detox

Tomorrow I begin a 3 day juice cleanse. Horrid sounding isn't it? Not so. At our yoga studio we do a juice cleanse every quarter. I jump in when I can, as training can be tricky to fit in around it.

There are a thousand juice cleanses out there, a billion detox diets, and I don't believe in any of that stuff. So why would I believe in this one? Because I know it from the inside out.

This particular cleanse was created by my boss, friend, guru, Breathe Owner Cyndi Weis, who is a Registered Dietitian and the brains behind Breathe. She has over 15 years of experience in real world nutrition. She specializes in eating disorders and in sports nutrition. If you have ever had the honor of attending one of her nutrition seminars you will agree..... she makes things very easy. She offers no gimmicks and no tricks. Her nutrition advice has helped me immensely through the years.

The Breathe Juice Cleanse consists of 6 20 ounce prepared and blended juices per day. These are all organic and nutrient dense. All are made fresh.... no powders or anything artificial. They are so nutrient dense I find them hard to finish! Have them hot, have some cold. Check out our menu here.

To supplement the juices you eat fresh fruits and veggies all day long. In total there are plenty of calories but what is crucial is that it gives your body a chance to rid itself of the toxins that we build up through consuming processed foods. And even I had my share of cookies over the holidays.

The one thing I will not give up is coffee. As my physician friend puts it:

"After cigarettes, coffee has been the most studied food for negative health consequences. Despite hundreds of studies, no deleterious effects of coffee have ever been found. To the contrary, the anti-oxidant effects and the mild stimulatory effect of the caffeine may be beneficial. In a preservative laden world, it is also 'All natural'."

Now I am very well aware and ready to confess that I might do anything to justify coffee.

For me this juice cleanse is the natural progression of my primal eating goals. I also like to race the 70.3 distance at a lighter weight than I do the Ironman.... this gives me a good kick start to get all that stuff out of my system. The sugar, the cravings, all the stuff I truly don't need. I find that this completely eliminates my desire for anything processed at all. In fact on day four you have to reintroduce real food slowly or end up in GI hell.

Now as you browse this you will notice an absence of a lot of protein and carbohydrates. This cleanse shouldn't be done for more than 3 days. It isn't a way to lose weight. It is purely a cleanse. If you believe in doing something like this.... then this may be very attractive to you. If not.... don't bother.

I personally look very forward to doing this when I have the oppertunity. Certainly it is tough as you still prepare normal food for the family, explain that this isn't the Oprah take 7 diet plan, or try to explain exactly what a cleanse is.

By day three I feel awesome. Absolutley awesome.

As I start my 12 week block to New Orelans this week, I relish that the training hours don't top 15, and don't have much intensity. So this is the right time for me, to embark on a three day journey.

I will let you know how it goes, if I remember I will highlight some of the juices and I will certinaly keep you up to date on the java!