Body Elements Blog

And what about mental health?

2008-04-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

After I finished the Lemonade cleanse, my husband and I took a trip to Italy that was for both business and pleasure. It was quite lovely. We were invited by DBC PR Agency who hosted an executive retreat held at the Borgo Finochietto in Tuscany, Italy. This place was unbelievable! If you are looking for a very special place to hold an event or simply escape for a few days, this place is quite wonderful. DBC's event included an elegant mix of business and pleasure. Lots of great information and fun was shared over 4 days and nights. Then we left Tuscany and traveled to Florence for a couple of days and then to Rome.

It's a good thing that I did the cleanse before this trip because the food and drinks were to die for....so fresh and wholesome...and rich. There are different ways to cleanse your body....detox cleansing is one way, exercising and meditating are another, and mental cleansing is yet another. I believe all are essential to one's overall well-being.

There was no grass that grew under our feet on this trip. We were up at the crack of dawn every day to well past midnight every night. First few days were spent learning from the best in the business as well as experiencing the scenery, food, and culture. I was so grateful to have had this experience. I'm calling it a mental cleanse. It is important for me to occassionally get away from the normal life and experience something different. I came back full of ideas and lots of spirit! I'm ready to take on new projects and challenges....bring it on!

Done.....10 days!!!

2008-04-17T05:17:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Sorry about the delay on the conclusion of my lemonade program. Days 8, 9, and 10 were basically non-eventful. I lived in a state of hunger and found myself dipping into the maple syrup (by the spoonful) because I was really hungry! And boy did it taste good! In the end, I lost 8 lbs which is a first for me. I don't normally lose weight until I go off the program but like I said in the beginning this experience was like none other....someone mentioned that maybe since I'd done the program several times, the detox went deeper into the core of my body this time.

All I can say is I'm thankful that I'm done. I'm proud of myself for doing it. And I feel much better! Now, I'm back on my regular eating program which consists of low carbs, fruit shakes & oatmeal, lots of veggies, and fish and chicken....I'm in heaven. And, let's not forget the Arbonne products which add any nutrients that I don't receive in the foods that I eat. Incidentally, there are some new Arbonne health and wellness products that I want to try! They are in the SeaSource Detox Spa line.

I'm also back to training for the half marathon on May 18 in Fredericksburg, VA. I had a little setback because while on the cleanse, I couldn't push myself like I normally like to with my workouts. Two reasons here, 1.) I didn't have the energy, and 2.) If I burn more calories, I'm more hungry. And I sure didn't want that!

That's it for now. If you have any questions that you would like to ask me, please feel free to email me at info@body-elements.com or call me 703.356.6601.

And please feel free to post any comments regarding your health and wellness experiences that you would like to share! I would love to hear from you!

Until next time.....

Warm regards,

Eva

Days 6 & 7

2008-04-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

Day 6, Saturday - I spent several hours at my daughter's regatta which normally I enjoy but today I had no energy. This is a problem because we do a lot of walking on trails at the lake where the regattas are held....we usually walk anywhere from 3-5 miles up and down the hills.....I was happy to get home and take a nap.....no pip.

Today was the first day that I thought I was going to pass out. I think I need to add extra maple syrup to my lemonade.....I rested the rest of the day.

Day 7, Sunday - I felt very energetic today! I went shopping for most of the day and had lots of fun! I was also extremely hungry so I added extra maple syrup to my lemonade which seems to help. One more week....maybe.

Master Cleanse...Day 5!

2008-04-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Another day and another pound down ...that makes 6 lbs in 5 days. I began my day with a workout including light weights and some cardio. I forgot to mention that I'm trying to get at least 30 minutes of exercise about 4-5 days a week if I can. Today, it was nearly an hour. Working out first thing is really the way to go because by the end of the day I'm pretty much toast.

I cruised through the rest of the day. I felt a little tired but I figured it was because I lost some sleep this week and it was Friday.

Here's another link to more master cleanse info http://mastercleansesecrets.com

That's it for now. Check back tomorrow!

Master Cleanse...Day 4!

2008-04-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I've made it through 4 days now on the "Lemonade Diet"! 10 more to go!

I woke up at 1:15 a.m. with my entire body aching. I lay there tossing and turning for hours wondering what I had done to deserve the pain. It felt kind of flu-like but worse and without the nausea. Thankfully, the pain went away when I got up in the morning.

I have to say that with the lack of sleep for two nights, I feel really good today! I have had energy all day and my thoughts are focused and I lost 5 lbs.

The interesting thing is that I have done this cleanse once a year for the past 3 years. Normally I just experience sheer hunger and fatigue. One time I had a dream that I had eaten a piece of chocolate cake and woke up feeling guilty for a moment. The saying "I can have my cake and eat too" certainly applies here.....no calories involved. :-).

Lana our office manager is now on the program. She's on her 3rd day and has felt great up until today... she was looking a little peaked the last time I saw her. It's amazing the difference you can feel from one day to the next.

Wonder what tomorrow will bring......

Stepping It Up!

2008-04-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

So I’m coming up on 8 weeks of “natural healing”. I’ve been using Arbonne’s products which I really love and training for a half marathon in May. I have more energy which is really helping with my workouts!

But now I've stepped it up to a more aggressive detox program called the Master Cleanse also known as the Lemonade Diet. This program consists of lemons, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and purified water ....and nothing else. It’s going to be a very long 2 weeks!

So, Monday was the first day of this portion of my cleanse and I was pretty miserable. My stomach was growling so loud that I seriously thought it was going to jump out of my body.

Tuesday was just downright tiresome. I couldn’t think straight, I had no energy, and my eyes were glassy. I looked like I had been crying all day...... actually I kind of wanted to.

Now, I’m on day 3 and I feel pretty darn good! I went through a sleepless night where I woke up every hour to go to the bathroom and then had nightmares all night long. I dreamt of scary people chasing me to do me bodily harm to people finding me in their home which was also scary because I was trespassing and they didn't like it.... I’m going to chalk this up to major detoxing. ….very strange.

If you have any thoughts or comments on this program or any other detox programs, please feel free to blog with us! You can find more information on the Master Cleanse on the web. You can get lots of info at these 2 websites: Master Cleanse1 or Master Cleanse2

My goal is 14 days so check back to see how I am doing! I'll keep you posted...

Warm regards,

Eva

Favorite Healthy Recipes

2008-03-17T11:24:00.001-07:00

Here's a quick, easy, and delicious recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food/Light Done Right Magazine...

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa!

Course Salt and Ground Pepper
1/4 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper
4 Full Boneless Chicken Breasts (halved to make 8)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion Diced
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
2 Avocados Cut in to chunks

In a small bowl combine 1 teaspoon salt w/ 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cayenne and rub all over chicken breasts.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium and brown on outside until chicken is opaque throughout. About 8-10 per side

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice: set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into onion mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with the avocado salsa.

Enjoy!

Spring break-Oh my!

2008-03-14T05:46:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Is it that time already? Spring Break! I remember the old college years when I looked forward to Spring Break all year. I had no problem strutting my stuff in a tiny bikini. Oh how the times have changed. Wearing a tank top gives me anxiety. But I have a good feeling about this year. I've been on the Figure 8 Challenge with Eva and Beth for over a month now and I am feeling stronger than ever. My confidence is slowly rising with every pushup I can do! I am ready to take on those tanktops. Nothing tastes as good as you feel when your at your ideal weight.

Take some time to enjoy yourself today,
Mindy

It feels like summer!

2008-03-03T07:46:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Everyone!

If you haven't step outside yet, go now. It feels like spring is just around the corner. I decided to go for a walk with the baby and my dog. We passed a playground and I decided to bring out the kid in me again. I went across the monkey bars, I think I pulled an arm out of the socket, then I hooked my legs over the bar for chin ups and did reverse crunches-I felt the burn. I highly recommend trying the jungle-gym workout. It's fun and different. If anyone has any suggestions on how to do another fun workout let me know. I'm always looking for different ways to change up my routine instead of the old treadmill and weights. My advice for today is take a walk on your lunch break and get some fresh air.
Mindy

Favorite Healthy Recipes

2008-02-20T10:52:00.000-08:00

Smoothies

A very satisfying meal or snack! If it's cold out, I will drink a cup of hot tea after drinking the smoothie to warm me up.

Mix the following ingredients in a blender for a delicious breakfast or any meal.

2 cups of water
2 scoops choc or van protein shake powder
2 scoops of orange fiber
handful of frozen strawberries, blueberries, pineapples, or any other favorite fruits
flax seeds or flax seed oil

Oatmeal

This is a very filling and satisfying meal.
Mix the following ingredients together in a microwavable bowl.

1/2 cup of regular oatmeal (no sugar added)
1 scoop of choc or van protein shake powder
1 scoop of orange fiber
handful of crushed walnuts
1 small banana
handful of favorite fruits such as strawberries or blueberries
flax seeds or flax seed oil
Add enough water and mix so that it is water. It will thicken when cooked.
Microwave for approx 1.5 - 2 minutes.

2008-02-19T14:44:00.001-08:00

Good Afternoon Everyone,

So the 5 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies I ordered arrived at my door this weekend! Not Good! I tried so hard not to open the Samoa's but that little voice in my head got the best of me! I only ate 3 cookies, not so bad. I promise I will do 5 extra minutes on the treadmill everyday this week.
Honestly I feel a little better getting that off my chest. You know when you're on a diet and the cookie no one sees you eat is calorie free-it's not! Stop kidding yourself and start Blogging.
I've decided to introduce Arbonnes Daily Power Pack Mulit-Vitamin into my diet. I feel like I need a little burst of energy and the best way to get energy is to load up on Vitamin B. I know Eva has been taking them for some time now and she loves them. Gotta go change a dirty diaper!

Talk to you all soon,
Mindy

I've finally kicked my cold!

2008-02-13T06:47:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Everyone!

I have had a slow start to my post baby weight loss plan. I've been plagued by the winter cold season and have detoured my diet for the last 2 weeks, living on chicken noodle soup. But I'm back and ready to get started on my Figure 8 Challenge! I decided to not only lose the baby weight but get my family started on a wellness plan we can follow for life.

I'm not one to stay on track for long but I'm hoping with the support of Eva, Beth, and all of our wonderful clients I will not stray! I have decided to slowly add changes into my diet beginning with the protein/fiber shakes every morning. The shakes are so delicious that I decided to trick my husband and see if I could get him to drink one. Jarrod, my husband, is a chocolate lover so I used the Arbonne chocolate protein, milk, peanut butter, and a banana to make a shake for him. He LOVED it! So I have a new philosophy about dieting, "if Jarrod can't tell it's healthy eating then I can't consider it a diet!" No more excuses!

I have incorporated a new gym membership into my healthy living plan. Not only do I get to rid my body of all the toxins that I have built up for the last 30 years but I also get 2 hours of day care every day! What more can a mom ask for! I try to do at least 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weight training 5 days a week. I alter my weight training day to day depending on the area of focus. One day I do arms, the next day I do legs, the next day I may work on my back and core strength, it all depends on how I feel.

The hardest part of all of this for me will be taking the time out for myself. Just taking the 60 seconds each morning it takes to make my shake seems hard some mornings with a new born but in the long run it will be so worth it! I have to remember to love myself and so do you!

Good luck everyone!
Mindy

Beth's First Week - Back On Track

2008-02-12T12:51:00.000-08:00

After enduring an injury and illness that sidelined me for a portion of the summer and then again late fall, I considered myself lucky with only putting on a few extra pounds and minimal muscle atrophy occurring. The lasting effect on me however, on a daily basis was energy. I simply had none. I played it off to the healing process and to take my time.

I had eaten my way through the holidays still "healing" (ha-ha) gaining 7 pounds and had told myself that working out with my personal training clients was enough at this point. But it did nothing for the mental weight I was carrying around. I needed something to shake me loose from the grips of a stagnant position of months of laying low had created and kick start me back on MY OWN program, with MY OWN goals.

I started by looking at my diet and where I had gone astray. I had gone from a very protein based diet to total carbs. Sugars have always been my foe. Where does one get the quick energy we all need from time to time? Bad Carbs! I had gone from suplimenting with carbs to relying on them in order to keep my energy boost up all day. That in itself creates such a negitive cycle. You end up more hungry and more tired throughout the day. I know this, but allowed it to happen none the less!

I decided to take the Resist capsules and start by having the Arbonne protein shake mixed with the Figure 8 Fiber powder for breakfast. I have never liked eating a big breakfast, usually opting for a low sodium V-8 juice and mozzarella cheese stick or a eggwhite omlette, but having graduated from this minimalist approach to a more substantial buffet over the course of the fall, I had gotten used to feeling FULL. Feeling "full" is not a good thing in my book. I have always eaten to the point of "not being hungry". It hampered my desire to workout and gave me a bad sugar spike only to send me down again.

I have to say, the first couple of days were a little challenging. I had to listen to my own advice that I give my clients, "One day at a time and attitude is everything!" Getting back to a more diciplined routine, although comforting on one hand was challenging!

By day four I was in full swing. The protein shake was good, the resist capsules, well, if there was anything occuring it was on a level that I have not yet detected a change, but I will say my workouts, once again started to feel like my normal routine. I actually slept more soundly this past week. Something I can attest that I have not done in months.

I will admit, my need for Jelly Beans is still there lurking in the background. I think I will add the Arbonne Chocolate Chews to my new routine this week and let you know if I totally kick the sugar habit!

Eva's first week....

2008-02-12T03:41:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

So one week has gone by and there's been some ups and downs in my program....nobody's perfect. I began the program on February 4th. My goal is to have a completely clean diet so that I can increase my muscle mass and decrease my fat percentage and increase my energy level. I start each day with either a fruit shake or an oatmeal mixture, both of which are absolutely delicious! I will post a separate blog for recipes. Then, I try to have 5-6 small meals a day. I love eating small meals throughout the day...I'm definitely a grazer.

I was doing great until Thursday when I was overtaken by an insatiable sweet tooth. I resorted to searching through my kitchen cupboards for anything that was sweet and chocolaty and sugar laden....cookies, candy, etc.....I searched high and low and finally.....I found sugar cookies and a small candy bar....dark chocolate. Now that's good fortune if I ever heard! The one candy bar is dark chocolate and full of antioxidants! Yeay! I ate it .....and then there were the sugar cookies to follow....

But that's ok, I woke up Friday and was back on my program with a vengeance. It's always the first week or two that is the hardest. Once I get past this point, I start to notice subtle differences with not only my physique but also my skin and energy level and that's when it gets really motivating....I'm not there yet but hopefully soon. I've incorporated several Arbonne products to help me achieve these goals. I have found that I really like several products! In the morning, I use the chocolate protein shake and orange fiber shake in my fruit shake or oatmeal. Then I take my morning daily vitamin pack and 2 Resist Essential Fatty Acid capsules (great for the skin plus they are full of antioxidants to ward off any flus or diseases).

I've also begun my training program. I was able to get in about 4 cardio workouts last week. It was quite beautiful outside so I went for several runs with my dog, Oliver. He's really happy when I pick up the pace and he can trot along with his four long legs vs my two. He never seems to be working nearly as hard as I am. I also ride my stationary bike which is a nice change if it's cold out. This will be my activity of choice this week. It's 20 degrees outside right now....a little too nippy for me.

I will also include weight training into my program. I just haven't gotten around to that yet. I know it's important to include weights because this is where you can really increase your metabolism. I read that by increasing your muscle mass your body actually works more efficiently even when you aren't working out....your body burns more calories even when you're not working out. The more muscles you have the more calories you burn.....now that's what I'm talking about! I'm going for the weights this week!

And the third but certainly not least component that I've incorporated into my program is Endermologie. Not only will Endermologie help me tighten and tone my skin and re-shape my "problem" areas but since I'll be running longer distances, my body is going to need assistance recovering. Endermologie helps the body recover 3x faster than the body naturally recovers. This will help me to stay injury-free! I will also incorporate EndermoTherapy into my program. That's a wholeprogram in itself and I will discuss it in a later blog. But just a quick note, EndermoTherapy is great for sports...it not only helps with recovery but it helps with performance....more info to come. If your curiosity is getting the best of you, check out our website body-elements.com

And that's a wrap for my first week. Nothing monumental but I'm just revvign up. I will keep you posted on my progress. Seven more weeks to go! Come join in... you can start your 8 weeks any time!

In good health,

Eva Swersey

Body Elements & Arbonne 8 Week Challenge!

2008-02-06T15:55:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Join Beth, Mindy and myself in the Figure 8 - Eight Week Challenge to optimize your personal wellness goals! We have designed customized programs to accomplish our goals. Come along for the journey! We will keep you posted on our goals, obstacles, and anything that we think may interest you. You can see more information on our website at www.body-elements.com/store/index.html.

We began our challenge on Monday, Feb 4th and each of us have our own goals to accomplish. I will say that I have already stepped up my workouts since I want to run a half marathon in May. I will tell you that I'm not saying much here because my workouts were few and far between over the last few months....

But now that I have made a commitment to this challenge, I will be the competitive person that many of you know and all I can say is "Let the challenge begin!" :-)

I challenge anyone who reads this to join us. Give us your goals that you want to achieve and make them happen over the next 8 weeks. If you need help and encouragement, we are here to help you! Just write in your concerns, and we'll all see if we can offer you guidance or find someone who can. To follow Arbonne's 8 week challenge, call us at 703.356.6601 and we can help you get started. To read more about it, visit http://www.gofigure8.com/tools/diary_index.asp

Hope to hear from you soon!

Eva

welcome

2008-02-05T09:12:00.000-08:00

To our clients and visitors,

Welcome to the Body Elements Blog. We created this space in hopes to offer helpful information and also to receive information and comments from you all! We hope you enjoy our blog and visit often!

In good health,

Eva Swersey