Did you know that exercise can improve the health boosting effects of a detox?
It does this by increasing your metabolic rate and blood flow to the muscles in the digestive system, causing the muscles to work faster and effectively. This allows all the excess wastes to be eliminated much more quickly than if you were not exercising. So, you might be cutting out carbs, sugars, and alcohol, but you should avoid cutting out any physical activity.
One thing to keep in mind while exercising on a detox is to keep your workout at a low intensity. By restricting sugars and carbohydrates, which help supply most of the fuel for the body, you may feel dizzy or even lightheaded during an intense workout. It may be best to save the high intensity workouts till after your detox is done and stick to cardio where you can breathe at a comfortable rate. Some examples of low intensity exercise include walking, cycling, and jogging at a casual pace. A good way to tell if you are going at a low intensity is if you can carry a conversation or not. If you cannot, then try slowing down your pace.
Another great option to keep your muscles moving, while also reducing the demands of fuel needed on the body is to engage in stretching. Try to focus on stretching the major muscle groups that are found in the arms, legs, and back. You should avoid any quick bouncing movements and instead ease gently into each stretch and hold for about 15 seconds. Effective ways that you can perform stretching is participating in yoga or doing foam rolling.
The most important thing to remember is to always listen to your body and to know your limits. See how your body reacts to physical activity while you are on your detox. If your body is showing any signs of dizziness or lightheadedness, then you should ease up and lower either the intensity or the duration of your workout. Alternatively, if you are feeling good- then push yourself a little further or harder.
If you have any questions regarding a program or what you are doing, contact our office and talk with our exercise specialist!
-Justyne, Exercise Specialist