If I can do it... You can!

I'm not a small woman... 5ft 10in, larger frame, definitely "big-boned."

Keeping my weight in-check has been a challenge since my "high school metabolism" slowed down.

I was a fierce athlete in high school and on into my early years of college. Always training, always exercising and always eating whatever I wanted! So when I packed my car and drove out West, I left my athletic obligations behind.

As you can imagine I slowly started to pack on the pounds. I was finally on my own, becoming financially independent and in the mind-set of indulgence!

Rich coffee drinks and flaky pastries... Burgers and fries... Chicken burritos with all the fixings... And of course beer!

Add that up and take into account my lack of activity and you have a pudgy, large boned woman pushing 200lbs.

Thank goodness for my body-conscious roommate at the time. She was able to rein me in, teaching me about good cooking habits and regular activity. Yet even with the added help, keeping my weight down was a challenge. At a minimum it took 2+ hours per day of running, lifting weights, swimming and/or yoga.

Once out of college, there was no way to maintain that lifestyle without sacrificing sleep... Of which I can not do without.

I yo-yo dieted, had my ups and downs of incorporating 45 min power workouts and cardio into my days. What I found was that my weight would maybe go down a bit but it never fully broke the plateau. I always bottomed out right around 190.

After having a child, it was especially hard to drop the pounds. I felt defeated and at a loss.

Until... My brother, Brian, introduced me to juicing. Now I am down 32 lbs from my post baby weight... I am weighing in at 178! I feel and look amazing (I feel confident enough that I can say that now)!

I'm turning heads again... And it feels damn good! So... If a woman like me can do it... SO CAN YOU!

My First Day

For the first three days of my initial fast, I felt as if I was having an out of body experience.  As if I was on the outside looking in, watching this 'juicing thing' happen to me.

Day #1:

I felt anxious and scared, actually.  The idea of not eating anything solid created an unrealistic sense of scarcity within me.  I remember periodically reaching for my 'snack drawer' at work, not even comprehending what I was doing... as if it was a normal as breathing.  I would have the wrapper off of a granola bar before I realized my actions.  Quickly I threw it in the garbage before I had time to smell it's chocolaty goodness.

Noon rolled around and I felt as though my stomach was going to literally implode.  I had drank four glasses of water and 3 glasses of juice.  Logically speaking, I had enough calories built up in body for at least a week, plus I had consumed enough calories to support myself for days with the juice I had just drank.  There was no grounded fear for what I was feeling.  I kept reminding myself that the mind is powerful and that I am literally breaking a habit... my food routine.

Mid-afternoon snack time, or as others might call it, 3:00 pm, rolled around and there was nothing I wanted more than one, salty corn chip.  Even a small nibble of one of the corners would do.  I tried all the techniques, drinking more water, drinking more juice and going for a walk.  Nothing could take my mind off of salt.

I noted that my body was going through the flavors.  First sugar cravings, then salt cravings... the next was fat.  I wanted meat... bacon actually.  I felt nauseous and my head felt fuzzy.  I almost felt as though I had drank a huge glass of wine without the fun part of actually drinking it!

What got me through?  It was actually going back to my sports days when I would train my body for athletic performance.  I learned early on that you can work through difficult physical exercises with the goal that 'it will get easier.'  

I kept that in mind and began to think of ways for me to cheat without actually cheating.  Time to trick the mind!  So, I decided that during my lunch hour every day, I would go into town and 'buy lunch.'  This included the trip to one of my favorite cafés, waiting in line, and physically purchasing and selecting a really yummy cup of tea.  I would go through the process of steeping the tea and then my sister and I would explore walking paths in the area.  We would seek out a new one every day.

This technique worked!  I had something to look forward to and a 'yummy surprise' that helped get me through the latter half of my day.

By the end of Day #1, I was completely exhausted.  How was I going to make it through six days?

Why do I Juice?

So, now that we're getting things started, I thought I'd let you all know the why behind Juice Up Life.

A year ago, my brother recommended a documentary to me, Fat Sick and Nearly Dead.  He claimed that this documentary changed the way he thought about his body and his life.  Though I am a health nut at heart, I was still skeptical of the thought that juice alone can heal, maintain and nourish a body.  In a society where meat, milk and grains are the stable of our existence... not to mention white foods (sugar, flour and other processed foods), I had a hard time buying the concept.

Needless to say, I gave in and watched the documentary.  It was an impressive video and being a knowledge hound, I soaked up the statistics and references like a sponge.  I took the information, processed and researched until late hours of the night.  If you were looking for me the weekend I watched this, you could find me on my iPhone, curled up in a blanket, holding the screen to my face and reading... reading... reading.

My brother asked that each of us family members go with him on a 6 day juice cleanse to reboot the system.  I figured, anyone can do this for 6 days.  What is the worst that will happen...nothing?

He invested in a juicer for my household and that Monday, I went to work with four jars of homemade juice.  I still remember the looks I got when I unscrewed the first jar and chugged it right before going into a presentation I had with my team.  My team knows my views on health, but even this was out there for me.

Little did I know that morning would change my life forever.  My journey is to be continued...

I have come to the conclusion that juicing has come into my life for a distinct purpose.  The past six months have had such a profound impact that I can't help but share this experience.  Through my story, I can only hope that you will come to know the health, joy and vitality that has flourished in my life.

Bringing Juice to the Mid-West!

It's time to get started!

Juicing... a word that is flying around faster than you can down a shot of wheat-grass.  It's a concept that became popular early in the 20th century.  Small, local pockets of juicers started to reap the benefits of squeezing the micro-nutrient rich liquid from produce.  Nutrition, refrigeration and juicing 'tools' were the driving forces of this small-scale movement.

Fast forward to the early 21st century... Juicing has a very different vibe.  It's a buzzword, an avenue for meal replacement, a way to cleanse the body, lose weight, increase vitality and energy.  Juicing isn't just for the local hippies anymore, it is bottled up in easy-to-buy, easy-to-drink trendy packages that you can seamlessly integrate into the most urban-chic of lifestyles.

This is taking off on both coasts, spreading like wildfire through New York City and California.  The celebs are talking, the streets are buying and the local markets are reaping the benefits.

It is time to bring this to the Mid-West!  Why should the coasts have all the fun?  That is why my brother, Brian, and myself, Shannon Rose, are starting the ball rolling.  It's time to bring simple, clean and tasty juicing programs to those near and dear.

It starts here!