5 things I learned from a 3 day juice cleanse
New month, new season. 1 March was approaching and I decided to turn a page having felt sluggish, foggy and addicted to caffeine for around 4 months. In November we had just gotten a new puppy, our sweetie pie Rey, who is the light of my life but I’d be lying if I said she didn’t turn my beloved routine on its head causing me to prop my days up with coffee.
I decided to go for a ‘Level 1 lighten up’ 3 day Juice cleanse created by the beautiful Sol Cleanse. I opted to do my cleanse over the weekend Friday-Sunday inclusive where I could control my rest and make sure I didn’t have anywhere to be or anything to do, unsure of where my energy levels would land.
This wasn’t a lifestyle juice cleanse to be posted all over the social media this was just for me but wow, aren’t they a lovely sight. When they arrived I couldn’t quite believe the radiance and colour of the juices. Little bottles of nature time stamped. Stunning.
On the Menu
Delivered in a beautifully cooled box were 5 juices to consume per day and one hearty soup. Each day would start and end with probiotics, psyllium husk and in the mornings a spicy metabolism booster called ‘energise’ containing lemon and cayenne pepper.
I enjoyed making the soup into a sit-down meal for dinner on days one and three and for lunch on day two. In between juices, I’d be drinking 2–3 glasses of water or the herbal tea to ‘soothe detox symptoms’ that accompanied the cleanse.
My favourite juice was ‘Peace’ pictured below — a cold pressed blend of cashew, vanilla, maca powder, dates and filtered water. On days two and three I did miss my coffee ‘event’ a little but this blend had me head over heels. I would look forward to it each day on the cleanse and can safely say I’d swap a coffee for a cup of peace any day.
1. It was hard not to be happy
I decided to drop caffeine about 2–3 weeks before the cleanse anyway — with a goal in mind to improve sleep quality and decrease stress levels. So, by the time the cleanse arrived I was sleeping like a baby! 8–9 hours of quality sleep each night combined with deeply nourishing juices and a restful weekend meant that each morning of the cleanse I would wake up feeling brand new and not needing to routinely duck out for coffee to start my day.
By the evening of day two I was bouncing off the walls — energy wise. To the point where a family member said ‘I want what she’s on!’ over a sit down dinner table of take out that I had zero interest in. With no sugar, caffeine, unhealthy foods and no energy spent on heavy digestion I felt like my body was humming with a mood to match.
Apart from a light, day two evening headache that I was very aware of, there were no detox symptoms I couldn’t heal with a soothing cup of tea. No arguments, no cranky or tired Caro in sight. Just a very self aware person dialled into understanding what her body needs and when.
2. I was eating way too much and not enough good stuff
Having finished the cleanse, I have come to learn that I was eating far too much in each meal. I’m no expert but I know the concept of a gastric sleeve leaves you feeling very full very quickly with a smaller stomach and that’s only what I can compare it to. They say to introduce only fruits, vegetables and non processed foods after your cleanse and the first meals back with my ‘usual’ serving meant I didn’t even come close to finishing.
In the meals after the cleanse, I quickly became full and knew my body didn’t need any more. I don’t know if that’s appetite related or physical changes to volume but … experts — school me!
Regardless, its’ been a real eyeopener to consciously eating only what’s needed, when it’s needed.
3. My long term neck & shoulder pain resolved
I have had a sore neck and right shoulder for about 3 months and feel like I had tried just about everything to work out the cause of it. As an active person, over time I increased overall activity levels, slowed down, included more exercises that I know help my usual neck/shoulder twangs, got massages, explored changes to sleep habits and diet … all with no resolve. I eventually gave up and put it down to getting older but not feeling good in my body was truly becoming a source of minor miserableness.
Thinking nothing of it — I woke up on day two of the cleanse to take my pup for a routine walk (about the only exercise I could muster while on the cleanse) and turned my head up the road, wincing and bracing for the soreness I haven’t been able to budge.
NO PAIN….?
I initially put this down to my body healing and the first time in a long time without caffeine, luscious volumes of water, incredible sleep and nutrient-filled rest. I’m sure all of those things helped but it wasn’t until I was reading into one of Sol’s article that I noticed ‘referred neck pain’. OOOooo.
Since then, I have been fascinated to learn more about referred pain and the connection between liver / gall bladder / bile duct inflammation. In my case at least, undertaking this lovely detox process has resulted in the pain going away. I don’t drink alcohol or smoke so can only assume it’s a lack of nutritious food intake and a combination of not-so-good habits.
WOW. So much relief.
Again — experts — please school me!?
4. There was certainly a post cleanse purge
I’ve had colonics before, regularly, but there is something extra valuable in creating a deep detoxification process from the inside out. I’ll spare you the details and keep this one short but during — and moreso in the days following the cleanse — my body got rid of what I can only assume were all the toxins flushed throughout the cleanse.
I’ll just say I feel really great and will keep a close eye on what I consume in all different ways.
5. My body said ‘no’ to caffeine and other things, post cleanse
A cleanse with Sol Cleanse wasn’t just a delivery of juices. Included in the cleanse were incredible meditations and breath work exercises. One of them was a meditation to connect with your body and understand how foods make your body feel. There was a prompt to understand, in your body, what a “yes” feels like and what a “no” feels like.
I thought I missed coffee during the cleanse but I realised I just miss the morning ritual and not how it makes me feel. I thought I’d be bounding back to the coffee store to pick up my takeaway but was met with a clear ‘NOPE’ from my body that opted for a home-prepped smoothie instead.
Conclusion
I have read so much over the years about gut health and digestion. I thought I was doing okay and I understood most of it but it turns out you can always make small tweaks for improvement. It’s not until you’re on the other side of a cleanse you truly appreciate the body and all it can do so a cleanse is certainly something I will be scheduling in quarterly with my cycle ♡
