Hi.

I started this blog (meaning that I found a name and created the page) on the first day of my all juice fast, but I haven't been in here to write anything until now because... life! Life still moves along even when you start a new health challenge, and by the end of the day I've been too tired to do anything useful but read, watch another food documentary and fall asleep. But here I am, awake bright and early on a Saturday morning with nobody to distract me and nothing to do but sit until my brain engages fully, so I will write a few things to get it down and start this thing.

I'm on a journey to regain my health and find myself just a few months shy of my 42nd birthday. I have spent the vast majority of my life overweight and out of shape, and ignoring my health. From the outside, i appear to be just fat.... but I don't have any other noticeable health issues. From the inside, I feel like I'm on a slow roll towards major issues in my life.

My father had a massive heart attack at just 43 years old, and we all knew back then how YOUNG that was to end up having a double bypass, but at the time (and at the young age of barely 20) I thought "well, he has high blood pressure, has since he was a teen, and he's kinda out of shape and has a lot of stress, so there's no way he could have avoided it." Right? That makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, who has a heart attack at 43 unless there are underlying conditions that pave the way? 

My dad. He was the one. And looking back now as an adult, approaching my 42nd birthday (just one year shy of the magic number) I realize that A LOT had to be going on to set him up for something so serious at a young age. If I look at my life today, it's not far off from where he was when that happened. With the exclusion of the high blood pressure, I'm very much in the same boat. I have a high stress life of my own creation. I've been at least 50-80lbs overweight for the past ten years. I work a job that gives me a lot of stress and I don't take the time to unwind from that. I carry a good chunk of anxiety around with me everywhere and at all times. Just last night, apropos of nothing that I can put a finger on, I had heart palpitations while laying in my bed watching TV. WATCHING TV.

I need to make a change. 

A few weeks ago, out of boredom while Tim was gone with the kids on a Saturday afternoon, I started watching a documentary called "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" on Netflix. Or was it Hulu? Either way, I was immediately hooked only because Joe Cross is from Australia, and I've always fixated on the accent (Siri on my phone is an Aussie female... don't judge!) His story was intriguing, as he started his journey toward health at just about the same age where I'm at now. He had a list of problems, not the least of which was a 100lb weight problem, and the most serious one an autoimmune condition that forced him to take steroids daily for eight years. His decision to do a 60 day juice fast seemed extreme, but then his condition was also quite extreme.... he was 40 years old, gunning for a heart attack or stroke. It made me think.

I'm not getting any younger, and sooner or later my body is going to start reacting to the years of abuse I've put it through. No, I don't drink heavily or smoke, I don't stay up all hours and party every weekend. I just live a life of apathy when it comes to my general health. I don't eat well, and I don't eat often enough to let my body fuel itself efficiently. I don't exercise at all (walking from the car to the office doesn't count) and I DON'T seem to realize that I'm not immortal. 

When Tim came home, tired from working, frustrated from his morning, I found myself talking to him about Joe, and what he did. I expected him to roll his eyes and brush off a juice fast as something too extreme for my situation. He surprised me by agreeing with Joe's approach and encouraged me to seriously consider it. Heck, what did I have to lose, besides the excess weight, the stress and anxiety, and the constant stomach issues that were getting harder to ignore as I got older? Right?

I bought a juicer the next day. It wasn't the easiest thing for us to do, being on a tight budget, but I recognized that I was wasting a ton of money each week on junk lunches and snacks at work.... the same amount of money I was wasting every month would pay for the juicer, the book, the app (yes, there's an astounding app that I have a crush on) and leave money over for the first 3 day fast's veggies and fruits. 

Having someone be supportive makes a huge difference, and having Tim as a cheerleader has been more than just a blessing... it's been a necessity. I'm not sharing what I'm doing with very many people, mainly because I don't want to deal with the associated looks of disdain and the comments about how unhealthy my choice has been. It's not that I don't value the opinions of those around me, rather the opposite. I tend to take what everyone else says to heart and it usually stops me from doing anything for myself if even one person says something negative. But I trust Tim because he's done it all health-wise, and is strong and much healthier than I am. His job requires him to be physically strong and well fueled, and he's been active for decades. I've shared my decision with a few other close people and thankfully most of the responses have been nothing more negative than "be careful"... which I can understand and accept. The few naysayers are thankfully not people that I take too seriously, so that helps too... haha!

So here I am. Six days in, up early on a Saturday morning, preparing to get out of the house waaaay earlier than I would have imagined on my one day to sleep in. I have errands to run before it gets too hot outside (thanks, Arizona in April) and chores to get done early for the same reason. I have juice waiting for me as soon as I finish my morning hot lemon/ginger water (not a fan, but I know it's important so I'm drinking it anyhow) and I am ready to get this day going. I will be back to give some background info and to detail what's going on and why, but for now, it's time to get moving.

Thanks for being here as I start my journey. I won't be making this blog live until I'm well along in the process, but it's nice to get a bit of a start before I open the curtains on the world. I hope that what I'm doing leads to a lifetime of healthier living and gives me the chance to avoid what took my dad from us too soon. At the very least, it'd be nice to feel comfortable in my own skin for the first time in my life.. that's worth the occasional hunger pang!

Peace out, yo.

T