The Jewel of Self- Worth

To know your worth is rewarding. Self- Worth gives stability, confidence, and the hope for a new day. It is grounding in a time of confusion and gives assurance in the face of adversity.

Many suffer from depression, anxiety, and moodiness. Turn on the news and there are headlines about the number of people taking anti- depressants, “normal” people losing their minds in an explosive scenario, and even death from suicide.  Even the rich and famous, the ones that appear to be living the life that everyone wants have bouts of manic behavior, drug- use, and overdose.

What gives us our self-worth? Is it someone telling us how beautiful we are?  Or is it money and prestige? Numerous stories told by the media, shows facts that none of these will produce this result. So, what will?

It all starts from how we think. It seems so miniscule, yet, how we think determines our perception. When a woman stands in the mirror, no matter what size, and says to herself “I’m fat”, the result is a self-conscious woman preoccupied with how fat she looks. When a woman stands in the mirror happy, regardless of her size, she is free to pursue other ideas because she is free of negative thinking.

Self- worth is not about appearance. It is a state of mind that offsets negative that gets in our path. We may lose our job, however, if we perceive it as an opportunity to pursue talents that we have been neglecting, our thoughts stay lofty about ourselves, lives, and future. By thinking this way, develops assurance in ourselves and what we can do, allowing nothing or no one to dictate our worth.  


Look at every obstacle as an opportunity. Whatever seems unpleasant at the time, look for the beauty in it. This is how we maintain our value, knowing that beauty is in us and all around us.

Drink Your Green and White!

Daily, we are exposed to harsh toxins from our environment, the air we breathe, the water we use and the food that we eat. As much as we may monitor our intake of food and liquids for quality assurance, much of what we eat is still the best of the worst due to poor soil. poor air quality, and export/import of various foods. These traces of toxins can build up over time and produce one of the greatest enemies of the body... cancer.

Nature has provided us with antioxidants to get rid of these pesky little free radicals. First, what is an antioxidant? An antioxidant is an enzyme that can counteract the damaging effects of oxidation to any part of the human tissue. If some of the cells in your body were to be oxidized, hindering their growth causing deterioration ( death of the cells ), an antioxidant will combat this process to allow your cells to rejuvenate if possible or allow for a healthy environment for proper cell production.

Two of the best known antioxidants are Green and White Tea. Both originating  from China, they are celebrated for their unique properties in Asia and the world over. Delicious and light in flavor, these teas are produced from the delicately harvested Camellia sinensis plant. White Tea is from the younger plant and Green Tea is from the more matured version.

Green Tea is superb because it is an antioxidant , anti-carcinogen, and has been proven to gently raise the metabolic rate producing weight loss. The benefits of Green Tea are better received when drank daily. Green Tea does not produce immediate results of weight loss, however, gradually in addition to a healthy lifestyle, it will greatly improve your results.

White Tea is very potent in antioxidants and anti-carcinogens. During the times of the Royal Dynasties in China, White Tea was the preferred tea because of its delicate flavor and beneficial effects.

Green Tea and White Tea are a needed part of a healthy lifestyle. Green Tea is especially wonderful for the mamas that wants to get back to being curvaceous. Try drinking it daily with a touch of agave. Even mix it up a bit by sampling it in different flavors. Pomegranate Green Tea has an exotic flavor and added antioxidants (from the pomegranate). Enjoy!

Expansion on 3 Levels

On our journey we must expand our spirit, our minds, and our bodies. This is a time of building and renewing ourselves. To obtain a want takes patience, diligence, and stamina. Expanding our spirit to higher elevations will strengthen our minds and bodies.
 
Everyday, take the time to broaden your perceptions of what you think, do, and have around you. Look at the sky and imagine what could be beyond it. Look at the trees and have gratitude for the oxygen they give you. Stretch your limbs 10 seconds longer than you did yesterday. As we expand, we get better and we grow.

Enjoy  this journey in your life. Take the time to love self and learn something new daily. Life is what we make it. Expand your light to give others a brighter day!

Stay Away From the Scale

During our journey to getting that slim physique, we may become a little ambitious. Which is great in moderation. Watching what you eat, monitoring your water intake, and exercising everyday are all great ambitions to attain. Even checking your weight every two weeks is good. However, when it becomes every morning and night or even 5x a day, then it becomes obsessive. Then we become stressed when we don't think the weight isn't coming down fast enough. This can lead to depression, especially in nursing mamas.

Stay away from the scale. In order to lose weight, do we really need one? If we raise our vibration daily by thinking positive, eat healthy foods, drink plenty of water, and exercise, eventually that weight will fall right off. If it doesn't seem to be working try other methods. For example, if you notice that you have poor digestion, this could be the culprit. So the solution would be to promote better digestion, not obsession.
In the beginning of our journey, we may only lose inches at first. So if your looking at the scale and notice no changes, then this can make you think that nothing is happening. However, when things are done in a natural way, they happen in degrees. 

This is to say for women losing weight, encouragement generally doesn't come from the scale, however, your state of mind. No matter what level of life we are in, if we keep our thoughts lofty and maintain focus for what we want to attain, it will be accomplished.

Stripped, Dyed, and Fried

We are on our journey to Curvaceous and we have to gather all of our nutrients. Vitamins A, B's, C, D, E....Potassium, Calcium, Iron...etc. So many nutrients for us to gather to aid us in our journey. The healthier we are, the easier it will be for us to lose weight. With the many nutrients that we need for our body, we have to utilize every avenue to preserve them.
In this society, stripped, dyed, and fried is what you find most readily available. Stripped of nutrients, dyed to enhance the color, and fried leaving your body unsatisfied.
As mamas, new, future or seasoned, we have to keep our energy. Losing weight requires energy because our bodies are going through a major change. 
One way to the keep the preservation of our nutrients is to manage how we prepare our foods. Frying the food kills all of the nutrients of the food and can cause the body to be more acidic developing free radicals- aging and cancer. Fried foods are a favorite of many, and can be done every so often. The less that we consume them, the more likely that we will be able to lose the weight and be healthier.
An alternative to frying food is baking. Everything that we love fried...french fries, burgers (veggie), eggs...yes, can taste delicious baked. The key to this is it being well seasoned and having oil drizzled on it upon entering the oven. Also, about a cup of water to a large baking pan will help most things cook faster when covered. Once the food is tender by fork test, if you want to get that crispy texture, uncover food and place oven on broil until it reaches the texture that is wanted.

The next level of food preparation to preserve our nutrients would be cooking without oil. Although food that is baked is much better than anything fried, with it being prepared with oil still carries a small percentage of acidity. Cooking food with no oil would require the same baking method without the oil. The oil can be drizzled after cooking to get the flavor of the oil. The same can be done over the stove, cook with water and cover with lid.

The ultimate level is to go raw. This may seem like a hard thing to do for some, yet, there are many wonderful raw recipes available. No matter what level you are at, eating raw can still be achieved. Incorporating raw vegetables: carrots, celery, spinach and fruit: apples, bananas, grapefruit can be an awesome start to your raw experience. Start where you feel comfortable and you will see the benefits in your body.

Love

Vinegar- The Pro-Digestion, Pro-Weight Loss...To Be Healthy Liquid

I have an amazing relationship with vinegar. I have started consuming it everyday. It is a must have. Before taking vinegar on a regular basis, I consistently felt bloated. My new found relationship with vinegar causes me to feel lighter. I am no longer bloated. Since taking this awesome natural remedy, I have noticed that I have lost some inches. If you are unfamiliar with vinegars properties, check this out:

-relieves bloating

-relieves flatulence

-relieves constipation

-a prebiotic- supports the digestive and immune systems

Organic Apple Cider Vinegar is the best available for healing.  I use Bragg's. It has a fresh, clean taste. It is excellent in salad dressings and even on its own.
For nursing mamas, a little bit goes a long way. Use it as a base in your salad dressing. We want to lose weight, however, in degrees. Losing weight too rapidly will put toxins in your milk from the release of stored fat. For the non- lactating mama, let's be more aggressive. Taking 1- 2 tablespoons a day of raw apple cider vinegar will relieve the body of waste, which will result in quicker weight loss. So, here's to vinegar.

Light Pleasures

In our journey to being curvaceous, raw foods definitely sit at the top of our food chain. Why? We get so many mood boosting nutrients from our green veggies and juicy fruit. Also, we cut back on fat tremendously because raw foods are naturally low in fat. Avocados are rich in fat, however, those are filled with the good fats that or bodies need. Try eating a salad daily. If this is hard for you, top it with some of your favorites like salmon salad, egg salad, chicken salad, etc. Taco salads are also wonderful. Smother with a variety of diced vegetables to get a full range of flavor and health boosting nutrients. Organic is the best way to go.
Remember your salad dressing. Here is a quick and easy recipe to make the 'Salad Skeptic' a true
'Salad Lover'.

Sweet and Tangy Oil and Vinegar

1/4 cup of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar

The Juice of 1 Small Lemon

1 tbsp. of Agave

1 1/2 tsp. of  Dill Weed

1 tbsp. of Granulated Garlic or 2 Garlic Clove

1tbsp. of Granulated Onion or 1/4 piece cut from 1 Small Onion

About 2 cups of Olive Oil

Place all liquid ingredients with the exception of  olive oil into a blender. Then add the seasonings and/or vegetables. Blend on high until all is mixed together. Continue to blend and slowly drizzle in olive oil. Once the mixture becomes less liquid, remove from the blender and pour into a glass dressing bottle or whatever you choose. Place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to allow the dressing to thicken more. 

This is an easy recipe that will make you run to eat salad everyday! Enjoy!