One Week

Yay! I've made it through the first week! Certainly not without it's challenges! Last night I managed to go for a little jog with Jaco & Kudu. I was impressed that I made it as far as I did. However, my knees and ankles are reminding me (gently) today that I did something. 

Today we went to the beach and took a drive up Rotary Way. It's a stunning lookout point and gives great views on clear days - like today! The beach was quite busy, since it was hot, so we didn't spend too much time there. I managed to get sand spilled onto my camera and lens, so I'm a little upset this evening! :o( We're off to Cape Town tomorrow, so I'm taking in my gear to see if I can have it professionally cleaned. Fingers crossed! 

My weight loss has hit a plateau, but I'm not too worried about it right now. I haven't been enjoying the green drinks as much as I should be, but perhaps it has a little (a lot) to do with the cabbage, beets, and broccoli I've been putting in. I think I'll 'tame' down my imagination in the juice department.

I'm feeling much better after this first week. I'm looking forward to the coming week to see what changes happen. The idea has been popping into my mind to just keep going after this week. We'll see.

I hope you enjoy the video. I had fun making it. I really enjoy picking out the music to go along with the footage. Maybe it's just because I love music so much and when I edit I can put my headphones on & have my own little concert. (If only in my head. Literally!)

And a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Juice Girl on completing 3 weeks of juicing! Wow! That's amazing! You should be very proud of yourself & how far you've come! You've kept your commitments to us, to Eric, your friends & family, but most importantly to yourself! Keep up the great work & we're with you every step of the way. It's an easy ride from here on in!

Enjoy the video!




P.S. - I'm typing this waiting for the YouTube version to load & listening to my 'juice splatter' fix - Trots Afrikaans Vol. 6 - I'm lovin' every minute of it! Perhaps I'll feature some of the tunes in a video yet...

Day 6 - Presenting Whales!

I'm baaaaack! I'm sure you missed me! :oP Today's footage is actually from a few days ago, but I wanted to share it with you anyways. We were supposed to go to Cape Town today and then decided against it. Looks like Monday is going to be stellar weather, so fingers crossed, I'll have some excitement for you by then!

I went for a run this evening with Jaco & Kudu. I struggled, but crossed the finish line. Looks like I've got a long path ahead to get fit, as well as healthy! But I'm feeling encouraged by the scale thus far. I've lost 8.6 lbs. Nearly 4 kgs. I'm happy about that, as I have been struggling to lose more than 1 or two pounds, which then creep back on magically!

A huge shout out to Juice Girl and her amazing success! Three weeks down! And 10 kg sugar bag lost!!! Amazing!!! And kudos to Eric for sticking with you! That's amazing support!

In any case, I won't ramble on... I hope you enjoy the video. Stay healthy!

xxxx Mama Africa & her village

Days 4 & 5 - MIA, but here's a re-enactment

A little hiccup along the path - but we're back and on the air. Kind of. I did a little re-enactment just so you could experience a little taste of the past two days. It wasn't all bad, but I was certainly tired and in pain! 

xxxx Mama Africa & her village

Still on Track!

Just a quick note to let you know that I didn't fall off the bandwagon! I had a really rough day & night, so I went to bed early & decided to forego the day's edit. I was in bed by 8:30, but woke up at 1 a.m. and couldn't fall back asleep until 4. My head was pounding and still is this morning. I have severe muscle tension throughout my sinus area, jaw, occipital region, down the back of my neck, shoulders and between my shoulder blades. Sounds like fun, eh? Stay tuned, I'll see what I can get together once my head feels better!

xxxx Mama Africa & her village

Stellar Day at Grotto Beach

Today was GORJUSS! It was hot and sunny. I still had some juice from last night, which was perfect, as I am always hungry in the morning. I was another kilo down, weighing in at 67.5 kg. 

We went to Checkers, nearly bought them out of coconuts, along with 2 bags of fruit and veggies. The bagging lady said something about not eating any more mealies now that it is summer time and how she has to eat meat everyday. First off, that make me a little queasy. Second of all, the health magazine I showed in another video talked about GMO corn and how it's causing tumours in mice. Africans live off of mealies - cornmeal, basically. The women are notoriously big. It's actually quite frightening to think of how many people are eating this 'death trap'. I've never seen organic corn in any of the stores. If you haven't heard about it, read this. California is fighting to have GMO foods labelled, which I think is a smashing great idea. Just do a quick google search to find out which of your favourite food brands don't care about your health. Even some of the so called 'healthy & organic' companies are listed on the 'dark side'. If you're interested to know what countries use GMO & which don't, here's another article. Having had cancer and survived, I feel quite passionate about things like this. 

One last thing I want to mention is about Canada. And the Prairies. The Federal Government is planning to sell off a bunch of land in a few years time. Why this should concern you is because it is currently cared for by people who have a vested interest in the land and animals using it. Not making a profit from it. If it is to be sold to private owners, it would be too expensive for the average Joe in the neighbourhood, meaning it will most likely go towards wealthy business owners who only care about making more money, or to the Hutterites, whom I've heard use A LOT of pesticides and also care about making money. Currently the land is cared for diligently - endangered species, protection from overgrazing, using natural pest control (bugs that eat other bugs or grasses and then perish). Access is controlled for hunting and oil & gas exploration. How do I know this? My Dad is one of those caretakers and trust me, you've never met someone as passionate about his job as he is! Even after 30+ years! Basically, if this land is sold, it will affect farmers and ranchers, who will no longer be able to raise as many cattle or be forced to use cropland as grazing land. How does that affect you? Guess where your food comes from? If you think, 'I don't eat much meat', think again. Where do you think your grains come from? Those farmers are growing YOUR next meal! Here's how you can help. Go to www.protecttheprairie.ca and sign the petition. Share it on Facebook and with everyone you know. P.s. - my Dad is retiring & he still cares about this issue - GREATLY! I hope you will care enough too!

Anyhow, here is the video for day three. I hope you'll enjoy it. Hermanus really is a beautiful place to live. If crime wasn't such an issue (& currently the strikes against the farmers) I would thoroughly consider staying here for good! In case you could hear on the video, our dog is named Kudu, after one of the wild animals found in South Africa. The second video shows you what a real Kudu looks like. I'll also include a photo below that I took in Addo Elephant Park. 

Have a fabulous day wherever in the world you are. Stay well, stay healthy, stay vibrant!

Maria Valentina AKA Mama Africa (& her village)




The 'other' or 'real' Kudu:




Taken in Addo Elephant Park: