The Lemonade Cleanse

been doing this cleanse called the "Lemonade Cleanse". I have done alot of research on certain types of these cleanses, and the lemonade one is definitely the safest and healthiest approach. I am doing it for two reasons-- 1. There is extreme benefit in cleansing your body of toxins and wastes and letting it just cleane itself out. It's not recommended you do these very often, so I do one about every 3 months, and they last anywhere from 3 to 10 days. I'm sure you could do longer, but you have to keep in mind what's safe and best for you. and 2. I recommend a cleanse to jump start any weight loss oal you might have. Like I said, these cleanses rid your body of chemicals, wastes and toxins that build up over time, and with all the liquids you drink, you are flushing them all out. If you stick to it faithfully, you can expect to lose a significant amount of weight rather rapidly. Again, this is not a diet. It is a cleanse, which means temporary!! The safe amount of weight to lose is about 1-1.5 pounds a week. With this cleanse, I lost about 3 lbs in a week. Again, rapid, but not for long.

I would encourage you each to give this a shot!! It is hard, believe me. But already I feel alot more energy, I feel lighter, and just all around better. The first 3 days are the most difficult, but then you get used to it. I would strongly recommend doing this with a friend or buddy. The accountability will be vital! And prepare, prepare, prepare. I ate just fruits and vegetables while on this cleanse (I contiued to workout 6 days a week and was also working full time so I needed the calories.) Go shopping and stock up on FRESH fruits and veggies--no canned. Frozen berries were a great help for me--i mafe all fruit smoothies with water every day for breakfast. And drink that water too!

Here's the recepie and a few more helpful tidbits. Good luck! Please please contact me with any questions!

 

'After reading so many good things about the lemonade diet, do you feel the excitement of doing the diet too? The Lemonade Diet a.k.a. the Master Cleanse is one of the most famous diets in United States nowadays because it helps tens of thousands of people to cleanse their body and lose weight at the same time every year!

Many people have visited our site and enquired about losing weight on the lemonade diet – whether your weight will yo-yo back, or are you losing water weight or fats, or simply how much weight would you lose after 10 days?

If you want to detoxify and cleanse your body of all the toxins and wastes that have accumulated in your body for years, then you should try the lemonade diet.

Important note: Lemonade diet is a 10 day fast which you are only allowed to drink the lemonade concentrate and nothing else. Even though the steps are easy to follow, but if you missed out any instructions, it may affect your health. Hence it is important that you do your research properly before you embark on the cleanse. By right, any fasting should have some supervision by a fasting professional if one is doing a fast that is longer than 3-5 days.

**** I did eat all the fruits and veggies I wanted with this (Hannah)***

So let’s find out some basics and the recipe for the lemonade diet.
Firstly, the Lemonade Diet, also known as the Master Cleanse Diet, allows you to consume a lemonade concoction, for the entire period of the diet. Quintessentially, you are required to drink at least 60 oz of the lemonade concoction, a day; water is permitted as well. However, drinking and eating other food than the requirement is not allowed.
On top of that, you would need to take both the salt water flush and the laxative tea in the morning and evening respectively.

These ingredients must be properly mixed to come up with the correct lemonade concoction:
o 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
o 2 tablespoons of grade B organic maple syrup
o A 10th of a teaspoon of powdered organic cayenne pepper
o Distilled water in 10 oz glasses

You would need to drink at least 6-10 servings a day. There are no specific guidelines when you should drink the lemonade, but as a rule of thumb, drink it when you are hungry.

• Lemon Juice
Approximately ½ of a lemon will be needed to create 2 tablespoons of the juice. If making a whole day’s supply is preferred, bear in mind lemon juice will spoil in 8 hours, regardless of placing the lemon juice in the fridge.
Never use canned lemon juice, as canned lemon juice no longer contains the needed vitamins and nutrients. Our body needs all the nutrients that is only available from fresh lemon juice because only the lemonade will be consumed for the entire 10 days of the Master Cleanse.
Do remember to use organic lemons because non-organic lemons contain toxins like pesticides, otherwise it will defeat the purpose of doing the master cleanse.

• Grade B Organic Maple Syrup
Only use the Grade B Organic Maple Syrup. Other types of maple syrup are not appropriate for The Lemon Diet. Grade B Organic Maple Syrup should not be mistaken for commercial maple syrup used on pancakes, the two are different maple syrup.

Grade B are also more superior in terms of nutritional value. Many websites are saying that as long as you are using the organic maple syrup, then it should be fine. But the truth is if you really can’t find the grade B Organic Maple Syrup, then you have no choice but to use the organic maple syrup.

• Powdered Cayenne Pepper
The powerful healing properties of Cayenne Pepper should never be taken for granted. Regarded as one of the world’s best healing herbs, Cayenne Pepper increases the body’s blood flow. Has a rich amount of vitamins B and C. Cayenne Pepper is known to prevent heart attacks. Powdered Cayenne Pepper is highly recommended, compared to ungrounded Cayenne Pepper
Most of the time, participants find it difficult to acquire the taste of the powdered cayenne pepper. They couldn’t really drink the lemonade with the cayenne pepper and give up halfway.
If you find it difficult to drink it too, here’s a tip… You should actually start off with a little cayenne pepper and get use to the taste and slowly add more cayenne pepper. Don’t use the cayenne pepper pills manufactured by the pharmaceutical companies as most of the time, most of the nutritional value in the cayenne pepper will be gone.
How much of cayenne pepper is needed in the capsules? Just a measure of 1/10 teaspoon of a powdered cayenne pepper will do.

Salt Water Flush
When you are embark on the lemonade diet, you would need to do the salt water flush every morning during the cleanse. To prepare the salt water flush, you can mix a teaspoon of organic sea salt (non-iodized) with 25-35 oz of warm water. If you find the solution hard to drink, you can try using distilled water under room temperature. Some of our readers mixed a little lemon juice with the salt water flush to make it easier to drink.

Laxative Tea
You need non-caffeinated laxative tea for the lemonade diet. One usually drink the laxative tea just before they go to bed. You can get organic green or peppermint tea for the cleanse.
If you are unable to withstand the salt water flush, you can drink the laxative tea in the morning too. But if you find that you do not have frequent bowel elimination, you might want to consider doing the salt water flush.

Do You Know?

One of the reasons that this cleanse is able to detoxify your body so well is because almost all of these ingredients are alkalizing. Lemons and cayenne pepper are one of the most alkalizing foods in the whole world. You will probably ask the question “Ain’t lemons acidic?”.
If we test it using a litmus paper before we consume, yes it is acidic. But once it get digested in our stomach, it will form water, carbon dioxide and an inorganic compound. This inorganic compound is what they usually called it as an ash. The researchers would then test this ash to see whether if it is acidic or alkaline. The ash from lemons and cayenne pepper are alkaline whereas maple syrup is slightly acidic or neutral.
As a whole, the entire lemonade concentrate is alkaline and that helps you to alkalize your body. If you have been eating the Standard American Diet for a long time, chances are your body is very acidic and that would lead to illnesses, diseases and cancer.
After the lemonade diet, you may want to change your diet and lifestyle towards the alkaline way. That way, you would have a healthy, energized and a naturally great body.'

http://lemonadedietrecipe.org/

WOW.

So HEY EVERYONE!
Hahah okay well I stopped writing on here because honestly, I didn't think anyone was reading it! However, I see that I actually have a few interested readers, which is just AWESOME!
Because of that, I am definitely gonna start posting on here regularly! I just started a new phase in my own journey towards a happier, healthier me, so I will be sharing stuff I learn along the way.

Remember, your body is a temple of the Lord. Treat it well!


I'll write soon :)

Some Practicals!

SO....some practicals for this week!  Here are a few suggestions on some little things you can do to help you start your weight loss/healthier living lifestyle:

1. Write down your goal!

Only 3% of people in this day in age actually write down their goals, yet those 3% are the ones that are successful. So go ahead and do it! Write down your goals! Stick then all over the place. On your fridge, on your computer, on your bathroom mirror....keeping your goals in mind helps more than anything, and writing it down finalizes it in your mind. What is it? A pair of jeans? Being able to run a race? It needs to be specific, and attainable. Be realistic, but don't be afraid to dream big too.

My goal right now is I want to be able reach the P90X level in my workout by Christmas, and be able to do 500 repetitions in my AbsRipper workout. Challenging? Yes. Realistic? Yes. Possible? YES!

2. Get a food journal

Recording everything you eat and drink is going to no only open your eyes to how much you might be eating and how often, but will also be an encouragement to go back in read as time goes on and your habits start to change. In your journal, I would suggest breaking your entries up by day. For each day, write the time you eat, what you ate, how much, and what you were feeling when you ate it. The goal here is to help you start to see patterns in your eating habits. Do you eat when you are bored? Depressed? Whenever you feel like it? Finding out about yourself in this sense is going to be extremely helpful in finding ways to overcome bad habits.

3. Find an exercise venue

I may not be a health expert or anything, but I do know that you cannot lose weight and gain muscle if you don't exercise. There is no way around it friends. You just gotta suck it up and do it. I know working out seem daunting and time consuming, but I am tellin you: it works. The secret here is you need to find active things you enjoy. Nobody wants to be miserable when they are working out. That by no means helps our goal of thinking positive thoughts ;) So yes. Find something. Join a gym. Sign up for a class! Zumba, cycling, swimming, hiking, tennis....the possibilities are endless. Just make sure it is something you are going to stay committed to. And there is no rule that says you have to always do just one thing! The point is learning to incorporate activity into your life, not necessarily always put it in it's own category. You have to work hard though. No beating around the bush. Taking the stairs is not gonna cut it. For weight loss purposes, you need to be getting at least 45 minutes of good, hard activity per day. More on that later...

4. Get a food scale and measuring cups

Portion control. Portion control. Portion control. No more guessing. I challenge you this week to measure everything. Look on the back of the box next time you go for the cereal. You will be shocked when you measure out the portion size, I am just tellin you. But you know what? It really isn't that bad. You will learn to eat portions eventually and not feel deprived. Your ice cream will look like a golf ball, your steak will seem pathetic, and yes, you will look at 1/2 cup of cereal and be like, "Are you kidding me?!" But just suck it up, and remember what you are making all these sacrifices for. "NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS FEELING GREAT!" -Jillian Michaels

5. Get the materials you are going to need.

I suggest a good water bottle (start drinking that water folks!!!), some exercise clothes, a pair of tennis shoes reserved for your workouts, equipment like a yoga mat and hand weights, (these can be good if you are going to be an at home exercise video person like me!),good, upbeat music for working out, and a cookbook for healthier eating. Also, there are countless blogs, websites and places to get tips for purging your kitchen.

One final thing.

I cannot recommend the program Weight Watchers enough. It is just really amazing. It addresses everything I have just talked about, and their whole approach to weight loss is just great. I strongly encourage you to join. It really opened my eyes and gave me hope for my weight loss journey. Check out their website here.

And for exercise motivation , check out Jillian Michael's website. This girl inspired me so much to stop whining about my weight, and just suck it up and get tough and fight for what I wanted, which was to be strong and healthy. She has so many tips and inspirational things to say, so I greatly encourage you to check her out too!

Never despise meager beginnings.

Okay, so we all know that the idea of being a strong, fit, and healthy individual  appeals to us, correct? I don't think I have ever met anyone who said they enjoyed being extremely overweight, feeling tired and down a lot, and not to mention, enjoyed dealing with all the medical risks and problems that often accompany an overweight lifestyle. Our culture worships this image, and has elevated it to unbelievable heights, to the point that if you are fat or even a little overweight, you are dismissed and discredited as being lazy, lacking self-control, and just a weak willed and minded person. How screwed up is this?!
I want it to be known right here and now that I am not by any means endorsing the life-style I will be describing because I feel we need to respond to the world's tug to be perfect. That is where people get hung up. They guilt trip themselves into the diet. They guilt trip themselves into the exercise. They guilt trip themselves into saying no to the desserts. This is NOT how it should be! I am here to tell you that if you want to see success, you can think nothing but positive thoughts about yourself, your journey, and your progress. This battle cannot be won if your mind is in the wrong place. But more on that later...

Beginnings. Oh, they are hard. They frighten us because we are stepping into unknown territories. We are afraid of the sacrifices and commitments we know we are going to have to make along the way. We don't want our little comfortable universe to be rocked and changed. These are completely legitimate feelings, friends. And on top of that, the whole situation can leave you feeling vulnerable. Admitting you have a problem either with food, weight, exercise (or lack thereof hehe) in itself is not only extremely difficult, but extremely wonderful!! I did not start seeing success until I verbally stated with my mouth that "I need to change." Now, I'm not telling you to go post all over your Facebooks and Twitters and Blogs, "Hi, my name is ---------------, and I need to lose weight." Haha no no no.

But, what I would encourage you to do is to let a couple of your close family members/ friends know about your desire to be healthier, and invite them into the process. Never, ever, underestimate the power of a support system, no matter how small. My support is my family. My mom is my biggest fan. Se says my journey has inspired her. (Haaaha which is funny, cuz she's the one who inspires me!) I also have 3 younger sisters, all of whom are the best encourager's, coaches and helpers. Sometimes that support comes by one of them riding their bike next to me while I run, or one of them yelling "You go girl!" when I am out on the mat in the garage doing abs workouts, or even something as simple as, "Hans! You are lookin real good girl!" These are just a few examples of how much effect supporters have. You may think you can do this solo, but you really can't.

Below is a post from a blog I found. Just 5 simple reasons to live a healthy lifestyle. I got it from here.

There are many reasons for healthy, active living (definitely more than 5)… and all the reasons are just as important as one another. Really, they are not to be seen separately. All your reasons support each other like bricks work together to support a house.

REASON #5. STRESS RELIEVER

Healthy active living will relieve stress and allow you to handle problems better. Stress can be brought on by many things: work, diet, family, friends, holidays, too much caffeine, not enough sleep, kids, parents… the list goes on and on. Healthy living is a great way to help you deal with day-to-day problems. After working out, your body releases endorphins that give you a sense of euphoria, accomplishment, and satisfaction. Just 30 minutes a day will change the rest of your life. When you embrace a healthy lifestyle, you start becoming more efficient and focused at whatever you do. If you say you don’t have time to work out, what you’re really saying is that you’d prefer to be stressed out.

REASON #4. FAT BURNER

In addition to being a fat burner, healthy living relieves you of the slavery to another diet. Forget about dieting. Instead, make small changes in the way you eat… with the intention of changing the way you eat FOREVER. But, be realistic… have balance and allow for slippage. It takes self-control and self-discipline, but you can eat a lot of foods that other people can’t eat if you change your overall lifestyle. Why? Healthy living involves exercising… which burns off lots of calories, meaning you can spoil yourself every now and then.

REASON #3. INCREASED ENERGY

A healthy lifestyle raises the maximum amount of oxygen your muscles can use by almost 50%. This means more energy and less dependency on caffeine, just in case you’re a heavy coffee drinker. It also means you will have to drink more water which is good for all systems in the body and improves memory.

REASON #2. INCREASED CONFIDENCE

Even if you only begin your exercise routine with 5 minutes and you build from there… you will still experience a great degree more confidence in everything you say and do. Afraid to tell a girl you like her? Start working out you will notice your body and mind improving together. You’ll notice your poor self-esteem being replaced by a new sense of self-assurance. And you’ll find that confidence can make a huge difference in virtually EVERY area of your life.

REASON #1. YOU!

YOU are the most important reason to embrace a healthy lifestyle. All other reasons stem from you, because you are the root. If you love yourself (and you should), then a healthy active lifestyle is a good way to express it. It allows you to prove what your body and mind are truly capable of. Ask around…virtually NO ONE has ever felt worse about themselves after starting a workout routine. It may be difficult at first, but after you get over the 3-day hump you will start to build a passion for it (or at least some tolerance!) and you will look at yourself in a whole new light. Your entire perspective can change… as you begin to see the world as full of opportunities instead of obligations.

You can still be a good person and not have a reason for living a healthy life, but if you understand the reasons for healthy active living than you can still become a BETTER person. Healthy living is about always trying to improve one’s life. It’s a journey not a destination. Enjoy the journey!

So there you have it. Just a few reasons to make the choice to change. Let today be the day! I can promise you right now that you will never regret making these changes in your life, but one day you will regret not making them! Being healthy and strong changes your whole outlook on life, and really transforms the way you live. And as that post said, living healthy is a constant, life-long journey. It is a lifestyle change. It is not going to happen over night. But you will see results if you are faithful at working hard to reach your goals. It has taken me almost 2 years to lose just a little bit of weight. And I would be lying if I said that I haven't been discouraged sometimes. BUT when I remind myself that there is no timeline, no race, no deadline, I find it easier to breathe and keep going. Because there is no rush. Results will come. Patience. You will need to have alot of it.

Well!! That was probably the longest post in the history of blogging, but I hope it was helpful. As you can see, I am very passionate about all this, and love encouraging others to go for it!! All the best on your journey!!

Powerful Beyond Measure...

so i was getting ready to do my first post on here...and suddenly this was brought to my mind, and i was like "Oh my goodness,  this is EXACTLY what I wanted to say!" Read this. Believe it. Act on it. Because it is true! Let go of your fear. We were not meant to be afraid, but strong and confident in the Lord. This applies to our heath  too!!

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, 

fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people 

won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -Marianne Williamson

Please watch this!! (Pause the music at the bottom of the page!) 
This is from one of my favorite movies, Facing the Giants. Be encouraged!! If you want success in this friends, you are going to have to fight for it, and give it your BEST!

The Deathcrawl

Joy in the Journey.

Hey all!

My name is Hannah, and I just want to start off this blog by letting you know how unbelievably excited I am about this. It has been on my heart and mind for quite awhile now to share with others about my journey to a healthier lifestyle. I am very passionate about nutrition, healthy living, and cultivating not only a sound and fit body, but also a sound mind. I have walked through a lot, and have learned a lot over the years...and am still learning!!

This is just going to be a place where I will share some stories from my journey, some tips and practicals about living healthy, and really just wanting to provide encouragement for all of you out there who might feel like being healthy is just not possible. "Oh it only works for that person", or "it's just too hard for me", or oh, "I'll never look like that person, so why even bother?! Pass the cupcakes please!" Friends, these are lies and just stumbling blocks preventing you from realizing your potential.

 

You can be healthy.

You can be successful.

You can be confident.

I hope you will be able to find hope and motivation regarding your journey towards healthy living, and that you will always, always,  always remember that there is SO much joy to be found along the way!

Please! Please comment or email me with things you would like to read on here! The whole purpose is to benefit and encourage my readers, so I greatly appreciate all your input!

Here's to change, success, and more and more and more JOY!