Health: Spring into a Healthy You!

Hey ladies…and gents!  it’s that time again.  The sun is out, the birds are chirping, the tulips are blooming…summer is almost here!  Woohoo!!!  It is now time for me to come out of hibernation.  to me, that simply means, time to shed my winter weight and be bikini ready within the next couple of months.  I’m by no means, overweight, however there is a such thing as skinny fat and it is so not flattering AT ALL!  I tend to eat pretty healthy, but there are some things in my daily diet that I can stand to be rid of. 

As I was driving in to work today, I was listening to a radio show that had a guest on by the name of JJ Smith.  She is a nutritionist and certified weight-management specialist who is a passionate relationship/life coach, and inspirational speaker.  a huge plus…SHE LOOKS AMAZING at 40 something!  Do you see the abs?!?!

She has a book out that has been a top seller on Amazon for a while now, so i figured i would do a little more research.  I went to her website and read all about the secrets of how to lose weight without diet or exercise.  I, for one, am horrible about dieting because I never had to, even after having my baby.  I have always been naturally thin.  Exercise comes naturally.  I’ve always loved running or some sort of cardio however lately, going to the gym has been a chore.  Anyhoo, to fast forward, she spoke about how to lose weight by simply doing a detox.  No, not one of those commercial detox with drinking weird juices that are mailed to you or taking pills that make you literally have to relocate your bed to the nearest bathroom.  Her detox methods are simple and healthy.  She named a few things that you should avoid eating and also some things you can eat for 3 weeks that will ultimately make you lose weight if followed correctly:

What you can’t eat:

• White starches (white rice, white bread or any other bleached starches)
• All meats (she didn’t specify seafood, but I’m allergic anyway, so that’s easily avoidable for me.)
• Pasta
• Caffeine (coffee, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, etc.)
• Dairy
• Sugar (high fructose corn syrup, raw sugar, brown sugar, pretty much any unnatural sugars because the liver can’t break it down causing it to deposit it into your belly, hips and thighs.)

What you can eat:

• Fruit (has natural sugars that are easily broken down)
• Green leafy veggies
• Beans (the darker the bean, the more antioxidant bonus)
• Whole grains (oats, brown rice, etc.)
• Nuts and seeds (almonds are an amazing source of calcium)

So basically, i will be a vegetarian for the next 3 weeks starting on Monday. I’m super excited [Really just trying to sike myself up for a moment.  Lol!]!

Next, there is the workout part.  Although JJ Smith mentions it’s not necessary to workout to lose weight, I’m doing it more so for definition in muscle tone.  I’m not a huge fan of the gym for many reasons.  One being, I feel super out of place and like everyone is watching me do a workout wrong or trying to work a machine resulting in an epic fail, so instead, I decided to try a workout from home. 

After watching the infomercial of “Insanity” with trainer Shaun T for about 2 hours, I decided I would do further research on this as well.  After reading several reviews, looking at ‘before’ and ‘after’ pics, and asking everyone I knew about it, I thought I would give it a go.  the price is pretty expensive but I was willing to try it for the 30 day money back guarantee, plus I had the comfort of my own home, so why the heck not right?!

So for the next few weeks, I will keep everyone posted on my improvements if there are any.  EEK!  If you want to try the challenge with me, let me know.  I will begin my detox on Monday, March 19th.  Wish me luck!