Day 18-Feeling Good!

My Journey:

I've never tried a diet plan before, well, I take that back, maybe for a day or two.. 

does that count?

Committing myself to 30 days of anything has been HUGE! The first week I lost 2 lbs, which I thought was pretty awesome, but the second week I only lost .2/10 of a lb. but I stuck with it and pressed on!.. This week, week 3! has been crazy! 

It's only Wednesday and I've already lost a total of 5 lbs since day 1! 

        🎉Woohoo!! 🎉

Very cool to see the scale closer to where I use to be in my grad school days!

Every day counts and every meal counts..

baby steps! 

I have had a few hiccups since the challenge with food, but overall, 95% compliant, so not going to dwell on the other 5%. 
 It just goes to show you to not give up if/when you have a"cheat meal", on occasion. Notice I didn't say "cheat day".😉

The Best Part:

 I feel better emotionally each day that I stick with it! My head feels clearer, less "brain fog", I feel less bloated, .. my clothes fit better, .. and it's only been 2 & 1/2 weeks! I'm still having side effects of moodiness, but I can tell they aren't as severe as they were in the beginning.

 Cravings are tough to kick, but once you get over that hump, it's a lot easier! 

          

If you're interested in joining a private 

"30 Days to Healthy Living with Arbonne" group, leave a comment below 

& I will be happy to help you get started! 

Detox

Good morning! 

Can I be honest with you? Okay, thanks. :) I've never detoxed before. GASP!  Maybe you haven't either.. honestly, didn't even know where to start or what that even meant. So what I did do is say," yes" to a friend of mine who invited me to give this "Arbonne" thing a shot when it came to the awesome Arbonne Essentials Nutrition line. 

I started my journey 16 days ago with "Arbonne's 30 Days to Healthy Living". For the very first time, I could finally be a product of the product. I am actively a part of a group of people in the same boat that provides me with support for healthy recipes, encouragement to keep going, posts reminding me that the side effects are normal, education about food, etc.. It's been more than just a "diet" as some would call it, it's been empowering to learn how to better take care of the "temple" that I call my body. 
          
If you're still hanging on to the two words I mentioned earlier, side effects, let me explain. You see, when your body is cleansed of toxins via water, healthy organic foods, product aids, etc.. , it's natural to be moody, have headaches, nauseous, etc. SERIOUSLY, I bet you CAN'T WAIT to get started now, huh! But the truth is, my body has been sick for awhile and due to all the junk I've been feeding and filtering it with, it became accustomed to those things. Now that I've stirred up all the junk, it's causing all kind of chaos like a fighting toddler!
 

As difficult as some of the side effects can be, which thankfully haven't been too terrible, the side effects that come from not taking care of your temple are far worse. Bloating, IBS, cancer, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, high cholesterol, the list goes on and on. The most I've noticed when it comes to the detoxing side effects for me personally are a few more headaches than normal and mood swings. Retraining my mind and my food habits takes serious mental toughness. That's why it's so important to stay connected to your coach for guidance and support. I feel like just making it past the half way mark has been a success! 

My energy levels have been higher than I've expected them to be with the "30 Days to Healthy Living with Arbonne" plan, which was surprising. The protein shakes have been better than expected too. Adding kale to my shakes have actually been tasty and a great power start to my day!  

Another thing that's been surprising for me has been the 7 day cleanse (click here). I'm on Day 2 and WOW! the difference a day makes already in how I feel and the junk that's no longer in my body! It hasn't been harsh on my body though. I didn't have to sit near the restroom, "just in case" or anything, it just made me feel more regular.(tmi"too much info",apologies).. who knows what day 7 will be like! haha. 

Not that everyone's results will be the same, but I've dropped 1.4 lbs in a mere 24 hours! That's how important Gut Health is! It's so important to "clean the drain", in a safe way, that's why I chose Arbonne.

While doing my first 30 days with Arbonne, I wanted to share with you that my exercise lifestyle is not where I'd like it, but didn't want to be too overwhelmed with my checklist of things to do or not do.. so for my first 30 days, my lifestyle of exercise hasn't changed much. It consists of playing with my dogs in my backyard, walking around the grocery store and my house-pretty much, and then around the neighborhood a few times a week with my husband and our dogs. I work from home in an office chair so my lifestyle is pretty sedentary at the moment. I'm testing the "Healthy Living with Arbonne" system out without adding any variables. I want to see what it can do by merely following the program without a new exercise program to add to the mix. 

Once I tackle the first 30 days, I will feel better and more confident to add in exercise like yoga, circuit training & cardio. Check out @northcarolinayogagirl on instagram! If you're local to the #LKN area, #NORTHCAROLINAYOGAGIRL has classes that she offers beginning April 6th, the 31st day of the journey, perfect timing! 


If you're interested in joining the next "30 Days to Healthy Living with Arbonne", you can find me on Facebook by clicking here , on Google +NC Arbonne Consultant  or Instagram @ncarbonneconultant. 

To purchase your products for the 30 Days group, simply pick one of the options below! It's worth the investment for better health! If you don't take care of you, who will?! and email me at hsapp.arbonne@gmail.com for which packages you'd like! Some of my personal favorite flavors are pomegranate fizz sticks and chocolate protein shake mix! Don't forget to stay connected via our private Facebook Group for accountability and support! 

For more information about what products Arbonne has to offer, please visit, www.heathersapp.arbonne.com under Independent Consultant, Heather Sapp.


Note: Each person's results may vary, when using Arbonne products. Arbonne does not claim you will lose weight while on their product. It is best to consult your physician before using any new products or supplements. 

Trying New Veggie Recipes

I tried cauliflower pizza crust for the first time! Click here to see pics!

I bought organic eggplant yesterday. Not quite sure how I'm going to cook it yet, any tips? Please share! 😊

Kale

Yesterday, I experimented in the kitchen with Kale. I was super skeptical of it actually tasting as good as people claim but I was very pleasantly surprised after making my very own #KaleChips !

What I learned by way of videos, research and friends on Facebook....

Pull the Kale off the " rib" of each stem by dragging your fingers pinched from the bottom to the top. The leaf parts should come off very easily, leaving you with a stem("rib").

Rinse.
Then pat dry with a clean cloth or paper towel
Tear into small chip size pieces..
Lay on a cookie sheet or my favorite, pizza stone.

Drizzle (evoo) olive oil across the pieces.
Massage olive oil into pieces to distribute evenly,
 or can toss the kale and olive oil in a bag first and shake- whatever your preference.

Then bake for 30 minutes at 250Degrees.

Once ready, should look greenish brown..

Add salt ( sea salt)

Enjoy! Crisp! Crunch. Yum!

Lemon juice is another ingredient you could add.
Also minced garlic.
I tried rice vinegar, lemon juice, minced garlic, &salt for my first batch. Good too!


What ways do you enjoy eating Kale?

Check this link out below.. good info!

Top 10 Healthiest Veggies

- Heather Sapp
www.heathersapp.arbonne.com

Eat to Live!,(not the other way around!)

Mondays... I love Mondays! Why?! Because it feels like a new beginning, a fresh look ahead. You're back into "the groove" whether it's work or whatever.. 

Today, I began my very first #30Challenge to living healthier and happier! I'm using Arbonne as my vehicle to get there and I am looking forward to seeing the results come day 30.  Gut health matters!

I refuse to quit. I refuse to make excuses.. I will succeed and I will get there! 

Today, I started off with a glass of Arbonne Detox Tea with two lemon wedges. It was a great way to start off my day. Especially since I've been battling the allergy season with sinus mess. It helped "break it up". After I drank my nice, warm, glass of tea, .. I soon after had my delicious Chocolate, Strawberry Protein Shake filled with tons of goodies.. Digestion Plus, Fiber Boost, Pea Protein ( No Whey), strawberries of course and coconut milk. 

For lunch, I had a delicious salad with a raspberry coconut and olive oil "dressing" with h2o. :) 

For my snack, 2 Arbonne Fit Chews and for dinner I plan to have a Coconut Protein Shake with pear slices. 

For bedtime, I plan to have a soothing cup of detox tea once again to wind down. It's caffeine free so no worries! :) 

Remember, "eat to live, not the other way around!"

     

                                                                                                     Make it a great day!,

                                                                                                                Heather Sapp

www.heathersapp.arbonne.com

                                                                                @NCArbonneConsultant

What if...

Happy Friday Everyone! 

16 days til Spring & 110 days til Summer!!
A lot can happen in 110 days, .. and even in 16 days! 

My husband and I are starting our very first 

30 Days to Healthy Living Challenge with Arbonne 

THIS MONDAY! 

A little nervous.. but I also know changes/challenges in our life make us nervous at times and that's okay. It's the unknown, the what if's.. but turning those what ifs into positive thoughts.. can bring the nerves way down! Imagine this.. What if I succeed? What if I feel better? What if I lose inches? What if I have more energy? What if I have more time? What if! Right?! 

Let me ask you this, where do you see yourself in 110 days? Same? better? worse? 

What habits are creating today for a better YOU tomorrow? 

Life isn't easy, in fact, it can be super tough and even brutal.. what are you doing to protect yourself? 

I know for me, praying on the Armor of God, Ephesians 6: is crucial. Do I forget? yes? Do I just give up and never pray it on again? No. I'm not perfect, and you'd probably agree that neither are you. Mistakes are going to happen. It's what we do in the moment, that makes a difference. Do we give up? Do we think negative thoughts? Do we rise and work harder? 

I want to challenge you to rise to writing down your goals this weekend.
     (The Importance of writing down your goals. Click here )

Whether it's waking up 15 minutes earlier, reading a book, going to a new place, whatever your goal. Make it happen and reward yourself when the goal is achieved with something positive! But if you're goal is to eat healthier this weekend, don't reward yourself with a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts. 😉

 So what are you waiting for?!

(looking for nutrition assistance/accountability?, click here)

Make it a great day!, 

Heather 

www.heathersapp.arbonne.com

Discipline

We all know the word... and if we think long enough of what the word means, not many of us care to dig deeper, I know, it's a struggle for me. You see, discipline doesn't happen over night. Shocker right? ;) It's refined, it falls down, it gets back up, it perseveres. Discipline doesn't have a finish line per say, it has a journey. I'm going to share a little bit with you this morning, I hope you don't mind.

Let me first start off by saying this, I enjoy nice things, I enjoy clean things, I even enjoy receiving them as gifts, but to act on these things at times, well... is a challenge. 

Just going to cut right down to the chase, I hate cleaning, actually no I take that back. I don't hate cleaning, I just get overwhelmed with the thought of cleaning. Short tasks, taking the garbage out, washing dishes, cleaning a toilet, no problem! Tell me to sweep and mop the entire house.. ehh.. well then I think, I'm going to have to move furniture and rugs and well the multi step process is already wearing me out just thinking about it. When I get going, no problem! My point is.. there are things in life we don't mind doing, especially short tasks. But when it comes to a multi process kind of task, we can become overwhelmed. And a long term goal, well that just feels or seems impossible all together! 

Take a different perspective for a moment.. 

CLEANING for example, is a WAY OF GOOD HEALTH!  If we don't clean, consequences follow: illness, trouble breathing, stained clothing, mold, odors, stress.. you see the picture. So, as a REWARD for cleaning we AVOID the potentially harmful side effects  from our LACK OF ACTION. Let that SINK IN for a minute.

God calls us to ACT. In fact, there's an entire book in the Bible called just that! As much as I dislike cleaning, I enjoy the result. The same goes with things in your day to day life! Take FOOD for example, did you know that you are only one meal away from being on track to healthy habits?! Just ONE MEAL AWAY, yet so many of us see the long dark ROAD OF DON'Ts , .. DON'T eat this, DON'T do this,"No U-Turn"..  

Forgetting that nothing good ever happens overnight. Graduating High School takes 13 years! What if it takes 13 years to achieve your goal? Would you stick it out??

CONSIDER THIS:

ENVISION the BIG PICTURE.. Got it?? Now, are you willing to do the "baby steps" to get there? 

College degree, Family Planning, Reading the Bible in a Year, Losing Weight (ouch), Speaking Positive Truths, Paying Off your Mortgage, Becoming Debt Free..

ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE OBTAINABLE! But THEY DON'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT! 

ENJOY THE JOURNEY! GIVE YOURSELF **GRACE** and then MORE GRACE! 

YOU DECIDE THE SPEED, YOU ARE IN CONTROL- NO ONE ELSE. GOOD OR BAD.

In conclusion, my personal goal is to first, BREATHE, and begin looking at the RESULT before I begin. To BELIEVE and KNOW, the RESULT WILL HAPPEN, IF I " ENJOY THE JOURNEY" and take it ONE STEP at a TIME! 

Homework: Write down 3 things you'd like to improve. / Then write down HOW you plan to ACHIEVE those GOALS.

Ideas below :)

​​

1)Spending time with children-

 -incorporate chores with them-make it fun

- giving positive praises.

2)Making healthy meals at home-

-write down a list of your favorite healthy foods

-check out allrecipes.com and type in an ingredient off your list to find meals you could try! 

-grocery shopping for the ingredients.

3) 30 minutes of Exercise.-

-break it down, start off with 5 minutes, then 10, .. don't overwhelm yourself with 30 when 15 is tough, you'll get there!

-Download Pandora for songs to help keep you going!

-Try 3 exercises and repeat 3 times, don't overwhelm yourself with a list of workouts in the beginning, .. again, BABY STEPS! You got this! 

Now time to GET OVER THAT HUMP in your life!!

Happy "Almost Friday" !!

 

Heather @NCArbonneConsultant