Diary of a Lucky You "juice cleanse"

I recently embarked on a 5 day juice "cleanse" (It's not a fast... It's not a fast...) which I ordered online through Sydney-based Lucky You. With my recent health kick lifestyle change in full swing (no turning back!) and Spring around the corner, I figured now was as good a time as any. So Wednesday August 17th was locked in as my start date, and I was chomping at the bit. My first care package (below) arrived in all it's "green-ness" and we were good to go.

 To give you a better idea of what the 5 days involved, mine looked exactly like this (I left out one of the 500ml waters each day at a time that suited):
7.15am Warm water with lemon
7.30am Aloe Vera "Elixir"
8am Green Smoothie
9am 500ml Alkalanized water
10am Green Juice A
11am 500ml Alkalanized water 
Midday Spicy Lemonade
1pm 500ml Alkalanized water 
2pm Red Juice
3pm 500ml Alkalanized water 
4pm Green Juice B
5pm 500ml Alkalanized water    
6pm Cashew Nut "Mylk"

(above) Enjoying my "Red Juice" on the good lounge (Day 4).

Day 1 Day one was pretty good (but then I did give up tea, coffee, refined sugar and processed food weeks ago). I pee a LOT. Almost every half an hour. But I get through it and finish the day with a lovely Epsom salt bath, by the light of my Cristina Re candle, and I'm in bed at 8.30pm. Mmmmm......

Day 2 The Lucky You people send hugely motivating/supportive emails through each day, and the daily email for Day 2 reads: "Day 2 is a wonderful glimpse into the state of your physical being. If you are feeling "all systems go" then you know what to do...POWER ON! Get up and get out - get it? This means get yourself out of bed and hit the streets for a powerwalk or down to a pool for some laps. Lack of solid food means the body requires less work to digest so energy is a beautiful side effect of this cleanse." Indeed. I'm up at 6.30 for a walk on the beach! Day 2 is also okay. Apart from the the constant pee-ing and (very) mild hunger, I'm cruising through it nicely.

Day 3 I'm up at 6.30 again (unheard of for me), and Audrey and I (gently) pound the pavement. By now, things are feeling mildy monotonous, but I'm half way through and all those things we often hear associated with cleanse and detoxes are happening - lightness, energy, clear, bright skin! And you will live for the nightly Cashew Nut "Mylk". It is out of this world delicious and really filling! One of the things that is a little tedious though, is preparing dinner for Mr Tonic and the Mini Tonics each night. Not so fun when you can't eat.

Day 4 It's Saturday and suddenly, I've had enough. I want it to be over now. But it's not and I struggle through the day. I seem to be getting more and more hungry with each day that passes, and being at home with the Mini Tonics, preparing cheesy tomato Vegemite melts is sheer torture. One more day... One more day...

 

Day 5 Woohoo! Yes I'm feeling brilliant, but being constantly hungry is making me actually quite cross with the world. I won't lie. It's hard. But it's the final day so I get through until 4pm, when I bust out a bag of frozen Edamame beans and boil and salt them and Mmmmm....!!!!! (Oops.)

(above) Bassike top, Michael Kors watch

My top 5 tips for a stress-free cleanse:

1. Wear a watch: Hey, they're hot right now! No seriously. Given the amount of liquid you have to get through each day, you're going to want to stick to your "schedule" like mud. 

2. Forgo the belt: You're going to be peeing a lot during the cleanse. Making wardrobe choices which facilitate easy toilet "access". Give anything tucked in/belts/stockings a rest.

3. Rethink your work/social arrangements: See #2.
4. Line 'em up: As soon as you receive your juices, put them in the fridge in the order in which they need to be drunk - if possible. There's 6 juices (and one elixir) to get through each day, and they're all different. Make it easy.
5. Night moves: If you find yourself milling around the kitchen in the evening, consider a night time stroll.

So, what did I take away from the Lucky You juice cleanse experience? Mainly one very important fact: WE DON'T CHEW OUR FOOD ENOUGH. We talk while we eat, gulping down food too quickly, making hard work for our (already overburdened) digestive systems. There's no point spending money on lovely food if we aren't going to get the most out of it nutritionally. So I'm taking it on board, and am hugely thankful for my newfound awareness (read more about the importance of it here).

You will learn SO much from a Lucky You juice cleanse. I'm really glad I chose them, because boy oh boy, you get so much more than just a bunch of jars of juice to drink. You get support, education. motivation and a new lease on life. I really got the sense that they were on call each day, waiting to answer any questions. Lucky You founder Heidy (that's her above) is an absolute champion and ought to be congratulated on a fabulous business/service. I'll definitely be back. Just maybe for a 3 day cleanse next time!