My Juice Detox Experience!

Recently I decided to bring in the New Year with a clean slate for my body and mind. I’ve been so busy working on Suja and putting the best product possible out there, I’m the first to admit I let a few -- ok, more than a few -- things pass my lips over the holidays that were definitely not part of my usual high quality program. Combine that with late nights, holiday parties, and running around 24/7 and let’s just say I felt it. Hard. Enter my fab girlfriends Lauryn, who writes The Skinny Confidential, Weslie, who writes Love Chugs, Sam, and Casey. Oh, we also had a guy, Cody from People Water. And this “wolf pack” (don’t ask) is what got me through the next three days of my Suja juice cleanse, which looked like this...

Day 1:

I woke up feeling motivated and ready to get started! I drank a glass of water followed by a shot of 1T Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with 2T lemon juice. I did this for the duration of the juice cleanse every morning. I also took 5 Wheatgrass tablets to help alkalize my bod. I wasn’t quite feeling the need for a juice yet, so I did a half hour of yoga and answered e-mails before cracking open Glow around 9AM. Mmmmm....tasted better than coffee for sure! Who am I? The rest of the day was a complete breeze. I don’t want to sound like one of those freaks of nature who say, “I fasted on water for 20 days and I, like, wasn’t even hungry!” But really, I wasn’t. The rest of the group had the same sentiment. I would say this first day was collectively our easiest and nobody had a hard time. Most of the group even exercised. I recommend really scaling back your workouts while participating in a 3 day juice cleanse plan or cleansing all together, but if you have the energy and are feeling good, some walking, yoga, light jogging, and stretching are all acceptable and beneficial to the process.

Day 2:

I woke up energized and alert! My alarm went off and I was out of bed in 2 seconds flat washing my face and brushing my teeth - no problem. My tummy started to grumble and I did feel a more immediate need for something than the first day. I quickly chugged some water, did my vinegar shot, and drank my Glow. All was right in the world again and I was ready to do some work. I had a mid-morning meeting so I grabbed a warm herbal tea (decaffeinated) which felt so good because fasting tends to make you cold. The body generates a fair amount of internal heat while digesting, and without it, it can be pretty common for your body temp to drop. I didn’t think about drinking again until 11AM! I drank my Fuel and shortly after hunger really set in. I drank my lunchtime Purify and waited it out. Nope, hunger was here to stay. I decided to have some baby carrots so I could relieve that “oh my gosh I’m staaaarving” panicky feeling. All better! I felt the need to chew something around 2:30p and thought about having my Reef early, but realized I wasn’t really hungry at all. It was just habit, boredom, me being a baby. I did a little 15 minute yoga sesh and felt a lot better. The rest of the day went according to plan and I went to bed feeling hyper. I had a really hard time falling asleep and finally did about 2 hours later than usual.

Day 3:

The last day!! Almost there! I woke up with the same hungry feeling from yesterday. I did my usual routine of water and vinegar shot before breaking into my Glow. One thing I’ve really noticed on this juice cleanse plan is how good the juice tastes after abstaining from all the complicated flavors and textures I’ve been overloading my senses with all holiday season. At this point, I’m just beyond stoked to have a green juice! I had a busy morning running around and working on paperwork, but I managed to have my Fuel on schedule around 10AM and I was definitely ready for it. I went for a little walk before lunch because I needed to send a package a few blocks away and I felt light, energized, and happy. I got back and had my Purify before heading to Suja cold storage. This is where things got ugly. Remember I mentioned how cleansing can make you cold? Well, being in a 40 degree cold room for a couple hours isn’t exactly a good place to be when your body temp is low. I was frustrated, freezing, and freaking out in my mind. I finished packing things up there and the minute I got home I knew what I needed, a warm, steamed, sweet potato. Yep. There are certain times when you are cleansing, that you need to listen to your body and give it what it needs to stay balanced. I was not able to do anything else or focus until I had that glorious sweet potato. I felt revitalized, renewed, and reinvigorated to finish the juice cleanse strong. I went back to the juices for the rest of the day and slept much easier that night.

After the cleanse:

Wow. I feel incredible! I woke up and believe it or not, wanted juice. Nothing but juice! So, that’s what I had. A Twelve Essentials mixed with a Glow. Shortly after, I had a bowl of berries and a pear. I worked all morning and felt sharp, focused, and alert. For lunch I had a salad with chickpeas, avocado, tomato, carrot, arugula, spinach, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar. After that, I had tons of energy and squeezed in a killer workout in the afternoon. 30 minute fast run feeling strong. I came home and had a Green Supreme followed by some baby carrots and cherry tomatoes. For dinner I had a veggie soup with sweet potato, carrot, celery, kale, onion, and garlic. I have to say, my body was completely re-set. This food tasted so flavorful and delicious to me! I couldn’t believe how satisfied I felt from these simple clean foods. I was so happy to be chewing again and have that texture back in my life. I saw the beauty in simplicity again and felt so good I didn’t crave anything other than clean fuel for my body all day long. I am happy to say this feeling has continued throughout the following weeks and I have made it the rest of the month without slipping up on crap. And I don’t even want to. Zero desire. This appreciation for simple foods and reminder of what I really need is the biggest thing I gained from doing this cleanse. I’d also like to add that the most important part of sticking to this for the full 3 days was checking in with my friends. We had a group text going all day long every day and talked about our weak moments, triumphs, and frustrations. We laughed, complained, and learned from each other. It was so helpful to have the reinforcement and morale of a group and if you’re new to cleansing I HIGHLY recommend wrangling up your friends and doing it together! Happy Cleansing! xo Annie & Suja Juice