TO RECONNECT WITH LOVE YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP
It’s mid-afternoon in the middle of July. It’s about 85-90 degrees outside and I’m with my older brother. I’m telling him about how I’ve been feeling dizzy/ unbalanced lately. We are exploring all possibilities on what the root could be, then he suggests the unthinkable.
He has suggested this before, but like the younger brother I am, I ignored it thinking, “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
This time was different. I’m desperate to feel better. I haven’t been able to workout the way I want to or provide my clients with the best workout vibes when I’m training them. At this point, I’m willing to listen to any suggestion. I just want to feel better.
He said, “Maybe you should stop drinking coffee first thing in the morning. It could be too much for your body to handle in this heat.” Again, this isn’t the first time he suggested this, so I listened to his reasonings this time.
The older I get, the more I come to grips how similar we are when it comes to how our bodies react to things I cherished that we were so different from.
As I’m taking his suggestion into deep consideration, I’m brainstorming on what alternate energy sources I could use to wake up besides coffee.
I’ve been drinking coffee first thing in the morning for the past five years. I love the smell and the feeling I get from that first cup in the morning. As much as I love it, I have to make a change.
I’ve been thinking about my health more since I hit 40. Too much caffeine that early in the morning, can not be good for my heart in the long haul. Like the grand scheme of things, how sustainable is this for me??
It’s always good to go back to the basics. For me, that is juicing. Fresh pressed juices have always provided the energy jolts I need. So why not replace the coffee with fresh pressed juices? This will be the alternative energy source for me.
It’s May of 2014 and I’m elated after weighing in at 215 pounds. I hit my weight loss goal of 187 pounds and fresh pressed juices were the foundation to my success. I always felt energized during that time so why not go back to the basics?
Later that evening, after leaving my brothers, I begin to juice at home, after going to Sam’s club to get the produce needed. Since I juice in bulk, and Sam’s sells in bulk, it’s a match made in heaven for my situation.
As I’m pushing these fresh granny smith apples, whole carrots, green peppers, and broccoli through my Jack La Laane power juicer, I flash back to my juicing regiment in 2014. I legit use to juice at least 2-3 times per week to make sure I had enough for the week. If I’m going to make this work, I have to make sure I make time for this, when needed.
Look how things come back full circle. Now, I have enough juice for the week to help replace my morning coffee in efforts to helping me get back to feeling balanced.
Within the first two days of drinking the fresh juice in the morning, my energy levels were coming back. I’m feeling better than I have in weeks. Big bro was right. It doesn’t eat me inside as much to admit that, so I’m proud of my growth.
I’m also proud in proving to myself that I’m not weak. I can give up something that I love like coffee but, the fresh juice is reminding me how I came into the position I am today.
I began my blog documenting my health journey which you have been with me throughout the years. This juice is nostalgia for me to an extent. It’s a reminder of who I am. I love the feeling, I love the energy from fresh juices. It reconnects me with self love.
