Very recently, I achieved something that I never thought I'd be able to do: Go five days without food!
Before you start giving me incredulous looks and going like "Whaaaaaat?!", let me just set the record straight. It's not just going five days without food, but rather, going through a five-day holistic and healthy organic cold-pressed juices cleanse with hic'Juice, a homegrown company that delivers juice cleanses straight to your doorstep!
Why do a juice cleanse?
There are lots of reasons and benefits for doing a juice cleanse.. And the most important reason is for HEALTH!
In our usual hectic and busy lifestyle, many of us neglect eating well and maintaining a healthy body. Late nights, junk food, alcohol, stress and aging are just some of the factors that cause our bodies to slowly deteriorate over time, and will eventually lead to health problems over time! :(
I'm definitely guilty of overindulging in bad foods, sleeping late, and not exercising or doing enough to keep my body healthy. And one of my favourite ways to "reset" my body system and to detoxify is to go on a cleanse/detox.
Hic'juice's cleanse programs act as a healthy routine maintenance tool for your body to detoxify through the wholesome ingredients you consume while at the same time allowing your digestive system and liver to get a much needed rest. You will be feeding your body with organic ingredients that are easy to digest and filled with live enzymes and vitamins, while eliminating processed sugars, alcohol, caffeine, carbs and meat from your diet. This shifts your body from an acidic environment to one that's highly alkaline and boosts your body’s immunity and helps it to fight inflammation.
It's very simple, all you have to do is to replace your meals, caffeinated and alcoholic drinks with the 6 delicious raw, organic and cold pressed juices that will be delivered to your home or office. In between the juices, you will drink plenty of water, lemon water and even herbal teas. You can carry on your everyday life as per normal but do get plenty of rest and try adding in some activities like yoga, walking, swimming or spa treatments to aid in the elimination process. Leave the rest of the work to the juice and your body.
Once your body is free from the task of digesting solid food and instead, receiving our organic ingredients that are easy to digest and filled with live enzymes and vitamins, your body will gently shed the stubborn toxins and excess weight. After 3 or 5 days on this clean and lean program, you will feel lighter and healthier as well as more balanced, lucid and vibrant!
After the cleanse, you will also tend to be more conscious of the food you take, keeping the healthier path you started sustainable in the long run.
This is not my first cleanse with hic'Juice: I actually did the Level 1 3-day Reboot program last year (just before Christmas! Read about my first cleanse on my Dayre: Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3), and I liked it so much that I decided to do it again this year, but to challenge myself just a lil more, I went for FIVE days this time!
After placing your order online and picking your start dates, your freshly pressed juices will be delivered to you the night before your cleanse begins: They come in cooler bags (these cooler bags are really handy for keeping the juices cold!) and if you are doing a 5 day cleanse like I did, you'll get the juices delivered in two batches, because the juices have to be consumed fresh, within three days!
Which is kind of good because it means there's no turning back once your juices are delivered to you! Lol cos you can't put it off if not the juices will not be fresh anymore!
So this time round, I did the same Level 1 Reboot Program: but for 5 days!
It's really idiot-proof. All the bottles come labelled with names and numbers, and you basically just have to reach for one juice every two hours!
Drinking nothing but juices sounds really tough, but it is really much easier than it sounds, and kept me really full! In fact, sometimes I was so full that I couldn't even finish my bottle of juice!
Let me talk about some of my juices, and share with you which juices I like! :P
POPEYE SMOOTHIE
Packed with antioxidants and vitamins, this blend of Red Dragon Fruit, Pineapples, Bananas, Spinach and Ionized Water is the perfect start to your healthy day!
4 CARATS
This cold pressed blend of Carrots, Apple, Cucumber and Celery will be your next best friend with the glow it gives you, sans diamonds!
COOL AS A…
Keep cool and juice on with this hydrating blend of Celery, Cucumber, Apple & Lemon.
LEMON N’ SPICE
The refreshing and tangy blend of Apples, Lemon, Cayenne Pepper, Himalayan Salt and Ionized Water gets your metabolism and circulatory system going, while boosting immunity!
KALE TALES
We heard so much about this Super Veg! Cucumber, Apple, Pure Coconut Water and the elusive Kale completes this delish drink.
GREEN LEMONADE
The sacred seven of detoxification – Apple, Cucumber, Kale, Celery, Romaine Lettuce, Parsley and Lemon.
HEART BEET
This fuchsia medley of Carrot, Apple, Beetroot, Lemon and Ginger promotes cardiovascular health, fights cancer and is a super tonic for the liver!
PURE COCONUT WATER
Highly regarded as Earth’s natural Gatorade, you will be amazed at the many wonders of Pure Coconut Water.
OH MY GREENS
Oh My Greens! - Celery, Apple, Pineapple and Brocolli makes up this juice which is designed to fight inflammation and boost energy!
KALEIDOSCOPE
The upgraded version of the Sacred Seven, this juice has nine amazing ingredients to gently rid the toxins in your body.
NUT MILK
A hearty but healthy non dairy milk for dessert with Raw Cashews, Raw Almonds, Vanilla, Medjool Dates, Himalayan Salt, Cinnamon and Ionized Water.
Popeye Smoothie: Red Dragonfruit, Pineapple Banana, Spinach, Ionized Water
One of my favourite juices in the cleanse! It tastes so yummy and refreshing, like a fruit smoothie! I super love this one. Fills me up first thing in the morning too cos this is usually the first juice of the day!
4 Carats: Carrot, Apple, Cucumber, Celery
Another juice that I enjoy a lot. Carrot juice drinkers would probably like this. It has a sweet carrot taste with hints of apple, cucumber and celery! Though I don't like celery eaten on its own, I find that it's actually okay when mixed with other fruits in a juice.
PS. Spot the "My Cleanse Journal", as well as a little time table to help you get through each day, thoughtfully included with your juices by hic'Juice!
Lemon N' Spice: Apple, Lemon, Cayenne Pepper, Himalayan Salt, Ionized Water
I quite like this but some people would find it too spicy because of the cayenne pepper! That ingredient is important to help suppress appetite and also burn calories! Drink!!!
Green Lemondae: Apple, Cucumber, Kale, Calery, Rmaine Lettuce, Parsley, Lemon
This drink sounds so super wholesome with so many greens, but it really isn't gross and is very tasty! I taste more of the apple and lemon in it, and it's very refreshing too!
Kale Tales: Kale, Cucumber, Apple, Coconut Water
I'm quite neutral towards this juice, it's pretty nice and palatable but I don't love love it like I love Popeye Smoothie.. or even Nut Milk!
Nut Milk: Cashews, Almonds, Vanilla, Medjool Date, Himalayan Salt, Cinnamon, Ionized Water
The best drink that I look forward to, almost every night!! (It's in your "menu" every night for a 3-day cleanse, but not for 5-day!) This doesn't seem like much, but it's a nutty, fragrant drink that is sooo comforting to have, especially when during this 5-day cleanse I've been working out! I drink it as a post-workout drink and it tastes amazing. Not just me, Evonne loves this as well! Lol. I even bought extra bottles for YZ to try too.. :D
My least favourite juices were probably Heart Beet (something with beetroot and ginger) and Kaleidoscope (one of the really "green" juices...) but I believe most people would be able to enjoy the Level 1 Reboot Program because most of the juices are so tasty and easy to drink! In fact, I even miss having the Popeye Smoothie and Nut Milk! :(
If you're thinking, "What? I could make my own juices at home!", yes, you probably could, but hic'Juice uses ORGANIC and COLD-PRESSED juices, which means that you get 5x more live enzymes and nutrients in your juices as opposed to using a juicer! (Also, I personally wouldn't be bothered to make myself 6 different juices a day and would probably give up from boredom after a day)
There's too much I could tell you, so just read hic'Juice's webpage here on "Why hic'Juice?"
Also, hic'Juice is nutritionally sound: Dr Doreen Tan, who is a leading health care and beauty guru, also happens to be a good friend's mom, and I trust her opinions and advice on health a lot! It is NOT a low-calorie crash diet, and should not be treated like one! In fact, the six juices a day are enough to provide you with enough calories and nutrients in a healthy and wholesome manner.
Doing the hic'Juice 5-day cleanse was slightly more challenging than I expected (I've done other detoxes for up to 7 days so I thought that 5 days wouldn't be too tough), and my brain was craving for food on the 4th/5th day! But I managed to pull through all five days successfully, and I felt really proud of myself!
Read about each day and how I felt during the course of the day: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5 of my hic'Juice juice cleanse on my Dayre!
At the end of 5 days, I didn't just feel lighter and more rejuvenated, I also ended the cleanse with a huge sense of accomplishment and empowerment. Just having the discipline to get through 5 days without food is already a feat, to me! Also, I weighed myself before and after the 5-day cleanse, and I lost a total of 1.6KG in 5 days! That's pretty decent!
Though I know that this weight might not stay off for long, I do feel physically and mentally lighter and healthier! And quite a few people commented on how I look "glowing" when I posted up this picture on Instagram.. And I believe it's because of hic'Juice!
For me, doing the cleanse is not just about losing weight, or even detoxifying. One of the best things that I experience from juice cleansing is to really be aware of my body and eating habits, and being able to take a step back from unhealthy eating and just sort of reset my eating habits. I don't think there's a healthier way to do it than to experience a juice cleanse!
Of course, please treat your body right when you finish the cleanse, and don't jump right back into junk food and huge carb/sugar-laden meals! You should be easing healthily back into nutritious food, with lots of fresh, unprocessed food as much as possible!
I personally feel that hic'Juice has aided me a lot in my quest to become healthier and trimmer, but don't take my word for it, try it for yourself!
hic'Juice is offering 10% off for readers (quote YINAGOH when checking out!), so if you're one of those eager to try juice cleansing and experience the benefits for yourself, I strongly recommend starting with the Level 1 Reboot 3-day cleanse!
Just for your information, below are the prices for the Level 1 Reboot cleanses:
Level 1 Reboot 1-day cleanse: $108
Level 1 Reboot 3-day cleanse: $308
Level 1 Reboot 5-day cleanse: $508
You've already read all the good things I've had to say about hic'Juice: if you're still not convinced, head on to hic'Juice's website to find out more! :)
I'm pretty sure that this isn't going to be my last juice cleanse with hic'Juice, I hope I'll be able to do it at least every few months as a means to keep my eating in check, as well as detoxifying and staying in the green of health! :) I have really been trying to shift towards a healthier and more wholesome lifestyle, so do expect more health and wellness posts soon! ;)
xoxo