I honestly feel that I have already had enough chicken in my lifetime. I would never miss it if I never see it again.  I would however, miss the occasional filet mignon (with blue cheese and red wine…sigh), but I can’t loose sight of the bigger picture here.  I have been watching some of the movies out there lately that depict the animal cruelty that goes on in factory farms and slaughter houses.  When one is raised on meat, it is very easy to disconnect from that reality. It takes a person who is willing to open their eyes and really face the truth to reconnect the disconnect and see the reality of what is on their dinner plates. So, okay, I am almost there.

The best approach for me is baby steps.  I have been researching local groups for support.  Being in the midwest, there just aren’t too many of them out there.   So, once again in my life, I see myself attempting to pioneer something.  Hopefully, I will be more successful this time!  (but that is another topic).  As this is headed in the very specific direction of vegetarianism, veganism & being a raw foodist, I began a new blog that will depict my journey to becoming at least 80% raw.  It’s called “Going Raw in the Midwest.” If this topic interests you, please feel free to follow me there on this journey.

In the meantime, I think a great baby step for me to take is to begin by becoming “Pescetarian” or “Pesky-tarian” as my childish side likes to say. This is “the practice of a diet that includes seafood and excludes other animals. In addition to fish or shellfish, a pescetarian diet typically includes some or all of vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains, beans, eggs and dairy.” Okay, not too bad; I can live with that.  I will keep focusing in on consuming the raw fruit & veggies and maybe in time I will be ready to take the step toward total vegetarianism.  Let’s see how this goes first though!  While I make no promises on the ultimate outcome, I will try my best to become the best version of myself starting right…..now.

December 2009

Salvation Army

November 2009

Harlem United Community AIDS Center

New York, NY

October 2009

Gleaners Food Bank

Indianapolis, IN

September 2009

Miracle Hill Ministries

Greenville, SC

August 2009

Shelters of Saratoga

Saratoga Springs, NY

July 2009

180 Turning Lives Around

Hazlet, NJ

June 2009

Haven House

Phoenix, AZ

May 2009

Atlanta Union Mission

Atlanta, Georgia

April 2009

Wheeler Mission Ministries

Indianapolis, Indiana

Billy Kirkbright

Age: 44

Geraldton,

Austrailia

Staying Sexy Secret:

My secret to making myself ‘sexy’ feel great and to maintain an element of youthfulness is keeping an active mind, diet and exercise. I LOVE exercise… I’m addicted to it! A healthy diet combined with

cardio and weight training achieves in making me

feel good about myself and I believe maintains confidence and a general feeling of well being.

I’ve always thought he old cliché ‘you’re never too old to learn’ is a valuable and important attitude to have

in being mentally healthy.

Life can be full of new experiences that can make it exciting and interesting. Having an inquisitive

approach to these new experiences I believe

maintains a healthy mind.

______________________________________________

Scott Tousignant

Age: 34

Windsor, ON

Canada

Staying Sexy Secret:

One of my staying sexy secrets is to smile as often as humanly possible and share my incredible zest for life.

I believe that the best staying sexy secret is to make the people whom you come in contact with feel sexy as well. There’s nothing sexier than making another person feel sexy.

Being sexy is all about your attitudes and beliefs. You can’t look sexy unless you believe that you are and act as if you are. I don’t care what state your body is currently in… tell yourself and the world that you are sexy and believe it with every ounce of your being. Walk around with the attitude that you are sexy. Stand tall and proud. Speak and walk with confidence. I’ve witnessed countless people light up a room and have members of the opposite sex going gaga simply because of their attitude and belief. Confidence is incredibly sexy.

Placing my health and vitality as the #1 priority in my life is definitely a top staying sexy strategy for me. It forces me to continue to improve my body, state of mind, and overall health.

Angie and I would love to have you drop by our Fat Loss Quickie blog for a visit. http://www.FatLossQuickie.com/blog

Links:

FREE Report: Discover my
Top 10 Fat Loss Secrets

Skyrocket Your Fat Loss Motivation with the Fat Loss Quickie Motivation Report

FAT LOSS QUICKIE

More Love Less Fat Guide

Our INTERVIEW with Scott Tousignant

_________________________________________________

Ed Rankin

Age: 53

City, State:

Dallas, Tx

Staying Sexy Secret:

I am into running, hot yoga, good food and wine!

http://www.linkedin.com/in/edrankin

http://www.facebook.com/edrankin

http://twitter.com/exercizeguy

________________________________________________

John Allen Mollenhauer

Age: 41

City, State:

Livingston, NJ

Staying Sexy Secret:

My secret is – I get the sleep I need but moreso, rest, recovery and most importantly rejuvenation, I eat nutrient rich foods 95% of the time, and exercise. Of course I love what I do.

But essentially I live a lifestyle that focuses on my capacity to function and perform well, which enables me to live in balance and achieve my goals in a healthy way. We refer to this as a “Performance Lifestyle”.

Health and performance are on the same team and my lifestyle drives my success.

Website: http://www.lifestylecoachingcenter.com

Our interview with John Allen Mollenhauer: http://www.sexylivingsociety.ning.com/notes/Interview_with_John_Allen_Mollenhauer

_______________________________________

David

“Hornheadicus Maximus”

Age: 44

City, State:

Ukiah, CA

Staying Sexy Secret:

“I’d say tha t my secret to staying sexy (though I don’t know if many would actually classify me as being that) is thinking young.

I do that by being around young people on a very consistent basis. I work in retail and am surrounded by teens and twentysomethings and am able to communicate quite well with them. I think that that helps to keep me feeling young and it is my belief that if someone feels young, they ARE young.

I don’t take life very seriously, either, and do not understand those who do. All that does is cause them stress which can lead to ulcers, high blood pressure and other health issues. I don’t need nor want that and am glad that my natural disposition is not one inclined to worry about things or take things too seriously.

Anyway, that would be my secret. Stay young-minded.”

Steph Rice

Age: 34

The Peak District,

Staying Sexy Secret:

Living life with passion.

_________________________________________

Angie Tousignant

Age: 36

Windsor, ON Canada

Staying Sexy Secret:

My staying sexy secret?

It’s very simple… I eat a balanced diet. However, I don’t deny myself my treats! When you eat well most of the time, you can enjoy the treats too!

I respect my body in ways that bring out the sexy in me!  Such as:

I wear clothes that make me feel good.

I put on make up when I go out.

I take a bath and add bubbles to make me feel good and smell good!

I exercise to feel energized, healthy, and vibrant during my day. This makes me feel empowered. When I exercise I feel that I can accomplish anything I set my mind upon.

I try to get a good nights sleep. This will not only give your skin a ‘glow’ but will set you up for a successful day. An extra ‘sexy’ step in your day!

When you begin to implement the actions in your day that make you feel sexy you will also inadvertently be sending out this message to your spouse/partner. This is the best part because you are encouraging moments of intimacy and connection to be a part of your everyday life! When this happens, it is only a ‘sexy’ cycle of feeling good and receiving all the good around you!

Links:

The Fit Chic

More Love Less Fat

___________________________________________________________

JDR

Age: 48

California, USA

Staying Sexy Secret:

mind than an outward appearance. Others can

only see you as sexy if you yourself believe it.

I am a healthy fit woman A third generation,

native of California who is enjoying this middle

stage of life. I love anything that can be done

out doors and a few indoor activities as well ; )

_________________________________________

Tammy Cunningham

Age: 50

City, State:

Denver, Colorado

Staying Sexy Secret:

I live simply, I heal, I empower.

I focus on loving myself more than I love

others, the benefit of which “others” feel the

love I have for myself and have an energy

that allows them to love themselves.  That

allows me to not be conected to others love or

like of me, it’s empowering.  As I love myself

as much as I want to be loved, putting me in

my own driver’s seat of life.  I believe I can

be self-ish if I do not stay self-centered. A

centering of self that is a self contain-ment.

emotions, so I feel what I want to feel.

When I feel sexy it is on purpose or with an

intention.  I simply breathe in a feeling of

sexiness, a time when I felt sexy in the past,

I breathe it into my solar plexus and feel it

all over again.

pajamas or feel sexy knitting in the nude, it’s

all UP TO ME!

I feel sexy when others feel sexy, when we

were shooting the Knitting is Sexy Calendar,

the women felt sexy, they did not have to be

a size 2 or 22 years old to be sexy, sexy is

a FEELING that we all can capture when we

decide to.

Please check out our you tube video on

Changing the face of Knitting at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZiQEKNqs_Y

their pictures and say I AM SEXY!

What can you do to feel more sexy today?

Just breathe it in!……. Help others feel sexy

and consider a calendar a nice holiday gift

empowerment of women

www.heartintelligent.com – my coaching

practice

www.cunninghamfoundation.org – our foundation,

which is about empowering those in developing

worlds .

_________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Susan Crain Bakos

City, State:

Harlem, NY

Staying Sexy Secret:

2.  Younger men.

Need I say more?

_______________________________________

Debbie Zipp

_______________________________________

Tracy Pattin

City, State:

Los Angeles, CA

Staying Sexy Secret:

______________________________________

Staying Sexy Secret:

man has total control of leading the dance.  It’s spontaneous and creative, and very good exercise.

_________________________________________

Diane Rohn Age: 61 City, State: Brownsburg, IN Staying Sexy Secret: Well, I eat a least one salad and one apple each day. I try to limit my saturated fat intake. I eat fish a least twice a week; salmon is my favorite. Mainly, I limit my sweets to a couple of dark chocolate squares a day and I drink a glass of wine every night….not sure if that keeps a person sexy though!  I don’t smoke and I always use protection from the sun. It certainly helps to feel sexy when your husband treats you like you are. I also think being involved with family really makes a difference.  Running after my  young grandchildren three days a week doesn’t hurt either!

“Cassie, thank you for the post and, more importantly, for creating the SEXY LIVING SOCIETY! It’s really a great idea.

A lot of folks have a serious misconception about folks in their 40′s and up. They mistakenly believe that once a person hits that age (40 and up), they’re on their way out and will probably look and appear accordingly.

Balderdash!

I’ve seen LOTS of women in their 40′s or older who still have it going on! And that is something that I realized YEARS ago! I wish that others (males, in particular) would realize this, as well, because there truly are a lot of hot looking, sexy women out there over the age of 39. And it isn’t just their looks that I’m talking about in regards to what makes them attractive. And it’s not just their personality, either, though that can be a mighty draw in itself. It’s their outlook on life. You show me a woman in her 40′s or older who tries to take care of herself, knows how to laugh at life (and even at herself on occasion), and has a sweet (note to the guys, reading this: Do not mistake “sweetness” for weakness) personality and I’ll show you a woman who is HOT!

Anyway that’s my take on this. I will not lie by saying that I consider myself to be overly sexy but nor do I consider myself to be hideous and unattractive, overall. But I do greatly appreciate the honor you bestowed upon me over at the SEXY LIVING SOCIETY network, dear CASSIE. I’m flattered that lady as lovely as yourself would even consider me for such an honor.

Thank you for that and thank you for the site.

And I’ll say this to the ladies. Not to sound like I have a man-crush or anything like that because I don’t. I don’t even know the guy. Have never met him. But even I can tell that the guy who is this month’s “Featured Sexy Man” over at Cassie’s site is an exceptionally good looking man. Do your eyes a favor and take a gander at him. Methinks that a good majority of you will be glad that you did so.

I will say this about me and him, though. I’m a Rams fan. I’ll bet he’s not.

Hahahaha!”

How about that? That makes Sexy Living Society sound so tame now, doesn’t it??

Anyway, any group that celebrates looking and feeling good as we get older is pretty fantastic in my book! So, check out their website here:

H.A.G.S. (Hot Ass Grandma Society)

When I was in my 20′s I never thought of growing old. My 30′s & 40′s were raising children, but I never thought of growing old. My 50′s slowed me down with two weddings & the death of my father, but I still never thought of growing old. On my 60th birthday, it hit me.

None of us ever thought that we would grow old, but there are may great things about getting older. You can retire, look at the world with a different attitude, have beautiful grandchildren, enjoy more freedom to do things that you couldn’t do when working and raising children. One of the best advantages of growing older is travelling. By boat, car or plane, there is nothing better than to go somewhere….anywhere.

I have had a lot of fun traveling with our whole family as well as just me & my husband only. The most recent trip we took was with 4 other couples that are our good friends. This trip was unique to our group. We traveled to The Med and cruised thru. The price was right and the experience was even better. We toured 7 citites, returning to the ship mainly for sleep. We spent time in Barcelona walking the beautiful streets, feasting on the cuisine, witnessing some kind of holiday activities.

Rome and Athens was next and then Turkey. The ruins of those cities were out of the world, but the best was Cairo. It was like walking into a different world. Riding the camel through the desert was awesome and something I have always wanted to do. (I thought I’d have to go to a zoo to get my ride) Naturally, the pyramids were fabulous. The trip also included Alessandria, Egypt and the island of Malta. If anyone wants to get a flavor of the ancient worlds this cruise is for you.

The nicest part of the trip was after a day of touring, when you return to the ship for a tall drink and sit down at a nice table for dinner. I just love traveling. I wonder where I shall go next?

Thanks to Melvin for the great advice! I am sure this would be a fanatastic trip!

Hi Cassie,

there is a travel destination I could recommend to every traveler: Berlin!

Berlin changed a lot in the last 20 years. The eastern part which wasn’t first that popular after the reunion has now a new glamour and that’s where I stay when I visit Berlin.

It’s the only major city of Germany which you could mention with London, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Bangkok in one sentence. You can walk through the city and you’ll find many points of interests. There are many great museums and there are many places where you can discover the history of Germany.

There is so much to see that you could stay for days. Some of the highlights are definitely the

- Brandenburger Gate: Every 10, 20 and 50 cent German Euro coin is minted with a picture of this big city gate on its reverse side. Stranded in a lonely no-mans land between 1961 and 89 thanks to the East German government, no other structure in Berlin better symbolises the temporary division of the city. TIP: Take your camera and get snapping; its not going anywhere anytime soon.

- Reichstag: The German parliament building, re-opened in 1999 after the government and most of the ministries moved from Bonn to Berlin. British architect Lord Norman Foster redesigned this place, complete with a huge glass dome with public access, so you can watch the politicians at work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_building

TIP: Try to avoid the queues at the Reichstag, make a reservation at Kaefers restaurant at the top of the glass dome. This should get you in the side door.

http://www.feinkost-kaefer.de/

- Holocaust Memorial: Berlins ultra-controversial memorial for the murdered Jews of Europe, 2,711 concrete blocks jutting off at offensive and suffocating angles. Co-incidentally only a stones throw away from the site of Adolf Hitlers former underground lair, the Führerbunker.

TIP: Walk through the memorial, youll quickly realise its not the kind of place you want to have a summer picnic at.

http://www.holocaust-denkmal-berlin.de/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_to_the_Murdered_Jews_of_Europe

- Prenzlauer Berg: No Berlin neighbourhood more clearly exemplifies the changes the city has made over the last century than Prenzlauer Berg, or Prenzl’Berg as it’s known to the locals. This East Berlin enclave rose from its pre-WWII working class roots to become home to many of the civil servants working for the East German government in the nearby district of Pankow. Following the exodus of these residents, spurred on by the tearing down of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany in 1990, a new generation flooded into the area. Squatters occupying the decaying buildings, artists and fashion designers drawn by the prospect of cheap rents and the inner-city ruckus, musicians and DJs eager to take advantage of the newly accessible spaces to parade and invade.

Berlin’s oldest and largest Biergarten, a wooden bench/bratwurst and homebrew beer affair dotted with huge horse chestnut trees, called Prater rests in the heart of Prenzl’Berg – on the area’s bustling central street, Kastanienallee. Originally nicknamed Casting Alley by the residents of this charming kiez because of the higher than average count of beautiful faces gracing the cafes, bars and restaurants of this 2.5km stretch of road, Kastanienallee has now been re-dubbed Costa del K, due to the large number of Spanish students attracted to the area by the newly constructed GLS language school.

Squares like Kollwitzplatz and Helmholzplatz in Prenzl’Berg have become legendary for their day-time cafes and restaurants, and night-time bars.

http://www.traveldudes.org/europe/germany/berlin

Here’s Rebecca’s recipe for “protein bites”.

Ingredients:

2C Raw Oatmeal
1c Protein Powder
1/2c flax seed, ground
1/2c wheat germ
2c trail mix – almonds, cashews, dried fruit, etc
1/2c ground walnuts
1/2c coconut
1c honey
2c peanut butter
Procedure:

Mix all ingredients together and press in a baking pan. Cut in 24 bars
Calories 310
carbs 31 g.
fiber4.2g
protein 11g

Salmon – Contains fatty acids to help keep skin moisturized

Yams- Contains vitamin A which protect the skin from environmental damage

Mushrooms – Contains selenium, an antioxidant which may help lower skin cancer risks

Yogurt – Contains vitamin B Complex which is essential for smooth, blemish-free skin.

Blueberries – Promotes healthy collagen for fewer wrinkles.

Carrots – Contains high levels of beta carotene for protection against sun damage.

Eggs – Contains cystein, an amino acid that is necessary for the growth & maintenance of the body’s tissues.

Yesterday, I came across this very interesting article called:

Too Much Sugar Causes Wrinkles

Disheartening at best for a sweet toothed person like myself. But, it’s important to know.
This is just another item in a long list of reasons to stay away from the white stuff. I am sure a little bit now and then won’t cause any real harm though. Moderation is definitely key!