||Going Meatless - the Quest for ? ||

{{Zune Says - Rihanna - Te Amo}}

So, last night as I was laying in bed - around 3am I decided that starting today I would be excluding meat from my diet. I didn't set a time span for this, partially cuz It was 3am and I was trying to fall asleep when the thought came to me. I've done this before, and it has yielded positive results, so I figure if I do it right this time - I should have a really good turnout.

Considering that the economy sucks right now, I've decided to switch my game plan. I went without meat last year for almost a month, but a large percentage of what I ate was consumed outside of home. This causes serious financial weight, because seafood is inflated greatly in the retail world. I'll be cooking at home when time allows - cuz school starts next week, and time will be limited.

{{Tangent: My cousin is sitting across from me at the table - and he's typing so hard, it's shaking! Slightly irritated, but whatever.}}

Anyway - what people fail to recognize in healthy eating and weight loss - is that a key element to this is elimination. You have to be "regular" in order to expel the fat and the waste. So the first part of this cleanse involves detox. Milk Thistle, Slim Tea, and Ground Flax are the combination that's gonna aide in the fat flush. People feed into commercials too much. All those products they advertise harm the body instead of help it. Yeah, you lose weight - but your stomach is damaged in the end, your metabolism's out of whack - and you don't even know what you're consuming! That's why I stay the natural route. It takes a bit longer sometimes, but the results last longer, are more effective, and I won't randomly wake up dead one day.

Another important aspect of weight loss -is hydration. Nowadays, people don't like to drink water. Most people I know would rather have soda or some sugared-up juice instead. My innocent pleasure is Apple Juice. There is always a huge gallon of "no sugar added" all natural Apple Juice in my fridge. If I don't feel like water at the moment, I get a cold glass of juice instead. My mom hates water. She sprinkles a little Crystal Light in her glass before she sips it. I reccomend Vitamin Water (in limited daily quantities) as a segue into pure water. The sodium in those drinks can actually dehydrate and/or cause bloating, so one bottle a day should do the trick - especially if you don't excercise.

Mind you, I'm no fitness guru - and I'm no slim chick - but I'm firm young lady, and I've been excercising all my life. Sometimes I feel it's better to hear advise and tips from people who've struggled with the same issues and are working towards solutions or have overcome the problem. I had put on over 40lbs since moving to Florida - and have managed to streamline that weight into muscle, which has allowed me to keep a nice figure throughout all this. Cuz there was a time, like a year or so ago - that I wasn't lookin so hot, lol. I had to get that under control.

I got back on my workout grind starting yesterday. At least an hour of cardio and core training - which is always begun with fifteen minutes of yoga. People don't understand how helpful yoga truly is. It stretches the muscles, makes them leaner and more flexible - and it also aides in digestion. There are specific moves that help the intestinal tracts flex and keep you regular. Don't count out yoga too soon - I guarantee even basic moves can improve your life.

I guess chosing to skip meat is a move towards change. So many times, we get used to our regular routines and rituals, we fail to realize that our bodies adjust to these things. I'm too interested in my health to hit a plateu and just stay there. I'm always looking for some new way to improve myself. Shoot, I haven't had a slice of white bread in almost two years. I wouldn't have realized how much of an affect it was having on my body until I cut carbs out my diet for a while. I don't miss it one bit. And my stomach thanks me...

My question to you today is - what can we do as human beings to challenge ourselves more often? Life gets boring when we get used to things. We have to mix it up every once in a while. Whether it be spiritual, sexual, or simply physical - there's always something we could be doing to make our lives more enriched. It's time to get up and do it...