Happy Monday, beautiful friends!

  For the beginning of the Summer Beautification Program, I tried to make the focus on the energy we generate from within. 

SBP Week 1: We wrote letters to dear friends to bring positivity to others from our own hearts. 

SBP Week 2: We scheduled a date with ourselves to honor the need for self-care. 

SBP Week 3: We began journaling about precious moments in our days so we can appreciate living in the present, not jumping ahead to the next big thing in the week. 

SBP Week 4: Last week, we wrote positive affirmations on the mirrors that we look into and have been practicing self acceptance and love, recognizing our brilliant spirit and believing that we are loved, worthy, and more than enough.

  For the next few weeks, our journey is going to take us looking outward. We are going to begin noticing the energy surrounding us and how it is affecting the way we treat ourselves and those around us.  

  I want to start at one of the most basic and also most important things that we are exposing ourselves to every day: Food. We all need it to live and many of us live to eat it. In spite of my food issues last year, I have always loved food. I like nothing more than going to a restaurant I’ve never been to before and discovering exciting new combinations of food.

  I also love pizza and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. They are two of my favorite things in life and I am convinced I could eat them for at least one meal every day for the rest of my life. The problem is, pizza and chocolate chip cookies don’t love me. While a crunchy crust and a pie covered in generous toppings and melted cheese sends my heart aflutter, and gooey buttery chocolate chip cookies are like a drug to me, I feel bloated and overly full after eating them. I have to remind myself, I am worthy of feeling better about my food choices.

  I think about how I feel after eating a beautiful salad loaded with my favorite veggies, a handful of walnuts or sunflower seeds, and a flavorful vinaigrette dressing. My mouth actually waters just thinking about it. So why is that not just as appealing as a freshly baked pizza to me? Well, let’s think about the mere convenience factor. A pizza involves me picking up the phone and dialing a number and waiting. A salad requires going to the store, picking out the produce I need, waiting in line to buy the groceries, taking it home, washing it, chopping it up and then eating it…So. Much. Work. 

  But, what if we look at it differently. We have to change our way of thinking from, “Well, I worked out today so I deserve four pieces of pizza,” to, “I love my body so much I am going to give it what it needs to be happy.

  “I am going to the store to support my local community. I am buying produce which helps the farmers who grow the food. I am exercising patience by waiting in a line to buy the food. I am going home to wash and prepare the food which I am doing with love and gratitude recognizing that I have food to eat when there so many others in this world who are less privileged. I am loving my body enough to fill it up with healthy nutrients and I am feeding myself that love and positivity that I created in the whole process.”

  I know this may seem a bit extreme, but that is honestly what we are doing when we take the time to feed our bodies with healthy, home cooked food. And while it may seem unlikely that this is the exchange of energy you are creating in your body, I can actually prove that this is completely real:

  

 From: https://infoselfdevelopment.com/food-energy-feeling-stressed/

“Our energy is generated by the food we choose to eat. We want to create the best possible energy so we should choose wisely. Fresh, organic plants, meat and grains will make you feel clean and healthy, whereas eating ready meals full of dead, processed and chemically enhanced food is going to leave you feeling toxic and lacking in essential nutrients. For your mood and body to vibrate at a higher 

energy frequency, choose fresh food according to the season; fruits, lighter greens and fish in summer and heartier root vegetables and warming stews in winter.“

  Our entire universe is made of energy and so is everything in it. You and I are all just blobs of energy—Really! We’re massive clusters of atoms moving at various speeds and vibrations. In order to be functioning on a higher level, we need to respect ourselves enough to honor a higher vibrational frequency. We do that best by loving ourselves and loving those around us. It starts with our thoughts, then is affirmed by the words we say, and then shown by what we practice in our actions. 

  So we will start at the most basic level, feeding ourselves love in the form of food. This week, give yourself the food that you are worthy of. Now, I’m not saying never eat a cookie again, but I am saying, let that only be a small treat once in a while. Your body will thank you for feeding it the food that it’s worthy of more of the time. 

  Here is a fun way to get your healthy eating started:

1. For at least one meal this week, give yourself enough time to prepare a somethingworthy of you. Choose things that are healthy and will feed your body with goodness and nutrients for a person who loves themself enough to take care of their body. Farmer’s Markets are an amazing way to get some deliciousness into your life while supporting small businesses.
2. Sit down and enjoy your food. Close your eyes and taste the flavors of what you’re eating. Observe the juiciness of that apple. Pair the apple with a chunk of gouda cheese, or wrap a slice of cantaloupe in prosciutto. Don’t be afraid of new food combinations! Play with your food. 

  Here is another activity to get you started with foods you maybe don’t typically

incorporate into your diet. Find your first and last initials on the list below and make a salad or charcuterie board using those two ingredients:

A: Apples or artichoke hearts

B: Blackberries or Bulgarian feta cheese

C: Cantaloupe or Cucumbers

D: Dried cherries or dates

E: Eggs 

F: Figs

G: Grapefruit or gorgonzola cheese

H: Heirloom Tomatoes

I: Italian Parsley

J: Jicama

K: Kale

L: Lemon or lime (the juice is great to use in dressings!)

M: Mango or Melon

N: Nectarines

O: Olives or oranges

P: Pine-nuts or pears

Q: Quinoa

R: Radishes or raspberries

S: Strawberries

T: Tomatillo

U: Ugli fruit

V: aVocado

W: Walnuts

X: Xigua (good luck!)

Y: Yellow Pepper

Z: Zucchini

  Above all else, have fun! Savor your creation. Maybe you can even take notes on how it tastes or how it makes you feel eating something good for you and taking time to enjoy it. Please don’t forget to snap a picture of your healthy eats and use the hashtag: #SummerBeautificationProgram.