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Essential

As many of you know, I love all things health, wellness, and nutrition.  I finished my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Exercise Science and teach fitness classes. I am a HUGE proponent of anything that is good for the body, mind, and spirit.

As such, I have been using some incredible wellness products, and I want to share some of that info with my blog readers!!

So friends, I know you care about your health (obviously, right?! Why else would you be visiting?) and as such I want you to also know about the most incredible health and wellness products known to man. The exact same products that successful spas such as the Bellagio, MGM, and Four Seasons are using. These products come straight from the earth-from PLANTS (we love plants, right?!) Truly a gift of the earth without any side effects or crazy added synthetics. Without anything added. That is right. I know, fabulous, right?!

What is it?! They are 100% Certified PURE Therapeutic Grade essential oils. 

What are essential oils you might ask? Essential oils come from parts of plants that are carefully extracted using very expensive equipment and strictly controlled temperatures, all done so with complete precision. Essential oils have medicinal, health, and therapeutic benefits.  Many of the oils have powerful cleansing properties.  Because of their unique chemical structure, essential oils can pass directly through the skin for immediate systemic response.  Those oils that can be taken internally can cross the cell membrane and thus target viruses and bacteria that modern medicines and anti-biotics can NOT target (as they can't cross the cell membrane).  

The oils I use are the only oils in the world that can be labelled 100% certified PURE therapeutic grade because of the purity and clarity of the oils--NO pesticides. NO residues. NO synthetics. NO fillers. NO artificial anything. NOTHING added. Only PURE 100% essential oil.  (just like organic foods are really truly ONLY "organic" if the food says "Certified Organic" everything else could just be partly organic) The reason this is so, is because it is wayyyy more expensive to run the extra tests, find the best plants, and control the actual extraction methods. Each bottle is rigorously tested and only sold if it passes the 5 extra tests the company runs (as compared to any other essential oil company). 

Essential oils can be used for everything from scrapes and bruises to sore muscles to headaches to curing ulcers (NO joke- my husband's stomach ulcers, in fact!). These essential oils can be applied topically, diffused aromatically (killing germs, brightening mood, calming the senses, etc.), and some can be taken INTERNALLy! If you have ever used essential oils you probably know that internal use of oils is a no-no.....that is because those essential oil companies can not guarantee that there are no pesticides, synthetics, or other 'junk' added in (added in b/c it is cheaper and easier production).

I use essential oils daily and have seen incredible things happen! The following are just a FEW of the things that have happened in my life because of using these oils:

-My ache in my left ankle disappeared (I use the supplements the company makes with essential oils blend) 

-my burned finger's pain was immediately relieved and NO scarring appeared (Lavender)

-I fall asleep faster and sleep more peacefully (Serenity blend)

-my stomachaches I often get when I eat too much dairy are relieved (DigestZen blend)

-my skin is clearer and I look younger!! (Melaleuca and Lavender)

-my water is tastier now (1 drop each of Lemon, Lime, and Grapefuit oils)

-my back aches (teaching over 3 fitness classes per week plus full-time work in a chair = achey back)    

     disappeared (when I rub DeepBlue blend on it--used for muscle soreness)

-my headaches and tension are gone (rubbing Pastense blend on my temples)

-my sleepiness and lack of motivation is zapped (Peppermint rubbed on my neck and upper jaw)

-I have lost a bit of weight and reduced cravings for foods I am not really hungry for (Slim and Sassy Blend)

-and like I mentioned earlier, my husband's ulcers are cured. 

Let me share with you a bit more about that experience....My husband started having pains in his abdomen at night. We were visiting my family and as my father is a doctor he did some tests, asked questions, etc. and then gave my husband some very strong medications. My husband's pain did go away/was subsided for several hours, but if he didn't take the medicine, the dull pain would return and he would be VERY uncomfortable. The rest of the trip was unfortunately much of the same....he'd be in pain, he'd take more meds, he'd be OK (but not great), and so on. We met my husband's mother at the airport when we got back to where we live and his mom had prepared 4 different essential oils for internal use for my husband. (She has a book that says what ailments can be treated with what oils). 34 HOURS later his pain was COMPLETELY gone. 

My hope is that I can share these essential oils with you and you can see for yourself the quality, purity, and power of these essential oils that beat out ANY other essential oil and will change your life dramatically. (Anyone else hate popping pills out there and taking awful, expensive medicines that never work?!) 

I enjoy knowing that I only put the best, highest quality, 100% natural essential oils on and in my body. 

All that work at the gym and healthy eating is only enhanced with the use of these oils :) 

(you can always email me if you have questions: swissdancer@gmail.com)

p.p.s. in case you're really wondering about all those elite spas, the MGM, Four Seasons, Bellagio, and many many more spas all over the country are using these oils in their spas NOW.....replacing other (non CPTG) essential oils and products that have not come even close to matching these 100% CPTG essential oil's benefits, results, and sales. The spas know what is up.....do you??

Anyone sick of taking synthetic meds, drugs, and other stuff that they can not even decipher on labels? I am all for doing, participating in, and creating the healthiest habits!

Let's hear your comments and thoughts on this--

have a healthy day, friends!

the "unperfect" Valentine's

I had it all planned perfectly. 

My day would include lots of red/pink foods.

see my lunch below:

lots of pink and red! Baked sweet potato with ketchup, spinachsalad with Raspberry Balsamicall on a cute red plate!

 On with my plan:

I'd surprise my husband with an amazing home-cooked meal he loves.

We'd enjoy the night.

Enter in my HUGE mistake. I set the oven at the wrong heat.

I got busy doing other things.

I was not paying attention to the oven AT ALL.

AHHHHH burnt to a CRISP

this one wasn't TOO bad....

 DO you even know what the dinner was SUPPOSEDto be?!

Homemade HEART pizzas. That is what.

Bless my heart (haha no pun intended), forINTENDING to make it from the heart, right?!

actually, bless my husband's heart. He still ate it and ENJOYED it.
(some small scraping ensued to rid part of his pizza of blackcharred stuff. Weird, how that got there?!)

Anyone else have an "unperfect" Valentine's day??
by the way-my husband and I thought it was still delicious, semi-edible,
and had a fabulous evening together, thank you :)

Valentine's

Like I mentioned, I am a complete OFB addict.

Proof?

PINK and RED

YUMM

RED Raspberry JAM in my oatmeal in honor
of VALENTINE'S DAY

What foods are you going to make/eat today that are red or pink?!

Breakfast

Anyone else a complete OFB (Oatmeal For Breakfast) addict?

Hi. My name is Annette. And I am OFB.

yummmmy oatmeal

I adore oatmeal for breakfast!
In this certain bowl of oats:
-1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
-1 cup water
-1/2 cup light vanilla soy milk
-1 Tb almond butter
-pinch of nutmeg
-1 Tb granola (on top)
-crumbles of a black bean brownie

What are YOUR favorite combos for an oatmeal bowl?

Oat Facts:
1. oats contain soluble fiber-this fiber dissolves in water/binds with water that gives a feeling of fullness
2. soluble fiber has been shown to help reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers
3. oats are inexpensive, versatile, and delicious
4. oats can be used for breakfast, in cookies, as a bread crumb alternative to casseroles, in muffin mixes, an addition to protein shakes or smoothies, and eaten raw with milk
5. because of the fiber and protein naturally found in oats, oatmeal for breakfast is the perfect break-your-fast (get it?!) meal. It is also a perfect post-workout meal because of the carbs:protein ratio
6. Oats are portable, drinkable, easy to use, and economical
7. try to avoid the oats in a box--there is a lot of added sugar, chemicals, and additives your bodies don't need
8. old-fahioned oats are unprocessed and allow for a slower digestion and release of sugar into the bloodstream....allowing that feeling of fullness to last! No mid-morning snack needed.

Weekend Eats

Does anyone else tend to eat a tad differently during the week? 

I sometimes do.

When I do, I tend to eat more sweets and less vegetables. Weird, I know!

But, I eat REALLy healthy during the week- so it sort of balances each other out.

Sort of.

Some recent weekend (split between 2 weekends) eats:

Best Salad (with chicken and black beans and whole wheat tortilla)

home made hot cocoa- Deeeelish!

homemade turkey/cheese/spinach panini with a spinach salad (cottage cheese and almonds atop)

Snickerdoodle, Vanilla, Dark Chocolate Frozen yogurt with a black bean brownie and toffee
I. was. in. heaven.

you can go ahead and be jealous.

Now can you see why my husband puts up with me during that special time during the month?
He gets to partake of the goodness also!!


Enjoy your weekend friends!

Viewpoint

Just a few pictures I have taken with my brand new camera lately...

How grateful I am for this earth and the beauty we have ALL around us

Spend some time in nature today and you just might have a totally

new VIEWPOINT on your life

We live in a beautiful, majestic world, my friends.

It is refreshing just walking in the woods 

or seeing the mountains when I step out of work

or running along a snowy trail

or sloshing through the huge puddles

or freeezing my bumm off getting to the gym.....

(okay that is a bit of a stretch as far as beauty goes)

All I am saying is step out, and view this world from a different eye tomorrow,

you just might surprise yourself!

my secret love

is Frozen Yogurt. Ice Cream. Caramel. Almonds. More Caramel.  

Don't tell my husband ;)

I ate this glorious dessert 2 weeks ago with the husband celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday. It was AH-mazing and made me fall in love all over again with the above foods (minus the banana. ick!).

Luckily these foods don't show up often in my diet as I usually eat nutritious foods, or ELSE my husband would think something was competing for his love.....wink wink (I do eat nutritious nuts often though-they were just included because they were atop the dessert) 

Mantras

I have a lot of exercise mantras that keep me going and help me stay motivated. Want to hear some of them?

"You're stronger than you think you are"

"Only ___ minutes left" (and then I say it again and again until I finish

"Think about how good you'll feel after you're done" (to get my butt to the gym)

"If she can run that fast than so I can I!"

"It is only 10 hours out of the whole week!" *in reference to going to the gym and being physically active

"fuel your body right and it will carry you further"

"I think I can, I think I can, I think I can"

"Just one more Lady Gaga song...." :)

"Push through it"

"You get to have breakfast after you finish....." *I love my oatmeal in da mornin'!

I want to hear yours! What are some motivational things YOU tell yourself as you sweat it out at the gym, in the yoga studio, or on the sidewalk? 

Essential

What are your health ESSENTIALs?

homemade butternut squash soup- a MUST have

Here are my must haves:

-cardio DAILY (Zumba, stairs, aerobics, running, swimming, elliptical, etc.)

-weight training at least 2 x /week (usually closer to 4 x) 

-essential oils (COMPLETE PURE grade therapeutic oils) DAILY --seriously changed the way my face/skin, hair look, and healing processes go. let me know if you want more info

-intimacy with the husband daily

-whole foods DAILY: soups, salads, sweet potatoes, otameal

-LOTS of water all day

-piece of chocolate a week (at least)

-an apple or orange at lunch

-8-10 hours sleep PER night

-spiritual meditation, prayer, scripture reading daily

-church weekly

-journal writing, facebooking and planner organizing 2 x /week

These all make me HAPPY, HEALTHY, and in BALANCE. 

these pics are pictures of my latest eats, if you were wondering....

What is YOUR list? I want to hear it! If you have questions about any of these items, let me know!

Happy HOLIDAYS!

Mexican HEALTH-ified

Do you love Mexican food? I do IF:  it comes from Cafe Rio, is homemade, has lots of flavor, is not full of too-much cheese/sour cream, or is a bit spicy.

My husband LOVES Mexican so naturally we eat it often (more often than I ever did before we were married anyway). So I am always on a quest to make it tasty AND healthy!

In the MIX, you ask? Here it is:

*Black Beans

*Fat Free Refried Beans

*Salsa

*Canned Chicken

*garlic

*peppers and onions

*Taco and Cumin seasoning

(cook the above over a stove for about 10 mins)

after, add:

*Lettuce

*Light Sour Cream

*dash of Cheddar Cheese (my husband had a bowlfull on his...he adores cheese. Me, not so much)

*Whole wheat tortilla

Roll it all up and CHOW down, friends!

YUMM. I adore SALSA!

Go ahead and try it, you will LOVE it. Find yourself craving it, probably. Happy Cookin friends! What are SOME ways you make Mexican a bit more health-ified?

a delicious friday night meal

I was home alone while the hubby was at work.... so what did I have for dinner?! I bet you want to know! Here it is: 

YUMMY

 IN the mix: 

whole wheat English muffin, 2 eggwhites, some lettuce, 1 light laughing cow cheese (blue cheese flavor), one shake of spices, and an apple and WATER on the side. Get in my belly!

 Now, go and make it yourself- it is delish and healthy (protein, good carbs, some flavor, fiber, and a bit of healthy fat). ENJOY! But try not to lick your fingers at the end...

Are you drinking enough water?!

Because I sure am! My poor husband has to sit in either the middle or window seat when we travel on planes because of my constant trips to the restroom on the plane!

I drink at least 2 full Nalgene bottles in the first half of the day (that's 48 ounces). Plus I drink around 8 ounces at each meal, and around 4 ounces in between meals. I need to stop drinking water by about 8 p.m. if I don't want to make 6 trips to the restroom during the night. (Once on our honeymoon we ate dinner so late that I had to use the restroom at least 6 times during the night. I have THE smallest bladder in the world!)\

The reason I bring this up is that water is a great way to keep the headaches at bay, hunger in place, and to lose the attitude. Seriously, drink more water today and you'll be a bit happier, have less headaches, and be less prone to reach for some candy at 3 p.m. Most people confuse thirst for hunger. Have you done that today? If so, try again next time. When you think you're hungry, try drinking around 4 ounces of water and see if you're still hungry.....

To spice up your water, add lemon, lime, a small packet of crystal light, or ice cubes. These are all delicious ways if you don't love the taste of water. I love my water slightly cold (not too cold, though), so I let some ice cubes sit in the Nalgene for a few minutes and then slurp it on up! Enjoy your watery day--and don't be surprised if you visit the restroom a few times between now and dinner....take it as a good sign when your urine is almost see through. Dark yellow is a bad sign (you're dehydrated!) So drink on up to good health today! :)

BodyPump is COMING!

That is right, BodyPump is coming to 24 Hr Fitness where I work, which means I will be teaching BodyPump starting mid-November! BodyPump is hardcore and WAY fun and a REALLY really good workout- get ready to sweat buckets!---WHO is excited about this?! Let's hear it..... :)
Have a lovely Friday!

Of interest:
a quiz on HOW well you know your metabolism (Fitsugar.com)
30 small tricks on how to BOOST your metabolism (health.com)

Enjoy!

updates

In conjunction with the last post, I wanted to show some pics of my new favorite obsession....

love my spaghetti squash--and so does my husband!

get in my stomach!

hello vegetables!!

Yah, I thought so....I bet you're running off to the Farmer's Market to go get yourself some :) See earlier post on how to prepare- it is super easy!

Another update: I did get the job at 24 Hr Fitness, and now I know which classes I am teaching.... I will teach Body Pump and sub for other classes including Pilates, PiYo, Zumba, S.E.T., and Lift. SO excited about this! I am taking the Body Pump training this weekend (way stoked) and will be all set to teach it, stat! Hope you're having yourself a lovely, healthy day!

new fav obsession

is....... Spaghetti Squash!!! I read about it on another blog and decided that at the farmer's market we'd buy one and try it out. DELISH. I immediately fell in love with this awesome vegetable.  When you pull out the insides after baking the veggie, the strands look like spaghetti. SO fun!

We made a seafood mushroom dish and paired it with the delish spaghetti squash- Yum!

It is super easy to eat.
-cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise
-scoop out the seeds and center portion
-place the two halves face down in a baking dish/pan with a bit of Pam spray/water
-bake for about 30 mins on 350
-Scoop out the strands and you have got yourself a delish veggie

Some ideas to use it in are: in place of actual spaghetti noodles, other noodles, and to use to top off salads.

ENJOY!

doterra

Ever heard of essential oils? I sure have. They can do amazing things for your body, health, face, skin, hair, and pretty much all of you, because we're made up of cells. Essential oils are extracted from plants and can be used topically, in capsule form, or ingested via placing drops in water. I have been using these oils for muscle pain, skin, tiredness, etc. and they're amazing.

So last night my husband and I went to a meeting (a REALLY long one at that!) on essential oils by a company called doterra. Really fascinating stuff. I am excited to learn more- and hopefully have some more at our fingertips soon. Stay tuned for more- but if you're dying to know more, go to http://doterra.com/

Have a safe, healthy weekend!

a healthy lunch

Just wanted to post a pic of a healthy lunch option:

notice the delish cucumbers from our garden!

The lunch was yummy, filling, and healthy! Just top a whole wheat toasted bagel thin with reduced fat cream cheese, turkey slices, and spinach. Load the plate up with some cukes, chug some water, and you got yourself somethin' quite delish! Enjoy :)

Zumba love

Zumba is one of the most fantastic workouts because it combines latin music, fun dance moves, a great cardio workout, belly-dancing moves, and easy-to-follow steps. In a Zumba workout, you are encouraged to listen to the music and just dance! Forget about life, stresses, self-esteem, problems at work, your kid's attitude issues, etc, and just DANCE! The mantra for Zumba goers is : Ditch the workout, Join the PARTY!

I challenge you to do just that. Ditch YOUR workout and come join the PARTY at a Zumba class near you! Leave a comment and tell us how it went?? What did you love about it??

Enjoy the ZUMBA glow as you dance the time away :)

(go to zumba.com for any more information)

if you want more energy, burn some off

Who doesn't want more energy? I sure do! The secret, you ask? Make your workouts a priority in your day and you'll have even more energy. It is a weird paradox, but completely true (both psychologically and physically). If you have doubts, I challenge you to try it. Go for a morning run, pop in an exercise DVD, or strike some Yoga poses. Promise you'll feel better during and after your workout!

And the diet/fitness industry keeps saying there is a 'magical pill'.....want to know what the REAL 'magical pill' is? Here is the answer: daily workouts and proper nutrition.

If you have personal questions, leave a comment and I'll get back to you via a post on the blog. (yes, your comment could become a cool post as an answer!) Enjoy your workout today and tomorrow and see the changes in your body and energy level stat!