Cooler Cleanse Review + Core Fusion Cardio DVD Winner

Thank you for the great response to the Core Fusion Cardio – Pure Intensity DVD Giveaway! It was really helpful for me to learn about all your favorite exercise DVDs — there was a lot of consensus about Jillian Michaels’ No More Trouble Zones. I will have to give it a try. I also got a nice laugh at some of your old school video choices, especially my sister-in-law Mallory who enjoys the Paula Abdul’s cardio dance workout. My brother chose a real keeper. (P.S. Happy first anniversary!)

Core Fusion Cardio – Pure Intensity is really an amazing at-home exercise option, so I was really happy to give you all a behind-the-scenes look at the filming. This contest had exactly 100 entries. For some reason I feel like that made my life easier but really it has absolutely does not matter at all. The Random Number Generator chose #39, which is Julie at A Case of the Runs. When asked what her favorite workout DVD is, Julie said:

So far, I work out the Jillian Michael’s DVDs. If I had my own place (soon, I hope!), I’d use workout videos way more often…

Congratulations, Julie! Email me with your address and I will have Acacia send the DVD out to you!

In other news, you might remember that I was having some really bad GI issues a few weeks ago. I started going back to doctors, had a mostly pointless endoscopy and then started feeling a little better on my own. During the time I was feeling really sick, I was barely able to eat. I had no appetite (which in the four years of my illness has never once happened before) and when I did eat a few bites, I would feel so overstuffed and full really quickly. I was in so much pain but I needed to get some nutrients in, so it was a quick decision to start another Cooler Cleanse.

I figured it would be more healthy nutrients and vitamins than I could get in any food I managed to eat, and it would also give my body a break from digesting food, which it was clearly having trouble doing. And I hoped I would come out of the three days feeling much better, which has happened before.

Of course, my situation is extreme, but many people without GI issues choose to do a juice cleanse. The Cooler Cleanse site explains how the Cooler Cleanse works and answers the six big questions about juice cleansing. But please talk to a professional before embarking on any dietary change or juice cleanse.

I chose the 3-Day Cooler. Each day includes two green juices, one red juice, one fruit juice, either a spicy lemonade or a coconut water and a nut milk. One of the reasons I choose Cooler Cleanse over their competitors is because I really like that every day of the juice cleanse is not exactly the same. There is slight variety and when all you are eating for three days is the same juice, every bit of variety helps.

Cooler Cleanse also offers a 5-Day Cooler, a Raw Cooler (raw, vegan, healthy food, helpful in the days before and after your juice cleanse or on its own) and a Custom Cooler where you can choose which juices to receive.

The juices come in easy-to-carry coolers. which you get to keep after.

This is what my days looked like:

Day 1

Essential Green
Pineapple Ginger
Essential Green
Spicy Lemonade
Essential Red
Brazil Nut Milk

Day 2

Essential Green
Grapefruit Mint
Essential Green
Young Coconut Water
Essential Red
Almond Milk

Day 3

Essential Green
Watermelon Lime
Essential Green
Young Coconut Water
Essential Red
Almond Nut Milk

You can find the ingredients for each juice on the Cooler Cleanse website.

The two questions you’re probably wondering are (1) How did it taste? and (2) Did it make you feel better?

(1) To be honest, I did not love the Essential Greens the way I did last time I wrote my review. I know I liked the type of green juice better when I tried the Healing Cooler, but I wonder if the recipe for Essential Greens was changed at all since my last experience. I still find this green juice far more palatable than Blueprint Cleanse’s. I loved all the fruit juices, especially the Pineapple Ginger. I think the Watermelon Lime would have been better without the lime.

I absolutely loved the Young Coconut Water — which, like the other juices, is not pasteurized, which means you are getting the real, true benefits of it. The studies done recently were on pasteurized brands, which is totally different than pure coconut water.

I also didn’t care much for the Essential Red, but I adored the Brazil Nut Milk. I enjoyed the Almond Milk as well. Both nut milks are very heavy and very filling, so keep that in mind and drink them slowly.

While I still missed eating and longed to just chew something, the three days went by quickly. Overall, I enjoyed the majority of the juices in Cooler Cleanse.

(2) This part gets tricky. On the first day of the cleanse, I felt so full from each juice (because of my ongoing GI issues) that I actually only got through four of the six. Not good. I did a little better the second and third day, but there was unfortunately not a single day where I was able to get through every juice. The purpose of this cleanse is to pump your body full of nutrients and I was not able to get them all. I was hoping to immediately feel pain- and nausea-free as soon as I stopped eating and started drinking only, but that was not the case. But the day after the cleanse, I actually did feel much better and ate some solid food without feeling many symptoms. And while I did not feel 100% better after, and I am not doing amazingly well now, I am feeling far better than I was before the Cooler Cleanse.  I do believe surviving on healthy liquids and not giving my body trouble with eating for three days played some part in that.

Would I recommend Cooler Cleanse? Absolutely.

Cooler Cleanse is offering an exclusive discount to Dori’s Shiny Blog readers! Enter DORI2011 for 15% off your Cooler Cleanse order! (Update: This code has now expired)

[I received the 3-Day Cooler Cleanse at no charge. My review is my honest opinion. All photos taken from CoolerCleanse.com.]

And finally, check out my latest NBC New York: GO Healthy NY post – Dori’s Quest: Core Fusion Yoga – Even Non-Yogis Will Love This