Why I Am Doing a Juice Fast & Should You Care?

It is funny for me to think about the variety of responses I receive when I tell people I’m going to do a 9 day juice fast. It ranges from confusion to disbelief and from strong concern and caution to fervent support and encouragement.

Why am I doing this? Here’s the story. Since my high school days of wrestling and having to make a certain weight for competition (I was basically anorexic for four months of the year), I think I’ve been mindful of both the food that I eat and in my general health.

As I have gotten older (a relative term for sure) and my metabolism isn’t what it used to be, I’ve put on a few more pounds than I’d like and I’m not as careful these days about what I eat. I am generally healthy (having passed my last physical with flying colors), but I am looking to be even healthier.

Enter Donny Makower. Donny is one of my closest friends, who I met when we both studied abroad in Sydney Australia. Donny has always been interested in nutrition and health. And when I say interested, I mean he loves it and studies it. He reads and researches extensively, watches videos and goes all-in to understand the complexities of the world of health and nutrition in an effort to make it simple.

Donny is my de facto health advisor, whom I consult about different diets, foods, etc. I have to admit, I don’t always do what Donny suggests (as some of his advice would require significant lifestyle changes), but I appreciate his perspective and the data and evidence he has to support it.

About two months ago, when I was chatting with Donny, he mentioned he was about to do a juice fast.  Despite the popularity of juice fasting, I was not that familiar with it. He explained that he would have nothing but juice (mostly made from vegetables instead of fruit to keep sugar intake low) for about a week. He then suggested I watch a documentary from 2010 called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead about an Australian, Joe Cross, who’s having some health issues, comes to America, and then drives across the country while on a 60 day juice fast! That’s right, nothing but juice for 60 days.

I watched the documentary, which is AWESOME, and solidified my decision not to eat solids, but to do a juice fast for a limited period of time. After consulting Donny, I purchased the Breville Joe Cross Juicer and started my prep for my 9-day juice fast – which starts today!! For those of you who are juicing experts, I’m aware that masticating juicers (as opposed to my centrifugal juicer) are typically preferred. By I prioritized speed and ease of use over maximum yield and less oxidation (forgive the juicer speak if you’re new to this world), which led Donny to choose this particular juicer for me. Plus, this is the same style of juicer that Joe used for his 60 day juice fast.

I made the decision to do a juice fast for a couple diferent reasons. Joe Cross describes the juice fast as a reboot.  At the start of the summer I found myself eating poorly. Too much junk and processed food. I didn’t feel good and decided I wanted to try a juice fast to see if I could reset not only my body but also my thinking about food. I might even lose a few pounds in the process – a common benefit to juice fasting.

In preparation, I started to incorporate juice into my diet last week. I had nothing but juice from the time I woke up until lunch. It’s already feeling great. So now it’s time to embark on the official juice fast – nothing but juice all day long.

You can follow along as I document the experience and maybe it will inspire you to do something to be healthier – or maybe it will convince you never to do a juice fast. Thankfully, I’ve got Donny on speed dial.

Why Should You Care?

People have been curious about the concept of a juice fast when I mention it to them. My pre-fast vlogs have received positive feedback. As you are reading about this, you may be thinking “Great, he’s doing a juice fast, so what? What’s that have to do with me?”

My goal is always to capture the attention and engage with my audience. My hope is that my content provides some “edutainment” – either providing a bit of a break from the glut of less compelling content that is constantly bombarding us, or perhaps sharing some nugget that helps in some way.

There are a few reasons why this process may be of interest to you.

Overall, this juice fast could be used as a metaphor.  What are the nutritional ingredients you are putting into your life or business. Is it the equivalent of processed junk? Or is it micronutrient rich?

Watching me go through through the juice fast process may be amusing – or motivating. If you tend to like my content, in particular my vlogs, then this is in line with that content. This is also an example of Gary Vee’s concept of documenting rather than creating. For those looking to create content (and that should be everyone) the idea of documenting the daily happenings of your journey can be both authentic and appealing.

Perhaps this will be an inspiration to do something that you’ve thought about doing, but didn’t proceed because of the naysayers. Naysayers are great at criticizing and providing all the reasons NOT to do something. Prove them wrong.

I believe in imperfect action. Trying to create the perfect [fill in the blank] can paralyze you from doing anything.  I believe it is better to take action and go for it. You won’t connect with everyone, but if you do nothing, you are certain to connect with no one.

A final note – THANKS. I appreciate you taking the time to read this and to share in my latest journey. As I document the long and winding road of my life and business, hopefully there will be something of value that you can use in your life or business to make it a bit better – whether it is a simple smile or the motivation to take the leap towards a richer life.

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I Am British (Aren’t I?)

I am British. OK, let me clarify. I am a dual citizen (British and American). It is debatable whether I can call myself British. In fact, my wife Nita, who was born in England and hence authentically British, argues I am decidedly NOT British.  Even though I lived in Manchester, England for 10 years and have a British passport. My three children were born in England and are also dual citizens – are they British? Sadly, their accents would say otherwise. We do hang a dual British-American Flag outside our home to represent our family duality.

Although Britain and America are on friendly terms, celebrating the 4th of July last week reminded me they weren’t always. Living in Philadelphia and passing by Independence Hall from time to time symbolizes this previous struggle of the colonists and their oppressors.

Living in England for 10 years did rub off on me in some ways. While I never really picked up an accent, my father reminds me that I still say some funny words (rubbish being a favorite or should it be favourite).  I recently created an infographic showcasing some of the different words each nation uses. The odd part for me, now having lived back in the States for nearly five years, is that I sometimes can’t recall if a word or phrase is British or American.

From my time living in England, I did notice some general differences in the way Brits and Americans approach the world.  The stereotype of Brits being conservative, stiff upper lip types did hold true in some sense. There were times I felt in business Brits were more half glass empty and saw obstacles more than opportunities. Like with all generalizations, there were plenty of exceptions, but the “can-do” positive spirit of Americans definitely feels more prevalent on this side of the pond.

In spite of our differences, our nations seem to be fascinated with the other. While living in England, people would often ask me to simply speak, as they liked to hear the American accent. I would be peppered with questions from friends and strangers alike about what America was like (and why would I not want to live there). On the flip side, people often comment on Nita’s accent and enjoying her say anything and are fascinated by stories of happenings on the small island.

In England and Manchester in particular, what football/soccer team you support is extremely important.  With two major teams in Manchester (United and City), I was asked very often by people “Who do you support?” For ten years, I would give the same answer – The Eagles, which always returned a curious look. Hey, you can take the Eagles fan out of Philly, but you can’t take the Philly out of an Eagles fan!

The point of this all, I suppose, is to encourage that we all get along and recognize we are all more alike than different.  It is with inclusion and tolerance that enables better relationships, whether in business or personally.

On the cusp of England playing in the semi-final of the World Cup for the first time in nearly 30 years, I feel an inexplicable pang in my stomach as I root for them to win. Perhaps this is the Brit in me!

 

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