Until recently, I had two assumptions about a juicing cleanse. 1. It looked like a giant pain to implement. I did not want to go buy a juicer, plus all the ingredients and end up with something that tasted like dirty grass. No thanks. 2. I had seen options at health food stores but just looking at it made me feel hungry and bored. It wasn’t until I was at a girlfriend’s house that I stumbled upon the kind of juicing that was right up my alley. She pulled out these adorable mason jars (please note that I am a sucker for anything that comes in a mason jar) from the Intelligent Gourmet and I was instantly sold. I had purchased a one day juice cleanse within 2 hours. The Signature Detox Cleanse consists of 6 different juices, made fresh daily. Here’s how it went down…
6:30 am
No coffee allowed. Jumped right into the juice.
9:00 am
Like I said, juicing gets me a little excited…I drank half before I realized I should have taken the picture first. Energy high and not missing my caffeine!
11:00 am
A teensie bit hungry by now but after I drank the juice I felt much better. My stomach was also making some strange noises but nothing that made me uncomfortable.
1:30 pm
I had two #4′s so I took this as my opportunity to take a break from the greens and drink this delicious looking light purple juice. It was AMAZING and it calmed my stomach.
4:00 pm
This is where it got tricky. I was a little irritable and hungry at this point in the day. I attribute this attitude mainly more towards PMS rather than the juice. I drank my 4:00 juice, made myself a hot water/lemon/honey concoction and felt much better. Moving on…
6:00 pm
Last juice of the day and my FAVORITE! The soothing blend made it absolutely perfect for the last juice of the day. I did it!
So, here is what a one day cleanse did for me:
1. Slept straight through the night. I have not done that in over a year!
2. I was 3 pounds lighter on my scale. I did NOT do this to lose weight. I did this specifically for a system reboot but seeing those light numbers on the scale made my day!
3. Woke up with a massive amount of energy. This is important to note because I started my period the same day and usually cannot do much physically. I jumped out of bed, did my cardio and then went to a 1 hour Barre class. I was shocked at my energy level.
I would LOVE to do a juice cleanse once a week. That being said, I do not think all juices are created equal. I know this had such an impact on my system because of how the Intelligent Gourmet makes their juices. Their juice is same-day made with all organic ingredients. I think you can see by the pictures above how truly clean and healthy the juices look. Try it, and let me know what you think too!
The Intelligent Gourmet is located in Tampa, Florida. Click here to read about IG founder, Linda Baldwin and here to follow the Intelligent Gourmet on Facebook!
Written by Lea Barlow •
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I went to my children’s Spring Concert last week and was frankly appalled at everyone’s undressy state. People were wearing casual khaki shorts, flip-flops and one man was actually in his sweaty workout clothes. Ok, I know we live in Florida and that it was pushing 85 degrees outside BUT this does not give one license to dress in this manner. It was a 7:00 pm concert with a young orchestra playing in formal wear. We were not at a mid-afternoon, outside stinky Blues Fest. Unfortunately, this seems to be a disturbing theme I have noticed everywhere.
I was raised that you dress up when traveling, going for a doctor’s visit or if you are going to be seen by, well, anyone! Basically, if you head out the door make sure your bananas are together and looking sharp.
I am in full rebellion mode with this trend. I have decided to use this as an opportunity to up my fashion game. Honestly, who can say they feel sexier in a pair of flip flops versus a 3 1/2 inch nude heel?? NOBODY! So, while the rest of these people continue down this road of undress please know I will be strutting along beside you in my newest hi low maxi, sky high wedges and blown out hair!
H&H Readers: Have you noticed the same trend where you live or is this purely Florida based?
Written by Lea Barlow •
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There are 5 absolute beauty essentials that I cannot live without. I use them every single day. This list covers your hair, lips, skin and brows. What else is there??
1. Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel. This gel keeps your brow hair in place and darkens them to better frame your face. Just applying the gel makes it look like you are perfectly maintaining your brows – even though your waxing may be a few weeks over due!
2. Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lip Gloss and Plumper + Chapstick. This combo adds just the right amount of color and fullness to your lips! I wear it to the gym and out at night.
4. MAC tinted moisturizer. Tinted moisturizer is an absolute life saver! Depending on how my skin is behaving I typically switch between MAC and Laura Mercier’s tinted 
moisturizer.
4. Spornette Little Wonder. This $4.50 brush is a BIG wonder. I had my purse stolen a couple months back and this brush was in it. My hair suffered greatly until I could replace it. This is a must have. It parts your hair perfectly and teases it to perfection!
5. Jergens Ultra Healing Body Lotion. I use insane amounts of this lotion. It is the best lotion I have ever found to hydrate my skin without being too greasy or gooey. People always ask what I do to keep my legs so smooth. Aside from shaving, it’s the Jergens!
H&H Readers: What are your can’t live without beauty essentials??
Written by Lea Barlow •
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I almost drove the car off the road when I saw the billboard revealing Coke’s new campaign. I could rant and rave about how this is all sorts of wrong but instead I am taking a lighter route. Here are a few slogans that I would like to see Coke utilize in this campaign…
It’s no secret:
Coke will make your kid fat.
coke.com/everyonelovesthefatkid
Coke is devoid of any nutritional value.
coke.com/worthless
Coke will rot your teeth.
coke.com/iwannabetoothless
Coke contains cancer causing chemicals.
coke.com/livingisoverrated
Coke will make you a Type 2 diabetic.
coke.com/whoneedstwofeet?
*H&H Readers, please feel free to submit your own!*
Written by Lea Barlow •
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