Green Smoothie Heaven

My lovely friend Julia from Hollywood on a Leash turned me onto this great book "Green for Life" by Victoria Boutenko. It deals with our need for greens in our diet, etc.
I am always looking for new ways to improve my energy levels and to have more vitamins in my life so I am trying it out. Julia hasn't stopped raving about how good she feels, so why not.
I made one recipe, which yields about 2 quarts, to try it out. The smoothies stay good for about three days, so I bottled them in mason jars and put them in my fridge to grab and go. It's pretty tasty! I don't feel super energized yet...but it's only the second day. Here's the first recipe:
Hawaiian Dream
3 cups dandelion greens
1 cup sweet Hawaiian pineapple
1 banana
1 apple
2 cups water

Blend thoroughly.

Xo

Nike Women's Half Marathon 2012

     I have never been a runner. Ever. In gym class I was always one of the last people when we ran the mile. I never took joy in a daily jog. It's just never been my thing. I was always so envious of the people who loved running. They could just take off and do something that was just for them. No competition, no judgement. Just running. About two years ago, my friend Tanis told me about Team In Training. Team In Training is a charity that raises funds for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by training people to participate in races, triathlons, etc. They literally take people, like me, who are not runners, and make them athletes. Case in point:

    That's me at the Disneyland half marathon in September of 2010. I was super slow and limped the last .1 miles, but I finished and I raised $3000, thanks to my very generous friends and family. It was glorious.  This was one of the proudest moments of my life.

    Six months later, I was diagnosed with cancer.

    I have been in remission for a year now. It's been really taxing to build my endurance back up; even just in my everyday life. Stairs, be it just one flight, kicked my ass for about 8 months. I ran a 5k about three months after my surgery.  And by run, I mean waddled. It was humbling and I felt pathetic. My good friend Lorie was so sweet and basically speed walked next to me and never let me give up. She was  the best cheer squad.

Me, Lorie, Libby, and Danika after the Santa Monica Classic in our TB shirts.

    So I vowed that I was done running. I started hiking and hitting the treadmill and that seemed good enough. At the back of my mind, it was there. I guess it started as a curiosity. Would I ever be able to do that again?  Would my body ever be capable of doing a half marathon? Slowly, it turned from a curiosity to a fascination. I started hiking harder and faster, and really pushing myself. And then it happened.  Tanis posted on Facebook that she was going to do another half marathon...and I jumped at the idea. It's now a battle of the wills. I accomplished this before cancer, and I need to know that my body can do this again.     Enter the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco.

NWM 26.2

     I have never been to San Francisco, so I am super excited. My first time will be running the city! Here's the course map:

Facebook Course Map

    I started my training runs in my neighborhood and I can say this much... I am super weak. This is going to be a long road but I feel good about it. The hills are gonna be brutal, but no worse than anything else that I have gone through this year.  I am up to a 3.5mile run with pretty decent hills. Aidan has been going with me, and runs MUCH faster than his mommy at the beginning, but by the end I am dragging him. I have been using the Nike+ chip for my runs, which is AWESOME. That's a complete other blog post in the works.  I read earlier today that at the finish line there are firemen in tuxedos with silver platters of Tiffany boxes with necklaces for all the finishers... hilarious. Ill leave you with some pics posted by The Spunky Runner.

Finishers Necklaces from years past

The San Francisco Fire Department!

xo

Clean Program Day 9

Good Morning!

Today is Day 9 of the detox. Its all getting easier. ALL of it.

Yesterday was my second day working while on it, and it was a little difficult. I thought I would be off early enough to have my last shake at a reasonable hour. I am not sure if I have mentioned it, but a big key to this detox is not eating for 12 hours between your last and first meals. Makes sense, I suppose, so your body can fully digest everything and get all set for the next one. Last night I wouldn't have been able to eat until almost 11. Since I knew that would mean not eating until 11 am, I didn't eat last night. I certainly wouldn't make a habit of it, but I didn't feel famished. Honestly. I woke up this morning pretty  hungry, and with a slight headache, but now that I have eaten I feel much better.

I came across this article on Pop Sugar, and I thought you might find it interesting!

Extra Tastes Can Turn Into a Pound of Weight Gain in a Week

Gaining and losing weight is really about math. In order to lose a pound, you must burn or cut out 3,500 calories per week (500 calories a day). Unfortunately on the other side of the equation, if you consistently overeat an extra 500 calories each day . . . well . . . that's how you end up not fitting into your pants. Calories add up, and here is a simple breakdown to illustrate how easy it can be to eat an extra 500 calories in one day. Do this over the course of seven days, and you're bound to see the scale jump up one pound.
Breakfast

• One half and half container in your cup of coffee (20 calories): The same amount of skim milk is only six calories.
• One small bite of a Krispy Kreme Glazed Doughnut (47 calories): Thanks to your boss for bringing in a box to share, and I know they melt in your mouth, but had you known that little bite was almost 50 calories, you may have passed.

Total Extra Breakfast Calories: 67
Lunch

• A 12-ounce bottle of Izze Clementine (133 calories): Sure, it's sparkling juice, but it contains almost as many calories as a Coke.
• Half a tablespoon of chipotle aioli (flavored mayonnaise) on your sandwich (40 calories): It adds tons of flavor, but a crazy amount of calories too.
• Half a cereal bar (75 calories): Your toddler didn't want it so you polished it off in one bite. Next time you might want to store it in a baggie for your little one for later.

Total Extra Lunch Calories: 248
I'm just getting started, so keep reading to find out how little bites throughout the rest of your day can tack on an extra 200 calories.
Dinner

• A bite of your hubby's cheeseburger (56 calories): You just couldn't resist taking a juicy chomp - who knew it was over 50 calories?
• Five garlic croutons on your salad (50 calories): A fresh salad is a super healthy meal; it's the toppings that add on the calories.
• A few french fries dipped in ketchup (48 calories): Instead of ordering a side of fries with your meal, you stole some off your hubby's plate. A few fries definitely add up.

Total Extra Dinner Calories: 154
Dessert

• Two Hershey's Kisses (44 calories): This calorie amount is much less than a bowl of ice cream, but definitely adds calories to your day.

Total Calories: 44
Grand Total Extra Calories: 513
Oh, those small bites of foods really do add up. If you eat extras like this all week long, you might find your jeans feeling a bit snug. Now if you're trying to slim down, you can see how cutting simple things out of your daily diet can help you drop a pound in a week and help you reach your weight loss goal.
..
Read more athttp://www.fitsugar.com/How-Easy-Gain-One-Pound-Week-19064338

Clean Program Week 2 Begins tomorrow!

Wahooo!! One week down, two to go!

This is the Dr. Junger week 2 video. I really liked how he talked about not being fanatical about the detox...although there is a three minute segment about colonics...ewww!

This weekend on the detox went even better than I had hoped! Saturday night, some friends of mine had a little party for the boxing match. It was really great to see everyone, and they were all SO very supportive of the detox. They had made all sorts of crazy foodie gourmet treats, but were more than accommodating on me eating my squash soup. I brought sparkling water so I wouldn't feel as though I was missing out on the drinking either. Overall it was really fun. I was pretty tired at 11, (thats right, old lady Basta) so we headed on home.

This morning, I woke up chipper as could be. No hunger pains, no grogginess, no pleading for caffeine.
My friend Sara and I hiked Fryman Canyon, which was beautiful on this warm September morning.  We ran into Aidan's twin... She was so cute!

Lol, Aidan is the tubby one in the photo. Maybe he should be doing Clean with me!

Overal, this detox has been pretty great. We'll see how this week goes with me working more, but as of right now, I really feel great.

xo

Clean Program Day 5- 4lbs down and Daily Do's

164.5!!! Thats friggin right!!!

I woke up today not very hungry at all. I made my shake with a handful of spinach and frozen mangos, and although grainy, was not unsatisfying.

I did my first day of boot camp, and feel like I survived pretty well. I never eat before I work out because I always feel like I am gonna lose my cookies mid workout.... but I didn't have that problem with my shake. It was actually pretty nice.  The big hungry didn't kick in until around 11 am, which isn't too bad, since I woke up at 6.

Todays little tidbit comes via The Clean Program website

Daily Do’s

Do these daily, they are essential to the overall success of your 21 days of the Clean Program (and beyond).

Rebuild: Plan and prepare your three meals either as needed or in advance so you don’t go hungry. Two liquid meals; breakfast and dinner, and one solid meal for lunch. Supplements go with each meal and a Encourage is taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

Renew: Plan and prepare your four meals either as needed or in advance so you don’t go hungry. Every day you will have two solid meal and two drinks or liquid meals. Plan to have the liquid meals for breakfast and late afternoon and the food meals for lunch and dinner.Eating a light dinner as opposed to a heavy one is important because it gives your digestive system a break and helps facilitate your body’s own cleansing mechanisms as you sleep. During your morning shake, lunch, and light dinner you will also take a series of supplements to support your cleanse.

Follow the Elimination Diet guidelines for all your meals and snacks during the 21 days.

Leave a 12 hour window between the last liquid meal of the day and the first liquid meal of the next. Try not to snack on solid food in between, but liquids are fine (herbal tea, lemon juice and water, fresh juices, water, coconut water, nut milks, plain water).

Make sure you have at least one bowel movement each day or whatever amount means you’re not constipated, as it’s different for every person. If you’re having difficulty due to an increase in fiber consumption, use herbal laxatives, magnesium supplements, castor oil, and the other suggestions given in the FAQ section.

Drink enough pure water so that you urinate at least every hour. If you aren’t going that much, drink more water!

Move. Sweating releases toxins so if you can work up a sweat, that’s great! Walk, dance, jump, hike, yoga, bike, swim. .. Whatever gets the lymph flowing, even if it’s gentle movement. The more movement and the more often you can incorporate it will greatly enhance your experience. Park your car two blocks away from your destination, get off the subway or bus several blocks away from where you need to be and walk the rest of the way. Get up and walk around your office often, and thake the long way to everything. These seemingly small choices are very beneficial to your cleanse.

Rest. Get enough sleep (it may be more than you normally need) and take time every day to simply be still and quiet.

Breathe. Deeply. All day long.

Keep us posted. Reach out for support. my.cleanprogram.com and support@cleanprogram.com

Enjoy. You’re giving yourself an incredible gift, and you’re worth it.

xo

Clean Program Day 4 Link

Watch this one first.... It gives you all the details on the program...kiddie style.

I know, I know,  he looks and sounds like a crazy french man, but this is Dr. Alejandro Junger MD.

When to Watch: Watch this video before you choose to begin your Clean Program.

What We Will Cover: This video will help you understand what to except during the first week on your Clean Program. Dr Junger will also cover common topics such as: "Dealing with Hunger, and "Enhancing the Detoxification Process".

What To Do After: After this video is done, please begin your 21 Day Clean Program! Stay connected here on My Clean Program and join us right before your Week Two starts.

To Detox or Not to Detox?

As my first health article of the month, I thought I would post something interesting about detoxing. I have quite a few friends doing them, and have been seriously considering trying the Clean Program myself. I found this article in Shape Magazine, and was wondering what your thoughts might be?

                                                            To Detox or Not to Detox?

xo