First Day of School 2014

I just realized how little I posted the last school year, only twice. I think we were just so busy with life I didn't remember or think about stopping and posting. We started school earlier this year because we are doing our breaks a little differently. I always start out the school year thinking I will be better at posting, but some years I don't do very well. Let's see how this school year goes.

  

I did manage to get a couple of pictures of each teen on the first day of school. I am working on setting up a photo shoot with their big sister for the school pictures. Last year's pictures turned out so good. I am hopefully this years will be even better. (The one below is just great because he is laughing. I love it!)

The teens had a hard time getting up this morning but once they did it was great work. They worked right up until lunch and then even a little after. They did more in the evening and finished up the major subjects. It is going to take some trial and error but as long as they are putting forth the effort, I know we will have a great year.    

  

Their first break will be Labor Day, after only four weeks of school. We normally start school that week after Labor Day weekend. We have a family retreat that weekend and then they have the entire week off. I'm not sure what we will do that week since our business will still be open four of those days. But we will plan some fun things to reward them for the hard work. After that they won't have time off until the week of Thanksgiving and then two weeks for Christmas. They will have spring break off but we aren't going anywhere for that. I will try to find some fun things here to do.  We are hoping to wrap things up by the end of May, if not sooner. It's going to be a GREAT year!

That is our progress report for today. Thanks for stopping by. 

I've Been Super Juiced

I can't believe the 28 days has gone by already. What an amazing journey it has been. I have learned so much about myself and my body. I have to say I did not LOVE every single juice I had but none of them were so terrible I couldn't drink it. I knew I was giving my body something it needed and I was full afterwards. There were quite a few that I LOVED and some I liked a lot. If you are interested in more information about what I did, check out the Super Juice Me website. I watched the documentary online and then I purchased the app for my phone. I love how it has all the videos, grocery list and recipes plus videos of him making the juices all on the app.

Today was day 1 after my 28 days. I am able to eat whatever I choose to eat now. I juiced three times today and ate a very small amount of food at one in the afternoon. I had some mixed veggies and a turkey patty that I made for my family for lunch. Compared to my juices it tasted bland. It did not sit well in my stomach and made me feel less than my best. I think it was the frozen veggies that did it. I should have had my other choice, a fresh green salad with some fruit on the side. 

  

Some of the changes besides my weight were my skin. I didn't have any large issues with breakouts. My feet, which are terribly dry and rough have become a lot smoother without me doing anything to them. Usually they are only slightly smooth if I have a pedicure. I am really pleased with this. I must be much better hydrated now. Also, my nails are growing and look pretty nice. They feel a bit stronger than they used to. I am hoping that will continue to increase as I juice more. My thyroid seems to be working better, too. My period was a lot lighter this month and really wasn't bad other than I felt like going to bed a little early to rest. My allergies have been doing great since I started doing the ginger shot each morning, which is an apple and a piece of ginger juiced. It has quite a kick to it but I just drink it fast and follow it with some water.  

I got up this morning and measured, weighed in and took pictures. Those are all on my before and after page. But I wanted to share some of it here so you can SEE them side by side. If you look closely you can see my neck is different. I should have measured there. My waist is a big difference because I went from wearing size 12's that fit very tight to wearing size 10's loose. My actual weight loss was 15.7 lbs and 16.75 inches in only 28 days. I am super happy about it. I had to change the shorts I wore in my pictures because the ones I wore on day one were just too big to show what I had lost. I am wearing the same shirt and I plan on doing that each time. Notice how much farther down the shirt goes because my waist is smaller.

My goal from here on out is to keep juicing at least 3 times a day with most days being 4 times like on my 28 day plan. I have broken it down into 28 day increments. Every 28 days I will weigh, measure and take a picture to see my progress. I am doing that all the way up to November because I turn 49 at the end of that month. I am super excited to see what my body is going to look like then. Hang out with me on my journey and see where it takes me.

Changing my life one day at a time.  

Super Juice Me Day Thirteen

Day Thirteen

It has been a week since I have blogged. I went out of town for a couple of days but I juiced before I left to make it easier to stay on track. I had some struggles for many reason but my youngest daughter went with me and she kept me strong. I drank my juices the entire day on Wednesday, although it was later in the evening than I was supposed to due to the family gathering at the funeral home. They went to Whataburger afterwards and I so wanted a burger. But Jenni said, "No, mom. You will be so upset if you do that." So I bought her one and drank my juice. On Thursday, I got up and drank my juice on the way to the cemetery for the service at 10 a.m. We went to the tennis club for a buffet lunch after the funeral. That was so hard. I didn't have my juice for the 1 p.m. juice time with me and I had no idea when I would get to drink it. I talked to my older daughter and she told me to find fruits and veggies that are in my juices and eat those. So that is what I did. I had a great salad with salsa on it instead of dressing and I had lots of fruit. I drank my 1 p.m. juice when we headed home around 4:30 since I hadn't made the 4 p.m. juice. After I got out of Houston traffic I was getting so tired and I knew I had another four hours to drive. I stopped to get Jenni some dinner and I got me a cob salad. Yes, I did have some chicken but I made sure I chewed it well. I also got a sweet tea with lemons for caffeine so I would stay awake. I made the best choices I could with the situations I was in. I could have chosen much worse. I felt fine afterwards and was able to stay awake on the drive home.

I am not perfect but I didn't go too far off the plan as I could have. Extenuating circumstances change things sometimes. Make good choices. Don't eat garbage foods. Eat as healthy as possible. Choose fruits and veggies over other foods. And eat things that don't have a lot of chemicals in them, preferably zero chemicals. That would be your best choice. I am back on track since I am back home. I am still craving meats. I will enjoy eating some healthy meats in a couple of weeks at least once a day. I plan on juicing twice a day AFTER the 28 day program. With this I know I can stop taking a lot of vitamins because I will be getting them from the foods I eat instead. That is the ideal way of getting them anyway. That excites me since it will cost me a lot less money. I really would love to be able to grow all of my own fruits and veggies for my juices someday. What an amazing thing that would be. 

My feet have been bothering me for so many months now. I thought it was because of my new shoes. But I bought some new shoes today, for half the price of my other ones. I got size 8 instead of size 9, like the other ones. I am thinking the shoes were too big. When I ran my two miles this evening they felt fine. As I slowed down to walk a mile afterwards my toes starting hurting pretty badly as if I had run many miles. I haven't run in several weeks because I hurt my toe and couldn't get the shoe on. That is possibly the reason that my feet hurt after only a short time of running. I traded the hot pink shoe laces with Jenni. I am giving her my size 9 shoes since she is going to be taller than me and her feet are bigger. She needed new running shoes anyway. I actually like the look of the other shoes better but I like the price better on these. 

I started a 12 week training program, on week two, for the Rocky Mountain Half Marathon in August 2. I am going to try very hard to stay on track with that program and run what it says to each day until the big race. If I do that, it is my hope my feet won't kill me anymore because it will be used to it. I will be doing feet exercises to help them not hurt, anything will be an improvement over what they feel now.

I have also been letting myself get away with not doing my workout videos. I have a ton of videos with great strength training and cardio. I've just been lazy and giving up. I have tried getting up earlier than 7 and I just can't seem to do it. I need my sleep. So today I did the DVD workout after naptime while the kids were having snack and then watching a video. Then I ran later in the evening. I have to really work hard to get my workouts in. I feel so good when I do them and feel lazy when I don't. I feel so much better when I have gone for a run. It may be a challenging run, but I always feel great afterwards because of the effort I put forth. It's time to build some muscle while I am training for this half marathon. 

My "grand design" for my body is one that I have had before but even better. I don't just want to loose the fat on my body, I want to build lots of muscle, too. I want to be strong as I grow older so that my life will be fuller and more meaningful. I have no clue what weight I will reach or what clothes size. I would like to reach size 6 in jeans but I know that will take a lot of work. I am willing to do the work. I just can't let my thoughts stop me from accomplishing them. My workout goal is DVD workout at least 4 days a week and running at least 4 days a week, if not more. I am not sure what my training schedule is for the later weeks, but it may be running 5 days or more. 

I have been struggling with my weight for so long and I finally understand why. It is the foods I am eating and my inability to stop eating them. The book I am reading talks about how the BIG FOOD and BIG DRINK companies put additives in the foods that MAKE you want to eat them and make it hard to stop. I was not able to loose the weight no matter how much I ran and worked out because I was still eating badly. I thought I was doing OK food wise but now I realize I wasn't anywhere near it. I have dropped 10 pounds in two weeks because I am juicing. I am eating healthier than I ever have with these juices. I am eating fresh veggies that I wouldn't eat normally or at least very often. I know without a doubt I will be able to loose the weight and inches now. And I will be able to build muscle to help that along as the fat goes away over the next several months. 

 I WILL reach my goal before my 49th birthday in November. Oh, what an amazing day that will be, when I can look at pictures of myself stronger and more healthy than I have ever been in my life. 

Changing my life one day at a time. 

Super Juice Me Day Four

Day Four

The weekends are going to be challenging as far as schedule goes over the next few weeks. Today we did a 5K that started a bit after 8 a.m. I drank my water and my morning tea before I left for the run. Sadly, I was NOT able to put my running shoes on so I did NOT run. I walked it. But I wore my sandals and they ended up making the soles of my feet hurt. I had my toe wrapped to keep it from hurting. It feels and looks much better tonight. It was a small run and they did awards for different age groups. Even though I came in LAST out of EVERYBODY I came in third for my age group. Wow! That means there were three people in my age group running, lol. John came in first for his age group. JC came in third and Jenni came in second for their age groups. Jenni walked with me, so that tells you how many her age were running, too. 

When I got home I made my first juice and then took a nap. The juice for 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. is called Anti-Oxidant King. It was full of wonderful fruits and a small amount of veggies. It was a beautiful rich color and tasted wonderful. 

The juice for 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. is Mineral Medicine. It's pretty good. It has more veggies in it and isn't as thick as the morning/evening one. They all seem to be that way. They give you the really thick ones for those two times and then thinner ones during the day. I am enjoying the different flavors coming from the combinations. 

While I am still having thoughts of foods I choose not to eat right now I am considering the choices I will make after my 28 days is over. That is ever in my thoughts, in a good way. I am thinking of the amazing foods we have learned to make the RIGHT way. And I am thinking of how awesome it will be to just enjoy the good stuff and FORGET about the bad stuff I should never have touched to begin with. I am so happy that we have made all the changes we have because that will make all of this so much easier. We still have a ways to go but I know I am on the right track and can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

I am currently reading Freedom From the Diet Trap: Slim For Life by Jason Vale and it is so amazing. I am not finished with it yet but I plan on finishing it this weekend. I have learned so many thing just in the first 30 pages of the book. I will share what I learn later. It's under $7 so if you want to check it out, go ahead and tell me what you think of it. 

Changing my life one day at a time.

Super Juice Me Day Seven

Day Seven

Today started out like any other day. I got up and drank my tea while doing my morning quiet time. I worked with the preschoolers and then got them situated before making my ten a.m. juice. While the kids were outside I worked hard at making them and my family a great lunch. As they were eating I got a phone call from my sister telling me our aunt had passed away. I went through an array of emotions during that phone call. I won't go into all of them but normally I would have turned to food for comfort. But even after just one week that is no longer what I felt like doing. After we finished talking about our aunt, we started talking about juicing. 

My sister has many health issues and I just felt I needed to share this with her. So as we began to talk about it, I made my first afternoon juice. She was super excited and had actually read some things about it and seen some of Jason Vale's videos. I told her all about the app and how great it was. I feel great that I can pass along some of what I learn to my family and friends. 

I quickly decided I was going to make a trip for the funeral. The family viewing is tomorrow at 3 in the afternoon and the actual funeral is Thursday morning at 10. I am only taking my youngest daughter with me on the trip. My mind started trying to figure out how I could manage to keep juicing while I was away. Part of my mind said, "You can't. You are going to have to eat. This is a great excuse to stop at that Sam's Restaurant either on the way there or the way home." Ugh. I actually was going to let my mind get away with that. I want to be honest here because if I can't share my struggles then what good is this to anyone? I was all set to eat dinner somewhere with them or whatever and I was all set on stopping to eat at Sam's on the way home. I meant to eat as "clean" as I could, mind you. But really, I NEED to finish my 28 days and stay strong through it. I really do. 

I went to the store to buy some containers for my juices. I "planned" on bringing SOME of my juices and just eating food a couple of times. But as I was looking at containers I started to really think about what I was doing. I decided that I would buy three containers. I have a shaker bottle already and it will hold two servings. My two afternoon ones tomorrow will fit in that container because they are the same thing. I am going to drink my 10 a.m. juice before I leave. I made my 7 p.m. for tomorrow and my 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ones for Thursday. I am bringing ALL of my juices that I will need with me. I may get home past 4 on Thursday but I will be OK to make and drink that one a little late. I am so proud of myself. They are in the freezer and I will move them to the ice chest before we leave in the morning. Now, I just need to stay on track and NOT fall off the plan while I am gone. 

As I start week 2, I am happy to say I made it all the way through week 1 and I am ready for this week's challenges. 

Changing my life one day at a time.  

Super Juice Me Days 5 and 6

Days 5 and 6

Day 5 was Mother's Day. Some might wonder if I threw in the towel and went out to lunch with my family because it was a holiday. I'm proud to say the answer to that would be no. In fact, I went home after church and made my family a nice meal and drank my juice. I have NOT gone off the plan at all except to miss one of the morning "shots" or forget to drink my evening hot tea. 

Day 6 is a typical Monday for me. Back to the normal daily schedule. I did everything right on schedule today. I made lunch for the kids and for John. I have added a daily salad for my family at lunch to make it a more balanced meal. I look forward to eating them when the 28 days is up. I'm making sure we have a variety of fruits and veggies during the meals, too. Tonight when I was making a simple sandwich for the kids it was almost overwhelming. I only buy the Simply chips these days with few exceptions. I opened a bag of the Simply Cheetos and the smell was so tempting. I put them on their plates and shoved the bag in my daughter's hands and said "clip it fast". She was so funny. She rolled it closed and got a clip very quickly. That is one thing about anything I do, my family is super supportive. They understand to a certain extent how hard it is not being able to eat the things they are eating right now. But they have tried my juices and really like some of them. I am looking forward to making them juices at least once a day when I am done with this, if not before. They get me to juice them things from time to time already. 

Tonight instead of juice I had what they call a special guest. It was an almond milk smoothie. I made my own almond milk and added free trade cocoa, honey, tahini past, a whole ripe banana and a little ice. It was the first chocolate anything I have had in over a week. It wasn't bad. I made sure not to put too much tahini and I added a tiny bit extra of cocoa. The honey didn't dissolve all the way, some stuck to the side of the blender. I wonder if it would have tasted much different if it had mixed up better. I have a feeling it is something I might really like AFTER I haven't had a chocolate bar in a really long time. 

I am still reading Jason Vale's book "Freedom from the Diet Trap" and loving it. It is changing the way I look at food and the food industry, plus the whole diet industry. He is pretty cut and dry about stuff but funny, too. I want my whole family to read it when I am done. I am thinking of making it a reading assignment for my teens and get them to give me their "report" on what they think about it afterwards in the form of "oral book reports". 

Overall, I feel great. I am sleeping pretty well and feel like I have plenty of energy during the day. I do get sleepy and ready for bed pretty early. Sleep seems to be key on this journey. It is also a mental battle. I have set my mind that I am NOT going to eat the foods I put in front of other people right now even though I am making theirs. Because of that I am able to do it without sticking the stuff in my mouth. I do have to watch myself because I am one of those ladies who will take a bite here and there while she is cooking a meal. I have caught myself several times. At least I caught myself BEFORE and not AFTER eating it. You just have to decide what you are going to do and then do it. If you mess up, don't stop. Keep going. One mistake doesn't make the whole thing void. It just means it might be a bit more challenging to resist the next time. Every time you make the choice to NOT do something you decided you wouldn't, you give yourself power to keep going. Don't give up. If it is something worth doing, it will always have challenges. 

Changing my life one day at a time.

Super Juice Me Day Three

Day Three

Today's schedule was different from my usual one. We went to the homeschool book fair so I knew I would not be home at 10 to juice. I drank my juice an hour early. But the rest of the day was at the regular time. I had my tea at normal time. I had the Ginger Shot at 8:45. 

The 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. juice is called Sweet 'N' Smooth Veggie Blend. It has half of an avocado in it but I don't think it was ripe enough because it didn't blend well. I had chunks of it that I had to chew as I drank. That is NOT the point in this drink. You are supposed to be able to save your stomach the trouble of "chewing" the food. It did not make for a pleasant drink. Make sure your avocado is ripe so it will blend well. The one I had on a different day was great and added so much to the drink. 

My 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. juice was called Digestive Aid. It tasted good but had the kick after taste because of the ginger that was in it. I am hoping I can learn to "like" the ginger kick more than I do now. I know it has wonderful things in it for my body. THAT is the reason I am doing this. That is the reason I am changing the way I eat and drink. This is NOT short term. Yes, I will go back to eating whole foods and not just juices. But I will be eating ones that don't have additives and chemicals in them. I am working on my mental image of how I will eat even now.

At this point, how I see myself eating AFTER is this: 

Breakfast: My Healthy Smoothie, possibly some toast and an egg with a slice of tomato or something like that. 

Snack: Giddy Up and Go Granola or some fresh fruit

Lunch: This will be our large meal of the day with some type of meat, chicken or fish plus fresh veggies and healthy bread. Possibly a healthy dessert, too.

Snack: Fresh fruit and peanut butter or other healthy snack

Dinner: One of the thick juices from the Super Juice Me plan

I will adjust it as I see the need. It is my hope that as my stomach shrinks to hold less food I will be able to handle my portion control during the day much better than I do now. That is the main issue. I eat too much at meals and tend to want to snack, too. I want to eat a good sized meal at lunch with many healthy foods in it that taste wonderful to take care of my want to chew and taste each day. But I need to keep my portions small enough to keep the weight off and to continue to loose after I am finished with the 28 days. I am confident I will be able to do that as long as I keep it in the forefront of my mind daily. I have to remember my WHY for the change. 

I didn't really have craving struggles today. I let my family go eat a burger while I stayed home and drank my juice. And I really felt OK with that. I wasn't wishing I could go with them and eat. I remembered the scales that showed I had lost weight already after only a couple of days on the plan. I got on the scale again tonight, I don't recommend that but I just couldn't seem to stop myself, and I am just barely under 180. I never would have thought I would be so happy about that because I hate being in the 170's. But when you get past the point of what you hated before it doesn't seem to look so bad. With extreme effort and willpower I am confident I will loose a good amount during the 28 days on this. How could I not? I will be eating only healthy foods and I do NOT plan on going OFF the plan during this 28 days for any reason. I will find a way to make it work the entire time. It would be lovely if I could loose a whole 28 pounds but I am not sure that is realistic. I will be happy with whatever I am able to loose as I learn to take better care of my body. My final weight goal is not clear in my mind yet. I don't know if it is realistic to WANT to weigh what I did before I ever had kids 27 years ago. I was 120 pounds before I got pregnant the first time. Can I get to that weight again? Should I even consider it? I really don't know. What I know is I am going to eat healthy and exercise. Whatever comes from that is what I will weigh and be happy with it. If I know I am eating the right foods and staying active then I will be happy with the weight I am at. 

Changing my life one day at a time.

Super Juice Me Day Two

Day Two

It is the end of day two and I feel pretty good. The drinks today were pretty good. The "shot" for today was called Natural Electrolyte Sodium Shot. It had cucumber and celery. I don't mind either of them but they aren't my favorites, either. I drank it as quickly as I could. Again, forgot to take a picture.

For 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. I made a Pure Raw Energy Smoothie. It was really good. It had a lot of my favorites like pineapple and avocado. Everything was juiced that could be, then put in the blender. I added the half avocado, half a banana and the hemp protein. Really thick and delicious. 

For 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. I made the Chlorophyll Cleanser. It had a lot of greens and it smelled and tasted very strongly of cucumber. It was better chilled. I found I like the drinks on ice. It makes them more of a treat.

I did experience some times of struggle today. I LOVE food. I LOVE to eat. The smell of food make it challenging. But something I am changing is loving food so much that it consumes me instead of me living my life. I want to pick foods that will help me be strong and healthy. I don't want to pick something just because it appeals to my taste buds that are all warped anyway. They don't know what is good anymore. But I am smart enough to read a label and figure it out. I am smart enough to choose to change what I eat for a better and longer life.  

I have already started thinking about how I am going to eat AFTER the 28 days is over. I am NOT going to put a bunch of processed foods into my body. We are going to cook a lot of meats, chicken, fish and the like on our own, baked and grilled. We are going to eat as much organic and chemical free foods as we can. I want these changes to be long term. I am going to find healthy ways to make foods we love. I am hoping we will all learn to love more foods in healthy forms, too. It is a life style change that I want for my whole family. That is what keeps me going each day.

Changing my life one day at a time.

Super Juice Me Day One

Day One:

My routine is not exactly what I want it to be yet, but I will be working on getting it on track each day. Today when I got up I drank about 8 ounces of water. I have the 16 oz. Flylady stainless water bottle that keeps water very cold. I fill it up before I go to bed and put it on my night stand. During the day I put a hair tie around it each time I fill it up. That helps me keep track of how much water I am drinking every day. My goal is between 1 and 2 liters a day, which would be 3 or 4 times. 

I made some herbal tea in a large mug around 8:30. Sometimes that will be earlier, when I get up earlier. I used my k-cup Lemon Zinger. I'm glad I can still use my Keurig even though I am not drinking my cafe mocha anymore. I then drank the other half of my water.

Around 9:45 I headed into the kitchen to start my morning juices. I forgot to take a picture of the first one. Every morning I will have a "shot" which is a small amount of power juice to kick start the day followed by a regular glass of juice. The one for today was called a Ginger Shot. It contains an apple and ginger. The ginger is like a kick in the pants, spicy. But good. You just drink that down pretty fast. 

Then I made my Protein Rich Powerhouse "thicky", as they call it. It is thick like a smoothie but it's not full of any thing but fruits and veggies. I actually made and drank this one twice today, once at 10 a.m. and once at 7 p.m. I decided I would use my special Disney glasses that I purchased long ago just to make it more fun. They are very sturdy glasses but we never use them because we didn't want them to get broken when the kids were little. The GLASS works great because plastic cups retain the smell of the juice from smoothies and things like that. Glass cleans up very well. This one tasted great both times. I added ice to them to chill it a bit more. You can also put it in the blender and crush it like a smoothie but I think this works fine. This one had things you needed to blend in the blender AFTER you finish juicing. So you pour your juice in the blender and then add the ingredients like avocado and banana plus hemp protein and seeds. 

I have to tell you that the pulp from it is a LOT. And I didn't have my bucket exactly right so it flew out all over the place. I corrected it by pulling the plastic bag OVER the spout so it couldn't fly out between the two. Worked GREAT. I juiced four times today. I am counting the shot and the first full glass of juice as one because I did not clean it between the two since there was really no need to. It was very easy to clean. I think it would be extremely difficult to clean if you did not do it right away. It would give the food a chance to stick and it wouldn't rinse off like it does fresh. So my advice is to make sure you take a couple of minutes to clean your juicer and blender after you finish using them, before you drink your juice. It really is quick so you don't have to worry your juice will get old before you're done. 

I made the Breath of Fresh Air juice at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. That one has a strong aftertaste because it has ginger in it. It also has beets. Make sure if you have large beets you cut them down to size and don't use a whole beet or it will be overwhelming. I had large ones so I cut them into four pieces and used one each time. The juice is a pretty deep red color and tastes good with the exception of the kick at the end of a drink. I drank lots of water during and afterwards. It helps get the taste out of your mouth pretty easily. The drink wasn't horrible so I won't dread it when it is time to have it again. 

At 9 p.m. it is time for an evening hot herbal tea to help with sleep. I am going to bed early tonight, as soon as I finish drinking my tea and going through my evening routine of washing my face, brushing my teeth and putting lotion on my dry skin. I also take the time to put some Thieves essential oils on the bottom of my feet to help me ward off illness. For me, fitness is a whole body experience, inside and out. It is time for me to start taking care of my body the best I can. It is the only body I will ever have. If I don't take care of it then I won't be able to walk around much longer.  

Speaking of walking, I got up late this morning because of being up late last night. I didn't get my morning workout in but fully intended to workout this evening. I didn't expect to break my little toe this morning and render myself unable to even walk without serious pain. I have it wrapped and that seems to help some. I am applying ice, too. It is my hope that it will be much better even tomorrow. 

I hope this encourages you to follow whatever plan you have decided is best for you. But do something that will help you get/stay healthy and live a more productive life. It isn't really about being super skinny or being on a diet. It is about only putting GOOD things in and on your body so that it can be the way God intended it to be when He created us.

Changing my life one day at a time.

Super Juice Me 28 Day Super-Juice Detox

My oldest daughter and I have started a 28 day super juice detox in order to flood our bodies with all the good stuff to heal it from the damage we have done to it with all the chemicals and bad things we have put into it over the years. We are really excited about the results we are going to see when we are done and how it is going to change the way we live and eat. 

I purchased a juicer and it arrived yesterday! It is pretty quiet compared to the one my daughter got but they both work. Mine is stainless steel. I just felt it would be better quality than plastic. I have heard the one I got gives you more juice than most others. We will see how it holds up.

Juicing gets pretty messy but it was very easy to clean up. I am doing the juicing and drinking it right away instead of making it ahead of time and storing it. Since I am at home I feel that is a good option for me. If there are times when I won't be at home, like on Sunday mornings, I will juice my 10 a.m. juice ahead of time and take it with me. My daughter does her juicing for the whole day the night before. She is at work all day so this helps her be ready to go in the morning. Do what works for you and your schedule. 

We watched the whole documentary on Super Juice Me's website. They no longer have the entire thing to watch for free. It was a real eye opener. It is an hour and a half long. We decided to give it a go. After all, nothing about the plan was chemicals or things unhealthy. It has ALL the vitamins and nutrients we NEED to live and thrive, despite people thinking otherwise. We looked at the different options for purchase of the program and felt the app for our phone was the best and most cost effective. It is a GREAT app. It has everything; videos, menus with times, shopping lists for a week at a time or the whole 28 days, and a lot more. The videos help SO much. I use the video while I was making my juices. I am sure I will get to where I won't have to use it while I am making it but for now, it is a great thing to have. I watch the videos the day before, too. There are so many great tips that you need to spend some time watching them. And if you are like me, take notes. 

If this is something you are interested in, check out the documentary on their website. You can even download the app, it is just over $15 with tax. You can follow my progress on here or on my fb page where I will post links to my blog posts and other tips. Make sure you clean out your fridge before you go to the store so you have room for all your produce when you return. It takes up a LOT of room. But just think how wonderful you will feel after eating all of those healthy foods. 

I am super excited to be super juiced. I am picturing myself well on my way to a GREAT summer, feeling and looking better. I have so many great summer clothes that I "out grew" that are practically brand new. I will be spending the next 85 days working on not only my eating habits but training for my next half marathon. It is my goal to be in super shape and much stronger than I am now in time for my race. It is my goal to post each days foods and my struggles on here daily along with pictures. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me here or on fb. But please, no negative comments. This is a blog about positive change. Thanks!

What are your goals for summer? 

Changing my life one day at a time. 

My First Half Marathon: Lone Star 13.1

My FIRST ever Half Marathon.

I learned a lot of things from doing this race. More than I learned from reading runner magazines. I suppose it is true that you learn more from doing instead of just hearing about someone else doing it.

If you DON'T train for a Half you will not be able to run it. You may not be able to finish it unless you are as stubborn as me. More on how stubborn I am later. Training is something you have to do. Even if it is running small distances every day. It gets your body used to running instead of used to sitting all day. 

Something different about me than other people is my feet. I have no clue why I have trouble with my feet, but I do. And it isn't just when running. When I am on my feet for long periods of time it makes my feet hurt, badly. The pain starts in my middle toes where they touch the balls of my feet, if that makes sense. The pain can become so extreme that it brings tears to my eyes or even makes me break down and actually cry. More on how my feet reacted later.

I was really excited but nervous about the race. I KNEW I hadn't prepared for it like I should have. I let all sorts of things get in my way, mostly just silly excuses that I could have found a way around if I really wanted to, most of them anyway. But I was determined to do it and finish. Seven in the morning is early when you are racing but I was thrilled it was a local race, in my own city, and I only had to drive about 3 miles to get there. I arrived right before they started the race, maybe 5 minutes. No time to worry or wonder. I got my tracker on and my worship music on and I set off. I had planned to take it slower because of the things I had read, run slower than normal for a half or full marathon. I thought I was running slower but the first mile went by and it actually said I was running about on track with the usual. My feet started bothering me after I completed mile 3, so somewhere along mile 4. I started doing stretches for my feet and toes to help get me through. It worked for several miles. The pain is less when I am running than when I am having to walk to whatever reason. Plus, I prayed that I would be able to make it through despite the pain and that it would be less than I feared.

Mile seven had a big incline. That was challenging. I tried to run up the entire thing but only made it half way and had to walk the rest. The next big hill came right after that one. I walked backwards up it part of the way because another running suggested it so that I couldn't see the hill as I was going up. It worked OK. I can't really remember but I believe there was only one really big incline let on the course, during mile 9 or 10. I did NOT think I was going to make it up that one. It was as long as the other two put together. I was already extremely tired at that point. I had been running/walking for well over 2 hours. But I knew there was no other option. I tried the walking backwards thing but it didn't really help me this time. I just prayed that God would help me push through and get to the top of that hill.

As I got to the top of that hill I felt a sense of relief. I looked ahead at where I must go next and I knew I would just do it. My attitude changed a bit as I got over that hill. I only have 3 miles left, a simple 5K. I had done those plenty of times walking and running. I could do it. I decided to start thinking about what a nice day it was and how I was just out for a nice long walk. At that point I told myself I was just going to walk unless I felt like a short sprint. It made it easier knowing I wasn't going to push myself to run the entire rest of the way. I can honestly say I ran some in every mile. I ran LESS in the later miles and MORE in the beginning ones. I reached a point where I could no longer stretch my toes to make it feel better. Sometimes I could curl my toes under as I was walking and it would relieve some of the pain, but not always. Once the pain shooting through my toes got so bad with a simple movement of my toes I no longer tried to move them. I just tried to ignore them.

There were plenty of water stations. They were giving out water, Gatorade, pickle juice and jelly beans at the water stops. I did try the pickle juice. It was terrible. I only drank a sip during mile 10. I did eat some jelly beans here and there for energy. I did drink some Gatorade. But mostly water. Someone was giving away bottles of water along the route as a community service and I was thankful for it. I took my sweatband off and poured water on it to wipe my face with throughout the later part of the race. It was one of the things that really helped. The weather was great but started getting hotter as I reached mile 10. Before that it actually sprinkled and looked like the crazy storm they were worried about was going to hit. Then it cleared up. Must have been because I prayed for the storm to hold off for just awhile longer because it just totally passed us by.

Along the route there were so many people saying "good job" and "way to go, keep going, don't stop" and things like that. EVEN people driving by in their cars. The police that worked the race were super nice and encouraging, too. The other runners were super supportive. I met and ran with one lady for a bit towards the end that said she had done 48 Halfs. Wow! That was just amazing to me. She is a single mom of four and her oldest is 19. She encouraged me to keep going. She is the one who suggested walking backwards. We came through the finish line together, running.

It took me 3 hours and 36 minutes to complete 13.1 miles. I was dead last in my age group, 45-49. There were only 4 other runners that came across the finish line AFTER me in all age groups. But that is OK. I finished. I did it. I got my finisher's medal and that is proof to myself I did cross that finish line.

As I got towards my car and sat down the pain in my feet increased ten fold. Plus, I was sore from going that long of a distance. I sat in the car and texted two people that I had finished. I knew they would be waiting to hear and I didn't want them to worry about me. I then took off my shoes and socks to see if my feet were really swollen as big as they felt. No, they weren't but they sure felt like it. The pain we extreme and I was unable to move my toes on my owe except with my hands. I wasn't sure I could drive home since putting my feet on the peddles was painful, too. But I had to get home so I could soak my hurting feet. That runner told me how it would be best to use cold instead of hot for the swelling. All the way home my feet would go from feeling OK to hurting worse than ever. I had no one in the car to be brave for so I just let it out and cried all the way home. When I arrived home I very slowly got out of the van and walked to the front door. The concrete driveway felt like pieces of glass on the bottoms of my feet. It was a slow walk to the door and beyond.

I hadn't eaten anything but a cup of mocha and a banana for breakfast around 5:30. It was now almost 11. I poured a glass of chocolate milk and it tasted so good. After a cold shower I got a tub to fill with ice water to soak my feet in. That felt wonderful and painful at the same time. Strange how that works. I was hungry, too so I got an apple. I knew I would eat lunch in a little while so I waited. I was able to rest for a bit and felt somewhat better. I found I had a blister where my underwear rubbed and I felt like one was starting on my back at my bra line. I did have a huge one on the ball of one foot and on a couple of toes. Those feel much better already after just a couple of days.

As I was talking to my husband about the whole thing he asked me a very important questions. "Why didn't you just quit? You were injuring yourself, you were in pain." I said, "I couldn't just quit." As I thought about it afterwards I know he had a very valid point. I was hurting very badly. I could have quit. I could have asked the fireman that they had stationed all over to give me a ride back. But then what would that have said about me? What would my kids think about it? Would they see that when the going gets touch, quit? or will they see to just keep going, keep putting one foot in front of the other and you can make it? That is what I want them to see. My husband and kids are proud of me for not giving up. I am proud of me for not giving up.

My race has just begun and I am doing what I can NOT to give up. I don't want to be known as someone who quit at the most important race of her life, a healthy life. I want to continue to make healthy choices and meet healthy challenges all through the rest of my life. I can't wait to see what more await in the years to come.

Training is key. If you want to succeed at something you can't just pick it up one day and say I am going to do it. You have to take it slow and steady, with running anyway. That is my mission, to not let any more full weeks go by without any type of running or workouts. It is just too hard on this body of mine.

Changing my life one day at a time.       

The Cowtown 10K

Trying to put the feelings going through my head right now into words is difficult. I have so many all at once. Today I ran my first official 10K. I have only run more than 5 miles twice. So I wasn't sure how well I would do. I knew I would finish, that wasn't the question. I wasn't sure if I would finish running or walking. I am happy to report that I was running to the end. 

I was super excited as they started releasing the runners. I couldn't get the smile off of my face. That is so weird to me. I never wanted to run until a year and eight months ago. Something just changed inside of me. I became a runner. 

I knew I wanted to keep an even pace as I ran, but taking advantage of the downhill portions as best I could and when I felt a little extra energy. I did not push myself too hard. I have learned that if I do that it forces me to walk. That was NOT my goal this morning. I wanted to run as much of the race as I could without stopping unless I had to. And I didn't want to walk any of it other than through the water stations, since I prefer to drink my water instead of wear it.

There were four water stations spread out over the 6.2 miles. I skipped the first one. I did not slow my pace until we were right around the corner from mile 3. I did that only so I could drink a small cup of water. I walked through three water stations and I stopped three times to stretch my calves. It helped me to keep going and not walk. My feet did great until after I had crossed the mile 5 marker. Then they started bothering me. But I kept going. The last time I stretched my legs and my feet it didn't help my feet as much as I would have liked.

I know that will be my biggest challenge as I increase my distance for the Half in August. I am going to have to take it slowly and add just a quarter mile a week until I reach that 13 miles. I will increase my weight training so that I can get stronger and build muscle at the same time that I increase my distance.

My last mile was the slowest but still a good time. My tracker says I finished it in 1 hour and 22 minutes. That is amazing to me! I usually take a little bit longer, probably five minutes or so longer. Once I got over the finish line and stopped running my excitement returned two fold. I DID IT. I really did it. And I did it in record time, for me. 

I have signed up for a couple of 5K's, one in March and one in April but I am going to be working on training for the Half during this time. My goal is to run three days a week. Tuesdays - 4 miles. Thursdays - 5 miles and Saturday or Sunday depending on when I can run - 6 miles plus .25 of a mile more each week. I know that will take a long time to build up to 13.1 miles but I have until August 2 to accomplish it. I also plan to do weight/strength training three days a week; Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. I also want to have one day that I will be doing stretching and rolling exercises to stay limber and help prevent injury. That will be whatever day is my off day, Saturday or Sunday. I will add a walk on that day, when possible. 

My eating is something I need to keep working on. Doing more running and more weights is going to cause me to become even more hungry. So I need to feed my body healthy things that will keep me strong and not make me gain weight, only muscle. I can't wait to see the progress I will make by the beginning of summer and beyond. I just have to keep my mind focused and not get off track. 

I hope you have set some goals for yourself. We all need to be more active and eat better. It isn't as hard as we make it. One step at a time. One day at a time. You can do it!

Changing my life one day at a time. 

Hot Chocolate 5K 2014

Saturday I ran my eighth 5K. Last year this race was my very first one. I think I will call it my "anniversary" 5K. I plan to run it every year. My son and I went to pick up my packet on Friday. The hoodie was wonderful and warm. It even has thumb holes in the sleeves, a real plus since the weather has been so cold lately. The colors are GREAT, too. I like it a lot better than the one from last year. This one has a zipper and that helps the hood to stay on your head instead of fall off. Last years was just a pull over and the hood would never stay on my head.

The Hot Chocolate 5K was held in Dallas at Fair Park, again. Thankfully, the traffic wasn't as bad as it was last year. Sadly, the exits were closed off again this year so we had to find a different way into the designated parking area. We didn't arrive at 6 a.m. like they suggested. That is just too early to get everyone up and stand out there, plus I think the traffic may be worse the earlier you are since they tell you to be there at that time? We arrived a little after 7. The walk from the parking lot to the starting line was a good 15 minutes. I had to make a stop at the port-a-potty before getting in line to run. Thankfully they had a lot of them and the lines weren't too bad. But I managed to get in the line where my group was despite the fact that they had already let a few of the groups go by then.

It was 32 degrees and foggy. It was misting a little the whole race. I managed to keep my pace even the entire time and actually ran the whole time. I did not have to slow down or walk. I am super excited about that. This is my first 5K that I have been able to do it. That is progress. As I ran across the finish line I raised my arms and just shouted. I couldn't help it. It was such a victory for me.

After the race I got my finisher's mug filled with yummy goodies. It had hot chocolate, a spot with chocolate fondue for dipping, a banana, a marshmallow, small bag of pretzels, a wafer cookie and a rice crispy treat, all to dip in the chocolate. Yummy. I ate the banana dipped in chocolate but gave the other goodies to my daughter since she had been sitting in the cold with no food in her tummy while I ran. I did not sit around like many to eat. My family had been out in the cold long enough. They were there for me before the sun was up and it was very cold, like I said. We went to IHOP and had some pancakes and get out of the cold. I tried to wait awhile to lay down, hoping that I could get a nap in but was not able to fall asleep at 2 even though I laid there for almost an hour and a half. Around 5, I was able to lay down and get a couple of hours sleep. I ate something and then went back to bed. I slept all night. I can never nap after a race. I am too wound up from the excitement, I suppose. 

My next race is in two weeks. It is my Cowtown 10K. I am super excited about it. I have one 5K in March and one 5K in April. I am planning on signing up for a Half the end of April. I can't even tell you how exciting and scary that is to me. I begin training for the Half next week.

Changing my life one day at a time.

Recovery Is Important

Exercise is important but if you forget the recovery then you will injure yourself and become unable to exercise at all. I want to talk about recovery because it is going to take a lot of work for me to keep training harder to run longer distances. But with more work comes more effort I need to put in on the recovery process. The fact that my foot is having problems showed me I needed to take some time and effort to fix it quickly so that I could get out there and run again sooner. I purchased two products this week to aid me in this, a n 18" foam roller and a hot/cold foot roller. The foam roller came with a 15 minute muscle massage routine DVD. I am going to try out that video tomorrow on my rest day. 

I ran three days this week. Sadly, I didn't run last week except on the treadmill and elliptical, which in my mind really don't count as running but do count as exercise. I did some strength training but not as much as I need to. I ran two days at our park for five miles each. Today, I was supposed to have a 7.5 mile run. I was doing pretty well until I got to four miles. We went to a new park to run because it was a longer track and it has inclines. It also has a lot of downhill slopes that were very hard on my toes. It pushed my feet down into the tops of my shoes and caused shooting pain through my toes and the tops of my feet. I managed to get them to stop hurting for a short time and run another mile but in the end I only ran a little more than 5 miles. My teenage son hurt himself riding his new penny board and was in a lot of pain, too, so I used that as an excuse to stop and come home instead of running for another 45 minutes it would take to finish the 7.5 miles. 

The incline is going to be a great help in training for our half marathon in August, there will be three miles of incline. But the slopes...ouch. It is my hope that over time I can build up my strength so that the slopes won't bother my toes anymore. If not, I will have to turn around when I get to those parts of the path instead of going all the way around the park. I am going to do my long runs each week out there on Saturdays. During the week I will keep running close to home. 

When I got home from my run I had a fabulous bath in my jet tub. I spent two hours in the tub and it was so relaxing. I used the jets to massage every part of my feet including my ankles. I think that is going to be a weekly routine to help aid my recovery process since my long runs will be on the weekend. I am glad I figured out that it would be so beneficial. I will still use the foot roller. I am putting my feet up on pillows for a while in bed each night, too. After my bath I scrubbed the dead skin off my heals and put some extra emollient night cream on them and covered them with socks for the night. I massaged it into my feet to give them even more attention. 

I love my new shoes. They felt great until the slopes started taking their toll. We will see how my feet do on Monday when there is just a normal trail to run on. It has been a very good week. I am hoping for many more weeks like this one. 

Changing my life one day at a time.

New Running Shoes

Today was a first for me. I went to The Runner store and got fitted for running shoes. If you have never done this and you are a runner, I would suggest you put aside some money each week and then go buy you a really good pair of running shoes. I have read a lot of articles and talked to a lot of runners and they tell me the same thing; the type of shoe you run in matters. 

When I went in he had me roll up my pant leg half way to my knee and take off my shoes. I stood in front of him while he looked at my stance. Then I turned around and he looked at my stance from the back. He determined that I have a very low arch and I tend to over compensate by landing the wrong way on my foot. That is why my foot hurts on the side. He brought out four different shoes that help correct my problem. They have a support on the inside of my foot so that I will land more on the center of my foot. He also told me I needed a bigger shoe than what I measure for because your foot swells when you run. I have never purchased a size 9 before but it feels pretty good on. He also showed me how to tie the shoe in a runners bow. It helps the shoe to feel tighter around the back instead of slipping. 

I can't wait to run in them this afternoon. I have a long run planned, it is a training run, so I am looking forward to seeing how the shoe feels during that run. The weather is supposed to be wonderful this afternoon. It will be great to get out and get some sunshine and exercise. I am going to save up and buy another pair of shoes in a couple of months so I can trade them out instead of only having one shoe to run in. I have read that it is good to do that. It helps your shoes last longer and then you aren't having to rush and buy new shoes when they wear out. A friend has a brand of shoe she really loves but this store didn't carry, Newtons. I am going to try those shoes next. Then I can see which shoe I like the best. 

Going to spend the early afternoon with my family and then get ready for an awesome run later today. Hope you are going to spend your Saturday doing something fun, too. Yes, running to me is fun. There is nothing quite like the rush I get when I am getting close to finishing my goal and after I finish it. 

Changing my life one day at a time. 

Running Takes Work

It's true. I won't lie. Running takes work. A lot of work. It is hard. Don't let anyone try to tell you running is easy. It isn't. But think about it. The things that are the most worth while and rewarding take the most work. I have managed to LET myself NOT run off and on the past year and a half out of laziness and negative self talk. Despite the fact that I saw awesome results from running, I quit over and over. No more! My husband says he can't figure out why people quit doing what is working, why they give up. It is the metal talk that goes on inside their heads. It is bumps in the road that get us off track and it takes metal strength to get back on track. I feel that I have gained my metal strength back these last few weeks because of my time with the Lord each morning, I have been doing that since October. I am openly seeking HIS strength to do the things in my life that I need to do. It has made such a difference in my days and in my attitude. And my success. The picture isn't very glamorous, but I had just come in from running five miles and the sun went down so the air got colder. I'm OK with not looking glamorous. I am a runner. There are times to be a runner and look like a runner and then there are times to dress up. I am proud to be a runner and look like I just came in from a run in the cold winter air. Becoming a runner was one of the best things I ever did for myself. 

I feel like I am back on track because I can actually RUN the majority of my run instead of having to walk to slow my heart rate. When I am not running regularly I can't run the whole way like I can when I run on a regular basis. I build up my heart and my lungs by running more than once a week. This week I ran two 5 mile runs, so far. The first one I had to walk for short periods of time during the first three miles and then ran the last two miles. Today when I ran I didn't have to walk at all. I did walk down a slope each of the five times I went that way, which was only about 6 seconds of my time. I say "so far" because I have a scheduled training run tomorrow for 7.5 miles. 

I have mentioned it before, but during my runs I listen to contemporary Christian music and spend the time talking to the Lord or just singing to him in my heart to the music. I also spend the time encouraging myself along the way. I tell myself how great I'm doing, how far I have run, how far I have left, etc. I use the Nike+ app and it tells me how much farther I have to go. Sometimes it is easier to think about how far you have to go as it gets lower than to think of the big number. 

For me the mental battle to run and exercise is such a big one. I have fed myself lies since I was a teenager that I could not run. I sure blew that out of the water, didn't I? But each day that I get up I have to have a plan. I have to know ahead of time what type of exercise I am going to do. That sets it in my head and keeps me dedicated and accountable to myself. I have a goal to get healthier. Not just to lose weight, but yes, losing weight is something I really want to do. I know it will make me a better runner and my health will be better when I have less fat on my body. 

One thing I need to make sure I am doing is my strength training. I do that at home, on my own. So that takes planning and metal preparation, too. I see many great tips online for workouts. I just have to put them into practice. I do a full body workout two or three times a week. It is easier for me to get in two or three weight training workouts than to try to do two upper body and two lower body weekly. On the weekends I write down what my workouts will be for the week. Doing that has really helped me. 

Something new has been bothering me this week, the side of my foot starts hurting after a run. I purchased a hot/cold foot roller the other day and it really helps. I also purchased a foam roller to help roll out the muscles that get tight from my running and other types of exercise. Both good investments for a runner, I believe. My shoes are over a year and a half old so they aren't working like they should. I paid under $50 for them because I wasn't sure at the time just how much of a runner I would be. I know now that I am dedicated to running and can't wait to run more and more the rest of my life. I want to run half marathons and full marathons and who knows what other crazy running adventures I will attempt. But I am looking forward to the challenge of beating my best with each new race. I am looking forward to seeing the changes in my body that will show the strength I am gaining through the training I will be doing on a daily basis. It is my goal to continue to keep my body and mind strong as long as I am alive. My first step in that direction will be tomorrow when I go to the runners store and buy a REAL pair of running shoes that will make my feet feel great when I run. I am super excited. 

If you haven't set your fitness goals for the new week, do it now. Make a plan and then stick to it. You will feel so accomplished at the end of the week when you can look in the mirror and tell yourself "You did it. Way to go." You can do it. I believe in you. Take it one day at a time and do something. Get moving. Make a healthy food choice. Just take the steps forward to a healthier you. 

Changing my life one day at a time. 

Healthy Food Choices

On my search for healthy foods, I have been lucky to find some things that taste good and are good for you. I want to share those with you as I find them. Today I broke my fast, I did a three day cleanse, with a healthy meal before my workout. I had a piece of toast with peanut butter and jelly on it plus a banana. 

The bread I have found is wonderful. It is a local company called Heartland Bread Company. They have different types of bread and we have tried all of them. The one I had today was Grandma's Perfect White. The ingredients are so like what I use to make bread, simple. It has untreated, unbleached wheat flour, water, pure cane sugar, salt and yeast. That's it! I have searched for a store bought bread that didn't have extra ingredients in it for the past 10 years or more. I found this on at my Tom Thumb store. They have signs under products that are local, like this one. I buy three or four loaves and freeze all of them but the one we are eating. They don't have preservatives so they won't keep like the other breads that are full of things we shouldn't eat. My kids love it.

The peanut butter is Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter Creamy. It contains peanuts and less than 1% salt. I don't have to put it in the refrigerator but I do have to stir it. I am OK with having to do that since it tastes good and is better for me. I love to eat it on toast. 

I just found this jelly, Smucker's Natural Strawberry Fruit Spread. NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. YAY! It contains strawberries, sugar, fruit pectin and citric acid. It tastes really good and it comes in four flavors, strawberry, grape, raspberry and orange. I love the strawberry but I am sure the other flavors taste good, too. 

I can't wait to share more healthy products with you. I post some healthy recipes on my other blog. I just posted my bread recipe. I have made rolls with that recipe, too. 

Changing my life one day at a time.