i don't care how cliche it is, but with the new year, i'm choosing my health. for the past week or so, johnny and i have been doing a modified juice cleanse, with lots of whole foods, superfoods, and completely plant-based foods. there has also been no alcohol, and daily walks. i feel energized and amazing, and six pounds lighter.
while john was away for five months, i got into some bad habits. i went from eating a mostly plant-based diet to a free for all. i rewarded myself to getting through a day alone with pretty much whatever i wanted! i ate whatever was quick and easy, and usually ate alone. there was no joy in food. i started having a glass of wine most nights, and sometimes that turned into two. i got into a bad routine that i imagined was helping me get through a lonely and trying time. and honestly, it served a purpose. i got through parenting three children alone for months on end and i didn't have a nervous breakdown! i didn't even have a mini breakdown.
once john came home we were in celebration mode, which was also a big free for all. don't get me wrong, we did buy mostly healthy foods, some organic, but we knew our way around a box of cheeze-its and liked ourselves some desserts. once we were together, we went out on dates again, ordered steaks with gorgonzola, and enjoyed cocktails many nights during the week. it was fun, we were happy, but we were both packing on some extra pounds.
after the holidays (starting with the halloween candy, ending with the christmas butter cookies) we just hit our wall. all the food we were shoveling into our bodies was completely joyless. we invested in a fancy-pants juicer and made the commitment to juice together. i'm a lucky girl because johnny hands me beautiful glasses of green juice throughout the day! (today he's back to work so we'll see how it goes----but i opened the fridge this morning to a big mason jar filled with green goodness courtesy of his early morning juicing!).
i've always been excited about whole foods and healthy eating but dabbled here and there and haven't made a sustained commitment. now is the time (my sagging neck will thank me, i hope!). the kids are into it, too! and they dig the green juice. we're all eating chia seeds and singing "ch ch ch chia!". i'm sure they'll be bumps in the road, and cheats and splurges, but for the most part i'm excited about our new family adventure. goodbye cheeze-its and nachos, hello fresh veggies and fruits! i'm waiting with baited (veggie-licious) breath for my new blender to arrive so i can start experimenting with smoothie recipes.
these websites have been inspirational to me during this past week:
meghan telpnerthe vegan stoner
crazy sexy lifethe kind lifehere's to happiness, new beginnings, and commitments to health! <3
(i promise that i'm not going to get all evangelical on you about this...this is just my two cents, and the end.)
...wearing a scarf made from an old t-shirt, and standing in the light of the kitchen...
...it's giving love to something smaller than us...
...it's being with your family, celebrating...
...it's sitting in your grandmother's favorite chair...
...it's cauliflower with lots of curry waiting to be roasted...
...it's a big bowl of toasty kale chips...
...it's a big bowl of fresh produce...
...it's sitting by the fire in my favorite coffee shop...
...it's little people with big smiles...
...it's colorful pieces of paper arranged in a way that creates happiness...
...it's spices and herbs and nourishment...
...it's taking pictures kissing produce (and ginormous earlobes waiting for kisses from joey)...
...it's taking silly pictures in the winter's light...
...it's fresh spring rolls...waiting for spring...
