Spring Break time, family time, VOLLEYBALL and me.......

So here I thought it's been a few weeks since I've posted and when I looked I realize it's been a month already - sheesh.  Things are "Status quo" with nothing really "new" to report.  Well, one thing is new, my sister had her 2nd baby!  So we have a new family member, Ms Audrey Rose Gordon.  She is precious of course!

As most of you know I'm always on the look out for new and great things that will help with CFS/ME, Lupus and FMS symptoms.  Well I have recently found a product and I want to tell you about it because I'm excited about it's potential. It's called "Aloha" - basically it's a dried green juice powder!  SHUT UP!  I literally was just thinking about how I wish there was a product that would give the benefits of juicing in a much easier form such as a powder or pre-made but good drink that was affordable....I know, I know, in my dreams!  Or at least I thought! Then I see an ad on Facebook pop up one day that caught my eye - it was EXACTLY what I had been thinking about - weird I know!

They appear to be a relatively new company and the product is exactly what I've been looking for.  I was able to get a sample of it and so far have found it to be just as good as it seems.  I mix the powder into my daily protein smoothie because on it's own it's quite harsh tasting!  I made the mistake of mixing it with just water when I first got it - ACK - I drank it but man, I won't make that mistake again!  If you have ever had spirulina straight, that is exactly what it reminds me of - but I find mixing it with my smoothie drowns out the strong taste and it's palatable.  I'm always looking for ways to easily incorporate lots of vegetables and goodness into my daily diet and this seems like a great way to do just that without the time/money/mess it takes to juice all the same things (and then some). Don't get me wrong, I love juicing and all the amazing health benefits but it is just too time consuming for me to do it on a regular basis anymore.  For the same cost, if not less, I can get the same benefits out of a package of dried juice - easy, fast and most of all convenient.  Check it out here Aloha - The Daily Good.  As anyone who is dealing with the affliction of a chronic illness knows, the more good stuff we can put into our bodies, the better off we are all around.  I really encourage you to check it out if you are like me and want to put the good things in but just don't have the time and energy to juice 3x or more a day.  With this, you take it once a day and you are good to go. There are 14 organic ingredients that promise to help detoxify, energize, hydrate and best of all BOOST IMMUNE SYSTEM function!  The process they use to dry the ingredients doesn't take away the nutrients or fiber which a lot of the time juicing does - so there is another bonus!  I've been using it just for a few days now so I can't honestly report anything over the top with it but I do plan on continuing to use it for the internal benefits I believe it will deliver.  A strong immune system is a huge plus for me.  I can also say I have noticed a temporary increase in my energy when I take it so that is always of course a huge plus!

In other news, it's spring break for myself and my kids - very much needed I might add!  I was thoroughly exhausted by the time it came along.  Last Friday was the first day and honestly I haven't done a whole lot since.  We did have an all day volleyball tournament on Sunday, but aside from that I've pretty much been a lazy lounger......of course I'm still keeping my normal schedule of going to be around 8 or 9pm but I'm able to sleep in past 5:30 am which has been nice.  I'm finding myself getting up around 8am, still tired but unable to sleep any longer.  I also have been noticing I wake up a lot at night, which isn't uncommon and surely part of why I'm always so tired, I'm not getting restful sleep.

So I wonder how many of you feel like I do - lazy.  I often feel like my illness has made me very "lazy" for lack of a better term - I feel lazy because I just don't want to do ANYTHING most of the time.  It makes me feel bad because I know I "should" be outside enjoying the nice weather, exercising, taking the kids out to do things etc.......so I start to get on myself and negative thinking hits.  I can sit here all day in my PJ's - easy.  So I wonder, is it just me being LAZY or is it truly because it's not often that I get to do it and when the opportunity shows itself I'm all over it?  Am I lazy?  Some would say YES.  I on the other hand am not sure at this point.  While I know I'm chronically sick, it's hard to convince even myself at times.

Volleyball is coming to an end soon - this has kept us very busy and on the go most of the time.  With 3-4 practices a week and an all day "power" each Sunday we find very little time to do much else.  Early mornings and late nights tend to be our M.O. during the club season.  As of May there will be a little break in the action before the summer camps start up with the school.  My daughter loves the sport and we are so blessed to be able to give her the opportunity to play for a club and in school as well as the countless other things she gets invited to do.  My husband and I love watching her too.  Our son on the other hand, not so much.  He isn't a big fan of noises so volleyball is really something that stresses him out.  With his sensory issues it's not the most accommodating sport for him.

Now I have a question for those of you with CFS/ME and/or FMS.  What strategies have you found work for you to keep you in a good place with your illness and struggles that come with it?  I feel like I do all the "right" things most of the time but still find myself very tired - some days more than others.  Some days it's very hard to get myself through and I can't wait to get home and collapse in my rocking chair/recliner.  I'm just curious what methods or things you do that keep you on top of your illness and what things you find make you crash and burn??  Thanks in advance for sharing as I know it can be a very personal thing.

Personally, I find that every day is so different from the last, especially dependent on what I did or didn't do for myself.  Things we put into our bodies will effect how we feel in the near and sometimes not so near future.  I find it hard to stay away from sugary things though, which for me is a downfall as I'm sure that lends to a lot of my symptoms of being extra tired. I also have a very hard time managing my weight NO MATTER WHAT I DO....Since being on the Body By Vi challenge I have found it easier to maintain my weight and I enjoy the fact that I'm getting great nutrients from the protein shakes but I wish I could LOSE weight as effortlessly as it seems others do.

At any rate, I hope this finds you well and enjoying spring!  Please send me comments if you have anything to share or say about anything I've put in my blog.  Let me know you are out there!  I am beginning to feel like I'm writing to a black hole!  I'm off to get some laundry done (the never ending pile seems to get bigger by the day) and then spend the evening in the volleyball gym - it is our life for now!

To your health!

Gerri

What's the difference between FRESH juice and store bought juice?

Simply stated, juicing has amazing benefits for your body. Many people think purchasing a carton of OJ at the grocery store is the same when in fact they are simply purchasing a carton of juice that has been stripped of it's potential health benefits because of the processing and preservatives that are added to make it last long enough to get to the store and be purchased by the end consumer.

Fresh juice is "live food" with it's FULL complement of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and enzymes. It also has a living ingredient - "light energy" that revitalizes the body. You feel different when you drink FRESH juice.

Commercially processed, canned, frozen, bottle or packaged juices have been pasturized, which means it's been heated to HIGH temperatures and many of the vitamins and enzymes have been killed or removed. This allows your juice to have a longer shelf life but won't give your body the kind of life you get from drinking Fresh Raw Juice.

Making your own juice also allows you to get a wide variety of fruits and vegetables as well as stems and leaves you wouldn't otherwise get. Most of your processed juices won't have Beetroot, Jicama, celery leaves and parsley to name a few of the good things that you can put in your own juices.

A lot of people have also asked me over the past few weeks if it's expensive. While I find that my grocery bill is slightly higher, I have many more fruits and vegetables in my basket and I'm not going to the grocery store as often so it actually ends up less expensive overall. When you break it down, it's actually economical in the long run to make your own juice and the benefits will outweigh everything else. You will most likely save money on Dr visits and medications in the future as well.

In addition to the above, it is recommended that we get 9-13 servings of fruits and vegetables per day compared to the old "5 a day" most of us grew up being told. It's very difficult to get 9-13 servings a day for most people, so doing it through juicing makes it MUCH easier.

To give you an idea, in order to get your 9 servings a day it looks something like this: 2 cups green leafy vegetables which is about one good size salad, and 4 cups of fruits and vegetables....that's A LOT!

Take it from me, it's really easy to incorporate juicing into your life. If you have a busy schedule you can juice what you need for the day and take it with you to enjoy throughout your busy day - it will give you a nice energizer in the morning and afternoon as well.

I've also had people asking me what kind of juicer is a good one to get. The juicers you can find on the market vary in price from low end $30 ones to higher end upwards towards $200 ones. I purchased one that was $90 and works great! Now remember, a BLENDER is not a juicer - the difference is a blender liquifies everything you put in it, a juicer seperates the liquid from the pulp.

From what I understand here is what you want to look for in a good juicer:
*Horsepower of at least .5
*sustainable blade speed while juicing - you don't want the blade to slow down or stop when you push things through it
*able to juice all types of fruits and vegetables
*Large feed tube
*Ejects pulp into different area than where the juice goes - a machine that keeps the pulp in the same section as where the juice goes can't juice continuously as it will get too crowded
*Only a few parts to clean - juicers with many parts to clean are difficult and time consuming thus you are less likely to want to juice regularly. Not only that, juicers with too many parts tend to have parts that are difficult to clean.

My juicer is called "juice man" and has 3 parts to clean. The main basket, the blade and the pusher. It's easy to clean and put back together thus I'm juicing 2x a day because of it. I can imagine if it were more than that I wouldn't be likely to want to do it 2x a day.

The entire machine ready to go:

The Blade and separate Pulp area:

The pusher to push your items through the tube (two sizes for different size items)

Large feeding tube area:

For those of you interested in all this I hope this post was informative and helpful for you if you are considering purchasing a juicer. I HIGHLY recommend it. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! I'll do my best to answer your questions based on what I know as of now - I'm still learning about all this you know!