Music

Music has a huge impact on me.  When I listen to music, I internalize it.  The very emotions of the composer (or producer) become a part of me.  I'm not always careful with what I listen to.  I enjoy mainstream music, I get caught up in the rhythm and could spend hours developing a choreography-- I used to dance when I was younger. I started with ballet but by the end was doing hip hop.  Dancing is a huge part of me and it's a shame that I haven't pursued it (I'm thinking of taking Salsa seriously now but we'll see).  Going back to music.  The intensity and frequency of certain types of music take a toll on my spirit, I can feel it.  Too much of it and this unexplainable ego rises up, I start feeling like I'm on top of the world, but in an eerie sense.  Nevertheless, music is  powerful and when you can tune into something really uplifting, it does wonders in your life.  Lately I've been listening to Laura Hackett.  It lifts me up.  Here are a couple of her songs...

When I Am Afraid  and also Beautiful Mercy

Detox

Thin does not equal healthy (necessarily).  The American public spends approximately $35 billion A YEAR on diet products.  People claim to be more self-confident if they shed some pounds.  The pressure to be thin is pervasive in this culture, reinforced by the media, fashion, and entertainment industries.  While excess weight is generally recognized as a health  hazard, being thin does not automatically mean you're healthy.  A couple of years ago I took a health/fitness test that indicated that my vitamin intake was far beneath what it should be.  The gentlemen that gave me the good news compared me to a 60 year old.  He said--your skin looks great now because you're young, but if you don't pay attention to the food you eat, you will pay later on.  That's really the first time it occurred to me that being fit is by far more important than being thin. 
I used to play tennis. I started in junior high, played through high-school, and then got a tennis scholarship to Taylor University (not that impressive, Taylor is a small Christian college, not a Division I school).  We never talked about weight at home, never discussed what it was to be healthy or not.  We ate according to what was on the menu.  The only thing I remember in terms of limits was that my mom would always say "just 2"--with regards to cookies.  Growing up in Spain I recall eating at friend's houses, meals were big, but desserts were nonexistent on a daily basis! In fact, for dessert, they serve fruit.  At every home.  That was one thing my mom was famous for... her baking!  Brownies...chocolate chip cookies...banana cake, all those American goodies.  Our neighbors were in heaven!  Luckily for me, I got the best of both worlds.  My mom's cooking style slowly became more and more Spanish, with the occasional sweet indulgence--but just 2!

Back on topic-- being healthy is important.  I've seen how it curves my mood and especially my energy level into the evening.  I used to do kickboxing three times a week and I remember coming home and having all of this supernatural energy--compared to my usual iwanttogotobed at 8:30 pm when my kids do.  I like to have a good starting point though.  A new year is a great chance to set some attainable goals!  One of mine is to actually become FIT again, not just thin.  I want to be purposeful with what goes into my mouth and also in how I'm training my body to become more resilient and strong.  I also like to know that my body is clean (internally) before embarking on a new mission.  Here is a fast track detox diet that I think is great!  I've found it's much easier to understand this process and get it right if ahead of time I create a daily menu of what I'm going to be eating. 

Upward and onward!!!

The Fast Track: A Three-Stage ProcessReady to give your liver a healthy boost - and give your entire system a thorough spring-cleaning? I developed a Fast Track Detox program for just that purpose. It is a proven, highly effective detox and weight-loss system that offers a simple, safe and effective way to drop excess pounds, to clear out toxic gunk and to improve your health and vitality.

Described in detail in my book, The Fast Track One-Day Detox Diet (Morgan Road Books, 2005), this program is, in reality, less a diet than a multipart program for healthy living. It has been carefully tested in a clinical setting.

Although the fasting part of the detox plan is just a single day (making it very safe), the complete process calls for both a seven-day preparation and a three-day follow-up phase designed to properly prepare your system for the liver-cleansing juice fast and then help extend and compound your healthy results.

This three-part detox process can dramatically improve the state of your liver and colon and help clear tissue throughout your body - all while eliminating bloating, improving your energy and assisting you in dropping unwanted weight. It can also help you appreciate the advantages of improved nutrition and encourage you to adjust your normal diet for the better.

Best of all, unlike water fasting and long-term juice fasting, this program is safe and gentle enough for you to employ any time you are feeling loaded down, sluggish and needing more vitality. I personally do Fast Track Detox fasts three or four times a year, usually around the fall and spring equinoxes, and whenever I feel myself to be on overload - physically, mentally or spiritually.

The Fast Track Detox program is simple to work into your normal life. Here's how: You spend a full week on the Seven-Day Prequel, eating the Liver-Loving Foods that your body's major detox organ so desperately needs. You'll also load up on Colon-Caring Foods to help your colon purge the toxins and waste from your body. Next, you'll spend one day following a special juice fast designed to flush impurities and stored wastes from your system. Then, after the fast is over, you'll seal in the results with a Three-Day Sequel that includes additional liver and colon support along with special natural-food sources of probiotics - fermented foods that support the friendly bacteria your system needs to synthesize vitamins and promote immune function.

Many people experience significant and immediate weight loss on this program, but the net benefits for energy and long-term health are every bit as dramatic. So, whether you are looking to slim down or just lighten your toxic load, give the Fast Track Detox a try. You'll be amazed at what your liver can accomplish with just a little help.

Seven-Day Prequel
Before you begin the One-Day Detox, it's essential that you prepare your body by strengthening your liver and colon for the work ahead. If you don't do this, you might end up more bloated, constipated and “toxic” than you were before. You may also inadvertently put the brakes on desired weight loss.

Fasting releases toxins that were previously lodged in your fat cells and shuttles them into your bloodstream for filtration and transport through your body's elimination channels. But without prior liver and colon support to help these toxins clear your system, the poisons may simply get relocated within the body, settling into any number of sensitive organs and making you feel tired, anxious, headachy and more fatigued than when you started. So if you want to avoid feeling unnecessarily lousy, and if you want to maximize weight loss, follow this simple, six-step program for seven days before you embark on the one-day, liver-flushing juice fast:

1. Each day, for seven days, choose at least one serving from each group of the following Liver-Loving Foods:

• Crucifers, such as cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, broccoli sprouts

• Green leafy vegetables and herbs, like parsley, kale, watercress, chard, cilantro, beet greens, escarole, dandelion greens and mustard greens

• Citrus, like oranges, lemons and limes (avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice, which contain a compound called naringen that can interfere with the liver-cleansing process)

• Sulfur-rich foods, like garlic, onions, eggs and daikon radish

• Liver healers, such as artichoke, asparagus, beets, celery, dandelion-root tea, whey and nutritional yeast flakes

2. Each day, choose at least two of the following Colon-Caring foods: powdered psyllium husks, milled or ground flaxseeds, carrots, apple, pear or berries.

3. Each day, drink half your body weight in ounces of filtered or purified water.

4. Each day, make sure you have at least two servings (the size of the palm of your hand) of protein in the form of lean beef, lamb, skinless chicken, turkey or fish, or, if you're a vegan or vegetarian, at least 2 tablespoons a day of a high-quality blue-green algae or a spirulina source (available in natural-foods and health stores).

5. Each day, make sure you have 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil in the form of olive oil, flaxseed oil or a “woman's oil” (a flaxseed oil-black-currant oil blend).

(For specific serving sizes and more detailed guidance on choosing Liver-Loving Foods, see The Fast Track Detox Diet.)

6. Avoid the following “detox detractors”:

• Excess dietary fats, especially trans fats

• Any form of sugar, including honey and maple syrup

• Artificial sweeteners

• Refined carbohydrates, including white rice and products made from white flour

• Gluten, found in wheat, rye, barley and all their related products, such as packaged cereals, macaroni and cheese, pizza dough, pasta, tortillas, pancake/waffle mixes and cookies, as well as in many “low-carb” products, vegetable proteins, some soy sauces and distilled vinegars

• Soy protein isolates, found in many protein energy bars and processed soy foods

• Alcohol, over-the-counter drugs and caffeine

One-Day Detox Juice Fast
The One-Day Juice Fast portion of the Fast Track Detox is designed to flush impurities from your liver and other cellular tissues while supporting your general health and energy.
While I do not advocate water fasts, or even long-term juice fasts, decades of professional clinical experience and research have convinced me that healthy, short-term juice fasting - the kind supported by adequate nutritional preparation for the liver and sufficient fiber for the colon - is probably the best-kept secret around for good health, long-term weight loss and an overall feeling of well-being.

By reducing the amount of work your digestive system has to do, you free up a great deal of energy for healing and regeneration. And while you will be limiting your caloric intake for one day, it is not an extended enough period to suppress your metabolism or set off a starvation response. In fact, every ingredient of the One-Day Detox Diet has been specially chosen to stave off hunger; balance your blood sugar; rev up your metabolism; and keep you feeling fit, energized and trim throughout your fasting day.

Here's the basic protocol you should follow for your One-Day Juice Detox, and some idea of what you might experience during the detox process (keep in mind that the effects and results will vary from person to person).

Before you conduct your one-day fast, make sure you have completed the Seven-Day Prequel. Then, follow this four-step program:

Step I. Prepare the Miracle Juice (for complete recipe and preparation instructions, see The Fast Track Detox Diet):

• Cranberry Water - unsweetened cranberry juice or unsweetened cranberry juice concentrate diluted with filtered water (be sure to use 100 percent pure, unsweetened cranberry juice that has no sugar, corn syrup or other juices added)

• Cinnamon

• Ground ginger

• Nutmeg

• Freshly squeezed orange juice

• Freshly squeezed lemon juice

• Stevia (a sweet-tasting herb that is widely available at natural-food stores) to taste

Directions:
1. Bring Cranberry Water to a light boil; reduce the heat to low.

2. Place cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg into a tea ball; add to the Cranberry Water. (For a tangier juice, add the spices directly to the liquid.)

3. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes; cool to room temperature.

4. Stir in the orange and lemon juices. Add stevia at this time, if desired.

Step II. Alternate drinking 1 cup (8 ounces) of filtered water and 1 cup (8 ounces) of Miracle Juice during the day. Drink at least 72 ounces of filtered water throughout the day, in addition to the Miracle Juice. Make sure you drink at least a cup of liquid - either the Miracle Juice or water - every hour. Begin the protocol when you wake up in the morning. You don't have to begin at a specific time, but be sure to have all eight glasses of Miracle Juice in addition to the 72 ounces of water by day's end.

Step III. Upon rising and at the end of the day, take one serving of a colon-caring supplement, chosen from among the following:

• Powdered psyllium husks (1 to 2 teaspoons mixed in 8 ounces of water or Miracle Juice)

• Ground or milled flaxseeds (2 to 3 tablespoons mixed in 10 to 12 ounces of water or 8 ounces Miracle Juice)

Step IV. Engage in only light exercise - either a 20-minute walk or 10 minutes on a rebounder or elliptical machine.

The Three-Day sequel
Following your One-Day Detox, it's essential that you follow this sequel program for three days straight. Otherwise, your reentry into normal eating may leave you feeling bloated, constipated and more toxic than before.

Fasting without follow-up support means that toxins released into your bloodstream during the fast may remain in your system, making you feel tired, anxious, headachy and fatigued. Skipping the Three-Day Sequel also sets you up to regain lost weight. So support your body's natural detox process and seal in the results of your One-Day Juice Fast by following these simple steps:

1. Each day, choose at least one of the following probiotic food sources to restore “friendly bacteria”:

• Sauerkraut (1/2 cup). You can either make your own or buy an organic, raw variety. Most store-bought sauerkraut is processed with heat, which kills the naturally occurring enzymes and microflora, so check the label carefully.

• Yogurt. Nonfat, low-fat or whole-milk yogurt are all fine, but look for plain yogurt whose label reads “live, active cultures.”

2. Before each meal, take one or more tablets of hydrochloric acid in a formula that contains at least 500 to 540 milligrams of betaine hydrochloride with at least 100 to 150 milligrams of pepsin, and at least 50 milligrams of ox bile extract (such formulas are widely available at most health and nutrition stores and at many natural groceries).

3. Follow steps 1 through 6 of the Seven-Day Prequel.

Mediterranean diet

In an ever increasing culture of fast-food and a busy working mom's schedule... how do I go about ensuring my kids maintain a healthy (mediterranean) diet?

• The first thing is to be informed! I've done my research! There are so many studies that link performance, energy, long term health problems and even psychological/behaviour issues to diet.  Kids with ADHD
• I make a conscious decision about what I will feed my kids and what I will not allow them to have.  Breaking patterns is difficult, but if you do your research and know the benefits of a healthy diet, it will be easier to make this decision.  
• Check out your standard food pyramid (I use the European one which interestingly enough differs from the US one), and break it down into a weekly menu plan--determining how many portions of fruit and vegetable your child needs a day, etc.. Creating a menu also helps you save money when it comes to groceries.
• I try to set an example with my own eating patterns.  How you eat will also promote (or not) healthy living in their future.
• If you can... start early! Forgo sugary foods early on as they will determine what your child chooses to eat and what they spit out. Both of my children eat a good amount of shellfish and seafood (scallops, mussels, tuna, salmon, you name it), and legumes (lentils and garbanzos-chickpeas) without a single word of complaint. It's all about what you get them accustomed to.  Thanks to my husband both of my kids eat olives by the dozen... yikes! And when asked where we should go out to eat, my oldest, who is 6, requests mussels! --- talk about a refined pallet! 

The point is not to be health obsessed but to have a balanced diet and to take care of the body God has given you.  This is a table I frequently use to make sure my kids are getting a balanced diet.

Tabla 1. Frecuencia recomendada de consumo de cada grupo de alimentos (4). Table 1. Recommended portions from each food group

Grupos de alimentos/ Food groups	Frecuencia recomendada/ Frequency
Pan, cereales, cereales integrales, arroz, pasta, patatas/ Bread, whole grain cereals, rice, pasta, potatoes	4-6 raciones al día (rations per day)
Verduras y hortalizas/ Vegetables	= 2 raciones al día (rations per day)
Frutas/ Fruit	= 3 raciones al día (rations per day)
Lácteos/Dairy	Adultos/Adults: 2-3 raciones al día (rations per day)  Infancia/Childhood: 2-4 raciones al día (rations per day)  Adolescencia/Adolescent: 3-4 raciones al día (rations per day)  Embarazo/Pregnant: 3-4 raciones al día (rations per day)  Lactancia/Breast feeding: 4-6 raciones al día (rations per day)  Mayores/Older than 65 años: 3 raciones al día (rations per day)
Alimentos proteicos/Protean	2 raciones al día  (rations per day)
Pescados y mariscos/Seafood & shellfish	3-4 raciones/semana (rations per week)
Carnes magras/ Lean meat	3-4 raciones/semana (rations per week)
Legumbres/ Legumes	2-4 raciones/semana (rations per week)
Frutos secos/ Dried fruit	3-7 raciones/semana (rations per week)
Huevos/ Eggs	3-4 raciones/semana (rations per week)
Aceite de oliva/ Olive Oil	3-6 raciones al día (rations per day)
Agua de bebida/ Water	4-8 raciones al día (rations per day)
Vino/cerveza/ Wine/Beer	consumo opcional y moderado* en adultos / optional consumption & moderate

* moderado/ moderate: 1 copa de vino (100 ml)/día/ per day for women- en mujeres, y 2 copas de vino (100 ml)/día en hombres

Smoothing out the morning bumps

All moms are working moms.  But for those who devote 40-50 hours a week outside the home, it's crucial to attempt to simplify every imaginable area of life.  How does one manage to accomplish the basic things:

• Clean house
• Shop for groceries
• Laundry
• Errands
• Paying bills and financial matters
• Kid's homework
• Be present at kid's activities
• Spending time with your husband
• Cultivate old friendships and make new ones!
• Pursue any personal interest outside of home & work.
• ...and....possibly... sneak in an hour to go to the gym or soak in a bubble bath??!

No wonder women are so exhausted!  So I've begun to think about what sort of things need to take place in order to create a better routine.  Most working moms can attest to the fact that mornings are by far the most rushed.  So here are some things that I've begun to do to smooth out the morning bumps:

Smoothing out the morning bumps

• I do as much as I can the night before.  Set out clothes for the next day (physically-for kids, mentally-for myself).  Lately this has proven to be exhausting since my 6 year old has decided that nothing fits quite right, nothing at all, not even his underwear.  So now HE sets his own clothes out.
• Wake up one full hour before my kids do. This will allow me to get dressed and take care of my own things and get breakfast set out before the house awakes.  Being able to focus my attention solely on them once they are up seems to add exponential time to our morning.
• Plan to arrive everywhere about 20 minutes early. Note--usually we're about 5 minutes late. But this proves to give us a much better shot at showing up on time.

Style

So... I'm a sucker for fashion.  I must admit I could spend hours looking at InStyle and Vogue magazines.  Sadly (or maybe it's a good thing), my schedule does not really allow for such frivolous day dreaming, but occasionally I'll cut out a couple of "inspirational" pieces and work my magic to find similar items. Growing up in Madrid, on calle Federico Lopez, I lived a block away from one of my best Spanish friends.  Before any special event I would pop over to her house and she would asses the terrible situation before her and dress me to perfection.  She had such eclectic tastes and so we--nevermind, SHE would always sport the latest and most, umm... interesting apparel.  She would make jewelry out of the kind of clay that you bake... I remember wearing her proudly and personally designed "purple snake" (which looked more like a large twisty poop) around my neck for my high school senior picture.  My mom took one look at me and said, "Are you sure you want to wear that?" Needless to say we've both come a long way since then.  I would still fly over to Spain just to look in her closet... if I could!       

So I'm really interested in the newest trend, okay, it's not new, it'd been around --but I'm rediscovering it... large prints! I distinctly remember my mom bringing home shirts with large flowers on them and my mouth would just drop open in disbelief that she could pick out such a tacky piece of ...whatever it was.  But now they're back, yikes!  Funny how when something is a "trend," as much as you hated it before, now you're okay with it.  For those who have always shied away from this, step out of your comfort zone and have some fun! ;) And from the looks of it, you can hardly get it wrong!  You can pretty much combine anything!  Here are some of my favorites from Zara, probably the greatest store around (and it's finally in Chicago--about time!)

A beautiful, flowy, wrap around dress.  Effortlessly chic.  Exudes a feeling of comfort but very sexy :)  Perfect for date night.

Here's another fun one, a bit more edgy (but it all depends on the shoes you wear!) Pair some black leather strappy things--as pictured--for a tougher look, or some low heals for a more refined look.

Great casual shirt with denim details.

Yes! yes! yes! Call me crazy, but these are amazing.  Bold and confident, just like me (not).  But I love them!

Run!

I recently heard a story that inspired me. 

"It was almost 7pm in Mexico City, 1968. One hour earlier the winners of the 26 mile Olympic marathon had crossed the finish line. It had been a grueling hot day as the high altitude affected all the athletes. The sky was beginning to darken and most of the stadium was empty. As the last few spectators were preparing to leave, police sirens and flashing lights caught their attention. A lone runner, wearing the colours of Tanzania had just emerged through the stadium gate. Limping, with his leg bandaged he found the last of his endurance to step up his pace and finish the race. His name was John Stephen Akhwari.  John Stephen Akhwari from Tanzania, covered with blood, hobbled into the light. He had taken a horrible fall early in the race, whacked his head, damaged his knee, and endured a trampling before he could get back on his feet. And there he was, over 40 kilometres later, stumbling his way to the finish line.

The response of the crowd was so overwhelming, it was almost frightening. They encouraged Akhwari through the last few metres of his race with a thundering ovation that far exceeded the one given the man who, hours earlier, had come in first. When Akhwari crossed the finish line, he collapsed into the arms of the medical personnel who immediately whisked him off to the hospital.

The next day, Akhwari appeared before sports journalists to field their questions about his extraordinary feat. The first question was the one any of us would have asked, "Why, after sustaining the kinds of injuries you did, would you ever get up and proceed to the finish line, when there was no way you could possibly place in the race?" John Stephen Akhwari said this: "My country did not send me over 11,000 kilometres to start a race. They sent me over 11,000 kilometres to finish one."

I think back on my own life and all the times I've felt like "giving up."  What a story of endurance and inspiration!  When all is said and done, I want to be known as someone who finished the race.  Though we live in an age of many encumbrances and distractions, our secret is to look upon Him.  When my sight is fixed on Him, everthing else pales in comparison.  Really.  He has become my strength and endurance.

Therefore let us also, having so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, put away every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and run with endurance the race which is set before us. - Hebrews 12:1