Cancer Anniversary or "Cancerversary"

I recently passed/celebrated my first cancer diagnosis date of March 15, 2007. Rather a strange date since I have had two diagnosis since! And to have a surgery on March 17, 2011, was another strange way to celebrate - although, it is wonderful to say NO RESIDUAL CANCER CELLS FOUND! Yippee!

Thanks to my friend, Jack Campbell, for remembering and wishing me Happy Cancer Anniversary.

My Guest Post on Kris Carr's Site Today!

Hey everyone! I am the Guest Blogger on Kris Carr's site today and would LOVE it if you would stop by, give it a read, and leave a comment there too!! YAY!


CLICK HERE - The Quick and Easy Way I Helped My Kid Cut Dairy | Crazy Sexy Life

Photo credit: Dov Harrington

Need Your Votes by Tuesday, Nov 30th!

Hi Dear Friends,

I am up for consideration to be a speaker at the Fitness and Health Bloggers Conference in Boulder CO, June 2011, along with one of my friends. We are listed as Lisa Consiglio Ryan of Whole Health Designs, and Tina Pruitt | The Healthy Lifestylist (that's me)!!!

WE BOTH NEED YOUR "VOTES" on their SURVEY for their CONTENT SESSIONS!

The direct link to the survey is: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CJ2TYJD

We are both in the last category for FITNESS and HEALTH - Look for our names next to the brief synopsis they provided about our topic (Lisa is 8th one down and I am the last one, or 12th).

We are BOTH eligible to go, so please VOTE FOR BOTH OF US at the same time....we would love to be there together sharing out mojo with everyone!

The voting will only take 30 seconds or less - no kidding! So please help out and give us a shout! Voting ends Tuesday, November 30th!

Thanks everyone!
live big*love big*eat green stuff,
Tina

Awesome Calendar for 2011

Click here to check out Raw Beauty 2011.

HRT - Increased Risk of Breast Cancer

An excerpt from an article on CNN Health, October 19, 2010...

A study published in Journal of the American Medical Association confirms that postmenopausal women who take combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are at an increased risk of dying from breast cancer.

"Women on combined hormone therapy with estrogen plus progestin were twice as likely to die from breast cancer compared to women receiving placebo," says medical oncologist and study author Dr. Rowan Chlebowski.

To read more, click here...

For an alternative, click here...

The Organic Alternative

Paul Grebliunas / Getty Images

Read the TIME article here - The Organic Alternative

The picture of this farmer spraying pesticide on strawberries should be alarming to us all.....this is what you are ingesting unless you are buying organic. They are suggesting in the article that you can really wash your produce well....but, what about the pesticide that the plant absorbs??

Yes, dear friends, you are ingesting that too....

Robert Cheeke, The Vegan Bodybuilder!

If you get an opportunity to hear Robert Cheeke speak, definitely make the effort as he is GREAT! He was recently in N. VA, and was super informative and down to earth. Check out his webpage here and his book is also excellent for those of you interested in a hot bod! (Uh-yea, I think that is all of us!)

My Next Read!

Knockout: Interviews with Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer--And How to Prevent Getting It in the First Place



This is highly recommended, has gotten good reviews, and I look forward to reading it myself!

Get Healthy and Beautiful - Go For Alkalinity

I have been saying and following this for a few years now, and just came across this great, inspiring quick video about it with some girlfriends! Check it out - here!

To Your Health,
Tina!

Raw Food Panel Discussion, April 25, 2010

I participated on a raw food panel and the discussion was about "Raw Transformations". I, of course, spoke about my cancer journey and how it intertwined with my unplanned raw food journey. It was also nice to share (for those without a health challenge) that I have also effortlessly lost 15 pounds since last March. Everyone's story was wonderful and inspiring...

It was an interesting Sunday afternoon to say the least and I am very grateful that I was able to tell my story and perhaps provide somebody with some inspiration to improve their own personal journey in some way. Here is a picture of the four panelists...

Carol, Doug, Tina (me), and Donna

GREEN DRINKS!

I have been asked over and over what my current daily drinks consists of, so I thought I would go ahead and get back into posting a bit on my blog. Please know that I am leaving all the previous posts on this blog concerning my various daily regimens over the past 3 years, but none of them mirror what I do now, after my Hippocrates Health Institute visit in November 2009.

So, here is my daily green juice regimen - 3 green drinks a day. Also, at least 1 wheatgrass shot a day (should be 2).

One green drink in the morning (simple):

12-16 oz cucumbers
very alkalizing

Two afternoon drinks:

12-16 oz each
Cucumbers, celery, garlic, ginger, and then whatever I have on hand like chard, broccoli, kale, etc - eventually I will get a twin gear juicer and will add sunflower sprouts. I also add green algae (E3Live) to the midday green juice.

Surprisingly, these take hunger away and really satisfy you! They are sooooo good for your body!

Slurp it up baby!

Three Year CanServersary!

Today, March 15, 2010, is my three year canServersary for my initial breast cancer diagnosis. I celebrated by just yelling out into the universe, "It's my 3 year anniversary if anyone cares!"...I did get two responses back from the family of two - "WE DO!"

That was all I needed to make the day all good - no more no less.

Bone Scan, MRI, and CT Scans....Oh My!

Whew! I have been mighty busy in October with all kinds of tests since they took out a small nodule (thought to be a sebaceous cysts) and found some cancer cells. Damn. Apparently, this is classified as a local recurrence, which is fairly rare in bilat mast cases (like me). I guess this makes me a two-time cancer survivor (that sucks), BUT - GOOD NEWS! All the tests have resulted in clean, beautiful results! YIPPEE! I have one more test to do (just added on), but will be waiting until January I think. Spread the finances a bit, ya know?!

As part of my wellness plan, I will be going to the Hippocrates Health Institute in the near future.

Anyway, just sending an update that I am feeling great and moving forward!

Hugs, Tina

This is Riley and I at the "Mom Prom" on 10/18/2009!

My "Typical Day" Changes Again

Yep, as expected, the daily regime gets tweaked again.... After seeing Tonya Zavasta in June, I have been practicing what she does and that is - no evening meal. This is an interesting concept and she has lots practical reasons and research behind the practice. I know I have felt much better and sleep wonderfully. The couple of nights that I have eaten something in the evening, I find my sleep is terribly interrupted. Perhaps I am just more in tune with that now...

If you get a chance to see Tonya speak live, or to read on of her books, you should do so. Very intelligent (advanced degrees in engineering and mathematics), very funny, and an ambassador for how living foods can change your life and make you look healthy and vibrant while giving you superior health. She faced health challenges all her life and is now the picture of health and beauty - and at age 51, she made the cover of Get Fresh magazine - WOW!

Tonya and Tina

Anyway, this post really wasn't intended to promote Tonya (although I love her), but rather to say, that we must keep tweaking our lifestyle to support our bodies/minds in achieving and maintaining superior health and vibrancy! Get the glow baby!

Hugs, Tina
xoxo

A Typical Day (Menu) in the Life of Tina

Hello all you Wellness Warriors!

I have been asked quite frequently lately what a "regular days menu" looks like for me. I am honored at your requests and thank you so much for the lovely comments/emails I have been receiving lately. You are all very special for sharing/reaching out and I am very glad to share what I know works for me with you. I am thrilled to say that I am in excellent health and have been cancer free for over 2 years. See my earlier post here about some of the other changes I have incorporated into my new lifestyle (some of these have been tweaked a bit). I have never felt better in my life. Wellness is my daily goal in all that I do. It can be for you too - whether you are a cancer cowgirl/boy or not! Shouldn't all of us have the wellness goal to be healthy and happy for as long as possible?! I say YES!

Please remember that this is a typical day for me right now (warm weather). Also note that most, if not all, of what I eat is organic. See bottom of this post for more information about pesticides and the link to cancer and other health issues.

Morning:
Upon rising:
32 oz water with juice of 1 lemon / 1 tsp of MSM powder
4-6 oz wheatgrass (Sweet Wheat)
I take my supplements with my water - DIM, Calcium/Magnesium, B-Complex

Green smoothie in the a.m. - this concoction varies, but overall here is what it looks like lately:

• 1 banana
• 1 citrus (usually orange that I just cut skin off of and leave as much pith as possible)
• 1 fresh or frozen dark berry (blueberry, strawberry, cherry, blackberry, raspberry) or a combination - usually 1/2 - 1 cup or so...I like frozen simply because it makes my drink cold
• 1 green leafy item (large handful of spinach or 2-3 kale leaves generally)
• 1- 1.5 Tbs flax oil
• 1 tsp spirulina
• 1.5 teas to 1 Tbsp coconut butter
• Small handful of cacao nibs
• Sometimes 1/2 cucumber
• Sometimes 1-2 Tbsp brown rice protein powder (only rice product I intake)

If it tastes too green, add more water, 1/4 of lemon (skin included), or 1/2 cucumber. Again, this smoothie will vary with what I have on-hand, but above is pretty typical...today I did all those ingredients except the rice protein, and I also added some fresh strawberries and blueberries along with a little frozen mango. Keep trying new things! My smoothies are rarely identical day-to-day.

Workout:
Monday through Thursday I workout before lunch. This is usually cardio warm-up followed by strength training. I try to switch that up and do only yoga on Wednesday, but that is not static. I try to walk or do other activities Friday - Sunday.

Lunch:

• Avocado
• Tomato
• Red or Yellow Pepper
• Romaine Lettuce
• Herby seasoning (can use Spike, etc)
• Olive Oil /Balsamic or Braggs Vinaigrette
• I either have a large salad or cut the veggies up and roll them in romaine leaves as a "wrap".

Snacks (I usually have 2-4 snacks daily, just depends on rest of day):

• Almonds/Goji Berries
• Apple
• Carrots
• Red Pepper
• I try to have at least one cup of organic non-caff green tea each day - usually in the morning at work.
• Sometimes I get on a real "salt snack" kick and when I do nothing feel more satisfying to me that a bowl of organic popcorn made with organic olive oil or coconut oil and Herby seasoning. It is my "vice" for "feel good" food. Now you know!!

Dinner:
I generally have a salad, blended soup, or zucchini "pasta" with spaghetti sauce.

Why Organic?
Eliminating foods that are non-organic is a good decision all the way around....here is a great article about "Why Organic?".

In addition to the wonderful reasons listed in that post, the one on top of the list for me personally is to reduce / eliminate the pesticide and chemicals that infiltrate my body. Most pesticides have the chemical structure of estrogen and, when ingested, provoke a weak estrogenic effect on our systems - add this to other provokers of estrogen in our body (plastics, etc), and it is a formula for disaster for anyone, but especially for men and women with estrogen positive cancers (like me) such as (most) breast and prostate cancers. Here is an interesting article about the connection of pesticides and cancer. There are a ton more...again, do your research and educate yourself!

Komen Race in DC

I am late in getting these posted, but here are some awesome pics from June 6, 2009!

April 2009

Hello to all my wonderful friends and family,

This year has been so remarkably busy and full of new experiences for me that updating my blog has taken a backseat, and for this I apologize. I have been deciding how to break up all the wonderful things I would like to share and am rather struggling with it. I want to keep my personal "tinainthepink" cancer blog for those who follow it for cancer inspiration, and yet I want to blog about current things I am involved with like raw food, yoga, reading the Tao Te Ching, organizing parties/events....I think that I have come up with a solution. I will attempt to post once a week on this blog with something that is either personal (photos, etc) or health related. I will also be putting more energy in getting my "other" site live. I have been attending lots of classes and reading lots of material in anticipation of getting this site up and running, so I am looking forward to making that happen. Stick with me through this bumpy part! I have also posted some new pics for your viewing pleasure (remember, these are the "personal" photos that so many of you have come to expect and request), so be sure to check them out!

Hugs, Tina

March 2009 Update - Pinkie and Hip

So, I have been continuing to go the hand specialist for my pinkie. It is really looking great and he is quite pleased with the progress....now, I am supposed to be massaging it to work out the very hard lump of scar tissue. This is something everyone should know...use Vitamin E and massage your scar and/or scar tissue every day. This works wonders!

Along with seeing that doc, I also saw another doc in the same firm for my (continued) hip pain. I brought in my August bone scans and they a few more x-rays as well. All is good. He said he was giving me a "big dose of reassurance" that everything was okay. I guess he thought I was concerned about cancer, but at that point, I really wasn't!! I just want to find out why I keep having this pain in my left hip - especially after I run/walk vigorously. They ruled out arthritis issues as well and indicated it must just be muscular tissues that have been injured and are slow to heal. Okay, so no cancer or arthritis....that is all good, but it is still disturbing that no one can tell me the 'real deal'.

Anyway, speaking of bone scans...I got all my August images on CD and they are super cool to look at! It is my whole body in a skeletal view....awesome!

Can it Really Be February Already?

Wow, I have so much going on that I am not sure where to even begin!

Okay first, I have decided to delve into the world of raw food coaching! I have found this way of eating to be such a positive influence in my life - physically, mentally, psychologically and even spiritually - that I feel compelled to "pass it on". To share. To inspire. I am in the process of building a new webpage and welcome any and all suggestions! The name of my passion is "Positively In The Raw" and the site is located at http://www.positivelyintheraw.com/. If you go there now, you will only see that it is under construction, but please bookmark it for future reference! Also, please sign up for my mailing list (at right) for updates and notifications of the release. I would LOVE to hear your input on that site, or anything for that matter, and you can either leave them here as a comment or send to my email address (also located in right, at the very bottom).

Second, which is also tied in to my above project, is that I will be taking Karen Knowler's Raw Food Coaching course and am part of the Raw Professionals Network! How exciting is that? Karen is known worldwide as The Raw Food Coach, so this is very exciting.

Third, I have been relying on wonderful dehydrated creations by other dear folks for over a year now, but I now have my own fabulous Excalibur 9-tray dehydrator....how exciting is that?! I can tell you that I am anxiously awaiting kale chips! Now, you may be asking, "why anxiously awaiting", "why aren't you already enjoying them child"....okay well, that brings me to another incident in my life...

I recently cut my pinky (pretty badly) on the mandoline. (For the non-kitchen types, that is a slicing board, similar to a V-Slicer, that you slide food across to cut it.) Ouch. Not sure what happened though, since the zucchini I was slicing was still about 5 inches long. I remember my hands were wet and the next thing I knew I was holding my hand with lots of blood around. Then the ER. Two days later, the regular doc. Then 4 days later, at my 6 month follow-up with my general surgeon (breast cancer), she took a look at it and gave me the name of a hand surgeon "just in case". He believes that it will okay with probably some slight nerve damage. It should heal over though and look like "normal" in about 3 months....yep - THREE MONTHS! Oh well, it's all good....my nail wasn't affected and my finger is still attached.

Okay, so back to those kale chips....until my hand heals a little more I will have to hold off on making a lot of raw creations, darnit! But, I will keep you posted on the progress of the finger and my dehydrating....I am sure you are just on the edge of your seat, right?

So, all-in-all it has been a busy 2009 so far and I look forward to eveything this year brings. Very exciting things. Very exciting times. I am blessed that you are all here for the ride.

ps - my 6 month appointment went well and she has no indication I require any tests. I will be seeing an orthopedic for my hand as well as for the discomfort I continue to have in my left hip area (see this post for previous details).

Big Ouchie!

But, it's all good!

Riley's Message About Exercising

A MUST VIEW!

This is Riley's message about exercise and why it is important. This was totally from his heart and unrehearsed...love it!

Riley is my 5 year old son.