Juicing 3-Day Challenge: Day 3 (End Day)

With Day 3 now over I wanted to reflect on the experience. I can understand why juicing isn't for everyone. It's expensive, time consuming, and certainly not easy to stick too. What I will say is that even having only done the 3-day challenge I felt much more energy in the mornings then I usually feel and I lost 5 pounds in three days. That's not bad. Juicing is a great way to Reboot your system and I can definitely say my cravings for the sweets while not gone has definitely been curbed.

What I will say is that it has to be something you really want to do. The hunger feelings were sometimes hard to manage but the reward I feel was worth it. You also need to make sure if you have a family that they support your choice and assist you. Its very hard to have people around you eating delicious but bad food while you are sustaining yourself on produce and fruit juices.

While I will admit this I enjoyed the process I see it as something I will occasionally do to kickstart better eating habits but I don't have the will power to sustain an all juice diet for much longer then the 3-days I did it. I will admit that there were a few juices that I would and could see myself making because they tasted delicious. The Morning Sunrise and the Peach Pie Delight are worth it.

Juicing 3-Day Challenge: Day 2 (Hump Day)

Day two was a repeat of Day 1’s recipes. It was today that the craving for something sweet really hit me. It took all my will power to resist the urge to run a dollar through the vending machine for a snickers bar.

I forced myself to drink more water then I had the day before and I felt much more energy than I had the first day. The increase in water definitely helped with the hunger and kept me on track.

At lunch time I went to the gym with a co-worker and took a circuit training class. It was a great workout but the burpee’s really took a lot out of me and the lack of anything of real substance in my stomach definitely lead to pretty serious dizzies. I didn’t lose my juice but it was close. I took a quick ice cold shower after to bring my body down to temp and kept my afternoon pretty low key.

My afternoon juice definitely gave me some energy back and when I got home I was glad that I didn’t have any bad food left over or hanging around. With nothing but my produce in the fridge I made my dinner and dessert juices before taking it easy and calling it an early night.

One thing I have noticed is that I woke up more energetic today then I had felt in a long time. That is something I hope continues. Tomorrow I'm going to start my day juicing but every Friday the guys and I go out for lunch and as much as I'd like to say i could go and drink my juice it isn't going to happen. I'll just focus on picking something healthy like a salad.
 

Juicing 3-Day Challenge: Day 1 (The Beginning)

Standing 5’10 and after a morning weigh in of 185lbs typical BMI calculators clock me in at 26.1. I just miss being considered normal weight and instead fall into the overweight category but I am hopeful that this reboot will not just help me shed a few pounds but will help break me of my sweet cravings. As I wrap up day 1 I was surprised at a few things. Of the 5 different juice options I picked I didn’t really find any that were unpalatable.

Knowing that I needed to bring my lunch and afternoon juices with me it took me only about 20 minutes to juice everything and clean up before leaving the house in the morning. I did end up with a full waste container and clean up was a breeze with the Breville composting bags I picked up by recommendation.

My morning “Orange” juice was called Sunrise and consisted of 4 carrots, 2 oranges and 1 beet. It was sweet and refreshing and actually pretty good. I packed up my lunch and afternoon juices in a cooler and took my coconut water with me.

I already knew I liked coconut water so that was an easy one. I was pleased that I hadn’t really had any hunger cravings yet and by lunch time I was still feeling pretty good. My lunch juice was a “Green” Garden Variety and had 2 apples, 2 cucumbers, 8 kale leaves and a handful of parsley. The apples and cucumbers really were the dominant flavors in this one and it again tasted pretty good.

As the afternoon went on I started to feel cravings about 1:30 for something sweet. I tried to combat that by drinking more water and while it didn’t satisfy the cravings I wasn’t hungry. My Mid-Afternoon juice was a “Red” Un-Beet-able. It’s made from 1 apple, 1 beet 3 carrots, 1 small piece of ginger root and 3 cups of spinach. I think I might have put a tad too much ginger since it definitely had a zing to it but it wasn’t bad and it satisfied me

For dinner I decided to go with the “Green” Green Lemonade. More kale which I was a tad disappointed with the amount of juice it yielded, 3 handfuls of spinach, 1 green apple, 1 cucumber, 2 celery stocks and 1 lemon. It was a little bitter but not too bad and went down with out much trouble.

For dessert I picked a “Purple” Peach Pie Delight. The only real strange ingredient in this one was the sweet potato. The 2 peaches, 1 red apple, 1 handful of blueberries and a dash of cinnamon all made sense to me. It was delicious. I might have to pick up some more peaches to make this again tomorrow.

Juicing 3-Day Challenge: Day 0 (Shop & Prep)

Well this is it folks! Tomorrow morning I start my 3-Day" Reboot with Joe" Juicing Challenge. I am both excited and nervous. As someone with a pretty bad sweet tooth and a distaste for being hungry this might be a struggle to finish.

To prepare I figured I should unboxed my Juicer and made sure everything was operational. I sacrificed a seedless grape. The juicer is fairly quiet as far as juicer's go but I hope I don't wake the neighbors in the morning with my juicing.

I also went grocery shopping today and picked up all the ingredients. Some were harder then others to find and I had to go to two different grocery stores to complete my shopping list. I partly blame the fact that I live in a college town and I shouldn't have been surprised to discover that all the mint was gone. I also oddly struggled to find beets. I added a few pictures below of my prepared juicer, the receipts for the roughly $70 bucks in fruits, vegies and herbs needed and a huge pile of produce I will hopefully consume over the next 3 days or 72 hours.

Family Tree Grows into a Forest of Families

When my grandmother fell ill and eventually passed a little over a year ago, at the incredible age of 98, I regretted not having asked to her to tell her story in her own words. I wish that I had done that and asked about others in our family and taken the opportunity to document the history of our family from someone who not only knew it personally but lived for nearly a century of it. She was born into a privileged family with an interesting and long history and lived her life with as much enthusiasm as those that came before her. She was a great woman who I not only loved but admired for all that she did not only for me but for all those she came in contact with. She truly was a bright light in the lives of many people. She has left a legacy for us all to maintain and to enhance with our own story.

I can recall many a story about all the different relatives whom she spoke fondly off but never had I asked about how they all fit together. While some relationships were obvious others were not and to honor my grandmother I decided that I would research as much as I could about my family and all the families whose trees intersect with ours and put this amazing puzzle together.

It was a long process to validate and verify each person and as I got deeper and deeper I discovered more then I ever thought I would. I learned that some of the stories told were myth and other amazing things had gone untold. Rather then create a traditional tree I opted instead to create a forest of families all intertwined by marriage. It resulted in a large complex non-traditional group of trees.

I traced my family on my father's side back to 1570 starting with Esther Stedman and Jehu Burr and along the way discovered many interesting individuals such as Aaron Burr, Former Vice President of the United States, Tapping Reeve, founder of the Litchfield School of Law, as well as such notable families such as the Lockwood, Burr, Jenning, Wakemans, Jessup, Olmstead, Smith and Baker families from whom my Grandmother was born into.

On My mother's side I was able to trace the family back to 1738 in Canada. Our French Canadian heritage was again something I knew but had limited knowledge of. What I found most interesting on my mother's side was how the family names were truncated and simplified many times until what we are left with today.

In addition to just building my tree I have collected information about as many of those found in the tree as I could and captured as much of that information in a journal. It is my hope and goal for my research to be a guide to those that follow about our family and what makes us who we are today.

While I have exhausted my patience at the moment I am sure I will return to the tree once more and dig deeper on both sides. History is an amazing thing and knowing who and where you came from in an invaluable resource.  I will certainly not abandon this project and I will ensure that generations to come after me have the information I have collected.



 

AW110 Goes Salty: It's time to sink or swim.

As I get ready for the trip to Hawaii I figured I should try out the new waterproof camera. I have taken it to the pool and wasn't surprised at how well the pictures came out. I was curious how it might do in salt water especially where the water isn't crystal clear like a pool.

While at the beach in Ogunquit, ME I decided it was time to sink or swim for the camera and dunked it in the cold salt waters of the Atlantic Ocean. While I didn't dive under with it I was pleased at how well it did considering the surf and turned up sand at the beach. There was also a considerable tide what forced me to wedge the camera into the sandy bottom so it wouldn't be taken away. I took a few shots before and after the plunge. I was as pleased with its abilty underwater as I was with its above water performance. I expected to have to wipe the water off the lense but it beeded off almost immediately and left me with a clear picture.

 

Juicing My Way to a Healthy Me

I sell juicers often while working at my part time job and one of the bonus items customers get with the Breville juicers is the movie Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. Intrigued I watched it on Netflix and watched Joe the Juicer transform his life and become healthier through juicing.

Joe Cross better known now as Joe the Juicer stared is an Australian film maker who finds himself overweight at nearly 310lbs and battling a debilitating autoimmune disorder. Realizing that the doctor he was seeing and medication  he was taking was only treating his symptoms he found himself having to take a more active roll in getting healthy. To gain control of his life and failing health he decided to focus on a better diet.  The movie / documentary chronicles this battle during a cross country trek where he engages with every day Americans in discussions about health and obesity. His challenge to himself was a 60-day juice challenge and while driving cross country he used a generator, his juicer, and fresh produce he purchased along the way to sustain his dietary needs. As the story was told you could really see a transformation in his physical appearance. He literally was shedding the pounds.

While I wouldn't describe myself as overweight my BMI is hovering at 26 so technically speaking I would be considered overweight but just barely. His story inspired me to buy a juicer myself and see what juicing could do for me. I recently purchased a Breville Juice Fountain Elite.

I am going to start with the 3-Day Challenge I pulled off Joe the Juicer's website "Reboot with Joe". I figured it can't hurt to give it a try and maybe it will help me shed a few pounds before Hawaii. I am going to start on Wednesday since I have too much going on this weekend and a busy start of the week and don't want to stray from the guide. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Some people who have done it have noted that they got a tad cranky and were more irritable. Hopefully I won't be too cranky or irritable as a result of this juicing challenge.

Task 1 - Visit Hawaii (The Tours)

My trip to Hawaii is coming up fast and still many things to do. The flight and hotel are booked and paid for. The extra camera gear I wanted was ordered and has arrived. New swimsuits and other clothes have been purchased. The packing list has been written. I even bought a new snorkel set to use at the beaches.

The hardest part being the itinerary of what to do and when to do it is nearly done all that is left is to finish booking the tours. It wasn't easy to decide what to see and when to see it and I decided to use the services of a tour company who has expereince on the island and whose track record and reviews demonstrate that they are a trusted resource on the islands for helping tourists cover as much ground and see as much as they can during their trips.

We selected 4 different tours to make sure we see as much of Oahu and Hawaii as possible.   Our tours are a tad out of order from how maybe they should go but in order to get everything done I had to get creative with the order.

1. Tour one is something I really wanted to do and the others while not necessarily their first pick agreed to join me.  This excursion is a hike, kayak, and hike trip through Kualoa Ranch and out to Mokoli'i island also known as Chinaman's Hat by kayak. While out on the island we will enjoy lunch and an opportunity to explore the island and snorkel its shores.
2. The second tour perhaps should have been the first since it really is a great way to get an introduction to the island of Oahu.  It includes a stop at Waimea Valley & Waterfalls, Kualoa Ranch, the beaches of Oahu's North Shore, Nu'uanu Pali Lookout, Halona Blowhole & Cove, Turtle Beach, Byodo-In Temple, Hanauma Bay amung other locations.
3. The third tour we selected is the One-Day Hawaii Volcano Eco-Adventure to the Big Island to visit the Volcanoes National Park, Hilo Town, Rainbow falls, the Thurston Lava Tube, The Black Sand Beach and other attractions on the Big Island.  It will be a long day and much ground will be covered but it will be an adventure we won't soon forget. I am looking forward to seeing the lava flows.
4. Our final scheduled tour is another long and very full day of exploration. It starts off with a somber reminder of Hawaii's role in WWII by visiting the Pearl Harbour Visitor's Center and the USS Arizona Memorial.  It is followed by a trip to the Dole Plantation where we will get the opportunity to explore its Pinaple Maze and possibly send a pineapple or two home to family. Next we take a Hoku Pa'a Canoe Ride at the Polynesian Cultural Center followed by a Ali'i Luau Buffet and a La'ie Town Tram Ride before enjoying the Traditional Ha: Breath of Life show.

The tours are not cheap and to help spread the cost rather then book them all at the same time we are going to the most expensive today and the rest later as we get a little closer. The most expensive tour is the one-day fly away to the Volacano National Park on the Big Island.

Air Conditioner Drip Tray Repair: Take 2

While I love my condo there are a few things that have been regular issues over the past 11 years that I have called it home.  The air conditioning/heating system being the biggest of those annoyances.

My building uses a forced Hot/Cold water system to provide heat and air conditioning to the 88 units. One of the disadvantages of such a system is that when its humid the air conditioner creates a fair amount of condensation. That condensation drips into a condensate pan and drains outside.

Built in 1963 and now 50 years old somethings are begining to require attention. Particularly the condensate pans. They are galvinized steel and have tabs cut out of them to allow them to be attached to the air handlers. To prevent leaks they were filled with a rubberized tar and over time that tar has dried and cracked leaving the pan no longer water tight.

Sadly you discover this is the case when you find water on your floor. With parquet floors that isn't a fun thing to discover and often the floor fights back. I repaired one of my condensate pans almost a year ago so its time for take 2. It created a significant problem and required the rebuilding of the entire enclosure surrounding it.

Thankfully I work for a manufacturing company and have tools and resources to help me repair my drippy pans. A freind of mine at work is a mirical worker and devised a plan to make blanks that would cover the holes at the bottom and when pressed together with a peice of rubber between them make a water tight seal.

I plan to reseal the whole pan with a new rubberized spary but since the disruption has halted the use of my air conditioner in the bedroom. Since it takes a few days for the rubber spray to dry thoroughly, I am going to install it as is and when the fall weather arrives I will reassemble after coating the pan.

Thankfully this time the damage was far less and really I only needed to give the floor a little attention after repairing the drip pan.