Love Yourself!

So we finally got the boys to bed, Justin crashed since he has to get up earlier than me and I went on to finish cleaning the kitchen and switch out the laundry.  I went out to the garage to turn the light off and caught a snippet of Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass" on the radio (which plays all the time out there... I keep forgetting to ask Justin why he likes to leave it on) and then it got stuck in my head.  So as I was folding laundry I sang it to myself.  And reflected on how there's been this big body-loving movement going on encouraging everyone to love yourself no matter what size you are. Which is pretty awesome.

I'm on Instagram a lot - I use it as my online health journal.  Yep, I'm the person that posts swelfies after a workout or pictures of my super healthy meals.  If you don't like it, don't follow it (the glory of Instagram).  That being said, I follow a lot of like-minded people using IG as their online health journal as well.  I read the stories of people going from severely overweight to fit, and I read their stories about their journey, and find them so inspirational, then I go on to read some of the comments from other followers who say things like, "Your story makes it sound like fat people are bad."  Or, "What you said sounds a lot like fat shaming."

I've posted before and after pictures along my way too, and I always think, gee, I hope nobody thinks that of me.

I've worked my butt off to get to where I am (literally!).  Does that mean I think heavier people (is that the "politically correct" term?) are bad?  No.  I got to thinking about this whole concept as I was folding laundry...

What it all boils down to is self love.  Why did I want to lose weight?  Because I wasn't happy where I was before.  I lacked confidence, I felt sluggish, I felt fatigued, I felt weak, and I was depressed.  Diet and exercise changed all that for me, and while I lost weight, the most important thing is that I found happiness.

A lot of people have complained about themselves and their size or shape around me.  It sounds like a lack of confidence, but there's definitely a lack of self love. (I always liked the quote, "Would you talk about your best friend the way you talk about yourself?"  Think about that...)

So here's the thing.  There's nothing wrong with being fat, or skinny, or anywhere in between or beyond.  There's only something wrong with it if you're not happy in your skin.  And if you're willing to do something to change how you feel about yourself, no matter what amount of effort and hard work it takes, then do it.  If you're not willing to put forth the effort to change, then find a way to love yourself for who you are and what you are.

Better yet, do that anyway, even if you do have full intentions of embarking on a health or fitness journey.  It makes the journey much more successful, trust me.

Let's all practice self love this year!  And reap the benefits!  Quit comparing, quit shaming, and quit putting yourself down.  You are you - own it and rock it.

That's all!  Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, by the way.  I've been too busy juggling my business, preparing for adventures in 2016, organizing things from 2015, doing the family thing, recovering from the holidays, making it a priority to work out regularly, obsessing over trying to break my sugar addiction (which was my Christmas present to myself, hooray.) and trying to eat healthier.  I'm getting back there.  Maybe I'll blog about that next...

Anyway, I felt like sharing my musings from a late-night laundry folding session, short and sweet though it may be.  Hope everyone's 2016 is off to a great start!

Intermittent Fasting

A great thing has happened in my life!  I saw a commercial for Dell where you can buy a laptop and get a free TV, so Justin and I decided to just go for it, let's get a new laptop.  The old one works okay-ish, it's just super slow and frustrating when I try to use it for photo editing and whatnot.  So the new laptop came, the old one moved to my office, and now during my freetime at work I can finally BLOG again!!  I'm so happy!  I've missed this so much, but at home there are things higher on my priority list than sitting at the computer typing my thoughts about healthy lifestyles.  For instance, actually living the healthy lifestyle I talk about is important.  Instilling that in my kids, teaching them about good food and natural healing, staying healthy and what to do to take care of your body when you do get sick.  I grew up with a natural healing mindset, and that's why I have a broad spectrum of knowledge on it today.  I want that same thing for my kids.

Anyway!  Gosh, so much has happened since I last blogged... We took a family vacation to Myrtle Beach, we went camping, Justin and I ran our first official 5k in two years, and in the meantime I've been really encouraging Harlee's interest in cooking, too, as my Facebook friends have probably noticed with all the "Chef Harlee" videos ^_^.  I've tried and invented new recipes, learned new bits of information, discovered new remedies, so it's hard to narrow down my list of things to share on this blog and choose just one for this post.  I figured I'd just follow up with my last post, in which I mentioned intermittent fasting.  Then I'll go from there!

Intermittent Fasting

I've been giving the intermittent fasting thing a try, and I must say I'm sold.  There is a lot of information out there to back up why it's so effective, and according to my results, I'd say it's working.  I wanted to be sure to share this information with you and tell you about my experience.  Because, guess what?  It's a super easy way to lose weight!  Who doesn't want that??  But there are more important things to it than just losing weight, which makes it even better.

Here's the article from The Paleo Mom that I shared in my last post (I may have talked about Sarah, "The Paleo Mom" before, but I'll just briefly mention that I love her articles, she takes a very unbiased, scientific approach to things, backing her work with tons of research, and she's got an impressive educational background to support it).  I'll share a few tidbits from that article in this post.

What Is It?

Intermittent fasting is a way of scheduling your eating, rather than a diet.  You can still consume your normal amount of calories, just in a different time span, and you'd fast the rest of the time.  This doesn't have to be done daily, but you can.  The most beneficial amount of time to go on a fast is between 16 and 24 hours.  It takes anywhere from 6-12 hours for your body to completely deplete its glycogen, or stored sugar.  So if you eat three meals a day, your body never depletes its glycogen, and you're constantly burning that as your fuel rather than being able to switch to your body to burning fat as fuel.  Of course there are a lot of other elements to this, such as what you eat as well as when you eat (like restricting your carb and sugar intake to switch into fat burning mode).  But I'm finding that IF-ing is a super easy way to switch your body into burning fat for fuel.

For most people, the easiest way to fast is to simply skip breakfast.  For example, you finish eating dinner at 8pm, and you don't eat again until noon the next day, which would be 16 hours later (nearly twice as long as it takes you to deplete your glycogen).  If you want to go the full 24 hours, you won't eat again until 8pm the next day.  Or you can skip dinner, and stop eating after lunch at noon and start eating again at noon the next day.  You can tailor it to your lifestyle, which is one of the many nice things about IF-ing!

Now, if 16 hours is plenty to get your body to burn energy from your fat stores, why would you go a full 24 hours?  Well, there are a ton more benefits than just weight loss and fat burning.

How Does it Work?

Let's get all sciency!  What's going on in the body when we eat?  So as I already explained, it can take 6-12 hours for your body to metabolize your glycogen stores and burn it up before it can start burning fat.  So your body will burn energy from your blood stream - aka the food you just ate - before it'll burn your fat.  If you ate a lot of carbs/sugar, it'll burn that up first.  That's why it's hard to lose weight if you consume a lot of carbs/sugar.  And if you keep replenishing your glycogen by eating frequently, it's harder for your body to burn your fat as fuel.

However, if you're fasting, your body doesn't have any food to burn energy from, so it automatically burns from your fat stores.  Yay!

If you want to look at this on a cellular level, you'll see a process called "autophagy", which is when a starving cell breaks down its own components (including damaged elements of the cell) to fuel more important cell processes.  Autophagy has many benefits such as destroying viruses and bacteria, or helping the cell identify a viral infection, or even preventing cells from becoming cancerous!  I think I like that even better then the weight loss!

More Benefits  

Now that you know how it works on a basic level and a scientific level, let's list some of the benefits of intermittent fasting (copied from the Paleo Mom article):

1. Increase lifespan. 
2. Increase insulin sensitivity, which can result in an increase in insulin signaling in the brain which is thought to be how fasting/calorie restriction works to increase lifespan.
3. Lower blood lipids, triglycerides and other markers of metabolic syndrome.
4. Fight/prevent cancer.  There is also some evidence that fasting before chemotherapy treatments can help reduce the negative side effects. 
5. Increase growth hormone secretion (which builds muscle and burns fat).
6. Normalize expression of the hunger hormone ghrelin, thereby reducing appetite.
7. Promote brain and peripheral nervous system health which can result in boosting the mood, memory, and mental clarity.
8. Increase dopamine production, meaning we get more enjoyment from less food. 
9. Increase energy through regulating metabolic hormones.

And one of my favorites: Intermittent Fasting is a little like hitting a reset button.  It can help curb sugar cravings, restore energy, and even promote deeper sleep.

Guess what?  I've experienced a lot of these benefits.  My hunger and appetite have been curbed and I'm less interested in food, I've been sleeping amazingly well and I feel so refreshed in the morning, I'm less and less interested in sweets the more I try fasting, and I've been feeling overall GOOD.  Plus, I've been losing weight without losing strength.

Another thing I like about it is that it's an easy way to restrict calories in a day.  Calorie restriction has been proven to have TONS of benefits, but it's next to impossible to stick with as hunger is a basic human function that's hard to override, when you cut your meals down to smaller sizes, that'll probably drive most of you crazy.  With intermittent fasting, you eat normal-sized meals, but in smaller windows of time (such as skipping breakfast as mentioned above). Here's a little more information about all that.

Why It Makes Sense to Me

Since discovering Paleo, I feel like I've compared everything to "the caveman days".  Not that I know exactly what those days were like - for instance they probably ate bugs, and I'm not real keen on that idea, and they very well could have eaten grains, which the modern Paleo diet says they didn't.  Another example is that if I were a cavewoman, and I found a peanut, I'd eat the peanut.  Modern Paleo is against peanuts.  There's a lot of gray area, and I just kind of hang out in that gray area rather than go full-blown strict with it.  But there are a lot of elements that make sense, like eating what's available to us through nature, because that's what our bodies were designed to consume from day one.  That, to me, is the focal point of Paleo.  Intermittent fasting fits very will with the Paleo lifestyle, because I'm sure our primal ancestors didn't schedule specific mealtimes and eat around the clock.  They ate depending on what was available to them, and that may have meant going without eating for spans of time depending on the success of their hunt or what they gathered or foraged.  Our bodies would have had to be able to still function in a fasting state - we'd have been in big trouble if it was necessary to our health to eat constantly throughout the day.

Where I'm At on my IF Journey

So far, I've loved my experience with IF-ing.  It took a little bit of growth and self-awareness to get to a good place with it, though.  One of my pain issues has been junk food.  I have definitely noticed that I don't crave sweets nearly as much, if at all, when I'm fasting, but that craving isn't gone permanently.  During my research to learn more about the health benefits of IF, I came across this article, which was full of good information but also a bad statement:

It’s with an intermittent fasting protocol that I feel you really can have your cake and eat it too. You need to be strict with the timing aspect, but besides that I’ve found you can eat a lot more of the foods you love but “should” abstain from on a daily basis.

Yes. Daily. (I’m not saying you should go and eat McDonalds every day, but treats can certainly be included).

I latched onto that and started using IF as a crutch.  I'm human, and I'm not going to hold back the negative details from you!  I started learning about IF around spring/early summer.  We had lots of picnics and parties and holidays and therefore lots of bad food.  I got excited when I read the article I just mentioned because it basically said it was okay to eat that stuff, I'd just have to fast before or after doing it to deflect the negative consequences.

It took a few times of feeling like absolute crap after eating junk (tired, fatigued, run-down, foggy brain, etc.), regardless of the fasting, to remember that I'm on a health journey here.  I'm in this for the long haul.  I want to keep my body healthy, and not only look good but feel good.  Paleo has become a lifestyle for me, and I want to keep it that way.  I think it's okay to indulge on treats every great once in awhile, but not make it a habit, and definitely not make excuses for it by fasting around it.

So now, at this point in my journey, I'm being careful with it.  Yes, if we wind up going out and I overindulge on not-so-healthy food, I will fast afterward to help my body along.  But I'm careful with my mindset - it's not an excuse to eat junk, and I'm not going to make a habit of it.  However I am human, and sometimes I just want to taste junk food.  Otherwise, I fast when it's convenient.  I don't do it daily, but usually 2-3 times a week.  Sometimes I'm rushed in the morning and it's just easier if I don't have to think about my own breakfast, then I wind up waiting until lunch to eat.  I've been continuing to lose weight, inches, and body fat, so whatever I'm doing is working for me.

Is This For You?

Intermittent fasting is not for everyone!  If you have a health concern, like diabetes or hypertension or whatnot, you should probably talk with a health care professional first (preferably someone with an open, holistic mindset!).  Especially if you have a blood sugar-related disease, IF-ing isn't for you.  Of course if you're pregnant or nursing, you should hold off on trying it as well.  Also, if you're happy with where you're at in life, your current diet and exercise plan is working great for you, and your body and health is right where you want it, then you probably don't need to mess with IF.  Though according to the research, a good 24-hour fast a few times a year may not be a bad idea!

Also, I came across a couple articles about how IF-ing may not be the best thing for women.  I haven't found any issues while trying it, but it's worth mentioning too.

Here's a very good article about possible health concerns regarding women and IF-ing:  http://paleoforwomen.com/shattering-the-myth-of-fasting-for-women-a-review-of-female-specific-responses-to-fasting-in-the-literature/

And here's a very interesting story about one woman's demise with IF-ing: http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/reviews/how-intermittent-fasting-saved-mewhile-slowly-killing-me/

I'm sharing that with you because it's not a perfect approach.  Yes, it can be "too good to be true", especially if used incorrectly.  I could have wound up where Kaleigh, the author of the last article I just shared, wound up.  Luckily I had a wake-up call before it got out of control.

Be Smart

Don't obsess over it.  LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.  That's the number one important thing!  Nourish your body with healthy foods found in nature, not processed junk from factories.  Fasting can have wonderful health benefits, if you're doing it with the right intentions and the right goals.

I'm going to stick with this IF lifestyle, I'm really liking it!  Especially now that I feel that I'm doing it for the right reason - to obtain the health benefits from it, not six-pack abs.  I'm not fasting every day, but rather at the most convenient times throughout the week, between 1-3 times a week for 16 hours at a time, or a full 24 hours if I really feel I need a recharge (but that's only maybe once a month).  I break fast with clean, Paleo or mostly-Paleo foods, I don't binge on gigantic platefuls of food when I break fast, and I stick with clean foods throughout the days between fasting.  I try to focus on eating when I'm hungry, and stopping when I'm full.  Plain and simple.  And IF has actually helped with my stress levels too, as when I fast it usually involves skipping breakfast, which allows me more time in the morning to get the boys' breakfasts made and while they're eating I can prepare lunches for the day or get caught up on some cleaning or whatever - who doesn't like extra free time in the morning??

So I'm happy with where I am right now.  If you decide to try it, let me know what you experience!  But most of all BE SMART and BE SAFE about it.  Obsessing over it or using it as an excuse to eat poorly can ruin everything.  Make your health your priority, and find what works for you!

For more information about IF, check out this article on NerdFitnes.com, it's a good one!

Emotional Eating

Hello strangers!  I think about my blog quite often... and I've just accepted the fact that there aren't enough hours in the day to get around to it.  But that's okay because it's SUMMER!  My favorite season!  It's the opposite of COLD (I strongly dislike the cold), and there's so much to DO! But I can talk about that later.  If I have time...

I actually have something specific to talk about today.  Food.  Okay, I know I always talk about food, but I want to talk about the emotional component of food this time.  Actually there are a lot of components.  And I'm certainly not a psychologist, but I've experienced emotional eating first-hand.  I'm still guilty of it!  I think we all are, right?  It's when we eat to fill our hearts, not our stomachs.  Or when we eat because we're bored and it's a habit.  Or because we're addicted to something (usually sugar) and it tastes soooo gooood that we can't just stop at one.

Harlee loves Big Hero 6, so I felt this shot worked well for this post!

Food is fuel, and food is medicine.  I've discussed this before, and finally more and more people are becoming aware of how important a healthy diet is to true wellness.  But so many people use food as a crutch or a comfort measure, and that's where it gets a bit unhealthy.  Comfort food is different for everyone - it can be a warm, buttery bread roll, a slice of pizza, a fast food cheeseburger, a piece of cake, or, if you're like me, a chocolate candy bar.  For a lot of people, it takes a lot of work to consciously avoid these comfort foods.  If we're unhappy or stressed or even simply bored, it's even harder. And for most people, it's not a bad habit - it's an addiction.  And you need to treat it, and beat it, like an addiction.  I'll elaborate on that topic in a future post.

I was addicted to chocolate and junk food starting with Halloween last year and all the way into Easter this year. I totally fell off the Paleo wagon and could not get back on.  Junk food was engrained in my brain!  I started personal training, hoping that would motivate me to make changes, but I still could not stop thinking about chocolate.  I felt like my exercising was going to waste.  I was sabotaging my own progress.

What helped me was realizing I should stop being so hard on myself.  So instead of beating myself up for ruining my progress toward a healthy lifestyle whenever I ate too much chocolate, I'd say to myself, "That tasted good, I enjoyed it, and that was enough.  I'm done, and my clean eating starts NOW."  I'd remember I'm human, I make mistakes just like all humans, and that's okay.  Mistakes are opportunities to learn and grow.  I'll learn from this, and move on.

And with that mindset it became easier and easier each day to say no.  I cut out gluten completely, which was starting to become an addiction too when we'd go out to eat.  When I cracked down on that, I was starting to feel a LOT better. I was happier, my mind was clearer, I had more energy through the day, things didn't stress me out so much, my workouts were going better, and my cravings were becoming more for healthy foods rather than junk food, and I finally got off my weight loss plateau and started losing again!

Then, after the few experiences I had with eating dairy and it flaring up my pollen allergies, which I wrote about in my last post, I cut that out too.  That's when it finally clicked for me - it's not worth it to enjoy the flavor of food only to feel like crap for days after eating it.  And that was the breakthrough I needed to stick to eating healthy on a regular basis.

Take the time to recognize your eating habits.  Are you really hungry?  Or are you just giving yourself something to do?  Or are you upset about something and since that cupcake tastes so good maybe it'll make you feel good too?  Think about the consequences.  Are you going to feel like crap for eating that?  How many calories is that?  Is it worth it?

Reread my post about Motivation if you'd like a few more tips on how to break your habits and make a healthy lifestyle change.

It took awhile, but I got there.  You can get there too.  Just start by being kind and gentle with yourself.  Allow yourself time, because you need to form new habits, and break an addiction.  It takes work, self-discipline, determination, and perseverance.  And if you have a goal, whether it be to look better or to feel better, you can get there.

Hope you're all having a great summer so far!  I'm hoping to find time to blog more - I have lots of ideas.  But in the meantime, follow me on Instagram @NaturallyJami or Like me on Facebook to see what I'm up to!

Mother's Day Weekend Wrap-Up, Motivation, Lemon Caprese Pasta Salad and Spaghetti with Meat Sauce Recipes

Hope all you moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend!  I had the best one yet (out of all four I've celebrated so far).  It was my first one as a mom of two, and my first one as a complete family.  I kicked it off with a trip to Paducah, KY, to run the Iron Mom 1/2 Marathon Relay with a group of awesome gals, and it was a blast!  It was great to get away for an overnight trip too (and Justin did just fine with the boys on his own!).

On Sunday the four of us went out for sushi for lunch (well, Harlee and Elliot didn't have any but Justin and I indulged - we love sushi!), did a little shopping, and got frozen custard later.  Yum!  I'm pretty sure I added back all the calories and then some that I burned off on the run... but oh well.

Now I'm back to the grind.  I did a crossfit workout this morning, then I came across an awesome post by Felicia Newell, a nutrition coach I follow on Instagram and Facebook.  I wanted to share her post with you and reflect on it a bit, both for my own benefit and maybe yours, if it resonates with you.  Here's the link to her post, but I'll copy and paste it in case that link doesn't work.

One of the very first (and most difficult) steps to making a lifestyle change is finding the motivation.

Do you, like many others, struggle with self motivation? Having a hard time getting yourself to your regularly scheduled workouts? Finding more and more reasons to cheat on your healthy diet?

Guess what? You're not alone! We all struggle with motivation sometimes, but I have some tips that can help you self-motivate and reach your goals.

A healthy dose of motivation coupled with determination will get you almost anything in life. So how do you know if you’re genuinely motivated?

- Motivation will tell you to get to your workout no matter what.
- Motivation will nag you to put down the doughnut.
- Motivation makes passing on fries a reflex.
- Motivation makes a sweat drenched workout exciting.
- Motivation constantly reminds you why you do what you do.

Self-Motivating Tip #1: Find Your Motivator.

Motivation stems from having a goal. What is your goal? Why do you want to get into great shape and/or make a lifestyle change?

Once you uncover your personal motivator you’ll find that motivation flows quickly your way.

Take a minute to really uncover the reason that you want to lose the weight. Don’t say something vague like you want to 'Be thinner' or 'Look more attractive.' Dig deeper – there is a very specific motivator in your life, you simply need to uncover it.

Here are some possible motivators…
- I want to have more energy to keep up with the kids.
- I want to improve my health through weight loss to extend and improve my life.
- I want to lose 15 pounds before my vacation.
- I want to restore my confidence to wear sleeveless shirts.
- I want to regain my figure to impress and attract my significant other.

Self-Motivating Tip #2: Make It Official.

When you write something down it suddenly feels official, doesn’t it? Write down your motivator for getting into great shape, and post it where you will see it often—next to your alarm clock, on the bathroom mirror, or in your car.

Each time you see your written motivator take a moment to visualize yourself accomplishing your goal. Try to make the scene as clear in your mind as possible. This is a powerful tool for maintaining your focus and direction.

Self-Motivating Tip #3: Be Practical.

It’s game plan time. You know what you want, and now you need to map out exactly how you’ll achieve it. It is important to be practical in your planning, rather than throwing out ideas that you know you won’t stick with.

With any weight loss goal it is important to 1) maintain a healthy low-calorie diet, and 2) participate in a consistent and challenging exercise program.

Plan a routine that will fit into your schedule and you’ll be more likely to stick with it. Also choose an exercise program that you enjoy—don’t force yourself to jog everyday if you hate jogging.

Self-Motivating Tip #4: Call For Backup.

Enlist the support of your friends, family and co-workers. Tell everyone about your goal to lose weight and get fit, you’ll be surprised how supportive most people will be. By being open about your goals you’ll likely be an encouragement to others to make healthy changes in their own lives.

I really liked that post, and it got me thinking about my own motivation.  I struggle with motivation to work out on my own, to go for a run on my spare time, and to eat healthy as often as possible.  Swimsuit season is fast approaching and I've just felt kinda "eh" about it.  And I know I won't feel that way when it's time to actually go swimming, so to do something about that I need to start NOW.  Apparently I need to dig deeper than the swimsuit though.  What is my motivator?

Feeling good is a motivator.  I came to a realization in the last couple days - when I eat foods that contain a lot of gluten, I have allergy attacks out of this world.  I feel like I have glass in my eyes, my nose is constantly running, sneezing, the works.  If I watch what I eat, I can tolerate the great outdoors without much trouble.  And I've been finding that it's not worth the great taste of food with gluten in it to put up with allergy attacks like that.  Added to that, I feel better all over when I eat right.  I have more energy, I have more mental clarity, I have more balance when I eat right.  Motivation.  And that's my step #2 mentioned above - writing it down.

What is your motivation?  I don't often get comments on this blog.  Feel free to comment your motivation!  Let's work together and fulfill #4!

So how about a couple recipes?

Remember that vegetable spiralizer I mentioned in my last post?  Yeah, that thing has been getting a workout!  I made classic spaghetti (though I just took a shortcut and made meat sauce instead of meatballs) and it was like the real deal.  Honestly, now that I have this spiralizer, I doubt I'll ever mess with a spaghetti squash again.  These zucchini noodles are way closer to the real thing.  They're awesome.

Sorry about the bad lighting...

Yellow zucchini squashes turn out even closer to the look of real pasta!

Basic Spaghetti Meat Sauce

1/2 lb ground beef (or venison in our case)
~ 30oz tomato sauce
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp basil
1/2 tbsp oregano
1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the beef in a skillet and drain off the grease.  Meanwhile, combine all remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat.  Add the beef and mix until well incorporated.

I added about two zucchinis worth of noodles to this recipe and cooked it all together until the noodles were soft enough to my liking.

And it was delicious.

So this morning I was feeling inspired and decided to pluck some of my basil growing outside and use up the last of my zucchini  noodles with some of cherry tomatoes we had in the fridge.  Allow me to share my recipe!

Lemon Caprese Pasta Salad

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese cut into 1/2" pieces
2 zucchinis, peeled and cut into noodles

Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper together (I used a glass measuring cup).  Add the basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese and stir until combined.  Let sit while cooking the zucchini noodles over medium heat in a dry skillet, about 3-5 minutes.  Don't overcook or the noodles will become mushy!  Once they get a bit of a transparent look to them take them off the heat immediately.  Let cool, drain off the water, and add in your lemon caprese mixture.  Toss until well combined and enjoy!

Cooking the noodles a bit

Lemon caprese mixture

Tossed together

Serve!  Yummy!

A Week in the Life of Jami - Karate, A Paleo Meal Break-Down, and Discipline

I am mighty proud of the week I've had.  I've decided to write about it too, in hopes that I can maybe provide some inspiration.  I understand my circumstances are different from a lot of people's, but maybe you can adapt some of my advice into your lifestyle.

Last week Harlee started karate. I'm super excited about it, and he's enjoying it too (and he's adorable!).  I can tell this is going to be good for both of us. I'm a free-spirited person - routines, structure, and sometimes effective discipline aren't really my thing.  Bedtime and naptime is whenever they're tired, dinner time is whenever they're hungry, and as far as chores go, well, we have some general ideas of chores, but nothing that's enforced.  I encourage him to put his clothes in the hamper, to put his shoes away when he takes them off, to put his toys away when he's done with them, and to collect the eggs from the chickens, but sometimes his clothes are all over the floor (just like mine), his shoes are not on the shelf (also like mine), his toys get left out (much like my stuff), and I make up excuses for him and just collect the eggs myself.  This karate thing is all about focus, discipline, respect, structure - all that stuff I feel we need to work on.  I'm still not going to be very structured in every aspect of life, I'm just not that kind of person, but I feel with this he's getting a balance.  But I must say it is actually encouraging me to be a bit more routine at home, and to find structure.  This was his second week of karate, and my first week of structure and discipline in my own life.  Bedtime has been at 9pm every night, consistently including brushing our teeth, changing into pj's, reading a book, and going to sleep.  And it feels kinda good, which I wasn't expecting...

But the best part for me has been the new structure I've found with meal planning.  First of all, karate is at 6:10.  I pick him up from the sitter and we drive up to karate and are on the road home by 6:45.  I REFUSE to be a drive-through family.  REFUSE.  The first week we went to Dairy Queen the first evening and Subway the second.  That in itself was enough of a kick in the butt for me to figure something out.  That second evening, we stopped at the store on the way home and I had Harlee pick out his very own lunch box.  He found one he liked and was super excited about it.  But what was I going to put in it?  Let's face it, Paleo is tricky enough when it comes to feeding kids, and even harder if meals happen on the road.  It was looking like I may have to resort to sandwiches.  But I haaaaate store-bought bread.  Since cutting bread out of my diet, it all smells like chemicals to me now.  Probably because it is.  Well, turns out we have a bread machine that we got as a wedding present, that hasn't been used since going Paleo, and I thought, perfect.  I'll make the bread.  And for you haters out there muttering "overachiever" under your breath at me - seriously, it takes 5 minutes.  If that.  Load the ingredients, and push a button.  That's IT.  I do it at night, we have fresh bread in the morning.  It's stupid to buy bread.  Get a bread machine, and I don't care how busy you are, you do have time to bake your own bread.

Anyway! I digress.  So this week was super successful.  Justin has been on night shift so I didn't have to really think about a family dinner, but I know I've been needing to think about my diet.  I gained weight over the holidays, and apparently decided to extend the holiday season on into Easter.  I kept making excuses - I'd get back on the Paleo wagon after New Year's.  Then after my birthday in February.  Then once I started personal training in March.  Then after Easter.  Excuses excuses.  Now I guess I'm not THAT bad - I don't eat bread or pasta, but we'd go out to eat and I'd get a burger without the bun but eat all the fries.  Kinda defeats the purpose.  Going out to eat was becoming a problem, whether with Justin, friends, family, or even by myself.  Oh and don't get me started on all the Easter candy.  Plus I was only working out two days a week and that's it.  I completely stopped all physical activity in my basement gym, which totally sucked.  And I was feeling it.

I guess in the spirit of discipline and self-control that was being exercised in karate, and my determination to not swing myself and my kid through a drive through twice a week, I finally cracked down.  Lunches packed for Harlee, and stir-fries like they were going out of style for me and Justin (usually salads would be my go-to but they just seem super boring and unappealing lately).  And protein shakes for supper for me.

Monday I ran a mile and worked out in the basement.  I had bacon and eggs for breakfast, and for lunch I started working on meal prep for the rest of the week.  Most people meal prep on Sundays.  I prefer to keep holy the sabbath day.  Haha just kidding I'm not religious you know that, but I do like some time off.  Monday feels like a good day to kick start a good week.  I had thawed out some pork chops and cut them into cubes, and I started prepping veggies.  Fresh green beans got trimmed, broccoli got split into florets and stems cut into small pieces, brussels sprouts trimmed, and everything got put into bags.  Carrots, onions, cauliflower, snow peas, you name it.  That way I was ready for the week - grab a handful of whatever veggies sound good, throw them in the skillet, and voila.  So Monday I had pork and a bunch of veggies, olive oil, red wine vinegar, a drizzle of maple syrup for a bit of sweetness, and some spices - garlic powder, salt and pepper, basil and oregano.  I like to play around.  I made enough for me to eat for supper and for Justin to take to work that evening.  I work late on Monday nights so that evening I made a protein shake - I like Jay Robb's Chocolate Egg White Protein - because there are 5 recognizable ingredients in it instead of a long list of ingredients I can't even pronounce.  A scoop of that, a scoop of Barlean's Greens Chocolate Silk (I like chocolate, can you tell?), a scoop of almond butter for extra calories and flavor, and I blend it all up with a handful of spinach and almond milk (though I'm going to be switching to coconut milk once I run out since it's better for you).  Yes spinach - I love it in my smoothies.  Personal preference.

Tuesday I actually got up early enough to make a 3-serving stir-fry - one for breakfast for me, one for lunch for me, and one for Justin at work.  I used the last of the pork and whatever veggies sounded good, and did the same thing with the oil, vinegar, syrup, and spices.  I then made Harlee a turkey sandwich, filled a cup with carrots and cherry tomatoes and another cup with grapes, and packed it in his cool new lunch box.  I also made another protein smoothie for that evening.  I had personal training that afternoon, then that evening we went to karate and Harlee was thrilled with his packed supper.

Wednesday I had bacon and eggs for breakfast.  I ran almost 3 miles that morning, and since I was home that afternoon before evening clients I made another double-batch of stir-fry, one for me for lunch and one for Justin to take to work that night.  Then I made a smoothie for supper and headed to work.

Thursday was pretty much the same as Tuesday, only I decided to mix things up with the stir-fry.  I made chicken and added some tomato sauce, some Italian seasoning, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and made it pizza style.  It was delicious!  Next time I'll add pepperonis and black olives to it.  I made Harlee a ham sandwich, packed a cup of tomatoes and carrots and another of blueberries, packed it in his lunch box, blended up a smoothie, and headed to work.  Personal training that afternoon, karate that evening.

And today is Friday.  I'm off on Fridays.  I made my almond flour pancakes for breakfast (yum!) and then made a broccoli/chicken stir-fry for lunch with a cheese sauce made with unsweetened almond milk, arrowroot powder, and freshly grated cheddar cheese.  Garlic powder, salt and pepper, YUM.  To top it all off, I got out my vegetable spiralizer and made some zucchini noodles.  Seriously, invest in a spiralizer, these things are great!!  And zucchini noodles are even better than spaghetti squash, not even kidding!

I'll admit, I haven't been perfect - pretty much every day I snuck in some candy, and occasionally a sample of that homemade bread.  But I've gotten better - while Monday I feel like I grabbed chocolate and munched on it all day long, today all I've had were a couple of jelly beans.  The main thing is I'm not going to beat myself up, and every day is a new day - tomorrow I'll try harder.  But I'm focusing on my accomplishments - I made food for me, my husband, and my kid every day and I kept it pretty healthy too.  I exercised every day too, which is a great feeling.  And ya know what?  I'm seeing the difference!  I feel good, and I'm finally starting to LOOK good.  My clothes and the scale are both finally showing me that I've made progress.  And that's got me motivated to keep up the good work next week too.

So that's my week.  Hope it provided some inspiration!  Now off to snuggle in for a movie and not go to bed at 9 because it's the weekend.  Cheers!

Snow Day, Getting back on the Healthy Wagon, and Turtle Fudge Cheesecake

Both the boys are snoozing and the snow is still blowing around outside so I've finally got a moment of free time to share with you yet another AMAZING "cheese"cake recipe.  I'm addicted to these things!  It's my new favorite dessert.  I think I may have mentioned before that Elliot really doesn't seem to have a dairy intolerance anymore - I've been eating it and he's handled it just fine - but I can't stop making this dessert.  The first time I made it was because I wanted something to make me feel like I was still kind of eating a cheesecake even though I couldn't eat cheese.  And it turned out so freaking amazing that I just haven't stopped.  And there are so many different ways to make this, too!

So far the "cheese"cakes I have made include:
Cookie Dough
Pumpkin
Cherry
Chocolate Heath
Lemon-Blueberry

The lemon-blueberry has been my favorite so far.  But I'm a sucker for that flavor combination, and those flavors by themselves.  Girl Scout cookies came in and so far I've resisted busting into the box of Savannah Smiles and eating the whole thing all in one sitting...

On a side note, I actually haven't busted into the box because I've finally cracked down on my diet.  Like, gotten serious about it, for REAL this time.  Remember my first post of the new year?  I admitted that I'm human and have made mistakes, I totally fell off the Paleo wagon and have been gaining weight steadily and feeling crappier and crappier about myself.  And I said in that post that I'd try to do better, and I haven't.  It's March now, we're a quarter of the way into the year, and I haven't changed.  I've been slacking in my workouts more and more, still eating way more carbs and processed food than I care to admit, and it's been showing.  My skin is blotchy, I feel tired and run-down, and my "spare tire" keeps growing.

A few things finally hit me, which I'll probably write about in a future post, but I finally found the motivation to crack down and stick with it.  One thing that helped was starting up personal training again.  I'm just the type that needs that sort of exercise.  I need to be on someone's schedule, I need to have accountability, I need someone to tell me what to do and how to do it.  I'll put it on my calendar and show up.  This time, it's with a totally new trainer, in a totally new location, with a totally new system.  I got soooo much out of Flex and had such great success with Derek, but the timing just wasn't there this time, and I'll admit I've been nervous about trying something different, coming from knowing what he came up with for me worked so well.  But at the same time I'm excited about the change of pace, the different scenery, the different trainer - it's mixing things up a bit for me, giving me something new to look forward to, and that helps keep me motivated.  My first day was Tuesday and I'm sore today!  I felt so happy after I left - I'm back on track, getting back into the swing of things, and there's a light at the end of a tunnel that I dug myself into - a tunnel that just kept getting longer and darker the more I fell into the clutches of my bad habits.

And with this new exercise routine, I'm feeling a sense of motivation.  She took my weight, measurements, and body fat percentage, and being able to have tangible numbers in front of me made me feel determined to keep those numbers changing.  I want to burn off the body fat, regain my confidence, and most importantly, my good health.  But that's not a goal that's met in the gym, and I know that.  These are goals that will only be met if I behave in the kitchen too.  I guess the realization set in that I really do need to take the bull by the horns and crack down.  So all day yesterday I've been gluten-free, and all day today I've been 100% Paleo.  I'm going to focus primarily on gluten-free, as I'm sure non-paleo carbs will sneak in here and there, but I'm going to do my best to keep it as Paleo as possible.  I'm already feeling better, it's amazing what just two days have done.

Anyway.  That's where I am right now.  I'm excited and motivated and feeling really good about the future.  Bring on bikini weather!  (No seriously, please bring on bikini weather, this snow is getting OLD.)

Here are some snow pictures:

My brother Joel and I with our Buddha snow sculpture

Justin built a snowman

 Us with our friends Clay and Barbi with our igloo that we built in the front yard of my office

Alright, now for that "cheese"cake recipe!  It was Mom's birthday on Saturday (happy birthday, Mom!) and I told her I'd make her one of my cakes, and I threw some ideas out for what types I'd like to make, and she requested turtle fudge.  I was totally okay with that idea!  And ooooh my goodness it turned out great!!  We went over Sunday and played in the snow, then went inside for lunch and then to indulge in this fabulous dessert.  It tasted sinful.  I'm just blown away by how delicious it was, without having anything bad in it!  Of course it was chock-full of calories... I guess we can't get off THAT easy... but at least it contained a fraction of the carbs of what the SAD (Standard American Diet) version of this cake would be.

Doesn't that look heavenly??

So this was almost-vegan.  You can definitely make it totally vegan if you want, but I didn't want to.  It was also involved.  It took a few days of prep-work and had a lot of different steps involved.  But I'm telling you, it was SO worth it.  Plus Harlee got a kick out of helping me, as usual.

First, I made dairy-free sweetened condensed milk.  I found this recipe on The Detoxinista.  It's super easy to do, here's how:

Sweetened Condensed Milk being poured into fudge mixture

Dairy-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk

You need:
1 14oz can of full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup honey (or sweetener of choice)

Pour the coconut milk into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, about 5 minutes.  Whisk it while it's heating so it doesn't burn, and watch closely so it doesn't boil over.

Reduce heat to a simmer, and pour in the honey, whisking until it's dissolved into the milk.  Simmer for about 30 minutes, until the milk is reduced by half and thick.  Let cool.

I put it in an airtight dish and kept it in the fridge til I was ready to make the cake.  This is an ingredient for the fudge, which I made after I made the crust for the "cheese"cake.  The crust was pretty much like all the other crusts, only this time I used both almonds and pecans:

Crust

You need:
2 cups pecans, ground into flour
1 cup almonds, ground into flour
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp pure maple syrup
Dash sea salt

Mix all ingredients until combined.

Line a springform pan (or 8x8 glass baking dish) with parchment paper.  Spread the crust mixture out evenly on the bottom, pressing flat.

Now that the crust was done, I was ready for the next layer: Fudge.  I actually got this idea when I happened to catch an episode of Giada at Home on FoodNetwork, and she made Cinnamon Fudge.  I got online and realized, I can totally Paleo-ify this!

Yummy melting fudge

Paleo Fudge

You need:

1 recipe Coconut Sweetened-Condensed Milk (see above)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups dark or milk chocolate chips (I used a combo of both)
3 tbsp butter or coconut oil (I used butter)

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl, and place the bowl over a saucepan of boiling water.  Stir the ingredients until melted and smooth.  Remove from the heat and, if you want just plain fudge, spread it out in a baking dish lined with parchment paper.

Or, in the case of this cake, spread it out over the crust mixture and let cool.

K, so you've got a crust, a layer of fudge, now you need the "cheese"cake!  That part hasn't changed, only this time I added an extra cup of cashews so I could have a little more :).

"Cheese"Cake

3 cups raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
Dash sea salt

Discard the water the cashews were soaking in and place in a food processor or blender along with the other ingredients.  Blend until smooth.

I spread this mixture out over the fudge, then I sprinkled on more chocolate chips as well as chopped and whole pecans.  Then came the last step.  Caramel.  I got this recipe from Simple Roots Wellness and modified it to what I had on hand.

Paleo Caramel

1 14oz can full fat coconut milk
⅓ cup honey (original recipe called for coconut sugar - that would have worked better but I didn't have any on hand)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp coconut oil (or butter)
¼ tsp salt

In a small saucepan add coconut milk and honey.  Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring the whole time.  Once boiling turn down heat and stir continually at a slow boil, careful not to let it burn.  Continue boiling until sauce has reduced and thickened, about 25-35 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, oil or butter and salt.  Mine was light in color compared to regular caramel.  I'm sure using coconut sugar would have changed that.  But it still tasted awesome!

Drizzle this all over the top of the pecans and chocolate chips and pop the whole thing in the freezer for at least two hours.  Transfer to the fridge to thaw and soften, and dig in.  And marvel at how amazing it is.

Confessions of a Human and New Year's Wishes

I can't believe I haven't posted ANYTHING for a whole MONTH.  It's been a crazy busy month, though.  To the point where I haven't really been able to make time to sit and write.  We hosted two Christmas gatherings plus New Year's Eve, so the month has been spent catching up on little projects around the house plus decorating, gift shopping, all that jazz.  I attempted to make cookies and candies but for some reason they didn't turn out... I wasted a lot of ingredients in the process too, which was a total bummer.  I made chocolate covered peanut butter balls, though, and they were a success - I'll try to post that recipe before Valentine's day, if you don't mind the wait!

I have so much to talk about, because so much has happened!  So hopefully this means a lot of exciting posts for 2015.  This past month I've learned more about essential oils, I'm about to acquire a salt room so that I can offer salt therapy at my office (awesome for respiratory ailments as well as skin conditions from minor to acute), I'm selling homemade soaps so I'm excited to tell you why those are better than store-bought, and I cured two earaches (never got them diagnosed as infections so I can't say that) and a case of pink eye using natural remedies!

To kick off the New Year, however, I decided to write a simple post admitting that I am human, just like everyone else.  The only thing I've succeeded at this past month is sticking to my drug-free way of life - no pharmaceuticals were used to treat any ailments we came across, including the two ear aches and pink eye mentioned above, a furiously teething baby, several sore throats, coughs, runny noses, etc., plus a case of sciatica that decided to randomly revisit me (hadn't had to deal with that since my pregnancy with Harlee...).

I wish other areas of my life were as second-nature to me as avoiding conventional medicines.  Like diet and exercise.

I have a confession to make.  I've been experiencing a growing case of burn-out...  I stopped going to Flex sometime in November, because I could feel it coming on and didn't want to force myself to do something I was slowly losing interest in - I do NOT want to lose interest in CrossFit!!  It changed my life, it's a fun and effective way to burn fat and build strength, and it makes me feel good both physically and mentally.  But I've been doing a lot of the same thing, and because of the weather I'm now confined to a spot in my basement rather than being outside.  I look forward to Sundays when Rachael and Cassie come over, because working out in a group setting still keeps me going and I thoroughly enjoy it just like I always used to.  But, I must say, I'm becoming more and more amazed that I did what I did while pregnant.  I'll crank out 20 burpees without stopping and imagine having a big pregnant belly hanging off of me while doing that.  I did that.  I push-pressed 95lbs of weight over my head WHILE in labor.  I did that.

And now I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight and I don't even feel like push-pressing a bar over my head.  Or cranking out one burpee.  Okay okay, who wants to do burpees anyway, really?  But they're a great form of exercise and I like working them into a WOD under normal circumstances... What's happening to me??

And diet.  Oooohhh have I fallen off of the Paleo wagon...  I try not to beat myself up TOO bad - I mean at least one meal every day has managed to stay completely Paleo.  But I think snacking on candy all day, or loading up on carbs the many times we've gone out to eat, and the way-too-frequent trips through drive-throughs we've made, completely negates that one Paleo meal a day.  Added to the fact that I haven't been working out anymore to burn some of that junk off... well...

Yeah.  That's pretty much me.  I look in the mirror and TRYYY so hard to say, yeah, I look good for being 5 months postpartum!  Because in comparison to 5 months after Harlee was born, I look pretty good!  But when I look at pictures of myself at just a couple months postpartum after having Elliot and see that I look BETTER than I do now... that's just sad.

But it's not just about physical appearance.  I know that's a big thing right now - social media is trying to help people feel better about themselves no matter what kind of body they have and stop comparing ourselves to photoshopped celebrities in magazines, which is awesome, and I do want to focus more on my health and well-being rather than just my appearance , but regardless, physical appearance does play a huge role.  I don't expect to look like a photoshopped celebrity.  I don't want to, anyway.  I'm perfectly fine with the stretch marks on my belly.  I'm perfectly fine with my droopy boobs.  Why?  Because I worked my ass off a couple summers ago and I felt REALLY good about myself and my appearance.  I know what I CAN look like, and I was almost back to that just a couple of months after Elliot was born.  And because of all the crap I ate this past month and my lack of exercise, I'm losing my progress.

And I feel like crap.  I've been tired and sluggish, I've needed to get back on St. John's wort to help manage my moods when normally diet and exercise do that for me, and I've been noticing aches and pains creeping in - my knees have ached, I had a sciatica flare-up, my wrists have been sore, and some days I've just felt sore and achy all over.  I know it's because of the junk I've eaten.

I guess it's a good reminder of how much diet really does affect us.  We are what we eat.  If we eat junk, we'll feel and function like junk.

So, I'm going to challenge myself.  The holiday celebrations are finally behind us, so there's no reason for me not to get back on the Paleo wagon.  I'm going to experiment with different things, like meal prep so I have lunches pre-made for me throughout the week, and menu-planning so dinner is thought out ahead of time.  I need to go back through and flush the house out of junk food.  I'm a chocoholic, there's no hiding it.  I just need to manage it a little better.  I'm sure I'll still grab a pack of peanut M&M's when I swing through a gas station, but I don't need a bowl of them sitting on my counter to eat every. single. day.  And I need to remind myself that it takes work to get rid of the cravings, but eventually they will go away.

I'll share my stories as I go, too, so maybe you'll feel inspired to try simple things to make your lifestyle a bit healthier.  Mainly, though, don't beat yourself up if you slip up.  That's what I've been working on.  I'm trying not to be too angry with myself for being a complete slob with my diet and exercise all month.  I know I can get back on track, and I will.  And so can you!  We all have to start somewhere.

So, it's a new year.  Time to hit the reset button and strive to be better than we were the year before.

Before I sign off, I have a few New Year's wishes for you.

I wish you motivation to try something new to get your body moving - join a gym, buy a new piece of exercise equipment - kettlebell, dumbells, jump rope, or even a hula hoop! (I bought one and it's actually a blast!)  Try something you haven't tried before - running, weight lifting, spinning, skiing, whatever!  Find something you enjoy so you'll stick with it.

I wish you creativity to make healthy eating just as delicious and achievable as eating junk food.  And it truly can be!  Stick with that, and eventually healthy foods will taste even better than drive-through or take-out food.  And learn ways to plan ahead, like I have been, so you'll be prepared on busy days.

Last, but not least, I wish you courage to ask questions.  This is something I'm wanting to delve into more in future blog posts.  Take responsibility for your health and the health of your family.  Don't rely solely on what you're told by doctors or healthcare providers.  Take charge of your body.  Take time to learn more about ways to be healthy.  With that knowledge comes great empowerment, knowing that you can heal yourself or your loved ones and not need to run to a doctor for every little thing.  When I healed Harlee's earaches and cured Elliot's pink eye without once having to consult a doctor - that's an awesome feeling.

Ask questions.  It can get you so much farther ahead than where you ever were before.  Before you pick up a drug from the pharmacy - What is in this?  What are the side effects?  Are there safer alternatives?  Before you agree to get on a prescription - How long am going to have to take this?  Is this drug just masking the symptoms of a problem rather than addressing it?  Or if it's controlling a problem, are there healthier ways I can control it on my own?  Blood pressure or cholesterol, for instance, CAN be controlled by diet and exercise.  You do not need to rely on drugs, and you'll be that much better off if you avoid them.  And before you or your children get a shot - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read the package inserts.  They should be given to you at the office, but can also be found on the CDC or FDA websites.  Don't just get a shot because you're told to, because everyone else does it, because of the fear tactics used to make you blindly do it without question - read the ingredients of what you're injecting into you or your child's body.  Read the possible side effects.  Sometimes side effects include seizures, paralysis, even death.  Ask your doctor to look you square in the eye and promise your child won't experience any of those side effects before you agree to anything.  This is something I'll talk more about in a later post, but I at least want to put the thoughts out there, to encourage you to take your health into your own hands and advocate for yourself because your health is, well, YOURS.

I hope to spend more time blogging this year, I have so much to say and share with you.  But I also have a family to care for and spend time with, a business to run and grow, and a new house that still needs its finishing touches, so be patient with me if I slack a bit...

I hope your year is off to a great start!

The Amazing Benefits of Salt (and How to Prevent Swelling in Pregnancy!)

I've been excited to publish this post for quite some time now, but I wanted to get far enough along in my pregnancy to really know for SURE that what I'm about to share with you works.  I've been running a bit of an experiment on myself, as I think I've mentioned in previous posts throughout this pregnancy, and so far it's been working like a charm.

What's the secret?

Salt.

Yep, the one thing that's been getting a bad rep for causing fluid retention and swelling and heart issues and weight gain and an array of negative health issues is actually good for you.

Okay so only the real stuff is.  Table salt?  That's not real.  That's what's been used in all the research that's been conducted to prove salt is bad for us, which sparked the low-sodium trend, and that's all fine and dandy because table salt is not good for you.  It's chemically created, void of all trace minerals, and bleached.  Yummy.  However, real salt - salt mined from ancient sea beds that haven't been contaminated by pollution, and then hasn't been chemically altered in any way - is super good for you.  Himalayan pink salt is said to be the best, containing an estimated 84 trace minerals that your body needs - you know what minerals are, right?  Iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, etc?  The stuff you may take in the form of a dietary supplement to support heart health, bone health, muscle health?  That's what we're talking about here.

Your body needs a perfect balance of minerals.  When these minerals are present and balanced in the body, you'll be looking at significantly improved health.  These minerals come from real salt, and consuming enough can make all the difference.  Here's a list of some health issues that are caused by consuming too little (real) salt:

• Cellulite
• High Blood Pressure
• Kidney Stones
• Gall Bladder Problems
• Sore or Swollen Joints
• Gout
• Fatigue
• Brain Fog
• Poor Sleep
• Asthma or Respiratory Illness
• Irregular heart beat
• Poor adrenal health
• Diabetes or blood sugar issues
• Poor muscle tone or lack of coordination
• Water retention, edema or swelling

These are all issues that can arise from too little salt, but consuming too much table salt can actually make these health issues worse, as it only creates more of an imbalance in your body's trace minerals.  So yes, all the studies are correct in saying salt is bad for you.  Unfortunately they ignored how good for you the real stuff is.  I've been seeing the health benefits myself, and I'm excited to share my experience with you!

I've been consuming Himalayan pink salt "sole" (pronounced "so-lay").  It's basically water saturated and ionized with all of the essential trace minerals that real salt provides and that your body needs for optimal health and balance.

There are a ton of health benefits of sole.  Here are a few things sole can do for you:

• Detoxifies the body by balancing systemic pH (alkaline/acidity in the body)
• Improves hydration by providing trace minerals
• Improves mineral status of the body
• Reduces muscle cramps by improving minerals and hydration
• Helps balance blood sugar (which is great for diabetics)
• Supports hormone balance for everyone, no matter what hormonal issues you face
• Helps balance and regulate blood pressure
• Improves sleep by supporting blood sugar and hormone balance
• Acts as a powerful antihistamine
• Supports weight loss by balancing hormones and improving energy
• Supports thyroid and adrenal function
• Dissolves and eliminates sediments which lead to stones and various forms of rheumatism like arthritis and kidney and gall bladder stones
• Lowers the craving for addictive foods and/or substances (again, aiding in weight loss)
• Can help with skin diseases
• Stabilizes irregular heartbeats
• Improves the health of nerve cells for communication and information processing
• Improves absorption of food through the intestinal tract
• Helps the lungs clear mucus plugs and sticky phlegm, such as in asthma and cystic fibrosis
• Helps clear up sinus congestion
• Helps prevent excess saliva production
• Prevents osteoporosis as trace mineral balance is vital to making the structure of bones firm
• Helps maintain sexuality and libido
• Helps prevent varicose veins and spider veins on the legs and thighs

Whew, that was a lot!  In case you're wondering, here are my sources for all this information:
http://empoweredsustenance.com/himalayan-salt-benefits/
http://www.himalayancrystalsalt.com/sole-benefits.html
http://wellnessmama.com/3745/is-salt-healthy/

I actually had a handful of these issues, myself.  Looking back through the list, I did have blood pressure issues, occasional brain fog, post nasal drip and excess mucus in the back of my throat, issues staying hydrated, cravings for unhealthy foods, imbalanced hormones, and, during my last pregnancy, excessive swelling.

I started the sole about three months into this pregnancy, after being told about it by my friend in Arizona.  My main objective was to balance my fluids so that maybe I could avoid the hideous swelling this time around.  I kinda wish I took pictures of my feet last time...  Well, here's a couple pictures that kind of give you somewhat of an idea.  These are two of my maternity pictures, but you can see how my flip flops are cutting into my puffy feet:

And for reference, here's me now:

Ah I look (and feel) so much better this time around...

Anyway.

As I progressed, the term "cankles" was putting it mildly.  And the swelling wasn't just in my feet and ankles, it ended up affecting my whole system.  My face was puffy, and my fingers swelled to the point my wedding rings were not fitting whatsoever.  Eventually I had my rings increased in size so I could wear them again.  After I finally lost all the weight I had gained from my pregnancy with Harlee, my rings fit looser again.  But, knowing I'd someday go through pregnancy again as we did want a second child, and knowing the possibility that I may swell again, I decided to leave my rings as they were and instead wear a third band that was tighter to hold the other two in place.

Guess what?  I'm about 2.5 weeks away from my due date and I still need to wear that third tighter band.  No swelling - anywhere.

As for the other health issues?  Well, my postnasal drip is gone, my hormones feel completely balanced (which is saying a lot for being pregnant!), I can think fairly clearly for the most part, and at each prenatal check-up my blood pressure has been perfect, my heart rate has been great, and my hydration has been excellent (she comments on that every time, that she usually doesn't see such good hydration levels in her pregnant patients).

I've attained FAR more health benefits than I originally signed up for, and I am thrilled.  Amazed, actually. It's such a simple solution!

So there have been a few times I did experience some swelling in my feet during this pregnancy.  Never to the point where I could no longer identify the separation between my calves and my feet, but enough that the tops of my feet and my toes would feel hot and tight, and my flip flops were starting to leave indentations in my skin.  On those days, however, I realized I hadn't drank enough water, I'd eaten a lot more processed foods than usual (which is probably still less than what the average American consumes), OR --- I'd forgotten to drink the sole that day.

I've been keeping track of my daily lifestyle throughout this pregnancy.  So far I have found no correlation to the weather and swelling, or to being on my feet too long, or any of those other common assumptions that people think cause swelling.  On the days that I did swell it was not excessively hot outside - and there have been a few super hot days already now that I've ended with no swelling at all, so I'm pretty certain heat isn't a factor.  Also, on Saturday we had Harlee's birthday party (early, since Elliot is due to arrive sometime around Harlee's actual birthday, which is the 23rd), and I was on my feet more than I had been this entire pregnancy - I rarely sat down, as I was running around either cleaning house or decorating or preparing food and during the party I was giving tours of our new house or just being a hostess.  My feet HURT like crazy.  But they weren't swollen!

One day a couple weeks ago, it was about 5pm and I was starting to feel that hot, tight feeling.  I hadn't worked out that day (which is another thing that I feel helps), and I was too busy running around to stop and drink enough water, so I knew my hydration levels weren't at their best.  I did, however, remember to take the sole that morning, so I was beginning to feel a little defeated that maybe my experiment wasn't working - maybe I was just lucky this pregnancy.  But then I thought, I was taking the normal recommended dose of sole for the average person - but I'm not an average person right now.  My body is technically TWO people, and I wonder if maybe little Elliot were tapping into my trace mineral sources for his own health benefits?  Little bugger.  Babies like to do that, don't they?  With this thought, I took another dose of sole, right there at 5 in the evening, followed by drinking a good 12oz glass of water, and, amazingly enough, within the half hour the swelling was gone completely and I was back to feeling great again.

So I was sold.  My experiment works, I have no doubts about it.  My increased consumption of real salt and decreased consumption of unhealthy table salt has made ALL the difference, in many many ways.

Okay so how do you make this sole?  Fortunately it's ridiculously easy.  Take a glass mason jar, mine is a pint but it really doesn't matter, preferably with a plastic lid but if it has a metal lid (as mine does) then place a few sheets of plastic wrap between the lid and the glass.  You don't want this stuff touching metal for any length of time as it creates oxidation and can cause it to rust, and you don't want that in something you drink...  Okay so mason jar, then you'll need Himalayan pink salt - course or ground, doesn't really matter, I just use the course salt from Trader Joe's, and pour it into your jar about 1/4 full.  Fill the jar the rest of the way with purified water.  Put the lid on and let it sit for 24 hours.  (This can sit out indefinitely at room temperature as the salt will keep any harmful bacteria from growing in it.)  After 24 hours you should still see some salt at the bottom of the glass - if you don't, you're going to need more salt.  If you do, that means the water is fully saturated with the salt and, in turn, ionized with all the healthful trace minerals contained in the salt.  This glass jar now contains your sole.

You can kinda see the residual pink salt at the bottom

Now that you have your sole, each day, usually first thing in the morning but I've found that it doesn't matter, you'll take 1 teaspoon of sole (use a plastic or wooden measuring spoon, not metal, to be safe) and mix it with about 6-8 oz of purified water, and drink it.  Start with a teaspoon and then gradually increase it if you'd like, but let your body get accustomed.  I'm currently taking 3 tsp in the morning but when I was transitioning from one to two I think I went too fast, as it had a lovely detoxing effect on my system.  I didn't feel sick or anything, but let's just say I didn't think I'd ever get to leave the bathroom.  Sorry if that's TMI, but I felt I should give you fair warning!  I let a couple months pass with just doing two teaspoons before moving up to three, and that worked better.  And, on the rare occasions that I feel that swelling feeling creeping into my feet (it's only happened once or twice since that last time I told you about), I go ahead and take two more teaspoons in the afternoon (also mixed with 6-8oz of water, in case you weren't sure).

I firmly believe this is a major contributing factor to my good health in this pregnancy.  In fact, I'm willing to bet that the sole I've been drinking each day has only enhanced the benefits of all the other healthful things I've been doing - all the body work I've been receiving and exercise I've been doing (I talked mostly about that in Part Five of my Diary of a Pregnant Crossfitter series) as well as the supplements I've been taking like Juice Plus, which I discussed in my last post, my other supplements, and my (somewhat) healthy diet.  I'm excited to continue on with it after the pregnancy, too, to see what more benefits I notice in my normal life.  When I take the sole and drink enough water throughout the day (I strive for a gallon while pregnant but that doesn't always happen) I definitely notice great energy levels, good, stable mood, and little to no unhealthy food cravings (which helps significantly in weight management!), in addition to the lack of swelling and great blood pressure and heart rate I've been experiencing as well.

I'm so excited to be able to share this with you.  It's so incredibly easy that I hope a lot of you give it a shot and see what kind of health benefits and improvements you experience as well!  Be sure to report back if you try it!  And especially if you're pregnant, I feel this is a MUST for your daily health routine.  I also believe it's only improving my body's ability to assimilate the vitamins and supplements I take, too!  The list of benefits seems to be endless!