Are you on a Detox diet? Everyone here in Toronto seems to be...
Just yesterday, one of my clients told me about his detox plans. For 7 days of the year, he buys a detox kit and follows the instructions to cut out all alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and refined carbohydrates - all while taking some supplements to help "detoxify" the liver and kidneys and extra fiber to help cleanse the colon.
Now I don't mind this client doing this, because he is a model client and follows a very healthy lifestyle all year round. At 40, his blood measures are very healthy, he lost a few pounds of body fat last year, and despite being in a high-stress financial job, he is a picture of great health.
Is the detox going to significantly improve his health? No, not really. 7-days of detox won't improve a healthy person's health status.
But neither will it suddenly reverse the bad health status of someone that has lived the Western Lifestyle for 40 years. In fact, I bet only 3 or 4 brave souls out of 100 unhealthy persons would actually finish a 7-day detox diet.
Quite frankly, the sugar cravings and caffeine withdrawal would cause such severe withdrawal symptoms that most people wouldn't last 72 hours. After all, caffeine is a powerful drug.
Detox diets might seem like a good idea, and might even give you piece of mind and help kick-start your weight loss program, but just realize that they are not a quick fix to your health problems. The long-term fix is dumping the Western Lifestyle, as I have said many times before.
Besides, if you think you can actually remove all the toxins in your body, you are being fooled. It can never happen. Every breath you take, every move you make, you are creating waste products in your body.
And many toxins are fat-soluble - meaning they are stored in our fat cells for months, and slowly released over time. So you'll never truly detoxify...but enough of science class, let's get onto the day-by-day fat loss guidelines.
Just remember: 7 days of the cleanest living can't reverse 51 weeks of the Western Lifestyle.
So here are your tips for the next 7 days to move towards lifelong healthy habits...towards living a healthier lifestyle. It is much better to spend all year avoiding as much crap as possible, than to try and sort it out in 7 days next year.
So I wish "Good health to you"! Here's what you should do for the next 7 days to get in better health and lose weight.
Day 1
In today's workout, choose an alternative form of cardio for this workout. For example, if you are a beginner, and you have been doing only walking for cardio, try and use the elliptical machine or stairmaster today. This is called cross-training and helps avoid overuse injuries caused by doing the same thing over and over again when you aren't prepared for it. If you are advanced, try some of the bodyweight circuits.
Day 2
Today's exercise requirement is just 30 minutes of cardio/activity. It can be traditional cardio, or again, bodyweight exercise. In addition, you need to clean out cupboards. Do NOT be afraid to throw out food - if it's garbage food, it's better in the trashbin than in your fat cells.
After you have cleaned out your pantry, prepare a healthy shopping list. Complete a 7-day food entry and review the results to help you organize your shopping list.
Day 3
Back to your regularly scheduled strength and interval workout.
Day 4
30 minutes of cardio/activity. And today, I want you to eat one new fruit and one new vegetable. If you aren't already eating grapefruit, try one today and see how it helps fill you up because it contains a lot of soluble fiber called pectin. Add a new vegetable, such as steamed asparagus or broccoli to your dinner.
Day 5
Do another strength and intervals workout today. To reward you for your hard work and diligent eating, you can have a treat/cheat meal or snack today. However, the remaining 90% of your daily nutrition must follow the Simple Weight Loss principles.
Day 6
30 minutes of cardio/activity. Check in with a member of your social support group. In addition, take some time and pick an activity you really like to do (yoga, sport, martial art, dance) and make it a regular habit on the weekend. This can be done on your own or with your social support group. You can now look forward to this "workout" all week. NOTE: It doesn't have to be done on Saturday, although is usually a free day for most.
Day 7
30 minutes of cardio/activity - and yes, walking around shopping can count towards your 30 minutes of activity. Plan, shop, & prepare for the week ahead. Make sure to include 1 new fruit and 1 new vegetable in your grocery list.
Just yesterday, one of my clients told me about his detox plans. For 7 days of the year, he buys a detox kit and follows the instructions to cut out all alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and refined carbohydrates - all while taking some supplements to help "detoxify" the liver and kidneys and extra fiber to help cleanse the colon.
Now I don't mind this client doing this, because he is a model client and follows a very healthy lifestyle all year round. At 40, his blood measures are very healthy, he lost a few pounds of body fat last year, and despite being in a high-stress financial job, he is a picture of great health.
Is the detox going to significantly improve his health? No, not really. 7-days of detox won't improve a healthy person's health status.
But neither will it suddenly reverse the bad health status of someone that has lived the Western Lifestyle for 40 years. In fact, I bet only 3 or 4 brave souls out of 100 unhealthy persons would actually finish a 7-day detox diet.
Quite frankly, the sugar cravings and caffeine withdrawal would cause such severe withdrawal symptoms that most people wouldn't last 72 hours. After all, caffeine is a powerful drug.
Detox diets might seem like a good idea, and might even give you piece of mind and help kick-start your weight loss program, but just realize that they are not a quick fix to your health problems. The long-term fix is dumping the Western Lifestyle, as I have said many times before.
Besides, if you think you can actually remove all the toxins in your body, you are being fooled. It can never happen. Every breath you take, every move you make, you are creating waste products in your body.
And many toxins are fat-soluble - meaning they are stored in our fat cells for months, and slowly released over time. So you'll never truly detoxify...but enough of science class, let's get onto the day-by-day fat loss guidelines.
Just remember: 7 days of the cleanest living can't reverse 51 weeks of the Western Lifestyle.
So here are your tips for the next 7 days to move towards lifelong healthy habits...towards living a healthier lifestyle. It is much better to spend all year avoiding as much crap as possible, than to try and sort it out in 7 days next year.
So I wish "Good health to you"! Here's what you should do for the next 7 days to get in better health and lose weight.
Day 1
In today's workout, choose an alternative form of cardio for this workout. For example, if you are a beginner, and you have been doing only walking for cardio, try and use the elliptical machine or stairmaster today. This is called cross-training and helps avoid overuse injuries caused by doing the same thing over and over again when you aren't prepared for it. If you are advanced, try some of the bodyweight circuits.
Day 2
Today's exercise requirement is just 30 minutes of cardio/activity. It can be traditional cardio, or again, bodyweight exercise. In addition, you need to clean out cupboards. Do NOT be afraid to throw out food - if it's garbage food, it's better in the trashbin than in your fat cells.
After you have cleaned out your pantry, prepare a healthy shopping list. Complete a 7-day food entry and review the results to help you organize your shopping list.
Day 3
Back to your regularly scheduled strength and interval workout.
Day 4
30 minutes of cardio/activity. And today, I want you to eat one new fruit and one new vegetable. If you aren't already eating grapefruit, try one today and see how it helps fill you up because it contains a lot of soluble fiber called pectin. Add a new vegetable, such as steamed asparagus or broccoli to your dinner.
Day 5
Do another strength and intervals workout today. To reward you for your hard work and diligent eating, you can have a treat/cheat meal or snack today. However, the remaining 90% of your daily nutrition must follow the Simple Weight Loss principles.
Day 6
30 minutes of cardio/activity. Check in with a member of your social support group. In addition, take some time and pick an activity you really like to do (yoga, sport, martial art, dance) and make it a regular habit on the weekend. This can be done on your own or with your social support group. You can now look forward to this "workout" all week. NOTE: It doesn't have to be done on Saturday, although is usually a free day for most.
Day 7
30 minutes of cardio/activity - and yes, walking around shopping can count towards your 30 minutes of activity. Plan, shop, & prepare for the week ahead. Make sure to include 1 new fruit and 1 new vegetable in your grocery list.
Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning
Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness,
Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked
Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times
in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines and all over the
Internet, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world
lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times
per week.
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