To continue my health kick and take it just that little bit further, I last week embarked on an Urban Remedy Juice Cleanse over three days. I’d heard about it from friends of friends who raved about how they felt after three days of juice and soups, and when Urban Remedy approached me to give it a whirl for three days I could hardly turn it down.
As someone who has to try everything once, this seemed like a good way to get my body back to zen mode and attempt to curb my sugar addiction.
I ordered it all really easily through the Urban Remedy website – a three day detox program at Level 1 (that’s the best level for us novice detoxers). The afternoon before my detox started I had a delivery of the juices I would need for the next three days. Six juices per day delivered in neat little cooler bags.See? Detoxing is easy so far.
I start the first day of detox with a Power Plate session before work. I figure that if the detox goes pear-shaped and I feel woosy, at least I’ll have already exercised. Good girl.
The juices are yum. Like, really yum. I started the day with a Mixed Berry, Acai Berry, Orange and Banana smoothie, then moved onto a fat-busting Pineapple, Apple and Mint juice for morning tea.
So far I’ve experienced none of the potential detox symptoms listed by Urban Remedy (headache, nausea, diarrhea), and I’m really not hungry, which I thought I most certainly would be. However my brain is wandering slightly. It has taken me an entire morning to do something that would usually take me 30 minutes. The detox also tells you to drink one glass of water or herbal tea for each juice, which means I am running to the bathroom every half an hour to wee.
Lunch is a soup of broccoli, asparagus, leek, green peas, raw cashews, cumin and sea salt. I can’t help thinking how nicely it would go down with a bread roll, so I email the guys at Urban Remedy and ask for the recipe. I can make it myself and have my bread roll once I’ve done my detox.
Afternoon tea is a fresh juice concoction of apple, cucumber, celery, cos lettuce, silverbeet, parsley, and lemon. Afternoon tea time also brings slight delusion and a lot of giggles – I find everything in the office funny. Olivia eats yoghurt and all of a sudden I think yoghurt is hilarious. Amanda is talking about vibrations on the phone to a client and I feel that she’s never said anything funnier. My bosses are laughing at me. I laugh back.
I’m surprised that I’m still not hungry (and yes, I do think it’s funny), and after a bus trip home it’s time for dinner. Dinner is a metabolism booster juice that can be drunk hot or cold and contains lemon, water, cayenne pepper, and agave nectar. I choose to have this one cold. The microwave is just too hilarious to use.
There is even a dessert smoothie to finish off day one, and it’s a yum one. Raw cacao, raw cashews, brown rice milk, and agave nectar. You can also choose to have this one hot or cold, and I decide to brave the microwave’s hilarity and have it warm instead of my usual cup of tea. It’s delicious. I bask in its warm milkiness and plan to have a bath after I finish drinking it.
However I’m now falling asleep on the lounge. My energy seems to have deteriorated rapidly since the carnival ride that was my afternoon. I throw in the idea of a bath and head straight up to bed. Day one complete.
Day two brings with it a whole heap of surprises. I actually feel energised when I wake up, and I’m up and in the shower before my alarm even goes off. The detox juice menu is the same for each of the three days, and I’m happy to tuck into my berry smoothie once I’m at work.
I do a quick Power Plate session of only massage and stretching to get my lymphatic system in check to remove the toxins from my body. I bounce back from the 30 minutes of Power Plate massage with renewed vigour. I will be detoxed and fabulous!
Unfortunately with my day two lunchtime soup comes a headache. And boy, is it a doozy. I push through the afternoon but after dinner I can’t possibly go on without taking something for it. I eventually settle on some paracetamol and take myself to bed. I think I got through a page of my book before falling asleep.
Day three starts with a bit of apprehension – I don’t want a repeat of yesterday’s headache debacle but I’m determined not to give up on the final day of detox. It’s now Saturday, so in preparation for day 3 I’ve booked myself in for a facial and a massage and when I get there I fall asleep on the massage table. Oops.But the headaches stay away and I feel quite energised for the entire day. I revisit my bath, and I even manage to stay awake later than 8pm (woo!). My skin and my eyes are clearer, I’m not feeling lethargic, and despite only having liquids for three days I’m still not hungry.
All in all, the detox was great. It was a really straight-forward program and everything was provided for me so it didn’t require any thought. The guys at Urban Remedy were really supportive – I got encouraging emails each day and then on Day 3 received an email outlining how to ease back into my normal life after detox without undoing all of the good work I’d just done.
Whether you’re a newbie to the world of detox like me or a seasoned detoxer, Urban Remedy have programs for every level of detoxperience. You can check out their range at www.urbanremedy.com.au – they deliver to a number of locations around Australia so be sure to check their website for more information.
As for me, I’m actually feeling great. I’d certainly recommend an Urban Remedy detox to anyone looking to kick-start a healthy lifestyle or give their body a new lease on life. Next time I think I’ll order enough for the whole office to do it – I’m sure there’ll be an awful lot of giggling on day one to get us through!
Until next time,
Elise x
