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“I got, I got, I got, I got

Loyalty, got royalty inside my DNA”

~ K. Lamar

So on this new year’s day 2018, while most were doing the “typical” celebratory activities 💏at midnight,  I chose to essentially spit in a tube and ship it off to ancestry.com for analysis.

Why would I choose to ‘ring in’ the new year in this way? A couple of  reasons:

1)To better understand who I am, the true essence of my character, my personality, my genetic predisposition for health risks and benefits.  Knowing from where my lineage, my  people, my ancestral genre arose from, my personal biological  life story: 

“We call out to dry bones come alive, come alive.We call out to dead hearts come alive, come alive. Up out of the ashes let us see an army rise. We call out to dry bones, come alive.” ~ Lauren Daigle (Ezekiel 37)

2) Comparison analysis. My older sister performed the test last year so naturally, I wanted check mine to assess validity of the test as well as have my own personalized results:

So in a review of this test process,  the following step by step photo instructions depict what you receive in the mail and how to prepare your own sample:

1) Box arrives in mail.

2) Open box and read instructions:

3) Make sure to register your test code:

4) Gather the supplies from the box:

6) Collect and mix your sample:

7) Package sample in the provided collection bag:

8) Box it up in the provided shipping package:

9) Drop it off at your nearest USPS and wait for the results 📮

So that’s that…I’ll update y’all later and  share a results post when I receive them. Until next time,  I am Candice Maria and this is Candice Maria’s {Inherited}Fit Life

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Welcome to the final days of the #31DaysofMindfulness and the Meatless October Challenge….I hope you enjoyed learning from the journey as much as I did! 😊

Mindful Minute

“Not everyone will understand you, but those that matter will, and will cherish what you have to offer…It’s okay to let go.” ~ Candice Maria 

Many times in life, when starting a new journey to better oneself we meet opposition. Keep in mind that a lot of this opposition, especially that which originates from family, friends, or acquaintances is many times just a direct result of their lack of understanding of the purpose and passion behind your choices.

This does not mean in anyway that you are wrong or that they are right, and vice versa. It simply means that you have to do what feels best to you, not everyone will understand at first and in time they either will or will continue not to. However, nevertheless you have to do what feels good to your soul, your mind, and your body, I mean considering we only show up on life’s door with one of each… 😉

So if they don’t understand, hold fast to those who do, and let the rest go for the time being.

Mindful Mobility WOD

For these last few days you will complete a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio and at least 8 Rounds (or as many as your body needs) of the Sun Salutation A sequence as prehab before and/or after or even during your other resistance training or athletic activities today.

Meatless Meals of the Day (MOD)

So this week’s meatless meal of the day is a simple fruit and nut spring mix salad from Publix deli along with a wonderful bottle of GT’s Kombucha (one of my favorite beverages next to plain water). 20171024_122009194780247.jpg

This concludes the blog updates for the #31DaysofMindfulness and Meatless October Yoga Challenge…enjoy these last final days and if you plan to return to consuming meat or meat products after October 31st that is OK, just as continuing to explore your new vegan, vegetarian, or vegetarian variation lifestyle that is also OK. Do what feels right to your mind, body, and spirit….simply treat it and feed it well.

Until next time ~ I AM CANDICE MARIA ~ and this is ~ CANDICE MARIA’S FIT LIFE~

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31 Days of Mindfulness and Meatless October Week 3 Introduction overview of Days 15 through 21….

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Week 2 wrap-up of 31 Days of Mindfulness and Meatless October….Day 14….

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Welcome to Days 8 & 9 of 31 Days of Mindfulness and Meatless October Challenge late post due to some recent travel for teaching and training ….

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Mindful Minute

Move everyday. Moving heals. Sitting kills.

~ Candice Maria ~

Kind of self- explanatory. You know the old adage, if you “don’t use it, you lose it”? Well daily mindful movement is no exception. The same as skipping out on strength and resistance training causes loss of muscle mass, strength, and a slower metabolism. Not moving at all, or living a sedentary lifestyle causes even more drastic health problems over time. In the book Sitting Kills, Moving Heals: How Simple Everyday Movement Will Prevent Pain, Illness, and Early Death — and Exercise Alone Won’t, Dr. Joan Vernikos, a former director of NASA’s Life Sciences Division, presents a comprehensive scientific explanation for why Americans are so unhealthy. Numerous medical studies have proven that sitting too much shortens lifespan, even in people who exercise regularly, but what’s the reason? Dr. Vernikos explains in the following video:

 

 

So even if you are not a “gym” person, mindful movement everyday, whether its taking frequent mobility breaks at work, especially if you have a desk job like yours truly (insert side eye #thestruggleisreal); stretching or doing yoga frequently throughout the day, or whatever small movements you can do outside of walking to and from your car at the start and end of your workday, or going to the gym before and/or after work, is beneficial to your general health and well-being.

So during your mindful mobility yoga practice today, think about creative ways to add more movement into your daily routine!

Again, if you are keeping a journal during this journey, you may also want to jot these ideas down for future reference.

Mindful Mobility WOD

Today as you did yesterday, you will complete a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio and at least 1 Round (or as many as your body needs) of the Sun Salutation A sequence as prehab before and/or after or even during your other resistance training or athletic activities today.

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Meatless Meal of the Day (MOD)

 

Today’s featured Meatless MOD is Candied Walnut Quinoa from the Trifecta Nutrition System organic meal delivery Vegan/Vegetarian meal plan

Ingredient List:

  • Quinoa*
  • Onion*
  • Cauliflower*
  • Brussel sprouts*
  • Asparagus*
  • Cranberry*
  • Walnut*
  • Extra virgin olive oil*
  • Balsamic vinegar*
  • Coconut sugar*
  • Grade B maple syrup*
  • Garlic*
  • Parsley*
  • Thyme*
  • Marioram*
  • Coriander*
  • Turmeric*
  • Mustard seed*
  • Cumin*
  • Fenugreek*
  • Paprika*
  • Cayenne*
  • Cardamom*
  • Nutmeg*
  • Cinnamon*
  • Clove*
  • Black pepper
  • Sea salt
  • Filtered water

*Organic

Nutrition Facts (The Macros):

Serving Size: ~ 160 grams

 



This concludes Day 5 of 31 Days of Mindfulness and Meatless October Challenge…see you on Day 6.

Until next time ~ I AM CANDICE MARIA ~

 

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Mindful Minute

Take the keys and drive into your future, don’t sit back and wait for others to give you permission

Today’s mindful minute reflective thought relates to taking charge of what happens to you in life and the choices you make for yourself. Getting and staying fit is a lifelong journey and a choice or decision you have to make, you don’t need anyone else’s permission to do it. So hop into the driver’s seat of your life and make the necessary choices today that will allow you to lead a happy and healthy life tomorrow.

During your mindful mobility yoga practice today, consider the unhealthy habits that you need to change in your life, and make a mental note of how you can change each one. Don’t expect to change everything at once,  but choose one task at a time and address it one day at a time and before long you will be well on your way to making healthy lifestyle choices that will carry you into the years to come.

Again, if you are keeping a journal during this journey, the outcomes of this exercise may be something you also want to jot down for future reference.

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Mindful Mobility WOD

Today as you did yesterday, you will complete a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio and at least 1 Round (or as many as your body needs) of the Sun Salutation A sequence as prehab before and/or after your other resistance training or athletic activities today.

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Meatless Meal of the Day (MOD)

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Today’s featured Meatless MOD is one of my personal Oatmeal Breakfast Bowl Mash-ups (ie.throw it all in a bowl and “mash” it up)

Ingredient List:

  • 20g rolled oats
  • 3 to 4 ounces Silk unsweetened vanilla almond milk or filtered water (personal preference)
  • Half scoop (20g) Garden of Life Raw Fit plant-based protein powder
  • ½ or 1 whole banana
  • 1 Tbsp(15g) Greenwise all-natural cashew butter
  • ¼ container (25g) Silk dairy-free, nut-free vanilla yogurt
  • A dash of ground cinnamon

Nutrition Facts (The Macros):

Serving Size: 1 bowl  

Calories: 387

Carbs: 53 grams

Fat: 12 grams

Protein: 21 grams

Sugar: 21 grams

Sodium: 84 mg

 

This concludes Day 3 of 31 Days of Mindfulness and Meatless October Challenge…see you on Day 4.

Until next time ~ I AM CANDICE MARIA ~

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So today I am celebrating 35 years of life, and will be spending the entire month of October doing all of the awesome fit and fun things I love the most!

So to continue a list from a previous post from about 3 years ago with a countdown to the 32nd celebration of the day of my birth, here is a continuation of that list with now 35 additional things I have learned and fallen in love with about my life to date. Once again in no particular order, but just as they came to mind over the course of the past few days:

#35 – No net…live as if there’s no turning back, no do-overs, no safety net to catch you when you fall. Travel light!

#34 – Discretion is a decision. The world only knows what you decide to tell them…Surrender to Silence. People will always think they know you when they really don’t

#33 – Hold your mule…in the stillness of life…love happens. Wait for it. Pray for it. Be still and know that it’s happening.

#32 – It’s okay to let go

#31 – Not everyone will understand you, but those that matter will, and will cherish what you have to offer

#30 – Love yourself first, it’s not selfish.

#29 – Consciousness is your friend, think before you act

#28 – Fitness is the fountain of youth

#27 – Be present, let people know that you care

#26 – Failure is never an option, but a choice

#25 – Plan for success and believe in your plan

#24 – Take chances, put your neck in the noose of life

#23 – Food is for physiological nourishment, not mental pleasure, practice santosha

#22 – Ask questions, answer questions, nothing’s off limits for debate or change

#21 – Be fearless

#20 – Take the road less traveled

#19 – Be outstanding

#18 – Root to Rise

#17 – Follow your dreams, they know the path to your true happiness

#16 – Dare to dream, and dream BIG!

#15 – Keep growing. Keep living!

#14 – Be transparent, live out loud

#13 – Live such an fascinating life, that it’s open book worthy

#12 – Reach your goals, but take time to listen to the goals of others

#11 – Be a light…enlightenment is a gift

#10 – Shock yourself, then go out and shock the world

#9 – Do any and everything you ever thought about doing

#8 – Never let anyone tell you what you can’t do

#7 – Can’t is not a word in my vocabulary, it’s meaningless

#6 – Eat breakfast

#5 – Move everyday. Moving heals. Sitting kills.

#4 – Become obsessed with you, there’s only one, love it to pieces

#3 – Take the keys and drive into your future, don’t sit back and wait for others to give you permission

#2 – Love people for who and what they are, and don’t be afraid to leave them where you found them, you only control you, love and protect that!

#1 – Pray every day!

As the days and the weeks roll by, I am certain there will be more that comes to mind. However I won’t spoil God’s timing and save those for the next celebration of my birth year post, and I will try not to let 3 years fly by without an update….. This past year has been a year of some pretty big and exciting milestones, so I can only imagine what Chapter 35 has in store as I travel into yet another year of life. So, until next time. … #LoveGod … #LoveYourself in order to #LoveOthers

~ I AM CANDICE MARIA ~ and this is ~ CANDICE MARIA’S FIT LIFE ~

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Mindful Minute

Pray every day!

As simple as it seems, today’s mindful minute reflective thought is to “Pray every day!” No matter your spiritual or religious beliefs, at the end of the day, in some form there is some type of prayer. Prayer in its most basic definition is “an earnest hope or wish,” and in most spiritual belief and value systems this earnest hope or wish is made as “a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship.” So in your mindful mobility time, as you work through your yoga practice, take time to reflect on that earnest hope or wish, or make that solemn request for help or expression of thanks or gratitude that most commonly burdens your heart and release it through your mindful mobility practice and daily thoughts. Also, it would be a good idea to journal or write down the outcomes of your daily Mindful Minute practice time.

Mindful Mobility WOD

Today you will complete a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio and 1 Round of Sun Salutation A as prehab before or after your other resistance training or athletic activities each day.

Sun Salutation, or Surya Namaskar, are traditionally performed in the morning to greet the new day, however you can practice at anytime that’s convenient for your workout schedule each day.

The sequence of 8 postures can be a complete practice in itself, or can prepare you for a longer asana (yoga posture) or fitness routine. Sun Salutes are often performed in sets of 5, but if you are new to the practice it’s wise to begin with 1, 2,or 3 sets or rounds until you get better acquainted with the practice.

Each time you flow through this sequence, synchronize your breath (inhale – upward movements, exhale -downward movements) with the movements of your body.

The following link from Yoga Journal  provides step by step how to perform each pose of Sun Salutation


Meatless Meal of the Day (MOD)

 

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Today’s MOD feature is Trifecta System Nutrition Sweet Potato Chickpea Salad.

Ingredient List:

  • *Garbanzo beans
  • *Onion
  • *Sweet potato
  • *Broccoli
  • *Extra virgin olive oil
  • *Safflower oil
  • *Kalamata olive
  • *Caper
  • *Lemon juice
  • *Dijon mustard
  • *Grade B maple syrup
  • *Garlic
  • *Parsley
  • *Thyme
  • *Cumin
  • *Paprika
  • Black pepper
  • Sea salt
  • Filtered water

*Organic
Nutrition Facts (The Macros):

Serving size: 175 grams

Serving per container: ~ 2

This concludes Day 1 of 31 Days of Mindfulness and Meatless October.
Thanks for participating…see you again for Day 2

~Peace and Love~

~CANDICE MARIA ~