Juicing

We finally bit the bullet and bought ourselves a Breville juicer yesterday.  I've been wanting to try juicing for better health ever since I started seeing green juice recipes on Pinterest a couple of years ago.  Watching the documentary by Joe Cross: Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead is what cemented the idea for me.  I've seen the movie twice now, the first time alone, and the second time when I shared it with my husband.  The stories shared are eye-opening and compelling - they have inspired me to want to do better, and to want to be healthier.    

We had some green juices along with a light dinner last night, kind of just sampling a few different recipes we've seen.  This morning my husband made me the "Mean Green" juice that is recommended by reboot with Joe for breakfast.  He tried a green smoothie by adding a banana and a cup of milk. So far it seems to be going well.  My juice was pretty good but I think our ratio of cucumber was a little bit off – I needed it to be a little bit sweeter.  I do have to say I feel satisfied enough. it is 9:28 and I am hoping that will hold me off until an appropriate lunchtime…

My short-term goal right now is to replace one meal a day with some form of a green smoothie, and see how that goes. If it is sustainable and I'm able to lose a little bit of weight then I will consider maybe replacing two meals a day and so on. I'm not quite ready to do the full on "body reboot" as advertised by Joe Cross just yet.   I want to sort of take it down by notches and see how that goes...be sure this is something that I can sustain while also working full time and raising a family.  One thing is certain and that is that there are tons and tons of resources available out there, many of them free, that will help me along this journey.  One I've already used more than once is this great PDF that gives you the correct ratio for different green juice or smoothie concoctions.  I plan to laminate this and tape it to the wall right next to our juicer for easy reference.  

I am also really liking the relatively low investment cost of this idea, and the fact that it is all based on natural foods that are much healthier than what I have been eating. Even when we did the LA weight loss plan – having to buy their bars and pay for their program and all of that – it seemed a little...I don't know...gimmicky somehow?  We are still working our way through and trying to figure out the formula for what we actually need in order to sustain a week's worth of juicing.  Still though, going to Sam's Club and literally filling our cart with fresh vegetables and fruit felt really good - really life affirming.  Even if I don't manage to lose the weight I want to lose, I know I am going to be healthier, and be doing my body a favor by consuming so many vegetables.  I'm kind of thinking of it like an army inside my body - and all of this produce is my fortification of that army. 

Overall I do already feel better. I have not had any coffee since Sunday, and I don't have any headache so far. Hope I didn't just speak too soon.  I also have the same (or slightly more) energy that I would feel on a normal work morning, but this is without coffee. I plan to blog about my journey a little bit, mostly just to chronicle the process, and to keep track of my learning process and any great resources I find.  Only time will tell, but the idea that I can fight back against my life-long struggle with obesity, and against all the processed, refined CRAP out there by using my body's natural healing powers, and following a plan that is both simple and sustainable in terms of cost and upkeep - well that is empowering, and I'm definitely ready to give it my best shot!! 

My New Jobs

The past few months have been quite busy with lots of changes for me on the job front.  In May I applied for and was offered a job at Sylvan Learning Center.  It's been a great part time job for the summer; however, the overall experience has not been what I expected and I don't plan on continuing my work there in the fall.  I also applied for and was offered a job as a W-A-Y mentor through the main branch of our local school district.  Though much of my previous work in the field of education has been with very young children, I'm looking forward to trying my hand at helping at-risk teenagers as a welcome change of pace.  I start training for that tomorrow, and I'm excited to see where the job leads.

This past week was particularly busy as I interviewed for a position at East Washtenaw Multicultural Academy in Ann Arbor.  The interview went well and I found out on Friday that I'll be working as a preschool teacher for them this coming school year.  While I don't see myself teaching preschool for the long haul, I do want to work with young children and this is a way for me to get my foot in the door and get some valuable experience under my belt.  The program for which I'll be working is a state funded GSRP program, which means I'll be servicing low income families who might not otherwise have the chance to send their children to preschool.  I'm looking forward to the coming week, when I'll be able to meet the families with whom I'll be working for the 2011/2012 school year.  In considering this job and my future, I've decided that if money and this horrifying economy were not an issue, my true ideal job would be to teach second or third grade in a public school setting.  Unfortunately, this job market is not one which lends itself to any sort of cherry picking--a job is a job after all.  Still, I think it's good for me to have some kind of idea of what I want for my future.  I'm pretty broadly qualified, educationally speaking, which was an intentional choice on my part.  It's not that I wouldn't be happy teaching other grades/ages, or, for that matter, using my reading endorsement and teaching language arts to middle school students, but at least if I have an area upon which to set my sights, I'm more likely to make intentional choices toward that goal.

Time will tell.  There are several other jobs for which I've applied, and I haven't heard anything about any of them.  I'm not exactly sure what that means...I suppose it could be good or bad.  It's August now though, so I would imagine most schools will be conducting interviews and making their decisions very soon.  Unless something unexpected happens in the very near future, I'll be teaching preschool for the foreseeable future.  A job is a job, after all! 




   



                      
 

           

This Time Next Week

Right around this time next week, I will be sitting in the convocation center at Eastern Michigan University, wearing my cap and gown and listening to...who knows what kind of commencement speech.  Shorty thereafter, I will be the proud holder of my bachelor's of science in elementary education.  I am SO excited, there really aren't enough words to encompass how I feel. 

Last night I went to a little cap decorating party with some of the awesome women who have been with me along the way.  Our caps look smashing and I had a great time hanging out with them.  We are all so ready for next week but there is nervous anticipation too.  Now it's actually starting to feel real! The journey from this post, (way back when I was first making decisions) to now, seems like a thousand miles.  And yet, the time actually seems to have gone by rather quickly too.  It's an odd conundrum really but I guess that's what happens when you're so busy. 

In any case...I am absolutely thrilled to have come so far and I feel really proud of all I've accomplished.  According to my transcript, I'll be graduating magna cum laude next week, which means I've been able to maintain an overall GPA of 3.75.  Considering all the other major things I've had on my plate over the past three-and-a-half years, and considering we've also had some significant life changes thrown into the mix, that's pretty darn awesome.  Come on, April 16!