by Matt Robinson | Oct 13, 2014 | Journal
I told a few people earlier this week that I started juicing. One person pretended to push a needle into his arm – no, I’m not taking steroids!
I remember going to a friends house as a kid after church one Sunday. We sat around the table (I was probably 12 or 13) and we were served a roast dinner. What did we have to drink with this wonderful, salty meal? Tomato juice. I tried it…and hated it. This was my first introduction to juicing. After lunch I made my way to the washroom and cupped my hands under the running water to try and quench my thirst. Needless to say, I was NOT going to drink liquified tomatoes again.
But just because I had one bad experience doesn’t mean I should never try again. Right?
So I tried juicing again recently. What I’ve come to learn is that there is a BIG difference between Mott’s Clamato and REAL juicing.
So I read about juicing and even watched an inspiring documentary (Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead) which was incredibly motivating! I’ve started to see the amazing benefits of including juicing into my life. Many years ago during a moment of weakness at around 1am I bought a juicer being advertised on TV – The Jack Lalane Power Juicer! It sat in storage for a LONG time.
So I dragged it out and plugged it in and started feeding it with all kinds of fruits and veggies. (I haven’t been brave enough to juice a tomato yet!) I have to say that some of the drinks I’ve made are actually pretty awful. Too much greens, not enough sweet flavour. My goal is to be able to make a totally veggie drink – but for now I’ve started easy.
My favourite juice so far is 2 apples, 1 carrot, a bunch of spinach and two oranges. I know there is a lot of fruit-sugar in that drink but I’m easing myself into things.
Let me tell you about the benefits I’m seeing. ENERGY. Just from one juice per day! Plus, I’ve had dry skin for a long time but after 4 days of juicing I’ve seen my skin starting to clear up. Awesome!
This isn’t surprising when you realize what’s really happening when you juice. The nutrients from the fruits and veggies are concentrated. Yes, you lose most of the fibre when you juice, but like I said earlier – this is something I’m incorporating into my life. I’ll get fibre from somewhere else.
I think most of us live in a state of nutrient deficiency. So it’s no surprise that when I’ve started to juice, my body absorbs the nutrients it so desperately is lacking. I’m not a juicing evangelist…yet, but I do see the benefits!
photo credit: bertholf via photopin cc
by Matt Robinson | Oct 9, 2014 | Journal
Losing weight has so many components involved that it can be a task just to figure out what those components are! The truth is, that while the concept of losing weight is fairly simple (burn more calories than you consume), the act of losing weight is as complicated a thing as anyone will ever attempt.
I was always one of the biggest kids in my class. I was picked for my high school basketball team because “we need someone of your size to get the rebounds”. And after college when I bought my first car, the pounds started piling on.
I’ve tried almost every diet pill and fad that you can think of. The Cabbage Soup Diet, The Atkins Diet, P90x, Body-For-Life, and on and on and on. I’ve tried shark cartilage, diet pills, smoothies, shakes, elixir’s and on and on and on again.
People SWEAR by these things. And you know what? I’m glad some of these options have worked for people. But I’m willing to bet (and I’m not a betting man) that there was something else at work in these people’s lives for them to make the transformation they made.
Sure, some of these options were catalyst for change, but the real change came from the desire to overcome, the support of those around them and consistently following a plan.
I believe these three things are essential in making a transformation. We are social creatures. We thrive in teams. The collective rules society. So when a person can surround themselves with people who will support and encourage them, along with the desire to overcome their obstacles and a plan to make that happen – I think great things are inevitable.
Over the past 6-12 months I’ve adopted these things into my life. The change isn’t coming fast enough for me to endorse a specific product or anyone’s diet plan – but I am making progress. This is a snapshot of the last 3 months.
July to September 2014
This represents about a 14 pound loss in the past three months. In the past year I’ve dropped about 40 pounds and am able to keep it off.
I haven’t used a fad diet. There are no special products I’m taking. I’ve simply decided to make some lifestyle choices that help me overcome my past – and I’m surrounded by people who care about me.
You can make a change. For the sake of the people who depend on you it’s important to make a change! But YOU have to decide. And when you do, I’m sure you’ll find all the support you need.
photo credit: Arya Ziai via photopin cc
by Matt Robinson | May 10, 2013 | Inspiration
Watch this video when you feel like giving up. Some people have a legitimate excuse to give up. When they don’t? It means OUR excuses are gone too! Never Give Up.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/kZlXWp6vFdE[/youtube]
by Matt Robinson | Apr 29, 2013 | Journal
The easiest way for me to deal with food during the week is to make large batches ahead of time. Obviously this isn’t the only food I’ll be eating this week but this takes the longest for me to prep. I’m actually getting used to the taste and not craving junk food as much. Again, I’m taking things slow – but to me, prepping for the week ahead saves me!
Let me know what you think. Comment below and leave ideas for some great bulk cooking ideas!
2-3 days of chicken and 1 1/2 days of rice!
by Matt Robinson | Apr 19, 2013 | Journal
I really like to cook. So finding new ways to make good meals isn’t very hard for me. Here’s a lunch I threw together today. Hope you like it! Let me know if you try it! (You’ll need to get the recipe from MyFitnessPal page!)
383 Cal // 44g Carbs // 8g Fat // 31g Protein // 5g Fibre
