Healthy Sexy - Sugar Free!

Since this blog is all about being healthy, I have decided to take part in a 10-day, sugar-free challenge!  This challenge is being hosted by: Spoonful of Sugar Free  Click the link for more information on the challenge.  It would be great if you decided to join us!

Life...Be Daring

Be Daring

"If you're looking for a big opportunity, seek out a big problem."  -- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

This is a picture of my brother Jordan.  He and his band "Sargent Avenue" recently made a humanitarian trip to Thailand and Cambodia.  They went there to educate themselves and find out how they can help in the fight against the sexual trafficking of women and children.

It's a big problem...a huge problem, a problem so big that you wonder, what can one ordinary person do?  What can one band of six guys who barely make enough money to cover the cost of their band gigs do?

Let me repeat myself..."If you're looking for a big opportunity, seek out a big problem."  -- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

What big opportunity did they get in exchange for seeking out such a huge problem?  They did get the opportunity to play on the MTV stage in front of over 10,000 people....but they will tell you, that as great as an experience as that was, it was not the opportunity they are most thankful for.

They came back from their trip, changed men.  They came back with a desire and a passion to help make a difference.  The got an opportunity to help change the lives of women and children, and they took that opportunity and decided to run with it.  They have made it their mission to raise $250,000.00 to build a home for children who are rescued from trafficking, a home where they will be safe, receive an education, be loved and receiving healing for their physical and emotional pain.  And a home, where, as an added bonus, they will be provided musical instruments and musical training, offering them the ability to express themselves with the creative outlet of music.

It may not be the opportunity they thought they would find...but they've found that through this experience they have gained so much more than they ever thought possible.

The name of their band is "Sargent Avenue."  The name of the home they are building is "Sargent House." They are partnered with "Traffic Jam" a not for profit organization that exists to "jam" up the traffic involving the widowed, orphaned, abandoned, sold and vulnerable who are often forced into horrific lives of labor or sex slavery.

For more information or if you feel compelled to help Sargent Avenue, Sargent House or Traffic Jam, please follow the links below.  -- Rachael

Sargent Avenue Facebook Page:

http://www.facebook.com/SargentAvenue

Video with footage from their trip to Thailand and Cambodia:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=787103556401

Traffic Jam website:

http://trafficjam.org/

Information on the campaign to raise funds for Sargent House:

http://trafficjam.org/campaigns/view_campaign.php?campaignID=9

Life...Be Original

Be Original

"To achieve the impossible, it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought."  -- Tom Robbins

There is a popular saying that goes something like this, "Doing the same things over and over, and expecting different results, is the definition of insanity."  I would like to elaborate on this and say that if you do exactly what everyone else does, your results will be the same as theirs.  This is fine, if you are hoping to be mediocre.  But, if you want your life to be great and different and original, that means you will have to engage in great and different and original behavior.  -- Rachael

Life...Be Present

Be Present.

In life, there are no ordinary moments.  Most of us never really recognize the most significant moments of our lives when they're happening."  -- Kathleen Magee

Don't miss out on life because you are too busy with other things...did you take time to look around you and appreciate the people, places and things in your life today? Or were you so busy with the stresses of life that you forgot to stop and actually live?  -- Rachael

Healthy Skin is Sexy Skin - Mangoes

Skin Super Food #4 - Mangoes

Ahhh the delicious mango!  Fruit lovers everywhere all look forward to mango season.  A few years ago, I had the pleasure of introducing my nephew to his first mango.  After he had devoured more than 3/4 of the mango that I was actually planning on "sharing" with him, with a big smile on his face and juice running down his forearms, he asked, "Aunt Rachael, do you have any more mangoes?"  Unfortunately, I did not...but he was more than happy when I handed him the core and told him he was welcome to eat as much off of it as he could.  :)  So adorable.

That being said, I am pleased to inform you that not only is the mango beautiful to look at and delicious, but it is also extremely good for your skin!  Mangoes are an excellent source of Vitamin A, in fact, an average sized mango contains more than 80% of daily Vitamin A needs.  Vitamin A is extremely important in repairing skin cells and maintaining healthy skin.  In fact, a deficiency in this particular vitamin will result in a dry, flaky complexion.  Another benefit of Vitamin A is that it is a powerful antioxidant, which means that it fights free radicals.  Free radicals can prematurely age skin, which is basically the opposite of healthy, sexy skin, so it's truly important to consume enough Vitamin A!

Mangoes are also natural acne fighters!  To use mangoes to clean acne causing, clogged pores, slice a mango into very thin slices and apply it to your face.  Leave the mango on your skin for 10 - 15 minutes, then wash your face with warm water.

So go on, grab a mango and begin to eat your way to healthy skin!

Tips for adding mangoes into your diet:

• Mango salsa is a great addition to a meal.  You can always buy it at your local supermarket, or if you prefer, you can make your own.  Use it to top grilled fish, or as a dip for your favorite tortilla chip.
• Mangoes are delicious all on their own.  Peel, slice and enjoy!  They are sweet, they are juicy, they are truly a tasty treat.
• My personal favorite way to eat a mango is in a smoothie.  Combine in a blender with peaches or your favorite type of berry.  Add a little honey or orange juice, some protein powder and some ice...your taste buds and your skin will thank you!

Life...it's meant to be lived!

"If you haven't had your life, what have you had?"  -- Henry James

"Oh, the experience of this sweet life."  -- Dante

Sunset at Fort Desoto Park in St. Petersburg, FL

"Life is here and it is now...either we meet it, we live it or we miss it.  All life resides in the narrow margin and the broad expanse of the moment.  It is in the doing, the dreaming, the feeling and the caring.  It is always present in a glorious attempt, a lofty dream, a brilliant insight, an irreplaceable experience, a calming breath, an unbelievable feeling and an irrepressible passion.

An unlived life is littered with 'could haves,' 'should haves,' and 'if onlys.'  Each moment greets us full of possibility and leaves us hoping we are better for having met.  While it is true that we only have right now, there will never be a time when it's not now.  Grandma Moses said it best, 'Life is what we make it, always has been and always will be.' "  -- Kobi Yamada (an excerpt from the book "be")

Daily Stress Relief - Digest

Take a few minutes to relax after eating.  You don't have to sleep....but just relax.  Sit quietly, close your eyes, relax.  WHY?  Because immediately after eating, the body's energy is focused on digestion.  So for those 10-15 minutes it's best to not try to do anything that would require energy to be focused elsewhere.  Give your body the 15 minutes it needs to get the digestive process going...after that, you'll be more productive and able to focus on the tasks at hand, and you may actually minimize heartburn and other digestive problems.