Let me tell you a funny story. I moved to NYC three months ago, and along with a horrifying amount of Bed, Bath & Beyond purchases upon my arrival I bought a new scale. I don’t weigh myself fanatically, but I like to hop on the scale every few days or so to make sure I am balanced. If I gain a few pounds, I eat a little lighter for a few days. If I lose a few, I let myself indulge. There is nothing wrong with knowing the number on the scale as long as you don’t obsess over it.
Anyway, the scale I bought happened to call for the rarest freaking battery in the universe (a round lithium battery that can only be found at equally rare hardcore electronic stores). If you know me, you know that I am the master at putting off errands… so for the past few months the battery went un-searched for. And I happily indulged in food & drink whenever I felt like it with no scale to answer to.
Uh oh? Uh oh… So when I finally got on Amazon to order a set of round lithium batteries last week, I knew what I was getting myself into. Funny thing is: the batteries still haven’t arrived, but when I got home the other night my roommate said, “you didn’t tell me the scale batteries arrived!”
My response: “They haven’t…”
After a second of being quite puzzled, we looked at each other and started laughing hysterically. The scale came with a battery in it. *Blonde problems*
In my defense, the scale did not appear to work when I first brought it home, so naturally I assumed it needed batteries. Regardless… of course I ran into the bathroom and hopped on the scale, and boom. Hello, 5 extra pounds of NYC food and drink yumminess. You’re now a part of my body.
Answer? Juice cleanse.
There are generally two types of responses you get from people when you tell them you are doing a 3-day juice cleanse. A) “You’re crazy.” B) “Count me in!” The first response is understandable. The thought of 6 juices per day in replacement of solid food has got to sound like a foreign concept to many people. But if you know why you’re cleansing, you will be on the road from an “A” response to a “B” response in no time. (Or not… cleansing is not everyone’s cup of tea!)
I for one am a huge praiser of the juice cleanse. For someone with lifelong stomach problems, a 3-day juice cleanse is like a gift from god. It means actually waking up with a calm stomach and not being bogged down by pain, indigestion and bloat. It means setting your body back on track so that even when you are finished cleansing, the results last with you for weeks and even months – depending on how clean you keep your diet once you finish!
** This cleanse is not to be confused with my TBV cleanse program launching in mid-December – that cleanse will include recipes, food photos, a downloadable PDF, and solid fruits and veggies. This cleanse is purely juice, and I am buying it from the brand Suja. 6 juices per day, and you drink one every 2 hours or so. No solid food. Dun dun dun…!
I’m going to hit you with some cleanse knowledge. Here are the Top 10 reasons, in my opinion, to juice cleanse:
- Avoid diseases by cleansing our digestive system and relieving our body of built-up toxins.
- Increases energy. By reversing toxicity in our systems, fatigue diminishes and we get an extra boost of energy! Woo!
- Give your digestive system a break. The digestive system works hard to process and digest the food we eat each day. Imagine giving it a break for 3 days straight and letting it reboot and heal from the inside.
- Purify your liver. Halloween is coming up, and I bet I’m not the only one who likes to celebrate a perfectly good holiday. During a juice fat, our liver gets a break from digesting complex fats. Now it can regenerate and assist in detoxifying.
- Fires up your metabolism. The resting phase the body enters during a juice cleanse jumpstarts your metabolism when you resume eating. When there is no break for several months and years at a time, the body’s natural cycle of rest and activity gets interrupted and our metabolisms often get shot in the process.
- Eliminates body stress. Because we are ridding our bodies of a build up of toxins, the body is able to relax and therefore relieve itself of stress that we’ve been holding onto.
- Stimulates elimination of body waste. That’s right, a good cleansing program will restore the balance of your body in every way. When we have excess waste in our system, nutrients can’t be absorbed properly and we gain weight, become tired and irritable. Health issues can ensue as well. And who likes being constipated?
- Pains and aches disappear. Built up toxins in our body can cause pain, and so can a sluggish metabolism.
- Sheds unwanted pounds. The more toxic build up we have, the more fat the body manufactures to protect itself. We are also giving our bodies a break from the refined sugars, wheat, fats, carbohydrates etc that we shove into it every day.
10. Healthy glowing skin! The skin is the largest organ in our body, so naturally when we cleanse, the skin will release toxins as well. The skin spends so much time protecting our bodies, giving it a break and allowing it to replenish is one of the best things we can do for it.
P.S. I posted on Instagram last night about my cleanse, telling people to email me if they wanted to join so I could start an email thread for everyone involved. I am thrilled to say I got over 70 responses so far… we are going to rock this cleanse, and we are going to do it in style! With all of these friends to report back to and share our journey with, we are sure to have plenty of motivation. It’s going to be awesome! Email me at [email protected] before 5:00 p.m. today if you want to join us. Three days. 18 juices. LEGGO!