There was a quote, “We ignore those who love us, and love those who ignore us.” I guess that is so damn true. First, I didn’t get the quote, but now I think I get it very well. We ignore those who love us because we got hurt from the people we let in our lives. We built walls so that “hurt” won’t happen again. That is when you ignore those who love us.

You got hurt so bad that you afraid to open your heart to someone else. You afraid that you will get hurt again. And that what makes you alone. Yes, alone and fragile.

Maybe you just need some time to think and just erase every bit of that person that is still left inside of you. Memories, photos, songs, voice notes, maybe you can erase that. Maybe. But when you were in a certain place that you and that person once went there, those memories will came back eventually.

Let’s say that you have moved on. You still can’t erase that person completely, because when you let that person in, they became a part of your life. They still someone that you used to love very much. The difference is just now you can’t show them how you feel again.

So, what will you do? Nothing. They won’t leave you if they don’t want to. It’s obvious that they didn’t want you anymore. Maybe you made a mistake, maybe it was them who were confused of their own feelings. If you really love someone, let them go. Don’t ever hold them back. It’s okay to try and fight for the person you love, but if you failed again, then that was it. It’s enough. No matter how precious that someone was for you, enough is enough. You deserve much better than someone who left you.

I know its easy to say and write things like that. But you have to try to find your happiness. You can cry sometimes, you can be angry. But after that, just breathe in fresh air and smile. That person don’t deserve you.

Cinderella punch?? Yup I made this one with my brother 3 weeks a go and couldn’t stop laughed because of the name yet the taste was amazing. I thought I would share it for you all

Shake and strain into an ice-filled highball glass, and add soda. Garnish with a slice of lemon, add a straw, and serve.

Band aids are not meant to be a healer. They simply cover up your wound. Aids never do what really needs to be done, they just kind of help. They’re magical when you’re little because you think they heal you. They “stop” the hurt. Not really though; they just distract you. You don’t know any better because you’re young, confused, and fall to the illusion. They’re fun and pretty and you can pick ones that you really like. When you’re older, you usually resort to flesh colored band aids. While they’re not exactly invisible or perfectly camouflaged, they’re not as obvious and people don’t always know you’re really hurt. It’s kind of like the same thing when you get out of a relationship. Underneath you’re still hurt. But you go out and find a fun, pretty person to spend time with, the band aid. They distract you. The reason why you’re hurting is still there. This person can occupy your time a lot, but every few days you pull back the band aid because you’re still hurt and contact the one you still love. You use and abuse that band aid to cover up whats wrong. You can use all the ointment- movies, music, parties, outings- and band aids-dates, new “lovers”- over the wound, but the body doesn’t heal from the outside in. You can choose from all types of rebounds and band aids. The cheap ones only give you one-night, temporary satisfaction. The waterproof ones may let you cry to them and try to block out the sting of your pain. There are even some really quality band aids that have a lot going for them, but underneath, you’re still not whole. No band aid can ever compare or have all the qualities to the person before. Some people choose to keep that band aid on for a really long time, but when they take it off there will be a yucky scar because they neglected the wound. They will have wished they took off the band aid and given it attention and care. I would hate to be a band aid.

i found this many weeks ago. before i had even met him. before i had even dreamed i would find a man who could take my breath away and make me feel so utterly complete like he did. anyways, back then, before i even knew what heartache was i bookmarked this, pasting it into a document and shortly then forgetting about it. now, nine months later, i come across this:

“someone once told me it was comparable to death. to mourn the loss of a loved one. cause really in your life, they are dead. left only with the memories to play over again. i still don’t understand how you’re supposed to stop ever loving someone? to be everything one day and nothing the next. i don’t get it? but i think it was best stated in everwood…

What you’re feeling right now, it doesn’t ever really go away — not completely. It’s not like, ya know, you’re gonna go back to being the person you were before they died — the person’s gone. It’s more like something inside of you breaks and your body finds a way to compensate for it. Like if you busted your right hand, you figure out how to use the left one. And sure, you might resist for awhile because you’re pissed off that you have to learn all this stuff again that nobody else does. Eventually your body takes over and figures it out for you. And you’re glad. Because if it was up to you … you’d look at your broken hand forever and try to figure out what it was like before”

i really think you should know,
that of course i would choose you, always,
even though I love the other ones so, so much.
but I must protect my heart or it will never dare to love again.

because even though I love you and would do just about everything for you
you don’t even love or respect me.
and you will only hurt me even more than now.
but if I choose you every time
I won’t have my other beautiful friends next to me when you break me
- once again and even more than you have already done.

don’t you see?
I must take care of my heart,
take care of my friends
and sure, you’re a friend who’ll probably always be in my heart
but you don’t deserve it.
you really don’t. I would’ve liked you to though, because (I’ll say it once more just because finally now I can admit it’s true) I love you.
But I have to take care of the ones who really deserve my love.

and this hurts.
because for some weird reason I would like to choose you.
every time.

I made a beautiful yummy smoothie that contains KALE – for an extra boost of Vitamin K, beta carotene, Vitamin C and fiber- NECTARINES – good source of vitamin A, potassium and antioxidants – and ORANGE – good source of Vitamin A and C, sodium, pectin and anti- cancer flavonoids.

• 2 stalks of kale
• 1 orange
• 2 nectarines
• 1 banana (optional)
• 1 cup of pure water

Put all the ingredients into a blender, mix. READY!

Love Bar

It is such a simple concept, but I think we all sometimes get swept away with the daily grind and everything that surrounds us. It is human nature to do so, we are built to function as optimally as possible, and sometimes we can be so engrossed with our own immediate environment, we lose sight of the bigger purpose

Every morning, as I rub my eyes from my nightly slumber I am grateful for all that I have and for people in my life! My family and friends mean the absolute world to me!

So this week I challenge you, write down 10 things you are thankful for. Post it by your bed, make it into a bookmark, put it on your bathroom mirror, on your wall, on your fridge, by your TV, e-mail them to yourself so you have them on your phone to read on your commute… anywhere you want and think it will be seen multiple times a day. I know we could make a list that exceeds many pages, but I think being focused on 10 for the moment helps our brains process it more optimally.

You can share your 1,2,5 things you are grateful for in the comments… or simply start writing them out on your own… They don’t have to be big or life changing. The simplest and smallest things are important too.

Things I am grateful for: Week 1 (not chronological & family+friends of course are always # 1)

1. Being in a position to give- my heart time, ear to listen, shoulder to cry on, monetary…

2.Fresh fruit and vegetables. I am so blessed to have access to an abundance of fresh produce everyday!

3.Books. The ability to read, analyze, discuss, learn, grow, debate… I love reading!

4.A/C. Now that summer in the city will soon begin, being without Air Conditioning is completely unpleasant and just plain scary. My heart truly goes out to people who don’t have units.

5. Having a zest to be active, whether it’s yoga or power-walking, skydiving or snowboarding, surfing or trying a new sport. I am always up for the adventure

6. The ocean + ability to travel. I don’t always get the chance or opportunity to travel, but I hope it is always part of my life!

7.Being content with simple pleasures. I ( and my family) often joke that I received the ‘Grandma’ gene. Don’t get me wrong I am always up for fun, travel or a new journey, but I just love quiet nights in, reading in the park, having coffee with a friend, movie dates, going for a walk, having a bath, candles, buying some flowers… all of this just makes me happy!

8. my strength and discipline.

9. my health. Powered by sleep, green veg, exercise, family, friends, happiness! If you glow from the inside, you will glow outwards!

10. The ability to share my passions, and all of us having the same heart, mission and ability to change not only our own footsteps but others along the way. It truly is something special.

If you feel stressed out and overwhelmed, breathe. It will calm you and release the tensions.

If you are worried about something coming up, or caught up in something that already happened, breathe. It will bring you back to the present.

If you are discouraged and have forgotten your purpose in life, breathe. It will remind you about how precious life is, and that each breath in this life is a gift you need to appreciate. Make the most of this gift.

If you have too many tasks to do, or are scattered during your workday, breathe. It will help bring you into focus, to concentrate on the most important task you need to be focusing on right now.

If you are spending time with someone you love, breathe. It will allow you to be present with that person, rather than thinking about work or other things you need to do.

If you are exercising, breathe. It will help you enjoy the exercise, and therefore stick with it for longer.

If you are moving too fast, breathe. It will remind you to slow down, and enjoy life more.

So breathe. And enjoy each moment of this life!

It seems so simple, but it can be transformative.

Have you ever come down with a cold or the flu, but haven’t wanted to take pills or traditional medicine to get better? The all-too-familiar symptoms start showing up: a runny nose, cough, congestion, headaches, an achy body and possibly even a fever.

You start to get desperate for a healing solution because you don’t want to feel like crap. Your intentions for a natural way of getting healthy are good, but you’re too weak and tired to search through books and Google search results now. You’re in the thick of it and you need something that will get the job done quick so you head to the drug store and pick up some pills.

Yeah, I’ve totally been there, too.

If you’ve ever felt the negative effects, guilt, frustration or disempowerment that comes from relying on drugs or pharmaceuticals, this post is for you. There is a better way.  In fact, when it comes to a cold or the flu, ginger is the best remedy.

Here are two simple home remedies that use ginger to greatly relieve cold symptoms and speed up recovery:

Ginger, Cinnamon & Lemongrass Tea

• 1 inch ginger, peeled
• 1 stick cinnamon (or 1 tsp ground)
• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 1 cup water

Slice up the ginger and place in a saucepan with the water. Bring water to a boil. Steep the cinnamon and lemongrass in the water for 10 minutes. Strain and add honey if you like. Stir & sip.

Ginger, Cinnamon & Cardamom Tea

• 1/2 inch ginger, peeled
• 1 stick cinnamon (or 1 tsp ground)
• Pinch of cardamom
• 1 cup water

Slice up the ginger and place in a saucepan with the water. Bring water to a boil. Steep the cinnamon stick in the water for 10 minutes. Strain and add a pinch of cardamom and a drop of honey if you like. Stir & sip.

Note: Don’t combine ginger and Asprin. They’re both blood thinners and should not be taken together.

More Effective Natural Remedies

• For a cold with cough and congestion, mix 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon honey. Eat this mixture 2 or 3 times a day.
• For flu, make a tea from 1 teaspoon tulsi (holy basil) in 1 cup of water. Boil for just 1 minute and then drink.
• An ayurvedic herbal formula for colds is 1 part sitopaladi and 1 part maha sudarshan churna. Combine these herbs in equal proportions and take 1/4 teaspoon with 1 teaspoon honey 2 or 3 times a day after eating.

General Recommendations

VITAMIN C - Take it. It helps recovery.

WARM WATER - Sipping on warm water throughout the day helps remove toxins from the body.

NASAL LUBE - Put some liquefied ghee or sesame oil and peppermint extract in each nostril in the morning and evening. The will keep the nasal passages lubricated and relieve any irritation.

NO DAIRY - Avoid dairy like the plague. Yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, eggs… just say no.

REST - Be sure to get lost of rest. It’s vitality important for healing. If you feel tired, take a nap, read a book or relax.

MILD EXERCISE ONLY - Ayurveda says it’s best not take part in vigorous exercise while under the weather with a cold or the flu. It can move the conditions into the chest. If you feel like moving your body, just do some gentle asanas or sun salutations. Shoulder stands (held for only 1 minute), headstands (held for only 1 minute) and forward bends help to prevent postnasal drip and help to drain the mucus through the nose.

STEAM IT OUT - Head to a steam room if you have one available to you. This is like heaven, trust me! Otherwise, boil 1 teaspoon ginger or a few eucalyptus leaves in a pint of water. Turn off the stove. Put a towel over your head and inhale the steam. This will relieve congestion and leave you feeling much better. If you’re working with the bare minimum, just plain old steam with no herbs added to it at all will be beneficial, too.

Prevention Rocks
You know the key is in the prevention. So, as a preventative measure during the winter and spring, take the herb amalaki. It’s a rejuvenative tonic and a good source of vitamin C and iron. Taking 1 teaspoon mixed into a warm glass of water at night (or the tablet version) will help to prevent the common cold. An alternative is taking triphala. This mixture of herbs already has amalaki in it.

Lycopene is known for its many health benefits. It has been correlated to reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease and macular degenerative disease. But a common misconception is that lycopene is associated with the red pigment of tomatoes.  However, yellow tomatoes also contain lycopene and recent studies such as one published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition suggest that the benefits of the antioxidant may be greater when consumed via yellow tomatoes.  The reason why can be explained by the stereochemistry of the molecule-something I have studied in my organic and biochemistry courses at Columbia University.

Red tomatoes contain trans-lycopene and yellow tomatoes contain tetra-cis-lycopene. The antioxidant is equally potent in both forms but the human body is more readily able to absorb lycopene in the cis-form. This study supports that tangerine tomatoes are a better source of lycopene because your body is able to get more usable lycopene from them.

Yellow tomatoes taste great raw.  Cutting up a handful and mixing with avocados, pomegranate seeds with a touch of sea salt and splash of olive oil makes for a quick and delicious healthy snack. But the health benefits may be greater when eating them cooked as recent research shows that heating tomatoes enhances their anti-carcinogenic powers

Growing up in an Israeli household, my favorite food is pasta and unlike Italian-American marinara sauces, which heavily rely on canned tomatoes, require adding sugar and take hours to cook; authentic Italian sauce is made from fresh tomatoes and should take no longer than 30 minutes to make. I prefer to use fresh yellow cherry tomatoes because of the naturally sweeter flavor. I highly suggest that you try it.

Dietary choices are obviously a huge component of sexy abs.  However, I’m not a huge fan of low-fat anything.  Nope, I don’t think nature made a mistake when it put fat into things like cream, eggs, avocado, coconut, meats, etc.  Foods that have their fat content altered from the way nature presented them represent to me what I’d call “nutritionism” – an attempt to use food to manipulate body chemistry for a short term goal, not real, sustainable nutrition.  While a low fat diet can lead to weight loss, too little fat in the diet also leads to other health problems and is just not worth it.

Many people are surprised to learn that my diet is about 40% fat and (gasp) I always eat the yoke!  Yet, my body fat fluctuates between 9-11%.  So if I’m not crazy or from another planet and eating 40% fat does not mean I will be 40% fat, what keeps people from having an aesthetically pleasing set of abs?  In my humble opinion, here are the top seven things that keep people from a chiseled midsection.

• Too Many Grains: Whole and sprouted grains included, but especially refined ones like white rice, white bread and white pasta.  If you’re a bread lover, this one can be hard to take. Even if your grains are whole or sprouted, they are actually one of the hardest things to digest and can cause a lot of bloating, which can make it hard to even suck in your tummy.  If you care to, try going off all grains for a solid week and see if your gut does not feel (and look) better.

• Sugar: The list of reasons to avoid sugar is long, but if you’re serious about sexy abs, you can pretty much look at sugar as kryptonite for your abs sculpting efforts (not to mention kryptonite for your immune system).  Staying away from sweets is easier said than done, but once you learn to get away from them, I promise that they really start to lose their appeal.  If you take a hiatus from sugar, if/when you go back to it, you’ll find it is much sweeter than you remember and less enjoyable.  Next time you are tempted by something sweet, perhaps you can consider how what your thinking about eating would look if you tucked it just under the skin around your tummy.  That’s probably where it’s headed anyway. What’s the saying…“Nothing tastes as good sexy abs feel”?

• Portion Control: Portions have pretty much gotten out of control in our society.  Marry capitalism, mass production and the food industry and eventually you have the outrageous portion sizes we have today.  Go back and look at portion sizes we had in the 1950s and you’ll know what I mean.  As a general rule, eat as little as you need to feel full and recognize that if you are eating real food (recognizable, non-processed food), it is harder to eat too much.  Eat real food and your body is more likely to have its needs met and less likely to urge you to keep eating so it can find something nourishing.

• Liquid Belly Fat a.k.a. Alcohol: I’m not here to tell you can’t enjoy some alcohol from time to time, but if you are serious about having abs you can be proud of, the short of it is alcohol will do nothing to help you look the way you want.   It is liquid sugar in an amount way beyond anything you’d ever come across in nature.  Drink it with any regularity and your body with think you are asking it to store energy for the future…and guess where it stores it.

• Stress: Cortisol—you’ve probably heard of it.  It is (as far as we know now) your body’s major stress hormone.  One thing cortisol does is signal your body to store fat, particularly fat around the midsection, also known as “visceral fat”. Cortisol is not necessarily a bad guy.  We need it to overcome stress, but the problem we get into is that most of us live in this state of moderate to high stress called “life”.   The times of low stress are often so infrequent that our bodies don’t get a chance to counterbalance all the cortisol we make, and thus we store more fat than we burn.  What can you do to reduce your stress?

• Medications: There are a lot of medications out there that directly cause weight gain, and even if weight gain is not a listed side effect, drugs are still toxic and thus they tend to get stored in your fat cells (doing so keeps them out of your blood).  If you’re taking any medications, it may be worth considering what you and your doctor can do to help you get off the medications…for the sake of your abs, but also for other reasons.

• Lack of Sleep: If you’re looking to lose belly fat and you regularly don’t get enough sleep, it will be very challenging to have nice looking abs.  Lack of sleep is a stress to the body, which puts you right back to the point above about Cortisol.  If your body does not run on a good night’s sleep, then your back up option is Cortisol.

These seven keys make up 80% of what is takes to have nice looking abs.  Taking care of these essentials will help make that other 20% you handle in the gym worth your while.

Green your day with this vibrant kiwi smoothie with accents of fresh basil and banana. Kiwis are rich in vitamin C and will leave you feeling perky and energized. The hint of basil gives this sip a sophisticated flavor reminiscent of summertime.

If you are a kiwi lover like me, you’ll love this green smoothie! And here’s a tip to infuse even more green goodness in this smoothie – add in a handful of spinach or kale and a splash of water or apple juice for easier blending. More greens. More fiber. More green goodness to energize your day.

Kiwi Basil Smoothie Recipe

• 3 frozen kiwis (freeze in small cubes for easy blending.)
• 1 banana
• 1 cup juice (Try grapefruit juice or my favorite, a Pressed Juicery Green Juice!)
• 1 Tbsp agave syrup
• small handful of fresh basil
• handful of ice cubes
• optional: handful of greens (kale, spinach, watercress + splash of liquid as needed)

Blend. Pour. Serve!

1. Stop taking so much notice of how you feel. How you feel is how you feel. It’ll pass soon. What you’re thinking is what you’re thinking. It’ll go too. Tell yourself that whatever you feel, you feel; whatever you think, you think. Since you can’t stop yourself thinking, or prevent emotions from arising in your mind, it makes no sense to be proud or ashamed of either. You didn’t cause them. Only your actions are directly under your control. They’re the only proper cause of pleasure or shame.
2. Let go of worrying. It often makes things worse. The more you think about something bad, the more likely it is to happen. When you’re hair-trigger primed to notice the first sign of trouble, you’ll surely find something close enough to convince yourself it’s come.
3. Ease up on the internal life commentary. If you want to be happy, stop telling yourself you’re miserable. People are always telling themselves how they feel, what they’re thinking, what others feel about them, what this or that event really means. Most of it’s imagination. The rest is equal parts lies and misunderstandings. You have only the most limited understanding of what others feel about you. Usually they’re no better informed on the subject; and they care about it far less than you do. You have no way of knowing what this or that event really means. Whatever you tell yourself will be make-believe.
4. Take no notice of your inner critic. Judging yourself is pointless. Judging others is half-witted. Whatever you achieve, someone else will always do better. However bad you are, others are worse. Since you can tell neither what’s best nor what’s worst, how can you place yourself correctly between them? Judging others is foolish since you cannot know all the facts, cannot create a reliable or objective scale, have no means of knowing whether your criteria match anyone else’s, and cannot have more than a limited and extremely partial view of the other person. Who cares about your opinion anyway?
5. Give up on feeling guilty. Guilt changes nothing. It may make you feel you’re accepting responsibility, but it can’t produce anything new in your life. If you feel guilty about something you’ve done, either do something to put it right or accept you screwed up and try not to do so again. Then let it go. If you’re feeling guilty about what someone else did, see a psychiatrist. That’s insane.
6. Stop being concerned what the rest of the world says about you. Nasty people can’t make you mad. Nice people can’t make you happy. Events or people are simply events or people. They can’t make you anything. You have to do that for yourself. Whatever emotions arise in you as a result of external events, they’re powerless until you pick them up and decide to act on them. Besides, most people are far too busy thinking about themselves (and worry what you are are thinking and saying about them) to be concerned about you.
7. Stop keeping score. Numbers are just numbers. They don’t have mystical powers. Because something is expressed as a number, a ratio or any other numerical pattern doesn’t mean it’s true. Plenty of lovingly calculated business indicators are irrelevant, gibberish, nonsensical, or just plain wrong. If you don’t understand it, or it’s telling you something bizarre, ignore it. There’s nothing scientific about relying on false data. Nor anything useful about charting your life by numbers that were silly in the first place.
8. Don’t be concerned that your life and career aren’t working out the way you planned. The closer you stick to any plan, the quicker you’ll go wrong. The world changes constantly. However carefully you analyzed the situation when you made the plan, if it’s more than a few days old, things will already be different. After a month, they’ll be very different. After a year, virtually nothing will be the same as it was when you started. Planning is only useful as a discipline to force people to think carefully about what they know and what they don’t. Once you start, throw the plan away and keep your eyes on reality.
9. Don’t let others use you to avoid being responsible for their own decisions. To hold yourself responsible for someone else’s success and happiness demeans them and proves you’ve lost the plot. It’s their life. They have to live it. You can’t do it for them; nor can you stop them from messing it up if they’re determined to do so. The job of a supervisor is to help and supervise. Only control-freaks and some others with a less serious mental disability fail to understand this.
10. Don’t worry about about your personality. You don’t really have one. Personality, like ego, is a concept invented by your mind. It doesn’t exist in the real world. Personality is a word for the general impression that you give through your words and actions. If your personality isn’t likeable today, don’t worry. You can always change it, so long as you allow yourself to do so. What fixes someone’s personality in one place is a determined effort on their part—usually through continually telling themselves they’re this or that kind of person and acting on what they say. If you don’t like the way you are, make yourself different. You’re the only person who’s standing in your way.

Have you heard about white mulberries? I haven’t till I discovered a Raw Food!  Let me tell you alittle about this superfood from Turkey. It is super nutritious, that’s why it’s called a Superfood, but also it tastes so good! I found mulberries in my healthy food store. When purchasing , look for sun dried  and organic.

Sundried mulberries are sweet and crunchy. They are high in vitamin C, iron, calcium and protein. In fact, they are one of the few fruits to be  considered a respectable source of protein – 3 gramms of protein per once.

Mulberries also contain a high concentration of Resveratrol (also found in red wine grapes) – an antioxidant compound that fights free-radical damage.

In Chinese Medicine, mulberries are classified as a blood tonic.

Mulberries haver been used medicinally to: 

• Benefit the kidneys
• Treat weekness and fatigue
• Correct anemia
• Premature gray hair remedy
• Fight against cancer
• Promote sleep
• Calm the mind

 WOW! I want more of those fruits! Don’t you?! Im eating them right now as I’m typing this post:) I love to eat them in the morning for breakfast.

So here the recipe for you:

I call it “Mulberry Granola”: 

• 1  Honey Crisp apple
• 1 Valencia orange
• handfull of mulberries

Cut up apple and orange in small pieces. Add dry mulberries . Ready!

Enjoy!!!

I Love Summer! The nature give us so many gifts: sun, warm ocean, green trees, blooming flowers and abundance of fruits and vegetables!

I get very creative in the mornings when I have to come up with a hydrating juice or a fruit smoothie.

Today I made Blueberry – Plum – Melon smoothie. I sprinkle some chia seeds on top for an extra boost of omega-3.

This smoothie is HIGH on antioxidants, that give us a beautiful skin and healthy body.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup plums
• 1 cup melon

put everything in a blender. Mix. Ready!

LOVE, Bar