Long days, late nights, too much booze, too much food… the holidays really do us all in. And then it seems as if the New Year shows up, perfectly on time… just when we’ve had enough of eating all the crap and are ready for a re-do! Personally, the New Year is always a time where I set health and fitness related goals for myself, and then go about getting them done. I have kept my New Year’s resolution every year for the past 4 years. This year’s resolution? To run a marathon! Particularly, the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on June 2nd. Prior resolutions, all achieved, included running a 5K {and then a half-marathon}, taking my first yoga class, and completing a triathlon.
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To kick-start the New Year Beth and I did a juice cleanse last week {Beth’s summary + results here}. It was my first time doing one, and I definitely enjoyed the experience. I always like trying new things, especially those that are health-related, so I couldn’t pass it up when we heard about The Skinny Confidential‘s Suja juice cleanse. You can read more about her experience here. As for my experience, it was a little different as I did the at-home cleanse. I made my own juices each morning, using my blender. So technically, they weren’t juices at all- more like smoothies. When you juice you are removing all of the pulp and fiber from the fruit/vegetable, therefore giving yourself a direct shot of nutrients, and the body can use less work to digest them. Using the blender, you are keeping all of that fiber and pulp, so it has less of a wham-bam effect. The body needs time to process and digest the smoothie, but you are still getting all of the essential nutrients from the fruits and vegetables, along with the added dose of fiber. Both techniques have their advantages, so it really all depends on personal preference.
Day 1 of the juice cleanse, I will admit, I was feeling miserable. Despite the fact that I do eat extremely healthy and clean 85% of the time, I felt awful. I was tired and dragging. I woke up early and ran 3 miles, then made my juice. I ate 1/4 cup of almonds during the day, along with my juice smoothie every hour. I also drank a ton of water and herbal tea. I did like the taste of my smoothie, but I couldn’t get over the fact that I was pretty hungry. By the end of the day all I wanted to do was crawl into bed. Instead, I made myself do some light stretching and pilates, ate a salmon and spinach dinner, and then called it quits and went to bed at 8pm.
On day 2 of the juice cleanse I was feeling SO MUCH BETTER! I had energy, and was not reluctant anymore about the fact that I had decided to commit to this for 3 days. The juice was slightly painful on this day {it had parsley and ginger in it, not my faves} but I think that’s what made me feel so good! No pain, no gain, I definitely abide by that mantra! I prepared myself with slightly more food this day {almonds, blueberries, and plain Chobani}. I know it’s debatable whether you should consume dairy on a cleanse {you shouldn’t} but Chobani is my go-to protein source on-the-go, so I went for it anyway. For dinner I had a grilled salmon salad, then ran 3.34 miles with the dog. I was definitely filled with more energy than usual, and felt really good.
On day 3 I was feeling good again, and the juice tasted much better than day 2. I had enough energy at the end of the day to run over 5 miles, and I didn’t feel hungry. I ate the same foods as I did on day 2.
I weighed myself when the 3 day cleanse was complete and I lost 2 lbs., which is a lot for me, since I am at a happy weight right now and not trying to lose, just maintain and tone up. The best thing that came out of this experience was the kick-start to feeling and eating super healthy again now that the holiday indulgence is over.
Would I do another cleanse? Yes, but probably not anytime soon. If you are not used to eating super-healthy you will definitely lose weight on a cleanse like this, and it will get you in the right mindset. If you don’t have any weight to lose, it’s still something that you can do to get yourself feeling health-minded. Overall, I am happy that I took on this juice adventure!
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