Pure Positivity

Hey Loves:)

No matter what life throws your way…greet it with a healthy response.

I’ve learned a lot over the past six years of my life and one of the biggest lessons for me is to know that there is a reason for everything. God has a plan and we are all just players on his ball-field!

I took on a pretty confrontational stance in 2018 and I am just not in that place anymore. I do however now know the purpose of why I was so outspoken and harsh. It was to help other people who are going through similar situations. I see the growth in my clients. I feel their pain and I know they’re suffering and therefore they choose me to help them. Not a single one would have chose me to help them along their path if I hadn’t suffered in the same manner.

This past week has been pretty tough. I appreciate all the prayers that everyone sent for my family. I am choosing to embrace everything that happens in life with a positive outlook and a healthy mindset. I encourage all of you to do the same. Life is truly what we make of it please make healthy choices every day, learn to trust within your intuition and please don’t harbor resentments towards others. Know you are loved beyond what you may be seeing or feeling at this time. Sometimes God slows you down to hand you a baton so that you will take the wisdom you’ve learned thus far…and run with it!

Your biggest battle will always be your greatest strength!

YOU ARE LOVED💗 Life is a mystery…enjoy the journey.

7 Tips to improve the quality of your life!

 

Hi there:) I wanted to share with you a little about my story. My journey to health and happiness began out of necessity. At the time, I couldn’t walk into a Barns~N~ Noble without seeing myself on the cover of a health or fitness magazine. The pressure was high to maintain two totally different figures depending on the type of magazine I was shooting for.

In fitness, they liked you tan and toned. In the more glamour type magazines it was pale and a little plump. I developed a terrible eating disorder called bulimia and although I didn’t realize it at the time, it turned out to be a HUGE blessing!

In the midst of my disease I found myself alone at my mothers home in Ohio one night at 2am with my head in a toilet bowl. It was Valentines day and I had just ended a ten year relationship. I had been there (hovering over the toilet) for over three hours vomiting after a HUGE binge! I had drank a syrup that hospitals use to induce vomiting and it had back fired on me to the point of me blacking out. That was my rock bottom! I swore that night that I would NEVER make myself sick again!

Fast forward to today! I’m healthy, happy, have better skin than when I was twenty and I’m living out my passion helping others reach their goals in both fitness and cellular health! I’m sharing this with you because I want you to know that no matter where you are in life God has a plan for you! One thing is for sure however, the quality of your life is EXTREMELY important! In order to achieve a better quality of life you must develop the following seven healthy habits!

Andrea Cox today:) Happy and healthy!

1) Crush the toxic conversation in your head that is saying “I’m not good enough” or “I’m broke” or I’ll never get in shape! Look if you don’t believe and love yourself where you are at right now then who will? Become your biggest cheerleader!

2) Ditch the negative people and toxic abusive relationships in your life now! How do you expect to move forward with your goals hopes and dreams? I realize that this is sometimes very hard to do especially with family or close friends. Maybe down the line the relationship can be rekindled but right now its just not a good fit.

3) Keep a schedule when it comes to eating sleeping and fitness! Have you ever seen a baby when it gets off schedule? They cry or throw a tantrum! Guess what~ we never really grew up! We too need schedules! Try to keep a journal of mindfulness when it comes to procrastination and time wasting! Keep a food journal to prevent mindless snacking. Before long you will notice your goals begin to take shape!

4) Do what you love for a living! Easier said than done, right? Sure, the nay-sayers you just cut out in tip #2 may think so but who’s to say you don’t THRIVE when you step away from the tribe! Is it true that what you are doing is for you because you went to school for it 1000 years ago? Certainly not! Maybe you’re caught up in the 9-5 rat race that has you feeling stressed or stuck? Journal and feel your way through this~ask the important questions and find the truth!

5) Workout daily! Yes~DAILY! If you think you have all the time in the world to get your body in the shape you want, think again! I like to always remind people that it’s not how long you live, it’s the QUALITY of the life you are living NOW that matters!

Alright I know what you’re saying. I don’t have the time and what about a day of rest. Nonsense! Your lymphatic system gets sluggish on its own! Besides the better you feel about yourself the more confident and better you are to this World! Ahhh I feel the endorphin rush coming on now!

6) Get adequate sleep! Try to go to bed at the same reasonable hour each night. Use things like Lavender essential oil or stress away by Young Living oils to ease away daily tension! Keep a journal of gratitude next to your bed. At the end of the day write just 5 things that you are grateful for. Make sure you turn down the lights about 2 hours prior to bed so your melatonin balance isn’t disrupted.

7) Keep your food simple! You know how you feel after you’ve visited your family at Thanksgiving? That bloated lethargic I’ve eaten enough for 17 people feeling? Whats that for anyway? Why would you eat that way in everyday life? The salad pictured below is coming out in my new book “Sexy on Salads”! Although it only has 7 ingredients, its delicious and filling! I even had room for a vegan cookie after! Its about quality remember! I want you to care about the food that comes into your body! 

Andrea’s Confetti salad from her new book “Sexy on Salads”!

I really want you to achieve all of your goals both in your personal and professional life! What I want for you more than anything is for you to be able to actually ENJOY them!

It’s about being able to walk up and down stairs without heavy breathing. It’s about playing ball with your children without having to sit down and take a break! It’s about dancing all night long with your husband without feeling tired. Your life is happening NOW! If you went tomorrow could you honestly say you lived your life to the absolute fullest? If you said no and if it has anything to do with excess weight or toxicity holding you back then today is the day to start fresh!

To feel healthy on a cellular level is to experience life, people and places like a child!

I love you~you’re welcome!

 

 

Andrea L Cox is the owner of http://www.thehealthyhaven.net & http://www.alkalizewithandrea.com She is a fitness model turned health coach who has written two books on the raw vegan healthy lifestyle and detoxification! Andrea has appeared on numerous news stations TV shows and magazine publications. She runs yoga juice cleanse retreats both in San Diego and Mexico! Her You Tube channel is approaching close to 2Million views. Her website for retreats is http://www.alkalizewithandrea.com Her other programs may be found at http://www.thehealthyhaven.net

 

 

 

 

If you are reading this and know someone that can potentially benefit from this, please SHARE this! They will be thankful and so will I!:)

7 Tips To Slowing~Down to get more done!

Hey there friends:) Ok well this isn’t exactly a “she she poo poo” video like the one I sent you last week. It is something however that I feel is vitally important in order to achieve the healthy lifestyle I know you want!

 Check out the video above!

I also wanted to share my to 7 tips for slowing down! 

1) Honor yourself by taking time for YOU!!! Its vitally important that you know this is YOUR time! You are doing this firstly for you and secondly to be a better person for those around you. If you cannot love yourself enough to do this, it simply won’t work to your advantage!

2) Find someone who will hold you accountable for your “time out sessions”! Having someone who will remind you from time to time to stay on track with your goal of slowing down will greatly improve your ability to do so. I have a girlfriend who whenever I ask her to go to a yoga class, she’s in! These are the types of people you will need in your corner to make this change of taking time for YOU easier for you to adopt!

3) Meditate 20 minutes every morning and evening. The verdict is in! Meditation not only reduces oxidative stress in the body but also reduces anxiety! Recent studies show it could also lead to a longer life span! Think you don’t have 40 minutes a day? Think again! I’m here to remind you that YOU matter enough to make the time to meditate!

4) Yoga anyone! Any questions? Thought so! 🙂

 5) Drop the guilt! So many people who have children or aging parents that they care for use it as an excuse to not slow down! From soccer practice to cheer leading to the grocery and cleaning their home. There simply isn’t enough time to slow down! Lets think of it differently! What are you teaching your children by constantly being in a rush and taking no time for yourselves? What are you telling your spouse when you get short with them because you are overwhelmed? I rest my case.

6) Nap lie you are in kinder~ garden!  Studies show a 90 minute nap completely restores a sleep deprived body! You simply operate better when you are rested! Even 30 minutes is enough time however to get a mini reprieve! Try lying on your back with your feet elevated! Place a cool cloth over your eyes and a bit of lavender essential oil on your forehead and chest. Ahhh can you feel it?!

7) Got sleep? When your body is sleep deprived it is impossible to be or do your best! If you want to achieve anything in life, it starts with developing good sleep habits! Aim for 7-8 hours per night!

 

Andrea L Cox is the owner of http://www.thehealthyhaven.net & http://www.alkalizewithandrea.com She is a fitness model turned health coach who has written two books on the raw vegan healthy lifestyle and detoxification! Andrea has appeared on numerous news stations TV shows and magazine publications. She runs yoga juice cleanse retreats both in San Diego and Mexico! Her You Tube channel is approaching close to 2Million views.

Spiritual cleansing~ A seasonal detox of home and body I like to do!

Spiritual cleansing of the home and body~A seasonal detox I do:) 

White sage, a Svadhishthana candle to release “below the navel tension”, a smaller tea light candle for my meditation at Chopra and a gift to myself of my absolute FAVORITE non toxic eye cream for some puffiness. 

The sage will act as an energy clearer for my home. I will be praying as I smudge every door, window, hallway and room. The candle is to release sexual tention I’m feeling (having a strong sexual drive has always been an issue that has allowed my focus to not stay on point at times). The smaller candle I will burn every day during meditation. The eye cream….well, I deserve it:) 

Why do this? To release, let go, clear any negative energies, words or actions that have been in your space…to allow yourself the freedom of loving yourself so you may truly be honored and loved by another. 
Today I’m repeating the following mantra “I let go of the fantasy of what never was and open myself up to everything honest and true~I open myself to life, true love and happiness:)” 

Generally I like to soak in an epsom salt bath prior to the smudging of the home. I follow the smudging going into deep prayer. When I say prayer I don’t mean chanting a mantra! I mean reading Gods word directly from the bible.

I like to deal live foods only on a day when this experience is employed. One should always be mindful of needless munching and snacking. This is especially important on a day when you’re clearing space in your home and within your body!

Enjoy and email me your experience with photos! I love that!

♡~♡♡♡~♡♡♡~♡♡♡~♡  ‪#‎love‬  ‪#‎Ifeelsafe‬ ‪#‎raw‬ ‪#‎pretty‬ ‪#‎natural‬ ‪#‎heart‬‪#‎Whatvegansdo‬

 

In home detox!

The struggle I’ve always been too embarrassed to share.

Why I keep my food so simple/My struggle with OCD

Several years ago, after high school people around me noticed a strive for perfection that seemed to be deeply rooted within me. They also noticed a “routine” that as long as it was in place kept me happy because my goals were being reached at incredible speed. 

When I was 22 this was diagnosed as “OCD” or obsessive compulsive dissorder. My “illness” was surrounding diet and exercise. I always kept this as a secret. My significant other at the time knew and supported my decision to avoid medication in order to “keep it in check”.

Eventually this became an eating disorder called binge/bulimia. At my sickest I was 90 pounds. Instead of seeking help from a place that would feed me crap food and put me on drugs, I chose to educate myself on living foods, juicing and fasting in order to crush my addictive behaviors. I traveled around to meet very well known pioneers in the health industry. While others were going out drinking, I was barricading myself in my home reading, learning and studying the art of detoxification on a cellular level.

I did this all on my own, with God by my side. It took me almost a decade to be in the position I am today. I’m not perfect by any means. I still struggle every once in a while as we all do.

I will say that part of my healing process was to learn to keep my food very simple and very clean! This has a biochemical effect on the body and keeps my triggers at bay. Staying on an early to rise and early to bed routine during the week also has helped me tremendously. Recently, I’ve let this routine go and have noticed a significant difference in my “rituals” and mood. It is up to me to get it back on track but also to not stay so rigid that it causes me to fall back into my OCD habits.

The biggest struggle I’ve had is to actually come out with this in public. I was always scared that people wouldn’t love and accept me any longer. You really learn who your true friends are and who the people are that love you when you admit to having such an issue. 

About a year ago, I dated a man with the same struggle. He brought me face to face with my own illness and that was a very sobering moment in how far I had come.

I’m feeling grateful today for the people in my life and the struggle I have undergone. Those who accept me know that this has meant the world to me. Those who choose to not accept me for my faults and unique way of dealing with them have more work to do on their own journey. For those who have been supportive, especially my mother…I thank you for accepting me, ALL of me and the best part of my soul. ♡♡♡

On a side note I would like to wish my mother (a true saint) Bonnie Cox a very happy birthday today! I love you mom and would be nothing without your caring kind heart!

The art of listening to your body!

  

R~E~C~O~V~E~R~Y

Last night I had a “slight slip up”:( It wouldn’t be cool of me to not share it with all of you. My desire from this post is that you see that no one is perfect! Not even me. 
I had gone to sleep very late the night prior and had not stuck to my eating schedule over the weekend. Long story short…I didn’t tune into my body yesterday as a result.

I ate way too late and I wasn’t hungry when I did take in! Please allow this to be a lesson for you to never take in when the body is kicking ass and feeling great! Always stick to somewhat of a schedule with your eating so that you know your “hunger times”. The meal didn’t serve me what so ever! In fact it kept me up the entire night and feeling like poo today:( It’s green juice for this detox Queen until at least 2pm today!

Something else that was suggested to me by my loving man~pan~ion was to book a yoga class if 5pm rolls around and I’m simply NOT feeling dinner! What a fabulous idea! I would love to hear your solutions to your struggle when you “tune out” instead of tuning in! Let me know in the comments below.

Remember, I love you and only want the very best for you♡♡♡ Andrea

To enjoy the journey is to find peace!

Today and everyday I am choosing to “enjoy the journey”! This was said to me years ago by my mentor while I was in the depths of my detoxification process as I healed my body on living foods. I can remember calling him in tears asking when “this will end”? When will the old stuff stop coming up? Why was my mind cleansing even more than my physical body? How can I possibly move through so much pain at once?

I’ll never forget his words to me. He said Andrea… what good is the journey if we are not enjoying our walk down the path along the way”? That was the very first moment I began to “relax” into what is in order to allow what was to come.

Its been quite a long road and the road has had many bumps along the way. The one thing I’ve learned beyond all others is that if we don’t allow the pain to come up and FEEL through it, we will never allow for the sunshine and rainbows to come through. 

Today, I encourage each and every one of you to FEEL through your pain! Love yourself along the journey and to allow everything that is meant to flow into and out of your life to do so. I promise you that any pain you are feeling now will soon be replaced with some of the most beautiful sun filled days of your life.

I love you and believe in you! Have the BEST week ever! 

Andrea

Hiking in Mexico with the love of my life:)

Home is wherever “they” are!

Today I was driving to yoga and came to the biggest realization of my life! I’ve been deeply entrenched in a feeling of aloneness not to be confused with loneliness as there is a big difference between the two. This has never come over me before. It went away this past weekend as I spent time with lovely people but sometimes stays when I’m in a room full of others.

I find this to be not only an odd occurrence but also the saddest feeling that has ever come over me in all my years on this Earth. I’ve been asking myself some pretty real questions lately. How could I possibly feel this when I’m surrounded by people who love me? Maybe I’m missing my family? Maybe I need to get out more? I mentioned in a video a few weeks ago that I believe its a lack of meditating on Gods word or “prayer”. Although I do believe this to be true I think I found the missing link today.

Prior to yoga I sat in silence for about twenty-five minutes. I then prayed that God guide me in the direction I am meant to go. The exact path that I am meant to travel even if it differs from the plans I originally had for myself. I asked that “his will be done”. 

On the way to yoga it hit me. “This isn’t my home” I said out loud! Of course this was followed by “where is my home then”? Its certainly not back in Ohio. I never have felt a pull to go back other than the desire to visit family. Its not San Diego! I never have felt that this was the area for me. No way is it Hawaii! I wanted to return to SD from the second I got off the plane there. I’ve fallen in love with Santa Barbara and have never been to SF, maybe its one of those two places.

Then… my answers were all placed perfectly before me! 

Home isn’t a place at all! The “alone feeling” isn’t coming from actually being alone or not receiving enough love. Home is a “feeling”, a “sensation”, a memory while its being created in that very space in time! 

Home is reading a book curled up in my favorite spot on a rainy Sunday! Home is the feeling of relief when you pull into the driveway after a long road trip. The beautiful soft smell of your mother on one of her visits. Its where I can decorate the Christmas tree 5 times until I feel it looks perfect! Where salads can be eaten out of mixing bowls with no judgement:) A quiet kiss on my forehead from the man I love or an annoying yet charming dog wanting me to throw “the shoe” over a balcony into the ocean 1000 times! Its the warmth of the strongest arms I know wrapped around me or the breath of that same person breathing on the back of my neck before sliding his hands around my waist. A pink toothbrush inside a jar of coconut oil in the bathroom, and the sound of my boyfriend’s key in the door on Monday evening when I’ve decided to stay over an extra day. My “husband with fur attacking me with kisses and bites every morning! Home means curling up against someone when both of your breaths suddenly become one before drifting off to sleep.

Home has been many places for me over the years, but its comforts are defined by simple, blissful moments like these. Never however had it become more clear to me than ever before that “home” was not built from brick and mortar! It’s wherever “they” are!

 

 

Week at a glance! A trip to Aulac! Santa Barbara! Recycling!

 

Keeping up my fitness and staying in tip top shape! With exercise, yoga and good healthy food!

Early morning cardio session!

Ahhhh the workouts! I’m hitting it but not to my FULL potential! The truth is, I know exactly where I want to be! I also know the dedication it will take to get there! Pre yoga brunch! Omega 3 packed heart healthy avocado salad with baby lettuce that my farmer just brought me!

What a great Sunday! What a fantastic man~pan~ion I have!!!

This man is so kind, loving and incredibly gorgeous! Yesterday I was treated to a “Andrea day!” My beautiful loving boyfriend spent the morning organizing my disgusting messy garage and then treated me to my favorite raw vegan restaurant in Orange County!

In return, I allowed him to listen to the Warriors game the entire drive 🙂 I’m also creating a tonic formula for him to drink daily to repair his stressed out adrenal glands! 
Relationships are a two way street! You have to give in order to get and if you take too much it doesn’t feel balanced! I love that this man is teaching me how to give more everyday! ♡♡♡ Love you to the moon and back baby!

On our way to OC to eat at Aulac! My happy place!!!

 

Taking time to explore a beautiful part of California and myself! My stay at San Ysidro Ranch.

I decided to break away for the first part of the week! I wanted to go somewhere to explore, clear my head and be with self! I called the sitter for my husband with fur and off I went! Armed with cold press juice and a few brown paper bags of fruit I knew this was going to be a grand adventure! The highlights….I met an artist who asked to paint me, I let him! I meditated every morning in a lavender field! I let go of the gym and it served me! I treated myself to a bath in the bathtub below every morning and every night! PURE AND UTTER BLISS I TELL YOU!

My exercise routine consisted of walking through lavender fields! I then filled this claw foot tub with lavender I collected on my walk and essential oil of ylang ylang! 

Looking at the beauty that nature provides is the first step in purifying the mind! Bring that nature indoors and you have the chance to experience new charm! I realized during my stay that by not slowing down I’ve been renouncing all that is great in the pursuit of all that is meaningless!

My spa bathroom in my private cottage in Santa Barbara! This is living!!!

 

A small way that we can all give back to mother Earth

Recycling is so very important in today’s world! We live in a wasteful society. This canning jar goes with me wherever I go. I like to think of her as my little baby that travels with me everywhere. 

Andrea’s go to recycled pickle jar filled with green juice:)

Today my little baby is visiting Santa Barbara. More often than not I take more than one baby with me. sometimes it’s a recycled spaghetti jar and other times I recycle a jar that contained tahini or nut butter in it. No matter what they all get recycled and become unique “stemware”!

On any given day in my home you can see canning jars lined up in the windowsill. I use them to sprout, to drink out of, and to soak my nuts and seeds in. I also rinse them out instead of using the dishwasher. It saves water and we all know that we can use more water in California!

To you this may seem tedious…like it doesn’t do any good. I believe at the end of the day small changes like this can change the future for our children growing up on Earth! I have a 10 year old nephew and I don’t want him walking around in a sea of trash!Do you really want to drink out of plastic anyway? Plastic leaches chemicals into our bodies and they are hard to detox from!

I would LOVE for all of you to visit my personal Facebook page and post what you’re drinking out of today beneath this post. I’m on there under Andrea L Cox 

Have a beautiful Green Day!

Home is where the heart is! It’s also where a little dog named Louis lives!!!

It feels good to be back home! I missed my lil “husband with fur”! Now I get to have my leftovers from Aulac!!! Im eating Chef Ito’s “sweet & sour” soup while getting my vitamin D! Nothing quite like sleeping in your own bed on fresh clean sheets after enjoying a few days away! Traveling even for a short distance makes you appreciate all the comforts of home!

Eating enzyme rich raw soup while getting my vitamin D!

 

 

 

 

 

Why cherries hold a special place in my heart!

These cherries represent way more than just good healthy food! Nine years ago I had to move back home with my mother after I broke off a ten year relationship. I was in the midst of my struggle with my eating disorder bulimia! My mother decided we needed some “family time”. We packed her car and headed to my Aunt Beverly’s and Uncle Bills home out in the Country close to where my mom grew up.

I remember my mother with her sarcastic mouth being extra funny that day. She was trying to get me to smile any way she could. Unfortunately I was so carb and calorie depleted that my bubbly personality had escaped me. Truth be told I had not been kind to my mother a single day since I had moved home with her:( I’m not proud of that time in my life.

We visited my grandmothers grave and my mom who ALWAYS comes to tears there stayed strong as she was trying her best to lift my spirits. We stopped at a farm stand where my mom bought 2 pounds of fresh picked dark cherries. I had not had a piece of fruit in almost 3 years because I was under the brain washed notion that “low carb was the way to go”…sigh! Little did I know that this was contributing to my “moody disposition”

As we drove home my mom said “would you share these with me Andrea…please”? Something about looking at my mother trying so hard to get me to be myself again made me dig in. We devoured the cherries together and laughed the entire way home. It is a memory etched in both of our minds forever. The date was May 28th.

I called my mom yesterday and told her what I was eating. She remembered that day as clear as the sunshine! Thanks Bonnie Cox for helping me during that dark time. I wouldn’t be where I am today without your ongoing love and support!