I followed that juice cleanse for 7 days and it changed everything about the way I ate. So basically I did fruits, veggies, beans, nuts & seeds for 7 days. I could juice, blend or just eat them all raw. I ate a lot smaller portions after the cleanse and really just wanted to eat fruits, veggies and salads. It made me appreciate food more and it made me realize what foods can make you feel good and feel worse. After doing that cleanse, it really helped me start eating whole, clean foods. Now don't get me wrong, I still would stray from time to time and eat something bad and that's just going to happen on occasion. But it was amazing to see that I was only drinking juice and fruits and veggies and I felt so good! I had tons of energy and it was amazing to realize that you don't have to eat a ton of food to get energy, you have to eat the right food.
I have been on this healthy lifestyle journey for years. I feel like I keep growing & learning & getting into new things and ideas and beliefs and it's so much fun! I feel like we are always changing and I don't think I will ever be 100% content in this journey. It's not that I'm not happy with where I am, I just feel like I'm always wanting to learn more & try new things. So that first juice cleanse really pushed me into a new method of eating. I ate really clean and tried to focus on eating alkaline and acidic foods separate. That did make a big difference in my life. I was more mindful on what I ate and also I could feel a difference when I was more kind and thoughtful to my digestive system.
Clay, owner of Juice Brothers, friend & my juice guru
Since that time last year I've done pretty well. For months After the cleanse i did well and up until some major life changes that happened later in the year, I did quite well on my eating habits and I've learned to not beat myself up when I did eat something not so great. After the holidays and all that craziness that happens, I've picked myself back up and gotten into more cooking and healthy eating. I still try to eat my alkaline and acidic foods separate for ease of digestion. But I also have cut out processed foods and only eat local meat from our local butcher shop. Not only have we cut out processed foods but we try to eat mainly organic, whole foods. But every once in a while your eating habits go a little off track. It happens to everybody and that's ok! Just get back on track and I find that juicing really helps me.
I usually will make a couple of my staple favorites juices in bulk and keep them in the fridge for 2-3 days and drink on those while focusing on getting my eating habits back on track and it usually works. But this time I really wanted to push myself. My friend Meg who teaches awesome yoga in my community drinks tons of juices and always does these cleanses with a company called Juice Brothers. I was intrigued by their juicing combinations and they just looked so beautiful and sounded so yummy.
Now I try to spend my money wisely (usually doesn't happen, but I try!) so me justifying a juice cleanse when I have a juicer at home didn't make much sense. So I went to my friend Meg's yoga class at Yogassage and after class I talked to her about the juice cleanse and she made so much sense about it. She discussed that not only is this a juice cleanse that will give your digestive system a break and help detox your body but it will also give you a great opportunity to cleanse your fridge & cabinets, it also cleanses your mind. You're not sitting around thinking about what you need to buy at the grocery store, when you're going to be able to juice & when you have time to clean that darn juicer! So it's also about giving time to yourself. So all that time you spend cooking, cleaning, planning-give that time to yourself while you're on the cleanse and take a detox bath & just relax.
Once she said that to me I was sold! Signed up for the next juice cleanse and was ready to go! Ordered my juice, met Clay, the owner of Juice Brothers and now my juice guru, and i started it on a Thursday. He was so passionate about juicing and so educational, I knew I was in good hands. The juices were so beautiful and brightly colored and they were huge! The first day I was roaring and ready to go. I went for a lovely hike that morning, drank my morning time juice which was a kale, celery, lemon, apple blend. Took a yoga class and then went to work. I was so full after drinking that first juice that I didn't drink my lunch time juice until I got off work. I was feeling great and had tons of energy. I got to my last juice of the day and was so surprised at how yummy and creamy it was. It was very filling and satisfying which is nice because I'll admit, but around 6:30, I was hungry. But I drank that last juice and took a nice detox bath (I'll write about that soon!) and went to bed.
I slept like a baby, woke up, drank my breakfast juice, did a little yoga and went to work. I'll say I had a little headache. I'm sure it was from the cleanse but I also have horrible allergies and sinuses and I heard so many people complain about it that day. So I had a feeling sinuses and allergies had a factor in it as well. Clay wrote me to see how I was doing which I really appreciated. It's nice to know someone is there cheering for you. I'll say the second day is probably the hardest. But, it was alright. I reminded myself that I did this, I wanted this, and it'll be great and I'll feel accomplished when it's through. What I found quite interesting was what little I really wanted to eat. I didn't want anything bad, I was just craving a banana, some almonds, an apple. It was quite nice to actually just want something so simple and so good for you. The second day I drank the morning juice during work and got off work pretty early so I went home, sat outside to enjoy the beautiful day and drank my second juice. This one is amazing! It's a watermelon, lemon, juice blend. I can't remember all that was in it but man, it's good! It was so refreshing and something about that light watermelon juice for lunch was the perfect pick me up! It was also nice to just sit outside and enjoy the sunlight and the day--highly recommend that daily! I finished off that day with a walk with my husband and had my last juice and went to bed quite early after my detox bath.
On the third day I woke up and felt like a million bucks! People complimented me all day and it was just crazy! It's like they could see this glow from drinking all these nourishing juices and giving my digestive system and organs a break to actually do other things like produce collagen & elastin for my skin, or get the blood flowing more. I couldn't believe how good I felt and it was just an awesome feeling! I drank my first juice while at work. By the way, the girls at work LOVED all my juices!! So, got home from work, drank my yummy, hydrating, bring you back to life watermelon juice and then finished up with that yummy, creamy, super satisfying beet, ginger, apple juice blend. I couldn't believe how rich & creamy a juice could be! But that was the perfect juice to end off the night with!
Next morning I woke up, juice cleanse was done. I was feeling great and i ate a banana and was completely full!! So full, I didn't eat anything for a few hours! Ate a salad later in the day and was completely content!
I loved how the cleanse helped me realize what my body really needed and just what little it really did need to feel content and happy. I loved actually eating these awesome foods that truly do make you feel better as you're consuming them. It's amazing when you eat good foods and how you can feel energized from them. That's what the juice cleanse did for me. Not only did it cleanse me from the built up junk hanging out in my body. And yes, it kick starts a wonderful way to healthy eating. But it also helped me realize what my body really needs and wants rather than I want see and think I want. It made me very thankful for what I was eating and made me enjoy it more. It brought more awareness and gratitude to myself, my body & my food. I would highly recommend it again and I still add juicing into my daily diet. Try it, you'll like it!
Meg, owner of Yogassage, friend & awesome yoga instructor
If you live in the Nashville area and are curious about my yoga friend, Meg, or my juice man, Clay. Come see them at the Donelson Farmers Market every Friday from 4-7! He has his awesome juice there so you can try it out and they are both so educational. Come by and say hello!
Www.yogassageme.com
Www.facebook.com/yogassageme
Www.facebook.com/pages/juicebrothers
Www.facebook.com/andyturnerbeauty
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