Want to…

• clear your skin?

• look younger?

• heal the gut

• have more energy?

• and reduce, or even reverse your allergies?

Then maybe it’s time to try a juice fast!

I’ve experienced the above benefits (and more) from juice fasting. After doing over 20 fasts, I’ve got a firm grasp of what can set us up for success and what can set us up to fail.

In this post I’m going to share with you three main reasons why people “fail” on a fast and then how to succeed pre, during and post fast.

If you want to nourish your body, and learn how to take your health to the next level,  keep reading. I’m going to show you one of the ways I’ve done exactly that.

Why people fail on a juice fast:

They..

• Don’t mentally prepare
  Like running a marathon, a fast is more about mental toughness than physical toughness. When times get physically tough, it’s mental toughness that gets you over the finish line.
• Don’t physically prepare
  Like running a marathon, you need the physical prep to go the distance without hurting yourself or falling short of the finish line. If you want to finish your fast and succeed, you must prepare.
• Don’t have a protocol
  For some continuity I’ll do my best to follow this analogy… To be without a protocol, is like running a marathon without checkpoints, water stops or resting places. Without them, you’ll burn out fast, and likely weaken yourself, not strengthen yourself.

 

How to succeed on a juice fast:

Pre-fast Prep

1. Start with WHY

For mental steadfastness!

Don’t think about it too much. Either record yourself or write down…

All the reasons why you want to do this juice fast.

This is something you’ll want to refer to when times get tough.

For example, my example:

Because I want to…

• clear my skin completely.
• heal my gut and eat what I want
• reduce scarring and fine lines
• fix my oedema
• repair my leg injury so I can run and ride a bike again
• improve my confidence, and
• inspire incredible women to do the same

What would make this juice fast successful?
And don’t just say “fixing all of the above” because it might not happen on the first go, or second. Depending on how long your fast is, how much you can practically do with your schedule, how ambitious your goals are, and the severity of your symptoms.

So please, take it all into account when defining your success.

And don’t skip this part!

Psychologically this will set you up for success and help you to evaluate your progress for next time.

 

2. Eat more RAW

For physical efficiency

Eat more raw fruits and vegetables that are easy to digest and high in water content. Or better yet, go fully raw for a few days, a week, or more preceding the fast. This will significantly reduce the severity of symptoms, such as lethargy, and reduce the intensity of hunger whilst juice fasting.

For best results, start to replace one or two of your meals throughout the day and have one meal at dinner.

This kind of preparation not only reduces detox symptoms, but you start to see improvements almost immediately! Plus, it prepares your digestive system in a way that makes the juice fast even more effective.

 

3. Get EQUIPPED

You’ll need…

• a juicer (mine is a cold pressed “slow juicer”, but a cruciferous one will do the job)
• juicing ingredients
• yummy recipes and,
• depending on your protocols – an enema kit (see fasting protocols below)!

 

Fasting Protocols

To help you go the distance

4. Don’t drink till NOON.

If you’re a big breakfast eater, try to wean yourself off during the prep phase because…

The later you start to drink your juice, the less hungry you’ll be!

Once you drink your first calories of the day, your metabolism kicks in, and so do the hunger pangs!

Personally, I cope WAY better when I drink lots of water in the morning and try to wait until I’m genuinely hungry, and not just “routine” hungry. Routine meaning, your body expects you to eat at a certain time. Scheduling it to say – “let’s get ready toooo rumble!” at that particular time everyday. It’s a body clock-circadian thing, not a nutrient need thing.

You’ll find this to be true once you wean yourself off breakfast, you’ll stop getting hungry at that time. Well, for the most part.

Which leads me to…

 

5. Start with WATER

Nine times out ten, our body is hungry for hydration, and not for nutrients.

You still need a lot of water on a juice fast, if you’re not sure how much, see: how much water should I drink in a day?

Surprisingly, it will help satiate you and make for a deeper detox.

Whenever you get hungry throughout the day, make sure you gulp down some H2O before the OJ.

 

6. Assist the DETOX

During a fast you can experience a range of things. Sometimes you feel a lightness, boundless energy, and enthusiasm, but sometimes the next day or even the next hour you’ll be hungry, tired, cranky and unmotivated.

When you feel the pendulum swing like that, rest assured you’re not dying. It’s actually a good sign your body is going through another layer of detoxification.

Here are a few things you can do to alleviate these symptoms and assist the detox:

An enema.

If you’re feeling sick, tired or really cranky, often it’s because of a blockage in the colon. An enema helps to relieve that, and (for me) works immediately.

If you want to give it a go check out a tutorial here.

Enemas are not always required on a juice fast (BUT are on a water fast) though they do speed up the detox process and are therefore best practise. The other option (if you’re not keen on enemas), is to have a colonic once a week to once a fortnight.

I’ve had maybe 5 colonics, and they do wonders for my skin and gut. At one point I had constant tomato-red-rosacea, but after a colonic my face would cool down to a dull rosy glow. I’ve also spoken to a few psoriasis sufferers who get colonics every few months to keep clear skin. Again, it’s up to you.

Yoga + stretching + exercise.

Whatever practise you enjoy, movement will speed up detoxification via the lymphatic system, make you feel more energised, and give you all the benefits it would normally, but amplified.

Movement is a non negotiable and very possible on a juice fast. When I’ve juice fasted in the past I’ve been able to keep active – do two soccer trainings a week, one game, two PT sessions, running, and a home yoga practise. Though at the moment with my injuries, walking and physio does the trick.

So like my favourite online yoga teacher says – “do what feels good.”

 

7. When things GET TOUGH

Dinner time is often the hardest. Because the yummiest meals happen and it’s often the most sociable time to eat, so be prepared.

Have litres of juice ready to go.

And change the format a little because there are two things you’ll miss as time goes on:
1. hot food (heat)
2. and textures (chewing).

The solution?

1. Drink hot herbal tea.

I find it soothes an empty stomach, and is comforting at night.

2. Make juice popsicles/ice blocks.

Chewing becomes a fun change. Trust me. Chewing is also good for digestive functioning because it stimulates enzyme production.

Inevitably, on those nights where times are tough have your reasons why within reach!

And If you don’t normally treat yourself, now is the time.

Reward your efforts.

A massage, a facial, sauna or steam. Whatever will relax you.

All the afore mentioned also help the cleanse. Don’t forget it, it’s an important part of the process!

Only tell people who you know will be supportive.

Fasting is hard enough without other people getting in your head. If you want extra support, join our facebook community, where you’re welcome to ask us anything. This is especially helpful when you hit those hard times and you need a morale boost.

Post-fast Feeding

8. Break the fast SLOW

What you do off the fast is as important as the fast, if not more!

Keep post-fast feeding simple. If you eat dense foods too fast, you can reverse all the healing you worked so hard for.

So don’t!

How long you fasted for will determine how slow you take it.

A juice fast lasting 1-2 weeks – you can break with one fruit (mono meal), go for what you’re drawn to.

Continue to eat fresh fruit and incorporate juices in for the first week as a minimum. Then incorporate veggies after a few days, and then test it further from there. The longer you stay raw, the better, but feel it out. It’s definitely easier to do in the warmer months, otherwise soups are also good option.

Fats such as milks, nuts and seeds should be avoided the first week after a fast.

If you eat grains, hold off on them too for a week or so. Personally, I’ve now cut them out completely.

***

If you’ve never attempted a fast before and have some more questions – ask in the comments below.

If you’ve attempted a fast, I’d love to know. Share your experience – what did you find hard? What helped you the most? And what was the result?

And lastly, in the case of fasting…

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

But you can do it!

Take what you can from this post, find what works for you, discard what you don’t like, and you’ll succeed on your juicing journey. Whether you do a day, three days, or thirty, it’s an awesome effort.

You can always give it another go.

With lots of love and good luck,

xx Jess