Well, I’m officially past the halfway mark! It’s the morning of Day 6 of my 10-Day juice cleanse. This is my Day 5 recap.
If you’re just joining me now….
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Well well well. Day 5. I’ve learned that a lot of things, physical and emotional, can get stirred up during a cleanse. There’s just something about cleansing that causes you to go inward, and sometimes that brings up emotional stuff that you need to release. Just like releasing toxins through the physical detox.
It wasn’t an insanely crazy emotional day or anything, but there were definite feelings cropping up out of the blue. In the morning, I felt some heavy emotions and even some anxiety. I was replaying scenes from my past, thinking about the future, and making up fake “what if” scenarios in my head. Yeah – I know you know what I mean. All the classic stuff. And you know what? The worst part about having those emotions is when you try to avoid them. It’s like they just get worse. The truth is, the quicker we just allow ourselves to feel an emotion and stop trying to banish it, the quicker we can release it and move on with the day and drink some freakin’ juice.
Being oh-so-solution-oriented, I decided to sit down and read the day’s meditation from Melody Beattie’s Journey to the Heart. It was like it was speaking directly to me!
“Your next step – the answer to the question you’ve been mulling about – the direction for your next stage of growth, where you will live next, what you need to do about work, money, or that problem you’ve been struggling with – will come. If you’re fussing or straining, you may not hear it. Relax. You’re on a journey of discovery. Let life reveal itself to you.”
Whoa! Good, right? Yeah. So this is the kind of day I had. Contemplative. Inward. Questioning. Releasing. Detoxing is a funny thing.
After reading that, I threw on “Shine” by Collective Soul, called it my song of the day, and made some spicy green juice (recipe below). Of course, I felt a bit better immediately after getting some nutrients into my system.
Anyway. I had a business mastermind call during the day which ended up being really inspiring, I reminded myself to take things one day at a time, and my mood lifted out of funkytown. I went about my day, and I made a regular green juice for dinner. I drank it by candlelight with classical guitar music playing while I read Danielle LaPorte’s blog. And cried. I know. I’m a loon.
Wiped my eyes and went to yoga at 8:15pm. The room was hotter than usual (it wasn’t hot yoga, the room was just oddly hot) so I got to sweat some more silly toxins out. That was very nice and I felt great after the class.
Oh yeah, hunger wise I didn’t want food at all today. I even started thinking today about extending my cleanse to be longer than 10 days! But again. I’ll just take it one day at a time. I was quite happy drinking liquid all day, though. My body is starting to feel more clean and efficient, and the thought of putting solid food into it doesn’t appeal to me at the moment.
Total for the day, I had about 32oz of spicy green juice, 20oz of regular green juice, 8oz of almond milk and some coconut water and tea. Beverages galore!
Day 5 stats:
Energy level: Physically felt good. Had big bursts of energy. Was able to exercise and get through the day and was totally satisfied on the juice.
Exercise: 60 mins walking outside, 90 min open-level vinyasa yoga
Sleep: Slept great – this is the first day of the cleanse that I didn’t have interrupted sleep.
Weight difference since Day 1: 5.6 lbs (mysteriously gained .6 lb over the past day – odd). I think I should probably up my water intake.
$ spent today on juice ingredients: $12.02 (had a bunch of ingredients leftover from the previous day)
Feeling: With the negative comes the positive. Even with the feelings of emotional detox, I also had a long period of time during the day where I felt meditative, peaceful, relaxed, inspired and hopeful. It’s all a big colorful rainbow.
So, let’s talk about the actual juice already.
The spicy green juice and I had quite an adventure together. When I first decided to create a spicy juice, I wanted to have tomato and red pepper in it. But when I went to the store, the tomatoes and peppers looked dismal and wilty. I didn’t want weird, old energy in my juice. Nope. Only freshies!
So I made a spicy green juice with romaine, cucumber, celery, onion, garlic and jalapeno. I tasted it and felt like my throat was on fire. Too much jalapeno!!! I diluted it with more cucumber, but the juice still just tasted gross. I tried to choke it down, almost threw it out, until I had an epiphany: add some lemon and ginger, fool!
So I added lemon and ginger and voila! Great tasting spicy savory juice.
Spicy Green Juice Recipe:
Makes about 20 oz of juice, depending on juicer and produce size.
- 1/2 head romaine (about 6 leaves)
- 1/2 head cilantro
- 1 cucumber
- 1/2 a jalapeno, seeds removed
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 small onion
- 2 stalks celery
- 1/2 lemon
- small piece of ginger
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My favorite juice so far still is the regular green juice. I’m gonna try a new, somewhat wild juice for Day 6. ;)
Oh- a note on enemas and colonics, since a few people have asked me: I think they are a very good idea during a cleanse. All the toxins that are getting stirred up need to be washed out. Yes, I’ve done both. But I’m still getting comfortable with the whole concept, so that’s all I’m going to say about that! If you want to learn more, Kris Carr gives tons of details on both in Crazy Sexy Diet.
Thanks for bearing with me through this post! I’m very psyched to keep on going, because today I felt much more connected to my inner world. I like that. When I was in Costa Rica last summer with IIN, our yoga teacher said, “Dive deeper into your inner world by closing the windows of your eyes.” I loved that. So. Let’s keep going deeper, shall we?
So, please let me know how you’re doing. I know there are cleansers out there…and you’re inspiring me! Thanks for being a part of all of this madness. :)
xo
Amanda says
This a love post. :)
Enemas can be dangerous because our digestive tract has good bacteria in it that breaks down food. When you “flush” it, you flush those good guys out as well. And while I understand the concept of a cleanse, and I understand why you decided to do one, our bodies are natural detoxifies. Our liver is our greatest filter and the biggest internal organ. Kidneys flush out, too. I worry about reading about cleanses because they can really mess up your metabolism. I know you are a rockstar eater, so I do not doubt you’ve done your research and before doing something like not eating for 10 days. But I’m just extending my concern a bit.
I’ve read your posts and you’ve mentioned feeling agitated or unable to focus- not the caffeine, its lack of food in your system. You may be losing weight, but I worry that your body has kicked into starvation mode and will start eating your muscles as fuel. I sincerely hope you are feeding your body enough quality calories to keep your systems functioning at their best – metabolism and other systems.
I just find it to be a dangerous thing to do for any longer than a day or two — if that.
Again — this is an absolute LOVING post and I enjoy reading others’ perspectives. I enjoy your site very much. :)
jenny sansouci says
Thank you for your feedback, Amanda! You’re right, I have done a ton of research, and was recently inspired to do the 10 days by the documentary “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead,” where the guys juice for 60 days straight, heal diseases and have perfect medical exams through the whole process.
Kris Carr says in Crazy Sexy Diet (she collaborated with lots of MDs to write the book), enemas/colonics are important during a cleanse. Not intended to just be used all the time in regular life, though. :) She says “Good bacteria can only breed in a clean environment. The colon will rebalance itself with a better ratio of friendly to unfriendly bacteria when all the debris is cleared away.” Probiotics are a great option too, to rebalance healthy flora. This detox info is all backed up by Dr. Alejandro Junger (“Clean” program) as well.
I’m getting TONS of nutrients from all the greens I’m juicing, and lots of calories too with the fruits and almond milk.
Anyway, thank you so much for your concern. I love hearing everybody’s widely differing opinions when it comes to nutrition! I agree a cleanse isn’t for everyone, so for now I’m just going by how I feel: super inspired, and great. :)
Amanda says
Very cool. I’m obviously researching both sides. I’m going into being a personal trainer and if a client comes to me doing things, I need to know other perspectives. The ONLY way to really do it, right! :) I have zero doubt you are a pro at this and some of them sound really good. I’d like to get a juicer and drink them as “snacks.” I usually buy the Green Machine Odwalla juices, but I’d love to make my own. That is something I enjoy about reading your posts – good ideas for sure.
I will say I’m glad you decided to incorporate the almond milk so you get that protein and healthy fat.
I don’t know how you are doing this. I’d lose my mind in 5 hours. LOL
Amanda says
PS: I would reference my books, but I’m at the office. LOL. ;-)
I’ll just link to this:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18595886/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/experts-warn-detox-diet-dangers/#.Twc1ZGO3QlQ
Obviously, your cleanse is not a Master Cleanse by any means. I’m curious about the long term impact long-term cleanses can have on the body. It’s almost like a shock to the system and afterward, you go back to eating normally. I’d equate it to like starting your car, driving, then just turning it off without putting it into park, then just driving again. Since our bodies have evolved from a time of famine, our bodies have evolved to remember times of starvation. So cleanses can signal the body it is starving, then hold onto its fat stores longer, thus making it harder to lose weight in the future. This would have to come from repeated cleanses. Do you do cleanses a lot? or just at the start of the year? Just curious. :)
jenny sansouci says
Hey Amanda – although MSNBC, the ADA and RDs generally aren’t my most trusted sources of health information, to each his own. ;)
I do cleanses a few times a year and always recommend people ease into (and out of) them slowly and naturally, by doing fruit/veggies/vegan soups/smoothies for a couple of days before and after.
When you cleanse, you’re taking all that energy usually used for digestion and using it for detoxification, healing and cleansing your body. You give your body a chance to rest, you re-charge your system and you actually speed up your metabolism. While calorie reduction can initially slow your metabolism, your body is much more efficient after the cleanse is over – leading to higher energy levels and increased metabolic performance.
Thanks again for your input!
Amanda says
Very cool.
That article was written by a R.D. ;-) Susan Moores, R.D. I wouldn’t have pulled it if it was written by some random person — I know better than that. LOL. 4 years of being an English major. haha.
Nice chat. :) Good luck with the rest of the cleanse, for sure!
jenny sansouci says
hey hey – I know:) I said, “MSNBC, the ADA and RDs generally AREN’T my most trusted sources of health information” :)
Thank you, though, for all the insights – I looove a good healthy debate!!
Amanda says
Were you saying that MSNBC isn’t the trusted source or the R.D. and ADA weren’t? MSNBC, I agree. LOL – checked the author to be sure. So much garbage on the net being masked as “research.” Wanted to be sure. :)
Amanda says
ohhh!!! Oh dear. We will agree to disagree. HAHAAHAH! :) Love to you. I will keep reading and I support you completely. Rock on, Jenny.
jenny sansouci says
I’m not trying to nitpick on who exactly can be trusted and who can’t, I’m just saying that I’m personally more likely to follow the advice of the alternative/holistic health world, so an article by an RD who works for the ADA published in MSNBC doesn’t really sway me. That’s just me. Always very nice & informative to hear other viewpoints, though!! So thanks :)
Amanda says
:) Totally cool! We all have our trusted sources of info and what our preferences are. Text may have sounded like I was being mean. Not a chance– I hope I didn’t offend you.
jenny sansouci says
Not at all. Seeing things from different viewpoints is crucial to strengthening your intuition muscle!
Megan says
Jenny–
Had to share an awesome ‘universe’ moment that just happened!! I have been following your cleanse because I am just opening up to the idea of trying a short cleanse….so I read your post from Day 5 and had a cool thing happened….
Yesterday I went to hot vinyasa and during savasana our teacher read a passage that I totally needed to hear and in my head I thought…”SO freaking awesome” when she finised the passage…so awesome I was hoping to find out the book from which she was reading but she left before I could ask after class. After reading your blog I thought…hmm that passage sounds exactly like what I heard at yoga….and I did a little on-line search and thats the passage she read! Ordering the book rt now but I had to share!!
Very interesting debate above about the cleanse and colonics–I enjoy hearing the various perspectives on the debate since we dont learn too much about these things in my medical/PA training!!
Happy Friday!
jenny sansouci says
Megan – that is AMAZING! Universe, you crazy cat! You will LOVE Journey to the Heart – I’ve been reading it daily. It’s great. Good luck if you do try a cleanse – keep me posted! xo
Stacy says
Love reading along with this, Jenny!
I found during a 5-day detox that the emotions came up because I had often eaten to cover them up without realizing it! By cutting out most carbs, after 3 days I was grumpy because I would normally mask those feelings by grabbing a snack, something I didn’t know until I took away the option. It was so eye-opening for me!
jenny sansouci says
Thanks for your input, Stacy! I totally relate! I spend so much of my life cooking (and eating), so it’s been eye opening for me to spend more time on the feelings stuff. :)
Margaret Nichols says
Jenny, I think this post is just fantastic. I led my mom through a 10 day juice cleanse last year and love to treat myself to an elongated cleanse when I have the time, which is so hard to do in New York, as you know! Thanks for this inspiration and your cheerfully authentic, soulful + important voice. I’ve just been reunited with my own juicer after a month away + this made me more excited than ever to make great use of it!! This: “The truth is, the quicker we just allow ourselves to feel an emotion and stop trying to banish it, the quicker we can release it and move on with the day and drink some freakin’ juice.” is GOLD. You rock. love love.
jenny sansouci says
Margaret, thank you so much! I really appreciate your feedback, it means a lot to me. Congrats on being reunited with your juicer! Cheers to bathing your cells in nutrients. :) xo
Kim Augsburger says
I cannot wait to try these spicier juice recipes!!! I love my old standbys, but 7 days in, I need some new flava! ;) Sounds like you’re movin’ and groovin’ and all is well in your world! Yay!!! Likewise here – I had so much energy on Friday that I could barely sit still at work!
I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t also add…
Your firmness yet acceptability of others differing points of view is so classy, and I always try to take the same approach. We are faced with so many people who are not aware of holistic advances, and we all must open our hearts to them and at least show them what we know! Much better approach than arguing – that doesn’t do a lick of good!
Rock on, chickie :D
jenny sansouci says
So glad to hear you’re feeling great, Kim!! Keep it up:) And yes, I agree- I’ve found it’s much easier to just acknowledge that other people have opinions and viewpoints…while still being true to what I believe. Sometimes my initial reaction is to want to argue, but waiting until I can react with love is so much better. Thanks for all your great feedback!
Ali says
Jenny –
Love reading this post – and congrats on the halfway mark..you’re inspiring me to do another cleanse:) Mostly – thank you for sharing the quote..i SOOO needed that right now.. hopefully see you soon!
xo
Ali
jenny sansouci says
Thanks Ali! Let me know if you embark on a cleanse. And yes – that quote is magic. Hope to see you soon for sure. xox
Scott says
Hi Jenny! I’m on day 5 of my first ever juice fast. I too was inspired by the Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead documentary. My past lifestyle was full of poor eating habits and little to no exercise. Through this fast I am hoping that I can rejuvenate my body, get healthy and get off the road towards the diseases that obesity brings. Besides being overweight and a strong family history for diabetes, I have no health concerns. This is why I didn’t consult with a doctor prior to starting the fast. I am getting more and more concerned that I might be doing more harm than good with this fast based on some posts that I have read. For the most part I have been feeling great, more energy and my clothes are starting to fit much more loosley. I just want to make sure that I’m doing the right thing and not putting my body through too much at once. I know that I can’t undo a lifetime of bad habits in one ten day fast.
jenny sansouci says
Hi Scott, I would go based on how you feel. If you are starting to feel sick, spacey, or otherwise not good, I would advise to break the fast. Juice fasts can be great, but make sure you’re taking care of yourself first!