The good stuff...

It's flu season. It's also the season for crazy insane viruses and people walking around all germ-y coughing up a lung and insisting it's okay for them to be among other healthy people. To be fair, I do that sometimes too, so let's be real. 

But so far this winter I've been pretty much fine. Except for a little blip this weekend when I was feeling sort of run down, and Monday when I felt like I might be coming down with something, I've been feeling like a rock star. I'm typically the person who catches every little bug that goes around, so you can imagine why I'm feeling rather perplexed this cold/flu season. Even my husband (who has - from what I can tell - some kind of titanium Captain-America-type immune system) has been feeling pretty awful for the past two weeks. I don't get it, why am I not sick with everybody else?

I started thinking about it on the way into work this morning, and I think I've come up with the answers: 

1) My fabulous juicer...

My super in-laws gave it to me for Christmas, and I've been obsessively using it almost daily since I got it. It's SO much fun! It's like a grown-up Play-doh fun-factory: you squish in fruits and veggies, and stuff squirts out the bottom. My favorite things to juice are carrots, oranges, grapefruits, pineapples, and ginger root. I've become convinced that anything with ginger root in it is pure magic. I LOVE how it smells when I pop a few pieces into the juicer. Sometimes I'll even mix my morning juice with a little club soda and make it a little fizzy breakfast-cocktail. You really can't go wrong. Check out those pulpy layers in the juicer - it totally reminds me of that sand art that kids make. So pretty! Sometimes when I juice pineapples, I'll juice them separately. That pineapple pulp mixed with some Sriracha sauce makes the most crazy-delicious dip for coconut-breaded shrimp. 

I'm pretty sure this stuff is like 50% of the reason that I've been so healthy this season. It's hard to get sick when you're sipping tons of vitamins (not to mention a veritable boatload of vitamin C) through a cute little paper straw. Plus, it tastes like pure sunshine, and it hardly feels like the day has begun until I've gotten up, turned on some music, and had my first sip of juice. Here's my recipe in case you want to try it: 

- 1 grapefruit, peeled and cut into quarters

- 1 good knob of fresh ginger root (I like to soak mine for a minute in some warm water, I feel like it gets more juice out)

- 2 good-sized oranges, peeled and cut into quarters

- 1 pineapple, cored, and with the skin removed 

This recipe makes about three mason-jars worth of juice. Once I'm done juicing, I throw a few straws into my lunch bag, toss in the jars of juice, and put them in the fridge to chill once I get to work. The mason jars make a pretty awesome drinking-glass substitute, not to mention the fact that they're glass, so they don't hold stains and gross smells like Tupperware does. 

2) My awesome chiropractor!

I love my chiropractor's office. All the people who work there are so nice. I have to say, when I was having back trouble about 4 months ago, I was super skeptical about chiropractic. When people crack their knuckles, it makes me want to throw up a little, so I was less than thrilled with the idea of someone cracking my neck/back three times a week for 6 months. What I didn't anticipate is how much my adjustments have benefited me in other ways. I have tons more energy, I sleep much better, and I feel like it's given a huge boost to my immune system. My chiropractor Dr. Roberto swears up and down that every time I get an upper spine adjustment, it boosts my immune system. 

3) It's a new year

Okay, maybe this isn't an official reason, but I feel like I've been in a much more positive frame of mind this year. Between reading my Bible more, spending more time doing constructive things (less tv, more reading, less sleeping in, more getting-up-and-doing), I've noticed a big change. Plus, I've been trying not to sweat the small stuff. I've never considered myself a perfect person - far from it - but it's now, in my 28th year, that I'm learning to let myself off the hook now and then. I make mistakes, but so does everybody. My satisfaction comes from working hard, staying focused, and trying to love people the way God loves me.