Day 1:
I hadn't orginially planned on doing The Juice Cleanse with my clients, but my husband REALLY wanted to do it and I wanted to support him, and it's always easier to Cleanse/Detox with someone.   It helps that I teamed up with  LOCAL ORGANICA (a local juice company) to provide the juices for the cleanse.  Two of the reasons that I'm not an avid juicer are the time and expense.  Having the juice already prepared for me saved me at least an hour a day of juicing - yay!  When it comes to making juice, I use cheap ingredients because it takes so much to make so little juice. Having a provider use local organic produce to make my juice = dream come true.  I'm pretty sure I would have spent more on produce for those three days if I had bought all the produce organic on my own.  I'm sure they have wholesalers and can buy it at cost.  AND - they make this amazing nut milk that I designed for the dinner "juice" to fill up and provide the protein that people so desperately crave. Bonuses left and right!

So If I'm going to Cleanse...I need goals.  If you have no goals, then when the going gets tough - you give up.  My goals for this week are to lose 5 pounds (the holidays are hard on everyone! ;), get back into running (holiday hiatus was longer than originally intended), fit into clothes better (some of my pants are a little more snug than they should be), less bloating (my digestion has been all off for weeks!), more energy (the afternoon slump has come hard lately), shinier hair (it's been dry lately!) and skin (need lots of lotion lately - although that could be just winter).

The first day of The 5/3 Juice Cleanse is a Green Smoothie for breakfast and then delicious raw recipes to ease into the 3 days of juicing.  Since I created the program and I'm a Raw Chef...my husband is spoiled because I can make anything I desire.  I picked relatively easy recipes for the program so that anyone can make them. 

Unfortunately....I ran out of time because I had to teach a class tonight. So my intake for today was 64 ounces of smoothie, 5 cuties for lunch and I ran out of the house before I had a chance to make dinner....so my husband made us a salad. Oops!  That's okay, he makes wonderful salads and I had a couple bananas with some Almond Bliss for my dessert.  All in all - great day.  Well, kind of normal for me. ;)

I ran for 2 miles today - yay!

Weigh in: 119.3

Day2:
Juices are different for me, I'm such a Green Smoothie Girl, that this something to look forward to.  I don't really enjoy the juicing process, so having them in the fridge rocks. Six juices each day is perfect, but juicing six times each day?!  No thanks! 

The Green Juice is amazing - definitely woke me up this morning.  Local Organica has really great blends.  There is no way I'd get that much green leafies into a juice...so expensive and time consuming! "Get Your Motor Running" - deliciously pineapply.  Lemon to the Aid - ouch!  This is the hardest to get through...the lemon juice is tough on my system.  The Beet Juice was refreshing, and I LOVED the Nut Mylk.  Those who are doing the Do-It-Yourself 5/3 Juice Cleanse don't have this amazing privilege.  I wish I could teach everyone how to make nut milk for their dinner...its such a refreshing change and tastes so good!

I was high and crashing all day - lots of energy, no energy - most likely due to the sugar content of some of the juices.  I'm sore from my run yesterday, but worked out anyway.

I swam 12 laps today - yay! My kids get to play and I exercise without feeling exercisey. :)

Weigh in: 118.0

Day3:
Starting to get hungry and miss food today. I'm so glad I made this only three days of juice - I cannot wait for solids on Friday.

I get so much energy after the Green Juice. It feels like a straight buzz!  If caffeine had any serious effect on me, which it doesn't, I think it would feel like this.  I might have to order some "It's a Green Thing" from Local Organica during the week just for this amazing feeling!  The "Lemon to the Aid" is tough to get down - I didn't finish todays.  I tried to space it out today, mixed up the order, but still tough to drink it all.   I'm not sure if it's the lemon juice or the cayenne pepper but it seems to be just me.  My husband loves it and one of my clients thinks it is her favorite.

Speaking of clients - I love that I can share my experiences with them while we all go through this together.  A lot of my group for this Cleanse has done the 7 Day Green Smoothie Detox with me before so we are old friends and they appreciate the Juicing difference as well. I love hearing their enthusiasm and excitement about how they feel and how delicious the juices are and how much they can't wait to share with their friends and family.

Unfortunately, because I didn't originally plan to go through the detox personally, I had to teach a class tonight.  
It was my FAVORITE class of all time and I couldn't eat any of it.  That was tough.  That being said, I was strong, I drank two juices while there, and other than the desire to enjoy what I know is delicious...it didn't have the pull I was expecting.  The bonus side?  I brought some raw Strawberry Swirl Cheezecake home to enjoy on Friday when I'm eating solid food again, and I have all the components for my amazing Nori Rolls.  Yay!

I did 60 squats today!

Weigh in: 116.2

Day 4:
I knew that I had been having problems with the Lemon to the Aid so I didn't even try them. I didn't drink my Beet from last night as I was full enough, so doubled that instead. It worked out perfectly!  I did what I'm always telling my clients - give it a go for a few days and if you still have problems, make adjustments.  Done!

Today my mental clarity was amazing.  It's the one thing I only get with juicing.  The third day of juicing truly is amazing.  I couldn't stop working, ideas were flowing perfectly, I got so much done and didn't want to stop!  When I do my 7 Day Green Smoothie Detox I get more mental clarity - but nothing like this.  This is a whole new level. This can be addictive! ;) 

I ran 3 miles today - awesome!

Weigh in: 115.1  (This is the weight I find healthy for me.  I could stop here, but I know that there is a pound or two of water weight to take into consideration)

Day 5:
Yay!  Solid Food Day!


My smoothie was so filling this morning!  I usually drink at least 64 ounces of smoothie a day.  Today it took me from 8am until 1pm to drink all of it.  Usually I'm done and ready for solids around 11am. When I realized how small my stomach had become, I knew that my plans for the day (Nori Rolls & Cheezecake) would need to be pushed back.  I enjoyed some water rich fruit for lunch - grapes, oranges, and pineapple.  Yum!  I chewed as much as I could to help my body process it better. I'm usually an inhaler of food so it took some serious consideration to chew as much as I could.

Dinner was just one Nori Roll cut into five pieces and a small sliver of Cheezecake - awesome and totally worth the wait, by the way - and then I was stuffed for the rest of the night.  Whew, shrunken stomach!

No work out for the day.  Just a day of rest. :)

Weigh in:  114.4

DAY AFTER:
Ahhh, now that was a pleasant, easy, fast week!  Usually cleanses/detox programs seem to inch by. I'm looking forward to doing that again in a few months!  I usually detoxify my body quarterly.  I still eat food covered in pesticide and herbicides (I wish I could do all organic, but I'm not rich and famous yet!), drink Phoenix water and breathe Phoenix air, wear toxic makeup, am in places where they use toxic cleaning chemicals...toxins build up in my system no matter how clean I eat.

So, how was the week for me?  Were my goals realized? You bet!!!!  I lost 6 pounds - perfect - I'll gain at least 2-3 back just from water weight within the first couple days.  Ahhh, the joys of being a woman. ;)  My clothes fit better but could still be better - I think that was more my haitus from exercise than my diet, though...gotta get fit!  Bloating, gone. Energy, increased! Hair and skin are glowing - I've had three people remark on them, so I trust that they have improved.  Yay!  Things I hadn't expected - increased mental clarity, emotional stabilization, better lung capacity, and a new friend in Local Organica. :)

I also, like many of my clients, love a body that I've put effort and expense into cleaning out.  So...keeping it clean - let's do that! ;)  Wonderful experience!  I love my 7 Day Detox Program - so easy and inexpensive.  I love my 5/3 Juice Cleanse - so delicious and quick.  What a great opportunity that I wish everyone would take advantage of.