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.
Q: Lori, I’d love to see a sample of your food menu (breakfast, lunch, dinner) for a week! I am really trying to eat raw food but have the hardest time finding new (and somewhat easy) things to make.
A: As the months become colder I find it less appealing to drink cold smoothies. Instead, I find veggie juices easier to drink since they aren’t cold. I also do not eat 100% raw in the cooler months, but I am still eating lots of veggies and fruits. Sometimes, it will be as simple to eat just fresh fruit like bananas, steamed veggies or even veggie soup for breakfast. I am also known to drink lots of hot herbal tea throughout the day to stay warm. However, just to give you an idea of what I am eating around this time of year here is a sample for the cooler months. I keep it pretty simple since I don’t care to spend my day in the kitchen. Every now & then I get a culinary itch, but for the most part my cooler months are looking like this:
Day 5 1- 24 oz romaine, celery, cucumber juice 2- pineapple chunks, coconut water 3- sauteed kale, Swiss Chard, Collards, & spinach w/ onions, coconut oil & sea salt 4- homemade veggie soup, 2 bananas
I recently bought some black rice to add to soups, or to make w/ peas, carrots, mushrooms, celery & onion. I even thought I would blend the meat of a thai coconut and make a creamy mushroom sauce for a richer meal.
Day 6 24 hour fast Sometimes I will drink water, herbal tea plain, veggie juice or coconut water, other times I just drink water.
Day 7 1- Fresh fruit like bananas for breakfast (if any) 2- Splurge on a raw restaurant -for example if I go to: Au Lac-I like the Song Salad & Raw Taco Juliano’s Planet Raw– I have something diferent everytime, last time I had raw lasagna & some pumpkin dessert I normally won’t eat anything for the rest of the day since I feel pretty heavy afterwards.
My Goal Drink veggie juice everyday
I eat very simply and stick mostly to what is in season. The fruit and veggies vary on the time of year. I know that since I am not eating 100% raw at this time I need to kick the greens and veggie juice into high gear. However, on warmer days I find myself eating 100% raw like veggies w/ zucchini hummus, green smoothies, fresh fruit, trail mix, and simple garden salad w/a diluted guacamole as a dressing.
When I am on the go I pack the following: zucchini hummus or guacamole w/ veggies (tomatoes, celery, carrots, mushrooms, cucumber, red bell pepper, etc) Fresh fruit: apples, bananas, pears Trail mix Water
I first found out about a biophotonic scan in 2004 at a Spa Convention. I was already working in the health & beauty field, but my diet was not nearly as good as it is now. In 2004, my score was 46,000. I was retested in 2005 and my score improved to 52,000. I was happy to see the increase. However, after listening to Dr. Gabriel Cousens about biophotonic energy in his Rawkathon Interview w/ Kevin Gianni, I knew I could do even better. A live foodist would be in the 80,000 range. I have work to do. 😉 Dr. Cousens explained biophotons as sub-atomic particles from which all creation is made. It is our line of communication into the energy field and our luminosity. Here are scores of people and how their diet affected their biophotonic score.
Junk food- 1000 units Organic Cooked Food- 20,000 units Newborn Baby- 40,000 units Live foodist– 83,000 units Fasting w/ herbs- 118,000 units
Apparently, organic wild crafted foods are 2x higher in biophotonic energy than organic cultivated food, & organic has 5x more biophotonic energy than commercially grown food, and cooked/irradiated food has none.
It is sad to think that most of the world is eating food without any biophotons. It makes sense that our ability to make clear decisions would be affected since the energy field is jumbled and depleted. Think of us operating our life on dial up versus the fastest internet service.
We also want to shine in this world. We aren’t much different from the food that we eat. Here you see Kirlian images of food. Imagine a Kirlian image was taken of you. What would it look like?? Would it shine and radiate or would it be dim?
In addition, Dr Gabriel Cousens explained that the higher the biophotons, the better the communication of the cells in the body. Illness occurs when chaos is in the field. We need order and energy to heal and have well being. You find you become more spiritually in tune when the communication field is enhanced. This is probably why I felt so high during my fasts. I also felt such spiritual awakening. Who knew it could be measured in a scientific way?
See where you can get yourself a biophotonic scan with this locator. Prices may vary from complimentary to $20. My session was $10. Hardly anything when you think about the perspective it gives you.
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.
Last 2 Days
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.
If you are running through life feeling overwhelmed and not really making the impact you know you want, or wishing you felt alive and filled with passion then you are going to LOVE me!
