It's a NEW day!!

Friends, It's a new day! It's a new dawn! And, I am feeling AWESOME!! I started a new program titled Chalean Extreme. It's from the same creator as Turbo Jam. She is one of the most motivating, encouraging people I have yet to come across. Her voice and the things she says replay in my head and really have helped me make serious headway in my quest for healthy living. She taught me to stop the negative voices like, "I want that cookie so badly! It will taste so good!" and "I'm so tired I don't want to get up and work out," and "I just can't do it." These are negative voices that do hinder my success. Instead she's helped me replace those voices with, "Train like an athlete, eat like an athlete, think like an athlete!" "I can do it!" "Think how good I'll feel!" It has really been awesome! This combined with the things I learned in the Eat Clean Diet for Families has had a really big effect on me!

Before I started CE (Chalene Extreme) I read this book and it changed the way I think about food. Now before I eat anything I think "how will this effect me or make me feel?" Eating good foods literally plays a major part in my moods, how clearly I can think, what I accomplish during the day, how I sleep at night, if I have an energy laps after lunch, etc. I highly recommend the book!! It can change the way you feel!!

I started eating really well and feeling great and was ready to take on CE. CE is extreme! The title tells it all, and I LOVE it! I love workouts I can make intense! There is such a euphoria that comes with working hard! It's like a happiness shot right to my heart and a stabilizing shot right to my brain, and it lasts all day and all night! I promise you, people, healthy choices brings happiness and makes the rest of life so much easier!! Decide, commit, succeed!! You are NEVER too late to get into the shape of your life and it is NOT too hard to change how you eat.

One thing from the book really helped me. I buy lots of fruits & veggies and they sit in the drawer at the bottom of my fridge. Now right when I get home from the store I wash them, cut off stems, etc and put them in quality plastic containers... ON THE TOP SHELF, right at eye level. That last little trick is from CE. The stores put things at your eye level on purpose... do that at home. Put the healthy foods where they are the first thing you see! It really does make a difference. Also, I immediately measure the serving size I want my crackers, nuts, craizins, dried apricots, etc to be in and put them in snack size zip lock bags. Then I put them in a basket at eye level in my pantry! When we're running out the door I grab those instead of the sugary, high carb granola bars.

This brings me to SUGAR! I swear, I'm starting to think this is a greater evil that we all realize. Sugar comes from plants where it is naturally paired w/fiber. Fiber slows down how quickly sugar is absorbed into our blood stream. Refined sugar is sugar minus the fiber, therefore, it is absorbed into the blood stream at a rapid rate. This creates a very short energy burst, and then the reverse, a dip in energy. Our bodies don't like those dips so a signal is sent to our brains and a craving for more sugar is perceived. The wicked chain of events proceeds! In the mean time you feel AWFUL!! Yet, all of the processed foods we buy at the grocery store are FULL of sugar! Those labels & box decorations give the illusion of healthiness "made with whole wheat." I used to love the fiber one granola bars, but now they are far too sweet for me and I actually get a head ache when I eat one. Sugar has often given me a headache.

Now, I still have a bit of a yearning after lunch for desert. So, I have a teaspoon of peanut butter and a small chunk of dark chocolate. Both have great health benefits (in moderation) and really satisfy that craving. I use freshly churned almond butter which they've started doing at my local Kroger. That means there is no extra salt, sugar, trans fat, etc. It's just those awesomely healthy nuts!

It is a NEW day! Check out that book from your library, put on your tennis shoes and get some blood pumping!! Learn one healthy thing at a time and implement it into your life! You will notice the difference and you will yearn to learn a little bit more! It's awesome and I really enjoy learning this stuff!! I will close with an experience.

My dear local family members know my quest and are very supportive. Never the less, Grandma's house is still constantly stocked w/chips, fruit snacks, ice cream, cakes, cookies, if it's delicious, Grandma has it! Since I've started asking myself "how will this make me feel?" I can turn down ANYTHING! For example, Saturday night I went on a girls night out w/my family. We went to a fancy Italian restaurant and to the theatre... LES MISERABLES!! That is another post!! The restaurant did not have many healthy choices. I had to really study the menu and ask the waiter a few questions. I settled on a salad w/grilled chicken. It was really good! I had one bit of the mushroom appetiser. It was delicious, but that's all I wanted, just a taste. The whole time I didn't feel agitated which happens for me when I'm not really choosing what I want to do or what I know I should do. I ate my dinner and felt great the whole night! And, I was so very pleased that I wasn't tempted by the delicious food there. I really wanted to eat something that would be a blessing to me. It was empowering!!

I love you! I want to help you learn and find the joy I have found. It does take work to exercise and learn healthy habits, but it is a blessing! You can enjoy every step and every trip to the grocery store! You are NEVER too old, you are NEVER too out of shape. Do you want it?! Come and get it!!