As you remember, the F in SELFISH stands for the food you fuel your body with. Clean, lean, organic, non-processed foods. That’s it!

If you can hunt it, catch it, pick it, or pluck it (I got that from Dr. Jonny Bowden), you are good to go. Just not processed. Nothing that needs to be processed to be able to eat, like pasta, bread, chips, pretzels, or anything made in a factory.

Now don’t get hung up on the small stuff. “What about potatoes, rice…?” Just remember the more that has to be done to the raw food, the less beneficial if is to your body. If you are eating a rainbow of colors at each meal, you won’t have to worry about whether you eat potatoes or not. If you can adopt the idea of straight from nature, cleaned, cut up, maybe cooked, then eaten, you will be getting the most nutritional bang for your buck. Period.

Yes, there are a few exceptions:

• Tomatoes, which are great for you raw, but when cooked with oil, the lycopene is more easily absorbed, so tomato sauce and tomato paste from cans, as long as they are organic, are still good for your body.
• Olives have to go through a process to be eatable and not bitter. This is obviously worth the processing because of all it’s omega-3 qualities.
• Beans are another food that can retain their nutritional benefits and still come from a can.
• Cheese is another food that goes through a process, but as long as it is a minimal, natural process, and eaten sparingly, it’s ok.  No processed cheese spreads, blocks, or whizzes! I mean it!
• Almond milk and soy milk are also processed but still good for you, so stick with the organic varieties.
• And of course there’s wine, which goes through a process to be drinkable, but what can I say… it’s the elixir of life!

So you get the idea. The less done to the natural state of food, the better it is for your body. You just have to get use embrace that mind set, and make it your default. Your question at each meal is “How processed is this food?” If the food is just seasoned, sauteed, sauce made from the pan drippings, a squeeze of citrus, and it’s on your plate, you are good to go. If it has been chemically processed to look a certain way, or taste a certain way, or came from a can or package, run… run like the wind!

It is a simple as that!

Cheers to your health and happiness!

Happy Living!

Christia

The Most Selfish Woman in America!

When you are already prepping veggies for something else, make enough of your favorites to store in a zipped bag in the refrigerator. Get one of those large containers of Greek plain 2% yogurt, and mix your favorite dip mix into it.  Now get in the habit of putting a plate of veggies on your counter in the kitchen. When you know you’re going to be in the area for a while, take out the dip. Eat some. You can leave the veggies out most of the day. Make a point to snack on them. (Of course, the dip can’t stay out all day.)

The yogurt dip is far more beneficial to your body that a sour cream version, and more stable. It will last longer at room temperature. And you won’t be able to tell the difference in taste. Seriously! Greek yogurt is a fabulous substitute for sour cream. And you get all the health and digestive benefits from the calcium and probiotics. And for some veggies, like carrots, the nutrients are better absorbed when eaten with fat, like that in the 2% yogurt dip.

Another good habit is to make a fruit salad in the morning and leave it on the counter with a fork near by. Prep once and eat all day.

These are great ways of getting kids, and yourself, to eat more fruits and vegetables. They tend to eat more when there is easy access. And so will you!

Get into the habit of making fruit and veggies easier to snack on. I say let’s make health easier on ourselves, shall we?

Happy Living!

Christia

The Most Selfish Woman in America!

Could it be YOU? Could it be your lack of belief if YOURSELF?

It’s time for you to believe in yourself again.  Believe in your abilities to make your life happy again. Make your new career highly successful. Make your Dream Life a reality.

It takes tapping into your inner strength, and trusting your abilities. You have to be courageous. Too long have you let your courage and belief in yourself wain. You must get that back!

It’s your turn to be SELFISH. It’s your turn to get paid for your passion. It’s your turn to be as fabulous as you were meant to be! And the time is NOW!

Are you doing your visualizations faithfully? You know, visualizing your new life, what it looks like, what you look like in it, where you live, what you drive, the type of person your new partner will be…  For a refresher, read my “Secrets to Transforming Your Old Life into Your Dream Life” blog entry.

It is mandatory that you are visualizing the life you want to accomplish at least every morning and every night. The first thing you do before your feet hit the floor, and the last thing you do before you start sawing those logs.

The more detail you give to the vision, the sooner it will become a reality. And don’t edit yourself. Be as lavish in your vision as you want your life to be. You are only limited by your imagination and belief in yourself!

Reminder: You’ve cut out all the negative influences and people from your life, at least for now, right? If not, what are you waiting for? Nothing sucks out the courage and belief in yourself like hearing other people criticize or critique you. And who knows what baggage they’re carrying, or where their comments are coming from. All I know is you have to get away from all that negative nonsense, and focus on your inner strength, courage and conviction to make your Dream Life a reality. Period.

Happy Living!

Christia

The Most Selfish Woman in America!

When you exercise, it is all about YOU, no one else. No cell phones, no business, no diverting your focus.

If you must multi-task, do it in your breathing, your awareness and your enjoyment.

A few tips before you start:

1.  Get music on your i-Pod that has the same beat of the speed that you want to walk. That makes it easier to stay at a consistent pace without too much thought. Always have the volume low enough that you can hear what is going on around you. You are empowered and in control now, act like it!

2.  The better your breathing, the easier, and longer you can exercise. Breathe in through your nose, and out your mouth. Breathe in for the count of 5 and out for the count of 3. In through your nose for 5, and out through your mouth for 3. Even when you get winded, stay in control of your breathing. In 5, out 3. Controlled breathing will help keep you from panting, and help keep your heart rate at a safe level. If you can’t maintain this breathing pattern, slow down!

3.  Use a heart rate monitor. Just go buy one, and use it each time. The monitor will keep you informed of how efficiently you are working out. You want to stay within a “fat burning” zone.  The optimal zone will be between 130 to 145 beats per minute. The monitor tells you what your heart rate is, based on your physique . If you get higher than 145, slow down. If you are interval training, you can go as hard as you can for about a minute, then slow back down for 5 minutes until your heart rate gets back down to 130, then go again. As far as length of time, your goal is 45 minutes, 4 to 5 times a week.

4.  If the temperature is 85 degrees or hotter, take water with you. Don’t run the risk of getting overheated. It’s not worth it! Also be relentless with the sunscreen. From the base of the neck up, use at least 45 spf zinc oxide sunscreen. SkinCeuticals has a good one. And a hat or visor is a must.

If you will power walk, instead of run, you will get all of the cardio benefits without the wear and tear on your body. Hugely important.

Drink water! Drink water! Drink water! Stay hydrated.

When you are walking, make sure you know what is going on around you. Safety is the key! Take your dog, if you have one. Also choose a route that is aesthetically pleasing. A neighborhood with big houses, a local park with lots of trees and shade. Whatever you have access to, make sure you don’t get bored visually. This will increase your enjoyment.

Try to tighten your abdominal muscles while you walk. It will take awhile to do it automatically, but the more you tighten your stomach muscles, the firmer your torso will become. Also, bend your arms at the elbow and pump them with each step. You will burn more calories this way.

If your lower back starts hurting, it may be because your hamstrings need to be stretched out. After the first 5 to 10 minutes of your walk, stop and stretch your calf muscles by putting the ball of your feet on the top of a curb, and lower your heels down to the street level. It’s easier to do this leaning on a mail box or light poll. Give the stretch 1 to 2 minutes, and don’t bounce.

Then with your knees slightly bent, lean over to touch the ground. Let your body hold that position for at least a minute to stretch the hamstrings. Again, no bouncing. Then get back to the rest of your power walk.

At the end of your walk, give yourself the last 5 minutes to cool down. Slow down your pace, so that your body can naturally cool down without completely stopping.

Use this exercise time with yourself, for yourself. Do your affirmations, work out your current problems, reinforce your new attitude and approach to life. What you focus on expands. Use this time to focus on the NEW YOU.

With every step you take, you are reinforcing your new direction in Life. See it!  Live it!  Be it!

Happy Living!

Christia

The Most Selfish Woman in America!

Here is my hommage to that description:

I choose to live in the “Big Babe World.”

I will never be that skinny, gaunt woman in the room, who is too worried about how she looks to other people (not to mention grumpy from hunger). Or who is too self-conscious to voice her opinions, and enjoy her life.

I will be the healthy, happy woman in the room, who is commanding attention, and glowing with confidence.

We have to start working with what Mother Nature gave us, and stop thinking we have to be something we are not.

Exercising, being active, enjoying your life, and living in the “Big Babe World” is a conscious decision. Make it!

One aspect of living in the “Big Babe World” is making the most of our physical self. Not striving for the unrealistic image projected by the media. It’s being the best our body can be.

This is where exercise comes in. It just takes discipline, which you are needing in other parts of your life right now, anyway. If you can master self-discipline here, you can apply it to all other areas of your life.

Think about it this way:  You will be taking control of your body and health, just like you are taking control of your life and your happiness.

The results will be confidence and pride, not to mention a sexier, healthier, happier You! And we haven’t even talked about the endorphins you get. How great it that?

Also, increase your basic daily activity level. Go out as often as possible. And I don’t mean cruising. I mean taking the dog for a walk, going to see live music in the park, enjoying different festivals in your town. What ever form it takes, explore where you live. You will be increasing your daily caloric use, and having fun at the same time.

The more you get out and do new things, the more active your life is, and the more you expose yourself to new experiences and new people.

This is one of our goals.

Another aspect of living in the “Big Babe World” is living large in your personality.

Being the dynamic personality that you have inside, you just haven’t always had the confidence to let it shine.

This is another one of our goals.

We are going to work on that….. aren’t we?

Happy Living!

Christia

The Most Selfish Woman in America!