How Can I Have a Healthier Thanksgiving?

Thanks to ACE fitness for publishing a fantastic article on Thanksgiving. Click on link below to read
How Can I Have a Healthier Thanksgiving?

Fresh intake

This has got to be one of my favorite things of all time. This little juice promises to

GoodBelly products contain Lactobacillus plantarum299v (Lp299v), one of the most well studied probiotic cultures available on the market.

GoodBelly may promote healthy digestion when consumed daily as a part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

GoodBelly’s probiotic juice drinks are certified organic (with the exception of black currant and coconut water varieties, due to a limited organic supply.)

All of our probiotic juice drinks are dairy-free, soy-free, and entirely vegan.

The Digestive-Immune System Connection

Since 70% of the body’s immune system dwells in the digestive tract, a properly functioning digestive system is essential to maintaining overall health. Learn more about the incredible link between these two systems.

Keeping Your Body’s Bacteria in Balance

They say that life is a balancing act. It’s especially true when we’re talking about the trillions of good and bad bacteria in your body. When they’re out of balance, you might start feeling run-down and out of sorts. Learn more about simple ways you can take charge of your health by reestablishing your microflora balance!

A Probiotic By Any Other Name

Probiotics have proven to be an extremely important factor in human health. They’ve been found to improve core digestive health and support the immune system. But they’re not all the same. Learn more about our patented probiotic, Lp299v, and about how to choose the right probiotic for you.

Suggested Use & Safety

When it comes to probiotics, you can’t get too much of a good thing. We’ve developed a variety of products to meet your specific probiotic needs. Learn more about which GoodBelly product makes the most sense for you and how to best consume it for full effect.

From what I discovered by drinking Good Belly is that it makes you feel better with meals. You feel satisfied without feeling full. I don't know what it is but my guess is that it helps digest your food with all the probiotics so you don't get left with undigested muck in your body! Also, I found that if you drink Good Belly on a daily basis then it actually helps pull in your gut. I credit this again to the fact that there is nothing left undigested and sitting in your body.

So this is one of my favorite healthy drinks. Remember, you can achieve any goals you want. A balanced diet and enough exercise is the key to get you there. You just need to take the leap... today.

Getting started

So I was helping out with a Team Weight Loss class today and I was thinking about how often you walk into a gym and all you see are people who are strong. I understand that so many overweight and obese people stay away from the gym scene because they don't think they can keep up or fit in.
Well my friends I need to remind you that you are welcome. Nobody will judge someone who is overweight and working out. What will be judged is that same person doing anything else. At the gym people will be on you side, cheering you on even if they don't say a word.
I want you to want to be healthier, and getting started is the hardest part. I can't tell you enough how important it is for you to be with a trainer (or doing any program) if you are extremely overweight. Look up a trainer in your area by going to http://www.ideafit.com/
Is today going to be the day you take the first step to take back your life?

True Beauty

So what makes someone beautiful?

Is it the amount of makeup we use and the time we put into our hairstyle? Or how well together our outfit is? Perhaps even how good of a flirt we are? Sadly our answer is yes. We have been brainwashed to see beauty as something unnatural and unachievable. I think this Dove commercial pretty much sums up my point here.


I want everyone to ignore the world and what it tells you to do. Be beautiful in your skin! If we quit this arms race of beauty then we will all win.

I have given up makeup, its been almost a year now and I don't regret it one bit! I even have gotten to the point where I don't even care to try and cover up a pimple. We all get them, its part of being human. We just need to accept that in ourselves and others and we will all be much happier.



Not to mention the time you will save getting ready. After my showers I brush my hair (only if it really needs it) Shake it out and go on with my day.... Style is only what you make it. Some days I will blow dry my hair but it really isn't necessary to make me look better! I want to share this feeling of liberation with everyone because I am still told by friends and family how I am beautiful, without trying too hard.

Take this step with me, if more of us lighten up our makeup load then we will all collectively look better. Its a team effort here. Do we want to end up setting the bar so high that only a photograph can ever look beautiful? Or do we want to change the image of a beautiful woman to one who looks good naturally, bedhead, out of a shower wet hair, or even sweating in a gym with red face and no makeup.

Remember girls, God made you beautiful. Its up to you if you want to love  your beauty or try to change it and be someone else

Why are we so full of excuses?

Its my thyroid, its in my DNA, i retain water, I'm big boned, I DO diet but I'm still fat! This list could virtually go on forever for every human and every variety of excuse we have ever used to justify the fact that we are unhealthy and out of shape.

One of my favorite movie lines of all time is from Rush Hour 3.

*Disclaimer, the scene opens up with the use of a swear word. *

Girl 1-This is **** ****. Do you know who I am? my family owns half of Rodeo Drive!
Chris- Do you know who I am? Detective James Carter LAPD my family owns half of Crunchshop Blvd
Girl 2- I want a lawyer.
Chris- You need a personal trainer. This license says 180 pounds. You weigh more than the damn car girl.
Girl 2- I have a thyroid condition.
Chris- Well stop eatin thyroids!

I know I am making a very harsh post today but did you see anybody with a thyroid condition in Auschwitz? IE, were there any fat people in a concentration camp?

NO, sadly none of them were fed. They were worked to death and It was a terrible time on our planet. But this is a fitness blog, not a political blog. I want to use this as a reminder that being fat is 100% fixable.

We go through life saying how hard we have it. How stressful our days are and how we can't say no to food. Its time for us to make a choice to stop complaining about it and make a change.

Back to Rush Hour 3, this girl is such a perfect picture of the thyroid excuse. Yes the condition does exist. I am in no way denying the fact that millions of us struggle with our weight due to an unfortunate play of cards. But what I am saying is that if you are saying you are fat because of something... you are lying. To me, to your family, your friends, and yourself. If you have a thyroid problem, you have to work HARDER to be better. In other words eat less work out more.

The only excuse we are allowed to use is, "I am lazy, I refuse to make the time for myself. I refuse to seek help. I refuse to understand my body. I refuse to invest in the only body I will possess. I refuse to make a change."

Don't get me wrong. My heart hurts for those of you who have been obese your whole lives. Those of you who cannot afford to eat luxurious foods, or hire a personal trainer. Most of all my heart hurts for those of you who got dealt the bad cards. You have asthma, your body hurts when you work out, you have a thyroid problem, or any other problems by birth. I UNDERSTAND! I grew up with asthma, scoliosis, kyphosis, lordosis, over pronated ankles, and bad knees. It would have been easy for me to give up and be a hopeless weakling. I almost did too, as a child I never really got involved in sports. The playground for me was a challenge just to keep up with the other kids. I was jealous of the boys playing tag, and the girls jumping rope. I was weak small, awkward, and had a mind full of things I couldn't do.

I didn't really start getting active till middle school. Up till then gym class was a terrifying experience of other kids more athletic than myself and dangerous balls flying around. In middle school gym class I decided I was going to work hard. I cannot recall what made me decide this, but this could have been the point of change for me. We would just run to warm up, so I made it my goal to go faster than everyone. It wasn't hard, since nobody else seemed to care much, but what it did was good for my ego. I felt stronger than them, and it gave me hope that I could get even better! What we all need is our moment where we can see the bright light. We all need to feel like we can achieve our goals.

I got lucky in school, as I went onto high school I took an aerobics class and from there I learned not just to like to work out. But to LOVE it! My journey continues and I am learning that the biggest force that knocks us down is ourselves.

I have achieved many goals that my former self would have seen as impossible. Its all in your mind what you can and cannot do. All I want you to do is give up your excuses why you can't or won't do something. Its either give up the excuses or give up the dreams of achievement.

I understand how hard this is. If it hadn't been for some rock stars in my life I would have become victim to the mind of I CANT. Go find your support system, a lot of it is free and easy. For example this blog, full of motivation and help AND ITS FREE!

Your mind is the weapon on the front lines of the battle to a better you. Its time to mind over matter and toughen up. We all face hardship and we all get knocked out sometimes. Get up, dust yourself off, and move on.

Namastae my friends.

Two Angry Moms

I am still concerned about childhood obesity. I think these ladies really are onto something. Watch and support!

Soda Pop the beginning of a rant

I just was looking up information on soda pop for a client and found this on Coca Colas website.

Active Healthy Living

As a Company, we care about people's health and well-being and want to make a positive difference in people's lives, both physically and emotionally. We aspire to help people lead active, healthy lifestyles through the beverages we produce and how we market them, the nutritional information we provide and our support of programs that encourage active living.
There is increasing concern about obesity. While there are many factors involved in obesity, the fundamental cause is an imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended. We are playing a leading role together with our partners and other stakeholders in identifying and implementing solutions to address issues of obesity as they affect consumers and our industry.
We promote active, healthy living through three guiding principles:

Think -- Education is essential to achieve sustainable, active, healthy lifestyles. Drink -- Providing product and package variety is our commitment to consumers. Move -- Physical activity is vital for health and well-being.   Now here is what I want you to know about Soda Pop. Its evil, please don't drink it! If you would like to read my paper I created for my client please continue on,   Coca Cola Ingredients: ·         Carbonated water ·         Sugar (sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup depending on country of origin) ·         Caffeine ·         Phosphoric acid ·         Caramel color (E150d) ·         Natural flavorings Carbonated water, like I mentioned during our assessment, expands your stomach. Causing you to be more hungry, and bloated from the direct effects of the bubbles. Carbonation can also cause heartburn, esophagus irritation and burning. Now with your husband being a diabetic you are probably an expert on sugar. Sugar is converted into glucose in your body and used for energy. Our body does need glucose, but you should be getting it from a source that is better for your body such as fruit. Without getting too technical the table sugar is a different chemical makeup than the sugar in fruit. Chemically table sugar should be treated more like a poison than something you sprinkle in your drinks. The reason diabetics need to worry about going blind or losing a leg, is due to the sugar eating away at healthy tissue. This is the same sugar in soda pop. High fructose corn syrup, just read HFCF as poison. It’s the cheapest sweetener companies can buy. It is so much worse than regular sugar because it does not suppress your hormone ghrelin (it tells your body to eat more) regular sugar will slow this hormone down. So you actually end up feeling hungrier (think about it, your belly is expanded and you mind is sending out hormones that are saying you are hungry, it leaves you defenseless) I know the corn companies have been trying to promote it as a healthy natural sweetener, but do you homework on HFCF. It’s really horrible stuff. Caffeine, such a common word in our pantry that you will be surprised at what it really is, a stimulant drug. Caffeine acts as a stimulant on the central nervous system, classified as a phycoactive drug along with other stimulants like tobacco, amphetamine, cacao, guarana, ephedra, and khat. If you are trying to calm your mind and develop better sleep habits, caffeine is not what you want in your diet. Phosphoric acid, along with being used in our food it is also common in duel energy X ray technology, rust removers, and chemical lab work. Phosphoric acid is the thing that cleans off pennies, and destroys your bones. This should not be consumed. Caramel color E150d, I learned this new scary information that right now the FDA is trying to pass with legislation to ban this in our country as a toxic substance. YIKES (do I really need to say more?) Natural flavoring, whatever that means. As you learned from reading the above ingredients that “natural” is not so natural when you are breaking down these strands of cells and mixing them together. So that is our number one drink in America! Coca Cola, cheers. Fact: Consumption of soft drinks has increased 500% in 50 years. Every corn syrup or sugar sweetened drink a child consumes each day increases his or her obesity risk 60%