I heard that juicing detoxes your insides until they sparkle. Naturally, I did my research, talked to my friends and started my first cleanse 5 years ago. People have a lot of opinions about juice cleanses, but I can only share my experience. First, to set the record straight, I don’t do this to lose weight. You can’t lose weight that will stay off, in 3 days. That comes from hard work. The idea of being able to flush your system for 3 days? Yea, now that’s something I get out of juicing.

The one thing that I wish I had found when doing my research was the truth. All you read about is the end result, which trust me, is great, but I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. No one ever talks about what to expect.

• The first day is the hardest. You tend to think about the food you could be eating, and the caffeine you need to keep you alive. This too shall pass, it gets easier.
• You have to pee every 20 minutes. Maybe it was just me, but it hadn’t dawned on me prior to my first cleanse that I may need to “go” more than usual.
• Chewing. You will miss chewing. Our bodies are actually addicted to having to chew, who knew?
• Peer pressure. For some reason it’s going to feel like you’re missing out on all the fun. Just pause. Reschedule for when you’re off the juice.
• Day three you will feel better than ever, I like to call it freedom. You feel energized and cleansed. You no longer need to worry about your meals, you actually gain a few hours in the day.

I hope I didn’t scare you with ‘what to expect’, because I really do want to make a point to tell you that juicing has changed my life. I do it a couple times a year, and I incorporate it into my regular diet. Sometimes I’ll skip a meal and just have a juice instead. So… here are some tips I’ve picked up over the years:

• Water with lemon. You know you’re supposed to drink a lot of water while cleansing, but if you add lemon it really helps with the flush.
• Plan. Figure out your juice times in advance, that way they’re evenly spaced out during the day, and you don’t even need to think about it.
• The green juices are best when really cold. You can always add ice.
• Phone a friend. If you know that you’re going to need some help throughout the process, ask someone to do it with you.

My last piece of juicing wisdom is to share my go-to cleanse which is Blue Print. They make it super simple to figure out your schedule, each bottle is labeled with numbers, and the last juice of the day even tastes like dessert.

My friends at BluePrint are offering a 25% discount, now through Tuesday, January 20, 2015, when you use code SOCOZY25 at checkout, enjoy!

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