Happy New Year!! 2020 is officially here. A clean slate that has 365 new opportunities patiently sits before you as you decide what you want.
Have you decided this is the year to make some changes towards living healthier? Are you sitting in overwhelm thinking about how you will have to cut our your favorite foods, learn how to eat kale and figure out how to add in exercise? It doesn’t have to be a tortuous change, it shouldn’t be a all at once change. Long term success starts with one step and then another. If you are looking for a program to follow and help guide and teach you, the program I found great success with is by Arbonne International. It is a 30 day guided program that helps you identify first and foremost your eating habits and then helps you identify foods that are causing inflammation, bloat, joint pain, reduced energy, insomnia, dull skin, greasy skin, redness, acne and problematic skin a whole host of adverse effects that we did not realize were being caused by our diet. What I love about this 30 day program is that you eat. It is not a strip the joy out of your life all you get is salad diet. It truly is about identifying your bad food habits and replacing them with healthy options. I learned how to make a guilt free peanut butter cups! You really get to eat delicious flavorful food. Ok so how does this work you say. It is based on using a protein shake for 2 meals a day. I personally chose breakfast and lunch as my shakes to make life easier for work and dinner is by far my favorite meal of the day. (I always tell my clients not to substitute their favorite meal for a shake if you want to have long term success.) You get snacks between your shakes so you still have that sensation of chewing throughout the day. You get recipes that are easy to make, full of flavor and are filling. Some examples of meals are Sweet potato hash, homemade vegan bread, grilled chicken fajitas, dirty rice with shrimp,chicken chili verde, coconut lime chicken soup, pb&j peanut butter balls, chocolate mousse, chocolate chip protein cookies and so much more. The shakes are chocolate or vanilla bases and the sky is the limit for variety. Vanilla Chai is a fav of mine, Cinna-bun, carrot cake, mint cookie, pina colada, papaya lime … sweet or savory there are shake recipes for you. They are satisfying and taste like they really shouldn’t be allowed. It is not about depriving yourself it is about learning to tweak your daily habits.
The hardest part of the 30 day to healthy living program is realizing how much we do out of habit and convenience. We live on automatic pilot when it comes to our self care and this is what gets us into trouble. In a drive through, instant gratification society we need to take a moment to realize that food tastes better when it comes from nature and not a factory. When you fuel your body with nutrition not chemicals your life actually changes. Your body is allowed to work as it was designed which means you are in a better mood, you are able to communicate more clearly because you are not in a perpetual brain fog, your skin gets healthier, your hair gets stronger, you look and feel younger. Yes the first two weeks more than likely you are going to go through some withdraws as you detox chemicals and sugar out of your system but let me tell you it is so worth it. 7 years ago I did this program for the first time, I lost 11lbs and many inches in my first month. I kept a shake for breakfast and added lunch back in, after 4 months I was down over 30lbs and have kept them off. Every January I do the whole program again to start my year off intentionally. If you would like more information on how this program may help you email me at TheElegantTomboy@gmail.com and check out my website www.FrancesEsters.Arbonne.com
Having a health lifestyle is easier than you think, you deserve a happy healthy life. You can do this.
Until next time Carpe Diem!!
Guilt free Peanut butter cups
2 scoops Arbonne Chocolate Protein powder
1/4 cup organic refined coconut oil
Nut butter of choice
Silicon mini muffin tray
( 1/4 cup coconut oil for every 2 scoops of shake mix)
Blend 1/4 cup coconut oil with shake mix
In a silicon mini muffin tray fill bottom of the cup with mix, put in freezer for 5 min
Remove from freezer Add a dollop of nut butter then cover with more shake mix
Freeze for additional 5 min … pop out and enjoy!
My favorite is almond butter and sunflower seed butter. So Yum and EASY!