Apparently I have been complicating things. That is according to my husband and a good friend. See, when I lost the weight before I just did it. Unfortunately Nike already coined and patented the phrase "just do it", because it’s a darn good one! It’s true though. There doesn’t need to be labels, guidelines, etc. I have been over thinking things. I have been told by these wonderful people in my life that I need to get back to my basics. I don’t need to be vegan or 100% raw, but do what feels right to me.
This picture was from my journey last time. Oh, and that is my adorable daughter! When I became healthier before, that was my goal, to become healthier. Honestly, it really is what I thought about. I wanted to be able to get down on the ground and play with my kids in comfort. I wanted to have more energy and better moods. I wanted to make sure that I would be here to chase after my grandkids and their children! People asked me how I did it and my response is always "I walked 6 days a week and ate healthy…there’s no secret". I just ran into an old friend last night and that is exactly what I told her.
I literally thought, "Is this good for my body" when deciding what to eat. Healthy to me meant the following:
-No artificial colors, flavors or anything else man can think of. -No MSG. This includes yeast extract, carrageenan, and many more. (Brandon is going to do a post on this!) -No "natural flavors" or "spices" unless it listed exactly what they were in parentheses afterwards. -Nothing with hydrogenated anything. -No white foods…flour, rice, etc (with some exceptions here or there). -Only raw milk and cheese. -When I had a treat I got the best. Oh man, there was a gelato joint in TX that was outstanding called Pacuigo. Irreplaceable! Oh my gosh, I just looked and they are having a franchise here in Phoenix in Spring 2008. Watch out! That is sweet! -Only Ezekiel bread products (for toast, sandwiches, grilled cheeses, used the tortillas and raw cheese for homemade pizza). -Sometimes raw whole wheat tortillas that we’d cook at home. -Only rice or Ezekiel pastas. -Home made smoothies from all fruit and home made soups in the Vita Mix. -Fresh, raw juice from our Jack La Lanne juicer. -Beans, brown rice and yummy dishes like fried rice or chili. -As many raw fruits and veggies as I want.
I never told myself I could not have something. If I really wanted it, I ate it. I used portion control naturally though, never forced it.
So, why am I not doing this now? If it worked before, why am I trying to fix something that’s not broken? Is it in my nature? Am I just trying to find a better way" Who cares. I think I’m just going to do what worked before. I felt great and I lost weight because of it. The lost weight was actually a great side effect of getting healthier.
With all that said, I’m going to take a break from writing out what I’ve eaten and trying to label myself. I’ll still be here, posting away. I want to be healthier, less weight on me and to help people do the same. That’s not going to change!
January’s previous post briefly touched on the importance of goals, as well as her own personal goals. I want to go into a little bit more depth about goals in this post, but I’m going to apply it to health.
Goals are important. Without goals, we tend to just go through life without any enthusiasm, just going through the motions. That kind of life is very unfullfilling, and can lead to outright misery with everything you do. I know I’ve gone through periods of time where I didn’t have goals, and I would wonder why my life was so bland and frustrating. Not having a destination is the same as being lost, and being lost is no fun. Being lost will get you into a situation that you don’t really want to be in, whether it’s the wrong career choice, the wrong schooling, the wrong spouse, etc.
A good friend of mine recently visited with his wife and their three kids from Utah. He and I went to school together in Dallas. I remember him being so happy and carefree, while willing to challenge ideas and concepts with professors and other students. But this last weekend, after not having seen each other in about six months, he just seemed beaten down with his job and bummed out about where he was in his life. We got into talking about what we wanted out of life, and the more we talked, the more I realized he didn’t know what he wanted out of life. He didn’t have any goals. I told him this I harped on him about this and he realized that was the problem. He has since come up with some goals, and he sounds a lot better because of it.
Setting goals properly… At least, in my opinion
When we set goals, we should write them out. Put them up somewhere you can see them everyday, whether it’s on your bathroom mirror or the refrigerator or a 3"x5" index card you carry with you in your pocket. When we do write them out, they should always be written out in the present tense. An example is something like "I am running 2 miles a day, every single day, in January." When you write it out in present tense, it reads as an affirmation and eventually gets planted into your subconscious mind permanently.
When writing out a goal, a good tip to keep in mind is the 30-day trial. When I read this, it made a lot of sense to me. First, you set a goal and you stick with it for 30 days. If you don’t like it anymore after 30 days, or if your goals have changed, fine. But at least you stuck to it for 30 days. That’s important for gaining momentum with your confidence. It takes 21 days to form a habit, so just hedge that habit with an extra nine days.
I’m currently on a 30-day trial with exercising. Everyday, I’m running at least two miles in the morning, and I’m doing one set each of push-ups, pull-ups, and crunches, each until failure. I’m going to see how that goes, and if I like how my body feels, I’ll keep it up. I figure if Wayne Dyer ran 10-15 miles every single day for 22 straight years, I can do it for a measly 30 days.
We can start out with small goals, such as walking 20 minutes every day, to bigger goals, like running 5 miles every day. It doesn’t matter as long as the goal has been set. It will give us the confidence to push ourselves farther than we thought possible. For example, if you set to walk every day, it will be difficult in the beginning. Once it gets easier, you can upgrade to jogging, When that becomes easier, you can upgrade again to all-out running. For example, right now I’m only running two miles. In a month, that will probably be at least three miles, but more than likely, four or five miles.
The same goes with eating. First, start out by incorporating more fruits and veggies into your diet. Once you start feeling more energetic and regular, you might decide to cut out fast food. Then you might decide to eliminate red meat from your diet, and so on and so forth. The more you do it, and just push through those first few hard days, the easier it will become, and the more confidence you will have.
So, when you figure out your goals, write them down in present tense, carry them out (for 30 days), and upgrade whenever possible. If you do these things, you’ll soon be riding a confidence snowball with so much momentum, people won’t even recognize you.
I just have so much going through my brain when it comes to health, losing weight, etc. I’m also going to start posting articles. We are working on getting our own website up so we can transfer this blog over As you can see, we’ve clearly done that. That way we’ll have more freedom and can better organize all of this information! It’s kinda exciting actually! I can’t wait to write posts/articles on raw dairy, my favorite snacks and drinks, excitotoxins (that’s all Brandon), etc. There will be info, links and our thoughts on the subject. Hey, this is fun to us!
I Am What I Eat!
-Amy’s Yummy Smoothie
-Cut up o. apple w/o. peanut butter
-O. brown rice, o. pinto beans, o. hot Emerald Valley salsa, 1/2 small avocado
-Bora Bora Wellness Bar
-Decaf Green and Red Raspberry Leaf tea, homemade and iced
-Bora Bora Wellness Bar
-Rice, guacamole and tortilla chips (a Christmas party).
Did I Exercise Today?
Nope (as I bow my head down in shame).
Overall and Tomorrow’s Goals
I was a little nervous about the party. I did really well though. I ate vegetarian and stayed away from the tamales! I am so proud of myself. I didn’t pop one piece of candy in my mouth and took no bites of all the cookies and desserts! It’s almost like instinct to grab something and eat it. Obviously it’s a habit and I’m breaking it! Go me!
Tomorrow I am walking to the park again. We have a playdate, so I have to go. It’ll feel great!
January’s 
I just have so much going through my brain when it comes to health, losing weight, etc. I’m also going to start posting articles. 