DAY 21
TODAY'S MISSION: THE SUMMARY OF BEAUTY!  Today was one of those days, you know the kind, I really needed some coffee! Because I've been drinking my lemon-tea detox every morning, I had no idea my Kuerig machine was on the Fritz. So, after numerous attempts and downright half-asleep begging, I gave up and headed to Dunkin Donuts in my PJ's. I was in line, waiting for my caramel skim-latte w/whip (it's amazing what you can have when you do a metabolism boosting yoga everyday!). The woman in line behind me said to the barista, "I'd like a large, Cappuccino Blast-- the one made with ice cream, extra caramel syrup on the bottom and top of the cup please" Then she looks at me smiling and continues, "That thing is like 5,000 calories? Ha! Skinny is not in my vocabulary." I looked at her, and she was quite a vibrant, juicy (my word for 'curvy') woman. She didn't look like she was coping--she looked quite proud of herself, and full of life. I thought, "Good for you, sister--own who you are and what you want." You might find it strange that I'm talking about downing a highly caloric morning beverage made with ice cream in a weight-loss challenge.... My point is this: There is a place of equilibrium between health and hedonism where you will feel pretty darned good in your own skin. And it absolutely does not have to be (and shouldn't be) the skinniest point you could ever reach. Toning your body, detoxifying and cleansing yourself and becoming fit does not equate, at least not in my world, with trying to lose as much weight as humanly possible. What I want you to aim for with this challenge, and as you move from here into your new, healthy lifestyle, is to above all, feel beautiful, and enjoy your life!! It's not balance if you're trying to force yourself into some mold of what other people think is attractive. When you rock your unique brand of beauty, and your individual healthy set-point, then you will look your best. Super-skinny does not look good on everyone, nor is it necessarily going to make you healthy or happy. I'm 5'5" and naturally small-boned. Someone once nick-named me 'Bird' because of my tiny wrists, and its true. I like my bird wrists regardless, but its true. At my age and bone-structure,120-130 pounds looks and feels the best on me, but when going through rough emotional times, I can easily start overworking and under-eating, and I get down to 115. That's model-weight, something many women may aspire. However, I do not look like a model when I get under 120. I look like me, with a saggy face and no butt. I look weak and sickly. Then again, I've also been 40 pounds heavier than this and I can tell you, if I gain that much more weight than my natural set point, I look puffy and strange. Plus, that means I'm eating too much and not processing what I don't need. When I gain too much weight, not only do I look horrible, I feel the part as well. I feel heavy, overloaded and eventually lazy. The heavier I became the more difficult it was to motivate myself for change. People close to me start getting concerned at either side of my spectrum. And they should, because I have gone out of balance, and they can see it and feel it. The most important lesson in this challenge is figuring out your own comfort zone and then remaining their for optimum health and confidence! When you, like me, are eating fresh, whole foods, exercising on more days of the week than not, sleeping regularly, watching your stress levels and gathering people around you that uplift and inspire you to do your life's work, then you will be at whatever weight is most beautiful on you. More importantly, you'll have the energy not just to survive, but to thrive, every day. When you can agree that your best self ever may not look like an airbrushed magazine shoot, which is impossible to attain, even by the people modeling in them, and rock who you are, you will become so attractive that it won't even matter what the freaking scale says. Now wouldn't that be a beautiful thing??  TODAY'S HEALTH TIP: ENDING CRAVINGS FOREVER!! Most people fall into one of two categories; sweet or salty cravings. I am a sweet craver- salty foods do not do much for me. Gummy Bears and Chewy Spree used to be my go-to craving foods. Thankfully, due to my increased awareness of why I crave and a more balanced diet full of healthy carbs and proteins, my cravings are far less common than they used to be. Now they come when I am sleep deprived and emotionally depleted. Cravings~ a psychological phenomenon with real biological conditions and root causes. We develop awareness of cravings as we age and become more aware of our bodies. We notice how cravings change over time and we love to discuss the particular cravings of pregnant women. The body is amazing. It knows when to go to sleep, wake up, go to the bathroom, maintain 98.6 degrees and tighten the eyes when the light gets bright. It completes the miracle of pregnancy and childbirth without instruction of any kind. Your heart never misses a beat. Your lungs are always breathing. The body is a super-computer and it never makes mistakes. Look at the foods, deficits and behaviors in your life that are the underlying causes of your cravings. Many people view cravings as weakness, but really they are important messages meant to assist you in maintaining balance. When you experience a craving, deconstruct it. Ask yourself, what does my body really want and why? Causes of Cravings
The most important lesson in this entire challenge, and I cannot stress this enough, is to become the absolute BEST YOU possible, you must LISTENING to YOUR BODY and what it wants, what it needs, what makes it feel bad and what makes it feel wonderful and adjust your daily routines and life accordingly!!  TODAY'S DIET TIP: TRANSFORM BORING INTO BEAUTIFUL Any time I make something to eat, I strive to make it beautiful. This could be as simple as a fabulous white plate, with a bed of greens or maybe even some red cabbage leaves for a nice hint of color. Instead of dumping the food on the plate, I might carefully pile it high or layer it, completing the dish with either a garnish of fresh herbs, edible flowers, chopped roasted red pepper, sassy little capers or maybe some lemon or orange zest. Even if I'm making a meal just for me, I arrange it how I would love it to be presented to me by someone else or how I would present it to the people I love...because I love me too, and when I eat, I want to eat something that's sacred, cared for and pretty (just like me;)!  TODAY'S BONUS RECIPE: Rainbow Veggie Wrap 1 Ezekiel or whole grain flax wrap Sliced carrot, roasted red pepper, yellow pepper and cucumber 1/2 avocado mashed Tbsp hummus Tbsp herbed goat cheese Handful of spinach and arugula Spread hummus and mashed avocado on tortilla. Layer greens, carrots, peppers, cucumber and cheese in the center of the wrap and roll up. Enjoy the beautiful rainbow wrap!! TODAY'S FINAL YOGA / MEDITATION TIP:  We've condensed and expanded our yoga routines with Sadie. We've found some bikini, ab and energy boosting routines. I've even shared a super-short brain stimulating yoga practice discovered and practiced by leading scientists at the NIH. So, today, the last day of the challenge, I want to share the Chakra stimulating mediation that will reinforce everything we've done both mentally and physically over the past 21 days and bring everything into perfect balance.
 TODAY'S HOMEWORK As noted in the Causes of Cravings, our primary foods also need tending to and harmonizing. These are all the non-edible food elements of our lives. A great tool for assessing these aspects of our lives is an activity called The Circle of Life, which I learned in my counseling coursework for my Masters in EduPsy and have continued to use for personal and coaching/counseling purposes throughout the years. This exercise will help you discover which primary foods need attention to create more balance in your life. If the directions are confusing, take a look at my Circle above.
Is it just me, or does my 'circle' look very similar to the shape of WV?? Obviously, I purposefully choose tabs that need work. If you've been reading my other blog Random Chaos, you know why these areas need work. Now, I can clearly see the unlevelness of my personal goals or my circle of a balanced life and will be able to easily compare the results next month after further work towards my personal goals.
Make sure your 'tabs' are personal to your goals or the activity will be useless. If you need, start with the 8 above and add from there, go for it! However, make sure at some point you are personalizing this activity for optimum benefits.
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Last day recap. Today, make sure you measure, weigh and if you'd like compare your before and after pictures. Mine will be posted by the end of the day (fingers crossed!) Also, read back over your entries today and see how much you've learned and how far you've come.
Today's Positive Affirmation
"I am beautiful... just as I am and as long as I treat my body with love, kindness and respect, I will remain such for eternity!"
Well, congratulations on completing your 21 Day Challenge!!
As I stated in the beginning of this challenge, studies show that it takes 21 days to create the neurotransmitters necessary to create a new life-long lasting habit. For this reason, I chose 21 days as the length of this life-changing challenge to be the most Amazing You Ever! Don't believe the validity of this research? Try to Google search '21 day' .... anything and see what pops up!!
Now that you have completed the 21 days, I must say congrats.. YOU DID IT and I am so freaking proud of YOU!! If you missed a few days, remained hesitant to really begin as you read along, I invite you, now to start with Day 1 & complete the challenge in its entirety. As I work on finishing up the book that compliments this blog, I will continue to add additional research, recipes, worksheets and videos. So, you will be at no loss completing the challenge after posting dates!
If you love the way you feel and look and would like to continue on this path to complete well-being, but feel as though you need further support, please don't hesitate to contact me at any step of the way. Whether you are on Day 2 or 20, whether you wish to share your success or need help in an area that you've become stuck, I am here!
Click here to contact me for FREE SUPPORT for a limited time!!
Good Luck!!
Love, Stephanie
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