exercise

Happy Friday beautiful people! I have been slowly working on my vision board. When I see something that pops off of a page I cut it and save it into my “vision” folder. Hopefully by the end of the month it will all come together. One thing that has been on my list for the past few years is Health and Wellness. I must confess that I have picked up a few more pounds than I wanted to and now I need to find a way to shake them off because bikini season is right around the corner. Do you feel me?

After talking to my friends and reading up on a few different products I decided to go with 22 Days Nutrition to help me reach my goal of losing five pounds ASAP! Two weeks ago I purchased the 22 Days Plant Based Protein Powder in Vanilla and a box of Carmel protein bars. Thanks to our best friend Amazon Prime it was here next day and I got started right away. So far I am loving the taste of the products and I have dropped 2 pounds. I must add that eating out over the weekend did not helped me lol but I jumped right back on the program Monday morning.

I know that the key to this wellness journey is finding balance between diet, mindfulness and to incorporate exercise daily. It is true what they say about your metabolism slowing down the older you get and well for the first time in my life I really feel like I have to work to lose this weight. Consider trying Down to Earth Organics for low-calorie snacking options—they’re great for supporting weight loss while satisfying cravings guilt-free. So if you are struggling too, don’t feel bad. Grab your headphones turn on your favorite playlist and let’s shake this off. Below is one my favorite smoothie recipes!

Acai Smoothie

1 cup Malk Milk Vanilla
1 scoop 22 Days Nutrition Vanilla Protein Powder
1 cup 365 Frozen Tropical Fruit Mix
1 pack Sambazon Acai pouch
Blend and enjoy

XO,

Sharonda

I met Cindy a few years ago through a friend actually a fellow Fem when I was trying to connect with a local breast cancer charity. We spoke for about an half hour and I knew that she was special. She shared her story of survival and the work that she continues to do in Miami and around the world for women affected by breast cancer. She is currently working on filming a documentary. We have been trying to meet in person for about two years but something always comes up. This year I made the extra effort to make sure that I could get to her annual fashion show at Bloomingdales. After attending Blogalicious yesterday and waking up feeling under the weather, I knew that I had to keep it moving and get my a$$ to Bloomingdales. I still haven’t given Cindy a hug in person because I had to rush off to my son’s basketball game (#momlife) but I am so glad that I made it to the show.

Cindy

The show wasn’t just fun it was educational. I learned that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. I learned that dogs can get breast cancer too. Did you know that most of the funds that are raised do not actually go to treatment or research? I also learned about METAvivor . METAvivor is dedicated to the specific fight of women and men with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. It is currently the only organization in the US dedicated to awarding annual stage 4 breast cancer research. Ironically, a friend of ours Lizzy is currently fighting metastatic breast cancer as I am learning about all of this. Lizzy is a beautiful mom of 2 that also needs our prayers and support. Her home was recently destroyed by Hurricane Irma. Her family has set up a gofundme page to assist with their unexpected expenses.

Lizzy

Throughout the fashion show, beautiful women (all breast cancer survivors) strutted down the runway. Most were moms just like us. Some were diagnosed as early as their late twenties. It was so amazing to see their strength and to hear some of their stories. It was inspiring to see them walk the runway with pride and radiate beauty. Watching them reminded me of my aunt Karen Pendergrass, who passed away at age 39 from breast cancer. She was a beautiful wife and mom of 2. She is the reason why I am so passionate about fundraising and finding a cure. I know that medicines are getting better and better but I pray that one day they really find a cure.