And finally::: The Afters!

So last night was the community screening of Fat Sick and Nearly Dead.  It was rewarding to share this with other people.

One of the audience members is also a reader of my blog and she had remarked that I hadn't written in quite a while.

Updates:  I got a new job, a more active job.  Much like Phil Staples did in the film.  I'm also more busy that I have been in a while.

So I feel like I need to produce The Afters.

The Before and Afters:: (Or really, the Afters and Befores because I didn't logically order them)

So, I'm still quite a bit away from where I want to be yet, but now comes the real challenge:: Maintaining without fasting.

Some Juicing Tips::

I'm going to share these awesome tips from the Fat Sick and Nearly Dead website as a follow up to my last post about how every juice doesn't have to be a party in your mouth.  However, I should have also added:: Don't drink something that is absolutely HORRIBLE either.  I don't mean for you to gag down something everyday that you wouldn't feed to your worst enemy.  Just kind of like how you drink water; you're not always dying of thirst and it's not absolutely flooded with flavor, but you drink it (maybe with some indifference) because you know it's good for you.

I would also like to add: I LOVE food, cooking and flavor.  A ton.  I said the other day, that I don't miss eating solid foods as much as I miss cooking them, and when this fast is over I hope to continue my blog with some awesome healthy cooking recipes.  But for 30 days I'm sacrificing that a little bit to be healthier in the long run, and that's not a bad trade off.

This article is called Juice S.O.S. and was written by  Stacey Kennedy who is the nutritionist for Reboot Your Life (the company that spun off of the documentary).

"We’ve all done it at some point. Juiced up a bunch of vibrant, healthy and delicious vegetables and fruits only to taste it and think – ick!

My first botched batch of juice had way too much ginger. I love ginger and know how good it is for immunity and digestion so I figured, the more the better! When my beautiful green juice, made with local, organic veggies from my CSA/farm share box, like kale, swiss chard (silverbeet), dandelion greens and collards (cabbage leaves), celery, cucumber tasted awful, I was determined to rescue it and turn my juice into something palatable. No way was I wasting all that green goodness!
Here are some tips for how to turn any juice disaster into a delicious drink. Start by adding more ingredients to boost nutrients and tweak the flavor. If this doesn’t do the trick, then try diluting and pouring your juice over ice. If all else fails blend in some smooth and creamy fruits.
Step 1: Don’t throw it away!
With a bit of creativity and determination you can transform your juice from icky to yummy, strong to subtle or bitter to sweet.
Step 2: Add more ingredients
• sweet- apple, pear, strawberries, peach, watermelon, butternut squash (baby pumpkin), celery root/celeriac
• tart – pineapple, mango, orange, clementine, grapefruit, kiwi fruit, blackberries, raspberries, lemon, lime (remove citrus peels for less zest/bitter flavor)
• heat- jalapeno, serrano, habanero or other hot pepper (capsicum), sprinkle some cracked red pepper, chipotle, cumin or other spice on top
• flavor- fresh is best but dried works too sprinkled and mixed in. Thyme, cilantro (coriander), basil, mint, fennel, cinnamon, parsley, ginger, scallion, red onion, garlic, etc…
• neutral- zucchini (courgette), summer squash (yellow squash) cucumber, jicama (yam bean,) grapes, romaine lettuce (cos lettuce)
Step 3: Dilute with
• coconut water
• water
• juice of just one fruit/veggie (like 100% carrot, apple or orange)
• your favorite juice
• pour over ice
Step 4: Blend in more flavors
• banana
• avocado
Here are more good ideas to try http://jointhereboot.com/jamin’s-juicing-tips/
Have fun with your new creation. We’d love to hear about your juice adventures!
Cheers,
Stacy"

So... Not to contradict myself:: Just kind of saying:: Your juice is not going to taste like this::

Thanks for the pic.

But you shouldn't deal with it tasting like this:

Thanks for the pic.

For Those Considering::

We did a sample of juicing at fellowship last Sunday.  My Pastor has been juicing and has gotten his family into it as well as some other church members.  We're planning on a screening of Fat Sick and Nearly Dead as well as starting a community program in the DeMotte area where we help people get started on small juice fasts.

With the sample of juicing there was some mixed feelings.

Some people thought it tasted very good.  Others thought it was gross.  Still others wouldn't even try it.

And with this, Stacey (pastor's wife and my friend) brought up a very good point::

"People need to get over this notion that every meal that they eat needs to be the best thing they've ever put in their mouth.  You really have to get into the mindset that what you're eating is fuel and it does your body good."

It's very true.  Not every juice I make is delicious, though some are.  They're definitely not all pretty.  If you're used to a lot of "bad" foods in your diet, even the good ones will probably not be good to you at first.  But the mindset needs to be changed to This Is Healthy.  And also to remember: It's not for forever.  Can you really not go a week (for most people this is what is recommended) without having the best meal of your life?  If it takes a week to jump start health goals that have been in the back of your mind for ages, why not just do it?  What do you really have to lose?

I'll post as soon as I know when the screening will be, everyone should witness it and make an informed decision on if this is the best thing for your health and your body. 

Days 11-16:: Stephy the Slacker

So I haven't been posting everyday.

Apologies!

So what have I been doing?

• Catching up on cleaning
• Running
• Hanging with family
• Getting a second job.

And dum dum dummmm Having a cheat meal!

I know I know, but I was surprised by my wonderful boyfriend after work last Saturday and didn't bring juice with me.  And as a meal what did I get? Pizza.  Like I said I wouldn't.  So big fail on my part.

But let's spin it::

It was an experiment so I could prove what I said in This Post right.  Pizza is not a good break the fast meal...It made me very sick.  And happy to be back on the juice and where I should be the next day. 

This last week has brought me three Juice Fast tips::

1. Definitely don't eat bad food when you're used to eating good food.
2. Always be prepared with some juice made ahead of time.
3. In fact, always make big pitchers of juice at a time. 

That last one comes from me just making huge pitchers of juice all week.  I feel like it saves a bit of money because the more veggies and fruits sit in bags or on top of each other, the quicker they rot.  You have to be a little more strategic with your combos with this method though.  Generally, unless you plan it this way, you won't have enough of the ingredients to make a "recipe" of juice.  Recipes generally consist of 4-5 fruits and veggies and herbs and you have a pretty good handle on what it will taste like.  What I've been doing though, is just trying to put my fruits and veggies in decent proportion. Warning:: It's almost never a pretty color.  This method definitely saves a ton of time as well.  Only cutting up veggies and cleaning the juicer once a day (or once every two days if you do it right) makes your Juice Fasting Life a lot better. 

If you are doing a Giant Juice because you've overbought and your produce is starting to look a little wilty, add some lemon or lime which is a natural preservative (as is salt, but I don't recommend that).

Remember though, Natural juice separates when it sits.  A wonderful product (especially if you're making juice once every two days) is the Family Quick Stir Pitcher.  Leave me a comment on this post if you'd like one.  The large size holds a ton of juice, It can close and strain (or if you want it a little more pulpy, just open flow), it's cute (polka spotty) and it's got a plunger so you can mix the juice before pouring every time.

So that's all for catching up...

Day Ten:: Clothing Lust

Today was awesome.  I went to the mall with my sister.  We went because she had this idea that each of us should get jewelry with a purple stone in remembrance of my mom.  Just a little reminder of her because 1. Her birthday is coming up (It's Valentine's Day) and amethyst is her birthstone and 2. Purple is a color that represents lupus.

 Here's mine::

Then we went to American Eagle and Delia's so I could look around and get some further inspiration for getting back into shape.  There were so many things that I saw that I decided "next month, I'm going to be ready for new clothes."

We're in the midst of wedding fever now that we're planning my sister's wedding.  We've got the dress and whatnot but we still wanted to look at wedding stuff.  So she showed me where the ceremony will be (I was working when they went to pick it our) and also the wedding rings her and her fiance picked out. 

She came over to hang out with me and dad and we had fun laughing at some wedding cakes gone wrong before I went off for my run.  (Prior post tells about how my run went.)

After I was done running I put my aching self to bed.  It was a day truly about family and reaching my goals.  And those are the most satisfying.

Me, God, Lady Gaga, and Modest Mouse

All went for a run tonight.

Although that started like a beginning to a bad joke, the only bad joke may be my mile time::

So remember how I said I'm preparing to run the IU Mini Marathon?  I figured I should probably get on that since it's a half-marathon and I'm in no shape to run it yet. 

I meant to do 5 miles tonight, because I figured if I could bump myself up one mile per week, I'll get to my 13.1 in time.  I'm glad that I started out better than 5 miles because Bloomington has a lot of hills that I have to work to master. 

In the devotional Pray Fit that I've mentioned in earlier posts, it encourages the reader/exerciser to do your exercises "to fail".  This means you're doing pushups and you keep doing them until your arms will not push you back off the floor again.  The next day you do the same exercise only you should do at least one more rep of it in less time.  I decided I should use this principle in my run.  So I ran my five miles and then kept going until my legs just wouldn't keep going.  And tomorrow I plan to do at least 6 miles at a better time.

A lot of times when I'm doing something difficult, I mentally make deals with myself.  Like, "okay, you're going to do 5 more minutes on this stationary bike but if 5 minutes is up before a commercial break, you have to keep going until the commercial break."  Silly, I know, but usually if this happens and commercial break comes up, I go, "oh well now you've done 6.7 minutes, you may as well do 10..."

So I loaded my "On-the-Go" playlist with songs that I LOVE.  You know, songs that when they're on the radio when you pull into your driveway you will finish them out before you turn off the car and go inside. (Is that just me?)

So I had things like::

Yoü and I - Lady Gaga

Black Cadillacs - Modest Mouse

And Darling - Tegan and Sara

If It's Love - Train

Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down

Beautiful Mess - Diamond Rio

Serenade No. 13 in G, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik", K 525 Andante - Mozart Modern

That Time- Regina Spektor

...and etc and etc.

When I had hit 4 miles, "I want you (She's so heavy)- The Beatles" came on and I pictured a darling retro, 50's-esque dress that I saw and loved when I was at the mall with my sister today everytime the song's sultury lyrics sang "I want you...I want you so bad" and then used "She's so heavy" as some negative reinforcement to keep on keeping on with my run.

As soon as that song ended I got off Abbey Road and the soulful rendition of "Let It Be" from Across the Universe played and brought me to a peaceful place.  I started to talk to God until it was time for my body to stop and cool down and walk the rest of the way home.  Earbuds in, iPod off.

One day, in a conversation about being wholly healthy, I told my pastor, Jeremy VanKley and his wife Stacey (who are two amazing people when it comes to spiritual leaders, motivational supporters, and just plain great friends) that a lot of times I run with absolutely no music but my iPod strapped to me and my earbuds in because I'm praying and I don't want anyone interrupting me. 

"God my legs are aching!

Thank you for giving me working legs.

God my heart feels like it's going to burst!

Thank you for giving me a healthy heart.

God I'm sweating a ton!

Thank you for this beautiful night.

God, I feel like I'm going to puke

Thank you for providing me with food to eat."

I'm really not the most formal prayer.  That's why I'm happy to not get singled out to pray in crowds very often.  Me and the Big Guy are cool and he knows my heart, and that's what matters.

Tonight I learned::

If you're feeling bad for yourself

Or if you're giving yourself permission to quit

You are forgetting all that you're blessed with.

Day Nine:: Back to Work

Today was my first full day at The Job since Day One.

Which means it was another 10.5 hour day at The Job.  For the last month I've been trying very hard to make sure that I stand up while working.  Not just, as the rules suggest, while there are customers present.  The whole day.  The .5 hours is spent on lunch break, so I did sit then.  Otherwise I sat a total of 6 minutes just to give my feet a break. 

Why do I do this?

Sitting: 111 kcal/hour
Desk work: 118 kcal/hour
Standing: 158 kcal/hour
Standing while doing desk work: 165 kcal/hour

There are just little things you can do to burn a few extra calories a day.  And since when I have long days like that, it really cuts into my motivation and time to exercise, standing really makes a (47 kcal/hour) difference.

Normally, this is very hard for me to do and I sit 5 minutes or so an hour because my body just feels very worn out.  Today I did not feel that at all.  Also, the way I talked to customers was not only more cheerful, but it also more focused and I was able to solve their problems more efficiently.  Not that I'm not a friendly person, but I was always so worried about trying to remember what I had learned in training and recently about certain things that I wasn't as focused on my cheerfulness.  Today though, it came so easily to me that I made sure to keep eye contact and didn't feel like I needed to reference my cheat sheets or the computer or other staff to effectively answer their questions. 

Also, when I had an angry customer,(you know, the kind that decides that if something is wrong with their account it is never their own fault and that who ever is in front of them should now take the blame) it didn't bother me as much.  Sometimes it would effect my attitude that someone was that blatantly rude to me (it never used to a year+ ago) but today I was very able to quickly put that behind me.

When I got home I worked out a bit in our brand new home gym stationary bike (woo) and of course watched the Big Bang Theory. I then wrote for a bit (but obviously not in my blog....sorry about the delay of posts). And went to bed.  And slept like a rock.