For my grandma and my aunt.

Cancer.

Such a powerful word that we are all too familiar with. Countless people across the world have personal experiences with this disease. Either fighting it themselves or taking the journey with a family member or friend.

The statistics are alarming. 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Every minute someone loses their fight with cancer. In America, cancer claims the lives of 1500 people every year. What if you had the opportunity to try to save one of these lives?

Stand up to Cancer(SU2C) gives you that opportunity to help. It is an initiative that was started back in 2008 to raise awareness of the disease and the fact that everyone is connected by cancer. It is a major telethon event that first aired Septemeber 5, 2008 on major networks for an hour. It gives you the opportunity to call in during that hour to pledge and have the chance to talk to one of the many stars  that are awaiting your call to pledge. Stars that have fought the battle with cancer and won or stars that have a personal story with cancer and believe in its cure.

To date SU2C has raised more than $180 million for cancer research to discover a cure and stop this horrible diseasing from claiming so many mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, friends. This year the hour long special will air today at 8:00 p.m. It will air on CBS, NBC, FOX, MTV, and many more.

You are being given the chance to say you helped. You might think your small donation might not make a difference, but think if every person on your block thought the same thing. That's about average 15 houses giving even $20, easy $300. And if every block in the town donates, $1200. Take that across the United States and imagine how much we can donate.

And if you still don't think what you can give matters, don't you want to say you at least tried to help? Helped to find a solution that is in our reach and we want to see in our lifetime.

I stand up for my grammy who lost her battle with cancer when I was 8. I cherish the memories I have of her making root bear floats and homemade apple sauce. The disease took her away from seeing me even graduate 8th grade and sharing in all my special moments.

I stand up for my aunt who won her battle with breast cancer 5 years ago and is a survivor.

I stand up for every person who is affected by this disease on a daily basis.

So who do you stand up for?

For more information on the "Stand Up to Cancer" telethon, click here. And be sure to watch the event Friday evening at 8:00 p.m. Use the hastag #istandupfor to see your message being broadcast during the telethon.

Friday's Letters

Dear Grey's Anatomy- What are you doing to me!? I can't believe the season finale ended that way and we still don't really know for sure who died. I see through you Shonda Rhimes. I'm still not totally convinced Lexie is dead. And I must say even though it was fake blood and bones...holy moly. Still made me a little nauseous. Dear Fiance-Great job being awesome :) I know you will kill it on Tuesday and then maybe we can figure out where we will actually being going in a month. Dear 2 day Detox-I'm not entirely sure if you really helped or not. I did not feel any different. Well, except for the fact that I was really hungry. I did though develop a real fondness for smoothies so I might just continue that for my breakfast. Dear exercise routine-If you could make yourself that would be wonderful. And help me get rid of these jiggly thighs before bikini season. Much thanks. Dear coffee- I definitely missed you for two days and will never give you up again.


Happy Friday everyone!

Detox!

Via my travels, I stumbled across this 2 Day Cleanse from The Look Better Naked Diet. 

 It goes a little something like this. 

Breakfast

Light shake:

   • Blend 1 cup skim (or soy, almond, rice, or hemp) milk

   • 1 cup berries

   • 1 tsp peanut butter (or flaxseed oil)

   • 1 cup of ice until frothy

Bonus: Add a dash of cocoa powder!   

Snack

   • 1 cup sliced cucumbers

   • 1 cup green tea

Bonus: Add a little vinegar and fresh dill to your 

cucumbers, or make a cucumber salad by slicing a 

couple of unpeeled cucumbers into rounds, dousing 

them with flavored vinegar (fig is great, if you can find 

it), and letting them marinate for an hour. Drain off the 

vinegar and keep them in the fridge.

Bonus: Drink your green tea straight up andhot—or 

brew a whole pot, toss in some fresh mint leaves or 

slices of peeled fresh ginger, and let steep for a few 

hours. Store in the fridge and pour it over ice when 

you’re thirsty.

Lunch

   • Steamed or raw greens (romaine, spinach, mesclun 

      mix, bok choy, arugula, watercress, frisee, endive, etc.)

   • 4 oz lean protein (white meat chicken, firm tofu, lean 

      beef, fish)

   • 2 tsp oil (olive, sunflower, walnut)

Bonus: Mix-and-match your greens! You can get a lot of 

no-cal flavor simply by adding arugula or watercress, both 

of which have a peppery kick. Or you can toss a handful of 

fresh basil, cilantro, or flat-leaf parsley in with salad greens 

for an extra jolt of flavor.

Snack

   • 10 asparagus spears, blanched

   • 1 cup green tea

Bonus: Dip the asparagus into nonfat yogurt swirled 

with Dijon mustard to taste.

Dinner

   • Steamed or raw greens

   • 4 oz lean protein

   • 2 tsp oil

Bonus: Be creative with your 2 teaspoons of oil, at both 

lunch and dinner. Whisk it with a teaspoon of vinegar 

and some herbs for vinaigrette; use it to sauté bite-size 

pieces of white-meat chicken, lean beef, tofu, or fish; or 

mix it with a flavor-booster spice mix to rub on chicken, 

beef, or fish before broiling or grilling.

Now I have been trying to get back into my eating healthy and fitness routine so I figured this would be a great way to kick it off. I wouldn't be doing anything crazy like just drinking smoothies all day or not having any solid food. Just eating every couple of hours and healthy stuff.

Well. I started today and sitting here all I can think about is a nice cold Diet Coke and chocolate chip cookies. That's right, I started a detox on National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. Who does that?! Especially when there's a box ready to be made in my cabinet. 

I am also pretty hungry but chugging water to distract myself from my grumbling tummy so that can be seen as a plus I guess. I also discovered I hate asparagus, even with non fat yogurt. I barely got through 4 spears. No way I was making it to 10 without losing the snack I desperately needed. 

So folks. That's how it's going. Trying to rid myself of toxins and get in shape. Are we all crazy?

Stay tuned to see if I make through day two...