I'm Ready to Chew Again!

This was it. The home stretch. I did it. I mean, I wasn't surprised that I did though. When I start something, I finish it. (And if I am spending as much money as I did here, you better believe I am not messing around.)  And although I was most definitely hungry (and a little lightheaded) on the last day of this cleanse, I can already feel the benefits of this. Get 'em giiirrrlllll.

On this final day I was beyond busy at work and just didn't have the time to really keep track of all the ridiculous thoughts through my head. Instead I think them, giggle at my ridiculousness, and move on. I actually think this was a good thing because I was slightly more irritable today so there were quite a few not-nice things going through this brain of mine. What I've written over the previous two days were super PG and tame for me and I didn't want to shock people too much with my brand of crazy, critical, and annoyance today. However, one thing that I did notice today, multiple times, was that I was hungry; especially at night. Like wanted to gnaw-my-own-hands-off hungry. Although full with liquid, my body craved food. Real solid food. And healthy food at that...Avocado, tomato, bananas, quinoa, etc... Yum, yum. Can't wait.

On the last day of this cleanse, I also felt like my senses had been heightened too, especially my sense of smell. I am usually a "smell person" and can smell most things before anyone else in a room, but the last few days I have been even more aware of certain odors, especially those of the food variety. I feel like that is to be expected though, so I accepted it and continued on my merry liquid way.

Throughout this cleanse, I have answered many questions from people about it as well as taken some unsolicited opinions on it. Many people have their own opinions on cleanses ranging from their health benefits to the price, but basically they also wanted to know why I did this, how I felt, and what I was getting out of it. So in true me fashion, I made a list of the pros and cons of this juice cleanse and how it affected ME. I mean, after all, this blog is all about me. Duh.  

CONS:
1) I couldn't work out. This part killed me the most because exercise is such a big part of my life. (And my mental well-being). Although I was pretty energetic the past three days, I didn't want to risk taking a spin class or going for a run for fear of passing out or going so hard that I end up being hungry later on. Wasn't worth it to me.

2) I missed chewing. A lot. Although BluePrint allows some "cheating" while on this cleanse (a few celery stalks or cucumbers slices, a quarter of an avocado, or warm low-sodium veggie broth), I opted not to do this because I am a "go hard or go home" type of girl and with this, I was going hard. I didn't want to cheat at all. I was all-in. As I've stated before, I once again realized how much chewing food helps keep the teeth clean. Not chewing for three days, no matter how often you brush, makes your teeth feel grimy.

3) It is expensive. I won't tip-toe around this. However, this is the only body I have so treat I want to pamper it from time to time (in addition to my expensivo workout classes). Sure, I could have bought a juicer and all the produce and make these for yourself, but in the words of my girl Sweet Brown, "Aint nobody got time fo dat." 

PROS:
1) I like the feeling of not thinking about meals and stuff. This was all done for me by the lovely people at Blueprint. The juice was stocked in the fridge, numbered, and ready to go. The only thinking I really had to do was timing the juices out properly. I think I did a fairly good job with this considering these three days have not been my regular work schedule.

2) It was once again a good reminder I will not pass out or die if I don't eat every two hours or so. I'll be okay as long as I am putting nutritious, "clean" food into my body. By doing this cleanse, I now have the reset I needed and squashed any desires to put crap in my body. It gave me some control back in my life with food. I am someone who is so disciplined when it comes to exercise and so many other aspects in my life, but when it comes to food, it always seems like a losing battle. This cleanse was to help me gain back some of that power that I have lost recently. Although I have been eating significantly cleaner and healthier overall lately, I have absolutely no desire to put such stuff as alcohol or french fries in here for a while. Will it happen soon? Probably. Maybe. Eventually.  But not for a few weeks at least.

3) I feel pretty strong mentally in the sense of being on the right path of achieving my goals. This small little goal of completing another three day cleanse was a nice stepping stone to help me with the bigger ones. It made me excited to get out there and continue to resistance and weight train, to run faster, and to improve my plank time. I want to do these things and do them well! Although my body wants those same exact things too, sometimes my mind gets cloudy, frustrated, and overwhelmed. Although this cleanse wasn't a cure for all my inner demons about my body, I feel like it improved my morale a tad. My energy levels are high, but I honestly, I don't feel as rejuvenated as I did last time around, but something is better than nothing.

So there you have it. Three days, no chewing, no food, and lots of peeing. And of course tons of self-control. So would you do a cleanse after reading this? If you've done one before, did my experience parallel yours at all? Of course, if you have any questions about this cleanse (or the Cooler Cleanse), holler at me in the comments as I am happy to answer any and all questions.