Are you thinking about doing a juice cleansing fast, but aren't quite sure how to get started?
A juice cleansing fast can be a beneficial way to clean up your diet, kickstart your weight loss, journey, or improve your overall health. But, before you dive headfirst into your cleanse, there are some things you need to know.
Check out this guide to discover the top tips for an effective juice cleansing fast.
1. Prepare for the Cleanse
In order for your cleanse to be successful, you need to make sure you prepare for it properly.
While it can be tempting to go out with a bang by gorging on all of your favorite junk foods, this may lead to sickness from the detox symptoms. So, instead of going from 0 to 100, we recommend transitioning from your regular diet into a cleaner diet during the weeks leading up to the cleanse.
Focus on incorporating raw fruits and veggies into all of your meals, and slowly start reducing your portion sizes. We also recommend incorporating regular, non-strenuous exercise into your routine and drinking plenty of water to flush out the toxins.
By doing these things, you'll reduce the likelihood of experiencing unwanted side effects such as nausea, fatigue, extreme hunger, dizziness, and more.
2. Plan Out Your Meals
You're a lot more likely to stick to your juice cleanse if you have everything planned out ahead of time.
If you come home famished after a long day without a juice ready, then there's a good chance that you're going to reach for a bag of chips or a candy bar and sabotage your cleanse.
To prevent this from happening, we recommend planning out all of the juices you're going to consume as well as when you're going to consume them.
One of the best ways to make planning easy is to purchase a juice detox program, in which all of the juices are prepared for you. This way, instead of slaving away over your juicer, all you need to do is grab a juice from your fridge and you'll be ready to go.
3. Eliminate Temptation
For many people, the hardest part of a juice cleanse is dealing with the temptation to eat other foods, especially junk foods.
To make this less of a temptation, we recommend removing tempting foods from your home. This doesn't mean you need to throw out everything in your pantry and fridge.
However, you should place anything that will tempt you in a spot where you can't see it or easily reach it. If it's out of sight and out of mind, you'll be a lot less likely to cave.
4. Watch Your Calorie Intake
When doing a juice cleanse, you still need to be mindful of how many calories you're consuming.
You don't want to be consuming so few calories that you're having trouble functioning. On average, women need around 2,000 calories to maintain their weight, while men need around 2,500. Of course, this number varies depending on height, weight, and activity level.
If you're trying to lose weight, the absolute bare minimum number of calories women should consume is 1,200, while men should consume 1,600 at a bare minimum.
Try to make sure you're hitting these numbers on your juice cleanse.
5. Stay Hydrated
Throughout your cleanse, it's also very important that you stay properly hydrated.
Drinking plenty of water can:
- Help stave off hunger between juices
- Refresh and re-energize your cells
- Remove toxins in your body
- Help maintain blood sugar balance
If you find drinking plain water to be boring, then we recommend spicing it up by adding a squeeze of lemon or chopping up some mint and cucumber to place in your water.
6. Exercise Wisely
During a juice cleanse, you're likely not going to be consuming as many calories and as much protein as you normally do. Therefore, your energy levels are likely going to be lower.
While exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, we recommend taking your exercise routines down a notch during your juice cleanse. Instead of pumping weights or going for a long run, we recommend going for a walk or going for a light swim.
And, you should only do these activities if you're feeling up for it. If you find that you're wiped out during the cleanse, then allow your body to rest.
7. Take Stretch Breaks
Even if your energy levels are low during your cleanse, we still recommend taking stretch breaks every hour or so.
Even just five minutes of stretching will get your blood flowing. This can help decrease fatigue, get your heart rate up, and increase your energy levels.
You can do your own stretching routine, or you can follow along with a stretching video on Youtube.
8. Get Plenty of Sleep
Sleep is another very important component of a juice cleansing fast.
Inadequate sleep has been connected to weight gain, higher stress levels, and other issues with health. Additionally, a good night's rest gives your body the time it needs to eliminate toxins.
Most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night for optimal health. If you have trouble falling asleep, make sure you're turning all electronics off at least an hour before bedtime. Additionally, keep your room at a cool temperature and go to bed at the same time each night.
9. Know How to Break the Cleanse
In order for your juice cleanse to be successful, you also need to know how to properly end it.
Just as we don't recommend kicking off your cleanse with an overly-indulgent meal, so too don't we recommend ending your cleanse with one.
To successfully end your juice cleanse, we recommend slowly reintroducing healthy, solid foods into your diet. You can do this by eating soft foods like soup or oatmeal, drinking smoothies, or eating watery fruits.
Are You Ready for Your Juice Cleansing Fast?
By following these tips, your juice cleansing fast should be a huge success.
Want to learn more about how a juice fast works? If so, we recommend checking out this guide.
