have you ever done a juice cleanse?

Have you ever done a juice cleanse?? Me neither.

I didn't really understand what they were all about, though Ben has been talking about doing one. Now, because I met a sweet new friend named Jill Latham...I'm doing one.

Jill moved her Santa Barbara juice company, Vibrant Earth Juices to Denver recently and has basically taken over the city.

While doing the cleanse and bringing my juices around with me, person after person stopped me saying they were just about to start one or they had just met Jill...and what did I think?

Well...here's how my 3 Day Cleanse went!

Jill so graciously hand-delivered Ben & my juices at the break of dawn, the morning of Day 1.

I'm not a huge juice fan...even as a kid, I'd rather drink water than juice. So quite honestly, I was a bit nervous wondering how on earth I was going to do this. I was surprisingly ok drinking my 1st bottle of Energy, rather than my typical latte {though I was SO hungry}!

Throughout the rest of the day, I slowly savored each one, trying my best to not think about eating...which I found was really hard to do when I have to cook for 4 children home on Summer Break {don't get discouraged, I kept telling myself}!

Halfway through the day, I did eat an avocado with lemon juice drizzled on it. Goodness, that tasted good! And my kids thought it was funny how often I had to run to the bathroom, it was truly every 10 minutes or so. Guess the cleanse was working.

I never. EVER. take naps, but I was so exhausted that I ended up taking one. I've had friends do these type of cleanses before and they gained a TON of energy {my husband Ben, who did it with me...was one of those people}. I know we all respond differently, but sadly that wasn't me. However, rather than waking up groggy like I typically do {which is why I don't take naps even when I can}, I woke refreshed and feeling really great.

The second day was much easier. Just as Jill predicted, I wasn't nearly as hungry {though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hungry at all!}. I definitely enjoyed the juices more this day, as well. Perhaps it was because I knew what was in store, but even the ones that really stretched me, were were eagerly sipped.

There was a point during the day though where I was {ahem} a little less than nice. I was thankful that Jill included a "snack list" for us, just in case. I grabbed a bar that was on her list and I'm sure my kids were thankful that they had a little reprieve from the wrath of mama and her juice, haha.

{my kids all asked why I was doing it. i loved explaining to them how important it is to keep our bodies healthy}

One of the biggest things I noticed during these 3 days was how often I snacked. I know 4-5 small meals per day are recommended, but I never realized that's basically what I do.

Not only that though, I realized it's not always a piece of fruit or handfull of nuts that I grab. It's often remnants of what the kids didn't eat {wow, that sounds gross now that I'm writing it. but any moms out there totally get what I'm saying}.

Surprisingly enough, I so enjoyed the limitations put in place for me these 3 days.

During those times I was desperate for a snack, rather than grabbing a slice of sourdough to put in the toaster, I'd munch on a chilled pear or wedge of grapefruit.

The light at the end of the tunnel! The last day! "I can do it, I can do it" is what ran through my head the whole day.

{if you're still doing your intense workouts during the cleanse, continue to use your supplements}

I ran into some girls at the pool who were also in the midst of it and commiserated together. But this was my last day...I could take on anything! And, I might add...though I still wanted my beloved latte or cappuccino, I didn't crave one.

I didn't feel sluggish during the day & had SO much more energy than day 1.

Once again, I had a pear & a few pieces of fruit while poolside with my kids. For dinner {along with my juice}, I had half an avocado drizzled with lemon juice.

{making gluten-free banana bread for the kids...tomorrow I get to eat it!}

What do you think? Do you juice? Have you done a cleanse?

. . Even if you're not ready to commit to a full cleanse, you can choose juices off of the Vibrant Earth website that will help you in getting healthy & feeling great! . .

{Don't live in Denver? Jill & her team FedEx Priority Overnight so the juices arrive fresh!}