Group Cycling – never thought it would be for me

Two weeks ago I attended my first group cycling class aka: spinning.  I have worked out for many years but have never brought myself to attend one of these classes.  There was always something I didn’t quite understand about a group of people cycling in the dark as fast as they could.  So, not knowing beyond those thoughts what to expect – I started out peddling while sitting in my seat and also stretching.  About 15 minutes into it after the instructor asked us to stand up and sit down while peddling at 100mph about 25 times in a row at a high resistance,  I had convinced myself that I was a dead man.  How the hell was I going to make it through that class? My butt had started to feel like it was going to fall off from the uncomfortable seat, my joints hurt (because I am no spring chicken) and I was wishing the next 45 min would be over in a second.

When the session was over I told myself that this was just the first class and it would get better.  So, I brought myself back the next day and the day after and the day after… You get the point.  Anyway, now that I am use to doing it I feel GREAT.  I think I’m addicted.  I love doing the standing jumps and feel like I can ride forever.  I guess I had to get over that hump without really having a hump to get over because it is a stationary bike.

Healthy is the question

I have completed my fast and I feel great. I am still drinking smoothies for the most part and have started to add back in small healthy meals. I am down 15 lbs and have been keeping it steady. For a while my head felt clear. I will definitely continue to detox every so often. I am also happy that I fit into by size 5 pants again! Woo hoo.

Still juicing

Well, my attempts to fast have been so-so.  I am down 10 lbs but was hoping to be more.  I guess adding in food every now and then really isnt a fast.  I am starting over today in my attempts to  drop 10 more pounds.  Despite my having some cocktails on the weekends and some “real” meals every now and then, I have managed to keep the 10 lbs pretty steady.  I have already received some compliments and I am happy to know that I don’t have a thyroid problem. I was thinking I did because when i was just eating healthy and working out 5 days a week, I could not manage to drop weight.  So, wish me luck!

The Daily Green News Feed

Two weeks in

So I have been on a juice fast for 2 weeks now. I did really well last week but the weekend came and so did

my friends and food. I cheated a small bit on Saturday and cheated really bad on Sunday, but on Monday I started over again. I have to tell ya — I feel great! I thought I would feel deprived and starved but I am not hungry at all. My skin is softer and my nails are so strong and long. I actually had a co-worker compliment me on them this morning. I didn’t even notice how long they were until she said something to me. Last week I had very little energy and a few pains but nothing to bad. The only odd thing that has happened to me so far was that my skin bruised on Saturday. I was at the pool and just leaning on the edge with my arms draped over the side and when I got home I noticed that I had small bruises under my arms where they had been resting. That kinda freaked me out so I felt that cheating on a little protein afterward would not kill me. So far though I feel less bloated, I’m 7 pounds lighter and I feel fantastic.

Everyone kept telling me last week that I was insane for not eating (when Saturday came around it had been 5 days). But I have researched this and have read many health benefits for fasting. Plus I am drinking juice so I’m not completely depriving myself of calories. I’m also juicing vegetables to make sure I am not drinking all sugar. My goals for doing this are to detox, lose weight and try to clear up a few health ailments that have been bothering me for a while.

I am going to try and write about my process so I can monitor my progress. My goal is to stop fasting on August 8 but not get down on myself if I decide to take the weekend off again. Once I break my fast I am going to try the raw food diet. I’ll probably post some of the recipes that I like on here after I try them. I found a few yesterday that sounded pretty good. Only thing is that you can’t heat your food over 116 degrees so I have to buy a food dehydrator. I also have to take time to sprout my own beans. Hmm, me and time — can I pull it off? I barely have time now. By the way, the juicer I borrowed from Holly is a pain in the ass to clean.