My word for this year is wellness. Now, wellness & health have always been a big part of my life, and I love nothing more than reading/listening/watching anything health related. But just because I have learned about it doesn’t necessarily mean I have tried it or put it into practice.

So this is the year that I am going to try them all! I kicked off this year with a juice cleanse 🧃. I have been making organic juices at home for years, but I have never done an actual juice cleanse. I picked the beginning of the year not because of the whole “new year, new you” but because January is after December. 

I have a rule for December “Enjoy it all .”The holiday season is full of cocktails, delicious foods & late nights. And I enjoy it all; I never shame myself for eating ten shortbread cookies in a row, or opps we drank the whole bottle of wine because I am spending time with the people I love and don’t always get to see.

So the timing for the cleanse was perfect & horrible. Let me explain. Perfect, because I “enjoyed” December, and horrible because I forgot my son had a hockey tournament, including a team dinner…So there is me out for dinner with 40+ people ordering perrier water because I am on a juice cleanse and participating in Dry January (no alcohol). To say I got a few side-eye glances is an understatement. 

The cleanse itself 👇🏻

After researching different cleanses, I settled on THE GREEN CLEANSE from Pulp & Press. There are a few reasons I picked this one, starting most notably that the juices are organic, cold-pressed & non-GMO, all things important to me. Green juices also have a lower glycemic index, enhance detoxification (especially in the liver!) & of course, the skin glow benefits!! You had to know that I would pick the one that tied into my love of radiant skin. 

I have read many horror stories about ravenous, bathroom-bound, and all-around miserable humans on a juice cleanse, and I am happy to report none of those things happened to me. Not to say it was all smooth sailing, but I envisioned something much worse. The first day was the worst; by 8:20 am, I wanted to bail (I have the text to prove it). I had already been up for 3 hours, and 8:30 was my usual breakfast time. But I couldn’t quit before I really started, right!?!

S0 I powered through by noon, and three juices later, I was in the groove of this no-food thing. One of the most significant components of the cleanse was the mindset; once I wrapped my head around that part, it became easier. I drank juice every two hours between 7 am – 7 pm for three days, had no side effects, and felt great overall—# WIN.

RESULTS ↓

• Didn’t kill anyone
• less bloated
• felt lighter overall
• My skin got a boost
• Felt a detoxifying effect

On my first day back to “real” food, I took it easy even though there was leftover pizza the boys had so rudely eaten in front of me the night before while I drank my last juice. But I didn’t abstain from food for three days to fall victim to the leftover pizza. I stuck to whole, healthy foods and have been riding that train since.