Green Drink!

So my friend and colleague, Kuebler Perry, has recently turned me on to a 'green smoothie' created by Kimberly Snyder. Kimberly has a health and beauty blog that has become quite popular and has even gotten her on many magazines and television shows. It's quite a good source to learn more about doing good things for your body. Well after a lot of hesitation I decided to go for it and try it out.

The ingredients are as follows:

1-1/2 Cups of Water

1 Head of Romaine

3-4 Stalks of Celery

1/3 Bunch of Cilantro

1/3 Bunch of Parsley (I substituted with Basil)

1/8 Cup of Lemon Juice

2 Apples

2 Pears

1 Banana

I didn't realize HOW MUCH this actually was until I tried stuffing it in my tiny blender. It definitely was a process. A large blender is a must for the future! It's also important to note that this recipe yields enough for three days for one person! The end result is a moderately thick 'green smoothie.' Here is an informational blurb about it from Kimberly's Blog:

"By consuming a green smoothie, you are blending the greens, which is in essence 'predigesting' the greens. Many of the important nutrients in the greens are encased inside plant cells and getting their benefits requires these cells' walls to be ruptured. So blending allows the food to be ingested as a whole vegetable with fiber intact (as opposed to juicing), so you feel FULL from the fiber and are able to absorb the maximum amount of nutrition from your greens. Plus you are getting more greens that you would probably get in a day or in a few days!"

So more about my process with it. After I was done blending it I noticed it wasn't as "smooth" as I'm sure a GOOD blender could achieve, so I put it in the fridge overnight and decided to try my first one in the morning (since she recommends them nice and cold). When I woke up I poured myself a 20oz cup full of it, put a little bit of water in the blender along with my daily DanActive and added the green smoothie, then blended and the consistency was much better! I drank it without any issue and I could have drank more! I was pleasantly surprised with how tasty it was for something so ridiculously healthy. I highly recommend trying it out!

So why this new health kick? Well before I started Grad School in August of 2008 I was at the best health of my life. I was 141 pounds, 7.50% body fat, nice muscle tone and I was going to the gym 4-5 days a week like clockwork. Fast forward to today after a year and a half and eating so much fast food due to convenience and comfort, I have lost all my tone and have gained a nice chunky belly! I decided to go back to the gym and give myself two months before I leave for Europe to get some of my healthy physique back. I measured myself at their "LifeCenter" machine and was shocked at what I had done to myself! I had gained 28 pounds and doubled my body fat percentage!

Here are my current measurements:

Age: 26

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 169 LBS

Heart Rate: 78 BPM (Below Average)*

BMI: 24.1 (Normal-High End)**

Body Fat: 14.6% (Healthy Range)***

Systolic BP: 142 (Mild-Stage 1 Hypertension)****

Diastolic BP: 74 (Normal)*****

*Male Average Age 26-35 yrs: 71-74

**Healthy Weight 18.5-24.9

***Healthy Body Fat for Males Age 20-40 yrs: 8-19%

****Healthy Range Systolic: 100-130

*****Healthy Range Diastolic: 65-85

So while on paper I'm not at all 'bad,' aesthetically I am not happy and my friends have even mentioned that they have never seen me 'like this' before, so it is time for change! Of course my efforts go well beyond the green smoothie... it includes the gym 4-5 times a week and a strict healthy diet high in protein and vegetables with no bread!

We will see how far I get in the next two months! Wish me luck!

For more information on Kimberly's blog please go here: http://kimberlysnyder.net/