Is Cleansing the New Exercise?

Here’s the scene: 5 girls are out to lunch. Two of them, rather than order anything on the sushi menu, pull out a cooler bag to unveil their meal: a juice bottle which consists of kale, spinach, parsley, celery, cucumber, lemon, romaine, and green apple. Both are magnifyingly marked “No 3.” “It’s my 3rd juice today… these numbered bottles have simplified my life. How much energy do we expend thinking about what to eat, what to buy at Whole Foods and then cooking it,” one gal said. Then the other friend said, “when I am doing these juice cleanses I don’t feel guilty not working out. I stay lean, feel healthy and would rather drink 6 of these green juices than head to the gym at 6am.” Gulp. Since when does juicing equal jumping jacks?

The ease of juice cleanses is ripe for the picking these days and word of its benefits and easy execution – just order and get at-home delivery for most of the top companies – has spread through the urban grapevine. While I was surprised at my friends’ apparent lazy motives for starting a juice cleanse, I wanted to see for myself.

First, I wanted to put my motives in check. Journalistic curiosity? That seemed perfectly fine since I pretty much do anything for a good story or writing material. I habitually order my steaks “blue” (that’s pretty much raw) and am without doubt addicted to sugar so a possible internal excavation might serve me well. And I wanted to test my theory that my love of cheese is the reason for chronic zits on my forehead.

With my motives solid I did some prep work. I rid my fridge of all temptations… cheddar cheese, tortillas, and pints of ice cream in the freezer. A few days before the juices were to be delivered I began eating mostly raw veggies. Avocado, cucumber with mint and lime. Raw Kale salad dressed with lemon juice, pistaccios and cranberries and eliminated my morning Mexican Mocha Latte.

I ordered from Blueprint Cleanse based in New York City. Their tagline “We think. You Drink.” is wonderfully appealing but it plays into my theory that juice cleanses have made us lazy. I get it. The idea of performing a juice cleanse is daunting. Planning the ingredients, hitting the market, then spending hours in front of the blender or juicer is no fun. But my Italian father would beg to differ. “To pick your food, touch your food, prepare your food and then eat it is a relationship crucial for happiness – Americans are so removed from that process.” he would say. Good point.

After my first day I successfully drank all 6 prescribed juices in the prescribed order and felt oddly more clear-headed and energetic. I didn’t feel hungry and slept great. The second day I felt my hearing was more tuned in, the mental clarity continued to improve and the distention in my gut was decreasing. The third day was just as easy. I loved the juices and did love the ease of just opening the fridge and having my meal. To keep with my tactile love of food – that’s touching, biting, smelling it – I froze some of the juices to make pops with and I also warmed some in soup bowls for different eating experiences. It’s interesting how the body and mind responds to the rituals of eating with a spoon versus drinking, biting versus sipping. I missed pizza though and I missed that wobbly legged feeling after one of my kick-ass spin classes.

The result? After 5 days (I bought 2 more days after the initial 3 day supply) I noticed less dimples on the bum, a flatter belly, glowing skin, and whiter eyes. I felt amazing. But I did notice a difference in my muscle tone. I hadn’t done any Pilates, yoga or cardio and felt softer. While juicing or fasting can certainly trim you up, they can’t tone you up and building muscle mass is vital for healthy aging and disease prevention. Cleansing will never be my go-to option for getting in shape and should never be seen as a replacement to physical fitness. While I was glad to get back to the Pilates routine and spin classes and that slice of pizza, I didn’t miss the morning Mocha run. Instead I headed to Sur La Table and bought myself a juicer and a subscription to an organic farm weekly fruit and veggie delivery.

My mornings are now a lot greener, the skin is still much clearer and the new ritual of juicing my freshly picked delivered veggies still covered in dirt is as close to dad’s ideal as this urban girl can get. Spin class starts at 11:15.

• Digg this!
• Tweet this!
• Stumble this!
• Share on Facebook
• Share on Reddit
• Bookmark at Delicious