To Juice or Not to Juice
This is my answer
I know that when the winter blues come knocking it can be a challenge. This season winter seemed to come especially quick in Connecticut and I found myself looking for a way to re-balance not only physically but emotionally. Years ago I used to practice a 3 day juice cleanse each year with the seasonal changes, but in recent years I’ve added more weight training and physical activity into my routine in addition to my yoga practice and I didn’t feel the need I once did to reset. However this year was different. I found myself a little sad when the sun set earlier and I had to switch from my outdoor activities to indoor. My mood slightly declined and I knew I had to do something to pick it up. I decided to re-visit my old trick of juice cleansing to see if it did the job and brought more sunshine back to my step.
I chose Pressed Juicery based in San Francisco but now expanded to the East Coast. I first came across them on a trip out west and fell in love. I would walk to them every morning of my stay and begin the day with juice. My favorite was their limited edition Brazil Nut blend (Duplicate recipe coming soon). So ever since I’ve supported them. They Have 1-5 day cleanses and options for beginner cleansers to advanced. I chose Cleanse 2 for 3 days which is their most popular middle of the road cleanse.
The first question I always get asked when people find out I’m on a juice cleanse is “Do you lose weight?”. The short answer is Yes. But that’s not why I do it. The weight lost during a juice cleanse or any fast for that matter is mostly water weight. So you do feel lighter, less puffy and generally “thinner” but once you start eating this effect usually doesn’t last and you find your way back to a normal resting weight. However I find that if I continue to eat very well after and keep up with physical activity the weight loss will stick around.
Ok so, then WHY do I do it?
Mental Clarity - The TOP reason I ever choose to go on a cleanse is for clearness of the mind. When I begin to stray from my natural eating habits, find myself comfort eating, notice negative thought patterns or emotional eating this is usually an indicator to gently direct myself back to a place of feeding my body from love and nourishment and not for other reasons. Cleanses help me to do this. When you fast or cleanse, your digestion gets a break and allows your body to focus it’s energy elsewhere. When your body is not reacting to what is in the foods you are constantly eating and using energy to digest it can focus on healing. I typically find that on day 3 (the final day) is when the clarity becomes prominent. I wake up energized, clear minded, and with a generally more positive outlook on life. This allows me to plan for the next week food wise and responsibility wise from a healthier place in my mind, making decisions for long term prosperous pleasure, not just momentary gains. I feel that funnel vision is reduced and I see things from a more open lens.
Healthy Routine - Being on the schedule of drinking 6 juices a day really creates discipline. Not only by having to wake up at the correct time each day to begin but also not veering off of the commitment you made to yourself for the duration of the cleanse. When you complete the cleanse I feel it instills confidence that you honored what you started and also teaches you a beginning routine of a healthy eating schedule.
Sugar Cravings - This is HUGE for me. I am the biggest sweet tooth this side of Mississippi. Generally when I feel a little off track it’s when I’ve been reaching for the snacks…I’m basically a human cookie monster. We all have our kryptonite! In the colder months it’s so easy to snuggle up with my fave treat and drift away into Hallmark Holiday movies. So the juice cleanse although some juices contain natural fruit sugars allows me to break the cycle. For three days I am not reaching for my favorite comfort snack and by time I get to day 3 and the mental clarity hits I would prefer to plan for a healthier me instead.
Skin - This is a super side effect of juice cleansing in my opinion. I find that every time I cleanse my skin takes on a gentle glow. Any blemishes I had mostly clear up and fine lines seem to slightly diminish. We are encouraged to drink 8 glasses of water per day along with the cleanse, so I would assume it’s the extra focus on hydration that gives the skin a beauty boost. Along with taking in a higher amount of vitamins and minerals.
Juice Cleanses have also been known to: boost the immune system & help you feel more energetic, remove toxins, help with digestion & encourage deeper sleep.
**In keeping with full transparency there are potential risks for those with kidney disease so please check with your doctor.
My day to day Experience
Day One
I began my first juice around 8am. Throughout the day I felt slightly hungry and had a faint headache. Overall my mood was good and I was not ravenous. All of the juices were very tasty, I especially enjoyed Citrus 2, the second juice of the day because pineapple is my favorite fruit. The only juice I had a hard time with was Roots 3; a beet, apple, lemon & ginger blend. A lot of ginger proves to be to spicy for my palette and this was VERY spicy. Next time I would switch out for Roots 2, but if you like spicy keep it in your rotation! I slept AMAZING.
Day Two
Day Two started off great, I did not wake up hungry and began my juices around 8am once again. Throughout the whole day my hunger was very minimal, I even had trouble drinking one of the juices because I felt full. I started to get a little hungry after my final juice in the evening time. Although I was hungry it wasn’t oppressive, but I noticed that I was getting excited for the day I could eat again, haha! I decided to plan out my healthy smoothies and meals for the week post cleanse and made a Pinterest board. My skin started to look like it had a little bit more color. I again had another wonderful sleep.
Day Three
The Final day! Again, feeling pretty good overall. My skin looked great, much plumper and less texture. I felt pretty good and very clear. I actually had a job interview on day three and I felt very well prepared and was able to answer questions with ease. My head space was clear and collected. I felt lighter physically and mentally and looked forward to joining the world of food with healthier options than before the cleanse.
Overall I had a great experience. I feel that I got out of this cleanse what I had wanted to and I feel set up for the coming winter months. Am I excited for the cold NO WAY, but am I going into it feeling more calm and healthy. Absolutely.
I would say that the more activity you do day to day and the more muscle mass you have may make this more or less challenging. Remember, each body is different. Do your research! Find out if this is something you feel aligns with what you need and act!
