My Story Update

Hello!
If you have followed my blog so far you will know I started the Juice Plus products last year, a year ago this month in fact! I fell in love with them very quickly as most people do and religiously stuck to the program for the first 8 weeks. I loved the feeling of being healthy, you feel so clean and so light…I was addicted to it! After my first 8 weeks I treated myself to a pizza and some wine….oh my god did I regret it! I felt disgusting!!!!! I instantly regretted it however I do think it is very important to treat yourself every now and then. It also helps to remind you how great it is to be healthy.

After the 2nd part of the Juice Plus Fatloss program I found myself at a good weight and I was so happy with my progress. I still had more I wanted to loose but I no longer had to worry about finding an outfit when going out (I used to take ages and clothes got thrown all over the floor) but now everything fitted!

I really enjoy being at a good weight and am still loving the Juice Plus products now. I take the Vineyard Capsules daily and use the Complete shakes. At the moment I have gone back on to 2 a day as I put on a little bit of weight over Christmas which I still have not shifted! I am loving using the shakes again, makes meal planning so much easier and they are so yummy!

I have learnt a lot over my journey. I used to have frequent dizzy spells and get really tired easily however I haven't had a single dizzy spell since starting my healthy routine. I have also learnt about exercise. You will read in my past blogs how I think that it is important to understand how you work, and use that. I still think this…I used to hate exercise and the above pictures were achieved with very little exercise however I found even though I had lost the weight and the inches, I wasn't as toned as I would have liked to be. I used to not push myself as hard as I should have because I thought it would put me off. Well, as I said I still agree that understanding yourself and how you work/what you can do is very important, but it is also important to push yourself and give yourself a challenge. I have recently started the Insanity workout…it is crazy! I never in a million years thought I would be able to or even want to do a workout like that. I love it and every morning I wake up wanting to exercise! So my advice is, don't be afraid to push yourself.

Not only do I have Juice Plus to thank for health and weightloss, but also for teaching me about nutrition and diet. The Fatloss program comes with a great Meal Plan and advice document which has actually changed my life. The whole idea of the program is that it is a lifestyle change not a diet and that is exactly what it is. It makes you question things and really think about what you are putting into your temple that is your body : )

And now I work for Juice Plus too, spreading my story with others and telling them about the products. I have gained a lot from just one decision a year ago to get healthier!

For more information on the products you can visit my website or email me. And for fabulous healthy recipe ideas, take a look at my Facebook album.

Any questions no matter how big or small are very much welcomed.

Much love,
Rachael
rachaeljuiceplus@gmail.com

Setting Goals

Hello!

I have a had a bit of a naughty couple of weeks...well! To be fair...I have been relatively good but just had a couple of weekends or odd days of naughtiness! What I have found hard is that before I was working towards a target. I had a gig (I'm a performer) which I wanted to be at a smaller size for, which also fitted in perfectly with the first 8 week cycle. However since then I have gone a little off track...only a little though! So, it is time to re set my targets! It is SO important to have something to work towards. I would like to loose 1/2 a stone in the next 6 weeks, which will be the end of my 2nd 8 week stint. This is very much do-able!

I am extremely happy with my weight at the moment and it has made such a difference, people commenting on how I look, clothes fitting better, feeling better etc. It's great! But I still have a little way to go. In fact, I probably could loose another stone however I want to set a realistic goal that I can work towards achieving.

I weighed myself yesterday and I have put on 1lb (phew! thought it would be more than that!) however I haven't lost anything in a couple of weeks so I definitely need to get my head back in the game.

I am down to 1 shake a day so I am having a healthy breakfast (usually Granola) a Juice Plus+ Shake for lunch, and a healthy meal in the evening. Along with a healthy snack mid afternoon. I haven't felt like I have needed more snacks which is nice as I was worried about going down to 1 snack a day. But it all works!

So, this week is all about re setting my goals and getting on it! I did a 2 hour workout this morning which was great. And I plan to workout again tomorrow and Thursday, and maybe a run at the weekend.

I am LOVING the Juice Plus+ products and I really can't recommend them enough. They have changed my life!

Stay healthy!

Rachael
rachaeljuiceplus@gmail.com

My Juice Plus+ Story So Far...

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