.: juicing addict :.

if you follow me on any type of social media (Twitter: @sweetdeesnuts or Instagram @lifeonthedeelist), you've seen me blasting pictures of my new juicer and all the fun i have been having with it! i am SO excited to finally have a juicer - i literally have been doing research for the past year and a half on juicers. i originally boughta  $100 JuiceMan from Target a couple years ago, but immediately returned it because i was overwhelmed by how much produce it required to just get a cup of juice! i couldn't afford the time or the money at the time for a juicer. well, i'm now another year further out of college and further into my career and decided that i wanted to give it another shot. plus, being a wellness coordinator, i should probably continue to work on my wellness, right?

after talking with a few of my 'juicing expert' friends and a few nutrition professionals, i knew that i wanted to get a Breville, but there are SO many makes and models, it was overwhelming. i researched the capabilites and reviews of every Breville model that i heard of. i wanted to give you guys an overview of what i found, in case you are looking for a juicer!

Breville JE98XL - this is going to be the most basic juicer. if you have ever seen 'fat, sick and nearly dead' this is the juicer he uses. if you haven't seen it, you should. this is a great start for people who are tip-toeing around the possibility of starting to juice. it's fairly inexpensive and easy to find - Best Buy happens to sell this one for $149. this will juice your most basic produce - this apples, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers. it is dual speed for both hard and soft produce.

Breville JE510XL - this is a step up from the basic juicer - it has 5 speeds to adjust depending on which produce you are trying to juice. this also has a Nutri disc which easily separates the pulp and the juice. some people may find this desirable while others prefer to have some pulp - completely personal preferences. this juicer runs about $199 at Macy's.

Breville 800JEXL - this is going to be another step up, yet. it runs about $299 from Macy's or Williams Sonoma. this one is also a dual speed, but will juice more efficiently than the JE98XL - it will give you about 30% more juice! the opening to this juicer is extra wide which cuts down on all the chopping and preparing of the produce - i have found that this is a huge plus for obvious reasons!

now i get to talk about the juicer that i bought - my plan was to get the JE510XL or 800JEXL, but i was also hoping for a store associate to shed some light on which one would best fit my lifestyle. the guy at Williams Sonoma, not only loved his job, but was very educated when it came to juicers right down to the sound differences of them....

anyway, he broke down all the juicers from the most basic to the mack daddy of juicers including a Hurom slow juicer (which is also another great choice, but he mentioned that his fellow co-workers returned the Hurom for a Breville). after talking with him and hearing his lovely and accurate sound effects, i decided on the Breville BJS600XL. it only has 1 speed, but it is a slow juicer, so it really gets the most of out of the produce. with that being said, it is extremely efficient - i can juice AND hand wash all of the pieces in about 25 minutes and that's been the first couple times i used it. i fell in love when i realized how much juice it sucked out of everything! it also leaves some pulp which is great not only for nutrients, but for the volume of your juice! apparently, my past experience with the JuiceMan traumatized me enough that i literally washed 2 cucumbers, a mango, 2 kiwis, 3 apples and a handful of carrots for my first round of juicing (see picture below). i think i was halfway through the batch when i realized that the jug was already full! to give you a better picture, when the jug is full it fills about 2 1/2 mason jars (the standard size, not the jumbo). most of the parts are dishwasher safe, but since i use my juicer almost everyday and don't run the dishwasher everyday, i have been handwashing the parts. super easy to do!

a couple other things worth noting, this juicer is fairly small - we don't have a lot of counter with all the kitchen appliances we have, but this juicer fits really nice next to our espresso machine and even underneath our cupboards! i love being able to leave it out on the counter all the time! this juicer also has the capabilties to turn flax seeds into oil or peanuts into peanut butter. i doubt i will rely on that often (i haven't gotten into flax seeds, yet and i'm allergic peanuts), but it's nice to know that it is an option.

anyway, i just gave you the VERY basics of all SOME Breville juicers - there are a ton more reviews and information on good ol' Google or even Amazon. check them out!

i am clearly already a huge fan of juicing - i am excited to start playing with recipes and see what it can do for my health. this week is really busy for me with hosting biometric screenings, but i feel comforted in knowing that i can bring some juice to get my nutrients and hold me over until i get the chance to eat.

always striving for more,

dee b.

.: what's in my purse? :.

if you are anything like me, you are always on the go, yet always trying to find a simple way to 'sneak' healthy habits into your every day life!

in this post, i wanted to expose what i carry with me everyday in my purse - this could get scary, but when my purse is strategically stocked, i find little to no excuses to stray out side of simple healthy habits.

i do like big purses, but when i emptied my purse for this picture i noticed that i could probably downsize........probably won't happen....

water bottle - i ALWAYS carry a water bottle with me. i feel naked with out one! carrying water will deter me from buying juice, high-sugar coffee, sports drinks or spend unnecessary money on buying water. most places have water fountains to refill a water bottle, so it makes it even more convenient and cheap!

 

chapstick - who doesn't carry chapstick with them? i bought this EOS chapstick a few months ago and have yet to lose it! (knock on wood) keeping it in my purse has prevented me from misplacing it.

cuticle cutter and nail file - you see, i have this nasty habit of biting my nails and/or picking my cuticles depending on the season, but if i keep my nails looking clean, i am less apt to destroy them. must. have. nail file.

hand lotion - i absolutely HATE having dry hands. this also helps my bad habit mentioned above.

gum - whenever i have a naggging craving (think sugar or chocolate), i chew a piece of gum until it is gone. this also happens to keep my mouth busy - another way to trick my mind from biting my nails. it's a gross habit, i know.

hand sanitizer - you think it would be odd for a germaphobe to be a nail biter - well, nice to meet you! i HATE germs. whenever drew and i are in public places i am always pushing hand sanitizer. hand sanitizer comes in handy in SO many situations like leaving the yoga studio/weight room, at a coffee shop, grocery shopping, work, there are more places to use hand sanitizer than to not use hand sanitizer. plus, being sick a lot towards the end of last year, i feel like i am in a safe bubble with my hand sanitizer.

flossers - if you haven't tried these hand flossers, you are seriously missing out! working at a Medicare insurance company, it was eye opening how important it is to take care of your teeth while you are young to avoid insanely high cost services when you are retired. these flossers have made flossing seem less daunting and time consuming (plus, you don't have to stick your germ-filled hands so far into your mouth, gross). i can floss in my car, in my cube, pretty much anywhere now! also, don't you just hate when you have something stuck in your teeth and you can't get it out ALL day??? i sure do.

crystal light packets - these babies pack 60 mg of caffeine and only have 5 calories! i've started using these as a pick me up when i feel like i just can't have another cup of coffee. worth nothing, i also don't depend on these everday because i am sure the pretend sugar isn't that great for me....

green tea - i am totally OK with relying on these for my afternoon pick me up! i always have green tea packets on me - when you think about it, hot water isn't all that hard to get no matter where you are....

emergen-c - since getting sick, i have been trying to drink these more religiously. all you need to do is add water, but i know some people who just eat the powder....either way, by carrying these, i have no excuse to miss my daily Vitamin C dose.

vitamins/supplements - i don't take too many of these, but the ones i do, i have a hard time taking on a regular basis. if i carry them in a little tupperware container, they are always on me. another way to have no excuses.

ipod - please tell me when you don't need music.

aside from all of this, i also carry my wallet (obvi) and my datebook (always).

i hope you've found some things that maybe you can add to your daily routine by carrying it around in your purse!

please let me know if i am missing anything that i should add to my purse (lord knows, there is PLENTY of room to fit more in purses these days....)


always striving for more,

dee b.

.: what the H is a HRM? :.

have you guys been missing me???

i am seriously embarrassed by how long it has been since i have posted. i am even more embarrased by how long ago one of my followers asked me to write up this post - to that follower, i am sincerely sorry!

ok, enough gushing! this post is a basic breakdown of a heart rate monitor - the specific model is a Polar FT40. when i was able to run, i was trying to decide between investing in a GPS or a heart rate moniter. the HRM won because it was more versatile than a GPS - it doesn't track distance, but it tracks your heart rate (obviously), whether you are in a cardio (fitness improving) range or fat burning range, how long were in each range, length of work out and number of calories burned. you are able to enter your height, weight, gender, birthdate, etc., so your HRM is tailored for you and your workout stats are accurate unlike what the machines at the gym tell you.

getting started:.

first, you have set the time and enter your biometrics in - height, weight, gender, etc. if you buy a new HRM, you will be prompted to do this. if you buy a used one, it is easy enough to hit a few buttons and change them. another bonus, it is easy to change these if you happen to lose or god forbid, gain weight to ensure your results are always accurate.

that's pretty much all you need to do and you are already ready to use it in a workout!

the chest strap - the strap is very comfortable, adjustable and easy to put on. before you put it on, you need to wet the back of strap where the transmitter attaches. the transmitter is the small chip-looking piece that will snap on and off the strap. when i say wet, i mean spreading a couple drops of water (or spit), not running it under water - too much. plus chances are you may sweat during your workout so you just need something while you warm up. placement - you will want the transmitter to lie flat, for me that is either to the left or right of my sternum. picture this, place the strap either under your sports bra band or right above whichever is more comfortable for you. i tend to place mine a little above the band so i don't feel too constricted. play around with it, see where you get a 'signal' and adjust it from there. guys, i am sure you can picture where a sports bra band were to lie if you wore on.

now, all you have to do is hit the middle button on the right side of the watch (twice) and get moving! it may take up to 30 seconds for your watch to link with the transmitter, but your heart rate should soon take over the watch screen. if it does not pick up your heart rate, it will say 'check your transmitter' - if that happens, adjust the transmittier, end the session and start it again. extra bonus, your heart rate monitor will most likely automatically sync with the cardio machine you are using.

the HRM does have the ability to pause - hit the 'end' button once to pause or twice to end.

what else do you need to know??? after you hit end, it will automatically break down your workout data and you can interpretate how ever you would like!

here is one of my workouts as an example:.

breaking down how long you were in each 'zone'

tracks your average heart rate throughout the workout and the highest that your heart rate reached 

tip: detach the transmitter from the strap after every use - this will help extend the battery life of the transmitter.

i hope i gave a decent overview of a HRM - let me know if you have any questions. the user manual is EXTREMELY helpful.

i use my HRM for just about everything - yoga sculpt, barre, buti, ellipticalling, lifting weights, spin, biking outside. i love that i can see how productive each work out has been regardless of what it is - a GPS watch can't do that..... i have also found that i can use my HRM as an indication of being sick or not getting enough sleep - for instance, i noticed my heart rate spikes really quickly and has a hard time coming down when i am sleep deprived or am getting over a cold.

heart rate monitors range in brands and prices. it all depends on what you want to use it for. i am biased towards to Polar brand because they seem to be the largest and most popular HRM, but they can come at a cost. i was lucky enough to have my employee wellness program offer discount prices. do some research - there are hundreds of makes and models that can benefit you in a different way!

do yourself and your workouts a favor, buy a HRM - it will keep you honest.



always strving for more,

 dee b.