Exercise is just like brushing your teeth!

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