Tag: Arbonne

Day 10: 30 days to fit

by Niki Chopra Richardson, posted in Health, In Their Words, Nutrition

Joy and Temperance and Repose. Slam the door on the doctor’s nose. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A third of the way there and I’m realizing that this journey is so much more mental than anything else. We make choices every minute of every day – many of them very deliberately! And yet most of us aren’t so deliberate about our food choices. We eat till we are stuffed, we drink till we are drunk—pay the price but then go back and do it again anyway promising ourselves all the while that we will never eat/drink like that ever again! But if you slow down – really slow down and think about what’s going into your mouth- SIT down (yes that’s all you moms and dads who eat on the fly), honor your food, appreciate it and then savor every bite– it takes very little to make you full!

Today my diet was pretty consistent with the past ten days so I won’t list it out– sane smoothie, salad with cucumbers and tomatoes from my garden for lunch (teaspoon of olive tapenade served as dressing)…I want to talk about dinner…

My chef extraordinaire husband made Mexican pizza – taco meat left over from taco Monday – deep fried fajita tortillas with a layer of refried beans between two perfectly crisped tortillas topped with taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, jack cheese, diced jalapeños from our garden, and a sour crema sauce that he whipped up with fresh cilantro and other magic! Bake in the oven till cheese melts and enjoy!! Naturally being gluten free this month- I’m not supposed to partake- but, I just HAD to try it. So I did– just one quarter of it– but oh my was that incredible! I refused to feel guilty about it– i wasn’t about to dilute the experience. The rest of my meal was taco salad and Cholula hot sauce as dressing!

I’m feeling mighty satisfied!

Day 9: 30 days to fit

by Niki Chopra Richardson, posted in Health, In Their Words, Nutrition

A healthy attitude is contagious but don’t wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier. Tom Stoppard

Oh wow! toddler slept till 6:45am today! I actually got a full night’s sleep! First one in over two weeks! Thank you Universe.

7:30am – Arbonne vanilla protein smoothie – (where’s my chocolate???) with the usual! (Green beans, kale, carrots, celery, ginger, lemon, strawberries, blueberries, kiwi), decaf coffee with 1/2 tsp turbinado and splash soy creamer – I want more sugar and creamer!!! 😦

10:00am – handful almonds and a small baby jazz apple

12:30pm – left over Indian food – soup style AGAIN! I have to stop with the Indian food, and just do the shakes for lunch…easier and will cut down on my craving for the appropriate accoutrements…Basmati rice and rotis!

3:00pm – I bought decaf Illy coffee for the office today so had to try that…Yum! along with (lactose, gluten free International Delights creamer) and an Arbonne chocolate nutrition bar! (I almost dunked…but didn’t – if I wasn’t at work, I would have!)

6:30pm – made my family this amazing Rigatoni carbonara with fresh shaved Parmesan cheese, pancetta etc – they inhaled it…while I…yes, I smelled it, but then ate left over green beans cooked with garlic and smoked paprika (amazing recipe folks – ask me if you want it!) and two chicken wings from Saturday night’s BBQ. Don’t feel too bad for me…they were STILL awesome!

7:00pm – one dark chocolate nut cluster

I think I mentioned right – that I brush my teeth early so I can’t eat anything later…I’m lazier than I am hungry at night…so it works well! Not going to want to brush twice.

OK, now I am really off to bed!

Bonne nuit tout!

Day 8: 30 days to fit – down 2lb in the first week

by Niki Chopra Richardson, posted in Inspiration

I’m concentrating on staying healthy, having peace, being happy, remembering what is important, taking in nature and animals, spending time reading, trying to understand the universe, where science and the spiritual meet. —Joan Jett 

Today’s Tuesday – and I haven’t written about Monday which is technically day 8! So here goes…

Yes, today was the big WEIGH IN day! And considering I had fallen slightly off the wagon on Sunday, I wasn’t looking forward to it…but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I am down 2lb! Yup!! 130lb even!!!

I made up for Sunday…

7:30am – Arbonne vanilla protein smoothie with the usual medley of fruit and vegetables – strawberries, blueberries, green beans, kale, carrots, ginger, kiwi, blended with almond milk and ice! YUMMM – had a cup of decaf coffee with 1/2 tsp turbinado and splash of soy creamer – what  I wouldn’t give for a FULL tsp of real sugar and real half n half! mmmmm 

10:00am – small apple and handful of 50% less salt almonds (thank you Trader Joes!)

12:30pm – left over Indian food – without the rice or roti that makes it a perfect meal – think Indian chicken curry soup I guess…because that’s how I was eating it…it does taking getting used to – no Indian worth their salt loving our food the way I do- would eat it the way I did…it’s bordering on blasphemy! The first meal I have after this program is complete in 21 days is an Indian meal (mom’s cooking) eaten the ‘right’ way! yes…with gluten-filled basmati white rice and glutenous whole wheat rotis! YUMMM ok, I digress.

3:00pm – Arbonne chocolate nutrition bar – with only 7g of sugar, this is a really great chocolate treat that fills me up and keeps me going till dinner time!

6:30pm – gringo tacos – no crispy corn tortilla shell for me! sigh!!! ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, jalapeno slivers, and a healthy dousing of cholula – 

8:30pm – I found these YUMMY dark chocolate nut clusters – cashews, pistachio, sea salt and 60% cacao – one is plenty – yes have you noticed I have a chocolate thing?

Ok, so week one is complete – yes it’s been a bit more challenging than I expected…this is good, because now I can speak intelligently and empathetically to my clients on the program. “Yes of course I know how hard it is Jane…I have been there myself! I promise you it gets easier! How do I know? I did the program just so that I could experience it first hand!” 

It’s 9.50pm right now, and I just want to go get something to eat, instead I will go upstairs, brush my teeth and read – or better yet, sleep while I can, since my toddler is still intent on waking at 2am for me! So I think that’s my distraction technique – go to bed, so I can’t go to the kitchen and eat instead! I also think that I am not drinking enough water – and of course, I haven’t exercised in over a month – life is such— my exercise has to happen at 6am before the house awakens – or else it doesn’t happen. There’s no way to wake up at 5.30am if you’re up at 2am for nearly an hour!

YAWN!!!

 

Day 6: 30 days to fit

by Niki Chopra Richardson, posted in Health, In Their Words, Nutrition

Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity. (John F. Kennedy)

Another night of 3am wake up to the 2 year old wanting to sleep in ‘mama bed.’ Had to sleep in his bed with him with his arm flayed across my face!

10:00am- Arbonne vanilla smoothie with carrots, celery, green beans, berries, ginger, kiwi and kale. Décaf coffee with 3/4tsp turbinado and splash of soy creamer.

1:30pm- three tablespoons basmati rice with chicken curry and black-eyed peas. (Lobia) Indian style. Not supposed to have rice but mom made fresh lobia and I can’t resist.

3:45pm- 1/2cup snap pea crisps

5:30pm- husband asks me if I want a beer– we have Abbey Leffe, Sam Smith Nut brown ale, Ninkasi’s oatmeal stout all lined up in the garage fridge — and I say NO!! as much as I love beer- I’m saving my one allowed (my compromise) alcoholic beverage for the beach party we are going to tomorrow!) I’m so proud of me! I have to tell you- Leffe is my all time favorite beer- followed by a good chocolate or oatmeal stout.

6:30pm- charbroiled hot wings courtesy my amazing scientist husband the self-taught chef! He makes two different sauces- one with a franks red hot base and another with an Asian wing sauce made from scratch. Home made coleslaw and French fries rounded out the meal– I think I had all of 7 fries (again– not allowed but my weekend compromise!)

30oz water and I’m feeling really good about myself today. I’m a day away from a week and I can’t wait to step on the scale Monday morning!

Day 5: 30 days to fit

by Niki Chopra Richardson, posted in Health, In Their Words, Nutrition

As I see it, every day you do one of two things: build health or produce disease in yourself. (Adelle Davis)

Had a rough night with my toddler wanting to crawl into my bed and that’s a big no-no in our house- rather I crawled into his twin bed for a few hours from 2-5am– then groggily stumbled back into bed only to wake up waaaay later than usual!

9:30am- Arbonne vanilla protein smoothie with carrots, celery, green beans, kale, strawberries, blueberries, ginger, lime, and orange juice

1245pm- Arbonne vanilla protein smoothie with carrots, celery, green beans, kale, strawberries, blueberries, ginger, lime, a pinch of cayenne pepper (be sure its a little pinch!–hiccup) and orange juice

4:00pm – Arbonne detox tea slushie made with two strawberries, kiwi, carrots blended with ice! Yummy perfect summer drink on a hot day! I also enjoyed a few spoons of ‘khatta mittha’ which is an east Indian tea-time snack which has chickpea flour, nuts and a bunch of other things.

6:30pm – dinner at Camarillo Supermarket which is owned by a Lebanese couple and they have the BEST middle eastern food– here you can get Gormeh Sabzi, khoobideh etc. the family enjoyed rice and lavash too but I stuck to just the chicken kebabs and salad! I did have two teaspoons of the delicious Persian rice though– couldn’t resist! And didn’t want to deal with cravings later- so figured 2t can’t hurt!

8:45pm – 2 dark chocolate almonds with sea salt and turbinado.

Been really bad about water today– aside from what’s in the tea- I think I only had about 16oz! Hmmmm

The weekend is here– this should be interesting! It’s the time when I feel like allowing myself to slack off! I might be using you for greater accountability this weekend! Stay tuned!

Day 4: 30 days to fit

by Niki Chopra Richardson, posted in Health, Nutrition

They claim red meat is bad for you. But I never saw a sick-looking tiger. ~Chi Chi Rodriguez

7:30am – Arbonne vegan vanilla protein shake with almond milk, almonds, celery, carrots, strawberries, ginger and blueberries

8:00am – décaf coffee with 1/2tsp turbinado sugar and a splash of soy creamer

12:30pm – Asian chicken salad

3:45pm- 1 small peach

7:30pm – homemade chicken curry

9:00pm – 2 dark chocolate covered almonds with sea salt and turbinado

Only 20oz of water today- a super busy day training a new recruit! Yes I know– not enough especially with this weather being as hot as it is!

I REALLY wanted an icy cold Belgian ale this evening but only the fact that I had to report to you made me resist!

Thank you for reaching out to me with your comments both via email and here – it helps me stay on track and I love sharing my journey with you!

Day 3: 30 days to fit

by Niki Chopra Richardson, posted in Health, In Their Words, Nutrition

Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon. ~Doug Larson

7:30am- Arbonne vanilla protein smoothie with celery, kale, carrots, almond butter, almond milk, ginger, strawberries, blueberries, and a shot of décaf espresso.

9:30am- small snack size pink lady apple

11:30am- 1 kiwi

1:00pm- poached chicken Asian salad with sesame ginger dressing

3:30pm- trail mix of almonds, cashew and just 4-7 dried cranberries

6:30pm- yesterday’s 1/2 pork chop with maple peppercorn sauce and kale sautéed with garlic and red wine vinegar

8:00pm- Arbonne’s detox tea with one blended strawberry for sweetness.

My trick is to brush teeth right away so that I can’t eat anything more thereafter before bed! Another key is to be in bed no later than 10:30pm so that you don’t get super hungry!

I was more hungry than usual today! It’s typical though– day 3 is hump day! By Friday it should become easy! Also I’m missing my Arbonne vegan chocolate protein powder (no whey, soy, dairy or gluten) which is my absolute favorite!! It’s on back order at the moment and I feel like in having withdrawals from it! I’ve had that as my breakfast for over two years and it is DIVINE!!! I’m going to incorporate the Arbonne chocolate nutrition bars because they really work well as a 3pm snack– and tide me over well for dinner.

And oh– at least 40-50oz of water as well!! Need to keep hydrated especially as temps are rising into the 80s-100s!!

Day 2: 30 days to fit

by Niki Chopra Richardson, posted in Health, Nutrition

7:30am – vanilla protein smoothie with celery, kale, carrots, kiwi, blueberries, strawberries, ginger, lime, raw hemp seeds

Decaf coffee with 1/2 tsp turbinado sugar and a splash of soy creamer

10:30am- 3 Arbonne mango pineapple chews

12:30pm- ahi tuna salad with wasabi vinaigrette dressing

3:45pm- 1 Arbonne mango pineapple chew

6:45pm- 1/2 pork chop (bought from whole foods for assured quality) served with maple black pepper sauce and a side of sautéed kale with garlic and a splash of red wine vinegar

8:30pm– Arbonne detox tea brewed hot but poured over ice to cool then blended with 1 strawberry, chunk of ginger root and ice cubes for a yummy detox tea slushy!

Day 1: 30 day to fit program

by Niki Chopra Richardson, posted in Health, Nutrition

I’ve decided to very publicly commit to doing the Arbonne 30 days to feeling fit program by posting my daily meals here! I need the public accountability! I tried to do it in June but didn’t stick to it! So here goes:
Eliminating: gluten, dairy, soy, peanut butter, alcohol, caffeine, sugar
Starting weight – 132lb

Day 1
7:30am- chocolate protein smoothie (celery, carrot, kale, ginger, blueberries, strawberries, almond milk, almond butter)
10:00am- 3 Arbonne mango chews YUM !
12:30pm- Wagyu beef burger no bun with a side of baby spinach sautéed with evoo and garlic
3:00pm- 2 Arbonne lemon chews (yes they do suppress my appetite)
6:30pm- home made Coq au Vin (chicken in red wine sauce, with mushrooms, pearl onions and bacon)
9:00pm – 8 raw almonds and 2 dark chocolate almonds with sea salt and turbinado sugar.

Drank about 40oz of water today!

No hunger pangs except around 9pm– a tall glass of water with the almonds handled that.

Until tomorrow!

Arbonne FC5 hand lotion is the answer to a 10 year skin condition

by Niki Chopra Richardson, posted in In Their Words, Testimonials

FC5 Ultra-Hydrating Hand Crème from ArbonneI wanted to share my dad’s story with you.  He just turned 69 and has had very serious problems with the skin on his hands for nearly 10 years. He has seen countless doctors, from General Practitioners to Allergist to Dermatologist. No one has ever been able to give him a definitive answer as to what his skin problem is. They have thought it could be allergies, so he had a myriad of allergy testing done and took allergy medication. They thought it could be eczema and prescribed creams to treat that condition. They even thought it could be psoriasis.  None of the treatments worked.  Needless to say, he’s felt miserable a lot of the time because the skin on his hands hurts so much.  This past Christmas I bought him some of the Arbonne FC-5 Hand Lotion. I have used it for several years and think it’s the best hand lotion I have ever used. I just got off the phone with my dad and he was calling to see if I could “get him some of that lotion I gave him for Christmas.” He said he LOVES it and his hands feel so good now and he doesn’t want to run out. I’m so happy he finally has relief from his discomfort that was at one time constant.  Thank you!
– Michele J. – Thousand Oaks, CA

FC5 Ultra-Hydrating Hand Crème
4 fl. oz. Price: $20.00 + tax/ship
http://www.nikirichardson.myarbonne.com or
nikirichardson@myarbonne.com for purchases