no money...and no motivation. I'll have a "donate" button on the site and hopefully people will be inspired to give. I will accept donations (as small as $1.00 :) )most of which I'd like to funnel back into the site.

My style will be:

At-home workouts
Done in 45 or less (mainly less)
Recipes, menus of 100% plant-based vegan food on a budget

As the time draws nearer I will be giving TONS of information about changes to the site, videos, etc. I do ultimately want to use my personal training certification (exam this Friday) to earn income, but for now I am compelled to do this. I had a "friend" tell me that I had a poverty conscious and I enjoy being poor...that I had no business sense...etc. I was hurt by her words, but didn't take it personally. Yes I grew up in extreme poverty-extreme- but I don't fear money.I simply see a void..and I want to fill it.

Buddha said "give the very thing you want".

So here I am.

Enjoy....

P.S. I don't really get that many comments, so anyone out there want to tell me what they'd like to see on that site? Or this one? Questions?

Up next on the blog:

Inspiring youtube at-home fitness videos to get you started
Inspiring weight loss stories of plant-based vegans
Trailer of Fork Over Knives

Sunny Saturday's Sneaky Fitness

2011-09-10T19:41:00.000-04:00

Hey Saturday Sistas (and Brothas:-)

Ummm...is it me or is it super hot and sunshiney in PA??? It is awesome. Beautiful weather that noone predicted--even better. I slept in late after watching Red State On Demand. For $9.99 I was freaked out for about 2 hours. OMG...I couldn't sleep afterwards. At 2 am I dosed off...Kennedy is becoming such a big gyrl. She awoke at 7 and watched t.v. so mom could "get her rest" :)

I got out of bed at 9:40 (yes you read that right), 9:40- I never sleep past 7:15~~~ it felt like Christmas :-) I immediately started cleaning up. All the days of not being able to use the water have KILLED the clean freak inside of me.

Afterwards, I decided to *sneak* in a workout in my room! Normally I announce to Kennedy that "mommie needs to go be fit", but today I decided to just creep up the steps and get to it. (Tomorrow's post will be ALL diet, workouts, and SURPRISES :) I was pouring buckets of sweat by the time she found me and joined in!

After she left out, I did a few more minutes of ballet inspired moves and my weekly challenge (more tomorrow) and called it quits. 50 sweaty minutes total. I have a goal to pretty much never exceed 45-60 minutes per training sessions.... but then again...more later.

Today we enjoyed:

Lunch Picnic inside. Kay ate: GF vegan grilled cheese, Salt n Vinegar chips and an orange

Tweeking a recipe from Appetite for Reduction ! Cajun BeanBalls and Red Gravy (as we call it in New Orleans :)

I seriously changed this recipe. Look at Kennedy's self-portrait in the background. I love it!

Kennedy and I shaped the mixture into balls But not before we mushed it all around by hand

Yummy Vegan Plant-Based "beanballs" are ready! "sooooooooooo good mom"

The salads were great. Romaine/nut yeast/herbamare/lemon= Kennedy

Romaine/tomato/ginger dressing= me

Here is my next dream car! A Honda Fit!!!!!!!

My lovely view in Blue Betty the Awesome Hippie Beetle!

I am off to have a fun nite with my girl and watch a Lifetime Movie while studying (shhhhh). See ya tomorrow. Let me leave you with a tiny clue about what I've been up to....

"If you want to meet someone who can fix any situation you don't like, who can bring you happuiness in spite of what other people say or believe, look in a mirror and say this magic word: Hello"- Richard Bach

Coming up tomorrow:

Plant-Based Eating: The good, the lazy, the beautiful
Training (workout)
The SURPRISE! (yesssssssss)