Sometimes life can get in the way of my efforts to stay healthy and active. September and October were rough – I was insanely busy at work making a deadline, took a trip to Wisconsin for a wedding, and generally just seemed to work and play non-stop. And then all of a sudden it was November and I hadn’t worked out in over a month. And I felt gross. I had been toying with the idea of joining a gym again, but just couldn’t commit – until now. I avoided Equinox for years for the main reason I think most people do – it’s ridiculously expensive. Every time I walked by I’d see people working out, hanging at their cafe drinking organic juices and think to myself “I could never afford to go there.” And then I heard through a colleague that we had a corporate deal with Equinox – and while not making it exactly cheap, there were enough perks that I agreed to a free trial to test the waters. And I fell in love. I immediately fell for the barre burn classes, which reminded me of my old ballet days. And then I tried the eucalyptus steam room and sauna. And Keihl’s products in the showers. And I knew that I could never turn back. I’ve gone almost every day since, and couldn’t be happier.
It’s amazing how getting a little exercise can completely change your outlook on things. I wanted to eat better – to clean the apartment more regularly – even to floss more often. And in an exercise-induced cleaning session I almost tossed out my juicer after it died last time I used it. I thought I should give it one last try before sending it to the junk pile – and sure enough – it came right back on! So of course, I immediately had to juice something. Luckily, I had some chard and random fruit around the apartment (and a sad looking basil plant on the windowsill) and came up with a refreshing and delicious new green juice.
What you’ll need:
- 1 bunch of chard
- 1/2 Asian pear
- 1 green apple
- 3 TBS fresh basil leaves
Start with the chard, followed by the basil, then the pear and apple. The harder fruits will help push through any remaining leafy greens that are stuck in the machine. Top with an ice cube to chill and you’ve got a super easy and super healthy juice. Here’s to getting healthier!
Girl Eats Greens 
This green juice looks amazing – I rarely use chard in my juices! Good for you for making a new commitment!
Thank you! I hadn’t often used chard – but when we signed up for a CSA this summer, we’d been getting a lot of it and I decided that would be another use for it.
And thank you – so far it’s been amazing. 🙂 Hopefully I can keep it up.
Thanks for the great post… Very real! Good to know there are others out there who want to be healthy but sometimes get sidetracked by work and other bits of life. Not sure my sweet tooth would cope with the green juice though, although your pictures do look tempting! Maybe time to dust off my juicer!!
Thank you for stopping by! I think you might be surprised with the greens – the apple and pear really sweeten it up. Let me know if you try it. And thanks for the comment – I don’t ever have it all together so it’s good to know others appreciate my honesty! 🙂