Tag Archives: fitness

Cleanse Day One and the Morning Cocktail

Posted on November 17, 2014 | 1 comment

Today is Day One of the cleanse, and I already have learned a few things about the Morning Cocktail to make the rest of the week run more smoothly:

The Liver Flush Daily Detox recipe:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – anywhere from 2 Tbsp. to 1/3 cup, as you prefer
Freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice, 1/3 cup
Fresh garlic, 3-5 cloves
Fresh ginger, 1/2″
Cayenne Pepper, dash to taste
Freshly squeezed orange juice, 2 cups

Put all ingredients in a blender, blend and drink immediately.

I didn’t allow enough time to do this properly before heading out the door to start my day. I need to either do the prep work in advance, or allow more time.
That prep work includes dicing the ginger and garlic cloves. I threw them in whole. They didn’t break down in the blender very well, so I was left with chunks that got wasted and poured down the disposal. And, squeezing the juice takes some time, so doing that in advance would be helpful.
The recipe calls for 1/3 cup of lemon or lime juice. That was about 1.5 lemons.
It calls for 2 cups of orange juice. That was about four oranges.
Unless you don’t mind pulpy drinks, it could use a good straining or a lot more blending than I allowed.

It actually tastes pretty good. I was pleasantly surprised. But I was concerned about smelling of garlic at my first appointment this morning. That smell has faded.

I’ve decided to make a big ol’ pot of cabbage soup (from the infamous Cabbage Soup Diet) because it’s not bad soup and it fits in with the rest of the cleanse’s guidelines. I’m not doing this cleanse to lose weight, but if I did that would be a nice bonus. I’m not going to link to a recipe because there are so many out there. Just Google it and find the one that appeals to you.

I’m also going to be eating lots of steamed broccoli and sweet potatoes, which are two of my faves, along with quinoa made with vegetable broth.

For now, though, I’ve only done the Morning Cocktail. I still have to make the soup. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Wanna join me? I’ll be responding to your comments here and on my facebook page. (You don’t have to do this with me in real time. If you find this series of blogs in the future and want to comment or ask questions, feel free.)

Lisa Bonnice is the author of five books, including Shape Shifting–reclaiming YOUR perfect body (with a foreword by Neale Donald Walsch).

1 Comment

Posted in Detox/Cleanse, Fitness, Food, Goals, Healthy living, Obesity, Shape Shifting, Weight Loss

Tagged body/mind/spirit, clean eating, cleanse, detox, diet, fitness, health, law of attraction, obesity, organic food, shape shifting, Weight Loss, wellness

Cleanse-prep journal format

Posted on November 10, 2014 | 2 comments

In one week from today, I’ll be starting a doctor-ordered cleanse. It’s mostly fruits and vegetables, with some quinoa for protein. I’ll use this blog to introduce the format I’ll be using for my cleanse journal.

After a crazy weekend, I’m finally able to sit down today and begin planning for next week. I’ll post the cleanse instructions as soon as I can give the proper credit to its creator. I don’t know if it’s something my doctor came up with, or if she got it from elsewhere. So, when I know that, I’ll post the instructions. Hopefully that will be later today.

Meantime, I’m using my Shape Shifters Daily Diary format, which includes these components, posted in this order:

Triumphs
Makeovers
Challenges
Intentions
Daily Thanksgiving

The instructions, below, are given in a slightly different order, because it’s easier to explain this way:

Challenges are the circumstances that keep you from your preferred state. Challenges are the only component to be worded as possibly negative because we immediately flip them over and reword them as …

Intentions, which are Challenges reframed to make a positive statement. Once you recognize a Challenge, you now know what you intend to overcome. Find a positive way to reword your Challenge and start the sentence with “I intend that I AM …”, stating it in the present tense. The creative Force into which we speak takes our words—and how we feel about them—very literally.

Triumphs are signs that forward movement is happening. They don’t have to be “Mission Accomplished.” They can be the smallest indication that something has improved. Shining light upon them helps them to grow. And it’s always fun to do a happy dance.

Makeovers are the things you do to look or feel better about yourself. They can be as simple as wearing your favorite shirt to work—the one you save for special occasions—or showering with your “expensive” soap. They can also be energy clearing actions like cleaning your closets, changing your sheets or smudging your house with sage. Changing the Feng Shui of your home is an extremely powerful Makeover. They don’t have to cost anything, but they should make you feel like you’ve cleared some stagnant energy.

To use a gardening analogy:

Stating your Challenges is the same as tilling the rocky soil.
Setting your Intentions is planting high-quality seeds.
Recognizing your Triumphs is spotting and caring for the tiny sprouts as they poke through the earth.
Makeovers are the fertilizer that makes your soil rich.

Daily Thanksgivings are daily ways of checking in and appreciating what’s already good in your life. Think of it as a mini “Rampage of Appreciation,” for you Abe fans.

I think that’s enough information for one blog. I’ll post later with my journal entry for the day.

Wanna join me? I’ll be responding to your comments here and on my facebook page.

Lisa Bonnice is the author of five books, including Shape Shifting–reclaiming YOUR perfect body (with a foreword by Neale Donald Walsch).

2 Comments

Posted in Fitness, Food, Goals, Healthy living, Law of Attraction, Obesity, Shape Shifters Daily Diary, Shape Shifting, Spirituality, Weight Loss

Tagged Body Mind Spirit, cleanse, detox, diet, fitness, fruits and vegetables, Goals, health, journal, law of attraction, obesity, shape shifting, spirituality, Weight Loss, wellness

Finally, sensible serving sizes!

Posted on February 28, 2014 | Leave a comment

Nice! I’ve long wished that so-called “serving sizes” would be addressed.

Have you ever looked at “serving sizes”? Some of them are sheer madness. I used to buy brownies from a vending machine at work before I learned to pay attention to that part of the label. I thought, “I can splurge this much,” but one day I read the label and saw that my brownie was actually two servings. I was double splurging and had no idea. And we’re not talking about a big brownie. It looked like a single serving, to me.

Serving sizes are designed to keep the consumer feeling like they can eat more than they actually should, exactly as I described above. Who can eat a single serving, according to the package, of Girl Scout Cookies?

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/nutrition-food-labels

When is it time to ask for help?

Posted on February 4, 2014 | Leave a comment

SHAPE SHIFTING on BLOGTALKRADIO:
WHEN IS IT TIME TO ASK FOR HELP?

I don’t know about you, but I’ll push myself really hard before I will ask for help. Sometimes I have to actually collapse before I’ll admit that I can’t do something.

There’s nothing wrong with pushing your limits. It is, after all, what life is all about. It’s what we’re here for–it’s how we create our own reality.

But once in a while, things fly out of alignment because we push too hard.

Or are we pushing too hard because things flew out of alignment?

Chicken/Egg?

In any case, this is what we’ll be talking about this week. Tune in.

Feb. 5, NOON EST/9 PST
http://ow.ly/thkwz

Review: Skechers Memory Foam walking shoes

Posted on January 18, 2014 | 90 comments

NOTE: Please read the comments below this blog before using this review to make decisions on your purchase. Turns out these shoes are hit and miss. If they fit, they feel like God is tickling your tootsies and you’ll float like a dream. Or, you could end up with a pair that feels like your foot is stuck in a bear trap. This review was written after I bought my first pair, and before I bought the second–same size and style–which hurt like crazy.

The original blog post, published in 2014:

One word: YES!!!

You may recall that I recently posted a blog, looking for experts on walking shoes. I’m relatively new to this form of exercise (I’ve been walking since last summer) so when I started looking for a pair of good quality shoes, I needed help. I didn’t know what to look for.

After a lot of consideration and shopping around, I finally settled on a pair of Skechers Sport Active shoes with memory foam, style #11798.

The price was in my range–I’m not a fan of paying high dollar for shoes (I know I just lost some of you, but I prefer to be barefoot on a beach). Comparatively, this is a low priced walking shoe.

I wore them for a test spin this morning. I power walked almost four miles over pavement, dirt road, grass and gravel, uphill and down. About a third of the way into my walk, where my old shoes would have started pinching and the ball of my left foot would have begun to hurt, I felt no discomfort at all. In fact, these shoes are pretty doggone comfy.

I made it all the way home and up a flight of stairs before taking them off and discovered, once I sat down, that I didn’t want to take them off. I’m a barefoot kind of person, but they felt really good.

My concern was that the memory foam wouldn’t spring back. I assumed that, after wearing them a while, the foam would become compacted, as regular soles eventually do. (I have no experience with memory foam, so I don’t know what to expect.) But for now, for today, it popped right back into shape.

I’ll keep you posted and let you know if they stand the test of time. If you don’t hear from me, it’s a safe bet that they’re still doing the job.

90 Comments

Posted in Fitness, Goals, Healthy living, Looking For Experts, Shape Shifting, Weight Loss

Tagged fitness, Memory Foam Shoes, Reviews, Skechers, Walking, Walking Shoes

New Year’s “Intentions”, instead of “Resolutions”

Posted on January 1, 2014 | Leave a comment

As mentioned in my previous blog, I’m not a fan of New Year’s Resolutions. They don’t last, at least not for me. But I do have a great deal of success with what I call Shape Shifting. Last year, I lost 35 pounds, quit smoking, went from sedentary to walking over 20 miles a week, and a lot of other goals were achieved.

This is the top that prompted me to take my weight more seriously in 2013. I wanted to wear it to a Solstice celebration in 2012 and couldn’t even button it! This year I wore it on Christmas Day, after losing 35 pounds.

I have a whole new set of Intentions I’ll be working on this year, which I’ll be talking about on my radio show, when it begins airing again–after a long hiatus–on January 8.

After last year’s collective Triumphs, I’m optimistic that I will have achieved these goals–and then some–by next year at this time!

First, the trip to the UK that I’ve been blogging about is a “must-do”. I know that we’re not supposed to get attached to outcomes when manifesting, and that’s what is making this so hard for me. I don’t know how to do that, when the stakes are as high as they seem to be. I know I can manifest, but can I create something so complex and mysterious in such a short period of time?

Next, I want to reach whatever my body’s ideal goal weight is. I’m not looking for a number on the scale, because I honestly don’t know what that number is. I am, however, intending to keep honing my physical self and allowing my proper weight to reveal itself.

Also, Jeff and I need to move to a new home, and soon. His commute is brutal, so we are moving closer to the city. That’s probably my most immediate goal but, as you can see by the order I’ve listed them, the one I’m least interested in.

I’m sure I can come up with others, but I think that three big goals for the year is enough. The rest is just fill-in material.

Anyone else want to post their Intentions for the year, considering it’s New Year’s Day, with a New Moon? And be sure to join me every Wednesday AM (or listen later in the archives) on BlogTalkRadio. I’d be happy to help you to figure out how to make your own goals happen!

An effective alternative to New Year’s Resolutions

Posted on December 30, 2013 | 2 comments

One year ago, I started an online Shape Shifting group on Facebook, instead of setting New Year’s Resolutions. Since then—using the Shape Shifter’s Daily Diary format—I have lost 35 pounds, I’ve gone from sedentary to walking at least 20 miles per week, I published a best-selling book, in addition to many other goals. And I didn’t quit after only a week into the year, like I always did with Resolutions. I stuck with it, because it’s fun and challenging. And IT WORKS.

I’ll tell you how I did it, and how you can do it too, on my BlogTalkRadio show, starting on January 8 … right around the time you start losing interest in those Resolutions.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/shapeshifting

I know this sounds like a sales pitch, and I apologize for that. I’ve never been comfortable tooting my own horn, but Shape Shifting really does work if you make the effort. And it doesn’t have to cost you anything—yes, I’d love it if you’d purchase a book, but it’s available for free if you can’t afford it—so I’m not really selling anything. All I’m doing is suggesting that you give it a try.

My journey from 215 to 150.

2 Comments

Posted in Law of Attraction, Shape Shifters Daily Diary, Shape Shifting, Spirituality, Weight Loss

Tagged BlogTalkRadio, body image, body/mind/spirit, fitness, Goals, Inspiration, Motivation, New year resolution, New Year's Resolutions, podcast, Resolutions, shape shifter, shape shifting, Shapeshifting, Weight Loss

Looking for experts: walking shoes

Posted on November 14, 2013 | 9 comments

I’ve only recently begun taking walking seriously as an exercise (I’ve lost 35 pounds! Yay, me!). That whole fitness wave, when it began years ago, went right over my head so I know less than nothing about how to buy good quality walking shoes. All I know is, they’re pretty doggone expensive, so I don’t have a lot of room to experiment.

Therefore, I’m asking the experts: you guys. If you have an opinion on the subject, let me know what you think:

What is your favorite brand?
What are the most important things to look for?
How can I be sure they fit properly? (Just because they feel good in the store doesn’t mean they won’t start to hurt once I’m a mile from home already.)
What do you think about gel insoles?

I’m going shopping at the end of November for a pair in the $100-ish range. My birthday is coming up, and that’s what I would like–a really good pair of quality walking shoes. I’m getting in tip-top shape for our 2014 trip to the UK, where we’ll be walking a lot, so this is important.

I would sure appreciate your feedback so my feet won’t be hurting when I’m blowing out the candles on my birthday cake!

9 Comments

Posted in Abundance, Finances, Fitness, Life is Fun!, Looking For Experts, Shape Shifting, Weight Loss

Tagged Best Shoes, Birthday, fitness, Footwear, health, Recommendations, Shopping, Walking Shoes, Weight Loss

Does lack of money keep you fat?

Posted on April 26, 2013 | 7 comments

As the author of Shape Shifting–reclaiming YOUR perfect body, I hear from a lot of readers that money issues sometimes keep them from taking proper care of themselves. They feel that they have to focus too much time on financially surviving, and there is no time left for themselves. So just for fun, I’m posing the question: If someone offered you a million dollars to reach a reasonable weight/fitness goal by the end of the year, could you do it? If so, how?

Just to make it easier for you, your living expenses are all paid for between now and then. Money is no longer an issue. You have all the free time you need to really take care of yourself. But if you don’t make that goal, you have to pay it all back.

What would you change about your life in order to meet that goal? You’ve just signed the contract and now it’s time to begin. What would you do first, and then what would be your follow-up actions?

If it was me, if money was literally no object, I would begin by setting up some doctor’s appointments because I have some crazy health issues that I don’t have a handle on because I can’t afford the kind of health care that I need. Standard doctors have been unable to help me, and since none of it is life threatening, I just have to live with it and hope to someday be able to afford to find some help.

Food Pr0n: Potato and Radicchio Flatbread

Potato and Radicchio Flatbread (Photo credit: drmiggy)

In the meantime, I would hire someone to do all of my meal planning, shopping, cooking and cleaning. That person would take in mind all of my body’s needs with regard to sugar, gluten, organics and GMOs, etc. I would be eating the diet that is truly healthy for me and makes me feel good.

Yoga at Wellspring Vancouver (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Next, because money is no object and I don’t have to spend all of my headspace worrying about working instead of working out, I’d join a gym and hire a personal trainer who would be nice to me, and take into consideration how out of shape I’ve gotten due to having to sit at a desk to earn a living. This person would care about me as an individual, not bark commands and belittle me if I wasn’t able to keep up at first.

Boy, it’s no wonder celebrities can look the way they do. They can afford all of this, and plastic surgery, too!

Is lack of money keeping you fat? How is money keeping you stuck in a body you’re not happy with? What would you do if money was no object?

Are there any changes that you could make right now that don’t cost anything?

Lisa Bonnice is the author of several books, including Shape Shifting–reclaiming YOUR perfect body. Visit her website to learn more about Shape Shifting, and the Shape Shifting Book Study Group on facebook.

7 Comments

Posted in Abundance, Finances, Fitness, Law of Attraction, Obesity, Shape Shifting, Weight Loss

Tagged Abundance, Diets, exercise, Finances, fitness, fitness goal, Genetically modified food, Genetically modified organism, GMOs, headspace, health, law of attraction, Monsanto, obesity, Weight Loss

A great new Shape Shifting tool!

Posted on March 16, 2010 | 1 comment

For a little over a month I’ve been experimenting with a social networking site called SparkPeople. It’s basically like Facebook, but the focus is on fitness and weight loss. It’s completely free and I’ve discovered that it’s a lot of fun, and very helpful because I do still have some excess weight I’d like to release.

I’ve been using it as a “private citizen,” as it were. I mean, I wasn’t using my name or talking about Shape Shifting very much, unless it came up in conversation, and then only casually. As I’ve been using the site, I’ve found that I REALLY enjoy using it. They have forums, teams, weight trackers, fitness trackers, calorie counters, articles, recipes, games, challenges, points, awards and all sorts of other amazing resources.

The reason it’s free is because the owner apparently invented eBay and sold the company to whomever owns it now for bazillions of dollars. This site is his way of giving back to the community that made him a very wealthy man. He has published a book through HayHouse called The Spark (which I have not yet read) and put a LOT of brilliant effort into creating a very useful and user friendly site.

Once I used the site enough to know that I’ll be sticking around, I began tossing around the idea of starting a Team (a specifically focused forum) for readers of Shape Shifting. The site doesn’t allow users to post advertising, as you can well imagine … that is the bane of every site owners existence … people who join your site just to post their ads and spam. So I was very careful to check with them to make sure that what I had in mind was okay with them. They have given their approval, and a Shape Shifting Team was born! I revamped my profile page there to say who I am and where the Team can be found, and now I’m announcing it to those of you who might find it very useful.

You can check out the site at http://www.sparkpeople.com and the team itself at http://teams.sparkpeople.com/shapeshift. So far, it’s brand new and has only one member … me. But I’d love it if you’d come and check it out. I’ve lost four pounds since I started using the site in early February, and had fun doing it.

I hope to see you there!