The decision

That about sums it up! Not a healthy way to live, that's for sure! I am about to change that. I guess a bit of a back story is needed here....how did I get to this point? I have always been so carefree, in every aspect of my life. Not always a good thing, especially when it comes to my body. I have beat it up pretty bad over the years, and have enjoyed almost every minute of it! As 40 rolls around, by body is packing up and checking out. But WAIT!!!! I still NEED it! OK, so how to "reverse" 37 years of  "hold my beer and watch this" moments?! I am convinced, it CAN be done, at least on the inside.
After multiple doctors appointments, gallons of blood drawn, enough radiation to kill Godzilla and prescription drugs aplenty to make Mr. Walgreen himself giddy, I've decided it is time for a change!
I walked out of the MRI office with a clear picture of what bulging L3,4,5 discs and moderate arthritis down the entire spine look like, pared with a new diagnosis of an unclear auto immune disease, surgery on the table for "female issues",  visions of having a total knee replacement in the near future, and a new prescription for 20mgs of Prednisone.
 Martin was kind. He was knowledgeable. He was vegan. I.... was skeptical. He was speaking to a paramedic! I knew how important protein, carbs, B12, calcium was in a western diet! He told me there were other ways of getting all of that. He sent me on my way with book titles, links, movie titles and articles I MUST read. I thanked him, smiled, and left the office. As I drove home, my daughter had asked if I could take her to the library. I agreed. After all, it was 105* outside and I had no intention of doing anything other than hibernating in the A/C at home. So we went. Little did I know this trip to the local library would be the beginning of a BIG change! Out of morbid curiosity, I decided to look at the "healthy stuff books". To my surprise, there it was. Glaring me in the eyes like a solar eclipse. I couldn't look away, but I felt "awkward" staring." Forks Over Knives". Although I hadn't taken the time to look through the stuff Martin had given me, I recognized that name as being on one of the pages. I had NO IDEA what this book was about, except that it was "healthy stuff". It floated into my grip (I honestly don't recall consciously picking it up) and I began to thumb. Whole foods blah blah blah, plant based diet blah blah blah vegan blah blah blah has been proven to reverse auto immune disease. SCRAAAAAAATCH! WAIT. WHAT!? I read a few sentences and decide I still look awkward reading this book in the library!?!??! and take it home. I spend the night reading. First thing in the a.m. (after coffee of course) I head back to the library for the rest of the books and movies Martin suggested. I was hooked. I spent the rest of that day, and EVERYDAY since, researching, reading, contemplating, questioning. It was later that week I discovered "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead". I was sold.
The following day I tried my first juice. I had an OLD juicer I got from my wedding shower back in 1994 that I think had been used once to get apple pulp to make cookies. I ended up dumping the juice out! Had I only knew ten what I was missing in that juice! Today was going to be different. I threw in a few apples, strawberries, blueberries and mixed the juice in the blender with some ice. The rest is history. I fell in love so much with the idea of the juicing lifestyle, that I decided right then and there that I wanted to try a juice fast. Which brings me here today. 
I am a few days away from starting my fast. I calmed down and did PLENTY of research. The pros and cons, ins and outs, and how to break a fast.  I ordered a new Omega VRT 350 juicer, should be here within the week. Gotta have good equipment if you want to be successful. Not to mention an overall more pleasant juicing experience. I am excited. I am nervous. Over the last month, I have begun detoxing my body, preparing for this juice fast. The more garbage you have in your system ( fatty meats, dairy products, refined sugars and starches, processed foods) the harder the fast will be on your body. The whole point of a juice fast is to rid your body of toxins built up over time and decrease the cravings for above said crap. You want to be able to come out of your fast feeling better and looking forward to the hard work needed to change your entire lifestyle. Sounds overwhelming? I suppose it can be. I am taking it one step at a time. I have begun to incorporate a brisk evening walk into my daily routine. It has gotten tougher and tougher the last few years for me to stay active because of the severe pain I am in day in and day out. I have had to take an extended break from my job as a paramedic. I couldn't make it down the firehouse stairs quick enough for calls! My getting out of bed at anytime, involves lots of stretching and finagling of body parts to get them to do what I needed them to do WHEN I needed them to do it!  Bending and lifting were close to impossible. Forget about the firefighting aspect of it all! But, baby steps I am taking. At a quick pace. All together. And I feel confident that I can do this. I NEED to do this. 
I have mentioned to many people that this was my plan. Some supportive, some not. But either way, I have decided to blog about it. So if after this you are still interested in my success/failure, you can check back here and see how I am doing. I will be posting every evening. Until next time.....JUICE ON!