There is a lot written these days about the rising levels of obesity and accompanying epidemic of chronic diseases such as diabetes. Less than 10-15% of Americans and Australians are consuming the recommended 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables per day.
Instead our bodies are bombarded with processed food packed with fat, sugar
and salt, deliberately engineered to make us crave more of the same.
Millions of people in the developed and developing world are fat, sick and nearly
dead, like Joe Cross was before his juice fast. Instead he turned his life around
and that of many others with juicing.
Whether you are undertaking a full-on juice cleanse or simply adding juices
into your life gradually, smooth out the bumps on your journey to better health
through juicing with the following tips.
1. PLAN. PLAN. PLAN.
This includes simple day to day practicalities such as working out the
juices you are going to have and making sure all ingredients are to hand.
Carey’s fantastic eBook “25 Healthy Juice Recipes” makes this easy.
Think about anything that might come up that could push you off track.
How can you go up, over or around the obstacle?
I had an ‘aha’ moment the other day when I realized that I could accept an
obstacle (and wallow around feeling sorry for myself) or choose to move
past it.
What obstacles are you coming up against in your juicing journey? How
can you move around them?
2. Identify, assemble and surround yourself with a support team.
Set up some accountability. Now is not the time to be shy. This could be
friends or family and these days with technology they may live in the
same town or be on the other side of the world. Forums, blogs and
facebook communities can also be a wonderful source of support and
encouragement.
3. Identify saboteurs.
Unfortunately this may include your nearest and dearest. You may be
able to transform them into your supporters simply by telling them what
you need and how they can hep you. They may be unaware of how they
are undermining your efforts, have the best of intentions and are really
happy to support you. If this is not the case, can you minimise their
impact? Aim to have your supporters far outnumber your saboteurs.
4. Redefine normal.
In our society today it has become the norm to have a diet high in
processed food, fat, sugar and salt. Similarly with weight, our view of
what is a healthy weight has changed (upwards) over the last 20 years.
Remind yourself that normal for you now is nourishing your body with
micronutrients from beautiful juices.
5. Enjoy the feeling!
Focus on what you’re gaining, not what you’re giving up. Revel in the sparkle in your eyes, your clear skin and that gorgeous feeling of lightness. Relish that feeling of accomplishment.
About the author:
Claire Kerslake is a diabetes educator and founder of Loving Life with
Diabetes, a website and blog for anybody at risk of diabetes, with
prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. She believes that good health is essential
for us to live a life that makes our hearts sing.