What is Going On Around Here?!?

3 people today told me my skin was glowing! A woman a couple of nights ago asked me what my skin regime was or did I just have great DNA. My husband keeps saying, "you're so beautiful! Your skin is so soft."

WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND HERE???

Oh, must be the Yoga....the Green Smoothies....the raw Veggie eating....the sleeping through the night! My, oh, my! I may have found the secret to the Fountain of Youth!

I am enjoying the Yoga so very much! It is so....centering. That's the only word that comes to mind. And eating all the lovely veggies...I feel like I'm feeding myself LIFE! I'm eating LIFE everyday and it tastes sooooo gooood!

I don't think I mentioned before - but I also gave up all alcohol. Not that I'm a drunk or anything, but I do enjoy a glass of wine now and then. But, I thought in the interest of detoxing, getting healthy and healing my body, I should fore go it for now.

Okay....what's the math? Well, so far I've shunned the scale. Scales SCARE me...at least in the last 8 years they have. But, I know what I weighed at my last OB/GYN appt. last November.....and I know what I weighed when I went to to the doctor's in August for a bad case of laryngitis! But....I'm scared...oh, so scared to tell you all. It's a BIG number....VERY BIG!!! But I know I have to get honest and I can track the math of the situation here on the blog.....SOoooo......

SO....in my next post I'll list my weight from the summer, and I'll go weigh to see what it is now. It's only been about 3 weeks, but I feel less bloated. Maybe I've lost a few little pounds.

I HOPE SO!

So, thanks for stopping by and check back in a day or so......

Peace & Green Eating.....

Slendie
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Staying the Course!

It's a day by day thing....but I'm actually enjoying it so far. This seems different this time...from the times before. All the times in the last 8 years that I tried to get my healthy self back. Something in my gut tells me I'm on the right track this time and I'm thrilled about that!

So, here's what I've been doing:

• Daily Yoga Practice: right after I get my kid off to school, on an empty stomach. I love the time to work on myself in a non-jarring way. All the lovely breathing, stretching, posing, meditating ~ it really does do a body good! I feel elongated, graceful and lovely after each session. My neck feels like it's growing longer and more elegant. My spine feels realigned and flowing. My energy feels up and I can feel radiant! I've been using the Ana Brett Kundalini Yoga DVD's. I'm still new at Yoga - very! - but will share more about the DVD's I'm using in a future post.

• Daily Green Smoothies: this morning I had one with Avocado, Parsley, Spinach & Lemon. The Avocado made it smoother and more blended than previous smoothies. It was good, more veggie tasting, but good. I have been drinking one immediately after doing Yoga. For some reason, I feel like my body can really soak up the green goodness after all that deep breathing and stretching.

• Eating Vegetarian: I've been meat free for three weeks now! I told my family they can eat meat during the day, but it's not for me anymore. And, I told them that I would be cooking purely vegetarian for dinner. So, for dinner each night, I prepare a lovely vegetarian meal for my family. My husband and son have been very supportive and have eaten and praised each meal. I'm lucky that they pretty much eat whatever I put in front of them.

How am I feeling? Great - so much better than three weeks ago!

How am I sleeping? Fantastic - I had no idea it was possible to sleep through the night! It is, it is!

Peace & Green Living (& eating) to you and yours!

Slendie
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Whew - IKE Sure Blew Me Off Course!

I live in Houston and IKE blew in and blew me off course!

It's impossible to make daily Green Smoothies when there is no electricity to run the blender!!! In fact, scrounging for food became the daily ritual. With grocery stores and restaurants closed, and food from the fridge piled into a melting cooler if ice....it was difficult to even eat properly! We combined our food with neighbors and friends (who had gas ovens to cook it on - we have electric) and had to eat what we could all cobble together.

It was hard. It was disheartening. I was blown off course.

BUT......NOW I'M BACK!!

With the electricity back on (at least at my house - not all of Houston has it yet), I've been back on the blended Green Smoothie trail! And what a trail I'm blazing!

Feel the heat - feel the sizzle - feel the burn, baby, burn!

slendie ~
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Go Green & Drink It Up!

A few months ago I saw a show on Oprah with Dr. Oz. Dr. Oz was talking about a green blender drink he makes that has things like parsley, celery, cucumber, spinach & lemon which is a fantastic way to feed your body minerals & vitamins, as well as increase energy. I tried it, I liked it, but it got boring fast.

However, a few days ago I found this fantastic website that promotes Raw Food eating! I love veggies & fruits and had already been incorporating them into my diet over the last two weeks. But this website (which I will include here, once I have persmission to do so), not only promotes eating raw foods - but also something they call GREEN SMOOTHIES. They are holding a Green Smoothie challenge in which they will drink two or more a day and incorporate exercise atleast 3 times per week until November.

Well, I joined up! What's a girl to do? All this wonderful information coming to me - I just gotta jump on board the Green Smoothie challenge!

In a Green Smoothie - you can mix any green veggie! Also, you can mix in a fruit with it. Once I realized there were hundreds of combinations, I realized I wouldn't get bored! Yesterday I had a green grape & cucumber smoothie! YUMMMMMMY! And refreshing! Of course, I laughingly realized after I drank it that those are officially two fruits.....but, at least I've started! Today, I'm mixing zucchini with romaine lettuce, cucumber, celery and a little parsley! Can't wait to feel the green vibes running through my veins!

I feel green! And soon, I hope to be feeling my good old Slendarella self! No, it'll be better than that, I'll be a whole new Slendarella! (*green grins all around*)

signed, Slendie
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Slendarella Dressed in Yella!

...and Green & Orange & all things healthy to eat!

Well, basically, this is my weight loss journey. Welcome! And please feel free to comment....a lot, a whole lot! I'll take it all, good, bad, advice, disagreement --- but no cursing please. I'd like this to be family friendly!

So, the thing is pretty basic. I used to be skinny. Now I'm not. An undiagnosed thyroid problem has played havoc with my body, my energy, my self-esteem and I could go on and on and on. I've been on thyroid medication now for about 4 years, but my weight has continued upward bound! Yikes! And so, what I now propose to do is to write about my experiences as I try to bring myself back to health! Back to life!

How? Well, here's my plan:
Going Vegetarian (which I've already started on & I'm feeling fairly good)
Eating semi-raw & live foods
No alcohol (for a while anyway, I do love a glass of wine)
Yoga (which I've kinda started - more on that later)
Working out & being more active
Getting better sleep
Documenting my experiences here

I'm a playwright & a working performer, a mom and a wife, and it's hard doing these things - especially the performing - while overweight...I mean pudgy....I mean chubby.....okay, let me get honest and just say it...FAT!

It's time for a change. It's time for a comeuppance! Yes, I had...have thyroid issues. But I will not accept this weight or this way of living. It's time to reveal the new me...peel the onion, break away from the ordinary way of living with 'I wish' and get on with the extraordinary way of living with I DID IT, I AM, I SUCCEEDED, I HAVE RECLAIMED MY STATUS AS A TRUE....

SLENDARELLA!

And...YES, I know it should probably be spelled 'slenderella'....but that wasn't available, so Slendarella it is!

Join me on my journey! Let me know your thoughts, your struggles, your successes and what worked for you or your friend or your friend's friend. You get the picture!

Can I get a big 'GO GIRL' ?!

YEA - WHOOP WHOOP!!!!