Whole Foods Challenge Day 10!

Aloha Healthy Buddies!

Day 10 went by quick!  Here are the updates for Day 10 :) :

Day 10 Morning:

Considering the full day I had on Day 9, I was surprisingly energized and very motivated to get the day going!  My digestion was better than the previous day and I had a great positive attitude which made my morning awesome!

Day 10 Meals:

Mmmmmmmmm!  Day 10 was filled with my nutritious favs and a lot of water!  Here's a snap shot of all the favs:) :

Day 10 Adventures:

An adventure is not only trying something completely new and out of your comfort zone but also doing something differently or let go in some way or form.  My adventure for Day 10 was smile at everyone! LOL!  It seems like something you would not call an adventure but try it!  It feels akward. great and funny all at the same time yet you are actually passing on this contagious smile to everyone else and therefore (possibly) making their day a little brighter than it was:).  How much times have you been smiled at on a bad day?  how did it make your mood or feelings change?  There may have been a noticeable difference or a slight change but regardless, smiles go a long way so share yours!

Day 10 Overall:

Day 10 was filled with nutritious goodies, a new and fun adventures, a great HOT HULA fitness class, wonderful people, challenges, a little traffic stress, rewards from nature and a new positive outlook:)

Thank you for tuning in and as always.....

Live, Laugh and Eat Healthy!

Whole Foods Challenge Day 9!

Aloha Healthy Readers:)

Day 9 was a great day filled with Whole Food snackies and a lot of fun exercise!  Here are my Day 9 updates:) :

Day 9 Morning:

I did wake up feeling great due to the rest I was able to get over the holiday weekend as well as my new found drive to start on a positive note every day!  My digestion was a bit off from the normal but nothing alarming.  I think my body was used to the holiday weekend schedule already.  Other than that, a great morning to get up, smile and make your day an awesome one:)!

Day 9 Meals:

I started the day off with a lot of water!  Majority of the people in the world think they are well hydrated but almost all of them are not!  We think we are hydrated but if you only drink a few cups of water a day you definitely are.  Although everyone is different, we need to start drinking water before our body is thirsty for it.  SO I always make sure to start my day off with a lot of water.  I drink water right when I wake up and throughout my drive to work.  It makes my body happier:).  I also made a Banana, Strawberry and Papaya Fruit Salad!  Along with that I had my normal goodies throughout the day and my favorite salad and wrap for my meals:)!  Overall, a very delicious day:)  Here is a snap shot of my Whole Foods Goodies:)

Day 9 Adventures:

Since I was feeling very energized and motivated to have a great day, I took 3 different types of Yoga classes on Day 9!!!  It was great!  Due to the everyday stress, I enrolled in a Yoga studio that was conveniently located near my downtown office!  So far it was been great and offered a lot of benefits for me.  Everyday, I do lunch time Yoga and let me tell you, if I didn't my day wouldn't be as positive!  Not only am I strengthening my mind but my body and soul all at the same time.  I love it!  I also took 2 Aerial Yoga classes after work.  Aerial Yoga, if you haven't heard of it, it done in a hammock which are silks hung from the ceiling!  Aerial Yoga provides a different feeling and different challenges than doing Yoga with your feet on the floor!  I would recommend either type of Yoga if you need to get centered and clear on your intention for the day:).  It really strengthens you from the inside out.

Day 9 Overall:

I overall had a great day!  Day 9 was very energized and positive.  Those seem to turn out to be the best days!  So, with that being said, start your day off at least with a positive outlook and a clear intention and you will have a great day:)  And don't forget...

Live, Laugh and Eat Healthy!

Whole Foods Challenge Days 5-8!

Aloha My Healthies!!!

I hope your Memorial Day Weekend was just as great as you all are!!!  It definitely was nice and long:)

Well, I have a weekend update for you today!

Mornings:

Since I was able to sleep in over the weekend I woke up feeling even MORE energized, happy and motivated to get my days started!  My digestion was very good over the weekend due to the Whole Foods I ate and my energy seemed to last a bit longer.  Since I was able to get a healthy amount of sleep throughout the day I felt I was able to get a lot more done as well as think a lot clearer, that could also be due to the lack of daily work stress I had had in that day.  Although I had a great and energized day, at the end of the days I was DEFINITELY able to sleep GREAT!  Overall, a great weekend for my mind and body:)

Meals:

Well, as usual, I was able to fill my body with great Whole Foods but to be honest I had some "Treats" throughout the weekend too (hehehehe)!  Throughout the weekend, I had about 95% Whole Foods and 5% "Treats".  Other than my normal Whole Foods I indulged in 1/2 a beer (yes only 1/2!), a handful of Truffle Parmesan Fries, 1/2 of a burrito (yes only 1/2 lol!) and some White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies!  Seems like a little but it wasa lot more than I am used too although with eating these treats, since I had a huge amount of the foods going into my body being Whole Foods, my digestion and everything else was fine!  That is the thing with life, it is definitely not perfect and you cannot restrict yourself all the time and completely although you must listen to your body and make sure you take care of it as it does for you everyday 24/7!  In moderation, "Treats" are fine but as you can see I really mean moderation!  When your body eats Whole Foods Goodness, it tends to be happy although we can't always tell, it is because we are giving it more time to focus on other more important things other than trying to figure out what just entered it and figure out how to proper distribute the goods and digest properly:)  Here is a snap shot of the yummy Whole Foods I ate this weekend, all my favs!:

Evenings:

The evenings were nice and relaxing and as I said earlier I was able to sleep VERY good!  I had no headaches throughout the weekend and my body felt pretty good too!

Weekend Adventures:

I didn't have too many adventures but one adventure I went on was trying a new fitness format called HOT FUSION®! HOT FUSION® is a fitness format that has sections of dance to fun, old school hip hop and sculpt! Overall, it was a great and fun experience, I would definitely take the class again! Although, I am not a hip hop dancer, I laughed and got my workout on all at the same time and if you ask me thats a great workout when you can laugh and have fun and still burn those calories:) To learn more about HOT FUSION®, check out this website:

http://www.anna-rita.com/annanews/our-program

Well, here we go with another week of Whole Food Goodness and hopefully more fun and health adventures! I hope you have a wonderful day and don't forget...

Live, Laugh and Eat Healthy!

Whole Foods Challenge Day 4!

Aloha My Fellow Healthies:)

Well Day 4 was an awesome day filled with Whole Foods and new adventures all ending with Healthful Happiness:)!  Here was my day in a nutshell:

Day 4 Morning:

I woke up feeling GREAT and ready for the day!  I was very energized with normal digestion.  My body was a little sore from the previous night's HOT HULA fitness class but still felt awesome!

Day 4 Meals:

Day 4 was almost the same as any other day although I felt like eating something different for breakfast:).  I had banana and an Apple with Almond Butter!  The Almond Butter provides the protein for the morning which is very important to start you day with!  I also snacked on Mini Carrots and Sugar Snap Peas with my taro Delight Spread:)  YUM!  The best thing about Whole Foods is that even with only a hand full of options, there are so many possibilities for energizing and delicious meals!

Day 4 Adventures:

So, throughout life, we will be introduced to MANY different things ranging from a different form of exercise to a different job opportunity yet in most cases we are a bit intimidated and scared to step out of our comfort zone and regular routine that we walk right by these mysteries.  Whenever I am presented with an out of the ordinary opportunity, I tell myself one of my favorite sayings, "You never know until you try it!" which is very true!  With all that being said, I tried something new to me called Dahn Yoga.  Now, I have been doing Yoga for a while now and absolutely LOVE it and it's benefits but Dahn Yoga is a different type of yoga.  Dahn Yoga was more about revitalizing your energy by getting rid of the tired energy and replacing it with new energy with breath and movement.  At first you will feel a bit silly because you are not used to doing the types of movements they teach but the moves and benefits are everything but silly when it comes to how it makes you feel afterwards!  Dahn Yoga is something I would recommend at least trying if you have it in your area!

Day 4 Evening:

At the end of Day 4 my body was very tired due to all the Aerial Conditioning and Yoga classes I took throughout the day but I still felt great!  Overall the day was awesome and I only expect them to get better and more fulfilling as I go:).  Without the side affects from junky and unhealthy foods your mind has the clarity to focus on more important things.  Cheers to good health!

All in all, Day 4 was filled with yummy Whole Foods, a new adventure, great energy and LOTS of positivity!  If you are on a journey of your own just make sure to remember that everyday is different and most of the time YOU decide how it will go with every decision you make throughout that day so make the best decision for you whether your journey is related to health or anything else.  Take it one day at a time and stay positive!  Please keep following my blog for more motivation, updates and tips on adding Whole Foods to your life!

Live, Laugh and Eat Healthy!

Whole Foods Challenge Day 3!

Aloha My Healthies!!!

Well, Day 3 has come and gone with ease:)!  Settled differences from Days 1 & 2 but Holistic changes take a while but are well worth it:).  Here was my Day 3 from start to ending:

Day 3 Morning:

In the morning I felt very rested, a bit more energized and my digestion was about the same as Day 2.  I definitely felt very motivated for the day ahead and remembered my goals of drinking more water, excluding my Perfect Fit Protein drink with Almond Milk out of my day (to hopefully lose the headaches) and to try not to stress out as much!

Day 3 Meals:

My Day 3 meals were about the same except for my dinner.  Before dinner, I stopped by my Local Farmer's Market to pick up some veggies for my meals ahead this week and came by an interesting and intriguing product called Taro Delight!  If you know me you know that I LOVE Poi which is Taro pounded with added water so I HAD to try this out!  I tried a sample and was surprised to find that it tasted almost like Hummus!  At that point I was sold, got my container and drove home!  I had many idea running through my head for dinner since there are just so much possibilities!  I ended up making a  Whole Wheat Wrap with my new Taro Delight spread, Black Beans, Avocado and Bean Sprouts with Sugar Snap Peas on the side and a little more Taro Delight Spread to dip them in!  Overall, a wonderful day of Whole Foods!  ere's a little collage of the goodness:) :

Day 3 Workout Energy:

Well, let me tell you, Day 3 I had much more energy and was VERY ready to teach my HOT HULA fitness class!  I felt a bit more lively as well and more positive overall:).  We burned a lot of calories within the 60 minutes of my class, I literally shook off my hip band and left sweaty as can be thanks to the energy I had from Whole Foods!

Day 3 Evening:

By the end of the day I was safe to say, "Yay, no headaches!"  So I will keep doing what I am doing in hopes of keeping the headaches away.  It is as easy as that to figure out what is wrong with you.  I you have some sort of reoccurring issue or pain within the body than it may be very well because of something you are eating or even the combination of things you are eating.  Next week I will be bringing back the 2 items I excluded but in a different form and will see if they still cause headaches then.  Other than not getting headaches, my Day 3 ended very well with all the yummies goodies in my belly and a great workout!

I always look forward to the next day and what it brings!  Keep following my blog for more tips, tricks and ideas for adding these wonderful Whole Foods into your diet!

Live, Laugh and Eat Healthy!

Whole Foods Challenge Day 2!

Aloha My Healthinesses!

Well, made it through Day 2 (yesterday) of my Whole Foods Challenge like a breeze!

Day 2 Morning:

Felt better than Day 1 with being a lot more rested with a positive mind set and better digestion:)

Day 2 Meals:

I basically ate the same thing I ate on Day 1 since I absolutely LOVE those meals and actually craved them:).  Here is a little snap shoot of the yummies I got to enjoy on Day 2 (yesterday):

   

Whole Foods Fun Fact for the day!:

Papaya's with their delicious offering are highly beneficial!  Yay for us right:)!  Below are just some of the benefits of eating papaya's:

-  Contains cancer fighting antioxidants such as Vitamin C, E and beta-carotenes:)

-  Can help in digestion due to the papain:)

-  Can help boost Male Virility due to the arginine:)

-  Can prevent premature aging:)

-  Can be used along with other whole foods as a cleanse:)

-  May prevent Heart Attacks and Strokes by lowering cholesterol:)

-  Can aid in treating inflammation:)

Now don't go out and by a hundred Papaya's and eat only Papaya's all day!  Think about adding this wonderful Whole Food to your life for the benefits and great taste!

Day 2 Late Afternoon:

In the middle of my Day 2 I started getting a very bad headache.  This was the type of headache that made you want to take some pain reliever and close your eyes! I am not absolutely positive as to why I got this headache but I can give you a list of my suspicions:

-  Dehydration:(

-  Inflammation:(

-  Stress:(

I did notice that I was very busy throughout the day and was not able to drink as much water as I normally do so today I will make it a point to drink more water:)  

Inflammation is anything from a headache to body aches and can be caused by almost anything.  Unfortunately, everyone is different so there are not a list of foods that WILL cause inflammation but there are a list of foods that usually cause inflammation with the most popular items being wheat, gluten, tomatoes, red meat, dairy and egg plant.  In my case, I think my Perfect Fit Protein drink with Almond Milk may be the cause so today and for the rest of the week I will exclude that from my meals and try it again next week to see if that is the reason why I was getting such a bad headache.  If you suffer from anything from headaches, body aches, nausea, etc often, take a look at your diet and do some testing of your own to see if the food you are eating is causing you to feel that way:)

Stress!  Unfortunately, in most cases, there is no way to avoid stress completely but there are definitely ways to better cope with it.  I know why I was stressed out yesterday and will try to find ways to cope with it.  if you do not know your stressor I would suggest a Stress Journal.  A Stress journal is basically a notebook you will dedicate to your stress (LOL).  Whenever you are feeling stressed out write down the date, time and why you are starting to feel stressed out.  At the end of your day, take a look at the reasons for your stress and the times.  See if you can come up with a better way to cope with that stress and also try to see if there is a pattern of when you are getting stressed.  Stressed can be caused by almost anything if you are malnourished and not eating right:)

Well, today is a new day and I am ready!  Looking forward to more positive changes as the days go by:)  Keep following my blog for more tips, ideas and motivation along your personal journey;)

Live, Laugh and Eat Healthy!

Whole Foods Challenge Day 1!

So day one of my Whole Foods Challenge was great!  Although I was a bit exhausted from the weekend everything else went great!  I made my favorite Whole Food meals and enjoyed them too!  To get a better idea of what eating a Whole Foods diet looks like, I will post what I ate the day before:). Here are my meals for day 1:

Breakfast:

-  Papaya

-  Banana

-  Perfect Fit Protein (Organic Powder) & Almond Milk Drink

Lunch:

-  Kale salad with Black Beans, Avocado, Bean Sprouts, Sugar Snap Peas, Mushrooms, Pumpkin Seeds, Almonds, Sunflower Seeds, Coconut Shavings and Organic Onion Vinaigrette Dressing

Dinner:

-  Avocado, Mushroom, Bean Sprout, Sugar Snap Pea & Black Bean Scramble

Snacks:

-  Baby Carrots

-  Fresh & Frozen Mango

                    

    

As you can see, I made sure that everything I ate was its own ingredient and if not that is was at least organic and with minimal processing and no artificial anything in it.  Not hard at all and very enjoyable!  It's fun to make your own meals and know EXACTLY what is in it too!  It gives you a different feeling when you eat something you took the time to make, almost as if you appreciate the meal a lot more:).  You definitely do not have to use these fruits and vegetables when trying to eat more Whole Foods, these are just a few of my favs and what was available at the local Famers Market.  Well that was day 1 and today is another day!  Follow me for motivation for yourself, tips and ideas on how to fill your life with happiness and health!

Live, Laugh & Eat Healthy!

My Whole Food Challenge Journey!

I have decided to embark on a Whole Foods Challenge for a couple of reasons:

1.  Help remedy an acne breakout due to a food allergy:)

2.  Help relieve stress in my body:)

3.  Increase my daily energy:)

4.  To show people the wonders of eating more Whole Foods:)

Eating as much Whole Foods as possible can help in so many ways and in a sense cleanses your body!  In this first week I will be cutting out red meat, any artificial or processed foods and adding in Whole Foods!  When I say Whole Foods I mean any food that is its own ingredient such as all fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, etc.  I will still be eating some processed items such as salad dressings and powders but I have made sure that they are organic and made with almost all natural ingredients.

The benefits are almost endless and will change for every person depending on where they are in their life and health.  Just some of the benefits you will receive from eating more whole foods are:

-  increased energy:)

-  clearer mind:)

-  better digestion:)

-  faster body recovery:)

-  clearer eyes:)

-  positive effects on your skin:)

-  less body stress:)

-  and so much more!

Along my Whole Foods Challenge Journey, I will be posting what types of meals I eat, how I feel, any changes in my body internally and externally as well as comparison photos of my progress!  I am very excited to take this journey not only for myself but for anyone and everyone who has wondered how they could live a happier and healthier life!  Make sure to follow along my journey through my blog and feel free to send in any questions or comments to jamie@foreverhealthhawaii.com.  You can also like our Forever Health Hawaii Facebook page and post comments as well!

Today starts this wonderful journey so as I embark on this challenge you Live, Laugh and Eat Healthy;)!!