Greetings Veg Heads!
In case you haven't heard. Veg Vivaciously is teaming up with Raw Raw Life to do a Juice/Smoothie Challenge. I'm writing this pre-challenge post to help prepare everyone for the Juice/Smoothie Challenge that's creeping up on us. It starts January 1, 2012 and is going to go on for 60 whole days, ending March 1, 2012. What better way to start the New Year? During this time, I will post on this blog page a Juice or Smoothie recipe every day for the entire 60 days. Usually I do this on facebook and twitter, instead it will be hosted on the blog. This may be helpful for those of you who may be "on the go"...you can download the free Veg Vivaciously phone app and get a daily juice/smoothie recipe that will come right to your phone! Not to mention, Raw Raw Life will post either daily or weekly youtube video's, which will make you feel like you're literally walking in her shoes as she unveils every ounce of herself by sharing her juice/smoothie experience. If you have not checked out Raw Raw Life's video's then you really should check them out...go on! Check them out here!
(shameless plugs for our blog sites and such are over)
This post isn't for my tenured Veg Head Vets! It's for all of the newbies out there that say, "I can't do that," "I can do it for a week," "I can't afford that," "I might be able to afford it for a week, maybe two," "I can do it through the week, but on the weekends I need to eat solids." Trust me, I can relate to these comments and more! I didn't just wake up one day and decide to have the lifestyle I have...okay maybe I did...but even in doing so it takes time. I had to go through some transitioning periods, and let me just tell ya, it hasn't been...wait, I'm speaking in past tense...ha ha ha...it ISN'T easy!
My first Juice/Smoothie Challenge, I joined some group (forgive my moment of dementia but I can't remember which group on facebook hosted it...) but I do remember I lasted all of 3 days...3 days...and got off of it and ate a calzone (of all things) and uum it was super loaded with cheese! The thought of that calzone is making my mouth water as I type...so lets just move along...
My second Juice/Smoothie Challenge, I lasted a week. *the crowd goes wild* I was ecstatic that I lasted a week. I remember feeling so accomplished. Then I got off of it and ate raw food. I didn't come off of the Juice/Smoothie Challenge properly at all. But hey, at least I did it!
In between going on to my next challenge I did a 3-day watermelon cleanse. (yet another shameless plug) After doing that cleanse, I felt I could do anything. Not because I had accomplished this cleanse without cheating, but because this cleanse was the "research initiator" for me. Doing this cleanse really opened my consciousness to learn about foods, their nutritional value and how to let my food be my medicine and my medicine be my food. After researching everything under the sun about watermelons. I wanted to learn more. But about health and temperance and the proper way of doing things. So there were two books I immediately read: Ministry of Healing, by Ellen G. White and Soak Your Nuts, by Karyn Calabrese.
Now, I'm not posting these books for you to run out and get them, unless you absolutely want to. Also, I am not a paid sponsor for either one of these books, I'm really sharing the information about these books because they both reached me on different levels. Ministry of Healing helped me to see that this new lifestyle change wasn't just about "diet"...that it actually formulated and worked with 7 other areas that were necessary in my life. Sunlight, Rest, Air, Water, Exercise, Abstemiousness and Trust. Without realizing the full potential and importance of these 7 areas, the new diet would fail and be nothing. Soak Your Nuts, helped me realize the importance of letting my food be my medicine, by the way that Karyn (yeah we're totally on a first name basis, cause I read her book and everything...) literally opens herself up unveiling every ounce of herself and her journey in her book. Not to mention, she breaks down the nutritional value of specific foods, shares some of her recipes from her restaurant and helps to coach you to a better you. Then she literally walks you through a 28 day detox...which was the next detox I did.
I did her detox so well. *no pictures paparazzi, please* Why? Because, I had a better understanding of what my goals at that point were. I was open, willing and ready to accept these changes while also learning about myself with all my "stuff---baggage" and I was ready to deal with the emotions that would come out while revamping my life. I was learning the importance of food and how it had a strong role in my personal, social and family life. (I'll speak more on this in blog posts to come)
I did her detox so well. *no pictures paparazzi, please* Why? Because, I had a better understanding of what my goals at that point were. I was open, willing and ready to accept these changes while also learning about myself with all my "stuff---baggage" and I was ready to deal with the emotions that would come out while revamping my life. I was learning the importance of food and how it had a strong role in my personal, social and family life. (I'll speak more on this in blog posts to come)
I'm sharing this to show you that Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will your lifestyle change in a day. Whether you're doing this to lose those pounds you've picked up over the holidays; as a detox; or to jump start your new healthier lifestyle, be patient with yourself...listen to your body...know your expectations...know your limitations... But at the same time, don't doubt yourself...Don't psych yourself into thinking that you can't or else you won't...and last but certainly not least, NEVER CONTRAST YOUR JOURNEY WITH SOMEONE ELSES JOURNEY. Each person is different; Therefore, each journey will be different. I get asked all the time, "How do you have
the plant based lifestyle that you do?" The items listed above are some of the things I tell
people.
So if you join this juice/smoothie challenge and you only do it for one day, guess what? That's one day of juice and smoothies that you never did before! I applaud you! I thank you! I welcome you! Whether its one day, one week, two weeks, or the full 60 days. Thank you for joining us on this challenge.
So if you join this juice/smoothie challenge and you only do it for one day, guess what? That's one day of juice and smoothies that you never did before! I applaud you! I thank you! I welcome you! Whether its one day, one week, two weeks, or the full 60 days. Thank you for joining us on this challenge.
And if you read this and still don't want to do the juice/smoothie challenge...then you're still one step closer...because I'm just willing to bet...there was a time you wouldn't even bother to read about it. So thank you too!
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