Bikini Body

If it wasn’t for the IEOPBC I doubt I would be consuming as much organic produce as I do. Even better I get it wholesale. I co-organize this group & I strongly feel that in order to stay on a healthy lifestyle you need to put yourself in situations where you are accountable. In my situation people count on me so I can’t exactly let them down. It’s a win win situation for me.

This produce is enough to feed myself, Alex & Mehgan who also eat the same foods I prepare.

Groceries
30 red potatoes
3-4 bunches of kale
3-4 heads of red leaf lettuce
3-4 heads of celery
3-4 fennel bulbs
3-4 bunches of carrots
3-4 bunches of golden beets
6+ zucchini
3 bags of mixed peppers
3 bags of spinach PLUS a half case which is 12 bunches
5 lbs of tomatoes ( forgot to video tape them)
12 golden delicious apples
12 persimmons
16 lbs of grapes
40-50 Fuji apples ( I know I said Gala in the video, but I meant to say Fuji)
20 bananas (normally I get about 50, but I had many left over from last week)
12 cloves of garlic ( this will last much longer than this week)
2 pineapples
3 pkgs of sunflower spouts

This total cost was approx: $100 Now tell me where you are going to beat that price?

Breakfast

Green Juice
Romaine (1 head), cucumber (1), spinach (1 head), ginger (thumb sized chunk), apple (2), cilantro ( 1 bunch), parsley (1 bunch), & celery (3-5 stalks). I plan on juicing the greens to the carrot tops and beet tops also.

This is taking up 80% of my daily dietary intake for this week. I am drinking at least 48 oz if not more daily. I just feel like I need more re-mineralization for healing emotionally as well as physically. Juice usually clears my mind and creates a sense of calm and focus. I can totally use more of that these days! If I make too much in one sitting my kids help me drink it. I try to consume it within 15 minutes of juicing.

Green Smoothie
Banana and greens ( this week I have romaine, red leaf, spinach, & kale) I may throw in pears, mango, or pineapple as well, but sometimes it’s just leafy greens with banana.

Snacks
Apples, persimmons, bananas, and grapes (my kids like almond butter w/ the apples & bananas) Guacamole or zucchini hummus w/ carrots

Lunches & Dinners
Steamed Red Potatoes & Broccoli (left over from last week)
Massaged greens w/ sprouts, grated beets and zucchini hummus
Warm Veggie Soup- carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, fennel, and garlic

Isn’t funny how quickly things can change when you shift your perspective from “I am not good enough so I MUST lose weight” to “I love myself so much that I want to treat my body with love and respect”? It’s an empowering shift moving from a state of forcing your body to be a particular way to allowing your best body to come forth.

I remember losing 10 pounds EFFORTLESSLY in 2007. I didn’t stick to any strict menu or have a set workout routine. I just focused on feeling good. I found that I was preoccupied with living and not the number on my scale. I did make it a point to sweat everyday, but that was as simple as cranking up the music and dancing while mopping my floors. Besides that my focus was just to stay happy. It wasn’t long and everyone asked me how I went from 118 to 108. I felt sort of guilty because I didn’t make that my primary focus. I didn’t even try, it was just a by product of feeling good. I have decided to go back to that method after realizing that the egocentric way I have been TRYING this year so far hasn’t given me the results I wanted. I remember that quote “Insanity is repeating the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.”

I needed to shift into the heart. I have started looking at myself in a loving way. I have been focusing on what I do have and what I am thankful for. I am also paying more attention to what my body is able to do rather than how it looks.

Here are a few things I have been feeling lately:

I am so happy that my body is free of pain.
I am so thankful my body has healed from several injuries.
I am thankful this body has given birth to two amazing children.
I am thankful for my energy, youth, and vitality.
I am grateful that I can pick up sports with ease and participate in all sorts of recreational activities.
I am thankful for my feminine curves.
I am thankful I have found raw foods.
I am thankful I love being healthy.
I am thankful I love yoga and all forms of exercise.

I love my body and look forward to showing it how much I love it through giving it a little daily love and attention. Here is a great quote from my favorite yoga instructor, Bryan Kest “The integrity of the web is dependant on the resiliency of every strand”.

Remember to take time to honor your body in more ways than the ones that affect you aesthetically.

Here are 2 other related articles/blog posts about self acceptace and loving your body:
9 Days to Bikini- Ready: Self Acceptance & Loving Your Body is Listening to Your Body

A Special thanks to Lenette Nakauchi who sent two videos that go along with this message:
Abraham on Weight & Abraham on Natural Weight Loss

21 miles of walking, 2- 90 min yoga sessions, and 1 circuit training session

Week 2
20 miles- Walk/Run, 2- 90 min Yoga Sessions, 1- pool cardio exercise class, 1- 45 min easy stretch yoga, 96 oz H20 daily!

Week 3
23 mles total run/walk, 1 – 90 min power yoga session, 3 hour acro-yoga workshop, I messed up on water tracking and I ate past 6 most days of the week.

Week 4
Walk- 32 miles WOW! That’s 12 miles more than I planned on getting in! I felt that I had to add more walking to make up for the fact that I wasn’t running this week. Yoga-3 1/2 hours, H20- 96 0z everyday! I felt best when I had 48 oz before I even had breakfast, maybe that will be a new goal soon. No food past 6 pm every day.

Day 29
2 mile walk- I took it easy w/ all the fires that are going on right now, the air is pretty smoky. I still wanted to honor my challenge and did a simple walk. This is the day of the co-op, which means I am up at 5 AM to pick up organic produce for our members,so it’s nice to take it easy on Saturdays.
96 oz H20
No food past 6 pm- I was in the mood for something sweet, salty, and fattening. I realize I get like this about once a month for 2-3 days. Ladies, I know you can understand. 😉 I would love to go through a cycle and not feel hungrier than normal. In addition, I feel like resting more too. If I give in to cravings it usually takes me a week to recover from the damage. I have to remember it’s not worth it. How’s that saying go, “A moment on the lips, forever on the hips”

Day 30
I hit up Power Yoga again. It felt much easier today, not as intense, but still pretty darn good! I took at little stroll to the trail that overlooks the ocean, then had Juliano’s Planet RAW again. I shared a No Chickpea Falafel Burrito & A Bacon Double Western w/ Fries with my yoga buddy. We shared dessert which was a cinnamon roll and again that amazing strawberry parfait! I don’t know how the heck these recipes are made, but it would make it very easy for anyone to transition into raw with this menu.
Completed 5 miles of walking
96 oz H20
No food past 6 pm! YAY! This is really becoming easier. It just takes a few days to get the feel for it.

GRAND TOTAL AFTER 30 DAYS
Completed 103 Miles walking or running (53 miles over goal)
Completed 14 hours & 45 min of yoga (2 hours and 45 min over), plus I added in 1 circuit training & pool cardio workout
96 oz H20- I may have missed 1 or 2 days since I forgot to log it a couple times, but besides that I did it. I don’t think I need to drink that much water, but it is summer time here and the weather is really hot and dry so I went with it.
No food past 6 pm for 15 days- I completed 10 days

Side Benefits
Low back pain is GONE!!!
I am feeling more muscle tone & less spongy!
I lost 4.75 inches!
I lost 4.5 lbs!
(technically I lost 8 because I weighed in @ 137.6 on Aug 1 & the fit test was done in July)
I gained confidence to keep going!

What’s next?
I am going to continue daily exercise. I would love to think that fitness will just naturally always be a part of my daily routine just like brushing my teeth, but honestly I have lapsed so many times in my life that I just don’t want to assume that I’ll keep going, I have to make it a priority to keep it happening. Someday I dream of it being such a habit that I don’t even need to put much effort into making it happen.

A new 30 day challenge: Nutrition & Purification!
Stay tuned for my next post for more details!

Last week I had the goal to refrain from eating past 6 pm. I had a really hard time with it and most of the days I did eat past 6. I decided to ease up on myself and just do whatever felt best. As soon as I let myself “off the hook” I suddenly lost the desire to eat past 6. Go figure! I think it has something to do with the mindset of “I MUST” versus “I CHOOSE”. Heck, even I get confused by my mind. I can sympathize with the men on the weird workings of a woman’s mind. 🙂

My Goals
Wk 1: walk 5 miles + 2 90 min yoga sessions
Wk 2: walk 10 miles + 90 min yoga sessions + drink 96 oz H20
Wk 3: walk 15 miles + 2 90 min yoga sessions+ no food past 6 pm
Wk 4: walk 20 miles + 2 90 min yoga sessions + try again on no food past 6 pm

Day 22
Completed a 4 mile walk
No food past 6 pm
96 oz H20

Day 23- Got my A$$ kicked in Power Yoga
2 mile walk
Completed 2 hours of power yoga – holy smokes I was drenched in sweat along w/ my mat & hand towel. I practically looked like I got out of the shower and put on my wet clothes straight out of the washing machine. Although this may sound gross to some of you, it felt like bliss. I was literally stoned on oxygen. I haven’t been to my favorite Sunday class in ages and man, I was worked so intensely that I was seriously blissed out. I don’t think anything could have upset me. I had no energy for it. Angry or frustrated peeps- give power yoga a shot. It’ll take the fight right out of ya! 😉
96 oz H20
No food past 6 pm- I went to Raw by Juliano in Santa Monica. I haven’t been in about 6 months. I shared a shake (dunno which one) which was really good, the Ariel salad (made w/ seaweeds and spirulina along w/ other greens (tasted fantastic), spring rolls (a fav of mine), and of course my all time fave: Strawberry Mousse (practically orgasmic!) I always get great raw food there!

Day 24- Feeling a bit sore from yoga
4 mile walk- I haven’t been running lately because my knees have been a bit sore.
96 oz H20
No food past 6

Day 25- My friend told me my butt was looking perkier!
6 mile walk
96 oz H20
No food past 6

Day 26- A bit of fat held my appetite today
90 min yoga
4 mile walk
96 oz H20
No food past 6 – I actually ate a bit more fat this day and my last meal was at 1:15 pm. I made these yummy raw vegan “brownie bites” w/ my kids. The base was nut & I think it held my appetite longer. I had about 3 Tablespoons worth. Every now and then a little fat in the diet feels good as long as it’s my last meal of the day. Plus I made a pesto (more fat) w/ beet noodles and marinara w/ zucchini noodles & then just mixed them together. Yum! I won’t let too much fat be a regular part of my diet, just here and there.

Day 27- My tummy is looking flatter (prob because no food past 6 )
Walk- 6 miles
96 oz H20
No food past 6- I really wanted to eat late because I found that I am sleeping about 2 hours less a night by not consuming food past 6 pm. I just feel light and alert even into the late hours. I found it hard to sleep this night. I never felt like I really slept, just rested. Reminded me of how I felt on extended fasts and I slept very little perhaps 2-3 hours a night.

Day 28- I made it another week! Feeling like a champ right now.
Walk- 6 miles – My knees are still achey, either from adapting to all the walking or the fact that I am walking and was running on concrete.
96 oz H20
No food past 6 pm- Woo hoo! I made it a week without eating past 6. I have to say this does have a profound affect on my appetite, my energy, my metal clarity, and really aids in weight loss. This is definitely something that is crucial in my weight loss journey.

Completed Goals
Walk- 32 miles WOW! That’s 12 miles more than I planned on getting in. I felt that I had to add more walking to make up for the fact that I wasn’t running this week.
Yoga- 2 1/2 hours in 2 sessions
H20- 96 0z everyday! I felt best when I had 48 oz before I even had breakfast.
No food past 6 pm every day. This really made a difference in my gut health. I felt that this kept my appetite in control. Perhaps it allowed more time for my tummy to shrink. I am known to be able to eat major quantities of food, which is why 80/10/10 seems to work well when I adhere to it.