How to Survive a Juice Cleanse – Tips for a Successful Juice Fast

How many times have you started a cleanse only to end up gorging by dinner time? We’re all guilty, so don’t try to deny it!

However, there are some common-sense ways to prepare for your cleanse and survive it without giving up at the first pangs of hunger. Don’t give in to your cravings and get rid of them first!

Here’s how to give yourself a head start to be sure to cross the winning line in sprints versus crawling on all fours half starved.

Tips for Surviving a Juice Cleanse

Pre-Fast Protocol

Whether you’re cleansing for a day or fasting for a week, you should always prep your body for it the best way you can. This means cutting out the junk and hunk that’s left you fat, tired, sick, and nearly dead. You will want to drastically reduce these foods from your diet the week before you start your cleanse.

By 24-48 hours before the cleanse, you should be at a point where you can eliminate these foods entirely for the cleanse. This means going “raw” for that week. Think salads, vege broths, and lightly-steamed, non-starchy vegetables.

It’s also important not to go cold turkey! You can experience withdrawals from foods the same way you can experience withdrawals from drugs. That’s fault number one! Give yourself a week to wean yourself from these foods pre cleanse to really give yourself a great head start.

Recipe Simplicity

Keep It Simple, Stupid! To endure a juice cleanse, you’re going to need to keep your juice recipes simple and realistic! There’s no point in researching lavish juice recipes if you can’t afford it or you don’t have easy access to acquiring the ingredients.

A big downfall that first-timers make to juicing is overspending and indulging in exotic ingredients that doesn’t allow for these recipes to become a part of your lifestyle. That’s fault number two. Keep your juice recipes realistic and tasty. Speaking of tasty, who cares for Dragon Fruit if you don’t have a taste for bland?

Make juices that you will like! You will be sure to fail and will be binging on donuts before the night’s over if you ever only make kale juices. Boo! Spruce it up with ingredients that you’ll be sure to enjoy. It might take some experimenting, but hey, that’s what the pre-fast week is for right?

Prepare for the Juice Cleanse

Don’t wing it at the grocery store and don’t wing it on juicing day. You must be prepared with your juice recipe list. Know what you want to buy! If your recipe calls for an ingredient you’re not fond of, can’t afford, or can’t find, then use a substitute ingredient that you like, can afford, and can find. This will definitely take planning ahead of time.

Fault number three is when people fail to do the prep work and end up omitting essential nutrients by failing to acquire the necessary vegetables and fruits. You’re left feeling hungry, irritable, and slow.

To help you on the day of the cleanse, prep all your vegetables in the morning. Scrub, rinse, and cut them up for the day. To go a step further, divvy up your ingredients per juice in ziplock bags to be extra prepared for your day. Have your juicer on the bench ready to go. That way when hunger strikes, you’re less likely to turn to the pantry and you’re prepared to turn to the fridge and zippee instead.

Fault number four is when people wait until they’re hungry when juicing seems like too much work. Prep before hand to ensure you’ll succeed!

Avoid Exercise

Okay, it’s not what it sounds like. While strenuous and intense workouts should be avoided during a cleanse, low-impact movement for 30 minutes a day is highly encouraged! Fault number five is when people continue to workout, run, and lift weights during a cleanse when an obvious restriction in calories can’t support the activity and the body.

Instead, low-impact and gentle moving exercise is ideal for helping the lymphatic system expel toxins and waste during the cleanse, therefore, it’s essential! Think walking, yoga, and stretching. If you have a trampoline, feel free to bounce away! When an adult enjoys the trampoline, it’s called rebounding exercise! It’s a fancy way of saying you can act less than your age – wink wink.

Jumping stimulates the entire body. It helps to activate and boost the lymphatic system, immune system, and it ups energy levels and nitric oxide for improved circulation. It also reduces stress on the knees and ankles, increases bone mass, and stimulates mitochondrial production (cell energy) to increase endurance. Since jumping can affect balance during cleansing, be sure to steady yourself appropriately and don’t go too crazy.

Take a Detox Bath

Again, cleansing is more than just what you’re feeding into your body, it’s about getting the junk and toxins out!

Fault number six is when first-timers forget that mood swings, irritability, hunger, and withdrawal symptoms can occur if your body is toxic, stressed, and struggling with the cleanse. Taking care of yourself during a cleanse will decrease hunger cravings, headaches, nausea, moodiness, and fatigue.

A great way to wind down and calm those stress-inducing hormones at the end of the day is with a detox bath. Open your pores and allow the body to release toxins, reduce stress, and balance your pH levels. Think epsom salts, baking soda, and your favorite essential oils.

Stay Hydrated

Bottoms Up! If you’re still hungry, drink more! It’s likely if your cravings haven’t gone away, if you’re tired and sluggish, and if you’re irritable that you’re not drinking enough. An 8 ounce glass of juice is likely not enough in one sitting. Aim to make at least 16-20 ounces per juice.

You might also find that you can’t drink that much juice in one sitting yet you’re still hungry half an hour later. Our advice? Drink juice more often! If that 8 ounce glass does it for you for an hour, drink it then make it again an hour later.

Staying hydrated is vital to coming out a winner! Drinking more in general is good for you. If water isn’t quite your cuppa tea, coconut water is an excellent and approved source of hydration and electrolytes to help you through your cleanse.

Overcome the Faults!

Don’t let yourself fail a juice cleanse because you weren’t aware of the faults and traps that can easily ensnare you with just one wrong turn. Instead, be aware and prepare for your cleanse with excitement and enthusiasm for the journey you’re embarking upon.

Your body, sanity, and wits will thank you – so will everyone else in the house!