Detox Diets

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Detox diets are the “in thing” with those who want to be “rail thin.” Being “rail thin” is not healthy and it looks unhealthy. Some cover models and actresses that are “rail thin” should not be held up as examples of beauty and health for young women.

A healthy, nutritious diet (combined with regular exercise) is designed to improve your health and help you burn fat and lean and tone your body.

Those who habitually use detox diets are pretty much starving themselves. Chronic use of starvation diets slows metabolism, weakens the immune system and can lead to malnutrition, among other health problems.

Those on detox diets often use detox drinks combined with colon cleansing products to “clean themselves out.” At the same time, the person is not eating a healthy diet with enough calories. Too much of this practice leads to poor health.

Detox diets and "body organ cleansers" are not the key to your fat loss and weight loss. Regular exercise and healthy nutrition are your tickets to a permanent lean and toned body. Use the cleansers if you want to for cleaning you out, I guess. Just remember that healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables also play a role in keeping your body clean (and they are much less expensive)!

Ultimately, it comes down to what you want for your life. Do you want to live a quality life for a long time? Common sense would dictate that you develop habits that give you the best chance to live a long, healthy life. That takes you using long-term thinking and making long-term decisions. That would exclude habitual use of detox diets, quick weight loss programs or any weight loss program with short-term results. Healthy lifestyle habits are also mandatory if you want a quality life.

Here are some common sense tips:

1. Exercise regularly at least 5 days a week. Each exercise session only needs to be 20-30 minutes (3 days of circuit weight training and 2 days of interval cardio).

2. If you severely limit candy, donuts, cookies, sugary drinks, calorie-packed desserts and other sugary products, you will burn belly fat and lose weight.

3. Walk as much as possible (especially on the days you don’t exercise) and stay with your meal plan at least 90% of the time and you will burn fat and lose weight.

4. If you don't replace bad foods (like sugary foods) with good foods like fresh fruits, you will probably continue to eat massive amounts of sugary foods. Try the replacement method--it works!

5. If you don't REALLY COMMIT to improve your quality of life with exercise, healthy nutrition, active lifestyle, etc., you probably won't change your bad habits for very long.

6. If you continue to try every new fad diet that hits the market (to get quick weight loss), you will continue to see your weight yo-yo and your health worsen. Make the commitment to fat loss with regular weight training and cardio exercise! In time, this will burn fat, give you a lean body and good health!

The choice is yours---choose to live a quality life!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES, CPT is a Certified Personal Trainer and former NCAA Division I athlete. Mark’s Fat Blaster Athletic Training System has been proven to give his clients the fit, sculpted and athletic-type bodies they want. Visit Mark’s sites:

My Fitness Hut http://myfitnesshut.blogspot.com
Her Fitness Hut http://herfitnesshut.com
Sports Fitness Hut http://sportsfitnesshut.blogspot.com

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Aleyabamdad

I think that you're being a little harsh about the detox diet. I agree that people should not use it too often because it can cause you to become sickly thin, but if done for short increments of time, it can be really great. I did the detox for a couple of months and felt cleaner, more energized and I slept better. When I decided that I had lost enough weight, I ate healthier and worked out more than I did before. I also read about someone else who did a quick one week detox and was happy with her results. If you want to see the article, you can go to http://www.powderroomgraffiti.com/feel-it/the-insides-story.html

February 4, 2010 - 12:57pm

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