Welcome To Healthy And Beautiful Living!

My Name is Amber Duke.


I am a health and beauty coach 

dedicated to helping individuals

transform their lives!


On this home site, you will have access

to complimentary tips like healthy recipes and

nutritional advice!


Go ahead and browse the site and get started

on the path to healthy and beautiful living!

Gracious Gratitude

It seems like in this high tech, fast paced, get everything NOW, modern society I hear more complaining than I would like.  I know for me if I don't watch it I can get caught up in the same insanity. Harsh word to choose but if we really examine our situation there is much to be grateful for especially if you have your health. The planet we live on can be a really dangerous place in retrospect and if your over 33 and still alive with good health that is enough to jump up and down with joy about! Even with ailments we now have modern medicine and a wealth of knowledge that can ease the severity of such things.                

Practicing true greatfullness can actually be very healing.  It eraticates any hautiness and breeds the ground for humility. If we humble ourselves we will find that love will spread a carpet of flowers beneath our feet. We will then see the world in a much different light with a softer and more open heart.  To become a grateful person, we can really change your life by way of altering
our perception. Looking at the positives rather than pointing out the negatives. It is really a simple yet powerful practice. So go head and try it on and see how having much greatfullness can take ten years off of your face!

Magic In Empowering The Good!

If I'm not maturing spiritually, one of the things that can tend to grow like a parasitic limb 

in my life is negative thinking.  I would say it comes from an imbalance of being too 

inwardly focused or too outwardly focused.   I do believe that is true at least for myself.  

I can get so busy doing for others that I neglect self care which can cause an emotional 

avalanche or on the other hand I can be so aware of every little pain and ache that it builds 

me up to believe there is something terribly wrong.  What the two extremes have in common 

is negative energy or momentum that steams from the fear of not getting what we really need. 

So we begin to panic and scurry about to grab at whatever or whomever we can to meet 

that deep longing.

Now on the other spectrum far from chaos of the mind there is balance, peace and serenity.  

It is a state where life just seems to flow like a slow moving river rather than feeling the 

resistance or unacceptance of our currant situation.  I find when I focus on the good things 

I have in this life such as shelter, food and health, other seemingly pressing matters seem to 

loss the power to control me.  Oh how easy it is to forget this when life seems to hit the rapids 

of change and growth.  That is why it is so important to try to refocus our attention on this 

simple frame of mind.

"Whatever we give energy to, we empower."

We can so easily get sucked into modern materialism especially living in bigger cities where everywhere you look there is some advertisement trying to make you rethink what your 

necessities really are.   If you start to recognize these things you will be amazed at how many 

subliminal messages are lurking around trying to steal your happiness and peace of mind.  

That is why being out in nature is so revitalizing and healing to the soul.   It is out there 

where we experience the natural flow and biorhythms we crave.

I really believe what we empower and make precedence in our lives grows bigger.  

To place our hearts and our minds on the simple goodness of life is really the key to 

having a enriching experience.

May you who reads this be reminded that it's really the simple things in life that make it so wonderful!

Do what is right for you.

Instead of aiming only for the results, 

consider taking actions because they 

seem to be the right actions for yourself. 

"Even if I knew the world would go to 

pieces, I would still plant an apple tree."-

Martin Luther

Why Diets Don't Work!

Have you ever been on a really strict diet such as the atkins low carb or the ever so popular fat free craze that I followed in the 90's.  Well I have and let me tell you that was probably to crankiest I've ever been next to my last few weeks in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy.

Most people including myself in the past believe that if you restrict your diet for several months and loose a bunch of weight that you can go back to eating cheeseburgers, soda's, fried chicken and ice cream on a regular basis.  The problem with that belief is that while you deprive yourself of important calories and nutrients your body actually looses vital muscle mass.  Now you may ask what does muscle mass have to do with anything.  Well actually it has everything to do with it.  You see every pound of lean muscle tissue burns 6 calories an hour without doing anything at all. Fat tissue only burns 2 per hour.   When you go on strict diets you can loose up to 10 pounds of muscle causing your body to burn less calories thus resulting in rapid weight gain when you go back to old habits.

Of course we all know that in order to loose weight we need to eat better but I also believe that in order to loose weight the healthy way one should not deprive themselves.  Everyone wants to indulge in a rich chocolate dessert at times but the key is to not make it habitual.  It really is a lifestyle change to manage our portion sizes and eat more greens, whole grains, lean protein, and fresh fruit.  We also need to keep in mind that muscle building exercises are a must to get lasting results.  For folks 40 plus it is even more vital since that's when we begin to loose 1 percent of our lean muscle mass per year.  This is why I'm a huge fan of Yoga!  Excluding power yoga it is virtually non impact and works and strengthens every muscle of the body in just a short amount of time.

After I had my baby I had a good 40 pounds to loose.  Since I was breastfeeding, going on a strict diet was not in the cards.  I had never been in this position in my whole life since I had been so disciplined with eating well and working out.  I was some how hoping that I would be one of those woman who would just magically loose all of her baby weight in just a few months.  After 3 or 4 months I was barely even loosing 1 or 2 pounds a month and I began to get really frustrated.
One day after reading "The womanly art of breastfeeding" by the la leche league international, I came across this very subject.  Because I was breastfeeding going on a restricted diet to loose 10 pounds in a month was a big no no.  Fat tissue holds the majority of toxins as well and nutrients.  If I were to loose a large amount of weight in a short time I would risk passing the toxins into my milk which could possibly make my precious one ill.  It further stated that true healthy weight loss was about 1 to 2 pounds a month.  The more I thought about it the more sense it made.

We have become so accustomed in this modern day thinking to take a pill and "poof" we would be skinny.  If your on a journey like I am we have to keep in mind that babies weren't conceived and birthed over night.  If you look at nature and how plants grow, they do so at a slow pace.  So learning from nature we should be patient in the process of transforming our bodies.  We will then grow naturally into our new form without much resistance.

It has now been just over a year and a half since my son was born and I have about arrived to my pre-baby weight and It was a slow but painless progress. Sometimes we are steady and strong in the progression to our goal and sometimes we stumble. As long as we realize not to get discouraged or beat our selves up we can continue on the path and eventually we will reach our destination size.

So stay encouraged! You can do anything when you set your mind to it!

Dance like no one is watching!

Everyone has an innate desire and ability to dance.

 It's not just for "trained" dancers to have all the fun.

Every now and then when I am overwhelmed with stress and anxiety I go into a room, shut the door and crank up the music and just let loose.  It's not a perfectly choreographed routine.  I find the exact opposite is best. Messy and all over the place! 

 Something about moving our whole being in sequence with music is so healing to our soul.  

It's a beautiful expression of all our cells united by our mind and soul. Not only is it fun and creative it's also an excellent way to burn some calories.  In my 20's I remember going out all night on a weekly basis and dance up a storm.  It was the best shape I had ever been in and I hardly worked out.

 Somehow we've developed the thinking is our society that when you "grow up" and become a responsible adult that there is little or no room to express ourselves this way.  

Many I believe that regular dance sessions can in fact keep you feeling younger and keep your heart light. 

 So even if it's just moving side to side in your living room or going out to your favorite dance hall, go ahead and get out 

of your set and see how dance can set you free!

Veggie Tortilla Soup

Veggie Tortilla Soup

1 tbsp Sodium Free Granulated Chicken Bouillun

1 medium beet

3 large carrots

3 medium baking potatoes

1/2  red bell pepper

3 tomatoes

1 head broccoli

4 leaves kale

1/2 yellow onion

3 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp cumin

1 bunch cilantro

Sharp cheddar cheese

This is my rendition of traditional tortilla soup 

that is loaded with antioxidant rich veggies!

I cook mine in a wok which cuts the cooking time 

in half and no oil is used.

Start by cutting the beet in small slivers 

Add about 3 cups of water and salt in the wok on high heat

Once boiling add beets and cover

Cut up carrots and potatoes in bite sized pieces 

Add to them in the wok with 2 more cups of water

Cut tomatoes, bell pepper, and garlic then add them as well

Now cut the steams of the broccoli in bite sized bits 

Set aside florets

Add the broccoli stems and chicken bouillon 

If need be add more water to keep it soupy 

Cut up the kale then garlic and add to soup

Once all ingredients are in add the cumin 

Simmer until all veggies are soft

While soup is simmering chop cilantro and shred cheese

When soup is done pour and top the cilantro, cheese and ENJOY!