Isn’t resistance cute? First I bought the book. It sat on my bedside table for a few months. Then I practically devoured it… I was committed! I purchased the juicer (after conferring w/ several friends about exactly which model is the best). It sat in its box for weeks, next to my desk so I could guiltily skulk past it several times a day.

I recently heard the author of the book (Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Diet – in case you don’t regularly read my posts where I seem to refer to her often) say in an interview “The first, most important thing you should change is your mind.” So true. I was convinced it was going to be really difficult, and that I just wasn’t cut out for it. That the juicing lifestyle was for people better looking, younger, hipper, smarter, more committed than me. These were the ‘green Olympians’ in my head, on a pedestal, and I am no athlete.

Finally this summer I identified a stretch of time to begin my marathon training in earnest (I’m not being literal, you know).  I blocked my calendar, nervously worked my way through the produce aisle, watched the juicer instruction video, and began. Honestly, the first several days were hellish. I was very grouchy. But dammit, I was going to do it – 21 days of vegan foods and green juicing and change my life once and for all! On the 13th day I bought a rainbow trout with the head and tail still attached. It was the most incredible thing I’d eaten in a long time. There was something primal about the way I sucked on those fish bones. Yum.

Was this a failure? No. Once again I realized my tendency to overdo it – to go full throttle for the opposite of whatever I’m doing now in order to affect what I think will be a healthy and lasting change. It seems that my inner drill sergeant has to kick the ass of the cute resistant one to get me to change my pattern. But here is where I get to change my mind about how things went down. Today I am not a 100% convert. I still enjoy a local organic grass-fed beef burger and chocolate milkshake every now and then. And… I have in fact created lasting change as a result of my 13-day foray into the juicing/vegan lifestyle. Three months later I continue to begin 95% of my days with hot water and lemon, then green juice before noon. I absolutely LOVE green juice. I even love how long it takes to make it. A friend mentioned it’s a Zen practice and I’m glad she said that so I could be less pissed off that it takes forever! Now I sink into the repetitive motion of feeding the greens through the tube, pouring the rich green fluid into my sparkling mason jar, enjoying every moment. I’ve ventured into recipes that always seemed unreachable before. I’m less daunted by the bulk bins in the food co-op. I found joy in cooking for my family again. I had a chance to notice my pattern of numbing out with food and found new ways to infuse my life with pleasure.

Juicing, and healthy eating – it turns out – is not an extreme sport. It’s available to anyone willing to change their mind, overcome their resistance (gently), and enjoy the simple pleasures in  everyday actions of nourishing their body.