My First Juice Cleanse!
/"You're going to drink nothing but juice for 3 days? Are you out of your mind?!"
Perhaps...but aren't we all? :)
Here's why I wanted to do a juice cleanse:
It's something I've always wanted to try but hadn't yet. After hearing friends' testimonials, reading about juice cleanses online, and watching the documentary, "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead", I knew that a juice cleanse was in my future. The question was...when?
Lately, I've felt the need to do a little "reset"...been feeling a bit stressed about a few things and was craving something like this. The time finally felt right.
I won't have to prepare food or wash dishes for 3 days :) This is my last week working at my full-time 9-5 job which means that I'll be working longer hours and have already ben feeling more overwhelmed than usual trying to get everything organized for my replacement. That said, not having to think about cooking and cleaning for once has been somewhat of a relief.
I know I'm doing something that my body will benefit from and I have high hopes that I will see and feel a noticeable difference by the end of the 3 days.
I'll be traveling to New York a week from today and have learned from past experience that eating exceptionally clean in the days leading up to trips that involve plane rides and jet lag has yielded incredible results. For instance, last year I went to Miami Beach for a conference and in the days leading up to it, I did a 5 day raw food detox. For the weekend that I was in Miami Beach, I continued eating clean by adhering to a 100% vegan, gluten-free diet (namely because the people I was with were vegan and/or sensitive to gluten). Despite the fact that I only got about 5-6 hours each night (as opposed to my usual, preferred 8 hours), I felt energized the entire trip. Ever since that trip, I've made a point to pay close attention to what I put into my body before I travel. It really makes a difference!
Are you going to juice it all yourself?
Not this time. I wanted my first juice cleanse experience to not involve any extra work.
Enter: Ritual Cleanse
For 3 days, you get 6 juices. They are numbered in the order that you're supposed to drink them. Start off your day with warm/hot water with lemon and then consume each juice every 2 hours. Easy! I know a couple of people who have done this cleanse and I have also read rave reviews online. My only complaint thus far is the fact that it's a bit $$, but the way I figure, I'm paying for high quality ingredients and moreso, the convenience. I own a juicer and could've done this myself for half the cost, but not having to buy the groceries, wash/prep the food or wash anything for 3 days (I can't remember the last time that's happened) during this busy week makes it totally worth it. If I decide to do another juice cleanse after this, I may decide to do it on my own. For my first one, I am psyched to have someone else do the work for me :)
My Plan for the next 3 Days:
Go to hot yoga first thing in the morning
Don't wear make-up, lotion, or deodorant that contains aluminum. I figure, as long as I'm not putting anything toxic INTO my body, I might as well take this opportunity to abstain from putting anything toxic ONTO my body as well since it all gets absorbed through the skin anyways! Coconut oil is the only thing I'll be applying to my skin.
Get at least 8 hours of sleep each night
Don't make social plans (why make this harder than it needs to be?)
Bring it on!
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(Note: I have not been compensated by Ritual Cleanse to write about my experience with their products. I just wanted to share my experience with you in the event that you were interested in partaking in a juice cleanse yourself and wanted to hear what I thought about it.)
