Power Juice & Super Smoothie of Pro Cyclist Irena Ossola

Just the words “juice cleanse” can bring thoughts of hunger, struggle, and lack of energy. Yet, in my experience I have found juice cleansing simplifies life and gives a boost to my days.

I make enough juice each day and drink as much as I want or need. I notice some tired moments where the lack of protein affects my energy, but I also attribute that to my training.

As a professional athlete, I’ve learned a juice cleanse is all about timing. Outside of high-volume training, the juice cleanse is more just a mater of sticking to it. But during the season I recently learned my body fatigues more easily and lacks long-term energy for endurance during training.

This past week I have gone through a pretty tough round of cleansing. I did five days total in which three days were juice only.

I have done cleanses before and even for long amounts of time, but this was by far the most difficult I have ever done. Not because of juice quantity, or hunger, but because of training and energy.

The last time I did a cleanse was before my wrist surgery last fall. I was still training, but not as heavily or intense as right now since the racing season is underway. So when I recently had two hard days of four-hour rides/workouts, my body felt the effects of having no solid substance.

I admit I did “cheat” a little and eat grapefruits alongside the juice. It helped fill my stomach and give me a little more fiber and sugars for my workouts.

Other than raw grapefruit, I followed my cleanse routine: lemonade first thing in the morning, followed by herbal tea, and then fresh juice during the day. As usual, I added Rejuvenate! superfoods to my juices to help with energy, recovery, and needed vitamins.

From my past experience it takes about three days for my body to adjust to the diet. Considering my current training and focus on preparing for races, I don’t think it would be beneficial for me to do more than three days cleansing, especially on juice alone.

The purpose of this cleanse was to replenish my body with hydration and nutrients, whereas solid food is not as efficient. So despite some reduced energy and power, my body feels replenished and recharged. This makes it worthwhile!

As a professional athlete, it is important to tune into how my body feels and what it needs. I was not able to commit to a long cleanse, but as with so many things, every bit helps.

If you are thinking about doing a cleanse, this short 3–5 day cleanse could be a good stepping stone to see how your body reacts. One key component that I include with my juice is Rejuvenate! superfoods. This gives me the vitamins my body needs to recover after hard workouts, so that I can get back out and train hard again the next day.

CLEANSING “POWER JUICE” RECIPE

I use one-quart glass bottles that I reuse from store bought juice (lemon from my cleanse). I fill it about halfway with juice to leave room for supplements and shaking.

Juice:
Carrots
Beets
Celery
Cucumber
Apples
Watermelon
Lime
Ginger
Garlic (optional)

Supplements:
Rejuvenate! Berries & Herbs (pink) – 1 scoop
Rejuvenate! (green) – 1 scoop
Rejuvenate! original greens (blue label) – ½ scoop
Chia Seeds – 1 scoop (2 tbsp)
Glutamine – 1 scoop (5 gm)

SUPER REJUVENATE! SMOOTHIE RECIPE

This is the recipe for the smoothie I drink after my workouts and even just during the day when I am not training. It helps fuel me and gives me energy to last the whole day. It’s packed with vitamins and healthy ingredients. The taste is a bit interesting. I love the mix of lime, ginger, and chocolate that is like no other smoothie I’ve ever tasted.

Fruits
Spinach – about 2 cups
Frozen Berries – about ½ cup
Lime – 1 peeled
Ginger – about 1–2 cm piece
Shredded Coconut – 1 scoop
Banana or Orange – optional

Supplements
Rejuvenate! Berries and Herbs (pink) – 1 scoop
Rejuvenate! (green) – 1 scoop
Rejuvenate! Original (blue label) – ½ scoop
Chia Seeds – 1 scoop (2 tbsp)
Glutamine – 1 scoop
BCAA – 1 scoop (most protein powder contains some BCAAs, but this gives me added recovery)
Chocolate protein powder – about 1–2 scoops (I use egg white protein powder or Vega Protein)
Bee pollen – 1 tbsp
Flaxseeds – 1 scoop
Hemp Hearts – 1 scoop