EARTH DAY CLEANUP SUCCESS!!!

The clouds parted for us on Saturday and the day warmed up to around 65 degrees...it was the most perfect day for our Earth Day Cleanup! A bunch of people gathered right at 10am for a wonderful lecture about composting done by our favorite composting experts, Amy Freeman-Rosa and Brian Rosa from North Carolina talked about worm composting. Airbrush tattoos were a hot item that day. Everyone was sent out into the streets at 10:30 to start collecting garbage. All in all we had around 70 people join us at one point or another during the 4 hours we were out. Everyone who showed up to help was given an aloe plant and a re-usable grocery bag to take home to show our appreciation for their hard work. There is still a lot of work to do, however with as many people as we had, we were really able to make a significant difference in the city this year. As the years go by, we hope more and more people will join us. We will leave the trailer of garbage sitting out by the road for a few days so that people driving by can take a hint to STOP LITTERING!!! Hey Fenton, LET'S CLEAN UP OUR ACT!!!!!!

Click the link below for the story

http://fenton.patch.com/articles/earth-day-cleanup-event-a-success

IT'S MY B-EARTH-DAY!!!

I love my birthday and I love sharing it with Earth Day. I think that fits me so well and as the years go by, I realize it more and more as I am more grounded and connected with Mother Earth. When this time rolls around every year, I always take inventory of my life. I ask myself questions like "Who am I?", "Where am I?", "How is life?", "Where do I want to go?", "How am I going to get there?", "What would I like to change?", "How am I going to make those changes?" among a few other questions. This year, I do not have that strong strive to revisit those questions or to ponder over the answers or do much evaluating at all. Probably because I am really firmly grounded in who I am and the fact that I don't want to be anywhere else but exactly where I am. I am not going to kid myself, there are pieces of my life that I would like to have come together a little bit better however at the same time, I am also really, really grateful for unanswered prayers. I realize that I have a choice every single day to wake up and make my day and my life the way I want to be. I realize that it is up to me to create peace from the inside out, create health from the inside out, and to love myself first before I can love and serve others. I am grateful I have worked as hard as I have to make it to this place and that I have chosen my career to be in the realm of service to others. I am grateful that I have so much love and support in my life, that I have such a wonderful family and friends, and I appreciate each and every one of you out there reading this blog. In some way, shape or form you have helped me to be the person that I am today. You have, in some way small or large, contributed to these rotations around the sun in which I will finish yet another this evening at 11:12pm. At times I sit in absolute awe of life and how grateful I am for it all. I am asking for one thing this year...since the Earth and I share this day...how about giving all your gifts to the Earth this year and do one thing, even if its just a small thing, to help protect this planet. If we don't, where are we going to live? ...we only get one chance, let's not screw it up! :)

***yes that is me when I just a few hours old***

I LOVE EARTH DAY!!!!

MEALS

Since posting my cleanse blog, people have been asking me about what is in my smoothies and what do I eat for lunch...so here it is (and organic ingredients as much as possible)


Smoothie: (this was/is breakfast and dinner for me)
half an apple (I don't know any better apple than organic pink lady apples)
1 spoonful of almond butter
1 scoop of brown rice protein
large handful of greens...spinach, collard greens, kale, mustard greens - choose one or mix
flax oil maybe a tablespoon or so
4 frozen strawberries
almond milk


Lunch: (this is just one recipe of many you could make but my ultimate favorite)
the following blend I would make ahead of time and leave it covered in the refrigerator:
Quinoa
black beans
chick peas
cumin (lots of cumin)
olive oil and fresh lemon juice
the day I was eating it I would put more olive oil in a pan, put however much I wanted to eat that day in, add loads more cumin and cook just enough to heat it all up and put it on a plate.
add: fresh cilantro - as much as I wanted (which is usually tons because I LOVE IT)
squeeze juice of half a lemon over the top
and ENJOY!!!!


Ok, now I am hungry...

21 DAYS PLUS

Yesterday marked my 21st day on the cleanse that followed the book "Clean". I have had a really great experience doing it and am glad that it is over...however I am not sure how much I am going to change. The cleanse outline is as follows:

Smoothie for breakfast

Vegan lunch - gluten free, sugar free, no animal products and some restrictions with fruits and vegetables

Smoothie for dinner - making sure to have a true 12 hour break before consuming breakfast again.

The premise of the book is to allow the body some time off from having to do some heavy digesting and giving the digestive system time away from inflammatory products (gluten, sugar and animal products) while at the same time taking probiotics to re-build the gut flora which effects the overall health of the body and is a large factor in the immune system. I also take a multi-vitamin, cod liver oil, scentless garlic (good to clean the blood and regulate blood sugar levels), milk thistle (for liver support). The great thing about the cleanse is you still get to eat. In 21 days I have come a long way...worked through some chemical toxicity headaches, some emotional food cravings and have gotten to the bare bones of nutrition and I really feel amazing. My energy is really high, my stress level is low, I feel like I have more time in the day and things are getting done. There is a peace within my body and a real "clean" feeling. I have made it a point to continue my exercise habits with intense, hot sweaty yoga 4-6 times per week and walking. I have had more energy in those yoga classes than I can remember in a long time. I just feel really, really good. Quite frequently I have been asked "what is going to be your first meal off the cleanse?" and I have been pondering that. Even now that it is Day 22, I am still pondering. I am wondering if I feel this good and have this much energy and my body is this peaceful, what will it be?...and when will it be? I am not sure I want to change anything actually. I realize after doing something for 21 days, it becomes a habit. Now let me ask you...if you made something that is really healthy a habit due to a commitment, and benefited tremendously from it, and that external commitment concluded, and you really loved how you looked and felt from making that commitment, would you change it? So maybe this weekend, I will begin to let go of the gluten restriction and maybe add some more variety to the vegetables and fruits that I have been consuming. However, overall not much is going to change. It works well with my schedule and my lack of culinary creativity as well as with my beliefs about health and being someone who helps others re-gain their health. It fits me...and since ultimately we only get one chance to live in this body, I choose to treat it well so that I can be healthy and live a full, vibrant and wonderful life in it.

TIPS

Last night I had the privilege of being 1 of around 2,000 people listening to Deepak Chopra right up in Flint! The CRIM Foundation brought him in, we had to register early but we got in free and they paid for all the parking downtown so that was free too. AMAZING!!! I need to review my notes and I will write a little more at a later time about the actual lecture, however on each seat there was a brochure with some "Things you can do to become a healthier you" that I wanted to share with you. I think the brochure originated from CRIM and Deepak Chopra and this is word for word right from it.

"Things you can do to become a healthier you:

1. Work out regularly! Do something for your cardiovascular health, your flexibility and your strength at least 4 times per week. Walk, run, swim, bicycle, skate, play tennis...Do Whatever Moves You! You'll feel better, look better and have more physical and mental stamina.

2. Eat to live, don't live to eat.

3. Have an empowering social network. Invest your time with those who are inspired by life and have a greater purpose to fulfill - you'll find that you are more inspired as well.

4. Control the chaos; make your home a sanctuary. Be selective about what you bring into your home - not just in terms of physical things but also the computers, music, television, and other forms of electronic entertainment that compete for attention.

5. Start a daily meditation/prayer/quiet-time practice. This can be as little as 10-20 minutes but research has proven the stress-relieving and health benefits. Not to mention, it's been proven to extend your life.

Personal Commitment Statement:

Starting today, I commit to working toward a healthier me and to helping my family be healthier. I know that by doing so, I am also contributing to a healthier community - physically, socially, and economically."

Good stuff, huh? Simple too! Health is a choice that we have to make every single morning when we wake up. We may as well choose to be healthy since we only get one chance...

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY CHARLEI MAE!!!

Yesterday marks 1 year since my precious little niece, Charlei, entered into this world and captured the hearts of my entire family. She really is a precious little girl. She has a big personality and laughs a lot. She is almost always smiling and very easy to be around. This past Saturday we all got together and celebrated her birthday. I love that we all live so close because those small celebrations are the best! Charlei has been very busy lately exploring the world and has taken a few steps so far. She will be running around everywhere before too long, which I am looking forward to. It has been a long winter and Charlei has mostly been spending her time at home. In the summertime, we all hang out at my parent's home on Runyan Lake and I am really looking forward to watching her discover the water and beach and sand and all that good stuff. It is going to be great fun. Happy Birthday little one!!! I love you! -Aunt E

DAY 15

Today begins the last week of this 3 week cleanse that follows the book "Clean". It has been an interesting couple weeks so far. Easy at times, difficult at times, impossibly to continue at times...anytime I am working hard to change habits, it is difficult. I think that is human nature. The first week was a challenge with detoxification headaches. I live a pretty clean lifestyle however that first physical detoxification symptoms were pretty intense. I experienced a nagging headache for about 2.5 days. Most people wouldnt think that is "intense" however it is so rare that I ever have a headache that it did feel a little overwhelming at times because of the length of time it lasted. Last week I experienced more of just emotional cravings for food. This cleanse is done in a way that you really don't have to walk around feeling hungry all the time. It is a peaceful contentment inside with enough nutrition to keep from feeling hungry but never an overload (overloaded tends to be the American way). Last week was free of physical symptoms but more of a feeling like I wanted to be done. The longest cleanse I have ever done was 10 days so I think it was a part of me inside that was making those requests. The great thing is that there are about 10 people doing this cleanse along with me and having those people to reach out to has been key. This past weekend was full of parties. Seems like I was at one gathering or another with food and drinks all over the place. I had beans, almonds, apples and water and had to skip the chocolate cupcakes, macaroni and cheese and other foods that are usually around when people gather. It is difficult at first however there is a piece of me that refers back to my time running the marathon. By the time I was to 22 miles, I knew I had to just finish though everything in my body was ready for me to be done. I knew that in order to get to 26.2 miles, if I didn't do it in that moment, I would have to run 22 miles again and add 4.2 more and that it was going to be easier to continue than to start all over from 0 again. So now that I am at day 15, it is better for me to just stay strong and complete the full 21, otherwise I will have to do 15 days again and add another 6. Its easier to continue doing what I have been doing and allow my body the full spectrum of benefit, than to start all over again at a later time when I "feel like it". So I am pushing on....I look forward to checking back in with all of you at the end. :)