detox your life!

There are so many ways to detox and in so many areas. Where do you start first. I say simple is better. Simple goals with achievable goals and outcomes. I have adopted a cleaner diet and daily fitness with BEACHBODY. Today I am working in house with my kitchen/pantry cabinets. Getting rid of the toxic foods that may be lurking in there.  Then tomorrow I will go bigger, maybe work on the garage..lol! however you need to cleanse your life you can do it. Start with you! Here are some strategies on how to do so for your body. You only get 1 so take care of it!

You can cleanse your body daily with these diet, supplements and lifestyle practices:

1. Eat plenty of fiber, including brown rice and organically-grown fresh fruits and vegetables. Beets, radishes, artichokes, cabbage, broccoli, spirulina, chlorella, and seaweed are excellent detoxifying foods.

2. Cleanse and protect the liver by taking herbs such as dandelion root, burdock and milk thistle, and drinking green tea.

3. Take vitamin C, which helps the body produce glutathione, a liver compound that drives away toxins.

4. Drink at least two quarts of water a day.

5. Breathe deeply to allow oxygen to circulate more completely through your system.
6. Transform stress by emphasizing positive emotions.

7. Practice hydrotherapy by taking a very hot shower for five minutes, allowing the water to run on your back. Follow with cold water for 30 seconds. Do this three times, and then get into bed for 30 minutes.

8. Sweat in a sauna so your body can eliminate wastes through perspiration.

9. Dry-brush your skin or try detox foot spas/foot baths to remove toxins through your pores. Special brushes are available at natural products stores.

10. What is the most important way to detoxify? "Exercise," says Bennett. "Yoga or jump-roping are good. One hour every day." Also try Qigong, a martial-arts based exercise system that includes exercises specifically for detoxifying or cleansing, as well as many other exercises with specific health benefits. 

lets try these.....yummmmm

beachbodycoach.com/coachamarielpn

Baked Fajitas

Yield: 4 fajitas

Fix Portions (per fajita): 1 yellow, ½ red, 1 green, ½ blue (optional)

Ingredients

• 4 whole wheat tortillas
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I poach them in water, so they shred super easy. You could also use leftover rotisserie chicken for this too)
• 1½ green container bell peppers, sliced
• 1½ green container onions, sliced
• 1 green container salsa (I recommend Pace restaurant style or the fresh Chipotle Garlic salsa available in the produce section at Target)
• 2 blue containers shredded mexican or cheddar jack cheese (optional)
• 1 tbsp each ground cumin, garlic powder, and black pepper.

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. In a skillet, saute onions and bell peppers. Season with garlic powder and black pepper.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine shredded chicken, salsa, and cumin and stir well
4. Fill tortillas one at a time with vegetables and chicken. Sprinkle with ½ blue container cheese (optional).
5. Roll/fold the tortillas so that the ends are tucked in and place them in a 13x9 baking dish
6. Bake for 20 minutes and enjoy!
    

Bonus Ideas

• Try substituting steak or ground turkey instead of the chicken
• Make a seafood version of this dish: use a mild fish (like talipia) or baby shrimp and mix with mango salsa for a fresh twist!

 

Feel free to serve with some extra salsa, avocado/guac, shredded lettuce, and greek yogurt (sour cream substitute) on the side!

Ginger-Citrus Chicken Stir Fry with Sriracha

Yield: 3-4 servings

Fix Portions (Per serving): 1 yellow, 1 green, 1 red

Ingredients

•  1 cup whole grain brown rice
• 2 chicken breasts, diced
• 1 green container broccoli florets (I like them steamed first before adding them to this recipe- so its a good use for leftover cooked broccoli)
• 1 green container zucchini, diced
• ½  green container onions, diced
• ½ green container carrots, finely diced
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp 100% orange juice
• 1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

      *1 tbsp sriracha

      *1 tsp honey

       *2 tbsp ground ginger

       *½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

       *Garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Make chicken marinade: combine orange juice, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, 1 tbsp ginger, 1 tbsp garlic powder, and ½ tbsp sriracha in mixing bowl. Place (raw) diced chicken in a ziploc bag, pour in marinade, and shake to coat. Allow chicken to marinade for at least 1 hour (the longer, the more flavor, so marinating overnight is best)
2. Cook rice according to package directions
3. In a skillet or wok, heat 1 tsp coconut oil until melted.
4. Add diced chicken and cook until cooked through. Remove from skillet and cover with foil to keep warm
5. Add another tsp of coconut oil to the pan or wok. Saute vegetables until tender, seasoning with garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, ginger, and red pepper flake.
6. To portion your plate, use the yellow container to scoop out your serving of rice. Then use the green container for the vegetables, and the red container for the chicken. Once on your plate you can mix it all up as desired.
7. Drizzle with about ½ tbsp sriracha for an added kick

I learned something last night

Its been a crazy week. Tons of snow and cold, things breaking for no reason and just feeling ugghh.
So I went out to  see my friends band, Guilty Pleasure, which always cheers me up. Music is my therapy! Granted I had good things happen too. I made success club for BeachBody for January and earned an invite to test the new OnDemand BeachBody workouts, but I'm human and deserve a moment of not being perfectly chipper. ( beachbodycoach.com/coachamarielpn )

Anyways...I was out and I was talking to someone very special to me. Discussing "being in our own way". That's a big thing! We all do this and we hope to help our loved ones through it when in reality we cant! It affects everyone around you. Sometimes you don't even know you are doing it.
What I learned is that if someone you love is standing in their own way you have to back up and let them stumble through it. Nothing you say or do will make them clear the hurdles. It is their own internal struggles, demons, fears, whatever you choose to call it that they alone must face and conquer. Hard to watch, I know, but in the end it will make them stronger and more confident in the goal they are trying to reach.

So what do you in the meantime? You want to fight for them.  Tell them what to do and how to get there. Shake them even! lol you have to find patience....worst thing ever for me! That's your fight in their battles. That's it! Patience!!! That's such a big word!

As I search for patience I must also learn to get out of my own way. Keep moving forward and going we meet up at the same point. I get in my own way by thinking I can fix things for others, by having a fear of failure which causes me to push to hard and by forgetting myself in the process. I realized I really need to work on these things for my future. While I will never be perfect and I may fail at these things over and over I at least know what they are!!! I acknowledge them.

Today think of what keeps you in your own way of growth. Self discovery, although not always an easy process, is the first step to a happier and healthier you!

What am I looking for you ask? What will it take????

Who am I? What am I looking for??? I know these are seemingly big questions, but in reality its simple....if you know me!

You know the basics. I am 38, single mom, grandmother, nurse and Beachbody coach. But that's not what makes me who I am. Yes its a big part...its the outcome of my attributes, talents, mistakes, accomplishments etc. I am deeper than that. I am my beliefs and values. I am the product of my love and my heartbreaks. I am MY reality.

I come across people everyday that are going through loneliness and wonder why they are single and if they will die alone. (none of die alone...first hand stories for another day) I try to listen and be sympathetic. I explain that anyone can go out and just get a boyfriend/girlfriend but the fact that we don't means we have standards. Of course you can go out and lower them but who the hell wants too. I sure wont!

I am told I am too picky. Guess what??? I have the right to be! I have been abused in every definition of the word for most of my adult life. I have picked myself up with minimal help and support. I survived on my own. I have succeeded in things on my own. I carried my children through snow to walk to work and to buy groceries. I put myself through school without a car as a young single mother. I kept my children fed and with a roof. ME! So yes I can be picky!

What will it take for Amanda to settle down??? Pretty basic. Respect, honesty, appreciation for not only me but for others and the world around us, and self worth in himself. I do not want a needy or jealous man. I will not accept hostility towards the world or ignorance. I am far from perfect but I will not accept someone who has no belief in themselves. Confidence NOT cockiness!!
I want someone with mutual interests but can go out on his own and enjoy HIS life as well. I want strength and courage not showoff! I think you may be understanding now.

See but the thing is Im ok alone! I have myself, children and friends. I have love in my life. I have intimacy on many levels. Of course I get "lonely" who doesn't, even with a partner. Thing is Im ok with it because I will not give up my self worth ever just to obtain a relationship status change.

I have deeply loved. I have learned to let go. I have also carried that forever "what if love" with me for 25 years. I actually love very deep, heart on my sleeve...fierce. That's special and not to be given to just anyone....not anymore! I am giving that love to myself first!!

So if you're still confused...here it is in simple form:
don't expect me to date you if you're NOT READY TO DATE, mean, insensitive, selfish, extremely one sided politically, abusive even in your tone of speech, unfaithful, dishonest, insecure, have pity parties, needy, incapable of HEARING others, extremely religious and less spiritual, unable to accept I have a life outside of you, jobless with no direction and no integrity.

Don't try and sit at my table if you cant bring at least what I have already brought!

what do you deserve?

What do you deserve? I guess that depends on you! Your desires, your needs, what your willing to sacrifice....so many things depend on this.

I know the basics of which we all deserve shelter, food, love ....hope. I have given up hope throughout my life. I am not always the confident can do anything girl. I have had very dark times where I debated on whether or not to give in to that darkness. But Im too stubborn to let anything beat me!

I struggle everyday! I may not show it, but I do. I am my own worst enemy at times. I purposely push things that could potentially be great for me because they can also potentially devastate me. At times I have low self esteem due to years of abuse, but walk with my head up, smile on my face and eye contact to everyone I pass. Strangers will never know by looking at me that I have a weak side.

I am perceived to be a bitch sometimes, I don't mind! Bitch is a power word to me!
In reality I am such a giving person. I care for others before myself. I would help anyone in need even if it means going without. Im a survivor and some aren't so I don't mind going without because I will figure out how to get it when I need it!

I have decided though that I don't want to just survive! I want to live! I have never been on a plane or even a real vacation! WTF! I have been a mom since I was 18. That's been my life! Surviving things I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy (most days I wouldn't wish it, I am human). But I deserve to LIVE!

So this is where I am at....what do I deserve?? I DESERVE TO LIVE!

I decided to start by living pain free. to expand my life in an upright walking position. I am going to take that vacation this year with my longtime friend. I am going to follow my passion...wherever it may go. I am not just going to survive...I WILL LIVE!!! Not like I am dying but as I have just awaken!

1/29/15

Good morning! Just finished a double shift, took my son to school and now playing with my grand daughter. We enjoyed a tropical strawberry Shakeology and a gluten free waffle. Haven't decided if its an Insanity day or Piyo day yet. All I know is I am so excited for the 21 Day Fix Extreme to be released February 2!!

I have the day off, but does not mean I get to relax! Being a single mom with no financial or physical help never leaves a break. I have learned to thrive in chaos. Quiet makes me uncomfortable now. lol
I am however planning a night away to Atlantic City soon. I totally deserve that! 

I am trying very hard to build my Beach Body business. It is hard in this particular area, especially during these cold months. I am faithful in my attempts, my belief in others to want the best for themselves and in my company!

The 21 day fix was my life changer! I had been in pain for over 6 years. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, spinal stenosis, exposed nerves in my upper extremities and arthritis in my spine/hip joints that were actually fusing themselves together. There were days I would cry in pain and the fact that I was in my 30s feeling like I was 80. Not a good feeling! I refused the injections into my spine. I did not take narcotic medications. Stubborn...maybe but giving in was never my thing! I used hot baths, massage and heating pad to try and relieve the pain temporarily so I could get through my days.

It got to the point this fall that I was starting to worry how much longer I would be able to work. Would I be in a wheelchair soon like my mother? Who would take care of my kids? They have no one but me.

I began a clean eating routine in the spring of 2014 which allowed me to not only lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks but learn to be aware of the foods I was eating, why I was eating them and what they actually did for my body. I still had pain. One of my best friends started doing beachbody and suggested I try it too. Of course I was hesitant and made excuses. It costs too much, my back will not handle it, I don't have time...etc. But I trust her so I joined.

I began the 21 Day Fix in October 2014. The first week was hard as all hell!! I could hardly get up and down the stairs, IT WAS AWFUL! By day 6 the soreness started to subside. It wasn't pain like I had for years. It was my muscles I haven't used in God knows how long waking up! My body was coming to life!

So..I lost 9 pound in those 21 days but what was so amazing is that within my second week of the 21 Day Fix I realized I was no longer sitting on my heating pad everyday! I had forgotten that I even had the pain in my back that was once almost unbearable to my body and my mind. I finally regained my life back!

 This changed my life!! Im not scared of my body anymore. I may not be the typical success story of losing 150 pounds but in the end it is the same goal...TO RECLAIM YOUR BODY AND YOUR LIFE! We all share this goal in one way or another.

Now that I have done this I am a BeachBody coach myself. I want others to find what I found and begin enjoying their bodies and their lives. Finding confidence in themselves with support of myself and others who fight the same battles everyday while remaining human.

Each day is new and that is a gift. Forgive yourself often and try again. That's what these days are for. We will never be perfect but we can be our best. With trial and error and patience in ourselves  we can do just that!

Introducing..ME!

So here I am. I have written a few logs before on various things in my life for the simple fact I love to write. But this time I am here purposely. I have begun and continue on a new journey in my life each day I wake up. I am a nurse but now I am also a BeachBody coach. How did that happen?? lol  Life and all its greatness and bullshit is how. Our roads may all go in different directions, cross paths at unexpected times enduring good and bad but I think we all have the same needs, wants and goals in the end.

I could start this blog from day one of my life with the true story of my abusive biological father pointing a shotgun to my newborn head threatening my then 16 year old mother in order to keep her or I could go on about my teenage years of being poor (church pantry for food poor) and feeling bad about myself because my biological father signed me away when I was a baby or I could tell you about my group home experiences, homeless shelters or domestic violence BUT we have plenty of time for my traumatic experiences. Id rather start with where I am right now....today!

I am 38. A singe mother of 3. I have a granddaughter...yes I am a grandmother(nanny to be exact).
I am a pediatric LPN fully employed with a great kid and his family. I am an Independent BeachBody coach. I have friends. I am not homeless. I once suffered from daily pain from Fibromyalgia, spinal stenosis and arthritis but DO NOT any longer. I have a new awareness of  foods I put into my body and have lost 21 pounds this year. Those things sound so much better to speak of, don't they?

I will TRY to make my blogs about where I am not only where I have been. I am human, however so I cant promise I wont have cranky woes me days!  We can not get the positives without having been through something negative.

I will not drag on in this first blog but I will say that I am finding happiness, health and financial freedom in ways I didn't even think to try. I have forgiven myself of my faults, mistakes and failures. I am learning each day to believe n myself as I do in others. I hope you not only follow me on my journey but become part of it and realize the amazement in your own!