Day 1
I start my day with a bang: a shot of lemon juice, ginger and cayenne pepper. It’s the equivalent of lighting a firecracker inside your mouth and definitely jolts me awake. It’s how I kick-start the following five days.
I head to work with a few bottles in tow and quickly discover a theme that reoccurs throughout the entire five days: explaining to people that I’m on a juice cleanse, answering the why and what of it. If you need a good icebreaker at a party, inform people you’re doing a juice cleanse. The combination of the unknown with the slightly masochistic nature of a cleanse seems to be enthralling, and everyone has an opinion about juicing, good or bad.
The office is usually the Grand Central Station of temptation for me, but since this is Day 1, my willpower is fairly strong. After my third juice of the day, I realize that my body isn’t craving sustenance – in fact I never feel truly hungry throughout the entire five days – but my soul is left wanting. My gaze lingers on a co-worker’s hot sandwich for longer than is appropriate. A bag of almonds looks as tempting as a bowl of Skittles. After declining a second invitation to Starbucks for a caffeine infusion, I realize how socially debilitating this cleanse is going to be. Once work is completed, I head home (a safe haven from coffee breaks and communal chocolates) and have dinner: a beet, carrot, orange, cucumber, ginger and lemon concoction.
Day 2
Today, Saturday, I feel lethargic, and I’m not sure if I should associate my lack of energy with the cleanse or with my general laziness. Whatever the reason, I spend most of the day in bed, leaving only to crack open a new bottle of juice or to go to the bathroom. Speaking of which, I’ve been going a lot, which isn’t surprising considering the amount of fluids I’ve been downing. What is surprising is that my stomach is feeling pretty settled. I had visions of a lot of time spent staring at the bathroom ceiling, but so far so good.
I Survived a Five-day Juice Cleanse
Michael is a graduate from the BCIT Broadcast Journalism program and the former associate editor of BCLiving. When he’s not gaming, he’s watching sports, practicing yoga or enjoying a potent potable.
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