Juicing the Day Away

No matter what, August always seems to be my month of "un-healthy" living. In general, I like to think I am a healthy person because I live by an "all things in moderation" motto. I am never afraid to indulge in a late night snack of ice-cream, fries, or other less than natural items; however, I refrain from doing so on an EVERYday basis and try to make sure to always counter such food-scapades with a good workout the following morning. I am a good girl, who tries to get my recommended daily dose of fruits and vegetables; however, when August roles around, I become a snack food beast! Perhaps it is due to the fact that August is my birthday month, or the fact that the thought of Autumn gets my brain focused on all of the tasty flavors the late season has to offer; I'm not really sure; either way, my crap-food cravings increase almost ten fold.
This year, in an effort to break the cycle, as well a better help prepare myself for my third half-marathon which I will be running at the end of this month, I decided to try a one day juice cleanse.
I know what you are thinking. A juice cleanse, seriously? Haven't studies shown that those are bad for you?...Etc, Etc.
Well, before anybody gets to being judge-y, let me explain my thinking.
I know that right now, juice cleanses are the trendy thing to do to lose weight and such, but that isn't why I am doing it. I'm not trying to lose weight. I am trying to convince my body that it would rather have healthy, everyday foods rather than the processed junk available in air-tight sealed bags with extra cholesterol and trans fats that it seems to be craving. I am also trying to give my digestive system a chance to clean out any unwanted junk and in a sense "revitalize" the whole digestion process. I am only doing it for one day (which is the normal time of a monthly fast), and I am making sure to drink a well balanced variety of juices to make sure my body gets regular nutrients still.
Rather than taking on the hassle of buying a bunch of fruits and vegetables and trying to mix up a blend of drinkable juices throughout the day, I opted to buy some pre-made juices from a reputable company with more knowledge about balanced nutrition than I have stored in my noggin. After a little Google powered research, I decided to order from a local company called Just Organic Juice. You can look at their website and all they have to offer Here. They have a variety of options and juices to choose from; plus they deliver for free within a ten-mile radius (lucky me for living so close). I ordered their 1-Day cleanse plan which includes 6 different bottles of juices which they conveniently number label so you know the order in which to drink them. Each one is tasty and unique. The variety and sweet, yet healthy flavor combinations keep me interested, rather than bored, and-- now this is me being absolutely honest-- feeling full all day long.
Of course I am looking forward to the return of chewable food for breakfast tomorrow, but one day of just juice has actually proven to be rather wonderful. I feel healthy, I feel that my digestive system has received a much deserved break, and the best part; I haven't had a craving for fries, Hot Cheetos, or  any of my sweets vices. Overall, I'd say my little experiment went quite well it feels fairly beneficial.
I probably wouldn't recommend anything longer than a single day Juice Cleanse, but that might just be my munch-happy mouth talking. I'll admit it, I like being able to chew my food. So while I probably won't make juicing a weekly practice, I think that a day of just juice every couple of months or so might be just the thing to help anyone in  need of a jump-start into a healthier routine.