So far in this blog I have focused on the benefits of vegetable and fruit juicing. But I did promise to talk about fitness too. I am a qualified American College of Sports Medicine personal trainer and enjoy a full range of fitness activities.
One of the things I have learned over the last few years, is that you can't keep in shape without exercising to keep in shape! It sounds obvious, but so many of us optimistically hope that we'll be able to continue to eat and drink as we like without any consequence to our waistline, or our feeling of well being.
Exercise is like brushing your teeth - you can't maintain cavity free teeth and a healthy mouth, without brushing twice a day. We don't question it, we just do it, it's part of the job when looking to maintain a healthy body, and we encourage our children to do it too. Exercise needs to take the same priority in our daily lives. You won't be able to keep your body in good shape and your heart healthy without flexing those muscles and increasing your heart rate every day. Just as you wouldn't dream of going out of the house before giving your "pearly whites" a good scrub, you need to feel the same about giving your heart a good workout every single day. We need to educate our children too, that exercise must become part of their daily routine.
Many people in this community are very physically active, enjoying triathlons, biking, running, walking, soccer etc. You only have to walk down Wyoming Avenue on a Saturday or Sunday morning to see people getting out there and getting on with it. Now, some of these people will be exercising because they just love to get out there and run, bike, or walk. Perhaps others will be pounding the pavement because maybe they have got the message. The message that exercise is a necessary part of everyday body health care - it's not a choice if you want to stay healthy and active as the years go by.
I believe the solution to everyday exercise is to find something that you are able to fit into your daily routine and then just accept the fact that it needs to be done every day, no debate, no questions. Maybe you can combine it with something else, another job that needs doing, so that you can multi task to get both things done - walking the kids to school and then taking the long way home perhaps, walking to the store to get the groceries and then carrying the bags home, cycling to the next town to meet friends instead of driving, cycling with the kids to soccer practise instead of driving.
Recently I have started running with my golden retriever Abby. My dog needs at least 30 minutes exercise every day, and so do I. By putting the two together, I am able to combine two things which I need to do every day, and we are both loving it!
So, this weeks juice recipe is a reward for those of you who are inspired to take up the challenge of 30 minutes exercise every day. Try it for a week. It's said that it takes seven days to establish a new habit. Make this the week that you try to make exercising a great new habit. When you come home, this great post-workout juice will give you a good energy boost to get you through the day.
Post Workout Treat
6 carrots
1 apple
1 stick celery
1" piece ginger
1/4 pineapple
1/2 a lime with peel on
Simply push all the ingredients through the juicer and enjoy!
Happy Juicing, and Happy Exercising!!!!!
Jx
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
A Glass of Salad Anyone?
This week, I was out for dinner with the family, enjoying a delicious meal. I ordered a beet and orange salad as an appetizer and was not disappointed in the result. The way the taste of the earthy beetroot was offset by the sweetness of the orange was delicious. I suddenly thought what a great juice this would make, and how good for you it would be!
Beetroots are one of nature's finest blood builders and cleansers, so can be very useful in the treatment of high blood pressure, and also anaemia. Although they are a vegetable, they have a surprisingly sweet taste, so work well in a number of different vegetable juices.
As with the salad, the addition of the orange juice cuts through the earthiness of the beet flavour, making it much more palatable.
The grated carrots on the top of the salad gave me the idea of incorporating the great beta-carotene king carrot into the juice too.
Now of course the real benefit comes in turning these great flavours into a juice, because your juicing machine has already done the digestive work for you, so that your body can access the vitamins and minerals much more quickly and efficiently. you get all the flavour and benefits without the work!
I highly recommend giving this recipe a try - it really is delicious, and your blood cells will thank you for it!
Beautiful Beet
1 beetroot (washed but not peeled)
3 oranges (peeled)
6 carrots (washed but not peeled)
Put everything through your juicer. You'll end up with a gorgeous rich pink/purple juice which is sweet and creamy. Enjoy!
Happy Juicing,
Jx
Beetroots are one of nature's finest blood builders and cleansers, so can be very useful in the treatment of high blood pressure, and also anaemia. Although they are a vegetable, they have a surprisingly sweet taste, so work well in a number of different vegetable juices.
As with the salad, the addition of the orange juice cuts through the earthiness of the beet flavour, making it much more palatable.
The grated carrots on the top of the salad gave me the idea of incorporating the great beta-carotene king carrot into the juice too.
Now of course the real benefit comes in turning these great flavours into a juice, because your juicing machine has already done the digestive work for you, so that your body can access the vitamins and minerals much more quickly and efficiently. you get all the flavour and benefits without the work!
I highly recommend giving this recipe a try - it really is delicious, and your blood cells will thank you for it!
Beautiful Beet
1 beetroot (washed but not peeled)
3 oranges (peeled)
6 carrots (washed but not peeled)
Put everything through your juicer. You'll end up with a gorgeous rich pink/purple juice which is sweet and creamy. Enjoy!
Happy Juicing,
Jx
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Good Housekeeping
This week I'm preparing to welcome my parents who will be visiting with us from Dinnet in Scotland, UK. I'm so excited to have them come, I get butterflies in my tummy when I think about it. My Mum was the one who first got me into juicing, when, many years ago, she embarked on a programme by UK juicing guru Jason Vale. Inspired by her success with weight loss, glowing skin and improved overall health, I too bought a juicer and followed in her footsteps.
However, as I scurry around my house, trying to make sure that all the dust bunnies are swept away, that the windows are sparkling and the floors shining, I find myself drawing one or two analogies about both my "housekeeping" and my "bodykeeping" if you will.
Our bodies are like our houses. They are where we live. They need regular care and maintenance to make sure they don't fall down, or develop dry rot. They need decorating (at least that's what I call those trips to the Mall!) and exercising to make sure they look nice, inside and out. Our homes like our bodies should be a source of pride to us, a place where we feel comfortable and safe, but they do require looking after.
So, it occurred to me that my big Spring Clean in preparation for my parent's visit, is like a "Juice Fest" or "Detox". Where I give my body a chance to clear out all the rubbish that has been gathering over the last few months. I give my digestive system a break, and allow the extra energy to be used on other body systems, making sure that all the cells in my body have everything they need to function better. So in the same way as my vacuum cleaner sucks up all the dust bunnies from under the beds, so, my liver helps to suck up and eliminate all the toxins that have been lurking in my body!
With that in mind, I offer you my Spring Clean Juice. If you have one of these tasty juices every day for a week, as well as plenty of water, and some moderate exercise, you'll be well on the way to a "cleaner house" for you to live in!
Remember, if you don't look after your body, you'll have nowhere to live!
Spring Clean Juice
3 carrots
1 beetroot
1/2 red pepper (deseeded)
1 handful parsley
1 handful spinach
Put everything through the juicer, packing down the greenery first before you turn the juicer on. This juice is super rich in vitamins A, C and E. Rich in folic acid and potassium it also contains useful amounts of some B vitamins.
Happy Juicing
Jx
However, as I scurry around my house, trying to make sure that all the dust bunnies are swept away, that the windows are sparkling and the floors shining, I find myself drawing one or two analogies about both my "housekeeping" and my "bodykeeping" if you will.
Our bodies are like our houses. They are where we live. They need regular care and maintenance to make sure they don't fall down, or develop dry rot. They need decorating (at least that's what I call those trips to the Mall!) and exercising to make sure they look nice, inside and out. Our homes like our bodies should be a source of pride to us, a place where we feel comfortable and safe, but they do require looking after.
So, it occurred to me that my big Spring Clean in preparation for my parent's visit, is like a "Juice Fest" or "Detox". Where I give my body a chance to clear out all the rubbish that has been gathering over the last few months. I give my digestive system a break, and allow the extra energy to be used on other body systems, making sure that all the cells in my body have everything they need to function better. So in the same way as my vacuum cleaner sucks up all the dust bunnies from under the beds, so, my liver helps to suck up and eliminate all the toxins that have been lurking in my body!
With that in mind, I offer you my Spring Clean Juice. If you have one of these tasty juices every day for a week, as well as plenty of water, and some moderate exercise, you'll be well on the way to a "cleaner house" for you to live in!
Remember, if you don't look after your body, you'll have nowhere to live!
Spring Clean Juice
3 carrots
1 beetroot
1/2 red pepper (deseeded)
1 handful parsley
1 handful spinach
Put everything through the juicer, packing down the greenery first before you turn the juicer on. This juice is super rich in vitamins A, C and E. Rich in folic acid and potassium it also contains useful amounts of some B vitamins.
Happy Juicing
Jx
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Life Saver
It's been an exciting week here at Jane's Juice. I had my first Juice Party earlier in the week. Hosted by my good friend Rita, a group of interested ladies were able to participate in an informative and tasty session on how to prepare and incorporate juices into their every day routines. It was so much fun to share my passion for juicing with such a fun group of people. Thanks Girls! If YOU are interested in learning more about how to use juicing to help you and your family then check out the link to the right marked "juicer demonstrations" to find out more, or drop me an email and I'd be glad to talk through ideas with you. And now, on to this weeks recipe............
This is just the juice to revive you on a day when you wake up feeling just a bit below par. Whether it's because you've had a hectic weekend, your "to do" list is getting longer, or you have exams coming up. If you're feeling tense, anxious and irritable, as well as being run down, then this is the cure. Try having one glass a day for a week and before you know it, you'll be feeling much perkier.
Lettuce contains substances known as lactones, and was used by the ancient Assyrians as a mild sedative. This helps to make the Life Saver an ideal calming and restorative juice, good for children recovering from illness.
Life Saver
3 apples
2 oranges (peeled but leaving the pith behind)
1 lemon, with peel
1 head romaine lettuce
Put everything through the juicer, and enjoy!
Happy Juicing,
Jx
This is just the juice to revive you on a day when you wake up feeling just a bit below par. Whether it's because you've had a hectic weekend, your "to do" list is getting longer, or you have exams coming up. If you're feeling tense, anxious and irritable, as well as being run down, then this is the cure. Try having one glass a day for a week and before you know it, you'll be feeling much perkier.
Lettuce contains substances known as lactones, and was used by the ancient Assyrians as a mild sedative. This helps to make the Life Saver an ideal calming and restorative juice, good for children recovering from illness.
Life Saver
3 apples
2 oranges (peeled but leaving the pith behind)
1 lemon, with peel
1 head romaine lettuce
Put everything through the juicer, and enjoy!
Happy Juicing,
Jx
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