juicy blog

We thought it might be nice to catch some of you up on who our friend Ari Lurie is, so here’s a bio. Once you’ve read it, I’m sure you’ll understand why we’re so happy to have him on the team!

“October 16, 2007.  Big Island of Hawaii.  I was scheduled to head back to California on the midday flight.  A little swell was forming at a local surf spot and I wanted to get in the water quickly before I left town.   So I brought a stand up board out and started catching waves and having an incredible time. Soon I was joined by a local guy named Jack Gillen, who is basically the first guy to paddle stand up surfboards on the Big Island.  We were having a ball,but I had a flight to catch.  I kept telling my buddy ‘one more wave, one more wave and i’ll go in.’  But it was too great out there.  Just me and Jack in the beautiful Hawaiian waters catching waves and feeling stoked on life.  A couple hours later I had missed my flight but realized my path.”

And that’s how it all started…

Ari Lurie was born and raised in San Francisco,California and has spent most of his life working as a guidance counselor with children in Colorado, New Yorkand San Francisco.   It wasn’t until he was in his thirties that he discovered the magic of the ocean. In the last five years he has traveled, explored, paddled and surfed many of the waters of Hawaii and French Polynesia.  He is hoping to move to Hawaii in the summer of 2008 to be closer to the water, sports and people that he loves. 

The more Ari was exposed to the ocean, the deeper he took himself.  “Basically I’m a city kid who has decided to become a waterman.  To achieve that goal I have to learn, explore and push myself in the ocean.  I’m always a student and sometimes I have been very humbled, but that’s the only way for me to get better.” In the water he practices his surfing, outrigger paddling and sailing, stand up paddling, swimming and basically any sport that can get him wet and make him smile.  

Athletically Ari’s goal is to be in a place where he can feel the joy and glide of all the water sports without regard to how he compares to other competitors.   “I think thats the key to my happiness in the water.  I had such a late start so it’s going to be difficult to compete with the guys who have been in the water all their lives.  But what I can succeed in is feeling great in the water, knowing that how I place in an event doesn’t matter.  Feeling freedom and joy on the water is what I’m looking for.” 

Still, Ari pushes himself beyond the norm.  In December of 2007, he became the first American to complete the 54km Bora Bora Ironman outrigger canoe course.  Achieving this lofty goal was no simple matter as the race is considered one of the hardest paddles in the world and is done in a rudderless canoe.  He hopes to continue pushing to the extreme in his ocean endeavors. 

“I am very thankful to have Good Juice and Life ForceV on my side.  Life Force has helped me succeed in the water and the people at the company have been so supportive and caring.  I’m proud to be a part of the Good Juice team.”

It’s been a couple months since I’ve written so I wanted to give you all anupdate on things.  I’m back home in California.  The crazy training and exotic adventures are behind me- for now.  I’m just working, spending time with friends and trying to stay warm.  I think my body temperature dropped a few degrees to adjust to the South Pacific heat, so I’m not enjoying the winter weather here in America.  It has been a long road since my race.  I guess my body was really traumatized because it has taken me a full two months to feel back to normal.   Today is my birthday!  I turned 36.  I bought a skateboard for myself the other day- as a little present.  Yes I’m regressing.  As I write this I’m realizing that all my friends are having kids.  And I have a skateboard.   

It’s officially 2008. Okay yeah, so we’re a little behind the times. It’s not like it JUST officially turned 2008, but you know what we mean.

 We’ve been working really hard to bring some new and exciting things to all our Good Juice fans. We’ve got Syzmo, Bawls, Honest Tea, OnGo and Life Force V to help keep you energized during all those hard workout sessions that everyone will be doing to keep up with resolutions! We’re also going to be adding more information to the website, so keep watching for that - and as we have more updates from our favorite athlete, Ari, we’ll share those too.

 So big things in store for this year. We hope you’ll stick with us as we keep moving forward and let us know how you’re doing! Drop us a line and give us your workout tips and advice and maybe you’ll find yourself on our site!

Got Juice?

 The Good Juice Team

I arrived back in Bora Bora on Friday.  I spent the weekend leading up to my event eating lots of pasta, sleeping, hydrating and going over mondays paddle in my head.  With all the time to think I was able to do a lot of reflecting. One thing that kept coming to me is how special it would be to start and finish Monday’s paddle at my friend Stephan’s home.   His motu is where I first learned to paddle almost 2 years ago.  I remember seeing the silhouette of the local paddlers as they trained during sunset with the towering Mt. Otomanu in the background.  It looked so beautiful that I had to try it.  As I ventured out on the waters I found that paddling was a way to connect with the people of French Polynesia and its waters.  So as I thought about embarking on the 54 km it seemed perfect that the day would begin and end here at my friend’s home.

Sunday was spent fine tuning my canoe, cleaning my camel back, preparing all the snacks, water and drinks I would bring with me on Monday and trying to supress my anxiety.  The menu looked like this:  250 ounces of water, 1 energy bar; raisins, cookies and 2 bottles of Life Force V.  By 4 pm my canoe was ready to go, my liquids and food were stored and I was ready for dinner when Stephan would show me the exact 54km course we would embark on.  The catch here is that the paddle is not a simple circle around the island.  In order to reach the 54km distance one must literally paddle backwards and out of the way several times. I have heard in the past that upon seeing the map of the race the paddlers have cursed at Stephan for his sadistic course.  As I reviewed the map on Sunday night I thought it was funny.  Maybe because I’m so naive I did not realize the mental blow this zig zag aspect would have on me the next day.  I went to bed with a lot on my mind.

I awoke at 3am very excited.  I noticed that I felt very strong and capable.  I wasn’t scared. I was prepared.  Mentally I was for ready for anything.  I knew I would do this.  I ate some breakfast and stretched.

At 5 am my good friend Stephan Lambert and entered our canoes and set out.  The first two hours were smooth.  Mother Nature had given us partly over cast skies and no wind.  Good paddling weather for this event. Together we paddled on glassy waters as the sun rose.  The beautiful island of Bora Bora was in the background.  I felt strong.  Then we hit the first spot where we had to paddle backwards for 45 minutes.  I can’t convey to you how hard it was on my brain to do this.  I realized that I just needed to look straight ahead and not worry about the insanity of the course.  This helped. 

At the 3 hour mark dark clouds came towards us and in a few moments we had heavy rain and wind in our face.  Interestingly this weather gave me a lot of energy.  The rain pounding on me and the wind rushing towards me awoke certain parts of me. The calm waters were in the past.  It was stormy.  But I expected this.  I was ready for anything.  And I felt stronger. 

In the 4 hour mark I hit my first real wall.  My body was fatigued.  The water felt heavy.  My mind was wandering.  I slammed a Life Force and reminded myself that I had felt this way in my training and it would pass.  I would break through this wall and feel good again.  20 minutes later I was pushing it and I was back and strong.

At the 5 hour mark I was paddling in familiar waters as we were nearing Stephans home.  I was feeling great.  We were almost there.  I pushed on when I heard Stephan yell “wrong way!  we have to paddle out to that bouy and then continue on.”  The buoy was 2km out of the way.  I wanted to be upset.  But I just laughed.  The course is so riduculous I just had too.  15 minutes later we rounded the bouy and It was a straight 5km home.  We arrived back at home at 10:58.   A little under 6 hours and 54km later we were done.  We did it.  I did it.  I sat in the water and let my body relax.  I felt proud.  Stephan asked ” whats next?”

I couldn’t even answer as I was caught up in my own joy and exaustion.

Whats next is rest.  Holidays with my family in Hawaii and hopefully lots of surfing and a break from paddling.  I hope to compete in a 28 mile stand up paddle board race in August.  It is paddle around another beautiful island- Manhattan. 

I want to thank Life Force and Good Juice for giving me the opportunity to write about my adventure.  It has been a good way for me to process what has happened during my trip.  As a stanger in a foreign land one spends a lot of time alone.  My writing felt like a conversation I wasnt able to have down here.  So thank you.

Happy holidays to everyone.  Au revoir.

‘Twas the week before Christmas when all through the land

Not a creature was resting with so much at hand!

The boots were all lined up right next to the door

Read to go out in the cold winter war

Of driving and rushing and shopping - how grand!

Making every last detail for a huge Christmas plan

When Christmas arrived and everything was ready

The children, the parents, even the pets in their beddies

Ma in her sweatpants and I in my robe

Had just settled down to watch as it snowed.

When out on the street there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Off to the window, I flew ‘cross the room,

Ripped open the blinds and expected sure doom.

The crystal white snow gave the street a clean glow

As the houses around all looked new in the snow.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But an SUV sleigh with bigger than V8 in gear.

A white bearded man sat behind the big wheel

With a smile and a twinkle that couldn’t be real.

He rolled down the window and sent me a wave

And I heard him shout out as he passed by my way,

“Now Life Force, Now Bawls, Now Honest Tea mixin’

I’ve got a full sleigh of good juice to be fixin’!”

I couldn’t beleive it. I must have heard wrong.

Was Santa trying to say he brought Good Juice along?

As he landed his ’sleigh’ on top of the roof,

I rushed to the living room. I needed proof.

As I stood in the room, watching around

Through the television Nick did bound.

I asked ’bout the chimney and he laughed and said no

These days television are what everyone knows.

He was dressed all in fleece from his head to his foot.

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A big bundle was flung across his back

And a I heard a slosh as he set down the pack

He smiled at me kindly and I asked how he did it

Made it through Chirstmas and still had the spirit

Of kindness and niceness, of generous giving

How in all of the hustle and bustle of living

He didn’t lose sight of the things that were special

Of family, of love and the parts that were crucial.

He looked at me kindly with a twinkle in his smile,

Reached in the pack and pulled out a small pile

of jars and containers all slushing around

And I watched as he settled them out on the ground.

“Cookies are nice and milk goes down smooth,

But Life Force and Bawls and and Honest Tea groove!

They keep up my strength as I fly to and fro

And never have a crash from sugar overflow!”

He winked at me once then finished stocking the tree

With more goodies than I thought there could possibly be.

Then he tossed me a bottle all covered in orange

And said “Try some Life Force when the sun brings the morning.”

He smiled again and with a crook of his nose

Santa was off with just a twitch of his toes.

But I heard him exclaim as he hit turbo boost….

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all some GOOD JUICE!”

Greetings Good Juicers – We hope you’re all doing well and having a great holiday season so far. If you’re anything like us, you’ll be in the mad scramble to buy last minute Christmas gifts. (It doesn’t matter how much planning goes into the season, there’s always something to go shopping for at the last minute isn’t there?!) And of course, heading into the stores at this time of year is no small feat. We admire (and are a little scared by) all of those heavy duty holiday shoppers that are crowding the store at this time of year.

Now when you’re ready to don your  heavy duty shopping gear, don’t forget to grab some good juice to give you the energy and stamina you’ll need to keep going! We’ve added a few new products to our catalog, so make sure to stop by and get everything you’ll need for those holiday parties, shopping trips and wrapping extravaganzas! !

Along with our old favorite, Life Force V, we’ve added a nice selection of Honesttea, Bawls Gurana, and OnGo energy shots. No matter what your taste, your lifestyle or your needs, we’ve got something that will work for you. And of course all of our stuff is not only energy boosting, but it tastes great and it’s good for you. (Hence the name Good Juice – get it?!)

So when you go out to pick up your batteries, wrapping paper, tape, presents, stocking stuffers, Christmas cards, stamps, envelopes, decorations, more batteries, video tapes, antacids, food, pies, desserts, cookies, the extra present you always need, more tape, bows, tags, labels, film, memory cards, more batteries, milk, bread, eggs, and anything else you might need to make your holidays perfect, remember, stock your body up as well. Pick up some good solid energy boosting drinks that won’t add to your sugar intake (because we all have enough of that this season right?!) and will help keep you going throughout the wonderful stress that is the holiday season!

-The Good Juice Team

Hey all,

 Ari found a few minutes in his busy schedule to get back to us and let us know how everything’s going. So here it - is! And good luck Ari! Our thoughts are with you!

 -The Good Juice Team

December 5, 2007 I have been on the island of Huahine for the last twoweeks.  Huahine is a 15 minute flight from Bora Bora and in my mind an entirely different world.  There are many nicknames I have heard about Huahine but the oneI smile at is “Huahine the wild.”  Huahine is gorgeousand lush.  And mass tourism has yet to come to the island.  There is only one resort here.  Thus Huahine offers  a more exotic French Polynesian experience.  The people here seem happier than on other islands I have visited.  I wonder if it is because the tempations of capitalism have yet to spoil the island? You can drive around the island in an hour and what you see are dense rain forests, banana, papaya, mangoand cocunut trees, fields of taro and other roots, small but beautiful homes and breathtaking coastline. Needless to say I really enjoy it here.  I could stay longer and would like to but I must get back to Bora Bora to get ready for my paddle.  If you decide to visit Huahine come with respect and appreciation and you will be welcomed.  If you think you are going to paddle out to a surf spot and charge waves right away you might experience the “wild” side of the island in a bad way.  It really helps to have friends here and again, easing yourself into the island is the smart way to go. 

My training here has been intense.  Each day I have paddled 4 hours, split in morning and afternoon sessions.  Two aspects have come into play that have added to the challenge of the workouts.  The first is the heat.  Or maybe it’s the  humidity?  I can’t decide. But when you are paddling at a easy pace at 6 AM and sweat is flowing out of every pore of your body it really doesn’t matter does it?  You just conclude that it’s way too hot!  The other aspect has been that Huahine has GREAT paddlers living on the island.  I am talking about some of French Polynesia’s best.  These are guys who have won championships.  Usually I find myself paddling with or amidst them every session and that has proved to be very humbling.  They are so fast and so in tune with the ocean, it is amazing to watch.  Their abilities come from a life on the water, God given talent and thousands of hours with a paddle in their hands.  I have learned a great deal from my exposure to these guys.   Though I am new to the sport(I got my first canoe in March of this year) all of my new friends give me huge respect for the fact that I have chosen to do the Bora Bora Ironman by myself without the fanfare or celebrations.  Most of these Huahine guys have donethe ironman at least once.  They understand the pain every paddler endures in that race (last year 30 of the150 paddlers were forced to quit the race because of physical reasons).  Maybe they think I’m crazy? 

Either way on Monday, December 10th my friend Stephan and I will head out on the water at 5 am to embark onthe 54km course around the island of Bora Bora.  I ama little nervous, mostly cause of the heat.  I am not a religous man but I will pray for clouds.  I have done everything possible to train and prepare for this race.  I have pushed my body to a new level.  I think I have conditioned my brain to expect and deal withthe pain that I will endure while sitting in that canoe for 6 hours under the hot Polynesian sun.  Now it is time to rest, fuel my body right, try and get good sleep and think good things about Monday.  I will write sometime next week.  Ari

We have another blog from Ari Lurie this week. Unfortunately it’s not all sunshine and Life Force, but we’re proud of Ari’s determination to press on!

The Good Juice Team

One thing I have learned during my visits to Tahiti is to limit the great expectations I tend to have before a trip.  I usually have all these ideas about what I want to accomplish and then I get here and things seem to change quite frequently.  The reason Tahiti throws you so many challenges is that it is a world based around the ocean.  And “paradise” can often be more than it appears.  As I have immersed myself in the ocean lifestyle I have learned to be flexible.  If you travel to a tropical region and move past the hotels, golf courses and pina coladas on the beach you will usually find its citizens living a very realistic existence. This is because they are on islands and surrounded by waters they are exposed to all of natures beauty but also it’s hostility.  Believe me when I tell you that when 100km winds and the threat of a cyclone hitting Bora Bora caqn be quite unnerving. When you are stuck on an outer island with no protection from coconuts flying through the air it feels more like armageddon than paradise. Not suprisingly I now leave for Tahiti knowing very well that anything can happen. Several days ago I received official word that the 2007 Bora Bora Ironman has been cancelled due to disagreements between the organizers and the Federation that governs all outrigger canoe racing in French Polynesia.  And so my chance to be the first American to compete in this race has been delayed.  I think it is because of my previous experiences here that I don’t find myself upset or angry.  This is another case where I have to bend.  But I will say that I am disappointed.So after giving it some thought the last few days I have decided that I will still do the event and paddle the 54 km around the island, even if it is a solo mission.  I will need a support boat to hold my Life Force drinks, water, snacks and some electrolyte drinks.  I came here to accomplish my goal and though there will be no photographers and fanfare, I still want to do this.  I think about the journey I have been on since August when I began training. There have been the times on long paddle days that I sat in my canoe and wanted to cry cause my body was so fatigued, hot and broken down but I kept going and it felt so good. I have endured pain and learned about strength I never knew I possessed.  On October 10, I suffered a back injury that had me laying on my floor for ten days and questioning my ability to even compete in this race.  I was on the shelf for an entire month before I began to paddle again on November 11.  It has been such an incredible process up to this point and I want it to keep going.  It is important for me to fulfill my goal of paddling the island, thus keeping this exciting journey moving forward.So I am training just as hard and am very focused.  I have a couple more weeks to get ready and then I will put my Tahitian style one-man canoe in this beautiful lagoon and set out.  And now I have a great chance of coming in first place!  I leave this Saturday for some work and more training on the beautiful island of Huahine.  I will try and write from there.

This week we’re very excited to have our first blog entry from Ari Lurie. Check it out!

Hello from French Polynesia! I have a stopover on the island of Tahiti for two days where I am spending time with my good friend.  Right now  we are waiting for the waves to pick up so we can go surf Mahena beach.  Mahena is a mellow beach break with friendly people and warm waters. Tomorrow it is off to Bora Bora for my last four weeks of training. I will be staying with my good friend, Stephan, and his family. they live on a motu(outer island) so life is simple and without ammenities we as Americans have come to expect. AsI write I realize just how lucky I am to have this experience.

I brought 24 bottles of Life Force V with me on the plane and was nervous passing through the French Polynesian customs. The customs officers are notorious for being very strict and a little crooked.  so getting my Life Force and assorted vitamins through customs last night was an accomplishment.

I wanted to take a few moments to describe the Bora Bora Ironman. it is not the traditional swim, bike, run race that you are thinking.  The race is all done in a one man outrigger canoe. It is a true endurance race as it should take me about 7 hours as I must paddle around the entire island of Bora Bora. On top of that one has to deal with the strong sun and heavy heat the entire day.  Hydrating properly is so important!  A paddler can run into serious problems if  he does not monitor his liquid and electrolyte intake!  That may be one reason so few people race in the Bora Bora Ironman.  I think that after a month I will acclimate to the tropical weather and be ready for this race.

Today is the last day I will have easy access to the internet. I hope to write several more times but computers on the outer islands of Bora Bora or not so common.  I will probably be sneaking into a hotel’s computer room once or twice…

Nana(Bye in Tahitian)

Ari

This week we received a fantastic email from Ari Lurie who is a hardcore ocean athlete. Ari spends much of the year in Tahiti where he helps travelers appreciate the magic of the ocean. He guides them through outrigger canoe paddling, canoe sailing, surfing and other water sports. Ari spends the rest of his time training and competing in the ocean as well. He recently discovered Life Force V and feels it is the best performance drink he has ever had.

“I feel so clear headed from it, so focused and have such amazing stamina.  Honestly, the impact life force makes on my workouts blows my mind!” he says.
We agree and we were so excited to hear from Ari and have him share his enthusiasm for Life Force V that we asked if he’d be willing to blog for us and share a little bit about his training and competitions! So keep your eyes open for more from us here at Good Juice about the latest happenings and watch for stories from Ari about his preparation for the 2007 Bora Bora Ironman in December! If Ari finishes the race, he’ll be the first American ever to do so – and you’ll have the inside scoop right here courtesy of Ari and Life Force V!!