I tend to go through phases of various elements of health. While being a generally healthy and fit person, I can find myself dipping and diving into different aspects of maintaining my personal health.
I’m currently in a juicing phase and I am loving it! I love fresh fruits and vegetables at the best of times and I’m chomping on them daily, but juicing them just makes it so much easier to get your quota in and it provides an incredible kickstart to your day! Plus, all our fruits and veggies are refrigerated, so when the juice is made, it’s ice cold and so refreshing!
Starting Each Day With Something Uplifting
I’m of the belief that every day needs to begin with something pure for your mind, body and soul. To start the day with sugar, coffee or a cigarette is already taking that burst of opportunity for yourself and squashing it down into the dirt. Even if you are going to smoke or you’re going to have that coffee (I certainly am – the coffee, that is) at least start the day off with something FRESH and revitalising.
Yoga is the perfect start to any day and with that the tone is set for healthy eating and general self-awareness and love. Winning! But as a mom who is up early to beat the JHB traffic in order to get her kids to school, there isn’t always time for yoga first thing. I could wake up at 4am or even 4:30am to get a full session in, but do I really want to do that? Mmm… no. There are other ways to boost your personal vibration and click yourself into gear for some daily magic. My options?
- I might start with a ten minute meditation
- Perhaps a handstand for 1 minute to get the blood rushing to my brain, filling me with vitality
- A glass of water – simple cleansing
- 2 minutes of reflection with my Tibetan singing bowl to raise my vibration even higher with the magic of sound
You get my drift? Think of your entire being as this entity that is bursting with colour and light and a vibrational frequency that is second to none. The things that fire it up even further are the freshest, most pure elements that life can offer… the things that dim it’s power are pollution, processed drinks and foods, cigarettes and toxic thoughts.
First thing in the morning you are rested and without influence, so it’s the perfect time to boost that energy by topping up with something nourishing. And I don’t only mean nourishing in the sense of food. Nourishing heart and soul too.
So… juicing! The joy of juicing vegetables and fruits is something quite special. I’m actually addicted to it now! We inherited our juicer from my husband’s mom when she passed on and every day I give thanks for this most simple gift. A juicer. Who knew it could change one’s life?
Early Morning Juice To Fire Up The Engines
Every morning I wake at 5:45am and get the kids roused for the day ahead. My next step is to stumble through to the kitchen, get all my chosen fruits and vegetables from the fridge and to fire up this magical beast of a machine. The best thing to do is go for ingredients that are in season, but there are some standards that will be available throughout the year. We’ve been juicing a combination of these:
- Apples
- Cucumber
- Celery
- Ginger
- Carrots
- Lemons
- Naartjies, oranges or other citrus fruits
Aside from the citrus, these will all be readily available throughout the year so we can enjoy the same fresh taste no matter what season it is. However, it’s great to mix it up with other delicious and healthy ingredients such as:
- Seasonal berries – strawberries, blueberries
- Mangoes
- Kiwi fuit
- Melons and watermelon
- Spinach and kale
- Beetroot
Pretty much whatever your heart desires, but make sure that it’s a juicy fruit or vegetable. My husband tried to juice a banana – hahahaha, it didn’t work. Bananas are great for smoothies, but they don’t have enough water content to make a decent juice.
NB: The leftover pulp from the juicer also makes great compost! So make sure you don’t waste that goodness but rather give it to your garden to help it thrive. The circle continues!
Benefits We’ve Noticed From Juicing
One of the most awesome benefits we’ve noticed from our daily juicing is the boost in our vitality and energy levels. It’s a kick that no coffee in the world can give you because it’s pure. That’s something quite beautiful and also highly addictive.
Aside from that, regular juicing has made our skin glow with health! If you are looking for the miracle cure for sallow, lifeless skin then this is it! Juicing (like with smoothies or a raw diet) brings out the most natural perfection in your skin and there is no cream or treatment that can match it. It is your purest essence come to life through your skin. True divine magic!
If you don’t have your own juicer, you can buy fresh, raw juices from a variety of places. Many juiceries deliver juices to your door and even offer juicing packages for an affordable price. You’d have to Google or crowdsource options in your area.
Let me know what ingredients you’ve been experimenting with in your juicer. I’d love to hear what everyone else is juicing and how the ingredients work for you. Hit me up via my Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages.
Cheers to your health and vitality!
PS: All these beautiful photos are from Unsplash.
