I was invited to do a 3-day juice cleanse a while back by Justin at Juice Dive. Being as my “well before new years” goal was to get my abs back, I decided there was no time like now to bite the bullet and do it.
While I do not do it often, I am no stranger to cleansing and I know how my body tends to react. Even so, I asked Justin a few preliminary questions (below) so I knew a bit more about their cleanse and what I was doing. Megan and the Juice Dive staff were extremely helpful as well. It was mostly Megan that I dealt with during my cleanse and she checked up on me while delivering.
Q:
A: Justin – 7 juices per day
Q: tacogirl – Which juices in which order
Q: tacogirl – What is the science behind the order
Q: tacogirl – Is there protein involved for people who work or exercise while they cleanse? Moringa powder?
A: Justin – Being able to work while cleansing varies from person to person. Generally, people who eat relatively clean and/or have cleansed in the past find they have the energy and enjoy working and workouts while cold-pressed juice cleansing. If you consume a great deal of processed or unnatural foods, toxins like caffeine or alcohol, or you are normally on a very high-calorie diet, either may prove to be more challenging. We recommend taking it slow at first and seeing how your body responds. The protein from the nuts in crescent moon and the kale and broccoli in super green and super green 2 is enough to provide sustenance.
Q: tacogirl – What is the best way to set yourself up for success?
A: Justin – By making sure you drink a lot of water eat clean in the days leading up to and following
Q: tacogirl – How often should you cleanse a year
Q: tacogirl – Why is this cleanse healthier/better option than some of the others?
A: Justin As far as we know, we are the only cold-pressed juice cleanse in Belize! We pride ourself on sourcing organic, high quality
2 Day Wind Down
I opted to start my two-day wind down two days ahead of time. I wish I would have done 5 but I am just not there yet. While winding down I ate things like cooked greens, quinoa, lentils, fresh coconut curry and lots of salad. While it was hard for me to give up sweets, the thought of what I was doing for my body was very motivating to me. I had successfully put myself in the right frame of mind to do this. I positively had anchored my goal (as you will see in my bikini pic below) and finally taken a huge step to make it happen.
Day 1 Jan 19th
I woke up feeling nervous but excited. This was it there was no going back. I had gotten my fresh juice delivery the night before and I was ready to go.
By 10 am I was starving. I was not craving bad stuff though which is a noticeable improvement – I am a naughty foodie all too often. It was a good thing because the junk food less craving factor and water helped me overcome my hunger and further flush out my system.
In the afternoon I napped as I feel it is important to rest as much as you can while cleansing to let your body do
Day 2 Jan 20th
One of the most significant parts of my cleanse came as I ended up volunteering at the emergency blood drive day 2. While there, I was prepared to donate and told them I was on a liquid diet. After seeing my magic cooler full of vivacious vitamin cocktails, Nurse Doreen and Leonicia determined that I could do the initial screening the same as always. If I passed with the minimum hemoglobin level required for female donors (12.5g/dL, ) then they would let me. Leonicia who does the intake was visibly surprised I came in at 15.0g/dL. I have never tested that high before. I am usually in the 12 – 13 range. That was a concrete confirmation that I was doing something great for myself and why I need to do it more often. Cheers to my health.
Day 3 Jan 18th
I was over the top excited by yesterdays proof, that this cleanse was doing my body good. On this day I was very grateful I did not have to go anywhere and could finish my last day of juicing while resting. I noticed as the hours passed, the more I felt like a lucky girl at Valentines, only it was all the healthy vegetable treats in my fridge I was longly gazing at instead of fine chocolates and pretty flowers 😀 I am not above treating myself in advance of a holiday so special as that – haha. I did actually buy myself flowers too along with my Shoots Alive vegetable order.
2 Day Wind Up
Right before embarking on my cleanse, I had decided to do a little prep work for the end and filled my fridge with enough healthy vegetables to get me started on solid food again. I ate similar to the above, lots of cooked greens; okra, bok choy, dark greens, and chickpeas and lentils for protein. Food never tasted so good. I felt victorious.
I bet a few of you are wondering would I do it again? My answer is
I waited a short while after finishing my wind down to finish this piece. With Valentines being around the corner I wanted to test myself and see how far from my healthier eating practices I would stray. I am pleased to say I did okay. I’m not going to lie, I ate cheap chocolate and had take-out food since then (panko breaded chicken fingers and fries), but overall I am still practicing healthier habits. As soon as my friend arrives and gets settled, we will do a one day cleanse with a one or two day wind down on either side. I can’t wait. I’m also looking to make it back to the pool soon too for aquafit classes. I know both these things will help me stay healthy and reach my fitness goal at 51.5 – abs. And I need to hurry up I am not getting any younger haha.
More About Juice Dive Cleanses
Cold-pressed Juice Cleanse Benefits
Juice Cleansing is one of the most popular wellness practices in the world
right now. Juice Dive is the only commercial cold pressed juicer in Belize. Unlike traditional juicing, which produces heat that breaks down nutrients, the cold pressing process preserves all the health benefits of the ingredients.
Juice cleansing aids in digestive health by producing healthy bacteria and reducing inflammation. Cleansing also promotes weight loss and suppresses cravings. Consuming cold-pressed juice also improves the immune system and makes your heart healthier by increasing the plasma nitric oxide content of your blood. Based on my very real blood drive experience I am sold.
Juice Cleanse Options
1-day
3-day
$500 BZ.
Order Individually: If you are interested in refreshing cold pressed juice but not interested in cleansing, we can still provide Juices for you at cost with any combination of blends. $16 BZ per bottle.
Juice Dive also has a great menu if you want to make your pre and post cleanse healthy eating easy. Note all cleanses can be delivered in town radius.
4 comments
Great job, Laurie! I remember seeing you in your bikini a few times in 2011-2012 and thinking how amazing you looked. My abs are long gone at almost 58 years old (though my quads are still kickin’ from all the cycling – lol!), so I admire anyone in their 40s or 50s who still has ’em. Hope the juice cleanse helped you find them again! 🙂 It’s definitely hard to give up sweets and other bad for you stuff, so I admire your persistence. Not sure I could do it!
Thanks, Emily. You look great for 58. I got lucky it is in my genes, my mom looks way younger than 79 and set a great example for staying in shape.
Really interested in the healthy juice challenge and healthy eating patterns to loose weight …any input on this would be highly appreciated…
Jordana follow the link to Juide Dive facebook page and they can answer any questions you have on the cleanse. As far as weight loss goes an overall healthy eating change would be needed otherwise weight lost on a cleanse comes back fast if you go back to bad habits.