Share this:

Are your beauty products safe?  Do they contribute to Fibroids or breast cancer?  Your baby will be okay with the baby wipes you use right? Hmmm, maybe you should click on the photo below.

Share this:

With so many diet related diseases and ailments, it makes you wonder why doesn’t everyone eat healthy.  But what is eating healthy?  Is it following the food pyramid guide that was introduced by the USDA in 1992?   But wait, that may not be wise seeing as how in 2001 the USDA lost a lawsuit against them because of their financial ties to the food industry (meat&dairy).  Wow and they were telling everyone to eat 2-3 servings of meat, 2-3 servings of dairy and 6-11 servings of bread, cereal and pasta!  I’m pretty sure that if anyone followed the food Pyramid exactly from 1992-2001, that they are overweight.  

The food Pyramid didn’t get updated til 2005 and then replaced in 2011.

There has been evidence linking dairy to breast cancer, asthma and allergies.  Beef to colon cancer and Pork to high blood pressure.       These are just to name a very small few.

As a personal trainer and a citizen of One of the most overweight countries in the world, I realized that there is a lack of knowledge regarding to what is healthy.  There is also a food addiction epidemic.

What does America and some of the other top overweight countries have in common?  Processed foods are for one.                                          Just to clear clear, if it is not how it originally grows, or you didn’t kill and prepare it yourself, it’s more than likely processed.

What If an angel told you that you are going to suffer from health problems in your late 40s -60s. What would you do? That you will be overweight and too tired to enjoy your life to the fullest at 45.  That you will develop low self-esteem because of your illness and weight issues.  That you will die before the age of 75 or if you do live beyond that you will suffer. What would you do?

What if that the angel said oh wait, I’m looking at your book of life and it looks like you have an alternate path you may take.  If you cut down your processed food intake by 50-100%, eat more vegetables than anything, stop drinking sodas, don’t fry your food, don’t eat any meat from a fast food restaurant, if you must have “junk” only 10% of the time, if you must eat meat don’t have it everyday and only have lean small portions that have been baked or grilled.  Cut out as much sugar as possible, limit your salt and exercise 3 times a week.  Would you do it?

Then The angel says, “Here is what your life may look like if you do this:  You will have a great body weight.  You will have the energy to do the things you’ve always wanted to do.  You will enjoy life, meet fun and interesting people. Your self-esteem will be good because you feel good about yourself.  You will not suffer because of health and you will live long enough to see you children grow up as well as your grandchildren.                                                                                    You will still be able to move around freely at 80.”

Now before anybody gets offended, I am aware that anything in life may happen and just because you eat right and exercise doesn’t mean a person won’t die young or have health problems.  So many other things can effect health like environment, genetics and mental state.  Also I am not implying that people overweight are less happy than people who are not.  Although I do believe that you feel good about yourself when you have made a conscious effort to take care of your body inside and out and you follow through.  Also it have been proven that you decrease your chance of developing certain ailments when you eat healthy and exercise.

I would like to suggest this challenge to you:

Map out your life over the next 20 years and see what it may look like if you continue the path you’re own.  If you continue to eat the way you do whether it’s healthy or not.  How many pounds have you gained or lost over the past year?  Now times that by 20.   Then look up the statistic of that weight as it pertains to health.  Draw a picture in your mind of how you will look.  How will you feel?  What are the things you will be able to do?  What are the things you wont?   If you don’t like the picture, take action now!  There is no magic pill to take to change your life.  Don’t trust everything that is advised to you by the USDA, media or doctors.  Be your own health detective.  Research vitamins, foods, herbs, medicine and holistic healing.

I believe God gave us everything we need here on this earth as well as free will.  So its up to you to decide the life you want.  Map out what your life will look like if you make positive changes.

What do you want your life to be like in the future?   May you be blessed with the better life.

~Lady A

Share this:

I know, I know what you’re saying… prayers aren’t always answered?  Yuh huh!!!  Yes they are!  Okay then, you’re right.  They are always answered.  So why is it then that we’ve all had moments in our lives when we’ve prayed and prayed and prayed for something and got nothing?  We’ve meditated on and visualized our desires and still… crickets.  The Bible says, “…ask and you shall receive.”  Simple, right?  Sure, as long as you’re asking for what you actually want.  And therein lies the issue.  Many times in life we are asking for things we don’t actually want.  We think we know what we want, but do we really?

One thing most people pray for in life is money!  If I were to offer you $10M right now, I bet you would take it, right?  Of course!  Now, what if as I were sliding the briefcase over to you I informed you that you couldn’t spend any of it… EVER.  What now?  Would you still want the $10M?  I’m sure the answer would be no.  What’s the point of having all that money if you can’t spend it?  So then, it’s really not the money you want is it?  Then what do you want?

You want what the money can get you.  And what can money get you?  Well there’s cars and big houses and trips and clothes and shoes and ummmm… oh!  Now you can quit the job you hate and finally pursue your passion for gardening.  Basically, now you can be free!  That’s why little pieces of green paper with men’s faces on them are so valuable… they can buy you freedom.  Freedom to do what you want, have what you want, go where you want, etc.  So really, it’s freedom that you want, but you’ve been praying for green pieces of paper!

The reality is your prayers are always answered.  The Universe, God, The Source, Consciousness whatever you call it always gives us exactly what we want.  The problem is, many times we are asking for things we don’t actually want.

Underneath every desire is a core desire; the real desire.  For money, the core desire is usually freedom.  For other desires in your life, there are other core desires.  The key is to dig beneath the surface of your superficial wish and discover what you really want when you’re asking The Universe for something.  A great way to do so is just what we did with the money example.  Ask yourself if whatever you’re desiring was all you could have, no perks, no bonuses, just the desire, would you still want it?  Would you be satisfied?  If the answer is no, then you can be sure there is a core desire underneath that must be discovered.  Usually the core desires fall into general, universal categories like:  I want to be happy.  I want to be free.  I want to have peace of mind, etc.  The Universe doesn’t work well with mixed messages.  When you are clear about what you really want it will manifest much more quickly than when your desires are clouded by confusion.

The next time you decide you want something; make sure you do a little digging first and find out what your core desire is; what is it you really want?  Then ask for that.    If you want freedom in your life, ask for freedom; not money to get you freedom.  Cut out the middle man.  Let go of the picture of how you think it should be and just ask for your core desire.  It will absolutely manifest.  God will absolutely give you what you ask for.  It may not look the way you imagined it would, but trust it will be exactly what you want!

~p~

Share this:

In beautiful sunny California, it is quite common to hear people freaking out or complaining when it rains.  Okay, you get a pass to freak out if you live somewhere in the hills, considering the risk of mudslides.  Everyone else should just relax.

Rain should be celebrated.  It is nourishment to our planet.  We want everything to be beautiful and plush without allowing the process in which it takes to get there.

I think we need cloudy and rainy days to relax our spirit a little bit.  It creates a change of pace.  Sometimes I feel so tired or lazy on a rainy day.  Instead of fighting it, I have been practicing to just flow with it.  Even if I have to work, I allow my energy to be relaxed and mellow.

It may be good to meditate while it’s raining and allow yourself to be on a different vibration than ususal.                                                             If rain brings fourth growth and vegetation to the land.  Imagine what it may bring fourth inside of you.

In places of desert such as California, people use to do rain dances to welcome rain to come.   Now I feel so many people are almost doing a go away dance every time they stump their feet and say “Aw man it’s raining.”

I mostly work outside, so no It wouldn’t be good for business if it rained everyday.  But I can appreciate it every now and then.   I need an excuse sometimes to relax and sit still.  These moments help me to check in with Self and see what I need.

So thank you rain.  Thank you for falling upon our land and making it so beautiful.  Thank you for relaxing me.  And when the sun comes back, I can appreciate it more than last time I saw it.

~A~

Share this:

Happiness is in the mind.  We’ve all heard it before and I personally know it to be true.  But this is a Universe of dualities.  Meaning, something may be true, but so may the complete opposite be as well.  It’s all about balance.  Be selfless, without being a doormat.  Have high expectations, without having unrealistic expectations.  Be organized, without being obsessive.  Balance.

So, balance and happiness huh?  Like I said, true happiness is in the mind.  No matter what your outside circumstances look like, one can always go within to find joy.  But, sometimes our outside circumstances aren’t quite helping us maintain that joyful state of mind.  Sometimes where we choose to be is exactly the opposite of where our soul would thrive.

I was born and raised in New Jersey (shout out to Jersey!).  Four years ago I made, what seemed at the time, a random decision to move out west, to Los Angeles.  I loved New Jersey.  It was my home, but my soul knew that I needed change.  I needed a fresh start.  At the time it seemed like a crazy, random, out of the blue decision to stuff all my belongings in my truck and drive across the country; but now, retrospectively, I know that I was doing exactly what my soul needed.

When I moved to L.A., I knew I was home.  Over the past four years, that feeling of being exactly where I am supposed to be has deepened.  What’s so great about L.A.?  Well, obviously there’s the weather and the palm trees and the mountains and the landscape.  L.A. is a beautiful city, but what most feeds my soul living here are the other souls I share this city with.

We are all energy.  Everything is energy, so it makes sense that similar energy gravitates to the same places on the planet.  Los Angeles, in my opinion, is full of interesting, diverse people.  The old adage, “you can’t tell a book by it’s cover” is so applicable here.  I have had some deep, amazing conversations and experiences with people whom, upon first glance, I would never think I would connect with.  This is an artist’s city, and as such, most people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting are multi-dimensional, complex beings… just like me!  Another great part of this city, is the laid back energy.  Coming from the hectic, hustle and bustle of the East Coast, it’s such a blessing to be able to chill, just chill.  Oh and let’s not forget that I am a vegan!  It’s wonderful to be in a city where I can find a vegan restaurant within a few miles of wherever I am!

So what gifts does your city give to your soul?  Or does it?  Like I said, we are all energy.  If the energy of your city doesn’t match your soul, then you may have to work that much harder to find the joy within.  If you’re a liberal hippie living in the Bible Belt, you may feel drained by the energy of your city.  If you love nature and you’re in the middle of New York City, you may find yourself just as drained as the hippie.

We all have different things that feed our soul.  The trick is to identify them.  Once you know what your soul needs, then you can seek out people, places and experiences that feed you.  Maybe you can find exactly what you need within your city.  Perhaps there’s a coffee shop or a church that is full of the energy your soul desires.  Or perhaps, you just might realize that the city where you live is leeching energy from you rather than giving it to you.  You may realize that you need to find a place that’s more conducive to your needs.

When you are exactly where your soul needs to be, you will know.  You will feel full of energy and alive when you drive through your city’s streets.  You will find yourself willing to explore the little nooks and crannies of your town.  You will hate to leave and always be eager to return.  You will feel like this is exactly where I am supposed to be.

So, ask yourself: Does my city feed my soul?

~p~

Share this:

Calivegans would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

This year will be everything great that you make it!  Whatever you want to do, set out to do it.  Put one foot in front of the other.  Don’t let anyone, including yourself, tell you that you’re not good enough.  We all have greatness inside and this universe belongs to each and every one of us.  So let’s live and enjoy life!

Happy New Year!

Share this:

Why does vegetable soup need to have chicken fat or milk in it?  Do the makers not think about the fact that people who buy vegetable soup might only want vegetables?  How annoying!  It took me 20 minutes in the grocery store just to pick out a soup.   When I finally found one with out animal, I realized it had soy bean oil. 

I know soy bean oil isn’t the biggest deal, but I’m really trying to avoid soy.  But just like corn in this country, it’s pretty hard to get away from it.

Why oh why can’t we just have a vegetable soup with just vegetables?

I finally found a soup from Select Harvest  that had no animal product but it did have some things I had to go home and research like Locus bean gum and Xanthan gum.   After my research, I decided it’s okay as much as process food can be okay.

Basically the best thing we can do is just make our food our self.  Maybe I’ll just make a whole bunch of home cooked meals from scratch and freeze them until I need them.   Because it’s rediculous the way things are.

I stopped at a grocery store to quickly pick up some soup because I didn’t want to spend 20 minutes cooking something.  But it ended up taking me 20 minutes just to find a real vegetable soup and another 7 to get home.   At the end of the day, I still had to eat locus bean and Xanthan gum.

All I wanted was vegetable soup!

Share this:

“Go to your happy place.”  I’m sure you have heard that before.  Do you know where yours is?  What the heck is a happy place anyway?  Are you suppose to just zone out with a gaze look on your face  and start visualizing balloons whenever you feel stressed?  Maybe, if that’s what it takes I guess.

I can’t say I have a particular happy place I go to.  I mostly just try to maintain my current happiness.  So when something or someone attempts to get in the way of that, I zone in. Not zone out.

Did you know that it takes only 90 seconds for your biochemistry to capture and release your emotions?   Whatever you feel after that is up to you.  So that’s why it is a good idea to consciously breathe for a moment when you feel upset.  Allow your brain and nerves have a moment to process the information it’s receiving.  Then you can have a clear thought on how to respond.  If someone starts yelling at you and walking away isn’t your automatic response, just stare at them for a moment as you tell yourself to breathe.  Then maybe you can sympathize at the fact that they don’t even have control over themselves at the moment.

I try to catch my stress level before it gets too high, that way I will be more patient with situations and people.  Like bad drivers.  When I feel my happiness slipping, I take some time for myself.  That could be going for a jog,  pampering myself with a candle light bubble bath, spending some time with friends or meditating.  Honestly, the more regular I meditate, the less I need to worry about my happiness.  But as much as I know how effective it is, I still manage to not do it sometimes.

The good thing is, I know what tools work for me.  Make sure you know how to keep your own peace and joy.  Remember no one has the power to take that away from you.  Your happy place should be your normal everyday life.  If it isn’t maybe there is some changes that need to be made.

~Lady A

 

 

 

 

 

Share this:

It’s that time of year again!   What are you gonna get your loved ones?  Better question, what are they gonna get you?  Just kidding.

But seriously, how about giving something great without spending a lot?  There is a catch though, you have to be a little creative.

Books are always a great idea, as long as you actually keep the person’s interest in mind when you pick it out.  Don’t give a male fitness trainer a book on how to make quilts for grandchildren.  Laugh but I bet it’s out there.

What about a gift card for a health food or herbal store?  How about aroma therapy candles and oils?

The thing is, there are a lot of things you can buy that cost a lot and mean nothing.  But how about giving something that can make someone feel good on the inside or encourage them to make healthy choices.  Now, I wouldn’t give someone a gift certificate to something like Weight Watchers unless they ask.  The might get offended.  But who would get mad about a gift card to Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s?  Candles are something everyone can use at some point or another.  So why not have them be aroma therapy, so your loved ones can have healing power without even thinking about it.

Here’s an idea, you can give the gift of an art or make-up class!  Scuba diving or swim lessons are awesome too.

I find that people are more willing to try new things when it’s free for them.  So help them spice up their life a little bit.  You may inspire someone to do something great and they will always remember that it was you who started it all.

~Lady A

Share this:

Yogi teas are probably my favorite brand right now.  They blend different herbs together to make the perfect taste and recipes for your needs.   I always keep their Super Antioxidant Green Tea in my cupboard and I try to drink a cup almost every day.

Did you know that 3 cups of green tea a day can reduce your risk of breast cancer by 50%?   That’s huge!
I also love Yogi’s Bedtime tea.  When I was little I used to love Celestial seasoning’s Sleepy Time tea.  It is a blend of chamomile, lemon grass, and spearmint.  I used to actually beg my mom for it.  Yogi’s bedtime tea has those same ingredients plus like 9 more including cinnamon bark, licorice root and lavender flower.

I personally don’t put sweetener in my tea anyway but if you do, I would suggest you try it without first.  Yogi tea’s have such great blends of flavors,  that you don’t need to add anything.

Each tea bag has a little words of inspiration attached.  Today mine said, “Trust creates peace.”   How cute is that?  But besides being cute, they are really doing good for the reader.   I believe in the power of affirmations, so to be able to read something encouraging and positive every time you have a cup of tea, is awesome!  They also have a yoga position on every box.

Yogi teas definitely get a stamp of approval from Calivegans!  They fit right in to our holistic lifestyle.

~Lady A