Have you ever toyed with the idea of doing a cleanse but were too afraid, as you didn’t know what to expect? We’ve got your back. This week one of our copywriters, Hayley Daen, tackles a 3 day Hard cleanse and takes us along for a ride. Let’s get juicy.
Tuesday, July 10
7:00- My sunrise alarm clock has been slowly illuminating for the last 30 minutes, so I wake just before it cheerily chirps to rouse me. I roll around in bed for a few minutes before remembering it’s cleanse day! I putter out to the kitchen, down a glass of lukewarm water with lemon and do some light stretching in the living room. No sign of life from my stomach. Maybe this won’t be so hard after all.
7:30- Dressed and ready to go, I begin the arduous two minute walk to my office, realizing that summer seems to have left us. Once I’m in the office, I brew up a mug of nettle, fennel and peppermint tea and settle in to work.
9:00- My stomach starts to show signs of life. I reach for The Fix. I slowly sip this along with some room temperature water. It’s fresh and tastes green, in a good way.
11:00- Right on cue, I started to feel a little hungry, so it is time for juice number 2, The Glow. This stuff tastes like candy!
13:00- So far, so good. I’ve yet to ache for a cookie or a sandwich, and my stomach isn’t growling too much. I wonder if this is the calm before the storm. But I can certainly tell I’m even more hydrated than normal, as I’m getting up from my desk to pee every hour! Time for The Pret Á Protein. It’s sweet with a…how shall I put this…earthiness from the spirulina.
15:00- After a short stroll down to Bocca Coffee Roasters for a white tea to tide me over, I am definitely ready for The Lightsaber. To be honest, I was a bit dubious about the idea of chia seeds in a juice. Would the texture be off? Would it keep me from drinking my juice? Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised. The low-level hunger I had before is kept at bay, thanks to the protein in the chia seeds.
17:00- Whenever I cleanse, I tend to feel a bit chilly, so I’ve layered on a cashmere sweater to keep me snug in the office. Along with another nettle, fennel and peppermint tea, I’m feeling quite cosy. Finally time for the coconut water! I’ve been looking forward to it all day, and it does not disappoint. It’s smooth and a bit sweet and somehow feels rich after all these veggie juices.
18:30- One of the ways you can help promote detoxification during your cleanse is to hit the infrared sauna. After work, I head over to Sauna Deco on the Herengracht to help move those toxins out of my body. As the sweat pours out of me, I sip on The Bedrock. It’s tangy and tart with a little kick from the ginger.
20:00- All hunger I felt earlier has melted away thanks to the staying power of the sweet potato in the Bedrock. I dry brush before showering to detox and improve circulation, finishing up by gently massaging coconut oil into my skin. I nurse a pot of Cleanse Tea whilst I read in bed, my Astier de Villatte candle burning next to me.
22:45- I turn out the light, blow out my candle and put on my eye mask. It’s not long before I’m dreaming away.
Wednesday, July 11
7:00- Because I slept with my eye mask on and stayed up a bit later than normal, I don’t beat the alarm clock this morning. I slink out of bed after a few minutes spent refusing to move and down a glass of lukewarm water with lemon. A quick look in the mirror, and I realize that, whilst I may not feel it, I look super well-rested. Not a blemish in sight, and my dark circles are, if not gone, much lighter than normal. Must be all the vitamins and nutrients!
8:30- I’m shocked I’m not feeling cold this morning, but maybe that’s because it’s so nice out. I make a cup of Tension Tamer tea – chock full of eleuthero, peppermint, cinnamon, ginger, chamomile, lemongrass, catnip and tilia flowers – to help me ease into the morning. I’m not stressed, but I am at work, after all.
9:00- I hold my nose and down my E3Live Shot. I’m not going to lie to you, this stuff is pretty nasty, but if it’s going to control my cravings, improve my digestion and boost my energy and immune system, then I’m in. Like any good shot, I chase it with something more delicious, The MOAJ. The spice from the jalapeño gets rid of the memory of the shot instantaneously.
11:00- Sweet Lord! That Ginger Shot is spicy. It’s been 5 minutes since I took it, and my mouth and throat are still on fire. That must mean it’s working, right? Luckily I’ve got The Pret Á Protein to wash it down. Today, I can’t even taste the spirulina, which I must say I’m pretty happy about.
13:30- Another MOAJ comes out of the bag. I drink it whilst I wander over for a white tea at Bocca. It’s amazing how something as simple as a tea can feel like a treat when you’re not eating solid food!
15:00- I start to feel a little afternoon slump coming on. Not because I’m particularly tired or hungry. Mostly because it’s a slow day at work. You have no idea how happy I was to pull The Astronaut’s Fuel out of my bag! The electric blue hue gives me a jolt of energy even before I take a sip. I feel teleported to outer space.
17:20- I didn’t even realize that more than two hours have passed. I haven’t felt hungry at all today, but I am still thoroughly enjoying my juices. I pull out The Iron Man, which is earthy with a nice zinginess from the lemon. I’ve felt remarkably productive at work. Is it the juices? Or am I just excited about my sailing trip in Scandinavia next week…hmmmmm.
18:30- To be honest with you, I never do too much strenuous exercise when I cleanse, but this is a very personal thing. Joey, who you’ve probably seen smiling and boogying all over our Instagram, does 3 Rocycle classes a day on his cleanse, Nathalie, our lovely founder, does a 10 km run, hot yoga class or body shape class during her cleanse, and others meditate or take walks. I fall into the latter camp. With this in mind, I head out for a long stroll in the Vondelpark in the sunshine, toting The Bedrock with me for hydration.
20:00- Finally, I’m back home. After a quick dry brush and shower, I brew a pot of Cleanse Tea, pop on a bentonite clay face mask and snuggle in bed to watch Marie Antoinette.
23:15- It’s weird because I normally have succumbed to sleep long before this, exhausted from the day, but until now, I haven’t felt tired. Knowing that I have that alarm set for 7:00, I decide to hit the hay anyway. I put a few drops of CBD oil under my tongue, slip on my silk eye mask and zonk out.
Thursday, July 12
7:00- I beat my alarm by two minutes! What a treat. I do feel a bit hazy waking up, but once I am out of bed and gulping room temperature water with lemon, I start to feel like myself. My tummy feels a bit flatter this morning, but I am thirsty. I also notice a bit more…stuff coming off when I use my copper tongue scraper before brushing my teeth. At least my skin looks hydrated though I grab another glass of water to sip on whilst I get ready to combat dehydration.
9:00- E3Live again. Yuck. The MOAJ takes away the taste, thankfully. I’m still feeling parched, so I grab a bottle of sparkling water from the fridge.
11:00- Are you getting tired of me yet? I wouldn’t blame you. Pulled a sunny bottle of The Bedrock out of the fridge to enjoy on my sunny meander down the street. And man is it good. Hey, I can’t sit at my desk all day.
13:00- Looks like it’s time for another Pret Á Protein, and after the Ginger Shot I just took, it is more than welcome. I can’t believe how satiated I feel, and I feel incredibly well rested. Part of me is starting to think I extend the cleanse a day or two, though I guess I shouldn’t get ahead of myself…
15:00- Help! I’m hungry! I think perhaps I have not been drinking as much water as the previous days, so my stomach is protesting a bit. I’m going to go with dehydration here, rather than real hunger. I’m in luck, as Coconut Water is up next. I think they’d run out of large bottles when I picked up my juices last night, so they’ve given me two regulars. I down one and set the other aside as a treat tonight. Coconut Water for dessert!
17:00- This day is crawling by, but I’m sort of loving the little pick-me-up every couple of hours. Bored? Drink a juice! Feeling sleepy? Drink a juice! 5 P.M. brings me The Fix. The perfect thing to fix my end of day doldrums. I love the kick from the ginger and lemon.
18:30- I finally escape the office and drop my stuff at home. I grab The Reset and head out on a little walk. It’s still warm and sunny, and the juice is particularly delicious, so I certainly cannot complain.
20:00- I arrive back home and get to work in the kitchen, preparing some food for a dinner party I’m hosting tomorrow evening. The delicious scent of garlic roasting in the oven is torture. Thankfully, I saved the second regular Coconut Water from earlier, so I have something sweet and delicious to distract me from the intoxicating scents emanating from the oven.
21:30- I can’t believe it’s already 9:30. I am full and content though finally starting to feel a bit sleepy. I dry brush, shower and crawl into bed. I think I’ve earned this today. I slip on my eye mask, crank the fan up next to my bed and shut my eyes. Ahhhh, sleep.
The Aftermath
When I wake up Friday morning, I feel better than I’ve felt in quite some time. My tummy is flat, my dark circles are nearly imperceptible, the bags are totally gone beneath my eyes and I wake up before my 6:20 alarm clock. Surprisingly, I have the energy to tackle a 7:00 spin class at Rocycle, though I must admit I didn’t give it 100%. The pressure I normally feel around my eyes and sinuses is miraculously gone, and my skin looks much brighter. I feel fantastic. I want to ease back into normal eating, though I am tempted to continue the cleanse another day or so. I start the day with The MOAJ before biting into a juicy summer nectarine. Nothing has ever tasted so good.