Christmas Break Days #2 & 3: Let the Fun Begin!

     Hey guys! I would have posted yesterday, but we got into Jamie's parents place later in the evening and they don't have internet. I'm currently sitting in a Starbuck in Ukiah to write this. 

DAY #2

     So, yesterday we got up pretty early and headed out. Nevada consisted mostly of barren flatland and rolling hills, but it was beautiful in its own special way, especially as the sun rose. The rest of our time spent driving through it was relatively uneventful, but there were some fun photo opportunities during my driving breaks.

     We crossed the border into California around noon.

     And it wasn't long after that we were stopped and checked to see if we had any "contaminating" or "illegal" items in our cars.

     We were fine. =)

     Our next stop was off of exit 184 for Donner Pass Road. It was a totally random choice; we just needed a place to stop and stretch our legs out. However, we ended up finding some pretty cool places to check out...

Like an epic health food store! =)

DAY #3

     The plan was to sleep in, but  ended up waking up and going for a nice run with Jamie's dog, Chief at 7:30am. When I got back I was able to enjoy some of the California fruit that Jamie's folks had bought for us. I grabbed some strawberries, bananas, dates, and coconut water, through it all in the blender, and made myself the BEST fruit smoothie I have had in a long time.

Honeydew, pineapple, persimmons, oranges, mandarines, 

clementines, strawberries, bananas, etc.

     Afterwards we played with the dogs and hung around the house a little bit before taking Jamie's horse, Arnie, out for a buggy ride! I even got to steer him for a couple of miles. =)

   
     A couple hours later we came back, had lunch, and headed out again. We stopped off at Glen Eden trail to check it out. We only trekked a half mile  up and then raced back down, but we plan on going back there later this week and hiking the whole thing.

     Then we stopped of at the Blue Lakes and a Bison ranch.

     And that sums up the day. It's about time for dinner so Jamie, Johnny, and I are going to go head out and find some food. Tomorrow we'll be heading out to Fort Bragg to spend the day on the coast. I can't wait!

Citrus, NEWSTART, and College

     Ever since my last (and my first) mini-Juice feast I've wanted to do it again. These past few months I have developed a real love of all things citrus - navels, clementines, tangerines, mandarins, valencias, grapefruit - you name the citrus and I've been eating them by the pound. So this Wednesday and Thursday I drank nothing freshly juiced Valencia Oranges, Mandarins, and Honey Tangerines. It was so sweet, so refreshing, and to top it off, the days were sunny with clear blue skies! :-)

     Yesterday, I was terribly tired physically and mentally. My energy levels were so low that I forwent any intense workout. At first I thought it was due to my being indoors for to long and I tried to remedy that by packing my studies into my backpack to walk to the library (2.6 mile walk round trip). It didn't work.

     By the time I got home I had a killer headache, my eyes were burning, I was ready to crash. I drank a big glass of water and skipped my evening juice to go to bed early. I slept from 6:50pm to 7:30am and felt much MUCH better. It was the next morning when I looked at the bags under my eyes thatI realized what had been wrong with me, I was sleep deprived! 

     For the past couple of months I have been living on 5 to 6 hours of sleep and I do believe it has finally caught up with me. I had twelve hours of sleep last night and I still feel like I need another twelve to completely recuperate. Sometimes we have to stop and revaluate what we are doing in our lives that could be harmful to our health. 

     You can eat tons of fresh raw fruits and greens, drink plenty of water, get lots of sunshine, but your health suffers because you short yourself sleep. Our bodies are strong. Our bodies can take a lot of stress so that we can get through our daily lives, but if you short yourself on something crucial to your health for to long, your body will begin to suffer the effects, and the quality of your life.

     Follow NEWSTART to the best of your ability and you your body will thank you.

• Nutrition
• Exercise
• Water
• Sleep
• Temperance
• Air
• Rest
• Trust in the Divine (in my case Yahweh)

     As for today, my mom and I took a drive to see where I will be going to college in the fall, Kennesaw State University (KSU).  We drove aroung the campus, visited the admissions office, and took a peak at the campus housing (nice!).

            

     I originally wanted to go to a University out of state (still do), but decided that since the economy is a little shaky at the moment, and my mother and brother have to stay in Georgia one more year before they can move, I decided to stay instate for now.

     My mom and I made good time getting up to KSU and had enough time to stop off at Whole Foods for lunch. I picked up a 16 oz. "Strawberry Punch" (freshly juiced strawberries, grapes, pineapple, and lemon) juice and 4 cups of chopped pineapple. 

     I also came across this little treasure and got so excited! I have been looking for something like this for ages and all of a sudden I just stumble upon it unintentionally. No longer will I have to use disposable silverware because I've got my own REUSABLE bamboo eating utensils. Woohoo!! :-D

 

Training for Half Marathon - Days 26 & 27 + Food Intake

Day 26 - Friday

---------------------------------------------------------

     Friday was rain, rain, and more rain! My exercise routine was reduced to 15 minutes of weight training  and a 20 minute 4 mph walk. Like a mentioned in my previous post I had planned to go swim laps, but my mom wanted to go to the mall for some indoor speed walking. She didn't want to go alone so I decided to join her instead of going swimming. 

Day 27 - Saturday

---------------------------------------------------------

     Today was overcast and a bit on the chilly, but no rain! You all know what that means right? I got to go for my run!! :-D I went to my local park and went for a vigorous and refreshing 30 minute (3.5 mile) run. Today was my best running-before-needing-to-walk-for-a-minute-to-catch-my-breath time. I was able to run for 7 min. and 20 sec. before needing a brief rest walk before starting up my run again. Considering that the trail terrain at the park is rough, with lot's of ups and downs, I would say that's doing pretty good! I also did 10 minutes of weight training, 5 minutes of stretching, and 8 minutes of dancing to my iPod.


     My plan for the marathon is to try to up my running-without-stopping-to-walk-to-catch-my-breath time to at least 20 minutes. That way I can pace myself during the half marathon (20 min. running with 3-5 min. walking), thus maintaining a steady and constant pace towards the finish line.

---------------------------------------------------------

     Eating nothing but raw fruits and vegetables (with sparing amounts of nuts and seeds), having a rather speedy metabolism, on top of being quite active as well, I have to eat a lot, and I love that I can do that! :-D

For example today I ate:

•  2.5 Cups Blueberries
• 14 Clementines
• Green Smoothie (3 C. Mango, 1 C. Frozen Banana, 2 C. Spinach, 0.5 Cups Coconut Water,  Stevia)     

    

• 3 Fuyu Persimmons
• Mint Papaya Smoothie (4 C. Papaya, 2 Large Bananas, Handful of Mint, Juice from 0.5 Lime, 0.5 Coconut Water, Vanilla, and Stevia)
• 2 Large Bananas + 3 Medjool Dates

     Consuming this much food is usual for me and I enjoy every mouthful. To be honest with you, a year ago, I would NOT be able to eat all this food. When I first transitioned to this diet I wasn't able to eat all that much food, in fact I was barely able to maintain my weight as I could only consume 1300 - 1500 calories a day. It took about three month for my body to adjust up to 1600 - 1800 calories a day. This January, with the increase of my activity level, I now easily consume anywhere between 2200 - 2650 calories a day.