Juice cleanses come with many benefits, including (but not limited to): increasing your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, pumping vitamins into your system, boosting your immunity, flushing away energy-zapping toxins, and giving your gut a much needed break.
Unfortunately, a lot of wellness seekers don’t get to experience these incredible side effects, because they get stuck in the most dangerous stage of juice cleansing––becoming a monster person.
If just the mention of you trying another juice cleanse makes your loved ones consider renting a hotel room across three state lines, you may be guilty of mismanaging your cleanses. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to go on a healthy and productive juice cleanse that actually leave you feeling better than before you started.
To prevent you from growing horns and a set of fangs the next time you decide to cleanse, we reached out to the experts for tips on staying sane while juicing for better health. Here’s what they said:
1. If you fail to plan, you may as well plan to fail.
I recently went on a 5 day juice cleanse, and the number one practice that kept me sane and on track was preparing all my juices the night before and/or morning of. Trust me on this––if you see your husband twirling pasta for lunch, and you haven't started chopping and juicing, you’re not only going to reconsider your relationship, but you're going to lose your drive and motivation to continue.
Alternatively, if you have your beautiful glass jars of juice shining up at you from the fridge, you’ll stay on track and avoid the crash and burn of giving in to sugary or salty foods. Honestly, that spike will make you meaner than just sticking with the juice as planned!
Violet Ostuni, Holistic Health Coach, Love Yourself to Wellness
@violet_ventures
To stay grounded on a juice cleanse, you need to remind yourself of why you chose to start one in the first place. When you start with the right intentions––whether it is to increase your immunity or for detoxifying purposes––it allows you to remain level headed. This way, when you start to get antsy or angry, you can turn to your motivation to calm you down.
With juice cleanses, it's essential to start slow and not overdo it or shock your system. This will increase your likelihood of staying sane and staying on track. Taking a few minutes to plan your strategy around a juice cleanse will help you prepare your body and your mind.
Jeanne Agius, Self-Care Journey
@your.selfcare.journey
3. Finally… an excuse to skip the gym.
The hardest part of doing a juice cleanse is the ravenous hunger you feel around the clock. The urge to eat solid food can consume you entirely. It can (and likely will!) make you mean. Go ahead, and give yourself a reprieve from the gym during your cleanse.
When you exercise, especially vigorously, you create a calorie deficit that your body will work to satisfy. You'll burn off whatever remains in your stomach faster, leaving you on an empty tank. When your stomach is empty and you need to refuel, your body naturally produces the hunger hormone, ghrelin. This only exacerbates the hunger you're feeling from the cleanse, increasing your overall monster-ness. Although this goes against the general advice of exercising regularly, laying low while on your cleanse and taking a few days off can go a long way in keeping you even-tempered. It will ease your hunger pains and general moodiness. During your cleanse, your body can afford a little time to rest.
Alaina Ross, RN and Expert Contributor at Test Prep Insight
4. Add adaptogens.
Ashwagandha is a clinically studied adaptogenic ginseng that can give you a sustainable energy boost while you’re on a juice cleanse. It balances cortisol levels, which helps reduce and manage the body's stress response. When taken strategically, Ashwagandha can reduce mental and physical fatigue, thereby increasing energy levels. A study conducted about the effects of Ashwagandha on the performance of elite cyclists found that those who were given the root showed significant performance improvement compared to those who were given the placebo.
Jillian Bacarisas, Social Manager, Herbal Blends for Holistic Wellness
@peakandvalleyco
If you’d like to supplement your juice cleanse with energy-revving, mood-boosting adaptogens, KOR Shot’s Focus Fuel might just do the trick. Packed with Organic Rhodiola Root Extract, Organic Bacopa Extract, and Organic Lion’s Mane Mushroom, this juice shot helps you feel good, while keeping you focused on your juice cleansing goals.
5. Eat a bigger meal filled with protein and fiber before you start your juice cleanse.
If you won’t be eating solid calories for a while, commit to a heavier fiber and protein-rich meal before getting started.
Soluble fiber helps you stay fuller for longer, because it breaks down slowly in your body. This kind of fiber dissolves in water, forming a gel-like substance in your stomach that takes longer to digest than other types of food.
Protein, meanwhile, helps you preserve and build lean body mass so you don’t lose muscle during your cleanse. Maintaining your hunger levels during the juice cleanse is one of the most reliable ways to ensure you stay calm and collected.
Chrissy Arsenault, MBA, RDN, LD, Honor Your Body
@thepinkpamplemousse
6. Make sure to get quality sleep.
The number one way to boost mood and energy while you’re on a juice cleanse is to commit to quality sleep. Every organ in your body slows down when you go to sleep except for one, and that's your nervous system.
The nervous system speeds up to heal your body when you're asleep. The more sleep you get, the more repair you can enjoy. When you get a good night’s sleep, you feel overall better the next day, because your body won’t be nearly as busy working to repair and heal what’s going on inside of you. Quality sleep is the first step and the number one step that I encourage people to do to boost mood and energy on a juice cleanse.
Dr. Livingood, Doctor of Natural Medicine and chiropractic physician, Keep Dreaming
@drlivingood
Having trouble getting the sleep you need to stay energized and happy on a juice cleanse? With sweet watermelon juice and dreamy melatonin, KOR Shot’s Sweet Dreams whisks you away to a deeper, more satisfying level of sleep.
7. Take a walk
A great way to maintain your cool while boosting energy on a juice cleanse is simply by taking a walk. On a juice cleanse, you may feel angry or sluggish––this is the perfect opportunity to get outdoors. Regardless of the pace, moving your body increases oxygen flow and the hormones that elevate energy and mood levels. Walking does not deplete you like a run might for some people, which is a safer bet when you’re cleansing.
Spending time outside and enjoying the fresh air will boost your happiness-inducing endorphins, sending the feel-good hormone (serotonin) to your brain. Even better, grab a friend! Companionship has been proven to produce even more serotonin, which can be especially helpful when you’re trying to stay sane on a juice cleanse.
Sure, any change to your wellness routine can leave you grumpy, but if your juice cleanse has you behaving like something out of a Mary Shelley novel, you may need to dial in your practice. Boost your mood and energy while on a juice cleanse with Focus Fuel while encouraging more restorative sleep with our Sweet Dreams---the experts recommend it!