Review on the Cooler Cleanse

One of my dedicated and in shape class takers recently did a juice cleanse. Never have I taken part in a cleanse, but I am always interested to see how different ones work. So I asked this dedicated and in shape class taker to do a little write up for me and my readers.

What cleanse did you do?  What did it entail?

I did the 3-day Cooler Cleanse:   It was a 3 days of 6 "juices" per day -- 2 green juices, 1 fruity juice, 1 coconut water or spicy lemonade, 1 red juice, and 1 nut milk (almond nut or brazil nut).... and tons of water and green tea.  They encouraged you to eat super clean the few days before so it wasn't as much of a shock to the system.  I tried to, and I usually eat rather clean, but didn't go too crazy the few days before and wasn't overly strict about clean eating.  I also drank 1 mug of black coffee every morning even though it said to eliminate the caffeine -- I just didn't want to deal with the caffeine withdrawal headaches at work (sad, I know)! 

See below link for more detail: 

http://coolercleanse.com/cleanse/3day

Did you eat during the cleanse?

No!  No eating, just drinking.  The juices totaled ~1200 calories/day though, so I was getting plenty of nutrients and enough calories to get through the day.

Have you ever done a cleanse before?

Yes - I have done a few.  I did the Isagenix 9-day cleanse twice before - It was longer and there were days were protein shakes and actual food, and days with just a gross cleanse drink and weird "mockolate" (faux-chocolate) tablets to chew on. I had also already tried some of the juices from the Cooler Cleanse company before (the "Healing Cooler"), but never the full juice cleanse.

How did you feel before, during, after?

Before -- bloated, unmotivated to eat healthy, had gained a few pounds in the past couple months and just wanted a jump start, help reduce cravings and increase the desire to eat cleaner and healthier

During -- Believe it or not, great.  I never felt tired, hungry, out of it, headachey, or anything else.  Ok so I did get hungry a couple times but only if I had gone too long between drinks, and then I was fine.  And I never got that low-blood sugar "I need food now" feeling.  The only side effect I noticed was that I was abnormally freezing cold all day in the office.  My friend from work that also did the cleanse said the same thing.

After -- Leaner, less bloated, and more motivated in general.  Not craving anything in particular. On Friday (the day after), I actually felt a little bit headachey and out of it at work, but I think I might have been a bit dehydrated from the struggle of a workout that morning.

Was it hard at times? how did you get yourself through it?

I actually did not find it hard at all.  I thought it would be a bit more mentally challenging, but I was totally fine. I did it Tues-Thurs, had no lunch/dinner obligations with anyone, and was super busy all day at work so the time seemed to fly by.  The only hard part was the last drink of the day, when my boyfriend was eating solid food for dinner and I was drinking a nut milk drink.  I more or less missed the act of eating & chewing, but I wasn't necessarily hungry.

 Did you work out?  How were your works outs?

I did.  On Tuesday I did Yoga for an hour, and Zumba for 45 minutes.  On Wednesday, I just did the elliptical for 35 minutes.  I didn't workout on Thursday, and then Friday morning I did 30 minutes of BarreBurn followed by 30 minutes of Zumba, and felt horrible -- my muscles were completely fatigued after only a few reps (of little or no weight, mind you), and I just felt weak and a little dizzy.  The Zumba portion was not nearly as bad, but after 30 mintues I was DONE!  So, lesson learned - don't work out at 6:30am after 3 days of cleansing.

Would you recommend the cleanse?

Yes!   It's not a miracle cure if you have a significant amount of weight to lose, by any means, but it's a great jump start to feeling leaner and cleaner.

Would you do it again?

Yes, definitely -- but no plans to anytime soon.  It was a bit pricy, though I felt like it was worth it.  In the end I lost 6.5 pounds in 3 days, and though I don't think it will all necessarily stay off, I have high hopes that at least a few of those pounds will if I keep up the clean, healthy eating, and workouts (with Lauren Hefez, woo!).

Have YOU ever done a cleanse?

Morning workouts

I have been training the same three girls every Monday and Wednesday morning for quite some time now. It is amazing to me how much they have improved since their first workout, how much more they are connected to their muscles, and how much I love kicking their butts! We train outside in the North End before the sun comes up, literally. And every now and then as the sun rises one of us will say how cool it is to be working out in the middle of the city, outside, doing something amazing for our bodies.

And within 5 minutes of us saying all of these kind words a car often drives by and we get harassed ... "bitches!!!", but we just laugh...it is ironic, and funny.

Anyway, back to what this blog is about. It's getting cold and we are sad that our OUTSIDE morning workouts might come to a stand still until we can find an alternative location. So you ask, "how can I continue to workout when it is cold outside!?" Well yes, it might be hard to workout outside, especially if you are like me and really can not handle the cold. Here are some options:

1. Bundle up! On a cold day about 40% of your bodies heat escapes from your head.  You can wear some type of beanie.  I like these or these (just kidding on the second one).  Also stay away from cotton, as that will retain your sweat and then just make you more cold. Rather go for some type of "cold gear top", or some other synthetic material.

2. Chap stick it up yo! Windy cold weather = chapped lips, nose, cheeks, face. Just dip your whole head is vaseline. OK?

3. Do some of my YouTube videos. Duh! Those will keep you in shape and make you smile. Or go to On Demand Exercise TV, or just do my videos!

4. Go the gym, take a class.

5. Adopt an indoor sport. Indoor soccer, tennis, squash, basketball. Do any of these sound appealing.. because I can not think of any more. Any suggestions? Do you play an indoor sport? How do you keep active when outside activity is limited, unless you ski, board or snowshoe! I always wanted to snowshoe!

Are you Fit to Fly?

SetFLY! A couple of days ago I was invited to participate in a training at the Reebok headquarters for a class called Jukari Fit to Fly. Reebok and Cirque du Soleil have combined their strengths to create this FUN and amazing workout. When I say fun, I really mean it. You are flying through the air, swinging, sweating, laughing, and performing all at the same time. The FUN element makes you forget about all the working you are really doing. Today, two days later, I am still sore. My lats, back, abs, and oh man my butt!

Mischa Barton (above) and Molly Sims (below) at the Jukari Fit to Fly Studio in LA

The FlySet is the first piece of fitness equipment to combine 360 degrees of movement with suspension. Not only is there a jump/fly series but there is also a mat strength series you can do using both the bar and the leg straps.

Here is a video from our training:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T59ItqH4mW8&w=560&h=315] I really hope to see Jukari popping up in gyms. The only reason why I think gyms would hesitate is because the equipment is not the easiest to set up. There would need to be some overhead installation in order to get the suspension. I will keep you posted on the powerful future of Jukari!

Your personal massage therapist 24/7... for $20

OK, so maybe 'your personal massage therapist 24/7 for $20' is too good to be true, but I consider my foam roller my massage therapist. I can not always afford a $100 massage, so the foam roller is the next best thing. We have a love/hate relationship, but after quality time with the roller I feel GREAT! What is a foam roller? If you are not familiar with a foam roller picture a pool noodle, just larger and more dense. By using your own body weight against the roller you can soothe tight fascia (myofascia release method) and help release tight muscles. Myofacia is made up of muscles and facia (connective tissue located just below the skin). Sometimes the fascia and the underlying muscle tissue can become stuck together and the result is reduced flexibility, soreness, pain, restricted range of motion.  It is a bit painful when you start to foam roll, like a deep tissue massage, but soon your body will really start to love the feeling. The foam roller will help increase blood flow and circulation, make you feel more open, and help you break down those tight fibers and scar tissue.

Watch the video below to learn how to use a foam roller:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI1N5752-0Q&w=560&h=315]

When? How often? I do not really follow any rule on this. Just foam roll when you feel like it. Before a workout, after a workout, you can do it every day if you wish.  If I find a sore spot I will work out that area until it feels a little less tender. Each body is different, test it out and do what feels right for you. Some spots will be more sensitive than others, that does not mean to shy away from them, rather work through the tenderness.  Experiment with the foam roller and I bet you can hit more muscles groups that you thought. Let me know how your next foam rolling session goes!

100 calorie Lara Bar inspired snack!

lara bar food 001

I love Lara Bars, not only because of their sweet goodness, but also because they are made from about 4 ingredients. I thought, if Lara can make these bars... so can I (and so can you!)

lara bar food 002

For my "Lauren bars" I used:

4 dates

1/2 C figs

1/4 C walnuts

1/4 C almonds

1 tbsp chia seeds

In a blender (I used a mini food processor by Proctor Silex) throw in all the nuts. Make sure not to turn the nuts into a powder. You want to have some chunks in there to add texture to your bar. Set the nuts aside.

Next: Throw the dried fruit into your blender. Blend until they form a paste like this:

lara bar food 006

I used a vegetable cutting board and laid out my dried fruit paste. I took the chia seeds and added it to the top.

lara bar food 008

After mixing the chia seeds and paste by hand, I threw in my nuts.

lara bar food 009

Mix nuts and paste together. I always loved playing with my food. You can make a mohawk if you would like.

lara bar food 011

Divide mixture into 8 snack balls. Throw the balls in a plastic bag and store in your fridge.

lara bar food 012

Each ball will contain a little over 100 calories  (~108) and provide you with a sweet  and nutritious filled snack that will give you your afternoon boost, or that pre workout lift. You can get creative with the mixtures and add different dried fruit for the paste, or nuts for the filler. Let me know if you try it, and how it comes out! Did you add something different?