Day 25: The one that started badly but got really great!

I woke up this morning waaaaaaaaay later than I meant to: 11am.  But I think my body really need the sleep, so I didn't feel guilty for a sleep indulgence.  However, when I got out of bed I almost dropped back down because of major pain.

If you don't know this, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in January 2012.  While I live in near-constant pain, I have learned how to push through, hold a job, go out with friends, and typically enjoy life.  One of the very BEST parts of this juice cleanse has been the near disappearance of my pain.  I seriously haven't had but a headache and a couple of twinges in my back or feet during the entire 25-day trial.  It's been wonderful! 

But I knew it was too good to last.  And this morning the pain returned -- and then some.  It was all I could do to get into the shower and get ready for walking.  After getting ready, making my morning juice (ABC Juice*), and suffering through some basic stretches, I decided that taking a walk around Green Lake would be the hardest but best thing I could do for myself.  Luckily, I had a date with a friend to do just that. 

ABC Juice (1 small serving)

• 10 spears aspargus
• 1 apple
• 1 spear broccoli
• 2 carrots (I used 3)

I drank the small glass of juice that this recipe yielded and headed out to the bus.  I decided I would ride over the the lake, since I didn't think I had enough time to walk or the ability to walk all the way there without hurting.  The 10-minute walk to the bus was pretty painful, but I kept remembering what I read about fibro pain: exercise will help. The ride was pretty painful, but things were easing up and I could feel a slight improvement. 

This morning had some pretty heavy and cold rain, so I waited for my friend at the Starbucks and read a book. If you haven't checked out How to Be Good by Nick Hornby (the author of About a Boy), I would recommend it. I'm only on page 95, but so far it's very interesting. While I concentrated on the book, I felt my body relax even more and the pain begin to fade just a bit.  By the time we began our walk, I was psyched to take on the elements (cold rain) and spend time catching up with my friend.

Our walk started off rainy and cold but got markedly better as we kept moving around the lake.  By our half-way point, the sun had begun to show and we could put our umbrellas down.  Happily, my pain was gone!  I felt so great that we ended up doing a second round. Thanks to Tricia for being such a great walking buddy and sport for staying out in the rain.  Two laps in, I was getting pretty hungry so returning home sounded pretty awesome.

Once home, I stretched again, but without pain, and started making a new juice I've never tried before: Snack Drink.  Honestly, I think it should be called the Packer Juice, because there was so much green and gold on my plate.  (I'm a big fan of the Packers, so I was happy see those colors this afternoon).

Dr. Oz’s Pineapple Kale Juice Cleanse Recipe (the snack drink)**

• Half a cup of pineapple, cut into small cubes (I used one slice)   
• 4 cups of chopped Kale leaves (I used half curly kale and half lacinato kale)
• 1/2 lemon (I used a whole one)
• 2 large cucumbers (I cut them in half)
• 1/2 cup mint (I omitted this ingredient)
• 2 artichoke hearts (I omitted this ingredient)

This juice yields a pretty good amount.  In fact, I was able to fill a large mason jar 3/4 of the way with the juice.  Since it has a lot of veggies, and I was super hungry, I decided to drink it all at once.  For being so greens-heavy, I was very tasty.  I liked it. 

Today is more my style with veggie juices, because for dinner, I made up another veggie juice: Liquid Lunch***


Liquid Lunch

• 1 stalk celery (I used 3)
• 1 carrot (1 used 2)
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 sprig fresh dill (I used 2)
• 1 apple
• 1 TBSP protein powder (I stirred this in after juicing the fruits and veggies) -- I used Manitoba Harvest Hemp Pro Fiber unflavored protein powder, it's vegan

This was a really interesting drink.  The dill adds a lot to it, which was nice.  It produced the perfect amount of liquid, because it was to the tippy top of my mug.  I put 1 TBSP of my protein powder into the mug and was able to easily mix it into the juice. 

One thing I should write is that you need to get used to drinking brownish juice.  Anytime you mix green and orange, it's going to be brown...unless you add beets or something very colorful.  (Sorry about the fuzzy picture)

Well, I'm off to a birthday party in Columbia City.  I'm taking tea with me so that I'm not tempted to indulge in alcohol, snacks, or any other tasty temptations.  I'm excited for tomorrow's juice, because I finally get to cut into the ripe cantaloupe I bought.  It smells devine, so I hope it tastes good.  =)

I hope you each have a fun evening tonight!     



*page 179 of Pat Crocker's, "The Juicing Bible: Second Edition"
**http://fastjuicecleanserecipes.com/juice-cleanse-recipe-4-dr-ozs-pineapple-kale-juice-recipe/
***page 191 of Pat Crocker's, "The Juicing Bible: Second Edition"