GIVEAWAY & all the juicy Pure Glow Cleanse details

There are many reasons you may be thinking of taking on a juice cleanse. Today I’m sharing mine together with the highs and lows of my five day juice cleanse with Pure Glow Cleanse.

I also have a one day cleanse up for grabs for one lucky Perth follower

This isn’t about styling pretty pics, this is the keeping it real side to juice cleansing and detoxing. Photos or it didn’t happen doesn’t necessarily apply. Because honestly you don’t need photographic evidence of every explosive moment.

If you’ve ever wanted to know anything about juice cleanses, this is the place to ask.

The Why Factor

• Allergies
• Immune system
• Chronic illness
• Digestion
• Energy
• Mental health
• Skin conditions
• Sleep issues
• Weight loss
• Women’s issues

I recently opened up about my ongoing health issues (Pieces of me – living with an invisible illness) and I could probably tick most of the above, especially the weight side of things but my health issues mean weight loss, even though it would benefit me, wasn’t on the agenda here. 

I didn’t head stomach first into this, expecting to be juicing my butt off, so to speak, this was all about detoxing with a view to kick starting my five weeks of wellbeing. A big part of which is focusing on my diet and giving my poorly functioning digestive tract a much needed rest. 

Pure Glow Cleanse?

When I first looked into juice cleanses last year, Pure Glow Cleanse was one of the first to hit the Perth market. I personally knew one of the founders Annette through Wellness WA.

Having put me through my health and wellness paces on a number of occasions, I knew I was in the right hands with Annette and Pure Glow Cleanse was a program I could trust.

I was also impressed with their Nutritionist Angela Ferguson.  Angela is a holistic nutritionist and health coach who is there to support you in managing and minimising your health conditions.  Her approach and focal belief that food = medicine and what you eat influences how you think, feel and look, really resonated with me.

I thought briefly about going DIY but with my health issues, I needed to take the nutritional guess work out of the equation. I also wasn’t keen to fork out money on equipment, I knew would only be used occasionally.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW 

Even if you don’t have health issues like me, if you are thinking of undertaking anything longer than a three day juice cleanse or you are taking current medication, your detox journey really needs to start with a trip to your GP.

I don’t drink alcohol and due to food intolerance (& health issues) have a fairly restricted diet as it is. I’ve been having a lot of green smoothies over the last twelve months and moved away from overly processed foods, which I think helps make the detox process not so vicious.

With the rest of my family continuing their foodie loving ways, I was unable to clear the fridge and house of all temptation. Luckily I’ve become accustomed, for the most part, to smelling and watching my favourite foods being devoured in front of my eyes over the last year.

So far I haven’t killed or eaten anyone that is eating in front of me but my family have taken over cooking their own meals and I generally avoided the dinner table at meal times throughout the cleanse.

My cleanse kicked off the day after my daughter’s 14th birthday where the family indulged in cake with lots of leftovers. I finished the morning after her sleepover party where party food was in abundance. If you have absolutely no will power, I wouldn’t recommend this approach.

In the lead up to my five day juice cleanse with Pure Glow Cleanse, I cut back on my coffee intake and then cut it out altogether two days prior. I also had a hearty brunch the morning before which included two thin slices of sour dough bread, bread being something I normally can’t stomach. Which lead to nothing more than a green smoothie for dinner and a lot of detoxing that night.

My thyroid medication needs to be taken an hour before my first meal of the day. Which includes juices. So I took the hour for some light stretches, a long cold glass of water and dabbled rather badly with some meditation.

I was advised by my GP not to exercise while on the juice cleanse but that was only due to my health issues. I did partake in some light yoga moves of an evening. The majority of people are able to go about their daily jobs and routines while completing the cleanse.

My 5 day cleanse journal | The Good, the Bad and the TMI

My first lot of juice arrive, a whole 18 bottles worth and I focus on my intention for this cleanse. I take a quick photo or ten and wonder how the other glowers that have gone before me, manage to get out and about, looking so friggin glamorous and deliriously happy in their Instagram photos while partaking on their juice cleanses.

Day 1

6am Sunrise Elixir: This reminds me of my sassy water (water infused with lemon, cucumber, ginger and mint) that I try to drink a few times a week but with a bit more punch. I’m off to a good start but my Instagram and Facebook feeds are full of drool worthy food photos.

8am Glowing Greens: When I read the tip about chewing this if you are feeling the need to chew, I laughed out loud but you know what, the consistency is thick. This one is more like the green smoothies I’m use to and it was a real thrill to find a tiny piece of kale at the bottom of my juice. I really made a meal of that one.

10am Green Guru: I feel like snacking at this point but embrace the green and juice factor. I’m behind in my water intake but don’t feel like I can drink much more.

11:11am There was movement at the station for the juice had got around…..rather than make you sick to the stomach with the blow by explosive blow details. Let’s just call it the air freshener factor from here on in. 1. being not so offensive and 10. worse case. Actually, I probably should just keep this side of things to myself.

12pm My stomach is strangely talking to me at this point or should that be talking to me strangely. I put my next juice off for a bit and enjoy a cold glass of water. As a general rule, you aim to drink one juice every two hours.

2pm Good Karma: Back on track and looking lovingly at the orange variety factor in the latest juice. 

3pm Distracting myself with a bit of online retail therapy. I feel like snacking or chewing at this point but pour myself a cup of decaffeinated tea instead.

4pm Buddha Juice: My eldest daughter is home from school early and snacking on vegetable dumplings. OMG the smell is doing my head in.  I didn’t realise just how much I love dumplings. I’m sipping on my green juice trying not to hate her.

6pm I should be sitting down to my last juice for the day but headache from hell has set in and I’m sipping a tea that I made earlier and left to cool in the fridge.

6:30pm A cold shower and washing my hair has helped slightly with the headache.

6.45pm Chai Vanilla Dream: I’m actually not hungry even though the rest of the house is sitting down to a cooked and smelling divine meal. I’m in another room, relaxing with my last juice for the night. Taking things slow and loving the nutty and spicy flavours of this one.

Day 2

Weighed myself this morning, appreciating that this isn’t about the weight but keeping track all the same. Down just under 1 kilo.  Suffered a bit of nausea overnight but feeling much better this morning.

It took me 40 minutes to drink my juice this morning. I wasn’t the least bit hungry. Even pictures of mouth watering Choc Bourbon Waffle Donuts on Facebook didn’t phase me.

I normally have no issue with drinking 1 to 2 litres of water each day but I’m struggling with this side of it.

I feel like I’ve breezed through day two. I’m slightly concerned. I was expecting worse. Much worse. Still one juice to go but I’m heading out to a move preview and will save it for my return. Hoping things don’t go pear shaped and I get to see the entire film.

Day 3

Feeling better than I expected I would. Last night was tough at a movie preview. It was like I could smell each individual coffee bean that the couple in front of me were sipping on. I could smell the popcorn a block away and we had the walk in the valley of doom with all the open air style eateries on the way to the cinema. Both sides of the road, so no avoiding them.

I’m not hungry and I’m really taking the time to sip my juices today. I’m indulging my sense of smell and helping with the skin detoxing with a coffee face and body scrub. The smell of the scrub is insane and it takes all my will power not to make a coffee for myself.

My stomach around lunch time was feeling a tad upset but in the scheme of things not as bad as I’ve experienced previously.

I’m starting to think about what food I would like to have once finished. Strangely the super fresh red capsicum that is sharing my oversized veggie draw with my juice is calling to me. I’m also thinking about fresh salsa with red onion and lime.

My stomach is speaking a strange and foreign language this afternoon. Another movie preview tonight, so I’m hoping it quietens down soon.

This time it’s an open air movie for opening night and includes free pizza, wine and bear. Hubby makes a meal of my share and I’m doing surprisingly ok. Another walk down the valley of restaurants, this time in Leederville. My sense of smell is heightened, especially when it concerns food.

Day 4

My last two days of juices arrived last night and I’m feeling better than expected. Not hungry in the least. I’m finding the juices a little too filling, so really taking my time to sit and make a meal of them. Have upped my water intake but it’s still not close to 2 litres.

I turned to scented candles from Evaglo this evening with some hilarious repercussion. They’re the sort of candle that you can use the heated oil on the body for a massage.

Only when I asked hubby to decide on the scent of the evening ‘aphrodisiac’ or ‘french pear’, he clearly thought something else was on the agenda and asked for a side serving of oysters. As if.

Day 5

I’m going to be completely honest and say while I’m doing really well, I’m getting a bit bored of the same juices, even if there are six different varieties per day but each day it is the same six in the same order.

I’m craving some live online support at this stage by way of an actual group or community rather than just the email support. I head to Instagram and case others also doing the juice cleanse this week.

I’m also craving beetroot and capsicum like you wouldn’t believe and then there’s coffee. Oh how I want a coffee, but my sleep stats for the week have improved and I think cutting down on the coffee over the last month, in the lead up to this and going cold turkey two days out has given me some real results in the sleep department.

For survey purposes I questioned hubby after my cleanse

I joked in the lead up that I should probably come with a warning. I was expecting major ongoing headaches and detoxing that would leave me debilitated and irritable, especially when I was in the vicinity of people (mainly my family of foodies) eating food.

Me: Am I glowing? Hubby: Yes

Me: Have I been detox moody? Hubby: No more moody than normal

Me: How long would you last on a juice cleanse? Hubby: about 5 minutes

Proof is in the pudding

Or in this case the five day juice cleanse with Pure Glow Cleanse. I almost hit my sleep target on the final night after averaging three to four hours for months. I also managed to reach my 10k step target before my first non juice breakfast in five days. A massive step in the right direction if you ask me.

Did I lose weight?

Yes, almost 4 kilos BUT and it’s a big one, I have a thyroid issue and I’m on medication that impacts my ability to lose weight, so I don’t expect this weight loss is anything more than fluid loss. Which isn’t a bad thing, considering I’ve been retaining fluid like I’m 42 weeks pregnant for several months now.

It was a great feeling to wake and actually see my wrankes (water retaining ankles) had transformed back into cankles.

Do I think I’m glowing?

Possibly, if you ask anyone around me the answer would be YES. I think if I didn’t have all the health issues and meds impacting me, you would see even more of a difference.

My skin broke out day two, I probably also didn’t drink nearly enough water throughout the entire process. I’m use to drinking 1 to 2 litres a day but when you add the juice factor to the equation it was just too much liquid for me.

What goes in must go out, so there were a lot of trips to the bathroom throughout the day but surprisingly, not overnight.

The celebratory after cleanse make up free selfie.

Head HERE for the before photo

Did I miss food?

I generally missed sitting down at the table with my family, catching up on the activities of the day. I only managed to do this on two occasions, the rest of the time, I just felt it was better for all involved if I avoided my favourite people and food at meal time.

Did I go to food crazy town the minute I finished?

Pleased and proud to say a huge no to this. With my daughter’s 14th party in full swing and a full cooked breakfast on the menu. I opted to go for a long walk before breakfast with a friend.

Pure Glow Cleanse recommend you ease your way back into eating with a green smoothie but after 12 months of feeling like I’ve been living on the stuff and five days of not chewing, I really wanted to crunch on something flavoursome.

Before heading off for my walk I had a huge glass of water and a handful of grapes. I also made up my non tahini version of hummus and sliced fresh veggies so it would be ready and waiting for my return, knowing eggs, bacon, pancakes and chocolate Danish were on the birthday breakfast menu and wanting to avoid the temptation.

Would I do this again?

Yes, if I time travelled back and had my chance again, knowing what I know now, I would definitely do this over again.

Next time round though and yes I’m planning on a next round, I would possibly look at a three day cleanse and then something different for day four onwards with a view to extending the cleanse to a complete week and adding a bit more variety.

I would also seek out a buddy or touch base with others doing the cleanse at the same time.

What NOW?

I would like to attempt a 99% raw diet for the next three weeks, to continue to give my digestive tract a much needed break. I’m concerned though that doing this on my own is too much of a nutritional guessing game, something I can’t afford to do with my health the way it is. So once again I will be looking to the experts.

I’m not convinced my picture of raw food is everyone elses. Basically, I just want to get back to basics with my fruit and vegetables over the next three weeks as I slowly introduce more variety of food back into my diet with a view to moving even further away from processed foods.

I’ve always shopped around the outside, starting with fresh produce and will continue to do so. The 1% will possibly be fish or eggs and an occasional treat, so I don’t feel like I’m depriving myself.

What have I missed?