It’s pretty awesome.

You can write anonymous love letters, love letters to those in need, or how about even writing a love letter to a friend or family member!

And not just on Valentine’s Day – spread the love all year ’round.

Lots of love to you, my friends!

Adrienne

And by participate, I mean actually DO the whole swim-bike-run thing.

But the time seems to have never been quite right.

I am realizing a lot these days that it’s always something and if ya don’t make shit happen, there is inevitably a laundry list of things that will pop up preventing you from doing just about anything.

So I’m in the mode of making shit happen these days instead of waiting around for the ‘time to seem just right’.

Because, I could be waitin’ fo’ evah!

SO…

Mini-triathlon it is for me this summer.

I am planning on signing up for one in June just to get a feel for the whole experience.

I found this great website that has the list of just about all of them taking place in the US!

www.trifind.com

I am planning on training just enough so I don’t die doing the race but not too much that I die training.

I really want to see if this is something that I will enjoy doing (I think I will) and that my body can handle (I’m pretty sure it can).

I also like having a goal so I can be motivated to exercise.

Having a goal and challenging myself makes a HUGE difference in keeping up with an exercise routine as I learned doing the 31 in 31 yoga challenge.

Do you want to join me?

Have you ever done a mini-tri?

Have any fun exercise goals or tips to share?

Please let us know in the comments below.

And stay tuned as I will be blogging about my experience and the road to get there!

And if you want to be sure not to miss out on any blog posts or news, be sure to ‘like’ The 50/50 Diet Plan on facebook.

Thank you!!

Love,

Adrienne

And that is….

ADD VEGGIES TO EVERYTHING!

Last night we had pasta and there was a TON of spinach in it.

This morning, Baby G and I had eggs with a TON of mushrooms in them.

If you make soup, saute garlic, onion, carrots, and celery for your base. I always add extra carrot and celery. It makes the soup super tasty too.

And with any soup or stew, you can always stir in greens and herbs. Parsley has loads of nutrients like Vit C, iron, and Vit K and it is mild enough to add to pretty much any soup or stew.

Don’t be chintzy either, put a gang of greens in there!! They always wilt quite a bit anyway. Kale, swiss chard, spinach make perfect soup and stew greens. But you can even stir in lettuces like arugula, mesclun, etc.

Motivated??

Kinda?

A little?

Well, I am challenging you to EAT MORE VEGGIES!

Comment below about what you aren’t doing now but ARE planning to do now because of this riveting and highly motivational blog.

And keep us posted on how you do or any kewl new recipes you come up with!

AND! If you want to take this a bit further, stay tuned for details on the launch of the free 7 Day Smoothie & Salad Extravaganza! It is going to be free and I have gotten AMAZING feedback from the folks who have already given it a try!

EAT THOSE VEGGIES KIDS, EAT. THOSE. VEGGIES!!!!!!

xoxo

Love,

Adrienne

This month, I embarked on a 31 in 31 yoga challenge at my yoga studio, Prana Power Yoga.

Complete 31 yoga classes in 31 days.

I did it to elevate my (beginner) yoga practice.

I did it to challenge myself.

I did it for the physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits.

It was an amazing experience.

Here is what I learned:

1. Fully committing to something is a powerful tool to making it a success.

2. During class, one teacher noted, yoga is more about breath than movement. Wait, I’m supposed to be breathing?!?!

3. Another teacher said that your practice should flow like this: Breathe. Focus. (then) Move. Wait, I’m supposed to be breathing AND focusing and THEN you want me to move? Wha??

4. I was doing none of that. Not breathing. Not focusing. Barely moving (and certainly not moving the correct way!!).

5. Trying to breathe, then focus, then move is hard!!

6. Any time I WAS able to breathe, focus and move (or at least 2 outta the three), it was extremely beneficial and I got a lot out of that particular pose and the practice that day.

7. I am desperately distracted by others. And when I am paying attention to what others are doing, what I am doing suffers. I saw this in my yoga class each and every time. I see this is my life a lot too.

8. Because of #7, I stand at the very front of class in the left corner. I worry that people are like ‘WTF is she doing up there? She sucks at yoga.’

9. A few times I was late and missed getting my beloved spot (oh the horror!!). So I went to the back of the room. It was way too distracting and I missed my little happy spot up front. But from the back of the room I discovered there are lots of other beginners and lots of people doing lots of different things. Nobody and no body is perfect. Phew.

10. Because of the NY Times article about how yoga can wreck your body, many of the teachers reminded us a lot in class about listening to our bodies, to only do what we can, and to not do any poses that are beyond our capabilities. The article did not paint yoga in a very favorable light, but I think it was a good thing to make people (and teachers/instructors) more aware that any activity done mindlessly and carelessly can be harmful.

11. Speaking of yoga teachers, the ones I had the pleasure to take classes with were just great. They were all a little different and brought a little something different to each class. I liked all of them so so very much!!

12. 6 a.m. yoga is not my favorite thing in the world to do. But some days it was the only time I could go. As I said in #1, when you are committed, you make it happen, even if it has to be at 6 a.m.

13. Yoga releases all the crap that is in your body and in your mind. I find that so fascinating and so very true!

14. In one class, in a particularly challenging pose, I laughed, then did a raspberry out loud, then was able to take the pose to another level. It was like my body released something with the laugh and the raspberry (I do not mean this as a metaphor for a fart. I mean an actual raspberry done by sticking your tongue out and making a thhhhbbbb sound).

15. Considering I feel I can laugh and do a raspberry out loud in yoga class, it is obvious I do not take yoga too too seriously. I think that is a good thing.

16. This is my favorite pose

Mine does NOT look like that…yet.

17. I missed the other exercise I do. I missed my boxing class and walking. Of course I could’ve done those things while I was doing this challenge but trying to schedule these 31 classes with my husband’s crazy ass schedule and two kids was just about all I could handle.

18. My ‘core’ is just the most pathetic excuse for a core. Yoga is a great way to strengthen it. Mine IS getting stronger. As is the rest of me.

19. I am beyond excited to continue and evolve my yoga practice and maybe even do another 31 in 31 in May!

20. I wore the same tired old outfit for 31 days. Yes…of course I washed it!! But it is pretty ghetto and I think I should treat myself to a new outfit.

I have fasted.

I have cleansed.

I have raw fooded.

I have spent time at Hippocrates.

I loved doing all of those things.

I got A LOT out of all of those things.

But I always wound up right back where I started.

Not that I didn’t gain knowledge, I did. Not that I didn’t grow, I did.

But I still never moved forward like I hoped.

And today I realized why.

I had never built a solid foundation of health.

I never started with one so therefore I could not wind up back there, standing on solid ground.

Building a strong foundation of health has become my goal and it is how I want to help you, too.

If you are standing on strong ground, you can really fly.

I want to fly.

And I want you to fly, too!

The 50/50 Diet Plan is an amazing way to build your very strong foundation of health.

So please join me this year as I help you to build this foundation.

It takes commitment.

It takes planning.

It takes patience.

So it is not for everyone but I promise you it will all be worth it.

We are going to be making the commitment to build this foundation. Then we are going to plan. Then we are going to put systems into place to allow us to succeed…every. single. day.

If you are ready to join in, stay tuned for what is coming up.

I’ve got lots of fun, inspiring, and life-changing stuff on the way.

It’s gonna rock.

I can’t wait to share it with you!

Yay!

Love,

Adrienne

This is her and I about 6-7 months ago.

We are still nursing.

About 6-8 times a day.

Yes, she is eating food but she is really more of a grazer.

My biggest conundrum with this is that she wakes 1-2 times every night and I nurse her back to sleep (this usually takes about 5-10 minutes, no drama, no baby wanting to play, she always goes right back to sleep).

This all means one very important thing…I have not slept through the night in over a year.

This makes a mama cranky. And a little crazy. And feeling like she has a constant hangover. Which often leads to hangover-like eating. Think: carbs, fat, salt, and sugar.

Ugh.

I am considering stopping nursing so I can ideally facilitate some hardcore sleeping.

I keep thinking of that Bon Jovi song, ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead.’ But all I can think about is how if I don’t sleep, I WILL be dead and then what’s the point.

Oh, and I’d love to have 800 margaritas. Okay, maybe just 5.

But I am a big advocate of long-term nursing (however long works for you) and nursed my first daughter, now 7, for 2 years. I know it has a big impact on their health. I know it is great for soothing with teething and when they are cranky.

I really do love doing it.

But I am thinking of stopping.

But then I think, no. This will not be forever and to keep at it for another few months when I intuitively feel she will stop. I really do feel she will stop at around 18 or so months.

Also, I don’t feel great about the bevvies of choice for her to have instead of nursing. All that milk every day? Not a fan. I’ve tried to give her raw cow’s milk and she is not super keen on it. So we’d rotate some boxed milks, rice, coconut, almond, soy/rice blend, keep trying the raw milk, make some of our own ‘milks,’ etc. Truthfully, I’d rather wait on all that.

And would it be any guarantee that she doesn’t wake?

Who knows.

I know we could try all kinds of things, cry-it-out, dad goes in, gradually decreasing nursing and then going in for just a few minutes, etc. etc.

Part of me knows (and truly feels) it won’t be much longer and that I am so happy that it makes her so happy.

The other part of me just wants to sleep.

And have a margarita…or 5.

Any Mamas want to share their experiences?

Not looking for answers, just shared experiences.

Thanks!

Love,

Adrienne

I am so not a Yogi.

Or even aspire to be one.

But I have come to love yoga, especially the hot, sweaty kind.

I signed up at my yoga studio for the 31 in 31 challenge for January.

31 classes in 31 days (all of January).

Six days done and only 25 to go! (the math on that is right, right?)

Yoga and yoga classes, have become to me, like one giant A-HA moment.

They come fast and furious (that doesn’t sound right…). The A-HA moments, I mean, of course.

I’m like freaking Oprah, yelling ‘A-HA’ every few minutes.

In my head at least, I don’t think the people in class would appreciate my Oprah-esque outbursts.

Taylor Wells, one of the founders of Prana Power Yoga where I go, says that your yoga mat is like a mirror.

I find the whole thing is like a mirror! The class, the workout, the spirituality aspect, the mat, the sweating, everything. I am continually looking at myself and into myself each class. It is not always pretty, but I am learning a lot about my tendencies, my nutbagginess, and how to be at peace with (at least) some of it. As well as how to be at peace with others and what others do and do not do.

So, for example, today’s A-HA moment was this:

I get so completely distracted by what others are doing. And as a result I become off balance. Happened today in class, I fell over as I was looking at someone else’s much better half-moon. This happens in my everyday life as well. Busying myself up with what others are doing, is distracting and puts me off balance in many ways.

And IRONICALLY, as I am writing this, I have forgotten some other really good a-ha moments because I have being looking on the web, and texting, and tweeting, while I am writing.

Hmmmm…..

A-HA!

Any experiences in yoga you would like to share?

Do below!

Thanks!

Love,

Adrienne

Resolve to do better, be better, get more shit done.

Well that all sounds good in theory but we all know how it winds up going. You make these grandiose plans (lose weight! be nicer! stop swearing! call mother more! get eating under control! and the list goes on and on) and while you may be successful for a few days, next thing you know, you are back to doing what you have done before and now you feel worse and like a failure.

Good times!

Resolutions also make me think of a time when I had a ‘You Are Fat’ folder (it was actually called that) when I was in my late teens. It was SUPPOSED to motivate me to lose weight but all it did was make me feel bad. Filled with pictures of skinny models that I could never, ever be like. As well as a picture of Rob Lowe (it was the late 80′s) with a bubble over his head that said ‘Adrienne, you are fat. No one likes fat chicks, especially guys like me.’

Lovely.

It seems resolutions focus on the negative (like my folder did) and don’t really help you. At least they never helped me. I was programmed to focus on getting rid of the perceived ‘bad’ things about myself (sending a message to myself that I was not okay just as I was, NOT at ALL okay) instead of focusing on the positive and reaching for goals.

GOALS on the other hand, now that is something I can get behind. Goals with action plans. Me likey. Goals feel better especially now that I know it is not about huge, unattainable goals. It is about focusing on the positive, moving forward and being able to meet yourself where you are at (even if it is not where you WANT to be meeting yourself).

Here are some of my goals for the next year, in the context of building a lifelong foundation of health, based on my 4 Cornerstones of Health in The 50/50 Diet Plan.

1. More Fruits and Veggies. It is my goal that my diet is approximately 50% fruits and veggies. I am committed to do that and in the next few weeks will be putting an action plan together in order to do so.

2. Exercise. I committed to do the 31 in 31 at my yoga studio this month. It’s 31 yoga classes in 31 days. 28 to go!! I wanted to challenge myself this year and this is one of the ways I am beginning to do so. The other way (as far as exercise goes) is to complete a mini triathlon in June on Cape Cod. I am really looking forward to doing that.

3. Appreciation and Gratitude. This is something I highly recommend to all and something I want to become second nature. I do feel very appreciative and grateful for so many things but I tend to also let little things get me down. I can also get a bit self-absorbed. By committing to being more appreciative and grateful and putting practices in place to do so, I will be able to keep my mood more even and be more expansive in my life.

4. Meditation Any time I have had a meditation routine it has really ensured that the day just goes smoother. So it is my goal to get back to a daily meditation routine. I know it will help me be more present, more mindful, more grateful, more peaceful. Not in a perfect way, but in a real, true way. Meditation is a key player in creating this state of being.

I have other goals too! To be able to do a kick a$$ wheel pose, take my business to the next level, get into great financial shape. All of my goals have action plans to go with them and I will be putting them into place over the next few months. No rush, as these are plans for life. But none and I mean NONE speak to the fact that I stink or I am not perfect just as I am (like how that fat folder made me feel). Yes, I want to improve myself and some things in my life but not because I am unhappy with who I am. I feel very committed to putting systems in place to help myself and my family succeed in all of the above goals. So stay tuned to see how it all goes!

Do you have any goals for the New Year?

Tell us what you are excited about and your action plans to get going on what you want!

Happy New Year!!

Love,

Adrienne

This foundation is built on the 4 Cornerstones of Health.

And they are…

1. Fruits and veggies. Eating lots fruits and veggies is probably one of the best things you can do for your body. Vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants all help our bodies work optimally. The 50/50 Diet Plan shows you how you can easily add fruits and veggies into your diet in a non-dogmatic, non-dramatic way. I do promote that 50% of those fruits and veggies should be consumed raw but just increasing ANY amount you eat (raw or cooked) is huge.

2. Exercise. Ya gotta do it. We must move our bodies every day. But it does not have to be time consuming or boring. Find what you enjoy doing, and do that. There is no perfect exercise. The perfect one is the perfect one for YOU.

3. Appreciation and Gratitude. I believe without this very important piece of our health foundation, we cannot be 100% abundantly healthy. The art and momentum of living in appreciation and gratitude is easily created with a daily practice taking only minutes.

4. Meditation and Mind-relaxation techniques. Quieting the mind has massive health implications. Spending even just a few minutes a day breathing and focusing on nothing but breath allows for peace to filter into every aspect of your life.

Most diet programs are missing Cornerstones #3 and #4. They focus only on what you are eating. But we are not just what we eat. We are emotional, spiritual beings. And that part of us needs to be nurtured and addressed too. For overall long-term health, all of these Cornerstones need equal emphasis. And what is great is that Cornerstones #2, 3, and 4 are FREE. Hey now.

And finally, I believe that the Four Cornerstones of Health are best wrapped up in a big bow of passion. Passion for your life, your health, the things you love.

I am so looking forward to helping you in the New Year achieve this strong foundation of health!

Love,

Adrienne

I know I have let a lot of things fall by the wayside. And sometimes I am just too tired to even do simple things like wash my face!!

My youngest is now 13 months so things are beginning to come together and I am feeling more like myself (whoever that is LOL).

But I am always looking for short cuts and easy ways to take care of myself.

The other day the baby had avocado and banana mash and did not eat all of it.

I hate to see that go to waste but it turns brown very fast so I am often tossing it in the trash.

Boooooooo!

But I realized that I CAN use this mushy, goopy stuff.

It makes a perfect face mask!!

Here is what I did:

In a bowl I mixed…

Leftover avocado and banana mash

1 scoop of MSM powder

1/4 spoonful of coconut oil

Then I smeared it on my face!

Kinda like this:

Pretty, huh??

I left it on for 15 minutes or so and then I wiped the majority of it off gently with washcloth. Then I rinsed the rest off with water.

Your skin will now be smooth and glamorous, so give it a try.

I know I DID feel a little more snazzy and my skin was super soft afterward.

The combination of things you can add to your face mask is limitless.

I have some leftover yogurt and blueberries that I am going to try today. Any fruit combo will do. And you can add things like oats/oatmeal, honey, sugar, cucumber, and any good quality oils you have around.

Have fun with it.

Don’t over think it ~ you’ve got enough on your plate (and now face!!).

And what is even MORE fabulous about this is that it’s made with stuff you have around the house so you are not spending any extra $$ AND you are using natural products and not exposing yourself to any of the nasty chemicals that are found in so many skin care products.

If you make any of your own combos, be sure to let us know!

Love,

Adrienne