Thinking Thin...Literally

I haven't been blogging about my health-quest much lately, and I figured out why. It's because I've been struggling. It's always hard to admit, but they always say - admitting it is the first step. I recently started reading  a book called The Only Diet There Is. I find it so fascinating that I borrowed it from my mom before she even had a chance to read it, and I am almost done reading it in just 3 days. This book is from the 80s, but it has some extremely interesting and valid points.

One of the main points is that it's almost impossible to reach and maintain your ideal weight when you don't love yourself. When you hate yourself and always have negative thoughts about yourself, how likely are you to take care of yourself and respect your body? After reading this book, I started thinking of my body like a vehicle - If you own a car that you absolutely hate and despise driving it everyday, how likely is it that you'll fill it with premium gas, get regular oil changes, take it to the repair shop, or even get a car wash now and then? And surely you won't care if you bang it up and fill the interior with garbage, because afterall, in your mind it already looks and runs crappy.

These are the same negative thoughts that we may have about our own bodies. Our bodies are literally our vehicles to get around in the world. Just like you drive your car to work everyday and rely on it to get you back home again, we rely on our bodies to keep us moving and productive. It's the same principle - learn to love and appreciate your vehicle, and you'll take better care of it and restore it to its natural beauty.

Maybe you've never dealt with this issue of self-hate, but I certainly have and know several people who spend their days with guilt, hate, and negative thoughts about themselves. As the book points out, your mind will create what you want it to - if you give it the opportunity. You may have heard of self-fulfilling prophecies, where your mind literally creates what it believes to be true. As much as this may sound a little wacko, I'm starting to see how true it really is. Your actions are a result of your thoughts. If you think you're not good enough and not worth self-love, then you won't treat your body with respect or keep it in good condition. Why would you? Would you spend time and effort taking care of a car or house or object that you don't like or even absolutely despise? Probably not.

So in the same way, our thoughts literally affect our actions and our health. I am starting to seriously work on turning my negative thoughts about myself to positive ones and realizing how important it is to love myself. Afterall, if I can't love myself, how can I expect anyone else to love me or for that matter, how can I love anyone else if I can't love my own self?

Another good point is that, if you truly learn to love yourself, you won't torture yourself with exercise you don't like or that you can't do, or deprive yourself of food. These are not self-loving acts and instead cause more anger and guilt when you don't live up to your own high standards. You will instead want to nurture yourself and will therefore eat healthier naturally and participate in activities you do enjoy without even thinking about it.

These are just a few things to think about and consider if you have been stuck in a rut or find that no diets seem to work or stick -- It could be that you need to get in your head and figure out your thoughts first, before you can act on them. In just a matter of days I feel better than ever - not because of the scale at all - but because I am finally learning to love myself and treat myself the way I deserve to be treated.

Total Fitness DVDs: Walk at Home 5 Day Slim Down

Total Fitness DVDs is your source for all fitness and wellness media. They strive to offer the lowest prices and best products for customers, as well as fast shipping and excellent customer service. All of the DVDs are brand new, factory sealed, original US releases. Total Fitness DVDs offers everything from yoga and aerobic DVDs, to children's fitness DVDS, and even fitness kits and equipment to go along with your workout videos.

I loved the search features on the Total Fitness DVDs website. You can search by type of activity, instructor, or brand. So I did a search for Leslie Sansone DVDs since she is a great, down to earth instructor and has the type of workouts I enjoy. I chose the Walk at Home 5 Day Slim Down workout DVD for review, which includes a mile for each morning of the week that targets different areas of the body - or you can do all 5 miles at once if you really want a workout. This DVD came really fast and in perfect condition.

What I love about this particular workout DVD is that even though it's "walking", you get a real workout and actually sweat! It's easy to do, but challenging and burns calories. The mile I liked the best was Day 4: Trim Your Tummy. Leslie Sansone knows just how to target certain muscles while walking and you don't need any accessories or add-ons - all you need is a pair of walking shoes and a DVD player!

Total Fitness DVDs has so many workout DVDs to choose from, you won't be disappointed with the selection or quality. Although it can be intimidating to choose from so many workouts, my advice is to choose the type of workout you like best (yoga, dancing, walking, aerobic, etc.) and go from there. It's always best to find what you like to do and you'll be more likely to stick to it. Another way to help you choose the right DVD for you is to check out the many reviews on the site, written by people just like you!

 Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own experiences with the product. Individual results may vary. No other compensation was given.

Atkins Food Pyramid

 If you're wondering how Atkins works, here's a quick summary with the Atkins Food Pyramid:

Hail Merry Raw Vegan Snacks Review

Hail Merry is a healthy food company created by raw food chef Susan O'Brien, who believes in the healing power of certain plant-based oils in their raw state. Hail Merry products are all raw, vegan, and gluten-free. Raw foods are energizing to the body and since they allow for more vitamins and nutrients to be absorbed we can live on less food and easily manage our weight.

I was given the opportunity to try Hail Merry Grawnola Orange Cranberry, Blonde Macaroons, and Orange Rosemary Pecans. What I love about these products first and foremost is that they are low in carbs, which is great for me since I am trying to stick with a low carb diet and keep my blood sugar stable. Hail Merry Grawnola is nut based rather than grain based so the carbs are only 17 grams per serving. This Grawnola has half the sugar and carbs of other raw bars and is also loaded with healthy omega fats from the nuts. And of course Hail Merry's nuts and other snacks are low in carbs and sugar as well, which is beneficial for anyone watching their weight or managing diabetes.

Not only are these foods healthy and good for you, they also taste amazing! I must say, the orange rosemary pecans were definitely a new flavor for me and something I had never tried before. They were sweet and tangy, yet had an spicy, woody taste to them as well. They definitely filled me up and added a "twist" to my lunch! The Grawnola tasted great, definitely lives up to its description and rivals regular grawnola. And of course who doesn't love Macaroons! These made a great dessert, and it was fun to be able to eat something sweet even while sticking with my low carb diet.

If you're looking for a healthy treat, look no further than Hail Merry raw snacks!

Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own experiences with the product. Individual results may vary. No other compensation was given.

Aurorae Yoga Mat Review

Aurorae Yoga is a company whose goal is to make its customers' yoga experience more enjoyable. Aurorae offers ultra thick, extra long yoga mats as well as "Slip Free" accessories including the famous Aurorae Slip-Free Rosin Bag and the Aurorae Sport Sweat Towel.

I was given an Aurorae Ultra Thick, Extra Long Yoga Mat and Slip Free Rosin Bag for review. I received a pink yoga mat which measures 72x24 inches and has a 1/4 inch thickness to provide enough cushion and comfort to protect knees and joints without being too thick to grip. The eco-friendly material molds hands and feet to the mat with immediate recovery so it helps give a foundation for poses. This odor-free yoga mat also includes a unique focal point icon to help users focus on their poses and maximize the calming and stress relief yoga encourages.

The Aurorae extra long yoga mat comes in a variety of colors that define your inner self, bringing out your natural aura. According to the illumination chart, my pink mat is Hope and means intuitive, faithful, visionary, power of positive thought, energetic and healing. The pink color is very calming and the thick material and length of the mat is perfect for yoga, pilates, or any floor exercises.

I also received a slip free rosin bag which is used to increase gripping power and absorb perspiration. It is non sticky and has no odor, and is easily used by dabbing the bag on you mat and and on your hands and feet. This worked really well and you couldn't even see or feel the rosin.

All in all I am very impressed with Aurorae Yoga's mats and slip-free products. They are very high quality and make the yoga experience even better.



Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own experiences with the product. Individual results may vary. As part of the One2One Network, I will e entered into a drawing for posting this review.