Every successful juice fast starts out with great planning and preparation. I’ve learned it takes anywhere from 1-2 weeks to prepare my body, my kitchen, my schedule, and my mind before I get started.
So in this series of posts, 5 Steps to Prepare for Your Juice Fast, I’m going to share some of the more practical things I do to set myself up for success. Today, here’s step one:
Step # 1: Select the start date and duration of your fast.
This step is all about being realistic and counting the cost of what this will mean – ahead of time.
Choosing how long to fast is a very personal decision and one that must be prayerfully considered. Obviously, if you have any health concerns, this would be the time to address those with your healthcare professional. But bottom line – be realistic. For example, if you’ve never done a juice fast before, it may be easier to start with a 3-day as opposed to jumping right into a 40-day. Ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” “How long will it take to accomplish what I want?” “What can I realistically stick to?” Make sure your motives for doing this are in the right place and you’ll be more likely to stick with your plan once you get started.
Secondly, another thing I carefully consider is my calendar. 
Once I know how long I’d like to fast, I look ahead to see if there are any dates that could compromise my plan. Instead of looking at those as “off days”, I consider them days that will require additional planning and/or extra fortitude. Things like birthday celebrations, offsite company meetings, upcoming travel, or guests coming into town. If you haven’t decided ahead of time what you’re going to do on those days, you could easily derail.
For me, it’s actually harder to give myself “days off” from a juice fast than it is to just stick with the plan. Once I’ve overcome the obstacle of starting in the first place and have some momentum going, the last thing I want to do is throw a meal (that I get to chew) in the middle of that. Trust me. I’ve tried it. And once you reawaken your mind and your taste buds to eating, it’s way harder to reach for another bottle of juice after that. Not to mention what that does to your body and your digestive system. It’s just not worth it.
So when it comes to those days that will require extra work and extra commitment, I just plan for them. That means I’ll be taking a bottle of juice with me to the meeting. Or I’ll be drinking my juice before I get to the birthday party so I’m not starving when I get there. If there’s upcoming travel, I’ll either take a cooler of juices with me, or I’ll research the nearest juice bar and budget for that on the trip. You get the picture.
Bottom line, prepare and plan ahead. Be realistic. Have your motives in the right place and decide ahead of time what you’re going to do. Because once you do that, those other things won’t even feel like sacrifices. They’re simply decisions that are being managed.
Here’s to your health,
Linda G Riddle
To read all my posts on juicing, fasting, and recipes click here.
(Remember folks, I’m not a medical professional or a dietician. I’m just someone who’s done some research, is still learning, but has tried and enjoyed juicing so much that it’s a regular part of my lifestyle. If you have any health concerns, please check with your medical professional before getting started to see if this is right for you.)
Linda G Riddle 