my #StartFreshii Juice. Cleanse. Energize. experience!

the results from my 1 day #StartFreshii juice cleanse are in: i survived, woo hoo!  in all honesty, it wasn't that bad.  i'm definitely saying that cause it was only 1 day though, haaaa. when those hunger pangs kicked in i was totally transported back in time to my 1st bikini competition prep. good times, lol! mix that in with a couple "come on, Leah..just a few more hours. you can do this. focus." moments and that was my day in a nutshell.  i explained on Periscope (are you following me yet? have you checked out the app? leave your ID below so i can look you up!) that i'm breastfeeding and can't afford to go longer than one day to keep from putting a big dent in my milk production (gotta keep those calories up!).  plus, i'm a group fitness instructor and although light exercise (yoga, walking, stretching)  is ok when detoxing, strenuous activity is not recommended.  bummer.  anyway, i've gotten the 'do you juice? do you detox?' questions over the years and can finally say, 'Yes! i've done one!' however, i have always turned them down in the past because:

• fearful of feeling way too hungry (and crappy) to deal
• i prefer eating calories over drinking them
• cannot be sustained long-term
• prohibited strenuous exercise (booooo.)
• generally low in protein

what i do believe they are great for:

• complete system reset
• rid body of toxins and excess waste
• improved complexion, hair & skin (clean eating cleared my skin up completely by the way...no more Proactive!)
• promotes/jump starts healthy lifestyle changes
• increased mental clarity, energy, stamina
• a healthier, nourished colon

when the #StartFreshii Challenge was presented to me, i finally decided to take the plunge! i love Freshii cause they offer a variety of healthy, nutritious, fast-food items for people on the go. i just wish they had a drive through! the decor is fun, bright, and contemporary, and kid friendly items make this the perfect healthy family eatery.

again i did the 1 day, but if you decide to give this a whirl yourself, you've got 3 or 5 day options too.  pick the one that best suits your lifestyle and schedule for best results.

i ordered some oatmeal for the boy's breakfast.

adorable presentation! and i am thrilled they both love oats so much.

  my eyes!! i was LOVING all that beautiful, healthy color! the smoothies were labeled and to be consumed in a certain order every 2.5-3 hrs;  the detoxifying Metaboost salad was to be eaten at the end of my day.

1. Green Energy - apple, cucumber, kale, lemon, carrot, romaine, spinach (my fave!)
2. Carrot Zinger - carrot, apple, ginger
3. Mighty Detox - pineapple, cucumber, celery, apple, ginger
4. Red Power - beet, carrot, lemon, ginger (2nd fave!)
5. Metaboost Salad - field greens, spinach, kale, carrots, mango, edamame, almonds, goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette

staying busy between meals was going to be key in getting me through this! we explored the city a little before running errands.

one of the calming fountains at a small, contemporary park just down the street.

the sun was out but thankfully there was still a nice breeze at 10am! so Chiso got to run around and play a bit as i finished up juice #1.  i sipped all of them suuuuuuuper slow.

Q: what is THE very first thing that pops into your mind when you read that question? comment below.

A: before i die...i want to live out and fulfill His purpose for my life. that's #1. i will remember and cherish these days forever!!! so grateful to be able to do what i love with the people i love.

after that, errand time.  running around in the Texas heat and jumping in and out of the car with kids is a workout in itself. whew.

i said all that to say that at 2pm, i cracked.

lol! keeping it real! i'm used to eating over 2k cals a day so i was really going through it at that point.

i just hope there was nobody sitting in their car watching me tear this salad UP. wasn't it pretty though?

 after that, i felt like i could actually finish this thing strong.

3rd juice done with one left to go as we finally headed home.  you're supposed to drink 8-10 glasses of water in between 'meals' when doing a cleanse as well. i did my best.

by 6pm? DONE. finished a lil early, haha.  the Freshii cleanse pamphlet did suggest that if hunger overtakes you, increase your water intake, drink a herbal tea, or reach for raw or lightly cooked fruits and vegetables.  that said, i had grape tomatoes and half a cucumber before finally getting in bed around 10pm.  the next morning i felt lighter, and my mid section's skin was noticeably tighter.  that's what cutting out refined sugars does for me though, immediately. my tummy and waist are the first to respond when i tweak my nutrition.

takeaways:

• this was a mental battle more than anything! once i woke up the next morning with no pressure to stick to the cleanse, i wanted to keep going. go figure.
• not having to chew overall made it feel like i had not eaten a thing = hoogry
• great for resetting/restarting your system.  i am now motivated to keep my refined sugar intake low and my raw fruit/veggies intake high. this is when i feel and look my best.
• not great as a lifestyle (possibly once a week at best) or for fat loss.  the diet is already low in protein and calories and the body goes into starvation mode after a while which conflicts with the fat burning process.
• unless you have your own juicer at home and get a great, cheap deal on produce, juicing can get rather expensive.
• we CAN do anything we put our minds to

fyi! many times the media choses to focus on the short-terms results produced by these cleanses.  know that your results won't last if you don't make it a point to move more and maintain and healthy, low-no processed diet.

i highly recommend you accept the #StartFreshii juice cleanse challenge! all 4 juices are delish and refreshing but my fave was definitly #1. tell me about your cleanse/detox experience below.

le

blogging from de plane

that post title is false advertisement.  i was so excited to blog from our plane headed to Jamaica to celebrate our 5th anni that i started the post early, from home!  however........ after all the hustle and bustle of the previous night (we had a FANTASTIC time and did well at our first bodybuilding show!!!!! details in my next post) that we naturally *sigh* overslept and missed our WI-FI enabled first flight. UGH. the second flight, which only left 1 hr later, was not wi-fi enabled because well, that's just how things go.  SO, Sonny and i actually spoke to one another (cause people still do that :shock: ) about the weekend's events, the highs and lows of training under one roof, our bodies then and now, how we felt on stage, how each other looked on stage, future shows, etc... yeah we had lots of time to catch up as life has finally slowed down a little.

i can't shake this 'i need to be prepared for anything' feeling, which is a good thing though. i knew i wouldn't go completely HAM on sweets so soon after the show, so i packed some healthy stuff for our trip a few days beforehand to make this a gradual thing:

 strawberry flavored magic pop, some shelled pistachios, light tuna packed in water, apples, chocolate PB2, canned salmon, and a stack of Food Network magazines i never found time to sit down and crack open.

not gonna lie- even though we woke up super late and rushed out to miss our flight, i still had my oats and bananas lol!   i really WANTED them though and didn't have time to get creative and make something else anyway.  we had a quick layover in Charlotte, NC, and it was there where i was reunited with the dairy food group again after over 3 months. i had an unused Starbucks gift card from Christmas, so i whipped it out and ordered a fruit cup and one of my fav drinks- a skinny vanilla latte.   

so, even on vaca, and i said i was gonna try and stick to 5-6 balanced meals a day, but also indulge and live a little! with everything being all-inclusive (unlimited food and drinks EVERYWHERE) this is hard.  not doing TOO bad so far though- there are different menus everyday, so i'm grateful for the variety.  for breakfast, there's a live omelette bar- was so excited to see that!! can you guess what i've been ordering? haha

 they only have *GASP* instant oatmeal which is disgusting and tastes and looks like wall paper paste. maybe even worse. i see why some people might be turned off by oatmeal if they ever have this stuff when eating oatmeal for the first time, my goodness. i mean it was BAD.  there aren't enough toppings in the world to mask a bowl of that stuff :shock:

my lunches and dinners have been looking a little like this: salad,

fruit / veggie plate - raw celery, tomatoes, artichokes, watermelon, cantaloupe.

and yes that's a slice of cheese pizza lol- i said on IG that i've had a slice with every meal so far except breakfast and that is still in effect!

random lunch plate - curried tilapia, roasted yellow potatoes, sautéed green beans/onions, jerk chicken.

random dinner - grilled jerk chicken, beet salad, raw tomatoes, zucchini, and chicken/tomato pizza;)

have we been indulging? DARN RIGHT. they don't just put out one dessert as you can see.  i made us a sample plate and well, we got our sample on.

rum cake, chocolate chip cookies, strawberry cheesecake, vanilla mousse cake, and chocolate cake.

there is a poolside grille that is open til 1 am (they shouldn't have told us that) and we took advantage right away.  fried fish and french fries - we split this though!

the buffet people see us coming a mile away LOL. we are always right on time for every meal!

 having a really good time so far and i can't wait to post about our show.

 for now, back to Jamaica!

le

spananas

i could not WAIT to make my own baby food!!  having the power to put the best, nutritious, healthy, whole foods into my growing little man is such an awesome honor i take pride in.

around the 1 yr mark last month, Chiso started hating all things vegetables.  i was in denial and thought he would remain the garbage disposal we all know and love him to be. they now usually end up in the seat of his high chair with him, become toys, or he just does this:

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i can get him to eat fresh fruits in raw form (strawberries, bananas, pears, blueberries, etc....) all day long.  veggies don't even make it anywhere near his mouth as he puts his hands over his face when he sees or smells them coming.  where did he learn this behavior!?  needless to say, i'm still putting my blender to good use.

if i can hide spinach in a smoothie, i can do the very same thing with Chiso's food. sure this is nothing new, but it is so gratifying watching him eat his vegetables and literally lick the bowl clean. :twisted:

making different combos is where the fun begins!  or not, lol.  can't win'em all.  but here are some cool pairings you can try (thanks, Marguerite!):

spananas: 1 cup cooked spinach, 1 banana, half an avocado. cook/microwave and blend.  i use breast milk to get the mixability going in the blender.  you can also use water or formula.

sweet potatoes + bananas + turnip greens (got carried away but hey, he ate it)

potatoes + zucchini

tastes just like mashed potatoes, but sneak in some sautéed veggies.  cauliflower works GREAT here too!  even got over on ol' Sonny.

banana + avocado

one of his favs- the texture is incredibly creamy.

apples + prunes

very sweet, which is prolly why he likes this combo.

add either chicken, lean ground turkey, or tilapia to these concoctions for a complete, balanced meal.  Chiso's fave:

spinach, grilled chicken, and bananas.

notice a trend here?  Chiso won't eat it if it doesn't at least smell like bananas!  so, base your combos off  of your critter's favorites.

1.  hand-pick the ingredients: you have total control!  pick a VARIETY of  all-natural, organic, or raw, fresh fruits and veggies in the peak of their season, as well as lean cuts of meat.  and please...don't limit your baby!  besides, if they don't like it, you can eat it :lol: when fresh isn't available, frozen is the next best thing. 2.  chop and cook: steam, sauté, roast, bake, boil until tender 3.  blend: blender, baby food grinder, food processor, fork 4.  save money!! that's a no brainer vs. buying the jarred/packaged varieties.  you can make a nice batch that will last 2-3 days, and that coincides perfectly with the 4 day wait rule.  finally, your baby gets more nutrients this way; no additives or preservatives, just the real thing. win-win.

know that the food your baby likes and dislikes will change like the weather.  good luck, and DON'T give up!

what are some of your LO's fav combos? please share!

le