"Official" Day 1 of Juice Fast

Today is my official start day for my juice fast.  This is a hard concept for some people to understand, so I have included a link that explains it pretty well (and has some recipes).

Health Benefits of Juicing

To start, I prepared my juice for the next 2 1/2 days.  Yes this is another one of those debated topics for juicing.  How long should I store my juice.  The obvious answer is don't.  Drink it as soon as you juice it.  The practical answer is no more than 3 days.  The darker the container the better to help prevent oxidation.  For me.... I am just going to go with 2 1/2 days because I have stored everything in airtight containers and they are refrigerated.  All I know is that some of the "hardcore juicers" need to relax about that.  No, I am not bringing my juicer to work or in my car to juice before I want something to eat.  Really, who has time for that?

Here is what today looks like for me:

Breakfast - This was the random fruits and veggies I had laying around after I actually prepared recipes:
- 1 Pear
- 2 Carrots
- Kale (4 leaves)
- A piece of Pineapple
- A few Strawberries

I actually like this one a lot.  It is definitely sweet for breakfast.

Lunch / Snack - 
- 2 Apples (Golden Delicious)
- 1/2 Cantaloupe
- 1/2 Honeydew
- 8 Kale Leaves

When I am getting the urge to eat something, I pour about 1/4 Cup into my plastic cup and sip slowly through a straw.  It helps curb my hunger.  

I have to admit that I did have a cup of diet coke this morning.  Hopefully tomorrow I will be better.  From what I hear, that is HORRIBLE to do on this cleanse.  Apparently it is horrible to drink anytime, but I do love it!  

Tip of the day: Do not chew gum while on the cleanse.  It makes your body hungrier.   

Juicing

So today is my first day to kick start my 10 day juicing cleanse. I found some great recipes online. I will share my recipes as I drink them. I got my boyfriend on the juicing band wagon as well!

Cheers!






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Country Music Marathon (well 1/2)

Nashville's Country Music Marathon is the funnest run I have ever run in my life.  3 years ago, I made the trek down to Nashville with one of my friends to run the 1/2 Marathon.  We were 27ish and were in no way prepared for this run.  Holy hills.  There are a ton of hills....  These are all uphills.  I don't ever recall going downhill!  We had a blast 3 years ago running it, so I decided what the hell I want to run it again.  

Since I am officially in the 30 - 34 bracket, all I wanted to do was to finish the 1/2 in an "acceptable" time.  Saturday, April 27th, 2013, was the first real race I have run since I hurt my knee last year.  Let's just talk about my run a little.  

I am from Chicago.  We have horrible weather....  All the time.  This weekend, Chicago had amazingly sunny and 70 degree days....  Nashville was low 60s, dark and cloudy, and raining.  Really?!?!  Out of all weekends for it to be crappy, it had to be this weekend.  It rained from the time I got outside on Saturday morning until well after I finished the race.  My feet and body were wet the entire.  I am not talking about a little drizzle.  It consistently rained the whole time.  We rain (swam) through puddles up to our ankles.  The worst was running uphill through a stream of water.  I made it though!  I had a child's sized poncho on top of my cute marathon gear.  It was well worth the $5.99 I paid at Walgreen's for it. 

The thing about running 13.1 miles is that I don't feel bad eating anything afterward.  I had the BEST Bar-B-Que ever from Jack's on Broadway.  It was so great that we even bought a case of sauce to bring back to Chicago!  

In a nutshell, things I have learned running the Nashville 1/2:

1.  Bring a poncho
2.  Bring a plastic zip lock bag for your phone / iPod
3.  Eat at Jack's Bar-B-Que
4.  Get to the expo early on Friday
5.  Take a plane there - do not drive - no one wants to be in a car that long
6.  Try to see as much live music as you can
7.  Go with a great friend or significant other.  Too many people will cramp your style
8.  Get an amazing night of sleep on Thursday because you won't on Friday
9.  Be prepared for any weather - Gloves, hat, poncho, tank top
10.Enjoy the music along the way.  Remember Complete not Compete.