My 10-Day Juice Fast and Detox..Day 1

Day 1- 10 Day Juice Fast

It’s Sunday morning and I decided a couple of days ago that it was indeed time to turn things around in my body and mind. The seasons had changed a while ago but I was still feeling sluggish, heavy and weighed down. Granted.. it’s been a hell of a few months as some of you close to me are aware. And I have been challenged deeply on so many levels. I am choosing not to go into detail about those pieces here right now, maybe I will in a different post, but not now.

Since last Fall, I lost hold of my gluten-free, dairy free habits that really sustained me, stopped going to yoga class, and put on about 10 pounds. It’s amazing how much of a difference even that much weight can make.. my whole center of gravity feels different.. my way of walking.. I feel so much heavier in lots of subtle ways. I miss the lightness in my energy more than anything.

Although I have had years of practice learning to love myself in healthier more expanded ways, and I am more forgiving around physical slips such as these in my Wise Woman years ( I am now 55), I like feeling better than I have been feeling the last few months. I like feeling lighter, I like feeling healthier and more energized. I like feeling more flexible and more powerful in my body. I miss all of that.

I also cannot deny that my body is sensitive to the lessening of the attention it needs. Gluten and dairy are truly like poisons to my system.. causing real allergies, in my nose and chest.. some mild inflammation and stiffness in my joints..some puffiness around my face..and cravings that are exhausting. Nothing has changed. I knew all of this when I stopped eating these things a couple of years ago, and my body still cannot tolerate them. It’s just a fact for me. I had allergy shots from the ages of 3 until 22 and I know that had my parents known about food sensitivities and fed me differently I most likely would not have had such toxic reactions to my environment.

So it’s time. I am ready to make changes. I crave relief and lightness more than I crave anything that I can put in my mouth. It’s time for a real act of love and kindness based in truth and the knowing of what helps me specifically. And I am both excited and a bit fearful.

I am excited for the freedom and the breaking free and the relief.. to feel well again and to know that I am no longer putting myself in a position of discomfort, no longer making excuses, no longer choosing things that keep me stuck and demoralized. Do you know how painful it is to feel those things when you teach other women how to break those exact patterns? Very. And yet, of course I know so well how to help other women because of my own very human nature and experience.

And yet, there comes a time when enough is enough and I want so much more for myself. When it feels so much better to do the “hard” challenging thing than it does to coast a bit longer.

So that time is now. I am starting a 10-day juice fast. For a bit more inspiration yesterday pre-fast, I watched the documentary “Fat, Sick, And Nearly Dead” about Joe Cross’ 60 day juice fast. I love juicing. I’ve loved it for almost 2 years. I’ve had a sweet little low end model from Breville that I bought for $89 on Amazon in 2010. To celebrate my decision to fast for 10 days I just upgraded and ordered the Breville Elite Juice fountain.. had to get it on Zappos since Amazon was out of stock and Zappos has free delivery.. it arrives day after tomorrow. Very happy about that.. stainless steel even, which will be wonderful as the plastic pieces of my current juicer are getting sort of weird from the acids of the fruits and vegetables eroding them.

I thought it might be fun, and inspiring (and integrity-boosting for me) to write about my little venture daily. Today is Sunday May 19th and I felt very happy to begin my venture when I woke up. I also planned to return to Sunday morning yoga, to a beautiful fluid class that I used to go to regularly. Two healthy body and spirit loving practices in one morning. Two new recommitments.. nice. My husband even came to yoga with me. Because I begged him yesterday. Begged him to “make me go” no matter what.. knowing how many times I have managed to talk myself out of it before (like here). I was a little worried when at the last minute friends asked us to join them for Chinese food for dinner last night.. thinking ugh.. if I eat that I really won’t want to go to yoga in the morning.. but I mostly ate vegetables and Andy and I did get to class nice and early.

Juice and yoga on a Sunday morning are a really lovely start to a day.. especially on a crystal clear beautiful day. Honestly it was perfect.

We stopped at Trader Joe’s to stock up on juicing supplies for me. If you have never made your own juice, it’s incredible how much produce it takes to make juice. And if you are ONLY consuming juice.. that’s-a-lotta fruit and vegetables.. Not cheap. Seriously.

My mainstay for juice the past year has been pretty consistent. I never get tired of it, it’s so clean and fresh and delicious.

Here is what I make most mornings. *Note..When juicing you want to use organic as much as you can because it’s so concentrated that it’s best to eliminate the toxins. Expensive but worth it.

Intuitive Body Green Juice:

2 large cucumbers unpeeled
1 large bunch celery
1 large fennel bulb
1 head romaine
1 granny smith apple
handful kale
At the end, squeeze in fresh lemon
*Can also add chia seeds at the end if you want.. love these!

Because this makes a lot, I save some for later. I store it in old jars with lids and fill them up to the very top so as little air can get in as possible. Screw tops on and keep in fridge for a few hours. I often add some chia seeds for the omega-3’s and fiber.. makes a very gelatinous gloppy glop but good for you.

That’s what I’ve had so far today.. lots of it. When it’s time for more juice later on, I plan to make something new. We still have lots of rhubarb growing out back and I thought I would add this to the mix with some watermelon chunks. Rhubarb seems like the perfect consistency for juicing.. much like celery.. very watery and fibrous.. can’t wait to see how it is in the juice and should make for a pretty color too.

For me, everything is easier on a sunny gorgeous day like today. I feel energized and happy and inspired. I just saw the weather report and it looks like we’re in for mainly rainy unpleasant weather the next several days which may make my detox. a little less upbeat but I plan to weather the storms and will keep you posted.

I do want to add one little caveat here.. which is that I like to do things intuitively and pay close attention to how I am feeling and respond lovingly and accordingly so if at times I feel that adding solid food in the form of fruits and vegetables at times is helpful or essential, I will do that. I’m not at a spa and have work and my typical daily life to tend to, so if I find modifying the juice fast necessary I reserve that right. That said, my intention is to stick to as much juice and liquid nourishment as possible. I want simplicity, I want clean boundaries, I want major results.

Have you ever done a juice fast? How many days did you do it for? What was it like? Would love to hear your comments below.

And of course you know that I am here to help you customize any efforts that you might want to create to start your own cleanse or detox.. or just get some fresh inspiration and feedback. It all starts with a private consultation, you and me by phone for an Illumination Round. Please email me to schedule yours..

Love from my heart to yours..