In this week’s SSF, I thought I would touch on cleanses and what they do (and don’t do) for you. I’m basing my knowledge of cleanses on my personal trainer’s opinion of them, so I’m basically just filling you in on what she has to say.
First of all, there are a ton of cleanses and they basically all say the same thing.
Eat only fruit for a week and lose 10 pounds.
Or…
Drink lemon water for a week and feel 15 pounds lighter.
Some of these aren’t good for you at all, because if you were to do either of the above you would be leaving out important food groups that your body needs to function. It’s important that you eat a good variety of healthy foods, or else you won’t have any energy.
Some cleanses do work, but they only do exactly what they say: cleanse. They cleanse your body of toxins and processed foods that make you bloated, etc. Once all of that unhealthy food is gone, you’re going to feel better, skinnier, or lighter. It makes sense, doesn’t it?
Of course this cleanse is only going to be temporary. You may lose 5 lbs with a cleanse, but as soon as you begin eating processed, fattening foods again, those pounds will come right back. It’s just like water weight, and your weight will fluctuate based on the things you eat.
In my personal opinion, a cleanse is a lot of wasted time and effort. Of course it is sometimes necessary to flush out all of the bad stuff you consume, but you can do that by drinking water every day and having a healthy, balanced diet. You can do a cleanse, basically starve yourself for a week, and lose a couple pounds, but what’s the use when it’s just going to be back in a few days? The results you’ll see from any cleanse aren’t long term. You’d be better off hitting the gym and counting your calories.
One of the most important things I try to stress to people is that there is NO QUICK FIX when it comes to fitness. You can’t just take a pill or do a cleanse and expect to have your dream body forever. If you really want to change your body, you have to change your lifestyle. Don’t just go on a diet, but change your eating habits completely.
You’re going to have to spend time in the gym, that’s just part of it. You have to COMMIT to being FIT. Once you get your dream physique you can’t just stop working out either, because if you do you will regress until you’re right back to where you started. Fitness is a marathon, not a sprint. You have to learn to love it before you can understand it completely. If you’re not in it for the long haul, it’s probably going to be a waste of your time. I don’t mean to sound pessimistic, but that’s the truth. If you’re going to give up after a week, you’re never going to get where you want to be.
Tip: Find an accountability partner who will actually make you go work out. If you have someone behind you pushing you to work harder, you usually will. At least it tends to work for me.
About Morgan Crump
