2 STEPS TO A HEALTHIER YOU

Why is it so hard for us to adopt a healthy way of living? why is it hard for someone to buy a book on healthy living but very easy for that same person to spend a whole lot of money on a plate of unhealthy food at a restaurant? or at a clothing store? Bad habits are hard to break. There is no other way for one to start eating healthy than to make a decision to start doing so. We usually wait till it's very late; a death in the family, a scary diagnosis etc. You can start eating healthier today, all that is stopping you is an EXCUSE. We spend so much money to dress the outside of our bodies yet very little attention on 'dressing' the inside. 

I love seeing all the celebrities who are RAW fooders or Vegan or both. My favorite of late is Demi Moore, okay she may be married to someone way younger than she is but one can hardly tell the difference. She is almost 50, yet she can compete with any 20 year old! She actually has grown younger over the years and I know why? you guessed right, it is all about what she eats. 

Growing younger gracefully

Another favorite of mine is Prince: Does he look like a man a day over 50? I love Prince, and totally in love with his music. He is a genius and yes, it's about all he eats. He grows younger everyday and even has a song about being vegan, quite interesting I must say :)

Beautiful Prince

The list continues with Sting, Woody Harrelson, Alicia Silverstone, Natalie Portman, Uma Thurman, Lisa Bonet, David bowie, Tobey Maguire aka Spiderman, Casey Affleck, Liv Tyler, Jason Mraz, Lea Michelle of Glee(the TV series), Erykah Badu, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Deschanel of Bones (the TV series), Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Andre 300 (of the group Outcast), Richard Gere (no wonder he is looking so young and handsome still), Kim Basinger (is it any wonder?), and the list goes on and on.


Okay, so you don't want to or have to be 100% RAW or Vegan, but how about adding more fruits and veggies into your diet everyday? That's a start, right? Yesterday I got so many beautiful compliments on a photo of me I put up on my facebook page:

Here's what someone sent me in a private message: "You look absolutely ADORABLE in your profile pic! My, my, my. You look like you are your own child! haha. You look no older than 13 in this picture. I'm not kidding or flattering! I'm being really honest."


of course I was totally flattered! Made me realize that what I am doing is good. I remember looking way older than my 31 years when I used to  eat an unhealthy diet. Thanks 'Anonymous' for that lovely compliment. Here are my two ways to starting a healthy lifestyle:


CLEANSING: I could write a book about this topic, oh wait! I already did! The FYR Lifestyle e-book is available for you to buy at the top right hand side of this site. Anyone who has ever done any kind of cleanse will tell you how much more wonderful they felt and looked after the cleanse. Our bodies are like a drainage pipe, they get backed up and we must constantly clean it up so it can function properly. Buy your copy of the FYR lifestyle ebook and the 90-day companion ebook and download in minutes. 


DISTILLED WATER: We bathe ourselves everyday so we don't smell, what about bathing your inner self, your body and your cells? We are made up of over 70% of water and our cells need to be clean in order to be healthy, so drink up!


Love yourself a little differently this year, don't wait till it's too late!


Remember to eat and drink to your health, you'll thank me later!


B

FYR™ Rising Stars--Winners don't make excuses, they execute!

I love to celebrate people and the people I will mention here today ought to be celebrated. When I started FYR™ a few years back, I was doing it to keep myself accountable and also to reach out to anyone who wanted to take part in my journey. I had hoped that word about the lifestyle would spread like FIRE(FYR) but never really thought of what that day would look like. Now I get emails from every corner of  the world, from people who want to love themselves a little differently. Nothing brings me more joy than to hear about their successes. Here is one success story from early this year:

Ms. Anu Goretti after her 21-day FYR detox

Ms. Anu Goretti is an FYR™ success story and you can read her personal testimony, and a host of many others, in the FYR™ lifestyle ebook available for sale now. You can also follow her on her blog at: www.prgoretti.wordpress.com

Our first rising star is Ms. Jennifer Omolu, who made her very first smoothie yesterday and has begun her FYR™ journey to loving herself a little differently. You see, I am very proud of her because the first time for anything worthwhile is always special and should be celebrated. She made a decision and executed it. Go Jenny!

Jennifer omolu

Jennifer drinking her first smoothie, YUM!

Another person we are celebrating today is Ms. Petronille Mahop. She not only has begun to love herself a little differently by adopting the FYR™ lifestyle but has started her own blog: www.beinggoodtome.blogspot.com to talk about her journey.

A photo of Ms. Petronille and her beautiful daughter, Manuella. 

Our final celebrity for today is my very own bundle of joy, 5 month old baby Ricky who had his first green food (sweet peas), and loved it!

Doesn't that look yummy?

...the debut of baby Ricky as one of the very first FYR Kids™

Please feel free to share your recipes, photos and success stories so that we can feature it on the site. Remember no success is too small!

Drink and eat to your health, you'll thank me later!

B

INTRODUCING THE OFFICIAL FACE OF FYR™

It just makes sense that the youngest member of FYR™, my partner and long time FYR™ enthusiast, Nina Lakota, should be the official face of FYR™, not because she is my daughter but because she personifies everything FYR™ stands for, youth, health and sheer joy. She even puts me to shame when I start to 'fall off the wagon' on my FYR™ journey:

"Oh, Mama, you know you're not supposed to eat that!", 

"That's just unhealthy!" 

"You can do it Mama, you promised yourself you would exercise today, come on, don't let yourself down." 

"I can't wait to do raw food again, and all those raw desserts, yum!" 

"Your form is off Mama, you're not doing it like the girl on the workout tape, squat lower..." 

"Mummy, I don't want eggs or meat, I want a salad, something fresh and healthy..." she goes on and on and on. Not that we don't splurge occasionally, we do, but when I'm on one of my quarterly detox periods, and I have to stick to the plan, she watches me with eagle eyes "I just want you to be successful at what you do," is what she tells me.

So I asked her a few days ago if she would like to be the Official face of FYR™ and she said yes, that is, after she asked "Will I get paid to do that?" LOL well, yes Ms. Nina, of course, and you can add that to your resume or portfolio too. Little Ms. Entrepreneur!

This got me thinking that we need more young and beautiful faces for this campaign. So FYR™ is conducting a search for 'little' faces to add to our site and eBooks, we need many more FYR Kids™.

Nina came up with some great recipes for her own FYR™ kids dessert Book, yes, this one will be in Print not just an eBook, and we are throwing a 'Mommy & Me for FYR™'  and/or 'Daddy & Me for FYR™' challenge to every parent. The idea is to come up with a simple dessert (ingredients have to match those on the FYR™ approved list, so you have to purchase the FYR™ Lifestyle eBook, The 90-Day Companion may also give you some great ideas). The best recipes (creativity and presentation) will be featured in the FYR™ Kids Dessert book, along with bios and photos. Also, Mom/Dad and child must be spotted with any of the FYR™ gears in their entry photo (mug, apron, t-shirt etc) you can get these from the FYR™ Shop at http://www.cafepress.com/foreveryoungrevolution

I am excited to see new FYR kids™ faces. This challenge runs till June 1st and winners will be announced June 15th (along with the winners of the 90-day challenge) and will be notified when the Book is published. Remember to drink and eat to your health, you'll thank me later!

B

Is it possible that our bodies could have a memory of their own?

4 Months after my 2nd child can you spy my 4.5 packs? :-O

4 Months after 2nd child

The human body is simply AMAZING, is it any doubt that even through years of constantly abusing it, it can still forgive us once we start treating it with care? Imagine how much harder it would be for us to lose weight or be healthy again if we had unforgiving bodies. Maybe we should all learn a thing or two from our bodies, I know I have.


Do you know that our bodies have memory cells? I know this for sure because twice after having both my babies, it 'remembered' what I used to be like before I packed on the pregnancy weight. I have always loved working out and I know with the law of reciprocity, my workouts have loved me back :-). With my second pregnancy I put on more weight than the first and still unbelievably returned to my pre-pregnancy weight faster (mind you, I'm still breastfeeding, so I still eat well enough to produce milk for my baby).  Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that if you 'remember' your body, your body will 'remember' you. I consciously made an effort to be in good shape before both my children, but with the second child I was even more dedicated, if you can remember my 60-day raw food journey from last year (I 'remembered' my body) and my body 'remembered' me as soon as I started eating healthier (FYR™ Approved foods) and working out. Could it be as simple as that? You bet! It definitely got me thinking for sure. And if you didn't 'remember' your body before, it still will love you once you start to 'love' it, cool huh? Anyway, I am super excited to share with you the upcoming FYR™ eBooks. This new year, I got so many emails from so many people asking me how to get back in shape. And so I decided to put everything into a series of eBooks that you can soon purchase. Here are the first few titles soon to be released:
1) The Forever Young Revolution™--"I just love myself a little differently." (Basically tells you about the  FYR™ lifestyle, provides you with a shopping list of FYR™ approved foods, and a detailed 21-day detox menu and recipes for every meal of every of the 21 days, plus a whole lot more you wouldn't want to miss)
2) FYR™ 90-Day Superstar Challenge Companion-- 90 motivational Quotes, 30 Juice and Smoothie recipes and 10 Great Reasons Why You Should Take the Challenge (This is your conscience and me as your coach in words, a detailed breakdown of every day for 90 days of your challenge, great motivational quotes from a few of the greats and yours truly and a bonus star-studded FYR™ Superstar menu for the star in you. Recommended in conjunction with the first eBook above)
3) FYR™ Deserts--Melt away the pounds with every sweet and delicious bite (Just like its title states, you will eat as much deserts as you want and still watch the number on the scale descend. This is the one time when you can eat your cake and have it too!)
I encourage everyone of you to join me in making this year, 2011, the most fabulous one yet. Join the Challenge and see what stuff you're made of. Let's DO IT!!!

The Youngest FYR™ Revolutionist, my daughter, Nina.

I will continue to keep you updated. I must go now but I'll be back soon...
Remember to eat and drink to your health, you'll thank me later!


B

Exercise & Breastfeeding

THIS PICTURE SHOULD BE THE POSTER FOR 'BREASTFEEDING FOR HEALTHY CHILDREN & MOTHERS'

How beautiful is the girl you see above? This picture got my attention because what she's doing is just incredible: in the middle of a busy beach, Mother of three, Pauline Thomas stops to breastfeed her baby. I have always been a big advocate of breastfeeding because I know the benefits to Mother and Child. Also, that's all I knew growing up: I watched my Mom breastfeed all my siblings and I was determined to do my best to follow that example. I believe any amount of breastfeeding is better than none at all. My hats off to those women who go all the way till baby is 12 months and beyond!

With my first daughter, I woke up every 20 minutes to breastfeed and I thought I was going to lose my mind. But later when I watched her grow with little or no health issues, I was glad that I did. It was also very easy to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I waited till I was done nursing (six months later) before starting any form of exercise, partly because I was tired all the time but mostly because I was just lazy. But after 3 months of diet and exercise I surpassed my goals and went down to a size 4 (I was a size 6 when I got pregnant and ended up a size 10 by the time I had her). Breastfeeding had helped me burn alot of calories to begin with, I guess the late night feedings were worth it, LOL.

Anyway, my point today is that I now have my second child and I wanted to start exercising while I was still breastfeeding and was not sure if it would affect the quality and quantity of my breastmilk. After some research, I was inspired to go ahead and start exercising. I must say I've had no adverse reactions from baby so far, plus I realized that I produce more milk as well. I eat a healthy diet and the recommended 500 more calories you should eat while breastfeeding and I still feel like a million dollars :-) Mommy is happy and baby is, too.

My daily routine is hectic but who says mommies don't have the hardest/best jobs? I wake up before everyone and drink a big glass of water, baby usually wakes up soon after. I had asked my friend Pauline (pictured above) what to do with all the leakage during exercise and she had told me she pumps first.

I must say breast pumps and I have issues, for some reason they hurt for me (my nipples to be precise), so what works for me is that I nurse the baby on both sides and when he goes to bed, which is usually soon after, I use some breast pads and I hit the floor and start my exercise routine. I make my healthy shake for breakfast, make coffee for hubby and get Nina ready for homeschool(brush teeth, bathing, breakfast etc)I do a marathon shower before baby wakes up and then my busy day really begins. Now I am accustomed to the schedule and it works just great.

I would like to know about your experiences with breastfeeding and exercise and how you make it work for you.


Mother of 3, Pauline Thomas, looking like she's just 16! BTW, the picture to your right was taken barely three months after she had her third baby, and she's a full-time working mom too, wao!

Thank you Pauline for your love and support and Merry Christmas to you, Rere and your beautiful children, Cynthia, Chris and baby Ntu :-)

For more on Breastfeeding visit lalecheleague.com they are just wonderful.

Drink & eat to your health, you'll thank me later!

B

Good morning Chunky-monkey-pina-strawberry-banana

Recipe:

1cup of pineapple
1 1/2 banana
3 strawberries
2 cups of soy or almond milk
2 Tbsp of flax seed
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

This recipe came about because i had some left over pineapple and didn't know what to do with it and I didn't want to eat the pineapple by itself. I was scared that a mixture of pineapple with soy milk might be yucky but it was actually yummy to the tommy lol. So there you go, have some for breakfast and enjoy.

Once in a while I let Nina indulge so this morning I made her some pancakes, with sliced strawberries, some chocolate syrup and lots of whipp cream, she loved it! eventhough she turned and said to me "Mommy, I feel like I'm eating unhealthy." hahahahahahaha she is too much. I told it was okay on occassion.



The ressurection of FYR is back so get ready, you don't have to wait for the New Year to begin, if you can make it civilized (lol) through the Holidays then you can make it anytime, so be strong and remember to eat and drink to your health, you will thank me later!!!


B

Resurrection of FYR

Wao! it's been almost a year since I last posted on this blog and I know you all have been wondering where the heck I was. I am a proud mama of two now, yup, just had my baby boy on August 26th, handsome, healthy, young man! During my pregnancy, the first three months were filled with Day sickness--not morning sickness-- so I could not even post here at all, I was sick like a dog (well worth it :-). Anyway I will tell you the story sometime later. Just wanted you all to know I am back and once I'm done breastfeeding, I will be going through a weight loss plan to lose the etxra pounds I gained while pregnant, so stay posted just in case you want to join me,lol. For now enjoy this video of my 7 year old daughter making her favorite breakfast smoothie. Also feel free to visit our older posts from the previous year ( 2009)there's lots of information to digest while waiting. Here's Nina!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FRdWfTOxVw

xoxo

B