Fun and Mental Changes

Like with so many other natural, organic foods, I'm surprised to find out how EASY it is to make beans, and yet I've NEVER made them until two days ago. So I'm going to break it down to three easy steps so that others can start making beans for themselves too and not be subjected to possible BPA poisoning (in can lining) and high levels of sodium. Not to mention, although I totally am, that fresh, homemade beans are just better for you since the vitamins and minerals have not been depleted or altered. They haven't lost nutrition in some chemical processing or canning process and the flavor is out of this world. I literally ate black beans right out of the pot without a lick of anything for flavor added... and they tasted WONDERFUL! Your health is worth the time and a hill of beans. At the end I'll post the recipe for the awesome fajita mix you see in the pic here. Beans (Black, Red, Brown, Pic your favorite) My method of making beans saves me a ton of time, but it r...

This post is for everyone who shares in my quest for health and fitness. If you have a goal to lose weight or build muscle, where exactly does that goal fall on your list of priorities from day to day? Do you have other goals that come before this particular one? If you do, then you'll probably just want to pass on this blog post because in today's post I'm talking about MY discoveries on the road to attain my goal of ultimate health and fitness and THAT IS MY FIRST PRIORITY. Not to say that God and family are not important.... they are actually my HIGHEST PRIORITY! But I've realized that those relationships are lacking when my health and fitness levels are low. The healthier I am, the more energy I have and the more I have to devote to God and family. So, with that said, let me tell you about the greatest tool I've found to reach my goals... A schedule! A schedule is really just a list of your priorities with a road map for planned execution. Steven R. Covey writes...

Yep readers... I hit the jackpot! I was at Whole Foods today and headed over to the dairy aisle to find me a little treasure in the form of Greek yogurt. The beauty of Greek yogurt is that for about the same calories as regular yogurt, you get a ton of protein. And in the case of the Chobani yogurt I got, it also had NO fat AND is made with hormone free milk containing all the wonderful live yogurt cultures and probiotics that yogurt "back in the day" always contained. I am IN LOVE with this yogurt. It is SUPER CREAMY with HUGE fruit pieces and reminds me of soft serve ice cream with fruit topping more than yogurt. And the fact that Chobani is made with all natural sweeteners is enough to make me dance a jig.... no seriously... I DANCED A JIG! So here are the numbers: Calories - 140, Fat - 0, Protein -14g, Carb - 20g Here's a link to try Chobani for free: Chobani Coupon What a perfect end-of-the-day snack that is yummy, satisfying AND good for you! You're dancing a j...

For those who make small changes and take baby steps to achieve their goals but just can't seem to stick to it, I suggest that you strap on a parachute and jump! Sometimes (for some people) jumping into a new lifestyle is the greatest thing that you can do for yourself. At least it was for me. The small changes would only give me small results making it easy for me to quit or give up because I just wasn't making progress (I should clarify, s-l-o-w progress). But when I made one huge complete change I saw HUGE results and those results have been motivating me ever since. The other bonus to "jumping" was that I only had to "suffer" once. There was no, "a little suffer here....... a little suffer there" until one day I was transformed. For some people that works. For me, not so much. The ultimate decision to live my life differently was only tough for the first few weeks of LEARNING a new way to live, and it was while I was motivated to change and wil...

DISCLAIMER: This blog post is not meant to offend anyone. These are my notes from a personal Bible study that I thought might help others out there as it has helped me. If you are dealing with someone who has made bad decisions in life, hurt or used people and is turning to God as a last resort, PLEASE let them know that they could not have come to a more perfect place (I know from PERSONAL experience)!!! But they should understand that while God has forgiven them and will provide guidance and strength, salvation does not remove consequences. This is a wonderful message to convey so that they can honestly test their own motivation for salvation. Are they looking for God to fix their situation, or are they looking for God to fix THEM? Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life. God ...

The whole Jillian Michaels craze, I'm gettin it. Jillian appeared on the Joy Behar show last night and I was charmed by Ms. Michaels to no end! While I'm not a big fan of Joy Behar, I happened to catch her show while flipping through the channels at the precise moment Joy said that she is interested in diet and exercise for her introduction to "Joy's Anatomy". That too is where my interests lie so the Joy Behar show is where I stayed. Ms. Michaels rocked. She did not over speak, she was articulate, humble and charming, tackling each of Joy's questions with an easy candor that has won me over. To be honest, I've always kind of been drawn to the drill sergeant in her.... I don't know why??? But last night I saw another facet of Jillian Michaels that I adore. Her honesty about her own workouts and the RESPECT she has for the hard work that the Biggest Loser contestants put in blew me away. And what kind of relationships is she cultivating??? Season 4 Big...

A couple of days ago Jon Stewart of The Daily Show aired his beliefs and opinions surrounding Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson's comments regarding the tragedy that took place in Haiti. Of all the places for God to show himself... THE DAILY SHOW!?! But sure enough, Jon Stewart recited scriptures from the Holy Bible on this national cable show! Not only were these scriptures applicable, but he was spot-on-right in my own humble opinion. While his delivery WAS a bit vulgar, he did touch the heart of God's mercy and compassion. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't shocked and a bit taken aback by such a real message from God put into terms that may or may not have spoken to Limbaugh or Robertson, but certainly spoke to a secular crowd to root for the home team... YAY GOD! It WAS God's word recited by Mr. Jon Stewart. We are to rebuke satan, devils and demons... NOT each other. The Light that these Haitian people need to see is sorely missing from Mr. Robertson (also on ...

Why do our emotions have to lie to us? I've known for quite some time that our emotions are a gauge of sorts on our control panels of life. If we're feeling bad, then we aren't living the way we need or want to. If we are feeling good then we are on the right track. But sometimes our gauges read like my gas gauge when I first get into my car.... false. If I didn't know that I had to turn on or start my car for the gas gauge to read correctly, I might have a panic attack when I first get in. The false reading of empty would scare anyone who didn't know any better. But I know that once I've done what I'm supposed to do (start the car), the indicator on the gauge will move; it will give me a completely different and much more accurate picture of my situation. Behold, I actually have a full tank! The same seems to hold true for our emotions. That feeling of joy at the prospect of eating that huge piece of chocolate cake is ALWAYS replaced with a feeling of guil...

You would be AMAZED at the small things that become unknowing road blocks on the road to your fitness goals... at least I was! Years ago I broke my ankle. I didn't just break it, I managed to shatter it to shards. It was in so many tiny pieces that the orthopedic surgeon said there weren't pieces big enough to even attempt to screw me back together. I STILL have visions of me, an egg and a wall. Well, that MAJOR road block was overcome with physical therapy and sheer will to overcome. But as of late I have been experiencing pain, other symptoms I didn't even realize existed and a pretty big decrease in motivation to workout that began quite some time ago. It's always the little things! I bought a new pair of shoes yesterday. The birds now sing, the sky is blue and the world is right again with this one simple change. My new shoes made me feel like a million bucks INSTANTLY! As a matter of fact, THE TRIP to the shoe store.... The New Balance shoe store to be exact, chang...

While I do not think it's ok for Taco Bell to run a "Taco Bell Diet" or " Drive Thru Diet " campaign, I can say that after reading Christine's journey, Taco Bell is moving in the right direction! For a fast food chain to FINALLY get that we need truly healthy options is wonderful. But my concern about promoting those healthier options this way is that we are feeding (pardon the pun) the nation's obesity epidemic with yet ANOTHER fad. When in reality, this change that Taco Bell is making could actually usher in a new America (similar to what Subway did! Now THAT'S fast food I can stand behind).... But it doesn't look like it's going that way at all. Taco Bell's Fresco menu is a brilliant FIRST STEP! Replacing sauces and cheese with pico de gallo is a huge step in the right direction. But it's NOT Subway!!! Subway offers REAL healthy options with whole wheat bread and TONS OF VEGGIES. We REALLY need to be asking: what's IN that Fres...

Close observation of my eating shows that I can scarf my tuna casserole at an alarming rate. I sit in front of the TV to eat my dinner and 5 minutes later I am pushing the plate away with little to no memory of ever have eaten. That is interesting to me because, you see, I LOVE FOOD! I also LOVE being thin. These facts SHOULD come to life by the knowledge that if I took smaller bites and chewed thoroughly , not only would I get to enjoy my food that much longer, but I would also be burning more calories (yes, the activity of chewing burns calories!!!!)! And on top of THAT amazing knowledge, my body would also be able to process the food I eat much better therefore more of the food I consume would be utilized to help build my lean mean body. So what the heck is up???? Why DON'T I slow down my eating knowing all these amazing benefits? What's causing this little glitch? Those are the very questions I asked myself at the start of this year. I knew the answer before I ever wrote th...

Everyone knows that it's good to workout with a partner. The experts say that partners keep you accountable, which of course is a good thing. But what if your partnership is holding you back? What if your partner is sick or can't make a workout or gives you excuse after excuse why they can't workout, what do you do? What if they tell you, "I just can't make it today, but we'll do our workout tomorrow"? Are you letting your partner down by going without them? What if you feel like you are? Would it be right to end the partnership and find a new one? Well, I can't be the one to tell anyone that they need to dump their partner (mainly because my workout partner is my husband and I certainly can't dump him!), but I can share what I did to keep myself on track and give my partner the boost they needed for both of us to stay on track for this new year. The end of 2009 was rough! I got sick, then my workout partner got sick. My workout partner did not go...