I FINISHED MY FIRST CLEANSE

I did it. I finished my first full-day juice cleanse and the experience was unlike anything that I thought would transpire. Firstly, I didn’t anticipate that six bottles of juice acting as entire entrees could fill up my stomach as much as they did. It’s recommended that you drink a bottle every two hours followed by 8oz of water after each beverage. By the 3rd and 4th bottle I was beginning to have a difficult time keeping it down. So, let me walk you through my day.

Bottles 1-2

I started my cleanse at 8am and was excited to see what feelings or effects I might experience throughout the day. There wasn’t much hunger after the first and second bottle and to be completely honest, I was feeling good, especially after the Citrus 1, which I found to be extremely delicious. 

Bottles 3-4

After the third and forth bottles I found myself to be in an amazing mood with tons of energy. Honestly, I even looked at the bottle and asked myself what the hell they put in this stuff. I had meetings and I needed to present in a group atmosphere. I noticed my mind was extra sharp and fully awake. I felt “alive” and the energy was felt throughout the space. I even danced with my girl in our living room as soon as she got home for no reason at all. Now, this is a usual daily occurrence for us but my moves were extra spicy and had a pinch more of pizzazz than usual. We were groovin’ and turned our hardwood floor into a disco for two. 

Bottles 5-6

By this point it was 4pm and I was on my fifth bottle. At first, the two hour window between drinks goes by super fast and you question if your stomach can accommodate all of the liquids, but now I was beginning to feel full but definitely not satisfied. Even with the hunger sensation starting to kick in, I couldn’t believe my energy level was still intact. I didn’t experience a crash as I usually would after a late lunch followed by numerous cups of coffee. With this being said, I had my last juice at 6pm which is my cut off time for my intermittent fasting schedule and at this point I was definitely experiencing some hanger as my mood was shifting to the other side of the spectrum. Thankfully the last “juice” was the Vanilla Almond Milk which was more of a dessert type of vibe than an actual juice. Perhaps it’s the gold-star of the kit for a job well done. I doubt it’s recommended but I added a teaspoon of cinnamon and it drastically transformed the taste to that of an horchata. What? I’m a creative, it’s my job to color outside of the lines. 

So what happened after 6pm? Well, things were fine until around 9pm when I heard an all too familiar knock at the door from my old friend, the hunger monster. My mood fully transitioned and a headache was beginning to form. My stomach no longer housed any trace of the nourishments that my bladder has by now fully expelled. I was definitely hungry so by 10pm I decided to simply call it a night. 

In conclusion, would I do this again? Absolutely. Even at the time of writing this blog post (9:30am) I’ve still yet to eat. After reflecting on my experience over my morning coffee, I realized the discomfort that I was feeling was temporary and definitely mostly mental. Knowing this and listening to my body, I know I can juice for much longer the next time I explore a cleanse. I still keep thinking about how much damn energy I had, and the mood, my mood was nothing short of spectacular. Today I feel as if I hit the reset button on my mind and gut and have come back into alignment. If you’re healthy and live a active lifestyle with a focus on your wellbeing but still feeling cloudy or experiencing any sort of blockage, creative or otherwise, I highly recommend you give this a try. Do it in a safe manner with some preparation and use a juice company that you trust; or if possible, press your own organic ingredients from your local farmers market. That’s what I’ll be doing for round two. Okay, my 10am food alarm just went off, time to dive face first into some much deserved avocado toast.

-Danny