Last week I embarked on something I haven't done in 6.5 years...I did a 5-day juice cleanse.   I know this sounds gnarly to most people - you know, the whole not-eating-for-a-week thing, but let me tell you it sounds a lot harder than it is.  

My body has been feeling "off" lately.  Bloated, sick more often than usual, brain fog, a random rash popping up on my forearm...just not feeling great these days. So I decided to kick-off a body reset by going all in on this!

Six and a half years ago ( I was 6 months postpartum)  I did a 5-day juice cleanse and it truly changed the way I felt and helped aid with losing the extra baby weight. After that cleanse, I did a Whole30 and it was truly transformative for my health and my body.

This cleanse was far easier than the last one, mostly because I did not have to physically juice myself which is super time-consuming. Thank you Clean Juice for making life so much easier this time around!! Juicing clean-up is a hassle and the all-organic ingredients in their juices made me feel secure that this was the best option for me this time around - not to mention the cute packages that tell you the benefits of each Juice.  If you are considering embarking on this journey, I would recommend using Clean Juice to make this the easiest juice cleanse evah.  If you have never done a cleanse...start with a 2-day and work up to a 5-day cleanse in small increments over a few months.

I have done a few 3-day cleanses since moving to our new house last May and it really felt so much easier to do the 5-day cleanse this time around.  If you are curious about what to expect on a cleanse, I documented my 5 days below. 

Day 1: Honestly felt great all day. At 3 PM was when the hunger started to kick in. By 5:30 PM I was extremely tired and ready for bed.  My husband was out of town so I fed the kids (P.S. having to cook while on a juice cleanse is by far the HARDEST part of the whole thing :) so if the hubby is home have him figure dinner out for the kids). I put the kids down at 7:30 and I was in bed and asleep by 8 PM! Slept like a baby...first time in weeks. I did incorporate a short 2-mile run to this day so I made sure I drank all my juices.

Day 2: Felt GREAT! More energy for sure. Might be because I slept a full 8 hours. Had energy all day and wasn't hungry. Found it hard to drink all 6 juices...skipped the 6th juice.  Put kids to bed early went to bed early.  

Day 3: Woke up energized, felt energized all day.  Was starving for dinner.  Did not drink all my juices but felt great besides feeling hungry (hungry because I did not drink all my juices - friends, drink all your juices...keep the hunger at bay). I ran this day and felt really great in terms of energy.

Day 4: FELT AMAZING! Had a GNO with a few friends and did not know it was a full on cocktail and dinner event. I was the crazy pants not eating or drinking. Had a fun night and felt great. Went to bed waaay past my bedtime. LOL.

Day 5: Woke up and felt amazing again. A little tired from the late night, yes 11PM is late for me. Thought it was a good idea to play tennis with friends at 9:30 AM in the Florida heat and it kicked my butt later that day. I think I was dehydrated from the sun and did not drink enough juices throughout the day so felt sort of drunk if that makes sense. I think this was because I literally was dehydrated.  But after I got more juice, water and laid down for a bit I felt better.

My recommendations: drink every single juice on the cleanse that Clean Juice provides. If Clean Juice isn't in your price range but really want to juice at home, I followed the ALPHA RESET on my first cleanse. Fill up the empty juice container with water after you finish it and make it a point to drink two of those before the next juice.  If you are going to exercise keep it indoors and keep it low intensity.  I think resting as much as possible is probably the best idea but listen to your body. I felt great working out but you need to listen to your body above all else.  When you bring food back into your diet, ease into it.  Have a small piece of grilled chicken breast (not too seasoned) with a light vegetable or salad...I would do this for a few days post-cleanse. 

I had eggs with spinach and mushrooms for breakfast after my cleanse. That kept me full for the majority of the day believe it or not.  The scale said I lost 4lbs (still haven't hit my post 3rd baby weight and she's almost 3 LOL). But it wasn't about the scale...it was seriously about feeling better.  I decided to do this cleanse with my mom (who is 57 and has never done one).  She had been having tachycardia and sudden spikes in blood pressure (which is super uncommon for her) so I felt she needed this just as much as me.  I have to say, she did amazing! She felt so much better and really realized that food is medicine! She started going for walks and is excited about going back to our old way of eating (more paleo, less processed). 

If you go with Clean Juice, drink the juices that they recommend on the cleanse. I modified mine because I had already done a few 3-day cleanses and knew which juices did not sit well with my stomach so I subbed them out.  If you can try the juices one by one before you do this, I would suggest you do that so you know which ones give you a stomach ache. This isn't about "tasting" good. They are formulated to give you exactly what your body needs...it's about listening to your body and seeing how it feels after it consumes each one. 

If you have any questions about this cleanse, comment below. I am happy to give you any suggestions or cheer you on if you decide to do one.  I am not a nutritionist or doctor so be sure if you have any  medical conditions that you ask your doctor before going all out on a cleanse.