Fitness: 30 Minutes Won't Cut It!

I know the title of this post sounds harsh but sometimes we need tough love. This is something I have dealt with in my fitness journey. I remember for years I would go the gym do my little 30 minutes on the treadmill and then I would go over to the crunch machine and do 50 crunches. I was not along when it came to that lack of effort. I thought I was “going hard” at the gym for months and wonder why I was not seeing any results. Now I look back at those days and chuckle.  My mindset then was just doing enough to get by instead of really putting in the work to sculpt the body that I wanted.

Most people want a body like Ciara on a Paula Dean diet and exercise plan, and that just won’t cut it. I believe the biggest thing I did to transition from that mindset; is to get real with myself. Be honest. Am I really going to the gym and giving it my all? Do I spend enough time working on my problem areas? Do I stop when it hurts or it’s uncomfortable? These are questions that you have to ask yourself. It is important to be honest about your fitness journey because when you start getting real with yourself you will get real results.

The easiest way to go harder at the gym is to enlist the help of others. Do you know a friend that is really fit that you can tag along with at the gym? Go take a boot camp class, hire a personal trainer or sign up for a charity endurance event where they provide coaches. These are all ways you can get out of the box. I know the task seems daunting and the road to health seems so long but it is possible to have the body and the level of health you have always wanted. It starts by taking the first step out of mediocrity.

Time is the most precious thing we have. Commit today to not living another minute unhappy with your body and health. You are the only one holding you back from living out the rest of your days in the best health of your life. Commit and kick butt!!!

<3 Roxi 

Fitness: Why I Endure

The irrational desire to conquer your best, to draw strength from your weakest point and to finish knowing that you overcame pain most people will not experience in their lifetime. The reason I wake up most mornings at 4:30 AM; tired and hurting to start the journey all over again. There is something about endurance sports that brings out the raw emotion of everything that is boiling inside of you. There is something about watching the sunrise in the horizon and knowing the only thing that will push you on to the greater distance is yourself. I am driving this train. The only thing propelling me are my own legs and the shear will to reach some ridiculous goal in the future. I want to quit at times. I often ask myself why I am beating myself up so much, this hurts and I am tired. None the less, I wake up every morning and face myself all over again.

I can’t pinpoint one answer to why it is that I do what I do. All I know is that I have never felt more alive, more me and more great than in those moments when it is just me and the road. I have thought of my biggest ideas, battled the craziest demons and experienced the grace of The Almighty out there.

So to the people who don’t get it, don’t understand why I push all I can say is: “Just give it a try.”

Be great today.

<3 Roxi 

Check out this inspiring video from ultra marathoner Kriss Moehl. She ROX!

Wild Love: Krissy Moehl from Andy Maser on Vimeo.

Positive Thought: Unappreciated?

Does your hard work go unnoticed? I used to feel like the Little Red Hen working and working relentlessly without proper recognition. This used to bother me severely. I was not the type of person to need reciprocity when I did good things, but I needed gratitude. We are all motivated by different things and I am motivated by praise. However, when you seek to become better daily God will reveal all your little character flaws that he wants to fix. I learned that all the glory and praise should go to the Most High not to me. If I wait for people to give me “appropriate” gratitude for the good things I do then I will be waiting for a long time because it will never be enough and I will never be satisfied. Instead, I realized that what is done in the dark will be brought to the light. All the things that I do good and bad are like seeds being sown in my life, it takes time to harvest the really good fruit. Therefore, instead of looking for instant praise I need to realize that gratitude will manifest itself at some future point. I am learning to become the silent sower quietly doing good without seeking any gratitude. I am humbled by each opportunity I have to bless someone. Now I experience less impulsive emotional moments and more fulfilled wise moments.

"That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly" - Mathew 6:4

 I hope this encourages someone who feels they are going unnoticed. Your good work and right heart will pay off eventually; God sees all things.

<3 Roxi 

"Give me a Whopper with a side of Pink Slime"

News broke this week that McDonald's has banned the use of “Pink Slime” in its burgers. The results of a campaign led by chef Jamie Oliver urging food makers to stop the use of this meat additive. “Pink Slime” consist of meat scraps (the non-usable parts of beef that used to be shipped to dog food plants). The scraps are put into a centrifuge and the meat and fat are separated. The resulting meat parts are then washed in ammonia and water to kill the bacteria, E. Coli and any other living organism.

As crazy as this process sounds, according to the FDA there is no need to label the use of ammonia in this meat because it is considered a “process” and not an ingredient. Additionally 70% of ground beef products are said to have this additive in them.

I am not shocked by this news. Just by scratching the surface of the food industry you will find dirty and harmful practices. However, I wanted to share this information because I know people are not aware of where their food comes from. It is the “Iron Curtain.” There is no coincidence that as FDA regulations on food are more lax there is a cancer epidemic. Could cancer be the result of consuming small doses of ammonia over a lifetime? We don't know that yet.

Like Jamie Oliver says, if you need a ground meat fix buy a meat grinder or go to your butcher. Or better yet go team veggie!

Is your body acidic?

Virtually all degenerative diseases including cancer, heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, kidney and gall stones, and tooth decay are associated with excess acidity in the body.

The last few weeks of 2011 my health was less then stellar. I like most of you, was in the midst of a holiday food coma which meant lots of food that was high in sugar and fat. I am very in tune with my body and I just felt off. My face had acne, my skin was dry, I was having headaches, I was so tired and experiencing really bad mood swings. I often write off these type of symptoms, but this time I decided to dig deeper. To be honest I have been experiencing these symptoms throughout my life except when I was vegan.

I began to play food detective. I started thinking about all of the things that I ate over the past few weeks in abundance that I was not used to eating. Then the memory reel of cheese cakes, cheese slices, mozzarella sticks, a plethora of desserts, cheese dips and sour creams became obvious. I had overly indulged in dairy and sugar. Upon testing my pH my suspicions were confirmed my body was overly acidic. I had an Ah Ha moment. My entire life I had battled with symptoms such as these and I really didn't understand. Now I could breath a sigh of relief knowing I had figured out what was wrong with me.

I used to think my cheese addiction was harmless but I now know that my body has been reacting to the acidity in my blood from the abundance of dairy. There are lots of other foods that cause high acid levels such as diary, beef, chicken, fish, eggs, flour and wheat full list.

Here is a short list of some symptoms of high acidity in the body:

• Cardiovascular damage, including the constriction of blood vessels and the reduction of oxygen.

• Weight gain, obesity and diabetes.

• Candida: yeast infections and pink eye

• Bladder and kidney conditions, including kidney stones.

• Immune deficiency.

• Acceleration of free radical damage, possibly contributing to cancerous mutations.

• Premature aging.

• Osteoporosis; weak, brittle bones, hip fractures and bone spurs.

• Joint pain, aching muscles and lactic acid buildup.

• Low energy and chronic fatigue

Everyone's body reacts differently to different things. I had no knowledge of the acidosis before a week ago. I felt really compelled to share because I am sure many people feel the effects of acidosis often. If you notice most of the pharmaceutical companies treat these symptoms. The biggest way to decrease your acid levels is decrease consumption of acid forming foods and eat more alkaline (complete list).

 Do you think your body is acidic? Have you experienced symptoms like this before?