The Experts Weigh In: The Best Money I Ever Spent!

Image via joyofblending.com

BY: CHRISTY RICHMOND, CONTRIBUTOR

In my long time career as a freelance film editor, I have grown accustomed to going from project to project, completely avoiding what my co-workers and I sometimes laughingly refer to as a "real job". When a project begins, we have to be ready to give up many aspects of our day-to-day lives, the kind of things other people take for granted, like knowing what time we'll get off work (minimum daily call = 9 hours; maximum daily call = whatever the producer is willing to pay in overtime!), when we get to take our lunch or dinner breaks (these can be at different times of the day and who knows what we will be eating!) or whether we can make plans for the coming weekend (if the producers make changes to the schedule, we could be working for 16+ hours on both Saturday and Sunday!). 

It all gives new meaning to the term 'self-care'.

Self-care is something that you learn to get very good at as time goes by because otherwise, you get burned out or sick. 

Image via vitamix.com

During a work project that finished early last summer, many of my co-workers were saying that juicing every day gave them so much more energy and stamina. I had to admit that they certainly looked healthier than on previous projects, so I decided to look into purchasing a juicer. I gathered opinions, did a little online shopping and decided that once the project finished, I would purchase a Breville juicer for myself. But before pulling the trigger, I had the realization that I've never really been much of a juice drinker, always preferring to consume the whole fruit, rather than just the juice. And although I have always enjoyed eating vegetables, the thought of drinking a large glass of celery or beet juice sounded a bit disgusting to me! 

And so I changed my mind about becoming a "juicer" and became a "blender" instead.

This critical decision led me straight to the Vitamix. Once again, I did my online research and surveyed a handful of friends to see if anyone had one. To my surprise, many of them already owned one! The only thing holding me back now was the price, especially since my freelance project had just finished and I no longer had a regular paycheck coming in. While trying to justify the purchase, I found myself at a Whole Foods store Vitamix demonstration. I told myself that I was only looking, not buying.

Of course, both the demonstrator and the demonstration were amazing! I realized that I had only thought of the Vitamix as a way to blend juices, but it does SO MUCH MORE than that! In the space of a half hour, this woman made several juices, a hot soup, her version of spaghetti sauce and several frozen desserts (all of which we were allowed to sample!). In between each of these, she showed us how easy and simple it was to clean the Vitamix. Even the most devoted juicers among my friends complain about the time consuming task of cleaning their juicers, but the Vitamix made the cleaning process look like a piece of cake!

Image via vitamix.com

To make a long story short, I bought one then and there, along with some organic fruits and vegetables. After watching the DVD that came with it, perusing the recipes and watching a few YouTube videos online (I do like my research!), I jumped right in! Now, about 9 months later, I am still fascinated by what the Vitamix can do, as well as what it's done for me!

Although I admit to having some fear that I would eventually tire of my new "toy" and possibly regret its hefty price tag, I can honestly say that it's rare that a day goes by when I don't use the Vitamix at least once, if not twice. And I don't just blend fruit and vegetable juices. I use it as a food processor, I cook hot soups and sauces in it (yes, you read that right, HOT), and I make delicious frozen desserts!

The benefits have been so great that I would have to do another blog post just to list them, but here are a few highlights: I have retrained my palate, reducing my intake of both sugar and sodium; I have lost 20+ lbs. without dieting; and I have increased my energy and boosted my immunity.

The journey of "blending" has been a step-by-step process and an incredible learning experience, but I will save all that for another time!

Start blending, my friends!

P.S. I am so overwhelmingly enthusiastic about my Vitamix that I have become an affiliate for them! If you go to my health coaching website and click on the 'Recipes' tab, you will see a link to the Vitamix website. If you order by using this link, you will get free standard shipping for your purchase!

Christy Richmond is a freelance film editor for TV and movies in Los Angeles, California, as well as an aspiring health and wellness coach. She was born and bred in Texas, and like a true Texan, loves her 'south of the border' cuisine - cheese enchiladas, rice and beans and of course, chips and salsa! But don't worry, she works it all off by hiking the beautiful trails of Griffith or Elysian Parks in LA with her enormous rescue dog, Mikey. In her free time, you can find her watching (and re-watching) her favorite old British comedy 'As Time Goes By' (she claims she will never tire of it!) or going on tours of old neighborhoods and buildings in her area, embracing her love for architecture.