* Special Offer: Send in Your Testimonial for a Free Report!

* Feature Article: How to Convince Your Loved Ones to Go Raw

Send in Your Testimonial for a Free Report!

First, I want to send a big “THANK YOU!” to everyone who has purchased my recipe e-book…

“Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes”

It was released mid-January and has already sold over 100 copies!  I’ve gotten some really good feedback from those who have purchased, like this lovely gem from Shayla in Texas:

Dear Swayze,

When I first heard about becoming raw, it was hard to figure out just what to eat.

I would look through  recipe books and all I would get is recipes involving a dehydrator or other pricey equipment; and I know I can’t just eat 10 bananas! The “Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes”  really helped me figure out what to do! I just love the Radically Raw Pizza! I’m glad I bought it and I thank you for putting it together!

Sincerely,

Shayla Stagg,
Cameron, Texas, USA

Who wouldn’t love getting comments like these?

If you have also purchased the Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes and are enjoying the tasty dishes, I would love it if you would send me a testimonial to use on my site.

If you do, I’ll send you my free report “Dealing with Diet Dissenters: How to Handle Unsupportive, Argumentative, and Downright Rude People on a Raw Food Diet”

Simply email me your feedback at swayze@fitonraw.com and I’ll send you the report straight away.

Thanks again, everyone!

Swayze

P.S. To learn more about Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes and read some more testimonials, simply visit the link below:

www.fitonraw.com/low-fat-raw-vegan-favorites

How to Convince Your Loved Ones to Go Raw

I know how exciting it is when you first go raw.  You see all these wonderful bodily and mental improvements that you never experienced on any other diet.

You truly feel like you have discovered the “Fountain of Youth” and you just want to bombard everyone you know with all the raw food and fitness information you’ve got.

Please, don’t do it!

There is a better, gentler, and much more *effective* way…

Don’t Force It

Let’s face it.  Even though the popularity of the raw food movement is growing, most people still think eating a raw food diet is for wackos.

And no matter how supportive or encouraging your family and friends are, they probably feel the same way.  Don’t be surprised if they view the whole raw food movement as a food fad and fully expect you to come running back to “normal” cooked fare in no time.

And this makes perfect sense!  Just think back to your cooked food days: how would you have reacted to someone (even a close relative) trying to convince you to eat nothing but fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds? AND nothing is cooked?!?

Just some crazy new trend, right?

And how about the nerve of this loved one telling YOU how to live YOUR life as if they could possibly know what’s best for YOU!

The audacity!

Bottom line, you can’t force people to change their mindset and you certainly can’t force people to change their eating habits.  If you try, you will fail.  Not only will you fail, you will risk losing valuable relationships in the process.

Flaunt It!

The best thing you can do to convince others to go raw is to lead by example.  Simply live your life and people will be drawn to your successes.

When people start noticing how healthy and vibrant you obviously look and feel, everyone will want to know your secret.  All of a sudden, people who were never interested in your diet or exercise regimen (or perhaps even shunned/poked fun at what you’re doing) will be dying to know your secret.

No one can resist the raw glow!

Most importantly, they will be coming to YOU for advice, instead of you bombarding them.  It will completely be their idea and their CHOICE.

Proof is in the (Raw) Pudding

When I first went raw, the rest of my family ate standard cooked food.  My Mom has always been an excellent cook, but health wasn’t really high up on the agenda.

The concern was more for taste, not nutrition.

So what did I do to try and convince them to go raw?  Nothing. I didn’t bombard them with raw food “propaganda.”  I didn’t preach to them about the “evils” of cooked food.  I didn’t even instruct them to read 80/10/10 or The China Study.

I just ate lots of fruit, exercised, spent time outdoors, got adequate sleep and answered any health-related questions they had for me.

Well, it’s been two years and things have really changed.  My Mom eats mostly vegan and rarely ever cooks meat anymore.  The family has gone from having meat pretty much every single night to once or twice a week.

There is much more of a focus on plant foods and much less on meat, cheese, dairy, salt, butter, etc.

While two years may sound like a long time to you, just think back to how long it took you to come to grips with raw foodism.  Personally, I became interested in health and fitness back in early 2005, but it was not until late 2007 that I went raw.

And remember, I’m from the land of BBQ ribs, fried chicken, and pulled pork sandwiches.  The fact that my family regularly eats meatless (sometimes completely vegan) meals and LOVES them is just too cool to me.

And now I get to accept full responsibility and praise for all their health improvements, of course.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

* Feature Article: How To Keep Warm on Raw Foods

Low Fat Raw Recipe E-Book

As promised, I will be releasing a short recipe e-book very soon…as in *next week* soon!  I know this is perfect timing for many of you, as we’re all finally adjusting from the Holidays and (it’s okay, you can admit it) from all the cooked food craziness.

The book contains over 35 recipes, all from various low fat raw vegans I “know” around the net.  Even some of my awesome subscribers pitched in with some delectable dishes.

Whether you are brand new to raw foods or have been on-and-off raw for years, I’m sure you will enjoy the tasty recipes in this book.

And speaking of awesome subscribers…

Also as promised, all of my subscribers will receive a special discount on the book.  This is only for those on my list so be sure and opt-in in the little “Free Newsletter” box at the top of this page!

Swayze

How To Keep Warm on Raw Foods

I just gotta be honest.  Being a raw foodist during the winter can really suck sometimes.  The summer sunshine is long gone, along with all the beautifully ripe fruit and veg.

You head over to your local grocery store looking for some ripe fruit and all you find are rows and rows of green as grass bananas and rock-hard, out-of-season melons and mangoes.

Some days I could almost kill someone for just one ripe Red Haven peach.

*sigh*

But the worst part about a winter gone raw?

It’s @*#&$^% cold!

As a raw foodist, one of the biggest issues you will come across is staying warm.

To help deal with the chilliness, most raw foodists try bundling up in clothing and blankets and sipping warm water.  Many “raw” gurus out there even advocate eating steamed veggies and warmed broths to warm up.

Nonsense, I say!

You don’t need layers and layers of underwear and you CERTAINLY don’t need cooked food to keep warm.

There is a completely raw, completely easy, and completely effective way to keep warm on a raw food diet and you can bet your ice cold caboose I’m gonna give ya the scoop!

Oh yeah…and it’s completely free, too!

Break a Sweat

Sorry couch potatoes, but the best way to beat the winter blues is to exercise.

Sure, you can take a hot shower, or put on some thermal underwear, or drink some warm water…

But these tactics take FOREVER and usually have fleeting results.

Taking a shower feels great.  So great, in fact, that I don’t want to leave.  I end up wasting a lot of hot water just standing around and by the time I step out of the tub, I’m ice cold again!

Instead, I recommend moving your body.  And I don’t mean a full 60 minutes of intense exercise…since I know you’re doing that already.

I mean just a few minutes of simple bodyweight exercises (i.e. push-ups, mountain climbers, pull-ups, squats, etc.)

Here’s a simple Calisthenics routine that I like to do:

• Jogging in place, 30 seconds
• 50 jumping jacks
• 10 push-ups
• 10 mountain climbers
• 10 body squats/calf raises combo (you squat, do a calf raise and repeat)

I usually run through this 2-3 times to get my heart rate up a little bit.  It only takes a few minutes to perform and by the end of the routine, I’m super toasty for hours on end!

There’s no exact science here.  For instance, if I happen to be a little sore from weight training the day before, I’ll just stick to aerobic moves like jogging in place, football runs, and jumping jacks.

Just pick your favorite moves and get to work!

Besides warming up those frigid fingers and toes, I’m sure I don’t have to mention all the other benefits of exercise.  Even just a few brief minutes of movement can have profound effects on your body AND mind.

It’s a total win-win!

Another Calorie-Burning Warmer-Upper

Dance Dance Revolution!

Okay, so it’s totally dorky, especially for those rhythmically challenged among us, but it’s really a lot of fun.  Just set the game to basic (or difficult, if you dare) and you’ll be surprised how quickly you break a sweat!  There’s even a workout setting that allows you to track your calories burned.

And you will *really* have some fun if you’re into techno remixes of 80’s pop tunes.

Techno meets Duran Duran…who can resist?

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone!

Since we are just hours away from entering the New Year – and the winners for the Best of Raw are being announced today – I thought it’d be a good idea to do a little post on the “best of” Fit On Raw posts for 2009.

If you didn’t know, I started Fit On Raw just 6 months ago in June.  The feedback has been much greater than I expected.  The site was even recently mentioned on 30BAD by Mr. Fruit Crusader himself, Harley Johnstone (aka Durian Rider)!

I can’t wait to see what the next year brings!

But I’m getting ahead of myself…

First, let’s take a look at the top 5 most popular posts of 2009, based on the # of comments:

Top 5 Popular Posts of 2009

#1: The Raw Food Gurus are Lying to You

#2: Why John Mackey is My New Best Friend

#3: The Fit On Raw Alternative to a High Fat Raw Food Diet

#4: Low Fat Raw Vegan: What Does One Eat?

#5: Vitamin D and Raw Vegan Diet: A Recipe for Deficiency?

Here’s 5 more articles that did not make the list, but that I think are pretty info-packed…

#6: 5 Know How Tips for the Raw Food Beginner

#7: A High Carb Diet for Raw Success

#8: #1 Rule for Healthy Raw Food Weight Loss

#9: Are You Guilty of Guzzling Sweets?

#10: Everything You Know About Protein is Wrong

I received a lot of emails from this last one!

Plans for 2010

If you’re on my mailing list, you know that I will be releasing a recipe e-book very, very soon (emphasis on the *very*).  And, of course, I’ll have a special deal for all my wonderful subscribers.

So if you aren’t on my list, hop to it by subscribing in the box below!

Other than that, it will be business as usual…lots of raw food and fitness facts, lots of fruit, and lots of fun!

Reader Suggestions?

If you have any comments you’d like to share or suggestions for future posts, feel free to leave them below or email me at swayze@fitonraw.com!

Go raw, be fit, and go easy on the fireworks,

Swayze