get me bodied

I have recently found a new appreciation for taking good care of my body and giving it the things it needs to feel strong. Although I've been a vegetarian for going on 13 years now, I haven't always been the healthiest veggie... I really enjoy preparing food, whether following recipes or making up my own, and have been on a kick with that for a while now. Over the past month, I've also started transitioning into more of a raw foods diet. I'm not there 100% now and don't know if I ever will be. I like having a big, hot bowl of good soup when it's chilly out like it is today...26 degrees in Tejas...ouch. But I must say that, after thinking about if for a while and reading several books on the raw/living foods lifestyle, I was curious about all of the accounts of dramatic decreases in lifetime aches and pains that people experience with this food. I've always been sensitive, especially with my joint, feet, and heart issues and, though I still feel pretty dang good overall, the big 3-0 brings with it a reminder that old physical shit will keep cropping up and progressing if I don't take a more active role in my health.


So....my lovely sister friend, Lizzy, loaned me a book by Alissa Cohen, raw foods guru, and I started making raw dishes when I got back home from winter break. At first, it was just out of curiosity. But, although, it's only been about a month, I have to say that the energy I feel when I eat these foods is totally amazing and very noticeable. I also have started craving more and more of the good stuff the more I eat it....big, juicy salads, smoothies, etc. I found a raw pad thai recipe that's a favorite so far and a mock salmon pate that's pretty delicious. The food fills me up and keeps me going all day with a buzzy, deep zing that's very refreshing. As seems to happen when your life shifts course in positive ways, many helpful tools fell into my lap within my first 2 weeks of trying this out. A friend gifted me an extra juicer that she had and my Mom gifted us a food processor and dehydrator. I also found a local farm where I can possibly volunteer in exchange for organic veggies and produce.

That would be a great help because, currently, the only obstacle I see with this lifestyle, is affording the food...it's frustrating that food in its whole form, straight from the dirt is so much more pricey than the poisonous crap that many Americans are economically forced into and/or addicted to eating. But that's the current situation. I'm channeling my frustration into action.

I made up a raw dessert tonight that I mixed in the food processor: Chocolate Orange Ice Cream Delight!

Ingredients: (nothing was measured)
cacao powder
soaked dates
frozen bananas
sesame seeds
cinnamon
vanilla extract
1 orange and about 2 tbsps of orange zest

I just popped it in the freezer and can't wait to taste it tomorrow.

Part of my extra energy from the better food has been channeled into more exercise...mainly Zumba!, walking around the track at the park in the neighborhood, hula hooping, and my push-up. Yes...push-up singular. I really want to get my upper body strength up to the point of doing multiple push-ups. But, for now, I'm restricted to a daily push-up. This only accounts for one, complete, straight-legged push-up, btw. There are many failed attempts and a few partial/knee push-ups thrown in the mix but I only count the "real ones". I'm hoping to increase to 3 a day by March. It sounds like a pretty wimpy goal but...dang push-ups are hard!

Maybe, after a couple more months of all this healthy stuff, I'll be able to do this!