I’ve wanted to go on a juice fast for a little over a year now. I have several books on it and have been studying it a ton… but no time ever seemed like the “right” time.

That was for 2 reasons:

1. I knew I’d have huge detox issues, and I didn’t want to put my business at risk (I’ll be pretty useless work-wise for some days)

2. I had social activities lined up and didn’t want to be the “party pooper” while other people were drinking/eating.

After staying in Philly for a few days and eating like crap, I’ve decided it’s now or never, and have committed to a 30 day juice fast once I get back to Scottsdale.

I’ll be tracking my progress as much as I can throughout my blog (like I said, there will be huge detox issues and there may be some days I have no desire to be near the computer).

Why I Want To Go On A Juice Fast

There are a few reasons. The more and more I learn, the more the importance of each reason changes (ie first it was because I was really psyched about weight loss, now the health is more important to me).

Here are some reasons why:

- The amount of toxins in the food we eat is insane. Our body is constantly consumed by digesting the food we keep taking in. On a juice fast, the body can STOP putting energy into that and instead put energy into flushing toxins out of our body.

They say that for every day on a juice fast, you can heal 120 days worth of crappy food.

- I’ve seen lots of people talk about old injuries, etc… clear up while on a juice fast. I don’t have any old injuries, but those stories help me me see how healthy juicing is for your body.

- Not only do you flush out physical toxins while on a juice fast, but you also flush out emotional toxins. A lot of people (especially me when I was younger) eat to avoid having to deal with other things. I know even now, if I get sad or angry, I emotionally eat. Juice fasting helps “detox” these emotional issues.

(While I know I have a lot to detox there and am very excited about it, I anticipate this being the hardest part of the fast. I’ve read about people having days full of very severe emotions – some days being incredibly mad, some days being really depressed, some being gleefully happy.)

- Weight loss. I will still eat lots of calories from the juice, but as I put in all the alkaline foods, my body will help get rid of the acid ones, any excess fat, and all cellular toxins.

- I think my intuition is going to go through the roof once my body is more “clear” (and have read of other people experiencing that)

- Will have much more vivid dreams (Again, I read/heard about a lot of people experiencing this)

Obviously, I have to set up conditions to make this inevitable.

A juice fast isn’t the easiest thing in the world, so I’m setting myself up for success.

Here’s how:

- Jaime is coming to stay with me for 1 or 2 weeks. She actually just got off a juice fast herself (which was another reason that pushed me to do it. Like I said, I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now, and when Jaime did her 12 day fast, I envied all the amazing side benefits).

When Jaime did the fast, she went to a retreat in Patagonia, Arizona. They specialize in fasts, so she learned a TON. She’s going to share the info with me, and then she’s also going to help me make juices, bring over elixirs, and just be with me as I go through the detoxing. I am so grateful for her.

- Otto is going to call me every day and walk me through, visually, getting to the 30 day mark.

I’ve read about the power of visualization through Psycho-Cybernetics and several other books, but saw the power of it in person a few times myself (for example, when Steph coached Mona and I through our 5k run).

- This may be “TMI”, but I don’t really care. When doing a juice fast, you have to either get colonics or do daily enemas. As you detox, the toxins can pile up in your intestines. If you don’t get them out, then they can go back into your bloodstream which is INCREDIBLY dangerous. I know I won’t want to do the daily enemas, so I’m purchasing a package of 20 colonics administered for me.

- I set up dates to do it (I’ll start Nov 28, 2009). I decided to go with Nov 28 because it’s the day after I get back from Philadelphia. I’m going to be super-honest with myself: I wouldn’t be able to do it here in Philadelphia. Thanksgiving is coming up, there’s too much yummy food around to tempt myself with, and my mom would be upset. I set up a time when I knew I could succeed.

- I’m purchasing a 30 day bikram yoga package as I do the fast. Jaime mentioned she used a sauna at her retreat, but since I’m doing this at home, I had to find an alternative. Luckily I had been planning to do a 30 day fitness challenge in December anyway, so this hot yoga works out perfectly. I’ll sweat out a lot of toxins through it, while also getting to move my body and get my exercise in (hiking at Camelback – my normal exercise – is going to be way too strenuous for me at first).

What I’m Going To Drink

I’ll be filling up my juicer with lots of yummy veggies. As I mentioned, Jaime will help me make the juices at first (I’ll post what she recommends), and then I imagine my body will guide me to know what to drink next.

I read in one of Victoria Boutenko’s books about the experience of her putting her children on a raw food diet. She said one day her son asked for some blueberries (I think that was the fruit). She brought a flat of them to have them on hand for a while, and he ended up eating all of them in one day.

The same sort of thing happened to her daughter. She asked for some grapefruits (again, I think that was it) and ended up eating massive quantities in a day. It surprised Victoria, but it turns out that the foods they requested are known for helping to cure what their respective illnesses were at the time – asthma and diabetes.

I say this because I trust my body is going to clue me in to what’s best for me.

What’s Next:

I’m fasting today (day before Thanksgiving). Even though I’m going to a juice fast soon, like I said, I’ve been putting lots of crap in my body and want to flush at least some of it out. I’ll go on the extended 30 day fast starting Saturday, and I’m REALLY excited for it.