Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Getting Ready for {Juice Lovin}

Are you ready to rummmmble?

The last juice cleanse that we did together was crazy awesome. Oodles of lovely ladies and amazing gents, just like yourself, committed to cleanse with us.
Juices were being made left, right and center, lemons were squeezed countrywide and many green leafy vegetable were consumed.
We (officially) rocked it.
We rocked it so good, that we decided to share the goodness with you!
So, we have a new group, a new plan, a new shopping list…
Let’s get this party started!
3-Day {Juice Lovin} Cleanse – Meal Plan

The fun begins Monday, June 21st. Are you with us? Yes?  Continue on then....
Follow these 3 steps to make the most of your juice cleanse experience:
1.      Purchase your produce using this shopping list.
2.      Make three 64-ounce juices a day, sit back, and let the cleansing begin.
3.      Going longer than 3-days?  Check out our 10-day menu at www.thebellyfitclub.com


Answers to your questions:
·         What is a juice cleanse? 
It is where a person consumes only fresh vegetable juices, fruit juices and water for a period of a few days to a few weeks.

·         Why do you cleanse? 
I use juice cleansing as a reset button for my digestion. I’ve practiced Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter cleansing for many years and find that my body does best with a 3-10 day cleanse every 3 months.

·         Can I expect to lose weight? 
You may lose a bit of water weight in 3 days, yet it will likely bounce right back to your normal weight once you’ve come off the cleanse. Going more than 5 days?  Most of the weight lost after 5 days will remain off if you follow a healthy lifestyle like our Jumpstart Plan after the cleanse.  Juice cleansing (at least for me) is not about weight loss, nor is this program targeted to promote weight loss in any way, shape, or form.  

·         Is this program safe for me? 
It’s best to check with your health care provider before you begin a cleansing regimen.

Everyone, including myself raves about how great the cleanses on PureBODY are, yet there are some side effects you need to be aware of.

There are many wonderful benefits to cleansing. Yet, there are some side effects that you should be aware of before you choose to start it.

Cravings are normal. Some of the most common cravings are generally for greasy foods such as pizza and hamburgers, and for many people sugar. Although it is common to see a shift in your cravings as you go deeper in a Cleanse. I always seem to want whole wheat toast after the 3rd day. It's important not to give in to such cravings, and keep in mind that the cravings are the worst on the first and second day. Once you get past those it does get better and easier.

Another side effect of a Cleanse is energy fluctuation. Although this cleanse detoxifies your body and gives you more energy in the long run, initially people may experience tiredness and fatigue. The reason for this is that the body will divert all its energy to healing and detoxifying the system. That means that people on a Cleanse may have less energy available for daily activities. The good news is that, in most cases, tiredness during a Cleanse only lasts for a day or two. It usually occurs several days into the process. Due to energy fluctuations, people may also experience mood swings and general irritability.
Fluctuation in blood pressure, nausea and physical aches and pains are the most serious side effects of any cleanse.
Usually those effects only occur in rare cases where a person's body is severely toxic to begin with.

The main purpose a Cleanse is to remove toxins and waste material from the body. Many of the toxins and wastes involved are acidic. Due to the acid content in them, people on a Cleanse may experience some heat and discomfort during bowel movements. This does not happen in all cases. However, when it does happen, it is actually useful because it is a clear sign that toxins are being flushed out in significant amounts.
While on a Cleanse, many people drink an herbal laxative tea. The idea of the tea is that it assists the cleansing process by stimulating the colon and moving waste material through the body and out faster. The obvious side effect of that is that people need to use the bathroom frequently and with little warning when on a Cleanse.  The tea, called Smooth Moves, is optional. Yet, I would recommend it to be taken on the first day.
That is a side effect which people should be especially aware of if they are going to be out in public for long periods of time. The herbal laxative tea can also cause some stomach cramping.

As I mentioned above going on a Cleanse will cause your body to force out built up waste, and it does this in many different ways. The obvious ways this detoxing happens is when you go to the bathroom, but you might also experience:

·         Heavy sinus draining
·         Excessive ear wax
·         Sweating
·         White coating on your tongue
·          
That last one the "white coating on your tongue" is a good way to measure the effectiveness of the cleanse. When the white coating fades away and your tongue turns pink it's usually a sign that your body is free of internal waste.
Some people on a Cleanse also have described mild swollen glands and cold-like symptoms that last for a day or two.  This is all a sign that the Cleanse is working.
Anyone who is used to having a lot of caffeine in their system from things, such as coffee, also may experience caffeine withdrawal headaches when they go on a Cleanse. That problem is usually most prevalent during the first few days of a Cleanse.
Although most of these side effects are mild and don't occur in all people, it is wise to be aware of them before starting the process.

I know everyone like to talk about all the good things that happen when you do the Cleanse, and believe me there's A LOT of good things that happen when you do the cleanse. I just wanted to give you the other side of the story. I hope this doesn't scare anyone and keep them from trying a Cleanse because as I said there's a lot of good things to be had by doing it. Just keep in mind that it's can be difficult at times, but it's well worth it.
If you want to reduce these side effects to the bare minimum I will show you ways to reduce or eliminate the most common side effects when they arise.

 Why Green Juices During A Juice Cleanse?
While doing a juice cleanse you will be taking in nothing but
fresh, living and raw juices. During this time your body will be detoxifying, cleansing, repairing rebuilding and getting everything it needs from an abundant source of nutrients that will be entering your body by way of juices! When a lot of us first heard about a juice cleanse or juicing in general I am sure the first juices that popped into our minds were fruit juices. There is nothing wrong with having a fruit juice here and there and they do taste absolutely amazing!Fruit juices do contain plenty of nutrition themselves, but also come with a lot of extra sugar that in large quantities can be detrimental for our bodies overall health. When juicing you are taking most of the insoluble fiber out of equation and even though there is still soluble fiber left. A lot of what remains when juicing fruits is sugars.Insoluble fibers help our bodies to digest foods at a slower pace so that sugars take a lot longer to digest. This is a good thing when relating to sugary fruit juices as large spikes in our blood sugar can be not so good for health and for diabetics it can be downright dangerous.Fruit juices can be a good introduction or also a way to help our palates adjust to the stronger flavors of green juices and can definitely be mixed in with our juices in smaller amounts during times where we are making juice our main form of nutritional intake.
When doing a juice cleanse and especially when doing a 
juicecleanse for an extended period of time. You will want to 
be sure that the majority of your juice is coming from 
vegetables and especially from leafy green vegetables.
Now we get to the good stuff!
The reason for this is that leafy green vegetables contain so 
much more of all of the nutrients your body needs without the extra sugars that are in fruits. Green juices contain many major nutrients; trace nutrients, a whole lot of chlorophyll, living enzymes, probiotics, and antioxidants. Not only this, but they contain amino acids in larger quantities which when combined build proteins!When it comes to leafy green vegetables the darker the better! Darker leafy greens tend to be more nutrient dense and so be sure to include things like Kale, Chard and Collard Greens into your juices. Lesser known, but packed with nutrients as well are other greens such as Bok Choy (Pak Choi), Beet Greens, Turnip Greens, Dandelion Greens, Arugula, Cilantro and many other herbs and lettuces as well! Sprouts are also a great and amazing source of green nutrition that you can utilize during a juice cleanse or in any juice!  When doing a juice cleanse you are feeding your body nothing, but readily available nutrient dense nutrition in the form of liquid juice! This means that your body does not have to take all of that extra time to digest this food and can take the nutrition directly from the source!

This abundance of living raw nutrition gives your body 
everything it needs and more. The rest and nutrition your 
bodies organs and other systems get during a juice cleanse 
gives them time to recover, rebuild and strengthen from all of the toxic damage that other foods or our environment has 
done.
Green juices play a major role in this and you cannot do a juice cleanse effectively without them. If you have not done a juice cleanse before or have not been juicing a whole lot as of yet and you have a harder time with the flavor of green juices. Warm yourself up to them slowly by starting to include them in your juices.

When I first began juicing the flavors of some of the leafy greens were very strong to my palate and it definitely took me some time to adjust. What helped me get into them quicker is that I started looking into their nutritional benefits and found out that they truly are unbelievable!
I have slowly gotten to a place in my own life where I am aware that what I put into my body effects my entire well being, my daily energy as well as my attitude, health and entire outlook on life. Over time and honestly most of the time right as I am having a juice I can feel the change it is making in my body. This stuff literally is liquid green gold! The more I have felt these changes, the more I just want to get this stuff into my body. This feeling and knowing what it is doing for my body is a huge part of what helped me to get used to the flavors of darker leafy greens in the beginning.
Now I am at a place where I absolutely love the flavor of green juices and can a lot of the time drink them straight. Our website  can give you some more ideas and ways to help you move onto some of the stronger more nutrient dense green juices that you will want to include in your juice cleanse or your daily life. Your body will thank you and your life will be more enriched as a result! Have a great day and may all of your juices be great!

PURE BODY by TBFC is a source of information only. The information contained on this page should by no means be considered a substitute for the advice of a qualified medical professional, who should always be consulted before beginning any new diet or exercise program. TBFC disclaim any liability for any adverse effects arising from the use or application of the information contained herein. 

Sincerely, ~The Belly Fit Club


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