Why are you doing a juice cleanse?...

You don’t need that!

Truth be told, I have never done a juice cleanse before. I’ve always liked the idea I just could never commit to one. In my everyday doings I eat super healthy, exercise at least twice a day and absolutely love the taste of coffee. I felt by committing to a cleanse I would have serious FOMO, lose my social life and therefore could never bring myself to accept the challenge. Every Sunday I say to myself, “This week you are going to have three proper meals, be a mindful eater and be the best version of you!” Monday rolls around and I miss breakfast and have a coffee instead, find myself grazing and forgetting to appreciate the energy that food provides. Before I know it, Sunday rolls around again. This week I felt the opportunity was at its greatest; my fiancé was heading away for work and I had no plans for the weekend ahead. “Perfect” I thought, now lets find the perfect juice cleanse.

The second link that popped up was the ‘Healthy Cocktail’.

I really liked the concept of juicing, the cleanse program looked delicious and was easy to follow.

I was looking forward to not having to go grocery shopping, the juices were to be delivered on Wednesday and Saturday and therefore meal preparation would be done for the week. On Sunday night, the button was clicked and the 6 day cleanse had been ordered.

On Monday and Tuesday, I enjoyed my coffees and tried to eat foods that were easy to digest in order to slightly prepare myself for the week ahead. I thought I would continue to drink the same amount of coffee and go cold turkey on the Wednesday. Who wants to give up coffee if they don’t have too?

DAY ONE

Wednesday rolled around and against the rules I ran 15 kilometers (Sorry Milly) and swam one kilometer in the ocean baths. I did believe I had the energy reserves from yesterday to support me, right? My commitment to exercise has always been 100% and so putting a 6-day juice cleanse into the mix is definitely going to put a spanner in the works. Watch this space!

Next minute, it’s 8:30 am and a big headache hits me right in the temples. Apparently this is a good sign but it also shows that I am withdrawing from coffee…. Not so good. In perfect timing, Milly arrives with a box full of clunking jars. She has a huge energetic smile on her face. One that says, “You can do this” and informed me if I needed anything I could contact her.

The day continued as if my head were in the clouds, I felt lightheaded but tried to maintain my cool. The shift began with a headache that wouldn’t budge so one gram of paracetamol was consumed. I work as a Nurse, so the responsibility of providing patients with optimal care is essential. This was going to be a huge test for me. Especially when the anaesthetist asked if I would like a coffee…. Fortunately my will power kicked in which gave me the strength to say “no”. The shift was a blur, but fortunately the anaesthetist had consumed his double shot piccolo with one sugar and so everything went smoothly. Neither cravings nor hunger pains were noted throughout the day just enthusiasm for home time and a well-earned rest.

DAY TWO

I woke up feeling WOW good and WELL rested.

I sipped on the lemon and ginger water which I found extremely potent, so much so I had to sip gently with a straw. I laced my joggers and ran to yoga. I stupidly ran up one of the steepest hills in Newcastle, which never gets easier and today was absolute torture. Lots of mind games were played and eventually I arrived at the yoga studio. Phew!

I immediately felt calm as I entered the space, which was until I realised I had forgotten my entry fee (I promised I would pay them back). I lay on the mat in reclined butterfly pose. The instructor walked into the room and suggested everyone make their way into reclined butterfly. Was this a coincidence or have I just become in tune with the universe? Yoga was insanely good and I left the studio feeling energized. The instructor called out “Hannah this ones on us”. I felt as if all the positive goodness I was putting into my body was radiating all these positive vibes. As I walk home I look around and find peace in the chaotic streets, trying not to think, just trying to be.

I have never been much of a breakfast eater, but on this particular day I needed energy. I couldn’t wait to get home and try the Mylk blends for breakfast. The ‘Mylk blend’ is the most substantial meal of the day. I added it to the blender with ice to make it last throughout the day. My appreciation for the energy that food provides me has expanded to new levels and today I am feeling so appreciative of everything around me.

The next thing on my list was to go and be pampered by my hairdresser before spending 8+ hours at work. I think the most important thing during the cleansing period is to maintain your social life. It’s so important to keep busy, as the routine of just drinking juice can be so bloody boring. It’s amazing how much our lives revolve around food. During work I was knackered and everyone knew it. I sipped juice with crushed ice to keep me awake and get me through the shift. The shift was loooooong which resulted in me not getting to sleep until 11:30pm and I wasn’t happy about it.

DAY THREE

After only acquiring six hours of sleep, I felt grumpy and exhausted, not wanting to face the world today.

I trusted in yoga to pull me through. The car engine was turned on and I drove my way to the studio. Yoga was mentally and physically hard this morning. It’s amazing how exhaustion and lack of sleep can alter your mood so much. The smoothie for breakfast really put a spark in my day and gave me the energy to face the world. After 8 hours of work, I made my way home thinking of all the things I could do. Hmmm… Swim? Run? Walk? “Hang on Hannah”, I thought to myself, “What about a bit of rest...What’s that?” In any other period of my life, rest would take a lot of persuading but today it was so easy to lie on the lounge and not feel guilty. Eyes drifting off to sleep, I made the time for my cold pressed juice and fell asleep around 7:30 pm. Day three I am so glad you are over. I am almost half way through and I am so looking forward to the weekend where I don’t have to concentrate.

DAY FOUR

Saturday! Thank god you’re here.

I woke up this morning feeling super dooper fresh and positive.

Waking up before my alarm is always a bonus as it means I am well rested. I sipped on my lemon ginger water, laced my shoes and made my way to yoga. I felt really energized this morning, which I can definite thank a good nights rest for. Yoga was amazing as per usual and with a positive mind frame I was focused and in the zone. Throughout the day I kept busy and made time to lie in the sun and read. I walked with my Dad and dog in the evening and ended the day with a lemon ginger tea at the local cafe. Home to watch television, a cold pressed juice and bed. Today I’m feeling really content and satisfied with life.

DAY FIVE

This morning I woke up before my alarm, again. It’s a rarity if I don’t set an alarm, as I hate missing out on the best part of the day. My mantra I follow has always been ‘The early bird catches the worm’.

I found myself at yoga for the fourth morning in a row feeling very grounded and at peace.

This morning was Yin & yang (Heated). I was a hot mess and felt like blacking out twice but held myself together. Craving my breakfast, I walked home grabbing the newspaper on the way. My Sunday ritual is to always read the paper, especially the Body & Soul section. I feel it’s a perfect distraction from social media and keeps me informed. I decided to make my way to the markets where I bought some beautiful looking (not sure of the taste) fruits and vegetables from a gorgeous Greek man. It’s always the simple things in life that make me happy. I then spent the afternoon at the beach, reading the paper and getting some vitamin sea. Today I definitely miss going to a coffee shop and grabbing a coffee and am getting slightly bored with the cold pressed juices. But I am aware of all the goodness this cleanse is providing me with in that good gut = happy brain. Fostering all this goodness has a good calming effect on me.

DAY SIX

530am and the alarm rings. No signs of Monday-itis and I’m feeling energized.

The difference in this Monday compared to others is that I feel alert and recharged. My day was constant and busy but I managed to stay focused and on high alert. Driving home from work I sipped on my cold pressed juice as I drove past the beach. Taking in all the beautiful surrounding I felt so content with both the outer and inside world.

My gut was loving life and my brain was loving it right back.

I laced my shoes and went for a run. Stopped off at the gym for a body pump class and then decided to detox a little more with a sauna. I thought I was full of energy but exercise proved it was possible to accumulate more.

Here I sit on my lounge feeling refreshed and calm.

My 6-day juice cleanse is one coconut water away from being complete. Interestingly, right now, there is nothing I am craving. Maybe it’s the exercise or maybe it’s the fact the cleanse has put me in good stead for a healthier and even more brighter year. There are so many great benefits of juicing and it is up to you to take on the challenge and to find out the benefits yourself.

"I am truly grateful for everything around me and currently feel the best version of myself with a whole new perspective on the energy that we require throughout the day. The challenge may be hard but the outcome is like no other.

There is only goodness about it."

Hannah

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Have you tried Hannah's Balls?

They are pretty damn good! Check them out!

So you’ve been thinking about doing a cleanse for a while, or maybe a short time? I love cleansing, here are my 5 tips to ponder before commencing… (including why to avoid it completely).

I recently completed a 6-Day organic cold pressed juice cleanse. It should be noted I have a cleansing history and include fasting and intermittent fasting regularly in my diet.

My Why? I decided to do this because I wanted to give my body and digestion a rest and let it focus on cleaning itself out. I also needed to give my brain a break from food, what I mean is, I get addicted to how good food is and sometimes need a reminder that FOOD is FUEL first and TASTY (a close) second (both are super important)!

I chose the 6 days because I wanted a deep cleanse and knew it would be possible given my previous experience.

1. Ask yourself WHY? (be totally honest, no one’s listening)! Why do you want to do the detox/cleanse? Make a list on your phone or go old school on a bit of paper. If losing weight is your number one goal and health second, I would not recommend doing it. Focussing on your health is the most important factor and body composition follows what is happening on the inside. Start on your mindset first. I have had a long journey with body image and getting real, this is the first time that I have cleansed and not secretly hoped to come out looking like a supermodel… and if I were to be totally honest it still sits there in a small way in the back of my mind, but it is not in my top 10 reasons for doing it. Old. Habits. Die. Hard.

2.

3. Be smart. Plan some gentle exercise, e.g. walking, body balance, stretch and release, yoga, lower impact/intensity workouts. One day cleanses are not so problematic, but if you are planning on doing a longer one, just know that your energy stores might be lower than usual. I find one of the benefits is a sense of calm in my body so I suggest support this calm by keeping your movement to gentle or to lower intensity options. Calm must be supported by sleep, my tip is at least 8 hours. I failed to do this 2 of the 6 nights and I really felt the difference in my concentration and ability to talk in adult sentences (haha BUF Girls will know what I mean). The point being, if I was actually feeling it on the outside, my insides were suffering from the lack of sleep well before my outsides showed it. Sleep = regeneration. Get enough. Recap, Exercise is amazing but give the higher intensity a short break while you focus on the cleanse and releasing the crap. Use this time to reduce the cortisol and nurture you, get a massage, or go do whatever your fave chill activity is… and SLEEP!

4. Think about afterwards. Have a plan for what you are going to eat after the cleanse. You want to continue to nurture your body and not smash it with a whole bunch of things that will overload it! Even healthy things like (some) grains, nuts, seeds, a big hunk of meat haha… I am not going to consume these types of foods straight up, you want easy to digest foods. I’m thinking eggs, avo, veggies, smoothies, if you want to eat meat I suggest having mince so it is already broken in to smaller pieces and therefore easier on your digestion… you get the idea, something easier for your cleansed body to tackle… at least for the first day or so.

5. Also… Don’t overthink it! If you have been toying with the idea of cleansing for a while, give it a go! The thoughts can be fearful, but FEAR is (F)alse (E)vidence (A)ppearing (R)eal… Our bodies can cope without food (not forever)! but I totally get that the idea might be scary. We generally start to think we are hungry when our tummies are not full, but that is not true! One of my favourite things about cleansing is really getting to understand how much of our food is a habit rather than a NEED. Removing food and food habits can leave your mind open to ponder things that may have been hiding, I suggest having a person or tribe that can support your headspace. Some of us have been accustomed to having a really full tummy right from the time when we were told as a kids to finish everything on our plate, or you cannot leave the table (you know the drill)! Food is something that our society uses for much more than fuel, it is used for rewards, treats, for boredom, as a distraction, even punishment. It is healthy for us to have an empty stomach, which is quite a few steps before hunger, and worlds away from starvation.

Happy cleansing!

Shell

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Milly Dawson runs The Healthy Cocktail, delivering cold-pressed juice cleanse packages to the people of Newcastle. They’re all organic, vegan and refined sugar-free, and taste like sunshine on a cloudy day.

ou can order a one, three or six-day juice cleanse package online, that comes straight to your door in Newcastle.

The Healthy Cocktail juices and smoothies are all natural, organic, preservative free, eco-friendly, vegan, paleo, and refined sugar free! What’s left, you might ask?! Pure, unadulterated goodness, nourishing for the mind, body and soul. The idea is for natural produce to act as a source of medicine.

Milly’s passion for juice cleansing came after she suffered a severe illness. She picked up dengue fever, the mosquito-borne virus, and ended up bedridden for several weeks. Following that, she experienced chronic fatigue that meant she couldn’t work for six months. “My whole world came crashing down. I was unwell in every way – physically and emotionally exhausted. It was a huge wake-up call and I realised I needed to invest in my health and look after myself.”

Working as a beauty therapist at the time, Milly started making juices for her colleagues and friends when she was well enough to go back to work. She was also experimenting with traditional Chinese medicine and catching the attention of other people in her life who wanted to know what she was up to. Before long, Milly’s friends were converted to the power and deliciousness of green juices and essential oil-infused “mylk” (dairy-free).

Fed up with being stuck at home and exhausted, Milly knew she needed to exercise her mind as much as possible, and started studying a Bachelor of Health Science. So, just to sum up and make the rest of us probably feel bad: she runs two businesses and is doing a degree!

“I have a whole different outlook on life now, and no longer take my health for granted. Getting sick was a huge wake-up call.”

What does COOL mean to you?

Cool to me is having your own niche and thinking outside the box – not doing what everyone else is doing

Top 3 absolute life-changing health tips?

1. Removing chemicals from your life – in food and cleaning products.

2. The power of the mind – mind-body medicine is vital. Meditation, affirmation work, self-love.

3. Essential oils! They are so powerful.

What did your path back to wellness look like?

When I made the decision to get serious about recovering from chronic fatigue, I went to yoga every morning, then would come home and juice for hours, making concoctions for my day and preparing to cleanse for a few days ahead. I would nap in the afternoon, and eating super clean, whole foods, all organic. I noticed that on the days I didn’t have a good breakfast or if I had one “cheat” food, I would feel it in my body – my muscle aches and pains were back, really exhausted but couldn’t sleep as well… I realised the power of eating well and tuning into my body.

When did you have the idea for The Healthy Cocktail?

Two years ago, when I was sick. Chronic fatigue is diagnosed, but there’s nothing they can do to test or measure, and there’s no treatments or cure; traditional medicine can’t tell you why you’re sick. So I found a lot of alternative health treatments and practices. I cleaned my diet up, read a lot of other people’s stories on how they had recovered. Juice cleansing was the next step and it was so powerful. I asked my partner for a juicer for my birthday! I was only 23, and I thought, “Hmm, this is how I know I’m getting old!”

Has your Bachelor of Health Sciences been helpful to your business?

Absolutely – studying while working as been amazing, I’ve learned so much about how to use organic, whole foods to heal the body and mind.

So, what are the benefits of organic?

Where do I start?! There’s a bioaccumulation of toxins in our food chain, which is when industrial processes pollute the air, water and soil, and plants easily absorb toxic contaminants. We consume the plants, and the toxins accumulate in our system. With modern life, it’s pretty unavoidable to be exposed to chemicals, but why not make better choices when we can? By eating organic, we’re removing unnecessary chemicals from our daily lives, which has an incredible impact on our health and wellbeing.

What does it mean to do a juice cleanse?

Cleansing our systems every now and then is so beneficial for digestive health. It gives the digestive system a rest, and the fasting state of consuming only liquids for a few days means the body can switch to its natural healing ability. Cleansing increases nutrient and oxygen supply to cells, makes use of energy stores and allows full body regeneration. It’s important to remember that cleansing affects everyone differently too.

Why should people cleanse?

This is not a new thing – people have been cleansing and doing intermittent fasting for thousands of years. It’s so good for our bodies, from the inside out. It helps increase energy, metabolism, adrenal and immune function, and restore alkaline (ph) levels. That’s just the start!

Where do you find the time to run two businesses and study?

I’m a go-getter from way back! Juicing is manageable, because I only do two deliveries a week – Wednesday or Saturday, which means people can cleanse Wed, Thurs, Fri, or they can do a weekend cleanse, whatever suits them. So I press the juices on Tuesday and Friday, and then the business, marketing and social media side of things I squeeze in any time I get. I work in my salon Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and have fantastic, regular clients. I’m also only studying one subject at a time, but I’m in no rush to finish the degree.

What’s the best part of what you do?

Do you know what? I actually love the juicing. People might think I’m a freak, but I feel like it’s really relaxing, almost like a mindfulness exercise! Plus, two people work for me and we pump the tunes, juice and have so much fun for a few hours. It’s therapeutic.

Do you find it difficult to switch off from work?

I definitely need to be more disciplined with prioritizing me time – but I do mostly get the weekends off, which is nice. I’ll try not to answer emails, I’m very sociable too so I like to spend time with my friends. I’ve recently gotten into sound healing and meditation.

When she’s not interviewing cool people about cool shit, Amy is doing other writing stuff. Words are her jam.

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