Final week - 3 week mini challenge - Day 1-7

Here we go - the final results are in ...

Saturday Day 7
Weight 132 - 128 - down 4 lbs
Waist 27 - 25 down 2"
low waist 30 - 29 down 1 "
hips 37 - 36 - down 1"
Thigh 22 - 21 down 1 inch each

Total inches 6" !! I am back to what I was at the end of oct 09!! In 3 weeks!!

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Friday Day 6

Workout - Marky's boot camp - abs tonight
Food - 1 cup of green beans w 1/3 cup liquid egg whites = 2
10:00 smoothie
12:00 2 boiled egg whites and carrots
3:00 salad and 5 shrimp
5:30 Fish and green beans
7:00 whey protein and water!!

Wish me luck getting through the day -

Thursday Day 5

Workout - Legs, abs - probably another 4 mile walk at lunch - not sure if it will be a power walk though - abs again tonight... booh ya!

Food -
7:00 2 egg whites over 1 cup of green beans
10:00 green smoothie
12:30 5 shrimp and small salad
3:30 2 hard boiled egg whites and 1 cup of baby carrots
5:30 4-5 oz of chicken and small salad...
7:00 protein / water if hungry...

Are you board yet - I want my oatmeal, I want my pocket and I want my quinoa / sweet potato - I want my carbs back -

Wednesday Day 4

Workout - This morning got up bright and early and attended hubby's boot camp - I have to say, I think I'm hooked... I've decided to add this to my workout every  Wed and Friday morning.... probably until fall - it's a fun and different way to get some exercise in.... I  also did a 4 mile power walk at lunch and extra ab workout this evening

Food -
2 egg whites over 1 cup of green beans
10:00 green smoothie
12:30 5 shrimp and small salad
3:30 2 hard boiled egg whites and 1 cup of baby carrots
5:30 4-5 oz of fish and small salad...
6:30 Tanning bed - I am not a fan, but want to get some color for my pictures!!
7:00 protein / water

Tuesday Day 3

Today is normally my day off, but since Sunday was a bust - I got up at 6:15 and did 20 min interval run / walk - 1 min each, from 5 to 7 mph.... then 15 minute ab workout...

Food -
7:00 2 egg whites with 1 cup of green beans
10:00 Smoothie
12:30 5 Shrimp and Small Salad
3:00 two boiled egg whites and 1 cup baby carrots
5:30 4 oz Turkey Burger and salad
7:00 cracked and had small handful of cashews

Monday Day 2


Food -
6:45 2 scrambled egg whites with 1 cup green bean
10:00 Smoothie
12:30 4 oz haddock and small salad
3:00 2 hard boiled egg white and 1 cup of baby carrots
5:30 4 oz of baked chicken and 1 cup green beans
6:30 Tanning bed...

Workout - AM - Ab workout - Lunch - 8 split jumps, 8 jump squats, 20 body squat, ham workout on ball, 2 sets of 40 walking lunges, then 20 min treadmill hike top to bottom in 30's. PM - 2nd Ab workout

Sunday Day 1

Off due to not feeling well : (Wow - was absolutely wreaked today.... still not 100% but should be A-ok tomorrow... warning - raw maca can wreak havoc with your stomach... )

So for the last week before my "photo shoot" going to eat super clean meals  - will mainly consist of protein and green veggies - this of course is a little trick I leaned from Valerie Waters  - love her!!

7:00 2 scrabbled eggs with 1 cup of green beans
10:00 smoothie
12:30 lunch 5 shrimp and small salad
1:30 workout
3:30 2 boiled egg whites and 1 cup of baby carrots
5:30 As follows -

Monday 4 oz of fish and green beans
Tuesday 4 oz of baked chicken and 1 cup green beans
Wednesday 4 oz of Turkey burger, 2 slices of tomato and small salad
Thursday 4 oz of baked chicken and green beans
Friday - 4 oz of Fish and 1 cup of green beans

Workout:

Monday AM Abs / Marky leg workout / PM Abs
Tuesday AM Abs and Interval training / PM Abs
Wednesday Marky's bootcamp / PM Abs
Thursday AM Abs / Upper Body Sculpt / PM Abs
Friday Marky's boot camp / PM Abs

Week 2 Final - 3 week mini challenge

Saturday Day 7

The results are in for week 2!!!
Weight ... 132 /130 - Still down 2 lbs!!!
Waist ... 27 / 26 / 25.5   down another 1/2 - 1.5 in 2 weeks
L Waist ..30 / 29.5 /29.5 - no change - .5 in 2 weeks
Hips ... 37 / 36.75 / 36.5 - down 1/4   - .5 in 2 weeks
Thighs... 22 /21.5 / 21.25 - down 1/2 ea -  1.5 inches combined!

WOW - so weight didn't move - still down 2lbs,  but dropped another 1.25 inches. That makes a total of 4 inches in two weeks!! Woo hoo!! So let me just say this - "how bad do you want it?" what Val is always talking about really applies - I've added extra cardio, have been eating really clean, and have increased the intensity of my workouts - also, I know it is only for a short period of time, so I'm not going to get burned out or over-train ...

Just know you all can do this too - Just ask yourself - "How bad do YOU want it"....

One more week to go !!
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Friday Day 6


Super excited right now - just have to get through the night, and tomorrow morning weigh-in and measurements....yeah!! So what do I expect tomorrow? Not a heck of a lot actually - I probably won't see any weight or measurement changes until the end of next week, which is ok with me… Especially since visually I am seeing some changes in my thighs right above my knees, which is where I need the most improvement.

So – you are probably wondering how I stay on track – right? Well really - if I didn’t plan my meals, my exercise / time, and then consistently follow through – it wouldn’t happen… As I’ve said before, being consistent is probably one of the hardest things to do, but if you are consistent, you will get the results you want. Also, it’s important to decide what will work for you – start by challenging yourself with a day, a week, a month – trust me if you do anything consistently for four weeks, you will get results.

Ok back to my day –

Food– pretty much the same as every other day up until dinner… So for dinner tonight I had 5 oz of baked haddock, 1 cup on green beans and 1 cup of salad.

Workout – OY! Marky’s leg workout … Just to remind you that workout consists of 8 split jumps, 8 jump squats, 20 body squats (3 times) – followed by 8-12 glute bridges, legs curls and low glute bridges on the ball (3 times) – followed by 3 sets of 40 walking lunges… ending with a 15 minute treadmill hike – top to bottom in 30’s – which is basically going to level 15 and decreasing each level by .5 every 30 seconds. Extra ab workout – completed…. See you in the morning!


Thursday Day 5

Good grief - am I done with this yet ?? Now I know why models are so cranky - this really isn't very fun - not that it's hard, it's just a lot of planning and preparing to eat this clean - Oy!

Workout - Upper body / Ab sculpt and 15 min top to bottom treadmill hike (start at level 15, drop a level each minute, until flat) 7:30  pm 1 mile jog on treadmill - did extra abs this morning -

Food -
7:00 Super smoothie
10:00 Oatmeal / egg whites
11:00 workout - have a meeting a 2:00 pm
12:30 5 shrimp / 2 cups of salad and 1 multi-grain pita bread
3:00 apple and almonds
5:30 4 oz of lean hamburg, 1 cup of mashed cauliflower and carrots, plus a salad....
7:30 1 Mile jog -

Water - 16 oz of detox tea and lemon  - 84 oz of  water with lemon wedges...


Week 2 - Wednesday Day 4

Got up at 6:00 AM to do my leg workout - even though it was hard, I think it needs to be a little harder to get the results I want....

3 sets of 10 - 1 leg squats to warm up

In a circuit - 3 sets of 12 each of the following:
Bulgarian Split squats with 2 10 lb kettlebells (will increase to 15 next time)
VS reverse lunge with 25 lb kettlebell - liked this
High step ups
20 body squats
next time will use 35lb bar to squat and add kettlebell swings with the pumpkin (25) :D

Did 4 mile walk at lunch, it was such a beautiful day out, and will do ab workout tonight...

Food -
stomach still upset so had oatmeal and eggs for breakfast
10:00 super smoothie
11:00 Walk
12:30 2 cups salad / 5 shrimp / 1/2 multi-grain pocket
3:30 Apple and 12 almonds
5:30 Spaghetti sauce with ground turkey over spaghetti squash plus a salad

Water 3 28 oz bottles., plus 16 oz AM / PM of detox tea with lemon.... feel like I am floating away......


Week 2 - Tuesday Day 3

Day off for exercise - yeah!! However will do an ab workout tonight since I missed yesterdays...

Food -
7:00 Super Smoothie
10:00 2 egg whites / 1/4 cup oatmeal
12:30 1 cup of quinoa pasta / 1/2 cup of ground turkey in sauce and 3 oz of chicken...
3:30 12 almonds / 1 apple
5:30 5 shrimp with 2 cups of salad....

Today felt easier than yesterday, not as hungry - although lots of sugar free gum being chewed.....  have a feeling I will need to have a 1/2 smoothie around 8:00 pm....


Week 2 - Monday Day 2

OMG - If anyone out there thinks floor work is easy - think again!!! Wow - glad that is over with..... After dinner I "attempted" a 1 mile jog - made it about half way and then walked another 1.5 miles..... my legs were really sore, still full from dinner, and Ab workout never happened.... good grief!

Food - super hungry today - ended up going to bed at 9:30 so I didn't eat everything in the house -

7:00 AM Green Super Smoothie
10:00 2 Egg whites and 1/4 cup oatmeal
12:00 5 shrimp / 2 cups salad and 1/3 cup quinoa
1:30 40 minutes floor and ab work
3:00 apple and almonds
5:30 4 oz of breaded chicken, 1 cup mashed cauliflower and carrots, and 1 cup of salad.

Water - 28 oz AM, 28 oz workout, 14 oz PM, plus 2 - 8 oz cups of detox tea, 28 oz on way home......



Plan for Week 2!!

Food plan - pretty much the same as last week.

Revised workout schedule for the week - need to shock my body and keep it guessing to keep getting results...
Sunday - Sprints
Monday - Floor work
Tuesday - complete day off
Wednesday - Heavy leg day
Thursday - upper body sculpt / treadmill hike
Friday - Mark Leg workout
Saturday - upper body sculpt / treadmill hike

Each evening - 1 mile jog and extra ab workout!

Sunday Day 1

Food
8:00 AM Green Super Smoothie
10:00 2 Egg whites and 1/4 cup oatmeal
12:00 1/2 detour bar
2:00 2 pieces of Sara lee honey roasted turkey on 1/2 a pita bread with mustard

Did not eat enough today and went out to dinner starving.... NEVER a good idea!

4:00 Long Horns - 1 pc. bread with butter, Salad, Hamburg with no top bun (8 oz ate about 6 oz), mashed potato (ate about half) and a small ice cream from Sully's (1 scoop coffee and 1 scoop orange sherbet) - hey a girl needs a treat once in a while.....

Exercise - (8) 70 yard sprints,  (2) 300 yard shuttle runs (run 25 feet back and forth 12 times) 100 walking lunges - 25 to warm up, 25 between sprints and shuttle runs, and 50 to cool down...

Oh and I'm sure I didn't drink enough water this weekend either .... need to figure out how to fix that -

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Weight ... 132 /130 - down 2 lbs!!! Same

Waist ... 27 / 26 - down 1" !! 25.5 down another half - 1.5 in 2 weeks

L Waist ..30 / 29.5 down 1/2 " !!Same

Hips ... 37 / 36.75 - down 1/4" !! 36.5 down another 1/4 - .5 in 2 weeks

Thighs... 22 /21.5 - down 1/2" ea!!21.25 - down another 1/4



wow - so still down down 2lbs and another 1.25 inches - total inches 4 inches in two week!! Woo hoo!! So let me just say this - that "how bad do you want it" really applies - I've added extra cardio, have really been eating clean, and increased the intensity of my workouts - also - I know it is only for a period of time so I'm not going to burn out - everything that Val talked about in her when the scale don't move video - having an end goal - Yes - I put that god awful pic of myself out there and am determined to make you all proud of me and to feel deserving of that .... Just know you all can do this - "How bad do YOU want it"....

Week 1 status - 3 week mini Challenge (day 2 -7)

Saturday Day 7!! Results are in!!

Well I think I've even surprised myself here... Yes this has been a hard week, but I made it and am still in one piece!  Was it worth my efforts - Oh Ya!!

So after 1 full week of consistently eating clean and working out - here are my results...

Weight 130 - down 2 lbs!!
Waist 26 - down 1" !!
L Waist 29.5 - down 1/2" !!
Hips 36 3/4 - down 1/4" !!
Thighs 21.5 - down 1/2" each!!

Wow - that is 2lbs and 2 3/4 inches in ONE week!! Now onto week two... in the meantime - I'd like to throw out a little challenge... I'd like you to try to get through this next week eating 90/10 clean and getting in 6 workouts - is it easy - no, is it fun - hell no - can you do it - hell ya!! All you need to do is make a plan and follow it - be consistent - if you have to, focus on getting through one day at a time...  If you need help on how to do that, check out my Goal Setting blog. If you need more help - send me an email ... This is very do-able - just ask yourself  "how bad do you want it"..... Oh, and if you happen to take me up on my offer - please share your results - you may just inspire someone else!

Friday Day 6 ...  Mood - Crabby pants have finally left the building and the fog has cleared from my head - Today I bounced out of bed feeling great!

Food 
6:30 Green Superfood Smoothie
9:30 2 Egg whites / 1/4 cup oatmeal
12:00 5 shrimp, 2 cups salad and 1/3 cup quiona
1:00 Was starving, why, I don't know - but ate a small bag of trail mix (240 cals)
1:30 Upper body sculpt workout
3:30 cup of coffee
6:00 4 oz of turkey tenders, salad, 1 cup raw broccoli and 1/3 cup quinoa..
8:00 feeling really hungry tonight - may have to have a 1/2 smoothie.....

Exercise - Legs are kinda burned out - so going to do upper body, abs and some cardio if time - need to get about 45 - 50 mins in..... Tomorrow AM - weight and measurements to see if all my hard paid off - wish me luck!

Water - 2 of 28 oz bottles with lemon, 28 oz of detox tea, last 28 oz plain water...

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Thursday Day 5- Woke up a little hungry this morning so I had my egg whites and oatmeal first - Green smoothie at 10:00, and because I was still super full at 12:30, held off from lunch until after workout - ate my almonds to hold me over.... I think I was still full because in addition to the water from my morning drive, I drank another 14 oz of detox tea with lemon - have to say it tasted much better yesterday - bleck! Consumed 28 oz during workout - another 14 oz of that awful tea in the afternoon, and then 28 oz on the ride home...

Mood - a tad edgy - walked down the stairs to the vending machine, then turned around and grabbed a cup of coffee instead,. whew - that was close - one more day to go - weigh in on Saturday morning..... gosh - I hope I can make it - feel like I could crack anytime now.... Still have a severe case of the crabby pants.

Food
3 egg whites / 1/2 cup oatmeal
Super smoothie
almonds
$30 treadmill workout (check the link if you don't know what that is)
5 shrimp, 1/3 cup quinoa and 2 cups salad
5 oz Haddock, 1 cup green beans and salad
oh and a handful of cashews.... : (

Exercise - 3 sets of the $30 Treadmill, 1 mile slow jog after dinner and extra Ab workout - Slow jog was really tough - got 1/2 mile in then walked a 1/4 and ran the last quarter - hmmm might need to take an extra day off moving forward and do 5 days a week - my body is feeling tired. I'm doing a lot of leg work without much recovery time.... will let you know... Have a great night!


Wednesday Day 4 - Well darn - fell off the wagon a little last night - Had a pita pocket with my salad and shrimp, not too bad - but then I went to the store to get some lemons for my water, and ended up with a mounds bar.... I knew I should have just stayed home - in the back of my mind I think I knew I was going to get something - we always do!

Today I changed things up a bit - It was so nice outside I went for a 4 mile power walk with my friend Beth instead of doing my leg workout, which I will do tonight.

During the day I drank 24 oz of detox tea with a little honey and a half of lemon, 56 oz of water with lemon, and 28 oz of regular water on the ride home.

Food -
7:00 AM Super-food Green Smoothie
9:30 AM 2 Egg Whites and 1/4 cup oatmeal
12:00 PM 5 shrimp, 2 cups salad and 1/3 cup quiona
1:00 - 2:00 PM Walk
3:00 PM 12 almonds and an apple
5:30 PM 1/2 cup quiona pasta, 1/2 cup ground turkey with sauce and 1 cup of salad

7:30 PM Leg workout - wow - came so close to skipping - night-time is the hardest time for me to get motivated for a workout - but I do know this about myself so I try NOT to schedule workouts in the evening.... Wow - am I tired - really kicked my own butt and I loved it ; )

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Tuesday Day 3 - Wow is my body tired.... glad it's my day off... Still struggling with water a bit - will just have to focus here ... Food - no cheating so far!! Woo hoo!! ... and even more surprising no wine for 5 days now - When I did the Valerie Waters Diamond Club last year, one of the keys to my success was cutting the alcohol out - had no idea it was that bad for weight loss - I thought a glass of red wine was good for you... well it may be, but as far as your body is concerned it is a toxin and the first thing your liver does is work to filter that toxin out of your system... and oh, by the way, while it is doing that, it is NOT metabolizing the fat in your body. Another Ah-ha moment for me...According to Ask.com  It takes your body around 1 hour to process 1 Unit of Alcohol, so that's about 8 oz of beer, less than a 1 oz shot or 2/3 of a 4 oz glass of wine. That number is for people with a healthy liver. For others, it may take longer.

Drinking 16 oz will take your body 4 hours to process the alcohol, increased or decreased by the amount of food in your digestive system and the health state of your liver. Usually on a good night out the Units will stack up, keeping you over the legal limit to drink and drive far far longer.

Honestly how many of us have ONE 4 oz glass of wine - one of my glasses is probably 6-8 oz... good grief - right?

Oh and lastly, I've been wondering why my brain has been a little fuzzy....  thought it was the lack of sleep after my granddaughter was born - now I think it's from cutting the sugar and carbs out of my diet - body is in full detox. Hopefully if all goes well by tomorrow my head should start to come back...... I can only hope!

Monday Day 2 - off to a great start ! Food and workout on point!! Water has been a little difficult to get back on track with - at noon I only had 28 oz in... Got another 1/2 in before 1:30 PM workout - got a full one in during workout - and another half through the afternoon. Last one on the way home... A goal for water should ALWAYS be between 80 and 100 oz.... My intake goal is 112 oz daily, which is 4 of my water bottles... Also, going to start adding fresh squeezed lemon to my water - lemon is a natural diuretic. Consuming anything sour makes the liver and gallbladder purge stored toxins. The liver is especially important for weight loss and overall health. When the liver is filled with toxins, it cannot do its critical tasks in metabolizing fat (which we want).

Workout - Action Hero Babe Build - Changed up a few exercises to increase intensity - like reverse lunge - added 20lb dumbbell and Bulgarian Split Squats, a favorite of Linda M's - added a 15lb dumbbell in each hand..... kinda tricky while trying to keep my balance. As I mentioned before, I'm trying to build my quads to push that darn cellulite O-U-T! 7 pm completed 1 mile jog and extra ab workout...... Too much fun right!

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3 Week mini challenge...

So in Valerie Waters Red Carpet Ready Club, I've issued a mini 3 week challenge for myself, which I thought I'd share with you here.... Now that others will be watching maybe I will push myself a little harder...

As I've mentioned in another post, my lower body has always been my problem area - arms, back, abs - not so much ... butt, hips, thighs - oy... This girl is definitely a pear shape...

When I started Val's program in January of 2009 - my stats were as follows:

Weight 147
Waist 28.5
Low Waist 32
Hips 141.5
Thighs 25

After 8 weeks

Weight 136 - down 11 lbs
Waist 26 - down 2.5 inches
Hips 39 - down 2.5 inches
Thighs 23 - down 2 inches

Over all inches lost over my entire body.... 13.25 !! Not too shabby - right? Percentage-wise - I lost 30% of my total weight loss in the first 4 weeks and 55% of my total weight loss in 8 - after that it was harder and took longer to get a pound off - plus at that point I have to think some of the fat was being replaced by muscle - and as we all know - muscle weights more than fat ....

November 2009 was my all time low - weight was 127 and total inches down 25.25 - yowza!!! But after the holidays around Jan 1, I was up 5 lbs and 6 inches, which ended up being an inch or so increase to my waist, low waist, hips and thighs.... Not horrible - plus I've been able to maintain a 15lb and 19 inch loss over the past year.... I should be happy about this, shouldn't I?

So why the need for this mini challenge - Well honestly, the last time I got comfortable and lost focus, I ended up at 147 lbs and barely fitting in any of my pants, skirts, or shorts. I was embarrassed to go out in public in a pair of shorts or walking with confidence on the beach... Like I've said before, at almost 48 now, I feel as good as I did 20 years ago, maybe even better, but one thing is still hanging around - a little dark cloud over all my success... The darn cellulite on my thighs... I am determined by this summer to get it O-F-F! This means a cleaner diet and a lot harder work..... So with that said here is my plan:

This plan will consist of Val's principles and workouts - she is a staple forever in my life (http://valeriewaters.com/) ... also I've added some sprints and a grueling leg workout compliments of the anchor in my life and my husband, Mark - another fantastic trainer - for you ladies who work out with him - you know what I'm talking about (http://markoneworkout.blogspot.com/) ... Also I am hoping the Superfood journey I've started on courtesy of Ryan Orrico, and additional food and workout advice from my good friend Linda Muszynski (http://fitin-lindam.blogspot.com/2010/04/are-you-in-or-out-of-control.html) with be the final piece of my fitness puzzle...

Workouts - basically the same - adding extra cardio

Sunday - AM -Sprints / PM - 1 mile slow jog
Monday - AM - Valerie Waters Action Hero Babe Build / PM - 1 mile slow jog
Tuesday - Off
Wed - AM - Leg workout / PM - 1 mile slow jog
Thursday - AM - High Intensity Interval Training / PM - 1 mile slow jog
Friday - AM - Valerie Waters Action Hero Babe Burn  / PM - 1 mile slow jog
Saturday - AM - High Intensity Interval Training / PM - 1 mile slow jog....

  

Food - basically the same

6:45 AM Super Green Smoothie
9:30 AM Egg whites and Oatmeal
11:30 5 Shrimp / Salad and 1/3 cup Quiona
1:00 PM Workout
3:00 PM Apple / 12 Almonds
5:30 PM Dinner - lean protein, 1 - 2 cup of veggies and /or salad

• Monday - 4 oz of Chicken
• Tuesday - 4 oz of Fish
• Wednesday - 4 oz of Ground Turkey
• Thursday - 4 oz of Chicken
• Friday - 4 oz of Fish
• Saturday - 3 oz of Beef
• Sunday - 4 oz of Turkey

I hope you enjoy my journey - after these three weeks I will see where I'm at, and at that point I will re-evaluate to see if I need to switch things up.... As our bodies adapt and we get in better shape, we need to switch things up and kick our own butts to reach the next level of fitness.  Lord help me!

Stats as of April 11, 2010

Weight 132
Waist 27
Low Waist 30
Hips 37
Thighs 22


Day 1 Completed!!

Warm up 1 set of 20 walking lunges
6 sets of Sprints (70 yards)
1 set of 20 walking lunges
2 sets of shuttle runs (12 x 25 yard times)
cool down 1 set of 50 walking lunges

The Superfood Experiment! Aloe Vera!!

Ok – so I thought aloe vera was only good for one thing – putting on sunburns - boy was I wrong… Besides having numerous vitamins, minerals, etc, etc, and yes, etc… it is also helpful for all types of digestive problems like colitis, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, and “Reducing Inflammation, Radiation Sickness, Cancer, Heart Disease, and Diabetes” – which is a section title under benefits on page 168. Wow – who knew!  Personally, I feel like every time I turn around someone I know or love is being affected by cancer or diabetes. I had an Aunt pass from cancer, I currently have an Aunt fighting cancer, and my mother and mother-in-law both have diabetes.

There was a study done in Italy on forty-eight patients – half were treated with some dosage of aloe vera, which was added to their main treatment drugs, while the other half was not. Of the ones treated with the aloe vera – two actually had improvement, and fourteen stabilized. In the group without the aloe vera, only seven stabilized. As I mentioned above, I have an Aunt fighting cancer, so I decided to go on-line and order her some aloe capsules which she agreed to take. At this point, why not - right?

Also mentioned above is that aloe vera can help with diabetes. Raw gel of fresh aloe vera has aided in the normalization of blood sugar, helping to lessen the symptoms of diabetes. I found more interesting information regarding the diabetic benefits of aloe vera on the web...

6)Aloe Vera Gel


Although aloe vera gel is better known as a home remedy for minor burns and other skin conditions, recent animal studies suggest that aloe vera gel may help people with diabetes.


A Japanese study evaluated the effect of aloe vera gel on blood sugar. Researchers isolated a number of active phytosterol compounds from the gel that were found to reduce blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels.

http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/conditionsatod/a/Diabetes.htm
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupplementguide/a/Aloe.htm


Other benefits – Hydration, Glutathione (which is an antioxidant critical to the production of white blood cells), helps keeps the kidneys healthy, also aloe vera has been used topically to treat: abrasions, acne, athlete’s foot, blemishes, brown spots, burns, eczema, hemorrhoids, insects bites, insect stings, jellyfish stings, poison ivy, poison oak, psoriasis, rashes, scarring, skin allergies, skin cancer, skin infections, staph infections, stretch marks, sunburns, varicose veins and wounds… Of course, I can only speak to my experience with sunburns, and do agree that aloe vera works well in this instance.

Here are a few more links that talk more about aloe vera and its healing benefits….

http://www.naturalnews.com/021858.html


http://health.centreforce.com/health/aloe.html

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Charlee Faith has arrived -

Wanted to apologize for not getting to the other superfoods this week, but the truth of the matter is my daughter just had a baby girl - so I have been a tad preocupied....

Thanks for stopping in - I hope to get back to blogging shortly.