My First Thrive Market Haul

So I finally decided to try out Thrive Market for the first time. My whole ordering experience was good and the shipping time was awesome. I placed my order on the 6th and it got to me by the 11th, delivered right to my door. Eating healthy meals isn’t hard for me, but when it comes to snacking I could make some better choices. For example I like fruit snacks, and some of them are said to be made from 100% fruits and natural products. But what they don’t tell you is the animal by products that are used as well. So for that I decided to try and snack a little bit healthier. Thrive Market is an online store that sells products and groceries, natural, organic, vegan and they also cater to many different types of diets. Below are the items that I purchased, I got a mixture of snacks, cooking ingredients, drinks and also a free sample item with my order.

• Vegan Rob’s: Probiotic Cauliflower Puffs
  •               Turmeric Supergrain Chips
• Earth Balance: Vegan Cheddar Crackers
• YumEarth Organics: Organic Fruit Snacks
• Daiya: Deluxe Cheddar Style Cheeze Sauce
• Navitas Organics: Organic Cacao Powder
• Four Sigmatic: Reishi Mushroom Hot Cacao Mix
• Thrive Market: Organic Brown Rice Shells
• Jovial: Organic Brown Rice Farfalle
• The Real Coconut: Beach Barbeque Coconut Flour Tortilla Chips
• Q Drinks: Ginger Ale
  •         Ginger Beer
• Thrive Market: Coconut Oil Mayonnaise
• *Thrive Market: Organic Plant Protein, Chocolate (Sample Packet) Free Gift*

 

 

Detox Waters

Detox waters are one of my go to thing when it comes to weight loss, or just wanting an extra boots of energy. They have so many amazing benefits and I will touch on a few of them in this blog post. I also mention my use of detox waters in my “How I Eat” video linked within this blog as well.

• Detox drinks help remove ammonia from the system. The amino acid citrulline is mainly responsible for this task, and it specifically targets ammonia stuck in the bodies’ kidneys and liver. Too much ammonia is unhealthy because it damages our cells when they remain for too long. Detox ingredients such as mint can assist in relaxing muscles that are cramped up.

• Infused water stimulates our digestive track and gets it back up and running. Regulating this will help stave off constipation, bloating and heartburn. It also will make us digest our food more effectively, since the work is made easier by removing distressing toxins from our important organs. Bile production is also given a boost, which goes to the small intestine and breaks down the fats or lipids that we ingested.

My Top 5 Meat Alternatives

One of the hardest things to do when changing your eating habits is trying to find things you like, to replace the things you once loved. For me the hardest part was chicken when it came to “meat”. I ate burgers, I’ve had steak one of my favorites when I was younger was “Blood Pudding”. If you’re from the Virgin Islands you know what that is or at least heard of it, I know each island has a different name it may go by. However, chicken has always been my go-to, it took baby steps for me to let it go. It’s been 3 years now since I’ve given all types of  meat in my diet, and honestly, I don’t really miss it.

I had to try different dishes and meals until I found what worked for me. I’ve honestly had more than what my list consists of, but these are the once I choose based on texture, taste and consistency. I didn’t just want to give brands, so I broke it down by actual products used. Keep in mind I haven’t tried every vegan plant-based alternative out there. I try to shop budget friendly, but when it comes to pricing  it may vary by location.

1. Beyond Meat: 
   • Beyond Burger
   • Beyond Beef
   • Beyond Sausage
2. Boca:
   • Chik’n Veggie Nuggets
   • Chik’n Veggie Patties
   • Turk’y Veggie Burgers
3. Gardein:
   • Mandarin Crispy Chick’n
   • Seven Grain Crispy Tenders
   • Barbecue Chick’n Wings
   • Golden Fishless Filet
4. Morning Star:
   • Meat Lovers Vegan Patties
   • Original Sausage Patties
   • Veggie Breakfast Sausage Links
   • Popcorn Chick’n
5. Tofurky:
   • Hikory Smoked Deli Slices
   • Lightly Seasoned Slow Roasted Chick’n

 

Self Love: 101

 

Self-Love

/ˈˌself ˈləv/

noun

     Taking care of ones self.

           All to often we lose our self in our day to day life. We go to work, we go to school, we take care of a household, but what about you? How are you doing? How are you feeling? What’s your energy level like today? We take care of everyone and everything, but who takes care of us? We do that’s who! The same energy we put into everything and everyone else we need to start to put into our selves. We are the bricks that make any foundation, and if we’re down so is everything else around us. Take a second to think how much harder you would have to work to get things back to where they were if you were down for just one or two days. If you always take care of self, you wouldn’t have to worry about thing falling apart around you cause you are what makes things happen.

       Taking care of self doesn’t just mean physically but also mentally. Dealing with mental can be hard sometimes, especially if you don’t really have no one to talk to or confined in. A strong mind takes you a long way, and always remaining positive. I know that’s easier said than done sometimes but a golden rule to remember is that “everything happens for a reason”. In every trying situation there’s a reason behind it, maybe something bad needed to happen so you can appreciate what you have. You can’t always look at something for what it is, but take it from a different view or tense. Below a few tips on self love and self care.

Mental Love: 

• Affirmations – Say daily mantras that affirm you. Lift yourself up each day and set the tone for your day and the type of energy you want to give and receive.
• Keep a journal – Don’t keep it, in write it down. That idea you had that you never told anybody, that problem that your having and just can’t seem to solve, write your thoughts, your feelings, your emotions. Set aside some time daily to just write even if its just 10 minutes.
• Communicate – Say what you mean and mean what you say.  Don’t keep things bottled up inside anymore, if it’s bothering you talk about it.
• Relax – Burn incense for some aromatherapy and clear you mind.

Body Love:

• Soak your troubles away – Take a relaxing bath or shower while listening to so soothing music and light some candles and turn down the lights.
• Enhance your glow –  Massage your skin with some coconut oil or your favorite essential oil
• Feed your soul – Have a nice cup of tea, there’s plenty of flavors out there to choose from but my faves are pepper mint, chamomile, grapefruit.
• Stretch – Yoga is a good way to really learn your body and understand how you move .

These are only a few tips to get you on the right path, but there’s a million and one things you can do to show love to your self. Comment what you do to show your self love, and make sure you like a share with a friend.

Meditation

Meditating and supporting your mental health is just as important as supporting your physical. Finding your inner peace and understanding your body, brings you to your higher self. When you can find peace within yourself, you can always find peace around you. Sometimes it’s best to find some time for yourself in a nice quite area and just relax, reflects and unwind. First thing when you get up or last thing before you end your night.

For me, I feel the best time is first thing when I get up to help set my mood and set the tone of my day. I either listen to my Zen & Meditation playlist while working on my breathing or do yoga. I’ll be honest, i’m not the best with time but I try to squeeze it in even if its just 10 minutes. If I happen to be running behind on time then I would light some candles while I shower and turn on my playlist and just let the aroma of my lemongrass and charcoal take me away for a second.

Aromatherapy is another great thing to add to your daily lifestyle which has great lasting benefits. It can help relieve stress, aromatic compounds from different essential oils are known as relaxants and can help soothe your mind and eliminate anxiety. It acts as antidepressant, aromatherapy is very commonly used to eliminate feelings of depression. Increases energy levels, essential oils are known to increase circulation, raise energy levels, and generally stimulate the body and mind, without the dangerous side effects of other stimulating substances.  The best essential oils for giving yourself an energy boost include black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, angelica, jasmine, tea tree, rosemary, and sage. It also speeds up healing ,many essential oils can help increase the rate of healing throughout the body.  This can be due to increased oxygen and blood flow to wounds as well as more internal healing processes like those following surgeries or illness. The anti-microbial properties of certain essential oils also keep the body protected during these delicate healing stages of the body.

Let me know your ways of mediating and relaxing in the comments, and don’t forget to shear and follow me on social media.

Why I Waist Train

If you’re wondering why I push and promote waist training so hard it’s because of the results I have seen for myself. When I first started waist training it was new to me because one I didn’t know anyone personally who was doing it at the time and it was super uncomfortable at first. Now I love it and waist train for 8+ hours a day and I can honestly say it’s what helped to keep my skin tight and firm as I was losing weight.

Day 7 Detox/Cleanse

Here are my results:

Starting Weight: 219lb                                     Ending Weight: 207lb

Measurements (stomach area only)

Under Bust Line: 34″                                      Under Bust Line: 33″

Natural Waist Line:36 1/2″                           Natural Waist Line: 32″

Upper Hip Line: 43 1/2″                                 Upper Hip Line: 40 1/2″

Just to briefly recap what I was doing for the past 7 days; The Cleaner 7 Day Detox Pill, Yogi Detox tea, Detox Water, and various Smoothies. My post Seven Day Cleanse/Smoothie Detox goes into greater detail as to why I was doing the cleanse and Day 1 Detox/Cleanse gives more detail into my daily routine for the past 7 days. 

What’s in my Smoothies

You can’t expect me not to share how I make my smoothies for my cleanse. I love to do research so I did read about this smoothie cleanse before I decided to do it. One of the books that I read and got some good recipes from was “Smoothies for Weight Loss” by Jackson Nash. Using smoothies to lose weight is just a tool added to your regular routine. Meaning if you think just drinking smoothies will help you lose the weight, it wont. It will however help you maintain your weight while getting your recommended nutrients from fruits and vegetables. You have to also have a healthy diet besides the smoothies and also light exercise to see the best results.