Oh, Where Is The Rain?

This hot, dry weather is bringing me down, in more ways than one! I miss the dark clouds, the rolling thunder, the smell of rain. Even more right now, I miss the CLEAN air! With everything so dry, from the dirt to the grass, every hot breeze kicks up everything, leaving a dust everywhere...including my sinuses! I want to fell better! I want to be happy again! I'm tired of my head causing me misery!!!!

Hate Days Like This!

Those days when you feel like total crap, but the last thing you are allowed to do is rest! Why is it when I don't feel well, everyone comes out of the woodwork to bug me? Is there some marquee out there telling the world I'm feeling bad?

Ready For Cooler Weather!

So today, my area matches a record for the number of 100+ degree days that was set about 86 years ago! Looking at the 10-day forecast, looks like the record is going to be knocked out of the water...so to speak...because there is still no rain in sight! UGH! I miss stormy days...the clouds, the smell of rain, the low rumble of the thunder...oh, when will they return! It feels like never, but I know it will happen...someday...just not any day in the near future!

Benefits Of Juicing!

Yep, I'm on the juice...but not like you think! I bought a juicer yesterday, and decided to incorporate regular juices into my diet every day. I used to have this very interesting juice every day, but the juice bar that I used to get it from went out of business. Luckily, before the guy went out of business, he shared the recipe with me (I mean, what benefit was it to him to not give me the recipe of my favorite drink, since he was already going out of business). I haven't had this juice for about 2 years now...tried in a blender, but didn't quite get it (buying some of the juices bottled, such as the pineapple juice, and mixing with pureed stuff...wasn't quite the same). I finally bit the bullet and got a juicer, and this morning was reintroduced to my old friend...the Tango 7. It's a funny name, but this is a funny juice! I remember when I was first introduced to it...I looked at the list of ingredients and thought, "Really? That can't possibly taste any good!" I think what threw me off the most was the garlic. But, the owner of the juice bar urged me to try it. I did, and still wasn't quite convinced. It wasn't terrible, but it tasted funny. After a couple of weeks, the taste grew on me...so much that he used to make mine with a little extra garlic at my request. This stuff is better than any energy drink!

The health benefits are amazing, which makes the $90 spent on my juicer well worth the cost:

- Because the juice doesn't have to go through the digestion process, vitamins are more easily absorbed into the body.

- With juicing, you can consume more servings of fruit and vegetables than you could ever stand eating as solid.

- No added sugar, HFCS, artificial sweeteners, etc. that you often find in bottled juice...thus, juicing can be beneficial in weight loss.

- Better overall health, and juices can help detoxify the body.

Heatwave + Drought = Lost Inspiration

With this heat and this drought, I'm having a hard time finding inspiration for my photography. All the beautiful flowers and such are withered away. It is too hot to get out and about. I don't have any models...my poor camera sits in it's bag on a shelf. :( I need some inspiration!

Reflection On My "Cruise Diet"

Shifting gears today in my ramblings. About a month ago, I officially started what I affectionately call the "Cruise Diet". We have a cruise scheduled for January. Last year we went in September, and I fell short of my goals by the time the trip came along...missing my goal by 10 lbs. That may not seem like much, but when you have a very unforgiving dress that ended up hanging in the closet instead of being spotlighted...well. I gained a few pounds back on the cruise, and gained a few more back over the holidays. I was up 10 lbs when it was all said and done...meaning, when I started, I had 20 lbs to go instead of 10.

This is going to be a bit of a challenge...seeing as I have to get through the holidays before the cruise as well. Considering that I've totally changed the way I eat now, I'm hoping that this should be easier. I've gone mostly organic...I say mostly, because I still occasionally eat out...we have our once a week get together, and this week I had to take care of a Chick-Fil-A craving. :) But I have become very conscious about this...I have turned my overall health around, so I don't want to compromise by eating a bunch of junk.

The toughest part of it all is being impatient. I mean, we all want to see fast results, while we all know that slow results are the longest lasting. At about a half a pound to a pound a week, I see myself frustrated sometimes. I also have to remind myself that muscles are not going to tone overnight, because I get so discouraged when I still see those areas that I'm not quite happy with. I have to keep reminding myself that progress is being made, as slow as it may be, and that at the current rate my goal is very much an attainable one. I still have 23 weeks, and that is 11-23 lbs I can lose between now and then, and as the fat goes, the muscle tone will start to show, right?

World Out Of Control?

Some very important words from the message at my church this past weekend: "Revolution comes through HONOR, not through protest!" I reflect on those words, and I remember the riots in Los Angeles recently when a group of youths were not permitted into a movie premier, and I think about the current situation in London, and the "flash mobs" in Philly. Are we a world out of control? Are our young people so concerned about themselves that they don't see what they are doing to others? I am truly concerned for our future if this is how people are acting...full of selfishness and desire for instant gratification! Destroying the property of innocent people and hurting innocent people is not the answer! Revolution through HONOR!!! We need to teach the generations how to respectfully voice their concerns. A protest or riot is not going to make the powers that be listen to you any more than a phone call, email, or letter to the office of the organization you have an issue with. As a matter of fact, respectfully voicing your concerns has a better chance of action than running crazy! All these riots are going to do is cause greater tension between those who truly understand the issue and the powers that be.

I Must Admit...

...I, too, have felt this way on some days.

Ugh...This Heat!

These 100+ degree days are killing me! Trying to keep the electric bill reasonable, the thermostat is set at 80 degrees during the day, even while I am working from home, but having this warm laptop on my lap isn't helping things. I need to work out...seeing as working from home gets me no where near the gym...but with the house being a bit on the warm side, I'm just not motivated. The good things is, when I'm too warm, I don't feel like eating a lot...and tend to not feel like eating cooked food, so that should balance out the lack of workouts. :)

Butterflies do not do well in the heat, and this butterfly is no exception!

Tasty!!!

I've been eating mostly organic for a few months now after reading a book by Jillian Michaels that scared the crap out of me. The book was called "Boost Your Metabolism". It wasn't a diet book, but a book about how JUNK in our food and environment messes with the body. MSG, BHA, BHT, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and a host of other things found not only in our foods, but in makeup, plastics, household cleaning products, etc. Now, I haven't given up my makeup, but I have changed my lotions, double checked my shampoo, and changed my household cleaning products...especially my dish soap (I mean, the stuff could potentially leave a fine coat on things I use for my food and drink). I watch my plastics, to only use those which are safer, and use glass whenever possible. By making these changes and eating organic, I have tamed my allergies, tamed my asthma, gotten rid of my recurring migraines, and even go rid of my PMDD! People have also commented on how great skin looks. I've even gone so far as to try to eliminate OTC meds as much as possible...I use ginger to treat my carpel tunnel, and it works!!

One thing I have noticed recently is how tasty raw foods have become. It's like my taste buds have been awakened! Seems all the salt, HFC, sugar, and other flavor enhancers have made us less sensitive to the real flavors in raw food, so the food packagers have to add more and more. But, if you can get yourself away from all the crap, you can actually get your taste buds back! I mean, fruit to me now tastes so sweet! I'm eating the same organic fruit as when I started this journey, but I notice that now it tastes much sweeter!

I was reading an interview with Jillian Michaels in this month's Fitness magazine where she said that one of her goals was to work towards getting all the crap out if the food we eat, and after my personal experience, I support her 110%!!!