Looking back at 2017, in my opinion, it was one the healthiest years of my life, so far. And 2018 seems to be right on track to be very similar. While others around me got sick with a cold, I never did, and I wasn’t touched by the flu virus either even without getting the flu shot; this being a personal choice based on knowledge. I also never missed a workout all year. What’s my secret, one might ask? Well, I’ll let you in on some of the secrets I’ve discovered through my fitness journey that actually began about eight years ago, in 2010.

I think it was in February of 2010 when I made a major purchase that kinda kick-started my whole fitness journey; it was a Bowflex Revolution machine. It also prompted me to get my hands on the P90X workout videos. I had never gotten into any weight training outside of the mandatory module back in high school, and I remember attending a co-worker’s Halloween party the previous year at my heaviest; 145 lbs. After seeing some of the photos, I felt horrible and ashamed of how much extra weight I was carrying and I knew I needed to change.

After my relationship at the time had ended, I found myself eating an entire box of KD for dinner – all by myself!! I would also have the odd Ichiban or Hamburger Helper, but it wasn’t very often and lunches were simple PB&J sandwiches. I was basically living a bachelor lifestyle in terms of my food intake, and my overall health was showing it – I’d be sick with a cold at least twice a year and this would result in doping myself up on symptom relief drugs like extra strength Sinutab every three hours and Cold FX for the immune boost. I would also steep myself a tea comprised of some ginger root, garlic, a cinnamon stick and cayenne pepper; needless to say, the smell of it boiling isn’t for the faint of heart and drinking it can be even tougher to take down. I often thought of it as the cure for what ails you, and if nothing ails you, it’ll cure that too! I haven’t had to make this concoction for quite some time, and I couldn’t be happier to be rid of making it.

So, here’s my first SECRET to the healthiest year: The cupboards and pantry need to be raided – and thoroughly!!! Get rid of any and all processed foods. The way to tell if it’s processed is to look at the ingredients list and see how many of them are chemicals. It would also be a good idea to keep in mind that the ingredients list is like a recipe made in a kitchen, however, it’s the manufacturers’ recipe. While there will likely be products with some chemicals, it’s best to look for those that contain actual food ingredients (like a kitchen recipe) with the chemicals listed as close to the last items listed as possible; this would mean the product contains very little chemical additives. The ideal products are ones with no chemical additives present. The key to a healthy lifestyle is 80% kitchen, 20% gym.

Here’s what a typical day for my meals looks like for me:

Breakfast is yogurt with sunflower seeds, pepitas (pumpkin) seeds, flax seeds, almonds, Thompson raisins, sultana raisins, dried cranberries, chia seeds, oats, and bran with cinnamon and cocoa.

Lunch is Shakeology powder with almond milk, water, peanut butter, banana, blueberries, and avocado with cinnamon. Weekends will have a special treat of cocoa and mint extract added to taste more like my favorite of mint-chocolate chip ice cream.

Dinner is soup composed of red and white kidney beans, navy beans, black turtle beans, pinto beans, Romano beans, red, green and brown lentils, black matpe beans with chili powder, garlic, Tex Mex spices, cayenne pepper, cumin, and onion, then carrots, baby lima beans, corn, peas, green beans, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, celery, broccoli, and Quinoa with oregano, parsley, basil, garlic, onion, thyme, turmeric, cilantro, honey, celery salt, coriander, allspice, pepper, and a bay leaf.

This may all sound a bit boring for eating every day, but I do have a meal every now and then at work where it’s a potluck so I get to sample lots of other foods, or we have a samosa party, or even meals out with family and/or friends.

Also, anytime I’m at home, I always drink filtered water. My spiritual path has led me to research what the effects of Flouride are on a little-known part of the human anatomy called the pineal gland. Flouride actually calcifies this very small, yet very powerful and important gland. Calcification is the accumulation of salts in the body’s soft tissue causing it to harden. In places with a hard water supply, this is very similar to calcium deposits accumulating over time in a hot water tank – it eventually needs to be replaced as the deposits become a cement-like wall. In terms of drinking water, there has been a long-standing debate over the fluoridation of a civic water supply; one side states that it helps protect the teeth while the other views it as toxic since it’s actually ingested. If I’m out and about, though, I tend to stick with just regular water.

For now, I’ll let that digest (pun intended). Don’t worry, though, as I still have a few more secrets to share, so be sure to stay tuned here for those. Afterall, one can’t argue with the phenomenal results I’ve achieved!

🤘