We partnered up with South Block Cafe to give one of our lucky readers a Free 3 Day Juice Cleanse but first we had to try it for ourselves! And here is our review..
Michelle Day Before Prep: I have tried several juice cleanses in the past and strongly suggest prepping before and after a cleanse. Considering the prep is just as important as the actual juices used. I do this by cutting out all meat, sugar, caffeine and alcohol from my diet a few days before hand. For this prep, I started my morning off with a warm mug of water and lemon along with a bowl of mixed berries. I made a green smoothie to go and drank it when I started to get a little hungry at work. For dinner, I ate a spinach salad topped with cucumbers and tomatoes and used lemon juice for dressing. This was followed by a light salmon and cooked spinach. By prepping with food from ingredients contained in the actual juices, it made the process so much easier and even caused me to crave these foods after the cleanse rather than burgers and fries. Oh and don’t forget to drink tons of water before and during the cleanse. Hydration is key!!
We picked up our juices the day before the cleanse at our local South Block shop located conveniently in the town of Clarendon in Arlington, VA but they also deliver if you can’t make it to the store! We wanted to try out South Block because it is local to where we live and we had heard such amazing things about their juices. They make cold pressed juices which deliver 3-5x the nutrients of an at home juicer and they stay fresher longer too!
Sarah Day 1: The first day was a breeze for me. The excitement of starting the cleanse and trying new juices got me pumped to take on day 1 and the cute little bag they gave us to carry our juices in also helped! To my surprise all of the juices tasted amazing, with the exception of Greens for me. I also had to pee A LOT the first day, I think every couple hours or less I was heading to the bathroom but this subsided after the first day. Even with frequent trips to the bathroom I still had to remember to drink as much water as possible in between juices, since it is important to stay hydrated during the cleanse and also to help flush out toxins. I loved how satisfying all of the juices were, especially the Caveman Mylk (cashews, H20, vanilla, cinnamon, dates and pink Himalayan sea salt) at the end of the night. I am used to having a pretty big dinner so this helped me get through bedtime without too many cravings.
Michelle Day 2: My morning started off feeling great. I was slightly craving my morning ritual of caffeine which I substituted for warm water and freshly squeezed lemon juice. It really helped energize my morning and a great kickstart for the digestion process for my day which is important when juicing. I noticed the day going by pretty quick as I’m always on my feet at work and found myself constantly grabbing the next drink. Since there are 6 juices for you to drink throughout the day, there isn’t much time to get hungry and I honestly enjoyed every one. After my long commute home from work, I felt a bit more sluggish. I managed to do a light 30 minute cardio workout which gave me some energy for the rest of the evening. I went to bed early around 9pm an hour after my favorite cashew juice which helped take away any temptations lurking in the kitchen.
Sarah Day 3: I woke up feeling energized and was almost sad that it was my last day on the cleanse. I think I could have gone 5-7 days on this cleanse, it was that good!! Cure was also one of my favorite juices, it had such an intriguing flavor that I always found myself craving it (probably due to the cayenne, I am addicted to spice). Cure is made out of pineapple, carrot, lemon, turmeric, cayenne and ginger. I found myself hungry around 3:00pm but after I finished my juice, I felt much better. I did another light workout this day including light cardio and attended a lower body strengthening class, I felt pretty tired after but when I went home and had a juice for “dinner” it made me feel a lot better.
Sarah and Michelle Recap and Days After: We both felt that this cleanse was on one of the best and easiest we have done thus far. We have both tried Blue Print, Cooler Cleanse, Puree Juice Bar and also have made our own juices at home but South Block’s cleanse was hands down the most satisfying and tasty. We highly suggest cleansing with a buddy, having someone to cleanse with helps to motivate each other to power through and to not give in to temptations. Days after the cleanse we found ourselves being more conscious of what we were eating and have been eating whole and fresh foods and staying away from processed foods. We both weighed ourselves before and after and found that we lost between 3-4 lbs and found that we were a lot less bloated then normal. This is not meant as a diet method and was not why we did the cleanse but feeling a bit leaner was a nice side effect! Think of a cleanse more as a reset for your body and mind and a way to get you on the right track towards a healthy everyday lifestyle.
If you live in the DC/VA area and want to try a juice cleanse, we highly recommend you try South Block! Did we mention they also deliver?? The cleanse will normally run you $150 for three days, which is a fair price for a cleanse of this quality. They also have other healthy meal options to help you stay on track before and after your cleanse. Find more info South Block Cafe here and you too can gain #Blockstarstatus!
Just for Fifty-Two Thursday readers, South Block is offering $5 off your next cleanse when you enter code 52Thursdays in the comments section of checkout. And don’t forget to enter our Giveaway for a chance to win your very own Free 3 day Cleanse!
2 Comments
Anna
April 10, 2014 at 5:47 pmThey look amazing! I hope I win! 🙂