14 Steps to Prepare Your For a Gentle Juice Cleanse
by Tera Warner and Kelly Cleason
A gentle juice cleanse is a powerful and effective way to simplify the way you eat, so you can amplify how you live! We are exposed to toxic substances such as carcinogens through the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. Two of the top causes of death worldwide are heart disease and stroke (with other cerebrovascular diseases). Both of these conditions can be affected by poor diet and lifestyle choices.
As you prepare for your upcoming green journey, here are a few tips to make the transition easier on you:
14 steps to guarantee your juice cleanse is a success.
1. Take a deep breath.
Thousands of like-minded individuals have successfully completed this program. You’re going to be ok!
2. Acknowledge your journey for what it is and will be.
We all participate in this cleanse for different reasons; therefore, the journey will be different for each one of us. Enjoy the process, and remember that perfection is the lowest possible standard, as there is no such thing as perfection. Comparing yourself to others is a trap of misery and frustration. Make this a journey for YOU!
3. De-clutter your home, especially your kitchen.
Having a clean, organized home will make juicing much easier for you. Having a kitchen free of grease splatters and the smells of cooked meals will create a relaxing space to begin your juicing.
4. Re-arrange your kitchen counters.
Place your juicer, cutting boards and knife sets in a central location, preferably near the sink. If possible, place containers of flour, sugar, coffee and pasta out of sight. Some participants find it helpful to move their coffee maker to a less-desirable, less-visible location, in order to help you abstain from this caffeinated beverage. Leave plenty of counter space for fresh produce and growing herbs, if space permits. The smell of fresh, live food will create an inviting kitchen space! Other equipment that may prove useful are a salad spinner, some sprouting jars with lids, strainers and veggie brushes.
5. Practice a few juices during transition week.
If juicing is a new concept to you, having the experience of preparing a few juices will empower you. Try a simple juice of carrots and citrus. It is refreshing and a wonderful juice to share with friends and family while you explain how your ways of eating will change for a few weeks. Involve your loved ones in preparing these first few juices. You may be surprised to find an ally in your own home!
6. Visit your local market with your ingredient lists.
Pay attention to the quality, source and price of the produce. Research your area to find local producers, farmers markets and produce co-ops. Remember: the less distance produce travels, the more nutrients it contains and the smaller its carbon footprint. Buying locally also aids in the local economy. Become a “localvore.”
7. Purchase a new journal.
Find a time that fits into your day when you can write about your day. How did you enjoy your juices? How did the prep go for the day? How did shopping go? Was there a good selection at the time you went to the store? How were your emotions today? How did your body feel? These are all wonderful considerations upon which to reflect as you change the way that you are eating.
Your journal doesn’t have to be gold- plated! Find a time during your day to journal about your emotions, trials and food experiences. What greens did you enjoy, and what greens could stand to be substituted? How did you find prepping today? How did your daughter’s bake sale go? Keeping a written record of this cleanse will allow you to revisit your journey and reflect on your relationship with food. Focus on these next ten days, and enjoy the process!
8. If you have not already done so, research water-purification systems.
A popular, low cost option is a hand-held Brita-type pitcher. Filtering water ensures that many pollutants and toxins found in tap water will not find their way into your body. Your liver and kidneys will be very busy eliminating toxins already found in your body and will thank you for the break! You can read the story of how I chose my water filter here!
9. Purchase a new water bottle.
Personally, I never leave the house without my Sigg bottle. I prefer metal water bottles, due to the possibility of chemicals leaching from plastic bottles, especially if the bottles are ever heated from washing or being in a hot car.
10. Reach out for support when you need it.
If you have questions about juice cleansing, please feel free to contact our coaching and support team.
If you know what you can expect, this will both empower you and educate you on the process. We offer free consultations and support for ANYONE who takes the time to fill out this toxicity test and tell us a little more about themselves!
11. Invest in self-care.
Experiment with self-care practices, such as self-massage and skin brushing. Caring for yourself (both emotionally and physically) will make this a more pleasurable, cleansing process. If you’ve never taken our Skin Care Secrets course, then it’s a super empowering program loaded with inspiration for self-care and natural beauty. Your skin will change during the course of a gentle juice cleanse and your investing a little more time and attention to your beauty bank is going to make you look and feel like a million bucks!
12. Allow yourself room in your daily schedule for rest and reflection.
This is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect your mind and body. And if you honor the opportunity to take your attention off constant eating and food preparation and planning, you’ll allow for some amazing experiences and realizations to occur.
But if you don’t make sufficient time for rest, relaxation and reflection, you’re not really cleansing your body at all. You’re asking it to do the “same old hustle” on half the calories. Make time every day (and ideally you can make it at about the same time every day) to rest, relax and recenter yourself. This is an amazing opportunity and you have so much to learn!
13. Consider a done-for-you menu planner.
In our gentle juice cleanse, we’ve made available to purchase three menu planners for before, during and after the juice cleanse. Whether you want to try one to ten days, these little menus planners are the perfect companion to your juice cleanse because they let you take your attention off worrying about the food and put it onto life and living it with a whole lot more confidence.
14. Most importantly, forgive yourself for slip ups.
There is no benefit to beating yourself up! If we all ate perfectly, there would be no need for cleanses such as this. Forgive yourself, and move on. Focus on the healthy choices that you made during the day. Even if you managed to include only one juice drink and 8 ounces of water, this is a huge improvement from fast food and soda! Tomorrow is another day and another option to start over. You are here: Focus on being present.
Try a Gentle Juice Cleanse For Radiant Health
For more tips and suggestions on successful juice cleansing, visit our Gentle Juice Cleanse! This program will guide you through ten days of lessons and support directed toward helping you prepare for your own juice cleanse. There are additional support materials available, such as menu planners, guides for cravings, emotional eating, and everything you need to be successful!