Projcet: REPLENISHMENT

Squeeze The Life Into You

Over a year ago, maybe two, I bought a juicer.  I have used it on and off which is much improvement from the last juicer I bought 8 years ago which sat in my cupboard and collected dust.  I used to think that it was silly to drink your fruits and veggies, that you were better off to just eat them.  But in my world, that was not happening so I finally broke down and got my lean mean juicing machine.  I know there are a lot of different juicers out there from $60- $500 so I opted for one in the $170 range.  I needed to make sure that I would actaully use the thing before I invested any more than that.  Afterall I did have a juicer 8 years ago and used it twice.  So far, it has been well worth my modest investment.  It sits proudly on my counter with plenty of war stains.

This year I have committed to myself to use it more because what I have noticed is that when I actually use the juicer to make myself juice, I feel great.  I feel so much more energetic and clear minded.  Here are some of this weeks juice recipies:

Carrot, Grapefruit

5 organic unpeeled carrots, 2 pink grapefruits (a gift from my neighbors tree)

Beet, Kale and Cucumber

1 beet, 1 cucumber, half a bunch of kale, 2 celery stalks

Cumumber, Kale, Green Apple

1 cucumber, 2 green apples, 1 head of kale

Bottoms up!

Oh and by the way, I always try to drink my juice along with some kind of protein so it does not mess with my blood sugar levels or make me famished after an hour.  Also be warned, if you opt for the beet recipie expect them to come out the same color as they went in. ; )

Squeeze The Life Into You

Over a year ago, maybe two, I bought a juicer.  I have used it on and off which is much improvement from the last juicer I bought 8 years ago which sat in my cupboard and collected dust.  I used to think that it was silly to drink your fruits and veggies, that you were better off to just eat them.  But in my world, that was not happening so I finally broke down and got my lean mean juicing machine.  I know there are a lot of different juicers out there from $60- $500 so I opted for one in the $170 range.  I needed to make sure that I would actaully use the thing before I invested any more than that.  Afterall I did have a juicer 8 years ago and used it twice.  So far, it has been well worth my modest investment.  It sits proudly on my counter with plenty of war stains.

This year I have committed to myself to use it more because what I have noticed is that when I actually use the juicer to make myself juice, I feel great.  I feel so much more energetic and clear minded.  Here are some of this weeks juice recipies:

Carrot, Grapefruit

5 organic unpeeled carrots, 2 pink grapefruits (a gift from my neighbors tree)

Beet, Kale and Cucumber

1 beet, 1 cucumber, half a bunch of kale, 2 celery stalks

Cumumber, Kale, Green Apple

1 cucumber, 2 green apples, 1 head of kale

Bottoms up!

Oh and by the way, I always try to drink my juice along with some kind of protein so it does not mess with my blood sugar levels or make me famished after an hour.  Also be warned, if you opt for the beet recipie expect them to come out the same color as they went in. ; )

Whoooaaa Yoga

I had the most wonderful ‘Setting Your Intentions ‘ Yoga class a few nights back.  It was a class mixed with journal writing, rituals and vinyasa flow yoga.  It was just what I needed to start of my new year, even if I can barely walk today, it still feels good.

The journal writing consisted of us admitting (the hardest part) and writing down on a piece of paper what our blocks or limiting beliefs were (the things that are holding us from our true potential)  Some of mine included letting go of the resentment I still carried around about my ex husband,  my fears about being single for life, never providing my daughter with a 3 person family environment, and using food to mask my loneliness.  Let’s just say I had a full page and I guess it is a good sign that I can’t even remember them all now.  Then on a separate sheet of paper we wrote down everything we wanted our lives and our selves to be.  We wrote blessings for the people in our lives who brought us joy and happiness  (which was surprisingly hard to think of for me,  which I suppose I need to look into) and then we had to forgive anyone who had hurt us in the past, including yourself.  Powerful.

We kept the papers close to us as we then began our yoga practice for over an hour. I tried hard to keep my intention clear in my mind but, to be honest, towards the end of the class, all this stiff bodied, out of practice girl, could think about was whether or not the end was near.

At the end of session we sat in a circle around a fire bowl and bid farewell, ripped to shreds, and deposited those self defeating actions and behaviors we had written down into the fire bowl to be burned and released out into the universe, never again to be part of who we were.

We followed that with sealing all of our positive intentions into a self addressed self envelope to be mailed to us by the Yogi mid way through the year.

For me, rituals are important.  It symbolizes a closure of something old  and no longer needed and an opening of something new.  New Years resolutions are ritual like actions.  Old bad habits go out with the year and new improved habits coming in with the new year.  All it takes is persistent action to achieve them…..sigh.. if only it were so easy…… but it is a good start.

So now, who dares to share what is holding them back??

Map Your Life So You Know Where You Are Going

Well  I have to admit that I have spent the last few days replenishing my bank account rather than ME, although there is something to be said about replenishing your account cushion after the holiday season.

I have several wonderful replenishing things on the agenda tomorrow, starting with another massage and ending with a wonderful Intentions yoga class.  Putting goals all down on paper either it be visual  or literal, helps you get clear about what you want and where you want your life to go.  I mean, if you can’t see where you are going how are you going to get there?  So for me unwritten goals are just wishes.  A few years ago a wonderful and loved personal training colleague gave me a extremely useful intention/goal setting journal called The Sacred Journey.  What is so great about this book is it allows you to be creative, there are places for your artistic talent, or in my case, attempted talent, and quarterly goals and reviews.  I love it!

fyi I got mine at amazon.com ($14) and I also got one for a new colleague (she owns the yoga studio)

Another thing I love to do is to create a vision board,  that is my project for the weekend.   I am going to copy a link that I got off of another blog (healthyworkingmom.wordpress.com)  if anyone wants to join in on the FUN!

Vision Boards: My Anti-Resolution Resoultion | workingmother.com

So tomorrow will be filled with delicious ME things…… and that feels great.