I first heard about Juice Plus+ through a friend. I saw the amazing results she was getting and I was instantly interested! It took me a bit of time before I actually made the move to change my lifestyle. I was cautious of things like Will it work for me? Will I stick to it? Will I be able to afford it? Well, I can now safely say it was the best decision I ever made!
I have always been a size 10-12 and although interested in eating healthily and exercising, never that motivated. I also had a lot of issues with my energy. I would often find myself completely lacking in energy and I would often get dizzy spells.
So, I decided to make that change! I am quite an organised person and I really enjoyed reading all the information that was sent to me and planning my meals for the first week. The first couple of weeks were a detox stage however it's not what you think...it's not starving yourself or drinking only liquids, it is just simply eating healthily! I really enjoyed this process although to be honest I did get a little obsessed with the recipes and probably spent a lot more money on food then I needed to! I was having a fancy healthy recipe every night when infact a simple fish, vegetables and boiled potatoes would have done!
In the detox stage I didn't actually do any regular exercise. Although I did feel great from eating so healthily I still wasn't brain motivated - I struggle with this! Once I get going I'm really into it but it takes me a while to get exercise mad! The detox stage was great. It was just simply re-training your diet to be healthy, understanding what foods are good etc. I lost 6lbs in the 2 weeks I was on detox. Result!
When my Juice Plus+ Capsules and shakes arrived I waited until a Monday to start as Monday is my day off so I knew I would have time each week to assess how I was doing, re-plan my meals etc.
I have to say this first day was actually really difficult. I had my morning shake (Vanilla, Soya Milk and Blueberries) it was lovely. I also took the Capsules, great. I had a morning snack (oatcakes and avocado), lunch (Shake of banana and choc), afternoon snack (nuts and raisins) and for dinner I had the Portabello Mushroom recipe (listed in my Healthy Recipes section) which was ridiculously yummy! So I ate well....but when it got to the evening I struggled.....I just wanted to keep eating!!!!!!! I text my friend Allan who is also on the diet and had been for a few weeks and he said just keep drinking water and you will get through it, it's just your body getting used to it all. And he was right. I powered through and I literally haven't had a single hard day since. The beauty of this diet is that you are not starving yourself, you are eating regularly and healthily so you never go hungry.
After a week I had got in the swing of the eating side and I was shedding pounds however there was something missing...exercise! I was very aware that my body was changing and I didn't want to end up with any loose ends : ) So...how to make my brain exercise motivated.... I had seen a lot of home workouts posted on the Juice Plus+ group and I noticed alot of them were based around situps and jumping jacks, so as I work at home on a Wednesday I thought I would set myself a challenge (as I knew my brain would react to this!) I decided every hour on the hour I would do 30 situps and 30 jumping jacks. It was immense!!!!! I was feeling amazing by the end of the day, shattered but amazing....and I did have to work an extra half hour as it actually took up a fair bit of time lol But that was it, brain engaged....lets workout!!
About 3-4 mornings a week I am following some of the home workouts and working out for about an hour and a half (getting up early!). I started with just doing 1 workout like this:
But then I wanted more!!! So I now combine them, like this for example:
I am totally in the workout mode!
Now in my 6th week, I have lost over a stone. I am loving food (healthy food), and I am LOVING exercise!!!!
I am a little nervous about putting up my before and after (well mid way) pic...but hopefully below will give you an idea.
This is a pic of me taken before Juice Plus+ (I know it's not an underwear one but you get the idea)
and this is me this week, on a video shoot.
My energy levels are amazing, I never get my dizzy spells any more and my make up artist (I'm a performer) has commented on how different and amazing my skin is. RESULT!
I have still got further to go to reach my goal but I am totally in the Juice Plus+ flow and loving it. I think even when I have finished the plan I will keep it in my life as it is amazing.
My advice to anyone on it would be:
Be strong - stick to it, it's so worth it!!!
If you do have to have time off the plan then make it work...last weekend I went on a hen do, so there was no time for shakes however I kept up with the capsules, drank mainly gin and tonics (the healthiest alcoholic drink I could find!) and chose my meals with my healthy head on. I thought I would be a lot more naughty and take the time to pig out a little, but I actually didn't want naughty foods. I craved goodness!
Don't compare yourself to others. This was my main issue. I was seeing all these success stories and thinking, she's lost a stone in 2 weeks, why haven't I??? Everyone looses weight in different ways. Look at how it is working for you, you will definitely see results!!!
Don't obsess over numbers/inches. Weigh yourself every 1-2 weeks. Make sure it is first thing in the morning, straight after a wee! Make sure you are wearing the same outfit/or nothing each week. And make sure your scales are on a flat surface and in the same area each week. The other day I weighed myself in a different room in my house and it said something different to what it did in the kitchen!!??? It was only a matter of a couple of lbs but it did make me panic!
Understand how YOU work! If you are not the kind of person who likes going out for a run, then don't! Start with some home workouts! I am this person....I started with home workouts and now I actually enjoy going out for a run...mad eh!?
I am now working for Juice Plus+ because I find it so inspiring and I want to help people like it has helped me. I have a page on Facebook if you would like to check it out or get in touch : )
Stay healthy!
Rachael
rachaeljuiceplus@gmail.com
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