SOL CLEANSE

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Week after week I promise myself I am going to have a green smoothie each morning...and most mornings I run out of time. Smoothie-making and juicing is time-consuming, messy and with all the information out there about fruit to vegetable ratio, natural sugars and the latest superfood supplements - it can be confusing to say the least. So when the ladies from Sol Cleanse - a Gold Coast based juice cleanse company - contacted me to try one of their 3-day juice detoxes I jumped at the chance.
The best thing about Sol Cleanse? They hand-deliver fresh, cold-pressed juices to your door (one delivery for a 3-day cleanse and two deliveries for a 5-day) the night before you start your detox. Waking up to a fridge full of delicious juices that you can drink on the run makes the cleansing process so convenient and easy. Well, EASIER anyway...

DIARY OF A JUICE CLEANSE

MONDAY 5pm: Hand-delivery from one of the gorgeous creators of sol-cleanse, Ally, whom personally delivers a cooler-bag containing eighteen brightly coloured cold-pressed organic juices in cute jars, along with a meditation and yoga DVD, stripe paper straws for each juice and information. She tells me I can drink coconut water throughout the cleanse and if I am feeling desperate I can have a handful of nuts. I am excited and looking forward to starting my cleanse in the morning!
TUESDAY 6am: First juice of the cleanse – lemon and cayenne pepper – completely delicious and a refreshing way to start the day. I am already staring at our Nespresso machine with lustful eyes because my morning coffee ritual really is one of my favourite parts of the day but I don’t do it. I know my body needs this.
9am: My second cleanse of the day tastes like watermelon and it is delicious! Admittedly I am beginning to feel hungry but I decide to take the boys for a walk to the Bird Sanctuary instead and end up staying there all morning.
11am: Sit down with the boys while they eat some snacks and have two coconut waters. I am beginning to feel hungry and tired so I have another juice – a green one - which is once again, delicious!
1am: Walk home from the sanctuary and feel completely exhausted…and my stomach is making some strange noises telling me to feed it. I have another juice (beetroot), put the boys to bed and collapse on the couch for two hours and try to read some magazines but I just can’t concentrate. I scroll through Instagram instead and realise I follow about thirty food accounts - why do I follow so many food accounts?! I throw my phone and decide to just sleep instead until the boys wake up.
3pm: I force myself to get up off the lounge and drink another green juice and give myself a lecture - I can do this. I CAN DO THIS. I drag myself around the house and I have no idea how I made it to 7pm and got the boys bathed, feed and into bed but I did it.
7pm: I have my final juice and I go straight to bed. I am starving, weak and very emotional. I just want this day to be over.
WEDNESDAY 6am: I wake up feeling better, however the hunger pains are still there and the coffee withdrawals are beginning to take effect. I have a dull headache but I drink two juices straight up to try to fill me up and give me some energy to get through the day.
8am: I drink another juice. I am starving and my headache is getting worse. I know I should get the boys out of the house but I just have no energy so we stay home for the morning. I lay on the lounge and watch them play/fight to rest my head because I don’t want to have pain killers on an empty stomach.
9am: I have another juice. I am beginning to wonder how I am going to get through the rest of the day. I have already had four of my juices and I am weak and exhausted – it's only 9am. I begin to panic a little so I ring the boy's Nana to come and take one of them so I can have a sleep hoping it will give me some energy.
11am: I wake up on the lounge tired, groggy and my headache is worse. My coffee withdrawals are well and truly in full swing. I decide to have another juice and a handful of almonds so I can have some pain-killers for my headache. I look around the house at the mess I am too tired to clean and think about all the things I was supposed to do and haven’t done and the fact that I only have one juice left and…I freak out. I cry. I can’t do this. I cannot get through this day.
12am: I call my partner and he tells me a day and a half is still an achievement and to stop being so hard on myself. So, I get out last nights roast lamb and eat two bowls. I immediately feel so much better. And so much happier. Then, I go to our Nespresso machine and make myself a coffee. It is heaven.


WHAT I DID WRONG
Um, everything?
I chose the wrong cleanse program. I choose the Level 3: Go Green cleanse which is the highest level cleanse containing six juices and a detox tea - and clearly states is recommended for an experienced detoxer. I am not an experienced detoxer and I remembered why this is when I was starving by 9am on the first day. Level 1 and 2 contain nut milk, soup and smoothies and I think would have been more suitable for me.

• I was cocky. I thought that because I had cut out sugar and drank green smoothies suddenly that meant I could function on six juices a day. Hmmm not really.

• I was already feeling run-down and unmotivated before the cleanse because we went out drinking and dancing until 4am the weekend before and as a result I consumed processed foods, caffeine and sugary treats. Sol Cleanse recommends you eat clean and light meals and avoid alcohol and caffeine in the lead up to your cleanse.

• I expelled a large amount of energy at the beginning of my cleanse by walking to and around the Bird Sanctuary for several hours - big mistake!

TIPS!

• Pick the RIGHT cleanse. Research which cleanse would suit you here.

• Make sure you feeling healthy within your body and mind BEFORE you start the cleanse. Don’t use this cleanse as a way to ‘fix’ something. Cleanses are hard. And for the love of god if you have had a big weekend and believe the cleanse will make you feel better – it won’t. Wait a few days until you are feeling on top of things again.

• BE ORGANISED. Get your washing done, wash your sheets, do the food shopping, clean the bathroom, make that phone call, pay the bills, do that thing you were supposed to do so you are not obsessing about them.
• If you’re a Mother – I would time it on a Kindy day or a day off so that you are able to rest if you need too. When I do the cleanse again (and I will!) I am going to do it over the weekend so I have the support of my partner. Running around after kids and only consuming juices is just not fun and emotions run high!
• If you have a coffee addiction (like I do) try to cut back on your coffee intake in the lead up to your cleanse, and be prepared. It hurts a bit.

I know what you are thinking – wow! You have made it sound like so much fun! Not quite huh?

One of my friends recently completed a Sol Cleanse detox and she is RAVING about it so I asked her a few questions about her experience below just so I don't scare you off! I also had a chance to ask the co-owner Allie a few questions to find out why the pain is SO worth it!

Paris Lucas, co-owner of You and Me Boutique

What cleanse did you do?
I did the 3 day level 1 cleanse - it included juices, smoothies, lentil soup and nut milk. The soup was DELISH and I saved my nut milk for dessert which was super yummy.
Why did you do the cleanse, what were you hoping to gain from it?
I have never done a detox before and have just been feeling really tired, bloated and yucky for a while now. I did the cleanse to give my body a little holiday and start a fresh.
How did you prepare yourself before the cleanse?
My BFF & business partner Abby decided last sunday to give it a go and started cleansing on tuesday. So monday was spent eating smaller healthier meals, no caffeine and reminding ourselves this is all mind over matter and we can do it if we believe we can
Did you have any weak moments? Was it difficult for you?
First day went very well for me, I felt full as I was constantly consuming liquid (herbal tea in between my juices). Day two afternoon I was a bit week. I was up for work at 3am that day so by 3pm with no food was testing. A herbal tea and my soup and nut milk soon fixed that and day 3 I was feeling fresh, clear and happy.
How were your energy levels?
Surprisingly good! I am quite a tired person with low energy most days (I blame my job) but I was still able to do what I do day to day, pack orders for my online store at night and enjoy my play time with Zade.
You have recently cut out your daily coffee - do you think that helped you during the cleanse?
Absolutely. I think if I hadn't have quit the daily coffee there is no way I would've got through it. I realised I was addicted to coffee when it became the first think I thought about when I woke up. If I hadn't had one by 9am I had a splitting headache. I decided this was no way to live so went cold turkey and pushed through 3 days of headaches. I can now sleep better and give myself coffee as a treat on a weekend or certain days instead of a NEED.

Finally - HOW DO YOU FEEL?
After the cleanse I felt amazing! My mind felt so clear and I was lighter. I don't own scales so I'm not sure about weight loss but I just felt better. During the 3 days I keep dreaming out all the delicious food I would eat on friday when i finished. Once friday rolled around I didn't want food. I was totally over cravings or hunger. I ended up having a smoothie and a small salad at dinnertime. It's very funny Abby and I have been texting and saying we wish we were still on the cleanse! I would definatley do it again. I felt very positive and powerful during the 3 days. Alot people I spoke to to were very dramatic about it "I would DIE without food for 3 days' 'You will starve! You are crazy!" But I didn't die, nor starve... 6 yummy juices a day for 3 days can be done. It's not your tummy that needs controlling it's your mind.

Allie, co-owner of Sol Cleanse.

What is the point of a juice cleanse?
The point of a juice cleanse is to give your body, minds and spirit a much deserved break. Overtime in everyone's lives we begin to build up toxins within our body. Doing a juice cleanse is a great way to rid the body of toxins. 80% of our energy is spent on digestion. When we juice cleanse we eliminate heavy digestion so that our bodies energy can go to healing and repairing the different areas of the body such as the immune system, lymphatic system etc. When our body begins to heal on a physical level our minds become quieter, clearer and more peaceful. When our bodies feel healthy and bright, and our minds are peaceful and clear we can than connect deeper to our spiritual self and allow your true self to shine. We believe a juice cleanse is a holistic experience of healing and nourishing mind, body and spirit.
How should you prepare yourself for a cleanse? (Mentally and physically)
To get the most out of your cleanse, we suggest that you are conscious about what you eat leading into and after the cleanse. The amount of time doing this is up to you… try for at least 3 days before and after, but who knows, after the cleanse you may love it so much you may eat like this indefinitely! Before the cleanse, eating healthfully will help to prepare your body for the cleanse. This means that the cleanse will be easier for you – you will have already gone through any withdrawals associated with eliminating things like coffee and sugar, and your cravings for unhealthy foods will have started to reduce.

INTERESTED?

Well I have some great news! Sol Cleanse is offering all Treasure Yourself Project members 50% off all juice detoxes until the end of April! (Cleanses start on Tuesdays and Fridays) to receive your 50% off code please head over to the TYP Facebook group here.

Image via Weheartit