It's Not Easy Being Green

In an ever evolving quest to be healthier, I've started experimenting with smoothies and juices. I've discovered a few things already. The first is that my blender isn't very good. We've had it for nearly ten years, so that's part of the problem. Somethings just get old and dull over time. Also, it wasn't really made to do smoothies in the first place. As a consequence, all my smoothies thus far require a small amount of mastication on the part of the drinker. That's OK though. When I think of all that went into making them, I'm impressed by the amount of fresh fruits and veggies I'm actually eating! There's a lot of goodness in that glass, even if it looks a bit dubious.

That's the second thing I've learned so far. Looks can be deceiving! That's an understatement when it comes to making and consuming "green smoothies" in particular. Who would think a drink made of banana, blue berries, peaches, cucumber, watermelon, and spinach would be any good? Actually many of the weird combinations I've tried have been very good! I'm looking forward to experimenting with new combinations and seeing how they play out. The other deceptive thing I've discovered is that you need a heck of a lot of oranges to make fresh orange juice! It tastes fantastic but is very labour intensive! Also, we need new orange peeling technology, asap.

I haven't been at it very long, but I plan on sharing anything I find that is interesting and/or tasty. Hopefully both.

Getting Back On The Horse

I know in my tag line I mention that I might bemoan not fitting in my old jeans and other diet related complaints.  I haven't done that yet and am feeling like a bit of a hypocrite for not doing so. The fact is, I haven't wanted to get on the weight loss band wagon until I was sure I'd stay on it. I didn't want to start something and not follow through on it. It's something I know I can do if I put my mind to it, but until now I've put it on the back burner. Why? Why not? I'm  not going anywhere. The gym's not going anywhere. So why not wait until I feel up to taking on the challenge?

I thrive on positive feed back. If I don't feel I'm getting anywhere I flag and falter until I stop dead. I don't want to do that, so I decided to wait until I felt I could commit the time and effort to getting in shape again. Let's be clear, it's not really about fitting into my old jeans. That's just a bit of tongue in cheek. What I'm really aiming for is health and over all fitness. That is much more important to me than any number on the scale. I know that I'll never look like I did when I was twenty. Which is just as well because I was underweight anyways. I want to be healthier, happier, and have the energy I need to keep up with my girls.

After my first daughter was born I worked hard to get back into shape before her first birthday. Between taking care of a baby, finishing university, and life in general, there were a lot of starts and stops. Despite all those possible roadblocks and possible excuses, I did manage to meet my goal. In fact because I was actively trying to improve my health and fitness I was in better shape than I was before I got pregnant. Honestly I was in the best shape I had ever been. Maybe not the thinnest or the lightest, but certainly the healthiest and fittest. What I previously had taken for granted in my youth, I had now worked hard to regain. I wasn't skinny, I was strong. Which feels miles better.

Now after my second daughter has been born,  I feel it's time to get back to where I was. I only got to enjoy the "new me" for a couple of months before I was pregnant again. I have lost the baby weight, but I really want that energy that comes from being fit and active again. I like having a goal and trying to reach it. Plus the gym is literally three minutes from my house; I've timed it. I'm actually looking forward to it because I know I can do it. I even wore yoga pants around the house yesterday. Hey, it's a start. Don't judge me. I did do a little Zumba for the Wii, so the pants were warranted.