Yum. Who doesnt love strawberries?? Or a dish with strawberries? Funny. I actually didnt start really eating strawberries until I was in my 20s *gasps*. I know. I just didnt like the tiny little seeds in my mouth. But now, I appreciate this delicious fruit fully. Especially local and organic. Really, no other taste compares. Now a lot of us may eat strawberries but never actually inquired just how much benefit you actually get from eating such greatness.. So heres a few facts

Strawberries are loaded with…

• vitamin a
• vitamin c
• vitamin k
• folate
• Contains protein (yes… strawberries have protein.. most fruits and veggies do 😉  )
• fiber
• potassium
• phosphorus
• magnesium

…ill stop there. but, there is more that you can search for yourself.

lowers bad cholesterol, good for digestion, boosts immune function, combats heart disease, good for hair and skin.. Shall I continue??? Go get some organic strawberries today!! They make a great breakfast or snack. Remember, fruit should be eaten alone bc of digestion.. which is usually 20mins. But if you arent there yet, try some with baggie full of granola. Itll be sure to give you just what you need. How do you eat your strawberries?? I know there are endless recipes.. salad concoctions, smoothies… The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!!

Local strawberries.. 🙂

Id like to first say thanks to the service from all of our vets 🙂

So I went biking this weekend and it was pretty good. I suffered just a bit and I will explain why in a second. First we headed to a city called Oxon Hill and parked to bike across the Woodrow Wilson bridge into Virginia. Ive done fitness activity over this bridge so I wasnt to concerned. I was pretty excited. That was until I realized I was not hydrated enough prior to my workout bc I hadnt restocked my water at home. Idk about others but if im not hydrated off of atleast 70oz of water prior or throughout the day, my performance doing anything active drops from a 10 to abt a 7.5… lets add this with the fact that it was in the 90s this weekend 😦 Yea…

Anyway, we biked from Oxon Hill, MD to Mt. Vernon, VA. Roundtrip, 24.1mi was completed.. This ride was unlike my longer miles done to Annapolis mainly bc it was hilly & curvy majority of the way ugh. I hate hills. and I wasnt hydrated.. talk abt torture lol. Can I just say this.. I saw so many (10 y/o+) obese kids riding their bikes on the trail. made me very happy inside. seriously. In this video game generation, having kids enjoying the outdoors & gaining fitness from it is something to be celebrated. Unfortunately, the african american ratio on the trail wasnt equal to others but I know things are changing & I know my people dont like to be out in heat lol. funny bc I feel like melanin folk were built for the sun. Ah well. Anyway.. did I mention I was suffering of major thirst?? Guess what I had to do as a VERY desperate solution. I had to stop at one of the water fountains & fill my bottle. eek. If you know me, im very meticulous abt my water & its source. It has to be alkaline as well. But when your about to pass out… for me alkaline went out the window. As I filled my bottle, bubbles encased the thick liquid as I stared in disgust.. How was I gonna drink this??… pretend it came from a fresh spring in the amazon and was crisp, clear, and bubble free. I know your turning your nose up like me right now. Im sorry im having a snooty American moment. #firstworldproblems

We got to the end of the trail at Mt. Vernon and looped back..

So guess what else was spotted on this trail ride??? An 80 year old lady (75 min)n rollin on her bike w/a black sports bra, bike shorts and sunglasses. You know what the funny thing is, from the glimpse I got riding pass her.. She looked DARN GOOD. Now, here I am, not wanting to flaunt my young body and this lady clearly has powder in her boobs and she doesnt give a crap abt anyone except herself. Talk abt confidence. I still wont bike in my sports bra but I did consider it for 2.5 seconds.

If that old lady can 1. be out not only getting her fitness on but look good doing it whats your excuse???

So this is where things go downhill… *fast forward* get back to the car.. friend loads car. stops for food. gets home. realize my front tire was never loaded into to car *gasps*. I honestly had nothing to say.. except praying my wheel was still where we left. Sped back to the park & ride. get there and guess what??? No wheel. Nope. Gone. I was heartbroken. Id never take anything that didnt belong to me but I guess everyones not me huh? So now I have to get a new front wheel. Sad. *builds cyber bridge…. climbs over*. but its all good. Karma. Anyway that was my memorial day weekend fitness. In the midst of all that eating did anyone else get outside and enjoy this precious planet? PS: The weather people were really on time with this heat, I must say lol.

I consider all herbs year round bc they can be grown in your home year round as long as they have access to sun… So with that, Cilantro is this Wednesdays winner..

A major benefit of cilantro is that it helps removes heavy metals from your body..

• loaded with antioxidants
• contains borneol that kills viruses and germs
• anti-inflammatory
• vitamin k (good for bone density)
• iron
• magnesium and more

Try to get more cilantro in your diet… A simple way is by making fresh guacamole.. you can also add it into your smoothies and other dishes. Enjoy!!

Today I had an, as some would call it, “aha” moment.. All of this sprung from my desire to revive my aloe vera plant. Ive had my aloe a long time and it wasnt until a few months ago I began seeing a change in the way it was growing. The aloe leaves always started out green but then sooned turned limp and brown. I blamed this on not getting enough sun and water so I began to water it more frequently, whenever it seemed dry.

Much like males, instead of searching the remedy, I tried my hand at it first. Today however, I decided enough is enough, theres obviously something im doing wrong. Upon much research I found that Aloe Vera plants don’t need a lot of water to thrive..as a matter of fact, to much can drown the roots & whats to much for an aloe is prob just enough for a regular plant. They actually like to be a little dry at times. I have identified this as the source of my problems, mainly bc, thats exactly what I was doing.

Now, that was not my epiphany…

 As you guys should know by now, im a thinker.. Everything is bigger than what it appears to be.. to me atleast. So I thought, how ironic..here I was thinking I was loving my plant, nurturing it abundantly, but I was hurting it. We’ve all heard the saying “less is more” but have we really thought abt what that means and why that saying is even relevant. The urban saying is “you doing to much, or you’re doing the most”… Sometimes we have to stop doing the most lol.

The harmful effects of overdoing things is usually never foreshadowed bc in American culture, more is always better.. mo’ money, mo’ food, mo’ love (mo’ blues subsequently.) Its like outdoing yourself during a workout. You run the risk of hurting yourself, your body, and maybe even others just by not moderating yourself. Or like using to much toothpaste when it clearly says pea sized amount & your teeth dont get any whiter & you run out of toothpaste faster which = spending more money.. I could go on and on w/ various examples but I think we all get the point.

To much nurture can kill. To much love can kill. Don’t give your love away. Let it thrive in its being. Measure need individually. Cautiously. Lovingly.

Notice: I have some new sprouts who are giving me a second chance…