the simple things

I ran across this the other day. it's a drawing I made last summer. Really put a smile on my face. I'm not sure why I stopped drawing but I think it may be time to pick it up again. It is pretty relaxing for me. This was done with just some map colors and some free time. I used to take the map colors and a small pad everywhere I went......
Maybe I also need a change of scene...I am big into surfing and so most of my drawings are beach or surf related.....Think maybe, I should start collecting images for reference so its not always water and sand. O but how I love the ocean.....

day 2 of 100

O.k. so, my original intentions were to post each morning for the day before but with the semester just starting things have been a bit complicated. For now Im just going to focus on getting each day posted, later I can worry about doing it in a timely manor. Im sorry for anyone trying to follow this....I will get better....I promise

Here's what I had for day 2......I was still having some trouble getting food down, but I did the best I could. I do not suggest that anyone eat such a small amount while on raw or any other diet.....Normally I would have snacks in between & maybe another smoothie........

AM Weight: 154.0

* coffee 

* (red) green smoothie: kale, beet slices, carrot with greens, banana, grapes, & strawberries

* huge salad: swiss chard, arugula, baby spinach, mache blend (mixed greens), jicama, tomatoes, avocado, raw pepita, raw sunflower seeds, raw hemp seeds, mushrooms, & broccoli sprouts

* cooked pinto beans and i mixed in some raw broccoli sprouts, tomato, avocado, & salsa 

As you can see, I again strayed from all raw. I was caught with no food and the mix I made for dinner was the best I could do. I think this is a great opportunity to say that as far as I can see, It is much better to eat clean cooked "whole" foods, than miss out on nutrition for the sake of staying true to raw. Needless to say it is better to eat clean cooked "whole" foods than to eat SAD (standard american diet) foods. 

If anyone out there is wondering what I mean by "whole", basically anything that is natural and not processed. Just think, no fast food, no tv dinners (not even the "health" ones), and for sure nothing in a can.  We would all do a great service to ourselves if we could learn to eliminate processed foods and preservatives from our diets. 

day 1 of 100

So yesterday was day 1 of the 100 day raw foods challenge. I joined this challenge with some other folks at rawfoodtalk.com...The idea is to be 100% raw the entire time. Iv only been on the raw food diet for a month. Already I have lost 12 lbs....yay me! 
I wont be doing 100 % for this challenge because Iv been drinking this coffee that believe it or not is good for you. Iv been doing great with it and I don't want to give it up just for giving into the dogma of raw. I do believe that eating mostly raw foods is good for your health, but if something is not raw and it's good for you....then why not......With that said....I do plan to go as close to 100% raw as possible for this challenge. This is going to run into the winter and that might become a bit harder then....Guess we'll see  


As soon as I can there will be pic of me here to use for my before and after......
Here is what I ate: not as much as normal but Iv not been feeling too well


AM Weight: 153.6
*coffee 
*watermelon, lime, and dehydrated chili powder ice pop (I made this myself, to help beat the Texas heat)
*(red) green smoothie: beet greens, kale, beet slices, banana, blueberries, raspberries, jicama, and mango
*raw sushi
*apple
*raisin bran (i was at a friends when i got super hungry all of a sudden and they had no fruits or veggies and i had to eat something......it's funny that i used to think this was healthy, now it's on my bad list...lol)


That was it....I know it doesn't seem like much, but I had to force it down, I was not hungry at all the entire day.

RAW FOODS DIET

So last month I discovered raw foods. What is a  raw foods diet you say.....Well basically it means eating only clean, mostly organic, unprocessed, fruits, vegetables, seeds, sprouts, and nuts that have never been heated above 115*f. Why would someone limit themselves this way, you ask....Raw foodist choose to eat this way because it is known that cooking foods kills off enzymes and nutrients found in raw foods. Aside from that most foods in their natural state have an alkaline effect once digested, while cooked foods are acidic in the  body. Believe it or not lemons are not acidic once you digest them. For optimal health the body needs to be slightly alkaline, so obviously eating foods that are alkaline forming helps achieve this balance.
I started adding raw foods to my diet a month ago. I am not 100% raw, but this past month I have been eating between 50-95% raw foods every day. At some point during week 2 I told my mom, "I never knew how awful I felt until I felt better"..It is pretty quite sad that we are so used to feeling bloated and uncomfortable that we consider it normal.
Raw foods is not all or nothing.....If you feel like this might be too much for you, maybe consider adding more raw fruits and veggies to your diet everyday. I'm sure that your body will thank you for all the added enzymes, nutrients and minerals. There is tons of info on eating raw foods online. Here is some inspiration for you guys...many celebrities have begun to dabble in raw foods because on top of helping you feel better and full of energy it helps you to look and feel younger. A couple celebs on raw foods are Demi Moore and Jared Leto. See both hot and both seem to be untouched by time.


Give it a try...I just joined a group doing a 100 Days 100% raw challenge. Im not doing 100% just high raw, but thats ok. I'll be posting about it here, watch how this changes my body as we go.


p.s. here are some places i found information and support if you are interested in raw foods check it out....
rawfoodtalk.com
goneraw.com
rawfoodlife.com
rawfoodideas.com

Hello Everyone! Here's a bit of my background.

Hello everyone....I thought my first post should be a formal introduction for the blog. This is my first blog ever and I have to say, it's a bit strange for me. You have to understand that I'm the type of person who doesn't even keep a facebook page. Anyway, I thought that at this point in my life a blog would be quite helpful. 
First, I think you need to know where I've been and where I am. Then we can talk about what you'll find here at lov3.. 


Well I think I turned out pretty alright, but I come from a pretty tough past (which we wont go into full detail here). There is no easy way to start for me, so I'm going to get it all out there as quick as possible. I was a victim of molestation for most of my childhood. This was done to me over a span of many years by many people, who had no idea about each other or that I had already been a victim. This made for a difficult childhood, which led to a confusing and lonely time during my teens. I was also raped twice at age 15 and 18, both time by guys I knew. All of this was hard for me to handle, despite all that I have been through I'm happy by nature. I have to say that for this reason the most damage was done to me by me over the past few years. 


I was tired of being angry and scared. I decided that it was all behind me and that I would be happy and never think of those days again. This led to years of parties, days at the beach, and basically living like a rock star. Sounds like fun right. Well, sure it was fun as long as the moments lasted. All the people I knew were so jealous of my life of fun, drugs, and no responsibilities. The truth is that even through this I was not happy. I lied to myself and let the moments fill me for the time being. Nothing ever lasted and I was always chasing the next time I could give a smile.    


I could have continued this way until it killed me, but as life would have it things slowly started to change.  I was caught in situations that forced me to look at myself and generate change. 


The first big marker was getting arrested (luckily it was a minor offense). While I was in the holding cell I met this lady that very well could have been me if I continued on this way. She was in her late 50's running around like a teenager getting caught up in all kinds of stuff and expecting her dad to save her. I didn't want to grow up to be her. I swore I would be different, but then it was tough making the change. I tried but struggled. I still did drugs occasionally and was even more unhappy because I was not sure how to change. 


Then just a month after getting in trouble I was in a car accident (not my fault, not drug related) that left me pretty hurt. The pain I was in forced me to stay home. I ended up with lots of time to think. I started to see how all this time I had been "living" I was really just killing myself. I could see how I was not truly happy and that I had been running from my past the whole time. It was hard for me to realize that what I thought I had put behind me was actually chasing me. I was able to see that it was what drove me to live the life I had. This was just not acceptable to me. I continued to strive towards change. I wanted to become a better person and I wanted to be free. I started to examine myself and make some real changes. I started to let go of friends that would not offer anything good for my new life. 


And then magic. One day while at the beach I met the guy that would change me forever. He was the first person to really see me. He thought so highly of me and he made me aware of things in me I never knew where there. Being around him made me want to be a better person. We are not together anymore, but I thank my lucky stars I met him. He made me realize that I had been selling myself short. He made me believe that I am beautiful, smart, amazing, and all the things that any person should feel. He taught me that this is my life and that all things are possible. I know now that the past can not mark the future if you don't let it. That is huge for someone like me. I don't have to run anymore. It was my past, it's over, and now it's time to make room for the future. 


With this new strength I have convinced myself that I must go out and live. There are so many things that I wanted to do but always thought that I couldn't. I know now that I deserve any experience I choose in life, but I have to chase it. 


That's what Lov3LifeEarthandSelf is about. I have always been a huge lover of nature and all things outdoors. I will be doing all sorts of things and will post about them here. If you have tried them and have advise to offer up, please feel free. Most of the stuff I have never even done at all. If uv never done any of the activities I'm into but wanted to try, maybe I can be of some encouragement. 
The main point of this site is to encourage trying new things, promote healthy living, and raise environmental awareness by exposing the world as our playground. I'm not sure if the last part made sense but you'll see what I mean once we get started here. 


Guess that's it. I'm super excited and scared about this blog thing....but here it goes. I'm about to hit publish post.....Can't wait to have someone read this, so it's not just me posting to my imaginary friends, lol..........