For the last few days I have been in Dallas, Texas for a Juice Plus+ conference. I had been taking it for about 18 months and because of certain situations stopped for the past year. Going back and forth in my mind about what to do I decided to hop in the car with my Aunt and join her at the conference. It was motivating and definitely got me thinking about how it has affected me by not taking it for the last year.
{View from our hotel balcony-an indoor city!}
See I went to college on a full tennis scholarship. Playing all my life it was a dream come true for me. But the Summer before my freshman year I noticed something was going on with my heart that didn't feel right. As we had two a days for a solid month it became harder for me to breath and when I did I would have to take deeper breaths and on top of that I would have irregular beats. As the weeks went on it was becoming more pronounced.
After two days of solid doctors visits they told me that I had MVP, Mitral Valve Prolapse. Basically I have a floppy valve that doesn't completely close after each heart beat. This is a common heart problem and many people can live a normal healthy life without noticing it. For me, I have palpitations that feel like my heart is beating too fast for the amount of energy I may be exerting or a pounding feeling in my chest when I have irregular beats.
{Waiting for Dr. Deboise to speak. 7,000 seats and they were sold out}
The doctor told me that I could be on medication for the rest of my life to manage the symptoms or just deal with it. I wouldn't die from this it would just be something that I will have to deal with. And I have for the most part. It is frustrating at times but it could be a lot worse. It wasn't until my Aunt introduced Juice Plus+ to me that I realized what it felt like to not have symptoms.
{Here we go!}
For the 18 months I took it I maybe had a handful of times that I could feel my heart beats were erratic. The first time in a long time I was feeling better and not just with my heart...I was eating better. I had more energy, didn't feel the need to take naps, and I felt more alert. As someone who is borderline addicted to caffeine it was nice for a change to drink it not because I felt tired but because I enjoyed the flavor.
{The new protein bars...this one taste like coffee-winner}
I am sure you are thinking what is Juice Plus+. Well it is simple really-it is fruits and vegetables in a capsule. True story. Look, lets be honest when my Aunt told me about this she asked if I eat healthy-I said "of course!" then she said "oh you eat 7-13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day"? Umm...silence on my end of the line as I thought of my next sentence.
From that moment I new that even though I didn't allow myself to indulge in fast food or sweets I still wasn't getting the amount of fruits and vegetables I should have been feeding my body. I think that is true for most of us. This is the day and age of fast food, easy and quick choices, and not realizing what it is doing to our bodies.
{Each hotel should always have a 24/7 coffee shop}
My Aunt is a wonderful lady, love her like a mother. She explained to me at this conference how Juice Plus+ has changed her life. I knew for about the last 15 years she was sick but I had not idea how sick. She has had to live with an autoimmune disease that basically makes her feel that she has a UTI,urinary tract infection, every time she goes to the restroom. I don't know about you but I have had a UTI once in my life and it was the most uncomfortable thing-ever! Can you imagine that feeling?
As she continued I sat there in shock as she explained her 17 surgeries, trip to the emergency room, loosing her vision temporarily in result of a spinal tap she had done, and I couldn't believe that she hid this from everyone. Sure, we knew she was sick but she masked her pain each day. That is until she found Juice Plus+. When she told me that the amount of surgeries and medicine she was on had no comparison to Juice Plus+ I was stunned. Nothing had helped until now and she smiled when she said that only three flare ups in the last 3 years of taking this. Pretty incredible.
{Media was arriving, photographers were getting ready}
These last three days made me think a lot about my health and body. It makes me think twice about what I put in my mouth. How is it going to affect my body and realizing that I have the opportunity to say no and be healthy. If you would like any more information or just to explain your story if you are on Juice Plus+ you can leave a comment below or email me. I would love to hear from you.
So I ask you...how are you fueling your body?
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