I humbly plead for your mercy...

Hello, my long lost Blog family! I would apologize for my non-posting. But I seem to be apologizing for that alot lately, so I won't bore you with another apology! I had a bad week food wise...I gave in to every PMS craving I had. I am not going to lie, I enjoyed every scrumptious bite! LOL! It tasted oh so good! Other than this past week, I have okay with the eating and the exercising! I have not tried any new adventures as yet, but now that summer is upon me, its time to get to Kayaking, rowing, and rock climbing! And I am but a mere 6 weeks away from my 36-mile bike ride! I can't wait, I am so excited! Since my last hiatus, I have stumbled upon a few things that I thought I should mention! First...Robek's Juice! I never knew they made fresh juices! Completely accident that I found this out. I was trying to go to Jamba Juice after a beach walk and Jamba Juice was closed so I went to Robek's Juice and to my surprise fresh juices! I tried one, I forget the name of the one I tried, but Its good to know that I can get my juices on the go, when needed! It was not overly expensive. Not expensive like the juices at whole foods. It so hit the spot after that walk on the beach! I found a new website/blog that I enjoy! I am going to add it to my blog page, but its called http://thankyourbody.com. I found so many useful tips and resources on that page! It is becoming a daily read for me! If you have time you should definitely check it out! My curiosity for Raw food is growing, and well...I think Its time I invest in a food dehydrator. I really want to try one! LOL! I am thinking of all the healthy snacks I can make myself instead of buying them pre-packaged and filled with preservatives. I can make my own jerky, my own dried fruits, and I am thinking that Kale chips would come out excellent in a dehydrator. So stay tuned, as you know if I go down the food dehydrator road...you will be reading about it! That's all for now, just wanted to make a quick update now that we are in June! See you next time!

Detox Day #2

Well I have made it to day 2.  I am amazed how excited I am about juicing again.  My last juice detox was in December 2012.  So today I made the same juice and had it for Breakfast & for lunch.  This one does not have a name, I did not make it from a recipe, I just picked out some veggies and hoped for the best.

Today's Juice:
2 apples (Fuji)

1/2 bunch of Spinach
Handful of Parsley
1 inch of Ginger
1/2 lemon
4 stalks of celery
1 Large Collard Green Leaf

This made just a tad bit more than 16 ounces of juice.  Also a yummie juice.  I loved it! 

Today some friends and I attempted to get onto Price is Right.  We didn't get in, we ran a tad bit late.  But while we were on our way to the CBS studios we decided to get silly and pose at a waterfall! LOL!  Here is my picture.  The whole time all I could think, was please don't fall back into the water! 

Okay today's physical activity is the walk from the Grove Parking lot to the CBS studio.  It was about 1.76 miles.

Water:  Didn't do so well.  Only one liter.

Now its time to prep my veggies for tomorrow and get to bed. 

Detox Day #1...Gone Awry

Hey there!  Well Detox Day #1 is almost to an end.  Things did not go 100% according to plan.  But at least I have finally started my detoxing.  I made 2 juices today, the Mean Green Juice and a Green Lemonade Recipe that I modified to my purpose! LOL! 

So the first drink of the day made a nice big 20 ounce cup of juice.  Perfect for starting the morning.  The Mean Green Juice as featured in the DVD Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.  In all honesty, this is the first time in almost 2 years of juicing I have actually made the juice!  It is excellent! 

Recipe:

6 stalks of Kale
4 Stalks of celery
1 cucumber (my cucumber was not organic so I peeled it before juicing)
2 Green apples
1/2 lemon
1 inch of Ginger

I was truly amazed on how good the juice was!  I was missing out on a great green juice all these years! 

 

 

 

 

My second juice of the Day is my Modified version of Green Lemonade

 

3 leaves of Red Leaf Lettuce

1 stalk of celery

1/2 lemon

handful of parsley

1 apple

 

This made about 6 ounces of juice, also very yummy, and my first time juciing parsley!  I forgot to take a picture so please forgive me. 

 

Can you believe after I finished my Mean Green Juice and got to work, I had the audacity, to still walk my greedy butt into Coffee Bean and get a Latte & a croissant?  Bad choice!  I have decided that while on this detox..cash and debit cards are staying at home.  I can not face the temptation of Coffee Bean on daily basis! 

 

 

Lunch went according to plan, ate my salad.  Had some zuchinni, and corn and some home made pico de gallo.  So all I have to do tonight is drink a cup of my Yogi Detox tea and its a wrap. 

 

Excercise:  54 minutes walking at a very leisurely pace

 

Water:  1.5 Liter

Contemplation of the MInd

Last night it hit me that I had signed up for 7-day detox with the wonderful folks for Fitlife.tv, which is Drew Canole's company.  When this came to my mind, I started thinking, I have to prepare! I have to go shopping, I have to plan!   Sadly, when I have all this intense planning to do, I do it at work! LOL!  So this morning has been very unproductive work-wise, but very productive on a personal level.   7-day Juice Detox, it has been a while since I went 7 straight days on a detox, so there is a bit of nervousness in me.  But it is something that I must do.  I know I need it.

The first thing I did this morning is search through the sale ads to see what produce items were on sales.  Based on what is on sale, I will decide what I will juice for the week.  This is how I juice on a budget.  Much to my surprise, there are lots of goodies that I will need and use for this detox that are on sale!  Carrots 3 lbs for $1, Celery 2 for $1, Apples 2lbs for $1, grapefruit 3 for $1, strawberries 88 cents, Spinach 2 for $1!  I could go on, but you get the point.  So right now I think the only thing I will have to pay full price for are my beets, fennel and Kale.  I am excited and once I get to shopping this weekend, I will be set for my 7-day journey.

Last night I ventured out to a short neighborhood hike/walk.  I feel weird calling it a hike, after comparing it to Temescal, Fryman and Sycamore Canyon this was a walk in the park.  Well not a walk in the park, it was still a challenge, but bit as physically taxing or as long as the other hikes.  The elevation climb was about 400 feet and had beautiful views over the city.  I was so grateful, it was a clear day.  I was upset that I did not have my camera!  This place is fairly close to home, so I have no excuse to get out there more!   I even saw a cute little bunny rabbit along the trail!

Weekend Recap...

View from the Marina

Marina Del Rey

I have been fighting a cold, but I am at the tail end of my sickness.  Saturday I set out to get 12 miles in for my Bike race in July.  I headed out there and I was feeling pretty energetic, and got 19.38 miles in!  I was so surprised!  I am glad I covered that many miles...that is 1/2 way to what I need prepare for.  Unfortunately in my ambitiousness I ventured into Marina Del Rey.  I have never figured out how to get around the Marina, so in years past I have always ridden to it turn around and just head down south to Hermosa Beach.  This weekend, I decided to tackle to Marina.  I know there is a path that will get me around the marina into Venice beach, and I was determined to find it.  I found part of it..and then some how I ended up on the streets.  I was on Lincoln blvd, a narrow 2 lane street in Marina Del rey with no bike lane!  I was terrified, and thought I was gonna get hit by a car! I am happy to report I made it without being injured!  I really had a great sense of accomplishment after I did that ride...I really had no idea I could do that much.
Saturday Bike Ride

After my bike ride, I ventured down to Redondo Beach and hit the Sauna.  A nice relazing hour in the sauna to detox and destress!  I felt really good aftwards!  I made juice...Beets, carrots, ginger & apple.  I don't know why, but the juice tasted salty to me!  But I made myself drink it, I hate wasting things!


I then finished off my night with a movie...The Call!  It was really good, I was surprised that I enjoyed it so much.  It was a good suspense movie. 

Quick Update...

Hello!  Some days life just does not allow me to sit down behind this computer and update you on this journey! 

Fret not I am still in the game!  Still juicing, working out when I can, and working on better eating habits!  I am struggling with the workouts!  Things have been crazy crazy crazy busy at work.  I have been stuck with some 12-13 hour work days.  But the time I leave to go home, I don't have much energy for working out!  So right now the level of workouts have decreased, so I have to stay on point with my eating. 

THe juicing is still coming along!  I love juicing!  I am thinking about investing in a new juicer, but I am not sure which one to get.  I am also venturing into one of those delivery services for my produce items.  I can get a box of produce for $40 a month, all locally grown here in California and its organic.  I'll give it a shot and see how it works out. 

I tried a new class at the gym this week...It was called Crunch.  Its a new offering and well it was a bit unorganized.  But a good workout!  My quads & triceps are so sore!  Well that is all I have for now.  I promise to do better about the updates! 

I am counting this day...A VICTORY!

Well gang, Today for me, was a day from the pits!  I will give you the cliff notes version...I had a 12 hour work day.  Highly stressed!  I can't even explain!  But none the less, I told myself we are sticking to detox mode.  Again, not a perfect day, I had a mid-afternoon slip up.  My co-worker and her kind and generous self offered to buy my coffee & a cookie!  So you know I could not resist!  That was the slip up for the day, and even after 12 hour day at work...I made to to spin class!  I got to spin class late, but I made it!  This was my first spin class since, I don't know when.  I am so out of practice!  Oh my!  

So a quick recap of today's eats just to keep me accountable:

Pre-Breakfast (eaten before leaving the house)

 Detox Beetroot Juice

• 1 carrot
• 1 apple
• 3 celery stalks
• 1 small beet
• 3 leaves of Kale
• 1/2 of a fennel bulb

Ran all through the juicer for a nice glass of yummy-ness and liver & kidney detoxing! 

 

There was no-mid morning snack

Lunch:  my prepacked veggie tray.  Cucumbers, celery, carrots, black beans, salsa & some hummus 

Mid Afternoon Snack:  White Chocolate Latte & a chocolate chip cookie from Coffee Bean

Dinner: the other 1/2 of my chia seed pudding

Workout:  55 minutes of Spinning

 

Week in Review...

 What a week...It had many ups and many downs!  But a few things started back up this week!  I started juicing again, and I really did mean to blog every day about the juicing and as you can see that did not happen.  I tried a few new recipes...and they were all yummy!  Started back up my neighborhood walks, not really by choice, but I started them back up!  And today it was almost 80 degrees in Southern California so guess what I did...BIKE RIDE!  My first ride since October 2012..got a tad bit over 10 miles in. 

New Thing #1...Crock Pot Soups Returned!  
I bought a small personal crock pop maybe 2 years ago, that I keep at work.  The beginning of the work week it was extremely cold so I decided to pull out the crock pot and make some soup for lunch.

 Juicing Restarted

Well as I mentioned, I re-started juicing. I only took 1 picture of my juice, and I have forgotten its name.  But here are the ingredients:

• Romaine Lettuce 4 leaves
• One apple
• One Small Beet
• 1/2 Fennel Bulb
• 1/2 Cucumber

 





And the New Recipes
I can't remember if I have ever mentioned my love for Chia Seeds on this blog.  But please know that I love Chia Seeds!  I got an email about a 3-detox and one of the detox foods was a Chia Seed Pudding!  I finally Tried it!  The Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons of Chia Seeds
• 1 1/2 Cup of Nut Milk (I used vanilla Almond Milk)
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon Agave Nectar (but the recipe said honey)

Shake all the ingredients together and let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.  Believe it or not, it really does jell Up just like pudding and I promise you its tasty.  It has become a snack throughout the week and another way for me to get my Chia Seeds in!  Its a little sweet, so you really can have it as a dessert if you have a sweet tooth.  I know it looks nasty, but its good.  I promise!

For months I had been saving this recipe off of the Fitness Recipes page on Facebook, and agian, decided to try it.   It may sound odd, but the recipe calls for you to blend, spinach, and parmesan cheese in with your eggs and scramble it.  I took that Idea and did something a tad different:

• 1/2 green pepper
• 1/2 red pepper
• handful of spinach
• 4 eggs

I didn't add any cheese to mine, but I threw it all in and scrambled it.  It was very good, and I think I will do this more often.  It is a great way to get more veggies into my diet! 

My First Bike Ride of 2013
A lovely SO CAL DAY!  Headed to the beach and got 10 miles in!  WooHoo!
http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/152986615?user=1940300

Okay now that I have updated you with all things for the week, I guess I will wrap this up.  Have a wonderful day!

Holiday Juice Challenge Update & Other Stuff

Hey gang!  I know I was all excited about this Holiday Juice Challenge and I was posting almost every day with my little recipes and pictures and I fell off the band wagon...Again.   I did do some juicing, I just did not do it every day.  It was a crazy week last week!  Holiday Parties, Trips to Laguna Niguel, Races in Pomona and Glendale..I can't remember the last time I did so much local California Travelling!

Well just a quick update on my juicing...my last post was Day 7 so here is a quick recap:

Spiced Cranberry Apple Juice

• Day 8 (Dec 5th)  Spiced Cranberry Apple Juice      This recipe came from the lovely folks at juicingjuice.com,     and I loved it!   
• 1tsp Cinnamon (add to the juicer before juicing anything)
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 2 apples

• Day 9 (Dec 6th) Bell Pepper Hormone Balancer  This recipe came from the lovely folks at earthlyjuicecart.com  Okay, I have gotten some excellent recipes from them in the past, but this one was a swing and miss for me.  The juice was not tasty, I could not drink it at all! But in case you want to try it, here is the recipe.
• 4 whole green peppers
• 1/4 stalk of Fennel
• 1/4 tsp of Nativas Naturals Lucuma  (I did not add this-maybe it would have helped the taste?)

• Day 10 (Dec 7th) - Day 12 (Dec 9th) - No juicing!  
• Day 13 (Dec 10th) Venus Juice   
• Day 14 (Dec 11th)  Spiced Cranberry Apple Juice

Last week we had our Christmas Party/Recognition Dinner for the Arthritis Foundation.  We ate at an italian restaurant at the Grove.  The food was good, company was great and I was taken back by the wonderful Christmas Decorations at the Grove!  It was so pretty!  It really did put in me in the Christmas Spirit!

Some of the Christmas Decorations @ The Grove

Me @ the Grove!

So that is all I have for you guys today, a quick update and I will try to do better as the days go along!  Happy Holidays!

Informatioin Overload....

I apologize in advance if this turns out to be a long post.  I feel like I have so much to report. 

Okay Item #1  
I got on the scale today!  I was yet again shocked!  286.4!  Woohoo!  I promise one day I will learn to rotate this before posting.  I thought I did right, but obviously I didn't!  Please forgive me!

 

Okay Item #2

Holiday Juice Challenge - Day 7 (Dec 4th)

Another juice recipe borrowed from the wonderful folks at www.earthlyjuicecart.com!  And this my friends, has completely surprised me...I love it! It is called Green Lemonade.  It is another juice in the Anti-Inflammatory category!

Here are the ingredients:

• 3 leaves of romaine lettuce
• 1 apple
• 2 inches of ginger (I peeled my ginger)
• 1 lemon

This was my first time ever juicing lettuce and I must say I am very very impressed and pleased.  This is a very tasty juice.  I am also beginning to like the taste of ginger.  This is officially one of my favorite juices now!

Item #3
Got really active today.  Did some treadmill time, did weight training, and did 30 minutes of spin class!  Yeah me! 

So overall...a great day!  I am pleased and tired!  See you next time!

Multi-tasking Like Never Before!

I had a productive day!  I am taking break right now from my meal preparation for the week.  I am waiting on my chicken to cool down, so I can chop it up and add to my salads.  I also took my food prep to a whole new level today and even pre-prepped the produce I want to juice!  I have 4 bags set aside with my stuff to juice! 

After church today, I had a rather aggressive to-do list:

1. Go to Costco
2. Go to Trader Joe's
3. Go to Buy Low Warehouse
4. Do a load laundry
5. Return my Redbox return
6. Get my mile in for the Mile-a-day challenge.

All was going well until my stop to Trader Joe's!  The Trader Joe's nearest to me is next to a Kohl's and there was just a never ending line to get into the parking lot!  Patience is not my strength so I ended up driving like 6 miles to another Trader Joe's!  It was beneficial, I was in and out of that one in like 5 minutes.  Now get ready for this awesome Multi-tasking story that is about to come...I get to the laundry mat which is not far from a Redbox so here is how this went.  Got my clothes in the washer, once I got them to the dryer.  Strapped on my arm band and head phones...and I walked to the Redbox, walked for a good 32 minutes I think got in a little over 2 miles.  Walked back to the laundromat grabbed my clothes and went home!  Now that I did that, I will have to do that more often, when I go to my laundromat.

Here is my Endomondo Tracking of my multitasking walk:  http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/111199655

Okay...I am overly excited about juicing again.  It was been a while since I juiced consistently. Yes, I know the challenge is called, Juice a Day..But I juiced again tonight! I am sipping it right now.  It's a bit tart, but good.  I am always a bit nervous about the juice recipes with lots of ingredients, but this is a good one.  The recipe came from the wonderful folks at JuicingJuice.Com.

Go Go Green Energy Juice

• Large Handful of Kale
• 1/2 Green Apple
• 1 Grapefruit (peeled)
• 4 stalks of celery
• 3 inches of peeled cucumber
• Squeeze of Lemon

Very tasty...my only dislike is that it's tart.  I think next round, I may opt for juicing the whole apple or even maybe 2 apples.  Again, putting my photography skills to test here are some shots!

Thursday Took a Turn for the Better

Hello...
After my Thursday morning drama of the moving truck blocking my garage the day actually made a turn for the better.

Our receptionist at work is out of the office for the need 6 days and she offered me her parking garage entry key!  Yeah!  I get a break from the bus for a week  I am most excited!  I know that sounds very minor, but some days, its a hassle getting to places on public transportation.  So at least I get a little break!

I experienced something completely unusual.  I had an extreme case of dry mouth all day.  I think I drank like 4 Liters of water and nothing helped.  I had this chronic dry mouth!  Sigh.  I couldn't imagine that I could be that dehydrated.  But maybe I am?  I don't know, but I will see how things go today.  Right now I feel okay.

I have not listed out my food in a while so let me do that today....

Bad Breakfast:
     White Chocolate Latte
     Cheese Danish

Lunch
     My Good old homemade salad:  Lettuce, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, tomato & 4 ounces of chicken
     Juice of 1 lemon and some Wishbone Italian Dressing!

Snack
     Apple
    handful of Sunflower seeds

Dinner
     2 drumsticks from El Pollo Loco
     Corn

Workout:
     55 minutes walk/jog intervals.
     Jogged 1/4 mile intervals

My post workout treat was a nice freshly made glass of celery & apples.  I know its a great detox drink, and since I was having hydration issues, I figure I should juice something up that will help hydrate.

Heat & Beat

Man yesterday (Thursday) was hot!  I got to do a few new things that I feel like I want to share with you!  So join me on my story telling journey why dontcha ya!

Okay well food-wise an okay day!  On the workout schedule it was interval training.  This week on the 5K training plan is 1.5 minutes of jogging and 2 minutes of walking.  The location this time was on San Vicente on the grassy median

Side Bar:  I have never really walked or jogged on grass before.

I will start by saying this was extremely hard for me.  I died like half way through the route and ended up walking most of the way back!  It was extremely hot outside, the grassy area was not even, I was constantly having to dodge tree roots and uneven grounds and my legs were hurting.  Despite all these issues and negativity, my beloved Endomondo stats came in semi-impressive. LOL!  My time was my best 3 miles and my max speed at some point in this venture was a 13.25 minute mile!  I am not sure when I pulled that off...but I have learned Endomondo does not lie!  And maybe since at some point I was moving quicker than usual is why I died so quickly in the workout.
http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/ni9dxdpEIys

After this terrify and exhausting workout, I decided to treat myself to a juice!  I have never been to a juice bar so I was excited.  I have just always created my own juices at home.  So I tried Pressed Juicery in Brentwood.  It was...not really a juice bar.  The juices were already pre-made and bottled, stored in a fridge.  But nonetheless I gave it a shot!  I got Greens 2, which is kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, cucumber, celery, apple, lemon.  It was pertty tasty! 

Greens 2 - Pressed Juicery

Water Fountain just outside Pressed Juicery

So after we got our juices we sat outside in the little courtyard area just outside Pressed Juicery that had the cutest little rustic/semi-antique looking water fountain.  I love water...regardless of whether  its the beach or a water fountain, water just relaxes me.  

So after this little San Vicente interval training adventure, I take inventory.  My legs are a smidgen sore.  I think running on the grassy area activated some leg muscles that don't get used when running a side walk or asphalt?  Again, I am no physical fitness expert, just voicing my opinion and observations.  

That's all I have for today.  Take Care!  Can't wait for the weekend...it's bike riding time!

Feeling the Pain Friday!

Quick post as I start off this weekend! 

Started off this morning juicing!  I threw together the follow items:

• 1 apple
• 1/2 beet
• 1 stalk of celery
• 5 handfuls of Trader Joes Greens Mix (collard & mustard greens, spinach)

Before & After Juice shots

It made a delightful morning beverage!  It was not a sweet juice, I think next time I will add another apple.  I could taste the mustard greens in the juice, they have a spicy taste. It was a nice change!

Lunch..we had our office potluck.  I ate 2 hot links, some Sour Cream & onion chips and a can of coke.  Dinner was a slice of Meat Lovers Pizza.

I went to see Men In Black 3 after work.  It was okay...not that great.  Then I made it over to the Avenue for their Memorial Day Weekend Sale.  They have buy one get one free.  So I got 2 summer dresses!   

So the topic of this post is Feeling the Pain...beleive me, I am feeling the pain from yesterday's kickboxing venture.  I feel it all in my legs, not too much in my arms at all!  So now for sure, I know I got a good workout in.  I am sore in part of my legs I have never been sore before!

That's all for now. No excercising today. Tomorrow I go to Sky Zone for Sky Zone Aerobics!  I am scared and excited all at the same time! 

KO'd by Kickboxing!

Kickboxing Room

I finally made it to Kickboxing class!  I chickened out of class on Monday, and I almost did the same today!  I am very glad I went.  I got to the gym about 4pm; class started at 4:30.  The instructor came in and I went to talk to him.  I told him it was my first time and he said...and I quote, "Oh okay, well Move at your own pace, do what you can, do you have gloves".  I said yes, I have gloves.  I am gonna try this and when I feel like I am going to pass out, I'll leave!  He says, "You are not in competition with anyone else.  Move at your own pace.  Some people leave early, some people come in late.  But do what you can.  As you come more, you'll be able to do more!"  I was standing there with my jaw on the floor!  I think that is the first time any Group Excercise Instructor had that attitude!  I am glad he said that, it made me feel comfortable and let me work at my own pace without feeling like I had to keep up with the crew!  Class was intense, in addition to the boxing and kickboxing moves, we had drills.  We had to run, jumping jacks, lunges, squats...etc.  You get the point.  He kept us moving!  I liked the class though!  I will have to make it a regular thing on the schedule!  I just hope I will be able to walk and move my arms on Friday! 

Here are the eats for the day (overall not a good food day)

Breakfast:  Sausage McMuffin & Hashbrown from McDonalds; White Chocolate Latte

Mid Am Snack:   Apple

Salmon & Mustard Greens

Lunch:  Salmon & Turnip Greens;    
              Slice of Red Velvet Cake

Dinnner:  Sad to say after I did kickboxing...I went to KFC!  Horrible food choice I know.  But I had to get Coleslaw for the potluck at work, it only made sense that I would grab dinner while I was there!  I had 2 pieces of chicken, potato wedges, & corn on the cob!

After Dinner Eats:  Apple & Celery juice; Good for re-hydrating the body.  I made a nice big 20 ounce glass of juice and I am sipping it and blogging at the same time!

Workout:
60 minutes of Kickboxing
10 minutes of Treadmill (trying to make time pass before kickboxing started)


I have been and am always intrugued by the benefits of certain fruits and veggies!  So I decided to share with you the health benefits of both celery & apples.  Who would have thought something so simple as an apple and celery could do so much for our health

Health Benefits of Celery

Some of the many health benefits of celery include:

• A rich source of sodium and potassium the juice of celery makes an excellent electrolyte replacement drink, ideal for both dieters and to rehydrate the body after a hard work out.
• Calming and stress releasing - lowers blood pressure.
• Contains coumarin compounds that are said to have anti-cancer properties, and may help migraines.
• A natural diuretic, helping to flush toxins from the body.

Health Benefits of Apples

The well known saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" may well be true! Apples are great in juices, but to make the most of their amazing cleansing and detoxifying properties be sure to eat them whole with their peel, and add them to smoothies and puddings too. Apple skins contain anti-cancer chemicals, and beta-carotene.
Apples are rich in pectin a type of soluble fiber which can:

• Remove toxic metals such as lead, mercury, and aluminum from the body.
• Improve the health of the intestines.
• Help reduce high cholesterol.

Apples and their juices:

• help protect the lungs from the damage caused by smoking.
• contain malic and tartaric acids which reduce the spread of bad bacteria in the guts, and reactivate beneficial gut bacteria. Studies at Cornel University discovered apple extracts reduce colon cancer by over 40%.
• have a high mineral content, and are great for healthy skin, fingernails, and hair.

Well that is all for me tonight.  Time to get quiet and go to bed.  I won't be staying up late tonight, and hopefully I don't walk up at midnight again. 

The Things I Get Myself Into

I woke up this morning feeling rested.  It was not much of struggle getting up this morning.  Is this the benefit of getting back on my routine?  Must be!  I woke up this morning and started the morning off...JUICING!  It has been a while since I juiced! I like juicing in the morning so I can get all those micro-nutrients in my system while on an empty stomach!  I made my simple juice...nothing complex, just some apples & celery

Apple & Celery Juice

The juice was very refreshing, it did not taste as good as my other apple & celery juices.  I am so used to Gala Apples which are a little bit sweeter, but this time I used good old fashioned, plain jane, red delicious apples!  The taste in teh juice was noticeable different, but still healthy and a nice way to start off my morning!

4am Early Morning Breakfast: Glass of Apple Celery Juice

7:30am Breakfast:  Scrambled Eggs w/ Mustard Greens  (such a delicious combination)

Mid Morning Snack:  Watermelon

Lunch:  Chicken, Lentils & Mustard Greens

Afternoon Snack:  Celery Sticks & a Kiwi

Dinner:  Chicken, Rice & Pinto Beans

Workouts:
Today on my workout schedule was my Running Plan....I got on the treadmill and starting my 3 minute Walk/3 minute jog intervals and again my shin splints flared up!  Just like last time it was just in my left leg!  The pain was killing me...so I stopped after 25 minutes!  The pain was too much.

Treadmill Stats: 
     Time: 25:05
     Distance:  1.50 miles

So since my shins were acting up I said, self, let's get on this Precor Machine.  I was not sure what it was, it was near the elliptical machines, but It did not look like a regular elliptical machine! Umm...I don't know why I do this to myself, but that machine was killer!  I punked out after 8 minutes and in those 8 minutes I burned 55 calories according to the machine!  At one point while I was on the machine, I put my hand on the heart rate reader and it said my heart rate was 226!  I know those things are not accurate, but I know my heart rate was way higher than it's used to being!

Blurry..hear rate reading

So this morning I took it upon myself to google the Machine from the gym.  The console just said, Precor 100i.  I could not find any information on it on the Precor website, but it is listed on Amazon as the Precor AMT 100i Adaptive Motion Trainer.  I found a little video on YouTube about it...The machine is a good workout, but very very difficult!  I will have to try to do it again and maybe shoot for 10 minutes!

Just another Tuesday.

Well let's see...Tuesday April 24th. What a day. Eating wise, not a good day. I started bad and ended bad. I did okay in between..but the bad outweighs the good.
Breakfast:  White Chocolate Latte & a Cheese Danish

Mid AM Snack:  Grapefruit

Lunch:  Kale Salad with chicken


Mid Afternoon Snack (after workout):  Smoothie (it was good and I'll list the ingredients later)


Dinner:  Small Cobb Salad

Late Night Craving:  King Size Kit Kat Bar!  LOL!  Why o Why?

I did okay on my water...I drank about 72 ounces.  Not too bad, but I need more. I rarely say this, but today I really wanted to go to the gym.  I know I WANTED to go to the gym!  Can you believe it?

I didn't do anything to deep. I wanted to lift weights but the weight area aka "THE MAN ZONE" was crowded, so I didn't bother going in.  I got on the treadmill and did another State 4 - Run Your Butt of Workout.  In an attempt to make the treadmill workout harder I attempted to do it on a 2% incline.  I wanted to make it feel the way I felt when I did the program outdoors last week!  And guess what...mission accomplished.  It was hard..I felt like I was gonna die.  With the treadmill to 2% incline..I had to jog slow.  Now I can officially say, I hate jogging slowly!  It just made that 3 minutes of running seem like an eternity!  As you already know the Stage 4 workout is 33 minutes long.  I stayed on the treadmill an extra 4 minutes (total workout time 37 minutes) because I wanted to finish 2 miles in a workout.  And I did!  I was so happy!  I completed 2.12 miles!   Yeah!  Baby!

Okay so my smoothie...it was my after workout food and it so hit the spot!
I have a bag of frozen berries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries, purchased at Costco's  I filled up the Magic Bullet with the berries, added 2 teaspoons of chia seeds, about 30 drops of my Liver Detox, some apple juice and Voila!  Smoothie!  It was yummy in my tummy!  Doesn't it look delicious?

Berry Smoothie

So folks..that was it...Tuesday in recap.  Talk to you later!

My Body: What are you trying to tell me!

I have an unusual topic to talk about. Since Juicing, I have been overly sensitive and perspective about changes in my mood and in my body in general. I feel great from juicing..I convinced myself that all internally has been working efficiently after all I am feeling great!

I noticed yesterday as I went to the "facilities" my stool was a delightful purply reddish color which didn't really alarm me. I knew it was from the beet juice I had...but I had the Beet juice on Monday! Here it was Wednesday and only now is the beet juice making its way through my system? This is what brought on my concern. Normally when I would drink any beets I had same day "purply output". My main question is how long should it take for toxins or even just food & drink make its way through the digestion process?

So I found this on the internet:

Here's how to determine your transient time. First thing in the morning, drink one of the following drinks.

· one ounce of liquid chlorophyll, the juice of one lemon and 8 oz. of distilled water.
· or if you like beet juice, use 6-8 oz. of beet juice. You can buy the juice or make your own if you have a juicer.

Buy a small bottle of liquid chlorophyll that does not have peppermint added. The peppermint added has to strong of a taste for me. The cost is around $8.00

Check to see how long it takes to see green or red in your stools. This is your transient time. Average transient time is around 21 hours.

If your transient time exceeds 26 to 30 hours, then you have a mild case of constipation. If your transient time 31 to 36 you are constipated. If your transient time is 37 to 48 hour you have chronic constipation.

Wow...I have constipation, which is I would have never thought, because I am having a movement every day! I just always assumed it was the stuff I was eating that day! Troubled my this little tid bit of information, I have made myself another Beet juice drink this morning. It was the first thing into my system this morning so I will see how long it takes to move its way through me.

Body Issue #2...now Urine! It smells! So off to Google I go, and found this tidbit on WebMD.

Odor Changes
Urine normally doesn't have a very strong smell. If you get a whiff of something particularly pungent, you could have an infection or urinary stones, which can create an ammonia-like odor. Diabetics might notice that their urine smells sweet, because of excess sugar. In the past, doctors would actually taste urine for this sweetness to diagnose diabetes.

Some foods can also change urine odor. Asparagus is among the most notorious. What people are smelling when they eat asparagus is the breakdown of a sulfur compound called methyl mercaptan (the same compound found in garlic and skunk secretions). If you catch a whiff of something after eating a plate of asparagus, it means that you've inherited the gene for the enzyme that breaks down mercaptan. Not everyone has this enzyme and, therefore, not everyone can smell it.

My urine has been smelling like ammonia..I can call it ammonia now, but yesterday I swear it smelled like I had cleaner sitting in the toilet! So since WebMD says I have some kind of infection...more research I do. There is a wide variety of reasons on this one. Some serious and some not.

What causes urine odor?
Urine odor may be described as foul, strong, musty, sweet, or as smelling like sulfur or ammonia. Urine odor may be caused by conditions that are not harmful (benign) or by mild to serious diseases and disorders.

Benign causes of urine odor
Urine odor may be caused by a variety of conditions that are not harmful or not caused by disease including:

Eating certain foods, such as garlic, onions, fish and asparagus. Asparagus can cause a sulfur-like smell of the urine. The unusual odor should go away after these foods have been digested.

Taking vitamins and certain medications can cause an unusual urine odor as a side effect.

Potentially harmful causes of urine odor
Urine odor may be caused by infection, inflammation, or other conditions of the urinary tract (kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra) or the reproductive organs. Urine odor can also be caused by diseases that affect the urinary tract as well as other organs and body systems.

Causes of urine odor related to the urinary tract include:

Cystitis (bladder inflammation or infection), which can produce a foul urine odor

Prostatitis (inflammation or infection of the prostate gland)

Urinary tract infection, such as a bladder infection or kidney infection (pyelonephritis), which can produce a foul urine odor

Urine odor can be caused by other diseases and conditions including:

Dehydration, which can produce an ammonia-like urine odor

Liver failure, which can produce a musty urine odor

Maple syrup urine disease, which produces a sweet, caramel-like urine odor

Rectal fistula, an abnormal opening or connection between the rectum and other areas of the body

Untreated or poorly treated diabetes, which produces a sweet or sugary urine odor

I wish there was a class or some material out there about the body. Cause noticeing the changes in our body can let us know when something is not function properly. Maybe I should have gone to medical school instead of business school. I would love to make sense of all of this stuff! But I know juicing does change the body..so I am not overly alarmed by anything, my body does have to sync up with its new healthy eating and lifestyle. But the changes good and bad are being noticed.

New Juices...New Loves!!

I have not posted in a while! Oh Oh! But my adventure in juicing continues. I still think this juicing this is expensive, but it is so good and I feel the difference, I have more energy and my skin looks remarkable!

This past week I experiment with new juices some I love, some I don't. And I cooked a couple days! I have been so stuck on salads and chicken that I have not cooked a meal in ages! So let me start with the meal that I cooked. I had a taste for some fish. So I bought some Cod and Baked it. The first meal was cod with sauteed spinach, the other time, it was Cod with broccoli. Both were excellent and a welcome change of pace!

So now my adventures in Juicing! I will start with the juice I love the most! Which in all honesty is a tough choice, there are 2 juices that I enjoy alot, but I will give the title of favorite to.....Grapefruit, Orange, Lime, & Ginger! I found this surprisingly on you tube. It is supposed to help remove toxins from the lymph system. So I made the juice the recipe:

1 Grapefruit
2 Orange
1 lime
piece of ginger
It is awesome...it is now my morning juice!

My next favorite juice, which was my first favorite until discovering the Grapefruit/Orange juicee...is Spinach & Apples! This one I really didn't measure anything out, but I think it was a bunch of spinach and 2 apples. I had a few leaves of kale that I threw in there and it was really delightful!

And my least favorite juice..cucumbers, apples & ginger. It was okay..not nasty. I was able to drink it and get it down. But not the most flavorful thing out there. So that is my adventures in juicing this week. I am enjoying juicing...I love that I am finding things that I like!

Now I gotta find something to do with carrots. THey were on sale and I bought 2 bags...Any suggestions anyone? I think its google time!

Hump Day Recap

Well today Wednesday was a lot better than yesterday.  Still not a perfect day, but a move in the right direction.

Breakfast:  Croissant & White chocolate Latte

Mid AM Snack:  The rest of my tomato, broccoli, carrot juice

Lunch:  Kale Salad (Kale, cucumbers, tomato, Feta Cheese, apple cider vinegar)

Mid After Noon Snack:  Beet & Apple Juice

Dinner:   Salad (lettuce, cabbage, carrots) & 1 chicken breast

Physical Activity:

• 60 minutes of water aerobics
• Total Body Vibration Machine, well I know it is technically not excercise, but since they claim its just like excercising, I am calling it exercise!   I attempted to record myself while on the machine with my Iphone.  So here is a snap of the machine and a little clip of me on the machine.  The machine is surprisingly quiet and seriously all I do is stand and let the machine vibrate! 

Well I think that is all for tonight. Time to watch my shows tidy up a bit and get to bed.  Until next time.  Tata.