I am going to get better with this

Okay, I am making it my goal to attend to this blog. I'm not getting lazy or anything, but it seems for the moment I have a writers block. But slowly and surely I am starting to be motivated to blog about the vegan journey again. I just had a birthday yesterday and I turned 37 (I was about to type 36, wow) but anyway as I age I understand more and more the importance of being conscious of what I put in my body. During this journey I have unintentionally lost about 30 lbs. Now I am not going to say that I am sad to see that weight go, but eating a more healthy diet had a lot to do with it. As I said in a previous post one thing that I need to start is an exercise regimen. I do, do African Dance twice a week but that is purely for pleasure, but I must say it is a great workout. However it is not enough. I need to do more. I don't like working out in a gym, so I am not going to waste my money doing that again. I need to find an physical activity that I enjoy doing, as a workout. I have been looking at a couple of things and one thing that has surprisingly peeked my interested is pole dancing. I have been talking to many people who have told me that it really tones and shapes your body really nice. Now for me that is definitely interesting and I definitely see it as a challenge. So I think that is one thing that I am going to try out to see if that is something that I can do to get fit. I'll let you know how that turns out.

Issues, issues, issues

Okay, I've know I have posted before about this, but it is so hard to be vegetarian, vegan in a family that is not.  I know I have been dragging my tail on this eating fish issue, but I finally stopped eating fish too. I am trying to live the rest of my life healthy. I have even toned down my sugar intake, a lot. I know I said I would do without during Lent, but I shouldn't have even played like that.  So now I what I have to do is add some type of exercise/workout routine in my life. I don't know if I've said this before, if not, I hate working out. I don't hate exercising though. I think what I don't like in the monotony of working out, I need variety. Let's face it we don't like monotony in anything we do. So once again I have decided to try the 200 push-up challenge to start me off, after I heal from this wretched kidney infection. Oh let me tell you about this wretched kidney infection of mine. On Monday my back was hurting, but stupid dependable me decided to go to work anyway. Now I've had a kidney infection before but it was like 10 years ago so that was the furthest thing from my mind anyway. So I get to work and sit down and my back started hurting really bad. I went to my boss and informed her that I was going to the hospital. So I Get to the hospital (great experience at Ochsner on the West Bank in Gretna, LA I must say) and I didn't have to wait long to get seen and treated. The nurse came with the IV bag to get me hydrated. Then she came back and said "This is for the gunk in your system", I was like you all had to pull all the heavy antibiotics. One thing was different this time with me being sick--this time I was down for the count for some days. I think I down so many day either because I am getting old and it takes longer for me to recover and heal or this was just a bad infection. Usually if I do get sick I'm may be out for a day or two at the most. So after this experience needless to say I am now cutting out pop(cold drink as they call it down here), and dare I say it alcohol..don, don, don, don, dooon! I do have an appointment with a kidney specialist next week so I will definitely take their advice, even if it means I can't drink alcohol anymore. I'm seeing a kidney specialist because I have been experiencing my unfair share of UTI's (sorry if this is TMI, not trying to be like Snooki) and I need to put a stop to it. I have done everything they have suggested on the web and previous doctor visits and I still get them so since I have insurance now, I think I should put it to good use.

Lent

Not that I am Catholic to the 1st, 2nd or 3rd degree, but for some reason I have been participating in Lent since my first year of college. Back then, I had a roommate who was Catholic and since she practiced it I thought I would participate to. It gave me a chance to discipline myself to stick to something. Sooo since I am on this vegan and healthy eating kick I thought I would try to take refined sugar out of my diet. I have wanted to do this for a long time anyway and hopefully this will give me the boost to do it. So I missed the first day, but today for the next 45 days I will avoid refined sugar as much as I can. I'll let ya know how it goes:)

Chocolate

My enemy, my nemesis, my kryptonite, is no longer a struggle for me now. Now that I have found out about the cocoa growing business. Sixty percent of the cocoa beans for chocolate are grown in Ivory Coast. I have just found out that they use slave labor to harvest this crop. By slave labor I mean children as well as adults working from morning to evening, for little pay in horrendously bad conditions---slavery. I was watching MSNBC when I found out this fact. I am not one for getting all my facts from the Internet, but let's face it, it is more assessable when you trying to make a quick point. With that being stated here is an article that explains the chocolate slave labor. I know this article is dated, but it gives a small overview of a big problem. So I'm done with chocolate at this time. And I'm not about to search the world for fair trade chocolate. If I so happen to see it fine, but I'm not going to go searching for it. Now I am vegan, so far so good!!;)

Back from Break

I took an end of the year break from posting on this blog (like I have a fan base or something), but any way I am starting a 10 day vegetable and fruit fast inspired by a group on face book (that never wrote me back, mind you). Went to the Walmart and bought about $30.00 worth of veggies and fruits. Got home and pulled out the old Jack LaLanne juicer. I haven't used this juicer in a while. I cut up my vegetables and fruit and then turn on the juicer. Fail. It would not turn on. Now I was saying to myself, is it not working because  I had not used it in awhile. So then I start  to get mad because I paid a pretty penny for this juicer. So I reconstruct the the thing, fail again. So then I reconstruct it once more after reading the directions ( I hate reading directions) and it starts to work. I juice my fruit and veggies and end up with.

Looks tasty huh? It was enough to fill 2 3/4 16.9 oz. water bottles Well it is not the best taste in the world, but it tastes okay, I can deal with this for 10 days. This drink did not take long to start cleansing my body, if you know what I mean. It did not even take 20 minutes for it to start cleansing.The only thing I don't enjoy about this process is cleaning up the waste. But other than that I think I can hang with this for ten days. Whadayathink?

Sticking To My Guns

I was reading on Facebook about some disturbing ingredients that are found in some of the foods and products we use and consume every day. Here is the link on my Facebook page with the information. My ultimate goal, which I know will take sometime, is to be %100 vegan in everything possible. That means animal free lotion, animal free hair products, and even animal free clothes (no leather.....aahhh). My fantasy is to live off the land one day, growing and making everything for myself. Will this take place?, who knows.  I think it is important not just for vegans, but everybody to be conscious of exactly what we are putting on and in our bodies.  Too many people are dying because of not knowing what were are truly eating. This just makes my journey to veganism (is that a word?) even easier. Had not fish, or eggs in the past week. Unfortunately, I had some chocolate (chocolate will be my struggle, I'm working my way through that, though). Have a great Christmahanakwanzika (click on the link to see what I mean).

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This is the beetle where red coloring used in food, comes from

First Day without!

It has been about one day without fish, eggs or milk products. I am okay for now. Now I need to go shopping for my soon to be new eating lifestyle. It will be an expensive trip, but you have to "pay the cost to be the boss". After I get over this hump, I am going to take processed sugar out of my diet as well. Another one of my goals to exercise more. I am trying to work in my mind the motivation, inspiration and dedication to stick with the exercising. I have a problem. I start well with exercising, being faithful to it for a month then "falling off" sort-of-speaking. What are your suggestions?