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| Before... |
1. I am cutting my hair!! Why? I have wanted to have long hair for a while which has seen me grow it and grow it but miss treat it until it has become long... but a mess! So as a symbol of blooming, of starting fresh and making new healthy changes into my life AND with a want of a new hair style and to have actual hair back... i finally cut it!!
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| My new hair cut <3 |
3. I am having a 3 day juicing cleanse!! I have never done one before but when it crossed my mind it became a necessity for me to do not just cleanse the toxins from my body, but to also cleanse and clarify my mind as i prepare for the new year and its changes ahead.
So starting this Saturday night, the 12th of January, i am starting a 3 day juicing cleanse! Would you like to join me?? Keep reading to hear about my why's and how's...
A juice cleanse is abstaining from food and drinking only fresh juice for an extended period of time to cleanse, heal and jump start health. A juice detox is not a starving or depriving oneself. It’s actually can quickly help your body’s abilty to heal, repair and rejuvenate. Knowing how to cleanse properly is key, and it’s not hard. The most important things to remember is you must prepare for your fast by eating a clean and light diet and also reintroduce food gently once the fast is over. Hence there are three parts to a juice diet - Easing in, the juice fast, and easing out. In planning for your juice fast, the first thing you need to decide is how long your juice fast will be. Juice fasts range anywhere from 1 day to 60 days and even longer. The most popular tend to be 3 day, 7 day, 14 day and 30 day juice fasts. The longer your juice fast, the longer your body will have to heal and cleanse. If you have a serious health condition or are on medications, you’ll want to talk to your doctor before starting.
Benefits of a juice cleanse
Studies have shown and doctors have observed that juice fasting accomplishes relief of symptoms for many people. Here is a list of a few things that fasting has proved beneficial for:
- Arthritis and joint pain
- Asthma
- ADD
- Blood sugar (hypo and hyperglycemia)
- Candida
- Chronic fatigue
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Gastrointestinal problems like colitis, crohn’s, diverticulosis, reflux, irritable bowel syndrome
- Breast cysts
- Fibromyalgia
- Bad breath
- Headaches
- Heavy metal poisoning
- High blood pressure
- Nausea
- Obesity
- PMS
- Prostate problems
- Vision problems
- Skin problems (like eczema, hives, psoriasis, dermatitis, psoriasis)
- Lung /breathing issues
- Urinary problems
How fasting works (Derived from 'All about Juicing')
Fasting spares your body from the big job and energy it takes to eat and digest food and expending the waste. By giving your body a break from this and automatically focuses the extra energy on cleansing (are bodies really are that smart!!).
During a fast, your body turns to the liver for an alternate fuel source, by converting your stored sugars into glucose. Usually by the third day, these sugars are used up, and starts using stored up fat as its source.(This is why it is usually recommended to stay on a juice diet for at least 3-5 days)
When this happens, the benefits start… as most toxins from the food we eat and air we breath deposit from our blood into our fat tissues, your body starts to breakdown and eliminate toxins in our fat stores as it uses our fats for energy. It reduces inflammation in the digestive tract, thins the blood (more oxygen is then delivered to your body through your blood stream), and more energy is available for other body systems to repair anything that’s wrong.It makes sense, right? Right! If you let your body heal, it will.
Because of our environment, how polluted our world and food have become, never has it been more important to full body detox. Pollution and lack of nutrition bring on health issues or worsens them. Cleansing the body through a juice diet is smart to do at least once a year.
At the very least, you could try a 3 day fasting cleanse or a 7 day detox. For the braver souls, 30 day and 60 day juice cleanses are also popular!
How will our body react and what to expect?? (Derived from 'All about Juicing')
Each person experiences a juice detox and juice fast side effects differently depending on their body, their past, current illnesses and eating habits. Successive cleanses are usually different then the first cleanse.
Minor ailments such as colds, fevers, skin spots, headaches, pimples/boils, fatigue, dizziness, sinus pressure, runny nose, loose or hard stools, low energy and body odor are extremely common.
The cleanse is like a time machine…it takes you back through old problems and you re-experience old conditions as you stir up old toxins in your body. Some people say that their juice fast side effect consist of having flashbacks of feelings or tastes. People that use to smoke cigarettes years ago say they can taste it in their mouth. People that had done recreational drugs feel a little high as the drugs get released from the fat cells in the body. Joints hurt and sinus problems re arise.
This is called a healing crisis. It’s a good thing. These detox symptoms are a sign that the body is cleansing. It is important to push through, remember - A little discomfort now will do a world of difference later!
This is not unusual or strange. Your body is going through a withdrawal of sugar, caffeine, processed foods, pollution, etc, at the same time stirring up toxins in the body. Keep in mind these are not because of the juice detox diet, it’s based off of what you've done to your body in the past.
This happens because one or more of your organs is forced to cleanse at an accelerated pace in order to deal with a large amount of wastes from tissues in the body. It causes discomfort. Some people experience discomfort for just a few minutes, some have symptoms that last hours. The longer and harder you have discomfort, the more you needed the juice detox.
Just keep in mind that you aren’t dying, you’re getting better!You can’t know what to expect, as small problems from the past could resurface as a bigger problem, possibly catching an early problem developing into a bigger issue someday. For me, i am a sweet tooth and i have no doubt that i will be resurfacing some refined sugar toxins accumulated over the past many years of satisfying my sweet love.
Most people say that they have one day during the juice diet is particularly hard to get through but it's common to feel good after 4-5 days. The first few days of any detox diet will be the days that your body will cleanse the most rapidly.
Other common changes that people experience as juice fast side effects (depending on individual variables and lifestyle) are:
- Menstrual cycle changes
- Bowel movements can smell foul
- Sinuses draining and mucus loosening in thought
- Extreme nausea enough to make you vomit. Most of the time, mucus is what is vomited and nausea dissipates. Drink ginger tea to help.
- Bad breath
- Worsening body odor
- Skin worsens (blotchy spots, acne, etc)
If it’s too much for you to handle, it is recommended to eat raw foods (like vegetable sticks or a raw salad), then starting up on the juice fast again. You could also start again at a later date when you feel stronger or more hopeful.
All of this said, it's different for everyone and many people experience good juice detoxes where only one or two of these symptoms appear and they feel happier, mind clearer, and get more energy every day! In the end, focus on the other side, picture yourself as a determine, committed and a healthier you! If you can, have a juice detox with a buddy to go through the same process together and tell each other how you feel, if you have different side effects (if any) look at each others lifestyle and make up and see if you can figure out how and why you experience it differently... And you will get through it :)
I think that is enough food (or juice :P) for thought for now... in my next post i will write about how to go about the juice cleanse and what juices i plan on making... all i can say now is i am glad i am planning it a few days in advance as i will need a big Vege shop up (Yay!!). For now i hope you might be inspired to join me on your own juice cleanse if not now than sometime in the not too distant future :)
Rockin Raw
Xox
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