Detoxing

 If I can do it... You can do it!

Down 20lbs, 26 inches, and went from a size 4 to a size 0!

Happy Monday!

I hope you all are starting off your week healthy and productive!  I just got back into ABQ after being out of town for 11 days (and binge pageant eating on top of that) So I am very happy to be home and ready to reboot my system with a 3 day cleanse which I am going to talk about today!

I have received a lot of questions about preparing juice & letting it sit in the refrigerator so I am going to touch on that quickly....

There is nothing better than FRESH juice, there is no denying that!  When we are juicing, we are breaking down and exposing the cell walls of the produce (this is what makes juicing so AMAZING and it's where all the benefits come from!)  When the cell walls become exposed we are making the produce very sensitive to light, air, heat etc.  Therefore, for MAXIMUM benefits drinking juice right away is best.  I do not have time to whip out my juicer 5 times a day and make fresh juice for every meal so I prepare most of my juices in advance.  I have noticed that citrus type foods tend to last a lot longer than other produce such as an apple which brown quickly.  I like to add extra lemon to whatever juices I am storing as well.  If you are not drinking your juice immediately, I recommend putting it in the refrigerator ASAP.  I have heard of some people freezing their juices and then when they are ready to drink them a few days after preparing them, they take the juice out of the freezer and drink as soon as its thawed.  I personally have not tried this yet but it sounds like a fantastic idea.  I also recommend storing juice in mason jars because the seal is air tight and the glass is better than plastic(...my own personal opinion and preference) 

I was reading some more about juicing today and I wanted to share with you all a list of Health Benefits from Juicing I came across that I felt really hit home with my own personal experience. Literally every bullet-point I was shaking my head and thinking, "Yep.. It does do that!"

Here it is! 

• Weight Loss 
• Immunity Booster 
• Better Digestion 
• Better Sleep 
• Decrease in Allergies 
• Balance in Skin Conditions 
• Healthier Hair 
• Improved Nail Strength 
• Decrease in Body Odor 
• Increase in Energy 
• Decrease in Medication 
• Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Health

 3 DAY DETOX 

Tomorrow I am starting a 3 day detox! After competing in Miss NM USA and being out of town for 11 days (and not caring what went into my mouth for the remainder of that trip) my body is SCREAMING for a detox.  And let me just say... the foods I thought I missed and had been fantasizing over for months were not nearly as "good" as I remembered them being and in fact I will drink juice over any of that yuck any day!!! Juice is SO delicious... I'm craving one as we speak! 

So my idea of a "Detox" is drinking only juice for three days straight.  The BEST advice I can give is to start off SLOWWWWW!!!!! Try doing a juice detox for one day & then maybe a few days later try two days.  Just giving your body all those nutrients for a day will work wonders. It's an amazing feeling to start off slow and work your way to doing a full blown juicing detox but it's not a change that you or your body will like to make overnight. AND Unless you were blessed with taste buds that crave vegetables, do not try and make pure veggie juices with stuff you would never eat to begin with.  IT'S OK to use yummy produce with high carbs and/or sugar (OMG... did I just say ok to high carbs and sugar in one sentence?!) Yes... Yes I did! And if we're going to be really honest, I typically use WAY more fruits than vegetables on a daily basis when juicing and I lost 20 lbs and 26 inches doing just that.  So don't be afraid to try some delicious recipes that use mostly fruit! Your body will thank you regardless, and you will be wanting to frame the picture on your scale.  -never thought that would happen!    

I typically like to drink one 16oz juice every two hours.  In between juices I like to drink 1/2-1 glass of water.  Water can be so boring so I like to jazz it up with some lemon, limes, strawberries, mint leaves, watermelon, cucumber, pineapple, or oranges.  If I am STARVING at any point of the day, I'll just drink another juice... I mean you're going all liquid for crying out loud... it's not going to hurt if you have an extra 16oz juice of FRESH, NATURAL produce.  

Picture of the water that you would prepare the night before..

Starting tomorrow I will be posting about my detox, how I feel, and what it's doing to my body.  I look forward to sharing about how it's going!

REMINDER:  I am no health expert, I am not majoring in health education, I do not have any type license.  I do not know what works for anyone other than myself however I do know that juicing has had a huge and positive impact on my life and I am happy to share what its done for me.  If you have questions I HIGHLY recommend consulting your doctor before trying anything I have shared.   

 

Looking forward to writing my next post already ;) 

Hope you all enjoyed this one and if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment!

xoxo 

Ashley Mora

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