What I've been doing.....

A while back I posted about the changes I have made in my lifestyle along with the changes we have made as a family.  I am proud to say that we are going strong with our new lifestyle and we are all feeling great. Don't get me wrong, occasionally it is difficult to maintain, like when traveling or on the road, but overall it has been a smooth transition and one that is WAY worth it.
Lets recap:
Food- It's all about fresh, organic goodness people!  Today I am at about a 90% vegetarian diet (all organic) with only 10% animal protein (all grass-fed and finished, organic, wild, etc) I try to wheatgrass everyday.  I try to juice everyday.  My favorite is carrot, cucumber, celery, lemon.  YUM!  No sugar. Not a bit unless it's from a fruit.  That means no cookies, cake, chocolate, etc ( I miss that sometimes )  And no alcohol.  I don't really miss it too much.  Maybe I miss an occassional glass of red wine, but I am certain staying away from all sugar is more important than a glass of wine.

My day starts with an amazing, homemade smoothie.  Ingredients include one organic cucumber, organic kale and spinach, ice, blue bonnet protein powder, raw cacao nibs, greens powder, an avocado, some blueberries and maybe a splash of almond milk or coconut milk if it needs to be thinned.  I do alter the ingredients occasionally but that one is my favorite.  Sean also drinks this in the morning and I think he may be as addicted to it as I am. After drinking it I feel great.
Dinner is typically something vegetarian.  I love roasting sweet potatoes.  I love raw-getti which is zuccinni pasta.  We eat "raw" stir frys, lots of different, yummy recipes. I also bough a dehydrator and I am addicted to veggie burgers.  They are 100% made from organic veggies, nuts and flax and are considered raw.  So good!!!

I snack all the time on nuts, hummus and carrots, and many other veggies. My favorite places to eat while I'm working are Abbey's on North Dale Mabry, Oxford Exchange, Boca and my absolute favorite is Rawk Star Cafe in Palm Harbor. Don't get me started on how awesome that place is!  Everything there is raw, organic and delicious.

Supplements
I take a lot of supplements.  A lot of what I have done with my diet (and my family's diet) along with the supplements I take has been from working with Alex Poptodorova.  He is so smart.  I've been on his protocol for about 6 months and I am seriously healthy.  In fact, I was just told by a doctor that I had one of the healthiest "guts" he's seen.  (more about that later in the post) Anyway, I take a lot of supplements.  I concentrate on immune boosting, probiotics and others.

Exercise and products.
I need to exercise more.  After I hurt my knee skiing in March I took a little time off but I'm back at it.  I  do Yoga on Monday nights, weights 2 times a week and some sort of fun cardio once or twice a week. I still use as natural or organic products as possible.  All cleaning products are Meyers.  Organic laundry detergent, pest control company, shampoo, conditioner, makeup, lotion, tooth paste, tampons, cookware, dry cleaner, diapers (for Liam :).  Everything is as natural as possible. I actually just went off the deep end this week and ordered an organic mattress for Ava and Liam.  Apparently a typical matress is laced with so many chemicals that we spend half of our life breathing that in.  Holy cow!!!  Sean and I are shopping for our new, organic mattress now.  I may have also purchased new organic cotton sheets for the kids too.  And I'm considering new car seats for them too since the ones they sit in currently have chemicals in them too and when you factor in the Florida heat....... OMG it makes me cringe just thinking about it.

Before I write about the next part a quick thought. I believe in Western medicine.  It is so important.  BUT, I also believe strongly in Eastern medicine and since there isn't much Western medicine can do for me right now I am really getting into Eastern healing.   I have spoken with a medical intuitive.  That was really interesting.  I have seen a Dr. who does muscle testing to check what systems in your body are weak. He is who told me my "gut" is really strong.  Did you know a lot of your immune system is in your digestive tract? I have found that my hormone levels are a bit off (like seretonin, adrenal, cortisol) so I am taking supplements for that.  I have been sleeping much better since I started taking those new supplements.  I have also seen a therapist that uses muscle testing to tap into your sub conscience.  WOW!  That was really intense.  I am really looking forward to working more with her.  I also go to acupuncture and I have been getting a massage twice a month.

I really am so passionate about living a healthy lifestyle. It isn't just about eating salads and exercising when you can. We live in a toxic world. There are chemicals everywhere.  So much of what people eat is processed and so far from what we were made to eat.  I am certain that our body is not meant to thrive on oreos and doritos.  We need as much of a plant based diet as possible.  (i.e. fruits and vegetables)  It is hard to change habits but once you do you feel better than you've ever felt. I could talk for hours about how important it is to take care of your body.  Why does our culture wait until something is wrong to make a change (yes, I am guilty of that)  I wish SO much I had lived this way prior to my diagnosis.  Why do many people believe there will be a pill to fix a problem should it arise?  I'll be the first to tell you that isn't so.  I had a serious problem arise and there is no pill or reasonable treatment that can make it go away. I am healing through food, exercise and emotional and spiritual healing.

All of the changes I made couldn't have been possible without the support of my husband, Sean. He supports me and believes in this lifestyle too.  A big thank you to Alex and Ashley Poptodorova, Sam, my sister Charna, my sister-in-law Nicole and all of the other people who have encouraged me on this natural, organic path I am now living and LOVING.