Good Morning Yoga Sequence

Via Thoughts By Natalie

I love this morning yoga routine. All of the poses are easy to do and they give your body a really good stretch to start the day.

My 7-Day Detox Plan

When you hear the word detox do you think of a juice cleanse or a fruit and veggie fast? Detoxes can be number of different plans, but the main purpose of a detox is to eliminate poisons and toxins from the body. Detox plans can help prevent chronic illnesses, reduce damage to your immune system, help rid the body of excess weight, and more. 

One of the main reasons I am going on a detox plan is to get my healthy eating habits in check, kick my wicked sugar addiction, and rid excess toxins from my body. I have done so well adding healthier, whole foods to my diet but I am still struggling with my sugar addiction. My goal is to finish this week long detox with my bad habits in check.  

Inviting Waters from Martha Stewart

Here is my 7-day detox plan:

Water. 
Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Add lemon, lime, or other fresh ingredients to jazz it up.

Eat Clean.
Eat foods that are whole, all-natural, organic, and clean. Focus on eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, legumes, and healthy fats (like avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds, etc.). Avoid dairy and gluten for the next 7 days. Eliminate added sugar, caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, and artificial ingredients.

Drink Green.
Drink 1-2 green smoothies per day. I blend 1-cup of spinach or kale, 3/4-cup fruit, 1/2 banana, and 1 tablespoon of chia or flax seeds.

Get Your Z's. 
Sleep 7-9 hours per night.

Exercise.
Spinning, weight lifting, walking, etc. Sweating eliminates toxins from the body.

Breathe Deeply.
Practice yoga or meditate daily.

Body Brush.

Brushing your skin five minutes a day sloughs off dead skin cells and improves circulation. Read more about why I love to body brush, here. 

If you are interested in a detox plan, you can find a great starting plan here: Whole Living Action Plan. Also, one of my favorite documentary films has a short video about detoxes, click on Hungry For Change Detox to watch.

Cook Yourself Sexy

Cook Yourself Sexy by Candice Kumai (one of my favorite chefs, formerly known as Stiletto Chef) is my new favorite cookbook. It is absolutely gorgeous and the recipes are mouth-watering. All of the recipes call for ingredients that are clean, wholesome, and nutritious. Inside you will also find a "7 days to sexy" plan, sample menus, a "foods with benefits" list, and more. I love this book and highly recommend it.

You can find Candice's fabulous blog, here.

A Prius For Everyone

Hum hum hum let's hum, a Prius for everyone. This commercial makes me happy (and makes Ella dance) every time it comes on the television. Call it great marketing, but every time it comes on it makes me want to buy a Toyota Prius and drive it around humming the catchy tune. A Prius would actually be a great little car for me. It gets great gas mileage, it's compact, and it's a little more earth-friendly.

I have always driven a car that fit me perfectly at the time. Fifteen years ago I drove a Geo Tracker. I was care-free, lived on fast food, and liked loud music. Ten years ago I drove a Honda Passport. I was a newlywed and I always had a gym bag and grocery bags in the back. Five years ago I drove a Audi A4. I worked in the corporate world and always had dry cleaning in the back and a latte in the cup holder. Back then I imagined I would be driving my dream BMW by now and still working in the corporate world (and hopefully be a Mom).

Today I am a Mom, I care about the environment, and I am a little less-extravagant (I would rather put money in my daughter's college savings than buy $250 jeans). I could now imagine driving around in my little Prius, humming a happy tune, with a toddler and yoga mat in the back. Now that's a good dream.