Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Hopping For Health!


This blog hop isn't only good, but it's good for you! Trust me...you'll see!

Hosted by Stephen Tremp, Alex J. Cavanaugh, L.Diane Wolfe, and Michael Di Gesu this hop is, obviously going to focus on getting, and staying, healthy.

As the Ninja Captain, himself, put it....

The Objective: Share with everyone something you have done that affected your health in a positive way. You can share an awesome low cal low fat tasty recipe. Post simple tips to lose weight. Or a testimony on what has helped like joining Weight Watchers. Recommend a routine like P90X or Insanity. Or stretches one can do while sitting in their office chair working or writing.
I'm sure my pick for a 'positive health choice' won't really surprise anyone who's been reading this blog for a while and has seen a few of my Healthy Writers Club posts.

I'm going to go with vegetable/fruit juicing.



After the wife and I watched Hungry for Change (also on Netflix Streaming) and Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead we really came to appreciate the effects and health benefits juicing fruits and vegetables could have on our lives. It also really opened our eyes as to what we were eating and made us more aware of just how bad some processed foods can be for the body.

Even if the whole concept of the "juice fast/reboot" isn't for you, having one fruit and/or veggie juice a day can really give you a huge nutritional benefit.

In my opinion, healthy eating is the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle and something I wish I had picked up a long time ago.

My wife, the gal who doesn't like to read or write, even started a blog about our health journey. It's called Don't Just Know....Do!, so drop by if you get a chance and see how we're doing in getting healthy.

Thanks to Diane, Stephen, Michael, and Alex for hosting this and, please, check out the other folks hopping around in the name of better health.

64 comments:

Rebecca Green Gasper said...

Hi! :) I have to try juicing! I hear it's wonderful. Totally worth the investment of the juicer. I do not eat very many processed foods and really try to eat loads of fruits and veggies, but I think this is a great way to get them in your diet. I agree that eating healthy is so important to overall health. I will check out your wife's blog...sounds great!

Chancelet said...

Cool blog hop. We, as a nation, do need to focus more on what we eat. I'm trying to go all organic, which is harder than it should be, but I haven't gone the route of juicing yet. Something to consider. Writer’s Mark

Suzanne Furness said...

I LOVE fresh juice, my fav is carrot and apple. Wish I could have it more often but it seems to take so much fruit/veg to get a glass full so I haven't done it recently. You've inspired me though, I'm gonna make myself a juice today as I've got some bits to use up. Thanks, Mark.

Anonymous said...

An excellent way to get and stay healthy.

Yvonne.

Laura Clipson said...

We haven't got a juicer, but I've always wanted one. I love fruit smoothies and things, and they're so much healthier than other drinks.

Rachna Chhabria said...

I too love fresh juices, they are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Healthy eating is the key to good health.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Mark - I did do juicing about 20 years ago .. but gave up and eat plenty of fresh veg and fruit everyday ... seemed easier!

Good health with lots of water too .. cheers Hilary

Sheena-kay Graham said...

It's never too late to get healthy or healthier. Juicing is a great way to do so.

S.P. Bowers said...

Hungry for change made me cut down on the processed foods and add more veggies to my diet too. It was a very motivational movie.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

We don't juice, but we do eat fruit every single day.
Thanks for participating in our bloghop.

Laura Eno said...

Oh, thanks for the links. I need to try juicing. I have a V-8 every day but it's commercially canned so how good can it really be?

Unknown said...

I've never tried juicing although know a number of folks who swear by it as well. Thanks for the tip!

Annalisa Crawford said...

I'm anti-juicing, actually. It separates the sugar from the fibre making the sugar far more easily absorbable, and fibre is an important part of the diet. Juice, no matter how much you drink, only counts as one portion of fruit for that reason.

Manzanita said...

All I can say is good for you and the wife. I've always used food and nutrition as my medicine. That apple on the blogfest icon is the best.
Apple is the only fruit to be juiced with veggies. That old saying about "the apple a day" is correct.
Have fun on the blogfest.

Jack said...

I have a friend who has trouble digesting and she does a lot of smoothies. She has come up with some good recipes which I try. Smoothies and juices seem really healthy, and a better snack than...all the junk food which is so easy to come by.

Julie Dao said...

Good for you!! I love fruit juice, but I never really got into the vegetable juice thing. I've heard that if you combine the veggies with fruit, though, you won't even be able to tell the difference. My coworkers come in with stuff all the time that's this toxic green - kale, radishes, spinach, you name it!

Hart Johnson said...

I'm not a juicing fan, mostly because I have an oral fixation and prefer to get to CHEW anything I eat, but I am a HUGE fan of fruits and veggies. I try to do 3+ servings of each a day. Man, you juicers are an enthusiastic bunch though... I have people trying to convert me all the time.

~Sia McKye~ said...

Juice fasts are good. You feed the body something healthy and it cleanses the toxins and other things from your body. I have a mild form of Celiac (it interferes with nutrient absorption and bowel issues) and it messed up my intestinal tract.

I didn't know for a long time WHAT I had. But, I ended up with a fabulous doctor who put me on regular fasts several times in the first few years after we knew what was wrong with me. His regimen,in part, entailed a week of juicing carrots, followed by apples, and then white grapes. Sounds easy, but finding organic fruits was tough. Fortunately, I lived in California and even in the 80's there was organic to find. I don't have to fast like that anymore but I do it a couple of times a year in 3 day stretches followed by brown rice (I can't eat whole grains)veggies, and poultry. It makes an amazing difference.

Sia McKye OVER COFFEE

klahanie said...

Hi Mark,

I'm also trying to catch up on commenting and finally I've arrived here. Yay n'stuff. One moment please. "Argggghhhhhh! Another blog hop!" Okay, I'm better now :)

I'm well into juicing. And we have to eat healthy, get some exercise and be around folks who are positive and encouraging. Yes, a healthy posting by your good self.

I shall check out your good lady's site :)

I'm outta' here....

Gary :)

SK Anthony said...

I normally don't do juicing but do it lots of veggies and fruits... I'm intrigued now :)

Anonymous said...

You know I'm a big fan of juicing, Mark. It's amazing what a good healthy juice can do for your body, mind and spirit!

Morgan said...

Oh my gosh! What a great idea. I don't own a juicer, and now I MUST HAVE ONE...

Dawn Embers said...

Interesting. It seems a number of people are going with the juice or smoothie option. I don't have a juicer or a decent blender but maybe one day. Good post.

Anonymous said...

Hi, Mark. I have done a few juice fasts/feasts. I feel so much better afterwards. I should plan on doing another one real soon. I'm now following your wife's blog, Don't Just Know...Do!

Al Diaz said...

I know juices have helped me A LOT! I don't know where I would be without them. Probably not in this world anymore. I am definitively going to take a look at your wife's blog. It sounds very interesting for me. Thanks for sharing! :D

Gina Gao said...

This sounds excellent! I'll definitely try this out.

www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

Shell Flower said...

Juicing is totally a great detox and so yummy. Glad to hear you are moving to more healthy eating and cut out aspartame. Yay. Cool that your wife started a blog, too. I'll have to check it out.

Dana said...

I make sure my family eats fruits and vegetables daily, but I'd love to try juicing, too. I'll be checking out your wife's blog. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your comment Mark, about putting my poem to music no anyone who writes music? I can play music but can;t write it,

Yvonne.

Suzanne said...

Hi Mark, I must admit I like to actually crunch fruit - now making homemade smoothies or milkshakes with fresh fruit is yummy though ;) Or does that go against this blog hop?
Suzanne @ Suzannes Tribe

Mark Means said...

@Rebecca: I think that anything that gets us to stop eating processed foods is a good thing. Thanks, my wife will appreciate it :)

@Nancy: Oh yeah, going organic can be rough as well as a bit expensive, from I read. Good luck with it, though.

@Suzanne: We go to our local produce store and stock up. It, usually, costs us around $30.00 for a weeks worth of juicing stuff, so it's not that bad :) Glad to help inspire you and hope that juice was good!

@Yvonne: It sure is, thank you :)

@Laura: We do a lot of fruit smoothies too..we love 'em :)

@Rachna: I totally agree!

@Hilary: I'd say eating your fruits and veggies is easier, no doubt. See, you were way ahead of the trend on this one :)

@Sheena: You're absolutely right...it's never too late!

@S.P: It sure was and it really opened our eyes. I'm glad we watched it.

@Alex: That's just as good and thanks for hosting. It's a great idea for a hop :)

@Laura: I used to drink V8, a lot, but it always gave me bad gas. When we juice our own tomatoes, I don't seem to have that problem...thank goodness :) They do add quite a bit to it, I think.

@Julie: You're welcome and hope it helps!

Mark Means said...

@Annalisa: Juicing does separate the insoluble fiber from veggies, but you're still getting the soluble fiber, even in the juice. Besides, you can pick up fiber in other foods, too :) We don't live off of juice, but use it as a supplement to eating healthier.

@Manzanita: Sometimes, we juice a lemon with some of our veggies to help counteract the 'grassy' taste...especially with beets and kale. It is good medicine, though :)

@Karen: Thanks! We think so, too :)

@Jack: Definitely better than junk food, soft drinks, or "energy" drinks.

@Julie: We've done some pretty tasty veggie drinks as well as a few...not so tasty ones. It's a learning process and you just have to find out what you like and what you can't stand...lol

@Hart: Nothing wrong with eating your fruits and veggies, either :) Juicers are just 'mainlining' the vitamins, nothing more.

@Sia: We've done a couple of juice fasts and they're not easy. Of course, we didn't really prepare for them like we should have. If we had, they would have been smoother, I think. They do help clean you out and we have both lost weight, so they can't be that bad :)

@Gary: LOL...I knew you'd be thrilled, seeing another bloghop :D I figured you were in prime shape, already, and didn't need any help, which is why you didn't participate (hehe) Take care, my friend, and thanks for stopping by :)

@S.K.: Give it a try and see how you like it :)

@M.J: You're absolutely right...they can make you feel so much better. Totally worth the time and effort, in my view :)

@Morgan: They can get pretty pricey, but they're really worth it in the long run.

@Dawn: We don't have a blender, per se, but use the Ninja ( http://www.ninjakitchen.com/NinjaMasterPrep.shtml?tabID=detailsCont) that we got as a 'White Elephant' Christmas gift. It works great :)

@Susanne: Thank you very much, my wife will really appreciate that and thanks for following :)

@Al: Glad to hear that juicing had such a positive effect on you. Though I guess a dragon would juice hot peppers to keep their flaming breath going, eh? :)

@Gina: I hope it works for you!

@Shell: Yep, we've been using organic sugar for a while, now. We're trying to cut out white sugar, white flour, and white rice :)

@Dana: Give it a try and see how you like it. Hopefully, it will be a hit with the family :)

@Yvonne: No, I sure don't. I wish I did, though...sorry.

@Suzanne: Oh no....smoothies are loved just as much as veggie juicing around these parts :)

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, Mark,

This is great. Juicing is SO HEALTHY. I was into it for a while YEARS ago, but the big, honking juicer was such a BIOTCH to clean.

I might try it again now that they have so many cool new gadgets to juice easily.

Fruits, vegetables, and WHOLE foods are DEFINITELY the way to go.

Good for you and your wife. ALL THE BEST staying healthy and fit.

Thanks so much for posting for the HOP!

Anonymous said...

I should try drinking my veggies. Might make me get more in my daily diet.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

We try to eat healthy but the bad stuff slips in there now and again.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I've always wanted a juicer. I could make my own V8 concoctions.

Unknown said...

Juicing sounds wonderful and I will definitely have to give a go. Thanks for the awesome, encouraging comment you left. I appreciate it very much.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Mmm, homemade juice drinks are so yummy too. Great tip.

It's nice to meet you through the bloghop, Mark. And you're right about ignoring the Olsen twins. Good thing it's hard to see them.

Stay well.
xoRobyn

Ella said...

Thanks for sharing Mark! Off to visit the Mrs.~ It is nice when a couple makes changes together!
YOU both are cute ;D

Cathrina Constantine said...

I'm just blog-hopping around, and my mother-in-law loves juicing. She swears by it! Can get plenty of good vitamins in one drink.

Charlie N. Holmberg said...

I love my Jack Lelane (sp?) power juicer, but it's a pain to clean every morning when I rush to work... now I just use my crappy Walmart blender for smoothies. :)

Arlee Bird said...

I do like the idea of juice and should probably get a juicer. Sometimes I crave a good healthy mix of juices.

Lee
A Faraway View
An A to Z Co-host blog


Gillian Morris said...

its great for the summer but I find it hard to stick to during the winter months.

Great Blog HOp.

Stephen Tremp said...

Great post! We have various juicers and blenders and such. The kids love them too. Such a great way to get and stay healthy!

Lydia Kang said...

I would be happy to receive a juicer at my birthday. Hint hint. ;)

Jack said...

Aw, I'm envious! You got to see the original Doctor Whos. I have finally found them online but some of the shows are still missing. I have seen some of the 4th though, I like him a lot.

Whole Foods Living said...

Cool! I guess I found out about this a day late! But I do blog about my healthy ventures, so I vote for being healthy daily!! :) Off to check out the wife's blog! Thanks! ~Angela

Suze said...

We have a juicer that could use some dusting off! Great topic for a post, Mark.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

I love my vegies, but I don't know if I could afford to juice them. Trying to keep my gang of guys in fresh fruit is tough enough!

Mark Means said...

@Michael: Thanks for the encouraging words and for hosting this cool hop. I've seen a lot of good ideas and it's nice to know that we're not alone in the journey to get/stay fit. Our juicer is pretty easy to clean...takes about five minutes as well as can be put into the dishwasher, so it's not that bad :)

@Sydney: Well, it sure helped us with it :)

@Susan: It's o.k. if you slip up every once in a while. Just keep your eye on the prize and you'll be fine!

@Diane: LOL....that was the first thing I thought, too :)

@Melissa: You're very welcome and thank you, as well! :)

@Robyn: Nice to meet you, too. You're right about the Olsen Twins...when they turn sideways, you can't seem them at all :D

@Ella: Awww...thanks and thank you for checking out the wife's blog. She gets very excited when new people show up :)

@Cathrina: Your mother-in-law is a wise woman, indeed!

@Charlie: Smoothies are good, too :) We have a Brevel and it's pretty easy to clean.(thank goodness!)

@Lee: We haven't regretted buying ours and consider it a great investment in our health.

@Gillian: Oh, I know what you mean...which is why it's nice to have support to help :)

@Stephen: They're well worth the price, in my opinion.

@Lydia: Well, you didn't mention when it was, so.... :D

@Jack: One of the perks of being old....I saw "classic" geek stuff firsthand :) Now, remembering it all is different story!

@Angela: That's the best way to be, no doubt :)

@Suze: Thank you and I hope you decide to dust that juicer off...it's well worth it!

@Elizabeth: Depending on how many in your gang, it could run into some money, yes. We get enough to last us a week for around $30.00. Which isn't too bad, I guess.

Allison said...

I love juice! Smoothies are the best.

Allison (Geek Banter)

Yolanda Renée said...

Hey Mark,

After this blog hop, your wife will be busy! I love the inspiration achieved from all this sharing. Excellent!
And one of my favorite smoothies is banana and spinach - don't even know there two teaspoons of vinigar anywhere in the mix. Mm mm good!

Happy Friday!

jaybird said...

Hey Mark! How's it? I am not sure I could exist on juice alone...that being said, I am not opposed to giving it a shot. It might be just what I need to jump start my metabolism.

Have a great weekend!

Mark Means said...

@Allison: They sure are :)

@Yolanda: Banana and spinach?? Hmmm....I have to admit, that's an interesting combo. We might just have to give it a try, sometime :) Oh, the wife is loving all the new people visiting/commenting at her blog, so thanks for that :)

@Jaybird: I know what you mean...we've done a couple of 'juice fasts', but for no more than five days. I'll admit, it's tough, but good for 'cleaning out the system'. I don't think I could just live off juice alone, though. We like to try to just use it as supplementing the diet. Let me know if you give juicing a try and how you like it. Have a great weekend, yourself :)

randi lee said...

I LOVE my juicer. Use it every morning :D And ever since I bought it a year ago I've felt MUCH healthier!

PK HREZO said...

I have some friends who juice. I havent gotten into it but I'm very active. So do tomatoes count? Cuz i eat tomatoes like they're going outta style. lol
Great cause for a bloghop since the writing life can be so unhealthy.

Mark Means said...

@Randi: Same here and it's a great way to get those needed vitamins :)

@PK: Tomatoes certainly do count, so keep on eating them :)

Unknown said...

I'm not such a fan of juicing, but I recently visited my MIL in Cairo and she'd made (by hand, no fancy juicer) an orange juice/carrot juice mixture. It was AWESOME!
I'm glad you're getting your healthy on. :-)

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

Eating a lot of fruits and veggies has always been second nature to me, because I like them so much. As far as a healthy change, the best thing I did for myself is quit smoking.

mail4rosey said...

I don't think I have any such posts, but I shared it for you and if I think of one to create while the hop's up and running, I'll surely link. :)

Happy weekend to ya!

Nick Wilford said...

Sounds like a simple and beneficial tip.

Valerie said...

I love juicing... I'm just way too lazy for it!

Hugs!

Valerie

Misha Gerrick said...

Juicing does sound intriguing, but my country doesn't really have a wide variety of fruit on offer except in summer. So the last time I tried, it nearly drove me nuts.

Tara Tyler said...

i think we all want more natural, but not enough to protest or do something big. i'd love to go back to natural basics, but convenience is so easy!! take away the crap! even processed healthy food, enhanced for taste isnt going to help...

we are a junkfood country & nobody will force us to eat healthy... we're too stubborn about our rights...

i could go on and on!

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