Book of the Week: The Beauty Detox Solution by Kimberly Snyder, C.N.Song of the Day: Alicia Keys - Superwoman

"When we learn to eat properly, we begin to rebuild our bodies and to fulfill our purpose on this planet: to grow in health, creativity, wisdom and compassion"- Dr. Ann Wigmore

The first topic of our Self Love theme is Eating, Sleeping and Exercising for Energy and Health. The first step to build a strong foundation of self-love is to form healthy eating, sleeping and exercising habits. I know I feel better when I eat real foods thanks to the 10 Day Real Food Challenge I took from January 7 - 16. I had more energy, I felt full longer, I craved broccoli and peanut butter/apple snacks instead of cheddar popcorn and Snickers. The experience was wonderful and starting today I will be following the Real Food Rules again :)Sleep is essential to proper functioning in life. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, both the quantity and quality of sleep is important and helps ensure clear thinking, a better mood and better health. The odd part is that I still do not know my optimum amount of sleep. Sometimes I feel exhausted after 8 hours of sleep, but perfectly fine after 6.Exercise is an important element to health and should be done for at least 30 minutes, 3 times per week. I found this list of moderate-intensity physical activities to be informative. Exercising is a bit tricky for me right now because I have a knee injury and have to stay off of it for the next –you guessed it – 20 weeks. My doctor did give me the OK to do low impact yoga so I began this past Saturday.Week 1 GoalsTo begin my 20 week program I will need ENERGY and POSITIVITY. These things are hard to come by without a routine of healthy eating, sleeping and exercising. So I am beginning today.My main goals for this week are:

Eat “real” foods (real food challenge) with the exception of dark chocolate which I can eat in moderation (yay antioxidants!)
Get out of bed when I wake up – Do not hit snooze!
30 minutes of yoga 3 times per week (minimum)

20-week Vibrant Life Cleanse goals to consider for yourselfEating

Replace one unhealthy snack per day with a healthy snack such as fruit/vegetables/nuts
Replace one unhealthy drink per day (soda pop, energy drink) with a tall glass of refreshing water
Eat whole grain bread or brownrice instead of white bread/rice
Cook yourself one meal per day instead of grabbing fast food (yay saving $)

Sleeping

Implement a relaxing nighttime routine – sans electronics (Bonus! This include a warm bath and reading)
Plan an exciting reason to get out of bed in the morning and literally jump out of bed and leave the room. Get on with your happy life!
Ensure your room is dark and cool – this will enable your body to relax and rest

Exercising

Try a personal trainer (I loved mine – she kept me motivated and accountable)
Go for a 20 minute walk every day
Get a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day – The magic number to keep you from gaining weight.

A 20-week Vibrant Life Cleanse Project will be more manageable built on a sturdy base of healthy real foods, proper sleep and the release of regular exercise. I encourage you to make time for yourself to implement one or two health goals this week. Feel free to use this spreadsheet to keep track of your progress.I will be posting words of encouragement, in-depth information on healthy habits and silly motivational songs throughout the week. Good luck lovelies!