What I learned juicing on a 10 ten juice cleanse….
Today is my 10th Day juicing. It’s the last day of my juice cleanse. I crushed a 10 day juice cleanse!
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I didn’t plan to make it to 10 days. In fact, when I started, I wasn’t sure how far I’d go. I just woke up one morning and said it’s time for a juice fast.
In January, I’d done my first ever “diet.” A three day juice cleanse.
In February, I did a five day cleanse.
And then for many weeks I tried to make Mondays juice day. But, when I fell off the wagon and noticed that I wasn’t feeling great, probably after having one two many sweets in April and May, I decided a juice cleanse would set me straight again.
I was happy when I lasted 3 days. Then, I was happier when I hit 5 days. I was thrilled when I hit 7 days. And today, on day 10, wow! Just wow!
I hardly consider myself one to have will power to resist yummy food. But I did this! I did a 10 day juice cleanse!
Though I do eat vegetarian, and strive for vegan/raw, I don’t consider myself to be one who follows a strict diet or a dieter of any sort.
In fact, I’ve never thought of myself as someone who would or could diet–certainly not one who could overachieve in a juice cleanse.
what I learned on a 10 day juice cleanse
So, that brings me to what I’ve learned on a 10 day juice cleanse.
I’ve learned that I can commit to juicing and my health, even though I’ve forever told myself and others that I lack will power and just don’t do diets.
I’ve discovered that I feel so amazingly good when I juice. I feel light (and not just with my weight) and mentally clear. I’m not even sure there are words to describe how good it feels–it’s like my body and mind are not bogged down, free, non-toxic. I’ve learned to distinguish eating out of hunger vs. out of boredom, for something to do, or for emotional comfort.
I’ve realized how easy it is to overeat without realizing it. Seriously, I’ve realized that I simply don’t need to eat as much as I do in everyday, non-juicing life.
In addition, I’ve discovered that juicing brings a simplicity to life–so much less time is spent thinking about planning meals, cooking, thinking about calories, etc. Unexpectedly, I’ve discovered healthy cravings, like for salad and grilled portabella mushrooms.
In my days of juicing, this round and earlier this year, I’ve also learned that there is some sort of feeling of loss or guilt that comes with ending a juice cleanse. While some people may simply be relieved, I don’t feel that way. Perhaps that’s because I haven’t had to deal with tough withdrawal symptoms that some people experience–I think the more frequently you juice, the easier it becomes. For me, I hate to say goodbye to how good my body feels while I juice.
But at least I know that if I strive for healthy eating post-juicing, I can likely stretch out this awesome feeling of health AND I can always come back to juicing when/if the mood strikes again.
how to start
Juicing may not be right for everyone. But it has been right for me. One of the things that I think helped to make juicing a success was having a kick-butt juicer. I absolutely love my Breville Juicer.
It was totally worth the investment. When I’m not strictly juicing, I still use it. So do my teens.
There are also some great juice recipes out there. You can find recipes here on the blog. Also, you might love the popular books Juicing for Beginners or The Juicing Bible.
Fresh juice is the best. Not only is it healthy. It’s amazing! Even if you’re not ready to try or commit to a 10 day juice cleanse, I recommend integrating fresh juice into your lifestyle.
