A Healthy View

Dearest Readers and SELF,

I AM CONTENT!




I realized that I have now been vegetarian for about a month if not longer! I started a week before I did my cleanse and have continued living the vegetarian lifestyle since. I do eat cheese but no eggs, no meat, and no milk. I eat things that have these items in them, minus the meat, but I do not eat them alone. So like I had cake the other day that I bought at the store, which I am more than positive had either or both milk and eggs. But I have made it a rule that at home I will be vegetarian and these things will not be a part of my diet for a while. When coming off the master cleanse I worried that I would lose all of the energy and positive feelings I had while on it and BODY and HABIT over mind and spirit caused me to eat cheese the first night without even noticing until I had eaten just enough cheese and crackers for my body to go into shock. Suddenly after maybe 3 crackers with cheese my legs, arms, and feet started cramping and I got a terrible headache. Since then I have introduced cheese slowly back into my diet. Dairy too. But the meat I want to cut out, read meat almost definitely for good. I think after I feel better and continue in this pattern of healthy living for awhile then maybe when I go out with friends one a month or something very rare, i may eat some chicken or fish. Truth is red meat has never sat well with me. It tastes delicious but I would get terrible nasty cravings for it as a kid and then tummy aches after i ate it. On top of that every time I take a bite, I feel like I just ate a brick and my heart cries out STOP!!! So I think its best if I leave that alone.

In case you are wondering, like many people do, where or how I am getting my protein...the answer is simple: plant proteins. What most people do not know is that people can get plenty of protein from plants alone, and there is really no biological need to eat meat. Eating meat actually gives our body excess protein we do not really have to have. If you want to know, really want to know more about it, I like this website that talks about how to be vegetarian. Go to this link And just scroll around and read what you might be interested in. One of my new favorite COOKING WEBSITES I will list on the side of my blog but for right now just go to Epicurious.com It is a fantastic website for all kinds of recipes, including some really tasty vegetarian ideas! They also have a fantastic selection of detox cooking suggestions and recipes which I think is really cool. One I really want to try is the Heart Healthy Breakfast Patties ( )

Whatever you do, just know what feels right for your body and do that. If you can eat meat and it doesnt seem to bother your system then thats good for you! If you can eat tons of sugar all the time and not have it mess you up than lucky lucky you! As for me I have tested and seen where my physical limits are and am happy to delve deeper into things that Are all in between. Good luck on your quest for a healthy and happy life!

Speaking of which, if you are interested in beginning yoga or trying it out for awhile then I would suggest going to itunes, yep thats right, and checking out the cal yoga, yoga and other useful stuff with tara stiles, and the Meditation Station podcasts! They are great. Cal Yoga shows you the different positions and occasionally has longer sessions that he guides you through. Tara Stiles is amazing and I love her podcasts! She does easy to follow routines that are at times fairly or extremely challenging. I like it because she lets you know to really take your time and listen to what feels good for your body, and that more important than keeping up with her, is giving your body what it needs. I also really appreciate the handstand helper, because I have a long standing goal of being able to do a decent handstand by new years. Wish me luck!

So I was feeling a bit down today because I was stressed about school and miss my family and friends and my darling. Naturally, or not so naturally for me actually, I went shopping. My old and soon to be roomie and I went to ROSS, Old Navy, and ummm that other store next to it...I dunno. Well I got work clothes that I look fantastic in and then found the hottest pair of heels for only $15 bucks. I fit into the 5 1/2 which kinda freaked me out, but I went for the 6 1/2 so that my feet didnt feel so strangled and I could wear them at night when my feet swell a little bit. Needless to say, I felt really sexy wearing them and sometimes a girl just really needs to be able to check herself out and say "DANG! I look good!" I think everyone needs that every now and then. We need to appreciate ourselves and accept our bodies and love them, and be okay with how individual we all are. Either it was the fact that my legs looked great or the added 3 or 4 inches of height, but which ever it was...it was exactly what I needed today.

I love being a woman. I love being a daughter of God. I love being a sister, daughter, cousin, niece, roommate, best friend, lover, girlfriend. I love being a person who reads. I love being a unique individual with special talents. I love being a cook/baker. I love being a dancer. I love being a writer, even if the only things I write are notes, blogs, journals, letters, and papers for school. I love being a survivor. I love being a debater. I love being a student who always seeks to learn new things. I love being a worker who wants to know how to do everything so I can help. I love being a volunteer. I love being a nurse. I love being a mail sorter. I love being a cuddler. I love being an honest person. I love being funsized. I love being a brunette. I love being a Cox. I love being a part of my family. I love being the coolest person ever to my cousin. I love being a person who can make people smile. I love being someone who people can talk to. I love being a yoga doing, currently vegetarian individual. I love being a spiritual being. I love being a person who constantly searches and strives for balance. I love being someone with purpose. I love being a girl with small features. I love being an internet/computer savvy woman. I love being ourdoorsy. I love being a home maker and a hippie at the same time. I love being a part of the human family. I love being a part of this world and its energy. I love being a part of something much greater than myself. I love being the person who I am.

I wish you all enough in your lives and wish that you will open your eyes to all of the many wonderful things around you.

And as it will be forever and ever, I am still learning to have,

Patience