Exercise- Move that body!

Consistency is key! I promise you. Make it a goal to move your body. Make activity a part of your priorities and find something you enjoy. Aim to strengthen, stretch your body and make your heart pump on a regular basis.

My personal goal is to at least break a sweat most days of the week. This could be running, swimming, sports, hiking, yoga, etc. A strong, agile body is a huge asset to our health, well-being, and quality of life. If I had time and access to hot flow yoga, I would do that everyday. I personally have never done an exercise as valuable as hot yoga. The benefits of hot yoga for your mind, body and soul are endless. Not to mention, a tight, toned bod!

I would also surf every day but because my time and resources don't allow for everything I’d like to do, I aim for variety. Aerobic exercises, strengthening, and stretching, paired consistency will pay off quite well!

If you are new to exercise, go slow. Just keep in mind that right now, you might think it’s a chore, and it may feel awful. However, give it time and your bod will start to crave it. You are benefiting from exercise even if you feel like you are suffering! Haha!

My Current Exercise Routine

I run down to the beach to the nearest bay with my fins and kick across the bay twice and then run home. It takes about 35-45 minutes, it is an excellent workout to get the heart pumping!

If the surf is good and time allows, I surf once or twice a week, which replaces my morning swim session. I am in the water multiple times a day. The beach is basically our life when we are not working.

When my husband goes to work, I will take the stroller with me while I jog or hike a nearby mountain. This takes about 45 minutes to an hour, and my kids love it!

If I am at home: I like www.dailyburn.com. I also love a good youtube exercise video: Barre 38 minute home workout is good. 8-minute abs with the ripped avatar is a good quick ab workout.

I also love Brazilian buns of steel sculpting workout DVD or Tracy Anderson workout DVDs. These are 30-minute toning workouts.

Whatever I do for exercise, it ends up being about 45 minutes a day! I love to play with my kids and go to the beach! With such an active lifestyle that I love, I now have the energy to keep up with my little energetic blonde coconuts! Life is better with activity! During this time, I feel that I receive daily personal inspiration, and it helps to calm any stress. It seems to put life into perspective.

Health Tips

Why do I take Blackstrap Molasses daily? Molasses is an inexpensive nutrient-dense powerhouse for essential minerals such as potassium, iron, calcium, copper and vitamin B 6. It is also a natural stool softener.

You can buy expensive hair and skin products and fiber pills or you can incorporate a large spoon full of the thick 'black luxe goop' for shinier thicker growing hair, dewy skin glow, and great bowel movement! My dad use to do this back in the day! This remedy has been around a long time! It’s an oldie but definitely a goodie. When shopping, look for high-quality organic blackstrap molasses. It costs about 5-8 dollars a bottle, which should last about a month.

Note: if you’re taking medication, take molasses 1 hour before or after.

Tip: Vitamin C helps with the absorption of minerals, so add a green smoothie or juice for a powerhouse combo and get more bang for your buck!

Water Health: Hydration is key to the functionality, longevity and vitality of our bodies! It is of utmost importance our entire well being to stay hydrated. Keep your body revving by consuming filtered, mineral or spring water daily. Water should be our primary source of hydration. Fresh fruits and vegetables also help aid hydration. Waste removal, metabolic function, stable body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate all depend on proper hydration. Aim for 2.5 liters + daily! Urine should be a light yellow to clear stream! Adding lemon to your water is an alkalizing warrior which helps flush, restore and renew you - the king of detoxification! Starting your morning with warm lemon water is a wonderful, beneficial habit to adopt into your daily life.

Date Health: Dates are nature’s chewy caramels that are easily digestible and jam packed with iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium and copper. This fights off free radicals and inflammation.

Tip: Make large batches of bliss balls and rawnola to make eating dates even more wonderful and versatile!

Banana Health - Spotted, ripe bananas with no green tips are a digestive companion resulting in a flat tummy while unripe bananas can cause bloating, gas, constipation, and abdominal pains. Smoothie tip: To avoid chalky smoothies, always use ripe spotted bananas (this is the best time to peel, chop and store your bananas in the freezer for ready to use "nice cream" and smoothie" supplies). It makes a huge difference to be prepared and have supplies on hand!

Coconut Sugar Health - Coconut sugar is considered the queen of all sugars. This is due to its rich mineral content and long list of health benefits that other sugars simply do not have. It is also the only sugar that does not spike your insulin levels like normal table sugar. This keeps your blood sugars stable making it a friendly sweetener choice! Tip: Chopped bananas with sprinkled coconut sugar makes for an excellent quick and tasty, nutritious snack! It tastes like brown sugar!

*Stevia is another good natural sweetener that doesn’t raise you insulin levels.

Salt Health -If you want to achieve ultimate leanness, muscle tone and hormonal balance watch your salt intake. I use little to no salt in my cooking. This helps cut salt down tremendously. I probably swallow salt water in the ocean accidentally all the time from getting worked in the shore break, so I probably get my fair share of sodium ;) Sodium is naturally occurring in fruits and vegetables.

What is the deal with Melons? Melons are the fastest digesting food there is. Because of this, it is best consumed in the morning on an empty stomach. If you eat a slower-digesting food before a faster-digesting food, the faster-digesting food catches up and can't digest properly. This results in fermentation and bloating! Not good for the digestive system! Tip: When picking melons, look for ones that are heavy for their size! For watermelon, it should have a hollow sound when you knock on it. It should have a relatively dark green color and a yellow bottom. This almost guarantees to bring home a juicy sweet pick!

Setting up for success! Invest in you health! You may even save money from not buying fast food, junk food, meats, dairy products, cigarettes, alcohol, supplements, expensive beauty products, lotions, medications and doctor visits! No matter what, you are worth the investment! Do the best you can to choose the best possible healthy options. Be prepared! Buy staple foods in bulk and shopping in season is much cheaper, but richer in nutritional value. It’s tastier and more natural. Find a place to get your produce and make friends with the vendor! Large department stores are starting to carry larger selections of quality produce.

Organic is best but not always possible. Thin-skinned fruits are best organic because they absorb the most chemicals. Always wash you fruits and veggies when you get home. Most of my bulk food comes from trading with friends (passion fruit, mangos, bananas, and passion fruit. I have been very fortunate in this department) But when I need to, I buy bananas, leafy greens, cucumbers, dates, apples and potatoes in bulk (I go through approximately 30 cucumbers a week! Love my hydrating, slimming cucumbers!). Oh yes, and mangoes…. I could literally live off mangoes!

We keep smoothie supplies on hand always. Large bags of frozen fruits, rawnola, fresh fruits, coconut shreds and coconut water. We almost always have smoothies first thing when we come home from the beach or as a snack before a meal. This is a great way to get fruit into yourself and kids and to curb cravings.

Don't let your fridge go empty if you can. When you are set up with plenty of options to choose from you are setting yourself up for success. It is much more tempting to fall off your health wagon if you are not prepared.

Find you favorite staples!

It’s best if you plan a day or morning for food hauls. This is where you get all of your produce and take the time to wash and put them away in a ready to use fashion. Enjoy this process as you might enjoy putting together a nice outfit or organizing your home. Give yourself time to readjust your shopping style! Have fun discovering all the beautiful produce in you home town. Probably the best tip ever is to head straight for the produce and start stocking up instead of wandering through the aisles of endless options of sugar and fat-ladened processed junk. It’ll seem like they’re calling for you, mocking and tantalizing you until, before you know it, you’ve purchased and eaten half it on your couch! You’ll be holding your belly thinking “how did this happen?”

Enjoy discovering new fruits and vegetables and have fun! Before you know it this way of shopping, preparing and eating foods will be a natural way of life!