Detox Debunked – “Cleanse” Your Body the Right Way

What a crock! “Detoxing,” the latest fad in dieting, is often just another quick-fix diet repackaged. It’s a word busting at the seams with misunderstanding, which makes it a favorite for not-so-scrupulous marketers.

But why? We women like the idea of getting rid of the bad stuff that enters our bodies, of cleansing our insides squeaky clean. Like taking our car in for detailing, we believe our bodies can go into a detox stinky and full of gunk and will emerge bright, shiny, and with that awesome new car smell!

Most of us acknowledge that the food chain isn’t as pure as it used to be, and that the typical American diet of burgers, fries, and sweets doesn’t help the cause.

So it stands to reason that a “detox” would be in order. But what is a detox, really, as it applies to the everyday gal? Without getting all heady… detoxification is the metabolic process by which toxins are changed into less toxic or more readily excretable substances.

Eeewwwww!

Just by reading the definition, it’s obvious that detoxes and diets are not the same. By severely reducing your calories – as one would in a diet (never a good idea!) – you are NOT altering the chemistry of toxins, nor are you making them more readily poopable. (Yes, I can make up my own words!)

Sorry if I offended your girlie sensibilities, but damn that picture is funny!

You are, by dieting or detoxing, trying to remove body fat – the place in your body where toxins hang out (as if body fat wasn’t already bad enough!) However, the problem with this method is that a severe drop in calories – as with most quickie diets or “cleanses” – doesn’t eliminate a lot of body fat, but it does eliminate a whole lot of muscle.

Uh oh. Now we really have a problem. Our bodies are clinging to the fat, because they think we’re starving on this ridiculous “cleanse.” Meanwhile, our bodies are getting rid of lean, healthy, youthful muscle, because muscle takes a lot of calories to maintain, and when you aren’t taking in many calories, you don’t have any to spare on things like lean muscle. So you do lose weight, but since most of that weight comes from water and muscle, you’re really lowering your metabolism and setting yourself up for major fat gain (can you say “yo-yo dieting”?) after you’re done with your detox.

So point number one is not to confuse “weight loss” with “fat loss.” REPEAT: Weight loss and fat loss are often completely different!!!. And to really detox long-term, one must lose FAT.
How does a person effectively “detox” then? Glad you asked.

First, we have this amazing thing called a liver that cleans our blood incredibly well. And unless you have a defective liver, it is your primary source of detoxification. No shake or pill will ever work as effectively.

Second, there are only three ways our body, with the help of our liver, gets rid of toxins. Those three ways are:
• exhalation (breathing out toxic stuff like carbon dioxide),
• elimination (that’s between you and your commode!),
• and perspiration (yes, a good, old-fashion, smell-like-a-man SWEAT!).

Exercise that makes you breathe heavy and sweat (both of which are required to actually be exercising!) is probably nature’s most efficient way of detoxing your body. Exercise utilizes both exhalation and perspiration methods of detoxification, has absolutely no negative side effects, and helps you lose toxic body fat as well.

Exercise also helps you get off toxic medications by alleviating some common ailments like high blood pressure and depression. As a personal trainer, I see people reducing or quitting, with their doctor’s blessing, their medications almost daily.

But how do you keep toxins from coming back in? Simple. Here’s a handy guide.

1. Eat a diet rich in organic vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins. Make sure you get plenty of fiber to help with the elimination component!
2. Take a multi-vitamin or supplement with Omega 3s, lipids and sterols from whole grains, and anti-oxidants from fruits and vegetables.
3. Stay away from sweets and processed foods.
4. Drink lots of pure water.
5. Get plenty of sleep.
6. Love life.

There it is… the ABCs of detoxification that works. Exercise, eating well, sleeping, and appreciating all that you are. Simple, but amazingly powerful.

And absolutely impossible to bottle.