White Sugar... the LEGAL DRUG.

I am reading an awesome book, "Fit for My King: His Princess 30-Day Diet Plan and Devotional." I'm not on a diet. For myself I am trying to impliment a new lifestyle. It is showing to be a bit challenging as I am the pickiest eater on the planet and would much rather have a bowl of mac and cheese then figure out what happy, healthy foods I do like. But mac and cheese is not going to help me reach my health and fitness goals so I stay far far away! 

I wanted to share a part of this book talking about white sugar. When I read this is BLEW MY MIND! I hope it's an eye opener for you guys as well. We are the only ones who can take control of our eating habbits. I know it can be hard when we are programmed a certain way. My eating habbits are lazy and will take effort and to deprogram myself, but if it means a healthier me and a better example for my daughter then I am going to do it. 

Without further adieu...

"I have to admit that those sugary treats taste like heaven going down, but they torment our bodies while passing through. Think about what happens to a car when someone puts sugar in the gas tank: it kills the engine. Our bodies react in a similar way. Believe it or not, sugar should be labled "legal drug." Our bodies actually go into a state of DETOXIFICATION when we give this up, with withdrawl symptoms  similar to what an alcoholic experiences giving up alcohol. (!!!!) God created the natural form of sugar found in raw fruits, raw vegetables, and honey and molasses. These sweeteners provide fuels for the cells of the body. But man stepped in and "enhanced" God's sugar by using FOURTEEN STEPS to process sugarcane and sugar beets to make sucrose. 

There's an excellent book called "Sugar Blues" by William Dufty. I'm going to share some of the things I learned from this book as well as some information I've picked up from the internet: "Bleached white sugar has a toxic, drugging effect on the body. Even in small doses, it causes the immune system's capability to decrease by as much as 50 percent. When it enters the bloodstream, it takes on the forms of carbonic acid (!), acetic acid (!) and alcohol (!). Acetic acid literally burns up  our cells. (!!!!!!)"

Sugar has been known to contribute to depression, fatigue, irritability, hypoglycemia, diabetes, hyperactivity, and violent outrages. A study was done at a mental hospital in which the patients had all bleached white sugar and bleached white flour removed from their diets. Within thirty days, 50 percent of the patients had their mental health RESTORED. 

The average american consumes 120 pounds a year of this sweet white stuff, and unfortunately we're usually addicted to sugar as infants before we ever get home from the hospital. (Bottled sugar water is the beverage of choice my hospitals.)

The goods news is we can kick the habit. As we wean ourselves from sugary foods and drinks, our taste buds become retrained, and our overindulged cravings for sweets diminish."

HOLY AMAZING INFORMATION BATMAN! I don't know about you guys, but I am not okay with putting this kind of crap in my body. I never knew this kind of information. I honestly wasn't even concerned. But the mirror doesn't lie. And once you start really looking at what you are putting in your body you see how much damage you are doing. Knowledge is power. Lets educate ourselves on what we are putting in us! 

Take two

"Don't be afraid of growing slowly... be afraid of standing still."

How is that for food for thought? A friend of mine had this as her facebook status a few days ago and it has really stuck with me. I have been standing still... for far too long. Are you at a stand still in your life? My dad always says that intentions are sweet, but actions are meaningful. You can have the best intentions, but if you don't act on them, then what good are they? So, what's holding me back? Myself. My insecurities. I find that most people, when faced with a challenge, think to themselves, "what if I fail?" What if we could change how we think. What if instead of immediately thinking negatively we turned it around and thought, "what if I succeeded and I'm amazing?"

Now when I created this blog it was for my health and fitness journey. I kind of got off on the wrong foot with that before. I forgot to include someone who is kind of a big deal, God. There is no way I can succeed  without committing my fitness journey to Him. Period. And I didn't. I made excuses. I got extremely discouraged rather quickly. This is the type of journey for me where I have to plug in daily... not just the workouts. Yes, I have to put in the time and effort with the workouts, the eating right, the support system of my fellow BOMBSHELL DYNASTY peps (HOLLA!!), but I have to daily plug in with Jesus and recharge. That's the only way I will ever accomplish my goals and my dreams.

1. I want to be healthy and active.
2. I want to inspire others to be healthy and active.
3. To grow my Beachbody business and be successful.
4. To make my coach, friends and my sweet family proud of me.

Everyone on a journey starts out at the same place... the beginning. It's so easy to get caught up in arriving at the destination. Let's slow down and enjoy the journey.

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3

Say what?!

Tuesday one of the most amazing things happened to me. Someone told me that I INSPIRED them to face a battle they have been dealing with for a DECADE and seek help for it. ALKSJDAIEUQWIJEQ! That's what my brain did after she told me that. For those of you not familiar with my own battle let me fill you in.

I've been sad, for a long time. And I have terrible anxiety. That too has been around since as long as I can remember. For many years I swept all my issues under the rug and blamed it on being really emotional. The stigma surrounding depression and anxiety made me feel like if I admit it then I would be a freak and people would look down on me. I care a lot about what people think about me, but that's a whole other separate issue! Moving on. After I had my daughter I came down with some serious postpartum depression. Add that with the depression I've been caring for years and mix some anxiety in there and everything just blew up in my face. I started drinking. A lot. It's what I used to cope. I felt like a terrible mother. I just wanted to escape all my sadness and guilt so I would send my daughter to my parents and stay wasted all weekend. Then Sunday afternoon would roll around and I would have to get back in touch with reality. I was really struggling. I wasn't being the best mom to my daughter. I was being a horrible wife to my husband. And I really didn't like myself. One morning, and by morning I mean like 3am, I woke up. One of the many nights I woke up in the middle of the night bc my guilt and sadness would follow me into my dreams. I just cried and cried and cried in the dark. (isn't this the worst story ever? I know! Imagine living it. Yuck!) I found myself on facebook and I made a decision. I was coming out of the closet I had been hiding in. I wrote a note on fb  telling the world I was sad. Basically everything I just said here, I said there too. I felt like the only way I would ever be able to hold myself accountable and to seek help is if I just stood on a mountain top (so to speak) and shouted to the world my problems. Now I thought to myself this could go two ways... 1. People will think I'm an issue ridden freak who should delete her fb and get her issues out of their newsfeed. OR 2. People wouldn't really care. Well, I did get some of number one. I had a good friend of mine, well I thought she was a good friend, react in a not so nice way. She said some terrible things to me like I was a horrible mother and I'd rather get wasted then be with my child. I tried to explain that I was depressed, but she just didn't get it. I haven't spoken to her since, which makes me sad. BUT with the bad came a lot of very sweet and genuine support. Some of which came from people I hadn't even talked to since 10th grade Latin class! Crazy, I know. I was sincerely blown away by how many people told me that they had similar situations they had gone through and that I was doing the right thing. In the coming days and weeks people would write me and tell me how much they admired me for going public with my problems and for being so brave to seek help. And then Tuesday happened.....

Now with ALLLLLLL that being said... I have a friend who I have known for like 6 years. Life has taken us down different paths and we are currently on the complete opposite sides of the country. Tuesday was my doctors appointment. I took a deep breath, made a long list of my issues (i didn't want to forget anything) and went to the doctor. I was terrified. My anxiety was through the roof and I even teared up waiting for the doctor to come into the room. But.. I DID IT! I told a total stranger that I had more issues than Rolling Stone and People magazine combined. And he was nice! And understanding! And came up with a plan of how I can tackle this sadness/anxiety problem I have. I mean I was giving myself a high five. I can't tell you how many doctors appointments I have made and canceled through the years. But I truly love my husband and my daughter. And they deserve the best Beth that I can be. And I know that for them... and me too... that I had to finally do it. And I did. And I feel like a super hero.

That afternoon I got on fb. My chat window popped up and it was my friend. Small talk at first. How are yous? Stuff like that. Then she laid it on me. She said she was planning on going to a meeting for something she had been battle for nearly 10 years. And she said I INSPIRED HER TO FACE THIS. I have never been so humbled in my life. I inspired her? Me? I was blown away. I still am! There's nothing special about me. I'm just a stay at home wife and mother battling an illness that has consumed me in every way possible. I would hardly call that inspiring. But in a single moment of complete despair and being so desperate that I didn't know which way was up, I told the world I was sad. In that moment I staked claim over my depression. It no longer had a claim over me. And apparently by doing that and by following through and seeking professional help, I became and example. An example that you can overcome depression. You can overcome whatever battle you are facing. You just... well you have to face it. And when you find the courage and the strength to rise up and say Hi, my name is ____ and I am battling _____. Then YOU own IT. No longer does IT own YOU.

If any of you out there are going through something that is bigger then you then I encourage you first and foremost to pray about it. I have cried out to God more times the past couple of months that I lost count. He hears you. I promise He hears you. In your most desperate moments GOD IS WITH YOU! And He will give you the courage and the strength to overcome whatever it is you are battling. If you'd like to talk about anything I'm always here. I know what it feels like to struggle in silence. And just as so many of you have been there for me while I'm going through my journey, I'd love to be there for you. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I lost a lot of years and a lot of happiness I could have had letting my depression consume me. You can break free of those shackles!

I want to again thank my friend. You know who you are. You didn't have to share that with me, but you did. And I am so thankful you did. It has been such a blessing knowing that through my own struggle I inspired someone to face their own struggle. That is some powerful stuff !

My biggest inspiration

is my daughter. Every time I look at her she makes me want to be my very best. She is my biggest motivation. I want to be the best role model for her in every aspect of life. Some days I find myself just staring at her and saying, WOW! I am so thankful that God chose me to be her mommy and that he chose her to be my daughter. She is the very best part of who I am and makes me want to be the best Beth I can be. I want to be that for her.

What kind of inspiration and motivation do you have in your life? Whatever it may be, cling to it. Especially on those tough days. Whatever tough days you have whether it be with diet and exercise or just a bad day at work. Having that motivating "thing" in your life is going to make all the difference. Some times we need a reminder or why we are making positive changes in our life. The journey can be hard. We can be so consumed on the destination and getting there. If thats you then just take some time and reevaluate why you are doing what you are doing. Loosing weight is one of my goals for this year. I have a few on my list. Beside my list I have a picture of my daughter. Whenever I get down or frustrated I see her smiling face and I'm reminded why I'm on this journey in the first place. I want to be the best I can be.... for her.

Hey Hey Hey

WELCOME TO MY BLOG! I'm so glad you could join me on this journey I have embarked on. For those of you who have no clue what I am talking about allow me to catch you up to speed!

A couple of weeks ago I decided I was done. I was done eating processed foods and feeling so run down and tired all the time. I was done being a fatty and feeling sad after a day at the beach seeing all the "skinny girls" in their bikinis. And I was so done hearing, "Oh you just had a baby." Hello, I had a baby 4 months ago. It's time for a CHANGE !! Not only was I ready for a change, but I was finally ready to make that change! Making decisions in your mind is only half the battle. You actually gotta get up and make things happen. So I did. I got out a big garbage bag and I completely emptied out my cabinets and fridge. I threw away everything !! It felt good and at the same time I said whoa what am I gonna eat now?! I decided I was gonna eat clean. Oh and I convinced my sweet husband he should do the same. What good would it be if he had "his food" and I had "my food?" I bet his food would be really tempting !! So I got him on board and off to the grocery store we went. $200 later we were stoked up lean meats (organic) like chicken and white fish. We bought tons of fresh (organic) veggies like cucumber, lettuce, romaine, carrots, spinach, celery (just to name a few). And lots of fresh (organic... getting the theme?) fruits as well, like watermelon, strawberrys, grapes (I love grapes!!) and apples. I won't lie. The first week was ROUGH. Saying goodbye to chips and mayo was hard for me. My new daily diet is missing all grains, dairy and sugar. But even after just a few days of eating completely CLEAN I could really tell a difference. When I ate I didn't feel weighed down and tired afterwards. Now nutrition is a big part in trying to get in shape and loose weight, but its not everything. You gotta get a little sweaty too!

That's where P90X comes in! I am on day 2. Well I guess day 3 now bc I did day 2 earlier. ;) I know its going to be a challenge. But its time! Now please don't confuse what I am doing as diet and exercise. This is a full blown LIFESTYLE CHANGE. When I threw all that crappy food in the garbage I meant for it to stay there forever. I am never looking back at my laziness and poor eating habits I use to have. It's full steam ahead at a new Beth... or BETHALICIOUS ! The best part my hubs is on board for it all.
Accountability partners are so important! When I'm struggling through a part on P90X he is right there saying, "Come on babe you got this!" And then I'm like, YEA! I got this!

So, that's where I'm at folks. I have started a journey into a totally new lifestyle and you are invited to join me. There will be ups and there will be downs. But you are more then welcome to be there through it all. I am gonna post my before pics and then as I progress in the program I will post 30 day, 60 day and then finally those 90 pics !!



Here they are... my BEFORE pics. These were taken June 7, 2011. Time to BRING IT !!

**I am in no way an expert on anything. I am learning! I am sure along the way I will make some mistakes. Learning how to cook is going to be a battle in itself !!**