Blasts of Light

                      When I saw my new friend, Desiree, discuss a conversation we had on her instagram feed, I was so moved at how she had taken my advice to heart and I just knew I had to share it with you all. Before I get into it, read what she said and I’ll chat a little more at the bottom.disordered eating, institute of integrative nutrition, healthy meal planning, healthy smoothie recipes

disordered eating, institute of integrative nutrition, healthy meal plans, healthy smoothie recipes

disordered eating, institute of integrative nutrition, healthy meal plans, healthy smoothie recipes

             So inspiring!!! I love how she was able to change her perspective and is now back on tract with a diet that’s going to keep her auto-immune disease in check and allow her to be the glowing, radiant being she is. I see this “intention situation” often in my clients with prior histories of eating disorders or disordered eating. They were so wrapped up in associating healthy food or limiting food with punishment and self-hatred that they have a hard time flipping the switch and realizing when it is okay to make certain food choices. My go to for those clients is always to discuss the intentions behind eating, sometimes even go so far as to tell them to silently recite the intention for their food before they eat it! If this is something you struggle with, try that for a week. Before you put anything into your mouth, whether it’s a green smoothie or a bacon cheeseburger, say to yourself, ” I am eating this food to nourish and fuel my body” or whatever intention that you connect with to get to that place of true self-love and wellbeing.

                It’s no wonder people feel negative emotions around dieting, even if you haven’t struggled with any severe disorder eating almost all of us of have put ourselves through the misery of diet at one point in our lives. I’m officially 26 days off sugar, if you asked my boyfriend, he’d say I’m just torturing myself, however because of the intention behind my actions ( exploring the benefits of eliminating sugar from your diet and test driving it for a couple clients who are interested in trying it) I have found it to be a totally exciting adventure! Don’t worry you’ll hear more about how it went in a later blog or vlog after my 30 days are up. My point is that because I’m doing it for fun, seeing it as an experiment and research for my clients who I absolutely adore, it’s no a brainer. The second you try to do a diet to “lose weight” or “fix yourself” it’s going to feel like depravation. Switch your focus to the FUN, to the LIGHT at the end of the tunnel, think about it as self-care. 

                Taking care of your body and fueling it would foods that support it’s best possible vitality is an absolutely wonderful thing. Stand in the power of doing something fabulous for yourself and if a certain style of eating or book your reading about food doesn’t seem to be in sync energetically and intentionally with that, then toss it! If you’re serious about changing your energy and feelings around food and dieting then reach out, email me for a breakthrough session at Cassandra@GoSweetandSkinny.com and let me walk you through it so you can start transforming those intentions ASAP.

I challenge you to write in the comments below this post what intention you are committed to shifting in your life! Tell me how that’s going to change the action itself. xo!

completing my first half marathon at the More Fitness Magazine Women's Half Marathon in Central Park, NYC, disordered eating, institute of integrative nutrition, healthy meal plans, healthy smoothie recipes

I am incredibly proud to say that I successfully completed my first half marathon this past weekend in Central Park at the More/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half Marathon. 13.1 miles of pure blissful power and a major check off my bucket list (yes I know I’m getting started early, but why not!?) .

First, let me say I’m not a runner.

My friends find this hilarious because I do run from time to time but only for a race or a cause, usually both. What I mean is, I’m not that girl that loves waking up at the crack of dawn and pounding the pavement. I despise the treadmill even more than the streets and in total honesty, I find running extraordinarily boring at times.  I’m a yoga girl, I’ll get up early to get to class, love twisting my body in all sorts of fun postures and will happily do it several times a week. So running was all about going out of my comfort zone and challenging my endurance.

I trained for about a month and a half before the actual race and let me tell you IT WAS HARD, for me at least. I seriously give props to runners who do it day after day. It definitely taught me about commitment and pushing myself. Gosh, it was too easy to give up after 3 miles when it’s just me out there in the park and my foot starts hurting or I just get bored on the treadmill. Yet I’m so happy I didn’t, I pushed and pushed and broke past my comfort zone.

A couple weeks into training I gave up sugar, they’ll be a vlog on that coming soon, but suffice to say the first few days running on no sugar (aka no easy carbs) were extraordinarily challenging but it didn’t take too long to adjust. By the time race day came, I didn’t even eat anything in the morning and I was fine!

training for my first half marathon, the more fitness magazine women's half marathon in central park. Runners in NYC on race day. disordered eating, institute of integrative nutrition, healthy meal plans, healthy smoothie recipes

The night before the race I did make some pretty kick ass healthy, sugar free “cookies” to carb load. That recipe will be in this week’s email blast so sign up below if you want it! They were delicious and did just the trick. I carried a few of them in my pocket for the actual race, just in case, but never ended up needing them.

Race day was actually leagues better than any of my practice runs. There’s so much energy in the air, so many people all around and I made a kick ass playlist with the help of some friends, so I was pumped. I ran the first 8 miles relatively seamlessly, although for anyone who knows Central Park, some of those hills are a killer! It wasn’t till mile 8 which was an typical practice run for me that I started feeling it, had to push through, pump up the tunes (we’re talking Britney Spear’s “Work B*tch”, American Authors “Best Day of My Life” and Sara Barielles “Brave”) to keep me going.

By mile 11, it was actually more painful to walk for the 30 seconds I was guzzling water at the hydration stations than it was to keep pace and run. I ended up running the entire thing other than those water breaks where I simply stopped so I didn’t choke on the H2O I was inhaling.

Once I saw that finish line in sight it was like an extra burst of energy and the high of knowing that I completed it (and it better time than I had imagined) was indescribable. I was walking on sunshine.

Training and completing my first half marathon at the More Fitness Magazine Women's Half Marathon in Central Park, NYC.disordered eating, institute of integrative nutrition, healthy meal plans, healthy smoothie recipes

Will I do it again? Maybe. The Brooklyn half is in month. ;)

If anyone has any questions about the half marathon, training or is contemplating doing one yourself, feel free to comment below and I’ll answer any questions you may have!

Isn’t is always those pesky LAST FIVE POUNDS that we’re trying to get rid of!? I work with so many clients to help them make those small healthy  changes to get rid of those last 5lbs for good and with summer just around the corner, I wanted to share my “secret” with you! Watch this video, put this tool into action and you WILL see results! You just have to DO IT.Ready to go deeper and learn even more simple steps to start looking better and feeling great? Check out my Mindful Eating & Meditation video here.

If you enjoyed this video please LIKE , SHARE and SUBSCRIBE to GoSweetandSkinnyTV

Sponsored by my very own juicer, Samson, check out this video where I make my personal go-to green juice recipe!

Feel free to find more information about the Samson Juicer I use in the video here or my book Juicespiration ( all about creating your own juice cleanse) here.

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“By letting go, it all gets done.” – Lao Tzu

This quote has really been resonating with me the past few days. I’ve got “to-do” lists longer than my legs and all sorts of obligations. Sometimes I meditate multiple times through out the day just to keep my stress level in order. And then it hit me the other day, to just let it go and trust that it will get done. Now this may not work when you are trying to eat healthy and make new habits for yourself but as far as work goes, I really think it helps. I’ve opened up the window for more inspiration, been guided towards certain opportunities and felt more in flow with my professional desires. When we are taking right minded action, not sitting on the couch eating potato chips, but also not forcing and pushing ourselves to finish our to do list at the expense of our well being, we get into a groove.
I have joked around for a while now with some of my girlfriends that I will spend all day sending out emails and pitching different ideas and it’ll be that random Thursday morning email from someone I didn’t even reach out to that will be a game changer. This quote was a reminder to me to let go and allow the universe to take over. To trust that we don’t have to PUSH so hard, we can flow.

What areas of your life are you pushing in right now? How might you be able to let go and let it flow? Comment below and let’s get a conversation going!

samsonjuicers

                One of the most frequent questions I get is,”what kind of juicer do you use?” or “What kind of juicer should I buy?” So I figured it was about time I write a blog dedicated to letting you know just that! My first response to most of these questions about finding the right juicer is that the right juicer is the one you will use!! There are so many different types of juicers and you can certainly argue for some over others but at the same time, a fancy juicer with all sorts of amazing features that you can’t afford right now and discourages you from buying a juicer all together helps no one. Get what you can with in your budget when you are just starting out, it’s more important to start getting into the habit of making delicious fruit and vegetable juices at home. Once you have a little more experience with juicing and get as addicted to that pure, clean, boost of energy that it provides as I am, then you will feel better about investing in a higher quality juicer.

               As for me, I use a Samson Multipurpose Juice Extractor and I absolutely love it! My Samson operates at a lower speed (80 rpm) which means that the original nutrients and flavor are preserved when I’m making my juices. Some juicers tend to operate at higher speeds (7000-10000 rpm) where a lot of the vitamins in the fresh juice start getting destroyed. This was extremely important to me when I was selecting a juicer because I want to get as much nutritional value from juices as possible especially for when I’m juice cleansing! My Samson Juice Extractor is also great at juicing those dark leafy greens I love so much. A lot of juicers can clog up if you’re as much of a kale monster as I am. My first juicer would waste so much kale and spinach, it would go straight to the waste bucket and I would get just a drip of juice from a massive handful. Once again, if you have to buy a more basic model when you are starting out, just take the leafy green waste and put it through the juicer a second or third time to get as much juice as possible but it is such a beautiful thing to not have to do that with this juicer. Lastly, I love my juicer because it does so much more than juice! When I first started juicing, I was completely unaware that you could find juicers that can also make nut butters, mince, make noodles, puree for salad dressings and sauces and even make nut milk. I use it for everything! It has become my best kitchen buddy. Can you tell I’m a little excited by my favorite kitchen toy? Don’t worry I’ll be posting even more about some of the other wildly handy things my juicer can do this month! Feel free to check out more information about the juicer I own here as well as all it’s brothers and sisters.

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It’s national pancake day!! Why not make yours BOTH delicious and healthy for you by using quinoa as the flour! Quinoa is a superfood loaded with protein, iron and tons of nutrients you won’t find in typical pancake flour. I do warm that this recipe requires a food processor and you won’t get that “pancake-like” texture with out it.

Pumpkin Quinoa Pancakes
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
2 tbsp of pumpkin pie spice
1 egg or a flaxseed ‘egg’ substitute
1 tbsp coconut oil

Filling:
Tofutti cream cheese
2 tbsp date syrup
A sprinkle of nutmeg, cinnamon
A touch of vanilla extract

First cook your quinoa: place half a cup of quinoa and a full cup of water into a soup pan, let the water come to a boil and stir till only quinoa is left in then pan and all water has evaporated.

Now place drained and rinsed quinoa into your food processor with all the other ingredients at the top and pulse till you get a pancake like batter consistency.

In a frying pan on the stove place a tiny bit of coconut butter and scoop a tbsp of batter to get the cute little stacks shown in the picture. Flip when the middle bubbles and edges start to crisp.

For the filling, simply whip up the tofutti and date syrup and the. Season to taste! Spread in between pancakes and drizzles with maple syrup of desired! These are adorable, delicious and so satisfying!

It’s Valentine’s Day and what better day to address the issue of staying skinny (on track with your health and fitness goals) while in love! Dating or being in a relationship can make stay your slimmest pretty tough but with these FOUR tools you should be able to navigate the waters easily! Like, SHARE and please SUBSCRIBE for more recipes, tips and inspiration to live your healthiest, happiest life!

Want to know the EASIEST way to start losing weight and keeping it off? Well it’s mindful eating! In this video I share with you my skinny secret for mindful eating and give you a couple different ways to start incorporating it in your life now!

If you want to really get into it and cause some serious changes in your health and happiness, join me in NYC (or order a recording if you can’t) this Sunday 2/16 for my HAPPIER, HEALTHIER LIFE NOW class where I will be teaching you 5 effective tools for eating more mindfully and 3 different meditations to keep your stress levels down and your energy up! tickets and details here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/happier-healthier-life-now-with-cassandra-bodzak-from-abcs-the-taste-tickets-9999515821

soul-cycle

              Can you believe I was scared to go to SOULCYCLE!? Well, not scared like something terrible was going to happen if I went but I felt a little intimidated and didn’t want to make a fool of myself. Literally, everyone and their mother had told me to go, that I would love it but I had ‘group fitness anxiety’. I’m a yogi and dancer by nature, I specialize is being uber flexible and memorizing routines. Pilates? I’m there, Hip hop? Count me in, Spinning?! Eh, no thank you! And while I do encourage you guys to find an activity you LOVE that you enjoy doing and stick to that to start getting you moving, sometimes it’s fun and exhilarating to step outside your  comfort zone and dive into the latest fitness craze. In honor of #FearlessFebruary, I did just that! I grabbed a girlfriend and went to SOULCYCLE and….

IT WAS FUN!!!

Seriously, I had the best time and would probably do it every day if it wasn’t so pricey! The music was great, the basic moves spoke to the dancer in me and made me feel at home. However, the best experience was when the lights were dim, the music was loud, our instructor told us to close are eyes and just give over to the music. It was a very different type of meditation than usual for me and I totally loved it. I felt sweaty but invigorated and alive afterward. Big thanks to my girl Alyssa for accompanying me and my client Lauren for telling me how obsessed she was and pushing me to go! You ladies rock and now you’ve got me addicted! 🙂

So what exactly is #FearlessFebruary? 

February is one of my favorite months! It’s my birthday (on the 24th) and Valentine’s Day – a double whamie of love and fun! I’ve also had an incredible start to 2014 and I’m ready to break some boundaries, bust through some blocks and start 27 fearless and fabulous! So this month I am pushing myself out of my comfort zone everyday! I have made a promise to myself (and my streaks app haha) to do something that scares me EVERY DAY this month. I’ll be sharing ones like this SOULCYCLE post, which I feel will particularly connect with you guys but feel free to tweet at me @cassandrabodzak and ask me what my #fearlessfebruary act was that day – I’d love to share! They have ranged so far from anything like putting myself out of my comfort zone physically by trying harder classes, to attending events solo and introducing myself to new people (always a scary task!) to contacting people who inspire and intimidate me. I’m SUPER EXCITED to share with you tomorrow my #FearlessFebruary Instagram Contest – be sure to follow me and look out for the announcement tomorrow morning!

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                Treat yourself to some self-care at the end of Valentine’s Day weekend and join us for an hour and half of meditation and mindful eating that will have refreshed, re-energized and ready to give your health and wellness resolutions a one-two punch! I’ll take you through three meditations, a basic ‘everyday’ meditation to keep you on track with your health and fitness goals, one you can use in case of everyday stress-mergencies and finish with a more advanced meditation that will break through any mental clutter and leave you feeling refreshed to start your week! We will also go over 5 important strategies for more mindful eating that will transform the way you look at what you put in your mouth, help you slim down, have more energy and start loving your body. Best yet, you’ll start transforming your body without feeling deprived or restricted in any way. I’m excited! Are you!?

                      The event will take place in Midtown Manhattan – Sunday 2/16 at 7pm- 8:30pm However, if you are not a NYC local OR just can’t make it that day, I’m very excited to announce that for the first time EVER, we will be selling recordings of the event which will be emailed to you with in 24 hours of the event so you can watch it from the comfort of your own home! 

Click here to sign up now! 🙂