be healthy. be strong.

I have been feeling extremely sluggish and have a lack of motivation since we welcomed 2012. Has anyone else been feeling a little like this lately? I have also been having some internal problems with my health and my body just seems less than pleased with anything I try to give it {might have something do with my recent spike in quick fast food meals} but regardless something needs to be done!

I am usually very skeptical about any detox for purchase or even those infamous lemon, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup concoctions . I usually end up getting my own fruits and veggies and protein powder and make my own creations. When I heard about this one and the great reviews it has been getting I was intrigued. After reading through their entire website and testimonials, I was sold and purchased my very own 3 day kit. I somehow even intrigued Brett enough and he purchased his own 3 day kit as well!

I was particularly interested because it is located and made from Palo Alto CA - which is right here in the bay area. Not only did the package arrive in 2 days but I knew exactly where it was coming from!

Here is the deal, they provide three smoothies a day that you drink for each meal. You can choose either the 3-day or 6-day program. You are also encouraged to eat any raw veggies you can through the day if you are feeling hungry still. The smoothies are gluten free and vegan  with a full serving of real fruit, fiber, 15g soy lean protein, 2 billion probiotic cultures, and daily vitamins in every pouch.

Head over to their website - and give it a try :) Leave a comment below if you have tried this before and let me know what your experience was like or you are interested and want to learn more.

 X x

Easy As 1, 2 Detox..

To kick off this new year in style I decided to start a detox for my body because December was filled with seeing friends, going out to bars, eating at fast food restaurants, and of course lots of chocolate and other sugar filled treats. Also I was also not only eating bad, but late at night. This decided to wreck havoc on my body and I found myself going through a bottle of tums in a way too short amount of time.

Detox's can be very tricky to follow and I have tried some before. This time I wanted to custom make my own to ensure that I would stick to it. I did some research on the web and found a couple of detox ideas that I liked, so I combined them then tweaked it to fit my lifestyle.

First of all, set some ground rules for yourself...

For example, I am completely addicted to diet coke, and sugar free redbull. So I this had to go. As well as no drinking alcohol because I felt my body needed a break from it.

Second, decide how long you want to do your detox for. If you want something short and fast then you can make sure to intensify it. I on the other hand feel I need a bit of time in order to clear out my system. I have decided to do this for 10 days. (yikes! i know)

Next you need to decide what kind of juice you want to do. If you are looking for the short, fast, intense detox there is a lemonade diet you can go on. I have tried it, and I must say it's pretty hard to stomach. It involves making your own lemonade with water, pure lemon juice, cayenne pepper and some maple syrup or honey. You drink as many of those as you can for about 3 days. If this is the route you choose, well then good luck to you.

I have decide to do this detox which is "juice 'til dinner" but instead of ordering the $100+ set of juice I am making my own "green smoothies." I am having one for breakfast, one for lunch, then a small snack at 4 o'clock and then a small very heathy dinner. I am also trying to drink as much water as possible in between in order to flush out whatever toxins are in my body.

Also, make sure to drink as much water as you possibly can in order to keep flushing everything out of your system, I keep an aluminum water bottle at my side always.

Here is a recipe for a green juice that I found online. If you would like me to post a sample meal or any appropriate snack, just leave a comment and I would be happy to share :]

Green Juice
Handful (3 oz) spinach
3 medium stalks (3 oz) kale
2 golden delicious apples, cored and quartered
Small handful (1/2 oz) parsley, long stems removed
1 lemon, cut and peeled
1 cucumber, cut into pieces small enough to fit through a juicer

When looking for ingredients to use in your smoothie it is important to pick the dark leafy greens, such as spinach and kale. Then use fruits with flavor and texture to make it more delicious. Some of my favorites are: pineapple, pears, mango, mixed berries or apples.

I hope this proves to be a little helpful for you to kick start any new years resolutions. The key I think to any detox is to make sure you custom tailor it to your lifestyle and what you like otherwise it is going to feel like torture and you probably won't be able to stick to it!

Happy New Year!

x X