EVOLVING!!!

I've been EVOLVING!
Just like the name of my business. I've been evolving.... not only my wellness but.... MANY aspects of my life.
It's been a roller coaster of anxiety, happiness, joy, frustration, ...you know...all those feelings YOU may start to have when you just THINK about personal/professional CHANGE!!

MOST of all, it's been ENLIGHTENING and EXCITING!
Part of the excitement is the launch of my new fitness program!!! A program that is RADICAL and DIFFERENT and LIFE CHANGING!!
If YOU would like to experience it, I'm giving an introductory class
in Sarasota on Tuesday, June 7, from 6-7 pm at Elite Fitness!! For more about the class or to register for the class email me at debi@evolvingwellness.net.

Also, I'll be launching a new website, a new blog and some new projects. VERY SOON!!

Want to learn more about my journey, the new projects and interesting articles about fitness and wellness?
Connect with me on my Evolving Wellness Facebook page.

I'll also be sending out emails to announce: more classes, launches and other FUN happenings I'm creating!!

What have YOU been up to since we last connected? I'd love to hear about the wonderful things happening in your world!!

Homemade Green Lemon Limeade

My favorite breakfast juice!! Homemade Green Lemon Limeade!!

This drink is a great cleanser and it will energize you for the entire day. Feel free to adjust the quantities of greens. I've even made this recipe with Kale, Spinach and Romaine Lettuce. No matter what greens I have used, they all taste deliciously invigorating!! Enjoy!!!

Recipe:

1/2 head Romaine Lettuce,
7 large bunches of whole Spinach - stems included
1/2 Cucumber
4 large stalks of Celery
1 lime
1 lemon
1 1/2 apples

Your body, mind, spirit will feel alkalized, hydrated and energized!!!

Pumpkin Pie Drop Cookies

This cookie has become a holiday favorite for EVERYONE who tastes it!! You can omit the almonds or you can toast the almonds for more flavor. I also like to actually frost the cookie with the delicious brown butter frosting rather than drizzle it over the top!! ENJOY!!

Preheat oven to 375°

Prep: 30 min. Bake: 10 min. per batch

1 cup butter softened

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup chopped almonds, toasted (optional)

Brown Butter Drizzle

Chopped almonds, toasted (optional)

Finely chopped crystallized ginger (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat mixture until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, pumpkin, and the 1 to 2 tablespoons crystallized ginger. Gradually add flour, beating until combined. If desired, stir in 1;2 cup almonds.

2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inch­es apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

3. Place Browned Butter Drizzle in a heavy resealable plastic bag. Seal bag and snip a small hole in one corner. Drizzle icing over cookies. If desired, sprinkle cookies with additional chopped almonds and crystallized ginger, pressing additions lightly into icing. Let cookies stand until drizzle sets. Makes about 48.

BROWNED BUTTER DRIZZLE: In a medium saucepan heat ½ cup butter over low heat until melted. Continue heating butter until it turns a delicate brown. Remove pan from heat. Slowly beat in 2 ½ cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and enough milk (2 to 3 tablespoons) to make icing of drizzling consistency.

TO STORE: Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or freeze unfrosted cookies for up to 3 months; thaw and ice cookies.

Recipe was initially published in the 2005 Holiday Edition of Better Homes and Gardens

Re-charging for Guys - The Raw and Fit Way!!

For many men, it is a lot of pressure to be a provider, a protector and a source of emotional support for his family. So when it is time for them to re-charge, many men will sit down in their comfy chair/couch, watch some sporting events or play a few video games. During this re-charge time, they may indulge in drinking alcoholic beverages, eat high fat foods: pizza, chicken wings, or hamburgers, munch on crunchy salty snack foods: pretzels or potato chips, etc. After a while, these re-charge choices start to have a not so re-charging affect!! Weight gain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, lack of energy, low moods, and even depression may be the outcome of guys ‘re-charging’ time. Trying to get a guy to change how he re-charges, may not be the easiest for you to do but by encouraging him to change, it may be the best gift you could ever give him!! Here are some ways to help a guy learn to re-charge and create a healthier lifestyle, the raw and fit way!

1. Purchase a gym membership for a guy and for yourself (if you don’t already have one). It’s been scientifically proven that men will stay committed to an exercise program when they have an exercise buddy. Along with being his workout buddy, both of you will enjoy the time spent together.

2. Prepare some delicious raw foods dishes for guys. They can be as simple as: fresh delicious seasonal fruits cut up in pieces, raw crunchy vegetables served with healthy raw nut cheeses, a hearty salad with various greens and dehydrate fruits and raw nuts served with a savory raw dressing.

3. Give a guy a water purifier along with an environmentally friendly water bottle. As part of the gift, have the water purifier installed. That way, this gift won’t end up in the garage as part of the home improvement project to do list! Once it is installed, fill up his water bottle and encourage him to drink plenty of delicious water. Guys will be amazed at how wonderful he feels after a few days of healthy hydration.

4. Buy a book! If the guy is a reader, purchase a raw foods lifestyle book or a book written to assist guys on how to create his own personal fitness program. A guy can read about how a raw food lifestyle will provide delicious ways for him to create healthy dishes filled with enzymes, oxygen, and necessary nutrients to re-charge his body, mind, and spirit! A personal fitness program themed book will give guys some insight on how to create fun and enjoyable ways to incorporate exercise as a part of his lifestyle. The best way to find books a guy would enjoy, go to Amazon.com and search for raw food lifestyle and health and fitness programs. Read through the reviews. I have found the reviews to be an excellent way to find informative books on these subjects.

5. Patience!! Yes, being patient with guys as they start to create a healthier lifestyle is a gift!! It takes 21 days or more for someone to become comfortable with any new habit or thought process. When guys start to create a healthier lifestyle, your patience will be the added support for them to be successful. Know that guys may not stick to a healthier raw food lifestyle or exercise program all the time. What matters is that they consistently choose healthier options over the long run for lasting changes over their life time. As they move through those 21 days, they will begin to feel better! As they feel better, they will continue to choose healthier options. Let guys know you will be patient with them and support them as they create a healthier lifestyle, the raw and fit way!!

Delicous Green Smoothie!!

During our most recent excursion to the local Saturday Morning Farmer's Market, we had the most amazing green smoothie!! It was delicious, energizing, and refreshing!! Yet, after we finished this delightfully thick taste filled smoothie, we felt as though we had enjoyed a light beverage! The next day we decided to create our own version of this green smoothie with our new VitaMix. WOW!! Our version of the green smoothie was even more energizing and deliciously thick with all the power packed nutrients from our organic foods we had purchased from the Farmer's Market. Inspired to create this green smoothie? Here are both recipes for you to create! Enjoy the taste of all the green goodness in this healthy tasty smoothie!!

Farmer's Market Green Smoothie
1 1/2 c of greens (kale or spinach or dandelion greens or a combination of both)
2 small apples (or 1 very large apple) add more apples if you would like it sweeter
2 stalks of celery
1 c of cucumber
1 very ripe avocado
1/2 cup of ice (or very cold water) If you like your smoothies to be VERY cold and with icy pieces add ice rather than cold water

Mix in a blender until well blended and smooth!

Cage's Green Smoothie
1 1/2 c kale (curly kale)
2 med. apples
4 stalks of celery
1 c of cucumber
1 very ripe avocado
8 oz of rice milk
1/2 c cup of cold water

Mix in a high speed blender until blended and smooth!

Fuel your Renewal and Energize YOU!

March 20, 2010, marks the first day of Spring, known as the vernal equinox. It also represents a day of renewal!! Here are seven ways to put more spring into spring, fuel your renewal and ENERGIZE YOU!!

1. Energize your salads, sandwiches, and soups with sprouts. Sprouts are rich in enzymes, vitamins, and micronutrients. They are an awesome way to add more raw into your healthy meals! You can even sprout your own Sprouts!! It’s easy and fun.

2. Bring more spring into your food shopping. The warmer temperatures of spring brings more outdoor events. One of my favorites: a visit to one of the local farmers markets. While I am there I purchase locally grown vegetables and fruits. It’s energizing to smell and touch their freshness. You will definitely taste the delicious difference!!

3. Create an energizing green salad! Delicious greens fuel your body with wonderful living raw nutrients! One of my favorites: mix any green leaf vegetable with chopped cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, yellow peppers and orange peppers. Toss with a little bit of Grapeseed oil and Ume vinegar. Season with sea salt, dulse and unhulled raw sesame seeds. You can even add sprouts to the mix! YUM!!

4. Walk or run outside. Your body will be renewed with all the fresh scents of spring and the wonderful rays of sunlight!! Just a few minutes of direct sunlight on your bare skin increases your Vitamin D, which boosts your Calcium absorption.

5. Enjoy moments of awareness with Mother Nature. Grab a comfortable chair, move it outside. Sit comfortably, with your spine tall, and place your hands on both sides of the lower portion of your rib cage. Breathe deeply into the space between your hands. Take a deep breath in through your nose and a deep breath out through your mouth. Repeat for ten cycles. Connect the pathway between your breath, your body, and your thoughts! This process will fuel your body with more awareness and oxygen. It’s the easiest, fastest, and best way to renew your bodymindspirit!

6. Stretch your body! Learn a few yoga moves or stretches. Make them a part of your morning start. You can even perform them mid-day. Stretching releases tension and increases the feel good chemicals in your body. It’s the ultimate in renewing and energizing YOU!!

7. Fuel your mind with positive and energizing affirmations, mantras, and quotes! Choose ones which support the accomplishment of your personal and professional goals, healthy eating plan, fitness program, etc. I enjoy printing them and posting them in places where I can see them through my day. It’s one of my favorite ways to energize my thoughts! One I’ll be posting to fuel my renewal:

"Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country." Anais Nin

Get your Zzz’s the Natural Way!

Having trouble sleeping like millions of other people? Try a natural approach of bringing the body back into balance by supplementing with 5HTP, eating foods sources high in tryptophan and naturally increasing your melatonin levels. 5HTP or 5-Hydroxytryptophan, is an amino acid, made by the body from Tryptophan. 5HTP boosts serotonin levels, a hormone responsible for regulating your mood. In turn melatonin, a hormone which regulates sleep and wake cycles, increases in the body. All three components work to bring the body back into its balanced cycle of restorative sleep, resulting in a healthier wake time. Want to try 5HTP? Look for it in the supplement section of health food stores, drug stores or in your local supermarket.

Before you run out and make your purchase, read on...

I ALWAYS encourage people to be informed about any supplement they put into their body. Here are some additional facts about 5HTP, Melatonin and Tryptophan, along with sources for more in depth scientific knowledge regarding them. Note, reading highly technical information can be boring and may put you to sleep!! Hmmm...taking 5HTP, increasing food sources rich in Tryptophan AND reading technical information, while sitting in the sun, may be just what a sleepless body needs for a great nights sleep!!

1. 5HTP is made from the seeds of an African plant called, Griffonia simplicifolia.
2. 5HTP may also be prescribed for conditions such as depression, fibromyalgia, migraines, anxiety and weight loss.

3. Great food sources of Tryptophan: turkey, chicken, beef, brown rice, nuts, fish, milk, eggs, cheese, fruit and vegetables. NOW you know why you feel so sleepy after a BIG turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day!!
4. Tryptophan is constantly competing with other amino acids to access the brain. Eat foods rich in carbohydrates to naturally increase the absorption of Tryptophan.
5. Melatonin production can be boosted naturally by increasing the body’s exposure to sunlight each day.

For more information about 5 HTP, Melatonin and Tryptophan:

http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/herbsvitaminsad/a/5HTP.htm

http://www.holistic-online.com/Remedies/Sleep/sleep_ins_melatonin-and-5HTP.htm

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/tc/melatonin-overview

http://www.nutritional-supplements-health-guide.com/sources-of-tryptophan.html