juice cleanse..the beginning

juice cleanse as a way to detox has been on my to do list for quite sometime. however, the cost of it has always deterred me from taking the full 3-5 day plunge. pressed juicery (at in store locations only) offers a one day cleanse & i thought this would be a great way to see if i can even last a day without solid foods. well..what do ya know, i powered through the day feeling full & confident that perhaps i can last a few more days of relying solely on nutrient dense juices from plants & fruits.  they recommend one bottle of juice every 2-3 hours but each bottle left me feeling so full, so i was stoked to have some left over juices for the next day. 

vanilla almond has always been my favorite from pressed juicery. its creamy, filling, & the medjool dates add a perfect amount of natural sweetness. other notable favorites were the greens #3  (kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, cucumber, apple, celery, lemon, & ginger) & roots #2 (apple, carrots, ginger, kale, parsley, romaine, spinach). the chlorophyll water is probably the cleanest water i have ever tasted! ive been reading & researching the benefits of chlorophyll & it looks like i may have to visit the vitamin store soon. 

slowly but surely

it's been a little over 2 months since i joined the gym. ive been going 2 times religiously every week to meet with my personal trainer. sometimes i even go 3 times a week.

their was one week where i felt unmotivated & bloated while at the same time suffering my monthly migraines. it threw off my drive & i let it be my excuse to slack off for a week. i went to the gym once that week & didn't do much else fitness wise. i just didn't want to. i didn't want to make that 10 minute drive to the gym. i didnt want to think about what to eat throughout the week. in fact i ate a lot of bad foods during that time.

i was able to refocus after meeting with my trainer. i felt motivated & was ready to put in the work i had been giving prior to my week funk. farmers market visits resumed & cooking my own foods & eating as healthy as possible resumed.

their are many benefits to working out both physically & mentally. no new information that we all haven't heard before. during my moments of feeling unmotivated i hope to remind myself of the reasons why i must continue. i have to keep going because it lifts my mood. because im a set of reps away closer to my goal. because it's a good use of time. because it will help me become stronger & more discipline.  because it reminds me that i'm not a quitter. because i want a strong core. because i want to take pride in my body & health habits. because i want toned arms. because i want to move forward, not backward.

purple beans

tuesday at the farmer's market has become my ritual after work outs with my trainer. i stock up on seasonal fruits & veggies to get us through the week. green beans are a staple in my vegetable drawer so i switched it up when these purple long beans caught my eye. i love purple potatoes so i thought i may give these a try. i baked these with a medley of veggies & salmon for dinner one night. the next day i stir fried them with chicken & veggies & added in red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.