Juice cleanse – check.

July 15, 2015

Finito! Endito!

It was a good one I tell ya.

I just LOVE getting the box of cold-pressed, organic, fresh juices delivered to my doorstep. Thank you Spud and The Juice Box for making this a reality.

I was really looking forward to this one. Partly because of how great I felt after my last juice cleanse, and partly because we just had a big birthday camping weekend on the Island and it was time for a reset before the rest of the epic summer commenced.

Other than that, WHY CLEANSE, you ask?

Here’s a little breakdown on the benefits you may experience:

promotes relaxation, energization of body, mind, and emotions
motivation to get things done
longevity and vitality
weight loss
breaks down stored, circulated chemicals
clears toxins from lymph
cells catch up on work, repairs, eliminations
catalyst for change
digestive system gets a break
clears skin
clears mind
liver has time to create new essential substances
more time to be productive
OH and the Juices are delish

This time I went for the Seawall, which in hindsight is the one I should have started with. But my cleanse in January instead was, The Grind. And yup, it was a bit of a grind, being the most advanced cleanse they offer (just green juices with a turmeric tonic). The Seawall has a great variety of 6 beverages throughout the day and ends off with almond milk! This is no ordinary almond milk. It tastes like dessert. This is probably because of the previous 24 hours of fruit juice only.

I was excited about the almond milk at the end because during my last cleanse, that is what I craved most- nuts.

My menu for each day can be found here.

Each day of the cleanse I tried to stick to having a juice every 2.5 hours starting at 7am.

Day 1:

I found the first day I acted subconsciously as if the world was ending, therefore the juice must be rationed out as much as possible. So, when dinner time rolled around I still had 2 bottles left instead of the one. That explains the strong hunger pangs at 10 am. It also could have been the 45 minute core HIIT work out I had done.

Dinner plans consisted of being out with friends at a Pizza restaurant with my ‘HeartBeet’ juice staring me in the face from my placemat. As I was sipping slowly and thinking ‘why oh why would I do this to myself?’ The pizza smell was overwhelming, but I actually did not feel the urge to dig into my friend’s italian masterpiece, plus I was surprisingly content with my liquid meal of beet, apple, celery, parsley, lemon, and ginger.

Day 2:

I woke up feeling … hungry… not going to lie. But, light, and as if I’d accomplished something already. Yay me.

Today I came to a groundbreaking realization that if I ‘eat’ the juice in a bowl with a spoon, I trick myself into thinking it’s soup! I did that for as many juices I could. It took the ‘sipping slow’ advice to a whole new level.

Cravings? Well, the juices are so delicious I almost don’t care that I’m not eating solid food… almost. Strangely enough, I drool every time I look at my fruit bowl filled up with fresh bananas, plums, peaches… That may just be from the lack of chewing going on in my life.

Day 3:

Feeling fine! But, really looking forward to my Jules Fuel breakfast tomorrow morning.

Each morning I wake up and am excited to have so much more time in my day. You just don’t realize how much time is spent on thinking about food, eating food, preparing food…

Thinking back, I did have a couple headaches here and there, but honestly I’m not sure whether that is from the cleanse or the smoke in the air from all of our horrible forest fires. I hope this cleanse is helping detox those particulates floating in our usually clean air. Big high fives to all the brave fire fighters out there right now.

At the end of the day I’m down 4 pounds, feeling reset, and ready for the rest of summer.

Will I do a juice cleanse again?

YES

Love it.

Physically a cleanse will reboot your systems, and give them a break from the daily chore of digestion, assimilation and elimination.

Mentally a cleanse may help you find clarity in big decisions, rather than masking them with food. It also gives yourself proof of personal self-discipline and constraint over annoying habits that overtake you daily (sometimes without you even knowing).

Picture yourself as a complex machine – you’re just turning it off, cleaning it briefly from built up toxins and allowing it to function longer, better, and happier.

Here’s to longevity, health, repair and vitaliciousness !

A couple of tips if you do choose to clean that complex, oh-so-fine machine of yours:

Drink lemon water first thing in the morning (at least half liter upon waking)
Drink a LOT of water throughout the day
If you’re feeling hungry, try herbal tea with a bit of maple syrup
Dry skin brush – this detoxifies your largest organ as your body is pushing toxins out while you’re on the cleanse
It’s just 3 days of your life! You can do it! And you’ll feel great after.

Julia Murray

Olympian. World Champion Medallist.

@julesfuelyum

@juliamurrayski

Jules Fuel Breakfast Creator.

604 935 0813

www.juliamurray.ca www.julesfuel.ca

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