I spent the evening last night making lovely living foods before I hit the wall. I closed a house this morning—yay!!! And my clients are such lovely people that have become dear friends that I wanted to give them something special, so I made a Pumpkin Roll (recipe on Defiant Recipes! page) for them. And all the pecans that I am using right now are fresh-harvested from the trees on my family’s farm in Georgia. We picked over 30 pounds of pecans on Thanksgiving afternoon alone. So there is a lot of love, as well as nutrition, that is going into my pecan-containing recipes right now!

The shoulder workout from yesterday:

• Warmup on elliptical machine with arm motion to target the shoulders
• Overhead press on machine, wide grip, graduated weights
• 3 Giant sets of:  Full dumbbell overhead presses, lateral dumbbell raises, and ‘pulses’  (like an overhead dembbell press, but a very limited range of motion keeping arms at a 90-degree angle and intensely targeting the shoulders)
• Front dumbbell raises supersetted with close-neutral-grip overhead press

I did that whole workout in about 20 minutes with very little rest between sets.  My shoulders were on fire during the giant sets!   And I definitely felt it today when Michael and I did a chest and tricep workout.

Today’s workout routine:

• Incline barbell press, warmup with 55 lbs 1 set, pyramid up to 75 lbs over 3 sets
• Flyes on machine, 3 sets, increasing weights from 55 to 70 lbs
• Incline Dumbbell presses, 25 lb bells, 3 sets
• Pushups with feet elevated on exercise ball, 2 sets of 15 reps and 1 set of struggling to get 12 reps 
• Tricep pushdowns on dip-simulation machine, 90 lbs, 12 reps, 3 sets
• Overhead tricep extensions with straight bar, 30 lbs, 12 reps, 3 sets
• One-armed reverse-grip tricep extensions, 7.5 lbs, 12 reps, 3 sets each arm

I made my weekly grocery shopping trip to 14 Carrot Whole Foods today.  They have 30% off all produce on Thursdays, and I am so there!  That saves me at least $30-$50, since produce is about all I eat!  I go every Thursday.   I love that store, since it’s locally owned with awesome knowledgeable employees, and all organic produce with a great selection.  I always try any exotic fruit they get in.   Today I tried eggfruit.  Interesting–it has the consistency of the yolk of a hard-boiled egg.  It tastes good, but I have never been able to stand egg yolks.  I always ate only the whites when I used to eat eggs, except I did eat the yolks when they are scrambled in the whites, so I didn’t like the texture of the eggfruit very much. 

I love trying exotic new foods.  Sometimes it backfires, but often it’s an incredible experience.   For example, the Delicioso Monstera is amazing, and I am in love with Mamey (Sapote).  I will try just about anything, as long as it’s a fruit or vegetable.   No way I would eat a bug like on Fear Factor!    So I didn’t like the eggfruit…..what’s the loss?  Where’s the damage?  Tomorrow I will try to mix one in a smoothie to see how that works.  I don’t want to waste the other two I bought!

Defy your fears–try something new!  If you don’t like it, so what?  What have you lost?  A couple of bucks maybe, if you throw out some food.  Why is it people are so hesitant to try new foods?  What is the worst that can happen?  Even if it tastes disgusting to you, it’s not like the taste will be in your mouth forever and ever, or your tongue will fall out.  Worst-case scenario is you need to drink something or eat something else to get rid of the taste.  Big deal.   Why in the world is this even an issue?  I know plenty of people that just won’t try a new food.  For the life of me, I cannot understand that mentality.  It’s like they are going to die if they don’t like the taste.  Come on, give me a break.  There’s just no real risk at all.  It’s not like you are trying cliffdiving to see if you like it! 

I saw a funny quote today that said “If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving isn’t for you.”  Now that’s risk.  Unless you have some sort of deadly allergy to a food, trying a new food or eating in a different style is very, very low risk.  Don’t let ridiculous fears keep you from enjoying amazing experiences that can enrich your life in so many ways.  Open your mind and your heart, and new worlds will open up to you!

Defy your fears!  Courage is feeling the fear and doing it anyway!  Be bold, fierce, daring and adventuresome.  Embrace who you are, and what you can become.   A mind is like a parachute, it works best when it’s open!

I want to share a quote with you.  I love Totally Unique Thoughts (www.tut.com) and their Notes from the Universe.   I highly recommend these fun motivational daily quotes.  They are addressed from ‘The Universe’ to you, personally.  The one sent out yesterday addresses this issue: 

Sometimes, when you’re feeling your lowest, the real you is summoned.

 And you understand, maybe for the first time ever, how grand you are, because you discover that vulnerable doesn’t mean powerless, scared doesn’t mean lacking in beauty, and uncertainty doesn’t mean that you’re lost.

Don’t disguise your tears, don’t hide your sadness, don’t be afraid to find out who you really are.  Because in those fleeting moments you’ll summon such beauty and strength that, in no time at all, you’ll fully grasp exactly why you’re so powerful.

These realizations alone will set you on a journey that will take you far beyond what you used to think of as extraordinary.

There is always a bright side.

    The Universe

Be Defiant, you superhero you!

Christy

My mother literally died on the operating table after a massive heart attack almost two years ago, and is a walking miracle.  They had to shock her 13 times to get her back, then she was on machines for several days, and in CICU for almost a month.  But she walked out of that hospital and is doing great.  Every moment we have with her is a gift.  She is doing SO much better in the diet department, and is a testimony to the power of healthy foods, especially Mona Vie.  One of the things I am most thankful for is that she is still here with us, not just at Thanksgiving, but every single day.

My awesome niece and nephew had made precious little cupcakes that they decorated like turkeys, using candy corn for the tailfeathers.  Well, they had decorated one with yellow icing resembling long blonde hair and said that was the ‘Christy’ Turkey, and they made another one with black icing ‘hair’ that was the ‘Michael’ Turkey as well.  They were so proud of them that there was no way I was going to crush their feelings by refusing to eat their turkey!   They were so cute, and delicious too! 

My feeling is that everyone should enjoy themselves on Thanksgiving.  If for you, that means indulging in all the tempting delicacies, then by all means go for it.  Enjoy yourself and savor every bite.  One ‘cheat’ meal can even help boost your metabolism and help jump-start you out of a rut if your body is the type that responds well.  Just don’t turn it in to several days of bingeing.  Give away the leftovers and get them out of your house. 

Why is it that when we ‘indulge’ in things we love, that it is so destructive to our bodies?  Why do we love these things that lead down a dark path to poor health?  Why can’t things that are healthy be so incredibly tempting, comforting and indulgent?  Of course, one can easily make the strict scientific argument that these destructive foods and vices trigger opiate receptors in our brains that cause addiction, which they certainly do.   But from a larger perspective, why does it have to be this way?  I would love to hear your comments and opinions on this topic.  Please comment below.

I took a Pumpkin Roll (recipe on the Defiant Recipes! page), made a lovely vanilla creme topping for it, and thoroughly enjoyed that as my dessert for all the meals except the actual Thanksgiving dinner.   We also took a cooler full of fruits and greens for smoothies, my awesome guacamole, and of course I had to take some Spirulina Pie filling!  I just took it in a bowl, no crust.  So for the after-Thanksgiving Dinner dinner, I just had a delicious cherry banana green smoothie and some Pumpkin Roll.  And for breakfast, made green smoothies for everyone, including my parents. 

Speaking of Spirulina Pie, I had a request to post the recipe after my confession to its addiction the other day.  Duh!  I should have thought to do that anyway.  So I will post it tonight on the Defiant Recipes! page.  Check it out, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Honestly, I have lost my taste for foods I used to enjoy so much that most of the Thanksgiving meal just wasn’t that appealing to me like it used to be.  I still am the dessert queen, though.  That’s a battle I will probably always fight.  I can give up the turkey and dressing without a single twinge, but the desserts, those kill me.  I felt so yucky after the big indulgence, though, that I was glad to get back to healthy living foods at the next meal.   We went out and rode the horses and tossed a football for a while, and the activity really helped to get rid of that yucky, oh-my-gosh-I-overate feeling.

There’s a saying in my family—don’t stand still for long at Christmas, or you WILL have lights strung on you!  I have always been a crazy Christmas nut, and I love making elaborate light displays and decorating the house.  So my family has just learned to keep moving and stay out of the way.   Clark Griswold has nothing on me!  Michael has been hiding safely upstairs while I have been out stringing up the lights.  The rain is coming down now, though and forced me to delay for a while.

Did you go out shopping for Black Friday?  For me, NO WAY!  I would rather be dragged behind a truck down a gravel road.  Did you hear about the WalMart employee who was trampled to death by the crown when they broke down the doors?  Horrible–WHY do people do this?   Is the savings worth it?  I would rather pay full price for everything than deal with the rabid masses running people over.   Much better to hang beautiful lights and bring joy to the neighbors!

Defy commercialism!  Treasure your family this holiday and make memories to last a lifetime.

Christy

Treasure every moment.  Delight in the mundane.  So much of life is routine and we run on autopilot.  Savor the things that you may normally dismiss without a thought.  Find a way to make them more fun, and to share as many moments with those you love as you can.

Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away now.  It’s so hard to defy your cravings and all that tempting food this time of year.  I posted a recipe for a healthy living Pumpkin Roll on the Defiant Recipes page.  Try making that and taking it with you.  The host will appreciate your contribution, you will have an awesome healthy dessert, and maybe even convert some of the SAD people to living foods!  That’s a good way to eat healthy—contribute your own delicious foods and share them with everyone. 

The average Thanksgiving meal now runs a whopping 4500 calories!  That’s twice as much as we need in an entire day!  Many heart attacks occur after such a huge meal of foods that strain our bodies and organs.  Be careful, and know your limitations.  If you indulge a little, then savor every bite slowly and enjoy your bliss.  Don’t beat yourself up.  Just get right back into your healthy lifestyle at the next meal.  The worst thing you can do is to ‘leftover’ yourself to death.  Moderation is the key.  And having the same foods for several meals is NOT moderation!

Tonight’s workout was Chest and Triceps.  Michael worked out with me tonight, so I had more rest between sets than last night.

• Warmup with cable flyes, increasing weights. 
• Hammer Strength Press machine, 30-40 lbs each side
• Incline Barbell Press, 65 pounds
• Bodyweight Dips, for Chest and Triceps
• Tricep superset of pushdowns and bench dips

Post workout smoothie was the Cherry Bomb with added acai.   Mmmmmm…one of my very favorites.  It’s on the Defiant Recipes page. 

Oh, and I finished my Spirulina Pie today.  I will SO be making that again tomorrow! 

I treasure your friendship and appreciate you.  Thanks so much for visiting.  Please feel free to post any comments below. 

Defy apathy—enjoy every minute!

Christy