Today’s Thoughts on 39 post is brought to you by Skinny Limits, a juicing company based out of Austin, Texas.

January is just as exciting a month to me as any. For me, it is a time of renewal, refresh, recharge, all the “re-” words work really well for me January. Amongst the to-do list: clean out the bedrooms, closets, and storage spaces, reorganize, donate and dump, make resolutions, and get my body back into a clear and clean mental and physical state. The holidays usually take the best of me. By the time New Year’s Day rolls around I am completely drained, and lucky if I’m not sick. This year especially was a doozy, and I was looking forward to taking my life back again during the month of January. I love to jump start my physical and mental being by doing a cleanse before I jump right back into the old work out routine. And, I’m always down for trying something new, even more so when it works with my daily life and my conscientious efforts of eating as clean as possible. Skinny Limits, a juicing company based out of Austin, Texas, invited me to try and review their 3-day juicing cleanse. I eagerly accepted the challenge.

Now, before you go jumping into a juicing cleanse of any kind, it is super important to think about some things:

• Am I mentally in place where I can handle this challenge? You may think not eating solid foods for three days doesn’t sound too bad. But the reality really starts to kick in the end of that first 24-hours that your body is really craving solid substances. This can cause side affects like loss of cool (your temper), headaches, and fatigue, to just name a few. What I’m saying is, think about what your next 3, 5, 7 days are going to be like before you jump in- is your Significant Other out of town? Are you kids in school or out of school? Is there a life event coming up where you would want to eat, drink and be merry? Can you get enough sleep at night? Just prepping yourself for these situations can make or break your entire experience with a cleanse.
• Am I physically in a place where I can accept this challenge? Juicing is super healthy and will fill me with energy and clean me out!! Yes and no. A juice cleanse is a great way to jump start your fitness regime and healthy eating habits, but again, I will caution that those first 24-hours can be grueling both mentally and physically. Hopefully, after the first day, you will start to feel a huge difference in your energy and can start working out again. Depending on what and were your body needs to detox, it could take longer than that, and cause some fatigue. Always consult with your doctor first to make sure your body can handle the big change in caloric consumption. Just because it sounds healthy doesn’t always mean it is right for you.
• What are you looking to get out of a juice cleanse? Personally, I like to do a juice cleanse to regain lost energy, focus and detox my body a bit. Everyone has a different reason, just know your goal so you can measure your results in the end.
• Just think about it: What are your next few days like? Can you bring the juice with you in a cooler if you have to be on the go? Will you have easy access to a restroom (because yes, you will need it, and yes, it will sneak up on you)? Can you handle mood swings over the next few days? Will you be able to handle your kids?? (that was a biggie for me) Is your mind clear of any thoughts that might distract, anger or upset you in anyway? Can you go without coffee, wine, carbs, etc. for the next few days? Where are you at in your menstrual cycle? (This is important to note for mood swings, cramps, and generally how your experience and deal with PMS.)

Alright, let’s talk Skinny Limits Juice Cleanse. This opportunity came knocking at the right time. As January was coming to an end, a juice cleanse was exactly what I needed to find my groove again. From my first communication with Skinny Limits, the entire process was quick and easy. I told them the date I wanted to start the cleanse, and the juice was delivered the day before. Since the juice is not pasteurized or processed, you have to drink the juice starting the very next day as it will turn. All juices were delivered at 10am by FedEx, in an insulated cardboard box, with a one page brochure listing all instructions and expectations, along with a number to call with any questions. Super simple. All my questions were answered in the brochure, but to be honest, I had done cleanses before, so I already knew what to expect. I really liked how there was a phone number available though, in case I had other concerns. Most importantly, the brochure instructs you to, “Ask for Joanie,” as in one of the founders of Skinny Limits. Not too many companies out there where you are invited to pick up the phone and speak with the owner themselves.

I was sent the 3-day Tropical Juice Cleanse, comprised of 5 bottles of fresh pressed, raw juice, and 1 bottle of a white concoction that was both juice and dairy free. I was to imbibe all 6 bottles every 2.5-3 hours each day. I was also allowed green tea or herbal tea, and plenty of purified water throughout the entire cleanse. It is suggested to abstain from eating any foods at all, but if you must, then a couple of stalks of celery, half a cucumber or 1/4 of an avocado can be mixed in, but best to not eat at all. Since January 2nd, I had already been reprogramming my morning rituals to include a glass of 1/2 fresh squeezed organic lemon, hot water and a dash of cayenne pepper. My evening ritual- 2 Tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar. Neither are delicious, let’s face it, but doing both really helped prep me for the cleanse. I had already started to notice a balance of my internal body temps (I’m usually either really cold or really hot), all of my kids have been sick, and I’ve managed to escape the icky coughs, colds and pick eye they have been sharing, and I’m hungry. The later being a positive because without the morning and evening rituals, I haven’t felt that boost to my metabolism in a long time. It was nice to actually feel hungry. My mind was clear and my body was ready, let’s go!

Day 1: Surprisingly difficult for me. One of my twins was home sick, so I thought my day would actually go quick since I would be distracted with taking care of him, maybe napping when he did, and trying to get in some writing. Wrong. He was very needy. This was very challenging and definitely played with my emotions a bit. I was counting down the minutes to my next juice. As the day went on, I got a grip how I was feeling. Things were looking up again until my older two children came home from school. Obviously, I did not drink enough water throughout the day, as I started to feel a major migraine coming on. But it was too late. My husband was out of town. The nanny put the kids to bed, but at 9:30pm, all 4 of them were in my room trying to get into my bed. I needed sleep, and for my pounding headache to go away. My emotions got the best of me, and we all went to bed crying.

Day 2: I woke up with a slight headache, but I was determined to have a better day. I committed to drinking a glass of water after every juice, and this seemed to help a bit. By the afternoon I was actually feeling really good. I incorporated a cup of hot green tea, and it was fabulous. I’m a coffee drinker, so I really needed that caffeine to get me through the morning. The green tea hit the spot. Instead of counting down the minutes to the next juice, I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to drink the next juice, as I was still full. By the end of the day, I was feeling great. Wasn’t missing food, wine, or coffee. Feeling positive and excited to start my next day.

Day 3: Wow. I seriously felt like a whole new woman. I woke up with energy. There was no desire to want to hit the snooze button one more time. I was nice to my kids. I was nice to my husband and I had this crazy energy all. day. long. Not even the kind of energy you get when you drink coffee or a red bull (yuck), but real energy. I felt human again, not like a tired mom of four.

Review of the juices: The juices were terrific. Really. They had great flavor, great taste- they really tasted like I had just juiced them myself. Even my kids liked them. Every time I opened a bottle they were right next to me with their sippy cups wanting some of their own. Here is a quote about their product from the SkinnyLimits.com site:

Here at Skinny Limits, we provide cold pressed, raw juices for people interested in looking and feeling great. Skinny Limits was founded in Austin, Texas by Cary and Joanie Frieden.

…what makes Skinny Limits different? For starters, our juice is completely raw. Most mainstream juice cleanse companies aim to stock their product in grocery stores. However, they have to maintain a longer shelf life to do so. Because of this, they put their juice through a process called HP Processing. This doesn’t use any heat, but it kills all the living cells in the juice. You can literally taste the difference.

I absolutely agree with the statements above. I really could taste the difference, and the fact that the juices need to be drunk within the magic time frame, confirms that they are in an unstable state of staying fresh. Also, there was no red tape in getting the review done. I felt like I was communicating with one of the employees who was probably in the kitchen behind the counter, chatting with Cary or Joanie about the review. Truly quick, easy and simple. Very homegrown. I love that about small companies like Skinny Limits.

Would I do the Skinny Limits Juice Cleanse? And, how often? Yes! I would do it again. In fact, I’m planing my next one now. I’m thinking quarterly would be a good thing for me. Doing the cleanse really helped me realize a few things:

• What true, good energy really feels like.
• How other foods I normally put into my diet make me feel.
• Knowing all the above really affects my personality and mood. I want to be that energized happy person around my husband and kids all the time.

So, how are you feeling with all that knowledge? Have you done a juice cleanse before? Would love to know which ones and how they worked for you.

This post was sponsored by Skinny Limits. I received free product in order to write the review. All opinions, thoughts and words are all my own.