Planning

It was a great weekend in Philly, lots of sunshine and a generally calm vibe was in the air. When the weekend is nice it can be hard to stop and start thinking about Monday but it is vital to our success.

Planning our food and exercise for the week is the best way to stay on track and start the week with a little less stress. I start planning on Sunday morning and then pick up anything I might need to make my meals for the next few days. If you don't normally plan ahead it may be best to make it simple. You can make a big salad, line the bowl with paper towel and keep the moist veggies in a separate container. Lettuce can stay fresh for about 5 days if kept properly. If you are a meat eater your can cook a few turkey or chicken breast in advance and they will be all ready to go! My choice is usually soaked and sprouted chickpeas.

Wash your fruit and prepackage any other dry snacks that you are eating. (ex. 10 almonds)

If you tend to rush around in the morning, try putting all your goodies in your lunch bag the night before and you can truly grab and go for a lot less money and in most case you will be having a much more nutritional meal.

Exercise

Once again planning is very important, you need to know at the beginning of the week what you plan for exercise is and how much time you can allot for it. It is also best to keep a log of what you are doing and with what intensity.

I will be posting some workouts this week so if you need some new ideas stay tuned!

Juicing from my garden

Lately I have been juicing a lot. Sometimes I make great concoctions but since cucumbers are rich with so many minerals and hydration that our body needs I juiced them all by there loan-some the other day.

I have been amazed by the benefits of something as simple as the cucumber. The cucumber above is from my garden, you can't get much fresher than that!

Check out the many uses for cucumber:

The Amazing Cucumber
This information was in The New York Times several weeks ago as part of their "Spotlight on the Home" series that highlighted creative and fanciful ways to solve common problems.
1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower?Ý Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds?Ý Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long.Ý The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!
7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes?Ý Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!
10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.
11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.
13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!