BluePrintCleanse

juice cleanse update:

for anyone who asked – here are my post-cleanse-thoughts…

first of all, i followed the cleanse exactly as you are told to do it. i prepared, which you can read about here. i stayed hydrated by drinking lots of water & herbal tea in-between my juices. I also went to great lengths to sweat during the cleanses as recommended. and now, i am adding all my other foods back on board.

so, how did it go?

day 1: i felt mentally prepared, and committed to the cleanse. i would go as far as to say this day was easy. i was tasting each juice for the first time, and using the term loosely, i would say i “liked” them all. let me clarify – the green juice is more or less a blended salad. but it’s new-to-me to be drinking green juice, so this one was not my favorite. but on day one it was easy to drink. the pineapple & spicy lemonade are easy to drink, of course. i LOVE beets, so the beet juice wasn’t too bad. funny story, myla smelled my beet juice and immediately said {with a puckered look} “that smells revolting!” so, if you’re not a beet/ginger fan – you may not like the smell. and… the cashew milk. oh, the cashew milk, this is the icing on the cake for making each day a success, which i’m sure is why it’s juice #6 at the end of the day. it’s good. i’d buy it, just to drink it.

on day 1, i also went to a 1-hour hot yoga class, went running with husband, and went on a bike ride. i wanted this cleanse to really work, so i also focused on getting 9-10 hours of sleep a night in order to allow time for my body to heal between days. i also felt going to bed early helped with avoiding bedtime snacking.

day 2: i woke up feeling ok, but the day went downhill quickly. i typically get a lot of caffeine in my diet between black teas, coffee, and crystal light energy packets. so, even though i’d slowed down my caffeine a few days before i hadn’t stopped it completely. so, by day 2, a fierce headache set in. accompanying my headache, i felt mildly nauseous, so drinking my green juices & beet juice were really hard. i managed. but, it took some fierce focusing to not get sick.

on day 2, i did cardio and weights at home. i also took a one-hour nap in the middle of the day to try and help with my headache.

day 3: i woke up feeling incredible! my headache was gone – i had tons of energy. day 1 & day 2 i never felt hungry. so, i started to notice hunger on day 3, but was able to drink my juices without any trouble + really started to feel fit & light. just over-all really good.

on day 3, i took another hot yoga class & did cardio at the gym.

post-cleanse, day 4: i felt INCREDIBLE! really great. i had this light-airy-fit feeling that i never expected. totally different than how i normally feel after eating good and working out by my normal standards. my main motivation for the cleanse was to eliminate toxins in my body & boost my immune system. i’ve caught every cold possible this winter + have some other health issues right now that i was hoping this would help. i figure it couldn’t have made anything inside of me worse! bonus: i lost almost 5 pounds during the 3 days.

overall, i am very happy that i did the cleanse, and i’m even happier that it’s over! ha! look at it this way – right after a woman has a baby is not the time to ask her when she plans on having her next baby, right? so, right now – i don’t plan on doing this cleanse or any of the other blueprint cleanses anytime soon! it worked wonders, but i think for now i’ll consider some easier daily options. a friend keeps mentioning their gluthione detox, that could be worth a try. However, ask me in a few weeks or a couple of months and maybe i’ll be considering it…

since adding food back into my diet, i have not had any problems. no stomach aches. no nausea. my body has adjusted great, I expected more stomach upsets after having no solids for that long but it’s been surprisingly smooth sailing. for more recipes & info about blue print cleanse, here is a fun article that was printed in domino. i am now adding more fresh/raw food to my diet, however, i’m not eliminating my grains & meats.

do you have any easy-favorite fresh recipes? if yes, please share!

side note: i had a blog reader + couple of instagram buddies who were juice-cleansing at the same time as me. i also have a friend doing the same cleanse this next week. it was great to do this with a few others at the same time. so, if you’re considering the cleanse, find a friend. misery loves company. hehe… good luck!

xoxo.